Lesson81 Escape 脫逃
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.
?那個戰(zhàn)俘殺死衛(wèi)兵以后，迅速地把尸體拖進(jìn)了灌木叢。他在黑暗中忙活了一陣兒，很快就換上了死者的衣服。現(xiàn)在他身穿藍(lán)軍裝，肩扛步槍，在軍營門前大膽地來回走看。他聽得軍營里面的喧鬧聲。那里燈米通明，人們在東奔西跑：他們剛剛發(fā)現(xiàn)有一個俘虜跑了。正在此時，一輛黑色大轎車在軍營門口停了下來。里面坐了4個軍官。軍官們下了車，戰(zhàn)俘立正站好，并在他們從他面前經(jīng)過時敬了禮。他們走后，汽車司機(jī)向他走來，這人顯然是想聊天。他上了年紀(jì)，有著灰白的頭發(fā)和明亮的藍(lán)眼睛。戰(zhàn)俘為他感到惋惜，但卻沒有別的選擇。當(dāng)這個人走近時，戰(zhàn)俘一拳把他打倒在地，然后跳進(jìn)車?yán)?，以最快的速度把車開走了。
Lesson82 Monster or fish? 是妖還是魚？
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.
?漁夫和水手們有時聲稱自己看到過海里的妖怪。雖然人們常常對水手們講的故事付諸一笑，但現(xiàn)在看來，人們有時看到的這些“妖怪”很多不過是些奇怪的魚。一些異常的生物偶爾會被沖到岸上來，但它們在海上卻極少能被捕到。然而不久前，在馬達(dá)加斯加附近的海里卻捕到了一條奇怪的魚。一條小漁船被一條咬住鉤的強(qiáng)壯的大魚拖到了幾英里以外的海面上。那位漁民意識到這根本不是一條普通的魚，于是千方百計不讓它受到絲毫傷害。當(dāng)終于把它弄上岸后，人們發(fā)現(xiàn)它身長超過了13英尺。它長著一個像馬一樣的頭，有著大的藍(lán)眼睛和閃閃發(fā)光的銀色皮膚，還有一條鮮紅色的尾巴。此魚叫槳魚，被送進(jìn)了博物館，現(xiàn)正接受一位科學(xué)家的檢查。人們很少能看到活著的這類動物，因為它們生活在600英尺深的水下。????
Lesson83 After the elections 大選之后
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, Crawley, has always been a fanatical opponent of Mr Lane's Radical Progressive Party. After the elections, Crawley 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, Crawley went to the house again. The same policeman was just walking slowly past the entrance, when Crawley asked the same question. Though a little suspicious this time, the policeman gave him the same answer. The day after, Crawley 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 Crawley,' but I love to hear you say it !'??
??? 前首相溫特沃茲.萊恩先生在最近的大選中被擊敗。他現(xiàn)在退出了政界，到國外去了。我的朋友帕特里克一直是萊恩先生的激進(jìn)黨的強(qiáng)烈反對者。大選結(jié)束后，帕特里克來到了前首相的住處。當(dāng)他詢問萊恩先生是否住在那里時，值班的警察告訴他這位前首相落選后出國去了。第二天，帕特里克再次來到首相的住處。昨天的那位警察正從門口慢慢走過，帕特里克上前問了和昨天同樣的問題。雖然那位警察這次有點疑心，但還是對他作了同樣的回答。第三天，帕特里克又去了，提出了同前兩天完全一樣的問題。這一次警察火了?！拔易蛱旌颓疤於几嬖V過您了，”他大叫著，“萊恩先生在大選中被擊敗了，他已經(jīng)退出了政界去國外了！”
“這我都知道，”帕特里克說，“可我就是喜歡聽你說出這此！”?
Lesson84 On strike 罷工
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 young men 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!
?公共汽車司機(jī)決定下星期罷工。罷工定于星期二開始，誰也不知道會持續(xù)多久。司機(jī)們聲稱此次罷工將一直持續(xù)到就工資和工作條件問題達(dá)成全面協(xié)議的時候為止。多數(shù)人認(rèn)為此次罷工至少會持續(xù)一個星期。很多私人汽車的車主正準(zhǔn)備為乘車上班的人們提供“免費乘車”的服務(wù)，這將在某種程度上減輕對火車的壓力。與此同時，有一部分大學(xué)生自愿在罷工期間駕駛公共汽車。所有的學(xué)生都是開車的能手，但在駕駛公共汽車之前，他們必須通過一項專門測驗。學(xué)生們準(zhǔn)備在兩天后就接受測驗。即使這樣，人們?nèi)詴械缴习嘤欣щy。但到目前為止，公眾已經(jīng)向新聞界寫信表達(dá)他們對學(xué)生們的感激之情了。只有一兩個人提出反對意見，說學(xué)生們會把車開得太快！????
Lesson85 Never too old to learn 活到老學(xué)到老
I have just received a letter from my old school informing me that my former head- master, Mr Regmald 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 honour 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.
?我剛剛收到母校的一封信，通知我說以前的校長斯圖亞特.佩奇先生下星期就退休了。為了紀(jì)念這個日子，學(xué)校的學(xué)生——無論老同學(xué)還是新同學(xué)——將送他一件禮物。所有湊錢買此禮品的人都將自己的名字簽在一本大簽名簿上，簽名簿將被送到校長的家里。我們不會忘記佩奇先生對我們既有耐心又充滿理解，也不會忘記在我們不愿去上學(xué)時他給予我們的親切鼓勵。很多老同學(xué)都準(zhǔn)備參加下星期四為他舉行的告別宴會。佩奇先生退休的前一天正好是他執(zhí)教滿40年的日子，這真是奇妙的巧合。他退休后，將致力于園藝。對于他來說，這將是一種全新的愛好。但這沒有關(guān)系，因為正如他常說的那樣，人要活到老學(xué)到老。
Lesson86 Out of control 失控
As the man tried to swing the speed-boat 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 violent1y into the sea. The speed-boat 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 speed-boat 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.
?當(dāng)那人試圖讓快艇轉(zhuǎn)彎時，方向盤脫手了。他絕望地向他的伙伴揮手，他的伙伴在過去的15分鐘里一直在滑水。他們兩個還沒來得及意識到究竟發(fā)生了什么事情，就被猛地拋入了海里?？焱ё采狭艘粋€浮標(biāo)，但它仍在水面上快速行駛著。兩個人剛開始向岸邊游去，就突然驚愕地發(fā)現(xiàn)快艇正在轉(zhuǎn)著圈行駛，它現(xiàn)在正以驚人的速度直沖他們駛來。不到1分鐘的工夫，它從離他們只有幾英尺遠(yuǎn)的地方呼嘯著駛了過去?？焱н^去之后，他們以最快的速度向前游去，因為他們知道快艇馬上就要轉(zhuǎn)回來。他們剛剛來得及游出危險區(qū)，快艇就又轉(zhuǎn)完了一圈。然而這一次它的速度慢多了。汽油幾乎已經(jīng)用光。沒過多久，噪音便徹底消失，快艇開始在水面上慢悠悠地漂流。???
Lesson87 A perfect alibi 極好的不在犯罪現(xiàn)場的證據(jù)
'At the time the murder was committed, I was travelling on the 8.0 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 10.0 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 8.0 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 8.0 o'clock train did not run at all. It broke down at Ferngreen station and was taken off the line.'
?“在兇殺發(fā)生的時候，我正坐在8點鐘開往倫敦的火車上。”那人說。
??? “您總是趕這樣早的火車？”探長問。
??? “當(dāng)然是的，”那人回答。“我必須在10點鐘上班，我的雇主會證明我是按時到了那兒的?！?/p>
??? “晚一點兒的車也能送您按時上班嗎？”
??? “我認(rèn)為可以，但我從來不乘晚一點兒的車?！?/p>
??? “您幾點鐘到的火車站？”
??? “7點50分。我買了張報紙，等著車來。”
??? “您沒有注意到有什么異常情況發(fā)生嗎？”
??? “當(dāng)然沒有?！?/p>
??? “我提醒您，”探長說，“您講的不是實話。您乘的不是8點鐘的火車，而是8點25分的，這次車同樣能使您按時上班。您看，在兇殺發(fā)生的那天早晨，8點鐘的那次車根本沒有發(fā)。它在芬格林車站出了故障而被取消了?！?????
Lesson88 Trapped in a mine 困在礦井里
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 the 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.
?6個人被困在礦井里已有17個小時了。如果不把他們盡快救到地面上來，他們就有可能喪生。然而，事實證明營救工作非常困難。如果用炸藥爆破，震動會引起礦頂塌落。因此，營救人員在礦井的北側(cè)鉆了一個洞。他們準(zhǔn)備用一種特制的容器把這6個人救上來。如果不是因為土壤下面有一層堅硬的巖石，他們的營救工作僅用幾個小時就可以完成了。實際情況是，他們已連續(xù)鉆了16個小時了，但離鉆透還早著呢。與此同時，兩個小時以前放下井去的一只麥克風(fēng)使井下的人可以與其親屬保持聯(lián)系。雖然他們的食物和飲料都快消耗盡了，但這些人的心情很好，堅信他們很快就會出去。他們一直被告知營救工作進(jìn)行得非常順利。如果他們知道了鉆透那堅硬的巖石有多么困難，他們會喪失信心的。?
Lesson89 A slip of the tongue 口誤
People will do anything to see a free show--even if it is a bad one. When the news got round that a variety 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 be- fore 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 man should have said, but what he actually said was: 'This is the Poo and Ee Seed Bird Company. Good ladies, evening and gentlemen !'
?人們總要想盡辦法看不花錢的演出——哪怕是拙劣的演出。當(dāng)“皮尤”鳥食公司將在我們當(dāng)?shù)赜霸貉莩鱿矂」?jié)目的消息傳開后，我們都趕緊跑去觀看。我們不得不排了好幾個小時才進(jìn)得場去。在演出開始前場內(nèi)肯定已有好幾百人了。不幸的是，這次演出是我們看過的最乏味的演出了。那些沒能進(jìn)到場內(nèi)的人沒有必要感到失望，因為很多應(yīng)該出場的專業(yè)演員都沒有來。那天晚上唯一有趣的事情是節(jié)目開始時那個報幕員的開場白。他顯然非常緊張，局促不安地在麥克風(fēng)前站了好幾分鐘。但他剛一開口說話，人們便哄堂大笑起來。我們都明白那個可憐的人應(yīng)該說些什么，而他實際說的卻是：“這是‘浦伊’鳥食公司，好女士們，晚上和先生們！”?
lesson90 Whats for supper ？ 晚餐吃什么？
Though Brazil is one of the richest countries in the world, much of it has not yet been developed. It was mainly for this reason that the Brazilian government decided to have a new city built 600 miles north-west of Rio de Janeiro. Designed by the great architect Lucio Costa, the new city, Brasilia, replaced Rio de Janeiro as the capital of Brazif in 1960. Brasilia has been carefully planned for modern living. Its wide roads, which can take fourteen lanes of traffic, have been kept
away from living areas. Children do not have to cross busy streets to go to school. Housewives can visit-shopping centres on foot, for in these specially designed living areas, cars are unnecessary. At first, the government had great difficulty in persuading people to leave Rio and to settle in Brasilia. Since 1960, however, the population has been growing all the time. Brasilia has quickly established itself as the capital of the country. The idea to have the capital moved so far inland will have a great effect on the future of Brazil.
?油煎魚加炸土豆片一直是英國人喜愛的一道菜，但是隨著海洋里的濫捕濫撈，魚已經(jīng)變得越來越昂貴。因此，聽說北海石油鉆井平臺上的潛水員受到巨型魚類的恐嚇，確實很讓人吃驚。鉆井平臺需要經(jīng)常修理，潛水員常常要在水面100英尺以下摸黑工作，他們曾在工作時被撞到他們身上的大魚嚇得驚惶失措?，F(xiàn)在他們有了特制的籠子，用來保護(hù)他們免受大魚的侵襲。這些魚并不是鯊魚或逆戟鯨，而是深受人們喜愛的食用魚品種，如鱈魚和鰩魚，只不過它們長得出奇地大，有時長達(dá)12英尺。這些魚能長得這么大是由3個因素造成的：海底熱的輸油管道附近的溫暖的海水；鉆井平臺工作人員拋到海里充足的食物；鉆井平臺周圍根本沒有捕魚船只。結(jié)果是，這些魚就在可愛的溫暖的水流中吃呀吃，長呀長。究竟誰吃誰呢？
