19. I Never Work after Supper

　　A penny-pinching farmer didn't want his hired hand to stop working. One morning, he told the farmhand, "It's such a nuisance to come in from the field,, wash up for lunch and take time to eat. Why don't we save time and eat lunch now?"

　　The hired man agreed. The farm's wife brought in some cold meat and fried potatoes, and the two men ate again.

　　When they had finished, the cheap farmer said, "While we're still at the table, let's have supper too. " They were now served steak, boiled potatoes and mixed vegetables, and they ate once more.

　　"Now that the meals are out of the way, " the farmer announced, we can go out and work all day without interruption. "

　　"Oh, no, " the farmhand answered. " I never work after supper.

Notes:

　　(1) penny-pinching adj.吝啬的

　　(2) hired hand n. 帮手

　　(3) nuisance n. 讨厌的事物、人、行为等

　　(4) wash up洗

　　(5) be out of the way解决某事

　　(6) interruption n.打断某人

Exercises:

根据短文选择正确答案：

　　①How many people did the farmer hire to work in his field?

　　A. One

　　B. Two

　　C. Three

　　D. Four

　　② What, according to the farmer, was a nuisance?

　　A. to come back from the field

　　B. to wash up for lunch

　　C. to take time to eat

　　D. All of the above.

　　③ Why did the farmer urge the farmhand to eat three meals together?

　　A. Because the farmhand was always hungry.

　　B. Because the farmer's wife prepared three meals at one time.

　　C. Because he was not willing to let the farmhand have a rest.

　　D. Because the crops in the field had to be harvested in no time.

　　④ We can see from the passage that the farmer

　　A. was too vicious¹

　　B. did not like the farmhand

　　C. was too mean

　　D. was very hospitable²

　　⑤ We can infer from the passage that the farmhand

　　A. was slow-witted

　　B. was very greedy

　　C. was very lazy

　　D. was a clever man

19.我晚饭后从不工作

　　一位农场主非常吝啬，不想让他雇佣的帮手停下来休息。一天早上，他对帮手说：“从地里回来，又要洗手吃饭，又花时间，真是太不方便了。我们何不省点时间，现在就吃午饭呢？”

　　雇员同意了。农场主的妻子端进来一些冷肉和油炸土豆。于是，两个人又开始吃起来。

　　吃完后，吝啬鬼说：“既然我们还在桌子边，让我们连晚饭也吃了吧。”这次上桌的有排骨、煮土豆和杂烩青菜。于是两个人又吃起来。

　　“现在三顿饭都吃过了，”农场主宣称道，“我们便可以出去一整天不停地干活了。”

　　“哦，不，”那帮手回答说，“晚饭后我从不工作。”

练习参考答案：

①A②D③C④C⑤D

1 vicious   

adj.恶毒的，恶意的，凶残的，剧烈的，严重的

参考例句：

• He gave the dog a vicious blow with his stick.他朝着那只狗狠狠地打了一棍子。
• The author portrayed his father as a vicious drunkard.作者把他父亲描绘成一个可恶的酒鬼。

2 hospitable   

adj.好客的；宽容的；有利的，适宜的

参考例句：

• The man is very hospitable.He keeps open house for his friends and fellow-workers.那人十分好客，无论是他的朋友还是同事，他都盛情接待。
• The locals are hospitable and welcoming.当地人热情好客。