Dialogue 1
Jingjing: Hey Mark, have your friends been posting lots of old pictures of themselves?
京晶：嗨，马克，你有朋友最近上传了很多自己的老照片吗？
Mark: More than usual? Oh—do you mean those one that show them in 2009 and 2019 side by side?
马克：比平时多？哦，你是说那些把自己在2009年和2019年的照片并列晒出来的人吗?
Jingjing: Yeah, those are the ones. Some people have even taken to posting pictures from 2017 and 2019 side by side.
京晶：对，就是那些。有些人甚至开始把2017年和2019年的照片都并排贴出来了。
Mark: How much difference can two years make? I guess a guy could grow a long beard, and a woman could grow her hair long in that time.
马克：两年间能有多大不同？在这个时间里可能男人的胡子变长了，女人的头发也留长了。
Jingjing: I think it's just an excuse for people to post good-looking pictures of themselves, and to show off things they did a long time ago, as conversation-starters.
京晶：我想这只是一个人们用来晒自己美照的好借口，同时炫耀一下自己早前都干过什么，作为聊天开场白吧。
Mark: Yeah, that's pretty much it.
马克：差不多是那样。
Jingjing: Some of my friends have gotten pretty creative though.
京晶：一些朋友的对比图就非常有创意了。
Mark: How's that?
马克：什么样的？
Jingjing: One friend of mine posted her graduating class photo, where she's one of a hundred students in uniform, side by side with a photo with her postgraduate research team of seven people plus a few professors.
京晶：我的一个朋友贴出了她的毕业照，她是百名身着毕业礼服的学生之一。对比照是她的七人研究生科研团队和几位教授。
Mark: That's pretty sweet. Yeah, success can be measured by something like that. It's kinda hard to put your finger on—but the comparison works.
马克：好棒啊。是的，成就是可以用这类东西来衡量的。这种事很难解释清楚，但对比也是管用的。
Jingjing: On a less subtle note, another friend posted a photo of him sleeping in his office five years ago, and a very recent one. His current office is much nicer, and has a great view of the city.
京晶：另一条稍许不那么巧妙的是，另一个朋友贴出了一张他五年前睡在办公室的照片，对比是一张近照。他现在的办公室漂亮多了，还能欣赏到城市的美景。
Mark: That's much less subtle, to be sure. Still, it's cool to see how much life changes in a few years. I think it's a nice trend. Would you consider posting photos like that of yourself?
马克：毫无疑问，这个不巧妙多了。尽管如此，能看到自己的生活几年内发生了多大的变化是件很棒的事。我认为这是个不错的潮流。你会考虑贴上自己的对比照片吗？
Jingjing: I could look through my old photos and see if there's something like that to share. Anyway, it's a good chance to reflect on what has happened over the years.
京晶：我可以翻翻看我的老照片有没有类似的东西可以分享出来。不管怎么样，这是一个回顾过去几年一切发生的好机会。
Mark: After you sift through hundreds of photos, you could show me your finalists. I could help you decide.
马克：在你筛选了数百张照片之后，你可以给我看看最终选定的，我可以帮你决定。
Jingjing: Deal. I might not have enough time, though. And then, the hype might be over.
京晶：就这么定了。不过我可能没那么多时间选照片。然后这事的热度可能就这么过去了。
Mark: Yeah, you don't want to miss the boat. It might be best just to let this one pass.
马克：是，你并不想错失良机。可能就让它这么过去是最好。
Jingjing: Hmm, what other advice can you give.
京晶: 嗯，还有其他建议吗？
Mark: Just some silly ones, ha ha.
马克：哈哈，只是一些傻傻的想法罢了。

New words : 习语短语
taken to <doing something> (phrasal verb) 喜欢上做某事
started doing something, similar to a habit they already had, but with a new development
conversation-starter 谈话开场白
an interesting object or picture, which people could ask about if they'd like to chat with you (i.e. What's that pin you're wearing on your collar?)
hard to put your finger on <something> 很难说清楚 很难确定
hard to explain something, especially the one remarkable characteristic (i.e. It's hard to put your finger on why Paul is more popular than Peter.)
sift through <something> (verb) 筛选查找
look at many of the same kind of thing, to try to find a certain one (i.e. The HR manager sifted through resumes from 100 applicants for one job.)
miss the boat (idiom) 错失良机
miss the chance to do something, used either for a major event (like buying stock at a company's IPO) or for something far less important (like a clothing fad)

Dialogue 2
Jingjing: Ok. So I'm interested to hear your ideas about side-by-side photos, even if they're silly.
京晶：好。所以我很想听听你就对比照片的想法，即使它们有点傻。
Mark: Sure. So, first, what was in the fridge in 2009 and what what's in the fridge in 2019.
马克：当然。那第一个，2009年冰箱里有什么对比现在2019年冰箱里放什么。
Jingjing: That's ridiculous. It just makes a mockery of the whole fad. I hope your other ideas aren't all that silly.
京晶：那太可笑了。这简直是对这整个潮流的嘲讽。我希望你其他想法不那么蠢。
Mark: Wait, hear me out. It would show the current fridge almost empty, except for the same pizza box as in the 2009 photo with some added obvious signs of wear.
马克：等等，听我把话说完。图片会展现现在的冰箱几乎是空的，除了与2009年照片里一样的披萨盒子和一些明显增加的磨损痕迹。
Jingjing: Yeah, I get it; but I don't think it's very funny.
京晶：好，我明白;但我认为这个不怎么有趣。
Mark: Give me another chance, then. You could pick up a really long book, like Anna Karenina. For a fake 1999 photo, wear childish clothes and show yourself reading the first few pages of the book. Then take a photo with what you usually wear nowadays, and the same book, open to the last pages.
马克：我再试试。那，你可以选一本长篇著作，比如《安娜·卡列尼娜》。摆拍一张1999年的照片，你可以穿上稚气的服装，假装在读这本书的前几页。然后换上你现在的日常着装，同样一本书，翻到最后那几页。
Jingjing: So, let me get this straight: I'd be showing off that it took me twenty years to get through a 817-page book? Considering the subject matter, I think that's either in poor taste—or a joke that is easily lost on my social media friends.
京晶：等等，让我弄明白你的意思：我晒的是我花了20年读了一本817页的书? 关于这个主题，我想要么我品味很差，要么是个笑话，还是朋友圈都get不到意思的那种。
Mark: Wait, you've read it? I was just using Anna Karenina as an example. You could use Les Miserables. I even have a hard-bound edition you could borrow. So much for poor taste!
马克：等等，你看过这本书啊？我只是以安娜·卡列尼娜为例。你也可以换《悲惨世界》。我还有精装本可以借给你用。好了，不用管这糟糕的挑书品味了。
Jingjing: Yeah, whatevs'. Let's get on to your next idea.
京晶：好吧，随便了。让我们继续听你的下一个想法。
Mark: Remember how we talked about a Rubik's Cube a while back? Well, you could get a new one, and post two fake 2014 photos of you, taking it out of the box or the plastic wrap, then shuffling it. And two 2019 photos that make it look like you just solved it.
马克：还记得之前我们是怎么讨论魔方的吗? 这样，你可以再买一个新的，发两张2014的摆拍照，一张拍把它从盒子里或塑料包装里拿出来，一张是打乱它。然后发两张2019年的照片，看起来就像你刚刚复原了它。
Jingjing: These are all the same ideas! It seems like you want me to go through a lot of trouble just to put a bad joke on social media. You know, I actually don't post that many photos of myself.
京晶：你这些点子都是一样的啊！你似乎想让我大费周折把一个没劲的笑话发在社交媒体上呢。你知道，生活中我并不怎么发那么多自己的照片。
Mark: Oh, alright. I guess I was on the wrong track. Hey, you have rescued lots of animals. You could post one about when you rescued a cat or a dog, and another where you visited the same animal recently, and put the real years there in the key picture.
马克：哦,好吧。我想我完全偏题了。嘿，你救助了很多小动物啊。你可以发布一张你在什么时候救了一只猫或狗的照片，另一张是你最近去看望它的照片，并在主图中放上真实的年份。
Jingjing: Now you're talking sense! I'm not super public about that rescue work. But it would be fun for me to look through photos, and reflect, like we were talking before.
京晶：你现在才说的正经事。我并不是很公开地做这些事，但如果能像我们之前说的那样，去翻翻照片并回顾一下，也还挺有意思的。
Mark: I'm glad to help you choose the best ones. Anyway, post about something you love, or nothing at all.
马克：我很乐意帮你挑选到最好的点子。不管怎样，发一些你喜欢的东西，或者什么都别发。
Jingjing: That's a good motto.
京晶：好箴言。

New words : 习语短语
make a mockery of <something> (phrasal verb)嘲笑；把…作为笑料；愚弄
don't take something seriously at all, ridicule it
hear <someone> out (phrasal verb) 听某人说完他想说的
listen to someone, consider their idea
whatevs' 随便（常暗示不感兴趣）
whatever (short slang form) (expression of disinterest)
on the wrong track (idiom) 南辕北辙 大错特错
having the wrong idea, approaching something the wrong way
motto 座右铭；格言；箴言
something someone says to motivate him/herself, or a company motto