Lesson Twenty-EightHere It Comes,There It Goes

Guide QuestionsAnalysis and ExplanationReading ComprehensionSummary of The Lesson

Guide Questions

Where did the story take place? Who is Farents ? When did the two men encourage Michaelson to have

a bet with them? How much did the two strangers pay the author for th

eir dinner ? Why did the author bet 100 dollars ? How could the owner of the hotel will win the bet ? What did everyone think the author after they came? Why did the author know that he was cheated ?

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The author’s beautiful clock made the town laugh at him. One day two strangers came in. After they had finished their coffee, they began to argue. He went over and asked about the matter. When the two men asked him if he would like to bet that he could stand before the clock for an hour saying “Here it comes, there it goes”. return

He accepted it, betting 100 dollars on it. After a while, people came in and were astonished to find him standing there talking to the clock. They tried to stop him, but found the two men already gone. Because of this, people in his town laughed at him and called him “Here it comes, there it goes, Michaelson.”

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Here It Comes,There It Goes Michaelson (/ the manager of a hotel , made the mistake of believing he could win a bet just by watching his clock for one hour . Read on and discover what happens .

I never thought that my clock , my beautiful old clock , would make the town laugh at me .But it did. . . . One day two strangers came in and sat down.“Welcome to my hotel, ” I said and told them what they could have to eat. While they ate, I happily counted what they owed me. It was a lot of money. 　 return　

They were just finishing their coffee when they began to argue." I tell you, Farents, it cannot be done , ” the younger man said. The other one hit the table until my dishes rattled. “Anyone can do it ,”he shouted , “even this hotel owner could do it.” Since they were talking about me, I went over to the table. “Could do what, Gentlemen?‘’ I asked. The younger one did not look at me. “I will bet 50 dollars, he cannot do it ,” he said in a quite voice . return

“Can't do what, Gentlemen?'' I asked again.The older man smiled at me. “Why,” he said “my friend and I were looking at your fine clock over there. Oh, a fine clock. ” “A very old one,” I said, “my father brought it to this country.” "We were especially looking at the slow, steady swing of the pendulum, as it counts the seconds,” the younger one said, “and my friend said it would be easy to stand in front of the clock for one hour, to stand without moving and say ‘Here it comes, there it goes,’ as the clock’s pendulum swings back and forth.” return

“Why, that would be easy ,” I laughed. “Well, I often stood watching my clock for longer than an hour.” “Would you like to bet on that?” the younger man said, looking at me seriously. “I will pay you 50 dollars, if you can do it . You pay me, if you cannot.” “50 dollars?” I asked, “It seems a lot of money for such an easy trick.” “Yes,” he answered. Then he looked around at the empty restaurant and said, “If it is too much, we will bet only 25 dollars’’ That did something to me. So they thought I was too poor to bet 50 dollars. return

“I will bet 100 dollars!” l cried, wishing I had bitten my tongue the minute the words were out.It was all the money I had. Without another word he brought out 100 dollars and gave them to his friend. “Here Farents,” he said. “You hold the money for us.” I gave Farents my money, too. He didn't count it, but put it with the other money. “He trusts me,’’ I thought , a true gentleman; I decided to give them their dinner free, if I won the bet. return

“These are the rules,” the older man said , putting his gold watch on the table. “You must stand there, looking at the clock for one hour. Every time the pendulum swings, you say, ‘Here it comes, there it goes.’ You understand ?” “Yes,” I answered smiling. I felt that the money was already in my pocket . “l agree to that, too,” the younger man said, nodding his head. “Very good .” I said and went over to the clock. It hung on the wall above the shelf filled with my best dishes. I stood there with my back toward the men. “Begin now !” ordered the older one. return

“Here it comes, there it goes. Here it comes, there it goes,” I started to say in a loud clear voice. While I spoke these words, I thought about many things. First, I thanked God for my fine wall clock. This old clock might help me get money for my son's education, then I could buy a new coat for my wife Sella. Perhaps I could even buy a walking stick for myself. Yes, the hundred dollars would go quickly. And so the minutes passed: seven, sixteen, twenty-eight . Then I heard someone come in and close the door .I recognized the voice of my old friend Laza. return

“Michaelson,” he cried, “what is wrong? Why are you standing there, talking to a clock ? Have you lost your mind?” The two strangers said nothing. This made me angry, and I decided I would make them pay for their dinner. Laza began to pray, “Dear God help this poor man!” “Look, Michaelson,” he said gently, “ I will get you a coat and take you outside for a walk. Fresh air might help you.” I kept saying, “Here it comes, there it goes .” “Michaelson,” he said, his voice thick with emotion. “Let me take you home to your wife Sella.” return

I heard Laza come near me and I was afraid he would pull me outside, then I would lose the 100 dollars. I got so worried, I took a dish and threw it over my shoulder at him. It missed. “ He is getting violent ,” Laza said. “Michaelson, listen to me You can stand here and say anything you like. Just stay there one minute longer. Don't move, I will be right back. One minute.” He rushed outside “Here it comes, there it goes,'' I continued in my angriest voice. I wanted those strangers to know how I felt about them. They should have explained our bet to Laza. They certainly didn't act like gentleman. return

The minutes went by slowly. Oh, so slowly. Then the door opened again. “Hey, Michaelson”, someone yelled. After the next words, I knew it was Knockman the tailor . “What are you doing?” Knockman is a fine tailor but a very stupid man. When I did not answer, he ran out of the hotel. In less than three minutes he was back again with a crowd of people. They all talked at the same time . “ He is sick in the mind,” one said. “It is true,” said another. “But what can we do?'' “ We must take him to a hospital, , shouted the others. return

Then I was really angry. Forty-seven minutes of my hour gone and these fools might try to stop me. I took two more dishes and threw them over my head . This time I did not miss. How could I in such a crowded place? Then suddenly everything was quiet. I could hear someone softly walking towards me .I waited until I thought he was close enough, then I kicked out behind me. Poor Knockman yelled in pain. “Get a rope ,”he shouted ,“a rope ! We must tire his arms and feet.” Two of them ran off to find one. I prayed they would not return until the hour was gone . After a minute I heard the door open and shut again. return

“Let him alone, all of you!” It was my old friend Laza, his voice shaking with worry . “Here it comes, there it goes ,”I kept saying for the two strangers. The crowd became silent . “It must be a weakness in the brain ,” , I heard Grandpa Sidecker say. “Here it comes, there it goes,” I said, thinking Grandpa was a foolish old man .Nobody spoke .It was so quiet; the sound of the clock seemed loud . Fifty-eight minutes gone. Only two minutes and 100 dollars would be mine. My voice was getting weak and my mouth was dry. Then again I heard the door open and a cry of a woman filled my ears. It was my wife Sella. return

“Oh, please, please,” I prayed, “do not let her come near me .”I could not throw anything at my wife, not even one small dish. Ten seconds. . . three, two, one. I quickly turned around . “I won! I won! ”I shouted, “Give me the 100 dollars.” Nobody moved. They all looked at me. , “I won 100 dollars.” I yelled. “Eh, the two strangers ,where are they? What have you done with them?” “God! Terrible sickness,” sighed Grandpa Sidecker and he slowly shook his head. “There is no hope for him.”

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“The two men ,” I cried wildly. “They were sitting right over there at that table.” I told the story many times before they believed me. And when they did, the sound of their laughter could be heard in the next town .So that is why they call me “Here it comes, there it goes, Michaelson.” And that is why anyone who comes into my hotel always asks, “Can you tell me what time it is?” and goes away laughing hard . From The World of English March ,1986 Approximately 1400 words.

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Reading ComprehensionTrue or False Michaelson was a rich businessman. F He had a large family to support. F One day, two men came to his hotel. He agreed to make a bet that he

could stand in front of his clock and keep saying “Here it comes, there it goes.” for an hour.

T He believed he would win. T Laza was his friend. T return

A tailor came after his friend Laza. T He couldn't believe his eyes when he turned and f

ound out that the two men were gone. T People often came and joked about him after he

was cheated by the men. T return

Multiple-choice 1 . What do we know about Michaelson's beautiful old clock?

[A] It often brings him good luck. [B] It always brings him bad luck. [C] It goes very well. [D] His father brought it to this country.

key: [C]

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2. They bet 100 dollars_______ .

[A] because Michaelson insisted[B] because Michaelson thought he was su

re to win the money . [C] as the older man planned [D] as the younger man suggested

Key: [A ]

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3. The two men left the room ______. [A] the minute Michaelson started saying “Here i

t comes, there it goes” [B] when Michaelson’s friend Laza entered [C] before Michaelson’s friend Laza entered [D] when Michaelson’s friend Laza went to call o

ther people

Key: [C]

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4. Michaelson told his story many times _______.

[A] because he had gone mad [B] because people wouldn't believe him [C] because he was still thinking of how to

get back his money [D] so that people from the next town woul

d hear him Key: [B] return

5. Which of the following words can best describe Michaelson?

[A] Foolish [B] Greedy. [C] simple-minded [D] Too kind.

Key: [C]

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Questions for discussion

What should Michaelson have done when his friends wanted to interrupt him?

Did Michaelson think losing his money was a joke like his friends did?

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I never thought that my clock, my beautiful old clock, would make the town laugh at. Here “the town ”means the people of the whole town. .the + 地点名词 , 常用于表示该地区的居民。 return

Hotel: here referring to a pub or a small restaurant;

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The other one hit the table untill my dishes rattled.The other one struck the table with his hand and made the dishes on the table shakenrattle v.1 ） 发出格格声，飞奔The train rattle on.火车隆隆地地向前行驶。2 ）喋喋不休She rattled away as if a sluice had been opened像是打开了闸门似地，他哇啦哇啦讲个没完。 return

the slow,steady swing of the pendulum: 慢而稳定地摆动钟摆。 return

‘Here it comes ,there it goes’: referring to the swing of the pendulum of the clock 摆过来，摆过去。

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That did something to me :The younger man’s words hurt my pride and I decided to show them that I could afford that bet . return

so they thought I was too poor to bet 50 dollars. So: conj. , used at the beginning of a sentence to express discovery . So you don’t like the cake I baked . 这说么，你不喜欢我烤的蛋糕。 return

wishing I had bitten my tongue the minute the words were out: being sorry about what I had said right after my words were spoken.1) wishing I had bitten --- : “wish” is often followed by subjuctive mood ， past tense or past perfect tense .Here the fact is contrary to the past ,so we use past perfect tense.2) The minute: as soon as , the momentShe wired her father the minute she reached . 她一到就给他父亲打电报。Stormy applause broke forth the minute she appeared on the stage.他一出现在舞台上就响起雷鸣般的掌声。 return

Would go quickly:would be spent quickly

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Have you lost your mind ?: Have you gone mad ?

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His voice thick with emotion : filled with a strong feeling. Here is an independent sentence, used as adverbial of accompaniment. It is often put at the end of the sentence.Present particle “being”is omitted in this sentence. The shower ( being ) over, we continued to march. Alice kept waving to her mother, her tears ( being ) out.

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They should have explained our bet to laza: “should have explained” is subjunctive mood ，it means “should do sth.”, but in fact he didn’t do it. So the Chinese meaning is : 他们本应该对拉扎解释我在打赌。But for your advice, I should have failed. 要不是你的忠告，我就得失败， return

After the next words, I knew it was Knockman the tailor . 等他说了第二句话时，我才听出是裁缝若克曼。After the next words,: After the man who had just

entered said the following words. return

then I kicked out behind me: then I kicked him out from behind me.

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Let him alone: set him free. 松手 return

It must be weakness in the brain. 肯定脑子出了毛病。此处 “ must be” 表示推测或揣测，“一定”“想必”We must be almost at our destination.我们想必以快到目的地了。 return

What have you done with them?“do with”: When it is used with “what “ , it means “put”. What have you done with my hat ? 你把我的帽子弄到哪里去了。 return

Comment on the story

This story tells us how the narrator was deceived by the two strange men, and lost his 100 dollars without making any money at last.

The whole article vividly describes the eager feeling for the narrator to get the bet in many words.

According to the whole story, we get a conclusion that even if a smart business man is greedy , it is easy to fool him into believing there is an easy way to make money.

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Outline of the textComment on the story

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Answer: In a hotel

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Answer: The older man . return

Answer: They were finishing their coffee. return

Answer: None.

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Answer: Because he was full of pride and showed them that he could afford the bet. return

Answer: By standing in face of the clock for one hour and repeating the words ‘Here it comes ,there it goes ’as the pendulum swings.

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Answer:They thought him a mad man. return

Answer:The author realized that he was cheated when he finished his words and found the two men gone.

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Answers to the discussion questions.

He should have told them by making gestures that he was making a bet with the two customers.

No.He was quite serious about it,as he was not a well-off man and 100 dollars was a large sum of money to him.