365个英语简短小故事-82. It’s a Small World

Nicolas was sitting in the waiting room Monday morning. He had brought four magazines with him, in case the mechanics¹ had to spend all day fixing his car. His portable² Sony radio was on, and one earbud was stuck in his right ear. A customer came into the waiting room. Nicolas overheard³ the customer talking to Harold, the service representative⁴. The customer was from Milford, the same little town that Nicolas was from. After the customer and Harold had finished talking, Harold went back outside.

Nicolas thought he would introduce himself. He said, "I heard that you are from Milford." The young man nodded. "Are you going to the parade⁵ on Wednesday?" Nicolas asked.

"What parade?" the man asked. Wednesday was the fourth of July. Nicolas wondered if he was talking to someone who just happened to be visiting Earth on his way to Pluto⁶.

"Didn't you say you live in Milford?" Nicolas asked. The man nodded. "How long have you lived there?" Nicolas asked. Five years, the man replied.

"And you've never been to the Fourth of July parade?" Nicolas asked. The man shook his head. He seemed totally uninterested in continuing the conversation, although all he was doing was watching cars drive by on the nearby street.

Oh well, I tried to be neighborly, Nicolas thought, as he put the earbud back in his ear and opened one of his magazines.

 

1 mechanics   

n.力学，机械学；结构

参考例句：

• The mechanics of fixing a car are very long.修理一部汽车的过程很长。
• The mechanics of the machine are very old.这台机器的机件非常老。

2 portable   

adj.轻便的，手提式的；n.便携的东西

参考例句：

• I have a portable typewriter.我有一个便携式打字机。
• There is a pretty portable pair of steps in one corner of the room.屋角放着一架小巧玲珑的折梯。

3 overheard   

adj. 串音的, 偶而听到的 动词overhear的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• We talked quietly so as not to be overheard. 我们低声交谈，以免别人听到。
• I told Lucy the news under my breath, but Joyce overheard me. 我低声地把这个消息告诉露西，可还是被乔伊斯听到了。

4 representative   

n.代表，众议员，典型；adj.描写的，表现的，代理的，代表性的，代议制的，典型的

参考例句：

• He is a representative for a large steel company.他是一家大型钢铁公司的代理人。
• We have a representative sample.我们有一个代表性的样品。

5 parade   

n.游行，炫耀，阅兵，检阅，阅兵场；v.游行，炫耀，夸耀，（使）列队行进

参考例句：

• She is on parade in her new dress in the street.她穿着新衣服在大街上走来走去。
• The boys loved watching the soldiers on parade.男孩子们爱看士兵们列队行进。

6 Pluto   

n.冥王星

参考例句：

• Pluto is the furthest planet from the sun.冥王星是离太阳最远的行星。
• Pluto has an elliptic orbit.冥王星的轨道是椭圆形的。