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　　课文内容

　　Laura meets her brother David for a drink after work.

　　David: I think Maureen is contemplating divorce.

　　Laura: Are you nuts? Maureen is devoted to you. She would never leave you.

　　David: I know she loves me, but I wouldn’t blame her if she left. She’s miserable and she hasn't slept in months.

　　Laura: I’m flabbergasted!1 What exactly is eating her?

　　David: I’m afraid I’ve developed a snoring problem.

　　Laura: Is that all? Geez, you had me worried there for a minute.

　　David: You don’t understand what sleep deprivation2 can do to a person. Maureen’s touchy3 and irritable all the time.

　　She’s started passing out at work, or in the middle of dinner. It’s like she’s turningsintosa narcoleptic. Laura: Have you seen a doctor?

　　David: Yes. He said it was a mucus4 problem. He told me to reduce my intake of dairy products, but it didn’t work.

　　I’m still snorting like a beached walrus every night. Laura: Maybe you should try cutting out other things like cigarettes or your ritualistic shot of scotch before bed.

　　David: But that’s medicinal!

　　Laura: Then cut out fatty foods and get some exercise.

　　David: Are you calling me fat?

　　Laura: Well, you are getting a little porky---and excess weight is the most common cause of snoring.

　　David: All right. I certainly wouldn’t mind dropping a few kilos to save my marriage.

　　---by Randy Peters