Day 3, Page 21-30

一. 字词

1. have dirt on sb.

(1) 原文：I just wish I had some dirt on HIM to even things out.

(2) 解释：If you say that you have dirt on someone, you mean that you have information that could harm their reputation or career.

(3) 造句：Nobody seems to have any dirt on me.

2. screw (sth.) up

(1) 原文：Don't ask me how Dad screwed this up, but he sent in Rodrick's SECOND-grade picture.

(2) 解释：to make a mistake, or to spoil something

(3) 造句：I almost screwed the demonstration up.

3. be off limits (to / for)

(1) 原文：The basement is off limits.

(2) 解释：= out of bounds    禁止入内

(3) 造句：This bar is off limits to minors.

二. 句子

1. Ever since Mom assigned the dishes to me and Rodrick, Dad's been going down to the furnace room after dinner to work on this miniature Civil War battlefield of his. / And I haven't been invited to spend the night at Rowley's ever since.

(1) 结构：Ever since... 

(2) 说明：ever since 后面可以不加任何东西，也可以加名词或从句。

(3) 仿写：

① I dropped out of university, and I've regretted it ever since.

② I've been working away without a rest ever since lunch.

③ Ever since I stepped out of the examination room, it's the exam has been niggling at my mind.

(4) 原文改写：

① Since Mom assigned the dishes to me and Rodrick, Dad's been going down to the furnace room after dinner to work on this miniature Civil War battlefield of his.

② Since / Ever since Rowley's Dad cracked our code, I haven't been invited to spend the night at Rowley's.

三. 日记

Yesterday, after I did the oral English practice, I found I have a serious problem. When I read aloud an article, I pay more attention to the pronunciation of words, so that I almost don't know what the article means. It's totally wrong, because the listener also can't understand what I say said, when I don't understand what I'm reading I read. So I guess I need to practice more. For example, I'll try to imagine sentences as pictures, while I'm reading aloud.