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，学习英语，了解美国文化，同时修专业课程。英语“日常会话” (Everyday Conversations)系列围绕这六位学生在美国的经历展开。这套材料适于中级或中级以上英语水平的学生使用。
三个学生(Ajay, Lucía and Jana) 到一个朋友家(Kayla’s)的餐馆吃饭。他们谈论这家餐馆的菜肴以及城里餐饮的国际风味。
Ajay: This food is so much better than the food in the dining hall!
Kayla: Of course it is. My grandmother cooks all of the food, and it’s the best Ethiopian food in the city. I’m biased, of course!
Lucía: Well, I tend to agree with you. This is the best meal I’ve had in a long time.
Kayla: Of course.
Jana: Agreed! I didn’t think I’d come all the way to the U.S. to have amazing Ethiopian food.
Kayla: Welcome to the U.S.! Because the country is so multicultural, there are fantastic restaurants serving delicious dishes from all over the globe.
Jana: Even from my country?
Kayla: Most likely. This is a large, cosmopolitan city. There are people from all over the world, and some of those people own restaurants.
Ajay: How about next week we try a different restaurant? One that serves food from one of our home countries?
Lucía: Sounds good. But first, I would like dessert. Kayla, what do you have?
让我们来学习一些词语（也可阅读英文解释）：
A dining hall：学校餐厅/食堂
to be biased：有偏见，在这个对话中指善意的倾向性，即Kayla总是会认为她祖母做的菜比其他人做的都好吃。
To be biased经常含负面意思；如果说be biased against something/someone，意思就是：某人对某事/某人有偏见，认为此事/此人不如其他事/其他人。例如： He is biased against women; he believes women are not as smart, hard-working, etc., as men.（他对女性有偏见；他认为女性不如男性聪明、刻苦，等等。）
如果说be biased toward something/someone，意思则是偏向某事/某人。例如：The professor was biased toward older students; the professor often helped older students study and gave them better grades.（这位教授偏向年龄较大的学生，经常在学习中帮助他们，还给他们好分数。）
A meal：一顿饭。例如：Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. For breakfast, my father usually makes a delicious meal of eggs, toast and sausages.（早点是我一天当中最喜欢的一顿饭。我父亲经常做好吃的鸡蛋、土司、香肠早点。）
A dish：一个菜。The main dish指主菜； Side dishes是辅菜或小菜。
A cosmopolitan city：都市，人口往往来自世界四面八方。
I would like…我想要……是点菜的一种表达方式。例如： I would like the fish.（我想点鱼。） I would like a small coffee, please.（我想请要一小杯咖啡。）
What do you have? 你们有什么？在餐馆，后面如跟介词for，意思是问在一个类别中的更具体选择。例如：What do you have for dessert?（你们甜点都有什么？） What do you have for vegetarians?（你们有哪些素食菜？）
有兴趣听更多英语对话吗？请浏览“英语学习”专题网页。
American English 网站提供可供英语学生和教师免费使用的多种英语资源。American English Facebook网页提供每天更新的英语学习资料。
“日常会话”由美国国务院教育与文化事务局英语语言项目处（Office of English Language Programs, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs）资深项目官员海蒂·豪兰（Heidi Howland）编写。
Everyday conversations: Let’s go to a restaurant [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.
Students (Ajay, Lucía and Jana) go to the restaurant owned by a friend’s (Kayla’s)family. They talk about the food at this restaurant as well as other restaurants in the city that serve food from different parts of the world.
Ajay: This food is so much better than the food in the dining hall!
Kayla: Of course it is. My grandmother cooks all of the food, and it’s the best Ethiopian food in the city. I’m biased, of course!
Lucía: Well, I tend to agree with you. This is the best meal I’ve had in a long time.
Kayla: Of course.
Jana: Agreed! I didn’t think I’d come all the way to the U.S. to have amazing Ethiopian food.
Kayla: Welcome to the U.S.! Because the country is so multicultural, there are fantastic restaurants serving delicious dishes from all over the globe.
Jana: Even from my country?
Kayla: Most likely. This is a large, cosmopolitan city. There are people from all over the world, and some of those people own restaurants.
Ajay: How about next week we try a different restaurant? One that serves food from one of our home countries?
Lucía: Sounds good. But first, I would like dessert. Kayla, what do you have?
Now let’s review the vocabulary.
A dining hall is a large room in a school, university, etc., where meals are served and many people can eat at the same time.
In this context, to be biased is used in a positive way. Kayla has a tendency to believe that her grandmother’s cooking is better than everyone else’s cooking.
To be biased often has a negative meaning. Someone can be biased againstsomething/someone; in this case, one believes something/someone is not as good as another. For example: He is biased against women; he believes women are not as smart, hard-working, etc., as men.
One can also be biased toward something/someone; in this case, one believes something/someone is better than another. For example: The professor was biased toward older students; the professor often helped older students study and gave them better grades.
A meal is an occasion when food is eaten. The word meal can also mean the food eaten. For example: Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. For breakfast, my father usually makes a delicious meal of eggs, toast and sausages.
A dish is food that is prepared in a particular way for a meal. The main dish is the largest or most important dish of a meal. Side dishes are smaller dishes served with the main dish.
A cosmopolitan city has people from many different parts of the world.
I would like… is one way to order in a restaurant. For example: I would like the fish. I would like a small coffee, please.
What do you have? This is asked when one wants more specific information about the food or drink offered, usually at a restaurant. It is often followed by the wordfor. For example: What do you have for dessert? What do you have for vegetarians?
Ready to learn more English? Our materials can help.
The American English website offers a variety of free resources for learners and teachers of English. The American English Facebook page posts learning materials for English-language learners daily.
Everyday Conversations are developed by the State Department’s Heidi Howland, a senior program officer in the Office of English Language Programs, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
