Tim: Alice this is my cousin Michal - our new flatmate. He's really missing his friends.
Alice: Oh, Michal let me take your mind off that...So, where are you from?
Michal: From near Warsaw - the Polish capital.
Alice: Oh, what do you do?
Michal: I'm a guide tourist.
Alice: So interesting! Why are you visiting London?
Michal: To improve my English.
Alice: Oh, well, why not come out with us now? Then we can cheer you up and you can practise your English at the same time.
Compound Words 复合词
Compound words are made up of two (or more) separate words. You can combine nouns (a flatmate), adjectives (lovesick) or verbs (jump-start) to make compound words. 复合词由两个(或更多)单独的词组成。可以用名词(a flatmate),形容词(lovesick)或动词(jump-start)组成复合词。
Sometimes they become one word (有时它们可组成一个词):
flatmate (noun)
lovesick (adjective)
Sometimes they become two words (有时它们可组成两个词):
tourist guide (noun)
travel agent (noun)
Sometimes they become hyphenated (有时它们可以由连字号,即“-”连接起来):
low-paid (adjective)
film-goer (noun)
Note: There are no hard and fast rules about which category each compound word goes into but a good dictionary will tell you. You can also help yourself by making a note of new compound words you come across and the category they go into.
A flatmate (n): a person who shares a rented house or flat with other people 与他人共同租住同一个住宅或单元房的人
Lovesick (adj): a feeling of such strong emotion for someone that it makes you feel almost ill (but not actually physically ill) 因思念某人而害相思病(并非身体真的有病)
A tourist guide (n): someone who shows visitors around places of interest 带领游客四处旅游的导游
Low-paid (adj): earning a small amount of money for working 低收入的
To spoon-feed (v): 1: to feed someone (usually a baby) with a spoon. 2: to give someone so much information or help that a task or job is very easy for them 用调羹喂某人(如婴儿、病人);娇生惯养