15_Fifty_Pence_Worth_of_Trouble

15 Fifty Pence Worth of Trouble

原文译文

Children always appreciate small gifts of money. Mum or dad, of course, provides a regular supply of pocket money, but uncles and aunts are always a source of extra income. With some children, small sums go a long way. If fifty pence pieces are not exchanged for sweets, they rattle for months inside money boxes. Only very thrifty children manage to fill up a money box. For most of them, fifty pence is a small price to pay for a nice big bar of chocolate.

My nephew, George, has a money box but it is always empty. Very few of the fifty pence pieces and pound coins (I have given him) have found their way there. I gave him fifty pence yesterday and advised him to save it. Instead, he bought himself fifty pence worth of trouble. On his way to the sweet shop, he dropped his fifty pence and it bounced along the pavement and then disappeared down a drain. George took off his jacket, rolled up his sleeves and pushed his right arm through the drain cover. He could not find his 50 pence piece anywhere, and what is more, he could not get his arm out. A crowd of people gathered round him and a lady rubbed his arm with soap and butter, but George was firmly stuck. The fire brigade was called and two fire fighters freed George using a special type of grease. George was not too upset by his experience because the lady who owns the sweet shop heard about his troubles and rewarded him with a large box of chocolates.

孩子们总是喜欢得到一些零花钱。爸爸妈妈当然经常会给孩子零花钱，但是，叔舅婶姨也是孩子们额外收入来源。对于有些孩子来说，少量的钱可以花很长一段时间。如果50便士不拿来换糖吃，则可以放在储蓄罐里叮当响上好几月。但是能把储蓄罐装满的只有屈指可数的几个特别节俭的孩子。对大部分孩子来说，用50便士来买一大块好的巧克力，是算不了什么的。

我的外甥乔治有一个储蓄罐，但总是空空的。我给了不少50便士的硬币，但没有几个存到储蓄罐里。昨天，我给了他50便士让他存起来，他却拿这钱给自己买了50便士的麻烦。在他去糖果店的路上，50便士掉在地上，在人行道上跳了几下，掉进了阴沟里。乔治脱掉外套，卷起袖子，将右胳膊伸进了阴沟盖。但他无论怎样摸也找不到那50便士硬币，他的胳膊反倒退不出来了。这时在他周围围上了许多人，一位女士在乔治胳膊上抹了肥皂、黄油，但乔治的胳膊仍然卡得紧紧的。有人打电话叫来消防队，两位消防队员使用一种特殊的润滑油才使乔治得以解脱。不过，此事并没使乔治过于伤心，因为糖果店老板娘听说了他遇到的麻烦后，赏给他一大盒巧克力。

Words

• appreciate /əˈpriʃiˌet/ v. 感谢
  1. I appreciate your honesty. Dallas Buyers Club
• money /ˈmʌni/ 零钱
  1. Leo asked for pocket money from his mom every Friday when he was young.
  2. How much pocket money do you get?
  3. To the little child’s horror, he found that he had lost all his pocket money.
  4. There was no shortage of pocket money when he was a little boy.
• With /wɪð/ 对于
• rattle /ˈrætəl/ v. 使咯咯作响
  1. All the windows rattled in the wind last night.
  2. Keys rattled in his pocket as he walked.
  3. There's something rattling inside the washing machine.
• thrifty /ˈθrɪfti/ adj. 节约的
  1. Mrs Jones was a very thrifty woman who never wasted anything.
  2. They have plenty of money now, but they are still very thrifty.
• nephew /ˈnɛfju/ n. 侄子
  1. My nephew and Leo have a lot in common.
  2. Her nephew died from a car accident last year.
  3. He always regards you as his nephew.
• bounced /baʊnst/ v. 弹起
  1. The coin bounced along the road.
  2. Her hair bounced when she walked.
  3. The children were bouncing a ball in the garden when they walked in.
• pavement /ˈpevmənt/ n. 人行道
  1. British English a hard level surface or path at the side of a road for people to walk on. sidewalk American English.
  2. A small group of journalists waited on the pavement outside her house.
  3. As she fell off the bike, her head hit the pavement.
  4. We should have sat down on the pavement.
• firmly /ˈfɝmli/ 牢固地
• stuck /stʌk/ 卡住的
  1. Leo realized to his horror that the wheels were stuck in the mud.
  2. The little boy’s arm was stuck in the mud.
• fire /ˈfaɪɚ/ brigade /brəˈɡed/ n. 消防队
  1. When the police arrived on the scene, took one look and called the fire brigade.
  2. They had to call the fire brigade, for the house was full of smoke.（N2L7&L17）
  3. We don't want to call the fire brigade until we have to.
• grease /ɡris/ n. 润滑油
  1. This cup is full of grease.
  2. It was my right hand that was covered with oil and grease.（N2L75&L58）
  3. You have a grease spot on your shirt.

Expressions

• I appreciate your honesty. 我很欣赏你的诚实
• supply of 供应
  1. There was a plentiful supply of books and magazines to read.
  2. The hospital keeps a large supply of blood. ▪Whenever she goes out with her baby, she always takes a large supply of baby food with her.
• go a long way 大有帮助；走很长的路
  1. All parents hope that their children will go a long way in their lives.
  2. The moment I met him I knew he would go a long way.
• be exchanged for sth. 被换成某物
• exchange a. for b. 用 A 换 B
• fill up sth. 装满某物
  1. I need to fill up with petrol before we go.
  2. It seems that they have filled up the gas tank.
  3. Not only did they fill up the glasses,...
• find one’s way… 找到路
• advise sb. to do sth. 建议某人做某事
  1. He happened to meet Evans last night and advised him to leave London.
  2. The doctor advised him to lose weight and exercise more.
  3. Leo advised me to turn off the background music last night.
  4. On one’s way to sw.
  5. On my way to your house, I grabbed a coffee for both of us.
  6. I saw Leo teaching English on my way to school.
  7. On my way to school, Leo explained everything to me.
• On one’s way to sw. 在去某地的路上
• roll up one’s sleeves 卷起袖子
  1. He would take off his jacket, roll up his sleeves, and play Ping-Pong with the kids.
  2. She rolled up her sleeves, and realized to her horror that her arms were covered with blood.
  3. She rolled up her sleeves and started washing.
  4. What is more=what’s more used to add something surprising or interesting to what you have just said used to add a point that is even more important 而且; 另外; 更重要的是
  5. What’s more, he will be coming with you tonight.
  6. And what's more, you need to explain that to me.
  7. rub a. with b.
  8. She began rubbing her hair with a towel.
• What is more=what’s more 而且；更重要的是
• rub a. with b. 用b擦a。
• a special type of sth. 一种特殊类型的……
  1. He became an expert at making this special type of butter.
  2. This special type of butter was used to make something that you never eat before.
  3. He was accustomed to eating a special type of butter.
• hear about sth. 听说某事
  1. I'd heard about your injury from your mom, but I didn't realize it was so bad.
  2. Instead of knowing that immediately.
  3. Teresa heard about the decision later.
  4. It seems that people want to write and hear about bad, negative news.
• reward sb. with sth. 用某物奖励某人
  1. The captain rewarded him with a free ticket.
  2. The captain advised me to reward him with more money.
  3. We would like to reward you with a free seat in first class.