精選新概念英語必背36篇文章

PAGEPAGE81精選新概念英語必背36篇文章新概念三Lesson14 Anoblegangster貴族歹徒TherewasatimewhentheownersofshopsandbusinessesinChicagohadtopaylargesumsofmoneytogangstersinreturnfor'protection.'Ifthemoneywasnotpaidpromptly,thegangsterswouldquicklyputamanoutofbusinessbydestroyinghisshop.Obtaining'protectionmoney'isnotamoderncrime.Aslongagoasthefourteenthcentury,anEnglishman,SirJohnHawkwood,madetheremarkablediscoverythatpeoplewouldratherpaylargesumsofmoneythanhavetheirlifeworkdestroyedbygangsters.Sixhundredyearsago,SirJohanHawkwoodarrivedinItalywithabandofsoldiersandsettlednearFlorence.HesoonmadeanameforhimselfandcametobeknowntotheItaliansasGiovanniAcuto.WhenevertheItaliancity-stateswereatwarwitheachother,Hawkwoodusedtohirehissoldierstoprinceswhowerewillingtopaythehighpricehedemanded.Intimesofpeace,whenbusinesswasbad,Hawkwoodandhismenwouldmarchintoacity-stateand,afterburningdownafewfarms,wouldoffertogoawayifprotectionmoneywaspaidtothem.Hawkwoodmadelargesumsofmoneyinthisway.Inspiteofthis,theItaliansregardedhimasasortofhero.Whenhediedattheageofeighty,theFlorentinesgavehimastatefuneralandhadapicturedpaintedwhichwasdedicatedtothememoryof'themostvaliantsoldierandmostnotableleader,SignorGiovanniHaukodue.'曾經(jīng)有一個時期,芝加哥的店主和商行的老板們不得不拿出大筆的錢給歹徒以換取"保護"。如果交款不及時,歹徒們就會很快搗毀他的商店,讓他破產(chǎn).榨取"保護金"并不是一種現(xiàn)代的罪惡行徑.早在14世紀(jì),英國人約翰.霍克伍德就有過非凡的發(fā)現(xiàn):"人們情愿拿出大筆的錢,也不愿畢生的心血毀于歹徒之手.600年前,約翰.霍克伍德爵士帶著一隊士兵來到意大利,在佛羅倫薩附近駐扎下來,很快就出了名.意大利人叫他喬凡尼.阿庫托.每次意大利各城邦之間發(fā)生戰(zhàn)爭,霍克伍德把他的士兵雇傭給愿給他出高價的君主。和平時期,當(dāng)生意蕭條時,霍克伍德便帶領(lǐng)士兵進入某個城邦,縱火燒毀一兩個農(nóng)場,然后提出,如向他們繳納保護金,他們便主動撤離。霍克伍德用這種方法掙了大筆錢.盡管如此,意大利人還是把他視作某種英雄。他80歲那年死去時,佛羅倫薩人為他舉行了國葬,并為他畫像以紀(jì)念這位"驍勇無比的戰(zhàn)士、杰出的領(lǐng)袖喬凡尼.阿庫托先生."Lesson17 Thelongestsuspensionbridgeintheworld世界上最長的吊橋Verrazano,anItalianaboutwhomlittleisknown,sailedintoNewYorkHarbourin1524andnameditAngouleme.Hedescribeditas'averyagreeablesituationlocatedwithintwosmallhillsinthemidstofwhichflowedagreatriver.'ThoughVerrazanoisbynomeansconsideredtobeagreatexplorer,hisnamewillprobablyremainimmortal,foronNovember21st,1964,thelongestsuspensionbridgeintheworldwasnamedafterhim.TheVerrazanoBridge,whichwasdesignedbyOthmarAmmann,joinsBrooklyntoStatenIsland.Ithasaspanof4,260feet.Thebridgeissolongthattheshapeoftheearthhadtobetakenintoaccountbyitsdesigner.Twogreattowerssupportfourhugecables.Thetowersarebuiltonimmenseunderwaterplatformsmadeofsteelandconcrete.Theplatformsextendtoadepthofover100feetunderthesea.Thesealonetooksixteenmonthstobuild.Abovethesurfaceofthewater,thetowersrisetoaheightofnearly700feet.Theysupportthecablesfromwhichthebridgehasbeensuspended.Eachofthefourcablescontains26,108lengthsofwire.Ithasbeenestimatedthatifthebridgewerepackedwithcars,itwouldstillonlybecarryingathirdofitstotalcapacity.However,sizeandstrengtharenottheonlyimportantthingsaboutthisbridge.Despiteitsimmensity,itisbothsimpleandelegant,fulfillingitsdesigner'sdreamtocreate'anenormousobjectdrawnasfaintlyaspossible'.1524年，一位鮮為人知的意大利人維拉薩諾駕船駛進紐約港，并將該港名為安古拉姆。他對該港作了這樣的描述：“地理位置十分適宜，位于兩座小山的中間，一條大河從中間流過”。雖然維拉薩諾絕對算不上一個偉大的探險家，但他的名字將流芳百世，因為1964年11月21日建成的一座世界上最長的吊橋是以他的名字命名。維拉薩諾大橋由奧斯馬.阿曼設(shè)計，連結(jié)著布魯克林與斯塔頓島，橋長4,260英尺。由于橋身太長，設(shè)計者不得不考慮了地表的形狀。兩座巨塔支撐著4根粗大的鋼纜。塔身建在巨大的水下鋼盤混凝土平臺上。平臺深入海底100英尺。僅這兩座塔就花了16個月才建成。塔身高出水面將近700英尺。高塔支撐著鋼纜，而鋼纜又懸吊著大橋，4根鋼纜中的每根由26，108股鋼繩組成。據(jù)估計，若橋上擺滿了汽車，也只不過是橋的總承載力的1/3。然而，這座橋重要特點不僅是它的規(guī)模與強度。盡管此橋很大，但它的結(jié)構(gòu)簡單，造型優(yōu)美，實現(xiàn)了設(shè)計者企圖創(chuàng)造一個“盡量用細(xì)線條勾畫出一個龐然大物”的夢想。Lesson21 DanielMendoza 丹尼爾.門多薩BoxingmatcheswereverypopularinEnglandtwohundredyearsago.Inthosedays,boxersfoughtwithbarefistsforprizemoney.Becauseofthis,theywereknownas'prize-fighters'.However,boxingwasverycrude,fortherewerenorulesandaprize-fightercouldbeseriouslyinjuredorevenkilledduringamatch.OneofthemostcolourfulfiguresinboxinghistorywasDanielMendoza,whowasbornin1764.Theuseofgloveswasnotintroduceduntil1860,whentheMarquisofQueensberrydrewupthefirstsetofrules.Thoughhewastechnicallyaprize-fighter,Mendozadidmuchtochangecrudeprize-fightingintoasport,forhebroughtsciencetothegame.Inhisday,Mendozaenjoyedtremendouspopularity.Hewasadoredbyrichandpooralike.Mendozarosetofameswiftlyafteraboxing-matchwhenhewasonlyfourteenyearsold.ThisattractedtheattentionofRichardHumphrieswhowasthenthemosteminentboxerinEngland.HeofferedtotrainMendozaandhisyoungpupilwasquicktolearn.Infact,MendozasoonbecamesosuccessfulthatHumphriesturnedagainsthim.Thetwomenquarrelledbitterlyanditwasclearthattheargumentcouldonlybesettledbyafight.AmatchwasheldatStilton,wherebothmenfoughtforanhour.ThepublicbetagreatdealofmoneyonMendoza,buthewasdefeated.MendozametHumphriesintheringonalateroccasionandhelostforasecondtime.Itwasnotuntilhisthirdmatchin1790thathefinallybeatHumphriesandbecameChampionofEngland.Meanwhile,hefoundedahighlysuccessfulAcademyandevenLordByronbecameoneofhispupils.Heearnedenormoussumsofmoneyandwaspaidasmuchas100poundsforasingleappearance.Despitethis,hewassoextravagantthathewasalwaysindebt.AfterhewasdefeatedbyaboxercalledGentlemanJackson,hewasquicklyforgotten.Hewassenttoprisonforfailingtopayhisdebtsanddiedinpovertyin1836.兩百年前，拳擊比賽在英國非常盛行。當(dāng)時，拳擊手們不戴手套，為爭奪獎金而搏斗。因此，他們被稱作“職業(yè)拳擊手”。不過，拳擊是十分野蠻的，因為當(dāng)時沒有任何比賽規(guī)則，職業(yè)拳擊手有可能在比賽中受重傷，甚至喪命。拳擊史上最引人注目的人物之一是丹尼爾.門多薩，他生于1764年。1860年昆斯伯里侯爵第一次為拳擊比賽制定了規(guī)則，拳擊比賽這才用上了手套。雖然門多薩嚴(yán)格來講不過是個職業(yè)拳擊手，但在把這種粗野的拳擊變成一種體育運動方面，他作出了重大貢獻(xiàn)。是他把科學(xué)引進了這項運動。門多薩在他的全盛時期深受大家歡迎，無論是富人還是窮人都對他祟拜備至。門多薩在14歲時參加一場拳擊賽后一舉成名。這引起當(dāng)時英國拳壇名將理查德.漢弗萊斯的注意。他主動提出教授門多薩，而年少的門多薩一學(xué)就會。事實上，門多薩不久便名聲大振，致使?jié)h弗萊斯與他反目為敵。兩個人爭吵不休，顯而易見，只有較量一番才能解決問題。于是兩人在斯蒂爾頓設(shè)下賽場，廝打了一個小時。公眾把大筆賭注下到了門多薩身上，但他卻輸了。后來，門多薩與漢弗萊斯再次在拳擊場上較量，門多薩又輸了一場。直到1790年他們第3次對壘，門多薩才終于擊敗漢弗萊斯，成了全英拳擊冠軍。同時，他建立了一所拳擊學(xué)校，辦得很成功，連拜倫勛爵也成了他的學(xué)生。門多薩掙來大筆大筆的錢，一次出場費就多可達(dá)100英鎊。盡管收入不少，但他揮霍無度，經(jīng)常債臺高筑。他被一個叫杰克遜紳士的拳擊手擊敗后很快被遺忘。他因無力還債而被捕入獄，最后于1836年在貧困中死去。Lesson24

Askeletoninthecupboard

“家丑”Weoftenreadinnovelshowaseeminglyrespectablepersonorfamilyhassometerriblesecretwhichhasbeenconcealedfromstrangersforyears.TheEnglishlanguagepossessesavividsayingtodescribethissortofsituation.Theterriblesecretiscalled‘a(chǎn)skeletoninthecupboard’.Atsomedramaticmomentinthestory,theterriblesecretbecomesknownandareputationisruined.Thereader'shairstandsonendwhenhereadsinthefinalpagesofthenovelthattheheroine,adearoldladywhohadalwaysbeensokindtoeverybody,had,inheryouth,poisonedeveryoneofherfivehusbands.Itisallverywellforsuchthingstooccurinfiction.Tovaryingdegrees,weallhavesecretswhichwedonotwantevenourclosestfriendstolearn,butfewofushaveskeletonsinthecupboard.TheonlypersonIknowwhohasaskeletoninthecupboardisGeorgeCarlton,andheisveryproudofthefact.Georgestudiedmedicineinhisyouth.Insteadofbecomingadoctor,however,hebecameasuccessfulwriterofdetectivestories.IoncespentanuncomfortableweekendwhichIshallneverforgetathishouse.Georgeshowedmetotheguest-roomwhich,hesaid,wasrarelyused.Hetoldmetounpackmythingsandthencomedowntodinner.AfterIhadstackedmyshirtsandunderclothesintwoemptydrawers,IdecidedtohangoneofthetwosuitsIhadbroughtwithmeinthecupboard.Iopenedthecupboarddoorandthenstoodinfrontofitpetrified.Askeletonwasdanglingbeforemyeyes.Thesuddenmovementofthedoormadeitswayslightlyanditgavemetheimpressionthatitwasabouttoleapoutatme.Droppingmysuit,IdasheddownstairstotellGeorge.Thiswasworsethan‘a(chǎn)terriblesecret’;thiswasarealskeleton!ButGeorgewasunsympathetic.‘Oh,that,’hesaidwithasmileasifheweretalkingaboutanoldfriend.‘That'sSebastian.YouforgetthatIwasamedicalstudentonceuponatime.’在小說中，我們經(jīng)常讀到一個表面上受人尊重的人物或家族，卻有著某種多年不為人所知的駭人聽聞的秘密。英語中有一個生動的說法來形容這種情況。驚人的秘密被稱作“柜中骷髏”。在小說的某個戲劇性時刻，可怕的秘密泄漏出來，接著便是某人的聲譽掃地。當(dāng)讀者讀到小說最后幾頁了解到書中女主人公，那位一向待大家很好的可愛的老婦人年輕時一連毒死了她的5個丈夫時，不禁會毛骨悚然。這種事發(fā)生在小說中是無可非議的。盡管我們?nèi)巳硕加懈鞣N大小秘密，連最親密的朋友都不愿讓他們知道，但我們當(dāng)中極少有人有柜中骷髏。我所認(rèn)識的唯一的在柜中藏骷髏的人便是喬治·卡爾頓，他甚至引以為自豪。喬治年輕時學(xué)過醫(yī)，然而，他后來沒當(dāng)上醫(yī)生，卻成了一位成功的偵探小說作家。有一次，我在他家里度周末，過得很不愉快。這事我永遠(yuǎn)不會忘記。喬治把我領(lǐng)進客房，說這間房間很少使用。他讓我打開行裝后下樓吃飯。我將襯衫、內(nèi)衣放進兩個空抽屜里，然后我想把隨身帶來的兩套西服中的一套掛到大衣柜里去。我打開柜門，站在柜門前一下子驚呆了。一具骷髏懸掛在眼前，由于柜門突然打開，它也隨之輕微搖晃起來，讓我覺得它好像馬上要跳出柜門朝我撲過來似的。我扔下西服沖下樓去告訴喬治。這是比“駭人聽聞的秘密”更加驚人的東西，這是一具真正的骷髏?。〉珕讨螀s無動于衷?！班?，是它呀！他笑著說道，儼然在談?wù)撘晃焕吓笥?。“那是塞巴斯蒂安。你忘了我以前是學(xué)醫(yī)的了。”Lesson27 Nothingtosellandnothingtobuy沒有東西可賣也沒有東西可買Ithasbeensaidthateveryonelivesbysellingsomething.Inthelightofthisstatement,teacherslivebysellingknowledge,philosophersbysellingwisdomandpriestsbysellingspiritualcomfort.Thoughitmaybepossibletomeasurethevalueofmaterialgoodintermsofmoney,itisextremelydifficulttoestimatethetruevalueoftheserviceswhichpeopleperformforus.Therearetimeswhenwewouldwillinglygiveeverythingwepossesstosaveourlives,yetwemightgrudgepayingasurgeonahighfeeforofferinguspreciselythisservice.Theconditionsofsocietyaresuchthatskillshavetobepaidforinthesamewaythatgoodsarepaidforatashop.Everyonehassomethingtosell.Trampsseemtobetheonlyexceptiontothisgeneralrule.Beggarsalmostsellthemselvesashumanbeingstoarousethepityofpassers-by.Butrealtrampsarenotbeggars.Theyhavenothingtosellandrequirenothingfromothers.Inseekingindependence,theydonotsacrificetheirhumandignity.Atrampmayaskyouformoney,buthewillneveraskyoutofeelsorryforhim.Hehasdeliberatelychosentoleadthelifeheleadsandisfullyawareoftheconsequences.Hemayneverbesurewherethenextmealiscomingfrom,butheisfreefromthethousandsofanxietieswhichafflictotherpeople.Hisfewmaterialpossessionsmakeitpossibleforhimtomovefromplacetoplacewithease.Byhavingtosleepintheopen,hegetsfarclosertotheworldofnaturethanmostofuseverdo.Hemayhunt,beg,orstealoccasionallytokeephimselfalive;hemayeven,intimesofrealneed,doalittlework;buthewillneversacrificehisfreedom.Weoftenspeakoftrampswithcontemptandputtheminthesameclassasbeggars,buthowmanyofuscanhonestlysaythatwehavenotfeltalittleenviousoftheirsimplewayoflifeandtheirfreedomfromcare?據(jù)說每個人都靠出售某種東西來維持生活。根據(jù)這種說法，教師靠賣知識為生，哲學(xué)家靠賣智慧為生，牧師靠賣精神安慰為生。雖然物質(zhì)產(chǎn)品的價值可以用金錢來衡量，但要估算別人為我們?yōu)樗峁┑姆?wù)的價值卻是極其困難的。有時，我們?yōu)榱送炀壬?，愿意付出我們所占有的一切。但就在外科大夫給我們提供了這種服務(wù)后，我們卻可能為所支付的昂貴的費用而抱怨。社會上的情況就是如此，技術(shù)是必須付錢去買的，就像在商店里要花錢買商品一樣。人人都有東西可以出售。在這條普遍的規(guī)律前面，好像只有流浪漢是個例外，乞丐出售的幾乎是他本人，以引起過路人的憐憫。但真正的流浪并不是乞丐。他們既不出售任何東西，也不需要從別人那兒得到任何東西，在追求獨立自由的同時，他們并不犧牲為人的尊嚴(yán)。游浪漢可能會向你討錢，但他從來不要你可憐他。他是故意在選擇過那種生活的，并完全清楚以這種方式生活的后果。他可能從不知道下頓飯有無著落，但他不像有人那樣被千萬樁愁事所折磨。他幾乎沒有什么財產(chǎn)，這使他能夠輕松自如地在各地奔波。由于被迫在露天睡覺，他比我們中許多人都離大自然近得多。為了生存，他可能會去打獵、乞討，偶爾偷上一兩回；確實需要的時候，他甚至可能干一點兒活，但他決不會犧牲自由。說起流浪漢，我們常常帶有輕蔑并把他們與乞丐歸為一類。但是，我們中有多少人能夠坦率地說我們對流浪漢的簡樸生活與無憂無慮的境況不感到有些羨慕呢？Lesson33

Adaytoremember

難忘的一天Wehaveallexperienceddayswheneverythinggoeswrong.Adaymaybeginwellenough,butsuddenlyeverythingseemstogetoutofcontrol.Whatinvariablyhappensisthatagreatnumberofthingschoosetogowrongatpreciselythesamemoment.Itisasifasingleunimportanteventsetupachainofreactions.Letussupposethatyouarepreparingamealandkeepinganeyeonthebabyatthesametime.Thetelephoneringsandthismarksthepreludetoanunforeseenseriesofcatastrophes.Whileyouareonthephone,thebabypullsthetable-clothoffthetable,smashinghalfyourbestcrockeryandcuttinghimselfintheprocess.Youhanguphurriedlyandattendtobaby,crockery,etc.Meanwhile,themealgetsburnt.Asifthiswerenotenoughtoreduceyoutotears,yourhusbandarrives,unexpectedlybringingthreegueststodinner.Thingscangowrongonabigscale,asanumberofpeoplerecentlydiscoveredinParramatta,asuburbofSydney.Duringtherushhouroneeveningtwocarscollidedandbothdriversbegantoargue.Thewomanimmediatelybehindthetwocarshappenedtobealearner.Shesuddenlygotintoapanicandstoppedhercar.Thismadethedriverfollowingherbrakehard.Hiswifewassittingbesidehimholdingalargecake.Asshewasthrownforward,thecakewentrightthroughthewindscreenandlandedontheroad.Seeingacakeflyingthroughtheair,alorry–driverwhowasdrawingupalongsidethecar,pulledupallofasudden.Thelorrywasloadedwithemptybeerbottlesandhundredsofthemslidoffthebackofthevehicleandontotheroad.Thisledtoyetanotherangryargument.Meanwhile,thetrafficpiledupbehind.Ittookthepolicenearlyanhourtogetthetrafficonthemoveagain.Inthemeantime,thelorrydriverhadtosweepuphundredsofbrokenbottles.Onlytwostraydogsbenefitedfromallthisconfusion,fortheygreedilydevouredwhatwasleftofthecake.Itwasjustoneofthosedays!我們大家都有過事事不順心的日子。一天開始時，可能還不錯，但突然間似乎一切都失去了控制。情況經(jīng)常是這樣的，許許多多的事情都偏偏趕在同一時刻出問題，好像是一件無關(guān)緊要的小事引起了一連串的連鎖反應(yīng)。假設(shè)你在做飯，同時又在照看孩子。這時電話鈴響了，它預(yù)示著一連串意想不到的災(zāi)難的來臨。就在你接電話時，孩子把桌布從桌子上扯了下來，將家中最好的陶瓷餐具半數(shù)摔碎，同時也弄傷了他自己。你急急忙忙掛上電話，趕去照看孩子和餐具。這時，飯又燒糊了。好像這一切還不足以使你急得掉淚，你的丈夫接著回來了，事先沒打招呼就帶來3個客人吃飯。就像許多人最近在悉尼郊區(qū)帕拉馬塔所發(fā)現(xiàn)的那樣，有時亂子會鬧得很大。一天傍晚交通最擁擠時，一輛汽車撞上前面一輛汽車，兩個司機爭吵起來。緊跟其后的一輛車上的司機碰巧是個初學(xué)者，她一驚之下突然把車停了下來。她這一停使得跟在后頭的司機也來了個急剎車。司機的妻子正坐在他身邊，手里托著塊大蛋糕。她往前一沖，蛋糕從擋風(fēng)玻璃飛了出去掉在馬路上。此時，一輛卡車正好從后邊開到那輛汽車邊上，司機看見一塊蛋糕從天而降，緊急剎車?？ㄜ嚿涎b著空啤酒瓶，成百只瓶子順勢從卡車后面滑出車外落在馬路上。這又引起了一場唇槍舌劍的爭吵。與此同時，后面的車輛排成了長龍，警察花了將近一個小時才使車輛又開起來。在這段時間里，卡車司機不得不清掃那幾百只破瓶子。只有兩只野狗從這一片混亂中得到了好處，它們貪婪地吃掉了剩下的蛋糕。這就是事事不順心的那么一天！Lesson34

Ahappydiscovery

幸運的發(fā)現(xiàn)Antiqueshopsexertapeculiarfascinationonagreatmanypeople.Themoreexpensivekindofantiqueshopwhererareobjectsarebeautifullydisplayedinglasscasestokeepthemfreefromdustisusuallyaforbiddingplace.Butnoonehastomusterupcouragetoenteralesspretentiousantiqueshop.Thereisalwayshopethatinitslabyrinthofmusty,dark,disorderedroomsarealraritywillbefoundamongstthepilesofassortedjunkthatlitterthefloors.Noonediscoversararitybychance.Atrulydedicatedbargainhuntermusthavepatience,andaboveall,theabilitytorecognizetheworthofsomethingwhenheseesit.Todothis,hemustbeatleastasknowledgeableasthedealer.Likeascientistbentonmakingadiscovery,hemustcherishthehopethatonedayhewillbeamplyrewarded.Myoldfriend,FrankHalliday,isjustsuchaperson.Hehasoftendescribedtomehowhepickedupamasterpieceforamere￡50.OneSaturdaymorning,Frankvisitedanantiqueshopinmyneighbourhood.Ashehadneverbeentherebefore,hefoundagreatdealtointeresthim.ThemorningpassedrapidlyandFrankwasabouttoleavewhenhenoticedalargepacking-caselyingonthefloor.Thedealertoldhimthatithadjustcomein,butthathecouldnotbebotheredtoopenit.Frankbeggedhimtodosoandthedealerreluctantlypriseditopen.Thecontentsweredisappointing.Apartfromaninteresting-lookingcarveddagger,theboxwasfullofcrockery,muchofitbroken.Frankgentlyliftedthecrockeryoutoftheboxandsuddenlynoticedaminiaturepaintingatthebottomofthepacking-case.AsitsCompositionandlineremindedhimofanItalianpaintingheknewwell,hedecidedtobuyit.Glancingatitbriefly,thedealertoldhimthatitwasworth￡50.Frankcouldhardlyconcealhisexcitement,forheknewthathehadmadearealdiscovery.ThetinypaintingprovedtobeanunknownmasterpiecebyCorreggioandwasworthhundredsofthousandsofpounds.古玩店對許多人來說有一種特殊的魅力。高檔一點的古玩店為了防塵，把文物漂亮地陳列在玻璃柜子里，那里往往令人望而卻步。而對不太裝腔作勢的古玩店，無論是誰都不用壯著膽子才敢往里進。人們還常常有希望在發(fā)霉、陰暗、雜亂無章、迷宮般的店堂里，從雜亂地擺放在地面上的、一堆堆各式各樣的破爛貨里找到一件稀世珍品。無論是誰都不會一下子就發(fā)現(xiàn)一件珍品。一個到處找便宜貨買的人必須具有耐心，而且最重要的是看到珍品時要有鑒別珍品的能力。要做到這一點，他至少要像古董商一樣在行。他必須像一個專心致志進行探索的科學(xué)家那樣抱有這樣的希望，即終有一天，他的努力會取得豐碩的成果。我的老朋友弗蘭克·哈利戴正是這樣一個人。他多次向我詳細(xì)講他如何只花50英鎊便買到一位名家的杰作。一個星期六的上午，弗蘭克去了我家附近的一家古玩店。由于他從未去過那兒，結(jié)果他發(fā)現(xiàn)了許多有趣的東西。上午很快過去了，弗蘭克正準(zhǔn)備離去，突然看見地板上放著一只體積很大的貨箱。古董商告訴他那只貨箱剛到不久，但他嫌麻煩不想把它打開。經(jīng)弗蘭克懇求，古董商才勉強把貨箱撬開了。箱內(nèi)東西令人失望。除了一柄式樣別致、雕有花紋的匕首外，貨箱內(nèi)裝滿了陶器，而且大部分都已破碎。弗蘭克輕輕地把陶器拿出箱子，突然發(fā)現(xiàn)在箱底有一幅微型畫，畫面構(gòu)圖與線條使他想起了一幅他所熟悉的意大利畫，于是他決定將畫買下來。古董商漫不經(jīng)心看了一眼那幅畫，告訴弗蘭克那畫值50英鎊。弗蘭克幾乎無法掩飾自己興奮的心情，因為他明白自己發(fā)現(xiàn)了一件珍品。那幅不大的畫原來是柯勒喬的一幅未被發(fā)現(xiàn)的杰作，價值幾十萬英鎊。Lesson38 Thefirstcalender最早的日歷Futurehistorianswillbeinauniquepositionwhentheycometorecordthehistoryofourowntimes.Theywillhardlyknowwhichfactstoselectfromthegreatmassofevidencethatsteadilyaccumulates.Whatismore,theywillnothavetorelysolelyonthewrittenword.Films,videos,CDsandCD-ROMSarejustsomeofthebewilderingamountofinformationtheywillhave.Theywillbeable,asitwere,toseeandhearusinaction.Butthehistorianattemptingtoreconstructthedistantpastisalwaysfacedwithadifficulttask.Hehastodeducewhathecanfromthefewscantycluesavailable.Evenseeminglyinsignificantremainscanshedinterestinglightonthehistoryofearlyman.Uptonow,historianshaveassumedthatcalendarscameintobeingwiththeadventofagriculture,forthenmanwasfacedwitharealneedtounderstandsomethingabouttheseasons.Recentscientificevidenceseemstoindicatethatthisassumptionisincorrect.Historianshavelongbeenpuzzledbydots,linesandsymbolswhichhavebeenengravedonwalls,bones,andtheivorytusksofmammoths.ThenomadswhomadethesemarkingslivedbyhuntingandfishingduringthelastIceAgewhichbeganabout35,000B.C.andendedabout10,000B.C.Bycorrelatingmarkingsmadeinvariouspartsoftheworld,historianshavebeenabletoreadthisdifficultcode.Theyhavefoundthatitisconnectedwiththepassageofdaysandthephasesofthemoon.Itis,infact,aprimitivetypeofcalendar.Ithaslongbeenknownthatthehuntingscenesdepictedonwallswerenotsimplyaformofartisticexpression.Theyhadadefinitemeaning,fortheywereasnearasearlymancouldgettowriting.Itispossiblethatthereisadefiniterelationbetweenthesepaintingsandthemarkingsthatsometimesaccompanythem.Itseemsthatmanwasmakingarealefforttounderstandtheseasons20,000yearsearlierthanhasbeensupposed.未來的歷史學(xué)家在寫我們這一段歷史的時候會別具一格。對于逐漸積累起來的龐大材料，他們幾乎不知道選取哪些好，而且，也不必完全依賴文字材料。電影、錄像、光盤和光盤驅(qū)動器只是能為他們提供令人眼花繚亂的大量信息的幾種手段。他們能夠身臨其境般地觀看我們做事，傾聽我們講話。但是，歷史學(xué)家企圖重現(xiàn)遙遠(yuǎn)的過去可是一項艱巨的任務(wù)，他們必須根據(jù)現(xiàn)有的不充分的線索進行推理。即使看起來微不足道的遺物，也可能揭示人類早期歷史的一些有趣的內(nèi)容。歷史學(xué)家迄今認(rèn)為日歷是隨農(nóng)業(yè)的問世而出現(xiàn)的，因為當(dāng)時人們面臨著了解四季的實際需要，但近期科學(xué)研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，好像這種假設(shè)是不正確的。長期以來，歷史學(xué)家一直對雕刻在墻壁上、骨頭上、古代長毛象的象牙上的點、線和形形色色的符號感到困惑不解。這些痕跡是游牧人留下的，他們生活在從公元前約35，000年到公元前10，000年的冰川期的末期，以狩獵、捕魚為生。歷史學(xué)家通過把世界各地留下的這種痕跡放在一起研究，終于弄懂了這種費解的代碼。他們發(fā)現(xiàn)代碼與晝夜更迭和月亮圓缺有關(guān)，事實上是一種最原始的日歷。大家早就知道，畫在墻上的狩獵圖景并不是單純的藝術(shù)表現(xiàn)形式，它們有著一定的含義，因為它們已接近古代人的文字形式。有時，這種圖畫與墻壁上的刻痕共存，它們之間可能有一定的聯(lián)系?？磥砣祟愒缇椭铝τ谔剿魉募咀冞w了，比人們想像的要早20,000年。Lesson40

Who'swho

真假難辨Ithasneverbeenexplainedwhyuniversitystudentsseemtoenjoypracticaljokesmorethananyoneelse.Studentsspecializeinaparticulartypeofpracticaljoke:thehoax.Invitingthefire-brigadetoputoutanon-existentfireisacrudeformofdeceptionwhichnoself-respectingstudentwouldeverindulgein.Studentsoftencreateamusingsituationswhicharefunnytoeveryoneexceptthevictims.Whenastudentrecentlysawtwoworkmenusingapneumaticdrilloutsidehisuniversity,heimmediatelytelephonedthepoliceandinformedthemthattwostudentsdressedupasworkmenweretearinguptheroadwithapneumaticdrill.Assoonashehadhungup,hewentovertotheworkmenandtoldthemthatifapolicemanorderedthemtogoaway,theywerenottotakehimseriously.Headdedthatastudenthaddressedupasapolicemanandwasplayingallsortsofsillyjokesonpeople.Boththepoliceandtheworkmenweregratefultothestudentforthispieceofadvanceinformation.Thestudenthidinanarchwaynearbywherehecouldwatchandheareverythingthatwenton.Sureenough,apolicemanarrivedonthesceneandpolitelyaskedtheworkmentogoaway.Whenhereceivedaveryrudereplyfromoneoftheworkmen,hethreatenedtoremovethembyforce.Theworkmentoldhimtodoashepleasedandthepolicemantelephonedforhelp.Shortlyafterwards,fourmorepolicemenarrivedandremonstratedwiththeworkmen.Asthemenrefusedtostopworking,thepoliceattemptedtoseizethepneumaticdrill.Theworkmenstruggledfiercelyandoneofthemlosthistemper.Hethreatenedtocallthepolice.Atthis,thepolicepointedoutironicallythatthiswouldhardlybenecessaryasthemenwerealreadyunderarrest.Pretendingtospeakseriously,oneoftheworkmenaskedifhemightmakeatelephonecallbeforebeingtakentothestation.Permissionwasgrantedandapolicemanaccompaniedhimtoapayphone.Onlywhenhesawthatthemanwasactuallytelephoningthepolicedidherealizethattheyhadallbeenthevictimsofahoax.誰也弄不清為什么大學(xué)生好像比任何人都更喜歡惡作劇。大學(xué)生擅長一種特殊的惡作劇——戲弄人。請消防隊來撲滅一場根本沒有的大火是一種低級騙局，有自尊心的大學(xué)生決不會去做。大學(xué)生們常常做的是制造一種可笑的局面，除了受害者大家都覺得非?；?。最近有個學(xué)生看見兩個工人在大學(xué)校門外用風(fēng)鉆干活，馬上打電話報告警察，說有兩個學(xué)生裝扮成工人，正在用風(fēng)鉆破壞路面。掛上電話后，他又馬上來到工人那兒，告訴他們?nèi)粲袀€警察來讓他們走開，不要把他當(dāng)回事；還對工人說，有個學(xué)生常裝扮成警察無聊地同別人開玩笑。警察與工人都對那個學(xué)生事先通報情況表示感謝。那學(xué)生躲在附近一拱形門廊里，在那兒可以看見、聽到現(xiàn)場發(fā)生的一切。果然，警察來了，有禮貌地請工人離開此地；但其中一個工人粗魯?shù)鼗亓藥拙?。于是警察威脅要強行使他們離開。工人說，悉聽尊便。警察去打電話叫人。一會兒工夫，又來了4個警察，規(guī)勸工人離開。由于工人拒絕停下手中的活，警察想奪風(fēng)鉆。兩個工人奮力抗?fàn)帲渲幸粋€發(fā)了火，威脅說要去叫警察。警察聽后譏諷地說，這大可不必，因為他倆已被逮捕了。其中一個工人裝模作樣地問道，在被帶往警察局之前，是否可以打一個電話。警察同意了，陪他來到一個投幣電話前。當(dāng)他看到那個工人真的是給警察掛電話，才恍然大悟，原來他們都成了一場騙局的受害者。Lesson41

IllusionsofPastoralPeace

寧靜田園生活的遐想Thequietlifeofthecountryhasneverappealedtome.Citybornandcitybred,Ihavealwaysregardedthecountryassomethingyoulookatthroughatrainwindow,orsomethingyouoccasionallyvisitduringtheweekend.Mostofmyfriendsliveinthecity,yettheyalwaysgointorapturesatthemerementionofthecountry.Thoughtheyextolthevirtuesofthepeacefullife,onlyoneofthemhasevergonetoliveinthecountryandhewasbackintownwithinsixmonths.Evenhestilllivesundertheillusionthatcountrylifeissomehowsuperiortotownlife.Heisforevertalkingaboutthefriendlypeople,thecleanatmosphere,theclosenesstonatureandthegentlepaceofliving.Nothingcanbecompared,hemaintains,withthefirstcockcrow,thetwitteringofbirdsatdawn,thesightoftherisingsunglintingonthetreesandpastures.Thisidyllicpastoralsceneisonlypartofthepicture.MyfriendfailstomentionthelongandfriendlesswintereveningsinfrontoftheTVvirtuallytheonlyformofentertainment.Hesaysnothingaboutthepoorselectionofgoodsintheshops,oraboutthoseunfortunatepeoplewhohavetotravelfromthecountrytothecityeverydaytogettowork.Whypeoplearepreparedtotolerateafour-hourjourneyeachdayforthedubiousprivilegeoflivinginthecountryisbeyondme.Theycouldbesavedsomuchmiseryandexpenseiftheychosetoliveinthecitywheretheyrightlybelong.Ifyoucandowithoutthefewpastoralpleasuresofthecountry,youwillfindthecitycanprovideyouwiththebestthatlifecanoffer.Youneverhavetotravelmilestoseeyourfriends.Theyinvariablylivenearbyandarealwaysavailableforaninformalchatoranevening'sentertainment.Someofmyacquaintancesinthecountrycomeuptotownonceortwiceayeartovisitthetheatreasaspecialtreat.Forthemthisisamajoroperationwhichinvolvesconsiderableplanning.Astheplaydrawstoitsclose,theywonderwhethertheywillevercatchthatlasttrainhome.Thecitydwellerneverexperiencesanxietiesofthissort.Thelatestexhibitions,films,orplaysareonlyashortbusrideaway.Shopping,too,isalwaysapleasure.Thereissomuchvarietythatyouneverhavetomakedowithsecondbest.Countrypeoplerunwildwhentheygoshoppinginthecityandstaggerhomeloadedwithasmanyoftheexoticitemsastheycancarry.Noristhecitywithoutitsmomentsofbeauty.Thereissomethingcomfortingaboutthewarmglowshedbyadvertisementsoncoldwetwinternights.Fewthingscouldbemoreimpressivethanthepeacethatdescendsondesertedcitystreetsatweekendswhenthethousandsthattraveltoworkeverydayaretuckedawayintheirhomesinthecountry.Ithasalwaysbeenamysterytomewhycitydwellers,whoappreciateallthesethings,obstinatelypretendthattheywouldprefertoliveinthecountry.寧靜的鄉(xiāng)村生活從來沒有吸引過我。我生在城市，長在城市，總認(rèn)為鄉(xiāng)村是透過火車車窗看到的那個樣子，或偶爾周末去游玩一下的景象。我的許多朋友都住在城市，但他們只要一提起鄉(xiāng)村，馬上就會變得欣喜若狂。盡管他們都交口稱贊寧靜的鄉(xiāng)村生活的種種優(yōu)點，但其中只有一人真去農(nóng)村住過，而且不足6個月就回來了。即使他也仍存有幻覺，好像鄉(xiāng)村生活就是比城市生活優(yōu)越。他滔滔不絕地大談友好的農(nóng)民，潔凈的空氣，貼近大自然的環(huán)境和悠閑的生活節(jié)奏。他堅持認(rèn)為，凌晨雄雞第一聲啼叫，黎明時分小鳥吱喳歡叫，冉冉升起的朝陽染紅樹木、牧場，此番美景無與倫比。但這種田園詩般的鄉(xiāng)村風(fēng)光僅僅是一個側(cè)面。我的朋友沒有提到在電視機前度過的漫長寂寞的冬夜——電視是唯一的娛樂形式。他也不說商店貨物品種單調(diào)，以及那些每天不得不從鄉(xiāng)下趕到城里工作的不幸的人們。人們?yōu)槭裁辞樵该刻煸诼飞媳疾?個小時去換取值得懷疑的鄉(xiāng)間的優(yōu)點，我是無法理解的。要是他們愿意住在本來屬于他們的城市，則可以讓他們省去諸多不便與節(jié)約大量開支。如果你愿舍棄鄉(xiāng)下生活那一點點樂趣的話，那么你會發(fā)現(xiàn)城市可以為你提供生活中最美好的東西。你去看朋友根本不用跋涉好幾英里，因為他們都住在附近，你隨時可以同他們聊天或在晚上一起娛樂。我在鄉(xiāng)村有一些熟人，他們每年進城來看一回或幾回戲，并把此看作一種特殊的享受。看戲在他們是件大事，需要精心計劃。當(dāng)戲快演完時，他們又為是否能趕上末班火車回家而犯愁。這種焦慮，城里人是從未體驗過的。坐公共汽車幾站路，就可看到最新的展覽、電影、戲劇。買東西也是一種樂趣。物品品種繁多，從來不必用二等品來湊合。鄉(xiāng)里人進城采購欣喜若狂，每次回家時都買足了外來商品，直到拿不動方才罷休，連走路都搖搖晃晃的。城市也并非沒有良辰美景。寒冷潮濕的冬夜里，廣告燈箱發(fā)出的暖光，會給人某種安慰。周末，當(dāng)成千上萬進城上班的人回到了他們的鄉(xiāng)間寓所之后，空曠的街市籠罩著一種寧靜的氣氛，沒有什么能比此時的寧靜更令人難忘了。城里人對這一切心里很明白，卻偏要執(zhí)拗地裝出他們喜歡住在鄉(xiāng)村的樣子，這對我來說一直是個謎。Lesson42 Moderncavemen 現(xiàn)代洞穴人Caveexploration,orpot-holing,asithascometobeknown,isarelativelynewsport.Perhapsitisthedesireforsolitudeorthechanceofmakinganunexpecteddiscoverythatlurespeopledowntothedepthsoftheearth.Itisimpossibletogiveasatisfactoryexplanationforapot-holer'smotives.Forhim,caveshavethesamepeculiarfascinationwhichhighmountainshavefortheclimber.Theyarouseinstinctswhichcanonlybedimlyunderstood.ExploringreallydeepcavesisnotataskfortheSundayafternoonrambler.Suchundertakingsrequirethepreciseplanningandforesightofmilitaryoperations.Itcantakeaslongaseightdaystorigupropeladdersandtoestablishsupplybasesbeforeadescentcanbemadeintoaverydeepcave.Precautionsofthissortarenecessary,foritisimpossibletoforetelltheexactnatureofthedifficultieswhichwillconfrontthepot-holer.ThedeepestknowncaveintheworldistheGouffreBergernearGrenoble.Itextendstoadepthof3,723feet.Thisimmensechasmhasbeenformedbyanundergroundstreamwhichhastunneledacoursethroughaflawintherocks.TheentrancetothecaveisonaplateauintheDauphineAlps.Asitisonlysixfeetacross,itisbarelynoticeable.Thecavemightneverhavebeendiscoveredh