Short Conversations （短對話）
Read aloud the conversations two times, and then listen to the tape without looking at the text.
The Mystery of the Secret Letter
Miss Minion: Mr. Blackard?
Blackard: Come in, Miss Minion.
Minion: I'm sorry to bother1 you, sir, but this envelope arrived2 for you.
Blackard: Who is it from?
Minion: I've no idea3. Somebody apparently4 left it while I was away from my desk.
Blackard: Hand it to Shakespeare, please, and thank you.
Minion: You're welcome, sir.
Shakespeare: It looks to be another anonymous5 note.
Blackard: Well, what is it?
Shakespeare: “Dear Mr. Blackard, I wanted to thank you again for teaching the class. It went very well. Keep up6 the good work. Signed, your secret friend.”
Blackard: Well!
Shakespeare: It looks like the same handwriting7 as the original8 anonymous note.
Blackard: Isn't that interesting? So, our secret sponsor9 is actually in the class!
Shakespeare: Or connected with someone in the class.
Blackard: Who might it be? I don't know them well enough to guess. They all seem too poor to give me that kind of money.
Shakespeare: It could be the parents of one of your students.
Blackard: True. It's a mystery10, Shakespeare. And you know how mysteries make me feel.
Shakespeare: Nervous and sweaty11.
Blackard: Exactly. This means I'm going to have to be nice to everyone in the class.
注釋：
1.bother: 打擾
用法：My little brother kept on bothering me when I was busy with my homework. 我忙著寫作業(yè)的時候，弟弟不停地來打擾我。
2.arrive: 到達
用法：He insisted upon coming up by boat and did not arrive until after seven.
他堅持要乘船來，結(jié)果過了七點才到。
3.have no idea: 不知道,料想不到
用法：I have no idea why she dumped me. 我不知道她為什么把我蹬了（男女一方把另一方甩了）。
4.apparently: 顯然地
用法：Promotion based on performance is apparently fairer than seniority.
根據(jù)業(yè)績提拔人顯然比按年資更公平。
5.anonymous: 匿名的
用法：Many corrupt officials have been exposed by anonymomous tipoffs.
許多貪官是被匿名檢舉的。
6.keep up: 繼續(xù)
用法：I cannot keep up the conversation, because it has got out of my depth.
我不能再繼續(xù)這個談話了，因為它太深奧，我已無法理解了。
7.handwriting: （手寫的）筆跡
8.original: 最初的
用法：She searched for the original document in her computer.
她在電腦里尋找原始文件。
9.sponsor: 贊助人，贊助機構(gòu)
用法：The plan will be ceased if we fail to find a new sponsor.
如果我們找不到一個新贊助人，這個計劃就只能擱置。
10.mystery: 不可思議的事物，迷
用法：The theme of her last novel remained a mystery until her death.
直至逝世，她最后一本小說的主題都一直是個謎。
11. sweaty: （因緊張而）被汗水濕透的
用法：The workers in the workshop wiped their foreheads from time to time.
車間里的工人時不時擦拭汗?jié)竦念~頭。
Long Conversations （長對話）
1.Conversations: (Find a partner and practice these dialogues.)
A:
Mr. Johnson: (His tie is hooked1.) Hey!
Andy: Sorry, dad! I was practicing my fishing technique.
Mr. Johnson: Nice work, Andy. Now can I have my tie back?
Andy: Fred's cousin lent him his boat, dad! Me, John and Fred are going fishing in the bay tomorrow!
Mr. Johnson: What about Helen and Mary?
Andy: We're always hanging with2 the girls, dad. This fishing trip is gonna3 be strictly a guy thing!
Mr. Johnson: Oh yeah?
B: (The next day)
John: Man! Look at all these beautiful fishing boats!
Andy: Which one belongs to your cousin, Fred?
Fred: It's down here, guys.
(Fred points to a small boat.)
Andy: That's our boat?
John: It looks more like a bathtub4!
Fred: Hey! What do you expect for free. A luxury liner5? Besides, if you want us to be close pals, you can't get any closer than in this boat!
John: This is ridiculous! We can't compete with6 the other boats in these waters!
Fred: Cut it out7! Let's row8 over to the bridge. There aren't any boats in that part of the bay.
C: (Later)
Andy: You were right, Fred. Nobody is bothering us, especially the fish! We haven't caught a thing!
Fred: Grab the oars9, Andy, and let's get out of here!
Andy: Right! Hey! I'm rowing but I ain't10 moving!
Fred: Uh-oh! We're too close to the bridge! The currents here are really strong!
John: Well, how do we get away from the bridge, Fred?
Fred: Um…we don't, unless somebody rescues us!
John: What?
Andy: Oh no! Here come Helen and Mary on Bob's yacht11!
D: (The yacht is getting closer.)
Helen: Hey, boys! We heard you were out fishing.
Mary: Care to join us for lunch?
Fred: Lunch? Sure…
John: Thanks, girls, but this is a guys-only thing! We'll see you girls later.
(The yacht leaves.)
Andy: Why did you do that, John? They could have helped us!
Fred: And fed us12!
John: Because it's embarrassing to be rescued by two women when we're doing some male bonding13! We'll just wait here for somebody else to come by and rescue us!
(Much later…)
Andy: We've been sitting here all day!
John: At least I saved us the humiliation14 from being rescued by Helen and Mary!
Andy: Hey! Here comes a boat!
John: It's the coast guard! Yo! Over here! We had a rough time, guys, but at least we saved our male pride!
Andy: Uh… Are you sure about that, John? Just our luck!
John: Oh no! Rescued by the only all female crew in the entire coast guard!
注解
1 hook: to attach or catch with a hook鉤住
用法：Hooked by a nail, Tom's T-shirt was torn.
湯姆的T恤被一顆釘子鉤破了。
2 hang with: spend time with somebody 花時間同…在一起（玩）
用法：I want to hang with my old friends this summer vacation.
這個暑假我想和老朋友們一起度過。
3 gonna: = going to
4 bathtub: 浴缸, 澡盆
5 luxury liner: 豪華郵輪
6 compete with: 和…比賽, 競爭
用法：The five candidates competed with each other for the grand prize. 五位選手角逐大獎。
7 cut it out: 住嘴（相當于shut up）
8 row：劃船
9 oar: 槳, 櫓
10 ain't: = am not; are not; is not/ = have not; has not; do not; does not; did not
11 yacht: a very fast boat for visitors游艇, 快艇
12 fed us：給我們東西吃（a joke）
13 bonding: a close friendship 親密的關(guān)系
14 humiliation: the act of humiliating恥辱, 蒙羞
用法：Humiliation is an very improper way to teach children.
羞辱孩子是一種非常不恰當?shù)慕逃绞健?BR>