练习材料

L46-1: Do it yourself

Even men who can hardly drive a nail in straight are supposed to be born electricians, carpenters, plumbers and mechanics. When lights fuse, furniture gets rickety, pipes get clogged, or vacuum cleaners fail to operate, some woman assume that their husbands will somehow put things right. The worst thing about the do-it-yourself game is that sometimes even men live under the delusion that they can do anything, even when they have repeatedly been proved wrong. It is a question of pride as much as anything else.

Last spring my wife suggested that I call in a man to look at our lawn mower. It had broken down the previous summer, and though I promised to repair it, I had never got round to it. I would not hear of the suggestion and said that I would fix it myself. One Saturday afternoon, I hauled the machine into the garden and had a close look at it. As far as I could see, it needed only a minor adjustment: a turn of a screw here, a little tightening up there, a drop of oil and it would be as good as new.

/ɛl/46-1: /du/ /ɪt/ /jərˈsɛlf/

/ˈivɪn/ /mɛn/ /hu/ /kæn/ /ˈhɑrdli/ /draɪv/ /ə/ /neɪl/ /ɪn/ /streɪt/ /ɑr/ /səˈpoʊzd/ /tu/ /bi/ /bɔrn/ /ɪlɛkˈtrɪʃənz/, /ˈkɑrpəntərz/, /ˈplʌmərz/ /ænd/ /məˈkænɪks/. /wɛn/ /laɪts/ /fjuz/, /ˈfɜrnɪʧər/ /gɛts/ /ˈrɪkəti/, /paɪps/ /gɛt/ /klɔgd/, /ɔr/ /ˈvækjum/ /ˈklinərz/ /feɪl/ /tu/ /ˈɑpəˌreɪt/, /sʌm/ /ˈwʊmən/ /əˈsum/ /ðæt/ /ðɛr/ /ˈhʌzbəndz/ /wɪl/ /ˈsʌmˌhaʊ/ /pʊt/ /θɪŋz/ /raɪt/. /ðə/ /wɜrst/ /θɪŋ/ /əˈbaʊt/ /ðə/ /du/-/ɪt/-/jərˈsɛlf/ /geɪm/ /ɪz/ /ðæt/ /səmˈtaɪmz/ /ˈivɪn/ /mɛn/ /lɪv/ /ˈʌndər/ /ðə/ /dɪˈluʒən/ /ðæt/ /ðeɪ/ /kæn/ /du/ /ˈɛniˌθɪŋ/, /ˈivɪn/ /wɛn/ /ðeɪ/ /hæv/ /rɪˈpitɪdli/ /bɪn/ /pruvd/ /rɔŋ/. /ɪt/ /ɪz/ /ə/ /ˈkwɛsʧən/ /ʌv/ /praɪd/ /æz/ /mʌʧ/ /æz/ /ˈɛniˌθɪŋ/ /ɛls/.

/læst/ /sprɪŋ/ /maɪ/ /waɪf/ /səgˈʤɛstəd/ /ðæt/ /aɪ/ /kɔl/ /ɪn/ /ə/ /mən/ /tu/ /lʊk/ /æt/ /ˈaʊər/ /lɔn/ /ˈmoʊər/. /ɪt/ /hæd/ /ˈbroʊkən/ /daʊn/ /ðə/ /ˈpriviəs/ /ˈsʌmər/, /ænd/ /ðoʊ/ /aɪ/ /ˈprɑməst/ /tu/ /rɪˈpɛr/ /ɪt/, /aɪ/ /hæd/ /ˈnɛvər/ /gɑt/ /raʊnd/ /tu/ /ɪt/. /aɪ/ /wʊd/ /nɑt/ /hir/ /ʌv/ /ðə/ /səgˈʤɛsʧən/ /ænd/ /sɛd/ /ðæt/ /aɪ/ /wʊd/ /fɪks/ /ɪt/ /ˌmaɪˈsɛlf/. /wʌn/ /ˈsætərdi/ /ˌæftərˈnun/, /aɪ/ /hɔld/ /ðə/ /məˈʃin/ /ˈɪntu/ /ðə/ /ˈgɑrdən/ /ænd/ /hæd/ /ə/ /kloʊs/ /lʊk/ /æt/ /ɪt/. /æz/ /fɑr/ /æz/ /aɪ/ /kʊd/ /si/, /ɪt/ /ˈnidəd/ /ˈoʊnli/ /ə/ /ˈmaɪnər/ /əˈʤʌstmənt/: /ə/ /tɜrn/ /ʌv/ /ə/ /skru/ /hir/, /ə/ /ˈlɪtəl/ /ˈtaɪtənɪŋ/ /ʌp/ /ðɛr/, /ə/ /drɑp/ /ʌv/ /ɔɪl/ /ænd/ /ɪt/ /wʊd/ /bi/ /æz/ /gʊd/ /æz/ /nu/.