The Bloody Thumb

                                     Lesson 30

                                            Text A

                                       The Bloody¹ Thumb
    I met the old man at a cafe. I was a stranger in the town.
    "Did you hear the radio news yesterday?" he asked me.
    "I didn't," I said."Was there anything exciting?"
    "Exciting, no! It was important to me-and very, very sad.pack of hungry dogs killed and ate my best friend. "
    "Oh dear ! " I cried. "I am sorry. How did it happen?"

    "He was working in his olive² grove³ on the hilisides. The pack attacked him there. we'll never know all the facts , of curse. When he didn't return, I went to the grove and-"
    "You found the body?" I asked.
    The old fellow drank half his coffee. "The body?" he repeated."No, no. .I said they were hungry dogs, didn't I? The g bones were lying here and there in the grove. But I found this-" He pushed open a matchbox which he was holding in his

    The box contained a man's thumb. It was lying on some hite, bloody material. There was a cut-an old cut-on the mmb nail.
    "See that cut," the man said. "I recognised it. This is my fiend's right thumb. The dogs ate the rest of him! "
    The old man began to cry then. He finished his coffee quick. ly and left the cafe. I drank mine and called the waiter.

    "I'll pay the gentleman's bill," I said. "Please don't trou. ble him with it. His poor friend-how awful! You've heard the news?"
    The waiter laughed . "Yes. There's a hole in the bottom of the matchbox. He puts his own thumb through the hole. The 'blood' is red ink, I believe. Is the story worth a cup of coffee, sir?"

　
 

                                         Text B                                      

                                               The Party

    Claire Walton is working at home on a Sunday afternoor. The phone rings. It is an old friend.

　　ClAiRE:   Hello.
MICK:   Hello, Claire. This is Mick.
CLAIRE:   Mick! Nice to hear from you again. How are you?
MtcK:   Fine, thanks. And you?
CLAIRE:   Oh , not so bad. I've been very busy , but I'm goingaway on holiday soon.
MICK:   Good. Listen. I'm phoning because I want to invite you to a party. At our newhouse. And. . .
CLAIRE:   New house? Really?
MIcK:   Yes. We've moved. That's why we're giving the pa ty. Can you come?
CLAIRE:   Well, that depends. When is it?
MIcK:   This Saturday evening.
CLAIRE:   Well. . . I'm going away on Sunday morning. Very ear ly. Will the party go onvery late?
MICK:   Until two in the morning. But you don't have to si that long.Well? What about it?
CLAIRE:   All right. I'll come. But I'd like to bring a present Something for your new house.
What would you like?
MICK:   Nothing. I mean, don't bring anything. It isn't necesary.
CLAIRE:   But I'd still like...
MICK:   Just bring yourself! I'm looking forward to seeingyou again. It's been a long time !
CLAIRE:   Yes, it has. I'm looking forward to seeing you. too. and your new house. Uh. . .
when does the party start?
MlcK:   Come any time after eight. All right? .
CLAIRE:   Yes. Oh. by the W..
MICK:   Bye! See you on Saturday evening.
CLAIRE:   Wait a moment , Mick. You haven't. . . Mick? Are you still there? You haven'tgiven me your new address. Hello? Mick? Hello? 　
 
                                  Question on Text B

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

                    There Are Some Things You Can't Get Away Without
    I have a confession⁴ to make, and the sooner it gets out in the open, the better I'll feel about. I don't drive a car.
    Americans are broad-minded people. they'll accept the fact that a person newspapercan be an alcoholic⁵, a dope fiend, a wife beater, and even anewspaperman but if a man doesn't drive. therc is something wrong with him.

    Through the years I've found it very embarrassing to admit it to anyand my best friends tend to view me with suspicion and contempt⁶.
    But where I really run into. trouble is when I go into a stone and try to made a purchase with a check.
    It happend again last week when I went to a discount house at a large shopping center in maryland.Iwanted to buy a portable⁷ tyewriter,and the salesman was very helpful about showing me the different modeIs.

    I decided⁸ on one, and then I said, "May I write out a personal check?"
    "Naturally, " he said kindly⁹. "Do you have any identification¹⁰?"
    "Of course," I said. I produced an American Express credit card, a Diner's Club credit card, a Bell Telephone credit card d i pass to the White House.
    The man inspected them all and then said,"Where's your driver's license¹¹?"
    "I don't. have one," I replied..
    "Did you lose it?"
    "No, I didn't lose it. I don't drive a car. "

    He pushed a button under the cash register, and suddenly a floor manager came rushing over.
    The salesman had now become surly."Thes guy's trying to cash a checd, and he doesn't have a driver's license. Should I call the store detective?"
    "Wait a minute. I'll talk to him , " the manager said. "Did you lose your driver's license for some traffic offense¹²?"

    "No, I've never driven. I don't like to drive. "
    "Nobody likes to drive," the floor manager shouted. "That's no excuse. Why are you trying  to cash a check if you don't have a driver's license?"

   "I thought all the other identification was good enough," I explained. By this time the president of the store had arrived on the scene. Fortu nately, he recognized my name and okayed the check. He was very embarrassed by the treatment I had received and said, come on, I'll buy you a drink. "
   "I forgot to tell you," I said. "I don't drink either. "
   This was too much, even for him, and he pushed me toward the door.
   "Get out of here , " he said , "and don't come back ! "

 
 

1 bloody   

adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染

参考例句：

• He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
• He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。

2 olive   

n.橄榄，橄榄树，橄榄色；adj.黄绿色的，黄褐色的，橄榄色的

参考例句：

• Have you eaten a kind of fruit called olive?你吃过橄榄这种水果吗？
• She likes olive because It'symbolizes peace.她喜欢橄榄色因为它象征着和平。

3 grove   

n.林子，小树林，园林

参考例句：

• On top of the hill was a grove of tall trees.山顶上一片高大的树林。
• The scent of lemons filled the grove.柠檬香味充满了小树林。

4 confession   

n.自白，供认，承认

参考例句：

• Her confession was simply tantamount to a casual explanation.她的自白简直等于一篇即席说明。
• The police used torture to extort a confession from him.警察对他用刑逼供。

5 alcoholic   

adj.（含）酒精的，由酒精引起的；n.酗酒者

参考例句：

• The alcoholic strength of brandy far exceeds that of wine.白兰地的酒精浓度远远超过葡萄酒。
• Alcoholic drinks act as a poison to a child.酒精饮料对小孩犹如毒药。

6 contempt   

n.轻视，藐视，受辱，丢脸

参考例句：

• She looked at him with immediate and undisguised contempt.她用毫不掩饰的轻蔑眼光看着他。
• He refused to answer in contempt of the rules of the court.他藐视法院规章，拒绝回答。

7 portable   

adj.轻便的，手提式的；n.便携的东西

参考例句：

• I have a portable typewriter.我有一个便携式打字机。
• There is a pretty portable pair of steps in one corner of the room.屋角放着一架小巧玲珑的折梯。

8 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

9 kindly   

adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地

参考例句：

• Her neighbours spoke of her as kindly and hospitable.她的邻居都说她和蔼可亲、热情好客。
• A shadow passed over the kindly face of the old woman.一道阴影掠过老太太慈祥的面孔。

10 identification   

n.视为同一，证明同一，确认

参考例句：

• He's made a formal identification of the body.他正式确认了死者身份。
• We should have identification card on the person when we go out.我们外出时应随身携带身份证。

11 license   

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

• The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
• The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。

12 offense   

n.犯规，违法行为；冒犯，得罪

参考例句：

• I hope you will not take any offense at my words. 对我讲的话请别见怪。
• His words gave great offense to everybody present.他的发言冲犯了在场的所有人。