課文重點分析
1. I remember well the polished oak case fastened to the wall on the lower stair landing.（見第4行）
(1) remember well 意為「記得很清楚」，亦可說成 remember clearly
remember vividly 記憶猶新
remember vaguely依稀記得
(2) fastened to the wall on the lower stair landing 此為一分詞片語修飾前面的 the polished oak case。此片語是由形容詞子句 which was fastened to the wall on the lower stair landing轉換而來的。
2. I was too little to reach the telephone, but used to listen with fascination when my mother talked to it.（見第9行）
(1) too ... to + V 意為「太……以致不能……」。
(2) reach 在此意為「伸手去拿……」。
例：We are not tall enough to reach the ball on the roof.
(3) used to 意為「過去……；過去習慣於……」。用法： used to + V ...
例：My father used to smoke. （意思是現在不抽煙了。）
(4) with fascination 意為「著迷地」。當副詞用，修飾動詞 listen，亦可以 fascinatingly取代，介系詞 + 名詞 = 副詞，同類其他用詞可參看本課的 Word Power。
3. Then I discovered that somewhere inside that wonderful device lived an amazing person....（見第13行）
(1) ...somewhere inside that wonderful device lived an amazing person.... 為一倒裝句，原句為 an amazing person lived somewhere inside that wonderful device。
(2) amazing adj. 令人驚訝的
amaze v. [T] 使驚訝
amazement n. [U] 驚訝
to one’s amazement 令……訝異
例：It is amazing to see so many people waiting in line to watch this movie.
He amazed everyone by winning the speech contest.
To everyone’s amazement, Peter dropped out of school.
4. Amusing myself at the tool-bench in the basement, I whacked my finger with a hammer.（見第19行）
(1)”Amusing myself at the tool-bench in the basement,....”為一分詞構句。此句是由副詞子句”When I was amusing myself at the tool-bench in the basement,....”轉化而來的。
(2) amuse oneself 意為「自娛、消遣、取樂」。
例：How do you usually amuse yourself during your free time?
Small children like to amuse themselves playing hide-and-seek.
5. ..., but there didn’t seem to be much use crying because there was no one home to offer sympathy.（見第21行）
(1) there didn’t seem to be much use crying 此句意為「哭似乎沒多大用處」。
文法／句型
There is no use + V-ing ....，意為「做……沒用」。
= It is no use + V-ing ....
= It is useless + to V ....
there後方除了加上be動詞之外，還可以加上「seem/appear/happen/tend等連綴動詞 + to be」或「助動詞 + be」等。
文法／句型
there + seem/appear/happen/tend/... + to be
There seems to be a big problem here.
There happened to be a large hole in the road when I drove along Main Street yesterday.
There tend to be a lot of young punks hanging around on this street.
there + 助V + be
This street is too dark. There should be some streetlights here.
I think there may be a better person for the job.
6. I walked around the house sucking my throbbing finger, finally arriving at the stairway.（見第22行）
sucking my throbbing finger, finally arriving at the stairway為分詞構句。句中現在分詞sucking和arriving表主動的意思。反之，若分詞構句中使用過去分詞，則有被動的意思。
7. Climbing up, I unhooked the receiver and held it to my ear.（見第25行）
climbing up 為一分詞構句，是由副詞子句 after I climbed up轉化而來的。
8. A click or two, and a small, clear voice spoke into my ear.（見第30行）
此句亦可說成”After one or two clicking sounds, I heard a small, clear voice speaking to me.”。
9. The tears came readily enough, now that I had an audience.（見第34行）
Now that 既然；因為；而今
Now that you have come, you may as well stay for a few days.
既然來了, 你就不妨住幾天嘛。
10. “Are you bleeding?”(見第38行）
bleed v. [I] (bleed, bled, bled) 流血
bleeding n. [U] 出血；放血
例：My little brother cut his finger and bled badly.
His nose is bleeding.
11. And there was the time that Petey, our pet canary, died.（見第50行）
(1) “there was the time that...”可說成”there was a time when...”，當「有一次」解。
(2) Petey, our pet canary, 此處的 our pet canary 和 Petey 是同位語，用以說明 Petey 和我們的關係，因此在 our pet canary 前後都要加逗點。
12. Why was it that birds should sing so beautifully and bring joy to whole families, only to end as a heap of feathers feet up, on the bottom of the cage?（見第53行）
(1) 整句話可寫成 Why should birds that sing beautifully and make whole families happy have to die and end up lying with their feet up in the air, on the bottom of the cage?
(2) only to + V 表「結果卻……」。
例：He came all the way to the house only to find that not a person was there.
13. She must have sensed my deep concern, for she said quietly,....（見第57行）
(1) must have sensed 當「一定感受到」解。
文法／句型
must 表猜測的用法：
「對過去的猜測」，用must + have + p.p.。
It must have rained hard last night, for the ground is still wet.
「對現在的猜測」，用 must + V。
The man standing outside must be your father, for you two really look alike.
(2) sense v. [T] 感覺到；察覺
sense n. [C, U] 感覺；感官
(3) for 在此為一對等連接詞，用以引導附帶的說明文句，以表達所述事情的理由。for 所引導的子句通常放在後面，且在 for 前要加逗點。
例：Surely it will rain soon, for the sky is covered with dark clouds.
14. “Paul, always remember that there are other worlds to sing in.”(見第58行）
這句話是為了要安慰小孩，讓他們覺得死亡並不是結束，而是到另一個世界去開始另一種的生活，以減輕他們的悲傷。
15. Another day I was at the telephone.（見第61行）
這裡的 be + at the telephone 就是「在打電話」的意思。
16. ..., and I was not at all sure that I hadn’t hurt her when I pulled the receiver out.（見第71行）
(1) not at all 當「一點也不」解。
用於疑問句、條件句，當「到底；既然；即使」解。
Is the washing machine working at all?
If you are going to say anything at all, say it now.
(2) sure 在此當「確定」解。
17. He opened the telephone box, exposing a maze of wires and coils, and fiddled for a while with the end of the receiver cord, tightening things with a small screwdriver.（見第79行）
(1) 這裏的exposing a maze of wires and coils 和 tightening things with a small screwdriver 均為分詞構句。
(2) tighten v. [T] 使變緊；繫緊
tight adj. 緊的
tighten one’s belt 束緊腰帶；束緊褲帶過活；過艱苦的日子
18. He hung up, smiled, gave me a pat on the head and walked out the door.（見第86行）
本句為A, B, C and D的句型，也就是主詞He做了四個動作，分別是掛電話hung up、微笑smiled、拍拍我的頭gave me a pat on the head和走出門walked out the door。
(1) hang up 意為「掛上電話」；hang on 意為「不要掛電話」，亦可用 hold on，此片語較常用。
(2) give me a pat on the head 意為「拍拍我的頭」。pat 在此為名詞，與搭配詞 give 連用。若 pat 為動詞，則可參看本課 Grammar Focus II。
19. All this took place in a small town in the Pacific Northwest.（見第88行）
All of these things happened in a small town in the northwestern United States.
(1) take place 發生，舉行 (= happen, occur)
例：The final exam in math will take place at ten o’clock next Tuesday.
(2) the Pacific Northwest是指「（美國）西北部太平洋沿岸地區」，通常包括華盛頓州、俄勒岡州、以及加州北部等太平洋沿岸地區。
20. ..., and I somehow never thought of trying the tall, skinny new phone that sat on a small table in the hall.（見第91行）
For some reason, I never considered trying to talk to the operator on our new phone. I guess it was because it didn’t look at all like our old phone. Instead, it was a tall, skinny phone that sat on a table.
sit v. [I, T] 位於 (= be located, be situated)；坐；使就座
例：The hotel sits at the edge of a lake.
Tom sat cross-legged on the floor.
He picked up his son and sat him on a chair.
21. Yet, as I grew into my teens, the memories of those childhood conversations never really left me;....（見第94行）
teens 意思是「十幾歲」，通常是指 13 到 19 歲的少年、少女。
teenage adj. = teenaged 十幾歲的
teenager n. [C] 十幾歲的少年、少女
文法／句型
in one’s teens/twenties/thirties/...
在某人十／二十／三十幾歲的時期
in one’s early/late teens/twenties/thirties/...
在某人十／二十／三十幾歲的前／後期
Boys and girls are quite rebellious while in their teens.
He is in his late twenties. （指 26 到 29 歲）
22. ...in moments of doubt and perplexity, I would recall the serene sense of security I had when I knew that I could call Information Please and get the right answer. （見第95行）
...at times when I felt confused, I felt better when I thought of how kind the operator had been to me when I was young. I felt better when I remembered how secure I had felt knowing that I could always depend on her for help.
a sense of security 安全感
a sense of achievement 成就感
a sense of humor 幽默感
a sense of responsibility 責任感
a sense of uneasiness 不安感
a sense of direction 方向感
23. I appreciated now how very patient, understanding and kind she was to have wasted her time on a little boy.（見第98行）
(1) How + adj./adv. + S + V ....
例：How beautiful the scenery is!
How gracefully she dances!
How clever a man you are to have talked her into it!
What + a/an + adj. + N + S + V ....
What + adj. +複數N + S + V ....
例：What a tragic event it is!
What brave soldiers they are!
What a clever woman you are to have talked him into it!
(2) 完成式的不定詞to have + p.p. 的用法：
(a) 可代表「過去式」或「完成式」的意思，課文中出現的用法即是「過去式」之意。
例：You seem to have annoyed Tom yesterday. (=It seems that you annoyed Tom yesterday.)
I’m glad to have quit the job. (= I’m glad that I have quit the job.)
(b) 配合助動詞（would、should、could、might、needn’t等）和一些動詞（mean、would like、be-V等），則有假設語氣的意思，表示與事實相反的情況。
例：You should have called me last night.
I meant to have called you, but I forgot.
24. A few years later, on my way west to college, my plane stopped in Seattle.（見第100行）
on the way (to) ... 意為「往……路上」。亦可說成 on one’s way (to) ...。若有必要，可在 way 的後面加一個方向（east、west、south、north）字來表達所往的方向。
25. I had about half an hour between connections, and I spent 15 minutes or so on the phone with my sister, who lived there, now happily mellowed by marriage and motherhood. （見第101行）
I had about thirty minutes between connections. I called my sister on the phone and talked to her for about 15 minutes. My sister was now married and had become a mother. She was not so wild as she had been when we were children (when she used to like to scare me).
(1) connection n. [C] 轉車，轉機，接駁的交通工具
例：The flight is delayed, so we may miss the connection to Paris.
(2) or so 當「大約……；……左右」解，放在所修飾的字詞後面，和 about 同義，但 about 是放在所修飾的字詞前面。
例：It takes two hours or so to get there.
= It takes about two hours to get there.
26. “Could you tell me, please, how to spell the word ‘fix’?”(見第113行)
在美式英文中，雙引號（” “）常使用在直接敘述之中，或是用來強調字詞等。（英式英文使用單引號）
但若是在雙引號的句子中，又有要再使用雙引號的情況下，會用單引號來表示，就像本句課文一樣，雙引號在外面，單引號在裡面。
※ 在英式英文中，則是單引號在外、雙引號在內。
27. Then came the softly spoken answer.（見第115行）
After the pause, she answered me, speaking in a soft voice.
此為倒裝句，原句為 The softly spoken answer came then. 。
then 為副詞，挪到句首後將動詞置於主詞之前。請參看本課 Grammar Focus I。
28. “...I wonder if you have any idea how much you meant to me during all that time....”(見第118行)
(1) wonder 意為「想知道；對……感到好奇」。
文法／句型
wonder + that 子句
wonder + wh子句/wh片語/if、whether 子句
I wonder 放在句尾，表說話者的猶豫，當「要怎麼做；覺得納悶」解。
Since he didn’t finish his final report, I wonder what the teacher will say to him tomorrow.
I wonder why he refused to go out with her.
I’m just wondering how to celebrate his twentieth birthday.
I wonder if the typhoon will hit the island.
"How could that have happened?” I wondered.
(2) ... mean to somebody ，這裡的 mean 當「……對……有意義；……對……重要」解。
例：Music meant everything to Jason.
You do mean a lot to me.
29. ..., and I used to look forward to your calls.（見第121行）
look forward to 當「盼望」解。此處的 to 是介系詞，所以後面要接名詞或動名詞。
例：I’m looking forward to your reply.
Patrick is looking forward to meeting with his sweetheart this coming summer vacation.
30. Sally had only been working part-time in the last few years because she was ill. She died five weeks ago.（見第137行）
(1) 過去完成進行式（had + been + V-ing）是用以表達一個動作在過去某段時間一直進行著，而且沒有延續到現在。這裡是要說明Sally在過去這幾年因為生病而一直是以兼職的方式工作，但是她五週前去世了，所以該動作沒有持續到現在，因此用過去完成進行式來表達。試比較下面例句的差異。
例：My legs were very sore because I had been standing still for a long time.（過去完成進行式表示之前一直站了很久，但現在已經沒站著了。）
Tom has been playing video games for twelve hours.（現在完成進行式表示從12小時前就一直打電玩到現在。）
(2) work part-time 就是「兼職」之意。part-time 在此是用作副詞。又part-time 亦可當形容詞用。
例：a part-time job （一份兼差的工作）
31. Well, Sally left a message for you.（見第142行）
message n. [C] 留言，信息
messenger n. [C] 信差，使者
instant messaging 即時通 (= IM)
message board 電子留言板 (= electronic bulletin board)
text message （行動電話的）文字簡訊
32. “What was it?” I asked, almost knowing in advance what it would be.（見第143行）
(1) almost knowing in advance what it would be 為分詞構句表附帶說明。原句為 and I almost knew in advance what it would be。
(2) in advance 意為「事前；預先」。
例：Before you go to class, it’s necessary for you to preview your lessons in advance.
33. I did know what Sally meant.（見第147行）
did 在此是一種強調的用法，意為「的確；真的；務必」。此句又可寫成 I really knew what Sally meant.。助動詞 do、does 及 did 出現在直述句時，是用以表示強調之意。
例：I do like English.
Do tell me, if you make up your mind.
2 則留言:
Wow lesson 5
Yes, while you are preparing for the midterm, I am designing the new material. Time flies.
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