VIP Class Notes (Ally)[S]

We often see tall, thin models in (women’s) magazines. What effect do you think that has on young women? Is that good?

Vocabulary

dictator: du cai zhe; whatever he says goes, 独裁者; 发号施令者; 专横的人
ie. The way he talks makes him sound/feel like a dictator.
ie. The rules of the game dictate/say that you must leave the room.

dictatorship: du cai zhu yi
ie. The company is a democracy, not a dictatorship.

gather your thoughts／brainstorm（v）: 整理一下想法
ie. I will give you a minute to brainstorm.

strike：碰撞 袭击
ie. It strikes me as a surprise that he’s so early for work today./The fact that he is so early for work today strikes me as a surprise.
ie. There is a strikingly handsome guy makes Ally forget her boyfriend. -> The guy is so strikingly handsome that Ally forgot her boyfriend./There is a strikingly beautiful guy who made Ally forget her boyfriend.

nice: when we’re talking about things, it means 精致 有点贵的 高档的
ie. Ally is poor now so she can no longer afford nice things.

fit: when we’re talking about a person, it means 有型的 身材好的
ie. She goes to the gym twice a week to keep fit.

slurp: ci liu ci liu
ie. Stop slurping your coffee.

righteous: zheng yi de
ie. The judge made the righteous decision in court.

social suicide: shejiao zi sha
ie. She committed social suicide at the party by talking shxt about her popular friend.

brutal/cruel: can ren
ie. It was brutal to watch her commit social suicide.

lenient: kuan song
ie. Ally is lenient with me because I was busy this week.

Grammar

can： ability 能力  could: keyi ma
ie. Can you open the door for me? Could you open the door for me?

will: specific future tense / would: for all things imagined/not happening
ie. I would be rich if I work 20 hours a day.

Q: Describe a good-looking person
A: I know a girl who is really pretty. She always does some good outfits. We were workmates before. She is a model on TB. We use to talk a lot with each other. She always has many thoughts on dressing and how to keep healthy. She told me that if I got a stomachache I could cook some eggs with black sugar, it will make me feel better. I think why she strikes me is that she is good at looking after people, especially me. She has short hair but she doesn’t like it. However, I think she’s good with short hair. It’s comfortable to be with her.
A: I know a girl who is really pretty. She always wears nice/designer-brand outfits. We were workmates before. She is a model on TB. We used to talk a lot with each other. She always has many thoughts on how to dress and how to keep fit. She told me that when I get a stomachache I should cook some eggs with black sugar, and it will make me feel better. I think why she strikes me as a beautiful person is that she is good at looking after people, especially me. She has short hair but she doesn’t like it. However, I think she looks cute with short hair. Even though she is so strikingly beautiful, it’s comfortable to be with her.

Q: Do you think looks are important? How important are they? Do you think good-looking people have different lives than the rest of us? Is it fair?
A: Looks are so important for us nowadays. We should dress differently when we go to different place or meet different people. For example, if you go to the beach, you should wear clothes which is suitable for swimming or you should not go there. And when we are work, if you dress sleepy clothes your boss will ask you to go home. People likes beautiful things, so if you’re good-looking, you can get more opportunities. I think it’s normal.
A: Looks are so important for us nowadays/in the modern times/in recent times. We should dress differently when we go to different places or meet different people./It’s important to dress for occasion. For example, if you go to the beach, you should wear summer clothes or you might get a heat stroke/or people will look at you in a weird way. And if you wear pajamas to work/at your workplace, your boss will ask you to go home and sleep. People like beautiful things, so it’s easy to get more opportunities if you’re good-looking./I think it’s only natural that good-looking people get more opportunities. I think it’s normal./I can accept this fact/reality.