sarah: can you see any improvement of my speaking?
莎拉：你觉得我口语有提高吗？
jane: yeah, you speak english much more fluently that before.
简：是的，你讲英语比以前流利多了。
sarah: not surprisingly, we can only speak english there. no chinese is allowed!
莎拉：这没什么奇怪的。在培训班里我们只能讲英语，不准说中文。
jane: i see. you are really a person of perseverance, sarah. nothing is impossible to you.
简：我明白了。你真有恒心，莎拉。对你来说，没有什么是不可能的。
sarah: i am impelled by circumstances, so i have to. therefore, i'm trying to learn more skills. it makes me more qualified for the present job.
莎拉：我也是受形势所迫，不得不这样。因此，我想学更多的技能。这可以让我更有资格胜任目前的工作。
jane: oh, i have benefited a lot from your words.
简：噢，我从你的话里受益匪浅啊。
notes
1. training class 培训班
2. impel [im'pel] v. 驱使；激励；迫使；推动
3. circumstance [?s?:k?mst?ns] n. 环境，形势；（复数）境况
小贴士
1. to study economics in the college has been my dream for a long time.
在大学里学习经济学是我长久以来的梦想。
2. i want to apply for a night class to prepare for my adult college entrance exam.
我想报名上夜校，为我的成人高考做准备。
3. he went to evening classes in art every week even if he had got a position in bank.
尽管他已经在银行找到了工作，他仍然每周去夜校上艺术课。
4. attending training class has boosted my confidence and brought positive results for my work.
参加培训班增强了我的自信心，并给我的工作带来了积极效果。
5. it is never too old to learn.
活到老，学到老。
6. i don't want to be stuck in a rut, so i'd like to study further to improve my abilities.
我不想止步不前，所以我想继续学习以提高能力。
7. my company has been very supportive about my further education. and has cut back my working hours in order to accommodate my studies.
我的公司非常支持我再深造，而且已减少了我的工作时间，以便我有更多的时间学习。
书店新书上架了
dialogue
after lunch, sue and maggie decide to wander about the bookstores because they heard that some new books are on the market.
吃过午饭后，苏和麦琪打算去书店逛逛，因为她们听说一些新书上市了。
sue: yi zhongtian's books are best-sellers now. i heard that his new book has just appeared in the stores. i really like his books very much.
苏：易中天的书现在非常畅销。我听说他的一本新书刚刚上市。我特别喜欢他的书。
maggie: me too. i thought history is a drag before and i hated to read history books, but somehow i like it now.
麦琪：我也是。我以前觉得历史很枯燥乏味，还很讨厌看历史方面的书，但是现在我有点喜欢历史了。
sue: he covers historical subjects in such a way that is both neoteric and expressive.
苏：他讲历史的方式很新颖，也很生动。
maggie: absolutely, all his analyses are based upon adequate reasoning and proofs that are very compelling.
麦琪：的确，他做的所有分析都有理有据，让人觉得很信服。
sue: yeah. i also got the news that professor yi zhongtian was going to sign his new book at the wangfujing book store. hurry up, or we won't get a book with his signature. maybe his books have been all sold out.
苏：是呀，我听说易中天教授要在王府井书店签名售书。快点，否则我们就拿不到他亲笔签名的新书了。或许他的书已经售完了。
notes
1. drag [dr?g] v. 拖，拉；迫使；缓慢行进；
n. 拖，拉；累赘；阻力；令人厌倦的事物（或人）
2. neoteric [?ni:?u'terik] adj. 现代的，新近的；新式的；n. 现代人；现代作家
3. compelling [k?m'peli?] adj. 引人注目的；令人信服的
4. sell out 卖完；背叛，出卖
小贴士
1. it's helpful to read many books. 读书有益。
2. there are always advantages in opening a book. 开卷有益。
3. reading to the mind is what exercise to the body. 读书有益于精神，运动有益于身体。
4. reading is not only beneficial to widen our horizon but also helpful to master the language. 读书不仅有益于开阔视野，也有助于我们驾驭语言。
5. reading books every day benefits our study. 每天读书非常有益于我们的学习。
6. reading is a great resource. 读书是一种极好的消遣。
7. i never grow weary of reading. 我对读书永远也不会厌倦。