Lesson 15 Fifty pence worth of trouble

五十便士的麻烦

Listen to the tape then answer the question below: Did George get anything for his fifty pence? What?

Children always appreciate small gifts of money.

孩子们总是喜欢得到一些零花钱。

Mum or dad, of course, provide a regular supply of pocket money, but uncles and aunts are always a source of extra income.

爸爸妈妈当然经常会给孩子零花钱,但是,叔舅婶姨也是孩子们额外收入的来源。

With some children, small sums go a long way.

对于有些孩子来说,少量的钱可以花很长一段时间。

If fifty pence pieces are not exchanged for sweets, they rattle for months inside money boxes.

如果 50 便士不拿来换糖吃,则可以放在储蓄罐里叮当响上好几个月。

Only very thrifty children manage to fill up a money box.

但是能把储蓄罐装满的只有屈指可数的几个特别节俭的孩子。

For most of them, fifty pence is a small price to pay for a nice big bar of chocolate.

对大部分孩子来说,用 50 便士来买一大块好的巧克力,是算不了什么的。

My nephew, George, has a money box but it is always empty.

我的外甥乔治有一个储蓄罐,但总是空空的。

Very few of the fifty pence pieces and pound coins I have given him have found their way there.

我给了他不少 50 便士的硬币,但没有几个存到储蓄罐里。

I gave him fifty pence yesterday and advised him to save it. Instead he bought himself fifty pence worth of trouble.

昨天,我给了他 50 便士让他存起来,他却拿这钱给自己买了 50 便士的麻烦。

On his way to the sweet shop, he dropped his fifty pence and it bounced along the pavement and then disappeared down a drain.

在他去糖果店的路上,50 便士掉在地上,在人行道上跳了几下,掉进了阴沟里。

George took off his jacket, rolled up his sleeves and pushed his right arm through the drain cover.

乔治脱掉外套,卷起袖子,将右胳膊伸进了阴沟盖。

He could not find his fifty pence piece anywhere, and what is more, he could not get his arm out.

但他摸了半天也没找到那 50 便士硬币,他的胳膊反倒退不出来了。

A crowd of people gathered round him and a lady rubbed his arm with soap and butter, but George was firmly stuck.

这时在他周围围上了许多人,一位女士在乔治胳膊上抹了肥皂、黄油,但乔治的胳膊仍然卡得紧紧的。

The fire brigade was called and two fire fighters freed George using a special type of grease.

有人打电话叫来消防队,两位消防队员使用了一种特殊的润 滑剂才使乔治得以解脱。

George was not too upset by his experience because the lady who owns the sweet shop heard about his troubles and rewarded him with a large box of chocolates.

不过,此事并没使乔治过于伤心,因为糖果店老板娘听说了他遇到的麻烦后,赏给了他一大盒巧克力。

叙述文 虚拟语气

单词列表

10

appreciate *

/ əˈpriːʃieɪt /v. 欣赏,感激

pocket money

/ ˈpɒkɪt mʌni /n. 零用钱

rattle *

/ ˈræt(ə)l /v. 格格作响

thrifty

/ ˈθrɪfti /adj. 节俭的

nephew

/ ˈnefjuː /n. 侄子,外甥

bounce

/ baʊns /v. 弹起,跳起

pavement

/ ˈpeɪvmənt /n. 人行道

stick *

/ stɪk /v. 卡住,夹住,不能再动

brigade

/ brɪˈɡeɪd /n. 旅,(消防)队

grease

/ ɡriːs /n. 润滑油