英语听力：化学秘密 02 At home

　　2 At home

　　'Hi，Dad．Your supper's in the kitchen．'

　　John's sixteen-year-old daughter，Christine，was¹ sitting at the table doing her homework．His son Andrew，who was thirteen，was watching television²．

　　'Thanks，Christine，'John said³．'I'm sorry I'm late．Is everything OK？'

　　'Fine，thanks．'Christine gave⁵ him a quick smile，then con-tinued with her work．John got⁶ his food from the kitchen．Fried⁷ fish and chips⁸．The food was dry and didn't taste very good．But he didn't say anything about that．John was not a good cook himself¹⁰ and his children were no better．His wife¹¹ had¹² been a good cook，he remembered．

　　John tried to eat the terrible¹³ supper and looked around the small，miserable¹⁴ flat．The furniture¹⁵ was twenty years old，the wallpaper and carpets¹⁶ were cheap and dirty．The rooms were all small，and he could¹⁷ see no trees or gardens from the win-dows—just the lights from hundreds of other flats．And there were books，clothes，and newspapers on the floor．

　　Once，when his wife had been alive¹⁸， he had had a fine house．A beautiful big house in the country，with a large gar-den．They had had lots of new furniture，two cars，expensive holidays—everything they needed．He had had a good job；they hadn't needed to think about money．And then he had started the boat-building company¹⁹，and his luck²⁰ had ended．

　　When Rachel had died，John had been terribly²¹ unhappy²²—much too unhappy to think about business²³．A few²⁴ months later²⁵ his company had closed，and he had lost all his money．John had had to sell his beautiful house in the country，and move to this miserable flat．

　　And for the last two years， he hadn't had a job at all．He was a poor man，and an unlucky²⁶ one， too．He had tried for lots of jobs，and got none²⁷ of them．There were too many bright young biologists²⁸．But now that was all going²⁹ to change．He looked at his daughter and smiled．

　　'Did⁹ you have a good day at school，Christine？'he asked her．

　　'Oh，all right，I suppose³⁰，'she said．She didn't look very happy．'I've got a letter for you．'

　　She pushed³¹ the letter across³² the table，and he opened it．It was from her school．One of the teachers was taking the chil-dren on a skiing³³ holiday to the mountains in Switzerland³⁴．It cost³⁵ ￡ 400 for ten days．Parents who wanted their children to go had to send the money to the school before February 25th．

　　John's smile grew bigger．'Do you want to go on this holi-day，Christine？'he asked．

　　She looked at him strangely³⁶．'Of course³⁷ I do， Dad，'she said．'But I can't，can I？We haven't got ￡ 400．'

　　'No，I suppose not．'He looked at her carefully³⁸ through his thick glasses．She was a clever，strong girl—good at her schoolwork，good at sports．But she had never been skiing；John hadn't had enough money．

　　'Are your friends going？'he asked her．

　　'Some of them，yes．Miranda，Jane， Nigel—the rich ones，you know．But they often go skiing；it's easy for them．I know I can't go， Dad．Throw the letter away．'

　　John looked at her，and felt his heart³⁹ beating⁴⁰ quickly．'No，don't do that，Christine，'he said．'Perhaps⁴¹ you can go，if you want to．Why not？'

　　Christine laughed．'What's happened， Dad？Have you robbed⁴² a bank or something？'

　　John stood⁴³ up．He went into the kitchen and got himself a drink．'No，'he said，when he came⁴⁴ back．'But something interesting happened today．Put your homework away，Chris-tine—and turn that TV off⁴⁵，Andrew．I've got something to tell you．'

　　'Oh，not now，Dad！'said Andrew．'This is an exciting story．'

　　John smiled．'I've got an exciting story，too，Andrew．Come and listen．'

　　John Duncan's children lived in an old，untidy flat， they had no money，and they often ate⁴ awful⁴⁶ food．Bux they could still talk to their father．So Andrew turned off the TV，and sat⁴⁷ down in a big armchair⁴⁹ beside his father and Christine．

　　The story didn't sound very exciting at first．'I went to a factory today，'John said．'That paint factory by the river．No，wait，Andrew．Paint factories can be very exciting．They gave me a job there．I'm going to have my own⁴⁸ office， a big car，lots of money—in fact⁵⁰， we're going to be rich…！'

　　2在家中

　　“喂，爸爸。你的晚餐在厨房里。”

　　约翰16岁的女儿克里斯汀正坐在桌旁做功课。他13岁的儿子安德鲁正在看电视。

　　“谢谢你，克里斯汀，”约翰说。“很抱歉，我回来晚了，你一切都好吗？”

　　“好，谢谢。”克里斯汀朝他匆匆一笑，又继续做作业。约翰从厨房端出食物——炸鱼和薯条。食物很干，不怎么好吃，但是他什么也没说。约翰自己不善于烹饪，他的孩子们更不行。他回想起他的太太曾是很好的厨师。

　　约翰努力吃下这难咽的晚餐，环视着这又小又简陋的公寓。家具是20年前买的，壁纸和地毯既廉价又脏。所有的房间都很小，从窗口往外看去见不到树林或花园，只有从数百家别的公寓里透出的灯光。地上到处扔着书、衣服和报纸。

　　以前他太太活着的时候，他有一座很好的房子，一座坐落在乡村，有很大花园的漂亮的大房子。他们曾有很多崭新的家具、两部汽车、奢侈的假期——应有尽有。他有一份满意的工作，他们不用考虑钱。然后他创办了造船公司，接着他的运气结束了。

　　雷切尔死后，约翰一直很忧郁，太忧郁以至于无心考虑生意。几个月以后他的公司关闭了，他失去了所有的钱。约翰不得不卖掉乡村房子，搬进这简陋的公寓。

　　在过去的两年中他根本没有工作。他是一个贫穷的人，也是一个倒霉的人，他试找了许多工作，但没有得到一份工作。智慧、年轻的生物学家太多了。但是现在这一切都将发生变化。他微笑着望着他女儿。

　　“今天你在学校过得愉快吗，克里斯汀？”他问她。

　　“噢，我想还行，”她说。她看上去并不很高兴。“我有一封给你的信。”

　　她把信从桌上推过来，他打开信。信来自她的学校。有个老师要带学生们到瑞士的山上去滑雪度假。10天的费用是400英镑。想让自己的孩子去的家长得在2月25日前把钱交到学校。

　　约翰的笑容更加灿烂了。“克里斯汀，你想参加这次度假吗？”他问。

　　她奇怪地望着他。“我当然想，爸爸。”她说，“但是我不能去，对吧？我们没有400英镑。”

　　“是的，我估计不能。”他透过厚厚的眼镜小心地看着她。她是一个聪明坚强的女孩，她功课、体育都很好。但是她从来没有滑过雪，因为约翰没有足够的钱。

　　“你的朋友们去吗？”他问她。

　　“有些人去，那些较富的同学，如米兰达、珍妮、奈杰尔。他们经常去滑雪，这对他们来说很容易。我知道我不能去，爸爸。把信扔掉吧。”

　　约翰望着她，感到心跳加快。“不，别这样做，克里斯汀，”他说，“也许你能够去，如果你想去。为什么不能呢？”

　　克里斯汀笑了。“发生什么事了，爸爸？难道你抢了银行或什么？”

　　约翰站起身，走进厨房为自己倒了一杯饮料。“没有，”他回来时说，“但是，今天发生了有趣的事情。克里斯汀，先把你的作业放一下，安德鲁，把那电视关上，我有事要告诉你们。”

　　“哦，等一下关，爸爸，”安德鲁说，“这是一个精彩的故事。”

　　约翰笑着说：“我也有一个精彩的故事，安德鲁，过来听听。”

　　约翰·邓肯的孩子们住在一间旧式杂乱的公寓里，他们没有钱，经常吃糟糕的食品。但是他们仍愿跟他们的父亲交谈。所以安德鲁关掉电视，坐在他的父亲和克里斯汀旁边的一张大沙发里。

　　故事一开始听起来并不很精彩。约翰说：“今天我去了一个工厂。河边的那家油漆厂。不，等一下，安德鲁。油漆厂会是很精彩。他们给了我一份工作。我将有自己的办公室、一辆大型汽车、很多钱。真的，我们要富起来了。”

1 was   

v.(is,am的过去式)是，在

参考例句：

• He said he was right.他说他是正确的。
• He was cold and hungry.他又冷又饿。

2 television   

n.电视(机) [=TV]

参考例句：

• Do you often watch television?你经常看电视吗？
• Please turn off the television.请把电视关上。

3 said   

v.动词say的过去式、过去分词

参考例句：

• He said to me that he could not come.他对我说他不能来。
• He said to his mother that he would do it by himself.他对他的母亲说他将自己独立做那件事。

4 ate   

v.吃，eat的过去式

参考例句：

• I ate a whole box of chocolates.我吃了一整盒巧克力。
• It's a long time since she ate out last time.她很长一段时间没在外面吃饭了。

5 gave   

vbl.（give的过去式）给予，产生，发表

参考例句：

• He asked for money and I gave him some.他要钱，我给了他一些。
• I gave you a map so you wouldn't get lost. 我给你一张地图，这样你就不会迷路了。

6 got   

v.(get的过去式)得到，猜到，明白

参考例句：

• I just got some bad news.我刚得到一些坏消息。
• I have got far too much work to do.我要做的事太多了。

7 fried   

adj.油煎的；油炒的

参考例句：

• I ate everything fried.所有油炸的我都吃。
• I prefer fried peanuts.我选择炸花生。

8 chips   

n.（口语）炸土豆条（片）

参考例句：

• Potato chips are served for the children.给儿童端上了炸薯条。
• I'd like some potato chips.我想要些炸土豆片儿。

9 did   

v.动词do的过去式

参考例句：

• How many goals did you score in the last game?上一场比赛你们进了几个球？
• Why did you choose basketball in the first place?你为何首先选择篮球呢？

10 himself   

pron.他自己

参考例句：

• He is proud of himself.他为自己感到自豪。
• He said to his mother that he would do it by himself.他对他的母亲说他将自己独立做那件事。

11 wife   

n.妻子，太太，老婆

参考例句：

• She is my wife.她是我妻子。
• He is a tall man but his wife is a short woman.他是个子很高的男人，但他妻子很矮。

12 had   

vbl.have的过去式和过去分词；conj.有

参考例句：

• I just had a good idea!我有个好主意！
• The boy had a small branch of a tree in his hand.这个男孩手上拿一条小树枝。

13 terrible   

adj.可怕的，糟糕的，极其的

参考例句：

• I think you've made a terrible mistake.我认为你犯了一个严重的错误。
• This is a terrible idea.这是一个可怕的想法。

14 miserable   

adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的

参考例句：

• It was miserable of you to make fun of him.你取笑他，这是可耻的。
• Her past life was miserable.她过去的生活很苦。

15 furniture   

n.家具(总称)

参考例句：

• This set of the furniture is very good.这套家具非常好。
• The room was full of wooden furniture.房间里摆满了木制家具。

16 carpets   

n.地毯( carpet的名词复数 )；（尤指铺满房间的一块）地毯；覆盖地面的一层厚东西

参考例句：

• The paddy fields looked like carpets of fresh green. 稻田像一片片翠绿的地毯。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The carpets had worn rather threadbare. 地毯已磨得相当破旧了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 could   

v.能，可能(can的过去式)；aux.v.(can的过去式)能；可以

参考例句：

• Could I open the window?我可以打开窗子吗？
• I could wait ten minutes.我可以等十分钟。

18 alive   

adj.活着的

参考例句：

• Was the lion alive or dead?这只狮子是死或活？
• He is still alive.他仍然活着。

19 company   

n.公司

参考例句：

• Is this your company?这是你的公司吗？
• Which company was that?那是哪家公司？

20 luck   

n.运气，幸运，吉祥之物；v.侥幸成功

参考例句：

• I'll try my luck.我要碰碰运气。
• Good luck! We'll keep our fingers crossed for you.祝你好运！ 我们将为你祈祷。

21 terribly   

adv.可怕地，甚为，非常地

参考例句：

• It's terribly hot here.这里热得厉害。
• After her husband's death she felt terribly alone.丈夫死后，她感到非常地孤独。

22 unhappy   

adj.不幸的，不愉快的，不幸福的

参考例句：

• With all his money,he is unhappy.尽管他有那么多钱，他也并不愉快。
• I'm unhappy about the work you did for me.你替我做这件事我不太满意。

23 business   

n.商业， 买卖， 交易， 生意， 事情， 事物， 营业， 商行

参考例句：

• My father built his business on years of hard work. 我父亲多年奋斗创立了自己的事业。
• We must finish up this business in a day or two. 我们必须在一两天内把这事结束。

24 few   

adj.很少的，不多的，少数的；int.少数的

参考例句：

• There are few woods in that area.那个地区几乎没有森林。
• I have a few questions.我有些问题要问你。

25 later   

adv.过后，后来；adj.以后的，更后的，较晚的

参考例句：

• He didn't turn up until half an hour later.半小时后他才出现。
• This part of the hospital was built on later.医院的这个部分是后来增建的。

26 unlucky   

adj.不吉利的，不祥的，不幸的

参考例句：

• He is always unlucky in love.他在恋爱方面总是运气不佳。
• Friday is believed to be an unlucky day.星期五被认为是不吉祥的日子。

27 none   

adv.一点也不；prep.没人，毫无；pron.没有人，没有任何东西

参考例句：

• Remember that none is perfect.记住没有任何人是完美的。
• There's almost none left.几乎一个没剩。

28 biologists   

n.生物学家( biologist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Biologists need to compare xerophyte and hydrophyte 生物学家需要对比旱生植物和水生植物。 来自辞典例句
• Ironically, our expedition included no biologists--only chemists, geologists, geophysicists, and physicists. 具有讽刺意味的是，我们的考察队员中竟没有一位是生物学家，只有化学家，地质学家、地球物理学家和物理学家。 来自辞典例句

29 going   

n.去，离去，地面(或道路)的状况，工作情况；(复数形式）goings: 行为；adj.进行中的，流行的，现存的

参考例句：

• We're going to listen to a report this afternoon. 今天下午我们要去听报告。
• He hates leaving the office and going on holiday.他不愿离开办公室去度假。

30 suppose   

v.料想，猜测；假定，以为；（祈使句）让，设

参考例句：

• I suppose he will be back by eight o'clock.我想他八点钟以前会回来。
• Suppose he can't come,who will do the work?如果他不能前来，谁来做这项工作呢？

31 pushed   

adj.（时间、钱等）不够用的； 没有空的，忙碌的v.推，推动( push的过去式和过去分词 )；对…施加压力；逼迫；按

参考例句：

• She pushed at the door but it wouldn't budge. 她推了推门，门却一动不动。
• He pushed his way through the crowd. 他在人群中往前挤。

32 across   

adv.横过，使...被理解(或接受)；prep.穿过，横过

参考例句：

• He walked across the road carefully.他小心地过马路。
• You can go across the bridge.你可以越过这座桥。

33 skiing   

n.滑雪运动

参考例句：

• I'm a complete novice at skiing. 滑雪我完全是个新手。
• to go skiing 去滑雪

34 Switzerland   

n.瑞士(欧洲)

参考例句：

• They are going to spend the weekend in Switzerland.他们要去瑞士度周末。
• As everybody knows,Switzerland is a peaceful country.众所周知， 瑞士是一个爱好和平的国家。

35 cost   

n.价钱，费用，成本；损失，牺牲

参考例句：

• What does the book cost?这本书值多少？
• He saved his daughter at the cost of his life.他以牺牲自己的生命挽救了女儿。

36 strangely   

adv.奇妙地；怪异地；不可思议地；异常的

参考例句：

• Modigliani's women have strangely elongated faces. 莫迪里阿尼画中的妇女都长着奇长无比的脸。
• She's been acting very strangely lately. 近来她举止十分反常。

37 course   

n.课程，讲座，过程，路线，一道(菜)

参考例句：

• The college course was then cut to three years.大学学制那时缩短到三年。
• Of course,I don't always sleep in the afternoons.当然，我并不总是在下午睡觉。

38 carefully   

adv.仔细地；小心地

参考例句：

• If you watch carefully you will see how to do it. 如果你仔细观察，你就会看出如何做此事了。
• Now listen carefully everybody.请大家仔细地听。

39 heart   

n.心，中心，要点；v.鼓起勇气，激励

参考例句：

• He is old in body but young in heart.他人老心不老。
• I thank you from the bottom of my heart.我从心坎里感谢你。

40 beating   

n.打，敲打；[纸] 打浆；脉搏；失败vt.（心脏等）跳动(beat的现在分词)

参考例句：

• to give sb a beating 把某人揍一顿
• The patient's heart stopped beating for a few seconds. 病人的心跳停顿了几秒钟。

41 perhaps   

adv.也许，可能

参考例句：

• Perhaps it will rain in the afternoon.下午可能有雨。
• Perhaps I can help you.也许我能帮帮你的忙吧。

42 robbed   

v.抢夺( rob的过去式和过去分词 )；抢劫；掠夺；使丧失

参考例句：

• Would you be able to identify the man who robbed you? 你能够认出那个抢你东西的人吗？ 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They stood looking on while the man was robbed. 正当那个人被抢劫时，他们却站在那儿袖手旁观。 来自《简明英汉词典》

43 stood   

vbl.stand的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• She stood up when they came in.当他们进来时，她站了起来。
• The child stood by the side of his mother.孩子站在母亲身边。

44 came   

v.动词come的过去式

参考例句：

• I was surprised why he came here so early.他为什么那么早到这里，我很惊奇。
• The doctor came in time to save his life.医生及时来抢救他的生命。

45 off   

adj.远的；休假的，空闲的；adv.走开，出发，隔断；prep.离开，脱落，在...之外

参考例句：

• You'd better cool off first.你最好先冷静下来。
• I need some time off.我需要一些时间休息。

46 awful   

adj.极坏的；极讨厌的；令人畏惧的，可怕的；威严的，庄重的；极度的，非常的

参考例句：

• The weather is awful today.今天天气坏透了。
• An awful accident has happened.发生了一起可怕的意外事故。

47 sat   

v.（sit的过去式，过去分词）坐

参考例句：

• He sat on a chair.他坐在椅子上。
• The mother sat by the sick child all night long.妈妈整夜守在生病的孩子身旁。

48 own   

v.拥有，持有；adj.(属于)自己的，特有的

参考例句：

• I need my own space.我需要自己的空间。
• Everything I own is yours.我所有的一切都是你的。

49 armchair   

n.扶手椅；adj.坐在椅子里空想的

参考例句：

• He sat in the armchair reading a newspaper.他坐在扶手椅里读报。
• This armchair is made of bamboo.这个扶手椅是用竹子做成的。

50 fact   

n.事实，实情，论据

参考例句：

• It is close to fact.这更接近于事实。
• I'm going there tomorrow,as a matter of fact.其实，我明天是准备去那里。