Upper-Intermediate - The Seven Year Itch 5 - Beyond the Itch (D1903)

A: 浩宇,周六有空吗?
Hàoyǔ, zhōuliù yǒukòng ma?
Hao Yu, are you free on Saturday?
B: 应该有。
yīnggāi yǒu.
I should be.
A: 有最好了。晓婷的生日快到了,我想给她个惊喜。
yǒu zuì hǎo le. Xiǎotíng de shēngrì kuài dào le, wǒ xiǎng gěi tā ge jīngxǐ.
It'd be great if you were. Xiao Ting's birthday is coming up and I want to surprise her.
B: 要举行派对?
yào jǔxíng pàiduì?
Are you planning a party?
A: 嗯。请一些好朋友一起来庆祝。像十年前我们一起给她过22岁生日的时候一样。
ng4. qǐng yīxiē hǎo péngyou yīqǐ lái qìngzhù. xiàng shínián qián wǒmen yīqǐ gěi tā guò èrshí èrsuì shēngrì de shíhou yīyàng.
Yeah. I'm inviting a few good friends to celebrate together, something similar to the party we threw for her 22nd birthday 10 years ago.
B: 好啊!呵呵,那时候你在女生楼下点了一圈蜡烛,围成了一个“心”,自己一手拿玫瑰一手提蛋糕站在中间等晓婷下来。把全校的女生都感动了。
hǎo a! hēhē, nà shíhou nǐ zài nǚshēnglóu lóuxià diǎn le yī quān làzhú, wéi chéng le yī gè" xīn”, zìjǐ yīshǒu ná méigui yīshǒu tí dàngāo zhàn zài zhōngjiān děng Xiǎotíng xiàlai. bǎ quánxiào de nǚshēng dōu gǎndòng le.
OK. Heh heh, last time you put down candles in the shape of a heart in front of the girls' dorm, then waited for Xiao Ting to come down with a bouquet of roses in one hand and a cake in the other. You moved every girl in the school.
A: 呵呵,都是陈年往事了。
hēhē, dōu shì chénnián wǎngshì le.
Heh heh, that was all so long ago.
B: 就是那次生日派对之后她答应做你的女朋友的吧?
jiùshì nà cì shēngrì pàiduì zhīhòu tā dāying zuò nǐ de nǚpéngyou de ba?
She agreed to be your girlfriend after that birthday party, didn't she?
A: 没错。我跟晓婷在一起十年,结婚也七年了。日子过得有些平淡了,也出了一些问题。我想重新追求她。
méicuò. wǒ gēn Xiǎotíng zàiyīqǐ shí nián, jiéhūn yě qīnián le. rìzi guò de yǒuxiē píngdàn le, yě chū le yīxiē wèntí. wǒ xiǎng chóngxīn zhuīqiú tā.
That's right. I've been with Xiao Ting for 10 years and married for seven. There have been some flat periods, and problems have arisen. I want to start pursuing her anew.
B: 不错嘛!江涛!你就是浪漫,就是有激情!好,我支持你!
bùcuò ma! Jiāngtāo! nǐ jiùshì làngmàn, jiùshì yǒu jīqíng! hǎo, wǒ zhīchí nǐ!
That's great, Jiang Tao! You're so romantic and passionate! OK, I'll support you!
A: 接下来我还准备带她回母校看看,找找青春时代的记忆。不知道我们刻下名字的那棵小白杨还在不在。
jiē xiàlái wǒ hái zhǔnbèi dài tā huí mǔxiào kàn kan, zhǎozhao qīngchūn shídài de jìyì. bù zhīdào wǒmen kè xià míngzi de nà kē xiǎo báiyáng hái zài bu zài.
I'm also preparing to take her back to our old school to remember the days when we were younger. I don't know if the little white poplar we carved our names into is still there or not.
B: 不管在不在,往事都已经刻在你们心里了。我相信晓婷一定会明白你的心意的。
bùguǎn zài bùzài, wǎngshì dōu yǐjīng kè zài nǐmen xīnli le. wǒ xiāngxìn Xiǎotíng yīdìng huì míngbai nǐ de xīnyì de.
No matter if it's there or not, the past has already been carved into your memories. I think that Xiao Ting will understand what you're going for.
B: 希望如此。怎么样,你跟莺莺还好吧?
xīwàng rúcǐ. zěnmeyàng, nǐ gēn Yīngyīng hái hǎo ba?
I hope so. What about you and Ying Ying. Are you two doing well?
A: 我们也闹过一阵子。两个人都像吃了炸药似的,一点就着。
wǒmen yě nào guò yīzhènzi. liǎng ge rén dōu xiàng chī le zhàyào shìde, yī diǎn jiù zháo.
We also fought a lot for awhile. It was like the two of us had eaten dynamite; any little thing would set us off.
B: 原来你们也有啊!
yuánlái nǐmen yě yǒu a!
So you guys were having problems too!
A: 可能真的是“七年之痒”吧。不过最近也好起来了,我觉得她又变回了以前那个简单快乐的姑娘。
kěnéng zhēnde shì" qīniánzhīyǎng” ba. bùguò zuìjìn yě hǎo qǐlái le, wǒ juéde tā yòu biàn huí le yǐqián nàge jiǎndān kuàilè de gūniang.
Perhaps there really is a "seven year itch." However, things have gotten better recently. I feel like she's once again become that easy-going, happy young woman from before.
B: 那就好。
nà jiù hǎo.
That's great.
A: 好了,我得去接孩子了,咱们周六见!
hǎo le, wǒ děi qù jiē háizi le, zánmen zhōuliù jiàn!
OK, I have to go pick up the kids. I'll see you on Saturday!

Key Vocabulary

惊喜 jīngxǐ surprise
陈年往事 chénnián wǎngshì the events of years past
往事 wǎngshì past events
之后 zhīhòu after
平淡 píngdàn routine, dull
重新 chóngxīn to renew
追求 zhuīqiú to pursue
激情 jīqíng passion
支持 zhīchí to support
母校 mǔxiào alma mater
青春时代 qīngchūn shídài youth
to carve
心意 xīnyì intentions, purpose
nào to argue, to quarrel
吃了炸药 chīle zhàyào ‘to eat dynamite,‘ to be short-tempered and on-edge
像 ...... 似的 xiàng ...... shìde like

Supplementary Vocabulary

līn to carry
陈年好酒 chénniánhǎojiǔ vintage wine
童年时代 tóngniánshídài childhood
原来如此 yuánláirúcǐ all along
着火 zháohuǒ to catch fire
肥皂剧 féizàojù soap opera

Online Review and Discussion .   ©2012 Praxis Language Ltd.