Lesson 25 课文内容

Lesson 25 – Do the English Speak English?

First listen and then answer the question:

Why does the writer not understand the porter?

I arrived in London at last.
The railway station was big, black, and dark.
I did not know the way to my hotel, so I asked a porter.

I not only spoke English very carefully, but very clearly as well.
The porter, however, could not understand me.
I repeated my question several times and at last he understood.

He answered me, but he spoke neither slowly nor clearly.
“I am a foreigner,” I said.
Then he spoke slowly, but I still could not understand him.
My teacher never spoke English like that!

The porter and I looked at each other and smiled.
Then he said something and I understood it.
“You’ll soon learn English!” he said.

I wonder.
In England, each person speaks a different language.
The English understand each other, but I don’t understand them!
Do they speak English?

参考译文

我终于到了伦敦。火车站很大，又黑又暗。我不知道去饭店的路该怎么走，于是向一个搬运工打听。我的英语讲得不但非常认真，而且咬字也非常清楚。然而搬运工却不明白我的话。我把问话重复了很多遍。他终于听懂了。他回答了，但他讲既不慢也不清楚。“我是个外国人，”我说。于是他觉得慢了，可我还是听不懂。我的老师从来不那样讲英语！我和搬运工相视一笑。接着，他说了点什么，这回我听懂了。“您会很快学会英语的！”他说。我感到奇怪。在英国，人们各自说着一种不同的语言。英国人之间相互听得懂，可我却不懂他们的话！他们说的是真英语吗？