BOOK ONE · LESSON 103

The French test

法语考试

Gary and Richard discuss their exam results after a French test. Gary is relieved he passed English and Maths, while Richard worries he failed the French paper. The lesson covers the use of 'could' for past ability and 'too...to' constructions.

103 / 144 LESSONS3 PARTSREAD · WRITE · PRACTISE

READ & UNDERSTAND

Lesson 课文

1
Gary
How was the exam, Richard?
考试考得怎样，理查德？
2
Richard
Not too bad.
不算太坏。
3
Richard
I think I passed in English and Mathematics.
我想我的英语和数学及格了。
4
Richard
The questions were very easy.
题目很容易。
5
Richard
How about you, Gary?
加里，你怎么样？
6
Gary
The English and Maths papers weren't easy enough for me.
英语和数学试题对我来说不那么容易。
7
Gary
I hope I haven't failed.
我希望别不及格。
8
Richard
I think I failed the French paper.
我想我的法语及不了格。
9
Richard
I could answer sixteen of the questions.
我能回答其中的16道题。
10
Richard
They were very easy.
这些题很容易。
11
Richard
But I couldn't answer the rest.
但我回答不出其余的题。
12
Richard
They were too difficult for me.
那些题对我来说太难了。
13
Gary
French tests are awful, aren't they?
法语考试太可怕了，你说呢？
14
Richard
I hate them.
我讨厌法语考试。
15
Richard
I'm sure I've got a low mark.
我的成绩肯定很低。
16
Gary
Oh, cheer up!
啊，别灰心！
17
Gary
Perhaps we didn't do too badly.
或许我们考得还不太糟。
18
Gary
The guy next to me wrote his name at the top of the paper.
坐在我旁边的那个人只在试卷顶端写了自己的名字。
19
Richard
Yes?
是吗？
20
Gary
Then he sat there and looked at it for three hours!
然后他就坐在那里，对着考卷看了3个小时！
21
Gary
He didn't write a word!
他一个字也没写！

New words & expressions 生词和短语

exam /ɪɡ'zæm/: n. 考试
pass /pɑːs/: v. 及格，通过
mathematics /,mæθə'mætlks/: n. 数学
question /'kwestʃən/: n. 问题
easy /'iːzi/: adj. 容易的
enough /ɪ'nʌf/: adv. 足够地
paper /'peɪpə/: n. 考卷
fail /feɪl/: v. 未及格，失败
answer /'ɑːnsə/: v. 回答
mark /mɑːk/: n. 分数
rest /rest/: n. 其他的东西
difficult /'dɪfɪkəlt/: adj. 困难的
hate /heɪt/: v. 讨厌
low /ləʊ/: adj. 低的
cheer /tʃɪə/: v. 振作，振奋
guy /gaɪ/: n. 家伙，人
top /tɒp/: n. 上方，顶部

Notes on the text 课文注释

pass in

I think I passed in English and Mathematics. 如果想通过某一个考试，直接用动词pass；如果想通过某一科目，则用pass in。

paper (可数名词)

the English and Maths papers, 英文和数学卷子。paper 这个词当"试卷"讲时，是可数名词。

How about ...?

How about ...? ……怎么样？用于征求他人意见或询问情况。

easy enough for me

easy enough for me, 是指对我来说不难，我可以完成和通过。而 too difficult for me 是指对我来说太难了，无法完成和通过。

cheer up

cheer up, 振作起来。

MAKE IT YOUR OWN

Practice 练习

Practice A: Dialogue fill-in

Read this dialogue. Fill in the missing words.

读这段对话，填入缺失的单词。

Fill in each blank with the correct word from the dialogue.

1Gary: ___ was the exam, Richard?

2Richard: Not ___ bad.

3I think I ___ in English and ___.

4I think I passed in English and ___.

5The ___ were very easy.

6What ___ you, Gary?

7Gary: The English and ___ papers...

8...weren't easy ___ for me.

9I ___ I haven't ___.

10I hope I haven't ___.

11Richard: I think I ___ the French paper.

12I could ___ sixteen of the questions.

13They were very ___.

14But I ___ answer the ___.

15But I couldn't answer the ___.

16They were ___ difficult for me.

17Gary: French ___ are awful, ___ they?

18French tests are awful, ___ they?

19Richard: I ___ them.

20I'm ___ I've got a low ___.

21I'm sure I've got a low ___.

22Gary: Oh, ___ up!

23Perhaps we didn't ___ too ___.

24Perhaps we didn't do too ___.

25The ___ next to me...

26...wrote his name at the ___ of the paper.

Practice B: Vocabulary - pairs of opposites

Match these words into pairs of opposites. Now fill in the blanks.

找出左框中各个词的反义词。现在填空。

Match opposites: hate-love, pass-fail, easy-difficult, low-high, write-read, top-bottom. Then fill in the blanks with the correct words.

1She doesn't hate French tests: she ___ them!

loves

2Of course you won't ___ the exam. I know you'll pass it!

3I like easy jobs: this is too ___ for me.

4She expected a high mark in the English test, but she got a very ___ mark!

5Our teacher always says, '___ the question carefully first. Then start.'

6Where shall I put the date - at the ___ of that or at the bottom of the paper?

BUILD YOUR FOUNDATION

Grammar 语法练习

Grammar I: Answer the questions (could/couldn't)

Answer the questions according to the example. Example: Could he read and write at the age of five? → He could read, but he couldn't write.

仿照例句回答下列问题。例句：他五岁时会读写吗？→ 他会读，但他不会写。

Answer each question using 'could' for the ability they had and 'couldn't' for the ability they didn't have. Item 1 is a printed example.

1Could he read and write at the age of five?

He could read, but he couldn't write.

2Could you play football and tennis at the age of ten?

3Could she swim and dance at the age of eight?

4Could he ride a bike and drive a car at the age of thirteen?

5Could you speak English and French at school?

6Could you wash clothes and cook dishes at the age of ten?

7Could he do his homework and his sister's last night?

8Could you buy a car and a house three years ago?

Grammar II: Complete the sentences (could + time expression)

Complete the sentences according to the example. Example: He can run fast now. (ten years ago) → He could run fast ten years ago, too.

仿照例句完成下列句子。例句：他现在能跑得快。（十年前）→ 他十年前也能跑得快。

Convert present 'can' sentences to past 'could' using the time expression in brackets. Add 'too' at the end. Item 1 is a printed example.

1He can run fast now. (ten years ago)

He could run fast ten years ago, too.

2I can swim five miles now. (last year)

3He can answer all the questions now. (yesterday)

4She can drive well now. (two years ago)

5I can write English well now. (at school)

6He can repair a car now. (five years ago)

7She can play the piano now. (at the age of eight)

8He can tell the exact time now. (at the age of six)

Grammar III: Answer with 'too...to' (past tense)

Answer the questions according to the examples. Example: Have you eaten the pear? (hard) → No, it was too hard to eat.

仿照例句回答下列问题。例句：你吃过梨吗？（硬的）→ 没有，它太硬了吃不了。

Answer each question using 'too + adjective + to + verb' in the past tense. Items 1a and 2a are printed examples.

1a. Have you eaten the pear? (hard)

No, it was too hard to eat.

2b. Has he drunk the soup? (hot)

3c. Have you bought the suit? (expensive)

4d. Have they answered the question? (difficult)

5e. Has she taken the medicine? (bitter)

6f. Have you lifted the box? (heavy)

7g. Has he eaten the cake? (stale)

8h. Have they read the book? (long)

9a. Can he reach the wall? (high)

No, it's too high for him to reach.

10b. Can they lift the bag? (heavy)

11c. Can you remember the story? (long)

12d. Can she buy the dress? (expensive)

13e. Can he see the letter 'a'? (small)

14f. Can they move the furniture? (heavy)

15g. Can you drink the soup? (hot)

16h. Can they do that exercise? (difficult)

Grammar IV: Answer with 'not...enough to'

Answer the questions according to the example. Example: Why couldn't he go to school? (old) → He wasn't old enough to go to school.

仿照例句回答下列问题。例句：他为什么不能上学？（老）→ 他还不够大去上学。

Answer each question using 'not + adjective + enough + to + verb'. Item 1 is a printed example.

1Why couldn't he go to school? (old)

He wasn't old enough to go to school.

2Why couldn't she clean the blackboard? (tall)

3Why couldn't he carry the case? (strong)

4Why couldn't she win the prize? (lucky)

5Why couldn't he ride a bike? (big)

6Why couldn't you go to sleep? (tired)

7Why couldn't they pass the test? (clever)

8Why couldn't she open the windows? (tall)

9Why couldn't you go to work? (well)

10Why couldn't you buy a new car? (rich)

BACK TO THE BOOK

Original sources 原始资料

Open the original pages to compare your work. 点击链接查看原文。

A little practice, every day. 每天一点，慢慢积累。