英语博客(A cup of English):028 Snow time.
时间：2019-01-28 作者：英语课 分类：英语博客 A cup of English
Beginners.
White, white, white, that is mostly what I see these days. But, it is a beautiful white. It is a white that covers everything outside: houses, cars, streets, trees, even the thinnest sign posts. It is a white that brings quiet with it. Snow is, of course, like a blanket; it covers and it quietens. Now, in the morning, instead of hearing the busy 'swush' of cars and buses going to work and school, we hear nothing. Even the snow plough is quite quiet, until it lowers its plow 1 and scrapes along the icy road. The big white blanket also brings entertainment with it, lots of entertainment. You can ski, sled, or just goof 2 around in the snow. The children bundle up in lots of warm clothes for play time; if they don't, they will pay for it later with icy toes, fingers and ears.
Grammar notes.
Related vocabulary: sign post; to quieten = to make quiet; instead of; snow plough; to scrape; entertainment = activities that are enjoyable.
Advanced.
There is a bird house just outside our kitchen window which sits, pretty as a picture all year long, reflecting the changing seasons. In Spring, it is a flurry of activity, with noisy, twittery birds who seem like complete maniacs 4 in constant motion. And, oh, the noise! For a light sleeper 5, like myself, it is a challenge to control myself enough to not pull out the bird house just to get some peace and quiet. Mind you, whenever I am tempted 6 to get rid of the thing, I see what a haven 7 it is for our beautiful, dainty feathered friends. I couldn't possibly! Well, the babies grow, learn to fly, and leave the nest, and before you know it, the house is empty again. As the seasons change, many of the species of birds that live here, fly South for warmer climates. A few stay and brave the long Winter. They are adept 8 at finding just the right spots for building nests and finding food. We help them along by putting seeds out for them, but I think that they would probably manage by themselves. As the snow quietly covers everything day after day, the little house gets more and more insulated. I think it will be a part of our garden for years to come.
Grammar notes.
Vocabulary: a flurry = lots of activity; twittery = noisy bird chirping 9; maniac 3 = crazy; a haven = a place of refuge; dainty = delicate; to brave something = to put up with (especially weather).
Verbs: to be able: I couldn't possibly!
Ex: Have some more cake. Oh, I couldn't possibly.
To be adept at something = to be very good at something.
- At this time of the year farmers plow their fields.每年这个时候农民们都在耕地。
- We will plow the field soon after the last frost.最后一场霜过后，我们将马上耕田。
- We goofed last week at the end of our interview with singer Annie Ross.上周我们采访歌手安妮·罗斯，结果到快结束时犯了个愚蠢的错误。
- You will never be good students so long as you goof around.如果你们成天游手好闲，就永远也成不了好学生。
- Be careful!That man is driving like a maniac!注意！那个人开车像个疯子一样！
- You were acting like a maniac,and you threatened her with a bomb!你像一个疯子，你用炸弹恐吓她！
- Hollywood films misrepresented us as drunks, maniacs and murderers. 好莱坞电影把我们歪曲成酒鬼、疯子和杀人凶手。 来自辞典例句
- They're not irrational, potentially homicidal maniacs, to start! 他们不是非理性的，或者有杀人倾向的什么人！ 来自电影对白
- I usually go up to London on the sleeper. 我一般都乘卧车去伦敦。
- But first he explained that he was a very heavy sleeper. 但首先他解释说自己睡觉很沉。
- I was sorely tempted to complain, but I didn't. 我极想发牢骚，但还是没开口。
- I was tempted by the dessert menu. 甜食菜单馋得我垂涎欲滴。
- It's a real haven at the end of a busy working day.忙碌了一整天后，这真是一个安乐窝。
- The school library is a little haven of peace and quiet.学校的图书馆是一个和平且安静的小避风港。
- When it comes to photography,I'm not an adept.要说照相，我不是内行。
- He was highly adept at avoiding trouble.他十分善于避开麻烦。