新概念英语第二册第57课
Can I help you,madam?
A woman in jeans stood at the window of an expensive shop. Though she hesitated for a moment, she finally went in and asked to see a dress that was in the window. The assistant who served her did not like the way she was dressed. Glancing at her scornfully,he told her that the dress was sold. The woman walked out of the shop angrily and decided to punish the assistant next day. She returned to the shop the following morning dressed in a fur coat,with a handbag in one hand and a long umbrella in the other.After seeking out the rude assistant, she asked for the same dress.Not realizing who she was,the assistant was eager to serve her this time. With great difficulty,he climbed into the shop window to get the dress. As soon as she saw it,the woman said she did not like it.She enjoyed herself making the assistant bring almost everything in the window before finally buying the dress she had first asked for.
新概念英语第3册第31课
A lovable eccentric
True eccentrics never deliberately set out to draw attention to themselves. They disregard social conventions without being conscious that they are doing anything extraordinary.This invariably wins them the love and respect of others, for they add colour to the dull routine of everyday life.
Up to the time of his death,Richard Colsor was one of the most notable figures in our town.He was a shrewd and wealthy businessman,but most people in the town hardly knew anything about this side of his life.he was known to us all as Dickie and his eccentricity had become legendary long before he died.
Dickie disliked snobs intensely.Though he owned a large car,he hardly ever used it,preferring always to go on foot.Even when it was raining heavily, he refused to carry an umbrella.One day,he walked into an expensive shop after having been caught in a particularly heavy shower.He wanted to buy a 300-pound watch for his wife,but he was in such a bedraggled condition that an assistant refused to serve him.Dickie left the shop without o word and returned carrying a large cloth bag.As it was extremely heavy,he dumped in on the counter.The assistant asked him to leave,but dickie paid no attention to him and requested to see the manager.Recognizing who the customer was,the manager was most apologetic and reprimanded the assistant severely.When Dickie was given the watch,he presented the assistant with the cloth bag.It contained 300 pounds in pennies>He insisted on the assistant's counting the money before he left--30,000 pennies in all! On another occasion,he invited a number of important critics to see his private collection of modern paintings.This exhibition received a great deal of attention in the press,for though the pictures were supposed to be the work of famous artistsmthey had in fact been painted by Dickie.It took him four years to stage this elaborate joke simply to prove that critics do not always know what they are talking about.
