Translation
▆ Translate the following sentences into English, using the words and expressions given in brackets. ▆ Answers for reference:
1) What I didn’t count on was that over time I
would sincerely take pride in being a social worker.
2) Shooting a quick look at the clock on the wall, Grandma let out a cry, “Oh, My dear /My goodness/My gracious, we’re going to miss the train!”
3) At the kindergarten entrance, I always see some
kids/children holding firmly on to their parents. Should young parents be sterner towards their kids/children and leave immediately under these circumstances?
4) In the dim street light stood a weeping little girl/ a girl weeping.
5) When making donations, rich people should be
as considerate as possible in order not to put the recipient in an embarrassing situation.
6) Since last month, my work has been revolving around the routine office duties, so now I am counting the days until the National Day comes, when my friends and I are going hiking in the countryside.
▆ Translate the following paragraph into English using the words and expressions in the box below. ▆ Answer for reference:
That was a time when life was difficult for everyone. My family could barely get by on my small income from driving a cab. One late night I responded to a call for a cab ride. To my surprise, when I arrived at the address, I found it was a frail old lay who was awaiting me. After she got into the cab, I engaged her in conversation. I learnt that she was going to the hospice. Her doctor said she didn’t have very long. The old lady told me to drive through the downtown area. She pointed at some old buildings, telling me those were the places where she used to work or live. When the cab finally pulled up in front of the hospice, I didn’t accept her fare. In the rest of the day, I was lost in thought. Though I had to make a living, I lived not for the sole purpose of surviving. When circumstances looked gloomy, the small favour I had done could be a candle light. However faint the light was, it managed to warm up a soul and ennobled me as well. I did take pride in that small favour.
Theme-Related Writing
▆ Do one of the following writing tasks after class.
1) Suppose you were Frannie, the head waitress, in Text A. Write a short story about Stevie from your perspective.
2) Read the following newspaper clipping and write a short essay on the question:
Should We Offer Seats to Elderly People on the Bus during Rush Hours?
▆Sample Essay for Task 1:
We all knew Stevie was mentally handicapped, so everyone, especially our boss himself, doubted whether he would be a capable busboy in the truck-stop restaurant where I worked as the head waitress. However, our worries were gradually removed one week later. Smiling and hard-working, Stevie won over all our trucker regulars as well as us employees.
Later we learnt that Stevie badly needed the job because the money he earned made it possible for his mother and him to live together; otherwise he would be sent to a group home. So you can imagine how worried Stevie was when he had to take sick
leave for heart surgery. He was afraid that he would lose his job. After the operation, in the week before he returned, he called 10 times to make sure that he could still have the job back. At that time, what concerned me most was how Stevie could handle the huge medical bills.
But something happened which completely caught me unawares. Our regular customers, those warm-hearted truckers, were so generous that they, together with their companies, contributed over $10,000 for Stevie. That Thanksgiving Day was a big day when Stevie was back to work and when the money was presented to Stevie as a surprise gift. I cried a bit while people were cheering for the occasion.
Now, Stevie is still working here. Our boss thinks that Stevie is the best worker he has ever hired.
▆Sample Essay for Task 2:
Should We Offer Seats to Elderly People on the
Bus During Rush Hours?
I am amazed to read what a blogger says about offering bus seats to the elderly. He claims that “it’s