1. A Private Conversation
Q: Why did the writer complain to the people behind him?
Last week I went to the theatre. I had a very good seat. The play was very interesting. I did not enjoy it. A young man and a young woman were sitting behind me. They were talking loudly. I got very angry. I could not hear the actors. I turned round. I looked at them angrily. They did not pay any attention. In the end, I could not bear it. I turned round again. ‘I can’t hear a word!’ I said angrily. ‘It’s none of your business,’ the young man said rudely. ‘This is a private conversation!’
1 private ['praivit] a.私人的 2 conversation [kɔnvə'seiʃən] n.谈话
3 theatre ['θiətə] n.剧场，戏院 4 seat [si:t] n.座位
5 play [plei] n.戏 6 loudly ['laudli] ad.大声地
7 angry ['æŋgri] a.生气的 8 angrily ['æŋgrili] ad.生气地
9 attention [ə'tenʃən] n.注意 10 bear [beə] v.容忍
11 business ['biznis] n.事 12 rudely ['ru:dli] ad.无礼地，粗鲁地
2. Breakfast or Lunch?
Q: Why was the writer's aunt surprised?
It was Sunday. I never get up early on Sundays. I sometimes stay in bed until lunch time. Last Sunday I got up very late. I looked out of the window. It was dark outside. ‘What a day! ’ I thought. ‘It’s raining again. ’ Just then, the telephone rang. It was my aunt Lucy. ‘I’ve just arrived by train,’ she said. ‘I’m coming to see you.’ ‘But I’m still having breakfast,’ I said. ‘What are you doing?’ she asked. ‘I’m having breakfast,’ I repeated. ‘Dear me!’ she said. ‘Do you always get up so late? It’s one o’clock!’
1 until [ən'til, ʌn'til] prep.直到 2 outside [aut'said] ad.外面
3 ring [riŋ] v.(铃、电话等)响 4 aunt [ɑ:nt] n.姑，姨，婶，舅妈
5 repeat [ri'pi:t] v.重复
3. Please Send Me a Card
Q: How many cards did the writer send?
Postcards always spoil my holidays. Last summer, I went to Italy. I visited museums and sat in the public gardens. A friendly waiter taught me a few words of Italian. Then he lends me a book. I read a few lines, but I did not understand a word. Every day I thought about postcards. My holidays passed quickly, but I did not send any cards to my friends. On the last day I made a big decision. I got up early and bought thirty-seven cards. I spent the whole day in my room but I did not write a single card!
1 send [send] v.寄，送 2 postcard ['pəustkɑ:d] n.明信片
3 spoil [spɔil] v.使索然无味，损坏 4 museum[mju:'ziəm] n.博物馆
5 public ['pʌblik] a.公共的 6 friendly ['frendli] a.友好的
7 waiter ['weitə] n.服务员，招待员 8 lend [lend] v.借给
9 decision [di'siʒən] n.决定 10 whole [həul] a.整个的
11 single ['siŋgəl] a.唯一的，单一的
4. An Exciting Trip
Q: Why is Tim finding this trip exciting?
I have just received a letter from my brother, Tim. He is in Australia. He has been there for six months. Tim is an engineer. He is working for a big firm and he has already visited a great number of different places in Australia. He has just bought an Australian car and has gone to Alice Springs, a small town in the centre of Australia. He will soon visit Darwin. From there, he will fly to Perth. My brother has never been abroad before, so he is finding this trip very exciting.
1 exciting [ik'saitiŋ] a.令人兴奋的 2 receive [ri'si:v] v.接受，收到
3 firm [fə:m] n.商行，公司 4 different ['difrənt] a.不同的
5 centre ['sentə] n.中心 6 abroad [ə'brɔ:d] ad.在国外
5 No Wrong Numbers
Q: What does 'No wrong numbers' mean?
Mr. James Scott has a garage in Sudbury and now he has just bought another garage in Pinehurst. Pinehurst is only five miles from Silbury, but Mr. Scott cannot get a telephone for his new garage, so he has just bought twelve pigeons. Yesterday, a pigeon carried the first message from Pinhurst to Silbury. The bird covered the distance in three minutes. Up to now, Mr. Scott has sent a great many requests for spare parts and other urgent messages from on garage to the other. In this way, he has begun his own private ‘telephone’ service.
1 pigeon [pidʒin] n.鸽子 2 message ['mesidʒ] n.信息
3 over ['əuvə] v.越过 4 distance ['distəns] n.距离
5 request [ri'kwest] n.要求，请求 6 spare [speə] 备件
7 service ['sə:vis] n.业务，服务
6 Percy Buttons
Q: 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 neighbor 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.
1 beggar ['begə] n.乞丐 2 food [fu:d] n.食物
3 pocket ['pɔkit] n.衣服口袋 4 call [kɔ:l] v.拜访，光顾
7 Too Late
Q: 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 airplane 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! (不可数)
1 detective [di'tektiv] n.侦探 2 airport ['eəpɔ:t] n.机场
3 expect [ik'spekt] v.期待，等待 4 valuable ['væljuəbəl, -jubəl] a.贵重的
5 parcel ['pɑ:sl] n.包裹 6 diamond ['daiəmənd] n.钻石
7 steal [sti:l] v.偷 8 main [mein] a.主要的
9 airfield ['eəfi:ld] n.飞机起落的场地 10 guard [gɑ:d] n.警戒，守卫
11 precious ['preʃəs] a.珍贵的 12 stone [stəun] n.石子
13 sand [sænd] n.沙子
8 The Best and the Worst
Q: 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 Firth’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 path 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.
1 competition [ˌkɔmpi'tiʃən] n.比赛,竞赛 2 neat [ni:t] a.整齐的，整洁的
3 path [pɑ:θ] n.小路，小径 4 wooden ['wudn] a.木头的
5 pool [pu:l] n.水池
9 A cold Welcome
Q: 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 minute’s 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.
1 welcome ['welkəm] n.欢迎 v.欢迎 2 crowd [kraud] n.人群
3 gather ['gæeə] v.聚集 4 hand [hænd] n.(表或机器的)指针
5 shout [ʃaut] v.喊叫 6 refuse [ri'fju:z, ri'fju:s] v.拒绝
7 laugh [lɑ:f] v.笑
10 Not For Jazz
Q: 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.
1 jazz [dʒæz] n.爵士音乐 2 musical ['mju:zikəl] a.音乐的
3 instrument ['instrumənt] n.乐器 4 clavichord ['klævikɔ:d] n.古钢琴
5 recently ['ri:səntli] ad.最近 6 damage ['dæmidʒ] v.损坏
7 key [ki:] n.琴键 8 string [striŋ] n.(乐器的)弦
9 shock [ʃɔk, ʃɑk] v.使不悦或生气，震惊 10 allow [ə'lau] v.允许，让
11 touch [tʌtʃ] v.触摸
