在线收听：
　　
　　(点击右键“另存为”可下载音频)

In the dining room

　　By Geoff Lemon

　　A conversation between students, XieLi and Susan, a newcomer to the campus.

　　Xie Li: Hi. Susan! Glad to see you managed to find the Dining room.

　　Susan: Ha ha. Yes. It took a couple of attempts, but I finally followed my nose!

　　Xie Li: Yeah, that seems to be the best way. Anyway... It’s not so crowded today.

　　Susan: THIS is not crowded? Wow, I’ve never been in a dining room as large as this.

　　Xie Li: Well, they have to feed at least 500 students on each of 2 floors.

　　Susan: Two floors? So, whats’s the difference?

　　Xie Li: Well, there are 3 floors actually, but the last floor is only for faculty members.

　　Susan: Yeah?

　　Xie Li: That’s right. And the other two floors are for dining pass holders on the first floor, and cash payments on the second. It is essentially similar food — but maybe you get a wider choice if you pay by cash.

　　Susan: What’s the idea of the card?

　　Xie Li: It’s just like any other “smart” card. You charge it up by putting some credit on the card and then you just scan the card whenever you want to pay for food. Pretty foolproof, and it makes the service quicker.

　　Susan: Hmm... I’m hungry. What’s on the menu today?

　　Xie Li: Well, today is Wednesday. So it will be some Chinese dishes and a couple of Korean choices.

　　Susan: Oh, Korean? That’s kind of spicy I think. What kind of Chinese food?

　　Xie Li: Oh, it’s fish. Some kind of meatball dish, and a couple of vegetable dishes. There is a soup — which is usually not very appetizing, and then the usual rice and some fruit. Uh... it looks like they’ve got watermelon. To be honest, it is not a very impressive selection today.

　　Susan: No. You’re right. I miss my hometown food already.

　　Xie Li: Sure. Mostly the food you will find in the dining room is quite wholesome, but it can be a bit boring and predictable.

　　Susan: Those big serving dishes don’t make it look very unattractive!

　　Xie Li: Tell you what... since this is your first week on campus, why don’t we celebrate with a restaurant meal?

　　Susan: Really? Great idea.

　　Xie Li: Sure. There is a great little Sichuan place quite nearby and the prices are fairly modest. It’s popular with many students. We often go as a group and that helps keep the cost down.

　　Susan: Sichuan food huh? Now that is REALLY hot stuff. I visited Sichuan once and the hot-pot really blew my head off.

　　Xie Li: Yes. You have got to be careful of those nasty little peppers or they will make your mouth completely numb.

　　Susan: You’re telling me! The peppers and the Chillies are best removed before you start eating.

　　Xie Li: That’s probably the best course if you are not used to them. But the local people seem to like eating the peppers and the Chillies as well!

　　Susan: I think that they could probably eat fire if there was no food around!

　　Xie Li: Yeah... no kidding, but you’ve got to admit those spices give the food a fantastic flavour.

　　Susan: True enough! Hey, are we just going to TALK about food — or eat some too? I’m starving!

　　Xie Li: Sure. Let’s go. What do you like?

　　Susan: I’m thinking, a nice bowl of soup, some vegetables and some kind of Chicken dish.

　　Xie Li: Now，you’re talking. By the way, can you cook?

　　Susan: I’m a great cook. But it’s no fun cooking for just one person. Hey, if you have no plans for Saturday night you can come to my place and you can try some of my hometown favourites.

　　Xie Li: It’s a deal.