求《大学英语》精读，第8单元《a magician at stretching a dollar》的完整全文，

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A Magician at Stretching a Dollar

The boy was at first delighted to discover the present his mother had hidden away as his Christmas gift. But then he began to worry that his mother would now no longer have the pleasure of giving him a surprise. What was he to do?

That December, with Christmas approaching, she was out at work and Doris was in the kitchen when I let myself into her bedroom one afternoon in search of a safety pin. Since her bedroom opened onto a community hallway, she kept the door locked, but needing the pin, I took the key from its hiding place, unlocked the door and stepped in. Standing against the wall was a big, black bicycle with balloon tires. I recognized it instantly. It was the same second-hand bike I’d been admiring in a Baltimore Street shop window. I’d even asked about the price. It was a shock. Something like $15. Somehow my mother had scraped together enough for a down payment and meant to surprise me with the bicycle on Christmas morning.

I was deeply moved by the discovery and yet sickened by the knowledge that, bursting into her room like this, I had robbed her of the pleasure of seeing me astonished and delighted on Christmas day. I hadn’t wanted to know her lovely secretstill coming upon it like this made me feel as though I’d struck a blow against her happiness. I backed out, put the key back in its hiding place, and thought over what to do.

I decided that between now and Christmas I must do nothing, absolutely nothing, to reveal the slightest hint of my terrible knowledge. I must avoid the least word that might reveal my possession of her secret. Nothing must deny her the happiness of seeing me completely amazed on Christmas day.

In the privacy of my bedroom I began composing and testing exclamations of delight: “Wow!” “A bike with balloon tires! I don’t believe it!” “I’m the luckiest boy alive!” And so on. They all owed a lot to movies in which boys like Mickey Rooney had seen their wildest dreams come true. I soon realized that, with my lack of acting talent, all of them were going to sound false at the critical moment when I wanted to cry out my love spontaneously from the heart. Maybe it would be better to say nothing but appear to be shocked into such deep pleasure that speech had escaped me. I wasn’t sure, though. I’d seen speechless gratitude in the movies too, and it never really worked until the actors managed to cry a few quiet tears. I doubted I could cry on cue, so I began thinking about other expressions of speechless amazement. In front of a hand-held mirror in my bedroom I tried the whole range of expressionsmouth open and eyes widehands slapped firmly against both cheeks to keep the jaw from falling offear-to-ear grin with all teeth fully exposed while hugging myself with both arms. These and more I practiced for several days without acquiring confidence in any of them. I decided to wait until Christmas morning and see if anything came naturally…

That Christmas morning she woke us early, “to see what Santa Claus brought,” she said with just the right tone of voice to indicate we were all old enough to know who Santa Claus was. I came out of my bedroom with my present for her and Doris, and Doris came with hers. My mother’s has been placed under the tree during the night. There were a few small brightly wrapped packages, a big doll for Doris, but no bicycle. I must have looked disappointed.

“It looks like Santa Claus didn’t do too well by you this year, Buddy,” she said, as I opened packages. A shirt. A necktie. I said something halfhearted like, “It’s the thought that counts,” but what I felt was bitter disappointment. I supposed she’d found the bike just too expensive and sent it back.

“Wait a minute!” she cried, snapping her fingers. “There’s something in my bedroom I forgot all about.”She went out, and a moment later came back wheeling the big black two-wheeler with balloon tires. I didn’t have to pretend, after all. The three of us – Doris, my mother, and I – were people bred to hold back emotional expressions of love, but I did something that startled both my mother and me. I threw my arms around her spontaneously and kissed her.

“All right now, don’t carry on about it. It’s only a bicycle,” she said.

Still, I knew that she was as happy as I was to see her so happy.

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monkey的复数不是"去y+ies"  是因为monkey是以元音字母“e+y”结尾的，所以复数形式是直接加“s”。

英语名词单数变复数的一般规则：

一、绝大多数的可数名词的复数形式,是在该词末尾加上后辍-s.

读音变化：结尾是清辅音读[s],结尾是浊辅音或元音读[z].

例：friend→friendscat→catsstyle→stylessport→sportspiece→pieces

二、凡是以s、z、x、ch、sh结尾的词,在该词末尾加上后辍-es构成复数.

读音变化：统一加读[iz].

例：bus→busesquiz→quizzesfox→foxesmatch→matchesflash→flashes

三、以辅音字母+y结尾的名词,将y改变为i,再加-es.

读音变化：加读[z].

例：candy→candiesdaisy→daisiesfairy→fairieslady→ladiesstory→stories

四、以-o结尾的名词,如果不是外来词或缩写,就加-es,否则加-s构成复数.

读音变化：加读[z].

例：tomato→tomatoespotato→potatoestorpedo→torpedoesbingo→bingoes

反例：silo→silospiano→pianos（外来词）photo→photosmacro→macros（缩写词）

五、以-f或-fe结尾的名词,多为将-f或-fe改变为-ves,但有例外.

读音变化：尾音[f]改读[vz].

例：knife→kniveslife→livesleaf→leavesstaff→stavesscarf→scarves

反例：roof→roofs

扩展资料:

名词单数变复数的特殊规则

1、以-us结尾的名词（多为外来词）,通常将-us改变为-i构成复数.

读音变化：尾音[Es]改读[ai],其中[kEs]要改读为[sai],[gEs]要改读为[dVai].

例：fungus→fungiabacus→abacifocus→focicactus→cacticestus→cesti

2、以-is结尾的名词,通常将-is改变为-es.,读音变化：尾音[is]改读[i:z].

例：axis→axesbasis→basesnaris→nareshypothesis→hypothesesrestis→restes

3、以-ix结尾的名词,通常将-ix改变为-ices,但有例外.

读音变化：尾音[iks]改读[isi:z].

例：matrix→matricesdirectrix→directricescalix→calicesappendix→appendices 反例：affix→affixes

4、以-um结尾的名词,将-um改变为-a.

读音变化：去掉鼻尾音[m].

例：forum→forastadium→stadiaaquarium→aquariadatum→datavacuum→vacua

5、以-a结尾的名词,在该词末尾加上后辍-e.

读音变化：尾音[E]改读[i:].

例：larva→larvaeformula→formulaeala→alaemedia→mediaehydra→hydrae

6、部分单词的复数形式不变.

读音变化：保持原音.

例：fish→fishsheep→sheepcattle→cattledeer→deersalmon→salmon

7、极少数单词,其复数形式没有任何规律.

读音变化：没有规律.

例：man→menwoman→womenchild→childrenperson→peopleox→oxen

8、一些单数词得加en才能变成复数词：

例：ox→oxenchild→childrenbrother→brethren

9、一些单数词得改头换面一番,才能变成复数词

例：analysis→analyses分析basis→bases基础datum→data数据foot→feet

formula→formulae/formulas公式goose→geeselouse→lice虱子man→men

mouse→micemedium→media/mediums媒介memorandum→memoranda/memorandums备忘录

parenthesis→parentheses 圆括号phenomenon→phenomena现象radius→radii 半径

tooth→teethwoman→women

10、有些名词是单数、复数不分的

例：deerfishcannonsheepsalmon 鲑鱼trout 鳟鱼

11、一些名词虽分单数、复数,但出现次数多的总是单数词

例：abscenceclothingfilmhelpfurniture家具machinery机械newsscenery风景sugar

traffic交通

12、另一些名词则以复数词出现的机会较多

例：bellows风箱clothespoliceshorts短裤scissors剪刀spectacles眼镜shears大剪刀

trousers长裤wages工资

13、compound nouns,这类复数词是以主要的名词来表示

例：daughter-in-law→daughters-in-law 媳妇father-in-law→fathers-in-law岳父

man-of-war→men-of-war兵舰maid-servant→maid-servants

step-son→step-sons晚子son-in-law→sons-in-law

14、若表达具体数目,要借助数量词

例：pair(对,双)suit(套)a pair of glassestwo pairs of trousers

15、另外还有一些名词,其复数形式有时可表示特别意思,

例：goods货物,waters水域,fishes（各种）鱼

16、除人民币元、角、分外,美元、英镑、法郎等都有复数形式.

例：a dollar,two dollarsa meter,two meters开会前，我需要看一些有关这件事的材料。

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