This is part of a tea servic.
    對(duì)話(huà)
    Laura: Thank you for inviting me to tea, it's really good of you.
    Melanie: Not at all, we're delighted to have you. May I pour you a cup of tea?
    Laura: Oh, yes, thank you very much. What beautiful china!
    Melanie: I'm glad you like it. This is part of a tea service which my grandmother left me. I was her only granddaughter.
    Laura: It's all so artistically decorated.
    Melanie: It is very fine work and genuine Chinese porcelain.
    Laura: No doubt that's why your tea tastes so good.
    Melanie: Thank you. They do say that tea always tastes better from real porcelain.
    羅拉：謝謝你邀我來(lái)喝茶，你真好。
    梅拉尼：別客氣。你來(lái)了，我們都很高興。倒一杯茶給你好嗎？
    羅拉：好，謝謝。這瓷器真漂亮！
    梅拉尼：謝謝你欣賞。這是祖母留給我的一套茶具。我是她的孫女。
    羅拉：那些圖案很有藝術(shù)品味。
    梅拉尼：這是真正的中國(guó)瓷器，工藝精巧。
    羅拉：怪不得你的茶味道這么好。
    梅拉尼：謝謝。有些人的確認(rèn)為，盛茶用真瓷器，滋味特別好。
    羅拉對(duì)梅拉尼說(shuō)：Thank you for inviting me to tea。所謂tea，是指afternoon tea（下午茶），通常在四點(diǎn)鐘左右吃，除了茶，還有土司(toast)、牛油面包等。She gave a tea for her new neighbours即‘她請(qǐng)新鄰居吃下午茶’。下午茶往往是主婦的交際活動(dòng)。梅拉尼談到所用茶杯：This is part of a tea service。這個(gè)service不可解作‘服務(wù)’，而應(yīng)解作‘一套飲食器皿’，例如：I bought the newly wedded couple a fancy tea service（我給那對(duì)新婚夫婦買(mǎi)了一套精美的茶具）。除了tea service，還有dinner service（一套餐具）、coffee service（一套喝咖啡器皿）等，例如：I have a thirty-piece silver dinner service for four（我有一套三十件的四人用銀餐具）。Service的‘一套餐具’意思，當(dāng)然是來(lái)自serve這個(gè)動(dòng)詞。Serve可解作‘端上（飯菜）’或‘侍候（用餐者）’，例如Tea was served in very small cups/in a porcelain tea service（茶是用很小的茶杯/一套瓷茶具盛著端上的）。羅拉稱(chēng)贊梅拉尼的茶具：What beautiful china!瓷器是中國(guó)特產(chǎn)，歐洲人最初稱(chēng)為porcelain，意思是瓷器美如porcelaine貝殼：法文porcelaine等于英文cowrie shell，這種貝殼以平滑光亮著稱(chēng)。此外，也有人把瓷器徑稱(chēng)為chinaware（中國(guó)制品），簡(jiǎn)稱(chēng)為china。所以，china、porcelain都是說(shuō)瓷器；嚴(yán)格而言，porcelain多指高級(jí)瓷器。至于廚房、浴室等的‘瓷磚’，卻叫ceramic tile。Ceramic即‘陶瓷的’。