2181.Cashmas, 现在的圣诞节对大多数人而言，简直就是一场购物的狂欢节，所以有人戏称Christmas为Cashmas，比看谁花钱多，根本就不知道是谁诞生了。Many people celebrate Cashmas in December. 许多人12月份庆祝购物狂欢节。Jesus led a simple life. He would be shocked to see Christmas shopping spree in his name.耶稣过的生活极为简朴，看到人们以他的名义成购物狂，他定会感到吃惊。
2182.People are used to reciprocal gifts. Or we can say that gifts are generally reciprocated.人们习惯于互相交换礼物，或者我们可以说，礼物一般都应该互相交换。
2183.chipmunk gift 给别人的礼物但实际上是给自己的。My husband took me to the Truck Expo for my birthday. Jeez, what a Chipmunk gift. What was he thinking? 我老公为了庆祝我的生日，带我去参观了卡车展，真是的，这简直就是在给自己买礼物嘛。他在打什么鬼主意？My friend gave me such a Chipmunk gift this year. She bought me a CD by her favorite group and then asked to copy it because she’s too cheap to buy her own CD and a present for me. 我们朋友今年送给我一份名义上的礼物。她给我买了一张自己最喜欢的乐队灌的CD，然后要我翻录一张给她。她真的贱，舍不得自己买一张，也给我买份礼物。
2184. Indian giver, 送了礼物又要回来的人。He loves to be an Indian giver. 他是那种送了礼物又想要回报的人。Girl: You gave me the necklace and now you want it back? You Indian giver! 女孩：你给了我这项链，现在又想要回去？你简直就是极端的吝啬鬼！Indian gift, 送出去又拿回来的礼物。
2185.God’s gift to man is totally free: love to all through His son Jesus Christ. That is the meaning of Christmas. Christmas is derived from the phrase Christ’s Mass. 上帝给人类的礼物完全是免费的，透过他的儿子耶稣基督来爱全人类，这就是圣诞节的意义。Christmas是从Christ’s Mass发展出来。
2186.There are several other names for Christmas: Noel, yuletides. 圣诞节还有几个其他的说法：Noel, yuletides.My thought during this Yuletide season: Let us forge bond to keep connected over time across distance. 圣诞节时我的思考：我们应该跨越时间跨越距离更密切地联系。
2187.Do you know that if you can eat more veggies and less meat, you can help reduce carbon footprint? 你知不知道如果你多吃青菜，少吃肉，你就能帮助减少碳气排放量？carbon footprint 碳气排放量，直译是碳足迹。 a car with small carbon footprints, 碳排放量很小的汽车。
2188.Luck only favors the well-prepared. Luck favors the prepared mind. 也说Chance favors the prepared mind. 机会只会惠顾时刻做好准备的人。
2189. He is overtaxing his brain.他在绞尽脑汁想找到答案。He had his brain scrambled. 他为此想得焦头烂额。见前面的“wrack his brain”。
2190.Nothing is worth more than this day. 把握住今天胜过一切。
2191.bite size science 简易科学，bite size fiction, 袖珍小说，bite sized desserts 零食（像瓜子之类的），I have no time for long stories, but I enjoy bite size pieces of fiction (or fiction in bite size chunks). They can fill my time gap such as waiting in a doctor’s office, or riding a train cross-country.我没有时间读长篇小说，不过我喜欢微型故事，这样在等医生看病时，或坐火车时，可以打发空余的时间。I am in a money crunch.我现在手头很紧。
2192.crunch这个词很有用：In a pretty time-crunched society, we have heard so much about shrinking attention span. 现在生活节奏太快，人们越来越难集中注意力了。time-crunched或者crunch time缺时间，赶时间。I hate crunch time. 我最不喜欢赶工了。It’s getting pretty close to crunch time, better finish that report soon. 得交报告了，得赶快做完。attention span 能集中注意力的时间，shrinking 越来越少。short attention span 注意力短暂。A longer attention span is generally found in girls more often than in boys. 女孩通常比男孩要有较长的注意力。
2193.We’ve got three weeks left to complete six weeks worth of work. Looks like we’ll be living on take-out for a while. 我们只剩三个礼拜了，但还有六个礼拜的工作没有完成，看样子这一阵子我们得靠吃外卖度日了。
2194.Through good times and bad, he has treasured the Spring Festival. 不管日子艰难还是容易，他都要好好过个年。
2195.I surely would like to recommend kale to everyone. Kale is something like Jielan, but it is different. Jielan can be called Chinese Kale. Kale is full of cancer-preventing compounds and chemicals that promote lung, eye and immune system health. 我得大力地向每人都推荐甘蓝菜，甘蓝菜像芥兰，但不同，芥兰可以称为中国甘蓝菜。甘蓝菜的成分可以防癌，养肺、护眼，提高免疫系统。kale: 甘蓝菜。
2196.Shelly is tossed out of the house and has nowhere to go. 雪莉被踢了出住所，无家可归。Let’s toss the idea around a little bit.我们来谈谈这个构想。I’ll toss you to see who goes first. 我抛钱币，看谁先出牌。I don’t give a toss about how you think.你如何想才不关我的事。
2197.The man who was asking for donations for the charity was as phony as a three-dollar bill.这个家伙说在为慈善募款，是个不折不扣的骗子。as phony as a three-dollar bill, 因为美国没有三美元的钞票，所以这个成语的意思就是“假的，不折不扣假的”。
2198.I am stumped about how to eat it and make it tasty. Can you tell me how to cook it? 我有点作难，不知道如何做这道菜，做得可口。你能告诉我如何做吗？The little boy stumped the teacher with a question. 小男孩的一个问题把老师给难住了。
2199.过着什么样的生活：
a)She is a daughter of a millionaire living the life of luxury. 她是一个百万富翁的千金，过着奢华的生活。She lives in luxury. 她生活奢侈。She lives a simple life.她生活简单。
b)He led a hard life for his childhood.他童年时生活艰难。The investigation uncovered details of the mayor leading a double life, including secret bank accounts and a secret passport. 调查发现了这位市长的双重生活，这包括他有好几个秘密银行账户，及一本秘密护照。He said he led a dog’s life in the army. 他说，军队生活苦死人。lead a dog’s life中的lead不能用live来代替。
2200.Sometimes you’ve got to jump off cliffs and grow wings on the way down. 常常人得从悬崖峭壁上往下纵身一跃，才能在跌落中长出翅膀。相当于中文里“往往要置之绝境而后生”之意。
Happy New Year, everyone. Thank you for your friendship and support in 20091
Anyone out there who will send me the New Year greetings tonight and tomorrow?