【Text】
Lesson 31 A lovable eccentric 可愛的怪人
Listen to the tape then answer the question below.
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 assis-
tant severely. When Dickie was given the watch, he 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.
參考譯文
真正古怪的人從不有意引人注意。他們不顧社會習俗，意識不到自己所作所為有什么特殊之處。他們總能贏得別人的喜愛與尊敬，因為他們給平淡單一的日常生活增添了色彩。
理查德.科爾森生前是我們鎮上最有名望的人之一。他是個精明能干、有錢的商人，但鎮上大部分人對他生活中的這一個方面幾乎一無所知。大家都管他叫迪基。早在他去世前很久，他的古怪行為就成了傳奇故事了。
迪基痛恨勢利小人。盡管他有一輛豪華小轎車，但卻很少使用，常常喜歡以步代車。即使大雨傾盆，他也總是拒絕帶傘。一天，他遇上一場瓢潑大雨，淋得透濕。他走進一家高級商店，要為妻子買一塊價值300英鎊的手表。但店員見他渾身泥水的樣子，竟不肯接待他。迪基二話沒說就走了。一會兒，他帶著一個大布口袋回到店里。布袋很沉，他重重地把布袋扔在柜臺上。店員讓迪基走開，他置之不理，并要求見經理。經理認出了這位顧客，表示了深深的歉意，還嚴厲地訓斥了店員。店員為迪基拿出了那塊手表，迪基把布口袋遞給他，口袋里面裝著300鎊的便士。他堅持要店員點清那些硬幣后他才離去。這些硬幣加在一起共有 30,000枚！ 還有一次，他邀請一些著名評論家來參觀他私人收藏的現代畫。這次展覽引起報界廣泛注意，因為這些畫名義上是名家的作品，事實上是迪基自己畫的。他花了4年時間策劃這出精心設計的鬧劇，只是想證明評論家們有時并不解他們所談論的事情。
【課文講解】
deliberately: on purpose
set out to do = set about doing = start doing / to do sth.
draw attention to 吸引對......的注意
capture/attract/hold/catch/arrest/receive/draw attention to 吸引對……的注意力
He made a mistake without being conscious of the fact
invariably = always
Her fine character quickly won her the friendship of her colleagues
win sb sth 為某人贏得……
add colour to 增添色彩
Eccentrics add colour to our dull life.
背誦第一自然段。
up to the time of his death: before he died. 完成時
notable: famous
this side of his life 生活的這一面
L31-03 end 11’00”
L31-04 begin 11’10”
Dickie disliked snobs intensely / violently
preferring 現在分詞做伴隨狀況狀語
be caught in a heavy shower 遇到瓢潑大雨
be caught in a heavy snow 遇到大雪
be caught in a heavy storm 遇到風暴
pay no attention to sb = ignore sb = take no notice of sb = turn a deaf ear to sb對……不予理睬
Dickie took no notice of him
dickie turned a deaf ear to him.
refuse to listen to
request 求見（非常正式而有禮貌的用詞，語氣相當強烈，假如你request某件東西的話，通常你有權利得到你想要的。）
I requested the headmaster.
Every student can request assistance of their teachers.’
demand 在語氣上還要強烈，假如你demand某件東西的話，你堅決認為你有權利得到你想要的，且不愿意接受否定的回答。
I demand my rights. 我要求我的權力。
ask 口頭或寫信介到某物
I asked to get the book.
he asked me for help.
realizing or recognizing 在這里現在分詞做原因狀語
most = very much
present sb. with sth. or present sth. to sb. 把......交給
insist on doing / insist that
He insisted that the shop assistant should count the money before he left.
背誦：receive a great deal of attention in the press 引起了報界廣泛注意
simply to prove = only to prove
talk nonsense 胡說八道
talk sense 說正經話
背誦第三段及關鍵句型
L31-04 end 11’10”
L31-05 begin 10’56”
【Multiple choice questions】P148
Comprehension
1 Most people in the town would have regarded Dickie’s behaviour as eccentric on the day he visited the shop because _____ .
a. when he set out into the rain he did not take an umbrella
b. he went to such lengths to show his dislike of snobbery
c. he spent so much money on a watch
d. he had not counted the pennies before giving them to the assistant
go to lengths 竭盡全力
2 When Dickie went into an expensive shop _____ .
a. he wanted to shelter from the rain
b. he did not look like a man who could afford a watch
c. he had forgotten to bring his cloth bag with him
d. he had been sent by his wife to buy a watch
3 The press paid a great deal of attention to Dickie’s exhibition because _____ .
a. it had taken him so long to prepare the paintings
b. the critics admired Dickie’s ability to copy the work of famous artists
c. no one had known that Dickie was a painter
d. it became known that Dickie had succeeded in deceiving the critics
Structure
4 They disregard social conentions and requite unaware _____ they are doing anything extraordinary. (ll.2-3)
a. that what b. of the fact that c. if d. when
(of the fact可省略)
5 As it _____ , he dumped it on the counter. (ll.14-15)
a. was weighing b. weighed a lot c. weighed much d. had weighed much
much多用于疑問句或否定句中，而肯定句中多用a lot; a great deal
Eg.: He knows a lot about it.
He doesn’t know much about it.
Does he know much about it?
6 _____ ￡300 worth of pennies in the bag. (ll.17-18)
a. There were b. It was c. They were d. It had
7 He insisted _____ the money before he left.(l.18)
a. that the assistant should count b. the assistant to count
c. to count d. to be counted
8 He asked a number of important critics to come _____ his private… (ll.19-20)
a. and see b. seeing c. see d. so they saw
Vocabulary
9 ----and returned carrying a large _____ . (l.14)
a. cloth case b. clothes-basket c. sack of clothing d. bag made of cloth
10 But dickie paid no attention to his _____… (l.15)
a. question b. inquiry c. query d. demand
11 The pictures were supposed to have been _____ by famous artists.(ll.20-21)
a. worked b. made c. done d. designed
12 Critics do not always _____ . (ll.22)
a. mean well b. speak with understanding c. tell the truth d. takl sense
talk nonsence 胡說
【Key to Multiple choice questions】
1. B 2. B 3. D 4. B 5. B 6. A 7. A 8. A 9. D 10. D 11. C 12. D
L31-05 5’10” [ Lesson 31 41:04 ]
L31-05_32-01 5’43” [ Lesson 32 36:52 ]