Lesson56 Faster than sound! 比聲音還快！
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 time under their cars than in 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.
?舊式汽車的比賽每年舉行一次。去年有很多汽車參加了這項比賽。比賽開始之前，人們異常激動。最漂亮的汽車之一是羅爾斯--羅伊斯生產的銀鬼汽車，而最不尋常的一輛則要屬只有3只輪子的奔馳牌汽車了。該車造于1885年，是參賽車中最老的一輛。在好一陣喧鬧的爆炸聲之后，比賽開始了。很多汽車在途中就拋了錨，而有些駕駛員花在汽車底下的時間比坐在汽車里面的時間還長。然而還是有幾輛汽車跑完了全程。獲勝的那輛車達到了時速40英里--遠遠超過任何對手。它在接近終點時，沖下了山坡，駕駛員費了好大勁才把車停下來。這次比賽使每個人都挺開心。它雖然與現(xiàn)代汽車比賽大不相同，但激動人心的程度并不亞于現(xiàn)代化汽車大賽。????
Lesson57 Can I help you, madam? 你要買什么，夫人？
A woman in blue 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.
?一位穿著牛仔褲的婦女站在一家高檔商店的櫥窗前。她雖然猶豫了片刻，但終于還是走進了商店，要求把陳列在櫥窗里的一件衣服拿給她看。接待她的售貨員不喜歡她的那副打扮，輕蔑地看了她一眼后，便告訴她那件衣服已經賣出去了。這位婦女怒氣沖沖地走出了商店，決定第二天教訓一下那個售貨員。第二天上午，她又來到這家商店，穿了一件裘皮大衣，一只手拎著一只手提包，另一只手拿著一把長柄傘。找到那個無禮的售貨員后，她還要看昨天的那件衣服。那個售貨員沒有認出她是誰，這一回接待她的態(tài)度非常殷勤。費了好大勁兒，他爬進櫥窗去取那件衣服。這位婦女對那件衣服只看一眼，就說不喜歡。她開心地迫使那位售貨員把櫥窗里幾乎所有的東西都拿了出來，最后才買下了她最先要看的那一件。??????
Lesson58 A blessing in disguise? 是因禍得福嗎？
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 a 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!
?據(jù)說弗林利這個小村里有一棵“該詛咒的樹”。就因為報上提到過這棵樹，所以現(xiàn)在來弗林利參觀的人越來越多。該樹是50年前栽在教堂附近的，但只是近幾年才得到了一個壞名聲。據(jù)說，誰要是觸摸了這棵樹，誰就會交上惡運；如果誰摘了一片樹葉，誰就會死去。很多村民相信此樹已經害了不少人。人們曾請求教區(qū)的牧師叫人把樹砍掉，但他直到現(xiàn)在也沒有同意。他指出，由于人們從全國各地紛紛前來參觀這棵樹，它成了一個有用的財源。盡管有上述種種說法，但游客們還是照常摘樹葉和把他們的名字刻在樹干上。然而到目前為止，還沒有一個人暴死呢！
Lesson59 In or out ？ 進來還是出去？
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 neighbours 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.
?我家的狗雷克斯，過去常坐在大門外面叫。每當它想到花園里來時，便汪汪叫個不停，直到有人把門打開。由于鄰居們對狗叫很有意見，所以我丈夫花了幾個星期的時間訓練它用腳爪按住門閂把自己放進來。雷克斯很快成了開門的專家。然而上星期我正要出去買東西時，發(fā)現(xiàn)它正呆在花園里邊靠門的地方。這次它叫著讓人把它放出去！從那以后，它養(yǎng)成了另外一種壞習慣。它從外面把門一打開，就走進花園，等著門自動關上。這之后他就坐下汪汪叫起來，直到有人來把它放出去。出去之后，它又馬上把自己放進來，接著再開始叫。昨天，我丈夫把門卸了下來，雷克斯很生氣，此后我們便再也沒有見到它。?????
Lesson60 The future 卜算未來
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.
?在一個鄉(xiāng)村集市上，我決定去拜訪一位稱作別林斯夫人的算命人。我走進她的帳篷，她叫我坐下。我給了她一些錢后，她便查看著一個水晶球說道：“您的一個親戚就要來看您了。她將于今天傍晚到達，并準備住上幾天。您一走出這個帳篷，就會大吃一驚。一位您很熟悉的女人將向您沖來。她會對您說點什么，然后帶您離開這個地方。就是這些?！?/p>
??? 我一走出帳篷，就把別林斯基夫人給算卦的事忘得一干二凈了，因為我的妻子正匆匆向我跑來?！澳愣愕侥膬喝チ?？”她不耐煩地問，“再有不到一個小時你姐姐就要到這兒了，我們得去車站接她?，F(xiàn)在就已經晚了?！碑斔唛_時，我也跟著她出了集市。
Lesson61 Trouble with the Hubble 哈勃望遠鏡的困境
In future, astronauts will be required to descend from a spaceship while it is still in space and to return to it. The ability to do this will be necessary in future flights to distant planets. Scientists are now trying to discover if this is possible. The spaceship Astra which left the earth a short time ago, will be travelling three hundred miles into space. At a certain point, the Astra will stop for a short time and an astronaut will attempt to leave the stationary spaceship and then return to it. We shall not know whether the experiment has been successful until we have received a radio message. The first message is expected to arrive at 7 o'clock this evening. By that time, the Astra will have been flying through space for seventeen hours and will have circled the earth a great many times. When the first radio messages have been received, the results of the trip will be announced immediately.
?哈勃望遠鏡于1990年4月20日由國家航空航天局發(fā)射升空，耗資10多億美元。從最開始哈勃望遠鏡就有問題。它傳送給我們的圖像很令人失望，因為它的主要鏡子有誤差。國家航天局準備糾正這一錯誤，為此將把4名宇航員送入太空修復望遠鏡?！皧^進”號航天飛機將把宇航員送上哈勃。當宇航員進行必要的修復工作時，“奮進”號上的一只機器手將抓住望遠鏡并托住它。當然，哈勃位于地球的大氣層之外，因此，它很快就會給我們傳送我們所見到過的、有關行星和遠距離星系的最清晰的照片。哈勃將告訴我們有關宇宙的年齡和大小的許多事情。等到你讀到這篇文章時，敏銳的哈勃望遠鏡已經為我們送來了成千上萬張精彩的照片。
Lesson62 After 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 aeroplanes. 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.
?消防隊員們同那場森林大火搏斗了將近3個星期才最后把火勢控制住。就在不久之前，參天大樹還覆蓋著方圓數(shù)英里的土地。而現(xiàn)在，發(fā)熱的地面上仍然升騰著煙霧，彌漫在荒涼的山丘上。冬季即將來臨，這些山丘對周圍的村莊具有毀滅性的威脅，因為大雨不僅會沖走土壤，而且還會引起嚴重的水災。在大火最后被撲滅后，森林管理當局訂購了好幾噸一種生長迅速的特殊類型的草籽。飛機把這種草籽大量地撒播在地上。飛機撒播近一個月后，開始下起雨來。然而到那時，很多地方的草已經生了根。一片片的綠草開始出現(xiàn)在這片燒焦的土地上，代替了多少世紀以來一直生長在那里的參天大樹。????
Lesson63 She was not amused 她并不覺得好笑
Geoffrey Hampden has a large circle of friends and is very popular at parties. Everybody admires him for his fine sense of humor--everybody, that is, except his six-year-old daughter, Jenny. Recently, one of Geoffrey's closest friends asked him to make a speech at a wedding reception. This is the sort of thing that Geoffrey 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. Geoffrey 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. Geoffrey 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.漢普登交際甚廣，是各種聚會上深受大家歡迎的人。人人都欽佩他那絕妙的幽默感 -- 人人，就是說，除他6歲的女兒珍妮之外的每一個人。最近，杰里米的一個最親密的朋友請他在一個婚禮上祝詞。這正是杰里米喜歡做的事情。他認真準備了講稿，帶著珍妮一道去參加了婚禮。他的祝詞里面加進了大量逗人的故事，自然大獲成功。他剛一講完，珍妮就對他說她要回家。這不免使杰里米有點掃興，但他還是按照女兒的要求做了。在回家的路上，他問珍妮是否喜歡他的祝詞。使他吃驚的是，她說她不喜歡。杰里米問他為何不喜歡，她說她不愿意看到那么多的人嘲笑他！????
Lesson64 The Channel Tunnel 海峽隧道
In l858, a French engineer, Aime Thome de Gamond, arrived in England with a plan for a twenty-one mile tunnel across 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. Recently, there has again been great interest in the idea of a Channel Tunnel. If it is built, it will connect Britain to Europe for the first time in history.
?1858年，一位名叫埃梅.托梅.德.干蒙的法國工程師帶著建造一條長21英里、穿越英吉利海陜的隧道計劃到了英國。他說，可以在隧道中央建造一座平臺，這座平臺將用作碼頭和火車站。如果再建些伸出海面的高大的煙囪狀通風管，隧道就具備了良好的通風條件。1860年，一位名叫威廉.洛的英國人提出了一項更好的計劃。他提議建一條雙軌隧道，這樣就解決了通風問題。因為如果有列火車開進隧道，它就把新鮮空氣隨之抽進了隧道。42年以后，隧道實際已經開始建了。如果不是因為那時英國人害怕入侵，隧道早已建成了。世界不得不再等將近100年才看到海峽隧道竣工。它于1994年3月7日正式開通，將英國與歐洲大陸連到了一起。?
Lesson65 Jumbo versus the police 小象對警察
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.'
?去年圣誕節(jié)，馬戲團老板吉米.蓋茨決定送些禮物給兒童醫(yī)院。他打扮成圣誕老人，在由6個漂亮姑娘組成的“儀仗隊”的陪同下，騎上一頭名叫江伯的小象，沿著城里的主要街道出發(fā)了。他本該知道警察絕不會允許這類事情發(fā)生。一個警察走過來告訴吉米，他應該走一條小路，因為江泊阻礙了交通。雖然吉米同意馬上就走，但江伯卻拒絕移動。15個警察不得不用很大的力氣把它推離主要街道。警察雖然吃了苦頭，但他們還是感到很有趣?！敖欢ㄓ泻脦讎嵵?，”一個警察事后這樣說，“值得慶幸的是它沒讓我們抬它走。當然，我們應該逮捕它，但由于它一貫表現(xiàn)很好，這次我們饒了它。”?????
Lesson66 Sweet as honey! 像蜜一樣甜！
The Hatheld Puffin is a modern aero-plane, but its designer, Mr John Wimpenny, is finding it difficult to get it off the ground. The reason for this is that this plane is also a bicycle. Its pilot has to pedal hard to get it into the air. After Mr Wimpenny had the plane built, it was tested thoroughly. In 1961, it was the first man-powered aircraft to fly half a mile. While being flown by a champion amateur cyclist in 1963, the plane crashed on an airfield. Since then, Mr Wimpenny has had it rebuilt. He has had the length of the wings increased so that they now measure 93 feet--almost as long as those of a Dakota. Many people have shown interest in this new and unusual sport. But though air cyclists may learn how to fly over short distances, and may, eventually, even get across the English Channel, it is doubtful whether they will ever cycle across the Atlantic.
?1963年，一架蘭開斯特轟炸機在瓦立斯島毀。那是南太洋中一個很偏僻的小島，位于薩摩亞群島以西，距離群島還有很長一段距離。飛機損壞的程度并不嚴重，但是，多年來這起飛機失事已被遺忘，飛機殘骸也沒受到破壞。于是，到了1989年，飛機失事26年后，在對小島的一次航空勘查中那架飛機被意外地發(fā)現(xiàn)了。到了那個時候，狀況良好的蘭開斯特轟炸機實屬罕見，值得搶救。法國政府讓人把飛機包裝起來，一部分一部分地搬回法國。一群熱心人計劃修復這架飛機。該飛機裝裝配有4臺羅爾斯-羅伊斯的默林發(fā)動機，但是他們只需要修復其中的3臺。想一想他們所感受到的驚奇和興奮 —— 當他們拆開包裝箱時，他們發(fā)現(xiàn)第4臺發(fā)動機就像蜂蜜一樣甜 —— 發(fā)動機完好無損。一群蜜蜂把發(fā)動機當作了蜂房，發(fā)動機在蜂蠟中被完整地保存了下來。?
Lesson67 Volcanoes 火山
Haroun Tazieff the Polish scientist, has spent his life-time 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.
?波蘭科學家哈羅恩.塔捷耶夫花了畢生的精力來研究世界各地的活火山和探洞。1948年他去了剛果的基伍湖，對一座后來被他命名為基圖羅的新火山進行觀察。當火山正在猛烈地噴發(fā)時，塔捷耶夫有辦法把帳篷搭在離它非常近的地方。盡管他設法拍了一些十分精彩的照片，但他卻不能在火山附近停留太長的時間。他發(fā)現(xiàn)有一股巖漿正向他流過來，眼看就要將他團團圍住，但塔捷耶夫還是設法及時逃離了。他等到火山平靜下來，兩天以后又返回去。這次他設法爬進了基圖羅火山口，以便能拍攝照片和測試溫度。塔捷耶夫經常冒這樣的生命危險。他能告訴我們的有關活火山的情況比任何在世的人都要多。????
Lesson68 Persistent 糾纏不休
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 Bert 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.
'Hullo, Bert,' I said. 'Fancy meeting you here !'
'Hullo, Elizabeth,' Bert 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 !'
?我穿過馬路以便避開他，但他看到我并朝我跑過來。若再裝作沒看見他已是沒有用了，我只好向他招手。我就怕遇到奈杰爾.戴克斯。他從來都是無事可做，不管你多忙，他總是堅持要跟你去。我得想辦法不讓他整個上午纏著我。
??? “你好，奈杰爾，想不到在這兒見到你?！蔽艺f。
??? “你好，伊麗莎白，”奈杰爾回答說，“我正不知道怎么消磨這一上午呢，正好見到好。你不忙，是嗎？”
??? “不，不忙，我打算去......”我回答。
??? “我跟你一道去行嗎？”沒等我說完話他就問道。
??? “沒關系，但我準備去牙醫(yī)那里?！蔽艺f了個謊。
“那我也跟你去，候診室里總有很多東西可供閱讀！”他回答。?
lesson69 But not murder! 并非謀殺！
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, I want the car to be stopped immediately.' 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 hard 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 !'
?我第3次接受駕駛執(zhí)照考試。按照要求在車輛擁擠的路上駕駛，我圓滿地完成了。在接到把車開出城的指令后，我開始有了信心。確信我已通過考試，所以我?guī)缀蹰_始喜歡起這次考試。主考人對我的駕駛想必是滿意的，因為他微笑著說：“埃姆斯先生，只剩1項了。讓我們假設一個小孩子突然在你前面穿過馬路。我一敲車窗，你必須把車停在5英尺之內?！蔽依^續(xù)往前開著。過了一會兒，主考人砰砰地敲了起來。雖然聲音聽得很清楚，但我過了好一會兒才作出反應。我突然用力踩緊剎車踏板，結果我倆的身體都向前沖去。主考人傷心地看著我?！鞍Ｄ匪瓜壬?，”他以悲傷的聲調說，“你剛剛把那個小孩壓死了！”????
lesson70? Red for danger 危險的紅色
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.
?在一次斗牛時，一個醉漢突然溜達到斗牛場中間，人們開始大叫起來，但醉漢卻沒有意識到危險。當時那公牛正忙于對付斗牛士，但突然它看見了醉漢，只見他正大聲說著粗魯?shù)脑挘掷飺]動著一頂紅帽子。對挑釁顯然非常敏感的公牛完全撇開斗牛士，直奔醉漢而來。觀眾突然靜了下來，可這醉漢像是很有把握似的。當公牛逼近他時，他踉蹌地住旁邊一閃，牛撲空了。觀眾歡呼起來，醉漢向人們鞠躬致謝。然而，此時已有3個人進入斗牛場，迅速把醉漢拉到安全的地方。好像連牛也在為他感到遺憾，因為它一直同情地看著醉漢，直到他的背影消逝，才重新將注意力轉向斗牛士。
