Lesson 89 A slip of the tongue口误
First listen and then answer the question.听录音，然后回答以下问题。
Who made the only funny joke that evening and why?
People will do anything to see a free show -- even if it is a bad one. When the news got round that a comedy show would be presented at our local cinema by the P. and U. Bird Seed Company, we all rushed to see it. We had to queue for hours to get in and there must have been several hundred people present just before the show began. Unfortunately, the show was one of the dullest we have ever seen. Those who failed to get in need not have felt disappointed, as many of the artistes who should have appeared did not come. The only funny things we heard that evening came from the advertiser at the beginning of the programme. He was obviously very nervous and for some minutes stood awkwardly before the microphone. As soon as he opened his mouth, everyone burst out laughing. We all know what the poor man should have said, but what he actually said was: 'This is the Poo and Ee Seed Bird Company. Good ladies, evening and gentlemen!"
参考译文
人们总要想尽办法看不花钱的演出——哪怕是拙劣的演出。当“皮尤”鸟食公司将在我们当地影院演出喜剧节目的消息传开后，我们都赶紧跑去观看。我们不 得不排了好几个小时才进得场去。在演出开始前场内肯定已有好几百人了。不幸的是，这次演出是我们看过的最乏味的演出了。那些没能进到场内的人没有必要感到 失望，因为很多应该出场的专业演员都没有来。那天晚上唯一有趣的事情是节目开始时那个报幕员的开场白。他显然非常紧张，局促不安地在麦克风前站了好几分 钟。但他刚一开口说话，人们便哄堂大笑起来。我们都明白那个可怜的人应该说些什么，而他实际说的却是：“这是‘浦伊’鸟食公司，好女士们，晚上和先生们！”
New words and expressions 生词和短语
slip
n. 小错误
comedy
n. 喜剧
present
v. 演出；adj. 出席，到场的
queue
v. 排队
dull
adj. 枯燥，无味
artiste
n. 艺人
advertiser
n. 报幕员
Lesson 89 自学导读First things first
课文详注 Further notes on the text1．A slip of the tongue，（标题）说走了嘴，失言。
slip在这里表示“不经心的错误”、“失误”、“疏漏”：
You've made some slips (of the pen) in your report.
你的报告中有一些小错（笔误）。
When he was nervous, he would sometimes make a slip of tongue.
当他紧张时，他有时就会发生口误。
Are you sure that it was just a slip of tongue?
你确信那只是一时口误吗？
2．People will do anything to see a free show…人们总要想尽办法去看不花钱的演出……
anything用于肯定句时表示“不论什么”、“任何事情”，to see a free show表示目的，也可以用for+名词形式：
He will do anything to save his child's life.
他要想尽办法挽救他孩子的生命。
He will do anything for the child.
为了这孩子，他干什么都愿意。
3．When the news got round that a comedy show would be presented at our local cinema by the P. and U. Bird Seed Company…当“皮尤”鸟食公司将在我们当地影院演出喜剧节目的消息传开后……
（1）when引导的这个时间状语从句中含有一个同位语从句，即the news that…。由于that引导的同位语从句较长，便与它所修饰的news隔开了，放在谓语动词之后，以免句子头重脚轻。同位语从句中用了被动语态的过去将来时形式。
（2）get round在这里表示消息、谣言等“传开”（也可以用get around/about）：
The word soon got round that there was buried treasure in that cave.
那个洞里有宝藏的消息很快便传开了。
Bad news gets round quickly.
坏消息传得快。
4．…there must have been several hundred people present just before the show began．……在演出开始前场内肯定已有好几百人了。
Those who failed to get in need not have felt disappointed, as many of the artistes who should have appeared did not come.
那些没能进到场内的人没有必要感到失望，因为很多应该出场的专业演员都没有来。
must+have+过去分词表示对过去发生的事进行推测（其否定式为can't+have+过去分词，cf．第17课语法）；need+have+ 过去分词表示过去不必做但实际已做了的事（cf．第41课语法）；should/ought to+have+过去分词表示本来应该做而实际未做的事（cf．第65课语法）：
He had found five empty whisky bottles which the ghost must have drunk the night before.
他发现了5只空的威士忌酒瓶子，这肯定是鬼魂前天晚上喝的。
The examiner must have been pleased with my performance.
主考人对我的表现想必是满意的。
You needn't have said that.
你没必要这么说。（实际已经说了）
You needn't have told him about my plans.
你本不必把我的打算告诉他。（实际上已告诉了他）
He should have gone along a side street.
他应该走一条小街。（实际上他走了主要街道）
5．As soon as he opened his mouth, everyone burst out laughing.
但他刚一开口说话，人们便哄堂大笑起来。
burst out为固定短语，其含义之一为“突然……起来”，后面通常接动名词，也可以接in/into+名词：
At the sight of the drunk, everyone burst out laughing/in laughter.
一看见那醉汉，大家便大笑起来。
When she heard that her father had died in the accident, she burst out crying.
当她听说她父亲在那次事故中丧生时便大哭起来。
6．We all know what the poor man should have said, but what he actually said was…
我们都明白那个可怜的应该说些什么，而他实际说的却是……
用should+have+过去分词表示过去应当做而并没有做的事时，它后面经常跟but（actually）以形成对比：
I should have left home before 9 o'clock, but actually I didn't.
我本该在9点以前离开家，但实际上我没有。
You should have written the word‘too’, but what you actually wrote was‘to’.
你本该写“too”，但实际上你却写了“to”。
词汇学习 Word study
1．free与single
（1）free可以表示“免费的”、“无偿的”：
The girl‘gave’her mother a free dress once a week!
那姑娘每星期“送”她母亲一件免费的衣服！
She has got some free tickets to the comedy show.
她有这场喜剧表演的一些免费入场券。
free还可以表示“自由的”、“没束缚的”、“不受控制的”、“空闲的”等含义：
You are free to make your own decision.
你有权作出自己的决定。
I'm free on Friday evening.
我星期五晚上有空。
（2）single可以指人“单身的”、“独身的”、“未婚的”：
I enjoy being single.
我喜欢独身生活。
Are you married or single?
你结婚了还是单身？
There are more and more single women in modern cities.
现代城市里单身女人越来越多了。
a single parent单亲（独自一人养育儿女的父亲或母亲）
2．queue与row
（1）queue可以作不及物动词，表示“排队”：
We had to queue for hours to get in.
我们不得不排了好几个小时队才进了场内。
She has to queue for the bus every morning.
她每天早上都得排队等公共汽车。（通常与for连用）
queue也可以作名词，表示按顺序等待的人、车等的“行列”、“队”：
There's a long queue/line of people waiting for the bus.
人们排着长队等公共汽车。
We'd better join the queue for tickets.
我们最好加入买票的队伍。
（2）row可以指人或物的“一排”、“一行”，通常为横的（queue通常为纵队）：
You can see me in this old photo, standing in the back row.
你可以在这张老照片中找到我，我当时站在后排。
Please put the desks in four rows.
请把课桌摆成4排。
3．funny adj.
（1）funny通常表示“有趣的”、“滑稽的”、“逗人发笑的”，与amusing同义：
I don't find Jim's jokes very funny.
我并不觉得吉姆的笑话很有趣。
He included a large number of funny stories in his speech.
他在演讲词里面加进了大量逗人的故事。
（2）在口语中，funny也可以表示“反常的”、“古怪的”、“奇怪的”等含义：
I thought there was something funny about the parcel, so I phoned the police.
我觉得那个包裹有点古怪，所以就给警察打了电话。
This morning I saw her wearing a funny hat which looked like a lightouse.
今天上午我看见她戴了一顶滑稽的、看上去像个灯塔的帽子。
