【英语趣味课堂】乘公交-Bus Ride

 Todd: Hey, Akane, the other day we were coming home on the bus and I got off the bus and I thought you were on the same bus as us, but when I started walking home, you weren't around. What happened?

 

Akane: Well, it's kind of a funny story actually. I fell asleep on the bus and I was so tired that afternoon. It was a Friday afternoon and I'd had a long week and just fell deep into sleep and I really didn't notice when we were at the end of the bus ride and we were at the station, and then I was really upset because the bus driver didn't say anything and so I just kept sleeping and by the time I woke up and noticed we were on our way back to the school again. Yes, and I didn't get a chance to press the button and get off until I was almost halfway¹ to the school, so I ended up getting home really late and even more tired and it wasn't a very good experience at all.

 

Todd: Did you say anything to the bus driver when you got off?

 

Akane: No, I didn't because I was so flustered² and I was in a rush to get off that I didn't really get to say anything.

 

Todd: Oh, that must have been so annoying.

 

Akane: It was.

 

Todd: So what time did you actually make it home?

 

Akane: I think it was around 7:30, maybe.

 

Todd: Well, the next time we come home, I'll look for you and I'll make sure to wake you up.

 

Akane: For sure, and make sure to look in the back seat and make sure I'm not lying down horizontally³ because I think that's maybe how the bus driver missed out on the fact I was there.

 

学习内容：

 

got off

 

The other day when I got off the bus, I thought we were on the same bus, but you weren't around. 

 

When you 'get off' of some form of transportation⁴, it means⁵ that you go down from it or get out of it.  You can get off a bus, train, plain, motorcycle⁶ or bicycle.  Notice the following:

 

I got off the subway at the wrong stop, so I had to walk about 5 blocks.

We got off the plane about 5 minutes ago.

long week

 

I was so tired that afternoon because I'd had a long week. 

 

'Long week', use like this, means a week that has many things going on and makes you feel tired or stressed⁷. Notice the following:

 

I need to relax this weekend, because I have a long week ahead of me.

The first week of classes is always a long week.

flustered

 

I didn't say anything to the bus driver, because I was so flustered. 

 

When something makes you feel agitated⁸ because you are confused⁹, it makes you feel flustered. Many times we feel flustered when we are rushed. Notice the following:

 

There is no need to get flustered. We have plenty of time.

He gets very flustered when he drives in traffic.

in a rush

 

I was in a rush to get off that I didn't really get to say anything. 

 

When you are 'in a rush,' you are trying to do things quickly because you have to go somewhere or do something in the very near future.  When you don't have enough time to do what you are trying to do at a comfortable speed, you can say that you are 'in a rush.' Notice the following:

 

Can we talk about this later? I am kind of in a rush right now.

It seems like she is always in a rush when I talk to her.

make it

 

What time did you actually make it home? 

 

The time that you 'make it' to a place is the time that you arrive there.  Notice the following:

 

She said she would definitely¹⁰ make it to the party.

I don't think we are going to make it on time. We will probably be about 30 minutes late.

1 halfway   

adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途

参考例句：

• We had got only halfway when it began to get dark.走到半路，天就黑了。
• In study the worst danger is give up halfway.在学习上，最忌讳的是有始无终。

2 flustered   

adj.慌张的；激动不安的v.使慌乱，使不安( fluster的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• The honking of horns flustered the boy. 汽车喇叭的叫声使男孩感到慌乱。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• She was so flustered that she forgot her reply. 她太紧张了，都忘记了该如何作答。 来自辞典例句

3 horizontally   

ad.水平地，地平地

参考例句：

• Line the pages for the graph both horizontally and vertically. 在这几页上同时画上横线和竖线，以便制作图表。
• Can you rearrange things on the window or dialog to expand horizontally? 是否可以重新安排窗口或对话框中的内容，在水平方向扩展一些？ 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

4 transportation   

n.运输，运输系统，运输工具

参考例句：

• The transportation of goods by air costs a lot.航空运输货物花费很高。
• He finally solved the difficulty of transportation.他终于解决了运输的困难。

5 means   

n.方法，手段，折中点，物质财富

参考例句：

• That man used artful means to find out secrets.那人使用狡猾的手段获取机密。
• We must get it done by some means or other.我们总得想办法把它干完。

6 motorcycle   

n.摩托车，机车

参考例句：

• Tom went there by motorcycle.汤姆乘摩托车去的那儿。
• He was also the first person in town to buy a motorcycle.他也是镇里第一个买摩托车的人。

7 stressed   

adj.紧张的，有压力的

参考例句：

• Loud music makes me stressed out.大声的音乐让我很紧张。
• He stressed that we should always be honest.他强调我们应该永远诚实。

8 agitated   

adj.被鼓动的，不安的

参考例句：

• His answers were all mixed up,so agitated was he.他是那样心神不定，回答全乱了。
• She was agitated because her train was an hour late.她乘坐的火车晚点一个小时，她十分焦虑。

9 confused   

adj.困惑的，烦恼的

参考例句：

• They asked so many questions that they confused me.他们问了许多问题，都把我弄糊涂了。
• A wise man is never confused.智者不惑。

10 definitely   

adv.一定地，肯定地；明确地，确切地

参考例句：

• The team will definitely lose if he doesn't play.如果他不参加比赛，这个队肯定会输。
• I shall definitely be home before six o'clock.6点以前，我一定回家。