大学英语精读听力第四册 unit7

[00:00.00]Unit Seven Text
[00:23.54]A young man finds it very difficult to say no to a woman
[00:27.45]and as a result he gets into trouble.
[00:29.81]The restaurant to which he has agreed to take his luncheon date
[00:33.28]is far too expensive for his small pocketbook.
[00:36.44]How,then,will he be able to avoid the embarrassing situation?
[00:40.59]THE LUNCHEON   W.Somerset Maugham
[00:44.15]I caught sight of her at the play,
[00:46.65]and in answer to her beckoning I went over during the interval and sat down beside her.
[00:51.70]It was long since I had last seen her,
[00:54.54]and if someone had not mentioned her name I hardly think I would have recognised her.
[00:59.30]She addressed me brightly.
[00:58.30]"Well,it's many years since we first met.
[01:01.35]How time does fly!
[01:03.50]We're none of us getting any younger.
[01:05.66]Do you remember the first time I saw you?
[01:08.12]You asked me to luncheon."Did I remember?
[01:11.39]It was twenty years ago and I was living in Paris.
[01:14.73]I had a tiny apartment in the Latin Quarter overlooking a cemetery,
[01:18.86]and I was earning barely enough money to keep body and soul together.
[01:22.91]She had read a book of mine and had written to me about it.
[01:26.46]I answered,thanking her,
[01:28.31]and presently I received from her another letter saying that she was passing through Paris
[01:33.28]and would like to have a chat with me;
[01:35.13]but her time was limited,
[01:36.80]and the only free moment she had was on the following Thursday;
[01:40.33]she was spending the morning at the Luxembourg
[01:42.86]and would I give her a little luncheon at Foyot's afterwards?
[01:47.15]Foyot's is a restaurant at which the French senators eat,
[01:51.22]and it was so far beyond my means that I had never even thought of going there.
[01:55.66]But I was flattered,
[01:57.20]and I was too young to have learned to say no to a woman.
[01:57.31](Few men,I may add,
[01:59.25]learn this until they are too old to make it of any consequence to a woman what they say.)
[02:04.13]I had eighty francs (gold francs) to last me the rest of the month,
[02:08.44]and a modest luncheon should not cost more than fifteen.
[02:11.78]If I cut out coffee for the next two weeks I could manage well enough.
[02:16.30]I answered that Iwould meet my friend--by correspondence--
[02:20.14]at Foyot's on　Thursday at half　past twelve.
[02:23.28]She was not so young　as I expected and in appearance imposing rather than attractive.
[02:28.61]She was,in fact,a woman of forty
[02:31.27](a charming age,
[02:32.73]but not one that excites a sudden and devastating passion at first sight)
[02:36.99]and she gave me the impression of having more teeth,
[02:38.68]white and large and even,
[02:40.33]than were necessary for any practical purpose.
[02:43.15]She was talkative,
[02:44.77]but since she seemed inclined to talk about me
[02:47.33]I was prepared to be an attentive listener.
[02:49.71]I was startled when the bill of fare was brought,
[02:52.66]for the prices were a great deal higher than I had anticipated.
[02:56.19]But she reassured me.
[02:56.24]"I never eat anything for luncheon," she said.
[02:59.11]"Oh,don't say that!"I answered generously.
[03:01.99]"I never eat more than one thing.
[03:04.02]I think people eat far too much nowadays.
[03:06.92]A little fish, perhaps. I wonder if they have any salmon."
[03:10.48]Well,it was early in the year for salmon and it was not on the bill of fare,
[03:14.94]but I asked the waiter if there was any.
[03:17.32]Yes,a beautiful salmon had just come in, it was the first they had had.
[03:21.86]I ordered it for my guest.
[03:23.95]The waiter asked her if she would have something while it was being cooked.
[03:28.55]"No," she answered,"I never eat more than one thing.
[03:32.39]Unless you have a little caviare.
[03:34.64]I never mind caviare."
[03:36.31]My heart sank a little.
[03:38.66]I knew I could not afford caviare,
[03:40.75]but I could not very well tell her that.
[03:43.31]I told the waiter by all means to bring caviare.
[03:46.79]For myself I chose the cheapest dish on the menu and that was a mutton chop.
[03:51.85]"I think you are unwise to eat meat,"she said.
[03:55.01]"I don't know how you can expect to work after eating heavy things like chops.
[03:59.74]I don't believe in overloading my stomach
[04:02.43]Then came the question of drink.
[04:02.43]"I never drink anything for luncheon,'she said.
[04:05.41]"Neither do I," I answered promptly.
[04:07.58]"Except white wine,"she proceeded as though I had not spoken.
[04:11.76]"These French white wines are so light.
[04:14.50]They're wonderful for the digestion."
[04:16.88]"What would you like?"I asked,hospitable still,but not exactly effusive.
[04:21.32]She gave me a bright and amicable flash of her white teeth.
[04:25.08]"My doctor won't let me drink anything but champagne."
[04:28.01]I fancy I turned a trifle pale.
[04:30.80]I ordered half a bottle.
[04:32.47]I mentioned casually that my doctor had absolutely forbidden me to drink champagne.
[04:37.65]"What are you going to drink,then?" "Water."
[04:40.99]She ate the caviare and she ate the salmon.
[04:44.12]She talked gaily of art and literature and music.
[04:47.60]But I wondered what the bill would come to.
[04:50.16]When my mutton chop arrived she took me quite seriously to task.
[04:54.60]"I see that you're in the habit of eating a heavy luncheon.
[04:57.76]I'm sure it's a mistake.
[04:59.69]Why don't you follow my example and just eat one thing?
[05:02.96]I'm sure you'd feel ever so much better for it."
[05:06.01]"I am only going to eat one thing," I said,
[05:08.91]as the waiter came again with the bill of fare.
[05:11.27]She waved him aside with an airy gesture.
[05:14.43]"No,no,I never eat anything for luncheon. Just a bite,
[05:14.50]I never want more than that,
[05:16.14]and I eat that more as an excuse for conversation than anything else.
[05:20.51]I couldn't possibly eat anything more unless they had some of those giant asparagus.
[05:25.65]I should be sorry to leave Paris without having some of them."
[05:29.10]My heart sank.
[05:31.16]I had seen them in the shops,
[05:31.24]and I knew that they were horribly expensive.
[05:33.91]My mouth had often watered at the sight of them.
[05:36.86]"Madame wants to know if you have any of those giant asparagus,"
[05:40.62]I asked the waiter.
[05:42.03]I tried with all my might to will him to say no.
[05:45.61]A happy smile spread over his broad,priest-like face,
[05:49.06]and he assured me that they had some so large,
[05:52.06]so splendid,so tender, that it was a marvel.
[05:55.90]"I'm not in the least hungry," my guest sighed,
[05:59.04]"but if you insist I don't mind having some asparagus." I ordered them.
[06:04.29]"Aren't you going to have any?"
[06:06.25]"No,I never eat asparagus."
[06:08.89]"I know there are people who don't like them.
[06:11.31]The fact is, you ruin your taste by all the meat you eat."
[06:14.68]We waited for the asparagus to be cooked. Panic seized me.
[06:19.36]It wasn't a question now how much money I should have left over for the rest of the month,
[06:24.32]but whether I had enough to pay the bill.
[06:26.39]It would be embarrassing to find myself ten francs short and be obliged to borrow from my guest
[06:32.63]I could not bring myself to do that.
[06:34.85]I knew exactly how much I had,and if the bill came to more
[06:38.69]I made up my mind that I would put my hand in my pocket
[06:41.96]and with a dramatic cry start up and say it had been picked.
[06:45.69]Of course,It would be awkward if she had not money enough either to pay the bill.
[06:51.28]Then the only thing would be to leave my watch and say I would come back and pay later.
[06:56.53]The asparagus appeared.
[06:58.78]They were enormous,juicy,and appetising.
[06:58.89]I watched the wicked woman thrust them down her throat in large mouthfuls,
[07:03.17]and in my polite way I spoke about the condition of the drama in the Balkans.
[07:07.72]At last she finished.
[07:06.72]"Coffee?" I said.
[07:08.05]"Yes,just an icecream and coffee,"she answered.
[07:11.60]I was past caring now,
[07:13.53]so I ordered coffee for myself and an ice-cream and coffee for her.
[07:17.58]"You know,there's one thing I thoroughly believe in," she said,
[07:21.03]as she ate the ice-cream.
[07:22.57]"One should always get up from a meal feeling one could eat a little more."
[07:27.25]"Are you still hungry?" I asked faintly.
[07:30.12]"Oh,no,I'm not hungry; you see,I don't eat luncheon.
[07:33.65]I have a cup of coffee in the morning and then dinner,
[07:36.42]but I never eat more than one thing forluncheon.
[07:39.47]I was speaking for you." "Oh,I see!"
[07:42.90]Then a terrible thing happened.
[07:43.40]While we were waiting for the coffee the head waiter,
[07:46.64]with an ingratiating smile in his falseface,
[07:49.70]came up to us bearing a large basket full of huge peaches.
[07:53.93]They had the blush of an innocent girl;
[07:56.85]they had the rich tone of an Italian landscape.
[07:59.78]But surely peaches were not in season then?
[08:02.73]Lord knew what they cost.
[08:04.72]I knew too--a little later,for my guest,going on with her conversation,
[08:09.52]absentmindedly took one.
[08:11.48]"You see,you've filled your stomach with a lot of meat"
[08:15.11]--my one miserable little chop--"and you can't eat any more.
[08:19.08]But I've just had a snack and I shall enjoy a peach."
[08:22.79]The bill came,
[08:24.44]and when I paid it I found that I had only enough for a quite inadequate tip.
[08:28.85]Her eyes rested for an instant on the three francs I left for the waiter,
[08:33.01]and I knew that she thought me mean.
[08:35.49]But when I walked out of the restaurant
[08:37.53]had the whole month before me and not a penny in my pocket.
[08:42.02]"Follow my example,"she said as we shook hands,
[08:45.52]"and never eat more than one thing for luncheon."
[08:48.39]"I'll do better than that," I retorted.
[08:50.67]"I'll eat nothing for dinner tonight."
[08:52.78]"Humorist!" she cried gaily,jumping into a cab,
[08:56.62]"You're quite a humorist!"
[08:58.61]But I have had my revenge at last.
[08:58.68]I do not believe that I am a vindictive man,
[09:01.53]but when the immortal gods take a hand in the matter
[09:01.60]it is pardonable to observe the result with complacency.
[09:05.10]Today she weighs twenty-one stone.