Lesson 92 Asking for trouble

【New words and expressions】（5）

fast adv. 熟（睡）

ladder n. 梯子

shed n. 棚子

sarcastic adj. 讽刺的，讥笑的

tone n. 语气，腔调

★tone n. 语气，腔调

① n. 语气，口气，腔调

The policeman answered in a sarcastic tone.

② n. 语调，声调

You should use the rising/falling tone at the end of this sentence.

③ n. 格调，风格，气氛

Her dress has a bright tone.

The building has a foreign tone.

【Text】

It must have been about two in the morning when I returned home. I tried to wake up my wife by ringing the doorbell, but she was fast asleep, so I got a ladder from the shed in the garden, put it against the wall, and began climbing towards the bedroom window. I was almost there when a sarcastic voice below said, 'I don't think the windows need cleaning at this time of the night.' I looked down and nearly fell off the ladder when I saw a policeman. I immediately regretted answering in the way I did, but I said, 'I enjoy cleaning windows at night.'

'So do I,' answered the policeman in the same tone. 'Excuse my interrupting you. I hate to interrupt a man when he's busy working, but would you mind coming with me to the station?'

'Well, I'd prefer to stay here,' I said. 'You see. I've forgotten my key.'

'Your what?' he called.

'My key,' I shouted.

Fortunately, the shouting woke up my wife who opened the window just as the policeman had started to climb towards me.

参考译文

我回到家时，肯定已是凌晨两点左右了。我按响了门铃，试图唤醒我的妻子，但她睡得很熟。于是，我从花园的小棚里搬来了一个梯子，把它靠在墙边，开始向卧室的窗口爬去。快要爬到窗口时，下面一个人用讽刺的口吻说：“我看不必在夜里这个时候擦窗子吧。”我向下面看去。当我看清是一个警察时，差一点儿从梯子上掉下去。我回答了他的话，但马上又后悔不该那样说，我是这样说的：“我喜欢在夜里擦窗子。”

“我也是的，”警察用同样的声调回答，“请原谅我打断了您。当一个人在忙着干活时，我是不愿意去打断他的，但请您跟我到警察局去一趟好吗？”

“可我更愿意呆在这儿，”我说，“您瞧，我忘带钥匙了。”

“什么？”他大声问。

“钥匙！”我喊道。

幸运得很，这喊声惊醒了我的妻子。就在警察开始向我爬上来时，她打开了窗子。

【课文讲解】

1、Asking for trouble

ask for trouble 自找麻烦，自计苦吃（多用于口语）

The boss seems to be annoyed. To talk to him now is to ask for trouble.

2、I don't think the windows need cleaning at this time of the night.

有些动词如think，believe，expect，suppose等后接表示否定意思的宾语从句时，通常在主句中使用否定形式，但译成汉语时否定意义仍在宾语从句中。

I don’t believe he is still in London.

need表示“需要”时，后面接动名词有被动的含义。

need cleaning = need to be cleaned

3、I immediately regretted answering in the way I did, but I said, 'I enjoy cleaning windows at night.'

regret doing sth. 后悔做了……（对已发生的事情表示后悔）

I regretted saying it almost at once.

regret to do sth. 遗憾……（对现在要发生的事表示抱歉）

We regret to inform you that you needn’t come here next week.

remember/forget +to do sth. 指末来的动作

I remembered to post the letters. 我记着去邮信了。（没有忘记）

I forgot to ask Tom. 我忘了去问汤姆。

remember/forget doing sth. 指过去的动作（已发生过）

I remember posting/having posted the letters.

Have you forgotten meeting/having met her at a party?

你忘记了曾在一次聚会上见过她吗？

stop to do sth. 指目的

On the way to the station I stopped to buy a paper.

stop doing sth. 停下正在做的动作

When he told us the story, we just couldn’t stop laughing.

【Special Difficulties】 

用于并列补充句和反应句的so和neither/nor

so和neither/nor用于并列补充句和表示反应的句子时表示“也，同样”，so用于肯定句，neither/nor用于否定句。它们后面跟的是省略形式的分句，只有助动词+主语，也可以是情态助动词+主语：

John can speak French and so can I.

I didn’t got to the meeting last night.

Neither/Nor did I.

You shouldn’t work so hard and nor should I.