Lesson 21
Mad or not?
是不是瘋了
First listen and then answer the question.
聽錄音,然后回答以下問題.
Why do people think the writer is mad?

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.
New words and expressions 生詞和短語
madadj.發(fā)瘋
reasonn. 原因
sumn. 量
determinedadj. 堅定的,下決心的
參考譯文
飛機正在逐漸把我逼瘋.我住在一個機場附近,過往飛機日夜不絕于耳.機場是許多年前建的,但由于某種原因當時未能啟用.然而去年機場開始使用了.有100多人肯定是被噪音逼得已經(jīng)棄家遠去,我是少數(shù)留下來的人中的一個.有時我覺得這房子就要被一架飛過的飛機撞倒.他們曾向我提供一大筆錢讓我搬走,但我決定留在這兒.大家都說我肯定是瘋了,也許他們說的是對的.
Lesson 22
A glass envelope
玻璃信封
First listen and then answer the question.
聽錄音,然后回答以下問題.
How did Jane receive a letter from a stranger?
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.
New words and expressions 生詞和短語
dreamv. 做夢,夢想
agen. 年齡
channeln. 海峽
throwv. 扔,拋
參考譯文
我的女兒簡從未想過會接到荷蘭一位同齡姑娘的來信.去年,當我們橫渡英吉利海峽時,簡把寫有她姓名和住址的一張紙條裝進了一只瓶子,又將瓶子扔進了大海.此后她就再沒去想那只瓶子.但10個月以后,她收到了荷蘭一位姑娘的來信.現(xiàn)在這兩位姑娘定期通信了.然而她們還是決定利用郵局.這樣會稍微多花點錢,但肯定是快得多了.
Lesson 23
A new house
新居
First listen and then answer the question.
聽錄音,然后回答以下問題.
Why is the new house special?
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.
New words and expressions 生詞和短語
completev. 完成
modernadj. 新式的,與以往不同的
strangeadj. 奇怪的
districtn. 地區(qū)
參考譯文
昨天我收到了姐姐的一封信,她住在尼日利亞.在信中她說她明年將到英國來.如果她來了,她會感到非常驚奇了.我們現(xiàn)在住在鄉(xiāng)間的一棟漂亮的新住宅里.這棟房子在我姐姐離開之前就已動工了,是在5個月以前竣工的.我在信中告訴她,她可以和我們住在一起.這棟房子里有許多房間,還有一個漂亮的花園.它是一棟非常現(xiàn)代化的住宅,因此在有些人看來很古怪.它肯定是這個地區(qū)唯一的一棟現(xiàn)代化住宅.
Lesson 24
If could be worse
不幸中之萬幸
First listen and then answer the question.
聽錄音,然后回答以下問題.
Had the writer's money been stolen?
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!'
New words and expressions 生詞和短語
managern. 經(jīng)理
upsetadj. 不安
sympatheticadj. 表示同情的
complainv. 抱怨
wickedadj. 很壞的,邪惡的
containv. 包含,內(nèi)裝
honestyn. 誠實
參考譯文
我走進飯店經(jīng)理的辦公室,坐了下來.我剛剛丟了50英鎊,感到非常煩惱.“我把錢放在房間里,”我說,“可現(xiàn)在沒有了.”經(jīng)理深表同情,但卻無能為力.“現(xiàn)在大家都在丟錢,”他說.他開始抱怨起這個邪惡的世道來,卻被一陣敲門聲打斷了.一個姑娘走了進來,把一個信封放在了他桌上.它里面裝著50英鎊.“這是我在這位先生的房門外撿到的,”她說.“是啊,”我對那位經(jīng)理說,“這世界上還是有誠實可言的!”

Lesson 25
Do the English speak English?
英國人講的是英語嗎?
First listen and then answer the question.
聽錄音,然后回答以下問題.
Why does the writer not understand the porter?
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?
New words and expressions 生詞和短語
railwayn. 鐵路
portern. 搬運工
severalquantifier 幾個
foreignern. 外國人
wonderv. 感到奇怪
參考譯文
我終于到了倫敦.火車站很大,又黑又暗.我不知道去飯店的路該怎么走,于是向一個搬運工打聽.我的英語講得不但非常認真,而且咬字也非常清楚.然而搬運工卻不明白我的話.我把問話重復(fù)了很多遍.他終于聽懂了.他回答了,但他講得既不慢也不清楚.“我是個外國人,”我說.于是他說得慢了,可我還是聽不懂.我的老師從來不那樣講英語!我和搬運工相視一笑.接著,他說了點什么,這回我聽懂了.“您會很快學(xué)會英語的!”他說.我感到奇怪.在英國,人們各自說著一種不同的語言.英國人之間相互聽得懂,可我卻不懂他們的話!他們說的是英語嗎?

Lesson 26
The best art critics
最佳藝術(shù)評論家
First listen and then answer the question.
聽錄音,然后回答以下問題.
Who is the student's best critic?
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!
New words and expressions 生詞和短語
artn. 藝術(shù)
criticn. 評論家
paintv. 畫
pretendv. 假裝
patternn. 圖案
curtainn. 窗簾,幕布
materialn. 材料
appreciatev. 鑒賞
noticev. 注意到
whetherconj. 是否
hangv. 懸掛,吊
criticallyadv. 批評地
upside down 上下顛倒地
參考譯文
我是個學(xué)藝術(shù)的學(xué)生,畫了很多畫.有很多人裝成很懂現(xiàn)代藝術(shù)的樣子,總是告訴你一幅畫的“意思”是什么.當然,有很多畫是什么“意思”也沒有的.它們就是些好看的圖案,我們喜愛它們就像我們喜歡漂亮的窗簾布一樣.我覺得小孩子們往往比任何人都更能欣賞現(xiàn)代繪畫,他們觀察到的東西更多.我的妹妹只有7歲,但她總能說出我的畫是好還是壞.昨天她到我房里來了.

Lesson 27
A wet night
雨夜
First listen and then answer the question.
聽錄音,然后回答以下問題.
What happened to the boys in the 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!
New words and expressions 生詞和短語
tentn. 帳篷
fieldn. 田地,田野
smellv. 聞起來
wonderfuladj. 極好的
campfiren. 營火,篝火
creepv. 爬行
sleeping bag睡袋
comfortableadj. 舒適的,安逸的
soundlyadv. 香甜地
leapv. 跳躍,跳起
heavilyadv. 大量地
streamn. 小溪
formv. 形成
windv. 蜿蜒
rightadv. 正好
參考譯文

傍晚時分,孩子們在田野中央搭起了帳篷.這件事剛剛做完,他們就在篝火上燒起了飯.他們?nèi)拣I了,飯菜散發(fā)出陣陣香味.他們美美地吃了一頓飯后,就圍在營火旁講起了故事,唱起了歌.但過了一陣子.天下起雨來,于是他們撲滅了篝火,鉆進了帳篷.睡袋既暖和又舒服,所以,他們都睡得很香.午夜前后,有兩個孩子醒了,大聲叫了起來.原來帳篷里到處都是水!他們?nèi)继鏊?跑到外面.雨下得很大,他們發(fā)現(xiàn)地上已經(jīng)形成了一條小溪.那小溪彎彎曲曲穿過田野,然后正好從他們的帳篷底下流過去.

Lesson 28
No parking
禁止停車
First listen and then answer the question.
聽錄音,然后回答以下問題.
What is Jasper White's problem?
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!
New words and expressions 生詞和短語
rareadj. 罕見的
ancientadj. 古代的,古老的
mythn. 神話故事
troublen. 麻煩
effectn. 結(jié)果,效果
Medusan. 美杜莎（古希臘神話中3位蛇發(fā)女怪這一）
Gorgonn. （古希臘神話中的）3位蛇發(fā)女怪這一（凡見其貌者都會變成石頭）
參考譯文
賈斯珀.懷特是少有的相信古代神話的人之一.他剛在城里買下一所新房子,但自從搬進去后,就和汽車及車主們發(fā)生了磨擦.當他夜里回到家時,總是發(fā)現(xiàn)有人把車停在他家大門外.為此,他甚至一次也沒能把自己的車開進車庫.賈斯珀曾把幾塊“禁止停車”的牌子掛在大門外邊,但沒有任何效果.現(xiàn)在他把一個丑陋的石雕頭像放在了大門上邊,這是我見過的最丑陋的頭像之一.我問他那是什么?他告訴我那是蛇發(fā)女怪美杜莎.賈斯珀希望她把汽車和車主們都變成石頭.但到目前為止還沒有一個變成石頭呢!
Lesson 29
Taxi!
出租汽車
First listen and then answer the question.
聽錄音,然后回答以下問題.
Does Captain Fawcett think any trip is too dangerous?
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.
New words and expressions 生詞和短語
taxin.
Pilatus Porter
landv.
ploughv.
lonelyadj.
Welshadj.
roofn.
blockn.
flatn.
desertv.
參考譯文
本.弗西特機長買了一輛不同尋常的出租汽車,并開始了一項新的業(yè)務(wù).這輛“出租汽車”是一架小型瑞士飛機,叫“皮勒特斯.波特“號.這架奇妙的飛機可以載7名乘客.然而,最令人驚奇的是它能夠在任何地方降落：雪地上,水面上,甚至剛耕過的田里.弗西特機長的第一名乘客是位醫(yī)生,他從伯明翰飛往威爾士山區(qū)一個偏僻的村莊.從那時開始,弗西特機長已經(jīng)載送乘客到過許多不尋常的地方.一次,他把飛機降落在了一棟公寓樓的屋頂上；還有一次,降落在了一個廢棄的停車場上.弗西特機長剛剛拒絕了一位商人的奇怪要求.這個人想要飛往大西洋上的一個孤島 -- 羅卡爾島,弗西特機長之所以不送他去,是因為那段飛行太危險了.
Lesson 30
Football or polo?
足球還是水球?
First listen and then answer the question.
聽錄音,然后回答以下問題.
What happened to the man in the boat?

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.
New words and expressions 生詞和短語
polon. 水球
Waylen. 威爾（河名）
cutv. 穿過
rowv. 劃（船）
kickv. 踢
towardsprep. 朝,向
nearlyadv. 幾乎
sightn. 眼界,視域
參考譯文
威爾河是橫穿過我家附近公園的一條小河.我喜歡在天氣晴朗的下午到河邊坐坐.上星期日天氣很暖和.于是我和往常一樣,又去河邊坐著.河岸上有些孩子正在玩耍,河面上有些人正在劃船.突然,一個孩子狠狠地踢了一腳球,球便向著一只劃過來的小船飛去.岸上的一些人對著小船上的人高喊,但他沒有聽見.球重重地打在他身上,使他差點兒落入水中.我轉(zhuǎn)過頭去看那些孩子,但一個也不見,全都跑了!當那個人明白了發(fā)生的事情時,笑了起來.他大聲叫著那些孩子,把球扔回到岸上.
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