内容来源：分享美国 地址链接：http://go.usa.gov/c3unT   

来自世界不同地方的六位学生在美国相遇。他们都是交换学生，到美国大学就读一个学期。他们在这里学习英语，了解美国文化，修专业课程。英语“日常会话” (Everyday Conversations)系列便是围绕这六位学生在美国的经历展开。这个系列适于中级或中级以上英语水平的学生。

Lucía: This is a great study break for me. I’ve never been to a pumpkin patch before.

Ajay: I needed the break too. Just think of this as part of your U.S. cultural experience!

Lucía: Carving pumpkins to make jack-o’-lanterns seems like a very American thing to do. Too bad this isn’t going to be on my history exam tomorrow.

Ajay: You’ll do fine. You’ve been studying all week, and it won’t take long to pick out a pumpkin. Plus, we can stop at the general store on the way back to campus. They’re selling seasonal treats like candy apples and pumpkin pie.

Lucía: A sugar rush is exactly what I need before studying again.

Ajay: If you have a sweet tooth, I recommend candy corn. It’s only sold around this time of year, and it’s a super sweet candy.

Lucía: We’ll have to get some. But first, let’s pick out the perfect pumpkin.

让我们来学习一些词语（也可选择阅读英文解释）:

A study break 指学生暂停学习去做其他事情或休息的间歇。

A pumpkin patch：一块南瓜田/南瓜地。10月份在美国，许多人都会买浑圆的橙色南瓜，有的用来做时令佳肴，有的用来做南瓜灯，南瓜灯是万圣节(Halloween)的装饰之一。

To carve a pumpkin：雕刻南瓜，即在南瓜上刻出各种造型。

A jack-o’-lantern：南瓜灯。它是通过在掏空瓜瓤的南瓜上刻出人面五官，然后在瓜中间放上蜡烛做成。烛光从空洞的眼睛、鼻子和大咧的嘴巴中透出。南瓜灯是万圣节的特有装饰物。

A candy apple：蜜糖苹果；外层包有凝固的糖浆衣，下面插一小棒。

A sugar rush 是指在摄入含糖量高的食品或饮料后迸发的兴奋精神。

To have a sweet tooth 的意思是爱吃甜食。

Candy corn 是一种形状做得像一颗大玉米豆的软糖。

有兴趣听更多英语对话吗？请浏览“英语学习”专题网页。

Everyday conversations: Taking a study break! [audio]

Six students from around the world meet. What do they have in common? They are all exchange students studying at a U.S. university for a semester. Throughout the semester, they learn more English, learn about U.S. culture, and learn more about their fields of study. This series of Everyday Conversations is about these six students and their experiences during a semester at a university in the U.S. These conversations are for intermediate-level English-language learners or higher.

Two students take a trip to a pumpkin patch. In this conversation, the students (Lucía andAjay) talk about carving a pumpkin and a few traditional seasonal foods.

Lucía: This is a great study break for me. I’ve never been to a pumpkin patch before.

Ajay: I needed the break too. Just think of this as part of your U.S. cultural experience!

Lucía: Carving pumpkins to make jack-o’-lanterns seems like a very American thing to do. Too bad this isn’t going to be on my history exam tomorrow.

Ajay: You’ll do fine. You’ve been studying all week, and it won’t take long to pick out a pumpkin. Plus, we can stop at the general store on the way back to campus. They’re selling seasonal treats like candy apples and pumpkin pie.

Lucía: A sugar rush is exactly what I need before studying again.

Ajay: If you have a sweet tooth, I recommend candy corn. It’s only sold around this time of year, and it’s a super sweet candy.

Lucía: We’ll have to get some. But first, let’s pick out the perfect pumpkin.

Now let’s review the vocabulary.

A study break is a short period of time when a student stops studying and does another activity.

A pumpkin patch is a small area of land where pumpkins are grown. A pumpkin is a large, round, orange vegetable that people eat or use for decoration. In October in the U.S., many people carve pumpkins and make jack-o’-lanterns for decorations, especially for Halloween.

To carve a pumpkin: to make objects, patterns, etc., by cutting shapes in a pumpkin.

A jack-o’-lantern is a pumpkin with its insides removed and a face cut into it for Halloween. It can have a candle inside so that light shines out through its carved eyes, nose and mouth.

A candy apple is a whole apple covered in a hard sugar candy coating. A stick is inserted into the apple to use as a handle.

A sugar rush is a sudden short period of energy a person gets from eating or drinking a large amount of sugar.

To have a sweet tooth means to like foods that contain a lot of sugar.

Candy corn is a small chewy candy that is shaped like a large kernel of corn.

Ready to learn more English? Our materials can help.