ACT 3-1 “我真心欢迎你们回来。”
【故事梗概】
星期天的晚上， Richard，Marilyn，Susan和 Harry 露营归来。Ellen因为要照顾不停哭闹的Max而还没有睡。
Marilyn: [She enters the house.] I’m so glad everyone is asleep. I thought Max would be crying, and everybody would be awake.
Richard: What did I tell you? Nothing to worry about.
Susan: I’m sure everything is fine. My mother knows all there is to know about taking care of babies, I assure you.
Harry: Let’s put some of this stuff away and then take off. We’ve got a forty-minute drive into the city. [He goes into the kitchen.]
Ellen: [She enters the kitchen in her night clothes.] Welcome home — and I do mean welcome home. [She hugs Marilyn and Susan.]
Richard: Something wrong?
Ellen: Oh, nothing’s wrong, Richard. Believe me, Max is fine. But his teeth hurt, and he just can’t get to sleep, poor dear. [She sits at the kitchen table.]
Susan: Neither can you.
Marilyn: Oh, I feel so bad.
Ellen: Oh, I’m fine.
【语言点精讲】
1. I’m so glad everyone is asleep. I thought Max would be crying, and everybody would be awake.
我真高兴人人都睡着了，我本以为Max会在哭，人人都会醒着。
I thought…: 我本以为……（但事实上和我想象的不一样）。
2. My mother knows all there is to know about taking care of babies, I assure you.
我母亲对于看孩子的事是无所不知、无所不晓的，我敢向你保证。
know all there is to know about: 对……全都知 道，都懂；对……无所不知，无所不晓。这是在夸耀某人知识时常用的句式，如：
Philip knows all there is to know about pediatrics.
Harry knows all there is to know about camping.
3. Let’s put some of this stuff away and then take off.
咱们把这些东西收起一部分，然后赶快走吧。
take off: 赶快（迅速）离开。
4. We’ve got a forty-minute drive into the city.
我们还要开四十分钟的车到城里去。
a forty-minute drive: 开40分钟的车。美国的汽车比较普遍，所以常用开车要用的时间来表示距离。注意这个短语forty-minute，minute是单数形式，整个短语作为定语修饰drive，类似的例子还很多，例如:
a five-mile walk
a ten-minute interview
a three-round negotiation talk
5. I do mean welcome home.
我真心欢迎你们回来。
do: 在这里表示强调，加强语气。需要注意的是，时态变化及人称变化都表现在do上，其后一律跟动词原形。
6. Oh, I feel so bad.
噢， 太抱歉了。相当于Oh, I’m terribly sorry.
ACT 3-2 “Harry是个野营专家。”
【故事梗概】
Ellen问起了他们的周末过得怎么样。大家说因为Harry是个搞露营的专家，这个周末过得棒极了。
Ellen: How was your weekend?
Harry: We had a great time, Mom.
Richard: It was wonderful. The weather couldn’t have been better.
Ellen: It was nice here, too.
Marilyn: Did you get a chance to get outside at all?
Ellen: Oh, yes. Grandpa helped me yesterday afternoon. I went to the supermarket to get a few things, and I stayed out an extra half hour. The village was filled with people — the weather was so nice.
Richard: Harry’s a professional camper, Mom. He knows all there is to know, and he made the weekend very easy for us to enjoy.
Harry: Come on. You all helped.
Susan: You were wonderful, Harry!
[They applaud him.]
Marilyn: Why don’t you go to your room, Mom, and get some sleep?
Ellen: Oh, I’m fine.
【语言点精讲】
1. The weather couldn’t have been better.
天气再好不过了。
用 couldn’t have + 过去分词来表示过去不可能发生的事，表示一种推测。
2. Did you get a chance to get outside at all?
你有机会出去一下吗？
get a chance to do sth.: 有机会做某事。
3. Grandpa helped me yesterday afternoon. I went to the supermarket to get a few things, and I stayed out an extra half hour. The village was filled with people — the weather was so nice.
昨天下午爷爷帮了我的忙，我到超级市场去买了几样东西，我又多在外面呆了半小时，村里人多得很——天气是那么地好。
go to the supermarket: 去超市。
be filled with: 充满了，挤满了。
4. Harry’s a professional camper, Mom. He knows all there is to know, and he made the weekend very easy for us to enjoy.
Harry是个野营专家，妈妈。凡是野营的事，他无所不知，无所不晓，是他使我们毫不费力地享受了这个周末。
a professional camper: 露营专家。
know all there is to know about: 对……全都知道，都懂；对……无所不知，无所不晓。这是在夸耀某人知识时常用的句式。
5. Come on. You all helped.
别这么说，你们都尽了力。
Come on. : 得了，别这么说。
6. Why don’t you go to your room, Mom, and get some sleep?
妈妈，你还是回屋去找补点儿觉吧。
Why don’t you do sth.?: 为什么不……呢？用于提建议。
ACT 3-3 “那会是一笔好买卖。”
【故事梗概】
大家继续谈论露营中的种种快乐。Max又开始哭了，Richard夫妇认为他们有办法可以让他好起来。
Ellen: Tell me more about your weekend. Did you do anything special?
Susan: Lots of special country things. We picked flowers.
Marilyn: And we brought some home for you. [She gives some flowers to Ellen.] It was so nice to be out in the country.
Ellen: [She smells the flowers.]They smell wonderful.
Marilyn: Everything smelled so special. It would have been great if we had been able to bottle the smells.
Harry: It would be a great business if you could do that.
[The baby starts to cry upstairs.]
Ellen: Oh!
Marilyn: Uh, we’re home now, Ellen. We’ll take care of it.
Richard: I’ll take care of it. [He holds up the cassette player.] Let’s see if it works.
Ellen: What’s that?
Richard: A little special country music. [He goes upstairs.]
Susan: I think we’d better head home. It’s getting late, and we have a bit of a drive.
【语言点精讲】
1. Tell me more about your weekend. Did you do anything special?
再跟我谈谈你们的周末，你们做了什么特别的事吗？
Tell me more…: 再多告诉我一些……。这是用于表示自己对别人谈的事情很感兴趣，而鼓励别人多谈的句型。
2. They smell wonderful.
（这花）闻起来很香。
smell: 再这里是半系动词，后面带形容词表语。
3. It would have been great if we had been able to bottle the smells.
我们能把那些气味装进瓶子里该有多好。
用虚拟语气表示与过去事实相反的情况时，主句中用 would have +过去分词（此句中用了 would have been），if从句中用 had +过去分词（此句中用了 had been）。此处 Marilyn的遗憾是，他们无法把香味装在瓶子里带回来，当然，当她说“It would have been great”时，仅仅是想像而已。又如：
I wouldn’t have passed the exam if I hadn’t prepared for it. (The fact is that I passed it!)
We would have felt much happier if Tom had come to the party 。(The pity is that he didn’t come.)
4. It would be a great business if you could do that.
你要能办得到，那会是一笔好买卖。
这句话用的是虚拟语气，表示与实际情况相反的假设。
a great business: 一宗大买卖，一笔大生意。
5. I think we’d better head home. It’s getting late, and we have a bit of a drive.
我想我们最好动身回家吧，天晚了，我们还要开一会儿呢。
we’d better do sth.: 我们最好做某事。
head: 动身，出发。
have a bit of drive: 有相当一段路要开。还要 开一段路的车。a bit of 在这里是反话，指颇大、颇长、颇多等。
ACT 3-4 “乡间的舒适声音。”
【故事梗概】
Susan和Harry告别大家，动身返回在城里的他们的住所。Richard和Marilyn带回来的“乡间之音”不仅止住了Max的哭声，也让因过度疲劳而无法入睡的Ellen有了睡意。
Harry: Well, all your things are inside. There’s your sleeping bag.
Marilyn: Oh, thanks, Harry. [She kisses him and Susan good-bye.]
Harry: Say good-bay to Richard. We’ll call you all tomorrow night.
Marilyn: Good-bye.
Susan: Bye, Mom.
Ellen: Bye-bye.
Marilyn: Bye.
Ellen: I’m so tired. I think I’m overtired. I don’t know if I can get to sleep.
[Max stops crying.]
Ellen: Max has stopped crying.
Marilyn: Yes. It works!
Richard: [He enters.] It works!
Ellen: What works?
Richard: This. [He turns on the cassette player and plays the tape of the sounds of the country.]
Ellen: Oh. Oh, where did you get that? It sounds so nice. [She begins to fall asleep at the kitchen table.] I think I’m falling asleep.
Richard: Like Max did.
[Ellen leaves and takes the cassette player with her.]
Richard: Good night.
Marilyn: Good night. [to Richard] Sounds of the country. The soothing sounds of the country.
[They hug.]
【语言点精讲】
1. Well, all your things are inside. There’s your sleeping bag.
好，你们的东西都搬进来了，你们的睡袋在这儿。
sleeping bag: 睡袋。
2. She kisses him and Susan good-bye.
她同Harry和Susan吻别。
kiss sb. good-bye: 吻别。还可以说 kiss goodbye to sb. 类似道别的表达还有 say goodbye to sb.; wave good-bye to sb.
3. Say good-bay to Richard. We’ll call you all tomorrow night.
代我们向Richard告别，我们明早给你们大家来电话。
Say good-bye to Richard.: 代我们向Richard告别。相当于Say good-bye to Richard for me.
4. I’m so tired. I think I’m overtired. I don’t know if I can get to sleep.
我累极了，怕是累过头了，我不知道是否能入睡。
overtired: 过度劳累，累过头。
5. I think I’m falling asleep.
我想我快要睡着了。
fall asleep: fall 在这里是半系动词，表示从一种状况转入另种状态。
6. Sounds of the country. The soothing sounds of the country.
乡间的声音，乡间的舒适的声音。
The soothing sounds of the country. : 乡野间祥和宁静的声响（例如潺潺流水声，鸟鸣虫叫声等）。