May: Poor Danny. You are so enfeebled!

Daniel: Don't worry. No big deal. Just a common cold.

May: Mom called just now saying that she and Dad will be back later. Do you want to speak to them on phone?

Daniel: No. You can never count on the grown-ups when there is something.

May: Whatever. Have a drink of water.

Daniel: Come on, sister. This is the seventh glass already.

May: Maybe later. I think we have a medicine-kit.

Daniel: Do we? Where is it?

May: Probably on the of the cabinet. I'll go and get it.

Daniel: Be careful. Now I have no one but you to depend on.

May: Oh, here it is. Patulin. Oh, no!

Daniel: What's the new strike?

May: Keep lying down. The matter is that all the medicine here is past expiration.

Daniel: Poor me!

阿美：可憐的丹丹。你那么虛弱！

丹尼爾：別擔心。沒什么大不了的。只是普通的著涼。

阿美：媽媽打電話來說她和爸爸會晚一點回來，你想跟他們打電話嗎？

丹尼爾：不用了。有事發生的時候你別指望依靠大人。

阿美：不管怎樣。喝杯水吧。

丹尼爾：拜托，姐姐。這已經是第七杯水了。

阿美：那晚點（再喝）吧。我想我們有一個藥箱。

丹尼爾：我們有嗎？在哪里？

阿美：很可能在櫥柜上面。我去拿來。

丹尼爾：小心點。我現在只能依靠你了。

阿美：哦，在這里。感冒藥。天啊，不會吧？

丹尼爾：又有什么新的災難？

阿美：躺著，別動。問題是這里所有的藥都過期了。

丹尼爾：可憐的我??！

Daniel: I catch a cold from time to time. And I find that you can never count on the grown-ups when there is some emergency. Instead I choose to depend on my sister May, though sometimes she can't even find our medicine-kit. So maybe it's wise to stay put, then everything would be just fine.

enfeebled adj. 虛弱的

count on 指望

medicine-kit n. 藥箱

depend on 依賴

Patulin n. 一種感冒藥

strike n. 打擊

lie down 躺下

expiration n. 期滿（尤指合同等的有效期）

清輔音濁化規律

清輔音濁化就是清輔音在單詞中的發音被濁化。它只是一種現象，而不是一種規律。要想掌握好這一發音現象，只有平時多注意模仿。以下我們著重挑選了幾個比較有代表性的發音點。

1．s 后面的清輔音濁化現象：s + 清輔音+元音的結構無論是在單詞的最前面還是中間，只要是在重讀音節或次重讀音節里，一般都讀成對應濁輔音。

朗讀練習： speak strike stay sky school

2. 在大多數情況下，在美式英語的讀音中，t 在詞中發/d / 的音是一個很明顯的發音特征

朗讀練習：later and matter whatever and sister better and letter

I guess I better just come out and say it.

You better go to school in time from now on.

You better keep your mouth shut.

I better keep it to myself.

We better follow the advice of the doctor.

特別提示：在英語口語中， “I'd better”,常會說成 “I better”, 即把原來“had”的“d”省略，同理， “we'd better”簡化為 “we better”; “you'd better”簡化為 “you better”