英语播客 A Cup of English The Star Wars Death Star

One of the obsessions you will find in our family is Star Wars. My second son, Cass, has been saving his pocket money, birthday, and Christmas money to buy one of the biggest Star Wars Lego toys: The Death Star. For those of you who are fans, or, at least, for those of you who have seen the movies, you might remember the huge space station owned and operated by the 'baddies'. It was a sphere, and from a distance looked like a moon. It housed Darth Vader, the evil emperor, Lord Sidius, and all the storm troopers and imperial workers. What a place it was. It served also as a huge weapon; it had a massive lazer which could destroy whole planets. Anyway, after saving his money for two years, Cass finally had enough to order the Death Star on line. He was thrilled. It only took about a week to arrive. Everyone was excited to see him open up the box, and we all gasped in amazement at the number of Lego pieces and the size of the instruction book. Two hundred and fifty nine pages and three thousand eight hundred and three Lego pieces later, he was finished. What dedication! I had to remind him to drink and eat during the day and a half that he spent in his room, working away like a little elf. And now, there it is, sitting in all its glory on his desk, complete, shiny, and full of Star Wars battles, past, present, and future.

Grammar notes.

Related verbs: to serve (as a), to house, to gasp, to remind.

1. This Swiss pocket knife is amazing; it serves as a knife, a pair of scissors, a can opener, and a nail file!

2. Our cow barn also houses goats and sheep.

3. When I swam up from the bottom of the lake I gasped for air; I had been underwater a long time.

4. Please remind me to take the garbage out tonight.