💛 新概念英语第二册课文（1-96）
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Lesson 1 A Private Conversation
Last week I went to the theater. had a very good seat. The play was very interesting. I did not enjoy it. A young man and a young woman were sitting behind me. They were talking loudly. I got very angry. I could not hear the actors. I turned round. I looked at the man and the woman angrily. They did not pay any attention. In the end, I could not bear it. I turned round again. 'I can't hear a word!' I said angrily. 'It's none of your business, " the young man said rudely. 'This is a private conversation!'
上周我去了剧院，坐在一个非常好的位置。那出戏很有趣。但我并不喜欢。一个年轻男子和一个年轻女子坐在我后面。他们大声说话。我很生气。我听不到演员们在说什么。我转过身。我愤怒地看着那男人和那女人。他们根本没有注意。最后，我忍无可忍。我又转过身。“我一句话也听不到！”我生气地说。“这不关你的事，”年轻人粗鲁地说。“这是私人谈话！”
Lesson 2 Breakfast or lunch?
It was Sunday. I never get up early on Sundays. I sometimes stay in bed until lunchtime. Last Sunday, I got up very late. I looked out of the window. It was dark outside. "What a day!" I thought. "It's raining again." Just then, the telephone rang. It was my aunt Lucy. "I've just arrived by train, " she said. "I'm coming to see you." 'But I'm still having breakfast,' I said. 'What are you doing?' she asked. 'I'm having breakfast,' I repeated. 'Dear me,' she said. 'Do you always get up so late? It's one o'clock!'
那是星期天。星期天我从来不早起。我有时会一直睡到午饭时间。上个星期天，我起得很晚。我向窗外望去。外面一片漆黑。“多糟糕的一天啊！”我想。“又下雨了。”就在这时，电话铃响了。是我姑姑露西打来的。“我刚坐火车来，”她说。“我来看你。”“但我还在吃早饭，”我说。“你在干什么？”她问。“我在吃早饭，”我重复道。“天哪，”她说。“你总是起得这么晚吗？现在才一点钟！”
Lesson 3 Please Send Me a Card
Postcards always spoil my holidays. Last summer, I went to Italy. I visited museums and sat in public gardens. A friendly waiter taught me a few words of Italian. Then he lent me a book. I read a few lines, but I did not understand a word. Everyday I thought about postcards. My holidays passed quickly, but I did not send cards to my friends. On the last day I made a big decision. I got up early and bought thirty-seven cards. I spent the whole day in my room, but I did not write a single card!
明信片总是会破坏我的假期。去年夏天，我去了意大利。我参观了博物馆，坐在公共花园里。一位友善的服务员教了我几句意大利语。然后他借给我一本书。我读了几行，但一个字都听不懂。我每天都想着明信片。假期过得很快，但我没有给朋友寄明信片。最后一天我做了一个重大决定。我早早起床，买了三十七张明信片。我整天都待在房间里，但一张明信片也没写！
Lesson 4 An exciting trip
I have just received a letter from my brother, Tim. He is in Australia. He has been there for six months. Tim is an engineer. He is working for a big firm and he has already visited a great number of different places in Australia. He has just bought an Australian car and has gone to Alice Springs, a small town in the centre of Australia. He will soon visit Darwin. From there, he will fly to Perth. My brother has never been abroad before, so he is finding this trip very exciting.
我刚收到我弟弟蒂姆的来信。他现在在澳大利亚，已经在那里呆了六个月。蒂姆是一名工程师，在一家大公司工作，已经去过澳大利亚很多地方。他刚买了一辆澳大利亚车，去了澳大利亚中部的一个小镇艾丽斯泉。他很快就会去达尔文。然后从那里飞往珀斯。我弟弟以前从未出过国，所以他觉得这次旅行非常令人兴奋。
Lesson 5 No wrong numbers
Mr. James Scott has a garage in Silbury and now he has just bought another garage in Pinhurst. Pinhurst is only five miles from Silbury, but Mr. Scott cannot get a telephone for his new garage, so he has just bought twelve pigeons. Yesterday, a pigeon carried the first message from Pinhurst to Silbury. The bird covered the distance in three minutes. Up to now, Mr. Scott has sent a great many requests for spare parts and other urgent messages from one garage to the other. In this way, he has begun his own private 'telephone' service.
詹姆斯·斯科特先生在锡尔伯里有一个修车厂，现在他又在平赫斯特买了另一个修车厂。平赫斯特距离锡尔伯里只有五英里，但斯科特先生无法为他的修车厂安装电话，所以他刚买了十二只鸽子。昨天，一只鸽子把第一条信息从平赫斯特传到了锡尔伯里。这只鸽子在三分钟内飞完了这段距离。到目前为止，斯科特先生已经从一个修车厂向另一个修车厂发送了大量备件请求和其他紧急信息。就这样，他开始了自己私人的“电话”服务。
Lesson 6 Percy Buttons
I have just moved to a house in Bridge Street. Yesterday a beggar knocked at my door. He asked me for a meal and a glass of beer. In return for this, the beggar stood on his head and sang songs. I gave him a meal. He ate the food and drank the beer. Then he put a piece of cheese in his pocket and went away. Later a neighbour told me about him. Everybody knows him. His name is Percy Buttons. He calls at every house in the street once a month and always asks for a meal and a glass of beer.
我刚搬到大桥街的一所房子里。昨天一个乞丐敲我的门。他向我要一顿饭和一杯啤酒。作为回报，乞丐倒立着唱歌。我给了他一顿饭。他吃了食物，喝了啤酒。然后他把一块奶酪放进口袋里就走了。后来一个邻居告诉我关于他的事情。每个人都认识他。他的名字叫珀西·巴顿斯。他每月都会去街上的每家每户一次，总是要一顿饭和一杯啤酒。
Lesson 7 Too late
The plane was late and detectives were waiting at the airport all morning. They were expecting a valuable parcel of diamonds from South Africa. A few hours earlier, someone had told the police that thieves would try to steal the diamonds. When the plane arrived, some of the detectives were waiting inside the main building while others were waiting on the airfield. Two men took the parcel off the plane and carried it into the Customs House. While two detectives were keeping guard at the door, two others opened the parcel. To their surprise, the precious parcel was full of stones and sand!
飞机晚点了，侦探们在机场等了一上午。他们正在等着从南非寄来的一件价值不菲的钻石包裹。几个小时前，有人告诉警方，小偷会试图偷走这些钻石。飞机到达时，一些侦探在主楼内等候，而其他人则在机场等候。两名男子将包裹从飞机上取下并带入海关大楼。当两名侦探守在门口时，另外两名侦探打开了包裹。令他们惊讶的是，这个珍贵的包裹里装满了石头和沙子！
Lesson 8 The best and the worst
Joe Sanders has the most beautiful garden in our town. Nearly everybody enters for 'The Nicest Garden Competition' each year, but Joe wins every time. Bill Frith's garden is larger than Joe's. Bill works harder than Joe and grows more flowers and vegetables, but Joe's garden is more interesting. He has made neat paths and has built a wooden bridge over a pool. I like gardens too, but I do not like hard work. Every year I enter for the garden competition too, and I always win a little prize for the worst garden in the town!
乔·桑德斯拥有我们镇上最美丽的花园。几乎每个人都每年都参加“最漂亮花园比赛”，但乔每次都赢。比尔·弗里斯的花园比乔的要大。比尔比乔更努力，种的花和蔬菜也更多，但乔的花园更有趣。他修建了整洁的小路，还在池塘上建了一座木桥。我也喜欢花园，但我不喜欢辛苦工作。每年我也参加花园比赛，而且我总是赢得镇上最差花园的小奖！
Lesson 9 A cold welcome
On Wednesday evening, we went to the Town Hall. It was the last day of the year and a large crowd of people had gathered under the Town Hall clock. It would strike twelve in twenty minutes' time. Fifteen minutes passed and then, at five to twelve, the clock stopped. The big minute hand did not move. We waited and waited, but nothing happened. Suddenly someone shouted. "It's two minutes past twelve! The clock has stopped!" I looked at my watch. It was true. The big clock refused to welcome the New Year. At that moment, everybody began to laugh and sing.
星期三晚上，我们去了市政厅。那是一年的最后一天，一大群人聚集在市政厅的钟楼下。还有二十分钟钟楼就会敲十二下。十五分钟过去了，然后，十二点五分，钟楼停了下来。大分针一动不动。我们等了又等，但什么也没发生。突然有人喊道：“十二点零两分！钟楼停了！”我看了看表。果然如此。大钟楼拒绝迎接新年。那一刻，每个人都开始欢笑和唱歌。
Lesson 10 Not for jazz
We have an old musical instrument. It is called a clavichord. It was made in Germany in 1681. Our clavichord is kept in the living room. It has belonged to our family for a long time. The instrument was bought by my grandfather many years ago. Recently, it was damaged by a visitor. She tried to play jazz on it! She struck the keys too hard and two of the strings were broken. My father was shocked. Now we are not allowed to touch it. It is being repaired by a friend of my father's.
我们有一个古老的乐器。它叫古钢琴。它是 1681 年在德国制造的。我们的古钢琴放在客厅里。它属于我们家很久了。这个乐器是我祖父多年前买的。最近，它被一位访客弄坏了。她试图用它演奏爵士乐！她敲击琴键太用力，导致两根琴弦断了。我父亲很震惊。现在我们不允许碰它了。我父亲的一个朋友正在修理它。
Lesson 11 One good turn deserves another
I was having dinner at a restaurant when Tony Steele came in. Tony worked in a lawyer's office years ago, but he is now working at a bank. He gets a good salary, but he always borrows money from his friends and never pays it back. Tony saw me and came and sat at the same table. He has never borrowed money from me. While he was eating, I asked him to lend me twenty pounds. To my surprise, he gave me the money immediately. 'I have never borrowed any money from you,' Tony said, 'so now you can pay for my dinner!'
我正在一家餐馆吃饭，托尼·斯蒂尔进来了。托尼几年前在一家律师事务所工作，但现在在一家银行工作。他的薪水很高，但他总是向朋友借钱，而且从不还钱。托尼看到我，就过来坐在同一张桌子上。他从来没有向我借过钱。吃饭的时候，我请他借我二十英镑。令我惊讶的是，他立刻把钱给了我。“我从来没有向你借过钱，”托尼说，“所以现在你可以付我的晚餐费了！”
Lesson 12 Goodbye and good luck
Our neighbour, Captain Charles Alison, will sail from Portsmouth tomorrow. We'll meet him at the harbour early in the morning. He will be in his small boat, Topsail. Topsail is a famous little boat. It has sailed across the Atlantic many times. Captain Alison will set out at eight o'clock, so we'll have plenty of time. We'll see his boat and then we'll say goodbye to him. He will be away for two months. We are very proud of him. He will take part in an important race across the Atlantic.
Lesson 13 The Greenwood Boys
The Greenwood Boys are a group of pop singers. At present, they are visiting all parts of the country. They will be arriving here tomorrow. They will be coming by train and most of the young people in the town will be meeting them at the station. Tomorrow evening, they will be singing at the Workers' Club. The Greenwood Boys will be staying for five days. During this time, they will give five performances. As usual, the police will have a difficult time. They will be trying to keep order. It is always the same on these occasions.
我们的邻居查尔斯·艾利森船长明天将从朴茨茅斯启航。我们将在清晨在港口与他会面。他将乘坐他的小船 Topsail。Topsail 是一艘著名的小船。它曾多次横渡大西洋。艾利森船长将于八点出发，所以我们有充足的时间。我们将看到他的船，然后与他告别。他将离开两个月。我们为他感到骄傲。他将参加一场横渡大西洋的重要比赛。
Lesson 14 Do you speak English?
I had an amusing experience last year. After I had left a small village in the south of France, I drove on to the next town. On the way, a young man waved to me. I stopped and he asked me for a lift. As soon as he had got into the car, I said good morning to him in French and he replied in the same language. Apart from a few words, I do not know any French at all. Neither of us spoke during the journey. I had nearly reached the town when the young man suddenly said, very slowly, "Do you speak English?" As I soon learnt, he was English himself!
去年我有过一次有趣的经历。离开法国南部的一个小村庄后，我开车去了下一个城镇。途中，一个年轻人向我招手。我停下车，他让我顺便载他一程。他一上车，我就用法语跟他说早上好，他也用法语回答。除了几个词外，我一点法语都不会说。一路上我们都没有说话。我快到镇上时，那个年轻人突然很慢地说：“你会说英语吗？”我很快就知道了，他自己就是英国人！
Lesson 15 Good news
The secretary told me that Mr.Harmsworth would see me. I felt very nervous when I went into his office. He did not look up from his desk when I entered. After I had sat down, he said that business was very bad. He told me that the firm could not afford to pay such large salaries. Twenty people had already left. I knew that my turn had come. 'Mr.Harmsworth,' I said in a weak voice. 'Don't interrupt,' he said. Then he smiled and told me I would receive an extra thousand pounds a year!
秘书告诉我哈姆斯沃斯先生会见我。我走进他的办公室时感到很紧张。我进去时他头也没抬。我坐下后，他说生意很差。他告诉我公司付不起这么高的薪水。已经有二十个人离开了。我知道轮到我了。“哈姆斯沃斯先生，”我虚弱地说道。“别打断，”他说。然后他笑了笑，告诉我我每年可以多领一千英镑！
Lesson 16 A polite request
If you park your car in the wrong place, a traffic policeman will soon find it. You will be very lucky if he lets you go without a ticket. However, this does not always happen. Traffic police are sometimes very polite. During a holiday in Sweden, I found this note on my car: 'sir, we welcome you to our city. This is a "No Parking" area. You will enjoy your stay here if you pay attention to our street signs. This note is only a reminder.' If you receive a request like this, you cannot fail to obey it!
如果你把车停错了地方，交警很快就会发现。如果他不给你开罚单就放你走了，那你就太幸运了。然而，这种情况并不总是发生。交警有时非常有礼貌。在瑞典度假期间，我在车上发现了这张纸条：“先生，欢迎您来到我们的城市。这是一个‘禁止停车’区域。如果你注意我们的路标，你会在这里过得很愉快。这张纸条只是提醒。”如果你收到这样的要求，你就不能不遵守它！
Lesson 17 Always young
My aunt Jennifer is an actress. She must be at least thirty-five years old. In spite of this, she often appears on the stage as a young girl. Jennifer will have to take part in a new play soon. This time, she will be a girl of seventeen. In the play, she must appear in a bright red dress and long black stockings. Last year in another play, she had to wear short socks and a bright, orange-coloured dress. If anyone ever asks her how old she is, she always answers, 'Darling, it must be terrible to be grown up!'
我的姑姑詹妮弗是一名演员。她至少三十五岁了。尽管如此，她经常以年轻女孩的身份出现在舞台上。詹妮弗很快就要参加一部新戏了。这一次，她将是一个十七岁的女孩。在剧中，她必须穿着鲜红色的裙子和黑色的长袜。去年在另一部戏中，她必须穿短袜和鲜艳的橙色裙子。如果有人问她多大了，她总是回答，“亲爱的，长大一定很糟糕！”
Lesson 18 He often does this!
After I had had lunch at a village pub, I looked for my bag. I had left it on a chair beside the door and now it wasn't there! As I was looking for it, the landlord came in. "Did you have a good meal?" he asked. "Yes, thank you," I answered, "but I can't pay the bill. I haven't got my bag." The landlord smiled and immediately went out. In a few minutes he returned with my bag and gave it back to me. "I'm very sorry," he said. "My dog had taken it into the garden. He often does this!"
在村里的一家酒吧吃完午饭后，我找我的包。我把它放在门边的椅子上，现在它不见了！我正找着它的时候，店主进来了。“你吃得好吗？”他问道。“是的，谢谢你，”我回答道，“但我付不起账单。我没有拿到我的包。”店主笑了笑，立刻出去了。几分钟后，他拿着我的包回来了，还给了我。“我很抱歉，”他说。“我的狗把它叼到花园里去了。它经常这样做！”
Lesson 19 Sold out
"The play may begin at any moment," I said. "It may have begun already," Susan answered. I hurried to the ticket office. "May I have two tickets please?" I asked. "I'm sorry, we've sold out," the girl said. "What a pity!" Susan exclaimed. Just then, a man hurried to the ticket office. "Can I return these two tickets?" he asked. "Certainly," the girl said. I went back to the ticket office at once. "Could I have those two tickets please?" I asked. "Certainly," the girl said, "but they're for next Wednesday's performance. Do you still want them?" "I might as well have them," I said sadly.
Lesson 20 One man in a boat
Fishing is my favourite sport. I often fish for hours without catching anything. But this does not worry me. Some fishermen are unlucky. Instead of catching fish, they catch old boots and rubbish. I am even less lucky. I never catch anything —not even old boots. After having spent whole mornings on the river, I always go home with an empty bag. "You must give up fishing!" my friends say. "It's a waste of time." But they don't realize one important thing. I'm not really interested in fishing. I am only interested in sitting in a boat and doing nothing at all!
“演出随时都可能开始，”我说。“可能已经开始了，”苏珊回答。我急忙跑到售票处。“请给我两张票好吗？”我问道。“对不起，票已经卖完了，”女孩说。“太可惜了！”苏珊惊呼道。就在这时，一个男人急忙跑到售票处。“我能退掉这两张票吗？”他问道。“当然可以，”女孩说。我立刻跑回售票处。“请给我这两张票好吗？”我问道。“当然可以，”女孩说，“但这是下周三演出的票。你还想要吗？”“我还是把它们拿走吧，”我难过地说。
Lesson 21 Mad or not?
Aeroplanes are slowly driving me mad. I live near an airport and passing planes can be heard night and day. The airport was built years ago, but for some reason it could not be used then. Last year, however, it came into use. Over a hundred people must have been driven away from their homes by the noise. I am one of the few people left. Sometimes I think this house will be knocked down by a passing plane. I have been offered a large sum of money to go away, but I am determined to stay here. Everybody says I must be mad and they are probably right.
飞机的声音让我渐渐发疯。我住在机场附近，日夜都能听到飞机飞过的声音。这个机场是几年前修建的，但由于某种原因，当时无法使用。然而，去年它开始使用。肯定有一百多人被噪音赶出了家门。我是少数几个留下来的人之一。有时我觉得这所房子会被飞过的飞机撞倒。有人给了我一大笔钱让我离开，但我决心留在这里。每个人都说我一定是疯了，他们可能是对的。
Lesson 22 A glass envelope
My daughter, Jane, never dreamed of receiving a letter from a girl of her own age in Holland. Last year, we were travelling across the Channel and Jane put a piece of paper with her name and address on it into a bottle. She threw the bottle into the sea. She never thought of it again, but ten months later, she received a letter from a girl in Holland. Both girls write to each other regularly now. However, they have decided to use the post office. Letters will cost a little more, but they will certainly travel faster.
我的女儿简做梦也没有想到会收到来自荷兰同龄女孩的来信。去年，我们横渡英吉利海峡时，简把一张写有她姓名和地址的纸条放进一个瓶子里。她把瓶子扔进了大海。她再也没有想起这件事，但十个月后，她收到了来自荷兰女孩的来信。两个女孩现在经常互相写信。不过，她们决定使用邮局。信件的费用会稍微高一点，但肯定会更快。
Lesson 23 A new house
I had a letter from my sister yesterday. She lives in Nigeria. In her letter, she said that she would come to England next year. If she comes, she will get a surprise. We are now living in a beautiful new house in the country. Work on it had begun before my sister left. The house was completed five months ago. In my letter, I told her that she could stay with us. The house has many large rooms and there is a lovely garden. It is a very modern house, so it looks strange to some people. It must be the only modern house in the district.
昨天我收到姐姐的来信。她住在尼日利亚。她在信中说她明年会来英国。如果她来了，她会得到一个惊喜。我们现在住在乡下一栋漂亮的新房子里。房子的修缮工作在我姐姐离开前就开始了。房子五个月前完工。我在信中告诉她她可以和我们一起住。房子有很多大房间，还有一个漂亮的花园。这是一栋非常现代化的房子，所以对某些人来说看起来很奇怪。这一定是这个地区唯一的现代房子。
Lesson 24 It could be worse
I entered the hotel manager's office and sat down. I had just lost £50 and I felt very upset. "I left the money in my room," I said, "and it's not there now." The manager was sympathetic, but he could do nothing. "Everyone's losing money these days," he said. He started to complain about this wicked world but was interrupted by a knock at the door. A girl came in and put an envelope on his desk. It contained £50. "I found this outside this gentleman's room," she said. "Well," I said to the manager, "there is still some honesty in this world!"
我走进酒店经理的办公室坐下。我刚刚丢了 50 英镑，心里非常难过。“我把钱放在房间里了，”我说，“现在钱不见了。”经理很同情我，但他无能为力。“现在每个人都在赔钱，”他说。他开始抱怨这个邪恶的世界，但被一阵敲门声打断了。一个女孩走了进来，把一个信封放在他的桌子上。里面有 50 英镑。“我在这位先生的房间外面发现了这个，”她说。“好吧，”我对经理说，“这个世界还是有些诚实的！”
Lesson 25 Do the English speak English?
I arrived in London at last. The railway station was big, black and dark. I did not know the way to my hotel, so I asked a porter. I not only spoke English very carefully, but very clearly as well. The porter, however, could not understand me. I repeated my question several times and at last he understood. He answered me, but he spoke neither slowly nor clearly. "I am a foreigner," I said. Then he spoke slowly, but I could not understand him. My teacher never spoke English like that! The porter and I looked at each other and smiled. Then he said something and I understood it. "You'll soon learn English!" he said. I wonder. In England, each person speaks a different language. The English understand each other, but I don't understand them! Do they speak English?
我终于到了伦敦。火车站很大，又黑又暗。我不知道去酒店的路，于是我问了一个搬运工。我不仅讲英语很仔细，而且讲得很清楚。但是搬运工听不懂我的话。我重复了几次问题，最后他明白了。他回答了我，但说话既不慢也不清楚。“我是外国人，”我说。然后他慢慢地说，但我听不懂。我的老师从来不会这样说英语！搬运工和我对视一眼，笑了笑。然后他说了些什么，我听懂了。“你很快就会学会英语的！”他说。我很好奇。在英国，每个人都说不同的语言。英国人彼此都能听懂，但我听不懂他们的话！他们会说英语吗？
Lesson 26 The best art critics
I am an art student and I paint a lot of pictures. Many people pretend that they understand modern art. They always tell you what a picture is 'about'. Of course, many pictures are not 'about' anything. They are just pretty patterns. We like them in the same way that we like pretty curtain material. I think that young children often appreciate modern pictures better than anyone else. They notice more. My sister is only seven, but she always tells me whether my pictures are good or not. She came into my room yesterday. "What are you doing?" she asked. "I'm hanging this picture on the wall," I answered. "It's a new one. Do you like it?" She looked at it critically for a moment. "It's all right," she said, "but isn't it upside down?" I looked at it again. She was right! It was!
我是一名学艺术的学生，画了很多画。很多人假装自己懂现代艺术。他们总是告诉你一幅画是关于什么的。当然，很多画并不是关于任何东西的。它们只是漂亮的图案。我们喜欢它们就像我们喜欢漂亮的窗帘一样。我认为小孩子往往比任何人都更能欣赏现代绘画。他们注意到更多。我妹妹只有七岁，但她总是告诉我我的画好不好。她昨天来到我的房间。“你在干什么？”她问。“我把这幅画挂在墙上，”我回答。“这是一张新的。你喜欢吗？”她挑剔地看了一会儿。“还行，”她说，“但它不是倒过来了吗？”我又看了看。她是对的！确实是倒过来的！
Lesson 27 A wet night
Late in the afternoon, the boys put up their tent in the middle of a field. As soon as this was done, they cooked a meal over an open fire. They were all hungry and the food smelled good. After a wonderful meal, they told stories and sang songs by the campfire. But some time later, it began to rain. The boys felt tired, so they put out the fire and crept into their tent. Their sleeping bags were warm and comfortable, so they all slept soundly. In the middle of the night, two boys woke up and began shouting. The tent was full of water! They all leapt out of their sleeping bags and hurried outside. It was raining heavily, and they found that a stream had formed in the field. The stream wound its way across the field and then flowed right under their tent!
下午晚些时候，男孩们在田野中央搭起了帐篷。搭好帐篷后，他们立即在篝火上做饭。他们都饿了，食物闻起来很香。吃完一顿美餐后，他们在篝火旁讲故事、唱歌。但过了一会儿，天开始下雨了。男孩们觉得累了，就把火熄灭，钻进帐篷里。他们的睡袋温暖舒适，所以他们都睡得很香。半夜时分，两个男孩醒了，开始大喊大叫。帐篷里全是水！他们都从睡袋里跳出来，赶紧跑到外面。雨下得很大，他们发现田野里形成了一条小溪。小溪蜿蜒穿过田野，然后从他们的帐篷下面流过！
Lesson 28 No parking
Jasper White is one of those rare people who believes in ancient myths. He has just bought a new house in the city, but ever since he moved in, he has had trouble with cars and their owners. When he returns home at night, he always finds that someone has parked a car outside his gate. Because of this, he has not been able to get his own car into his garage even once. Jasper has put up 'No Parking' signs outside his gate, but these have not had any effect. Now he has put an ugly stone head over the gate. It is one of the ugliest faces I have ever seen. I asked him what it was and he told me that it was Medusa, the Gorgon. Jasper hopes that she will turn cars and their owners to stone. But none of them has been turned to stone yet!
贾斯珀·怀特是少数相信古代神话的人之一。他刚刚在城里买了一栋新房子，但自从搬进来后，他就一直与汽车和车主闹矛盾。晚上回家时，他总是发现有人把车停在他家门口。因此，他一次也没能把自己的车开进车库。贾斯珀在门外立起了“禁止停车”的标志，但这些标志毫无作用。现在，他在大门上放了一个丑陋的石头头像。这是我见过的最丑陋的脸之一。我问他那是什么，他告诉我那是蛇发女妖美杜莎。贾斯珀希望她能把汽车和车主变成石头。但至今还没有一个人变成石头！
Lesson 29 Taxi!
Captain Ben Fawcett has bought an unusual taxi and has begun a new service. The 'taxi' is a small Swiss aeroplane called a 'Pilatus Porter'. This wonderful plane can carry seven passengers. The most surprising thing about it, however, is that it can land anywhere: on snow, water, or even on a ploughed field. Captain Fawcett's first passenger was a doctor who flew from Birmingham to a lonely village in the Welsh mountains. Since then, Captain Fawcett has flown passengers to many unusual places. Once he landed on the roof of a block of flats and on another occasion, he landed in a deserted car park. Captain Fawcett has just refused a strange request from a businessman. The man wanted to fly to Rockall, a lonely island in the Atlantic Ocean, but Captain Fawcett did not take him because the trip was too dangerous.
本·福塞特机长买了一辆不寻常的出租车，并开始了一项新服务。这辆“出租车”是一架小型瑞士飞机，名为“皮拉图斯波特”。这架神奇的飞机可以搭载七名乘客。然而，最令人惊讶的是，它可以在任何地方降落：雪地、水面，甚至是耕地。福塞特机长的第一位乘客是一位医生，他从伯明翰飞往威尔士山区一个偏僻的村庄。从那时起，福塞特机长就载着乘客飞往许多不寻常的地方。有一次他降落在一栋公寓楼的屋顶上，还有一次，他降落在一个废弃的停车场。福塞特机长刚刚拒绝了一位商人的奇怪请求。这名男子想飞往大西洋上一个孤岛罗卡尔，但福塞特机长没有带他去，因为这次旅行太危险了。
Lesson 30 Football or polo?
The Wayle is a small river that cuts across the park near my home. I like sitting by the Wayle on fine afternoons. It was warm last Sunday, so I went and sat on the river bank as usual. Some children were playing games on the bank and there were some people rowing on the river. Suddenly, one of the children kicked a ball very hard and it went towards a passing boat. Some people on the bank called out to the man in the boat, but he did not hear them. The ball struck him so hard that he nearly fell into the water. I turned to look at the children, but there weren't any in sight: they had all run away! The man laughed when he realized what had happened. He called out to the children and threw the ball back to the bank.
韦尔河是一条小河，它穿过我家附近的公园。我喜欢在晴朗的下午坐在韦尔河边。上周日天气很暖和，所以我像往常一样去河岸边坐着。一些孩子在河岸上玩游戏，还有一些人在河上划船。突然，一个孩子用力踢了一个球，球朝着一艘过往的船飞去。岸上的一些人向船上的那个人喊叫，但他没有听到。球重重地击中了他，他差点掉进水里。我转过身去看那些孩子，但看不到他们：他们都跑掉了！当那个男人意识到发生了什么事时，他笑了。他叫了孩子们，把球扔回岸边。
Lesson 31 Success story
Yesterday afternoon Frank Hawkins was telling me about his experiences as a young man. Before he retired, Frank was the head of a very large business company, but as a boy he used to work in a small shop. It was his job to repair bicycles and at that time he used to work fourteen hours a day. He saved money for years and in 1958 he bought a small workshop of his own. In his twenties Frank used to make spare parts for aeroplanes. At that time he had two helpers. In a few years the small workshop had become a large factory which employed seven hundred and twenty-eight people. Frank smiled when he remembered his hard early years and the long road to success. He was still smiling when the door opened and his wife came in. She wanted him to repair their grandson's bicycle!
昨天下午，弗兰克·霍金斯向我讲述了他年轻时的经历。退休前，弗兰克是一家大型商业公司的负责人，但他小时候曾在一家小店工作。他的工作是修理自行车，当时他每天工作十四个小时。他攒了多年的钱，于 1958 年买了自己的一个小作坊。二十多岁时，弗兰克曾制造飞机零件。当时他有两个帮手。几年后，这个小作坊变成了一家拥有七百二十八名员工的大工厂。回忆起早年的艰苦岁月和漫长的成功之路，弗兰克笑了。当门打开，他的妻子走了进来时，他还在微笑。她想让他修理他们孙子的自行车！
Lesson 32 Shopping made easy
People are not so honest as they once were. The temptation to steal is greater than ever before —especially in large shops. A detective recently watched a well-dressed woman who always went into a large store on Monday mornings. One Monday, there were fewer people in the shop than usual when the woman came in, so it was easier for the detective to watch her. The woman first bought a few small articles. After a little time, she chose one of the most expensive dresses in the shop and handed it to an assistant who wrapped it up for her as quickly as possible. Then the woman simply took the parcel and walked out of the shop without paying. When she was arrested, the detective found out that the shop assistant was her daughter. The girl 'gave' her mother a free dress once a week!
人们不再像以前那么诚实了。偷窃的诱惑比以往任何时候都要大——尤其是在大型商店里。一名侦探最近监视了一名衣着考究的妇女，她总是在星期一早上去一家大型商店。一个星期一，当这名妇女进来时，商店里的人比平时少，所以侦探更容易监视她。这名妇女首先买了几件小东西。过了一会儿，她选了店里最贵的一件衣服，递给店员，店员以最快的速度帮她包好。然后，这名妇女干脆拿着包裹走出了商店，没有付钱。当她被捕时，侦探发现店员是她的女儿。这个女孩每周都会“送”她妈妈一件免费的裙子！
Lesson 33 Out of the darkness
Nearly a week passed before the girl was able to explain what had happened to her. One afternoon she set out from the coast in a small boat and was caught in a storm. Towards evening, the boat struck a rock and the girl jumped into the sea. Then she swam to the shore after spending the whole night in the water. During that time she covered a distance of eight miles. Early next morning, she saw a light ahead. She knew she was near the shore because the light was high up on the cliffs. On arriving at the shore, the girl struggled up the cliff towards the light she had seen. That was all she remembered. When she woke up a day later, she found herself in hospital.
差不多一个星期后，女孩才能够解释自己所遭遇的一切。一天下午，她乘着一艘小船从海岸出发，遇到了一场风暴。傍晚时分，船撞上了一块岩石，女孩跳入海中。她在水中度过了一整夜，然后游到了岸边。在这段时间里，她游了八英里。第二天清晨，她看到前方有一道光。她知道自己已经靠近海岸，因为那道光在悬崖上高高的地方。到达岸边后，女孩挣扎着爬上悬崖，朝着她看到的光的方向走去。这就是她所记得的一切。第二天醒来时，她发现自己在医院里。
Lesson 34 Quick work
Dan Robinson has been worried all week. Last Tuesday he received a letter from the local police. In the letter he was asked to call at the station. Dan wondered why he was wanted by the police, but he went to the station yesterday and now he is not worried any more. At the station, he was told by a smiling policeman that his bicycle had been found. Five days ago, the policeman told him, the bicycle was picked up in a small village four hundred miles away. It is now being sent to his home by train. Dan was most surprised when he heard the news. He was amused too, because he never expected the bicycle to be found. It was stolen twenty years ago when Dan was a boy of fifteen!
丹·罗宾逊整整一个星期都很担心。上周二，他收到了当地警方的一封信。信中要求他到警察局报案。丹不知道警方为何通缉他，但他昨天去了警察局，现在他不再担心了。在警察局，一名面带微笑的警察告诉他，他的自行车找到了。警察告诉他，五天前，自行车在四百英里外的一个小村庄被人捡到。现在正通过火车送回他家。丹听到这个消息时非常惊讶。他也觉得很有趣，因为他从来没想到自行车能被找到。它是二十年前被偷的，当时丹还是一个十五岁的男孩！
Lesson 35 Stop thief!
Roy Trenton used to drive a taxi. A short while ago, however, he became a bus driver and he was not regretted it. He is finding his new work far more exciting. When he was driving along Catford Street recently, he saw two thieves rush out of a shop and run towards a waiting car. One of them was carrying a bag full of money. Roy acted quickly and drove the bus straight at the thieves. The one with the money got such a fright that he dropped the bag. As the thieves were trying to get away in their car, Roy drove his bus into the back of it. While the battered car was moving away, Roy stopped his bus and telephoned the police. The thieves' car was badly damaged and easy to recognize. Shortly afterwards, the police stopped the car and both men were arrested.
罗伊·特伦顿曾经开过出租车。然而不久前，他成为了一名公交车司机，他并不后悔。他发现他的新工作更加令人兴奋。最近，当他沿着卡特福德街开车时，他看到两个小偷从一家商店冲出来，跑向一辆等候的汽车。其中一个人提着一个装满钱的袋子。罗伊迅速采取行动，驾驶公交车直奔小偷。拿着钱的那个人吓得把袋子扔了。当小偷试图开车逃跑时，罗伊驾驶公交车撞上了小偷的车尾。当那辆破旧的汽车开走时，罗伊停下公交车并打电话报警。小偷的车损严重，很容易辨认。不久之后，警察拦下了汽车，两人都被逮捕了。
Lesson 36 Across the Channel
Debbie Hart is going to swim across the English Channel tomorrow. She is going to set out from the French coast at five o'clock in the morning. Debbie is only eleven years old and she hopes to set up a new world record. She is a strong swimmer and many people feel that she is sure to succeed. Debbie's father will set out with her in a small boat. Mr.Hart has trained his daughter for years. Tomorrow he will be watching her anxiously as she swims the long distance to England. Debbie intends to take short rests every two hours. She will have something to drink but she will not eat any solid food. Most of Debbie's school friends will be waiting for her on the English coast. Among them will be Debbie's mother, who swam the Channel herself when she was a girl.
黛比·哈特明天要游过英吉利海峡。她将于早上五点从法国海岸出发。黛比只有十一岁，她希望创造一项新的世界纪录。她游泳能力很强，很多人都觉得她一定会成功。黛比的父亲将和她一起乘一艘小船出发。哈特先生训练他的女儿多年。明天他将焦急地看着她游过很长的距离到达英国。黛比打算每两个小时休息一会儿。她会喝点东西，但不会吃任何固体食物。黛比的大多数同学都会在英国海岸等她。其中就有黛比的母亲，她小时候曾游过英吉利海峡。
Lesson 37 The Olympic Games
The Olympic Games will be held in our country in four years' time. As a great many people will be visiting the country, the government will be building new hotels, an immense stadium, and a new Olympic-standard swimming pool. They will also be building new roads and a special railway line. The Games will be held just outside the capital and the whole area will be called 'Olympic City'. Workers will have completed the new roads by the end of this year. By the end of next year, they will have finished work on the new stadium. The fantastic modern buildings have been designed by Kurt Gunter. Everybody will be watching anxiously as the new buildings go up. We are all very excited and are looking forward to the Olympic Games because they have never been held before in this country.
四年后，奥运会将在我国举行。由于将有大量游客前来参观，政府将修建新酒店、大型体育场和新的奥林匹克标准游泳池。他们还将修建新道路和专用铁路线。奥运会将在首都郊外举行，整个地区将被称为“奥运城”。工人们将在今年年底前完成新道路的修建。到明年年底，他们将完成新体育场的修建工作。这些精美的现代建筑是由库尔特·冈特设计的。每个人都将焦急地注视着新建筑的建成。我们都非常兴奋，期待着奥运会的到来，因为奥运会以前从未在这个国家举行过。
Lesson 38 Everything except the weather
My old friend, Harrison, had lived in the Mediterranean for many years before he returned to England. He had often dreamed of retiring in England and had planned to settle down in the country. He had no sooner returned than he bought a house and went to live there. Almost immediately he began to complain about the weather, for even though it was still summer, it rained continually and it was often bitterly cold. After so many years of sunshine, Harrison got a shock. He acted as if he had never lived in England before. In the end, it was more than he could bear. He had hardly had time to settle down when he sold the house and left the country. The dream he had had for so many years ended there. Harrison had thought of everything except the weather.
我的老朋友哈里森在回到英国之前，曾在地中海地区生活了很多年。他经常梦想着退休后在英国生活，并计划定居在英国。他刚一回来就买了一栋房子，搬到那里居住。他几乎立刻就开始抱怨天气，因为尽管当时还是夏天，但天气却一直下着雨，而且经常非常寒冷。经历了这么多年的阳光明媚，哈里森大吃一惊。他表现得好像以前从未在英国生活过一样。最后，这让他无法忍受。他几乎还没来得及安定下来，就卖掉了房子，离开了英国。他这么多年的梦想就此终结了。哈里森考虑了所有事情，除了天气。
Lesson 39 Am I all right?
While John Gilbert was in the hospital, he asked his doctor to tell him whether his operation had been successful, but the doctor refused to do so. The following day, the patient asked for a bedside telephone. When he was alone, he telephoned the hospital exchange and asked for Doctor Millington. When the doctor answered the phone, Mr.Gilbert said he was inquiring about a certain patient, a Mr. John Gilbert. He asked if Mr.Gilbert's operation had been successful, and the doctor told him that it had been. He then asked when Mr.Gilbert would be allowed to go home, and the doctor told him that he would have to stay in the hospital for another two weeks. Then Dr.Millington asked the caller if he was a relative of the patient. "No," the patient answered, "I am Mr.John Gilbert."
约翰·吉尔伯特住院期间，他请医生告诉他手术是否成功，但医生拒绝了。第二天，病人要求在床边安装电话。当他独自一人时，他打电话给医院总机并要求米林顿医生。当医生接电话时，吉尔伯特先生说他正在询问一位病人约翰·吉尔伯特先生的情况。他问吉尔伯特先生的手术是否成功，医生告诉他手术成功了。然后他问吉尔伯特先生什么时候可以回家，医生告诉他他必须在医院再住两个星期。然后米林顿医生问打电话的人是否是病人的亲属。“不是，”病人回答，“我是约翰·吉尔伯特先生。”
Lesson 40 Food and talk
Last week at a dinner party, the hostess asked me to sit next to Mrs.Rumbold. Mrs.Rumbold was a large, unsmiling lady in a tight black dress. She did not even look up when I took my seat beside her. Her eyes were fixed on her plate and in a short time, she was busy eating. I tried to make conversation. "A new play is coming to 'The Globe' soon," I said. "Will you be seeing it?" "No," she answered. "Will you be spending your holidays abroad this year?" I asked. "No," she answered. "Will you be staying in England?" I asked. "No," she answered. In despair, I asked her whether she was enjoying her dinner. "Young man," she answered, "if you ate more and talked less, we would both enjoy our dinner!"
上周在一次晚宴上，女主人请我坐在朗博德夫人旁边。朗博德夫人身材高大，面无笑容，身穿紧身黑裙。当我坐在她旁边时，她甚至没有抬头。她的眼睛盯着盘子，不一会儿，她就忙着吃饭了。我试图和她搭话。“一部新剧很快将在‘环球剧场’上演，”我说。“你会去看吗？”“不，”她回答。“你今年会在国外度假吗？”我问。“不，”她回答。“你会留在英国吗？”我问。“不，”她回答。我绝望地问她晚餐吃得好不好。“年轻人，”她回答，“如果你多吃点，少说话，我们都会吃得好！”
Lesson 41 Do you call that a hat?
"Do you call that a hat?" I said to my wife. "You needn't be so rude about it," my wife answered as she looked at herself in the mirror. I sat down on one of those modern chairs with holes in it and waited. We had been in the hat shop for half an hour and my wife was still in front of the mirror. "We mustn't buy things we don't need," I remarked suddenly. I regretted saying it almost at once. "You needn't have said that," my wife answered. "I needn't remind you of that terrible tie you bought yesterday." "I find it beautiful," I said. "A man can never have too many ties." "And a woman can't have too many hats," she answered. Ten minutes later we walked out of the shop together. My wife was wearing a hat that looked like a lighthouse!
“你把那叫做帽子吗？”我对妻子说。“你不必这么粗鲁，”妻子一边看着镜子里的自己一边回答。我坐在一把有洞的现代椅子上等着。我们在帽子店里已经待了半个小时了，妻子仍然站在镜子前。“我们不能买我们不需要的东西，”我突然说道。我几乎立刻就后悔说了这句话。“你不必这么说，”妻子回答道。“我不需要提醒你昨天买的那条糟糕的领带。”“我觉得它很漂亮，”我说。“男人永远不会嫌领带太多。”“女人永远不会嫌帽子太多，”她回答道。十分钟后，我们一起走出了商店。我妻子戴着一顶看起来像灯塔的帽子！
Lesson 42 Not very musical
As we had had a long walk through one of the markets of old Delhi, we stopped at a square to have a rest. After a time, we noticed a snake charmer with two large baskets at the other side of the square, so we went to have a look at him. As soon as he saw us, he picked up a long pipe which was covered with coins and opened one of the baskets. When he began to play a tune, we had our first glimpse of the snake. It rose out of the basket and began to follow the movements of the pipe. We were very much surprised when the snake charmer suddenly began to play jazz and modern pop songs. The snake, however, continued to 'dance' slowly. It obviously could not tell the difference between Indian music and jazz!
我们在德里的一个集市里走了很长一段路，后来我们在一个广场上停下来休息。过了一会儿，我们注意到广场另一边有一个耍蛇人，他有两个大篮子，于是我们走过去看看他。他一看到我们，就拿起一根长管子，管子上盖着硬币，打开了一个篮子。当他开始吹奏时，我们第一次看到了那条蛇。它从篮子里站起来，开始跟着管子移动。当耍蛇人突然开始演奏爵士乐和现代流行歌曲时，我们非常惊讶。然而，那条蛇继续慢慢地“跳舞”。它显然分不清印度音乐和爵士乐的区别！
Lesson 43 Over the South Pole
In 1929, three years after his flight over the North Pole, the American explorer, R. E. Byrd, successfully flew over the South Pole for the first time. Though, at first, Byrd and his men were able to take a great many photographs of the mountains that lay below, they soon ran into serious trouble. At one point, it seemed certain that their plane would crash. It could only get over the mountains if it rose to 10,000 feet. Byrd at once ordered his men to throw out two heavy food sacks. The plane was then able to rise and it cleared the mountains by 400 feet. Byrd now knew that he would be able to reach the South Pole which was 300 miles away, for there were no more mountains in sight. The aircraft was able to fly over the endless white plains without difficulty.
1929 年，即飞越北极三年后，美国探险家 R. E. 伯德首次成功飞越南极。虽然伯德和他的手下起初能够拍摄大量下方山脉的照片，但他们很快就遇到了严重的麻烦。有一次，他们的飞机似乎肯定会坠毁。它只有上升到 10,000 英尺才能飞越山脉。伯德立即命令他的手下扔出两个沉重的食物袋。飞机随后能够上升，并越过山脉 400 英尺。伯德现在知道他能够到达 300 英里外的南极，因为视线中再也没有山脉了。飞机能够毫无困难地飞越无边无际的白色平原。
Lesson 44 Through the forest
Mrs. Anne Sterling did not think of the risk she was taking when she ran through a forest after two men. They had rushed up to her while she was having a picnic at the edge of a forest with her children and tried to steal her handbag. In the struggle, the strap broke and, with the bag in their possession, both men started running through the trees. Mrs. Sterling got so angry that she ran after them. She was soon out of breath, but she continued to run. When she caught up with them, she saw that they had sat down and were going through the contents of the bag, so she ran straight at them. The men got such a fright that they dropped the bag and ran away. "The strap needs mending," said Mrs. Sterling later, "but they did not steal anything."
安妮·斯特林夫人在森林里追赶两名男子时，没有想到自己冒着多大的风险。当时她正带着孩子们在森林边缘野餐，那两名男子冲向她，试图偷走她的手提包。在打斗中，手提包的带子断了，两名男子拿着包，开始在树林里奔跑。斯特林夫人非常生气，追了上去。她很快就上气不接下气了，但她还是继续跑。当她追上他们时，她发现他们已经坐下来翻看包里的东西，于是她径直朝他们跑去。那两名男子吓得扔下包跑开了。“带子需要缝补，”斯特林夫人后来说道，“但他们什么也没偷。”
Lesson 45 A clear conscience
The whole village soon learnt that a large sum of money had been lost. Sam Benton, the local butcher, had lost his wallet while taking his savings to the post office. Sam was sure that the wallet must have been found by one of the villagers, but it was not returned to him. Three months passed, and then one morning, Sam found his wallet outside his front door. It had been wrapped up in newspaper and it contained half the money he had lost, together with a note which said: "A thief, yes, but only 50 per cent a thief!" Two months later, some more money was sent to Sam with another note: "Only 25 per cent a thief now!" In time, all Sam's money was paid back in this way. The last note said: "I am 100 per cent honest now!"
整个村庄很快得知有一大笔钱丢失了。当地屠夫萨姆·本顿在把积蓄送到邮局时丢失了钱包。萨姆确信钱包一定是被村民捡到的，但钱包却没有归还给他。三个月过去了，一天早上，萨姆在前门外发现了他的钱包。钱包被报纸包着，里面装着他丢失的一半钱，还有一张纸条，上面写着：“是的，他是贼，但只有 50% 是贼！”两个月后，萨姆又收到了一些钱，还有一张纸条：“现在只有 25% 是贼！”不久，萨姆的所有钱都以这种方式还清了。最后一张纸条上写着：“我现在 100% 诚实了！”
Lesson 46 Expensive and uncomfortable
When a plane from London arrived at Sydney airport, workers began to unload a number of wooden boxes which contained clothing. No one could account for the fact that one of the boxes was extremely heavy. It suddenly occurred to one of the workers to open up the box. He was astonished at what he found. A man was lying in the box on top of a pile of woollen goods. He was so surprised at being discovered that he did not even try to run away. After he was arrested, the man admitted hiding in the box before the plane left London. He had had a long and uncomfortable trip, for he had been confined to the wooden box for over eighteen hours. The man was ordered to pay £3,500 for the cost of the trip. The normal price of a ticket is £2,000!
当一架从伦敦起飞的飞机抵达悉尼机场时，工人们开始卸下一些装有衣物的木箱。没人能解释为什么其中一个箱子特别重。一名工人突然想到要打开箱子。他被眼前的景象惊呆了。一名男子躺在箱子里一堆羊毛制品的上面。被发现后，他非常惊讶，甚至没有试图逃跑。被捕后，这名男子承认在飞机离开伦敦之前藏在箱子里。他经历了一次漫长而不舒服的旅程，因为他被关在木箱里超过十八个小时。这名男子被勒令支付 3,500 英镑的旅行费用。一张机票的正常价格是 2,000 英镑！
Lesson 47 A thirsty ghost
A public house which was recently bought by Mr. Ian Thompson is up for sale.
Mr. Thompson is going to sell it because it is haunted.
He told me that he could not go to sleep one night because he heard a strange noise coming from the bar.
The next morning, he found that the doors had been blocked by chairs and the furniture had been moved.
Though Mr. Thompson had turned the lights off before he went to bed, they were on in the morning.
He also said that he had found five empty whisky bottles which the ghost must have drunk the night before.
When I suggested that some villagers must have come in for a free drink, Mr. Thompson shook his head.
The villagers have told him that they will not accept the pub even if he gives it away.
嗜酒的鬼魂
Lesson 48 Did you want to tell me something?
Dentists always ask questions when it is impossible for you to answer.
My dentist had just pulled out one of my teeth and had told me to rest for a while.
I tried to say something, but my mouth was full of cotton wool.
He knew I collected matchboxes and asked me whether my collection was growing.
He then asked me how my brother was and whether I liked my new job in London.
In answer to these questions, I either nodded or made strange noises.
Meanwhile, my tongue was busy searching out the hole where the tooth had been.
I suddenly felt very worried but could not say anything.
When the dentist at last removed the cotton wool from my mouth, I was able to tell him that he had pulled out the wrong tooth.
你想对我说什么吗？
牙医总是问你无法回答的问题。
我的牙医刚拔掉我的一颗牙齿，让我休息一会儿。
我想说点什么，但嘴里满是棉絮。
他知道我收集火柴盒，问我的收藏是否越来越多。
然后他问我哥哥怎么样，是否喜欢我在伦敦的新工作。
在回答这些问题时，我要么点头，要么发出奇怪的声音。
与此同时，我的舌头正忙着寻找牙齿所在的洞。
我突然感到非常担心，但什么也说不出来。
当牙医终于从我嘴里取出棉絮时，我才能够告诉他，他拔错了牙齿。
Lesson 49 The end of a dream
Tired of sleeping on the floor, a young man in Tehran saved up for years to buy a real bed.
For the first time in his life, he became the proud owner of a bed which had springs and a mattress.
Because the weather was very hot, he carried the bed on to the roof of his house.
He slept very well for the first two nights, but on the third night, a storm blew up.
A gust of wind swept the bed off the roof and sent it crashing into the courtyard below.
The young man did not wake up until the bed had struck the ground.
Although the bed was smashed to pieces, the man was miraculously unhurt.
When he woke up, he was still on the mattress.
Glancing at the bits of wood and metal that lay around him, the man sadly picked up the mattress and carried it into his house.
After he had put it on the floor, he promptly went to sleep again.
美梦告终
德黑兰的一位年轻人厌倦了睡在地板上，攒了好几年的钱才买了一张真正的床。
他生平第一次自豪地拥有了一张带弹簧和床垫的床。
因为天气很热，他把床搬到了屋顶上。
前两个晚上他睡得很好，但第三天晚上，一场暴风雨来了。
一阵风把床从屋顶上吹下来，撞到了下面的院子里。
直到床撞到地上，这位年轻人才醒过来。
虽然床被砸成了碎片，但这位年轻人却奇迹般地安然无恙。
当他醒来时，他还躺在床垫上。
看了一眼身边的木头和金属碎片，这位年轻人伤心地捡起床垫，把它搬进了屋子。
把床垫放到地板上后，他很快就又睡着了。
Lesson 50 Taken for a ride
I love traveling in the country, but I don't like losing my way.
I went on an excursion recently, but my trip took me longer than I expected.
"I'm going to Woodford Green," I said to the conductor as I got on the bus, "but I don't know where it is."
"I'll tell you where to get off," answered the conductor.
I sat in the front of the bus to get a good view of the countryside.
After some time, the bus stopped.
Looking around, I realized with a shock that I was the only passenger left on the bus.
"You'll have to get off here," the conductor said. "This is as far as we go."
"Is this Woodford Green?" I asked.
"Oh dear," said the conductor suddenly. "I forgot to put you off."
"It doesn't matter," I said. "I'll get off here."
"We're going back now," said the conductor.
"Well, in that case, I prefer to stay on the bus," I answered.
乘车兜风
我喜欢在乡间旅行，但不喜欢迷路。
我最近出去旅行了，但这次旅行比我预期的要花更长的时间。
“我要去伍德福德格林，”我上车时对售票员说，“但我不知道它在哪里。”
“我会告诉你在哪里下车，”售票员回答道。
我坐在车前，以便能好好地欣赏乡村风光。
过了一会儿，车停了下来。
环顾四周，我震惊地发现车上只剩下我一个人了。
“你必须在这里下车，”售票员说。“我们只能到这儿了。”
“这是伍德福德格林吗？”我问道。
“哦，天哪，”售票员突然说道。“我忘了让你下车了。”
“没关系，”我说。“我就在这里下车。”
“我们现在回去，”售票员说。
“好吧，那样的话，我还是愿意留在车上。”我回答道。
Lesson 51 Reward for Virtue
My friend, Hugh, has always been fat, but things got so bad recently that he decided to go on a diet.
He began his diet a week ago. First of all, he wrote out a long list of all the foods which were forbidden.
The list included most of the things Hugh loves: butter, potatoes, rice, beer, milk, chocolate, and sweets.
Yesterday I paid him a visit. I rang the bell and was not surprised to see that Hugh was still as fat as ever.
He led me into his room and hurriedly hid a large parcel under his desk. It was obvious that he was very embarrassed.
When I asked him what he was doing, he smiled guiltily and then put the parcel on the desk.
He explained that his diet was so strict that he had to reward himself occasionally.
Then he showed me the contents of the parcel. It contained five large bars of chocolate and three bags of sweets!
对美德的奖赏
我的朋友休一直很胖，但最近情况变得很糟糕，他决定节食。一周前他开始节食。首先，他列出了一份禁食的长清单。这份清单包括了休最喜欢的大部分食物：黄油、土豆、米饭、啤酒、牛奶、巧克力和糖果。昨天我去看望了他。我按了门铃，毫不惊讶地发现休还是像以前一样胖。他把我领进他的房间，匆忙地把一个大包裹藏在桌子下面。显然他很尴尬。当我问他在做什么时，他内疚地笑了笑，然后把包裹放在桌子上。他解释说他的饮食非常严格，所以偶尔要奖励自己。然后他给我看了包裹里的东西。里面有五大块巧克力和三袋糖果！
Lesson 52 A pretty carpet漂亮的地毯
We have just moved into a new house and I have been working hard all morning.
I have been trying to get my new room in order. This has not been easy because I own over a thousand books.
To make matters worse, the room is rather small, so I have temporarily put my books on the floor.
At the moment, they cover every inch of floor space and I actually have to walk on them to get in or out of the room.
A short while ago, my sister helped me to carry one of my old bookcases up the stairs.
She went into my room and got a big surprise when she saw all those books on the floor.
"This is the prettiest carpet I have ever seen," she said.
She gazed at it for some time then added, "You don't need bookcases at all. You can sit here in your spare time and read the carpet!"
我们刚搬进新房子，我整个上午都在努力工作。
我一直在努力整理我的新房间。这并不容易，因为我有一千多本书。
更糟糕的是，房间很小，所以我暂时把书放在地板上。
目前，它们占据了地板的每一寸空间，我实际上必须踩着它们才能进出房间。
不久前，我姐姐帮我把一个旧书柜抬上楼梯。
她走进我的房间，看到地板上的所有书时大吃一惊。
“这是我见过的最漂亮的地毯，”她说。
她凝视了一会儿，然后补充道，“你根本不需要书柜。你可以在闲暇时坐在这里看地毯！”
Lesson 53 Hot snake触电的蛇
At last, firemen have put out a big forest fire in California.
Since then, they have been trying to find out how the fire began.
Forest fires are often caused by broken glass or by cigarette ends which people carelessly throw away.
Yesterday, the firemen examined the ground carefully but were not able to find any broken glass.
They were also quite sure that a cigarette end did not start the fire.
This morning, however, a fireman accidentally discovered the cause.
He noticed the remains of a snake which was wound round the electric wires of a 16,000-volt power line.
In this way, he was able to solve the mystery.
The explanation was simple but very unusual.
A bird had snatched up the snake from the ground and then dropped it onto the wires.
The snake then wound itself round the wires.
When it did so, it sent sparks down to the ground, and these immediately started a fire.
消防员终于扑灭了加州的一场大火。
从那时起，他们一直在努力查明火灾的起因。
森林火灾通常是由碎玻璃或人们随意丢弃的烟头引起的。
昨天，消防员仔细检查了地面，但没有找到任何碎玻璃。
他们还非常肯定烟头不是起火的原因。
然而，今天早上，一名消防员偶然发现了起火的原因。
他注意到一条蛇的残骸缠绕在一条 16,000 伏电线的电线上。
这样，他就能解开这个谜团了。
原因很简单，但很不寻常。
一只鸟从地上叼起蛇，然后把它扔到电线上。
然后蛇缠绕在电线上。
当它这样做时，火花落到地上，这些火花立即引发了火灾。
Lesson 54 Sticky fingers粘糊的手指
After breakfast, I sent the children to school and then I went to the shops.
It was still early when I returned home.
The children were at school, my husband was at work, and the house was quiet.
So I decided to make some meat pies.
In a short time, I was busy mixing butter and flour, and my hands were soon covered with sticky pastry.
At exactly that moment, the telephone rang. Nothing could have been more annoying.
I picked up the receiver between two sticky fingers and was dismayed when I recognized the voice of Helen Bates.
It took me ten minutes to persuade her to ring back later. At last, I hung up the receiver.
What a mess! There was pastry on my fingers, on the telephone, and on the doorknobs.
I had no sooner got back to the kitchen than the doorbell rang loud enough to wake the dead.
This time it was the postman, and he wanted me to sign for a registered letter!
吃完早餐，我送孩子们去上学，然后去商店。
我回到家时还很早。
孩子们上学了，我丈夫上班了，家里很安静。
所以我决定做些肉馅饼。
不一会儿，我就忙着搅拌黄油和面粉，手上很快就沾满了粘糊糊的糕点。
就在这时，电话铃响了。没有什么比这更烦人的了。
我用两根粘糊糊的手指拿起听筒，当我认出是海伦·贝茨的声音时，我感到很沮丧。
我花了十分钟说服她稍后再打电话。最后，我挂断了电话。
真是一团糟！我的手指上、电话上和门把手上都沾满了糕点。
我刚回到厨房，门铃就响了，响得足以吵醒死人。
这次是邮递员，他要我签收一封挂号信！
Lesson 55 Not a gold mine并非金矿
Dreams of finding lost treasure almost came true recently.
A new machine called 'The Revealer' has been invented, and it has been used to detect gold buried in the ground.
The machine was used in a cave near the seashore where -- it is said -- pirates used to hide gold.
The pirates would often bury gold in the cave and then fail to collect it.
Armed with the new machine, a search party went into the cave hoping to find buried treasure.
The leader of the party was examining the soil near the entrance to the cave when the machine showed that there was gold underground.
Very excited, the party dug a hole two feet deep. They finally found a small gold coin which was almost worthless.
The party then searched the whole cave thoroughly but did not find anything except an empty tin trunk.
In spite of this, many people are confident that 'The Revealer' may reveal something of value fairly soon.
寻找失落宝藏的梦想最近几乎成真了。
一种名为“探宝器”的新机器被发明出来，它被用来探测地下埋藏的黄金。
这台机器被用在海边的一个山洞里，据说海盗们曾经在那里藏金子。
海盗们经常把金子埋在山洞里，但后来却没能找到。
一支搜救队带着这台新机器进入山洞，希望找到宝藏。
搜救队的队长正在检查山洞入口附近的土壤，这时机器显示地下有金子。
搜救队非常兴奋，挖了一个两英尺深的洞。他们终于找到了一枚几乎一文不值的小金币。
搜救队随后彻底搜查了整个山洞，但除了一个空的铁皮箱子外什么也没找到。
尽管如此，许多人仍然相信“探宝器”很快就会发现一些有价值的东西。
Lesson 56 Faster than sound!
Once a year, a race is held for old cars.
A lot of cars entered for this race last year, and there was a great deal of excitement just before it began.
One of the most handsome cars was a Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost.
The most unusual car was a Benz which had only three wheels.
Built in 1885, it was the oldest car taking part.
After a great many loud explosions, the race began.
Many of the cars broke down on the course, and some drivers spent more timeunder their cars thanin them!
A few cars, however, completed the race.
The winning car reached a speed of forty miles an hour -- much faster than any of its rivals.
It sped downhill at the end of the race, and its driver had a lot of trouble trying to stop it.
The race gave everyone a great deal of pleasure.
It was very different from modern car races but no less exciting.
比声音还快！
每年都会举行一次老式汽车比赛。
去年有很多汽车参加比赛，比赛开始前，大家兴奋不已。
最漂亮的汽车之一是劳斯莱斯银魅。
最不寻常的汽车是一辆只有三个轮子的奔驰。
它建于 1885 年，是参赛车中最古老的汽车。
在多次巨大的爆炸声之后，比赛开始了。
许多汽车在赛道上抛锚了，有些车手在车底下的时间比在车内的时间还长！
不过，有几辆车完成了比赛。
获胜的汽车时速达到 40 英里——比任何竞争对手都快得多。
比赛结束时，它冲下山坡，车手费了好大劲才把它停住。
这场比赛给每个人带来了极大的乐趣。
它与现代汽车比赛截然不同，但同样令人兴奋。
Lesson 57 Can I help you,madam?您要买什么，夫人？
A woman in jeans stood at the window of an expensive shop.
Though she hesitated for a moment, she finally went in and asked to see a dress that was in the window.
The assistant who served her did not like the way she was dressed. Glancing at her scornfully, he told her that the dress was sold.
The woman walked out of the shop angrily and decided to punish the assistant next day.
She returned to the shop the following morning dressed in a fur coat, with a handbag in one hand and a long umbrella in the other.
After seeking out the rude assistant, she asked for the same dress.
Not realizing who she was, the assistant was eager to serve her this time.
With great difficulty, he climbed into the shop window to get the dress.
As soon as she saw it, the woman said she did not like it.
She enjoyed herself making the assistant bring almost everything in the window before finally buying the dress she had first asked for.
一位身穿牛仔裤的女士站在一家高档商店的橱窗前。
尽管她犹豫了片刻，但最终还是走进去，要求看橱窗里的一件衣服。
为她服务的售货员不喜欢她的穿着。他轻蔑地看了她一眼，告诉她这件衣服已经卖掉了。
这位女士生气地走出商店，决定第二天惩罚售货员。
第二天早上，她穿着一件皮大衣回到商店，一手拿着手提包，一手拿着一把长伞。
在找到这位粗鲁的售货员后，她要求买同样的衣服。
售货员没有认出她是谁，这次她很热心地为她服务。
他费了好大劲才爬进商店的橱窗去拿那件衣服。
这位女士一看到衣服就说她不喜欢。
她很开心地让售货员把橱窗里几乎所有的东西都拿了出来，最后才买下了她最初要的那件衣服。
Lesson 58 A blessing in disguise?是因祸得福吗？
The tiny village of Frinley is said to possess a 'cursed tree'.
Because the tree was mentioned in a newspaper, the number of visitors to Frinley has now increased.
The tree was planted near the church fifty years ago, but it is only in recent years that it has gained an evil reputation.
It is said that if anyone touches the tree, he will have bad luck; if he picks a leaf, he will die.
Many villagers believe that the tree has already claimed a number of victims.
The vicar has been asked to have the tree cut down, but so far he has refused.
He has pointed out that the tree is a useful source of income, as tourists have been coming from all parts of the country to see it.
In spite of all that has been said, the tourists have been picking leaves and cutting their names on the tree-trunk.
So far, not one of them has been struck down by sudden death!
据说弗林利小村有一棵“被诅咒的树”。
由于报纸上提到了这棵树，现在来弗林利的游客数量增加了。
这棵树五十年前种在教堂附近，但直到最近几年才有了邪恶的名声。
据说如果有人触碰这棵树，就会有厄运；如果他摘下一片树叶，就会死。
许多村民认为这棵树已经夺走了许多人的生命。
有人要求牧师砍掉这棵树，但到目前为止他拒绝了。
他指出，这棵树是一个有用的收入来源，因为游客们从全国各地赶来观赏。
尽管有这么多说法，游客们还是采摘树叶，在树干上刻上自己的名字。
到目前为止，还没有一个人突然死亡！
Lesson 59 In or out?进来还是出去？
Our dog, Rex, used to sit outside our front gate and bark.
Every time he wanted to come into the garden he would bark until someone opened the gate.
As the neighbors complained of the noise, my husband spent weeks training him to press his paw on the latch to let himself in.
Rex soon became an expert at opening the gate.
However, when I was going out shopping last week, I noticed him in the garden near the gate.
This time he was barking so that someone would let him out!
Since then, he has developed another bad habit.
As soon as he opens the gate from the outside, he comes into the garden and waits until the gate shuts.
Then he sits and barks until someone lets him out.
After this, he immediately lets himself in and begins barking again.
Yesterday my husband removed the gate, and Rex got so annoyed we have not seen him since.
我们的狗雷克斯过去常常坐在前门外吠叫。
每次他想进花园，他都会吠叫，直到有人打开大门。
由于邻居抱怨噪音，我丈夫花了数周时间训练他用爪子按门闩自己进去。
雷克斯很快就成了开门专家。
然而，上周我出去购物时，我注意到他在花园大门附近。
这次他吠叫是为了有人放他出去！
从那时起，他又养成了另一个坏习惯。
他一从外面打开大门，就会走进花园，等到大门关上。
然后他坐在那里吠叫，直到有人放他出去。
之后，他立即自己进去，又开始吠叫。
昨天我丈夫把门拆了，雷克斯非常恼火，从那以后我们就再也没见过他了。
Lesson 60 The future卜算未来
At a village fair, I decided to visit a fortune-teller called Madam Bellinsky.
I went into her tent and she told me to sit down.
After I had given her some money, she looked into a crystal ball and said: "A relation of yours is coming to see you.
She will be arriving this evening and intends to stay for a few days.
The moment you leave this tent, you will get a big surprise.
A woman you know well will rush towards you. She will speak to you and then she will lead you away from this place. That is all."
As soon as I went outside, I forgot all about Madam Bellinsky because my wife hurried towards me.
"Where have you been hiding?" she asked impatiently. "Your sister will be here in less than an hour and we must be at the station to meet her. We are late already."
As she walked away, I followed her out of the fair.
在一次乡村集市上，我决定去拜访一位名叫贝林斯基夫人的算命师。
我走进她的帐篷，她让我坐下。
我给了她一些钱后，她看着一个水晶球说：“你的一个亲戚要来看你。
她今晚就到，打算住几天。
你一离开这个帐篷，就会大吃一惊。
一个你很熟悉的女人会冲向你。她会和你说话，然后带你离开这个地方。就是这样。”
我一出门，就把贝林斯基夫人的事忘得一干二净，因为我的妻子急忙向我走来。
“你躲到哪里去了？”她不耐烦地问道。“你姐姐不到一小时就到了，我们必须去车站接她。我们已经迟到了。”
她走开后，我跟着她走出集市。
Lesson 60 The future卜算未来
At a village fair, I decided to visit a fortune-teller called Madam Bellinsky.
I went into her tent and she told me to sit down.
After I had given her some money, she looked into a crystal ball and said: "A relation of yours is coming to see you.
She will be arriving this evening and intends to stay for a few days.
The moment you leave this tent, you will get a big surprise.
A woman you know well will rush towards you. She will speak to you and then she will lead you away from this place. That is all."
As soon as I went outside, I forgot all about Madam Bellinsky because my wife hurried towards me.
"Where have you been hiding?" she asked impatiently. "Your sister will be here in less than an hour and we must be at the station to meet her. We are late already."
As she walked away, I followed her out of the fair.
在一次乡村集市上，我决定去拜访一位名叫贝林斯基夫人的算命师。
我走进她的帐篷，她让我坐下。
我给了她一些钱后，她看着一个水晶球说：“你的一个亲戚要来看你。
她今晚就到，打算住几天。
你一离开这个帐篷，就会大吃一惊。
一个你很熟悉的女人会冲向你。她会和你说话，然后带你离开这个地方。就是这样。”
我一出门，就把贝林斯基夫人的事忘得一干二净，因为我的妻子急忙向我走来。
“你躲到哪里去了？”她不耐烦地问道。“你姐姐不到一小时就到了，我们必须去车站接她。我们已经迟到了。”
她走开后，我跟着她走出集市。
Lesson 61 Trouble with the Hubble哈勃望远镜的困境
The Hubble telescope was launched into space by NASA on April 20, 1990, at a cost of over a billion dollars.
Right from the start, there was trouble with the Hubble.
The pictures it sent us were very disappointing because its main mirror was faulty!
NASA is now going to put the telescope right, so it will soon be sending up four astronauts to repair it.
The shuttle Endeavour will be taking the astronauts to the Hubble.
A robot arm from the Endeavour will grab the telescope and hold it while the astronauts make the necessary repairs.
Of course, the Hubble is above the Earth's atmosphere, so it will soon be sending us the clearest pictures of the stars and distant galaxies that we have ever seen.
The Hubble will tell us a great deal about the age and size of the universe.
By the time you read this, the Hubble's eagle eye will have sent us thousands and thousands of wonderful pictures.
1990 年 4 月 20 日，哈勃望远镜由美国宇航局发射升空，耗资超过 10 亿美元。
从一开始，哈勃就存在问题。
它发来的照片令人非常失望，因为它的主镜有故障！
美国宇航局现在要修复望远镜，所以它很快就会派出四名宇航员去修理它。
奋进号航天飞机将把宇航员送到哈勃。
奋进号的机械臂将抓住望远镜并握住它，而宇航员则进行必要的维修。
当然，哈勃位于地球大气层之上，所以它很快就会给我们发来我们所见过的最清晰的恒星和遥远星系的照片。
哈勃将告诉我们很多有关宇宙年龄和大小的信息。
当你读到这篇文章的时候，哈勃的鹰眼已经给我们发来了成千上万张精彩的照片。
Lesson 62 Affer the fire大火之后
Firemen had been fighting the forest fire for nearly three weeks before they could get it under control.
A short time before, great trees had covered the countryside for miles around.
Now, smoke still rose up from the warm ground over the desolate hills.
Winter was coming on and the hills threatened the surrounding villages with destruction, for heavy rain would not only wash away the soil but would cause serious floods as well.
When the fire had at last been put out, the forest authorities ordered several tons of a special type of grass seed which would grow quickly.
The seed was sprayed over the ground in huge quantities by airplanes.
The planes had been planting seed for nearly a month when it began to rain.
By then, however, in many places, the grass had already taken root.
In place of the great trees which had been growing there for centuries, patches of green had begun to appear in the blackened soil.
消防员们与森林大火搏斗了近三周，才控制住火势。
不久前，大树覆盖了方圆数英里的乡村。
现在，烟雾仍然从荒凉的山丘上温暖的地面升起。
冬天即将来临，山丘威胁着周围的村庄，因为大雨不仅会冲走土壤，还会造成严重的洪水。
大火终于被扑灭后，森林当局订购了几吨一种生长迅速的特殊草种。
飞机将种子大量喷洒在地上。
飞机播种近一个月后，天开始下雨。
然而，到那时，在许多地方，草已经生根发芽。
在那里生长了几个世纪的大树被一片片绿色的土地取代了。
Lesson 63 She was not amused她并不觉得好笑
Jeremy Hampden has a large circle of friends and is very popular at parties.
Everybody admires him for his great sense of humour -- everybody, that is, except his six-year-old daughter, Jenny.
Recently, one of Jeremy's closest friends asked him to make a speech at a wedding reception.
This is the sort of thing that Jeremy loves.
He prepared the speech carefully and went to the wedding with Jenny.
He had included a large number of funny stories in the speech and, of course, it was a great success.
As soon as he had finished, Jenny told him she wanted to go home.
Jeremy was a little disappointed by this but he did as his daughter asked.
On the way home, he asked Jenny if she had enjoyed the speech.
To his surprise, she said she hadn't.
Jeremy asked her why this was so and she told him that she did not like to see so many people laughing at him!
杰里米·汉普登交友广泛，在聚会上很受欢迎。
每个人都钦佩他的幽默感——除了他六岁的女儿珍妮。
最近，杰里米最亲密的朋友之一请他在婚宴上发表演讲。
这是杰里米喜欢的事情。
他精心准备了演讲稿，并和珍妮一起参加了婚礼。
他在演讲中加入了大量有趣的故事，当然，演讲非常成功。
演讲一结束，珍妮就告诉他她想回家。
杰里米对此有点失望，但他还是按照女儿的要求做了。
在回家的路上，他问珍妮是否喜欢这次演讲。
令他惊讶的是，她说不喜欢。
杰里米问她为什么会这样，她告诉他，她不喜欢看到这么多人嘲笑他！
Lesson 64 The Channel Tunnel海峡隧道
In 1858, a French engineer, Aime Thome de Gamond, arrived in England with a plan for a twenty-one-mile tunnel under the English Channel.
He said that it would be possible to build a platform in the centre of the Channel. This platform would serve as a port and a railway station.
The tunnel would be well-ventilated if tall chimneys were built above sea level.
In 1860, a better plan was put forward by an Englishman, William Low.
He suggested that a double railway-tunnel should be built.
This would solve the problem of ventilation, for if a train entered this tunnel, it would draw in fresh air behind it.
Forty-two years later a tunnel was actually begun.
If, at the time, the British had not feared invasion, it would have been completed.
The world had to wait almost another 100 years for the Channel Tunnel.
It was officially opened on March 7, 1994, finally connecting Britain to the European continent.
1858 年，法国工程师 Aime Thome de Gamond 来到英国，提出了在英吉利海峡下修建一条 21 英里长的隧道的计划。
他说，可以在海峡中心建造一个平台。这个平台将用作港口和火车站。
如果在海平面以上建造高高的烟囱，隧道将通风良好。
1860 年，英国人 William Low 提出了一个更好的计划。
他建议建造一条双铁路隧道。
这将解决通风问题，因为如果火车进入这条隧道，它会在后面吸入新鲜空气。
四十二年后，一条隧道真的开始修建了。
如果当时英国人不担心入侵，它早就完工了。
全世界又等了近 100 年才看到英吉利海峡隧道。
1994 年 3 月 7 日，英吉利海峡隧道正式开通，最终将英国与欧洲大陆连接起来。
Lesson 65 Jumbo versus the police小象对警察
Last Christmas, the circus owner, Jimmy Gates, decided to take some presents to a children's hospital.
Dressed up as Father Christmas and accompanied by a 'guard of honour' of six pretty girls, he set off down the main street of the city riding a baby elephant called Jumbo.
He should have known that the police would never allow this sort of thing.
A policeman approached Jimmy and told him he ought to have gone along a side street as Jumbo was holding up the traffic.
Though Jimmy agreed to go at once, Jumbo refused to move.
Fifteen policemen had to push very hard to get him off the main street.
The police had a difficult time, but they were most amused.
"Jumbo must weigh a few tons," said a policeman afterwards,
"so it was fortunate that we didn't have to carry him. Of course, we should arrest him, but as he has a good record, we shall let him off this time."
去年圣诞节，马戏团老板吉米·盖茨决定带一些礼物去一家儿童医院。
他打扮成圣诞老人，在六位漂亮女孩组成的“仪仗队”的陪同下，骑着一头名叫“巨无霸”的小象沿着城市的主要街道出发了。
他应该知道警察永远不会允许这种事情发生。
一名警察走近吉米，告诉他应该走一条小街，因为巨无霸阻碍了交通。
虽然吉米同意立即离开，但巨无霸却拒绝移动。
十五名警察不得不用力推他，才把他从大街上赶了出来。
警察们很难受，但他们却非常开心。
“巨无霸肯定有几吨重，”一名警察后来说道，“所以幸运的是，我们不必把他抬走。当然，我们应该逮捕他，但由于他的记录良好，我们这次就放过他吧。”
Lesson 66 Sweet as honey!像蜜一样甜！
In 1963 a Lancaster bomber crashed on Wallis Island, a remote place in the South Pacific, a long way west of Samoa.
The plane wasn't too badly damaged, but over the years, the crash was forgotten and the wreck remained undisturbed.
Then in 1989, twenty-six years after the crash, the plane was accidentally rediscovered in an aerial survey of the island.
By this time, a Lancaster bomber in reasonable condition was rare and worth rescuing.
The French authorities had the plane packaged and moved in parts back to France.
Now a group of enthusiasts are going to have the plane restored.
It has four Rolls-Royce Merlin engines, but the group will need to have only three of them rebuilt.
Imagine their surprise and delight when they broke open the packing cases and found that the fourth engine was sweet as honey -- still in perfect condition.
A colony of bees had turned the engine into a hive and it was totally preserved in beeswax！
1963 年，一架兰开斯特轰炸机在南太平洋偏远的瓦利斯岛坠毁，距离萨摩亚以西很远。
飞机受损不严重，但多年来，坠机事件被人们遗忘，残骸也未曾被打扰。
然后在 1989 年，坠机 26 年后，这架飞机在对该岛的空中勘测中被意外重新发现。
到那时，状况良好的兰开斯特轰炸机已经非常罕见，值得抢救。
法国当局将飞机打包并分批运回法国。
现在，一群爱好者将修复这架飞机。
它有四台劳斯莱斯梅林发动机，但他们只需要重建其中三台。
想象一下，当他们打开包装箱，发现第四台发动机像蜂蜜一样甜美时，他们会多么惊讶和高兴——仍然完好无损。
一群蜜蜂把发动机变成了蜂巢，它完全被蜂蜡保存了下来！
Lesson 67 Volcanoes火山
Haroun Tazieff, the Polish scientist, has spent his lifetime studying active volcanoes and deep caves in all parts of the world.
In 1948, he went to Lake Kivu in the Congo to observe a new volcano which he later named Kituro.
Tazieff was able to set up his camp very close to the volcano while it was erupting violently.
Though he managed to take a number of brilliant photographs, he could not stay near the volcano for very long.
He noticed that a river of liquid rock was coming towards him. It threatened to surround him completely, but Tazieff managed to escape just in time.
He waited until the volcano became quiet and he was able to return two days later.
This time, he managed to climb into the mouth of Kituro so that he could take photographs and measure temperatures.
Tazieff has often risked his life in this way.
He has been able to tell us more about active volcanoes than any man alive.
波兰科学家哈伦·塔捷耶夫一生都在研究世界各地的活火山和深洞。
1948 年，他前往刚果基伍湖观察一座新火山，后来他将其命名为基图罗。
塔捷耶夫在火山猛烈喷发时在火山附近扎营。
虽然他设法拍摄了许多精彩的照片，但他无法在火山附近停留很长时间。
他注意到一条液态岩石河正朝他涌来。它威胁要完全包围他，但塔捷耶夫设法及时逃脱。
他一直等到火山平静下来，两天后才得以返回。
这次，他设法爬进基图罗的嘴里，以便拍摄照片并测量温度。
塔捷耶夫经常以这种方式冒着生命危险。
他比任何活着的人都更能告诉我们有关活火山的信息。
Lesson 68 Persistent纠缠不休
I crossed the street to avoid meeting him, but he saw me and came running towards me.
It was no use pretending that I had not seen him, so I waved to him.
I never enjoy meeting Nigel Dykes. He never has anything to do.
No matter how busy you are, he always insists on coming with you.
I had to think of a way of preventing him from following me around all morning.
"Hello, Nigel," I said. "Fancy meeting you here!"
"Hi, Elizabeth," Nigel answered. "I was just wondering how to spend the morning -- until I saw you.
You're not busy doing anything, are you?"
"No, not at all," I answered. "I'm going to..."
"Would you mind my coming with you?" he asked, before I had finished speaking.
"Not at all," I lied, "but I'm going to the dentist."
"Then I'll come with you," he answered. "There's always plenty to read in the waiting room!"
我穿过马路，避免与他相遇，但他看见了我，向我跑来。
假装没看见他是没有用的，所以我向他挥手。
我从来不喜欢见到奈杰尔·戴克斯。他总是无事可做。
不管你有多忙，他总是坚持要和你一起去。
我不得不想办法阻止他整个上午跟着我。
“你好，奈杰尔，”我说。“真想在这里遇见你！”
“嗨，伊丽莎白，”奈杰尔回答。“我只是在想如何度过这个上午——直到我看到你。
你没在忙着做任何事情，是吗？”
“不，一点也不，”我回答。“我要去……”
“你介意我和你一起去吗？”我还没说完，他就问道。
“一点也不，”我撒谎说，“但我要去看牙医。”
“那我就和你一起去，”他回答。 “候诊室里总是有很多东西可读！”
Lesson 69 But not murder!并非谋杀！
I was being tested for a driving licence for the third time.
I had been asked to drive in heavy traffic and had done so successfully.
After having been instructed to drive out of town, I began to acquire confidence.
Sure that I had passed, I was almost beginning to enjoy my test.
The examiner must have been pleased with my performance, for he smiled and said, 'Just one more thing, Mr. Eames.'
"Let us suppose that a child suddenly crosses the road in front of you. As soon as I tap on the window, you must stop within five feet."
I continued driving and after some time, the examiner tapped loudly, Though the sound could be heard clearly, it took me a long time to react.
I suddenly pressed the brake pedal and we were both thrown forward.
The examiner looked at me sadly. "Mr. Eames,' he said, in a mournful voice, 'you have just killed that child!"
这是我第三次参加驾照考试。
我被要求在交通拥堵的情况下驾驶，并且成功完成了。
在被要求驾车出城后，我开始有了信心。
确信自己通过了，我几乎开始享受考试的乐趣了。
考官一定对我的表现很满意，因为他微笑着说：“还有一件事，埃姆斯先生。”
“假设一个孩子突然在你面前穿过马路。我一敲窗户，你就必须在五英尺内停下来。”
我继续开车，过了一会儿，考官大声敲门，虽然声音听得很清楚，但我花了很长时间才做出反应。
我突然踩下刹车踏板，我们俩都向前冲去。
考官悲伤地看着我。“埃姆斯先生，”他用悲伤的声音说，“你刚刚害死了那个孩子！”
Lesson 70 Red for danger危险的红色
During a bullfight, a drunk suddenly wandered into the middle of the ring. The crowd began to shout, but the drunk was unaware of the danger.
The bull was busy with the matador at the time, but it suddenly caught sight of the drunk who was shouting rude remarks and waving a red cap.
Apparently sensitive to criticism, the bull forgot all about the matador and charged at the drunk.
The crowd suddenly grew quiet. The drunk, however, seemed quite sure of himself.
When the bull got close to him, he clumsily stepped aside to let it pass.
The crowd broke into cheers and the drunk bowed.
By this time, however, three men had come into the ring and they quickly dragged the drunk to safety.
Even the bull seemed to feel sorry for him, for it looked on sympathetically until the drunk was out of the way before once more turning its attention to the matador.
在一场斗牛比赛中，一名醉汉突然闯入斗牛场中央。人群开始大喊大叫，但醉汉却没有意识到危险。
当时公牛正忙着对付斗牛士，但它突然看到醉汉正在大喊粗鲁的言论并挥舞着一顶红帽子。
公牛似乎对批评很敏感，它完全忘记了斗牛士，向醉汉冲去。
人群突然安静下来。然而，醉汉似乎对自己很有信心。
当公牛靠近他时，他笨拙地让开让路。
人群欢呼起来，醉汉鞠躬致意。
然而，这时，三个人走进了斗牛场，他们迅速把醉汉拖到安全的地方。
就连公牛似乎也为他感到难过，因为它同情地看着醉汉，直到醉汉走开，才再次把注意力转向斗牛士。
Lesson 71 A famous clock一个著名的大钟
When you visit London, one of the first things you will see is Big Ben, the famous clock which can be heard all over the world on the B. B. C.
If the Houses of Parliament had not been burned down in 1834, the great clock would never have been erected.
Big Ben takes its name from Sir Benjamin Hall who was responsible for the making of the clock when the new Houses of Parliament were being built.
It is not only of immense size, but is extremely accurate as well.
Officials from Greenwich Observatory have the clock checked twice a day.
On the B. B. C. you can hear the clock when it is actually striking because microphones are connected to the clock tower.
Big Ben has rarely gone wrong.
Once, however, it failed to give the correct time.
A painter who had been working on the tower hung a pot of paint on one of the hands and slowed it down!
Lesson 72 A car called bluebird“蓝鸟”汽车
The great racing driver, Sir Malcolm Campbell, was the first man to drive at over 300 miles per hour.
He set up a new world record in September 1935 at Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah.
Bluebird, the car he was driving, had been specially built for him.
It was over 30 feet in length and had a 2,500-horsepower engine.
Although Campbell reached a speed of over 304 miles per hour, he had great difficulty in controlling the car because a tyre burst during the first run.
After his attempt, Campbell was disappointed to learn that his average speed had been 299 miles per hour.
However, a few days later, he was told that a mistake had been made.
His average speed had been 301 miles per hour.
Since that time, racing drivers have reached speeds over 600 miles an hour.
Following in his father's footsteps many years later, Sir Malcolm's son, Donald, also set up a world record.
Like his father, he was driving a car called Bluebird.
Lesson 73 The record-holder纪录保持者
Children who play truant from school are unimaginative.
A quiet day's fishing, or eight hours in a cinema seeing the same film over and over again, is usually as far as they get.
They have all been put to shame by a boy who, while playing truant, traveled 1,600 miles.
He hitchhiked to Dover and, towards evening, went into a boat to find somewhere to sleep.
When he woke up next morning, he discovered that the boat had, in the meantime, traveled to Calais.
No one noticed the boy as he crept off.
From there, he hitchhiked to Paris in a lorry.
The driver gave him a few biscuits and a cup of coffee and left him just outside the city.
The next car the boy stopped did not take him into the center of Paris as he hoped it would, but to Perpignan on the French-Spanish border.
There he was picked up by a policeman and sent back to England by the local authorities.
He has surely set up a record for the thousands of children who dream of evading school.
Lesson 74 out of the limelight舞台之外
An ancient bus stopped by a dry river bed and a party of famous actors and actresses got off.
Dressed in dark glasses and old clothes, they had taken special precautions so that no one should recognize them.
But as they soon discovered, disguises can sometimes be too perfect.
"This is a wonderful place for a picnic," said Gloria Gleam.
"It couldn't be better, Gloria," Brinksley Meers agreed. "No newspaper men, no film fans! Why don't we come more often?"
Meanwhile, two other actors, Rockwall Slinger and Merlin Greeves, had carried two large food baskets to a shady spot under some trees.
When they had all made themselves comfortable, a stranger appeared. He looked very angry.
"Now you get out of here, all of you!" he shouted. "I'm sheriff here.
Do you see that notice? It says "No Camping" -- in case you can't read!"
"Look, sheriff," said Rockwall, "don't be too hard on us. I'm Rockwall Slinger and this is Merlin Greeves."
"Oh, is it?" said the sheriff with a sneer. "Well, I'm Brinksley Meers, and my other name is Gloria Gleam. Now you get out of here fast!"
Lesson 75 SOS呼救信号
When a light passenger plane flew off course some time ago, it crashed in the mountains and its pilot was killed.
The only passengers, a young woman and her two baby daughters, were unhurt.
It was the middle of winter. Snow lay thick on the ground.
The woman knew that the nearest village was miles away.
When it grew dark, she turned a suitcase into a bed and put the children inside it, covering them with all the clothes she could find.
During the night, it got terribly cold. The woman kept as near as she could to the children and even tried to get into the case herself, but it was too small.
Early next morning, she heard planes passing overhead and wondered how she could send a signal.
Then she had an idea. She stamped out the letters 'SOS' in the snow.
Fortunately, a pilot saw the signal and sent a message by radio to the nearest town.
It was not long before a helicopter arrived on the scene to rescue the survivors of the plane crash.
Lesson 76 April Fools' Day愚人节
"To end our special news bulletin," said the voice of the television announcer, "we're going over to the macaroni fields of Calabria.
Macaroni has been grown in this area for over six hundred years.
Two of the leading growers, Giuseppe Moldova and Riccardo Brabante, tell me that they have been expecting a splendid crop this year and harvesting has begun earlier than usual.
Here you can see two workers who, between them, have just finished cutting three cartloads of golden brown macaroni stalks.
The whole village has been working day and night gathering and threshing this year's crop before the September rains.
On the right, you can see Mrs. Brabante herself. She has been helping her husband for thirty years now.
Mrs. Brabante is talking to the manager of the local factory where the crop is processed.
This last scene shows you what will happen at the end of the harvest: the famous Calabrian macaroni-eating competition! Signor Fratelli, the present champion, has won it every year since 1991.
And that ends our special bulletin for today, Thursday, April 1st. We're now going back to the studio."
Lesson 77 A successful operation一例成功的手术
The mummy of an Egyptian woman who died in 800 B. C. has just had an operation.
The mummy is that of Shepenmut who was once a singer in the Temple of Thebes.
As there were strange marks on the X-ray plates taken of the mummy, doctors have been trying to find out whether the woman died of a rare disease.
The only way to do this was to operate.
The operation, which lasted for over four hours, proved to be very difficult because of the hard resin which covered the skin.
The doctors removed a section of the mummy and sent it to a laboratory.
They also found something which the X-ray plates did not show: a small wax figure of the god Duamutef.
This god which has the head of a cow was normally placed inside a mummy.
The doctors have not yet decided how the woman died.
They feared that the mummy would fall to pieces when they cut it open, but fortunately this has not happened.
The mummy successfully survived the operation.
Lesson 78 The last one?最后一支吗？
After reading an article entitled 'Cigarette Smoking and Your Health,' I lit a cigarette to calm my nerves.
I smoked with concentration and pleasure as I was sure that this would be my last cigarette.
For a whole week I did not smoke at all, and during this time, my wife suffered terribly.
I had all the usual symptoms of someone giving up smoking: a bad temper and an enormous appetite.
My friends kept on offering me cigarettes and cigars.
They made no effort to hide their amusement whenever I produced a packet of sweets from my pocket.
After seven days of this, I went to a party. Everybody around me was smoking, and I felt extremely uncomfortable.
When my old friend Brian urged me to accept a cigarette, it was more than I could bear.
I took one guiltily, lit it, and smoked with satisfaction.
My wife was delighted that things had returned to normal once more.
Lesson 79 By air乘飞机
I used to travel by air a great deal when I was a boy.
My parents used to live in South America, and I used to fly there from Europe during the holidays.
A flight attendant would take charge of me, and I never had an unpleasant experience.
I am used to traveling by air, and only on one occasion have I ever felt frightened.
After taking off, we were flying low over the city and slowly gaining height when the plane suddenly turned round and flew back to the airport.
While we were waiting to land, a flight attendant told us to keep calm and to get off the plane quietly as soon as it had touched down.
Everybody on board was worried, and we were curious to find out what had happened.
Later, we learnt that there was a very important person on board.
The police had been told that a bomb had been planted on the plane.
After we had landed, the plane was searched thoroughly.
Fortunately, nothing was found, and five hours later, we were able to take off again.
Lesson 80 The Crystal Palace水晶宫
Perhaps the most extraordinary building of the nineteenth century was the Crystal Palace, which was built in Hyde Park for the Great Exhibition of 1851.
The Crystal Palace was different from all other buildings in the world, for it was made of iron and glass.
It was one of the biggest buildings of all time, and a lot of people from many countries came to see it.
A great many goods were sent to the exhibition from various parts of the world. There was also a great deal of machinery on display.
The most wonderful piece of machinery on show was Nasmyth's steam hammer.
Though in those days, traveling was not as easy as it is today, steam boats carried thousands of visitors across the Channel from Europe.
On arriving in England, they were taken to the Crystal Palace by train.
There were six million visitors in all, and the profits from the exhibition were used to build museums and colleges.
Later, the Crystal Palace was moved to South London. It remained one of the most famous buildings in the world until it was burnt down in 1936.
或许，19 世纪最非凡的建筑就是水晶宫，它是为 1851 年的万国博览会而建于海德公园的。
水晶宫与世界上所有其他建筑都不同，因为它是由铁和玻璃制成的。
它是有史以来最大的建筑之一，来自许多国家的许多人前来参观。
来自世界各地的大量商品被运往展览会。还有大量机器展出。
展出的最奇妙的机器是纳史密斯的蒸汽锤。
虽然在那个年代，旅行并不像今天这么容易，但蒸汽船载着成千上万的游客从欧洲穿越英吉利海峡。
抵达英国后，他们乘火车前往水晶宫。
总共有六百万游客，展览的收益被用来建造博物馆和学院。
后来，水晶宫被搬到了伦敦南部。它一直是世界上最著名的建筑之一，直到 1936 年被烧毁。
Lesson 81 Escape脱逃
When he had killed the guard, the prisoner of war quickly dragged him into the bushes.
Working rapidly in the darkness, he soon changed into the dead man's clothes.
Now, dressed in a blue uniform and with a rifle over his shoulder, the prisoner marched boldly up and down in front of the camp.
He could hear shouting in the camp itself.
Lights were blazing, and men were running here and there: they had just discovered that a prisoner had escaped.
At that moment, a large black car with four officers inside it stopped at the camp gates.
The officers got out, and the prisoner stood to attention and saluted as they passed.
When they had gone, the driver of the car came towards him.
The man obviously wanted to talk.
He was rather elderly with grey hair and clear blue eyes.
The prisoner felt sorry for him, but there was nothing else he could do.
As the man came near, the prisoner knocked him to the ground with a sharp blow.
Then, jumping into the car, he drove off as quickly as he could.
杀死警卫后，战俘迅速将他拖进灌木丛。
在黑暗中，他迅速换上了死者的衣服。
现在，战俘穿着蓝色制服，肩上扛着步枪，大胆地在营地前走来走去。
他可以听到营地里的喊叫声。
灯光闪耀，人们四处奔跑：他们刚刚发现一名囚犯逃跑了。
就在这时，一辆载有四名军官的黑色大车停在营地门口。
军官们下了车，囚犯在他们经过时立正敬礼。
他们走后，汽车司机朝他走来。
那个人显然想谈谈。
他年纪很大，头发花白，眼睛是清澈的蓝眼睛。
囚犯对他感到难过，但别无他法。
当那人走近时，囚犯猛击他，将他打倒在地。
然后，他跳上车，尽可能快地开走了。
Lesson 82 Monster or fish?是妖还是鱼？
Fishermen and sailors sometimes claim to have seen monsters in the sea.
Though people have often laughed at stories told by seamen, it is now known that many of these 'monsters' which have at times been sighted are simply strange fish.
Occasionally, unusual creatures are washed to the shore, but they are rarely caught out at sea.
Some time ago, however, a peculiar fish was caught near Madagascar.
A small fishing boat was carried miles out to sea by the powerful fish as it pulled on the line.
Realizing that this was no ordinary fish, the fisherman made every effort not to damage it in any way.
When it was eventually brought to shore, it was found to be over thirteen feet long.
It had a head like a horse, big blue eyes, shining silver skin, and a bright red tail.
The fish, which has since been sent to a museum where it is being examined by a scientist, is called an oarfish.
Such creatures have rarely been seen alive by man as they live at a depth of six hundred feet.
渔民和水手有时声称在海里看到了怪物。
虽然人们经常嘲笑水手讲的故事，但现在人们知道，这些被看到的“怪物”中有许多只是奇怪的鱼。
偶尔，不寻常的生物会被冲到岸边，但它们很少在海上被捕获。
然而，不久前，在马达加斯加附近捕获了一种奇特的鱼。
一条小渔船被这条强大的鱼拖着绳子带到了数英里外的海上。
渔民意识到这不是一条普通的鱼，于是尽一切努力不让它受到任何伤害。
当它最终被带到岸边时，人们发现它有十三英尺长。
它的头像马一样，大大的蓝眼睛，闪闪发光的银色皮肤和鲜红色的尾巴。
这条鱼后来被送往博物馆，正在接受科学家的检查，它被称为皇带鱼。
由于这些生物生活在深海六百英尺，因此人类很少见到活着的它们。
Lesson 83 After the elections大选之后
The former Prime Minister, Mr. Wentworth Lane, was defeated in the recent elections.
He is now retiring from political life and has gone abroad.
My friend, Patrick, has always been a fanatical opponent of Mr. Lane's Radical Progressive Party.
After the elections, Patrick went to the former Prime Minister's house.
When he asked if Mr. Lane lived there, the policeman on duty told him that since his defeat, the ex-Prime Minister had gone abroad.
On the following day, Patrick went to the house again.
The same policeman was just walking slowly past the entrance when Patrick asked the same question.
Though a little suspicious this time, the policeman gave him the same answer.
The day after, Patrick went to the house once more and asked exactly the same question.
This time, the policeman lost his temper.
"I told you yesterday and the day before yesterday," he shouted, "Mr. Lane was defeated in the elections. He has retired from political life and gone to live abroad!"
"I know," answered Patrick, "but I love to hear you say it!"
前首相温特沃斯·莱恩先生在最近的选举中落败。
他现在退出政坛，出国了。
我的朋友帕特里克一直是莱恩先生的激进进步党的狂热反对者。
选举结束后，帕特里克去了前首相的家。
当他问莱恩先生是否住在那里时，值班警察告诉他，自从他落败后，这位前首相就出国了。
第二天，帕特里克又去了那所房子。
当帕特里克问同样的问题时，同一位警察正慢慢地走过门口。
虽然这次有点怀疑，但警察还是给了他同样的答案。
第二天，帕特里克又去了那所房子，问了同样的问题。
这一次，警察发脾气了。
“我昨天和前天就告诉过你，”他喊道，“莱恩先生在选举中落败了。他退出政坛，出国了！”
“我知道，”帕特里克回答，“但我喜欢听你这么说！”
Lesson 84 On strike罢工
Busmen have decided to go on strike next week.
The strike is due to begin on Tuesday. No one knows how long it will last.
The busmen have stated that the strike will continue until general agreement is reached about pay and working conditions.
Most people believe that the strike will last for at least a week.
Many owners of private cars are going to offer 'free rides' to people on their way to work.
This will relieve pressure on the trains to some extent.
Meanwhile, a number of university students have volunteered to drive buses while the strike lasts.
All the students are expert drivers, but before they drive any of the buses, they will have to pass a special test.
The students are going to take the test in two days' time.
Even so, people are going to find it difficult to get to work.
But so far, the public has expressed its gratitude to the students in letters to the Press.
Only one or two people have objected that the students will drive too fast!
公交司机决定下周罢工。
罢工定于周二开始。没人知道会持续多久。
公交司机表示，罢工将持续到就工资和工作条件达成普遍协议为止。
大多数人认为罢工将持续至少一周。
许多私家车主将为上班族提供“免费乘车”。
这将在一定程度上缓解火车的压力。
与此同时，一些大学生自愿在罢工期间驾驶公交车。
所有学生都是熟练的司机，但在驾驶任何公交车之前，他们都必须通过一项特殊测试。
学生们将在两天后参加考试。
即便如此，人们上班仍会很困难。
但到目前为止，公众已在致新闻界的信中向学生们表示感谢。
只有一两个人反对学生们开得太快！
Lesson 85 Never too old to learn活到老学到老
I have just received a letter from my old school, informing me that my former headmaster, Mr. Stuart Page, will be retiring next week.
Pupils of the school, old and new, will be sending him a present to mark the occasion.
All those who have contributed towards the gift will sign their names in a large album which will be sent to the headmaster's home.
We shall all remember Mr. Page for his patience and understanding and for the kindly encouragement he gave us when we went so unwillingly to school.
A great many former pupils will be attending a farewell dinner in his honor next Thursday.
It is a curious coincidence that the day before his retirement, Mr. Page will have been teaching for a total of forty years.
After he has retired, he will devote himself to gardening.
For him, this will be an entirely new hobby.
But this does not matter, for, as he has often remarked, one is never too old to learn.
我刚收到我老学校的一封信，通知我，我的前任校长斯图尔特·佩奇先生将于下周退休。
学校的新老学生将给他送一份礼物以纪念这一时刻。
所有为礼物捐款的人都将在一本大相册上签名，相册将寄到校长的家里。
我们都会记住佩奇先生的耐心和理解，以及当我们如此不情愿地上学时他给予我们的善意鼓励。
下周四，许多前学生将参加为他举行的告别晚宴。
奇怪的是，佩奇先生退休前一天，教书已经满四十年了。
退休后，他将致力于园艺。
对他来说，这将是一个全新的爱好。
但这并不重要，因为正如他常说的那样，活到老学到老。
Lesson 86 Out of control失控
As the man tried to swing the speedboat round, the steering wheel came away in his hands.
He waved desperately to his companion, who had been water skiing for the last fifteen minutes.
Both men had hardly had time to realize what was happening when they were thrown violently into the sea.
The speedboat had struck a buoy, but it continued to move very quickly across the water.
Both men had just begun to swim towards the shore when they noticed with dismay that the speedboat was moving in a circle.
It now came straight towards them at tremendous speed.
In less than a minute, it roared past them only a few feet away.
After it had passed, they swam on as quickly as they could because they knew that the boat would soon return.
They had just had enough time to swim out of danger when the boat again completed a circle.
On this occasion, however, it had slowed down considerably. The petrol had nearly all been used up.
Before long, the noise dropped completely, and the boat began to drift gently across the water.
当那名男子试图让快艇掉头时，方向盘从他手中掉了下来。
他拼命地向他的同伴挥手，后者已经滑水十五分钟了。
两人还没来得及意识到发生了什么，就被猛烈地抛入海中。
快艇撞上了一个浮标，但它继续在水面上快速移动。
两人刚开始向岸边游去，就惊恐地发现快艇在转圈。
现在它以惊人的速度径直朝他们驶来。
不到一分钟，它就在他们身边几英尺外呼啸而过。
它过去后，他们尽可能快地游着，因为他们知道快艇很快就会回来。
他们刚有足够的时间游出危险，快艇又转了一圈。
然而，这一次，它的速度慢了不少。汽油几乎用完了。
不久之后，噪音就完全消失了，小船开始轻轻地在水面上漂流。
Lesson 87 A perfect alibi极好的不在犯罪现场的证据
"At the time the murder was committed, I was travelling on the 8 o'clock train to London," said the man.
"Do you always catch such an early train?" asked the inspector.
"Of course I do," answered the man.
"I must be at work at 10 o'clock. My employer will confirm that I was there on time."
"Would a later train get you to work on time?" asked the inspector.
"I suppose it would, but I never catch a later train."
"At what time did you arrive at the station?"
"At ten to eight. I bought a paper and waited for the train."
"And you didn't notice anything unusual?"
"Of course not."
"I suggest," said the inspector, "that you are not telling the truth.
I suggest that you did not catch the 8 o'clock train, but that you caught the 8.25 which would still get you to work on time.
You see, on the morning of the murder, the 8 o'clock train did not run at all. It broke down at Ferngreen station and was taken off the line."
“谋杀案发生时，我正乘坐 8 点的火车前往伦敦，”该男子说。
“你总是赶这么早的火车吗？”探长问道。
“当然了，”该男子回答。
“我必须在 10 点上班。我的雇主会确认我准时到达。”
“晚一点的火车能让你准时上班吗？”探长问道。
“我想可以，但我从来没有赶过晚一点的火车。”
“你什么时候到车站的？”
“八点十分。我买了一份报纸等火车。”
“你没有注意到任何异常吗？”
“当然没有。”
“我认为，”探长说，“你说的不是实话。
我认为你没有赶上 8 点的火车，但你赶上了 8 点 25 分的火车，这趟车仍然可以让你准时上班。
你知道，在谋杀案发生的那天早上，8 点的火车根本没有开行。它在 Ferngreen 站抛锚了，被取消了运行。”
Lesson 88 Trapped in a mine困在矿井里
Six men have been trapped in a mine for seventeen hours.
If they are not brought to the surface soon they may lose their lives.
However, rescue operations are proving difficult.
If explosives are used, vibrations will cause the roof of the mine to collapse.
Rescue workers are therefore drilling a hole on the north side of the mine.
They intend to bring the men up in a special capsule.
If there had not been a hard layer of rock beneath the soil, they would have completed the job in a few hours.
As it is, they have been drilling for sixteen hours and they still have a long way to go.
Meanwhile, a microphone, which was lowered into the mine two hours ago, has enabled the men to keep in touch with their closest relatives.
Though they are running out of food and drink, the men are cheerful and confident that they will get out soon.
They have been told that rescue operations are progressing smoothly.
If they knew how difficult it was to drill through the hard rock, they would lose heart.
六个人被困在矿井里已经 17 个小时了。
如果不尽快把他们救上来，他们可能会丧命。
然而，救援行动非常困难。
如果使用炸药，震动会导致矿井顶部塌陷。
因此，救援人员正在矿井北侧钻一个洞。
他们打算用一个特殊的舱室把这些人救上来。
如果土壤下面没有一层坚硬的岩石，他们几个小时就能完成任务。
事实上，他们已经钻了 16 个小时，还有很长的路要走。
与此同时，一个两小时前被放入矿井的麦克风让他们能够与最亲近的亲人保持联系。
虽然他们的食物和饮料都快用完了，但他们很高兴，相信他们很快就会出来。
他们被告知救援行动进展顺利。
如果他们知道钻穿坚硬的岩石有多困难，他们就会灰心丧气。
Lesson 89 A slip of the tongue口误
People will do anything to see a free show -- even if it is a bad one.
When the news got round that a comedy show would be presented at our local cinema by the P. and U. Bird Seed Company, we all rushed to see it.
We had to queue for hours to get in and there must have been several hundred people present just before the show began.
Unfortunately, the show was one of the dullest we have ever seen.
Those who failed to get in need not have felt disappointed, as many of the artistes who should have appeared did not come.
The only funny things we heard that evening came from the advertiser at the beginning of the programme.
He was obviously very nervous and for some minutes stood awkwardly before the microphone.
As soon as he opened his mouth, everyone burst out laughing.
We all know what the poor manshould have said, but what heactually said was: "This is the Poo and Ee Seed Bird Company. Good ladies, evening and gentlemen!"
人们会尽一切努力去看免费演出——即使演出很差。
当 P. and U. 鸟食公司将在我们当地的电影院上演喜剧演出的消息传开后，我们都争先恐后地去看。
我们不得不排几个小时的队才能进去，演出开始前肯定有几百人到场。
不幸的是，这场演出是我们见过的最无聊的演出之一。
那些没能进去的人不必感到失望，因为许多应该出现的艺术家都没有来。
那天晚上我们听到的唯一有趣的事情来自节目开始时的广告商。
他显然非常紧张，尴尬地站在麦克风前几分钟。
他一开口，大家都笑了起来。
我们都知道这个可怜的人应该说什么，但他实际上说的是：“这里是 Poo and Ee 鸟食公司。女士们，晚上好，先生们！”
Lesson 90 What's for supper?晚餐吃什么？
Fish and chips has always been a favourite dish in Britain, but as the oceans have been overfished, fish has become more and more expensive.
So it comes as a surprise to learn that giant fish are terrifying the divers on North Sea oil rigs.
Oil rigs have to be repaired frequently and divers, who often have to work in darkness a hundred feet under water, have been frightened out of their wits by giant fish bumping into them as they work.
Now they have had special cages made to protect them from these monsters.
The fish are not sharks or killer whales, but favourite eating varieties like cod and skate which grow to unnatural sizes, sometimes as much as twelve feet in length.
Three factors have caused these fish to grow so large: the warm water round the hot oil pipes under the sea; the plentiful supply of food thrown overboard by the crews on the rigs; the total absence of fishing boats around the oil rigs.
As a result, the fish just eat and eat and grow and grow in the lovely warm water.
Who eats who?
炸鱼薯条一直是英国人喜爱的菜肴，但随着海洋过度捕捞，鱼的价格越来越贵。
因此，当得知巨型鱼让北海石油钻井平台上的潜水员感到恐惧时，人们感到很惊讶。
石油钻井平台经常需要维修，潜水员经常要在水下 100 英尺的黑暗环境中工作，工作时被撞到的巨型鱼吓得魂不守舍。
现在他们有了特殊的笼子来保护自己免受这些怪物的伤害。
这些鱼不是鲨鱼或虎鲸，而是鳕鱼和鳐鱼等人们喜爱的食用鱼种，它们长到不自然的大小，有时长达 12 英尺。
有三个因素导致这些鱼长得如此之大：海底热油管周围的温水；钻井平台上的船员扔下船的大量食物；石油钻井平台周围完全没有渔船。
结果，鱼儿们就在可爱的温暖水中不停地吃、长大。
谁吃谁？
Lesson 91 Three men in a basket三人同篮
A pilot noticed a balloon which seemed to be making for a Royal Air Force Station nearby.
He informed the station at once, but no one there was able to explain the mystery.
The officer in the control tower was very angry when he heard the news, because balloons can be a great danger to aircraft.
He said that someone might be spying on the station and the pilot was ordered to keep track of the strange object.
The pilot managed to circle the balloon for some time.
He could make out three men in a basket under it and one of them was holding a pair of binoculars.
When the balloon was over the station, the pilot saw one of the men taking photographs.
Soon afterwards, the balloon began to descend and it landed near an airfield.
The police were called in, but they could not arrest anyone, for the basket contained two Members of Parliament and the Commanding Officer of the station!
As the Commanding Officer explained later, one half of the station did not know what the other half was doing!
一名飞行员注意到一只气球似乎正飞向附近的皇家空军基地。
他立即通知了基地，但那里没有人能解释这个谜团。
控制塔的官员听到这个消息后非常生气，因为气球对飞机来说是一个巨大的危险。
他说有人可能在监视基地，并命令飞行员跟踪这个奇怪的物体。
飞行员设法绕着气球转了一段时间。
他看到气球下面的篮子里有三个人，其中一个拿着一副双筒望远镜。
当气球飞过基地上空时，飞行员看到其中一名男子在拍照。
不久之后，气球开始下降，降落在一个机场附近。
警察被叫来，但他们没能逮捕任何人，因为篮子里有两名国会议员和基地的指挥官！
正如指挥官后来解释的那样，基地的一半人不知道另一半在做什么！
Lesson 92 Asking for trouble自找麻烦
It must have been about two in the morning when I returned home.
I tried to wake up my wife by ringing the doorbell, but she was fast asleep, so I got a ladder from the shed in the garden, put it against the wall, and began climbing towards the bedroom window.
I was almost there when a sarcastic voice below said, "I don't think the windows need cleaning at this time of the night."
I looked down and nearly fell off the ladder when I saw a policeman.
I immediately regretted answering in the way I did, but I said, "I enjoy cleaning windows at night."
"So do I," answered the policeman in the same tone.
"Excuse my interrupting you. I hate to interrupt a man when he's busy working, but would you mind coming with me to the station?"
"Well, I'd prefer to stay here," I said. "You see. I've forgotten my key."
"Your what?" he called.
"My key," I shouted.
Fortunately, the shouting woke up my wife who opened the window just as the policeman had started to climb towards me.
我回到家时，大概是凌晨两点左右。
我试图按门铃叫醒妻子，但她睡得很熟，于是我拿了花园棚子里的梯子，靠在墙上，开始往卧室的窗户爬。
我快到家时，楼下传来一个讽刺的声音：“我觉得晚上这个时候窗户不需要擦。”
我低头一看，看到一名警察，差点从梯子上摔下来。
我立刻后悔这样回答，但我还是说：“我喜欢晚上擦窗户。”
“我也喜欢，”警察用同样的语气回答道。
“打扰一下。我不喜欢在别人忙着工作的时候打扰他，但你介意和我一起去警察局吗？”
“好吧，我宁愿留在这里，”我说。“你看。我忘了带钥匙。”
“你的什么？”他叫道。
“我的钥匙，”我喊道。
幸运的是，喊叫声唤醒了我的妻子，就在警察向我爬来的时候，她打开了窗户。
Lesson 93 A noble gift崇高的礼物
One of the most famous monuments in the world, the Statue of Liberty, was presented to the United States of America in the nineteenth century by the people of France.
The great statue, which was designed by the sculptor Auguste Bartholdi, took ten years to complete.
The actual figure was made of copper supported by a metal framework which had been especially constructed by Eiffel.
Before it could be transported to the United States, a site had to be found for it and a pedestal had to be built.
The site chosen was an island at the entrance of New York Harbour.
By 1884, a statue which was 151 feet tall had been erected in Paris.
The following year, it was taken to pieces and sent to America.
By the end of October 1886, the statue had been put together again and it was officially presented to the American people by Bartholdi.
Ever since then, the great monument has been a symbol of liberty for the millions of people who have passed through New York Harbour to make their homes in America.
世界上最著名的纪念碑之一——自由女神像是十九世纪法国人民赠送给美国的。
这座由雕塑家奥古斯特·巴托尔迪设计的伟大雕像历时十年才完成。
雕像本身由铜制成，由埃菲尔特别建造的金属框架支撑。
在将其运往美国之前，必须为其找到一个位置并建造一个基座。
选定的地点是纽约港入口处的一个岛屿。
到 1884 年，一座 151 英尺高的雕像在巴黎竖立起来。
次年，雕像被拆开并运往美国。
到 1886 年 10 月底，雕像被重新组装起来，并由巴托尔迪正式赠送给美国人民。
自那时起，这座伟大的纪念碑就成为了数百万通过纽约港来到美国定居的人们自由的象征。
Lesson 94 Future champions未来的冠军
Experiments have proved that children can be instructed in swimming at a very early age.
At a special swimming pool in Los Angeles, children become expert at holding their breath under water even before they can walk.
Babies of two months old do not appear to be reluctant to enter the water.
It is not long before they are so accustomed to swimming that they can pick up weights from the floor of the pool.
A game that is very popular with these young swimmers is the underwater tricycle race.
Tricycles are lined up on the floor of the pool seven feet under water.
The children compete against each other to reach the other end of the pool.
Many pedal their tricycles, but most of them prefer to push or drag them.
Some children can cover the whole length of the pool without coming up for breath even once.
Whether they will ever become future Olympic champions, only time will tell.
Meanwhile, they should encourage those among us who cannot swim five yards before they are gasping for air.
实验证明，孩子们在很小的时候就可以学会游泳。
在洛杉矶的一个特殊游泳池里，孩子们在学会走路之前就学会了在水下屏住呼吸。
两个月大的婴儿似乎并不抗拒下水。
不久之后，他们就习惯了游泳，可以从泳池底部捡起重物。
这些小游泳者最喜欢的游戏是水下三轮车比赛。
三轮车在水下七英尺的泳池底部排成一排。
孩子们互相竞争，看谁能游到泳池的另一端。
许多人用脚踏车，但大多数人更喜欢推着或拖着车。
有些孩子可以游完整个泳池，一次也不浮出水面换气。
他们是否会成为未来的奥运冠军，只有时间才能证明。
与此同时，他们应该鼓励我们中那些游不了五码就喘不过气来的人。
Lesson 95 A fantasy纯属虚构
When the Ambassador of Escalopia returned home for lunch, his wife got a shock.
He looked pale and his clothes were in a frightful state.
'What has happened?' she asked. "How did your clothes get into such a mess?"
"A fire extinguisher, my dear," answered the Ambassador drily. "University students set the Embassy on fire this morning."
"Good heavens!" exclaimed his wife. "And where were you at the time?"
"I was in my office as usual," answered the Ambassador. "The fire broke out in the basement.
I went down immediately, of course, and that fool, Horst, aimed a fire extinguisher at me.
He thought I was on fire. I must definitely get that fellow posted."
The Ambassador's wife went on asking questions, when she suddenly noticed a big hole in her husband's hat.
"And how can you explain that?" she asked.
"Oh, that," said the Ambassador. "Someone fired a shot through my office window.
Accurate, don't you think? Fortunately, I wasn't wearing it at the time.
If I had been, I would not have been able to get home for lunch."
Lesson 96 The dead return亡灵返乡
A Festival for the Dead is held once a year in Japan.
This festival is a cheerful occasion, for on this day, the dead are said to return to their homes and they are welcomed by the living.
As they are expected to be hungry after their long journey, food is laid out for them.
Specially-made lanterns are hung outside each house to help the dead to find their way.
All night long, people dance and sing.
In the early morning, the food that had been laid out for the dead is thrown into a river or into the sea as it is considered unlucky for anyone living to eat it.
In towns that are near the sea, the tiny lanterns which had been hung in the streets the night before, are placed into the water when the festival is over.
Thousands of lanterns slowly drift out to sea guiding the dead on their return journey to the other world.
This is a moving spectacle, for crowds of people stand on the shore watching the lanterns drifting away until they can be seen no more.
日本每年都会举行一次亡灵节。
这个节日是一个欢乐的节日，因为据说在这一天，死者将返回家园，受到生者的欢迎。
由于他们长途跋涉后会感到饥饿，所以人们为他们准备了食物。
每家每户都挂着特制的灯笼，帮助死者找到路。
整个晚上，人们载歌载舞。
清晨，人们将为死者准备的食物扔进河里或海里，因为生者吃这些食物会被认为是不吉利的。
在靠近大海的城镇，前一天晚上挂在街道上的小灯笼在节日结束后被放入水中。
成千上万盏灯笼慢慢漂向大海，引导死者返回另一个世界。
这是一个感人的景象，因为成群的人站在岸边，看着灯笼漂走，直到看不见为止。
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