May: Poor Danny. You are so enfeebled!

Daniel: Don't worry. No big deal. Just a common cold.

May: Mom called just now saying that she and Dad will be back later. Do you want to speak to them on phone?

Daniel: No. You can never count on the grown-ups when there is something.

May: Whatever. Have a drink of water.

Daniel: Come on, sister. This is the seventh glass already.

May: Maybe later. I think we have a medicine-kit.

Daniel: Do we? Where is it?

May: Probably on the of the cabinet. I'll go and get it.

Daniel: Be careful. Now I have no one but you to depend on.

May: Oh, here it is. Patulin. Oh, no!

Daniel: What's the new strike?

May: Keep lying down. The matter is that all the medicine here is past expiration.

Daniel: Poor me!

阿美：可怜的丹丹。你那么虚弱！

丹尼尔：别担心。没什么大不了的。只是普通的着凉。

阿美：妈妈打电话来说她和爸爸会晚一点回来，你想跟他们打电话吗？

丹尼尔：不用了。有事发生的时候你别指望依靠大人。

阿美：不管怎样。喝杯水吧。

丹尼尔：拜托，姐姐。这已经是第七杯水了。

阿美：那晚点（再喝）吧。我想我们有一个药箱。

丹尼尔：我们有吗？在哪里？

阿美：很可能在橱柜上面。我去拿来。

丹尼尔：小心点。我现在只能依靠你了。

阿美：哦，在这里。感冒药。天啊，不会吧？

丹尼尔：又有什么新的灾难？

阿美：躺着，别动。问题是这里所有的药都过期了。

丹尼尔：可怜的我啊！

Daniel: I catch a cold from time to time. And I find that you can never count on the grown-ups when there is some emergency. Instead I choose to depend on my sister May, though sometimes she can't even find our medicine-kit. So maybe it's wise to stay put, then everything would be just fine.

enfeebled adj. 虚弱的

count on 指望

medicine-kit n. 药箱

depend on 依赖

Patulin n. 一种感冒药

strike n. 打击

lie down 躺下

expiration n. 期满（尤指合同等的有效期）

清辅音浊化规律

清辅音浊化就是清辅音在单词中的发音被浊化。它只是一种现象，而不是一种规律。要想掌握好这一发音现象，只有平时多注意模仿。以下我们着重挑选了几个比较有代表性的发音点。

1．s 后面的清辅音浊化现象：s + 清辅音+元音的结构无论是在单词的最前面还是中间，只要是在重读音节或次重读音节里，一般都读成对应浊辅音。

朗读练习： speak strike stay sky school

2. 在大多数情况下，在美式英语的读音中，t 在词中发/d / 的音是一个很明显的发音特征

朗读练习：later and matter whatever and sister better and letter

I guess I better just come out and say it.

You better go to school in time from now on.

You better keep your mouth shut.

I better keep it to myself.

We better follow the advice of the doctor.

特别提示：在英语口语中， “I'd better”,常会说成 “I better”, 即把原来“had”的“d”省略，同理， “we'd better”简化为 “we better”; “you'd better”简化为 “you better”