Lesson 13 "It's only me" "是我，别害怕"
Listen to the tape then answer the question below.听录音，然后回答以下问题。
What did the man expect to find under the stairs?
After her husband had gone to work. Mrs. Richards sent her children to school and went upstairs to her bedroom. She was too excited to do any housework that morning, for in the evening she would be going to a fancy-dress party with her husband. She intended to dress up as a ghost and as she had made her costume the night before, she was impatient to try it on. Though the costume consisted only of a sheet, it was very effective. After putting it on, Mrs. Richards went downstairs. She wanted to find out whether it would be comfortable to wear.
Just as Mrs. Richards was entering the dinning room, there was a knock on the front door. She knew that it must be the baker. She had told him to come straight in if ever she failed to open the door and to leave the bread on the kitchen table. Not wanting to frighten the poor man, Mrs. Richards quickly hid in the small storeroom under the stairs. She heard the front door open and heavy footsteps in the hall. Suddenly the door of the storeroom was opened and a man entered. Mrs. Richards realized that it must be the man from the Electricity Board who had come to read the meter. She tried to explain the situation, saying 'It's only me', but it was too late. The man let out cry and jumped back several paces. When Mrs. Richards walked towards him, he fled, slamming the door behind him.
参考译文
理查兹夫人等丈夫上班走后，把孩子送去上学，然后来到楼上自己的卧室。那天上午，她兴奋得什么家务活都不想做，因为晚上她要同丈夫一起参加一个化装舞会。 她打算装扮成鬼的模样。头天晚上她已把化装服做好，这时她急于想试试。尽管化装服仅由一个被单制成，却十分逼真。理查兹夫人穿上化装服后下了楼，想看穿起 来是否舒服。
理查兹夫人刚刚走进餐厅，前门就传来敲门声。她知道来了一定面包师。她曾告诉过面包师，如果她不去开门，他可直接进门，把面包放在厨房的桌上。理查兹夫人 不想吓唬这个可怜人，便赶紧躲到了楼梯下的小储藏室里。她听见前门被打开，走廊里响起重重的脚步声。突然贮藏门开了，一个男人走了进来。理查兹夫人这才想 到一定是供电局来人查电表了。她说了声“是我，别怕！”然后想进行一番解释，但已来不及了。那人大叫了一声，惊退了几步。理查兹夫人朝他走去，只见他 “砰”的一声关上门逃走了。
New words and expressions 生词和短语
costume
n. 化装服
consist
v. 由……组成
sheet
n. 被单
effective
adj. 有明显效果的，有作用的
comfortable
adj.舒适的
storeroom
n.储藏室
electricity
n.电
meter
n. 电表
pace
n. 一步
flee (fled, fled)
v. 逃走
slam
v. 砰地关上
Notes on the text课文注释
1 would he going，是过去将来进行时，用来表示过去预计将要发生的动作。
2 fancy-dress party化装舞会。
3 dress up as，化装成...
4 try it on
it 指costume, try on是“试穿”、“试戴”。
5 just as ...，正当...的时候。
6 She had told him to come straight in if ever she failed to open the door and to leave the bread on the kitchen table.她曾告诉过他，如果她没去开门，他可直接进来，把面包放在厨房的桌子上。if ever 在条件句中表示强调，可译作“任何时候”。to come straight in指“直接进来”。
7 Not wanting to frighten the poor tnan，不想去吓唬这个可怜的人。这是现在分词短语的否定形式，作目的状语。
