文章原文：
Children always appreciate small gifts of money. Mum or dad,of course, provide a regular supply of pocket money, but uncles and aunts arealways a source of extra income. With some children, small sums go a long way.If fifty pence pieces are not exchanged for sweets, they rattle for monthsinside money boxes. Only very thrifty children manage to fill up a money box.For most of them, fifty pence is a small price to pay for a nice big bar ofchocolate.
My nephew, George, has a money box but it is always empty.Very few of the fifty pence pieces and pound coins I have given him have foundtheir way there. I gave him fifty pence yesterday and advised him to save it.Instead he bought himself fifty pence worth of trouble. On his way to the sweetshop, he dropped his fifty pence and it bounced along the pavement and thendisappeared down a drain. George took off his jacket, rolled up his sleeves andpushed is right arm through the drain cover. He could not find his fifty pencepiece anywhere, and what is more, he could not get his arm out. A crowd ofpeople gathered round him and a lady rubbed his arm with soap and butter, butGeorge was firmly stuck. The fire brigade was called and two fire fightersfreed George using a special type of grease. George was not too upset by hisexperience because the lady who owns the sweet shop heard about his troublesand rewarded him with a large box of chocolates.
精读笔记：
1. Children alwaysappreciatesmall gifts of money.
appreciate：在这句话里面的意思是enjoy，此外这个词还有两个常见的意思：
①to be aware of something, or to understand that
something is valuable.
例句：I appreciate that this
is a difficult decisionfor you.
②to appreciate something also means to be gratefulfor something.
例句：I appreciated your helpvery much.
2. Mum or dad, of course, providea regular supply of pocket money, but uncles andaunts are alwaysa source of
extra income.
这句话里的a regular supply 和a source of extra
income是非常正式的词，用于描述小孩子的零花钱属于大词小用，夸张手法。
3.With some children, small sumsgo a long way.
go a
long way:to be adequate or helpful for asignificant amount of time.
例句：This new law will go along way in addressing this issue.
此外，go a long way还有另外一个含义：if you say that someone will go a long way, you think they will be successful in
their life or career.
例句：All parents hope thattheir children will go a long way in their lives.
4. If fifty pence pieces are notexchanged for sweets, theyrattlefor months insidemoney boxes.
exchanged:to give someone something and receive something differentfrom them.
常用表达exchange something forsomething
例句：Where can I exchange mydollars for pounds?
rattle:to make a noise consisting of quickly repeated knocks，这里是指孩子们把钱存放在储蓄盒里，这里用rattle非常的生动。
5. Only verythriftychildrenmanage to fill up amoney box.
thrifty:showing a careful use of money, especially by avoidingwaste.
例句：They have plenty ofmoney now, but they still tend to be thrifty.
manage:to succeed in doing something difficult, especially aftertrying very hard.
常用表达manage to do something
例句：I finally managed topush the huge animal away.
fill
up:to make something full, or to become full.
6. For most of them, fifty pence is a small price topay for a nice big bar ofchocolate.
pay
the price:to experience something unpleasant because you have done something wrong, made a mistakeetc.
例句：If you abuse your bodynow, you'll pay the price when you're older.
常用表达pay the price for(doing) something
例句：Williams is now payingthe price for his early mistakes.
7.I gave him fifty pence yesterday and advised him to saveit.Insteadhe boughthimself fifty pence worth of trouble.
instead:used to say what is done, when you have just said that a
particular thing is not done，在这篇文章里表明与前面“advised him to save it”的转折逻辑关系。
例句：Geoff didn’t study law.Instead, he decided to become an actor.
8.He could not find his fifty pence piece anywhere, andwhat is more, he could notget his arm out.
what
is more:used to add more information that
emphasizes what you are saying，表示递进关系，用于强调后面的信息。
例句：I’ve been fortunate tofind a career that I love and, what's more, I get well paid for it.
9.A crowd of people gathered round him and a lady rubbed hisarm with soap and butter, but George wasfirmly stuck.
firmly:in a way that will not move, come loose, or fallover.
stick:to be fixed in position and unable to move.
10.Thefire
brigade was called and two fire fightersfreedGeorge using a special type ofgrease.
fire
brigade:an organization that works toprevent unwanted fires and stop them from burning.
grease:a thick oily substance that is put on the moving parts of acar, machine etc to make it run or move smoothly.
free:to release someone or something that is physically held or trapped.
11.George was not too upset by his experience because thelady who owns the sweet shop heard about his troubles and rewarded himwitha large box of chocolates.
reward:to give something to someone because they have donesomething good or helpful or have worked for it.
常用表达reward somebody with something
例句：The club’s directorsrewarded him with a free season ticket.
想起了《阿甘正传》中的一句话“lifeis like a box of chocolates”,means that life is unpredictable and that it isfull of surprises; you never know what will happen next.
例句：He got seriously ill,but hey, life is like a box of chocolates.