新概念三Lesson49.ppt

单击此处编辑母版标题样式,单击此处编辑母版文本样式,第二级,第三级,第四级,第五级,*,Lesson 49 The ideal servant,What was Bessies little weakness?,It is a good thing,my aunt Harriet died years ago.,If she were alive today,she would not be able to,air her views on,her,favourite,topic of conversation:,domestic servants.,Aunt Harriet,lived in that leisurely age,when servants,were employed,to do housework.,She had a huge,rambling country house,Called The Gables.,She was sentimentally,attached to this house,for even though,it was far too big,for her needs,she persisted in living there,long after,her husbands death.,Before she grew old,Aunt Harriet used to,entertain lavishly.,I often visited The Gables,when I was a boy.,No matter how many guests,were present,the great house,was always immaculate.,The parquet floors,shone like mirrors;,highly polished silver,was displayed,in gleaming glass cabinets;,even my uncles,huge collection of books,was kept miraculously free from dust.,Aunt Harriet,presided over,an invisible army of servants,that continuously scrubbed,cleaned,and polished.,She always referred to them,as the shifting population,for they came and went,with such frequency,that I never even got a chance,to learn their names.,Though my aunt pursued,what was,in those days,an enlightened policy,in that she never allowed,her domestic staff,to work more than eight hours a day,she was extremely difficult,to please.,While she always criticized,the fickleness of human nature,she carried on,an unrelenting search,for the ideal servant,to the end of her days,even after,she had been sadly disillusioned,by Bessie.,Bessie worked for Aunt Harriet,for three years.,During that time,she so gained my aunts confidence,that she was put,in charge of the domestic staff.,Aunt Harriet could not find words,to praise Bessies,industriousness and efficiency.,In addition to,all her other qualifications,Bessie was an expert cook.,She acted the role of,the perfect servant,for three years,before Aunt Harriet discovered,her little weakness.,After being absent,from The Gables for a week,my aunt unexpectedly returned,one afternoon,with a party of guests,and instructed Bessie,to prepare dinner.,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,(the guests)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 Bessies wardrobe.,They had mysteriously,found their way there,from the wine cellar!,Topics for discussion,1 Tell us about a meal you have been to when everything went wrong.,2 Theres really no difference between being a domestic servant and any other kind of employment.Do you agree or disagree?Why?,3 Formal dinner parties at home are challenging for hosts and guests.What do you think?,