A:
Victor:Laura, I have a surprise for your birthday.
Laura:Oh, good! I love surprises.
Victor:It's outside!
Laura:Oh, wow! It's too big to bring inside!(They walk out of the house.)
Victor:Okay, now open your eyes.
Laura:Oh, wow! A mobile phone1 for my car! Oh, Victor!
You're the greatest! I can hardly wait to begin dialing. (She starts calling.) Hello, Mary? You'll never guess//where//I'm calling from.
Mary:From the phone booth2?
Laura:No!
Mary:From your dad's office?
Laura:No! Certainly not! All right. I'll tell you. I'm calling from my car!
Mary:You mean you ran//into//a phone booth?
Laura:No. I did not run//into//a phone booth. I have my own mobile car phone!
Mary:Wow! That's great! Now let me take down3 this number. It's 732-345-2886. That's 345-AUTO!
B:
Laura: From now on I'll receive all my calls at this new number. Now to dial all my other friends and give them this number.
C:
(In the weeks that followed, Laura made all her calls from the car and received them there, too. Then one day…)
Laura:(Crying loudly) Oh, no! They towed away4 my phone!
Victor:Huh?
Laura: My mobile phone! It was in my car. They towed it away!
Victor:Don't cry! We'll go get it! There's a police station! Hang in there.Laura:That reminds5 me of my phone! Victor, hurry!
D:
(At the police station)
Police Officer:There's a fine. Pay that and you get your car back.
Laura:No problem. Okay. Which credit card do you prefer?
Police Officer:No credit cards, Miss. Just cash.
Laura:Cash! That's gross6! I don't carry gobs7 of cash!
Victor:I think between the two of us we can come up with8 it.
Laura: (Looking in her purse) Ten, fifteen, sixteen, twenty.
Victor:I've got a twenty.
Laura: (Counting the money in front of the police officer).75…85…90…91…92…93…98…99…! Whew! I made it!
Police Officer:Okay. Take this receipt9 to this impound10 lot and claim11 your car!
Laura:At last! Let's hurry, Victor! I can't stand it anymore! (They rush out.)
Victor:There's the impound lot!
Lot Guard: How can I help you?
Victor:We've come to claim the blue 1999 Toyota with the personalized12 "Laura" plates13.
Lot Guard:Thank goodness! Now I can get back to work instead of spending all my time taking phone messages for you.
注解
1. mobile phone: any wireless telephone that operates over a relatively large area(能够在相对大的范围内使用的)移动电话包括cellular or cell phones手机或PCS phones个人通讯服务电话(附带有其它功能，如：caller ID来电显示以及paging传呼)
用法：Nowadays more and more people use mobile phones。
现在越来越多的人使用移动电话。
2. phone booth:电话亭，电话间
3. take down: write down on a piece of paper记下，写下用法：The woman took down the telephone number quickly in herpad book.
那个女人快速地在她的便笺本子上记下电话号码。
4.tow away: draw away or pull away拖走
用法：His car was towed away for the illegal parking.
他的车由于停错地方，被拖走了。
5.remind…of: put in mind of提醒,使记起
用法：The blue diamond reminds the old granny of the days when she was young.蓝宝石使老奶奶想起她的年青时代。
6. gross: disgusting, nasty, unfortunate, (常用作惊叹语)真讨厌！真烦人！真倒霉！
用法：Picking his nose in class. Gross!
上课时抠鼻子！真恶心！
7. gobs: a large quantity大量、大笔
用法：We are in serious need of gobs of money.
我们真需要一大笔钱。
8. come up with: to produce; supply拿出、提供
用法：He can always come up with an excuse for him to be late.
他总能给自己找出迟到的借口。
9. receipt: a piece of paper you get in return for the money you have paid收据
用法：Keep the receipt safely in case of exception.
好好保存收据以防万一。
10.impound: detain or sequester扣押,没收
用法：The city's motor vehicle bureau decided to impound the cars of drivers who had refused to pay their fines.
这个城市的机动车辆管理局决定扣押那些拒绝交纳罚款的司机的车辆。
11.claim: claim the right of possession认领
用法：If nobody claimed the right of the land, it would be taken by the country.
如果没人认领这片地，它将被收归国有。
12. personalized:个性化的，个人化的
13. plate:牌照=license plate汽车牌照
用法：New License Plates Issued Here.
(标志)此处发新牌照。
Exercise: Turn the four mini-dialogues//into//ONE descriptive narrative. Use only indirect speech.
