======================语法常识回顾=================
1.have been + ing 是“现在完成进行式”，它表示“一直”“始终”的意思。使用时我们最好注意一下与之相伴的某些词或时间状语。
例如：
· How long have you been writing letters?
你（一直在）写信写了有多长时间啦？
· I've been writing letters for an hour (since three o'clock).
我写了有1个小时了。（从3点钟起就一直在写信。）
2.这种“一直”就是至今仍然在继续的意思。如果我们说：
· He has been helping her with her homework for months.
( 几个月来他一直在帮助她做家庭作业。)
这句话的内涵是：
·He started to help her with her homework months ago, and he still does.
(几个月之前他开始帮助她做作业，他现在仍然在帮她。)
3. 关于 sine 和 for the last three weeks 之区别。
since 后面不可跟具体的数字（钟点除外）
如：
· We have been staying here since three weeks.（错）
(三周以来我们一直住在这儿。)
为了要表达这一意思，就要借助于下列表达法：
· for the last···
· for the past···
· in the past···
· over the past···
· during the last··· (以来)+完成式(或完成进行式)
你千万不要一看到有 past,last 就认为只能用动词过去式，这你就错了。试看以下例句：
1）He hasn't had anything to eat for the last twelve hours.
(12个小时以来，他未曾吃过什么东西。)
2）He's lived here for the last few years.
(几年以来他就住在这儿。)
3）In the past two years I've seen him little.
(两年来，我很少见到他。)
4）I've been feeling well for the past few days.
(几天来，我一直身体不错。)
5）She has been on the phone for the past hour.
(一个小时以来，她一直在打电话。)
----------------------VOCABULARY-------------------
move into 搬进
get···in order 把···弄整齐，收拾好
to make matters worse 更糟的是
at the moment 眼下，目前
floor space 地板的面积
a short while ago 片刻之前
up the stairs 楼上，=upstairs（副词）
get a big surprise 大吃一惊
gaze at 目不转睛地看着
in one's spare time 在某人的空余时间
rather small 颇小，相当小，这个rather与fairly为相对词，都有“相当”之意，但rather往往用在贬义

=================《 A Pretty Carpet 》==============

____________________一条漂亮的地毯_________________
We have just moved into a new house and I have been working hard all morning.I have been trying to get my new room in order. This has not been easy because I own over a thousand books.
{ 我们刚搬进一座新房子而整个上午我都在卖力地干活。我一直在想办法把我的新房间收拾整齐。着始终不是件容易的事，因为我有一千多册书呢。}
To make matters worse, the room is rather small, so I have temporarily put my books on the floor. At the moment, they cover every inch of floor space and I actually have to walk on them to get in of out of the room.
{更糟的是，这个房间可是太小了，所以我暂时把书都摆在地板上。眼下，这些书把整个地板都盖满了，因此我实际上只得踩着书本进出我的房间。}
A short while ago, my sister helped me to carry one of my old bookcases up the stairs. She went into my room and got a big surprise when she saw all those books on the floor. "This is the prettiest carpet I have ever seen," she said. She gazed at it for some time then added, "your spare time and read the carpet!"
{刚才，我的妹妹帮我把一只旧书橱抬上了楼。她走进我的房间，见到地板上所有这些书的时候，她大吃一惊。“这是我所见过的最漂亮的一条地毯，”她说。她盯着“地毯”看了一会后补充说道：“你压根用不着书橱了。你有空就坐在这里看这条地毯吧！”}