Answer Key to Translation Exercises (Summer Homework)
1. I like tea. I don’t like coffee.
2. She doesn’t often watch TV, but she often goes to movies.
3. It often rains in San Francisco, but it seldom snows.
4. He doesn’t drive, so he always takes subway or bus to work.
5. Does it hurt here? / No, it doesn’t hurt here. It hurts there.
6. What do you usually do at the weekend? / I usually stay home, clean the rooms, do the laundry, cook, or watch TV.
7. Does Jane still live in Queens? / No, she doesn’t. She moved to Long Island last year.
8. What time do you usually get up? / I usually get up at 7:00 on weekdays. But I get up later at the weekend. I rarely get up before 9:00 at the weekend.
9. How often do you write to him? / Once every two weeks.
10. Who does (most of ) the cooking in your family? / I do. But when we have guests, my husband does. He is a better cook than me. (Or: He cooks better than I.) He is a chef, but he doesn’t like to cook at home.
11. I am tired. I don’t want to talk about this now.
12. I am your secretary, not your maid. It is not my job to make coffee for you.
13. Excuse me. Are you Mr. Thompson? / No, I am not. I am Gorge, Mr. Thompson’s assistant. Are you Mr. Lin? / Yes. Hi. (How are you doing?) George. Where is Mr. Thompson? / He is not feeling well today. So he can’t come today. He wants me to apologize to you for him.
14. Is Steven tall? Yes, he is. But he is not as tall as Tom. Tom is about 2 inches taller than Steve.
15. How old is your daughter? / Eleven. / Which grade is she in? / Grade Five. She will be in Grade Six after summer.
16. Who is Jackie Chan? / He is a famous movie star. / Really? Is he from Hong Kong or Taiwan? / He is from Hong Kong.
17. Is there a post office around here? / Yes. There is one cross (the street) from the dry cleaner’s. / Is it far from here? / No. It’s only a two minute walk from here.
18. How many students are there in your school? / About three hundred. / Do most of them live around here? / Yes, they do.
19. Do you have a driver’s license? / No, I don’t, but I have an ID.
20. Does she also have a dress like this?
21. Do you have anything to say? / No. I don’t have anything to say.
22. Do you know each other? / I know him, but he doesn’t know me.
23. I don’t think he will come.
24. What are you here for? (Why are you here?) / I am here to help you.
25. Do you understand me? (Do you understand what I am saying?) / I do when you speak slowly, but I don’t when you speak fast.
26. How much does this dictionary cost in Hong Kong? (Or: How much is this dictionary in Hong Kong?)
27. How much does it cost to send this package to Shanghai via express mail?
28. How many weeks are there in a year? / Fifty two.
29. How long does it take to drive to Manhattan from here? / It usually takes about half an hour if there is no traffic jam.
30. May I come in? / Who is it? / It’s me, Allen. / Come on in.
31. I am going to Boston tomorrow. / Are you taking the train or airplane? / I am driving. / How long are you staying there? / Two or three days.
32. We are graduating next month. / Are you kidding? (Really?) Congratulations!
33. Next Monday is John’s birthday. / Really? Shall we have a party to celebrate it? / Of course. We are having a party next Monday night at John’s home. Are you coming? / Sure I am. I will bring a bottle of champagne.
34. A friend of mine is coming to New York next week. He is coming for an international conference. He will arrive in New York on March the 3rd. He will stay in New York for about a week and then go to Los Angeles.
35. There will be four gift stores on this street next year.
36. If it rains tomorrow, the meeting will be cancelled.
37. It is going to rain today. The highest temperature will be 97 degrees Fahrenheit.
38. What time will you be here tomorrow morning? / I am not sure. I will try to be here before 9:00.
39. Who will be present at next Tuesday’s party?
40. If Jack does not show up by 9:30, we will go without him.
41. When Judy comes, ask her to give me a call ASAP (as soon as possible).
42. Ask Ray to come to see me as soon as he gets back.
43. What are you looking for? / I am looking for my dictionary. Did you see it? / No, I didn’t. Where did you put it? / I don’t remember.
44. How many languages does she speak? / Three. / Which three? / English, Spanish, and Chinese. / Which one does she speak best? / English.
45. Where were you last night? I called your home, but nobody answered the phone. / I was home. What time did you call? / About 9 o’clock. / I was taking a shower.
46. Can you hear me? / Yes, I can. But I don’t understand what you say.
47. Where is Gorge? / Upstairs. / What is he doing up there? / He is doing his homework. / Ask him to come down for dinner. / I did. He said he will be down in a minute.
48. Did you see Susan yesterday? / Yes, I did. / What was she doing when you saw her? / She was on the phone.
49. Where were you between 9:00 and 9:30 last night? / I wan home. / What were you doing then? / (I was) Watching TV.
50. I will be lying down on the beach of Hawaii by this time tomorrow.
51. Have you heard that there is a good movie in NYC? / No. What movie? / Star War II. / Have you seen it? / Yes, I have. / When did you see it? / Last night. / How was it? / Not bad, but not as good as I had expected either.
52. Haven’t seen you for a long time. (Long time no see.) How have you been, Judy? Where have you been these years? / I have been in California. / California? What have you been doing there? / I got a job there three years ago. / What kind of job? / Programming. / Great. Congratulations! /Thanks. / What are you back here in New York for? / I am here to attend a conference. / How long is the conference? / A week. / Where are you staying in New York City? / Midtown Hilton. /Great. I am going over to see you some time. / Sure. I am usually in the hotel after 4:00 p.m.
53. Welcome to New York. Have you been to New York before? / No. This is my first visit to New York.
54. Have you ever been abroad? / Yes, I have. Which countries have been to? / Let me see. U.K., Canada, France, Germany, Australia, and Japan. / So you have been to many countries. Among these countries, which one do you like best? / Well, it’s hard to say. But I think I like France best.
55. Tom was fired last week.
56. This factory will soon be closed.
57. When was this stadium built? / About twenty years ago.
58. Have you finished the book I lent you? / Not yet. / You have to hurry up. The book is due the day after tomorrow. So it must be returned to the library (by) tomorrow.