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An English Conversation, Intermediate Level
Chen Yang is from Beijing, China. He has just arrived in New York for a two-week trip. He has a hotel reservation booked in advance. At his hotel, he asks the concierge for information.
Chen: I've just arrived in New York today. I have some questions.
Concierge: Please go ahead, Mr. Chen Yang.
Chen: First, how can I find out about neighborhood restaurants?
Concierge: Would you like to try our restaurants on the premises first?
Chen: Maybe.
Concierge: We have two dining rooms. One is casual and self-served. The other is French gourmet, and formal attire is required.
Chen: I'll take a look at the casual diner tomorrow. Today, I want to eat out.
Concierge: Okay. You'll find New York City restaurant listings on our computers. We have a few laptops in the lounge. They're all connected to the Internet.
Chen: How can I sign in?
Concierge: Login with your room number first. On the desktop you'../daily-conversations/trip-to-new-york.php#menu">menu. The menu also includes restaurant reviews.
Chen: Do you recommend any restaurant off the cuff.
Concierge. I'll try, Mr. Chen Yang. Give me a minute, please.
The concierge goes behind the information desk. He appears again in seconds with a brochure in his hand.
Concierge: Here'../daily-conversations/trip-to-new-york.php#guide">guide for restaurants. I would recommend the City Grill on 72nd and Broadway.
Chen: City Grill? What kind of food do they serve there?
Concierge: Mostly continental cuisine. It'../daily-conversations/trip-to-new-york.php#mp">moderately priced.
Chen: I have one more question if I may?
Concierge: Please go ahead, Mr. Chen Yang.
Chen: Tomorrow I have a ferry-boat tour on the Hudson River. How can I get to the ferry-boat terminal?
Concierge: You can either ask them to pick you up before the hotel. Or take a cab to the terminal. I'll give you the address. Do you need it now?
Chen: Okay.
The concierge gives Chen another brochure. Chen thanks him and leaves for a dining adventure at the City Grill.
concierge: noun. a usually multilingual hotel employee who handles luggage and mail, makes reservations, and arranges tours
premises: noun. building or buildings belonging to a company, organization of private persons.
on premises: adverb phrase. in the building or buildings of a company, organization or private individuals. "We don't have public telephone boots on premises but there is one outside the main entrance." This sentence means: "We don't have public telephone boots in our building..."
casual: adjective. not structured or strictly coordinated in accordance with any cuisine (in this conversation)
cuisine: noun. a style of cooking belonging to one culture, ethnic group of region. French cuisine; Tai cuisine; Turkish cuisine
self-served: adjective. It is not served by hosts, waitress or waitresses
find out: verb intransitive. to learn about something by making an inquiry; to inquire
eat out: prepositional verb. to go out to eat a meal; not to eat home. "I like to eat out on weekends."
neighborhood: noun. the immediate surrounding of a location or address. "I live in an upper-class neighborhood." means this: My house is located in an area where upper class people live.
gourmet: noun. strictly styled cooking in accordance with one cuisine, for example, "French gourmet".
continental cuisine: compound noun. a few styles of cooking belonging to diverse European cultures or ethnic groups, including North American cooking.
in advance: time adverb. before an event occurs. "Please buy the tickets in advance but not in the movie theater."
include: verb transitive. to hold inside, to contain
review: verb transitive. to examine a product or service for evaluation. "The committee has reviewed the report on climate change."
review: noun. evaluation of a product or service. "This magazine includes reviews of recent movies."
guide: noun. a published material to give information on a topic (in this conversation)
appear: intransitive verb. to come out into view; to become visible. "She appeared from the dark all of sudden in the movie."
off the cuff: adjective. without thinking hard about something; without preparation. "Tell me off the cuff what you know about this novel."
serve: transitive and intransitive verb. to provide a service of food, medical attention, advice or any professional service to others. "I've served my country well." "The president served for two terms and did a good job."
continental: adjective. possessing the properties of a continent. European and North America (in this conversation)
lounge: a large room to seat and relax in public places such as in hotels
sign in: verb intransitive. to sign a document to be admitted to a place
login: verb intransitive. to key a user name and password to be able to use a computer
menu: noun. a list of food served in a restaurant (in this conversation)
grill: verb transitive. to cook food, especially meat, over a rag heated from underneath by electricity of fire
moderate: adjective. in a balanced quantity volume, not expensive (in this conversation)
moderately priced: inexpensively priced
if I may: a polite phrase for "Please let me do what I want..."
trip: noun. a travel used in the United States both for short and long travel
ferry: noun. short trip on the water
ferry-boat: compound noun. transportation boat used for short trips over the water
book: verb intransitive (in this conversation). to make a reservation for a product or service
reservation: noun. the act of making a reservation for a product of service
cab: noun. taxi used in the United States
terminal: noun. a closed area for buying tickets or waiting for a transportation vehicle to board for a trip
pick up: idiomatic verb. to go to the customer's location and give the customer a ride in a travel schedule (in this conversation)
brochure: noun. a booklet to give information on a certain topic published by a business, government or private individuals
dining: eating a meal, usually a full course meal, such as a meal in a restaurant
diner: noun. a room reserved to eat meals, such as in hotels
adventure: noun. an experience of facing unknown, pleasant or unpleasant. "The young man had a lot of adventures abroad."
Pronunciation:
You'll: You will. The abbreviation for "you will' in spoken English. The sound 'wi' in "will"' is omitted from pronunciation so "you will' sound like "yull'.
I'll: I will. The same concept as in you'll explained above. The pronunciation of "I'll" sounds like 'Il'../pronunciaton-dictionary/pronunciation-ch-f-v-l-r-w-wh.php">video lesson for the pronunciation of letter 'L'.
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