读故事

   William C Reilly always thought that he was a big shot! When Marcus Trubody came in for a bite to eat, however, everyone felt that it was like a breath of fresh air.
  William pretended it was no big deal, but then he saw things that were a bit of a shock. First a couple of kids who usually ran when they saw him, walked right past him. Then, when he was waiting in a blind alley for townsfolk to greet him, no one appeared. William just stood there in the dark, where no beam of light could enter. Finally, when the local clock watcher failed to tell the time as William walked by, William knew that he had to fight this break with tradition.
  Five minutes later, William burst into the café like a blast of wind. Marcus didn't even flinch. Instead he picked up the bundle of papers and prepared to leave.
  “I sense a cloud of frustration,” he said to the town clerk. “I need a change of pace. I heard there was a big sale next door. I'll be over there if anyone needs me.”
  “There won't be anyone needing you any more,” William said.
  That was when a sudden column of water flew on to William. He fell to the ground, knocking down a cluster of grapes. Stunned, he looked up to see Marcus Trubody over him.
  “I got a bunch more where that comes from!” Marcus said. “I don't take kindly to threats. But I'm building a crew of roughnecks to work with me. You're welcome to join.”
    Still surprised and wet, William realized that he was a babe in arms compared to Marcus Trubody. He stood up, extended his hand and said,
  “Welcome to town. Let's hear about that offer!”

记短语

a babe in arms天真幼稚的人,涉世未深的人,没有经验的人(=a babe in the woods)
a beam of （light）一束（光）
a big deal至关重要的大事,了不得的事情;要人,名人
a big shot大人物
a bit (of)有点，些许
a big sale大减价
a bite to eat一口食物,少量食物
a blast of （wind）一阵（风）
a blind alley死胡同;绝境,绝路,僵局
a break with对（传统）的背离（the tradition）
a breath of fresh air使人耳目一新的人,带来新鲜感的东西;新鲜的刺激
a bunch of一束,一串,一群
a bundle of一包
a change of pace节奏的改变
a clock watcher老是看钟等下班(或下课等)的工人(或学生)
a cloud of一大群；一大片
a cluster of一串,一束;一群,一组
a column of water一个水柱
a couple of一对，一双；几个
a crew of一组(或一班、一队)工作人员

    威廉•C•赖利总认为他是个大人物！然而当马库斯•特鲁博迪进来吃一点儿东西时，大家都感觉是一种新鲜的刺激。
    威廉假装没有什么大事，可后来他却发现了一些有点儿让人吃惊的事情。首先，几个从前一看见他就跑的孩子这次就从他身边走了过去。然后，当他在一条死胡同等着市民跟他打招呼时，却没有一个人出现。威廉就那么一直在黑暗中站着，那里一束光也进不来。，当威廉经过时当地那个老是看钟等待下班的工人却说不出时间来，这时威廉才明白他必须与这种背离传统的事情做斗争。
    五分钟后，威廉像一阵风似地跑进了咖啡馆。马库斯甚至都没有退缩，相反他拿起一包文件准备离开。
    “我感觉很失望，”他对这位城市职员说道。“我需要改变一下节奏。我听说隔壁正在大减价。如果有人需要我，我这就过去。”
    “不会再有人需要你啦！” 威廉说。
    就在这时，突然有个水柱飞到了威廉身上。他倒在地上，打翻了一串葡萄。震惊之余，他抬头看见马库斯•特鲁博迪在他上面。
    “刚才出来的那种东西我还有一串呢！”马库斯说。“我不喜欢被人威胁。我正在发展一帮流氓跟我一起干，欢迎你加入。”
    惊魂未定、浑身是水的威廉意识到和马库斯•特鲁博迪相比他不过是个涉世未深的人。他站起来，伸出手说道：
    “欢迎来到城里，现在让我们来听听那个提议！”

本文选自新航道精品图书《读故事记短语》