生沢浩の体育会式英語塾

Linda: Hey, welcome back. So how did your first-ever business trip go?

Jiro: Well. . . the talks went fine, but (1) I'm kinda disappointed about something else. (2) It wasn't what I'd expected.

Linda: Why? You were looking forward to going to the States.

Jiro: Yeah, and it was right during the Thanksgiving break. (3) You'd think that it'd be all festive and lively. . . but no, the whole city was deserted!

Linda: Yeah well, you went to Boston, right? (4) I guess all the students had gone back to their hometowns.

Jiro: Exactly. (5) And there weren't any NBA games in Boston while I was there so I ended up having to watch football on TV in my hotel room. And (6) I know absolutely nothing about the sport!

Linda: Oh well, bad luck.

Jiro: And all the grocery stores in the neighborhood were closed! I almost starved to death. . .

Linda: Yeah, yeah, (7) I get your point. . . So, what kind of "thanksgiving" holiday were you expecting?

Jiro: Like, you know, people partying and having fun. . .

Linda: Well, you're wrong to begin with. Thanksgiving is about getting together with your family. It's usually a low-key celebration. It's like Christmas — (8) the real thing is very different from what Japanese people have in mind.

Jiro: Well, I don't have a girlfriend this year so Christmas's got nothing to do with me. . .

Linda: See! Just like Thanksgiving! You've got it all wrong. Christmas isn't supposed to be for couples or lovers to spend a romantic evening at some fancy restaurant. It's about getting together with families and friends, giving presents, (9) going to church. In my opinion only Japanese people have this strange notion that Christmas is the time for partying.

Jiro: Oh hey, look at the time! I'd love to hear more but I gotta go to speak to the boss about my next business trip. See ya!