Early on the evening of the Lantern Festival, when people were gathering on the streets, Wang Shao managed to draw a crowd, including the village patriarchs, to the evil local landlord’s door.
元宵节傍晚，人们在街上聚集时，王少设法把包括村里长老在内的人群引到了当地恶霸地主的家门口。
More and more people came, talking and yelling.
越来越多的人赶来，议论纷纷，叫嚷不止。
The landlord, nicknamed “Laughing Tiger,” could not sit still inside. Finally, he stormed outside, only to hear Wang Shao reading aloud a limerick written on the lantern he was carrying:
“A pointy head and a skinny white body, this thing weighs less than a gram. Its eye grows on its butt, and it knows only what you wear and not what you are.”“头尖身细白如银，称称没有半毫分。眼睛长到屁股上，只认衣裳不认人。”“Everyone, guess what it is!” Wang Shao repeated.“大家快来猜一猜是什么！”王少又喊道。The crowd burst out laughing, casting contemptuous looks at the on the landlord’s door. Even the patriarchs could not help but laugh.
人群哄堂大笑，朝地主门上的“铜兽”（门环）投去轻蔑的目光。就连族里的长老们也忍不住笑了出来。
The landlord perceived the sarcasm but dared not act. “How dare you insult me!” he shouted.
地主听出了其中的讥讽，却不敢发作，只好恼羞成怒地吼道：“你敢羞辱我！”
“Sir, I only gave you a riddle,” Wang replied. “The answer is simply ‘a needle.’ Surely you misunderstood.”
“老爷，我只是出个灯谜而已，谜底不过是一根针罢了，您可误会了。” 王少不慌不忙地答道。
The landlord, unable to retaliate, left in disgrace while the crowd cheered. Thus, lantern riddles became a beloved festival custom.
地主无言以对，只得灰溜溜地走开，人群顿时爆发出一片欢呼。自此，猜灯谜便成了元宵节的风俗之一。
【Part 3】生词精讲
patriarch /ˈpeɪtriɑːk/ n. 家长；族长；元老nickname /ˈnɪkneɪm/ n./v. 绰号；昵称；给…起绰号limerick /ˈlɪmərɪk/ n. 五行打油诗contemptuous /kənˈtemptʃuəs/ adj. 轻蔑的；鄙视的brass /brɑːs/ n./adj. 黄铜；黄铜制品；黄铜制的perceive /pəˈsiːv/ v. 察觉；意识到；理解sarcasm /ˈsɑːkæzəm/ n. 讽刺；挖苦retaliate /rɪˈtælieɪt/ v. 报复；反击disgrace /dɪsˈɡreɪs/ n./v. 丢脸；耻辱；使丢脸beloved /bɪˈlʌvd/ adj. 深爱的；备受喜爱的【Part 4】巩固练习（下面的练习有助于巩固对以上生词的理解和记忆，试着独立完成再往下拉查看参考答案哦）
单词拼写（根据释义和首字母提示）
a person who is the male head of a family or tribe → p__________
a humorous poem with five lines → l__________
showing a feeling that something is worthless or deserving of scorn → c__________
to become aware of or notice something → p__________
the use of irony to mock or convey contempt → s__________
选词填空（从上面10个词中选择，注意形式变化）
The old man was a respected __________ in the village.
She gave him a __________ look when he made the rude comment.
He quickly __________ the change in her mood.
The team decided to __________ by scoring a goal in the next minute.
Reading is a __________ pastime for many people.
同义替换
1. The crowd burst out laughing, casting contemptuous looks at the brass beast.→ The crowd burst out laughing, casting __________ looks at the brass beast.2. The landlord, unable to retaliate, left in disgrace.→ The landlord, unable to __________, left in shame.
参考答案
单词拼写
patriarch
limerick
contemptuous
perceive
sarcasm
选词填空
patriarch
contemptuous
perceived
retaliate
beloved
同义替换
scornful / disdainful
take revenge / get back
【Part 5】英式发音朗读笔记
（下面让我们练习用地道标准的发音来朗读这篇文章）
中国习俗
Chinese Customs
/ˌtʃaɪˈniːz/ /ˈkʌstəmz/
元宵节 元宵猜灯谜
The Lantern Festival: Day for Solving Riddles
/ðə/ /ˈlæntən/ /ˈfestɪvl/ /deɪ/ /fə/ /ˈsɒlvɪŋ/ /ˈrɪdlz/Early on the evening of the Lantern Festival, / when people were gathering on the streets, / Wang Shao managed to draw a crowd, / including the village patriarchs, / to the evil local landlord’s door. ///ˈɜːli/ /ɒn/ /ðə/ /ˈiːvnɪŋ/ /ɒv/ /ðə/ /ˈlæntən/ /ˈfestɪvl/ /wen/ /ˈpiːpl/ /wə/ /ˈɡæðərɪŋ/ /ɒn/ /ðə/ /striːts/ /wɒŋ ʃaʊ/ /ˈmænɪdʒd/ /tə/ /drɔː/ /ə/ /kraʊd/ /ɪnˈkluːdɪŋ/ /ðə/ /ˈvɪlɪdʒ/ /ˈpeɪtriɑːks/ /tə/ /ðə/ /ˈiːvl/ /ˈləʊkl/ /ˈlændlɔːdz/ /dɔː/ /More and more people came, / talking and yelling. ///mɔː/ /ænd/ /mɔː/ /ˈpiːpl/ /keɪm/ /ˈtɔːkɪŋ/ /ænd/ /ˈjelɪŋ/ /The landlord, / nicknamed “Laughing Tiger,” / could not sit still inside. / Finally, / he stormed outside, / only to hear Wang Shao reading aloud a limerick written on the lantern he was carrying: ///ðə/ /ˈlændlɔːd/ /ˈnɪkneɪmd/ /ˈlɑːfɪŋ/ /ˈtaɪɡə/ /kʊd/ /nɒt/ /sɪt/ /stɪl/ /ɪnˈsaɪd/ /ˈfaɪnəli/ /hiː/ /stɔːmd/ /ˌaʊtˈsaɪd/ /ˈəʊnli/ /tə/ /hɪə/ /wɒŋ ʃaʊ/ /ˈriːdɪŋ/ /əˈlaʊd/ /ə/ /ˈlɪmərɪk/ /ˈrɪtn/ /ɒn/ /ðə/ /ˈlæntən/ /hiː/ /wəz/ /ˈkæriɪŋ/ /“A pointy head and a skinny white body, / this thing weighs less than a gram. / Its eye grows on its butt, / and it knows only what you wear and not what you are.” ///ə/ /ˈpɔɪnti/ /hed/ /ænd/ /ə/ /ˈskɪni/ /waɪt/ /ˈbɒdi/ /ðɪs/ /θɪŋ/ /weɪz/ /les/ /ðæn/ /ə/ /ɡræm/ /ɪts/ /aɪ/ /ɡrəʊz/ /ɒn/ /ɪts/ /bʌt/ /ænd/ /ɪt/ /nəʊz/ /ˈəʊnli/ /wɒt/ /juː/ /weə/ /ænd/ /nɒt/ /wɒt/ /juː/ /ɑː/ /“Everyone, / guess what it is!” / Wang Shao repeated. ///ˈevriwʌn/ /ɡes/ /wɒt/ /ɪt/ /ɪz/ /wɒŋ ʃaʊ/ /rɪˈpiːtɪd/ /The crowd burst out laughing, / casting contemptuous looks at the on the landlord’s door. / Even the patriarchs could not help but laugh. ///ðə/ /kraʊd/ /bɜːst/ /aʊt/ /ˈlɑːfɪŋ/ /ˈkɑːstɪŋ/ /kənˈtemptʃuəs/ /lʊks/ /æt/ /ðə/ /brɑːs/ /biːst/ /ɒn/ /ðə/ /ˈlændlɔːdz/ /dɔː/ /ˈiːvn/ /ðə/ /ˈpeɪtriɑːks/ /kʊd/ /nɒt/ /help/ /bʌt/ /lɑːf/ /The landlord perceived the sarcasm but dared not act. / “How dare you insult me!” / he shouted. ///ðə/ /ˈlændlɔːd/ /pəˈsiːvd/ /ðə/ /ˈsɑːkæzəm/ /bʌt/ /deəd/ /nɒt/ /ækt/ /haʊ/ /deə/ /juː/ /ɪnˈsʌlt/ /miː/ /hiː/ /ˈʃaʊtɪd/ /“Sir, / I only gave you a riddle,” / Wang replied. / “The answer is simply ‘a needle.’ / Surely you misunderstood.” ///sɜː/ /aɪ/ /ˈəʊnli/ /ɡeɪv/ /juː/ /ə/ /ˈrɪdl/ /wɒŋ/ /rɪˈplaɪd/ /ðə/ /ˈɑːnsə/ /ɪz/ /ˈsɪmpli/ /ə/ /ˈniːdl/ /ˈʃʊəli/ /juː/ /ˌmɪsʌndəˈstʊd/ /The landlord, / unable to retaliate, / left in disgrace while the crowd cheered. / Thus, / lantern riddles became a beloved festival custom. ///ðə/ /ˈlændlɔːd/ /ʌnˈeɪbl/ /tə/ /rɪˈtælieɪt/ /left/ /ɪn/ /dɪsˈɡreɪs/ /waɪl/ /ðə/ /kraʊd/ /tʃɪəd/ /ðʌs/ /ˈlæntən/ /ˈrɪdlz/ /bɪˈkeɪm/ /ə/ /bɪˈlʌvd/ /ˈfestɪvl/ /ˈkʌstəm/ /
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