Online Class Notes (Mike)

Vocabulary

grass (n) 草
meadow (n) 草坪
prairie (n) 草原

hardly (adv.) 几乎不
He hardly works. 他几乎不工作。
hard
(adv.) 努力
He works hard. 他努力工作。
(adj.) 艰难，坚硬

lane (n) 车道，小巷，航线

pretend (v) 假装
pretend to do sth
I pretend I didn’t hear her.
I pretend to read.

explore (v) 探索 – explorer (n) – exploration (n) 探险
I want to explore that cave.

scatter (v) 分散，洒落

thick (adj.) 厚

firm (adj.) 坚硬的，硬邦邦的

bid someone goodbye: say goodbye to someone

thaw (v) 解冻，融解

good-natured (adj.) 脾气好的，和蔼，和善的

drown (v) 被淹没，溺亡
A was trying to drown B.

at least 最起码，至少
We have at least one hour.
At least you can go to a good middle school.
At least you have your friends with you.

promise (v) 承诺
(n) 承诺
I made a promise to my friend that I will visit him next month.
keep one’s promise 保持/信守诺言
break one’s promise 不信守诺言，毁约
A promised B
I promised to see him next Friday.

scream (v/n) 尖叫，呼叫，叫喊

give way 给…让路，倒塌/失去控制/破裂

plunge (v) 跳入，陷入，投入，扑到，钻到

shore (n) 岸边

nearly (adv.) 几乎，快要

frozen (adj.) 冰冻的，冷冻的，冻僵的

disobedient (adj.) 不乖，不听话
Were you a disobedient kid when you were little?

obedient (adj.) 听话的，顺从的，乖的

Harry and Annie lived a mile from town, but they went there to school every day. It was a pleasant walk down the lane and through the meadow by the pond. I hardly know whether they liked it better in summer or in winter.

They used to pretend that they were travelers exploring a new country and would scatter leaves on the road so that they might find their way back again.

When the ice was thick and firm, they walked across the pond. But their mother did not like that they walked across the ice this unless someone was with them.

“Don‟t go across the pond today, children,” she said as she kissed them and bade them goodbye one morning; “it is beginning to thaw.” “All right, mother,” said Harry, not very good-naturedly because he was very fond of running and sliding on the ice.

When they came to the pond, the ice looked hard and safe. “There,” he said to his sister. “I knew it hadn’t thawed any. Mother is always afraid we will drown. Come along, we will have a good time sliding. The school bell will not ring for an hour at least.”

“But you promised mother,” said Annie. “No, I didn’t. I only said, All right, and it is all right.” “I didn’t say anything, so I can do as I like,” said Annie.

So they stepped on the ice, and started to go across the pond. They had not gone far before the ice gave way, and they fell into the water. A man who was at work near the shore heard the screams of the children and plunged into the water to save them.

Harry managed to get to the shore without any help, but poor Annie nearly drowned before the man could reach her.

Harry went home almost frozen and told his mother how disobedient he had been. He remembered the lesson learned that day as long as he lived.