大学英语精读第二册 Unit Four：My First Job

TEXT

Trying to make some money before entering university, the author applies for a teaching job. But the interview goes from bad to worse...

My First Job

While I was waiting to enter university, I saw advertised in a local newspaper a teaching post at a school in a suburb of London about ten miles from where I lived. Being very short money and wanting to do something useful, I applied¹, fearing as I did so, that without a degree and with no experience in teaching my chances of getting the job were slim.
However, three days later a letter arrived, asking me to go to Croydon for an interview. It proved an awkward journey: a train to Croydon station; a ten-minute bus ride and then a walk of at least a quarter to feel nervous.
The school was a red brick house with big windows, The front garden was a gravel² square; four evergreen³ shrubs⁴ stood at each corner, where they struggled to survive the dust and fumes⁵ from a busy main from a busy main road.
It was clearly the headmaster himself that opened the door. He was short and fat. He had a sandy-coloured moustache, a wrinkled forehead and hardly any hair.
He looked at me with an air of surprised disapproval⁶, as a colonel might look at a private whose bootlaces were undone⁷. 'Ah yes,' he grunted⁸. 'You'd better come inside.' The narrow, sunless hall smelled unpleasantly of stale cabbage; the walls were dirty with ink marks; it was all silent. His study, judging by the crumbs⁹ on the carpet, was also his dining-room. 'You'd better sit down,' he said, and proceeded to ask me a number of questions: what subjects I had taken in my General School Certificate; how old I was; what games I played; then fixing me suddenly with his bloodshot eyes, he asked me whether I thought games were a vital part of a boy's education. I mumbled¹⁰ something about not attaching too much importance to them. He grunted. I had said the wrong thing. The headmaster and I obviously had very little in common.
The school, he said, consisted of one class of twenty-four boys, ranging in age from seven to thirteen. I should have to teach all subjects except art, which he taught himself. Football and cricket were played in the Park, a mile away on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons.
The teaching set-up filled me with fear. I should have to divide the class into three groups and teach them in turn at three different levels; and I was dismayed at the thought of teaching algebra¹¹ and geometry-two subjects at which I had been completely incompetent¹² at school. Worse perhaps was the idea of Saturday afternoon cricket; most of my friends would be enjoying leisure at that time.
I said shyly, 'What would my salary be?' 'Twelve pounds a week plus lunch.' Before I could protest, he got to his feet. 'Now', he said, 'you'd better meet my wife. She's the one who really runs this school.'
This was the last straw. I was very young: the prospect¹³ of working under a woman constituted the ultimate indignity¹⁴.

NEW WORDS

apply
vi. write to ask for (a job, membership. etc.), esp. officially 申请
application
n.
interview
n. 面试；接见；会见
advertise
vt. make know to people by printing a notice in a newspaper, etc. or by broadcasting on television, ets. 为...做广告
advertisement
n.
local
of, special to, a place or district 当地的;地方性的
post
n. job or position 职位
suburb
n. outer area of a town or city, where people live 郊区
slim
a. small, slight; slender 微小的;苗条的
depress
vt. make sad 使沮丧
depression
n.
brick
n. 砖
gravel
n. 砾石
evergreen
a. with green leaves throughout the year 常绿的
shrub
n. low bush with several woody stems 灌木
fume
n. strong-smelling smoke, gas or vapour 浓烈难闻的烟,气,汽
headmaster
n. (中,小学的)校长
sandy-coloured
a. yellowish-red 沙色的,黄中带红的
moustache
n. hair growing on the upper lip 小胡子
disapproval
n. unfavorable opinion or feeling; dislike 不赞成;不满
colonel
n. 上校
private
n. soldier of the lowest rank 列兵;士兵
bootlace
n. shoelace for a high shoe or boot 靴带
undo
vt. untie¹⁵, unfasten 解开;松开
ah
interj. (a cry of surprise, pity, pain, joy, dislike, etc.) 啊
grunt
vt. 咕哝着说出
unpleasantly
ad. 令人不愉快地
stale
a. not fresh 不新鲜的
cabbage
n. 卷心菜
crumb
n. very small, broken piece of bread or cake 面包屑;糕饼屑
carpet
n. heavy woven material fir covering floors or stairs 地毯
certificate
n. 证(明)书
bloodshot
a. (眼睛)充血的
vital
a. very necessary; of the greatest importance 必不可少的,极其重要的
mumble
vt. speak (words) unclearly 含糊地说
attach
vt. give (to); fasten (to) 把...给予;系,贴
importance
n. the quality of being important
obviously
ad. it can be easily seen; plainly 明显地，显然
obvious
a.
consist (of)
vi. be made up (of) 组成，构成
range
vi. vary between certain limits （在一定的范围内）变动
cricket
n. 板球
set-up
n. arrangement
dismay
vt. make discouraged or afraid 使灰心，使害怕
algebra
n. 代数学
geometry
n. 几何学
incompetent
a. completely unskillful; not good enough at doing a job, etc. 无能力的；不胜任的
competent
a. opposite of incompetent
leisure
n. free time; time which one can spend as one likes 闲暇；悠闲
salary
n. fixed¹⁶ (usually monthly) pay for regular work 薪水
plus
prep. with the addition of 加（上）
protest
vi. express a strong objection 抗议；反对
straw
n. 稻草；麦杆
prospect
vi. sth. expected or considered probable; possibility 期望中的事；展望；前景
constitute
vt. form; make up; be 组成，构成
ultimate
a. greatest; utmost; last or final 最大的；终极的，最终的
indignity
n. injury to one's dignity; insult 侮辱

PHRASES & EXPRESSIONS

be short of
not having enough of 缺少
smell of
have, give out the smell of 有...的气味
judging by
forming an opinion based on
attach importance to
consider important 重视
in common
shared with someone else 共有的,共同的
consist of
be made up of
in turn
one after another 轮流

PROPER NAMES

London
伦敦(英国首都)
Croydon
克洛伊登(英国地名)

1 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

2 gravel   

n.砂跞；砂砾层；结石

参考例句：

• We bought six bags of gravel for the garden path.我们购买了六袋碎石用来铺花园的小路。
• More gravel is needed to fill the hollow in the drive.需要更多的砾石来填平车道上的坑洼。

3 evergreen   

n.常青树；adj.四季常青的

参考例句：

• Some trees are evergreen;they are called evergreen.有的树是常青的，被叫做常青树。
• There is a small evergreen shrub on the hillside.山腰上有一小块常绿灌木丛。

4 shrubs   

灌木( shrub的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gardener spent a complete morning in trimming those two shrubs. 园丁花了整个上午的时间修剪那两处灌木林。
• These shrubs will need more light to produce flowering shoots. 这些灌木需要更多的光照才能抽出开花的新枝。

5 fumes   

n.(强烈而刺激的)气味，气体

参考例句：

• The health of our children is being endangered by exhaust fumes. 我们孩子们的健康正受到排放出的废气的损害。
• Exhaust fumes are bad for your health. 废气对健康有害。

6 disapproval   

n.反对，不赞成

参考例句：

• The teacher made an outward show of disapproval.老师表面上表示不同意。
• They shouted their disapproval.他们喊叫表示反对。

7 undone   

a.未做完的，未完成的

参考例句：

• He left nothing undone that needed attention.所有需要注意的事他都注意到了。

8 grunted   

（猪等）作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 )； （指人）发出类似的哼声； 咕哝着说

参考例句：

• She just grunted, not deigning to look up from the page. 她只咕哝了一声，继续看书，不屑抬起头来看一眼。
• She grunted some incomprehensible reply. 她咕噜着回答了些令人费解的话。

9 crumbs   

int. (表示惊讶)哎呀 n. 碎屑 名词crumb的复数形式

参考例句：

• She stood up and brushed the crumbs from her sweater. 她站起身掸掉了毛衣上的面包屑。
• Oh crumbs! Is that the time? 啊，天哪！都这会儿啦？

10 mumbled   

含糊地说某事，叽咕，咕哝( mumble的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He mumbled something to me which I did not quite catch. 他对我叽咕了几句话，可我没太听清楚。
• George mumbled incoherently to himself. 乔治语无伦次地喃喃自语。

11 algebra   

n.代数学

参考例句：

• He was not good at algebra in middle school.他中学时不擅长代数。
• The boy can't figure out the algebra problems.这个男孩做不出这道代数题。

12 incompetent   

adj.无能力的，不能胜任的

参考例句：

• He is utterly incompetent at his job.他完全不能胜任他的工作。
• He is incompetent at working with his hands.他动手能力不行。

13 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

14 indignity   

n.侮辱，伤害尊严，轻蔑

参考例句：

• For more than a year we have suffered the indignity.在一年多的时间里,我们丢尽了丑。
• She was subjected to indignity and humiliation.她受到侮辱和羞辱。

15 untie   

vt.解开，松开；解放

参考例句：

• It's just impossible to untie the knot.It's too tight.这个结根本解不开。太紧了。
• Will you please untie the knot for me?请你替我解开这个结头，好吗？

16 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。