in the suitcase without which I could not enrol
7
for the course. Not withstanding
8
all the
worries, I fell asleep at last, with complete exhaustion, I guess.
The first thing I remembered the next morning was my suitcase. I got dressed and
rushed down the seemingly endless flight of stairs to the information counter. The lady
greeted me with the sweetest smile I have ever seen. She told me to come behind the
counter. I did and there, behind the counter stood the too familiar, red suitcase. I almost
screamed with joy. I squeezed her hands and expressed my deepest thanks.
I picked up my suitcase and ran with it to my room. I knelt down and humbly thanked
God for having saved me from the mess I was in. I have learnt my lesson and promised
myself to be extra careful in future. I was also determined not to let anyone at home
know about this incident forever !
1. stuff /st^f/ (v) nhồi nhét cái gì vào đầy cái gì•
2. brooch /br6$t~/ (n) trâm, ghim hoa
3. hail /he1l/ (v) ra hiệu cho (tác xi, v.v…) dừng lại
4. hostel /'h4stl/ (n) nhà ký túc, khu tập thể
5. boot /bu:t/ (n) ngăn để hành lý, thường nằm phía sau xe ô tô
6. plight /pla1t/ (n) cảnh ngộ khốn khó
7. enrol /1n'r6$l/ (n) ghi danh
8. withstand /w15'st%nd/ (v) cưỡng lại
143. DANGEROUS COMPANION
KẺ ĐỒNG HÀNH NGUY HIỂM
"All aboard!" The loud commanding voice woke me up from my nap. Grabbing my
knap-sack I shoved my way through the crowd towards the train. I jumped onto it and
hurriedly moved from carriage
1
to carriage trying to locate the one in which Miss Lou
was. I could have written to her and asked for the carriage number, but there was no fun
in that. I wanted to surprise her.
I glanced at my pocket watch that Miss Lou had given me on my last birthday. I
plunged
2
into a nostalgia mood, as I recollected how fondly Miss Lou who is actually
none other than my dear auntie had taken care of me when I was young.
"April, April" a shrill, familiar voice cut my thoughts. I looked up to see the ever smiling
face of my Aunt Lou. I was filled with joy at seeing her. I explained that I had, at the
spur
3
of the moment, decided to accompany her to Paris. In our excitement, we had
forgotten about the other passengers in the carriage. If not for Aunt Lou's elderly
companion and nurse, we would have certainly been carried away during this
memorable moment. Miss Prude (a very apt
4
name for her, I thought) interrupted us
curtly, saying, "Madame, it's time for your medicine".
That night, we had a lovely time together. Aunt Lou was proud to show me her
fabulous
5
jewellery collection. Among her favourites and most expensive was an
exquisite diamond-studded
6
necklace, intricately and skillfully crafted. On seeing these
priceless possessions of hers, I raised my doubts about their safety. She told me not
worry as she had always kept them in a "poor-looking box" to avoid suspicion.
In the morning, we had breakfast together and this time we were not bothered and
haunted by Aunt Lou's companion. It was on my way to the cashier that I noticed a
young and beautiful woman going into the carriage we had been in a short while ago. I
tried to recall the instance I had seen that familiar face before but I failed.
When I saw Aunt Lou's smiling face, I forgot everything about that mysterious lady.
Both of us then, walked towards our carriage. We knew something was amiss
7
when we
saw the door ajar. Aunt Lou turned pale and nearly fainted when she discovered that her
jewel box was missing.
I was suddenly reminded of Miss Prude. She was the only person who had access
8
to the
carriage. She might have overheard us talking about the box during the previous night.
With the help of some concerned passengers and a train officer, we searched high and
low for somebody fitting the descrition of Miss Prude.
We were about to give up our search when my eyes fell upon the beautiful, mysterious
lady. Her too-familiar face bore the look of unpardonable guilt. I grabbed the officer's
arm and pointed to her. She tried to escape but was caught with the box in her bag.
Aunt Lou praised me for uncovering the disguise.
9
It was later found that before this
incident, Miss Prude had used her skills in theatrical
10
makeup to deceive some ten to
fifteen rich and lonely old ladies who depended on her for companionship. Miss Prude
was indeed their most dangerous companion !
1. carrige /'k%r1d2/ (n) toa xe lửa chở hành khách
2. plunge (into) /pl^nd2/ (v) rơi vào một trạng thái
3. spur /sp3:(r)/ (n) sự thôi thúc, sự khuyến khích
4. apt /%pt/ (adj) thích hợp
5. fabulous /'f%bj$l6s/ (adj) tuyệt vời
6. diamond-studded /,da16m6nd 'st^d1d/ (adj) được nạm ngọc
7. amiss /6'm1s/ (adj) sai, không ổn
8. access /'%kses/ (n) cơ hội hoặc quyền sử dụng cái gì hoặc đến gần ai
9. disguise /d1's9a1z/ (n) sự ngụy trang, sự cải trang
10. theatrical make-up /81'%tr1kl 'me1k^p/ (n) sự hóa trang khi lên sân khấu
144. IT WAS NOT SUCH A GOOD BARGAIN AFTER ALL
RỐT CỤC ĐÓ NÀO PHẢI MỘT MÓN HỜI!
Sitting at a corner of my favourite coffee-shop one morning, I heard some noises behind
me. On directing my view to the opposite side of my table, I saw crowd holding a few
expensive watches. The pieces of diamond on the watches glittered under the sunlight.
With the urge to investigate, I dragged my lazy feet towards them.
To my amazement, there were about half a dozen Rolex watches costing not less than
three thousand dollars each. A slim, well-attired man curtly interrupted me and tried to
clear my dazed mind with a whisper. "My boy, don't be fooled by that charlatan
1
or
you'll get into trouble." So saying, he left me without giving me a chance to reply. Being
easily tempted and influenced, I found myself standing in front of the crowd directly
facing the man who was then the centre of attraction. In spite of the unidentified man's
warning, I inquired the seller for the price of the watches.
He was probably taken aback by the question coming from a young schoolboy like me
because he stared at me in disbelief. However, he held out to shake hands with me. He
asked me a few questions ; I guessed he was trying to see my earnestness at owning the
watch. Convinced of my intentions, he told me that he got those watches from his former
employer, year after year for he was hardworking and diligent. As he was then
financially tight, he had to sell all the watches. I was convinced beyond the shadow of a
doubt when the man produced copies of certificates proving the genuinness
2
of the
watches.
After inspecting
3
the watches thoroughly, I again inquired about the price. To my
astonishment, the man was willing to sell the watch for a thousand dollars which was
only thirty percent of the cost price. My heart almost leapt into my mouth when I
thought of this bargain. "Well, son, seeing that you're still schooling and not earning yet,
I'll let you have it for $850," said the man. "Wow ! What a bargain, I'll take it," I replied
without second thoughts.
I excused myself and ran to the Cash-On-Line teller across the road. I withdrew
4
the
required amount and turned my head towards the watch seller only to find him being
held by two police constables.
5
A large crowd has by then gathered in front of the
coffee-shop. The police then seized the diamond-studded Rolex watches and led the
watch dealer away in their van.
I traced my steps back towards the coffee-shop where my coffee (which had turned cold
by then), still stood patiently in the cup, waiting to be drunk. I was disappointed at what
had happened. The young, mysterious man who had warned me before came again and
this time he said mockingly,
6
"You see ? I told you to be careful. That man was a thief.
He stole the watches and some jewellery from a goldsmith shop. Police have been
tracking him ever since and thank goodness, at last they found him. The nerve of him
trying to cheat a young boy like you. It was lucky that you didn't buy the watch."
Without a single word, I nodded and shook hands with the man. I suppose that gesture
7
was worth a thousand words. The man stroked my hair and said, "Well son, it wasn't
such a good bargain after all !"
1. charlatan /'~@:l6t6n/ (n) kẻ (bất tài) hay lòe bòp
2. genuinness /'d2enj$1n1s/ (n) tính đích thực
3. inspect /1n'spekt/ (v) xem xét kỹ và tỉ mỉ
4. withdraw /w15'dr0:/ (v) (withdrew-withdrawn) rút (tiền) ra khỏi tài khoản ở ngân hàng
5. constable /'k^nst6bl/ (n) (cũng police constable) cảnh sát (nam hoặc nữ) ở cấp thấp nhất
6. mocking /'m4k17/ (adj) có tính chế giễu, nhạo báng - mockingly /-l1/ (adv)
7. gesture /'d2est~6(r)/ (n) cử chỉ, điệu bộ
145. CAPSIZED!
1
BỊ LẬT THUYỀN
It was a lovely evening when John arrived at his uncle Willy's fish farm. Uncle Willy
had promised to take John fishing in a boat. John was very excited at the prospect for he
had never been in a boat before.
John found Uncle Willy sitting on the bank of a large fish pond. His uncle was preparing
some fishing rods. John greeted him, "Hi, Uncle."
"Ah, John, you are here already," his uncle replied. "Let's get going, You take that
fishing rod there and get into the boat".
"Okay, uncle," replied John, He picked up the fishing rod and walked towards the boat.
The boat was floating gently on the water and John did not have the slightest clue
2
how
to get in. He put one food in the boat and the boat started sliding away from him.
Startled he withdrew his foot and nearly fell into the water.
"How do I get in?" he asked.
In reply Uncle Willy grabbed the boat with one hand and motioned John to get in.
Carefully John stepped into the boat and sat down. He felt strange sitting in a boat that
kept bouncing up and down and sideways too.
Uncle Willy untied the mooring rope
3
and stepped into the boat. He took an oar
4
and
expertly steered
5
the boat out into the middle of the lake.
John felt both excitement and fear. It was indeed exciting to be in a boat for the first
time. It was also fearful because he was afraid he might fall into the water. Anyhow he
watched the boat glide smoothly over the water. The view of the pond from the boat was
beautiful. It was great.
After a minute or so Uncle Willy stopped the boat and dropped a brick tied to a rope
over the side of the boat. This was his make-shift anchor and it did its job pretty well.
"Let's fish," Uncle Willy said to John.
So the two of them got about the joyful task of casting their lines into the calm water of
the pond.
Presently John saw his float jiggle
6
a bit before it disappeared straight into the water.
Wow! There must a big fish on his line ! In his excitement John stood up in the boat to
pull his line in. That was his undoing. He did not know it was not a good idea to stand in
a boat for the boat would become very unstable. Since he had never been in a boat
before he did not know that. So as soon as he stood up, the boat gave a mighty heave
7
and capsized dumping both of them into the pond with a big splash.
One moment John was grabbing frantically at his line, the next he was grabbing
frantically in the water for something to hold on to. It seemed like eternity
8
before his
hands found something solid. He held on tightly. It was part of the boat. However he
was still underwater and his lungs ached for air. Instinctively he moved upwards still
clutching the boat. Just as his lungs seemed like they would burst, John emerged above
the water. What a relief it was. He sucked in the cool sweet air. Never before had he
realised that the air was so sweet and soothing. My God, was he glad that he could
breathe.
When John could breathe normally again, he realised that the boat had capsized. He
looked around to see where his uncle was. He heard laughter behind him. It was Uncle
Willy laughing his head off.
"You really look funny, you know ?" Uncle Willy guffawed.
9
"What do you mean, uncle ?" asked John.
"Do you know you gave such a horrible yell when you fell into the water and was
spluttering
10
and puffing
11
when you emerged from it. You looked like a clown in a
circus !"
John realised that he must have presented quite a sight to his uncle when he fell into the
water. He laughed in return.
"Well, that will teach you not to stand up suddenly in a boat, won't it ? Come, let's push
the boat to the bank and get it upright again," his uncle ordered.
Together they pushed the upside down boat towards the nearest bank.
1. capsize /k%p'sa1z/ (v) (làm cho một chiếc thuyền) lật úp
2. clue /klu:/ (n) đầu mối, manh mối - not have a clue (idm) không biết (gì) về cái gì,
không biết phải làm gì như thế nào
3. moor /m0:(r)/ (v) cột, bỏ neo - mooring rope (n) dây chão neo thuyền
4. oar /0:(r)/ (n) mái chèo
5. steer /st16(r)/ (v) lái (tàu, thuyền, xe, v.v…)
6. jiggle /'d219l/ (v) đưa đẩy, lắc lư
7. heave /hi:v/ (n) sự nhấp nhô
8. eternity /1't3:n1t1/ (n) thời gian (tưởng chừng như) vô tận
9. guffaw /96'f0:/ (v) cười ha hả
10. splutter /'spl^t6(r)/ (v) phát ra hàng loạt tiếng phì phì – phun phì phì
11. puff /p^f/ (v) thở phì phò, thở hổn hển
VĂN TƯỞNG TƯNG
Như tên gọi, văn tưởng tượng đòi hỏi người viết phải suy nghó hoặc hình dung một sự
việc chưa hề xảy ra. Đó có thể là “The year 2990”, “What will happen in the century of
twenty-one”, hoặc “If I were a millionaire”. Một loại đề tài thuộc thể loại văn tưởng
tượng là yêu cầu viết bản tự truyện của một đồ vật hoặc một con vật nào đó, chẳng hạn
như “An autobiography of a butterfly”, “An autobiography of a dancing doll”. Bằng óc
tưởng tượng, người viết phải đặt mình vào đòa vò của những đối tượng không biết nói đó,
và kể lại đời chúng, qua đó có thể nhắn nhủ người đọc phải biết yêu q, giữ gìn và bảo
vệ chúng trong đời sống hàng ngày.
Văn tưởng tượng đòi hỏi một vốn kiến thức sâu rộng, khả năng suy đoán hợp lý cũng
như óc tưởng tượng phong phú. Những dữ kiện hoặc chi tiết đưa ra không nên đi quá xa
với cái có thể xảy ra, hoặc quá dò thường, quái lạ. Cố gắng dùng từ ngữ đơn giản, rõ
ràng và có sức thuyết phục cao.
146. THE YEAR 2990
NĂM 2990
Technology has been progressing at a great rate
1
over the past few decades.
2
I think
that in a few centuries' time, the world will be very different.
Perhaps, in the year 2990, the world will be entirely computerized.
3
Every household
will have a mainframe
4
which is linked to all other systems. Adults do not have to go to
work and children need not go to school as everything can be done at home.
Probably, by then, humans will not even have to take food in the form of meat,
vegetables and rice to survice.
5
Tablets containing the ideal proportion of the essential
nutrients
6
will be enough for us.
Robots could become so cheap that every household could afford a few of them. Life
will be easy and comfortable with all the household chores being done by the robots.
Visiting relatives during Chinese New Year will not be necessary any more. All that the
Chinese need to do is to switch on the mainframe and exchange greetings through the
big screen. Children could still get their "ang pows," but not directly. The money will be
credited to their bank accounts using the mainframe.
All these changes are just my own idea of what life in the future could be like. I wonder
if they will come true.
1. progress at a great rate /pr6'9res/ tiến bộ vượt bậc
2. decade /d1'ke1d/ (n) thời kỳ mười năm – thập niên, thập kỷ
3. computerize /k6m'pju:t6ra1z/ (v) đưa vào máy tính để làm công việc của hoặc cho (cái gì)
4. mainframe /'me1nfre1m/ (n) (cũng mainfraim computer) máy tính lớn, có công sức cao
và bộ nhớ rộng
5. survive /s6'va1v/ (v) tiếp tục sống hoặc tồn tại, sinh tồn
6. nutrient /'nju:tr16nt/ (n) chất dinh dưỡng
147. IF I HAD THREE WISHES
NẾU TÔI CÓ BA ĐIỀU ƯỚC
If a fairy were to grant
1
me three wishes, I know what I would like to wish for.
First of all, I would wish for plenty of money. With lots of wealth, I could help the poor.
I could donate lots of money to the orphanages,
2
the homes for the aged, the schools for
the blind and so on. Many would benefit from the money as it could be put to good use.
Secondly, I would like to wish for the good health of my parents and my family. Health
is very important to man. Without good health, it would be impossible to enjoy a lot of
things. With good health, we could travel around the world, do whatever we want to do
and live our lives the way we want to.
Thirdly, I would like to wish for a book that has everything there is to know in it. It will
be thick and informative. There will be science, mathematics and other topics.
3
I would
read it and be a wiser person.
1. grant /9r%nt/ (v) ban, phát, cấp cho
2. orphanage /'0:f6n1d2/ (n) trại mồ côi - orphan /'0:f6n/ (n) trẻ mồ côi
3. topic /'t4p1k/ (n) chủ đề, đề tài
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