textB

1. An Embarrassing Moment textB Go to Text A

2. content • Text Reading • Time for Fun • First Reading • Second Reading • Detailed Study of Text B • Summary of Text B

3. First reading 1 • First Reading Read the text and then decide whether the following statements are True or False according to the text. • 1. When people feel embarrassed, they usually want to hide their feelings. • 2. A large group of young Libyans were sent to Dr. Schumann’s • institute to study chemistry. • 3. Arthur was very much interested in the different kinds of • German wines. F ( ) T ( ) ( ) F 1/2

4. First reading 2 • First Reading 4. Arthur’s Germany was good enough for him to talk about chemical engineering. 5. When he visited Dr. Schumann’s institute again, Arthur only slightly remembered his first visit. 6. To break the silence, Arthur asked the same question about German wines again on purpose ( ) F ( ) T ( ) F 2/2

5. Second reading 1 • Second Reading Read the text again and answer the following questions. 1.What does “I wished that ground would open and swallow me up” mean? Literally, it means “I really wanted the ground to open so that I could disappear”. It implies that the speaker is very much embarrassed. 2.What did the German companies agree to do for the Libyan government? To build a chemical plant at Abu Kammash and to train several hundred young Libyans. 1/3

6. First reading 2 3. What was the purpose of Arthur’s visit to the Wolfsburg trainees? To report their progress. 4. What did Arthur, Dr. Schumann and the representatives first talk about at their meeting? About the trainees and Abu Kammash. 5. Why did Author begin to talk about German wines? To keep the conversation going. 2/3

7. First reading3 6. Why couldn’t Author understand the explanation of the different grades of German wines? Because his German was not very good. 7. What was Arthur asked to do months later? To visit the trainees again. 8.Why did Arthur ask a question about German wines? Just to break the silence / To keep the conversation going. 3/3

8. textB_1 • Detailed Study of Text B An Embarrassing Moment “At that moment, I wished the ground would open and swallow me up.” You must have had moments like that. You say to a woman at a party, “Who is the ugly man over there?” and she replies, “He is my son.” Or you sound your horn angrily at a motorist who has done something stupid, and when he turns to stare at you, you realize that it is your boss. No? You have never experienced a moment like that? Then you have been lucky. Unlike poor Arthur Bridge. 1/5

9. At the moment • Detailed Study of Text B “At that moment, I wished the ground would open and swallow me up.” — At that time, I really wanted the ground to open so that I could disappear. An Embarrassing Moment “At that moment, I wished the ground would open and swallow me up.” You must have had moments like that. You say to a woman at a party, “Who is the ugly man over there?” and she replies, “He is my son.” Or you sound your horn angrily at a motorist who has done something stupid, and when he turns to stare at you, you realize that it is your boss. No? You have never experienced a moment like that? Then you have been lucky. Unlike poor Arthur Bridge. wish: v. to want something to happen or to be true even though it is unlikely or impossible I wish I were /was taller. I wish I hadn't eaten so much. In “wish + that-clause “, the word “that” is nearly always left out, especially in speech. swallow up: to make (someone) disappear She was deeply embarrassed, and she wished the earth would open and swallow her up. Close 1/5

10. You must have • Detailed Study of Text B An Embarrassing Moment You must have had moments like that. — I’m certain you have experienced such embarrassing moments. “At that moment, I wished the ground would open and swallow me up.” You must have had moments like that. You say to a woman at a party, “Who is the ugly man over there?” and she replies, “He is my son.” Or you sound your horn angrily at a motorist who has done something stupid, and when he turns to stare at you, you realize that it is your boss. No? You have never experienced a moment like that? Then you have been lucky. Unlike poor Arthur Bridge. “Must” is used to say that you are certain about something. Your trip must have been fun! (Talking about the past, use “must have + V-ed”.) Close 1/5

11. Or you sound • Detailed Study of Text B An Embarrassing Moment Or you sound your horn angrily at a motorist who has done something stupid, and when he turns to stare at you, you realize that it is your boss. “At that moment, I wished the ground would open and swallow me up.” You must have had moments like that. You say to a woman at a party, “Who is the ugly man over there?” and she replies, “He is my son.” Or you sound your horn angrily at a motorist who has done something stupid, and when he turns to stare at you, you realize that it is your boss. No? You have never experienced a moment like that? Then you have been lucky. Unlike poor Arthur Bridge. 翻译： 或者某个开车的家伙做了傻事，你愤怒地摁响了喇叭，当他回头瞪你时，却发现原来是你的老板。 sound your horn: cause your horn to make a sound Don’t sound your horn late at night. stare at: to look at (someone or something) for a long time; The crowd just stared at the two men fighting. Close 1/5

12. Unlike poor arthur • Detailed Study of Text B An Embarrassing Moment Unlike poor Arthur Bridge. — But Arthur Bridge has not been so lucky. “At that moment, I wished the ground would open and swallow me up.” You must have had moments like that. You say to a woman at a party, “Who is the ugly man over there?” and she replies, “He is my son.” Or you sound your horn angrily at a motorist who has done something stupid, and when he turns to stare at you, you realize that it is your boss. No? You have never experienced a moment like that? Then you have been lucky. Unlike poor Arthur Bridge. The word “unlike” is used to contrast someone or something with another person or thing. This is an exciting place to live, unlike my home town. The word “poor” means “deserving pity and sympathy”. Have you heard about poor old Harry? His wife's left him. Close 1/5

13. textB_2 Wolfsburg in Germany is the home of Volkswagen. It is also where trainees from all over the world are sent to study chemistry in Dr. Schumann’s Chemical Institute. Some years ago, the Libyan government asked a group of German companies to build a chemical plant at Abu Kammash. The German companies also agreed to train several hundred young Libyans. This is how, one year, Dr. Schumann’s institute came to have a large group of Libyan trainees. Arthur Bridge, a British chemical engineer, was asked to visit the Wolfsburg trainees to report on their progress. His visit was taken seriously not only by Dr. Schumann, but also by the companies who were building Abu Kammash. For Arthur’s visit, there were six company representatives in Wolfsburg that day. 2/5

14. wolfsburg Wolfsburg in Germany is the home of Volkswagen. It is also where trainees from all over the world are sent to study chemistry in Dr. Schumann’s Chemical Institute. Some years ago, the Libyan government asked a group of German companies to build a chemical plant at Abu Kammash. The German companies also agreed to train several hundred young Libyans. This is how, one year, Dr. Schumann’s institute came to have a large group of Libyan trainees. Arthur Bridge, a British chemical engineer, was asked to visit the Wolfsburg trainees to report on their progress. His visit was taken seriously not only by Dr. Schumann, but also by the companies who were building Abu Kammash. For Arthur’s visit, there were six company representatives in Wolfsburg that day. Wolfsburg in Germany is the home of Volkswagen. — Wolfsburg in Germany is the place where the company Volkswagen is located. Close 2/5

15. This is how Wolfsburg in Germany is the home of Volkswagen. It is also where trainees from all over the world are sent to study chemistry in Dr. Schumann’s Chemical Institute. Some years ago, the Libyan government asked a group of German companies to build a chemical plant at Abu Kammash. The German companies also agreed to train several hundred young Libyans. This is how, one year, Dr. Schumann’s institute came to have a large group of Libyan trainees. Arthur Bridge, a British chemical engineer, was asked to visit the Wolfsburg trainees to report on their progress. His visit was taken seriously not only by Dr. Schumann, but also by the companies who were building Abu Kammash. For Arthur’s visit, there were six company representatives in Wolfsburg that day. This is how, one year, Dr Schumann’s institute came to have a large group of Libyan trainees. — This is the reason why a large group of Libyan trainees came to Dr Schumann’s institute to study. Close 2/5

16. Report on Wolfsburg in Germany is the home of Volkswagen. It is also where trainees from all over the world are sent to study chemistry in Dr. Schumann’s Chemical Institute. Some years ago, the Libyan government asked a group of German companies to build a chemical plant at Abu Kammash. The German companies also agreed to train several hundred young Libyans. This is how, one year, Dr. Schumann’s institute came to have a large group of Libyan trainees. Arthur Bridge, a British chemical engineer, was asked to visit the Wolfsburg trainees to report on their progress. His visit was taken seriously not only by Dr. Schumann, but also by the companies who were building Abu Kammash. For Arthur’s visit, there were six company representatives in Wolfsburg that day. report on: to give people information about something that you have heard, seen, done, etc.; present a written or spoken account of an event in a newspaper, on television, etc. The committee will report on its research next month. Close 2/5

17. His visit Wolfsburg in Germany is the home of Volkswagen. It is also where trainees from all over the world are sent to study chemistry in Dr. Schumann’s Chemical Institute. Some years ago, the Libyan government asked a group of German companies to build a chemical plant at Abu Kammash. The German companies also agreed to train several hundred young Libyans. This is how, one year, Dr. Schumann’s institute came to have a large group of Libyan trainees. Arthur Bridge, a British chemical engineer, was asked to visit the Wolfsburg trainees to report on their progress. His visit was taken seriously not only by Dr. Schumann, but also by the companies who were building Abu Kammash. For Arthur’s visit, there were six company representatives in Wolfsburg that day. His visit was taken seriously not only by Dr Schumann, but also by the companies who were building Abu Kammash. — Both Dr Schumann and companies thought his visit was important and paid great attention to it. take… seriously: to think that someone or something is important and deserves your attention and respect You can’t take anything she says very seriously. Headaches in young children should always be taken seriously. Close 2/5

18. textB_3 That evening, Arthur and Dr. Schumann and the representatives went into Hannover for dinner. Conversation was about the trainees and Abu Kammash. But, as the evening wore on, conversation became more and more difficult. Silence fell on the company. Authur, feeling that someone should try to keep the conversation going, turned to the man sitting next to him, a bald man with glasses that kept slipping down his nose. “The wine is excellent, but I admit that I know nothing about German wines. What do all these different labels mean?” 3/5

19. Wear on That evening, Arthur and Dr. Schumann and the representatives went into Hannover for dinner. Conversation was about the trainees and Abu Kammash. But, as the evening wore on, conversation became more and more difficult. Silence fell on the company. Authur, feeling that someone should try to keep the conversation going, turned to the man sitting next to him, a bald man with glasses that kept slipping down his nose. “The wine is excellent, but I admit that I know nothing about German wines. What do all these different labels mean?” wear on: (of time) to pass, especially in a way that seems slow The meeting wore on all afternoon. As the day wore on he found himself increasingly frightened. Close 3/5

20. Silence fell on That evening, Arthur and Dr. Schumann and the representatives went into Hannover for dinner. Conversation was about the trainees and Abu Kammash. But, as the evening wore on, conversation became more and more difficult. Silence fell on the company. Authur, feeling that someone should try to keep the conversation going, turned to the man sitting next to him, a bald man with glasses that kept slipping down his nose. “The wine is excellent, but I admit that I know nothing about German wines. What do all these different labels mean?” Silence fell on the company. — All the people present stopped talking. The word “company” here means “a group of people together”. She told the assembled company what had happened. cf. He went back to his company (= a business organization)… fall on: to descend on Darkness fell on the little town. Silence fell on the camp. Close 3/5

21. Next to That evening, Arthur and Dr. Schumann and the representatives went into Hannover for dinner. Conversation was about the trainees and Abu Kammash. But, as the evening wore on, conversation became more and more difficult. Silence fell on the company. Authur, feeling that someone should try to keep the conversation going, turned to the man sitting next to him, a bald man with glasses that kept slipping down his nose. “The wine is excellent, but I admit that I know nothing about German wines. What do all these different labels mean?” next to: in or into a position right beside someone or something We sat next to each other. The car was parked in the small weedy lot next to the hotel. Close 3/5

22. Slip down That evening, Arthur and Dr. Schumann and the representatives went into Hannover for dinner. Conversation was about the trainees and Abu Kammash. But, as the evening wore on, conversation became more and more difficult. Silence fell on the company. Authur, feeling that someone should try to keep the conversation going, turned to the man sitting next to him, a bald man with glasses that kept slipping down his nose. “The wine is excellent, but I admit that I know nothing about German wines. What do all these different labels mean?” slip down: slip easily down something The coin slipped down behind the books, and I can’t reach it. Close 3/5

23. The wine That evening, Arthur and Dr. Schumann and the representatives went into Hannover for dinner. Conversation was about the trainees and Abu Kammash. But, as the evening wore on, conversation became more and more difficult. Silence fell on the company. Authur, feeling that someone should try to keep the conversation going, turned to the man sitting next to him, a bald man with glasses that kept slipping down his nose. “The wine is excellent, but I admit that I know nothing about German wines. What do all these different labels mean?” “The wine is excellent, but I admit that I know nothing about German wines. What do all these different labels mean?” 翻译： “这酒很不错，但我承认我对德国的酒一无所知。这么多不同的标签都是什么意思？” admit:v. to agree, often unwillingly, that something is true I am willing to admit that I do make mistakes. You must admit that it all sounds very strange. cf. admit to She admits to being strict with her children. Don’t be afraid to admit to your mistakes. Close 3/5

24. textB_4 The man, equally keen to break the embarrassing silence, gave Arthur a detailed explanation of the different grades of German wine. Arthur nodded frequently, but, to tell the truth, his German was not very good (except when he was talking about his chemical engineering) and he understood very little. Anyway, it didn’t matter, because the evening ended well. Everyone said goodnight, and Arthur went back to his hotel, able to relax at last. He went back to his company, and thought no more about his German trip. The trainees stayed on in Wolfsburg, the plant in Abu Kammash was nearly completed. Months went by. One day, Arthur was asked to visit the trainees again. When he arrived at Dr. Schumann’s institute, he vaguely remembered his first visit. The sooner this is over, the better, he thought. 4/5

25. The man The man, equally keen to break the embarrassing silence, gave Arthur a detailed explanation of the different grades of German wine. Arthur nodded frequently, but, to tell the truth, his German was not very good (except when he was talking about his chemical engineering) and he understood very little. Anyway, it didn’t matter, because the evening ended well. Everyone said goodnight, and Arthur went back to his hotel, able to relax at last. He went back to his company, and thought no more about his German trip. The trainees stayed on in Wolfsburg, the plant in Abu Kammash was nearly completed. Months went by. One day, Arthur was asked to visit the trainees again. When he arrived at Dr. Schumann’s institute, he vaguely remembered his first visit. The sooner this is over, the better, he thought. The man, equally keen to break the embarrassing silence, gave Arthur a detailed explanation of the different grades of German wine. 翻译： 这个人也同样急于想打破令人尴尬的沉默，于是向阿瑟详细地解释了德国酒的不同的级别。 equally:adv. to the same degree; in the same or in a similar way She may have arrived late or it is equally possible that she never went there at all. detailed:a.详尽的 a detailed description /analysis /study Close 4/5

26. To tell the truth The man, equally keen to break the embarrassing silence, gave Arthur a detailed explanation of the different grades of German wine. Arthur nodded frequently, but, to tell the truth, his German was not very good (except when he was talking about his chemical engineering) and he understood very little. Anyway, it didn’t matter, because the evening ended well. Everyone said goodnight, and Arthur went back to his hotel, able to relax at last. He went back to his company, and thought no more about his German trip. The trainees stayed on in Wolfsburg, the plant in Abu Kammash was nearly completed. Months went by. One day, Arthur was asked to visit the trainees again. When he arrived at Dr. Schumann’s institute, he vaguely remembered his first visit. The sooner this is over, the better, he thought. to tell (you) the truth: really; actually To tell you the truth I forgot it was your birthday last week. To tell you the truth, I was afraid to see my boss. cf.to be honest To be honest (= what I really think is), it was one of the worst books I’ve ever read. Close 4/5

27. anyway The man, equally keen to break the embarrassing silence, gave Arthur a detailed explanation of the different grades of German wine. Arthur nodded frequently, but, to tell the truth, his German was not very good (except when he was talking about his chemical engineering) and he understood very little. Anyway, it didn’t matter, because the evening ended well. Everyone said goodnight, and Arthur went back to his hotel, able to relax at last. He went back to his company, and thought no more about his German trip. The trainees stayed on in Wolfsburg, the plant in Abu Kammash was nearly completed. Months went by. One day, Arthur was asked to visit the trainees again. When he arrived at Dr. Schumann’s institute, he vaguely remembered his first visit. The sooner this is over, the better, he thought. anyway:adv. in spite of something; even so The water was cold but I took a shower anyway. I’m afraid we can't come, but thanks for the invitation anyway. Close 4/5

28. He went back to The man, equally keen to break the embarrassing silence, gave Arthur a detailed explanation of the different grades of German wine. Arthur nodded frequently, but, to tell the truth, his German was not very good (except when he was talking about his chemical engineering) and he understood very little. Anyway, it didn’t matter, because the evening ended well. Everyone said goodnight, and Arthur went back to his hotel, able to relax at last. He went back to his company, and thought no more about his German trip. The trainees stayed on in Wolfsburg, the plant in Abu Kammash was nearly completed. Months went by. One day, Arthur was asked to visit the trainees again. When he arrived at Dr. Schumann’s institute, he vaguely remembered his first visit. The sooner this is over, the better, he thought. He went back to his company, and thought no more about his German trip. — He returned to his company, and didn’t think about his German trip any more. Close 4/5

29. The sooner The man, equally keen to break the embarrassing silence, gave Arthur a detailed explanation of the different grades of German wine. Arthur nodded frequently, but, to tell the truth, his German was not very good (except when he was talking about his chemical engineering) and he understood very little. Anyway, it didn’t matter, because the evening ended well. Everyone said goodnight, and Arthur went back to his hotel, able to relax at last. He went back to his company, and thought no more about his German trip. The trainees stayed on in Wolfsburg, the plant in Abu Kammash was nearly completed. Months went by. One day, Arthur was asked to visit the trainees again. When he arrived at Dr. Schumann’s institute, he vaguely remembered his first visit. The sooner this is over, the better, he thought. The sooner this is over, the better, he thought. — He hoped his visit would come to an end as soon as possible. the sooner (…), the better: very soon; as soon as possible “When shall I tell him?” “The sooner the better.” You’ll have to meet her. The sooner the better. Close 4/5

30. Textb_5 That evening, he found himself in a restaurant in Hannover with Dr. Schumann and a number of company representatives, whose faces he could scarcely recognize. The evening dragged on. Once the usual topics – training and Abu Kammash – had been exhausted, conversation died. Arthur tried to find something else to talk about. He turned to the man sitting next to him and said: “This wine is excellent, but I admit that I know nothing about German wines. What do all these different labels mean?” The man pushed his glasses back up in his nose. Spacing his words out as if he were speaking to an idiot, the man said to Arthur, “Mr. -Bridge, - you – asked – me – exactly – the same – question – nine – months – ago…” Are you sure you have never had a moment like that? 5/5

31. Drag on That evening, he found himself in a restaurant in Hannover with Dr. Schumann and a number of company representatives, whose faces he could scarcely recognize. The evening dragged on. Once the usual topics – training and Abu Kammash – had been exhausted, conversation died. Arthur tried to find something else to talk about. He turned to the man sitting next to him and said: “This wine is excellent, but I admit that I know nothing about German wines. What do all these different labels mean?” The man pushed his glasses back up in his nose. Spacing his words out as if he were speaking to an idiot, the man said to Arthur, “Mr. -Bridge, - you – asked – me – exactly – the same – question – nine – months – ago…” Are you sure you have never had a moment like that? drag on: (of time or an event) to pass very slowly; last an unnecessarily long time, usually unpleasantly The quarrel has dragged on for months. The meeting dragged on all morning. Close 5/5

32. exhausted That evening, he found himself in a restaurant in Hannover with Dr. Schumann and a number of company representatives, whose faces he could scarcely recognize. The evening dragged on. Once the usual topics – training and Abu Kammash – had been exhausted, conversation died. Arthur tried to find something else to talk about. He turned to the man sitting next to him and said: “This wine is excellent, but I admit that I know nothing about German wines. What do all these different labels mean?” The man pushed his glasses back up in his nose. Spacing his words out as if he were speaking to an idiot, the man said to Arthur, “Mr. -Bridge, - you – asked – me – exactly – the same – question – nine – months – ago…” Are you sure you have never had a moment like that? exhaust:v. to talk about or study a subject until there is nothing else to say about it I think we’ve exhausted that particular topic. Even a short walk exhausted her. Close 5/5

33. Spacing his words That evening, he found himself in a restaurant in Hannover with Dr. Schumann and a number of company representatives, whose faces he could scarcely recognize. The evening dragged on. Once the usual topics – training and Abu Kammash – had been exhausted, conversation died. Arthur tried to find something else to talk about. He turned to the man sitting next to him and said: “This wine is excellent, but I admit that I know nothing about German wines. What do all these different labels mean?” The man pushed his glasses back up in his nose. Spacing his words out as if he were speaking to an idiot, the man said to Arthur, “Mr. -Bridge, - you – asked – me – exactly – the same – question – nine – months – ago…” Are you sure you have never had a moment like that? Spacing his words out as if he were speaking to an idiot, the man said to Arthur… — He said to Arthur very slowly, with one word at a time, as if he were speaking to a very stupid person… as if: in a way that suggests something He behaved as if nothing had happened. It sounds as though you had a good time. Close 5/5

34. Summary of textb • Summary of Text B Arthur Bridge was a British chemical engineer. He was asked to visit the Wolfsburg trainees to report on their progress. One evening, he, and Dr Schumann and the company representatives went into Hannover for dinner. They talked about the trainees and Abu Kannash. But as the evening passed slowly, conversation became more and more difficult. To keep the conversation going, Arthur asked the man sitting next to him what the different labels on the wine bottles meant. The man gave him a detailed explanation of the different grades of German wine. Arthur’s German was not very good and he understood very little although he nodded frequently. 1/2 Click the title to continue…

35. Summary of textb • Summary of Text B Nine months later, Arthur was asked to visit the trainees again. That evening, he found himself in a restaurant in Hannover with Dr Schumann and several company representatives whose faces he could hardly recognize. The evening passed very slowly. Just as what happened during his first visit, after they had talked about the usual topics, conversation became more and more difficult. To keep the conversation going, Arthur tried to find something to talk about. He asked the man sitting next to him exactly the same question about the different labels. He didn’t realize the man was the same person he asked last time. The man said to Arthur he asked exactly the same question. This was a really embarrassing moment for Arthur. 2/2 Click the title to continue…

36. Time for Fun 1 For years my sister’s husband tried unsuccessfully to persuade her to get a hearing aid. “How much do they cost?” she asked one day after he had pitched the idea to her again. “They’re usually about $3,000,” he said. “Okay, well, if you say something worth $3,000,” she replied, “I’ll get one.” 2 A new restaurant opened in our town, so my husband, Walter, and I decided to try it. As the waitress took our order, Walter asked if the coffee was fresh. “I’m sure it is,” answered the waitress. “We’ve only been open two weeks.” 1/3

37. 3 The first stop on my vacation was my sister’s house in Montana. She’s extremely organized -- before she leaves on a trip she always types up address labels for her postcards. This time, I figured I did her one better. The second day of our visit, I boasted, “You’ll be impressed. I’ve already written thank-you notes to everyone I’ll be staying with. They’re all stamped and ready to go.” My sister was silent for a moment. Then she asked, “You mean those little envelopes I saw in your room and mailed this morning?” 2/3

38. 4 Back in September 1996, I returned from Russia after living there nearly two years. One of the biggest changes during my absence was the advent of the Internet. My sister decided to surprise me by creating “welcome home” signs in Russian. She went to a website that offered translations and typed in “Welcome Home, Cole.” She then printed the translated phrase onto about 20 colored cardboard signs. When I got off the plane, the first thing I saw was my family, excitedly waving posters printed with a strange message. My sister gave me a big hug, and pointed proudly to her creations. “Isn’t that great?” she said. “Bet you didn’t think I knew any Russian.” I admitted that I was indeed surprised -- and so was she when I told her what the signs actually said: “Translation not found.” 3/3