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Mother: Hello. Whom am I speaking to please?
Grandpa: This is your dad, of course. Who did you think it was? Brad Pitt? (Laughs)
Mother: Haha, Dad! I wanted to thank you for your conversation about the value and fun of reading books to Alan. I think ①he sees the world in a whole new light.
Grandpa: Tell me more because I never thought Alan and I would have such a meaningful dialogue.
Mother: He is more interested in books than ever before. And he is even willing to put up with work around the house that he hadn’t been in the past. He saw we had a broken electrical 1)switch in the garage and he went to the library to borrow a book on Do It Yourself Home Electricity. After he diligently studied the book, he took the switch apart and fixed it. Dad, do you think he is a genius?
Grandpa: Haha, that’s nice. ②I hope he hasn’t become a jack-of-all-trades yet. Alan is getting more mature. He’s actually using the brains he 2)inherited from me—③a regular chip off the old block. He is finding out there is more to life than 3)PlayStation, iPod music and the Internet.
Mother: That’s right, dad. But maybe if you teach him more about practical information contained in books, he will tell you how to use the Internet in return. You two can merge your learning styles and both of you can be 4)better off.
Grandpa: Nah. ④You can’t teach this old dude a new trick. ⑤But if Alan can get me up to speed on the computer, it would be one for the books.
Mother: Oh Dad, I bet you will soon change your mind. You know, Uncle George has never been happier since he joined an online book club. He chats with his buddies online from time to time, discussing what they read recently.
Grandpa: Really? That’s big news to me. Yes, it sounds tempting. ⑥I’ll give it a go.
Mother: That’s the right attitude, Dad. We are never too old to learn. You know, Alan just taught me lately how to download a couple of chapters of The Obama Nation in my cell phone. Now I use my cell phone to read while I am riding to work on a bus. Isn’t that amazing?
Grandpa: Yeah, definitely. I saw Alan was reading on his iPod last time. He told me that was called, digi..digi…something book.
Mother: You mean, digital book?
Grandpa: That’s right. Digital book. ⑦I didn’t have a clue you could do such a thing.
Mother: Haha, yes. It’s also called the e-book, dad. I guess it’s time for the old fogies to go back to school.
妈妈：嗨。请问是谁啊？
外公：当然是你爸爸了。你认为是谁啊？布拉德·皮特？（笑）
妈妈：哈哈，爸爸！我要感谢您跟艾伦谈了有关读书价值与乐趣的事情。我想，他现在对这个世界有了新的
认识。
外公：给我多讲一些情况吧，因为我从没想过，艾伦跟我的交谈这么有
意义。
妈妈：他对书的兴趣比以前浓多了。而且，他甚至愿意去干一些以前从不干的家务活。他看见我们家车库的电开关坏了，就到图书馆借了一本叫《家居用电DIY》的书。他非常认真地学习完这本书以后，就拆开开关修好了它。爸爸，您觉得他是个天才吗？
外公：哈哈，不错啊。希望他不要学得杂而不精。艾伦是变得更加成熟了。实际上，他开始用脑子想东西了，那可是遗传我的——一个模子印出来的。他开始明白，原来生活并不仅仅是玩游戏，听音乐和上网。
妈妈：没错，爸爸。但如果您教他更多书里的实用知识，也许作为回报，他会告诉您怎样使用互联网。你们俩可以把各自的学习风格融合在一块儿，互补长短，各自得益。
外公：不。老家伙学不会新东西。不过，要是艾伦能让我学会用电脑，那可真是天方夜谭，得载入史册啦。
妈妈：噢，爸爸，我敢打赌您很快就会改变想法的。知道吗，乔治叔叔自从加入了网上读书俱乐部以后，他从没像现在这样快乐过。他不时跟朋友上网聊天，讨论他们最近看过什么书。
外公：真的吗？对我来说这可真是大新闻啊。好吧，听起来挺诱惑人的。我得试一试。
妈妈：这才是正确的态度嘛，爸爸。活到老，学到老啊。知道吗，艾伦最近刚教会我怎样把《奥巴马国度》的几个章节下载到我手机里去。现在，我坐公交车上班的时候就用手机看书。是不是很了不起？
外公：对，绝对是。上次我看见艾伦用iPod读书。他告诉我，那叫数……数……什么书。
妈妈：您是说，数码书吗？
外公：对，数码书。没想到你还懂这个。
妈妈：哈哈，对啊。那也叫做电子书，爸爸。我猜啊，老顽固们是时候该回学校学习啦。
Smart Sentences
① He sees the world in a whole new light. 他现在对这个世界有了新的认识。
see/look at sth. in a whole new light: view sth. in a completely different way（重新看待某事）。例如：
The movie Burn After Reading had me looking at the intelligence service in a whole new light.
电影《阅后即焚》让我对情报机构有了一个全新的看法。
② I hope he hasn’t become a jack-of-all-trades yet. 希望他不要学得杂而不精。
jack-of-all-trades: someone who is able to do a variety of different jobs, but not very good at any of them（杂而不精的人）。例如：
Alex prides himself as a jack-of-all-trades.
亚历克斯以自己什么都懂为傲。
③ a regular chip off the old block 一个模子印出来的
a chip off the old block: someone is just like one of his/her parents in character or behavior（完全像父母的人，跟父母一个模子里出来的人）。例如：
If you want to know Betty, look at her folks. She is just a chip off the old block.
如果你想了解贝蒂，看看她父母就知道了。她跟他们简直一模一样。
④ You can’t teach this old dude a new trick. 老家伙学不会新东西。
teach an old dude a new trick = teach an old dog a
new trick
can’t teach an old dude a new trick: someone is unwilling to try new ways of doing things（守旧的人不接受新事物）。例如：
My 80-year-old grandpa is excellent at sending text messages and pictures with cell phone. Who says you can’t teach an old dude a new trick?
我80岁的外公用手机发短信和照片可在行了，谁说老家伙学不会新鲜事物？
⑤ But if Alan can get me up to speed on the computer, it would be one for the books. 不过，要是艾伦能让我学会用电脑，那可真是天方夜谭，得载入史册啦。
up to speed on sth.: fully informed of sth.（熟悉某事）。例如：
I’m not up to speed on what happened to the car yet.
我对车子究竟出了什么事情不清楚。
one for the books: an occurrence so incredible that should surely be remembered for years to come（值得大书特书的，值得记载的事）。例如：
It’s so incredible that Mark got admitted to Harvard. It’s surely one for the books for our family.
马克能考上哈佛真是太了不起了，这是咱家值得大书特书的一件事。
⑥ I’ll give it a go. 我得试一试。
give it a go: give it a try（尝试）。例如：
I heard that the Coke Zero was wonderful and I am going to give it a go.
我听说零度可乐挺不错的，我打算试一下。
⑦ I didn’t have a clue you could do such a thing. 没想到你还懂这个。
don’t have a clue: have no idea（毫无头绪， 什么也不知道）。例如：
Joe is leaving for Australia for the spring break? I didn’t have a clue.
乔春假要到澳大利亚去？我一点儿也不知道。
Grandpa: This is your dad, of course. Who did you think it was? Brad Pitt? (Laughs)
Mother: Haha, Dad! I wanted to thank you for your conversation about the value and fun of reading books to Alan. I think ①he sees the world in a whole new light.
Grandpa: Tell me more because I never thought Alan and I would have such a meaningful dialogue.
Mother: He is more interested in books than ever before. And he is even willing to put up with work around the house that he hadn’t been in the past. He saw we had a broken electrical 1)switch in the garage and he went to the library to borrow a book on Do It Yourself Home Electricity. After he diligently studied the book, he took the switch apart and fixed it. Dad, do you think he is a genius?
Grandpa: Haha, that’s nice. ②I hope he hasn’t become a jack-of-all-trades yet. Alan is getting more mature. He’s actually using the brains he 2)inherited from me—③a regular chip off the old block. He is finding out there is more to life than 3)PlayStation, iPod music and the Internet.
Mother: That’s right, dad. But maybe if you teach him more about practical information contained in books, he will tell you how to use the Internet in return. You two can merge your learning styles and both of you can be 4)better off.
Grandpa: Nah. ④You can’t teach this old dude a new trick. ⑤But if Alan can get me up to speed on the computer, it would be one for the books.
Mother: Oh Dad, I bet you will soon change your mind. You know, Uncle George has never been happier since he joined an online book club. He chats with his buddies online from time to time, discussing what they read recently.
Grandpa: Really? That’s big news to me. Yes, it sounds tempting. ⑥I’ll give it a go.
Mother: That’s the right attitude, Dad. We are never too old to learn. You know, Alan just taught me lately how to download a couple of chapters of The Obama Nation in my cell phone. Now I use my cell phone to read while I am riding to work on a bus. Isn’t that amazing?
Grandpa: Yeah, definitely. I saw Alan was reading on his iPod last time. He told me that was called, digi..digi…something book.
Mother: You mean, digital book?
Grandpa: That’s right. Digital book. ⑦I didn’t have a clue you could do such a thing.
Mother: Haha, yes. It’s also called the e-book, dad. I guess it’s time for the old fogies to go back to school.
妈妈：嗨。请问是谁啊？
外公：当然是你爸爸了。你认为是谁啊？布拉德·皮特？（笑）
妈妈：哈哈，爸爸！我要感谢您跟艾伦谈了有关读书价值与乐趣的事情。我想，他现在对这个世界有了新的
认识。
外公：给我多讲一些情况吧，因为我从没想过，艾伦跟我的交谈这么有
意义。
妈妈：他对书的兴趣比以前浓多了。而且，他甚至愿意去干一些以前从不干的家务活。他看见我们家车库的电开关坏了，就到图书馆借了一本叫《家居用电DIY》的书。他非常认真地学习完这本书以后，就拆开开关修好了它。爸爸，您觉得他是个天才吗？
外公：哈哈，不错啊。希望他不要学得杂而不精。艾伦是变得更加成熟了。实际上，他开始用脑子想东西了，那可是遗传我的——一个模子印出来的。他开始明白，原来生活并不仅仅是玩游戏，听音乐和上网。
妈妈：没错，爸爸。但如果您教他更多书里的实用知识，也许作为回报，他会告诉您怎样使用互联网。你们俩可以把各自的学习风格融合在一块儿，互补长短，各自得益。
外公：不。老家伙学不会新东西。不过，要是艾伦能让我学会用电脑，那可真是天方夜谭，得载入史册啦。
妈妈：噢，爸爸，我敢打赌您很快就会改变想法的。知道吗，乔治叔叔自从加入了网上读书俱乐部以后，他从没像现在这样快乐过。他不时跟朋友上网聊天，讨论他们最近看过什么书。
外公：真的吗？对我来说这可真是大新闻啊。好吧，听起来挺诱惑人的。我得试一试。
妈妈：这才是正确的态度嘛，爸爸。活到老，学到老啊。知道吗，艾伦最近刚教会我怎样把《奥巴马国度》的几个章节下载到我手机里去。现在，我坐公交车上班的时候就用手机看书。是不是很了不起？
外公：对，绝对是。上次我看见艾伦用iPod读书。他告诉我，那叫数……数……什么书。
妈妈：您是说，数码书吗？
外公：对，数码书。没想到你还懂这个。
妈妈：哈哈，对啊。那也叫做电子书，爸爸。我猜啊，老顽固们是时候该回学校学习啦。
Smart Sentences
① He sees the world in a whole new light. 他现在对这个世界有了新的认识。
see/look at sth. in a whole new light: view sth. in a completely different way（重新看待某事）。例如：
The movie Burn After Reading had me looking at the intelligence service in a whole new light.
电影《阅后即焚》让我对情报机构有了一个全新的看法。
② I hope he hasn’t become a jack-of-all-trades yet. 希望他不要学得杂而不精。
jack-of-all-trades: someone who is able to do a variety of different jobs, but not very good at any of them（杂而不精的人）。例如：
Alex prides himself as a jack-of-all-trades.
亚历克斯以自己什么都懂为傲。
③ a regular chip off the old block 一个模子印出来的
a chip off the old block: someone is just like one of his/her parents in character or behavior（完全像父母的人，跟父母一个模子里出来的人）。例如：
If you want to know Betty, look at her folks. She is just a chip off the old block.
如果你想了解贝蒂，看看她父母就知道了。她跟他们简直一模一样。
④ You can’t teach this old dude a new trick. 老家伙学不会新东西。
teach an old dude a new trick = teach an old dog a
new trick
can’t teach an old dude a new trick: someone is unwilling to try new ways of doing things（守旧的人不接受新事物）。例如：
My 80-year-old grandpa is excellent at sending text messages and pictures with cell phone. Who says you can’t teach an old dude a new trick?
我80岁的外公用手机发短信和照片可在行了，谁说老家伙学不会新鲜事物？
⑤ But if Alan can get me up to speed on the computer, it would be one for the books. 不过，要是艾伦能让我学会用电脑，那可真是天方夜谭，得载入史册啦。
up to speed on sth.: fully informed of sth.（熟悉某事）。例如：
I’m not up to speed on what happened to the car yet.
我对车子究竟出了什么事情不清楚。
one for the books: an occurrence so incredible that should surely be remembered for years to come（值得大书特书的，值得记载的事）。例如：
It’s so incredible that Mark got admitted to Harvard. It’s surely one for the books for our family.
马克能考上哈佛真是太了不起了，这是咱家值得大书特书的一件事。
⑥ I’ll give it a go. 我得试一试。
give it a go: give it a try（尝试）。例如：
I heard that the Coke Zero was wonderful and I am going to give it a go.
我听说零度可乐挺不错的，我打算试一下。
⑦ I didn’t have a clue you could do such a thing. 没想到你还懂这个。
don’t have a clue: have no idea（毫无头绪， 什么也不知道）。例如：
Joe is leaving for Australia for the spring break? I didn’t have a clue.
乔春假要到澳大利亚去？我一点儿也不知道。