The best and the worst
最好的和最差的
First listen and then answer the question.
聽錄音，然後回答以下問題。
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 生詞和短語
competition n. 比賽，競賽
neat adj. 整齊的，整潔的
path n. 小路，小徑
wooden adj. 木頭的
pool n. 水池
參考譯文
喬.桑德斯擁有我們鎮上最漂亮的花園。幾乎每個人都參加每年舉辦的“最佳花園競賽”，而每次都是喬獲勝。比爾.弗裏斯的花園比喬的花園大，他比喬也更為勤奮，種植的花卉和蔬菜也更多，但喬的花園更富有情趣。他修築了壹條條整潔的小路，並在壹個池塘上架了壹座小木橋。我也喜歡花園，但我卻不願意辛勤勞動。每年的花園競賽我也參加，但總因是鎮上最劣的花園而獲得壹個小獎！
Lesson 18
He often does this!
他經常幹這種事！
First listen and then answer the question.
聽錄音，然後回答以下問題。
What had happened to the writer's bag?
After I had had lunch at a village pub, I looked for my bag. I had left it on a chair beside the door and now it wasn't there! As I was looking for it, the landlord came in.
'Did you have a good meal?" he asked.
'Yes, thank you,' I answered, 'but I can't pay the bill. I haven't got my bag.'
The landlord smiled and immediately went out. In a few minutes he returned with my bag and gave it back to me.
'I'm very sorry,' he said. 'My dog had taken in into the garden. He often does this!'
New words and expressions 生詞和短語
pub n. 小酒店
landlord n. 店主
bill n. 帳單
參考譯文
我在壹家鄉村小酒店吃過午飯後，就找我的提包。我曾把它放在門邊的椅子上，可這會兒不見了！當我正在尋找時，酒店老板走了進來。
“您吃得好嗎？”他問。
“很好，謝謝。”我回答，“但我付不了帳，我的提包沒有了。”
酒店老板笑了笑，馬上走了出去。壹會兒工夫他拿著我的提包回來了，把它還給了我。
“實在抱歉，”他說，“我的狗把它弄到花園裏去了，他常幹這種事！”
Lesson 19
Sold out
票已售完
First listen and then answer the question.
聽錄音，然後回答以下問題。
When will the writer see the play?
'The play may begin at any moment,' I said.
'It may have begun already,' Susan answered.
I hurried to the ticket office. 'May I have two tickets please?' I asked.
'I'm sorry, we've sold out,' the girl said.
'What a pity!' Susan exclaimed.
Just then, a man hurried to the ticket office.
'Can I return these two tickets?' he asked.
'Certainly,' the girl said.
I went back to the ticket office at once.
'Could I have those two tickets please?' I asked.
'Certainly,' the girl said, 'but they're for next Wednesday's performance. Do you still want them?'
'I might as well have them,' I said sadly.
New words and expressions 生詞和短語
hurry v. 匆忙
ticket office 售票處
pity n. 令人遺憾的事
exclaim v. 大聲說
return v. 退回
sadly adv. 悲哀地，喪氣地
參考譯文
“劇馬上就要開演了，”我說。
“也許已經開演了呢，”蘇珊回答說。
我匆匆趕到售票處，問：“我可以買兩張票嗎？”
“對不起，票已售完。”那位姑娘說。
“真可惜！”蘇珊大聲說。
正在這時，壹個男子匆匆奔向售票處。
“我可以退掉這兩張票嗎？”他問。
“當然可以，”那姑娘說。
我馬上又回到售票處。
“我可以買那兩張票嗎？”我問。
“當然可以，不過這兩張票是下星期三的，您是否還要呢？”
“我還是買下的好，”我垂頭喪氣地說。
Lesson 26
The best art critics
最佳藝術評論家
First listen and then answer the question.
聽錄音，然後回答以下問題。
Who is the student's best critic?
I am an art student and I paint a lot of pictures. Many people pretend that they understand modern art. They always tell you what a picture is 'about'. Of course, many pictures are not 'about' anything. They are just pretty patterns. We like them in the same way that we like pretty curtain material. I think that young children often appreciate modern pictures better than anyone else. They notice more. My sister is only seven, but she always tells me whether my pictures are good or not. She came into my room yesterday.
'What are you doing?' she asked.
'I'm hanging this picture on the wall,' I answered. 'It's a new one. Do you like it?'
She looked at it critically for a moment. 'It's all right,' she said, 'but isn't it upside down?'
I looked at it again. She was right! It was!
New words and expressions 生詞和短語
art n. 藝術
critic n. 評論家
paint v. 畫
pretend v. 假裝
pattern n. 圖案
curtain n. 窗簾，幕布
material n. 材料
appreciate v. 鑒賞
notice v. 註意到
whether conj. 是否
hang v. 懸掛，吊
critically adv. 批評地
upside down 上下顛倒地
參考譯文
我是個學藝術的學生，畫了很多畫。有很多人裝成很懂現代藝術的樣子，總是告訴妳壹幅畫的“意思”是什麽。當然，有很多畫是什麽“意思”也沒有的。它們就是些好看的圖案，我們喜愛它們就像我們喜歡漂亮的窗簾布壹樣。我覺得小孩子們往往比任何人都更能欣賞現代繪畫，他們觀察到的東西更多。我的妹妹只有7歲，但她總能說出我的畫是好還是壞。昨天她到我房裏來了。
Lesson 68
Persistent
糾纏不休
First listen and then answer the question.
聽錄音，然後回答以下問題。
Why did Elizabeth tell Nigel that she was going to the dentist?
I crossed the street to avoid meeting him, but he saw me and came running towards me. It was no use pretending that I had not seen him, so I waved to him. I never enjoy meeting Nigel Dykes. He never has anything to do. No matter how busy you are, he always insists on coming with you. I had to think of a way of preventing him from following me around all morning.
'Hello, Nigel,' I said. 'Fancy meeting you here!'
'Hi, Elizabeth,' Nigel answered. 'I was just wondering how to spend the morning -- until I saw you. You're not busy doing anything, are you?'
'No, not at all,' I answered. 'I'm going to...'
'Would you mind my coming with you?' he asked, before I had finished speaking.
'Not at all,' I lied, 'but I'm going to the dentist.'
'Then I'll come with you,' he answered. 'There's always plenty to read in the waiting room!
New words and expressions 生詞和短語
persistent adj. 堅持的，固執的
avoid v. 避開
insist v. 堅持做
參考譯文
我穿過馬路以便避開他，但他看到我並朝我跑過來。若再裝作沒看見他已是沒有用了，我只好向他招手。我就怕遇到奈傑爾.戴克斯。他從來都是無事可做，不管妳多忙，他總是堅持要跟妳去。我得想辦法不讓他整個上午纏著我。
“妳好，奈傑爾，想不到在這兒見到妳。”我說。
“妳好，伊麗莎白，”奈傑爾回答說，“我正不知道怎麽消磨這壹上午呢，正好見到好。妳不忙，是嗎？”
“不，不忙，我打算去......”我回答。
“我跟妳壹道去行嗎？”沒等我說完話他就問道。
“沒關系，但我準備去牙醫那裏。”我說了個謊。
“那我也跟妳去，候診室裏總有很多東西可供閱讀！”他回答。