英语口语教程（Oral Workshop）--初级 Lesson 21

 

Lesson 21 

Text A 

                                 Bill Is Very Rude 

    Bill is in Victor's house and he is sitting down. He is leaning back and he has put his feet on the table. Bill is very rude.   

VICTOR: Would you mind taking your feet off the table, Bill? 

BILL:   Not at all. But I was very comfortable. 

VICTOR:   Do you put your feet on your own table? 

BILL:   No, I never do that. 

VICTOR:   Why not? 

BILL:   I don't want to mark my table, of course. 

VICTOR:   Well, will you please avoid marking mine? 

BILL:   I'm sorry. I thought you were going to buy a new table soon. 

VICTOR: I hope to buy a new table, but I have to sell my old one first. 

BILL:   Would you please tell me how much you want for it? 

VICTOR:   How much do you think it's worth? 

BILL:  Not much. It's badly marked. I'll give you ten dollars for it.　

                                             Text B

                                      The Phone Rang Again

    Mrs Moore had worked hard all day at the office, and she was looking forward to a relaxing evening at home.

    Just as she walked in the door, the telephone began to ring. She dashed to answer the phone and found that the caller was a man trying to sell her some light bulbs. She refused and hung up the phone.

    She smelled dinner cooking and went in to see how her children were getting along with the meal. Everything was ready except setting the table, so Mrs Moore went upstairs to change clothes.

    Just as she reached the head of the stairs, the telephone rang again. When Mrs Moore answered it, she found out that her husband wouldn't be home for dinner.

    After she changed clothes , she went back downstairs to eat. During dinner, the phone rang twice. Her sister called to ask about the family, and a group wanted her to do some volunteer work. She and the children finished dinner and began cleaning up the kitchen. The phone rang again. The neighbours wanted to borrow the garden hose¹.

    After the kitchen was cleaned . Mrs Moore sat down with a sigh to read while the children did their homework. The phone rang again.

    Without even answering it, Mrs Moore called to her children, "Get ready, we're all going to a movie. "

    "Great! But why?"

    "It seems that's the only way we can get away from this telephone. " 

                                 Questions on Text B 

7. Read the following passage once. Underline the key words while reading and retell the story to your partner. 

    Billy's motorcycle shone in the afternoon sun and caught Billy's reflection in the fender. He had worked all summer to save enough money for this bike and it was his-all his. He strapped² on his helmet, slid the new black leather gloves over his hands, then threw one leg over the vinyl seat. There was a roar of the engine as he kicked it into motion, and suddenly there he was, speeding down the street on his motorcycle.

    Billy's little brother, Tommy, watched solemnly from the front door. Tommy was only eight years old, but eight was old enough, he thought, for someone to have his very own motorcycle. It didn't seem fair that Billy had a bike and Tommy didn't. So Tommy sat on the front porch³, ate his candy bar, and brooded⁴ over the matter as he watched Billy slide around the corner. All he wanted was just one ride.

    When Billy discovered his bike missing the next morning, there was a widespread investigation⁵ by the police, his parents, and the neighbours. No one had seen the bike since the day before. As Billy walked off down the sidewalk, heading for the school bus, his attention was attracted by something black glaring⁶ at him from under a hedge. He approached slowly, then suddenly broke into a run. There under the hedge was his motorcycle with one badly dented⁷ fender.

    He reached for the handlebars to pull it from under the bushes. When he retracted⁸ his hand, there was a familiar sticky substance on his fingers. Tasting the brown sweetness, Billy smiled secretly to himself. He knew he had discovered who had taken his motorcycle for a spin.

1 hose   

n.输水软管，长统袜；vt.浇园子，用管冲洗

参考例句：

• Connect the hose to the tap and turn on the tap.把水管接在龙头上，打开水龙头。
• After raining,I always hose the yard out.雨后，我总是用软管把院子冲干净。

2 strapped   

adj.用皮带捆住的，用皮带装饰的；身无分文的；缺钱；手头紧v.用皮带捆扎(strap的过去式和过去分词)；用皮带抽打；包扎；给…打绷带

参考例句：

• Make sure that the child is strapped tightly into the buggy. 一定要把孩子牢牢地拴在婴儿车上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The soldiers' great coats were strapped on their packs. 战士们的厚大衣扎捆在背包上。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 porch   

n.门廊，入口处，走廊，游廊

参考例句：

• There are thousands of pages of advertising on our porch.有成千上万页广告堆在我们的门廊上。
• The porch is supported by six immense pillars.门廊由六根大柱子支撑着。

4 brooded   

孵蛋( brood的过去式和过去分词 )； 沉思

参考例句：

• He brooded on whether she should commIt'suicide. 他想她是不是死于自杀。
• For years he brooded vengeance. 多年来他一直在盘算报仇。

5 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

6 glaring   

a.耀眼的，极度光亮的；显眼的，显著的

参考例句：

• At the examination he made several glaring blunders,and that did for him. 他在考试中出了几个大错，这下就完了。
• The report contained some glaring errors. 报告中有些大错误。

7 dented   

v.使产生凹痕( dent的过去式和过去分词 )；损害；伤害；挫伤（信心、名誉等）

参考例句：

• The back of the car was badly dented in the collision. 汽车尾部被撞后严重凹陷。
• I'm afraid I've dented the car. 恐怕我把车子撞瘪了一些。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 retracted   

v.撤回或撤消( retract的过去式和过去分词 )；拒绝执行或遵守；缩回；拉回

参考例句：

• He made a false confession which he later retracted. 他作了假供词，后来又翻供。
• A caddy retracted his statement. 一个球童收回了他的话。 来自辞典例句