Listen to the tape then answer the question below.
听录音，然后回答以下问题。
Why did the shop assistant refuse to serve Dickie?

    True eccentrics never deliberately set out to draw attention to themselves. They disregard social conventions without being conscious that they are doing anything extraordinary. This invariably wins them the love and respect of others, for they add colour to the dull routine of everyday life.
    Up to the time of his death, Richard Colson was one of the most notable figures in our town. He was a shrewd and wealthy businessman, but most people in the town hardly knew anything about this side of his life. He was known to us all as Dickie and his eccentricity had become legendary long before he died.
    Dickie disliked snobs intensely. Though he owned a large car, he hardly ever used it, preferring always to go on foot. Even when it was raining heavily, he refused to carry an umbrella. One day, he walked into an expensive shop after having been caught in a particularly heavy shower. He wanted to buy a $300 watch for his wife, but he was in such a bedraggled condition than an assistant refused to serve him. Dickie left the shop without a word and returned carrying a large cloth bag. As it was extremely heavy, he dumped it on the counter. The assistant asked him to leave, but Dickie paid no attention to him and requested to see the manager. Recognizing who the customer was, the manager was most apologetic and reprimanded the assistant severely. When Dickie was given the watch, the presented the assistant with the cloth bag. It contained $300 in pennies. He insisted on the assistant's counting the money before he left -- 30,000 pennies in all! On another occasion, he invited a number of important critics to see his private collection of modern paintings. This exhibition received a great deal of attention in the press, for though the pictures were supposed to be the work of famous artists, they had in fact been painted by Dickie. It took him four years to stage this elaborate joke simply to prove that critics do not always know what they are talking about.

New words and expressions 生词和短语

     lovable
adj. 可爱的

     eccentric
n.   （行为）古怪人

     disregard
v.   不顾，漠视
 
     convention
n.   习俗，风俗

     conscious
adj. 感觉到的，意识到的

     invariably
adv. 总是，经常地

     routine
n.   常规；惯例

     shrewd
adj. 精明的

     eccentricity
n.   怪僻

     legendary
adj. 传奇般的

     snob
n.   势利小人，谄上欺下的人

     intensely
adv. 强烈地

     bedraggled
adj. 拖泥带水的

     dump
v.   把……砰的一声抛下

     apologetic
adj. 道歉的

     reprimand
v.   训斥

     stage
v.   暗中策划

     elaborate
adj. 精心构思的

参考译文

    真正古怪的人从不有意引人注意。他们不顾社会习俗，意识不到自己所作所为有什么特殊之处。他们总能赢得别人的喜爱与尊敬，因为他们给平淡单一的日常生活增添了色彩。
    理查德.科尔森生前是我们镇上最有名望的人之一。他是个精明能干、有钱的商人，但镇上大部分人对他生活中的这一个方面几乎一无所知。大家都管他叫迪基。早在他去世前很久，他的古怪行为就成了传奇故事了。
    迪基痛恨势利小人。尽管他有一辆豪华小轿车，但却很少使用，常常喜欢以步代车。即使大雨倾盆，他也总是拒绝带伞。一天，他遇上一场瓢泼大雨，淋得透湿。他走进一家高级商店，要为妻子买一块价值300英镑的手表。但店员见他浑身泥水的样子，竟不肯接待他。迪基二话没说就走了。一会儿，他带着一个大布口袋回到店里。布袋很沉，他重重地把布袋扔在柜台上。店员让迪基走开，他置之不理，并要求见经理。经理认出了这位顾客，表示了深深的歉意，还严厉地训斥了店员。店员为迪基拿出了那块手表，迪基把布口袋递给他，口袋里面装着300镑的便士。他坚持要店员点清那些硬币后他才离去。这些硬币加在一起共有30,000枚！ 还有一次，他邀请一些著名评论家来参观他私人收藏的现代画。这次展览引起报界广泛注意，因为这些画名义上是名家的作品，事实上是迪基自己画的。他花了4年时间策划这出精心设计的闹剧，只是想证明评论家们有时并不解他们所谈论的事情。

New words and expression 生词和短语

lovable   adj. 可爱的

lovable=worthy of love 惹人爱的

lovely=beautiful 可爱的

What he does is lovable. 他的所作所为很惹人爱。

I like the lovely boy/girl. 我喜欢这个可爱的孩子。

A large number of eccentrics are lovable. 许多怪人惹人喜爱。

eccentric  n. （行为）古怪人:

eccentric  n. =a person whose behavior is peculiar ,unusual,rather strange.;

         adj: peculiar,unusual,strange

strange 因为陌生而奇怪  The modern building looks strange to the villagers.

eccentric a.行为举止古怪   I can't get on well with him, because he is eccentric.

odd 强调指出因为少见而多怪

Look, he is wearing an odd hat.

peculiar 奇异的,不同寻常的  The house is peculiar.

I feel peculiar today.=I feel uncomfortable/ill.=I’m not myself today.

eccentricity n.怪癖

disregard  v. 不顾，漠视

disregard  v.=ignore ,pay no attention to

Disregard noise and keep working.

disregard n.  have a disregard of/for

He has complete disregard of/for my feelings.他对我的感情漠然不顾。

in disregard of不顾，忽视，漠视

He did the work in disregard of my instructions.他不顾我的指示而继续做这项工作。

treat sb. with disregard怠慢某人

Anyway, don't treat your friends with disregard.无论如何不能怠慢自己的朋友。

convention   n. 习俗，风俗

convention n.: generally accepted practice 被普遍接受的行为准则、常规、惯例,可受时间影响

Shaking hands when meeting people is normal convention in China.

custom 历史悠久的社会习俗,不受时间影响

It is a custom of giving presents at Christmas.

He always does exactly what he wants and does not care about convention.

practice 某团体的传统做法或令他人无法接受的习俗

The normal practice in the company is to send bill as soon as the job is done.这个公司的通常做法是工作一做完就记帐单。

a normally accepted practice 普遍接受的做法 见23课

tradition 传统,比custom有更悠久的历史

Spending Christmas day is a tradition for western people.

habit 个人习惯

I have a habit of reading aloud in the morning.

Conscious  adj. 感觉到的，意识到的

conscious  a.感觉到的=aware

be conscious of/that=be aware of/that

He is quite unaware of the danger.他丝毫没有意识到这个危险。

He is not conscious of the danger.

class conscious 有阶级意识的

family conscious 有家庭观念的

clothes conscious 注重衣着的

stairs conscious 注重地位的

aware ;conscious的反义词直接加un-----unaware ;unconscious

subconscious 下意识的

consciousness n.意识、知觉、个人思想

routine  n.常规,惯例

routine=the regular fixed way of sth./doing things

follow the routine墨守成规

break the routine 打破常规

start the daily routine开始每天的日常生活

shrewd  adj.精明的,狡猾的,敏锐的,机灵的

shrewd=showing good practical judgement 

He is a shrewd observer.

We have got shrewd common sense.

Sb. is shrewd. = He has good judgement.

shrewd brained头脑机灵的

shrewd headed头脑机灵的

shrewd looking 看起来机灵的

shrewd a.精明的

cunning :clever at deceiving 善于欺骗的

sly 用更隐秘的办法来达到目的 强于cunning

a sly old fox 非常狡猾的老狐狸

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