Lesson6 Percy Buttons 珀西.巴顿斯
Who is Percy Buttons?
I have just moved to a house in Bridge Street.
Yesterday a beggar knocked at my door,
He asked me for a meal and a glass of beer,
In return for this, the beggar stood on his head and sang songs.
I gave him a meal. He ate the food and drank the beer.
Then he put a piece of cheese in his pocket and went away.
Later a neighbour, told me about him. Everybody knows him, His name is Percy Buttons.
He calls at every house in the street once a month and always asks for a meal and a glass of beer.
New words and expressions 生词和短语
- beggar /’beɡə(r)/ n.乞丐
- food /fu:d/ n.食物
- pocket /’pɒkɪt/ n.衣服口袋
- call /kɔːl/ v.拜访,光顾
Notes on the text 课文注释
- He asked me for a meal and a glass of beer 他问我要一顿饭和一杯啤酒 ask sb.for sth. 向某人索要某物
- in return for this 作为报答,句中 this 指上文的 a meal and a glass of beer.
- stand on one’s head 倒立.
- He calls at every house in the street.他光顾街上的每一幢房子.
参考译文
我刚刚搬进了大桥街的一所房子。昨天一个乞丐来敲我的门，问我要一顿饭和一杯啤酒。作为回报，那乞丐头顶地倒立起来，嘴里还唱着歌。我给了他一顿饭。他把食物吃完，又喝了酒。然后把一块乳酪装进衣袋里走了。后来，一位邻居告诉了我他的情况。大家都熟悉他，他叫珀西.巴顿斯。他每月对这条街上的每户人家光顾一次，总是请求给他一顿饭和一杯啤酒。
Lesson7 To late 为时太晚
Did the detectives save the diamonds?
The plane was late and detectives were waiting at the airport all morning.
They were expecting a valuable parcel of diamonds from South Africa.
A few hours earlier, someone had told the police that thieves would try to steal the diamonds.
When the plane arrived.
some of the detectives were waiting inside the main building while others were waiting on the airfield.
Two men took the parcel off the plane and carried it into the Customs House.
While two detectives were keeping guard at the door, two others opened the parcel.
To their surprise, the precious parcel was full of stones and sand!
New words and expressions 生词和短语
- detective /dɪ’tektɪv/ n.侦探
- airport /’eəpɔːt/ n.机场
- expect /ɪk’spekt/ v.期待,等待
- valuable /’væljuəb(ə)l/ adj.贵重的
- parcel /’pɑːs(ə)l/ n.包裹
- diamond /’daɪmənd/ n.钻石
- steal /stiːl/(stole /stəʊl/, stolen /’stəʊlən/) v.偷偷
- main /meɪn/ adj.主要的
- airfield /’eəfiːld/ n.飞机起落的场地
- guard /ɡɑːrd/ n.警戒,守卫
- precious /’preʃəs/ adj.珍贵的
- stone /stəʊn/ n.石子
- sand /sænd/ n.沙子
- Customs House n.海关大楼
Notes on the text 课文注释
- detectives were waiting at the airport all morning 侦探们在机场等了整整一上午.句中的动词时态是过去进行时.过去进行时常用来表示过去某时正在进行的情况或动作.
- keep guard 守卫.
- to their surprise 使他们吃惊的是.
参考译文
飞机误点了，侦察们在机场等了整整一上午。他们正期待从南非来的一个装着钻石的珍贵包裹。数小时以前，有人向警方报告，说有人企图偷走这些钻石。当飞机到达时，一些侦察等候在主楼内，另一些侦察则守候在停机坪上。有两个人把包裹拿下飞机，进了海关。这时两个侦察把住门口，另外两个侦察打开了包裹。令他们吃惊的是，那珍贵的包裹里面装的全是石头和沙子！
Lesson8 The best and the worst 最好的和最差的
Why is Joe’s garden the most beautiful one in the town?
Joe Sanders has the most beautiful garden in our town.
Nearly everybody enters for ‘The Nicest Garden Competition’ each year but Joe wins every time.
Bill Frith’s garden is larger than Joe’s.
Bill works harder than Joe and grows more flowers and vegetables,
but Joe’s garden is more interesting.
He has made neat paths and has built a wooden bridge over a pool.
I like gardens too, but I do not like hard work.
Every year I enter for the garden competition too,
and I always win a little prize for the worst garden in the town!
New words and expressions 生词和短语
- competition /,kɒmpəˈtɪʃ(ə)n/ n.比赛,竟赛
- neat /ni:t/ adj.整齐的,整洁的
- path /pa:0/ n.小路、小径
- wooden /’wʊdn/ adj.木头的
- pool /puːl/ n.水池
Notes on the text 课文注释
- Joe Sanders has the most beautiful garden in our town. 乔·桑德斯拥有我们镇上最漂亮的花园.本课的主要句型仍是形容词和副词的比较级和最高级.如果形容词或副词有两个以上音节,其比较级和最高级是在形容词或副词前加上more或most. more interesting,the most beautiful.
- enter for 报名参加(各种竞赛,考试等活动)
- more flowers and vegetables 更多的花卉和蔬菜. 如课文中的good-better-best, bad-worse-worst, many-more-most.
- for the worst garden in the town 是介词短语作定语,修饰 prize.
参考译文
乔.桑德斯拥有我们镇上最漂亮的花园。几乎每个人都参加每年举办的“最佳花园竞赛”，而每次都是乔获胜。比尔.弗里斯的花园比乔的花园大，他比乔也更为勤奋，种植的花卉和蔬菜也更多，但乔的花园更富有情趣。他修筑了一条条整洁的小路，并在一个池塘上架了一座小木桥。我也喜欢花园，但我却不愿意辛勤劳动。每年的花园竞赛我也参加，但总因是镇上最劣的花园而获得一个小奖！
Lesson9 A cold welcome 冷遇
What does ‘a cold welcome’ refer to?
On Wednesday evening, we went to the Town Hall.
It was the last day of the year and a large crowd of people had gathered under the Town Hall clock.
It would strike twelve in twenty minutes’ time.
Fifteen minutes passed and then, at five to twelve,
the clock stopped. The big minute hand did not move.
We waited and waited, but nothing happened.
Suddenly someone shouted, ‘It’s two minutes past twelve! The clock has stopped!’
I looked at my watch. It was true.
The big clock refused to welcome the New Year.
At that moment, everybody began to laugh and sing.
New words and expressions 生词和短语
- welcome /’welkəm/ n.欢迎; v.欢迎
- crowd /kraʊd/ n.人群
- gather /’ɡæðə(r)/ v.聚集
- hand /hænd/ n.(表或机器的)指针
- shout /ʃaʊt/ v.喊叫
- refuse /rɪ’fjuːz/ v.拒绝
- laugh /la:f/ v.笑
Notes on the text 课文注释
- Town Hall 市政厅,地方政府办公之处.
- a large crowd of 一大群…
- in twenty minutes’ time20分钟之后.
参考译文
星期三的晚上，我们去了市政厅。 那是一年的最后一天，一大群人聚集在市政厅的大钟下面。再过20分钟，大钟将敲响12下。15分钟过去了，而就在11点55分时，大钟停了。那根巨大的分针不动了。 我们等啊等啊，可情况没有变化。忽然有人喊道：“已经12点零2分了！那钟已经停了！”我看了一下我的手表，果真如此。那座大钟不愿意迎接新年。此时，大家已经笑了起来，同时唱起了歌。
Lesson10 Not for jazz 不适于演奏爵士乐
What happened to the clavichord?
We have an old musical instrument.
It is called a clavichord.
It was made in Germany in 1681.
Our clavichord is kept in the living room.
It has belonged to our family for a long time.
The instrument was bought by my grandfather many years ago.
Recently it was damaged by a visitor.
She tried to play jazz on it!
She struck the keys too hard and two of the strings were broken.
My father was shocked.
Now we are not allowed to touch it.
It is being repaired by a friend of my father’s.
New words and expressions 生词和短语
- jazz /dʒæz/ n.爵士音乐
- musical /’mjuːzɪk(ə)l/ adj.音乐的
- instrument /’ɪnstrəmənt/ n.乐器
- clavichord /’klævɪkɔːd/ n.古钢琴
- recently /’riːs(ə)ntli/ adv.最近
- damage /’dæmɪdʒ/ v.损坏
- key /ki:/ n.琴键
- string /strɪŋ/ n.(乐器的)弦
- shock /ʃɒk/ v.使不悦或生气,震惊
- allow /əˈlaʊ/ v.允许,让
- touch /tʌtʃ// v.触摸
Notes on the text 课文注释
- It is called a clavichord 它被称作古钢琴.这是一个被动语态的句子.本课的许多动词都是被动语态,如”it was damaged”,”two of the strings were broken”,”The instrument was bought”,”Our clavichord is kept”等。
- a friend of my father’s 我父亲的一位朋友.在英语中我们通常用-‘s和 of 结构来表示所有格.-‘s的结构通常用在人名和表示人称的名词的末尾，而of结构则常与无生命的名词连用。在这个例句中同时使用了-’s和of的结构，这被称作双重所有格。
参考译文
我家有件古乐器，被称作古钢琴，是1681年德国造的。我们的这架古钢琴存放在起居室里。我们家有这件乐器已经很久了，是我祖父在很多年以前买的。可它最近被一个客人弄坏了，因为她用它来弹奏爵士乐。她在击琴键时用力过猛，损坏了两根琴弦。我父亲大为吃惊，不许我们再动它。父亲的一个朋友正在修理这件乐器。