My Father's Son

Lesson 39

                                             Text A

                                        My Father's Son
    It's hard being an astronaut's son. I mean, everybody expects you to be special or perfect, and I'm just an average elevenyear-old kid. I'm an average student, and I'm average, too, when it comes to basketball, football, soccer, and baseball.
    I often wonder how my father ever had a son like me. I mean he's so special and so good at everything he does. In high school he was captain of the football team, class president, and editor of the school newspaper.

    Well, to tell you the truth,I do have a little talent that nobody knows about. I write poems and stories and keep them in a red notebook in my bottom desk drawer.
    Nowadays I dream about being a famous writer, but I used to dream about doing something spectacular² to impress my father and make him proud of me-something like rescuing a child from a burning building or chasing³ a robber⁴ away from an old lady.

    I was daydreaming⁵ in school one morning ( which I do often). I was daydreaming about being some kind of hero, like discovering an instant cure for cancer or a shot for mental illness, when I heard my English teacher announce a Father's Day essay contest for the whole school.
    "I hope we have a winner right here in my English class,

she said. "The PTA has donated three cash prizes- one hundred dollars for first prize, fifty dollars for second, and twenty-five dollars for third prize. "
    After school I walked home, thinking about the essay I would write. My father is an astronaut, I would start out. No, I decided⁶. I wouldn't do that. The whole country and maybe even the whole world saw my father as an astronaut , but that wasn't the way I saw him.

    When Igot home, I kissed my mom quickly. Then I went upstairs to my room and sat down with a pen and a pad⁷ of paper. I started to think about what I would write.
    How did I see my father. Hmm.
    I saw him sitting with me in the dark23 when I was a little kid and had a nightmare⁸.
    I saw him teaching⁹ me how to use a bat and how to throw a baseball.
    I remembered how he hugged me for hours when my dog Spotty was hit and killed by a car.

    And I remembered how he surprised me with a new puppy¹⁰ at my eighth birthday party. When I started to cry, he told all the kids that I had a bad allergy¹¹. "David's allergy bothers him a lot this time of year," Dad said.
    And I remembered how he sat and tried to explain death to me when Grandpa Bob died.
    These were the things I was going to write about my dad. To me, he wasn't just a world-famous astronaut. He was my dad.

    I wrote about all these memories and put them in my essay. I handed it in the next day and was surprised to find out that the winning essays would be read in the auditorium¹² on Thursday night. A11 the parents and students were invited.
    My parents and I went to school Thursday night. One of our neighbours said, "I bet¹³ you'll win the contest, David. I bet you wrote what it's like to be the son of an astronaut, and you're the only one in town who could write about that. "

    My dad looked at me, and I shrugged¹⁴. I hadn't sliown him the essay, and now I almost hoped Lwouldn't win. I didn't want; to win just because my father was an astronaut.
When third prize was announced and it wasn't me, I was relieved¹⁵ and disappointed at the same time, Ellen Gordon won third prize, and she read her essay. Ellen. is adopted, and she wrote a.bout¹ her "better than real" father. When she got to the end,I heard people in the audience sniffing¹⁶ and blowing their noses. My mother sniffed¹⁷, and my father cleared his throat.

    The second-prize winner was announced next. It was me.
    I went up to the stage, my knees shaking. I read my essay and wondered if my voice was shaking, too. It was scary standing¹⁸ up in front of all those people. I called my essay "My Father's Son. " I watched my parents as I read. When I finished reading, the audience applauded¹⁹. I saw my father blowing his nose. Tears were running down my mother's face. I went back
to my seat.

    "I see you have an allergy , too , Dad , " I tried to joke.
Dad nodded, cleared his throat, and put his hand on my shoulder. "Son, this is the proudest moment of my life," he said.
    It was the proudest moment of my life, too. Maybe I'll never be a great hero or win a Nobel Prize, but just then, it was enough just to be my father's son.
 
                                             Text B

                          The Wrong Sex or the Wrong Clothes?

   　　　Sylvia and Larry both work for a big company in London. They work in different departments. They are having lunch in the canteen. SYLVIA:   We've got a new manager in our department.
LARRY:   Oh? You hoped to get that job, didn't you?
SYLVIA:   Yes, I did.
LARRY:   I'm sorry. That's too bad. Who is it? Who got the job, I mean?
SYLVIA:   Someone called Drexler. Carl Drexler. He's been with the company onlytwo years. I've been here longer. And I know more about the job , tooLARRY:   Hmm. Why do you think they gave it to him and not to you?
SYLVIA:   Because I'm the wrong sex , of course !
LARRY:   You mean you didn't get the job because you're a woman?
SYLVIA:   Yes, that was probably it! It isn't fair.
LARRY:   What sort of clothes does he wear?
SYLVTA:   A dark suit. White shirt. A tie. Why?
LARRY:   Perhaps that had something to do with it.
SYLVIA:   You mean you think I didn't get the job because I come to work in jeansand a sweater?
LARRY:   It's possible, isn't it?
SYLVIA:   Do you really think I should wear different clothes?
LARRY:   Well. . . perhaps you should think about it.
SYLVTA:   Why should I wear a skirt? Or a dress?
LARRY:   I'm not saying you should. I'm saying you should think about it. That's all!
SYLVIA:   Why should I do that? I'm good at my job! That's the only important thing !
LARRY:   Hmm. Perhaps it should be the only important thing. But it isn't. Not inthis company.
 
                                  Questions on Text B

7. Read the following passage once. Underline the key words while reading and retell the story to your partner.

                                   The Clever Servant
   　　A long time ago, there was a rich old man who loved wine andfood above everything else. And he had a servant who loved drinking and eating as much as his master did.
Each time the rich old man went out, he had to hide his wine and food away. Bot each time the servant found them and he helped himself to the bottles of wine and all the nice food. Of course, the rich old man knew who did it and was displeased²⁰. But he could do neth:ag about it, because he had never caught his servant drinking his wine or eating his food.
One day the old man was invited to dinner at the home of one of his friends. He did not know what to de with the wine, meat and chicken he had just bought. Certainly he could not leave them to the servant. Then he had an idea. He called up the servant and said to him:
"I'll be away for the whole evening, and I'll leave you to look after the house. In the cupboard there are two bottles filled with poison. Be careful about it. You'll be killed if you take even a drop of it. There is also some meat and chicken in the cupboard. Take care of them. " With these words the rich old man left home.
As soon as the master turned his back, the servant opened the cupboard and began to enjoy all the nice things in it. He emptied the two bottles and ate up the meat, the chicken and everything else he found in the cupboard. He was satisfied and soon fell asleep.At mid-nightthe rich old man returned home. He looked into the cupboard and, to his great surprise, all his wine and food were gone. He was mad with anger and called the servant up.
"Oh, Master," the servant began before the old man could open his mouth. "While you were away, the neighbour's black cat stole into our kitchen and ate up everything in the cupboard. I knew you would be very angry with me. I was so afraid that I drank the two bottles of poison to kill myself. " There were even tears in the servant's eyes. "Oh, Master," he continued. "Please don't get angry with a dying²¹ man. I'll soon be dead. "The rich old man, of course, did not believe a word of his story. But again, he muld do nothing about it.

1 bout   

n.侵袭，发作；一次(阵，回)；拳击等比赛

参考例句：

• I was suffering with a bout of nerves.我感到一阵紧张。
• That bout of pneumonia enfeebled her.那次肺炎的发作使她虚弱了。

2 spectacular   

adj.引人注目的，出色的，与众不同的

参考例句：

• This is a spectacular film.这是一部场面壮观的电影。
• This is the most spectacular financial crash of the decade.这是10年里最引人注目的金融破产事件。

3 chasing   

n.雕镂术，雕刻工作；车螺丝；抛光；螺旋板

参考例句：

• My dog likes chasing rabbits. 我的狗喜欢追捕兔子。
• The children were having fun, chasing each other's shadows. 孩子们追逐着彼此的影子，玩得很开心。

4 robber   

n.抢劫者，强盗，盗贼

参考例句：

• The robber told the woman to come across with her purse.拦路抢劫者勒令那个女人把钱包交出来。
• The robber tried to run away but a man tackled him.强盗企图逃跑，但一个人把他抓住了。

5 daydreaming   

v.想入非非，空想( daydream的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Stop daydreaming and be realistic. 别空想了，还是从实际出发吧。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Bill was sitting and daydreaming so his mother told him to come down to earth and to do his homework. 比尔坐着空想， 他母亲要他面对现实，去做课外作业。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

7 pad   

n.垫，衬垫；便签本，印色盒

参考例句：

• She made a brief note on the telephone pad.她在电话通讯簿上记下简短的话。
• Each student should have a pencil and pad.每个学生应该有一支铅笔和一个便签本。

8 nightmare   

n.恶梦，可怕的事物，无法摆脱的恐惧

参考例句：

• I was glad to awake from such a nightmare.我庆幸终于从噩梦中醒来了。
• I had a nightmare last nightand,lost sleep.昨夜我作了个恶梦，失眠了。

9 teaching   

n.教学，执教，任教，讲授；(复数)教诲

参考例句：

• We all agree in adopting the new teaching method. 我们一致同意采取新的教学方法。
• He created a new system of teaching foreign languages.他创造了一种新的外语教学体系。

10 puppy   

n.小狗，幼犬

参考例句：

• You must school your puppy to obey you.你要训练你的小狗服从你。
• Their lively puppy frisks all over the house.他们的小狗在屋里到处欢快地蹦跳。

11 allergy   

n.(因食物、药物等而引起的)过敏症

参考例句：

• He developed an allergy to pollen.他对花粉过敏。
• The patient had an allergy to penicillin.该患者对青霉素过敏。

12 auditorium   

n.观众席，听众席；会堂，礼堂

参考例句：

• The teacher gathered all the pupils in the auditorium.老师把全体同学集合在礼堂内。
• The stage is thrust forward into the auditorium.舞台向前突出，伸入观众席。

13 bet   

v.打赌，以(与)...打赌；n.赌注，赌金；打赌

参考例句：

• I bet you can't do this puzzle.我敢说，你解决不了这个难题。
• I offered to bet with him.我提出与他打赌。

14 shrugged   

vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Sam shrugged and said nothing. 萨姆耸耸肩膀，什么也没说。
• She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. 她耸耸肩，装出一副无所谓的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 relieved   

a.如释重负的

参考例句：

• You'll be relieved to know your jobs are safe. 现在知道你们的工作保住了，可以放心了。
• Your coming relieved me of the bother of writing a long letter. 你来了，省去我写长信的麻烦了。

16 sniffing   

n.探查法v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的现在分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说

参考例句：

• We all had colds and couldn't stop sniffing and sneezing. 我们都感冒了，一个劲地抽鼻子，打喷嚏。
• They all had colds and were sniffing and sneezing. 他们都伤风了，呼呼喘气而且打喷嚏。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

17 sniffed   

v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说

参考例句：

• When Jenney had stopped crying she sniffed and dried her eyes. 珍妮停止了哭泣，吸了吸鼻子，擦干了眼泪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The dog sniffed suspiciously at the stranger. 狗疑惑地嗅着那个陌生人。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

19 applauded   

v.鼓掌( applaud的过去式和过去分词 )；称赞，赞许

参考例句：

• The audience warmly applauded when the performance came to the end. 当演出接近尾声时，观众热烈鼓掌。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The audience applauded after the soprano sang the aria so beautifully. 女高音将咏叹调唱得十分优美，观众爆发出热烈的掌声。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 displeased   

a.不快的

参考例句：

• The old man was displeased and darted an angry look at me. 老人不高兴了，瞪了我一眼。
• He was displeased about the whole affair. 他对整个事情感到很不高兴。

21 dying   

adj.垂死的，临终的

参考例句：

• He was put in charge of the group by the dying leader.他被临终的领导人任命为集团负责人。
• She was shown into a small room,where there was a dying man.她被领进了一间小屋子，那里有一个垂死的人。