The Great American Garage Sale
时间:2018-12-30 作者:英语课 分类:自考英语(一)78讲
LESSoN ELEVEN
TEXT A
The Great American Garage Sale
Not long ago, Charles Erickson and his family decided 1 to do some spring housecleaning. __ (Sort) through their possessions, they came up with some 1,500 old, __ (want) items -- all sorts of things (they wanted to get rid of). The Ericksons decided to do what a lot of other Americans are doing these days--have a garage sale. They posted homemade signs throughout the neighborhood, ran an advertisement in the local newspaper, then set out the unwanted objects on the front yard of their home in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and waited to see if any one would come. The Ericksons neednt have worried. Eager buyers bought all but 50 of the items in one weekend, leaving the family $442 richer.
Garage sale, yard sale, basement sale -- whatever theyre called and wherever theyre held, Americans are having them in ever-increasing numbers.
The variety of things put up for sale is really wonderful -- dishes, books, used clothing, tools, tires, empty bottles, bicycles, furniture. A man in Atlanta, Georgia, even sold a full-size replica 2 of a 1931 Ford 3.
You wouldnt believe the stuff 4 (people will buy), says Mrs. Jerry McNeely of Houston, Texas, who has held two garage sales with friends. on the other hand, you wouldnt believe some of the things (people will put out to sell).
Why would Americans want to shop by searching among someone elses cast-offs?
Rising living costs are considered by almost everyone as a reason both for holding sales and for attending them. The seller 5 makes a little extra money and the buyer saves quite a lot, since garage-sale items usually are priced at a very small part of their original cost.
But beyond that, theyre fun. Garage sales have become suburban 6 social events, drawing people of all ages. Neighbors enjoy meeting new people, and some families even serve drinks and cakes. one psychologist suggests that people are fed up with the computerization of their lives -- they may be searching for their roots. Many of the younger buyers say they are turned off by the poor quality of modern goods and are looking for remnants 7 of a stronger and firmer era 8, when things were built to last.
Some people have made garage-sale shopping into a hobby; they spend their weekends going from sale to sale, hoping to run across a real treasure. Says one long-time weekend bargain hunter, In the back of your mind you have the hope of finding 9 some fabulous 10 painting stored away somewhere or something else of great value for a bargain price.
Diana McLellan, a reporter for the Washington Star-News, wrote: The garage sale is like the quality of mercy -- it blesseth him (that gives) and him (that takes). It separates clothes, toys, pots, cups, forks and knives from their reluctant 11 owners and places them in loving new homes.
How long will all this enthusiasm 12 continue? Says one recent seller, Some day the people who are buying are bound 13 to be faced with the same problem we had -- getting rid of this stuff.
The Blacks
You need have come here.
You needn’t have given him money.
Clothes ---- clothing
Attracting
I enjoy listening to music.
My brother enjoys making friends.
The psychologist suggests that we be patient with the kids.
I have made raising dogs into a hobby.
Misunderstanding separates my friend from me.
- This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
- There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
- The original conservatory has been rebuilt in replica.温室已按原样重建。
- The young artist made a replica of the famous painting.这位年轻的画家临摹了这幅著名的作品。
- They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上,所以我们只能涉水过河。
- If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪,必须极度小心。
- We could supply you with the stuff in the raw tomorrow.明天我们可以供应你原材料。
- He is not the stuff.他不是这个材料。
- I hope for this book to become a best seller.我希望这本书会成为一本畅销书。
- She drove a hard bargain with the seller.她狠杀卖主的价。
- Suburban shopping centers were springing up all over America. 效区的商业中心在美国如雨后春笋般地兴起。
- There's a lot of good things about suburban living.郊区生活是有许多优点。
- The woods are remnants of a huge forest which once covered the whole area. 这片树林只是剩下的一部分,原来这一带是一大片森林。
- Even today remnants of this practice remain. 甚至在今天这种做法还未绝迹。
- We are living in the information era.我们生活在信息时代。
- We are living in a great historic era.我们正处在一个伟大的历史时代。
- The finding makes some sense.该发现具有一定的意义。
- That's an encouraging finding.这是一个鼓舞人心的发现。
- We had a fabulous time at the party.我们在晚会上玩得很痛快。
- This is a fabulous sum of money.这是一笔巨款。
- The workers are reluctant to be ordered around by the employers.工人们不愿被雇主们差来遣去地随便使唤。
- I am reluctant about asking him to do this.我极不愿意让他去干此事。
- We set about our task at once with great enthusiasm.我们立刻兴致勃勃地干起来。
- A team which is full of enthusiasm is more likely to win.情绪高涨的球队更可能获胜。