VOA慢速英语:For Many Americans Summertime is Reading Time

短语讲解：

1. For many Americans, summer is a good time to catch up on reading, whether the book is serious or fun.

catch up on赶完;弥补
例句：You'll have to catch up on your studies in the holidays.
你要在假期里补功课。

2. We start with a reading suggestion that seems a good choice for the summer. “Maine” takes place during a summer holiday at a seaside community in the United States.

start with 以…开始
例句：He had nothing to start with
开始时他一无所有。
take place发生，进行
例句：The evening party will take place on New Year's Eve.
晚会将在除夕那天举行。

3. Dr. Swenson and her team are working on developing a fertility drug from a plant the women eat every day.

work on致力于…
例句：He has been working on a new novel for over a year now.
近一年多来, 他一直在写一部新小说。
fertility drug生育药

4. I think, for me, summer reading is all of those things that you wish you had time to read during the busiest part of year, now you are going to take some time off, now you are going to go on vacation and now it is time to read that stack of books that has been sitting next to your desk.

time off休假，放假
例句：Bloggs suggested that I take some time off. 
布罗格斯建议我应该休息一段时间。
go on进行
例句：We could hardly have gone on without your help.
要是没有您的帮助, 我们很难取得进展。

5. Even though the writing is beautiful, the language is beautiful, it’s really the story that packs the most punch

Even though即使、虽然
例句：He's the best teacher even though he has the least experience.
尽管他经验最少, 但教得最好。

6. “Swamplandia!” by Karen Russell is set in the heat of southern Florida.

in the heat of 在最激烈的时候
例句：The flowers drooped in the heat of the sun.
花儿晒蔫了。

7. But after the death of Ava’s mother, the family’s business and home life slowly start to fall apart.

fall apart散开, 崩溃, 破碎
例句：The book was old and soon fell apart.
这书已有年月, 没隔多久书页都脱落了。

8. And her sister falls in love with a ghost.

fall in love with爱上
例句：I wanted her to fall in love with me.
我希望她会爱上我。

9. Last summer many Americans picked up Swedish crime novels, including “The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest” by Stieg Larsson.

pick up 拾起, 捡起; 抬起
例句：I picked up your book by mistake.
我拿错了你的书。

10. He has returned to the United States after serving in the military in Iraq. He finds work doing special investigations for a lawyer in Washington, D.C. But he soon finds himself deeply involved in a world of crime and violence.

involve in使参与〔陷入, 牵扯到〕
例句：Don't involve yourself in unnecessary dispute.
不要把自己卷入无谓的争论中。

11. The writer says she saw these Indians as time-travelers moving away from tradition and an eventless youth, heading into an exciting and high-tech future.

move away离开
例句：Losing interest, the crowd moved slowly away.
群众失去了兴趣, 逐渐散开了。

12. It is a funny book that tells about how Ms. Fey became famous for her writing and acting.

famous for 以…著称，闻名；驰名
例句：Egypt is famous for its pyramids.
埃及以金字塔著名。