# 第三册 Lesson 15 Fifty pence worth of trouble 五十便士的麻烦

## 一、课文原文

Children always appreciate small gifts of money. Mum or dad, of course, provide a regular supply of pocket money, but uncles and aunts are always a source of extra income. With some children, small sums go a long way. If fifty pence pieces are not exchanged for sweets, they rattle for months inside money boxes. Only very thrifty children manage to fill up a money box. For most of them, fifty pence is a small price to pay for a nice big bar of chocolate.

My nephew, George, has a money box but it is always empty. Very few of the fifty pence pieces and pound coins I have given him have found their way there. I gave him fifty pence yesterday and advised him to save it. Instead he bought himself fifty pence worth of trouble. On his way to the sweet shop, he dropped his fifty pence and it bounced along the pavement and then disappeared down a drain. George took off his jacket, rolled up his sleeves and pushed his right arm through the drain cover. He could not find his fifty pence piece anywhere, and what is more, he could not get his arm out. A crowd of people gathered round him and a lady rubbed his arm with soap and butter, but George was firmly stuck. The fire brigade was called and two fire fighters freed George using a special type of grease. George was not too upset by his experience because the lady who owns the sweet shop heard about his troubles and rewarded him with a large box of chocolates.

## 二、重点词汇详解

| 单词 | 音标 | 词性 | 释义 | 用法说明 |
|------|------|------|------|----------|
| appreciate | /ə'pri:ʃieit/ | v. | 欣赏，感激 | appreciate doing sth. 感激做某事 |
| pocket money | /'pɔkit-'mʌni/ | n. | 零用钱 | 英式英语，美式多用allowance |
| rattle | /'rætl/ | v. | 格格作响 | 可作拟声词，也比喻喋喋不休 |
| thrifty | /'θrifti/ | adj. | 节俭的 | 反义词extravagant（浪费的） |
| nephew | /'nefju:/ | n. | 侄子，外甥 | niece是侄女/外甥女 |
| bounce | /bauns/ | v. | 弹起，跳起 | bounce back弹回/恢复 |
| pavement | /'peivmənt/ | n. | 人行道 | 英式用法，美式用sidewalk |
| stick (stuck) | /stik/ (/stʌk/) | v. | 卡住，夹住 | be stuck 被卡住；stick to 坚持 |
| brigade | /bri'geid/ | n. | 旅，（消防）队 | fire brigade消防队 |
| grease | /gri:s/ | n. | 润滑油 | 区别：greasy油腻的 |
| exchange | /iks'tʃeindʒ/ | v. | 交换 | exchange A for B 以A换B |
| drain | /drein/ | n. | 下水道，阴沟 | drain away排走 |
| reward | /ri'wɔ:d/ | v. | 给以报酬 | reward sb. with sth. 以某物酬谢某人 |

## 三、语法知识点

### 1. with的用法——"对于"
- **With some children, small sums go a long way.**
- 此处with表示"对于……来说"，而非"和……一起"

### 2. go a long way
- 固定表达，意为"可以维持很久/能花很长时间"
- 例：A little money goes a long way with her.

### 3. pence与pennies的区别

| 形式 | 含义 | 示例 |
|------|------|------|
| pence | 指金额（集合） | fifty pence（50便士的金额） |
| pennies | 指一个个硬币 | fifty pennies（50个1便士硬币） |

- a fifty pence piece = 一枚50便士的硬币

### 4. find one's way
- 意为"到达，进入"，含有"自然而然到达"之意
- 例：Very few of the coins have found their way there.（很少硬币能到储蓄罐里）

### 5. what is more
- 固定插入语，意为"更有甚者/而且"
- 例：He couldn't find his coin, and what is more, he couldn't get his arm out.

### 6. 被动语态的运用
- The fire brigade **was called**（消防队被叫来）
- 两个消防队员用特殊润滑剂把George解脱出来

## 四、重点句型分析

### 1. fifty pence worth of trouble
- **结构**：数词 + 名词 + worth of + 名词
- 意为"价值……的……"，此处为双关：花了50便士买来的"麻烦"
- 例：two dollars worth of apples / a pound's worth of stamps

### 2. Only very thrifty children manage to fill up a money box.
- **manage to do** = 成功做到（强调经过努力）
- 区别：try to do（尽力去做，不一定成功）

### 3. George was not too upset by his experience because...
- **not too** 表"并不太"，语气较缓和
- because引导原因状语从句，解释"不难过"的原因

## 五、课文翻译

孩子们总是喜欢得到一些零花钱。爸爸妈妈当然经常会给孩子零花钱，但是叔舅婶姨也是孩子们额外收入的来源。对于有些孩子来说，少量的钱可以花很长一段时间。如果50便士不拿来换糖吃，则可以放在储蓄罐里叮当响上好几个月。但是能把储蓄罐装满的只有屈指可数的几个特别节俭的孩子。对大部分孩子来说，用50便士来买一大块好的巧克力，是算不了什么的。

我的外甥乔治有一个储蓄罐，但总是空空的。我给了他不少50便士的硬币，但没有几个存到储蓄罐里。昨天，我给了他50便士让他存起来，他却拿这钱给自己买了50便士的麻烦。在他去糖果店的路上，50便士掉在地上，在人行道上跳了几下，掉进了阴沟里。乔治脱掉外套，卷起袖子，将右胳膊伸进了阴沟盖。但他摸了半天也没找到那50便士硬币，他的胳膊反倒退不出来了。这时在他周围围上了许多人，一位女士在乔治胳膊上抹了肥皂和黄油，但乔治的胳膊仍然卡得紧紧的。有人打电话叫来消防队，两位消防队员使用了一种特殊的润滑剂才使乔治得以解脱。不过，此事并没使乔治过于伤心，因为糖果店老板娘听说了他遇到的麻烦后，赏给了他一大盒巧克力。

## 六、语言点精讲

### 写作手法
- **幽默叙事**：文章以儿童的零花钱话题入手，通过外甥George的荒诞经历（手卡在阴沟盖里），制造出滑稽效果
- **首尾呼应**：开头提到"50便士买巧克力"，结尾George因祸得福得到一大盒巧克力，形成有趣的对照
- **双关标题**：fifty pence worth of trouble——50便士的"麻烦"，既指花50便士买来的麻烦，也暗示这点小钱引发的大麻烦

### 文化背景
- **penny/便士**：英国最小面额的货币单位，1英镑=100便士
- **fire brigade**：英国消防队，美国用fire department
- 英国儿童有把零钱存入储蓄罐（money box）的习惯

## 七、课后练习要点

1. 词汇：掌握appreciate, thrifty, exchange, stick, reward等重点词的用法
2. 语法：with表"对于"的用法；what is more插入语；manage to do与try to do的区别
3. 句型：...worth of...结构；find one's way的引申用法
4. 理解：George是否从50便士中得到了什么？——是的，他得到了一大盒巧克力

## 八、本课小结

- 核心词汇：appreciate, thrifty, bounce, stick, reward, exchange
- 核心语法：with的介词用法、what is more插入语、pence/pennies区别
- 核心句型：...worth of...结构、find one's way、manage to do
- 写作特色：幽默叙事、首尾呼应、双关标题