Alice: Are you enjoying yourself, Helen?

Helen: Do you know what? Im having a really good time. Thanks for dragging me out, guys.

Tim: Its just nice to see you smiling, Helen.

Helen: Hey, is that Paul over there?

Tim: Hey yeah, it is him, isnt it?

Helen: It is, you know, but whos that with him? Are they his kids? Alice? Has Paul got children?

Alice: Yes, hes got two children actually.

Tim: So that means hes got a wife.

Alice: Theyre not together any more, and theyre getting a divorce.

Tim: Are you sure about that?

Alice: Well, thats what he told me, and I believe him. Hes a good man.

Helen: Ooh, Alice, youre skating on very thin ice.

Alice: Maybe I am Helen, but I cant let him go.

Helen: You really love him, dont you?

Alice: Helen, I really do.

　　Vocabulary 字匯

　　dragging me out 勉強帶出去 making me go out with you even though I didnt really want to

　　divorce (n) 離婚 a fomp3al, legal separation of husband and wife

　　skating on very thin ice (idiom) 冒險 taking a big risk

　　本單元的語言點是關于 ice 的習語，請看下面的解釋和例句

　　Idioms with ice

　　Idioms 習慣用語 Idioms use language metaphorically. This means that the meaning of an idiom is not the same as the meanings of the individual words in the idiom. For example, if you go down memory lane it means you think about the past (the metaphorical meaning), not that you walk down a street called memory Lane (the literal meaning).

　　Idioms are fixed groups of words. This means that the wording of an idiom can not be changed. For example, you can say go down memory lane, but you cant say go down memory street. Idioms are often verb phrases, for example: go down memory lane but they can also be nouns: memory lane is an idiomatic noun which refers to the idea of memories and nostalgia.

　　Idioms with ice 和冰有關的習慣用語

　　to skate on thin ice: To take a big risk. This verb is often used in the continuous fomp3.

　　Hes havi ing a secret relationship with a married woman: Ive told him that hes skating on thin ice, but he wont listen to me.

　　to be on thin ice: This has the same meaning as to skate on thin ice - to take a big risk.

　　They knew that publishing the article meant that they were on thin ice.

　　to break the ice: To make people who have not met before feel more relaxed and comfortable with each other.

　　Experienced teachers usually start a new class with a game to break the ice.

　　an ice-breaker: An activity which helps people who have not met before to feel more relaxed and comfortable with each other.

　　As an ice-breaker, we wrote an interesting fact about ourselves on a piece of paper. The teacher read out all the facts, and we had to guess which person had written which fact.

　　to cut no ice with someone: To fail to have an influence on someones beliefs or actions.

　　She made a lot of excuses for her bad behaviour, but they cut no ice with me.

　　to put something on ice: to ice something: to be on ice: These idioms have the same meaning: to stop doing something temporarily, with a plan to finish or complete it later.

　　The plans for the new building have been put on ice until next year. The plans for the new building have been iced until next year. The plans for the new building are on ice until next year.

　　Alice: Are you enjoying yourself, Helen?

Helen: Do you know what? Im having a really good time. Thanks for dragging me out, guys.

Tim: Its just nice to see you smiling, Helen.

Helen: Hey, is that Paul over there?

Tim: Hey yeah, it is him, isnt it?

Helen: It is, you know, but whos that with him? Are they his kids? Alice? Has Paul got children?

Alice: Yes, hes got two children actually.

Tim: So that means hes got a wife.

Alice: Theyre not together any more, and theyre getting a divorce.

Tim: Are you sure about that?

Alice: Well, thats what he told me, and I believe him. Hes a good man.

Helen: Ooh, Alice, youre skating on very thin ice.

Alice: Maybe I am Helen, but I cant let him go.

Helen: You really love him, dont you?

Alice: Helen, I really do.

　　Vocabulary 字匯

　　dragging me out 勉強帶出去 making me go out with you even though I didnt really want to

　　divorce (n) 離婚 a fomp3al, legal separation of husband and wife

　　skating on very thin ice (idiom) 冒險 taking a big risk

　　本單元的語言點是關于 ice 的習語，請看下面的解釋和例句

　　Idioms with ice

　　Idioms 習慣用語 Idioms use language metaphorically. This means that the meaning of an idiom is not the same as the meanings of the individual words in the idiom. For example, if you go down memory lane it means you think about the past (the metaphorical meaning), not that you walk down a street called memory Lane (the literal meaning).

　　Idioms are fixed groups of words. This means that the wording of an idiom can not be changed. For example, you can say go down memory lane, but you cant say go down memory street. Idioms are often verb phrases, for example: go down memory lane but they can also be nouns: memory lane is an idiomatic noun which refers to the idea of memories and nostalgia.

　　Idioms with ice 和冰有關的習慣用語

　　to skate on thin ice: To take a big risk. This verb is often used in the continuous fomp3.

　　Hes havi ing a secret relationship with a married woman: Ive told him that hes skating on thin ice, but he wont listen to me.

　　to be on thin ice: This has the same meaning as to skate on thin ice - to take a big risk.

　　They knew that publishing the article meant that they were on thin ice.

　　to break the ice: To make people who have not met before feel more relaxed and comfortable with each other.

　　Experienced teachers usually start a new class with a game to break the ice.

　　an ice-breaker: An activity which helps people who have not met before to feel more relaxed and comfortable with each other.

　　As an ice-breaker, we wrote an interesting fact about ourselves on a piece of paper. The teacher read out all the facts, and we had to guess which person had written which fact.

　　to cut no ice with someone: To fail to have an influence on someones beliefs or actions.

　　She made a lot of excuses for her bad behaviour, but they cut no ice with me.

　　to put something on ice: to ice something: to be on ice: These idioms have the same meaning: to stop doing something temporarily, with a plan to finish or complete it later.

　　The plans for the new building have been put on ice until next year. The plans for the new building have been iced until next year. The plans for the new building are on ice until next year.