在线听力:英语小达人 17 A Businessman,A Priest or A Drunk

 Unit 17 A Businessman,A Priest or A Drunk

第17单元 商人、牧师或酒鬼

 

An older couple had a son, who was still living at home. The parents were a little warried, as the son was still unable to decide about his future carrer, so they decided¹ to do a small test.

 

一对老夫妻有个儿子，目前仍然闲赋在家，还没确定未来要从事哪一行。父母有点担心，便决定做个小测验。

 

They took a ten-dollar bill, a Bible, and a bottle of whiskey, and put them on the front hall table...then they hid, pretending they were not at home.

 

他们把一张十元纸钞、一本圣经和一瓶威士忌摆在前厅桌上...然后躲起来假装不在家。

 

The father's plan was:"If our son takes the money, he will be a businessman, if he takes the Bible, he will be a priest—but if he takes the bottle of whiskey,I'm afraid our son will be a drunkard."

 

父亲的计划是：“如果我们儿子拿了钱，将来会是个商人;如果拿了圣经，将来会是个牧师;但他如果拿了那瓶威士忌，恐怕儿子将来会变成酒鬼。”

 

So the parents hid in the nearby closet and waited nervously². Peeping through the keyholethey saw their son arrive.

 

于是父母躲在附近飞衣橱里紧张地等待着，从钥匙孔偷看儿子回来的一举一动。

 

The son saw the note they had left. Then, he took the 10-dollar bill, looked at it against the light,and slid it in his pocket.

 

儿子看到父母出门的纸条后，先拿起十元纸钞，就着光看了一下便塞进口袋里。

 

After that, he took the Bible, flicked³ through it, and took it. Finally he grabbed the bottle, open it, and took an appreciative⁴ whiff to be assured of the quality... then he left, carrying all three items.

 

接着拿起圣经轻轻弹了一下也决定拿走;最后则是拿起酒瓶，打开瓶盖鉴赏般地嗅了一下，想弄清楚酒的品质如何...然后离开房间，把三样东西全带走了。

 

The father slapped his forehead and said, "Darn, it's even worse than could ever have imagined..."

 

父亲往额头重重一拍，说道：“该死，结果比我想的还要糟...”

 

"Our son is going to be politician!"

 

“我们的儿子以后会去搞政治!”

1 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

2 nervously   

adv.神情激动地，不安地

参考例句：

• He bit his lip nervously,trying not to cry.他紧张地咬着唇，努力忍着不哭出来。
• He paced nervously up and down on the platform.他在站台上情绪不安地走来走去。

3 flicked   

（尤指用手指或手快速地）轻击( flick的过去式和过去分词 )； （用…）轻挥； （快速地）按开关； 向…笑了一下（或瞥了一眼等）

参考例句：

• She flicked the dust off her collar. 她轻轻弹掉了衣领上的灰尘。
• I idly picked up a magazine and flicked through it. 我漫不经心地拿起一本杂志翻看着。

4 appreciative   

adj.有鉴赏力的，有眼力的；感激的

参考例句：

• She was deeply appreciative of your help.她对你的帮助深表感激。
• We are very appreciative of their support in this respect.我们十分感谢他们在这方面的支持。