Part 3 The Smoke Detector 烟雾探测器 

Dialogue Script 1  对话原文 1 

Jack: (Reading letter) Dear Mister Smith, your daughter informs me that...
Tina: What's this about?
Jack: Apparently Lisa reported us for failing fire safety standards.
Tina: Is that the teacher's business?
Jack: I don't know. Maybe the teacher has heard about Tom's pyromania.
Tina: Maybe you should buy some fire safety stuff.
Jack: Will do. Better safe than sorry.

讲解：

1. 对话中，Jack和Tina收到了Lisa老师的来信，Tina问这封信是关于什么内容的呢？What's this about? 是“这跟什么有关”的意思，这个问句可以在好奇想要知道别人正在看什么或者读什么东西的时候用上。我们用一个对话来作例子，---What's this all about? ---We just feel like it is time for you to go and find a job. ---你们这是在干嘛？或者你们这是什么意思？---我们只是觉得你应该找份工作了。

2. 很显然Lisa告诉了老师家里防火安全不合标准的事情。fail 在这里作动词，表示“失败，不及格”，比如说，He failed the history test again. 他历史考试又不及格。Tina觉得奇怪，难道老师也管消防这方面的事情吗？

3. Jack也不知道，也许是老师知道了Tom喜欢玩火的事情了吧。Tina说还是去买一些防火安全的东西吧，防患于未然。Better safe than sorry. 我们上节课说过了，是“有备无患”的意思。

Dialogue Script 2  对话原文 2 

Tina: Oh my god! What on earth are you doing?!
Tom: Oh, uh. I was just trying to do my chemistry homework.
Tina: What are you talking about?
Tom: You know. Chemical reactions. That sort of thing.
Tina: Are you being honest with me? Your teacher assigned fireworks as homework?
Tom: Well...not exactly. But it's related.
Tina: Tom, I think you need to calm down a little and find another hobby.

讲解：

1. 对话中，Tina下班回到家发现Tom在玩鞭炮，把她吓了一大跳，Tom到底知不知道自己在干什么啊，What on earth are you doing? 当中的 on earth 起强调作用，表示“到底，究竟”。

2. Tom说他正在做化学作业，妈妈不知道他在说什么，Tom也说不明白，只能说就是化学反应之类的东西。sort of thing 这个用法表示“那一类的事情”，当你不想或者是没有办法详细解释，而对方又能够了解的时候，就可以在话尾加上这一句。这样可以起到“不言而喻”的效果。我们用一个对话作例子，---What'd you do last night? ---Oh, hang out, talk on the phone, that sort of thing. ---你昨天晚上做什么了？---哦，闲晃，褒电话粥之类的事情。

3. 妈妈觉得Tom没说真话，老师难道会让学生把鞭炮当成家庭作业？be honest with sb表示“跟某人说真话”。还有 to be honest 或者是 honestly 也可以作为一句话的开头，表示“说实话...”。比如说，To be honest, your daughter has no aptitude for a singer. 老实说，你女儿没有当歌星的潜力。

4. Tom解释说，虽然不是家庭作业，但是跟家庭作业有关，But it's related. related to sb/sth这个词组表示“与某人或者某事物有关的，有联系的”，比如说，He's related to her by marriage. 他跟她是姻亲。

Dialogue Script 3  对话原文 3 

Lisa: Fire! Fire!
Jack: No, no. I'm just testing it. There's no fire.
Lisa: Why are those things so loud?
Jack: If they weren't so loud, would we hear them when they went off?
Lisa: But it's such a horrible noise.
Jack: That's the point. It should wake you up if you're asleep, and make you unable to notice anything else if you're awake.
Lisa: I think it will make me go deaf!

讲解：

1. 对话中，Jack在装烟雾探测器，警报器突然响起来，在旁边看着的Lisa吓得大叫起来，以为哪里着火了，Jack赶紧说，别紧张，他只是在测试看警报器好不好用。

2. test 这里是动词，表示“检验或衡量质量、品质等”，用法是 test sb/sth for sth 或者 test sth on sb/sth，比如说，Many people are against new drugs being tested on animals. 很多人都反对用动物来做新药试验。还有，I had my eyesight tested yesterday.我昨天去检查了视力。test sb on sth 还可以表示“测验某人在某方面的知识和技能”，比如说，She tested the whole class on irregular verbs. 她对全班学生进行了不规则动词的测验。

3. Lisa不明白为什么警报器的声音这么响，Jack说如果声音不大的话，警报器响的时候就不容易听到了。但是这个声音好恐怖，很刺耳，但就是要这样，报警器应该在你睡着的时候吵醒你，在你醒着的时候无法去注意其他的事情。

4. Jack说 That's the point. 意思是“这就对了”，表示非常同意对方的论点，或者认为对方一语中的而大加赞同。比如说，---I saved up lots of money working this summer. ---Well done. That's the point of working. Now you can go to university. ---我这个夏天工作存了不少钱。---干得好，这就是为什么要工作了。这下你可以上大学了。

Part 4 A Fire in the House 房子着火了 

Dialogue Script 1  对话原文 1 

(Tom is installing the last smoke detector when the alarm goes off in Tom's room)
Jack: Just my luck. I'm almost finished, but it looks like the one in Tom's room is broken.
Lisa: What, Daddy? I can't hear you.
Jack: I think the one in Tom's room is broken. Can you go check and make sure there's no fire?
Lisa: OK. Hold on a second. (walks out and then runs back in) Fire! Fire! Fire!
Jack: Oh my god! How could he be so crazy? Now where did I put that fire extinguisher?

讲解：

1. 对话中，Tom正在安装最后一个烟雾探测器，这时Tom房间里的警报器响了起来，Jack觉得真倒霉，刚要装好一个，Tom房间里的又坏了，他说，Just my luck. 这句话表示“我就这么倒霉！”。字面上看是“这是我的运气”。但隐含的意思是“这就是我所能有的运气了”，在很倒霉的情况下的确可以用来自嘲一番。比如说，---Just my luck. The police are pulling us over. ---What do you expect? ---You were way over the speed limit. ---真倒霉，警察要我们靠边停。---你还想怎样？你超速很多了。

2. 警报器的声音太大了，Lisa都听不见Jack在说什么。Jack喊着让她去Tom的房间看看，是不是真的失火了。Lisa跑回来大喊，真的失火了。Jack也吓了一跳，赶紧去找灭火器。

Dialogue Script 2  对话原文 2 

Lisa: The house is going to burn down! We're going to die!
Jack: Calm down, Lisa. It's going to be OK.
Lisa: Let's go, quick! His wallpaper was burning!
Jack: Watch how I do this, Lisa. (walks into Tom's room as Toms runs out)
Lisa: (to Tom) you're going to be in big, big trouble.
Jack: First, you have to pull the clip. Then you start spraying all over the fire.

讲解：

1. Lisa吓得大叫：“房子要烧光了，我们都要被烧死了。”Jack告诉她要冷静，火不算太大，应该没事的。发生火灾的时候，最重要的是要保持冷静，慌乱不能解决任何问题，反而会误事。

2. Tom也从房间里跑了出来，Lisa告诉他麻烦大了，You're going to be in big, big trouble. 这句话的意思是“你闯祸了！”，当别人做错了事，而且是会引发严重后果的麻烦时，你就可以对他说You're in big troule! 不过最好再加上几句安慰的话或者是解决办法，不然对方会以为你在幸灾乐祸。比如说，---You're in big trouble! ---If you tell Ms Smith, I'll beat you up. ---你闯祸了！---如果你敢告诉Smith小姐，我就揍扁你。

3. Jack还不会用灭火器，他按照说明书上提供的方法，首先要拔起插销，也就是clip，夹子，是指“金属丝制成的用来夹东西的工具”，在对话中指的是“灭火器上的安全插销”。拔起插销之后，开始对着火的地方喷洒。

Dialogue Script 3  对话原文 3 

Tina: You're in big trouble, young man.
Tom: But I didn't mean to do it!
Tina: That doesn't matter. It's a good thing you dad was here, or it would have been much worse.
Tom: Does this mean I can't play with fire crackers any more?
Tina: Absolutely not.
Tom: Am I grounded?
Tina: I don't know. I'm not sure I want you alone in the house!

讲解：

1. 对话中，Tina在训Tom，他闯了大祸了。You're in big trouble，我们在上一段已经讲过了。Tom辩解说他不是故意的，但这不是重点，幸好当时Jack在，要不然就出大事了。

2. That doesn't matter. 表示“那不是重点/那不重要/无所谓”，当别人试图解释或者找借口而你不愿意接受的时候就可以用这句话来回答，让对方知道你不认同或者不满意。我们用一个对话作例子，---But I love you, Jenny. ---That doesn't matter. You cheated on me. 可是我爱你，Jenny. ---那不重要了，你背叛了我。

3. Tom说他以后就不能再玩鞭炮了是不是。妈妈说绝对不能再玩了。那么Tom会被禁足吗，就是be grounded，我们再前面的内容中曾经多次提到过。

4. Tina也不知道，因为如果把Tom自己放在家里的话，不一定又会闯什么祸了，真是让人不放心。

Dialogue Script 4  对话原文 4 

Lisa: It's a good thing Tom doesn't have my teacher, or he'd be in even worse trouble!
Jack: Oh, don't pick on him. This is a good lesson that we should always be prepared for the worst.
Lisa: Well, what about earthquakes? Or tornadoes? Or tsunamis?
Jack: You're thinking ahead, aren't you? OK, Lisa, do you want to be our household safety specialist?
Lisa: Yes? But does that mean you'll raise my allowance?
Jack: Kids these days...

讲解：

1. 对话中Lisa感叹说，幸好Tom没有跟她一样的老师，否则他会更惨。Jack说算了，不要再挖苦Tom了，这次事故也是一个很好的教训，我们应该永远做最坏的打算。

2. don't pick on sb或者stop picking on sb表示“别在挖苦某人了”，当你犯了错误而对方对你的错误喋喋不休地指责或者一直拿你的错误挖苦你的时候，就可以说这句话让对方放你一马。我们用一个对话来举例子，---Stop picking on me. ---Why? The little baby can't take a joke? ---别再挖苦我了。---怎么？小孩子开不起玩笑了？

3. Lisa又问Jack如果以后发生地震、龙卷风之类的灾难怎么办呢？难道也能预先防备吗？Jack觉得Lisa想的太多了，并且问Lisa愿不愿意当家里的安全专员。Lisa趁机问，这是不是说她的零用钱也会相应提高呢？allowance就是家长每月给孩子的零用钱。