9. Whose Dog Was the Smartest

　　Four friends were arguing over whose dog was the smartest. The first man, an engineer, called to his dog, "T Square, show your stuff. " The dog trotted² over to a desk, pulled out a paper and pencil, and drew a perfect triangle.

　　The next guy, an accountant, called to his dog, "Slide Rule, go ahead. " The dog went to the kitchen, nibbled⁴ opened a bag of cookies and divided the contents into four equal piles.

　　The next man, a chemist, beckoned⁶ his dog, Beaker, to show what he could do. The dog went to the fridge, took out a quart of milk and poured out exactly eighty ounces into a measuring cup.

　　The last man was a government worker. "Coffee Break," he hollered to his dog, "go to it. " With that, the dog jumped to his feet, soiled the paper, ate the cookies and drank the milk.

Notes:

　　(1) do (show) your stuff显显你的本领；露一手

　　(2) trot¹ v. 疾走；快步走

　　(3) triangle n.三角形

　　(4) accountant n会计

　　(5) nibble³ v.轻咬

　　(6) beckon⁵ v.招手令他人走近或跟着来

　　(7) ounce n.盎司（重量单位，常衡为1/16磅）

　　(8) holler v.喊叫

　　(9) soil v.弄脏；弄污

Exercises:

根据短文回答问号问题：

　　① What were the four friends arguing about?

　　② What did the first man's dog do?

　　③ How many parts did the second man's dog divide the cookies into?

　　④ How much milk did the third man's dog pour into the measuring cup?

　　⑤ Can we find out whose dog was the smartest?

谁的狗最聪明

　　四个朋友在为谁的狗最聪明而争吵。第一个人是个工程师，他对自己的狗喊道：“T形角，使出你的本领来。”这只狗便跑向一个书桌，拉出一张纸和一支铅笔，画出了一个完美的三角形。

　　第二个人是个会计。他对他的狗说：“珠算法，上吧。”那狗直奔厨房，用嘴咬开一袋甜饼并把饼分成了四等份。

　　第三个人是位药剂师。他命令他的狗----量杯，表现一下。但见那狗径直走向冰箱，叼出一瓶牛奶并精确地把八盎司牛奶倒入一个量杯中。

　　最后一位是政府职员。“休息时间，”他对自己的狗喊叫，“去吧。”话还未落，那狗便跳将起来，踏污了那张纸，吃掉了所有的甜饼，喝光了那杯牛奶。

练习参考答案：

    ① They were arguing about whose dog was the smartest.

　　② He drew a perfect triangle.

　　③ Four.

　　④ Eight ounces.

　　⑤ The fourth man's dog was the smartest.

1 trot   

n.疾走，慢跑；n.老太婆；现成译本；(复数）trots:腹泻（与the 连用）；v.小跑，快步走，赶紧

参考例句：

• They passed me at a trot.他们从我身边快步走过。
• The horse broke into a brisk trot.马突然快步小跑起来。

2 trotted   

小跑，急走( trot的过去分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走

参考例句：

• She trotted her pony around the field. 她骑着小马绕场慢跑。
• Anne trotted obediently beside her mother. 安妮听话地跟在妈妈身边走。

3 nibble   

n.轻咬，啃；v.一点点地咬，慢慢啃，吹毛求疵

参考例句：

• Inflation began to nibble away at their savings.通货膨胀开始蚕食他们的存款。
• The birds cling to the wall and nibble at the brickwork.鸟儿们紧贴在墙上，啄着砖缝。

4 nibbled   

v.啃，一点一点地咬（吃）( nibble的过去式和过去分词 )；啃出（洞），一点一点咬出（洞）；慢慢减少；小口咬

参考例句：

• She nibbled daintily at her cake. 她优雅地一点一点地吃着自己的蛋糕。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Several companies have nibbled at our offer. 若干公司表示对我们的出价有兴趣。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 beckon   

v.(以点头或打手势)向...示意，召唤

参考例句：

• She crooked her finger to beckon him.她勾勾手指向他示意。
• The wave for Hawaii beckon surfers from all around the world.夏威夷的海浪吸引着世界各地的冲浪者前来。

6 beckoned   

v.（用头或手的动作）示意，召唤( beckon的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He beckoned to the waiter to bring the bill. 他招手示意服务生把账单送过来。
• The seated figure in the corner beckoned me over. 那个坐在角落里的人向我招手让我过去。 来自《简明英汉词典》