课文原文（双语对话）

Robbie: The mailman just dropped some mail in our box, Grandpa. / 邮差刚刚塞进一些信件在我们的信箱里，爷爷。

Grandpa: Probably a lot of advertising and bills. / 大概是一大堆广告和帐单。

Robbie: You were right, Grandpa. Advertising, bills, bills, advertising. / 给你说对了，爷爷。广告、帐单、帐单、广告。

Grandpa: Nothing interesting. / 没有什么有趣的。

Robbie: You won’t believe it, Grandpa, but there’s a letter here addressed to you, Mr. Malcolm Stewart, and it looks like a personal letter. / 你绝不会相信，爷爷，这里确实有一封信是寄给你的，Malcolm Stewart先生收，而且看来是一封私人信件。

Grandpa: Oh, it must be a bill. / 噢，还不是帐单。

Robbie: I don’t think so. The return name and address is Pete Waters, RFD Number 1, Chesterton. / 我想不是吧。发信人姓名和地址是：Pete Waters，Chesterton，乡村免费邮递路线一号。

Grandpa: You’re joking. Pete Waters? You bet I do! He was my roommate in college. He visited with Grandma and me in Florida about five years ago. / 你在开玩笑吧。Pete Waters？你可以打赌我当然认识。他是我大学时的室友。他到Florida看过祖母和我，大约五年前。

Robbie: What does he say? / 他说了些什么？

Grandpa: He’s writing to invite me to spend a weekend with him at his farm. He’s planning a get-together with two or three other college friends. A kind of a fifty-year anniversary reunion. / 他写信邀请我去他的农场跟他一起渡个周末。他计划办一个聚会，邀两、三个其他的大学朋友一起。等于是五十周年重逢聚会。

Robbie: Sounds like fun. Fifty years? Wow! / 听起来好像蛮好玩的。五十年？喔！

Robbie: How come he never got married? / 为什么他不结婚？

Grandpa: He never married because the girl he was in love with in college married someone else. As simple as that. He never got over it. / 他不结婚是因为他大学时代所爱的女孩跟别人结婚了。就这么简单。他一直念念不忘。

Robbie: He must have loved her very much. / 他一定非常非常地爱她。

Grandpa: Yes. Very much. Lillian Winters. She was in our class. / 是的，非常爱。她是Lillian Winters。她和我们同班。

（Grandpa开车去农场，途中问路）

Grandpa: Could you tell me how to use the shortcut? / 你能告诉我怎么走这条近路吗？

Gas Station Attendant: Sure. You take the next left turn. You’ll see a stop sign. Make a right at the stop sign. Stay on that road, and you’ll cross a blue bridge. Then you’ll see a big old red barn. That’s the back of Pete Waters’s place. / 当然。你在下一个路口左转，会看到有个停车再开标志。就在停车再开标志那里向右拐。沿着路开下去，你会经过一座蓝色的桥。然后你就会看到一座旧的红色大谷仓。那就是Pete Waters住处的后面。

（到达农场，看到Pete留下的纸条）

Grandpa: “Have gone to the railroad station. Back soon with a surprise. Make yourself at home. Have a look around. Pete.” Same old Pete Waters. Always full of surprises. / “去火车站。接一个惊喜即回。勿客气。到处看看。Pete。” Pete Waters还是老样子。总是出人意表。

（老朋友们相聚）

Peggy: It’s Malcolm Stewart! You haven’t changed much in fifty years. / 他是Malcolm Stewart！你五十年来没有什么变。

Arnold: You look wonderful, Malcolm! / 你看起来好得很，Malcolm！

（Pete带着Lillian回来了）

Pete: Remember Lillian? / 还记得Lillian吗？

Grandpa: Lillian! Oh, my gosh! Lillian Winters. We were together in the Thursday night drama society. / Lillian！噢，我的天啊！Lillian Winters。我们过去总在星期四晚上的话剧社里聚会。

Grandpa: How’s Donald? / Donald怎么样？

Lillian: That’s OK, Malcolm. Donald passed away a couple of years ago. / 没有关系，Malcolm。Donald几年前去世了。

Pete: I’ve invited you here for the weekend to help celebrate. / 我邀请你们到这儿来渡周末并一起庆祝。

Arnold: Celebrate? Our fiftieth reunion? / 庆祝？是我们的五十年重聚？

Pete: No. I have loved Lillian all these years, so I asked her to be Mrs. Pete Waters. / 不是。这些年来我一直爱着Lillian，所以我请求她成为Pete Waters夫人。

Lillian: And I said yes. / 而我答应了。

Peggy: I knew it! I knew it! Congratulations! / 我就知道是这样！我就知道是这样！恭喜你们！

Pete: Lillian and I were married two weeks ago in Detroit. She’s come here to stay. / Lillian和我在两周前在Detroit结婚了。她这次来是要住下来。

Grandpa: Wait till I tell my family about this! Why, that’s wonderful! / 我告诉我家人这件事的时候有的瞧了！哎呀，这太美好了！

重难点分析

  1. “You bet” — 口语中表示"当然、肯定"，相当于 “of course”、“definitely”。

  2. “How come” — 口语中询问原因，相当于 “why”，但更随意。注意 “How come” 后面用陈述句语序：“How come he never got married?”

  3. “get over” — 表示"从（失恋、疾病、打击中）恢复过来"。“He never got over it.” 表示他一直没能释怀。

  4. “pass away” — “去世"的委婉说法，比 “die” 更礼貌。

  5. “full of surprises” — 形容某人总是给人惊喜，出人意表。

  6. “make yourself at home” — 主人对客人说的客套话，“别客气，就像在自己家一样”。

核心词汇

词汇 释义 例句
advertising 广告 Probably a lot of advertising and bills.
personal 私人的 It looks like a personal letter.
roommate 室友 He was my roommate in college.
reunion 重聚、 reunion A kind of a fifty-year anniversary reunion.
get-together 聚会 He’s planning a get-together.
shortcut 近路、捷径 There’s a shortcut—if you know it.
surprise 惊喜 Always full of surprises.
recognize 认出 I recognize you.
rascal 淘气鬼、老顽童 You old rascal!
congratulations 恭喜 Congratulations!

口语中的应用

  1. “You bet I do!” — 强烈肯定，“我当然（认识/知道）！”

  2. “Sounds like fun.” — 表示某事听起来很有趣。

  3. “As simple as that.” — “就这么简单”，用于强调事情很简单。

  4. “Make yourself at home.” — 热情招待客人时使用。

  5. “Wait till I tell…” — “等我告诉……"，表达迫不及待想分享消息。

  6. “For goodness’ sake” — “天啊、看在老天份上”，表达急切或惊讶。

核心练习句型

  1. How come + 陈述句：How come he never got married?
  2. get over + 某事：He never got over it.
  3. must have + 过去分词：He must have loved her very much.
  4. full of + 名词：He’s always full of surprises.
  5. You bet + 从句：You bet I do!
  6. make yourself at home — 别客气。