版權(quán)說(shuō)明:本文檔由用戶提供并上傳,收益歸屬內(nèi)容提供方,若內(nèi)容存在侵權(quán),請(qǐng)進(jìn)行舉報(bào)或認(rèn)領(lǐng)
文檔簡(jiǎn)介
新概念英語(yǔ)第三冊(cè)(共60課)
LessonlApumaatlarge
Pumasarelarge,cat-likeanimalswhicharefoundinAmerica.Whenreportscame
intoLondonZoothatawildpumahadbeenspottedforty-fivemilessouthofLondon,
theywerenottakenseriously.However,astheevidencebegantoaccumulate,experts
fromtheZoofeltobligedtoinvestigate,forthedescriptionsgivenbypeoplewho
claimedtohaveseenthepumawereextraordinarilysimilar.
Thehuntforthepumabeganinasmallvillagewhereawomanpickingblackberries
saw'alargecat*onlyfiveyardsawayfromher.Itimmediatelyranawaywhenshe
sawit,andexpertsconfirmedthatapumawillnotattackahumanbeingunlessit
iscornered(adj.被困得走投無(wú)路的).Thesearchproveddifficult,forthepumawas
oftenobservedatoneplaceinthemorningandatanotherplacetwentymilesaway
intheevening.Whereveritwent,itleftbehinditatrailofdeaddeerandsmall
animalslikerabbits.Pawprintswereseeninanumberofplacesandpumafurwas
foundclingingtobushes.Severalpeoplecomplainedoffcat-likenoises1atnight
andabusinessmanonafishingtripsawthepumaupatree.Theexpertswerenow
fullyconvincedthattheanimalwasapuma,butwherehaditcomefrom?Asnopumas
hadbeenreportedmissingfromanyzoointhecountry,thisonemusthavebeenin
thepossessionofaprivatecollectorandsomehowmanagedtoescape.Thehuntwent
onforseveralweeks,butthepumawasnotcaught.Itisdisturbingtothinkthat
adangerouswildanimalisstillatlargeinthequietcountryside.
美洲獅是一種體形似貓的大動(dòng)物,產(chǎn)于美洲。當(dāng)倫敦動(dòng)物園接到報(bào)告說(shuō),在倫敦以南
45英里處發(fā)現(xiàn)一只美洲獅時(shí),這些報(bào)告并沒(méi)有受到重視??墒牵S著證據(jù)越來(lái)越多,動(dòng)物園
的專(zhuān)家們感到有必要進(jìn)行一番調(diào)查,因?yàn)榉彩锹暦Q(chēng)見(jiàn)到過(guò)美洲獅的人們所描述的情況竟是出
奇地相似。
搜尋美洲獅的工作是從一座小村莊開(kāi)始的。那里的一位婦女在采摘黑莓時(shí)的看見(jiàn)“一只
大貓”,離她僅5碼遠(yuǎn),她剛看見(jiàn)它,它就立刻逃走了。專(zhuān)家證實(shí),美洲獅非被逼得走投無(wú)
路,是決不會(huì)傷人的。事實(shí)上搜尋工作很困難,因?yàn)槌3J窃绯吭诩椎匕l(fā)現(xiàn)那只美洲獅,晚
上卻在20英里外的乙地發(fā)現(xiàn)它的蹤跡。無(wú)論它走哪兒,一路上總會(huì)留下一串死鹿及死兔子
之類(lèi)的小動(dòng)物,在許多地方看見(jiàn)爪印,灌木叢中發(fā)現(xiàn)了粘在上面的美洲獅毛。有人抱怨說(shuō)夜
里聽(tīng)見(jiàn)“像貓一樣的叫聲”;一位商人去釣魚(yú),看見(jiàn)那只美洲獅在樹(shù)上。專(zhuān)家們?nèi)缃褚呀?jīng)完
全肯定那只動(dòng)物就是美洲獅,但它是從哪兒來(lái)的呢?由于全國(guó)動(dòng)物園沒(méi)有一家報(bào)告丟了美洲
獅,因此那只美洲獅一定是某位私人收藏豢養(yǎng)的,不知怎么設(shè)法逃出來(lái)了。搜尋工作進(jìn)行了
好幾個(gè)星期,但始終未能逮住那只美洲獅。想到在寧?kù)o的鄉(xiāng)村里有一頭危險(xiǎn)的野獸繼續(xù)逍遙
流竄,真令人擔(dān)心。
Lesson2Thirteenequalsone
Ourvicarisalwaysraisingmoneyforonecauseoranother,buthehasnever
managedtogetenoughmoneytohavethechurchclockrepaired.Thebigclockwhich
usedtostrikethehoursdayandnightwasdamagedmanyyearsagoandhasbeensilent
eversince.
Onenight,however,ourvicarwokeupwithastart:theclockwasstrikingthe
hours!Lookingathiswatch,hesawthatitwasoneo'clock,butthebellstruck
thirteentimesbeforeitstopped.Armedwithatorch,thevicarwentupintothe
clocktowertoseewhatwasgoingon.Inthetorchlight,hecaughtsightofafigure
whomheimmediatelyrecognizedasBillWilkins,ourlocalgrocer.'Whateverare
youdoinguphereBill?’askedthevicarinsurprise.
Tmtryingtorepairthebell,ransweredBill.1I1vebeencomingupherenight
afternightforweeksnow.Yousee,Iwashopingtogiveyouasurprise.
rYoucertainlydidgivemeasurprise!1saidthevicar.‘You'veprobablywoken
upeveryoneinthevillageaswell.Still,I'mgladthebellisworkingagain.f
'That'sthetrouble,vicar,1answeredBill.'It'sworkingallright,butI'm
afraidthatatoneorclockitwillstrikethirteentimesandtherersnothingIcan
doaboutit.1
‘We'llgetusedtothatBill,rsaidthevicar.'Thirteenisnotasgoodasone
butit'sbetterthannothing.Nowlet1sgodownstairsandhaveacupoftea.1
我們教區(qū)的牧師總是為各種各樣的事籌集資金。但始終未能籌足資金把教堂的鐘修
好。教堂的鐘很大,以前不分晝夜打點(diǎn)報(bào)時(shí),但很多年前遭到毀壞,從此便無(wú)聲無(wú)息了。
一天夜里,我們的牧師突然被驚醒了,大鐘又在“打點(diǎn)”報(bào)時(shí)了!他一看表,才1點(diǎn)鐘,
可是那鐘一邊敲了13下才停。牧師拿著一支電筒走上鐘樓想去看看究竟發(fā)生了什么事情。
借著電筒光。他看見(jiàn)一個(gè)人,馬上認(rèn)出那是本地雜貨店主經(jīng)比爾.威爾金斯。
“你究竟在這上面干什么,比爾?”牧師驚訝地問(wèn)。
“我想把這口鐘修好,”比爾回答說(shuō)?!昂脦讉€(gè)星期了,我天天夜里到鐘樓上來(lái)。嗯,
我是想讓你大吃一驚。”
“你確實(shí)使我大吃了一驚!”牧師說(shuō),“也許同時(shí)你把村里所有的人都吵醒了。不過(guò),
鐘又能報(bào)時(shí)了,我還是很高興的?!?/p>
“問(wèn)題就在這里,牧師,”比爾回答說(shuō)?!安诲e(cuò),鐘能報(bào)時(shí)了,但是,恐怕每到1點(diǎn)鐘,
它總要敲13下,對(duì)此我已無(wú)能為力了。”
“大家慢慢就習(xí)慣了,比爾,”牧師說(shuō)?!?3下是不如1下好,但總比1下也不敲強(qiáng)。
來(lái),咱們下樓去喝杯茶吧?!?/p>
Lesson3Anunknowngoddess
Sometimeago,aninterestingdiscoverywasmadebyarchaeologistsontheAegean
(adj.愛(ài)琴海的;n.)islandofKea.AnAmericanteamexploredatemplewhichstands
inanancientcityonthepromontoryofAyiaIrini.Thecityatonetimemusthave
beenprosperous,foritenjoyedahighlevelofcivilization.Houses-oftenthree
storeyshigh-werebuiltofstone.Theyhadlargeroomswithbeautifullydecorated
walls.Thecitywasevenequippedwithadrainagesystem,foragreatmanyclay
pipeswerefoundbeneaththenarrowstreets.
Thetemplewhichthearchaeologistsexploredwasusedasaplaceofworshipfrom
thefifteenthcenturyB.C.untilRomantimes.Inthemostsacredroomofthetemple,
clayfragmentsoffifteenstatueswerefound.Eachoftheserepresentedagoddess
andhad,atonetime,beenpainted.Thebodyofonestatuewasfoundamongremains
datingfromthefifteenthcenturyB.C.Itsmissingheadhappenedtobeamongremains
ofthefifthcenturyB.C.ThisheadmusthavebeenfoundinClassicaltimesand
carefullypreserved.Itwasveryoldandpreciouseventhen.Whenthearchaeologists
reconstructedthefragments,theywereamazedtofindthatthegoddessturnedout
tobeaverymodern-lookingwoman.Shestoodthreefeethighandherhandsrested
onherhip.Shewaswearingafull-lengthskirtwhichswepttheground.Despite
hergreatage,shewasverygracefulindeed,but,sofar,thearchaeologistshave
beenunabletodiscoverheridentity.
不久之前,在愛(ài)琴海的基亞島上,考古工作者有一項(xiàng)有趣的發(fā)現(xiàn)。一個(gè)美國(guó)考古隊(duì)在阿
伊亞?依里尼海角的一座古城里考察了一座廟宇。這座古城肯定一度很繁榮,因?yàn)樗碛?/p>
高度的文明,房子一般有3層樓高,用石塊修建。里面房間很大,墻壁裝飾華麗。城里甚至
還敷設(shè)了排水系統(tǒng),因?yàn)樵讵M窄的街道底下發(fā)現(xiàn)了許許多多陶土制作的排水管道。
考古工作者考察的這座廟宇從公元前15世紀(jì)直到羅馬時(shí)代一直是祭祀祈禱的場(chǎng)所。
在廟中最神圣的一間殿堂里發(fā)現(xiàn)了15尊陶雕像的碎片。每一尊雕像代表一位女神,而且一
度上過(guò)色。其中有一尊雕像,她的軀體是在公元前15世紀(jì)的歷史文物中發(fā)現(xiàn)的,而她那身
異處的腦袋卻碰巧是在公元前5世紀(jì)的文物中找到的。她的腦袋一定是在古希臘羅馬時(shí)代就
為人所發(fā)現(xiàn),并受到精心的保護(hù)。卻使在當(dāng)時(shí),它也屬歷史悠久的珍奇之物??脊殴ぷ髡甙?/p>
這些碎片重新拼裝起來(lái)后,驚奇地發(fā)現(xiàn)那位女神原來(lái)是一位相貌十分摩登的女郎。她身高3
英尺,雙手叉腰。身穿一條拖地長(zhǎng)裙,盡管上了年紀(jì),但體態(tài)確實(shí)優(yōu)美。不過(guò),考古工作者
至今未能確定這位女神的身份。
Lesson4ThedoublelifeofAlfredBloggs
Thesedays,peoplewhodomanualworkoftenreceivefarmoremoneythanclerks
whoworkinoffices.Peoplewhoworkinofficesarefrequentlyreferredtoas'white
collarworkers1forthesimplereasonthattheyusuallywearacollarandtieto
gotowork.Suchishumannature,thatagreatmanypeopleareoftenwillingto
sacrificehigherpayfortheprivilegeofbecomingwhitecollarworkers.Thiscan
giverisetocurioussituations,asitdidinthecaseofAlfredBloggswhoworked
asadustmanfortheEllesmereCorporation.
Whenhegotmarried,Alfwastooembarrassedtosayanythingtohiswifeabout
hisjob.HesimplytoldherthatheworkedfortheCorporation.Everymorning,he
lefthomedressedinasmartblacksuit.Hethenchangedintooveralls(n.工作
服)andspentthenexteighthoursasadustman.Beforereturninghomeatnight,
hetookashowerandchangedbackintohissuit.Alfdidthisforovertwoyears
andhisfellowdustmenkepthissecret.Alf1swifehasneverdiscoveredthatshe
marriedadustmanandsheneverwill,forAlfhasjustfoundanotherjob.Hewill
soonbeworkinginanofficeasajuniorclerk.Hewillbeearningonlyhalfas
muchasheusedto,buthefeelsthathisriseinstatusiswellworththeloss
ofmoney.Fromnowon,hewillwearasuitalldayandotherswillcallhim'Mr.
Bloggs1,not1Alff.
如今,從事體力勞動(dòng)的人的收入一般要比坐辦公室的人高出許多。坐辦公室的之所以常
常被稱(chēng)作“白領(lǐng)工人”,就是因?yàn)樗麄兺ǔJ谴┲差I(lǐng)白襯衫,系著領(lǐng)帶去上班。許多人常
常情愿放棄較高的薪水以換取做白領(lǐng)工人的殊榮,此乃人之常情。而這常常會(huì)引起種種奇怪
的現(xiàn)象,在埃爾斯米爾公司當(dāng)清潔工的艾爾弗雷德?布洛斯就是一個(gè)例子。
艾爾弗結(jié)婚時(shí),感到非常難為情,而沒(méi)有將自己的職業(yè)告訴妻子。他只說(shuō)在埃爾斯米爾
公司上班。每天早晨,他穿上一身漂亮的黑色西裝離家上班,然后換上工作服,當(dāng)8個(gè)小時(shí)
清潔工。晚上回家前,他洗個(gè)淋浴,重新?lián)Q上那身黑色西服。兩年多以來(lái),艾爾弗一直這樣,
他的同事也為他保守秘密。艾爾弗的妻子一直不知道她嫁給了一個(gè)清潔工,而且她永遠(yuǎn)也不
會(huì)知道了,因?yàn)榘瑺柛ヒ颜业叫铰?,不久就要坐辦公室里工作了。他將來(lái)掙的錢(qián)只有他現(xiàn)在
的一半。不過(guò)他覺(jué)得,地位升高了,損失點(diǎn)兒錢(qián)也值得。從此,艾爾弗可以一天到晚穿西服
To別人將稱(chēng)呼他為“布洛格斯先生”,而不再叫他“艾爾弗”了。
Lesson5Thefacts
Editorsofnewspapersandmagazinesoftengotoextremestoprovidetheirreaders
withunimportantfactsandstatistics.Lastyearajournalisthadbeeninstructed
byawell-knownmagazinetowriteanarticleonthepresident'spalaceinanew
Africanrepublic.Whenthearticlearrived,theeditorreadthefirstsentenceand
thenrefusedtopublishit.Thearticlebegan:1Hundredsofstepsleadtothehigh
wallwhichsurroundsthepresident'spalace.’Theeditoratonce
sentthejournalistafaxinstructinghimtofindouttheexactnumberofsteps
andtheheightofthewall.
Thejournalistimmediatelysetouttoobtaintheseimportantfacts,buthetook
alongtimetosendthem.Meanwhile,theeditorwasgettingimpatient,forthe
magazinewouldsoongotopress.Hesentthejournalisttwourgenttelegrams,but
receivednoreply.Hesentyetanothertelegraminformingthejournalistthatif
hedidnotreplysoonhewouldbefired.Whenthejournalistagainfailedtoreply,
theeditorreluctantlypublishedthearticleasithadoriginallybeenwritten.
Aweeklater,theeditoratlastreceivedatelegramfromthejournalist.Notonly
hadthepoormanbeenarrested,buthehadbeensenttoprisonaswell.However,
hehadatlastbeenallowedtosendacableinwhichheinformedtheeditorthat
hehadbeenarrestedwhilecountingthe1084stepsleadingtothe15-footwallwhich
surroundedthepresident'spalace.
報(bào)刊雜志的編輯常常為了向讀者提供成立一些關(guān)緊要的事實(shí)和統(tǒng)計(jì)數(shù)字而走向極端。
去年,一位記者受一家有名的雜志的委托寫(xiě)一篇關(guān)于非洲某個(gè)新成立國(guó)總統(tǒng)府的文章。稿子
寄來(lái)后,編輯看第一句話就拒絕予以發(fā)表。文章的開(kāi)頭是這樣的:“幾百級(jí)臺(tái)階通向環(huán)繞總
統(tǒng)的高墻。”編輯立即給那位記者發(fā)去傳真,要求他核實(shí)一下臺(tái)階的確切數(shù)字和圍墻的高度。
記者立即出發(fā)去核實(shí)這些重要的事實(shí),但過(guò)了好長(zhǎng)時(shí)間不見(jiàn)他把數(shù)字寄來(lái),在此期間,
編輯等得不耐煩了,因?yàn)殡s志馬上要付印。他給記者先后發(fā)去兩份傳真,但對(duì)方毫無(wú)反應(yīng)。
于是他又發(fā)了一份傳真,通知那位記者說(shuō),若再不迅速答復(fù),將被解雇。但記者還是沒(méi)有回
復(fù)。編輯無(wú)奈,勉強(qiáng)按原樣發(fā)稿了。一周之后,編輯終于接到記者的傳真。那個(gè)可憐的記者
不僅被捕了,而且還被送進(jìn)了監(jiān)獄。不過(guò),他終于獲準(zhǔn)發(fā)回了一份傳真。在傳真中他告訴編
輯,就在他數(shù)通向15英尺高的總統(tǒng)府圍墻的1,084級(jí)臺(tái)階時(shí),被抓了起來(lái)。
Lesson6Smash-and-grab
TheexpensiveshopsinafamousarcadenearPiccadillywerejustopening.At
thistimeofthemorning,thearcadewasalmostempty.MrTaylor,theownerofa
jewelleryshopwasadmiringanewwindowdisplay.Twoofhisassistantshadbeen
workingbusilysince8o1clockandhadonlyjustfinished.Diamondnecklacesand
ringshadbeenbeautifullyarrangedonabackgroundofblackvelvet.Aftergazing
atthedisplayforseveralminutes,MrTaylorwentbackintohisshop.
Thesilencewassuddenlybrokenwhenalargecar,withitsheadlightsonand
itshornblaring,roareddownthearcade.Itcametoastopoutsidethejeweler1s.
Onemanstayedatthewheelwhiletwootherswithblackstockingsovertheirfaces
jumpedoutandsmashedthewindowoftheshopwithironbars.Whilethiswasgoing
on,MrTaylorwasupstairs.Heandhisstaffbeganthrowingfurnitureoutofthe
window.Chairsandtableswentflyingintothearcade.Oneofthethieveswasstruck
byaheavystatue,buthewastoobusyhelpinghimselftodiamondstonoticeany
pain.Theraidwasalloverinthreeminutes,forthemenscrambledbackintothe
caranditmovedoffatafantasticspeed.Justasitwasleaving,MrTaylorrushed
outandranafteritthrowingashtraysandvases,butitwasimpossibletostop
thethieves.Theyhadgotawaywiththousandsofpoundsworthofdiamonds.
皮卡迪利大街附近的一條著名拱廊街道上,幾家高檔商店剛剛開(kāi)始營(yíng)業(yè)。在早晨的這個(gè)時(shí)候,
拱廊街上幾乎空無(wú)一人。珠寶店主泰勒先生正在欣賞新布置的櫥窗。他手下兩名店員從早上8點(diǎn)就
開(kāi)始忙碌,這時(shí)剛剛布置完畢。鉆石項(xiàng)鏈、戒指漂亮地列在黑色絲絨上面。泰勒先生站在櫥窗外凝
神欣賞了幾分鐘就回到了店里。
寧?kù)o突然被打破,一輛大轎車(chē)亮著前燈,響著喇叭,呼嘯著沖進(jìn)了拱廊街,在珠寶店門(mén)口停了
下來(lái)。一人留在駕駛座上,另外兩個(gè)用黑色長(zhǎng)簡(jiǎn)絲襪蒙面的人跳下車(chē)來(lái)。他們用鐵棒把商店櫥窗的
玻璃砸碎。這開(kāi)始發(fā)生時(shí),泰勒先生正在樓上。他與店員動(dòng)手向窗外投擲家具,椅子,桌子飛落花
流水在拱廊街上。一個(gè)竊賊被一尊很重的雕像擊中,但由于他忙著搶鉆石首飾,竟連疼痛都顧不上
To這場(chǎng)搶劫只持續(xù)了3分鐘,因?yàn)楦`賊爭(zhēng)先恐后地爬上轎車(chē),以驚人的速度開(kāi)跑了。就在轎車(chē)離
開(kāi)的時(shí)候,泰勒先生從店里沖了出來(lái),跟在車(chē)后追趕,一邊還往車(chē)上扔煙灰缸、花瓶。但他已無(wú)法
抓住那些竊賊了。他們已帶著價(jià)值數(shù)千鎊的首飾逃之夭夭了。
Lesson7Mutilatedladies
Childrenoftenhavefarmoresensethantheirelders.Thissimpletruthwas
demonstratedratherdramaticallyduringacivildefenceexerciseinasmalltown
inCanada.Mostoftheinhabitantswereaskedtotakepartintheexerciseduring
whichtheyhadtopretendthattheircityhadbeenbombed.Air-raidwarningswere
soundedandthousandsofpeoplewentintospecialair-raidshelters.Doctorsand
nursesremainedabovegroundwhilePolicepatrolledthestreetsincaseanyonetried
toleavetheshelterstoosoon.
Thepolicedidnothavemuchtodobecausethecitizenstooktheexercise
seriously.Theystayedundergroundfortwentyminutesandwaitedforthesirento
soundagain.Onleavingtheair-raidshelters,theysawthatdoctorsandnurses
werebusy.Agreatmanypeoplehadvolunteeredtoactascasualties.Theatrical
make-upandartificialbloodhadbeenusedtomaketheinjurieslookrealistic.
AlotofPeoplewerelying'dead*inthestreets.Thelivinghelpedtocarrythe
deadandwoundedtospecialstations.AChildofsixwasbroughtinbytwoadults.
Thechildwassupposedtobedead.Withtheatricalmake-uponhisface,helooked
asifhehaddiedofshock.Somepeopleweresomovedbythesightthattheybegan
tocry.However,thechildsuddenlysatupandadoctoraskedhimtocommenton
hisdeath.Thechildlookedaroundforamomentandsaid,'Ithinkthey'reallcrazy!1
這種事情在你身上出現(xiàn)過(guò)嗎?你有沒(méi)有把褲子塞洗衣機(jī),然后又想在褲子的后兜有一
大面值的紙幣?當(dāng)你把褲子搶救出來(lái)時(shí),你有沒(méi)有發(fā)現(xiàn)那紙幣已經(jīng)變得比白紙還白?當(dāng)英國(guó)
人犯這種錯(cuò)誤時(shí),他們不必感到絕望(而許多國(guó)家的人都有這種絕望的感覺(jué))。對(duì)英國(guó)人來(lái)
說(shuō),值得慶幸的是英國(guó)銀行有一個(gè)殘鈔鑒別組,負(fù)責(zé)理那些把錢(qián)塞進(jìn)機(jī)器或塞給狗的人提出
的索賠要求??雌饋?lái),狗很喜歡咀嚼錢(qián)幣。
最近的一個(gè)案例與簡(jiǎn)?巴特林有關(guān),她的未婚夫約翰擁有一家生意興隆家具店。有一天
約翰的生意很好,他把一只裝有3,000英鎊的錢(qián)包放進(jìn)微波爐保存。然后,他和簡(jiǎn)一起去騎
馬。回家后,簡(jiǎn)用微波爐煮了晚飯,無(wú)意中之中把她未婚夫的錢(qián)包也一起煮了。可以想像他
們發(fā)現(xiàn)一只煮得很好看的錢(qián)包,鈔票已化成灰時(shí)的沮喪心情。約翰去找銀行經(jīng)理,經(jīng)理把約
翰的錢(qián)包和紙幣的殘留物送到英國(guó)銀行在紐卡斯?fàn)柕囊粋€(gè)專(zhuān)門(mén)部門(mén)一一殘鈔鑒別組。他們鑒
定了這些殘留物。約翰拿回了他損失的全部數(shù)額?!敝灰袞|西可供識(shí)別,我們會(huì)把錢(qián)還給
人家的,”銀行的一位女發(fā)言人說(shuō)?!叭ツ辏覀儗?duì)21,000起索賠要求支付了150萬(wàn)英鎊J
Lesson8Afamousmonastery
TheGreatStBernardPassconnectsSwitzerlandtoItaly.At2470metres,itis
thehighestmountainpassinEurope.ThefamousmonasteryofStBernard,whichwas
foundedintheeleventhcentury,liesaboutamileaway.Forhundredsofyears,
StBernarddogshavesavedthelivesoftravellerscrossingthedangerousPass.
Thesefriendlydogs,whichwerefirstbroughtfromAsia,wereusedaswatch-dogs
eveninRomantimes.Nowthatatunnelhasbeenbuiltthroughthemountains,the
Passislessdangerous,buteachyear,thedogsarestillsentoutintothesnow
wheneveratravellerisindifficulty.Despitethenewtunnel,therearestilla
fewpeoplewhorashlyattempttocrossthePassonfoot.
Duringthesummermonths,themonasteryisverybusy,foritisvisitedby
thousandsofpeoplewhocrossthePassincars,Astherearesomanypeopleabout,
thedogshavetobekeptinaspecialenclosure.Inwinter,however,lifeatthe
monasteryisquitedifferent.Thetemperaturedropsto-30andveryfewpeople
attempttocrossthePass.ThemonksPreferwintertosummerfortheyhavemore
privacy.Thedogshavegreaterfreedom,too,fortheyareallowedtowanderoutside
theirenclosure.Theonlyregularvisitorstothemonasteryinwinterareparties
ofskierswhogothereatChristmasandEaster.Theseyoungpeople,wholovethe
peaceofthemountains,alwaysreceiveawarm.
WelcomeatStBernard1smonastery.
圣伯納德大山口連接著瑞士與意大利,海拔2,4730米,是歐洲最高的山口。11世紀(jì)建
造的著名的圣伯納德修道院位于離山口1英里遠(yuǎn)的地方。幾百年來(lái),圣伯納德修道院馴養(yǎng)狗
拯救了許多翻越這道山口的旅游者的生命。那些最先從亞洲引進(jìn)的狗,待人友好,早在羅馬
時(shí)代就給人當(dāng)看門(mén)狗了。如今由于山里開(kāi)挖了隧道,翻越山口已不那么危險(xiǎn)了。但每年還要
派狗到雪山地里去幫助那些遇到困難的旅游者,盡管修通了隧道,但仍有一些人想冒險(xiǎn)徒步
跨越圣伯納德山口。
夏天的幾個(gè)月里,修道院十分忙碌,因?yàn)橛谐汕先f(wàn)的人駕車(chē)通過(guò)山口,順道來(lái)修道院
參觀。由于來(lái)人太多,狗被關(guān)在專(zhuān)門(mén)的圍欄里。然而到了冬天,修道院里的生活則是另一番
景象。氣溫下降到零下30度,試圖跨越山口的人寥寥無(wú)幾。修道士們喜歡冬天,而不太喜
歡夏天。因?yàn)樵诙?,他們可以更多地過(guò)無(wú)人打擾的生活。狗也比較自由,被放出圍欄,四
處遛達(dá)。冬天常來(lái)修道院參觀的只有一批批滑雪者。他們?cè)谑フQ節(jié)或復(fù)活節(jié)到那兒去。這些
熱愛(ài)高山清靜環(huán)境的年輕人每年都受到圣伯納德道院的熱烈歡迎。
Lesson9Flyingcats飛貓
Catsneverfailtofascinatehumanbeings.Theycanbefriendlyandaffectionate
towardshumans,buttheyleadmysteriouslivesoftheirownaswell.Theynever
becomesubmissivelikedogsandhorses.Asaresult,humanshavelearnedtorespect
felineindependence.Mostcatsremainsuspiciousofhumansalltheirlives.One
ofthethingsthatfascinatesusmostaboutcatsisthepopularbeliefthatthey
haveninelives.Apparently,theyisagooddealoftruthinthisidea.Acat's
abilitytosurvivefallsisbasedonfact.
RecentlytheNewYorkAnimalMedicalCentremadeastudyof132catsoveraperiod
offivemonths.Allthesecatshadoneexperienceincommon:theyhadfallenoff
highbuildings,yetonlyeightofthemdiedfromshockorinjuries.Ofcourse,New
Yorkistheidealplaceforsuchaninterestingstudy,becausethereisnoshortage
oftallbuildings.Thereareplentyofhigh-risewindowsillstofallfrom!Onecat,
Sabrina,fell32storeys,yetonlysufferedfromabrokentooth.’Catsbehave
likewell-trainedparatroopers,9adoctorsaid.Itseemsthatthefurthercats
fall,thelesstheyarelikelytoinjurethemselves.Inalongdrop,theyreach
speedsof60milesanhourandmore.Athighspeeds,fallingcatshavetimetorelax.
Theystretchouttheirlegslikeflyingsquirrel.Thisincreasestheir
air-resistanceandreducestheshockofimpactwhentheyhittheground.
貓總能引起人們的極大興趣。它們可以對(duì)人友好,充滿柔情。但是,它們又有自己神
秘的生活方式。它們從不像狗和馬一樣變得那么順從。結(jié)果是人們已經(jīng)學(xué)會(huì)尊重貓的獨(dú)立性。
在它們的一生中,大多數(shù)貓都對(duì)人存有戒心。最使我們感興趣的一件事情就是一種通俗的信
念一一貓有九條命。顯然,這種說(shuō)法里面包含著許多真實(shí)性。貓?jiān)诘鋾r(shí)能夠大難不死是有
事實(shí)作為依據(jù)的。
最近,紐約動(dòng)物醫(yī)療中心對(duì)132只貓進(jìn)行了為期5個(gè)月的綜合研究。所有這些貓有一個(gè)
共同的經(jīng)歷:它們都曾從高層建筑上摔下來(lái)過(guò),但只有其中的8只貓死于震蕩或跌傷。當(dāng)然,
紐約是進(jìn)行這種有趣的試驗(yàn)的一個(gè)理想的地方,因?yàn)槟抢锔静蝗狈Ω邩谴髲B,有的是高層
的窗檻從上往下墜落。有一只叫薩伯瑞的貓從32層樓上掉下來(lái),但只摔斷一顆牙。“貓就
像訓(xùn)練有素的跳傘隊(duì)員,”一位醫(yī)生說(shuō)??雌饋?lái),貓跌落的距離越長(zhǎng),它們就越不會(huì)傷害
自己。在一個(gè)長(zhǎng)長(zhǎng)的跌落過(guò)程中,它們可以達(dá)到每小時(shí)60里甚至更快的速度。在高速下落
中,貓有時(shí)間放松自己。它們伸展四肢,就像飛行中的松鼠一樣。這樣就加大了空氣阻力,
并減少了它們著地時(shí)沖擊力帶來(lái)的震動(dòng)。
LessonlOThelossofTitanic
Thegreatship,Titanic,sailedforNewYorkfromSouthamptononApril10th,
1912.Shewascarrying1316passengersandacrewof891.Evenbymodernstandards,
the46,000tonTitanicwasacolossalship.Atthattime,however,shewasnotonly
thelargestshipthathadeverbeenbuilt,butwasregardedasunsinkable,forshe
hadsixteenwater-tightcompartments.Eveniftwoofthesewereflooded,shewould
stillbeabletofloat.Thetragicsinkingofthisgreatlinerwillalwaysbe
remembered,forshewentdownonherfirstvoyagewithheavylossoflife.
Fourdaysaftersettingout,whiletheTitanicwassailingacrosstheicywaters
oftheNorthAtlantic,ahugeicebergwassuddenlyspottedbyalook-out.After
thealarmhadbeengiven,thegreatshipturnedsharplytoavoidadirectcollision*
TheTitanicturnedjustintime,narrowlymissingtheimmensewalloficewhich
roseover100feetoutofthewaterbesideher.Suddenly,therewasaslighttrembling
soundfrombelow,andthecaptainwentdowntoseewhathadhappened.Thenoise
hadbeensofaintthatnoonethoughtthattheshiphadbeendamaged.Below,the
captainrealizedtohishorrorthattheTitanicwassinkingrapidly,forfiveof
hersixteenwater-
tightcompartmentshadalreadybeenflooded!Theordertoabandonshipwasgiven
andhundredsofpeopleplungedintotheicywater.Astherewerenotenough
life-boatsforeverybody,1500liveswerelost.
巨輪“泰坦尼克”號(hào)1912年4月10日從南安普敦起錨駛向紐約。船上載有1,316名
乘客與891名船員。卻使用現(xiàn)代標(biāo)準(zhǔn)來(lái)衡量,45,000噸的“泰坦尼克”號(hào)與算得上一艘巨
輪了。當(dāng)時(shí),這艘輪船不僅是造船史上建造的最大的一艘船,而且也被認(rèn)為是不會(huì)沉沒(méi)的。
因?yàn)榇?6個(gè)密封艙組成,即使有兩個(gè)艙進(jìn)水,仍可漂浮的水面上。然而,這艘巨輪首航
就下沉,造成大批人員死亡。人們將永遠(yuǎn)記著這艘巨輪的沉沒(méi)慘劇。
“泰坦尼克”起航后的第4天,它正行駛在北大西洋冰冷的海面上。突然,了望員發(fā)現(xiàn)
一座冰山。警報(bào)響過(guò)不久,巨輪急轉(zhuǎn)彎,以避免與冰山正面相撞?!疤┨鼓峥恕边@個(gè)彎拐得
及時(shí),緊貼著高出海面100英尺的巨大的冰墻擦過(guò)去。突然,從船艙下部傳來(lái)一聲微顫音,
船長(zhǎng)走下船艙去查看究竟。由于這個(gè)聲音非常輕,沒(méi)人會(huì)想到船身已遭損壞。在下面,船長(zhǎng)
驚恐的地發(fā)現(xiàn)“泰坦尼克”號(hào)正在急速下沉,16個(gè)密封艙已有5個(gè)進(jìn)水。于是,他發(fā)出棄船
的命令,幾百人跳進(jìn)了冰冷刺骨的海水里。由于沒(méi)有足夠的救生艇運(yùn)載所有乘客,結(jié)果,1,500
人喪生。
LessonllNotguilty
GoingthroughtheCustomsisatiresomebusiness.Thestrangestthingaboutitisthatreallyhonest
peopleareoftenmadetofeelguilty.Thehardenedprofessionalsmuggler,ontheotherhand,is
nevertroubledbysuchfeelings,evenifhehasfivehundredgoldwatcheshiddeninhissuitcase.
WhenIreturnedfromabroadrecently,aparticularlyofficiousyoungCustomsOfficerclearlyregarded
measasmuggler.
'Haveyouanythingtodeclare?*heasked,lookingmeintheeye.
'No,'Iansweredconfidently.
*Wouldyoumindunlockingthissuitcaseplease?1
'Notatall,1Ianswered.
TheOfficerwentthroughthecasewithgreatcare.AllthethingsIhadpackedsocarefullywere
sooninadreadfulmess.IfeltsureIwouldneverbeabletoclosethecaseagain.Suddenly,I
sawtheOfficer*sfacelightup.Hehadspottedatinybottleatthebottomofmycaseandhepounced
onitwithdelight.
'Perfume,eh?’heaskedsarcastically.1Youshouldhavedeclaredthat.'Perfumeisnotexemptfrom
importduty.,
,Butitisn*tperfume,*Isaid.1It'shair-oil.1ThenIaddedwithasmile,1It*sastrangemixture
Imakemyself.'AsIexpected,hedidnotbelieveme.
,Tryit!!Isaidencouragingly.
TheOfficerunscrewedthecapandputthebottletohisnostrils.Hewasgreetedbyanunpleasant
smellwhichconvincedhimthatIwastellingthetruth.Afewminuteslater,Iwasabletohurry
awaywithpreciouschalk-marksonmybaggage.
現(xiàn)在的海關(guān)官員往往相當(dāng)寬容。但是,當(dāng)你通過(guò)綠色通道,沒(méi)有任何東西需要申報(bào)時(shí),他們?nèi)钥梢詳r住你。
甚至是最誠(chéng)實(shí)的人也常弄得覺(jué)得有罪似的,而老練的職業(yè)走私犯卻使手提箱里藏著500只金表,卻也處之泰然。
最近一次,我也出國(guó)歸來(lái),碰上一位特別好管閑事的年輕海關(guān)官員,他顯然把我當(dāng)成走私犯。
“您有什么需要申報(bào)的嗎?“他直盯著我的眼睛問(wèn)。
“沒(méi)有?!蔽易孕诺鼗卮鹫f(shuō)。
“請(qǐng)打開(kāi)這只手提箱好嗎?”
“好的?!蔽一卮鹫f(shuō)。
那位官員十分仔細(xì)地把箱子檢查了一遍。所有細(xì)心包裝好的東西一會(huì)兒工夫就亂成一團(tuán)。我相信那箱子
再也關(guān)不上了。突然,我看到官員臉上露出了得意的神色。他在我的箱底發(fā)現(xiàn)了一只小瓶,高興地一把抓了起
來(lái)。
“香水,嗯?”他譏諷地說(shuō)道,“你剛才應(yīng)該申報(bào),香水要上進(jìn)口稅的。”
“不,這不是香水,”我說(shuō),“是發(fā)膠?!苯又夷槑⑿ρa(bǔ)充說(shuō):“這是一種我自己配制的奇特的混合
物?!?/p>
“你就聞一聞吧!“我催促說(shuō)。
海關(guān)官員擰開(kāi)瓶蓋,把瓶子放到鼻子底下。一股怪味襲來(lái),使他相信了我說(shuō)的真話。幾分鐘后,我終于被
放行,手提劃著寶貴的粉筆記號(hào)的行,匆匆離去。
Lessonl2Lifeonadesertisland
Mostofushaveformedanunrealisticpictureoflifeonadesertisland.Wesometimesimaginea
desertislandtobeasortofparadisewherethesunalwaysshines.Lifethereissimpleandgood.
Ripefruitfallsfromthetreesandyouneverhavetowork.Theothersideofthepictureisquite
theopposite.Lifeonadesertislandiswretched.YoueitherstarvetodeathorlivelikeRobinson
Crusoe,waitingforaboatwhichnevercomes.Perhapsthereisanelementoftruthinboththese
pictures,butfewofushavehadtheopportunitytofindout.
Twomenwhorecentlyspentfivedaysonacoralislandwishedtheyhadstayedtherelonger.They
weretakingabadlydamagedboatfromtheVirginIslandstoMiamitohaveitrepaired.Duringthe
journey,theirboatbegantosink.Theyquicklyloadedasmallrubberdinghywithfood,matches,
andtinsofbeerandrowedforafewmilesacrosstheCaribbeanuntiltheyarrivedatatinycoral
island.Therewerehardlyanytreesontheislandandtherewasnowater,butthisdidnotprove
tobeaproblem.Themencollectedrain-waterintherubberdinghy.Astheyhadbroughtaspear
gunwiththem,theyhadplentytoeat.Theycaughtlobsterandfisheveryday,and,asoneofthem
putit*atelikekings,.Whenapassingtankerrescuedthemfivedayslater,bothmenweregenuinely
sorrythattheyhadtoleave.
我們?cè)S多人對(duì)于荒島生活有一種不切實(shí)際的想法。我們有時(shí)想象荒島是陽(yáng)光終日普照的天堂。在那里,生活簡(jiǎn)
單又美好。成熟的水果從樹(shù)上掉下來(lái),人們根本無(wú)需勞動(dòng)。另一種想法恰恰相反,認(rèn)為荒島生活很可怕,要么
餓死,要么像魯濱那樣,天天盼船來(lái),卻總沒(méi)見(jiàn)船影。也許,這兩種都像都有可信之處。但很少有人能有機(jī)會(huì)
去弄個(gè)究竟。
最近有兩個(gè)人在一座珊瑚島上呆了5天,他們真希望在那兒再多呆一些日子。他們駕著一條嚴(yán)重?fù)p壞的小
船從維爾京群島阿密修理。途中,船開(kāi)始下沉,他們迅速把食物、火柴、罐裝啤酒往一只救生筏上裝。然后在
加勒比海上劃行了幾英里,到了一座珊瑚島上。島上幾乎沒(méi)有一顆樹(shù),也沒(méi)有淡水,但這不算什么問(wèn)題。他們
用像皮艇蓄積雨水。由于他們隨身帶了一支捕魚(yú)槍?zhuān)虼?,吃飯不愁。他們天天捕捉龍蝦和魚(yú),正如其中一位
所說(shuō),吃得“像國(guó)王一樣好”。5天后,一條油輪從那兒路過(guò),搭救了他們。這二位不得不離開(kāi)那個(gè)荒島時(shí),
還真的感到遺憾呢!
Lessonl3It'sonlyme
Afterherhusbandhadgonetowork,MrsRichardssentherchildrentoschoolandwentupstairs
toherbedroom.Shewastooexcitedtodoanyhouseworkthatmorning,forintheeveningshewould
begoingtoafancydresspartywithherhusband.Sheintendedtodressupasaghostandasshe
hadmadehercostumethenightbefore,shewasimpatienttotryiton.Thoughthecostumeconsisted
onlyofasheet,itwasveryeffective.Afterputtingiton,MrsRichardswentdownstairs.Shewanted
tofindoutwhetheritwouldbecomfortabletowear.
JustasMrsRichardswasenteringthedining-room,therewasaknockonthefrontdoor.She
knewthatitmustbethebaker.Shehadtoldhimtocomestraightinifevershefailedtoopen
thedoorandtoleavethebreadonthekitchentable.Notwantingtofrightenthepoorman,Mrs
Richardsquicklyhidinthesmallstore-roomunderthestairs.Sheheardthefrontdooropenand
heavyfootstepsinthehall.Suddenlythedoorofthestore-roomwasopenedandamanentered.Mrs
Ri
溫馨提示
- 1. 本站所有資源如無(wú)特殊說(shuō)明,都需要本地電腦安裝OFFICE2007和PDF閱讀器。圖紙軟件為CAD,CAXA,PROE,UG,SolidWorks等.壓縮文件請(qǐng)下載最新的WinRAR軟件解壓。
- 2. 本站的文檔不包含任何第三方提供的附件圖紙等,如果需要附件,請(qǐng)聯(lián)系上傳者。文件的所有權(quán)益歸上傳用戶所有。
- 3. 本站RAR壓縮包中若帶圖紙,網(wǎng)頁(yè)內(nèi)容里面會(huì)有圖紙預(yù)覽,若沒(méi)有圖紙預(yù)覽就沒(méi)有圖紙。
- 4. 未經(jīng)權(quán)益所有人同意不得將文件中的內(nèi)容挪作商業(yè)或盈利用途。
- 5. 人人文庫(kù)網(wǎng)僅提供信息存儲(chǔ)空間,僅對(duì)用戶上傳內(nèi)容的表現(xiàn)方式做保護(hù)處理,對(duì)用戶上傳分享的文檔內(nèi)容本身不做任何修改或編輯,并不能對(duì)任何下載內(nèi)容負(fù)責(zé)。
- 6. 下載文件中如有侵權(quán)或不適當(dāng)內(nèi)容,請(qǐng)與我們聯(lián)系,我們立即糾正。
- 7. 本站不保證下載資源的準(zhǔn)確性、安全性和完整性, 同時(shí)也不承擔(dān)用戶因使用這些下載資源對(duì)自己和他人造成任何形式的傷害或損失。
最新文檔
- 國(guó)慶升旗講話稿范文(5篇)
- 信息素在性別識(shí)別中的作用-洞察分析
- 藥物支架在肝癌治療中的作用-洞察分析
- 疫苗接種倫理與法規(guī)探討-洞察分析
- 油氣行業(yè)智能化升級(jí)-洞察分析
- 云平臺(tái)互操作性研究-洞察分析
- 污染土壤生物修復(fù)技術(shù)-洞察分析
- 鄉(xiāng)村文化景觀旅游開(kāi)發(fā)-洞察分析
- 宇宙射線多信使天文學(xué)-洞察分析
- 網(wǎng)絡(luò)謠言傳播機(jī)制研究-洞察分析
- 2024網(wǎng)絡(luò)課程錄制合同
- 24秋二年級(jí)上冊(cè)語(yǔ)文期末復(fù)習(xí)21天沖刺計(jì)劃(每日5道題)
- 人教版(2024)七年級(jí)上冊(cè)數(shù)學(xué)第5章單元測(cè)試卷(含答案)
- 巨量-營(yíng)銷(xiāo)科學(xué)(初級(jí))認(rèn)證培訓(xùn)考試題庫(kù)(含答案)
- 干部履歷表(中共中央組織部2015年制)
- 企業(yè)年終總結(jié)大會(huì)PPT模板
- 強(qiáng)化QHSE體系加強(qiáng)石油企業(yè)安全管理的具體措施
- 《鋼結(jié)構(gòu)工人三級(jí)安全教育記錄卡》
- 先張法預(yù)應(yīng)力混凝土管樁基礎(chǔ)技術(shù)規(guī)程
- 高爾夫文化與禮儀慕課測(cè)驗(yàn)作業(yè)答案
- 中藥治療高血壓的臨床論文(共3篇)
評(píng)論
0/150
提交評(píng)論