At the dinner table

　　Judd: I'll say grace tonight. Our heavenly father, thank you for your mercy in providing us with this food. Please give your light and blessings to our guest, Jun. Amen. [everyone says “Amen”]

　　Jun: Thank you, Judd. You look just like your brother! [takes a bite of chicken] This is delicious! So, Jason told me that you're already a priest?

　　Judd: Yes, I may be only sixteen, but yes. We young Mormon men enter the Aaronic priesthood when we're twelve. We help out with church functions and prepare to be missionaries.

　　(下期續(xù))

　　在晚餐桌上

　　賈德：今晚我來帶餐前禱告。我們的天父，謝謝您的慈悲賜給我們這些食物。請把您的光榮與祝福帶給我們的客人，小君。阿們。(大家說‘阿們’)

　　小君：謝謝你，賈德。你看起來就像是你哥!(咬了一口雞肉)這真好吃!杰森跟我說你已經(jīng)是個(gè)牧師了?

　　賈德：對，我也許只有十六歲，但我是個(gè)牧師。我們年輕的摩門男子在十二歲時(shí)就是次級傳教士了。我們幫助教會(huì)的工作，然后準(zhǔn)備當(dāng)個(gè)傳教士。

　　重點(diǎn)解說：

　　★ heavenly (a.) 天國的，神圣的。heavenly father就是指‘天父’

　　★ mercy (n.) 憐憫，慈悲

　　★ provide (v.) 提供

　　★ light (n.) 光明。blessing (n.) 賜福，祝福

　　★ priest (n.) 牧師，神職人員。missionary (n.) 傳教士

　　★ Aaronic priesthood 摩門教次級教士身分

　　★ function (n.) 職責(zé)，職務(wù)

　　Pottery

　　Ancient people made clay pottery because they needed it for their survival. They used the pots they made for cooking, storing food, and carrying things from place to place. Pottery was so important to early cultures that scientists now study it to learn more about ancient civilizations. The more advanced the pottery in terms of decoration, materials, glazes and manufacture, the more advanced the culture itself.

　　The artisan who makes pottery in North America today utilizes his or her skill and imagination to create items that are beautiful as well as functional, transforming something ordinary into something special and unique.

　　The potter uses one of the Earth's most basic materials, clay. Clay can be found almost anywhere. Good pottery clay must be free from all small stones and other hard materials that would make the potting process difficult. Most North American artisan potters now purchase commercially processed clay, but some find the clay they need right in the earth close to where they work.

　　The most important tools potters use are their own hands; however, they also use wire loop tools, wooden modeling tools, plain wire, and sponges. Plain wire is used to cut away the finished pot from its base on the potter's wheel.

　　After a finished pot is dried of all its moisture in the open air, it is placed in a kiln and fired. The first firing hardens the pottery, and it is then ready to be glazed and fired again.

　　For areas where they do not want any glaze, such as the bottom of the pot, artisans paint on melted wax that will later burn off in the kiln. They then pour on the liquid glaze and let it run over the clay surface, making any kind of decorative pattern that they want.

　　陶器

　　古代人制作陶器是因?yàn)樗麄兊纳�存需要它�?他們用這些自制的盆盆罐罐來做飯、 裝食物、儲(chǔ)運(yùn)東西。 陶器在早期文化中占據(jù)了如此重要的地位，以致于科學(xué)家們現(xiàn)在通過 研究陶器來獲取對古代文明的更多的了解。 因?yàn)樘掌鞯难b飾、材料、釉彩、制作等工藝越 發(fā)達(dá)就說明這種文明越發(fā)達(dá)。 今天，北美的陶藝匠人運(yùn)用他們的技藝和想象力創(chuàng)造出了既 美觀又實(shí)用的陶藝制品，把日常用品變?yōu)楠?dú)特的藝術(shù)品。 制陶匠人使用大地上最基本的原材料--粘土。 粘土幾乎隨處可見，但好的制陶所用的粘土必須不含小沙�；蛉魏斡参�，否 則會(huì)給制陶過程帶來不便。 現(xiàn)在大多數(shù)北美制陶藝人買現(xiàn)成的專用陶土，也有些陶匠樂于 就地取材，在作坊附近自己挖粘土。 制陶器最重要的工具是工匠們自己的雙手，但有時(shí)他 們也用些別的工具，如繩圈、木模、素線、海綿等。 素線的作用是當(dāng)一件陶器完成后用它 把陶器從轉(zhuǎn)盤上的基座上切下來。 陶器成形后，首先要在空氣中自然風(fēng)干，再放到窯中焙 燒。 第一遍焙燒使得陶器變得堅(jiān)硬，下一步就是給它上釉彩，然后再焙燒。 陶器上有些地 方不需上釉彩，像罐子底部，匠人們就在這些部位涂上蠟，一加熱就會(huì)化掉。 然后匠人們 把釉彩液體澆上陶器表面，繪制他們想要的任何圖案