Origin Content

Lesson25 Do the English speak English? 英国人讲的是英语吗？

I arrived in London at last. The railway station was big, black and dark. I did not know the way to my hotel, so I asked a porter. I not only spoke English very carefully, but very clearly as well. The porter, however, could not understand me; I repeated my question several times and at last he understood. He answered me, but he spoke neither slowly nor clearly. 'I am a foreigner,' I said. Then he spoke slowly, but I could not understand him. My teacher never spoke English like that! The porter and I looked at each other and smiled. Then he said something and I understood it. 'You'll soon learn English!' he said. I wonder. In England, each man speaks a different language. The English understand each other, but I don't understand them! Do they speak English?

• at (long) last: 强调 after much delay
• not only ... but (also) ... (as well)
  • eg. but 后的结构应该一样，能互相对称
  • Chimps not only use tools but make them. 黑猩猩不但使用工具，而且还制造工具。
• however 然而
• neither ... nor ... 即不 .. 也不 ..
  • Professor Luo spoke neither English nor Germany.
  • (neither here nor there 无关紧要的) It's essential that she has this medicine, and the cost is neither here nor there.重要的是她有这种药，价钱无所谓。
• I wonder. 感到疑惑;纳闷儿;想弄明白;
• each man 统称: 每个人

From A Hotel Waiter's View:

我终于到了伦敦。火车站很大，又黑又暗。我不知道去饭店的路该怎么走，于是向一个搬运工打听。我的英语讲得不但非常认真，而且咬字也非常清楚。然而搬运工却不明白我的话。我把问话重复了很多遍。他终于听懂了。他回答了，但他讲得既不慢也不清楚。“我是个外国人，”我说。于是他说得慢了，可我还是听不懂。我的老师从来不那样讲英语！我和搬运工相视一笑。接着，他说了点什么，这回我听懂了。“您会很快学会英语的！”他说。我感到奇怪。在英国，人们各自说着一种不同的语言。英国人之间相互听得懂，可我却不懂他们的话！他们说的是英语吗？

Yesterday, I received a customer from China guided by a local porter. He complained to me about the big difference between English accents. According to him, each man speaks a different language in my country and we can understand each other but he could not understand us at all. He told me that he learned English in his country but his teachers did not speak English like that. He did not know the way to this hotel after he arrived London. He asked the porter with a careful and clear pronunciation. The porter did not understand him until he had repeated his question several times. Then he didn't understand what the porter said even the porter spoke slowly. At last, the porter had no idea and took him to the hotel.

Knowledges

• receive 有接待客人的意思
• complain to sb about sth
• pronunciation [prəˌnʌnt.si'eɪ.ʃən]

From The Porter's View:

I work at the London Station which is big, black and dark. Tourists often lose their bearings and do not know how to go where they wanted to. One day, a young passenger like an Asian asked me the way to Bridge Hotel. I didn't understand him even if he spoke the question very hard and repeated several times. His English was terribly bad. I understood at last and showed the way to him. In turn, he did not understand me even though I slowed down the speed. We could only look at each other at that moment. At last, I had to take him to the hotel.

Knowledges

• lose one's bearing 迷路
• in turn 反过来
• even if / even though 尽管, 即使
• slow down

Remembers

• not only ... but (also) ... (as well)
  • eg. but 后的结构应该一样，能互相对称
  • Chimps not only use tools but make them. 黑猩猩不但使用工具，而且还制造工具。
• neither ... nor ... 即不 .. 也不 ..
  • Professor Luo spoke neither English nor Germany.
  • (neither here nor there 无关紧要的) It's essential that she has this medicine, and the cost is neither here nor there. 重要的是她有这种药，价钱无所谓。

(作文时间: 2017-xx-xx, 耗时: xx 分钟)

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(修改时间: 2017-xx-xx, 耗时: xx 分钟)

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