Section 5: Keeping in Touch

Unit 57: Mailing a Letter

寄信

Preparing the Letter

enclosing pictures
I enclose some pictures.
folding letter
I fold up my letter...
putting letter in envelope
...and put it in the envelope with the pictures.
addressing envelope
I write my friend's address in the middle of the envelope and my return address at the upper left.
sealing envelope
I seal the envelope.
going to post office
I don't know how much postage I need. So, I take the letter to the post office.

At the Post Office

standing in line
I stand in line.
waiting turn
When it's my turn...
going to window
...I go to the window.
asking clerk postage
I ask the clerk how much postage I need.
clerk asking how to send
He asks me how I want the letter to go...
weighing letter on scale
...and weighs the letter.
buying stamps
I buy enough stamps for the postage.
licking stamps
I lick the stamps...
sticking stamps on envelope
...and stick them on the envelope.
putting letter in mailbox
I put the letter in the mailbox.

For Special Attention

stand in line = usually without "a" or "the." When you stand in line, you wait for your turn — your chance to be served. — 通常不加 a 或 the;排队就是等轮到自己被服务。
lick stamps = many Americans lick stamps; in other cultures, people prefer to get the stamp wet by putting it on a wet sponge. — 很多美国人舔邮票;在其他文化中,人们更喜欢用湿海绵把邮票弄湿。
regular or express? = when the clerk asks "regular or express?" he wants to know if the letter should be delivered fast. Express mail goes fast and costs more; regular means "usual" or "normal." — 营业员问走普通还是快递。快递快但贵;regular 是普通。
scale = is a machine for weighing things — finding out how heavy they are. — 用来称东西多重的机器。

Key Vocabulary

Verbs

单词音标中文
ask/æsk/询问
buy/baɪ/
enclose/ɪnˈkloʊz/把……封入
fold/foʊld/折叠
go to/goʊ tɪ/
know/noʊ/知道
lick/lɪk/
mail/meɪl/邮寄
need/nid/需要
put in/pʊt ɪn/放入
seal/sil/封(信封)
stand in line/stænd ɪn laɪn/排队
stick/stɪk/
take/teɪk/带,拿
want/wɑnt/想要
weigh/weɪ/称重
write/raɪt/

Nouns

单词音标中文
address/əˈdrɛs/地址
clerk/klɜrk/职员
envelope/ˈɛnvəloʊp/信封
friend/frɛnd/朋友
letter/ˈlɛtɚ/
mailbox/ˈmeɪlbɑks/邮筒
middle/ˈmɪdəl/中间
pictures/ˈpɪkʧɚz/照片
postage/ˈpoʊstɪʤ/邮资
post office/poʊst ˈɔfɪs/邮局
return address/rɪˈtɜrn əˌdrɛs/寄件人地址
scale/skeɪl/
stamp/stæmp/邮票
turn/tɜrn/轮到
window/ˈwɪndoʊ/窗口

Adjectives

单词音标中文
enough/ɪˈnʌf/足够的(形容词)
left/lɛft/左边的(形容词)
upper/ˈʌpɚ/上面的(形容词)