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第十五课 ​

一、课文原文 ​

Fifty Pence Worth of Trouble

A little boy went to a telephone box and dialled a number. He waited for a moment, then put the receiver down and came out. A man who was passing by asked him, 'Did you get through?'

'No,' the boy replied. 'I was trying to call my aunt, but the line was engaged.'

The man, feeling sorry for the boy, offered, 'Here, use my phone.' He handed the boy a mobile phone. The boy dialled the number again, but after a few seconds, he shook his head. 'Still engaged,' he said sadly.

The man, now quite curious, asked, 'What number are you trying to reach?'

'The weather bureau,' the boy answered. 'I wanted to know if it would rain, so I wouldn't need to take my umbrella to school.'

The man laughed. 'But it's Saturday! You don't need to go to school.'

The boy looked at him, then at the phone, and said, 'I know. But I wanted to see if the weather bureau was working. My dad says they never answer when it's going to rain.'

The man was so amused that he gave the boy fifty pence. 'Here, buy yourself an ice cream.'

The boy took the money, thanked him, and walked away. The man watched him go, smiling. He had spent fifty pence to save a boy from a rainy day, only to find out the boy didn't even need to go to school. It was fifty pence worth of trouble, but it had made his morning.

二、核心词汇与词组精讲、拓展及例句 ​

1. Dial

  • 英文释义：To make a telephone call by turning a dial or pressing buttons.
  • 中文释义：拨（电话号码）。
  • 词汇拓展与例句：
    • ring up（打电话，口语）：I'll ring you up later.
    • call（呼叫，通用）：She called her mother.
    • buzz（按门铃/蜂鸣器）：He buzzed the front door.

2. Engaged

  • 英文释义：(Of a telephone line) In use; busy.
  • 中文释义：（电话）占线；忙碌的。
  • 词汇拓展与例句：
    • busy（忙，通用）：The line is busy.
    • occupied（被占用的）：The toilet is occupied.
    • available（可用的，反义词）：Is this seat available?

3. Curious

  • 英文释义：Eager to know or learn something.
  • 中文释义：好奇的；求知欲强的。
  • 词汇拓展与例句：
    • intrigued（被迷住的，好奇的）：I was intrigued by the mystery.
    • nosy（爱管闲事的，贬义）：Don't be so nosy!
    • inquisitive（好问的，多指孩子或学者）：The inquisitive child asked a thousand questions.

4. Amused

  • 英文释义：Finding something funny or entertaining.
  • 中文释义：被逗乐的；觉得好笑的。
  • 词汇拓展与例句：
    • entertained（被娱乐的）：The audience was well entertained.
    • tickled（被逗乐的，口语）：I was tickled pink by the joke.
    • bored（无聊的，反义词）：He looked bored during the lecture.

5. Worth

  • 英文释义：Equivalent in value to the sum or item specified.
  • 中文释义：值……的；相当于……的价值。
  • 核心词组：worth of trouble（……价值的麻烦/麻烦程度）。
  • 词汇拓展与例句：
    • value（价值）：The value of the house increased.
    • cost（成本）：The cost of living is high.
    • priceless（无价的）：Her advice was priceless.

6. Bureau

  • 英文释义：An office or department for transacting particular business; an agency.
  • 中文释义：局；处；办事处。
  • 词汇拓展与例句：
    • agency（代理机构）：Travel agency.
    • department（部门）：The sales department.
    • office（办公室）：Post office.

7. Pass by

  • 英文释义：To go past someone or something.
  • 中文释义：路过；经过。
  • 词汇拓展与例句：
    • go by（经过，时间或地点）：Time goes by so fast.
    • walk past（走过）：She walked past me without saying hello.
    • bypass（绕过，避开）：We bypassed the city center.

三、特别语法点拨（长难句） ​

only to + 动词原形 表示“出乎意料的结局”

  • 原句：He had spent fifty pence to save a boy from a rainy day, only to find out the boy didn't even need to go to school.
  • 解析：only to do 是一个非常有用的结构，表示结果与初衷相反或出乎意料，通常带有失望、讽刺或幽默的色彩。它相当于 and then surprisingly/unexpectedly...。
  • 实战仿写：
    • He rushed to the station, only to miss the train by one minute.（他冲到车站，结果却晚了一分钟错过了火车。）
    • She studied all night, only to fall asleep during the exam.（她通宵复习，结果考试时却睡着了。）

四、智慧版写作指导 ​

1. 用“对话推进”代替冗长叙述

  • 写作指导：在描写互动场景时，不要把所有信息都塞进叙述里。用简短、自然的对话来传递信息、展示性格、推动情节。对话能让文章“动”起来。
  • 课文示范：'Did you get through?' 'No...'（两句对话，交代了男孩没打通电话的事实，比 The boy failed to get through 更生动。）
  • 实战仿写：Instead of writing "The teacher was angry," write: "'Sit down!' she snapped. 'And explain this mess.'"（用动作和台词表现愤怒，而不是直接说“她很生气”。）

2. 用“心理反差”制造幽默

  • 写作指导：幽默往往来自于预期与现实的落差。先建立一个合理的预期（如：男孩很着急上学），然后用一个荒诞的真相（如：今天是周六）打破它。
  • 课文示范：Man thinks: "Poor kid, can't reach his aunt." Reality: "He's checking if the weather bureau works because his dad complains about it."（大人的善意 vs 小孩的“无聊”动机，反差产生幽默。）
  • 实战仿写：I spent an hour fixing the leak, feeling like a hero. Only to realize I had turned off the wrong valve and flooded the basement.（英雄感 vs 闯祸的现实。）

3. 用“具体金额”增强真实感与讽刺感

  • 写作指导：在描写得失、代价或价值时，具体的数字比模糊的形容词更有冲击力。数字能让“麻烦”或“价值”变得可量化，从而增强讽刺或感慨的效果。
  • 课文示范：Fifty Pence Worth of Trouble.（不说“一点小麻烦”，而是说“五十便士的麻烦”，既点题，又带有一种“为了这点钱折腾半天”的荒诞感。）
  • 实战仿写：
    • A $5 parking ticket cost me 3 hours of arguing and a ruined afternoon.（5 美元的罚单，毁了 3 小时和一个下午。）
    • He saved 20 cents on milk, but spent $10 on gas to drive to the cheaper store.（省了 20 美分牛奶钱，却花了 10 美元油费。）

WARNING

以上内容由AI生成，请自主辨明是否存在问题。