Lesson 9
A cold welcome
冷遇
First listen and then answer the question.
听录音,然后回答以下问题。
What does 'a cold welcome' refer to?
On Wednesday evening, we went to the Town Hall. It was the last day of the year and a large crowd of people had gathered under the Town Hall clock. It would strike twelve in twenty minutes' time. Fifteen minutes passed and then, at five to twelve, the clock stopped. The big minute hand did not move. We waited and waited, but nothing happened. Suddenly someone shouted. 'It's two minutes past twelve! The clock has stopped!' I looked at my watch. It was true. The big clock refused to welcome the New Year. At that moment, everybody began to laugh and sing.
New words and expressions 生词和短语
welcome n. 欢迎;v. 欢迎
crowd n. 人群
gather v. 聚集
hand n. (表或机器的)指针
shout v. 喊叫
refuse v. 拒绝
laugh v. 笑
参考译文
星期三的晚上,我们去了市政厅。 那是一年的最后一天,一大群人聚集在市政厅的大钟下面。再过20分钟,大钟将敲响12下。15分钟过去了,而就在11点55分时,大钟停了。那根巨大的分针不动了。 我们等啊等啊,可情况没有变化。突然有人喊道:“已经12点零2分了!那钟已经停了!”我看了一下我的手表,果真如此。那座大钟不愿意迎接新年。此时,大家已经笑了起来,同时唱起了歌。
Lesson 10
Not for jazz
不适于演奏爵士乐
First listen and then answer the question.
听录音,然后回答以下问题。
What happened to the clavichord?
We have an old musical instrument. It is called a clavichord. It was made in Germany in 1681. Our clavichord is kept in the living room. It has belonged to our family for a long time. The instrument was bought by my grandfather many years ago. Recently it was damaged by a visitor. She tried to play jazz on it! She struck the keys too hard and two of the strings were broken. My father was shocked. Now we are not allowed to touch it. It is being repaired by a friend of my father's.
New words and expressions 生词和短语
jazz n. 爵士音乐
musical adj. 音乐的
instrument n. 乐器
clavichord n. 古钢琴
recently adv. 最近
damage v. 损坏
key n. 琴键
string n. (乐器的)弦
shock v. 使不悦或生气,震惊
allow v. 允许,让
touch v. 触摸
参考译文
我家有件古乐器,被称作古钢琴,是1681年德国造的。我们的这架古钢琴存放在起居室里。我们家有这件乐器已经很久了, 是我祖父在很多年以前买的。可它最近被一个客人弄坏了,因为她用它来弹奏爵士乐。她在击琴键时用力过猛,损坏了两根琴弦。我父亲大为吃惊,不许我们再动它。父亲的一个朋友正在修理这件乐器。
Lesson 11
One good turn deserves another
礼尚往来
First listen and then answer the question.
听录音,然后回答以下问题。
Who paid for Tony's dinner?
I was having dinner at a restaurant when Tony Steele came in. Tony worked in a lawyer's office years ago, but he is now working at a bank. He gets a good salary, but he always borrows money from his friends and never pays it back. Tony saw me and came and sat at the same table. He has never borrowed money from me. While he was eating, I asked him to lend me twenty pounds. To my surprise, he gave me the money immediately. 'I have never borrowed any money from you,' Tony said, 'so now you can pay for my dinner!'
New words and expressions 生词和短语
turn n. 行为,举止
deserve v. 应得到,值得
lawyer n. 律师
bank n. 银行
salary n. 工资
immediately adv. 立刻
参考译文
我正在一家饭馆吃饭,托尼.斯蒂尔走了进来。托尼曾在一家律师事务所工作,而现在正在一家银行上班。他的薪水很高,但他却总是向朋友借钱,并且从来不还。托尼看见了我,就走过来和我坐到一张桌子前。他从未向我借过钱。当他吃饭时,我提出向他借20英镑。令我惊奇的是,他立刻把钱给了我。“我还从未向你借过钱,”托尼说道,“所以现在你可以替我付饭钱了!”