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。
在这个对话中一个学生 (Ajay) 向另一个学生(Lucía)解释他将欢庆的不同节日。
Ajay: How’s the studying going, Lucía?
Lucía: I can’t wait for finals to be over! In another week, I’ll be flying back home. What are you doing over the winter break?
Ajay: Alan invited Lee and me to stay with his family. Home-cooked food for three holiday meals!
Lucía: Three holidays?
Ajay: Alan’s dad is Jewish, and his mom is Christian, so they celebrate bothHanukkah and Christmas. And his mom is a professional chef, so she goes all outfor both holiday meals.
Lucía: And what’s the third holiday?
Ajay: New Year’s Day. They have all their family over, and Alan’s mom cooks again. Alan has raved about his mom’s cooking all semester, so Lee and I can’t wait.
Lucía: Holiday meals cooked by a professional chef. I want to hear all about it later. I’ve never had a traditional Hanukkah meal.
Ajay: Neither have I. I’m looking forward to it.
让我们来学习一些词语（也可阅读英文解释）：
How’s (something) going? （一切或某事）怎么样？这是向一个人询问某事进展如何或者泛泛问他/她近来生活怎样的说法。例如： 可以说How’s the studying going? (学习进行得怎样？)。How’s it going?也是一种比较随便的打招呼用语，意思相当于 How are you?。
Can’t wait：等不及，迫不及待
A winter break：寒假，通常包含一些冬季节假日，如元旦
Home-cooked or homemade food：自己家里做的饭/食品
Hanukkah or Chanukah： 持续八天的犹太教光明节，时间通常在11月下旬至12月下旬之间，纪念2000多年前耶路撒冷圣殿的重新献祭
Commemorate：纪念（过去的重要人物或事件）
To go all out：全力以赴
To rave：极力夸奖，狂热赞赏
A holiday meal：节日传统餐，即只有在某一节日才会吃的菜肴，例如，美国许多家庭的感恩节传统餐包括蔓越桔酱，而它在一年其他时候很少见于餐桌。
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: Holiday season in the U.S. [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.
In this conversation, a student (Ajay) explains the different holidays he will celebrate with another student (Lucía).
Ajay: How’s the studying going, Lucía?
Lucía: I can’t wait for finals to be over! In another week, I’ll be flying back home. What are you doing over the winter break?
Ajay: Alan invited Lee and me to stay with his family. Home-cooked food for three holiday meals!
Lucía: Three holidays?
Ajay: Alan’s dad is Jewish, and his mom is Christian, so they celebrate bothHanukkah and Christmas. And his mom is a professional chef, so she goes all outfor both holiday meals.
Lucía: And what’s the third holiday?
Ajay: New Year’s Day. They have all their family over, and Alan’s mom cooks again. Alan has raved about his mom’s cooking all semester, so Lee and I can’t wait.
Lucía: Holiday meals cooked by a professional chef. I want to hear all about it later. I’ve never had a traditional Hanukkah meal.
Ajay: Neither have I. I’m looking forward to it.
Now let’s review the vocabulary.
How’s (something) going? This question is used to ask someone about his/her progress or about life in general. For example, how’s the studying going meanswhat’s the progress of your studying. The general question how’s it going is informal and similar to how are you.
Can’t wait means to be very eager, anxious or impatient for something.
A winter break is a period of vacation between semesters of college or other schools that includes the winter holidays, such as New Year’s Day.
Home-cooked or homemade food means food prepared at home and not made in a factory, store, etc.
Hanukkah or Chanukah is an eight-day Jewish holiday, usually in late November or December, that commemorates the rededication of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem more than 2,000 years ago.
Commemorate means to do something special to remind people of an important event or person from the past.
To go all out means to put all of your energy into what you are doing or to put a lot of effort into doing something.
To rave about something is to talk or write about something in an excited and enthusiastic way.
A holiday meal is special food prepared and eaten for a certain holiday. Sometimes these foods are only made and eaten during a certain holiday season. For example, for many families in the U.S. on Thanksgiving, the holiday meal includes cranberry sauce. This is not a food that many people eat at other times of the year.
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.
