练习材料：

The ideal servant Part-3

            理想的仆人

Not only was the meal well below the usual standard, but Bessie seemed unable to walk steadily. She bumped into the furniture and kept mumbling about the guests. When she came in with the last course -- a huge pudding -- she tripped on the carpet and the pudding went flying through the air, narrowly missed my aunt, and crashed on the dining table with considerable force. Though this caused great mirth among the guests, Aunt Harriet was horrified. She reluctantly came to the conclusion that Bessie was drunk. The guests had, of course, realized this from the moment Bessie opened the door for them and, long before the final catastrophe, had had a difficult time trying to conceal their amusement. The poor girl was dismissed instantly. After her departure, Aunt Harriet discovered that there were piles of empty wine bottles of all shapes and sizes neatly stacked in what had once been Bessie's wardrobe. They had mysteriously found their way there from the wine cellar!

nəʊt ˈəʊnli wɒz ðə miːl wɛl bɪˈləʊ ðə ˈjuːʒʊəl ˈstændəd, bʌt Bessie siːmd ʌnˈeɪbl tuː wɔːk ˈstɛdɪli. ʃiː bʌmpt ˈɪntuː ðə ˈfɜːnɪʧər ænd kɛpt ˈmʌmblɪŋ əˈbaʊt ðə gɛsts. wɛn ʃiː keɪm ɪn wɪð ðə lɑːst kɔːs -- ə hjuːʤ ˈpʊdɪŋ -- ʃiː trɪpt ɒn ðə ˈkɑːpɪt ænd ðə ˈpʊdɪŋ wɛnt ˈflaɪɪŋ θruː ði eə, ˈnærəʊli mɪst maɪ ɑːnt, ænd kræʃt ɒn ðə ˈdaɪnɪŋ ˈteɪbl wɪð kənˈsɪdərəbl fɔːs. ðəʊ ðɪs kɔːzd greɪt mɜːθ əˈmʌŋ ðə gɛsts, ɑːnt ˈhærɪət wɒz ˈhɒrɪfaɪd. ʃiː rɪˈlʌktəntli keɪm tuː ðə kənˈkluːʒən ðæt Bessie wɒz drʌŋk. ðə gɛsts hæd, ɒv kɔːs, ˈrɪəlaɪzd ðɪs frɒm ðə ˈməʊmənt Bessie ˈəʊpənd ðə dɔː fɔː ðɛm ænd, lɒŋ bɪˈfɔː ðə ˈfaɪnl kəˈtæstrəfi, hæd hæd ə ˈdɪfɪkəlt taɪm ˈtraɪɪŋ tuː kənˈsiːl ðeər əˈmjuːzmənt. ðə pʊə gɜːl wɒz dɪsˈmɪst ˈɪnstəntli. ˈɑːftə hɜː dɪˈpɑːʧə, ɑːnt ˈhærɪət dɪsˈkʌvəd ðæt ðeə wɜː paɪlz ɒv ˈɛmpti waɪn ˈbɒtlz ɒv ɔːl ʃeɪps ænd ˈsaɪzɪz ˈniːtli stækt ɪn wɒt hæd wʌns biːn Bessie's ˈwɔːdrəʊb. ðeɪ hæd mɪsˈtɪərɪəsli faʊnd ðeə weɪ ðeə frɒm ðə waɪn ˈsɛlə!

结果，不仅饭菜远不如平时做得好，而且贝西走起路来似乎东倒西歪。她撞到了家具上，嘴里还不断咕咕哝哝议论客人。当她端着最后一道菜——一大盘布丁——走进屋来时，在地毯上绊了一跤。布丁飞到半空，从姑母身边擦过，然后狠狠地砸在餐桌上。这件事引起了客人们的欢笑，但哈丽特却着实吓了一跳。她不得不认定贝西是喝醉了。客人们自然从贝西为他们开门那一刻起就看出来了，在好长一段时间里，即最后这个乱子发生前，他们努力克制才没笑出声来。贝西当即被解雇了。贝西走后，哈丽特姑妈发现在贝西以前用过的衣柜里整整齐齐地放着一堆堆形状各导、大小不一的酒瓶子。这些酒瓶神不知鬼不觉地从酒窖来到了这里。

任务配置：L0、L3、L4

知识笔记：

单词与短语

Not only... but...不仅...,而且...

below the usual standard不如平时做得好

trip/trip/to stumble；to cause to stumble (often followed by up):

sth trip sb up、trip on/over sth

cause great mirth among the guests引起了客人们的欢笑

horrify/hɒrɪfaɪ/to cause to feel horror; strike with horror:

come to the conclusion不得不认定...

neatly/ ˈniːtli/（adj） in a pleasingly orderly and clean condition.

练习感悟：记录一些动词及配套常用的词组。