0831Ask树华：给美国人吃什么中国菜比较好？学英语，那些事情最重要？

Y:

Josh, can you tell me what are the differences and similarities between China and the United States?

树华，你能否告诉我美国和中国之间的相同和不同方面吗？

Yes! I would love to.

好的！可以。

First, China is in the East, the United States is in the west.

中国在东方，美国在西方。

China is full of Chinese people, and America is full of Americans.

中国充满中国人，美国充满美国人。

Chinese people speak Chinese, and most Americans speak English.

中国人说中文，发部分美国人说英文。

You might think that my answer is not very useful, but if you want a better answer, you should ask a better question!

你可能觉得我这些回答没有用，但是如果你想要更好的回答，你就要问一个更好的问题！

Hugh:

Would you talk about the best and worst Chinese food for Americans in China?

能否聊一些对在中国的美国人最好和最坏的中国菜？

That’s a great question! If you have any American friends coming to China, it’s important to know what they might like to eat, and what they might not like.

那是个好的问题！如果你有美国朋友来到中国，知道他们可能会喜欢吃什么或者不喜欢吃什么很重要。

Of course, everyone is different, but this is what I think.

当然，每个人都不一样，但是这是我的想法。

Most of the Americans I know here like hot pot a lot. It’s very fun, especially for people who haven’t lived in China for very long, or are just visiting.

我认识的大部分在中国的美国人喜欢火锅。很好玩，尤其是在中国时间不久的人，或者只是过来旅游的。

Americans who live in China but can’t speak Chinese often eat 兰州拉面，pulled noodles, because they’re simple, cheap, and you can usually order with pictures on the walls, so you don’t have to speak any Chinese at all.

住在中国但是还不会中文的美国人很多喜欢吃兰州拉面，因为它们很简单、很便宜、而且可以用墙上的照片来点菜，不用说任何中文。

Generally speaking, Americans might have trouble with fishbones, because we usually take the bones out of the fish before we cook it. So, try to avoid fish with too many little bones.

基本来说，美国人可能不太容易吃鱼刺，因为我们平常先把鱼刺拿掉在做。所以，可以尽量避开有太多刺的鱼。

Some Americans do eat organs, 内脏，but not all of them. So avoid things like tripe 牛肚 or intestines 肠。

很多美国人不喜欢吃内脏，可是不是所有。所以可以避开牛肚或者肠之类的东西。

If you really want to know what to feed an American, the easiest thing to do is just ask. Describe what you want to let them try, and see if they feel comfortable with it.

如果你真的想知道应该给美国人吃什么，最简单的方法就是直接问。给他们形容你想让他们试试什么，然后看看他们能接受哪些。

Scarlet:

What are the essential tools for learning English?

学英语需要哪些工具？

I’ve talked a lot about this before – you need time, you need some real English that you can interact with, and you need to do a lot of review.

这个问题我之前说过 – 你需要时间、需要点真实的可以接触的英语、还有很多很多复习。

But actually, there’s something else that’s very, very important, and I don’t think I’ve talked about it before.

可是其实，还有一个非常、非常重要的事情，一个我好像没有聊过的事情。

That important thing is: a goal. You need to have a reason to learn English, and a specific goal you want to accomplish.

那个事情就是：一个目标。你需要一个学英语的理由，而且一个具体的目标。

Lots of people “study” English for years, but never get better. That’s usually because they don’t have a clear goal. 

很多人“学”英语很多年，但是从来不进步。你平时是因为他们没有一个具体的目标。

If you have a goal, you know exactly what to study, and you know how well you’re doing.

如果有个具体的目标的话，那你就知道你具体该学什么，而且知道你的进度怎么样。

For example, when I was first learning Chinese, I didn’t say, “Oh, I just want to learn a lot of Chinese words and grammar!”

比如说，我刚开始学中文的时候，我没有说，“啊，我只是想学很多中文词语和语法！”

No. My specific goal was to be able to do take care of myself in Chinese.

不。我的具体目标就是能够用中文照顾自己。

I wanted to buy things, order food, take taxis, and other normal daily-life activities.

我想要买东西、点菜、打车、还有其他日常事情。

Because I had a clear goal, I knew exactly what to study. And when I was successful at buying something or taking a taxi, I knew that I was reaching my goals.

因为我有个具体目标，我知道我具体需要学什么。而且在我成功买到东西或者打车，我就知道我在完成我的目标。

After that, I wanted to learn how to use Taobao in Chinese. Then, I wanted to learn how to use Didi in Chinese. Then, I wanted to be able to play in a band using Chinese.

再之后，我就想用中文上淘宝。然后，我想用中文上滴滴。然后，我想用中文参与一个乐队。

At every step of the way, I had a specific goal for learning Chinese. That’s why I was able to do it – clear goals are much easier to reach than vague goals.

在每一步骤，我有了个具体的中文目标。那就是我能够学会的原因 – 清楚地目标比模糊的目标好实现。

So, don’t say, “I just want better English!”

所以，别光说，“我想要更好的英文！”

Instead, say, “I want to be able to travel in the USA.”

还是要说，“我想要能够去美国旅游！”

Or, “I want to be able to do an interview in English!”, or something like that.

或者，“我想能够用英语做面试！”或者类似的。

Specific goals and specific actions will make your studying a lot easier.

具体的目标和具体的动作会让你的学习简单多了。