英语初级口语教程 A Welcome Surprise

Lesson 15

Text A

  A Welcome Surprise

     Let's now visit Mary Miller. Mary and her mother are happy today. The postman has brought a letter from Mrs Miller's brother. He's coming to visit the Millers with his family. Mary and Mrs Miller have to plan meals and festivities. Mary offers to go shopping to help her mother. MRs McLLER:   Mary, please go to the door. I hear the bell.
      MARY:   It's the mailman, Mother. Here's a letter from Uncle George.
MRS MILLER:   Give it to me ... How wonderful! He's coming to visit us.
      MARY:   When's he coming?
MRS MILLER:   He's coming by car on the twenty-fourth. He's staying from the
   twenty-fourth to the twenty-sixth.
      MARY:   Let me look at the calendar. Good! The twenty-fourth is a Saturday. Is he
   coming  alone?
MRS MILLER:   No, he's coming with Aunt Cynthia and the girls.
      MARY:   Mother, I don't remember the girls. How old are they?
MRs MILLER:   Your cousin Fay is fifteen. Rosemary is older than Fay. She's seventeen.
MARY:   Are they going to stay here with us?
MRS MILLER:   Of course. The girls can stay in your room with you.
MARY:   Mother, may we have a party?
MRs MILLER:   If you like, but now we have to think about meals and many other things.
MARY:   Prepare the list, Mother. I can go shopping. I can go to the small stores.
   Everyone knows me there.

　
 
Text B

I'll Start in Three Months' Time

    Rose left school when she was seventeen and went to a college for a year to learn to type. She passed her examinations quite well and then went to look for work. She was still living with her parents.
    A lot of people were looking for typists at that time, so it was not difficult to find interesting work. Rose went to several offices, and then chose one of them. It was near her parents' house. She thought, "I'll walk there every morning. I won't need to go by bus. "
    She went to the office again and said to the manager, "I want to work here, but what will you pay me?"
    "We'll pay you 27 pounds now," the manager answered, "and 30 pounds after three months."
    Rose thought for a few seconds before she answered. Then she said, "All right, then I'll start in three months' time. "

        Questions on Text B

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

      What a Language!

    First Frenchman: I once heard someone shout, "Look out." I put my head out of a window and a bucketful of water fsll on me. It seems that "look out" may mean "don't look out. "
Second F: I was once on a ship and heard the captain shout, "All hands on deck. " I put my hands on the deck and someone walked on them. .
    Third F: I once called early on an English friend and the maid who came to the door said, "He's not up yet. Come back in half an hour. " When I went again for him, she said, "He's not down yet. " I said , "If he's not up and he's not down, where is he?" She said, "He's still in bed. When I say 'He's not up' I mean he has not yet got np,so he has not yet come downstairs."
    What do these phrases mean in their respective contexts?