CHAPTER FOUR 

在第四章的阅读课文中,我们来一起听爷爷讲故事非洲魔鬼鱼的故事;听力部分,Tony和他爷爷有关金鱼邮票的对话,集中注意力哦!补充材料部分是渔夫和鱼的故事,发人深省。

READING  Page 53

The African Ghost Fish

One day, Tony received this note from a student: 'My grandad often tells us stories. I enclose one that you might like to include in your paper.' Here is the story.

One evening, Grandad said, 'I once had a friend called Day. His first name was Henry, but everyone called him Happy. Happy Day made a very good living. He travelled widely and when he came to a place that he liked, he opened a pet shop and began selling African Ghost Fish.' According to Happy, these are the world's only invisible fish, and they're especially good pets because they need no food. They live only on water. Once a year, the female Ghost Fish lays eggs. Immediately after that, and if everything is completely quiet, she becomes visible. But in a blink of an eye, she's gone again. If you see her, you're extremely fortunate for she's the most beautiful creature alive. '

When Happy told his customers this story his tanks of fish sold very quickly. When they were completely sold out, Happy usually departed for another town.' 'Was that because his customers were not satisfied?' we asked.

'Not at all,' grandad said. 'His customers were completely satisfied he rarely received a complaint. In fact, many people told him of the pleasure they got from looking at their invisible fish. It was so relaxing. Others enjoyed inviting their friends to see their fish. A few even claimed that they had seen a female Ghost Fish, and that it was truly unforgettable. Yes, Happy was a clever man.'

'Can you tell us some more about him?' we said. 'Not now,' said Grandad. 'I'm tired, and I want a nap. Why don't you children go and watch the tank of Ghost Fish in my room? Remember, if you sit quietly and watch really closely, you might even see a female.' As we rushed excitedly from the room, I heard Grandad whisper, 'Thank you, Happy.' I wonder what he meant.

LISTENING Page 56

Completing notes and matching pictures

Listen to Tony's talking to his grandad about the four stamps, and complete Tony's notes. Write one word in each space.

Tony: Grandad, can you tell me something about the goldfish on these stamps? I want to write an article about them, for my school magazine.
Grandad: Yes, I'll see what I can remember. let's look at the first one. Well, this is a funny one. It's gold all over its body. Except for that red piece?
Grandad: Yes, that called a red cap. It has a red cap on top of its head.
Tony: Is this a new type of goldfish?
Grandad: Oh, no. They had goldfish like this with a red cap in China over 400 years ago.
Tony: Wow, what's the dollar value of this stamp?
Grandad: While, it's 1 dollar 90. Now, let's look at the second one. This one is different, Tony.
Tony: What's unusual about it? Oh, its eyes.
Grandad: Yes, it has very big eyes, like dragon's eyes, and the color is different, of course. It's black and gold.
Tony: Is this type of goldfish old too?
Grandad: Yes, they are old. You can see this same fish in Chinese pictures which were painted 400 years ago. Would you like to keep this stamp? It has a value of 5 dollars.
Tony: Sure, Grandad. What about this third goldfish? It doesn't seem to be unusual or anything.
Grandad: Look carefully, Tony. Something is missing.
Tony: Oh, on the top. What's that thing called?
Grandad: A fin.
Tony: Yes, a fin. It doesn't have a fin on top of its body.
Grandad: That's right. This type of goldfish has no top fin, and it's usually quite fat and round, or oval, like an egg in shape.
Tony: What's the dollar value of this one?
Grandad: Oh, it's one dollar. The fourth one is the prettiest, I think.
Tony: This one has lots of fins.
Grandad: Yes, it has long fins and a beautiful long tail.
Tony: It's lovely.
Grandad: And look at the shape, Tony. See how flat it is above the head! This type of fish has a sharp pointed head. This stamp has a value of 2 dollars 40.
Tony: Yes, I see. Thank you for telling me about the goldfish, Grandad.
Grandad: You're welcome, Tony. Would you like to keep all these stamps?
Tony: Yes, please. Thanks a lot, Grandad.

SPEAKING Page 58

A Talk time Complaining and responding to complaints

A: I want to complain about this laser disc.
B: What's the problem?
A: There's a hole in the middle.

Exercise A1
Ellen: Excuse me. I want to complain about these peppers.
Hirage: What's the problem?
Ellen: When I took off the plastic, I found that two of them were rotten. Look!
Hiraga: Oh, I'm very sorry about that. I'll take care of it right away. Can you show me your receipt?
Ellen: Yes, here it is.
Hiraga: Thanks. Now, if you'll just wait, I'll be back in a moment.

MORE PRACTICE    Page 63

The Fisherman and the Fish

Once upon a time, there lived an old man and his wife, in Russia. They were poor and lived in an old, mud hut near the sea. He made a living by fishing. One morning, something unusual happened while the man was at work. He caught a small, golden fish in his net. The fish begged the fisherman to let him go and offered to grant the fisherman anything he desired in return. However, the man was kind and asked for nothing before returning the fish to the sea. The man went home and told his wife about the wonderful thing that had happened to him. She shouted at him angrily and called him a fool for not making a wish. The sun was shining as the man did this and when he returned he saw a new bucket. The fisherman's wife was still not happy and demanded that he should find the fish again to ask for a new house. The weather was getting bad as the man explained to the fish about his rude wife. The fish comforted him and promised to grant the second wish. When he returned, he saw a nice, new cottage.

The next day, his wife said that she wanted to be mayor of the city. The waves were getting big and the sky was becoming dark as the man apologized to the golden fish. Again, like the wishes before, this wish was granted. When he returned, he found his wife dressed in expensive clothes and giving orders to servants. She told her husband that he still had to sleep in the hut even though she now had a bigger house. She was a very greedy woman and the following week she demanded to be made queen of all the land. Despite thinking his wife was crazy, the fisherman went down to the shore. By now there was a terrible storm. There was thunder and lightning, and giant waves in the sea. The man shouted as loudly as he could so that the fish could hear him. The fisherman waited but the golden fish never came back. When the man returned, he found his wife in the old mud hut holding their broken bucket.