Dialogue 1
Jingjing: Hey Mark, can I get some advice from you?
京晶：嗨，马克，能给我点建议吗？
Mark: Sure. I hope I can help. What's up?
马克：当然。希望我能帮上忙。有什么事？
Jingjing: Well, two of my friends are having birthdays soon. And I'm invited to both of their parties.
京晶：是这样的，我的两个好朋友马上要过生日了。他们都邀请了我去参加他们的生日派对。
Mark: Ok. I think you should go to both parties. You'll have yourself a time.
马克：知道了。我觉得两个都该去。轻轻松松去玩就行了。
Jingjing: Um, I'll go if I have time. That's not my question. What should I give as a present?
京晶：呃，有时间我会去的。这个不是我想问的呢，我想问我应该送什么礼物好呢？
Mark: Oh, got it. Are your friends Chinese, or from overseas?
马克：哦，明白了。你的朋友是中国人还是外国人呢？
Jingjing: One is Chinese, and the other is Canadian. That's why I'm asking you.
京晶：一位是中国人，另一位是加拿大人。所以我请教你嘛。
Mark: Well, there are not that many cultural differences about gifts. Besides, I don't know of anything like green hats or clocks that you'd want to avoid giving Canadians.
马克：好，在送礼上并没有那么多文化差异。另外我并没有听说送加拿大人礼物会忌讳像避免送绿色的帽子或钟这样的。
Jingjing: Ok. So, what do you think is a good gift in general?
京晶：好的。那么，你认为通常什么东西算得上一份好礼物呢?
Mark: Do you know the person very well?
马克：你和这个人很熟吗？
Jingjing: Not that well—otherwise I'd know what to give.
京晶：算不上那么熟吧，否则我就知道该送什么了。
Mark: Right. Then you've got to keep in mind that there'll be people at the party who are counting more than you on giving a very special gift. I'd suggest giving something valuable but not too remarkable.
马克：好吧。那你得时刻记住在派对上总有些人比你和主人家关系更近的人会送出更特别的礼物。我建议你送些有价值却不太贵重的东西。
Jingjing: Well, I wasn't thinking of giving her a Faberge egg.
京晶: 我也没想过送给她一个奢侈的费伯奇彩蛋。
(注：完美呈现具有百年历史渊源的俄罗斯蛋(Faberge egg),在纯手工繁复的彩绘下,加上以田园美丽风景为设计灵感,彷佛感觉春天微风气息拂面而来清新动人耀眼十足的美丽光芒非常高贵精致)
Mark: Good thinking. You want to give something that can get used up, not something the birthday girl will have to keep for more than a year.
马克：好点子。你可以送一些能用完的东西，而不是过生日的姑娘还得保留一年以上的东西。
Jingjing: By that rationale, a watermelon would be a good gift.
京晶: 按你的思路，西瓜就是一个很好的礼物。
Mark: Well, one that you brought back with you on a trip to the southern hemisphere this time of year might be thoughtful, though dates or nuts would still be better.
马克：好吧，如果是这个时节你从南半球旅行带回来的西瓜，那可能会很有心，但大枣或者坚果应该更好点。
Jingjing: Hmm, what other advice can you give.
京晶: 嗯，还有其他建议吗？
Mark: I have lots more ideas.
马克：我还有很多点子呢。

New words : 习语短语
have yourself a time (verb phrase, idiom) 放轻松 请随意
have a good time, take it easy
good thinking 好主意 好见解
good idea
by that rationale 按照（你的）那个思路
according to your idea, ...

Dialogue 2
Jingjing: Ok. So you were going to give me some more advice about birthday gifts for my friend.
京晶: 那么关于给朋友送生日礼物你即将给我更多的建议。
Mark: Right. Principle one was to give something useful that can be used up. Principle two is that good things come in small packages.
马克：对。原则一就是送一些可以用完的但又有用的东西。原则二就是小包装都是好东西。
Jingjing: I agree with you there. What do you think of a gift card for a coffee shop or a bakery?
京晶: 我同意你刚说的。你觉得咖啡店或面包房的礼品卡怎么样?
Mark: That's a good gift for a boss to give an employee at the office.
马克：那通常是老板送给办公室员工的好礼物。
Jingjing: We don't work together, though she is a former colleague.
京晶: 现在我们没有在一起工作。但她是我以前的同事。
Mark: Well, it might be a good idea, still. I'd like to bounce some more ideas off of you first, though.
马克：这仍然可能是个好主意。不过，我想首先跟你探讨一下（多听听你的想法）。
Jingjing: Great, that's what I was hoping for.
京晶: 太好了，这正是我期待的。
Mark: What do you think about giving cosmetics? It's the dry winter season here. Everybody can do well with some extra moisturizer or hand cream.
马克：你觉得送化妆品怎么样? 现在这里正是干燥的冬季。每个人都可以再来点儿保湿滋润霜或护手霜。
Jingjing: Good idea, but I remember her being picky about brands. I don't want to spend a lot of money on something she might not appreciate.
京晶: 好主意，但我记得她对品牌很挑剔。我不想花好多钱买些她可能不喜欢的东西。
Mark: Yeah, a good moisturizer runs two or three hundred. I still think hand cream would be okay, because it'd only cost 150yuan for one that's probably better than what she uses now.
马克：是啊，一个比较好的滋润霜得卖两三百。我还是认为护手霜就好，因为你只需要花150元买一个就可能比她现在正在用的质量好的。
Jingjing: That's about my price range. Anything else you want to run by me?
京晶: 这价格在我可承受的范围之内。还有其他建议给我吗？
Mark: So, principle three is keep it simple. Hand cream is simple. So is something like a wireless mouse. Everybody uses those.
马克：原则三就是从简法则。护手霜很简单。类似无线鼠标的东西也是如此。每个人都会用到那些。
Jingjing: Yeah, but I thought you said it should be something she could use up.
京晶: 是啊，但我以为你说的是应该送她能用完的东西。
Mark: Oh, right. Oops. A wireless mouse might not be ideal.
马克：哦, 对。哎呦！无线鼠标可能不太理想。
Jingjing: Actually, she's a workaholic. She might like a mouse, coming from a former colleague.
京晶: 实际上，她是个工作狂。她可能会喜欢一个前同事送给她的鼠标。
Mark: You could always bring both gifts, wrapped nicely, and decide when you arrive.
马克：你可以把两份礼物都带上，精美包装好，然后等到达了后再决定送哪个。
Jingjing: That's a good idea, especially if she unwraps them there and I see she got one of those already.
京晶: 这是一个好主意，尤其是她当场拆礼物，我刚好看到别人已经送了她一个时。
Mark: And you could always use the other one yourself, or keep it wrapped and give it at the next party.
马克：而且你随时可以自己用剩下那个，或者留着包装，下次聚会时再送出去。
Jingjing: Ha ha! That's killing two birds with one stone!
京晶: 哈哈！一箭双雕！

New words : 习语短语
bounce some ideas off <someone> (verbphrase) 向某人征求意见
make a suggestion for a person, without the person having to take thesuggestion too seriously (often-times, the person being asked does not have toapply the suggestion himself/herself)
price range (noun) 可接受的价位区间
what someone is willing to pay for something, from the lowest to the highest acceptable price
run <something> by <someone> (phrasal verb) 向某人请示某事把 (某事) 告诉 (某人) 以征求意见
make a suggestion for a person, to see if it's an OK idea (this isoften-times used when an employee asks his/her boss if something is OKaccording to company policy)
killing two birds with one stone (proverb) 一箭双雕
do one thing, but get two things done