新概念英语第二册Lesson 95 A fantasy
First listen and then answer the question.
听录音，然后回答以下问题。
Why was the Ambassador particularly lucky?
When the Ambassador or Escalopia returned home for lunch, his wife got a shock. He looked pale and his clothes were in a frightful state.
'What has happened?' she asked. 'How did your clothes get into such a mess?'
'A fire extinguisher, my dear,' answered the Ambassador drily. 'University students set the Embassy on fire this morning.'
'Good heavens!' exclaimed his wife. 'And where were you at the time?'
'I was in my office as usual,' answered the Ambassador. 'The fire broke out in the basement. I went down immediately, of course, and that fool, Horst, aimed a fire extinguisher at me. He thought I was on fire. I must definitely get that fellow posted.'
The Ambassador's wife went on asking questions, when she suddenly noticed a big hole in her husband's hat.
'And how can you explain that?' she asked.
'Oh, that,' said the Ambassador. 'Someone fired a shot through my office window. Accurate, don't you think? Fortunately, I wasn't wearing it at the time. If I had been, I would not have been able to get home for lunch.'
New words and expressions 生词和短语
fantasy n. 幻想故事
ambassador n. 大使
Escalopia n. 艾斯卡罗比亚（虚构的国名）
frightful adj. 可怕的，令人吃惊的
fire extinguisher 灭火器
drily adv. 冷淡地，枯燥无味地
embassy n. 大使馆
heaven n. 天，天堂
basement n. 地下室
definitely adv. 肯定地
post v. 派任
shot n. 子弹
参考译文
当艾斯卡罗比亚国的大使回到家吃午饭时，把他的夫人吓了一跳。他面色苍白，衣服也搞得不成样子。
“发生了什么事？”她问，“你的衣服怎么搞得一塌糊涂？”
“灭火器弄的，亲爱的，”大使冷冷地回答，“今天上午大学生们放火点着了大使馆。”
“天啊！”他的夫人惊叫，“那你当时在什么地方？”
“我和往常一样，在办公室里，”大使回答说。“地下室突然着火，我当然马上下去了。但那个傻瓜霍斯特把灭火器对准了我。他认为是我着火了。我一定要把那个家伙打发走。”
大使夫人继续提出问题，她突然又发现丈夫的帽子上有个洞。
“那么你对那又作何解释呢？”她问。
“那个嘛，”大使说，“有人向我办公室窗户开了一枪。真够准的，是不是？幸亏我当时没戴帽子。如果真戴着它，我现在就不能回家来吃午饭了。”
自学导读
课文详注 Further notes on the text
1．How did your clothes get into such a mess? 你的衣服怎么搞得一塌糊涂？
mess 表示“脏乱状态”时通常与in连用或与 get into连用（cf．第54 课课文详注）：
When she returned from the market, the children had got the room into a terrible mess.
她从市场回去后，孩子们已经把房间里弄得一塌糊涂。
Why was her hair in such a mess?
她的头发怎么会那么乱？
2．University students set the Embassy on fire this morning. 今天上午大学生们放火点着了大使馆。
set on fire 为固定短语，表示“使……燃烧”、“放火烧……”：
In 1834, someone set the Houses of Parliament on fire.
1834年，有人放火点着了国会大厦。
Have you found out who set my car on fire?
你们是否已经查出是谁烧了我的车？
3．The fire broke out in the basement. 地下室突然着火。
break out 可以指火灾、战争等“突然发生”、“爆发”：
World War I broke out in 1914.
第一次世界大战于 1914年爆发。
When the fire broke out in the ship, Sally was frightened out of her wits.
当轮船突然着火时，萨莉吓得惊慌失措。
4．The Ambassador's wife went on asking questions…
大使夫人继续提出问题……
go on+ 动名词表示某个动作“继续不停”：
We went on talking till after midnight.
我们继续谈话直到午夜以后。
go on+ 不定式则指做不同的事：
After making the bed, she went on to cook breakfast.铺好床后，她接着便做早饭。
5．Someone fired a shot through my office window. 有人向我办公室窗户开了一枪。
fire 在这里是动词，表示“发射（枪、弹等）”：
When the prisoner of war tried to escape, a guard fired a gun at him.
那战俘试图逃跑时，一名卫兵向他开了一枪。
A young man fired on the British Ambassador to Japan.
一位年轻人向英国驻日本大使开了枪。
词汇学习 Word study
1．aim
（1）vt., vi.（把……）瞄准／对准：
He aimed a fire extinguisher at me.
他把灭火器对准了我。
He aimed at the dog but missed.
他瞄准了那只狗，但没打中。
（2）vi. 目标在于，志向：
What he aims for is money.
他追求的是金钱。
She aims to be a painter.
她想成为一名画家。
（3）n. 目的，目标，志向：
What is your aim in life?
你的生活目的是什么？
You've missed your aim again.
你又没击中目标。
2．post vt.
（1）派任，委派（与人连用）：
I must definitely get that fellow posted.
我一定要把那个家伙打发走。（get…posted 为使役式）
Two months ago, Horst was posted to Paris.
两个月以前霍斯特被派往巴黎。
（2）邮寄（与物连用，美国英语用 mail）：
He posted me a Christmas card last year.
去年他给我寄了一张圣诞卡。
Would you please post this parcel for me?
你替我把这包裹寄了好吗？
练习答案 Key to written exercises
1．关键句型练习答案
A When she asked what had happened and how his clothes had got into such a mess, the Ambassador answered drily that a fire extinguisher had been responsible. He then told her that university students had set the Embassy on fire that morning. His wife was most surprised and asked him where he had been at the time. The Ambassador answered that he had been in his office as usual. When the fire broke out in the basement, he had gone down to investigate and a man called Horst had aimed a fire extinguisher at him. Horst thought the Ambassador was on fire. The Ambassador said that he must definitely get the fellow posted. His wife suddenly noticed a big hole in her husband's hat and asked him how he could explain it. The Ambassador said that someone had fired a shot through his office window. The shot was accurate, but fortunately he had not been wearing his hat at the time. If he had, he would not have been able to get home for lunch.
B have just received…said…has broken…were demonstrating / demonstrated…broke…set…were protesting…has recently been imposed / was recently imposed…said… has been seriously affected… is said… was bravely defended…kept…announced…would be taken
2．多项选择题答案
1d 2a 3b 4a 5d 6c
7d 8c 9a 10c 11d 12c
