英语口语教程（Oral Workshop）--初级 Lesson 17

 

Lesson 17 

Text A 

                               The Country Schoollhouse

    The country schoolhouse was three miles from my uncle's farm. It stood in a clearing in the woods and would hold about twenty-five boys and girls. We attended the school with more or less regularity¹ once or twice a week in summer. We walked to it in the cool of the morning by the forest paths, and back in the dusk at the end of the day. All the pupils brought their dinners in baskets-corn dodger², buttermilk, and other good things. We sat in the shade of the trees at noon and ate them. It is the part of my education which I look back upon with the most satisfaction. My first visit to the school was 

 when I was seven. A strapping³ girl of fifteen, in the customary⁴ sunbonnet and calico dress, asked me if I "used tobacco" -meaning did I chew it. I said no. It roused her scorn⁵. She reported me to all the crowd , and said :"Here is a boy seven years old who can't chew tobacco. " 

    I learned to smoke fairly well , but that did not win over anybody. I remained a poor thing, and characterless. I longed to be respected, but I never was able to rise. Children have but little charity for one another's defect.

                                             Text B 

                                 On a Camping Holiday 

    Jimmy Booth and Donald Black are on a camping holiday. They have brought only a little food with them. Jimmy is hungry and he is looking at some rice in a tin. There is only a little rice in the tin. 

JIMMY:   There isn't much rice, is there? 

DONALD:   No, there isn't, but there are some vegetables. 

JIMMY:   Are there any potatoes? 

DONALD:   No, there aren't. I'm sorry. 

JIMMY:   I'm very hungry, Donald. What can I eat? 

DONALD:   There's a little bread and there are a few biscuits. 

JIMMY:   But I want some rice and some meat. 

DONALD:   All right, I'll walk to the village and I'll get some meat. 

JiMMY:   Good. By the way, who's going to cook the meat? 

DoNALD:   You'll cook it of course! 

Question on Text B 

7. Read the foilowing dialogue once. Underline the key words while reading and retell to your partner the dialogue in your own words. 

Peter:   Hello, Jim. What was the film like? 

Jim:   Awful. It was a complete waste of time. 

Peter:   Why? What was it about? 

Jim:   It was about a married couple. They had to live with the wife's mother, because they didn't have enough money to buy a house of their own. 

Peter:   A lot of young people have to do that. 

Jim:   Yes. but the husband had to work overtime⁶ three times a week, so he was always tired. 

Peter:   lt sounds like the story of my life. 

jim:   Yes, it does, doesn't it? But this man was always over-tired, and he couldn't sleep.So he used to take two sleeping pills every night. 

Peter:   I take sleeping pills sometimes. 

Jim:   Yes, but not two every night. Anyway, the strain was too much for him. He had a nervous breakdown⁷ and had to go to hoapital.  

Peter:   It sounds a very depressing film.  

Jim:   Not really. His wife was able to find a good job as an interpreter, because she rnuld speak French and German fluently. After a few months' work, she had a better job than her huaband. So in the end, there able to buy a house, and he didts't have to work any more. Stupid, wasn't it? 

Peter:   I don't know. My wife used to speak French. I must tell her to brush it up.

1 regularity   

n.规律性，规则性；匀称，整齐

参考例句：

• The idea is to maintain the regularity of the heartbeat.问题就是要维持心跳的规律性。
• He exercised with a regularity that amazed us.他锻炼的规律程度令我们非常惊讶。

2 dodger   

n.躲避者；躲闪者；广告单

参考例句：

• They are tax dodgers who hide their interest earnings.他们是隐瞒利息收入的逃税者。
• Make sure she pays her share she's a bit of a dodger.她自己的一份一定要她付清--她可是有点能赖就赖。

3 strapping   

adj. 魁伟的, 身材高大健壮的 n. 皮绳或皮带的材料, 裹伤胶带, 皮鞭 动词strap的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• He's a strapping lad—already bigger than his father. 他是一个魁梧的小伙子——已经比他父亲高了。
• He was a tall strapping boy. 他是一个高大健壮的小伙子。

4 customary   

adj.习惯上的，惯常的，合乎习俗的

参考例句：

• He makes his customary visit every week.他每星期都按照惯例造访一次。
• It is customary with me to do so.这样做是我的习惯。

5 scorn   

n./vt.轻蔑，鄙视，拒绝，不屑（做）

参考例句：

• He looked at me with scorn.他轻蔑地看了看我。
• You've no right to scorn a poor girl.你没有任何理由看不起一个贫穷的姑娘。

6 overtime   

adj.超时的，加班的；adv.加班地

参考例句：

• They are working overtime to finish the work.为了完成任务他们正在加班加点地工作。
• He was paid for the overtime he worked.他领到了加班费。

7 breakdown   

n.垮，衰竭；损坏，故障，倒塌

参考例句：

• She suffered a nervous breakdown.她患神经衰弱。
• The plane had a breakdown in the air,but it was fortunately removed by the ace pilot.飞机在空中发生了故障，但幸运的是被王牌驾驶员排除了。