新概念第三册自学导读 Lesson33

Notes on the text课文注释

1  get out of control，失去控制。

2  It is as if a single unimportant event set up a chain of reactions. 就好像一件无关紧要的小事引起了一连串的连锁反应。as if 引导的从句中用的是虚拟语气；set up，引起，产生； a chain of，一连串。

3  keep an eye on，照看，照管。

4  you are on the phone，你在接电话。

5  reduce you to tears，使你流泪。

6  on a big scale，大规模地。

7  rush hour，上下班时间。

8  draw up，追上。

9  pull up，停车。

10  get the traffic on the move，使车辆动起来。

参考译文

我们大家都有过事事不顺心的日子。一天开始时，可能还不错，但突然间似乎一切都失去了控制。情况经常是这样的，许许多多的事情都偏偏赶在同一时刻出问题，好像是一件无关紧要的小事引起了一连串的连锁反应。假设你在做饭，同时又在照看孩子。这时电话铃响了，它预示着一连串意想不到的灾难的来临。就在你接电话时，孩子把桌布从桌子上扯了下来，将家中最好的陶瓷餐具半数摔碎，同时也弄伤了他自己。你急急忙忙挂上电话，赶去照看孩子和餐具。这时，饭又烧糊了。好像这一切还不足以使你急得掉泪，你的丈夫接着回来了，事先没打招呼就带来3个客人吃饭。

就像许多人最近在悉尼郊区帕拉马塔所发现的那样，有时乱子会闹得很大。一天傍晚交通最拥挤时，一辆汽车撞上前面一辆汽车，两个司机争吵起来。紧跟其后的一辆车上的司机碰巧是个初学者，她一惊之下突然把车停了下来。她这一停使得跟在后头的司机也来了个急刹车。司机的妻子正坐在他身边，手里托着块大蛋糕。她往前一冲，蛋糕从挡风玻璃飞了出去掉在马路上。此时，一辆卡车正好从后边开到那辆汽车边上，司机看见一块蛋糕从天而降，紧急刹车。卡车上装着空啤酒瓶，成百只瓶子顺势从卡车后面滑出车外落在马路上。这又引起了一场唇枪舌剑的争吵。与此同时，后面的车辆排成了长龙，警察花了将近一个小时才使车辆又开起来。在这段时间里，卡车司机不得不清扫那几百只破瓶子。只有两只野狗从这一片混乱中得到了好处，它们贪婪地吃掉了剩下的蛋糕。这就是事事不顺心的那么一天！

Multiple choice questions
多项选择题

Choose the correct answers to the following questions.

Comprehension 理解

1  What would have most upset the woman the day everything went wrong for her?

a．She had not expected her husband to arrive so early.

b．The meal she had cooked for the three guests had got burnt.

c．Her husband had not told her he was bringing anyone to dinner.

d．She had not got enough crockery left to serve the meal with.

2  What might have prevented a chain reaction following the initial collision?

a．If the two drivers who had collided had not begun to argue.

b．Had there been a more experienced driver behind the two cars.

c．If, instead of panicking, the woman had made no attempt to stop.

d．Had the wife of the man who braked not thrown a cake through the window.

3  There was a second angry argument because ______ .

a．the lorry driver blamed the owner of the cake for his accident

b．the traffic was extremely slow to get on the move again

c．the lorry driver did not think he should be made to sweep up the glass

d．two dogs had devoured what was left of the cake