54_Sticky_Fingers

54 Sticky Fingers

原文译文

After breakfast, I sent the children to school and then I went to the shops. It was still early when I returned home. The children were at school, my husband was at work and the house was quiet. So I decided to make some meat pies. In a short time I was busy mixing butter and flour and my hands were soon covered with sticky pastry. At exactly that moment, the telephone rang. Nothing could have been more annoying. I picked up the receiver between two sticky fingers and was dismayed when I recognized the voice of Helen Bates. It took me ten minutes to persuade her to ring back later. At last I hung up the receiver. What a mess! There was pastry on my fingers, on the telephone, and on the doorknobs. I had no sooner got back to the kitchen than the doorbell rang loud enough to wake the dead. This time it was the postman and he wanted me to sign for a registered letter!

早饭后，我送孩子们上学，然后就去了商店。我回到家时，时间还早。 孩子们在上学，我丈夫在上班，家里清静得很。于是我决定做些肉馅饼。 不一会儿我就忙着调拌起了黄油和面粉，很快我的手上就沾满了粘粘的面糊。 恰恰在此时，电话铃响了。没有什么能比这更烦人了。 我用两个沾满面糊的手指捏起了话筒。当听出是海伦·贝茨的声音时，非常丧气。 我用了10分钟的时间才说服她过会儿再来电话。我终于挂上了话筒。 真是糟糕透了！我的手指上、电话机上、门的把手上，都沾上了面糊。 我刚回到厨房，门铃又响了起来，响声足以把死人唤醒。这次是邮递员，他要我签收一封挂号信！

Words

• sticky /ˈstɪki/ n. 粘的
  1. There's some sticky stuff in your hair.（L25）
  2. stick to the plan…
• pastry /ˈpestri/ n. 面糊,点心
  1. My hands were soon covered with sticky pastry.
  2. were/why/what/how soon…
  3. There is a pastry shop nearby.
  4. I need flour.
  5. We’re never allowed to play with flour in mom's kitchen.（L10）
• Nothing /ˈnʌθɪŋ/ could /kʊd/ have /hæv/ been /bɪn/ more /mɔr/ annoying /əˈnɔɪɪŋ/ adj. 使人烦恼的
  1. Yeah, that could be annoying.
  2. I find it annoying when people eat smelly foods on public transport.（L4）
  3. It was annoying.
  4. I'm sure that must be very annoying.（L17）
• receiver /rəˈsivɚ/ n. 电话听筒，接收器
  1. As soon as I picked up the receiver, someone rang the bell.
  2. Please, don’t hang up the receiver.
  3. He hung up the receiver and went out.（L25）
• dismayed /dɪˈsmed/ v. 失望的
  1. I was dismayed to learn that she had failed again.
  2. They were dismayed to find that the ferry had already left.（L14）
• persuade /pɚˈswed/ v. 劝说
  1. I don't think I'll persuade you at all.
  2. He’s trying to persuade him to stay and help him.（L7）
  3. Do you really think you can persuade him?
• What /wʌt/ a /ə/ mess /mɛs/ n. 杂乱
  1. What a mess!
  2. such a mess….
  3. That's why the company's such a mess.
  4. I'm sorry I caused such a mess.（L53）
• doorknobs /ˈdɔrˌnɑbz/ n. 球形门拉手
  1. I hit my head on a doorknob.
  2. In his spare time, he likes to collect doorknobs.
  3. I prefer buying this doorknob to using that old one.（L50）
• loud /laʊd/ 大声的
• letter /ˈlɛtɚ/ 挂号信
• flour /flaʊr/ 面粉
• mix /mɪks/ v. 混合
  1. Don't mix beer and wine, ever!
  2. I was busy mixing butter and flour.
• sign /saɪn/ v. 签字
  1. Will you sign for this?
  2. He needs you to sign for it.
  3. The postman asked me to sign for the parcel.
• register /ˈrɛdʒɪstɚ/ v. 登记
  1. sign for a registered letter….
  2. He wanted me to sign for a registered letter.
  3. What a mess!

Expressions

• stick to the plan 坚持计划
• put my finger on it 确切指出（原因）
• point the finger at 指责或责备某人
• be dismayed to do sth. 做某事感到沮丧/惊恐
• recognize the voice (of sb.) 听出（某人的）声音
• persuade sb. (not) to do sth. 说服某人（不）做某事
• What a mess! 真是一团糟！
• such a mess 如此混乱
• Sign here. 在这里签字
• sign for sth. 签收某物
• a registered letter 一封挂号信
• send sb. to sp. 派某人去某地
• decide to do sth. 决定做某事
• be busy doing sth. 忙于做某事
• be covered with sth. 被某物覆盖
• take sb. st. to do sth. 花某人……时间做某事
• hang up 挂断（电话）