(单词翻译:单击)
课文
【课文】
Lesson 31 A lovable eccentric 可爱的怪人
Listen to the tape then answer the question below.
听录音，然后回答以下问题。
Why did the shop assistant refuse to serve Dickie?
True eccentrics never deliberately set out to draw attention to themselves. They disregard social conventions without being conscious that they are doing anything extraordinary. This invariably wins them the love and respect of others, for they add colour to the dull routine of everyday life.
Up to the time of his death, Richard Colson was one of the most notable figures in our town. He was a shrewd and wealthy businessman, but most people in the town hardly knew anything about this side of his life. He was known to us all as Dickie and his eccentricity had become legendary long before he died.
Dickie disliked snobs intensely. Though he owned a large car, he hardly ever used it, preferring always to go on foot. Even when it was raining heavily, he refused to carry an umbrella. One day, he walked into an expensive shop after having been caught in a particularly heavy shower. He wanted to buy a $300 watch for his wife, but he was in such a bedraggled condition that an assistant refused to serve him. Dickie left the shop without a word and returned carrying a large cloth bag. As it was extremely heavy, he dumped it on the counter. The assistant asked him to leave, but Dickie paid no attention to him and requested to see the manager. Recognizing who the customer was, the manager was most apologetic and reprimanded the assistant severely. When Dickie was given the watch, the presented the assistant with the cloth bag. It contained $300 in pennies. He insisted on the assistant's counting the money before he left -- 30,000 pennies in all! On another occasion, he invited a number of important critics to see his private collection of modern paintings. This exhibition received a great deal of attention in the press, for though the pictures were supposed to be the work of famous artists, they had in fact been painted by Dickie. It took him four years to stage this elaborate joke simply to prove that critics do not always know what they are talking about.
参考译文
【参考译文】
真正古怪的人从不有意引人注意。他们不顾社会习俗，意识不到自己所作所为有什么特殊之处。他们总能赢得别人的喜爱与尊敬，因为他们给平淡单一的日常生活增添了色彩。
理查德.科尔森生前是我们镇上最有名望的人之一。他是个精明能干、有钱的商人，但镇上大部分人对他生活中的这一个方面几乎一无所知。大家都管他叫迪基。早在他去世前很久，他的古怪行为就成了传奇故事了。
迪基痛恨势利小人。尽管他有一辆豪华小轿车，但却很少使用，常常喜欢以步代车。即使大雨倾盆，他也总是拒绝带伞。一天，他遇上一场瓢泼大雨，淋得透湿。他走进一家高级商店，要为妻子买一块价值300英镑的手表。但店员见他浑身泥水的样子，竟不肯接待他。迪基二话没说就走了。一会儿，他带着一个大布口袋回到店里。布袋很沉，他重重地把布袋扔在柜台上。店员让迪基走开，他置之不理，并要求见经理。经理认出了这位顾客，表示了深深的歉意，还严厉地训斥了店员。店员为迪基拿出了那块手表，迪基把布口袋递给他，口袋里面装着300镑的便士。他坚持要店员点清那些硬币后他才离去。这些硬币加在一起共有30,000枚！ 还有一次，他邀请一些著名评论家来参观他私人收藏的现代画。这次展览引起报界广泛注意，因为这些画名义上是名家的作品，事实上是迪基自己画的。他花了4年时间策划这出精心设计的闹剧，只是想证明评论家们有时并不解他们所谈论的事情。
词汇讲解
1.lovable adj.可爱的
例句：She loves her puppy, and the puppy is really lovable.
她喜爱她的小狗，那小狗也诚然可爱。
2.eccentric n.（行为）古怪人
例句：He is eccentric, different from other kids since his childhood.
他性格古怪，起小儿就和别的孩子不太一样。
3.disregard v.不顾，漠视
4.convention n.习俗，风俗
例句：Convention dictates that our prime minister should resign in such a situation.
依照常规我国首相在这种情况下应该辞职.
5.conscious adj. 感觉到的，意识到的
例句：I was very conscious of the fact that I don't have enough money to pay off my debt.
我很清楚，我没有足够的钱还清债务。
6.invariably adv.总是，经常地
例句：A new house of any size is now almost invariably symmetrical.
现在新建的房子不管大小几乎都是对称的。
7.routine n.常规；惯例
8.shrewd adj.精明的
例句：The government is playing a very shrewd political game.
政府在玩弄一出非常狡猾的政治花招。
9.eccentricity n.怪僻
10.legendary adj.传奇般的
例句：Joe's skills in promotion are legendary.
乔在促销方面的技巧非常杰出。
11.snob n.势利小人，谄上欺下的人
12.intensely adv.强烈地
例句：The collection of anecdotes is being done intensely.
寻找轶文的工作正在紧张进行之中。
13.bedraggled adj.拖泥带水的
14.dump v.把……砰的一声抛下
15.apologetic adj.道歉的
例句：He spoke in an apologetic voice.
他说话充满歉意。
16.reprimand v.训斥
17.stage v.暗中策划
18.elaborate adj.精心构思的
例句：He had an elaborate tattoo of an eagle on the back of his neck.
他脖后有个精心绘制的老鹰纹身。
课文讲解
【课文讲解】
1.True eccentrics never deliberately set out to draw attention to themselves.
参考翻译：真正古怪的人从不有意引人注意。
讲解：set out to出发, 开始, 陈列, 宣布, 陈述, 栽种, 设计...的布局, 测定
例句：The troops set out before dawn.
部队于拂晓前出发。
draw attention吸引注意力，相当于attract attention
例句：I was engaged in a legitimate and peaceful protest to draw attention to racial crimes.
我参加了一次合法的和平抗议，来吸引大家关注种族歧视的问题。
2.This invariably wins them the love and respect of others, for they add colour to the dull routine of everyday life.
参考翻译：他们总能赢得别人的喜爱与尊敬，因为他们给平淡单一的日常生活增添了色彩。
讲解：add colour to增加色彩
例句：This invariably wins them the love and respect of others, for they add colour to the dull routine of everyday life.
这种行为常常为他们赢得别人的爱戴和尊敬，因为他们给单调的日常生活增添了色彩。
3.Up to the time of his death, Richard Colson was one of the most notable figures in our town.
参考翻译：早在他去世前很久，他的古怪行为就成了传奇故事了。
讲解：up to直到；从事于；轮到
例句：The company was trying to soften and butter me up to get me to sign the contract.
公司试图软化我的立场并诱使我在这份合同上签字。
4.One day, he walked into an expensive shop after having been caught in a particularly heavy shower.
参考翻译：一天，他遇上一场瓢泼大雨，淋得透湿，他走进一家高级商店。
讲解：be caught in淋雨，遭遇
例句：These lawless men will be caught in the toils of law sooner or later.
这些不法之徒迟早会落入法网。
5.He wanted to buy a $300 watch for his wife, but he was in such a bedraggled condition that an assistant refused to serve him.
参考翻译：他要为妻子买一块价值300英镑的手表。但店员见他浑身泥水的样子，竟不肯接待他。
讲解：such that详细见语法讲解部分
6.The assistant asked him to leave, but Dickie paid no attention to him and requested to see the manager.
参考翻译：店员让迪基走开，他置之不理，并要求见经理。
讲解：pay attention to注意到
例句：Don't pay attention to their words, just trust your instincts.
不要在意他们的话，相信你自己的直觉最好。
7.He insisted on the assistant's counting the money before he left -- 30,000 pennies in all!
参考翻译：他坚持要店员点清那些硬币后他才离去。
讲解：insist on sth/doing sth坚持要求某事/做某事
例句：This professor insist on viewing a biological association as a system.
这个教授坚持要将生物群丛看作一个系统。
8.This exhibition received a great deal of attention in the press, for though the pictures were supposed to be the work of famous artists, they had in fact been painted by Dickie.
参考翻译：这次展览引起报界广泛注意，因为这些画名义上是名家的作品，事实上是迪基自己画的。
讲解：a great deal of大量
例句：They spent a great deal of time traveling last year.
他们去年花了大量时间旅游。
be supposed to应该, 被期望
例句：It wasn't supposed to be this way.
事情不该是这个样子。
语法点
【语法点】
such…that…引导四种不同的句子结构：
1. such+a(n)+形容词+单数名词+that从句。例如：
This is such a good book that all of us like it very much. 这是一本很好的书，我们大家都喜欢读一读。
It was such a fine day that nobody wanted to stay at home. 天气这么好，没有人愿意呆在家里不出去。
It was such an interesting film that I saw it twice. 这是一部很有意思的电影，我看了两次。
2. such+形容词+复数名词+that从句。例如：
He had such long arms that he could almost touch his knees. 他的胳膊很长，几乎就能够到他的膝盖。
They are such good students that the teacher likes them. 他们都是很好的学生，老师喜欢他们。
3. such+（形容词）+不可数名词+that从句，例如：
The book is written in such easy English that beginners can understand it. 这本书是用简单的英语写成的，连初学者都能看懂。
It was such fine weather yesterday that we went swimming. 昨天天气很好，我们去游泳了。
4. one (no, any, all, many, some, several, 等)+such+可数名词+that从句。例如：
There are many such good books that I cant decide which one to choose. 有这么多的好书，我无法决定选择哪一本。
He gave us several such examples about the phrase that we understood it pretty well. 关于这个短语，他举了好几个这样的例句，我们终于完全弄懂了。
经典句子
【经典句子】
1.They disregard socialconventions without being conscious that they are doing anything extraordinary.
他们总能赢得别人的喜爱与尊敬，因为他们给平淡单一的日常生活增添了色彩。
2.Dickie disliked snobs intensely.
迪基痛恨势利小人。
3. One day, he walked into an expensive shop after having been caoughtin a particularly heavy shower.
一天，他遇上一场瓢泼大雨，淋得透湿。
4.It took him four years to stage this elaborate joke simply to prove that criticsto not always know what they are talking about.
他花了4年时间策划这出精心设计的闹剧，只是想证明评论家们有时并不解他们所谈论的事情。
相关flash和视频讲解
