s02.So E Came To English

So Elisabeth Came to England
Elisabeth was nineteen and she lived in Rio de Janeiro. Her farther was an airline pilot and it was Elisabeth’s ambition to become an air hostess. She was a bright girl and with one exception her exam marks were good. The exception was English.
“Look,”said her father, “if you want to become an air hostess, you must learn to speak really good English.I’m going to send you to England next February.”
“Oh, you couldn’t be so cruel, Dad,”said Elisabeth. “It snows in England in February and the people are unfriendly and the houses are draughty and……”
“Hold on,” said her farther, “you’re exaggerating. In the first place, it doesn’t always snow in England in February. I’m not sending you to Siberia. Secondly, English people are usually quite kind to foreign visitors, and thirdly, a lot of English houses have central heating these days.”
“Why can’t I go and stay with my uncle in Los Angeles?”asked Elisabeth.
“Because your uncle and aunt both speak Portuguese,”replied Elisabeth’s father.
“You learnt your English in the United States,”objected Elisabeth.
“I worked as a waiter,”said her father. “I had to get used to speaking English fast, in order to survive.”
Well, Elisabeth came to England for eight weeks. It did snow and there were times when she felt quite chilly. But she bought herself a thick, woolly jumper, the family she stayed with were kind, and their home was centrally heated. Elisabeth got used to drinking tea, traveling on English buses and handing English money. Above all, she got used to speaking English and before long she could understand almost anything that people said to her.
Later, when she was an air hostess, and people asked her where she had learnt to speak such excellent English, she used to say: “My father was very cruel. He sent me to England in February.
注释：
1、exception n.例外，除外，with the exception of 除去，without exception 毫无例外地
2、look 在这里作惊叹语，意思是“注意、听我说”。

也常与here 连用：Look here! You really can't do that. 注意！
那件事你真不能做。

3、learn学习，学会，learn from 向/从……学习，learn to do sth.学做某事，learn how to do sth.学习怎样做某事，learn
sth. by heart背熟；知道，获悉
4、could 在这里表示惊异、怀疑、不相信等态度。

在这种情况下，could 和can 是可以换用的，两者在时间上没
有差别，只是用could 时口气较缓和。

could 还可用来比较委婉客气地提出问题或陈述看法，这时could 和can 也没有时间上的差别
5、hold vt. 拿着，握住；容纳，装得下；举行；hold on a.坚持（下去）、（打电话）不挂断、（打电话）不挂断
6、在这里in the first place 是“第一”，“首先”的意思，通常与in the second place 等连用，表示“解释或论据的
第一层意思”。

而...Secondly..., thirdly 则一般同first 或firstly 连用，表示“第一，……第二，……第三，……”
的意思。

7、always, often, usually, sometimes, occasionally, seldom, never 等可用来回答“经常与否”的副词，称为频度副词。

频度副词通常放在动词前面；但若句子里有助动词、情态动词或动词to be，频度副词要放在这类动词（的第一个）的后面
8、send vt. 寄，送（东西）、派，送（人）、send for派人去请（取）。

注意：“送行”不用send，而是用see。

比较：
I sent him to the station. 我派他到车站去。

I saw him to the station. 我送他上车站。

9、both 在这里作同位语。

它在句中的位置参看本条下文的(3)。

both pron. 两（者），双（方）(1) 修饰名词a.在
“the +名词”，“物主代词+ 名词”，或“these / those + 名词”的前面，用both 或both of 均可，b.若名词前面没有定冠词，物主代词或指示代词，则只能用both，不能用both of；(2) 修饰代词：用both of 置于宾格代词之前，或用both 置于代词之后；(3) 作同位语，在句中的位置与always 等频度副词一样，即一般放在主要动词前面或助动词、情态动词和动词to be 的后面；(4) 单独使用；(5) both...and... 又……又……；不但……而且……both 和and 后面所跟的成分要一致；注意：both 在否定句中表示“部分否定”；“全部否定”要用neither 或either。

比较：Both (the) windows are not open. ( = The windows are not both open.) 两扇窗子并不都开着。

Neither window is open. 两扇窗子都没开。

I don't like both of them. 我并不是两个都喜欢。

I don't like either of them. ( = I like neither of them.) 我两个都不喜欢。

10、get used to是习语，表示“习惯于……”的意思，后面接名词或者动名词。

11、in order to是习语，表示“为了……”的意思，后面接动词原形。

12、survive vi活下来，保存下来，vt幸免于（灾难），比……活得长
13、助动词do 用在肯定句的动词前面是要加强语气。

14、when：关系副词，引导定语从句修饰一个表示时间的名词，when 在从句中充当状语。

15、有时也可以用that 代替when，在某些句型和某些时间状语中，that 可以省略，
16、这个句子的主语是集体名词family，在这里指所有家庭成员，作复数看待，所以谓语动词用were。

有些集体
名词有时作单数看待，有时作复数看待，主要根据意思来决定
17、travel (1)v. a. vi. vt旅行，b. vi移动，传播，(2)n旅行
18、above all 是“最重要的；首先；尤其”的意思。

19、before long是“不久以后”的意思。

20、在这里used to 表示“过去经常……”的意思，常有“现在不同”的含义，后面接动词原形，与get used to 的
意思完全不同。