Chapter oneOnly one dollar and eighty-sevencents
Della sat at her kitchen table.
She was counting something.
“One penny, two pennies, three pennies...,” she counted.
She was saving pennies.1
Now, she had one dollar and eighty-seven cents.
She worked hard to save that money.
Every time she went to the grocery,
she said, “Oh, it’s too expensive!
Please give me a discount.”2
She did this for many, many months.
She counted the money again and again.
But there was only one dollar and eighty-seven cents.
She cried out, “No! There must be more money.
I saved for so long!”3
Key Words & Sentences
sit at: ngồi tại, ngồi ở (sit - sat - sat)
count (v): đếm
penny (n): đồng penny
(= pence)
save (v): dành dụm
every time: mỗi lần, mỗi khi
grocery (n): cửa hàng tạp hóa
give a discount: giảm giá
cry out: kêu lên
(cry - cried - cried)
must (modal verb): phải
for so long: trong thời gian dài, rất lâu
1 She was saving pennies.
2 Oh, it’s too expensive! Please give me a discount.
3 No! There must be more money. I saved for so long!
Life was not easy for Della.1
She lived in a very small apartment.
It cost eight dollars a week.2
She had to spend her money very wisely.
At the entrance of the apartment, there was a doorbell.
But this didn’t work anymore.
There was also a letterbox.
But it was too small for letters.
It really wasn’t a very good apartment.
On the letterbox, there was the name “Mr. James Dillingham Young.”3
This was Della’s husband.
A long time ago, Mr. James Dillingham Young was proud of his name.
Once, his salary was thirty dollars a week.4
Now, it was only twenty.
Twenty dollars never bought very much.5
But, sometimes, that didn’t matter.6
When he came home, his wife always greeted and hugged him.
He was her “Jim.”7
Check up
Choose what is not true about the couple.
a. They live in a poor apartment.
b. Their life was better than now.
c. They don’t get along with each other.
Key Words & Sentences
life (n): cuộc sống
live in: sống trong
cost (v): tiêu tốn, tốn kém
(cost - cost - cost)
have to + V: phải
spend (v): chi tiêu
wisely (adv): một cách khôn ngoan, sáng suốt
entrance (n): cổng vào, lối vào
doorbell (n): chuông cửa
work (v): hoạt động
anymore (adv): nữa
letterbox (n): thùng thư, hộp thư
husband (n): chồng
1 Life was not easy for Della.
2 It cost eight dollars a week.
3 On the letterbox, there was the name “Mr. James Dillingham Young.”
4 Once, his salary was thirty dollars a week.
5 Twenty dollars never bought very much.
6 But, sometimes, that didn’t matter.
7 He was her “Jim.”
Now, Della still sat at the kitchen table, and cried.
She wiped her tears and stood up.
Tomorrow was Christmas.
She only had one dollar and eighty-seven cents to buy her husband a present.1
She saved for a long time but it wasn’t enough.
She wanted to buy something very nice for him.2
She walked to another window.
As she walked, she passed a mirror.3
It was between two windows.
It wasn’t a very good mirror, of course.
It was a mirror in an eight-dollar-a-week apartment.4
She looked at herself in the mirror.5
Her eyes were red and puffy from crying.6
Check up
Why did Della save money for a long time?
a. She had to pay the rent.
b. She wanted to buy a new mirror.
c. She wanted to buy a nice present for her husband.
Key Words
still (adv): vẫn
wipe (v): chùi, lau
(wipe - wiped - wiped)
tears (n): nước mắt
stand up: đứng dậy
(stand - stood - stood)
present (n): món quà
enough (adj): đủ
another (adj): khác
as (conj): khi
pass (v): đi ngang qua
between (prep): ở giữa
of course (idiom): dĩ nhiên, tất nhiên
herself (pronoun): chính cô ta
puffy (adj): sưng húp
from (prep): vì
Key Sentences
1 She only had one dollar and eighty-seven cents to buy her husband a present.
2 She wanted to buy something very nice for him.
3 As she walked, she passed a mirror.
4 It was a mirror in an eight-dollar-a-week apartment.
5 She looked at herself in the mirror.
6 Her eyes were red and puffy from crying.
Then, she got an idea.1
Her hair was tied up, but now she pulled it down.2
She had a lot of very long, beautiful hair.
There were two things that she and her husband valued very much.3
One was a gold watch.
Jim received it from his grandfather.
He loved it very much.
The other was Della’s hair.
Della’s hair was envied by many people.4
Some people said to Della,
“Your hair is more beautiful than the Queen of Sheba’s jewels!”5
Jim’s watch was also very wonderful.
Some people said to him,
“Your watch is good enough for a King!”6
So, Jim and Della were very proud of these things.
Key Words & Sentences
then (adv): sau đó
get an idea: nảy ra một ý nghĩ
(get - got - gotten)
tie up: cột, buộc
(tie - tied - tied)
pull down: buông, xõa xuống
a lot of: rất nhiều
value (v): quý trọng
love (v): yêu thích
the other (pronoun): cái còn lại
envy (v): ghen tị, thèm muốn
than + N (conj): hơn
(dùng trong so sánh hơn)
Queen of Sheba: Nữ hoàng Sheba
jewel (n): trang sức
wonderful (adj): tuyệt, đẹp
good enough for + someone/something: tương xứng với ai/ vật gì đó
be proud of: tự hào, hãnh diện về
1 Then, she got an idea.
2 Her hair was tied up, but now she pulled it down.
3 There were two things that she and her husband valued very much.
4 Della's hair was envied by many people.
5 "Your hair is more beautiful than the Queen of Sheba's jewels!"
6 "Your watch is good enough for a King!"
Della continued looking at her hair.1
It fell around her shoulders, down her back, and to her knees.2
It was very, very long hair.
Her hair was almost like a dress.
She tied it up again.
She did it quickly, but she suddenly felt very sad.
A couple of tears rolled down her cheeks.3
She quickly put on her old brown coat, and her old brown hat.4
She locked her apartment and hurried down the stairs and out of the apartment building.5
She walked down the street to look for a special store.
After a few minutes, she found it and looked at the sign:
Madame Sofronie.
Hair Goods of All Kinds.6
Key Words
fall around: xõa (fall - fell - fallen)
almost like: gần như
quickly (adv): nhanh chóng
suddenly (adv): đột ngột, bất chợt
a couple of: những (giọt nước mắt)
roll down: lăn dài
(roll - rolled - rolled)
put on: mặc (quần áo), đội (mũ)
(put - put - put)
lock (v): khóa
(lock - locked - locked)
hurry down: đi vội xuống
stair (n): cầu thang, bậc thang
out of: ra khỏi
look for: tìm kiếm
find (v): tìm thấy
(find - found - found)
sign (n): biển hiệu
goods (n): sản phẩm, mẫu (tóc)
kind (n): loại
Key Sentences
1 Della continued looking at her hair.
2 It fell around her shoulders, down her back, and to her knees.
3 A couple of tears rolled down her cheeks.
4 She quickly put on her old brown coat, and her old brown hat.
5 She locked her apartment and hurried down the stairs and out of the apartment building.
6 Madame Sofronie. Hair Goods of All Kinds.
Comprehension Quiz
A. Circle the words related to Della.
B. Match the words with their meanings.
1. Door bell
2. Letter box
3. Wise
4. Hurry
5. Mirror
a noise
a. To do something quickly
b. Be very smart
c. A thing to put mail into
d. A thing to see yourself in
e. A thing you press to make
C. Based on the story, mark ‘T’ if true or ‘F’ if false.
1. Jim received a watch from his father. T...F
2. Della saved money for a long time. T...F
3. It was easy for Della to save money. T...F
4. Della’s hair fell to her knees. T...F
5. Jim had more money than before. T...F
D. Followings are the descriptions of the things that Della and her husband find precious. Fill in the blanks with the words below.
envied
valued
loved
There were two things that she and her husband
_______ very much. One was a gold watch. Jim received it from his grandfather a long time ago. He _______ it very much. The other was Della’s hair. Della’s hair was _______ by many people.