英語播客 A Cup of English Strawberries and cream.

Easter Sunday, a day of family, celebration, and fun. Today, after church, my family and I got together with my in-laws in the East Wenatchee Country Club for lunch. The club is actually for golf, but even if you don't golf, you can go to the restaurant which is really very good. For special occasions, their kitchen puts on quite a spread. Today they had lamb, ham, and chicken with mushrooms. Often they will serve prime rib beef which just melts in your mouth. And for those of you who are vegetarians, they also have a variety of egg and bean dishes with lots of fruits and vegetables. We dressed up a little more than usual for this lunch; it's a tradition, I suppose. While we ate, the children had an Easter egg hunt on the golf course. It was so cute to see little girls running around in their pretty dresses carrying baskets, and the boys dressed up like little men, all searching for the plastic eggs that had been hidden by the club staff. As we ate, we chatted away, and finished up with dessert. As usual, there was a choice of about six different desserts: cheese cakes, brownies, tiramisu, and some other rich chocolatey thing that I have no name for. It was a time for indulgence! Everything looked so good! I scanned the table to see what everybody else was eating, so I could make my choice. I noticed that each of my children had chosen about three things. "Well," I thought to myself, "it's Easter; I'll let them this time." As I chose my desserts, I made a quick trip to the table where they had fruit, cheeses, and pastries laid out. I piled a few of the freshest looking berries on my plate and headed back to our table. When I got there, my children noticed the strawberries on my plate and said, "Hey, good idea, Mum," so they went off and got some. What can I say? There was too much to choose from, and everybody was being greedy. Before I knew it, my kids were tucking into plates of strawberries and cream, as if their lives depended on them. It really is the perfect combination of tastes and textures for an Easter dessert.

Grammar notes.

Common expressions: as if their (his, her etc) lives depended on it (them), to put on a spread, to melt in your mouth, to tuck into.

1. The girl clung hold of her balloon as if her life depended on it. OR

They ate their hamburgers so fast, as if their lives depended on them.

2. My grandmother is such a good cook. She always puts on quite a spread at Christmas.

3. How did you make these cookies? They melt in your mouth!

4. The hungry travellers tucked into the stew because they hadn't eaten in such a long time.