Musical Half-Notes

Lesson4

                                     Musical Half-Notes

                                            Text A
    A musician who played Pop Music in a CLub lived in boardinghouse in the centre of london. He always used to get back to his room very late at night and sometimes inthe carly hours of
the morning. He was so tired when he got back that he would si ton the edge¹ of his bed ,take off his shoes and throw them on the floor and say. 'Thank goodness². another day is over.' He would thcn get into hcd and fall fast aslecp.

    But thepoor lodger³ who had the room under the musician's was wokcn up cach night, or carly?in the morning. by the two thuds that the two shoes made as thcy landcd On his ceiling⁴.Finally, he could not stand it any more and went and complained to thc musician.

    Naturally the musician was very upset and promiscd that, in future, aftcr taking off his shoes, he would put them down as quictly as possible on the carpct.
The ncxt day, he got back from his club at about one o'clock in the morning. went up to his room, sat on the edge of his bed, took off one shoe and threw it on the floor.

He was just about to do the same with the other when suddenly remcmbered the promise he had made the day before. So with grcat care he put the second shoe down silently⁵ on the carpet. Then he got into bed and fell fast aslecp. An hour later, he was woken up by a violent⁶ knocking on his door. It was thc lodger who slept in the room just under his.
    'Plcase, plcase, please,' the Iodger plcaded, 'drop the other shoe. I have been waiting for a whole hour for you to drop it. As soon as you do I can go to sleep. '

                                             Text B

    Of all the men who ever liked fresh air, not one liked it more than James Wilson. He took long walks in the fresh air. He ran long distances in the fresh air. He played football and other games in the fresh air. He liked to climb mountains and breathe the fresh air at the top. He used to go to sit by the sea and watch the great waves in the fresh air. He always slept with his windows wide open. He had an open car with no roof, and he drove⁷ it madly through the fresh air.

    If Wilson entered a room where the windows were shut, he immediately opened them. He did this even when snow was falling outside. If someone else shut the windows again, he walked out of the room in a manner which showed his opinions without any doubt. When he travelled by sea, he could usually be found in a place on board where the wild wind was blowing through his hair.

    One winter Wilson went to Finland on business. Good hotels in Finland are heated during the cold winter, and this winter was even colder than usual. When Wilson reached his room in the hotel. he found that the windows were closed to keep the icy⁸ air out. He did his best to open one , but failed. It was absolutely impossible to open it : the manager had very wisely arranged⁹ that.

    Wilson undressed and got into bed. He was a very angry man.
    The bedroom was very pleasant. Two or three pictures on the walls showed views of some beautiful parts of Finland. There was no noise at all. The bed was really excellent; but Wilson could not sleep. He could not forget the closed window. No fresh air! It was terrible to think of!

    He got out of bed and tried once more to open the window; but it was useless, and he sadly got back into bed.
At about one o'clock in the morning he was still awake, worrying about the air in the bedroom. He had turned over in bed two hundred and thirty-six times. He was very hot. As he turned over for the two hundred and thirty-seventh time, one arm came out of the bedclothes and hung down beside the bed. His hand touched the floor. It also touched something on the floor. This thing was a shoe.

    An idea came into his worried mind. Angry men act quickly,
and the shoe was in his hand in less than a second. Where was the window? He could see something that looked like glass over there. He threw the shoe through the darkness with all the force of his strong right arm.

    The shoe flew straight through the air and hit the glass in the middle. A terrible sound of breaking glass filled the bedroom,
but to Wilson's sad heart it seemed like the sound of sweet and beautiful music.
    "Now I have some fresh air in the room," he thought. "NOW I need not die. "
    Five minutes later he was peacefully asleep. He did not move for many hours.

    When daylight came gently through the window, he awoke and lay with his eyes closed. Where was he? Oh, yes! He was in Fioland; but what the matter? Was auytlting wrong'? There was something to worry about What was it? Oh. the broken windmv! Yes, indeed. He would have to pas?for that.How much.? Was it a big piece of glass? He could not remember. He Opened his eyes to look.

    Slowly he tnrned them towards the window. and then he sat up suddenly in bed. He was very surprised: the window was not broken at all. The glass was all in one piece. just as good as it had been the might before. No fresh air was etitering the room through that window.
    What,then,had happened when he threw the shoe?
    He turned his eyes to the side and saw a broken picture hanging on the wall.There was a shoe on the floor below it. He could see a lot of broken glass round the shoe . and there was more inside it.

 

                                 Additional¹⁰ Information

    Here is what happened to Adrian Fox on the train one day:
    Adrian Fox lives in Devon and he is travelling home from London by train. He decides to have a cup of tea. and goes to the train buffet¹¹. While he is drinking his t.ea, an attractive¹² girl comes and sits at the same table. They begin talking and the girl tells Adrian she is going to Devon on holiday. They are soon very friendly. Adrian finds out that the girl hasn't yet found a hotel to stay in. Adrian's mother has a spare room in her house, and Aclrian invites the girl to stay there. He knows his mother won't mind. The girl accepts.

    A few minutes later a man comes and sits beside the girl. who introduces
hint to Adrian. He is her husband. Adrian didn't know the giri was married, and he is a little angry. His mother won't like to have two people staying in her house. Then three children arrive. Two of them are carrying cats. and one has a small dog. They are the girl'a children. They are all very happy, the girl says, to be staying in Adrian's mother's house. Eut Adrian isn't so happy. When he reaches the station he phones his mother. . .

 

1 edge   

n.边(缘)；刃；优势；v.侧着移动，徐徐移动

参考例句：

• Sight along the edge to see if it's straight.顺着边目测，看看直不直。
• She lived on the extreme edge of the forest.她住在森林的最边缘。

2 goodness   

n.善良，善行，美德

参考例句：

• Would you have the goodness to turn off the radio?劳驾，请你把收音机关上好不好？
• Thank goodness,we've found a cure for the disease.好了，这病有救了！

3 lodger   

n.寄宿人，房客

参考例句：

• My friend is a lodger in my uncle's house.我朋友是我叔叔家的房客。
• Jill and Sue are at variance over their lodger.吉尔和休在对待房客的问题上意见不和。

4 ceiling   

n.天花板；(规定价格、工资等的)最高限额

参考例句：

• It took more or less a whole day to paint the ceiling.粉刷天花板用了将近一整天的时间。
• A fly is on the ceiling.一只苍蝇在天花板上。

5 silently   

adv.沉默地，无声地

参考例句：

• She sat in the car,silently fuming at the traffic jam.她坐在汽车里，心中对交通堵塞感到十分恼火。
• He didn't shout,he just glared at me silently.他没有喊叫，只是默默地怒视着我。

6 violent   

adj.暴力的，猛烈的，激烈的，极端的，凶暴的，歪曲的

参考例句：

• The madman was violent and had to be locked up.这个精神病患者很凶暴，不得不把他锁起来。
• They caught him and gave him a violent beating.他们抓住了他，把他狠狠打了一顿。

7 drove   

vbl.驾驶，drive的过去式；n.畜群

参考例句：

• He drove at a speed of sixty miles per hour.他以每小时60英里的速度开车。
• They drove foreign goods out of the market.他们把外国货驱逐出市场。

8 icy   

adj.寒冷的；冰冷的

参考例句：

• Father will not chance driving on the icy roads.父亲不愿意冒险在结冰的道路上开车。
• She fixed her questioner with an icy glare.她冷冷地盯着审问者。

9 arranged   

adj.安排的v.安排，准备( arrange的过去式和过去分词 )；把…（系统地）分类；整理；改编（剧本等）

参考例句：

• The party was arranged quickly. 聚会很快就安排好了。
• Chairs in rows are not as conducive to discussion as chairs arranged in a circle. 椅子成排摆放不如成圈摆放便于讨论。

10 additional   

adj.添加的，额外的，另外的

参考例句：

• It is necessary to set down these additional rules.有必要制定这些补充规则。
• I think we can fit in an additional room.我想我们可以再加建一间房子。

11 buffet   

n.自助餐；饮食柜台；餐台

参考例句：

• Are you having a sit-down meal or a buffet at the wedding?你想在婚礼中摆桌宴还是搞自助餐？
• Could you tell me what specialties you have for the buffet?你能告诉我你们的自助餐有什么特色菜吗？

12 attractive   

adj.有吸引力的；引起注意的

参考例句：

• Bright colours are attractive to children.鲜艳的颜色对儿童有吸引力。
• The food has an attractive taste.这食品的味道很诱人。