课文内容：
I arrived in London at last. The railway station wasbig, black and dark. I did not know the way to myhotel, so I asked a porter. I not only spoke Englishvery carefully, but very clearly as well. The porter,however, could not understand me. I repeated myquestion several times and at last he understood. Heanswered me, but he spoke neither slowly norclearly. 'I am a foreigner,' I said. Then he spokeslowly, but I could not understand him. My teacher never spoke English like that! Theporter and I looked at each otherand smiled. Then he said something and I understood it.'You'll soon learn English!' he said. I wonder. In England, each person speaks a differentlanguage. The English understand each other, but I don't understand them! Do they speakEnglish?
精讲笔记：
7. He answered me, but he spoke neither slowly nor clearly.
他回答了我，但他说得既不慢也不清楚。
语言点1 问、说、回答等动词的用法：
answer sb. sth. 回答某人……
What shall I answer?
我将怎么回答呢?
ask sb. 问某人
I asked her the time but she gave no answer.
我问她时间，可是她没回答。
tell sb.告诉某人
Tell him from me that he must be at the meeting on time.
请转告他，叫他务必按时到会。
say to sb.对某人说
We shall see his boat and then we shall say goodbye to him.
我们将参观他的船，然后与他告别。
reply to sb / sth.对……作出答复、反应
A lot of people replied to our advertisement.
有许多人对我们的广告作出了反应。
6 ) respond to sb. / sth.对……作出反应
She responded to my letter with a phone call.
她收到我的信，给我回了个电话。
着重对比：answer，reply, respond均含有“回答”的意思。
1) answer是常用词，可指口头、笔头，甚至可表示以行动回答;
2) reply 较 answer正式;
3) respond是正式用语，指对号召、职责、请求等作出自发的适当反应。
语言点2 neither... nor...意为“既不……也不……”此结构不仅可以连接副词还可连接其他词：
I can neither sing nor dance.
我既不会唱歌也不会跳舞。
She speaks neither Chinese nor English.
她既不会说中文也不会说英语。
My brother is standing beside the door neither in nor out.
我弟弟站在门口，既不进来也不出去。
8. ‘I am a foreigner, ’I said.
“我是外国人，”我说。
语言点 在国外如果听不懂对方的话可要求他讲慢一点，并说“I’m a foreigner.”。在国内如果听不懂方言则不妨说“I’m a stranger here.(我不是本地人)”。
9. Then he spoke slowly, but I could not understand him.
于是他说话的语速放慢了些，但我还是听不懂。
语言点 对比学习：understand, comprehend, know都有“知道，明白，“理解”的意思。
understand 是常用词，强调完全了解
People who speak the same language can easily understand one another.
说同一种语言的人能够很容易彼此了解。
comprehend 侧重了解的过程
He comprehends mathematics.
他数学学得好。
know 强调了解其中一部分的含义
She knows more about America than anyone else I know.
她比我认识的其他任何人对美国的了解都多。
