新概念3 課後練習的作文答案
新概念3 課後練習的作文答案
Lesson1 A puma at large
作文：
Mrs. Stone had spent the whole morning picking blackberries in the countryside near her home. It was nearly lunch time, so she decided to return for lunch. She was just picking up her basket when she heard a noise in the bushes. Then she saw an animal which looked like a cat. She knew it was not a cat because it was so large. The animal suddenly turned round to look at her and she thought it was going to come towards her and perhaps attack her. She dropped her basket and screamed loudly. Hearing the sound, the animal disappeared into the bushes, after which Mrs. Stone picked up her basket and ran all the way home.She told her neighbours that she had seen a puma in the countryside, but they did not believe her. She also telephoned the police but they didn"t believe her either. (148 words)
Lesson 2 Thirteen equals one
摘要：
At one o"clock in the morning, the church clock striking the hours woke the vicar up as it struck thirteen times. The vicar went into the clock tower, taking a torch with him. He saw Bill Wilkins, the local grocer there and Bill explained he was trying to repair the clock but hadn"t succeeded because at one o"clock it struck thirteen times. However, the vicar was pleased the bell was working and offered the grocer a cap of tea. (79 words)
作文：
A sticky business
We were used to hearing our church bell striking the hours in our small village. For as long as anyone could remember, the bell had struck the hours day and night. However, one night the church bell remained silent and the next morning we saw that the clock had stopped at exactly one a.m. Our clock was clearly damaged, but no one could explain how this had happened. Armed with a torch, our vicar climbed into the church tower to see what was going on. He heard a loud buzz as he went towards the clock and in the torchlight he found it had been invaded by bees. He was lucky they didn"t sting him! He shone his torch into the great bell and saw that it was full of wax and honey. No wonder it wasn"t working! A bee keeper was called in to deal with the situation. He immediately removed the queen bee to one of his bee hives and the other bees followed. The clock was cleaned and was soon working again. We not only enjoyed hearing it strike the hours day and night, but we enjoyed eating the honey as well. (195 words)
Lesson3 An unknown goddess
摘要：
Archaeologists found clay fragments in an ancient temple. These represented the fifteen statues of goddesses which had once been painted. The body of one statue was found among remains from the fifteenth century B.C. while its head was found among remains from the fifth century B.C. When the Unit 1 Lesson 3 fragments were reconstructed, they turned out to be a goddess which stood three feet high. Her hands rested on her hips and she was wearing a full-length skirt. Her identity is unknown. (80 words)
作文：
After walking round the ancient city, the archaeologists discovered an ancient temple. This temple had obviously been a place of worship because it contained a sacred room. On entering the sacred room, the archaeologists found the clay fragments of fifteen statues, each of which was a goddess which had once been painted. After this, workmen began digging and soon discovered the head of a statue among remains dating from the fifth century B.C. They also found the body of this statue among remains from the fifteenth century B.C. The archaeologists carefully put the fragments together. They were astonished to find that the figure was a goddess. The goddess was a modern-looking woman. She had her hands on her hips and she was wearing a full-length skirt. Although the archaeologists tried very hard to identify her, they were unable to find out her name. (143 words)
Letter 4 The double life of Alfred Bloggs
摘要：
When he got married, Alfred Bloggs told his wife he worked for the Corporation. Though he dressed in a smart black suit every morning, he changed into overalls at work and spent the day working as a dustman. Then he took a shower and changed back into his suit at night. This lasted for two years and his fellow dustmen kept his secret. His wife will never learn the truth because her husband will be an office worker in future. (80 words )
作文;
Nearly caught
One morning Alf and three other dustmen were collecting rubbish in
Though Alf didn"t know it, his wife was visiting Mrs. Frost at the time. She and Mrs. Frost were old friends, though Mrs. Frost had never met Alf. Alf was just getting out of the dustcart to go into Mrs. Frost"s backyard when he saw his wife leaving Mrs. Frost"s house. He quickly returned to the dustcart and hid in the driving cabin. While he was hiding, his fellow dustmen helped him by collecting Mrs. Frost"s rubbish. Meanwhile, Alf"s wife and Mrs. Frost talked on the doorstep. It looked as though their conversation would never end!
At last Mrs. Bloggs said goodbye to Mrs. Frost. She waved to one of the dustmen whom she recognized and she went towards the dustcart to greet him. The dustman waved back and gave her a big smile as the dustcart disappear down the street. Then she began to walk home. 『It"s all right, Alf,』 his friend said. 『She can"t see you now.』
『Thanks, Jim,』 Alf said. 『That was a lucky escape!』 (200 words )
lesson5 The facts
摘要：
Though the journalist immediately set out to get the facts after receiving instructions from his editor, he did not send them at once. Meanwhile, the editor was getting impatient, so he sent three faxes, finally threatening to fire the journalist. When the last fax was unanswered, the article was published in its original form. The journalist sent the editor a fax a week later explaining he had been imprisoned after counting the steps and measuring the height of the wall. (80 words)
作文：
The journalist counted the number of steps as he wearily climbed up to the high wall surrounding the president"s palace. On arriving at the main gate, he sat down to get his breath back. He then produced a tape measure in order to measure the wall. While he was busy measuring the wall, a policeman approached him and asked him what he was doing.
Though the journalist explained he was a reporter and his editor had asked him to find out the exact height of the wall, the policeman refused to believe him. He was arrested and sent to prison because the police thought that he might be a spy or might even want to assassinate the president. When the journalist insisted he was innocent, he made things worse for himself. This proved to the police that the man certainly was guilty and deserved to stay in prison indefinitely. (149 words)
Lesson6 Smash-and-grab
摘要：
A large car entered an arcade near Piccadilly and stopped outside a jeweller"s. Two thieves got out and smashed the shop window. The owner of the shop was upstairs at the time, so he threw furniture at thethieves hitting one of them with a heavy statue. The raid lasted only three minutes and the thieves drove away. Running after them, the owner threw ashtrays and vases, but the thieves got away, stealing thousands of pounds worth of diamonds. (79 words)
作文;
They got away
Seeing the thieves" car join the traffic on Piccadilly, Mr. Taylor took a taxi and followed them. The taxi driver drove at full speed when Mr. Taylor told him what had happened.
There wasn"t too much traffic at this time of the morning so there was a mad chase through the streets of
However, the police informed another police car of the chase and ten minutes later the thieves" car was found abandoned in a side street. The thieves had escaped on foot and disappeared among the crowd. (200 words)
Lesson7 Mutilated ladies
摘要;
John Butlin runs a successful furniture business and after a very good day, he put his wallet containing ￡ 3,000 into the microwave oven for safekeeping. Then he and his fianc6e, Jane, went horse-riding, after which Jane cooked their dinner in the microwave oven only to find to their dismay that the money had been destroyed. John went to see his bank manager who sent the remains to the Mutilated Ladies department who identified the remains and returned the money. (79 words)
作文：
Jane opened the oven door and saw that her meal was ready to serve. She took the food out of the oven and in doing so, noticed something strange inside the oven which she couldn"t recognize. So she went to find John and told him about it. In dismay, John quickly explained that he had put his wallet containing the day"s takings into the oven for safekeeping. They both rushed to the oven and saw that the money had been destroyed At first, they didn"t know what to do. John wanted to throw the money away, but Jane wouldn"t let him. 『It"s best not to disturb the wallet,』 Jane said. 『You can see all the money is there, even if it has been destroyed 』Jane told John to go and see his bank manager for advice, so the next day John took the wallet and the ashes to the bank (150 words)
Lesson8 A famous monastery
摘要：
The St. Bernard"s Pass is visited by thousands of people in summer, who cross the Pass in cars. Because there are so many people about, the dogs are kept in a special enclosure. As the temperature in winter falls to -30°, there are few visitors, so the monks prefer this season. The dogs are also free to wander outside their enclosure. Parties of young skiers regularly visit the monastery in winter, during Christmas and Easter when they are warmly welcomed. (80 words)
作文：
Rescue
One very cold morning, a monk took two St. Bernard"s dogs out for exercise. He immediately noticed that the dogs were very restless. Suspecting a traveller might be in difficulty, the monk returned to the monastery to organize a search party.
The two dogs led four monks through the snow. Two of the monks pulled a sledge behind them, in case they needed it. There had been very high winds the previous night, but now everything was still and visibility was bad because there was a heavy fog. Moreover, the temperature had fallen to -20°.The dogs led the monks towards the Pass and as the monks got near, they heard cries in the distance. The dogs soon found a man who was trapped under the snow and immediately dragged him out. The man was alive, and took him back to the monastery.
The man was unconscious, but he soon recovered in the warm atmosphere of the monastery where he was given plenty of hot drinks and food. When the traveller was able to speak, the monks listened with interest as he told them what had happened the previous night. (200 words)
Lesson9 Flying cats
摘要：
The
作文：
Human beings like to keep dogs and cats. Dogs are submissive and faithful to their masters, but cats like to be independent. Cats are especially lovable when they are still kittens. As kittens they like to play by chasing anything that moves. That"s how they learn to hunt mice, birds, insects and other small creatures. A lot of people keep cats so they can have a pet . As kittens grow into cats, they like to stay indoors. They like regular meals and enjoy sleeping in front of a nice fire. However, they also like going out. During the day time and at night they like to go hunting. Sometimes during the night they have fights with other cats. Cats are very clean animals. You often see them washing themselves. Human beings are fascinated by their behaviour because cats are domestic animals, while at the same time they enjoy their independence. (150 words)
Lesson10 The loss of the Titanic
摘要：The Titanic was sailing across the icy waters of the North Atlantic when an iceberg was spotted by a lookout. After the alarm was given, the ship turned sharply and sailed alongside it. Suddenly, a faint noise was heard from below, so the captain went down to investigate, only to find that five of the sixteen compartments had been flooded. On hearing the order to abandon ship, people jumped overboard, but 1,500 drowned because there were not enough lifeboats. (79 words)
作文;
Abandon snip
The Titanic began to sink, slowly at first. The order to abandon ship was unexpected, so passengers and crew were completely unprepared. It was the middle of the night. Some people were asleep in their cabins. Others were on deck admiring the brilliant night sky and the giant icebergs rising above them. Others were eating and dancing in the wonderful ballrooms on the ship.
The immediate effect was panic and confusion. People began rushing in all directions, wondering what to do next. The cold was indescribable and many passengers were still in their night clothes. Members of the crew came up from below and began to lower the lifeboats. It was a case of women and children first, but it soon became obvious that there weren"t enough lifeboats for everyone, so people jumped overboard into the freezing water in order to save their lives. Some of those swimming in the water struggled to get into the lifeboats, but most of them were already full.
The Titanic sank rapidly, carrying many people down with it. There were cries of despair from people in the water as they watched the lifeboats moving away and were left to drown in the (200 words)
Lesson11 Not guilty
摘要：
Though the writer had nothing to declare, the Customs Officer made him unlock his case. Searching the case carefully, the Officer found a small bottle, which he thought was perfume.
The writer told the Customs Officer that it was hair gel, which he had made himself. As the Officer did not believe this, the writer encouraged him to try it. The unpleasant smell convinced him the writer was telling the truth, so he let him pass through Customs. (79 words)
作文;
When the Customs Officer asked the traveller if he was carrying anything valuable, the man said that he had nothing to declare. The Officer asked the man to open his suitcase. Although the case contained only a suit and some dirty clothes, it was very heavy. This made the Customs Officer suspicious, so he removed all the clothes from the case. The case was soon empty and when the Officer lifted it, he found that it was still very heavy. The Officer examined the case carefully and saw that the bottom was very shallow. He pressed the base hard and removed the bottom part of the case which contained a quantity of emeralds and other precious stones. While the Officer was looking at an emerald, the man tried to escape. For a moment the man disappeared among the passing holiday travellers, but he was soon caught and placed under arrest. (150 words)
Lesson12 Life on a desert island
摘要：
As the two men"s boat was damaged, they were taking it to
作文：
Shipwrecked
The ship went down and everyone was drowned. I was the only one who managed to jump into the sea. I clung to a plank in the water for several hours till I was washed up on a desert island.
I slept on the beach for a very long time----I can"t remember how long. When I woke up, I was hungry and thirsty, so I decided to explore the island. It was uninhabited, but I found plenty of fruit which had fallen from the trees. I lived on coconuts and pineapples and there was plenty of fresh spring water. I tried to hunt wild animals with my bare hands(small pigs and other creatures), but I failed to catch anything. So I spent my days swimming in the warm clear water and lying in the sun.
One afternoon while I was lying on the beach as usual, I saw a boat on the horizon. I signalled with my white shirt and shouted as loudly as I could. Fortunately ,someone on the boat saw me and I was rescued. Of course, I was pleased to get back to civilization, but I was very sorry to leave this island paradise. (200 words)
Lesson13 「It』s only me」
摘要：
Mrs. Richards had dressed up as a ghost and was just going into the dining room when there was a knock on the door. Thinking it was the baker, she hid in the storeroom under the stairs. She heard footsteps in the hall and then the man from the Electricity Board opened the storeroom door. Though she said 『It"s only me』, he got a bad fright. When she walked towards him, he fled, slamming the front door behind him. (79 words )
作文：
Mrs. Richards immediately went upstairs and took off her costume. She felt sorry for the poor man from the Electricity Board, but at the same time she was rather amused. Suddenly, there was a knock at the front door and Mrs. Richards opened it at once. The electricity man had returned, accompanied by a policeman, so she invited both in. The man told Mrs. Richards that he had tried to read her metre and that there was a ghost in the storeroom. Though Mrs. Richards explained that she had dressed up as a ghost, he refused to believe her. She told him to open the storeroom door, but he was too frightened, so she opened it herself. While the electricity man and the policeman were looking for the ghost in the storeroom, Mrs. Richards fetched her costume. She showed it to both men and only then did they believe her. (150 words)
Lesson14 A noble gangster
摘要：
After Sir John Hawkwood settled near
作文：
Hawkwood defeated :
News that Hawkwood and his men were approaching caused panic among villagers who prepared to defend their farms. Hawkwood had a bad reputation among farmers because they knew he would not hesitate to kill them and to burn their farms.
The farmers fought very hard, even though they were poorly armed. With their sticks and spades, they were no match for Hawkwood"s well-armed soldiers who had horses, swords and bows and arrows. During the battle, a great many farmers were killed. After Hawkwood destroyed their farms, he sent a message to the prince of the city-state demanding a large amount of protection money. He said that if this money was paid, he would go away and cause no more trouble. However, if it wasn"t paid, he would invade the city. To Hawkwood"s amazement, this demand was refused, so he and his men invaded the city. As a result, many buildings were destroyed and thousands of people were killed, including quite a few of Hawkwood"s soldiers.
The city people fought very hard until Hawkwood and his men were finally driven off. Because the city people defended themselves so well, Hawkwood never attacked them again. He and the prince even became friends. (200 words )
Lesson15 Fifty pence worth of trouble
摘要：
George was going to the sweet shop when he lost fifty pence down a drain. After removing his jacket, he put his arm through the drain cover. He couldn"t find his money and couldn"t get his arm out. A crowd of people gathered round him and a lady rubbed his arm with soap and butter. She failed to free him, but two firemen succeeded with a special type of grease. The sweet shop owner presented George with a large box of chocolates. (80 words )
作文：
I was walking along the street when I saw a crowd ahead of me. I could hear people shouting and making a noise. On arriving at the scene, I saw a small boy on the pavement with his arm in a drain cover. A lady carrying a large bar of soap and a saucepan of water knelt down beside the boy. She asked the boy if he was in pain and he said he wasn"t. Then she rubbed his arm with butter, but he couldn"t get it free. Meanwhile, someone had telephoned the fire brigade. The boy had begun to cry, but when he saw the firemen, he cheered up. At first, the firemen decided to cut through the drain cover, but they changed their minds and rubbed the boy"s arm with a special type of grease. The boy was soon free and though his arm hurt, he was smiling. (150 words)
Lesson16 Mary had a little lamb
摘要;
When Dimitri came home, Mary told him that her white lamb had been stolen. On learning that his neighbour, Aleko, had acquired a lamb, Dimitri went to Aleko"s house and accused him of stealing it. When Aleko showed his lamb, Dimitri saw it was black, so he apologized. After staying in Aleko"s house for a while because it had begun to rain, Dimitri got a surprise outside when he found the lamb was almost white. It had been dyed black! (80 words)
作文;
Not so black
Dimitri was surprised to find that the lamb had turned white. He took a close look at it and recognized it as his own. This discovery immediately led to an angry scene between Dimitri and Aleko. Dimitri repeated his accusation that Aleko had stolen the lamb, but Aleko still denied any theft. During the violent argument, Dimitri said the rain had proved that the lamb had been dyed black and he recognized it immediately as the one he had given to his wife. When Aleko finally admitted he had stolen the lamb, Dimitri called the police. Aleko was arrested and Dimitri took his lamb home. The story caused a lot of excitement in the village. The villagers didn"t often have the opportunity to talk about such an important event and they were greatly amused by what had happened. Some thought Aleko had been very clever. Others thought he had been extremely stupid. Others said God had sent the rain to punish Aleko for his crime and to prove he was a thief. They discussed the event at great length for a long time, as there wasn"t much else to talk about in a village where nothing much ever happened. (199 words)
Lesson17 The longest suspension bridge in the world
Summary
The
作文：
The bridge I know best is called the
Lesson18 Electric currents in modern art
摘要：
On entering the art gallery, the writer saw a notice which forbade people to touch the exhibits because they were dangerous. The exhibition consisted of pieces of moving sculpture.Against a wall, the writer saw long thin wires attached to metal spheres which attracted and repelled each other. In the centre of the hall were tall structures containing coloured lights which went on and off.
作文;
An interesting exhibition
Recently I went to the
The pictures were, with a few exceptions, mainly by relatively unknown artists. Many of them were traditional pictures of landscapes and portraits. I particularly liked a picture of an old farmhouse by a stream with a few sheep in a field. The strangest picture I saw was an untitled abstract painting by a well-known modern artist. It consisted of swirls of different colours which had been rubbed into the canvas with the artist"s fingers. The picture looked a mess, but was also very effective, attracting a lot of comment.
I couldn"t help overhearing what people said, things like 『I could paint a picture like that with my eyes shut』 or 『Look how perfect the sunset is in that painting. I"d love to own a picture like that』, and so on. There is no doubt it was an excellent exhibition because there were so many different styles on display. There was something to suit everyone, but only if you could afford the high prices! (200 words)
Lesson19 A very dear cat
摘要：
Mrs. Ramsay received an anonymous letter three days after her cat"s disappearance. The writer of the letter demanded ￡1,000 for the return of the cat, and warned she would never see him again if she went to the police. She had to put the money in a cardboard box and leave it outside her door. After drawing ￡1,000 from her band, she acted on the kidnapper"s instructions. The money disappeared the following morning, and Rastus returned at seven o"clock that evening. (80 words)
作文：
In a bar one night, Mr. X was talking to a workman who told him that he often worked in Mrs. Ramsay"s flat. The workman added that Mrs. Ramsay was wealthy and she lived alone with her cat. Every day, Mr. X stood outside Mrs. Ramsay"s block of flats. As the cat took a short walk every evening, he saw that it had regular habits. He found out as much as he could about Mrs. Ramsay and learnt that she loved this cat very much. One evening, as the cat was leaving the block of flats, he kidnapped it. He took the cat to a secret address. During the next three days, he walked past Mrs. Ramsay"s flat on several occasions and noticed that no other cat ever appeared. Now he was sure he had the right cat, so he wrote a letter in which he stated his demands. (150 words)
Lesson20 Pioneer pilots
摘要;
Bleriot and Latham arrived in
作文：
My flight across the Channel
It was early morning. I looked around, but there was no sign of Latham, so I decided to go on a test flight first.
At 4.15, I took off and flew over
Lesson21 Daniel Mendoza
摘要：
When the two men quarrelled, they settled the argument by a fight. This took place at Stilton. It lasted an hour and Humphries won. When they met again,
The first fight
The first fight between Humphries and his pupil Mendoza, after a quarrel, was held at Stilton and attracted a lot of attention. At the time, Richard Humphries was the most eminent boxer in
The atmosphere before the fight was electric. Half of the people there made bets on Humphries, the other half bet on
The referee called both fighters to the middle of the ring, spoke to them and the fight started. At first, both men were very wary. After all, this was a fight between teacher and pupil, so they knew very well what the other could do ---- and they were fighting with bare fists. Each of the boxers fought well for most of the match, but in the end Humphries was too strong and too experienced for the young
When
Lesson22 By heart
摘要：
The aristocrat was sitting in his cell when the gaoler entered and handed him the letter----a blank sheet of paper. The aristocrat looked at it, squinted and said: 『The light is dim. Read me the letter.』 He handed the letter back to the gaoler, who said: 『The light is indeed dim. I"ll get my glasses.』 He left the stage and returned with a pair of glasses and the real letter, which he read to the prisoner. (79 words) 作文：
Six short weeks
A couple of years ago, a new play called The World Tomorrow was going to be shown in our local theatre. There was a great deal of advertising for it and there was considerable public interest, mainly, I think, because the cast contained a number of famous actors and actresses.
Most actors and actresses are usually nervous on the first night of any play, and no one really knows what can go wrong or how the audience will react. In the case of The World Tomorrow, no one forgot their lines, but the play was not well received. It was a comedy, so it was supposed to be funny, but nobody laughed----not in the right places anyway----and people even walked out before the end. The cast suspected that they would get bad reviews the following day, and they did. One review described it as 『the saddest comedy I"ve ever seen』 ; another thought it was 『the most professionally acted disaster we have ever seen on our local stage』.
In spite of the reviews, however, the play still ran for six weeks. The last performance, on the last Saturday evening, attracted a small audience, and the actors struggled through to the end. At the end of six terrible weeks, however, there was one final moment of relief. When the last line was spoken: 『Our six short weeks have hastened to their end,』 the audience saw the funny side of it and laughed. Even the actors and actresses laughed. (248 words)
Lesson23 One man"s meat is another man"s poison
摘要
The writer collected several dozen snails, put them in a paper bag and took them to Robert who was delighted to see him, and pleased with the snails. The writer left the bag in the hall and he and
Robert went into the living room and talked for a couple of hours. He had forgotten the snails until Robert invited him to dinner, and he followed Robert into the hall to find snails everywhere. They had escaped from the bag. (80 words) 作文：
Snails, snails, snails! The snails had escaped from the paper bag and they were everywhere----on the walls, on the ceiling, on the carpet, and even on the large hall mirror. When we began to look carefully, we found that they were even in coat pockets in the clothes hanging on the clothes hooks in the hall. It was disgusting! Snails move slowly, but it"s amazing how far they can travel in a couple of hours!
It took Robert and me ages to collect them. He fetched a pair of steps for me and ladders for himself, and we collected them in two buckets. There were snail marks everywhere, too, and it took hours to clear up the mess----remember, there were several dozen of them. Snails may not be fast, but we had been talking for a couple of hours, and they can travel. Even now I am sure we didn"t find them all: some are still crawling round Robert"s house.
The ones that we did not find were lucky! Robert was amused, but I wasn"t. He decided to cook the snails and invited me to stay. I said before that I didn"t fancy the idea, so I left him to his meal for one. I just couldn"t look at the snails and have never been able to face them since then. (220 words)
Lesson24 A skeleton in the cupboard
摘要：
The writer started to unpack and put his shirts and underclothes into drawers and then decided to hang a suit in the cupboard. He opened the cupboard and stood petrified: there, dangling in front of him, was a skeleton. It was swaying and ready to leap out at him. He dropped his suit and dashed downstairs to tell George. George was unsympathetic and told the writer it was Sebastian, a skeleton he had when he was a medical student. (79 words)
作文
A weekend with Sebastian
Now that George had explained about the skeleton, I felt better, but I still didn"t want to sleep in the room with a skeleton hanging in the cupboard. I asked George to remove him, but he refused. 『There"s nowhere else to put him,』 said George, 『so he"ll have to stay.』
I couldn"t disagree of course, but the moment I lay down to sleep, I knew it was going to be an uncomfortable night. In the end, I decided that I would take Sebastian somewhere for the night and bring him back up to my room early in the morning. So I took him out of cupboard and walked around the house with him trying to find somewhere to put him.
George"s maid was just going to bed as I walked along the landing. She saw Sebastian apparently walking around, screamed and fainted. She had obviously woken
Imagine my surprise when I picked up one of
Lesson25 The Cutty
摘要：
The Thermopylae reached Java first, but the Cutty Sark took the lead on the
作文：
Ships of the past
Men have always wanted to cross water. Thousands of years ago, men made simple dug-out canoes so that they could cross rivers or go out into lakes to fish. At first, then, man"s earliest boats were small and simple and were powered and steered by paddles or oars.
When men wanted to travel greater distances, across very large lakes or small seas, for example, boats needed to be larger. We have all seen pictures of ancient ships with rows of oars at each side and slaves to row them. In fact these galleys were just a larger version of the single-man rowing boat, still made of wood and very much the same design as very early boats.
Early ships might have been primitive, they might have been made of wood and might have been powered through the water with oars, but they managed to cross oceans. The Viking ships that invaded
But perhaps the greatest development in the history of ships was when steam engines replaced sails. For centuries, ships had depended on the wind to sail across the seas and oceans. At last, with an engine to drive a propeller, seamen did not have to rely totally on the weather. From then on, ships like the 『Great Eastern』 could be larger, safer and more manoeuvrable in the water. (254 words)
Lesson26 Wanted：a large biscuit tin
摘要：
A biscuit company asked its customers to bake biscuits and send them to the factory. As a prize, they offered ＄10 a pound for the biggest biscuit they received. The response was tremendous, with one biscuit weighing 500 pounds and another weighing 713 pounds. They thought that was the winner until a lorry delivered one which weighed 2,400 pounds baked by a college student. A crane lifted it from the lorry and the manufacturers paid the student ＄ 24,000. (80 words) Key to Composition 作文;
The last question
The other evening I listened to a quiz show on the radio which was organised by a firm of soap manufacturers. A member of the audience was invited to answer ten questions to win money. He could take a money prize after each correct answer or go on to a more difficult question. Each new question was worth twice the last question.
The man was very nervous in front of the audience, but he got the first question right. Then he slowly answered all the questions correctly----spelling questions, history questions, general knowledge, mathematics, … The audience was getting very excited as the question master got to question number 9.
『And your ninth question,』 he said, 『is worth ￡1,024. Here it is. Which nineteenth-century sailing ship won a race from
『It was the
『Correct,』 said the question master, and the audience went mad. The question master had to ask them to be quiet.
『And here is your tenth and last question,』 the host said, 『which is worth ￡2,048 exactly. 「Advertisement」 : how do you spell it?』 The man paused and then said: 『I think this is a trick question. I can spell 「advertisement」, but I can also spell 「it」. The answer is 「I-T」.』
『You"re absolutely right,』 the host said, 『and you have won ￡2,048! Congratulations!』 (239 words)
Lesson27 Nothing to sell and nothing to buy
摘要:
Unlike beggars, real tramps have nothing to sell and require nothing from others. Although they seek independence, they will not sacrifice their human dignity. They choose their own way of life and are aware of the consequences. They may not know where the next meal is coming from, but they do not have the worries that others have. They can travel easily because they have few possessions and when they sleep in the open, they are close to nature. (79 words)
作文：
Tramps are parasites
The majority of adults in society contribute to society by working. They work, earn money and pay taxes for the things we all need----hospitals, schools, public transport, the fire brigade, law and order and so on. We don"t expect children or very old people to work and pay taxes. But everyone else should. So why should people like tramps and beggars be different?
Tramps say all they want is their freedom. Well, they may be free, but their freedom is paid for by everyone else in society. There are many unemployed people who simply cannot get a job----but they would work if they could. And many beggars are people who have turned to begging because they cannot find a job. Tramps are not like them. Tramps lead a very selfish way of life and it is a way of life that shows an unwillingness to assume responsibility for others. The rest of us have a home, children, work, and so on. But not tramps!
Tramps are lazy parasites on society, and if we all had their mentality, society would not exist, for them or anyone else.
Although we might in some ways be envious of tramps, and although we might envy their freedom, how many of us could be as selfish as them? How many of us could say 『I"m going to live exactly as I want, and damn the rest of society!? I couldn"t(236 words)
Lesson28 Five pounds too dear
摘要;
The next man who approached him was selling watches and pens, and when the writer looked at one, it looked genuine. The man said it was worth ￡50 but the writer could have it for ￡30. The writer offered him ￡5 and waited. Eventually, as the writer was walking away, the man agreed and took ￡ 5. The writer was very pleased----until he was back on board. The pen was impossible to fill. It has never written a word since. (80 words)
作文：
The bargain
The writer had only just got rid of a man who was trying to sell a diamond ring when another man approached him with some expensive pens and watches. When he held them up for the writer to look at, the writer showed quite a lot of interest.
『 Can I see one of the pens?』 the writer asked the man. They all looked genuine. The man handed the writer one and said: 『It"s a beautiful pen, sir. It"s worth ￡50, but you can have it for ￡30.』
When the writer offered him just ￡5, there was an argument about the price, but eventually the man said: 『You can have it for ￡10, sir. That"s the least I can take.』
As the writer walked away shrugging his shoulders, the man followed him. 『I can"t really do it, sir----I"m almost giving it away,』 he said, 『but you can have it for ￡5.』
The writer was obviously very pleased. He gave the man ￡5, took the pen, and the man disappeared quickly into the crowd. The writer was extremely pleased: he had bought a very expensive pen for just ￡5.What a bargain! Later, back on board ship, the writer discovered why the man had been in such a hurry to get away: you couldn"t fill the pen with ink and it just didn"t work! It wasn"t such a 『bargain』 after all! (235 words)
Lesson29 Funny or not？
摘要：
A man broke his right leg just before Christmas and was taken to hospital. He wanted to know when he could go home. On Christmas Day he was still in hospital with his leg in plaster, but there was a good chance of leaving hospital for the New Year. In fact, he was out in time to go to a New Year"s Eve party where he drank too much, slipped on a piece of ice and broke his left leg. (80 words) Key to Composition 作文;
The gasman
An aunt of mine lives in a small village in the country and tells this story of what happened to her once. In order to understand the story, you should know a little about life in an English village. For example, people often enjoy afternoon tea together, they still leave doors unlocked, and certain tradesmen are used to delivering goods and, with permission, leaving them inside the owner"s house.
One day my aunt had invited some friends round for afternoon tea. She had put some cakes in the oven to bake, and had gone upstairs to do some cleaning. When she finished, she decided to have a bath before her friends arrived. She was just about to get into the bath when she suddenly remembered the cakes. She wrapped a bath towel round her, went down to the kitchen and took the cakes out of the oven. Just then, there was a knock on the back door. She was sure it was the baker, who would open the door, come in and leave the bread on the kitchen table.
She panicked, dashed into the cupboard under the stairs and closed the door. Then, horrified, she heard footsteps coming to the cupboard. The door opened and there stood the gasman who had come to read the meter----which was in the cupboard. My aunt blushed and said, 『I"m very sorry. I was expecting the baker.』『 Oh,』 the gasman said. 『Sorry, madam.』 He closed the door gently and left. (250 words)
Lesson30 The death of a ghost?
摘要;
Eric joined the army during the Second World War, but hated army life, so he deserted. He returned to the farm where his father hid him until the end of the war, and he remained in hiding after the war. His father told everyone that he had been killed in action. Joe and Bob kept the secret, so Eric lived as a recluse. He slept during the day and worked at night, so he became the 『ghost of Endley』(79 words) 作文：
The ghost of Endley
When I came in to work one morning I noticed that work had been done overnight-some hay had been cut and the cowsheds and other buildings had been cleaned, so I decided to stay up all the next night to try to solve the mystery. (I didn"t tell Joe and Bob, of course.) I hid in the barn and waited.
Obviously I fell asleep because I suddenly woke up to find that it was dark. I went straight to the cowshed and found that it had already been cleaned. Then I went out to the Felds where I could just see a figure working; I couldn"t see whether it was a man, or a woman, or perhaps a ghost. I was scared, so I rushed back to the farmhouse and woke up the others. We all went out to the fields to see who it was, but when we got there, there was no one there.
When I was in the fields before, I didn"t know what or who the figure was. But now I was sure it was a ghost so I immediately decided not to work at Endley Farm any longer and handed in my resignation. When I told my story to the villagers, many of them still didn"t believe me, even though they knew that something strange had been going on at Endley Farm for years.(230 words ))
Lesson31 A lovable eccentric
摘要：
Dickie had been caught in a heavy shower when he walked into an expensive shop. He wanted a ￡300 watch for his wife, but he was so bedraggled the assistant refused to serve him. He left the shop and returned with a heavy cloth bag which he dumped on the counter. Dickie asked for the manager. When he was given the watch, he gave the assistant the bag which contained ￡300 in pennies, which the assistant had to count. (80 words)
作文：
A true eccentric
Mr. Chew is a man who has lived in our small town for years. He is a large man (some would say 『fat』),he has a round face, a big black moustache and a bald head. He always wears the same clothes----black trousers, a white shirt and a red waistcoat, and is always polite to everyone he meets.
He owns an antiques shop near the river, and he lives 『over the shop』. No one knows where he gets his things, but there are always lots of diffecent interesting antiques in the shop window every week.
Mr. Chew is interested in politics, too. Every week he puts up strange notices in his shop window to passers-by. Usually the notices are trying to make people save a local building or stop a plan to build a road through the town. Every time there is a national election, he automatically stands for parliament and gives speeches almost every day in the town park saying what he would do if he were Prime Minister. (He usually says he would make sure that antiques dealers did not have to pay Income Tax and that no cars should be allowed into our little town at all.) Every year he gets a few votes, but not enough to worry the serious candidates.
For most people Mr. Chew is a harmless eccentric, and everyone likes talking to him. After all, he is someone who adds colour to the dull routine of their daily lives. (248 words)
摘要：
The chest containing the personal belongings of Alan Fielding told them a lot, and there were other items of interest. A heavy gun proved the ship was a cruiser. Another chest belonging to a ship"s officer contained an unfinished letter dated March 14th, 1943, from which they learnt the ship"s name. The most valuable find was the ship"s log book, which told them the Karen had been sailing in convoy to
作文：
The last day
The journey has gone well so far. We are now on the way to
At 10 a.m. this morning we were attacked by a U-boat. This was the first time we had been attacked and for most men on board this was the first time they had been in action at sea. We were fortunate, but the ship ahead of us, the Dauntless, was torpedoed and sunk. After the ship sank, there were hundreds of men in the sea. We picked up as many survivors as we could in the Karen. In fact in the end we picked up 720 men, which meant that 50 men lost their lives in the attack on the Dauntless.
The Karen was packed with men, many crowded on the open decks, when we turned and attacked the Uboat. Depth charges were dropped and the U-boat was put out of action. It is now 3.15 p.m., the light is already beginning to fade and storm clouds are gathering. We are about to be attacked by a second U-boat, this time from the north. The captain has just announced ---- (239 words)
Lesson33 A day to remember
摘要：
When the driver behind braked, his wife was thrown forward and the large cake on her lap flew through the windscreen and landed on the road. A lorry had to pull up suddenly and hundreds of empty beer bottles slid off onto the road. The traffic piled up so that it took the police an hour to get it on the move again. The lorry driver swept up the glass and two stray dogs ate the remains of the cake. (80 words ) 作文：
Mistaken identity
We have all experienced days when everything seems to go wrong. Things certainly went wrong for Ray, a friend of mine, one day last month. It all started, as these things do, with a simple case of mistaken identity". Ray had been shopping and was loaded with parcels when he got back to the multistory car park to look for his car. He knew he was on the correct level, but he couldn"t see his car anywhere.
Then, suddenly, while he was looking, he saw one exactly like it. It was a red Nissan. It was exactly the same as his own car, and naturally he mistook it for his own. Still holding the parcels, he felt in his jacket pockets and found his key. He tried to open the driver"s door, but the key just wouldn"t turn. He couldn"t understand it In the end, he forced the lock - and naturally broke the key.
At that point he dropped the parcels as well. This infuriated him. The only way he could get into his car was to break a window, so he deliberately smashed the window of the car. As he was putting his hand in, the owner came back and saw him. The owner rushed towards Ray, held him against the car, and called a policeman on his mobile phone. When Ray was arrested, he tried to explain, but the police did not believe him - until they found Ray"s car on a level below! (246 words)
Lesson34 A happy discovery
摘要：
While visiting an antique shop one Saturday, Frank was about to leave when he saw a large packing case. He asked the dealer to open it but the contents were disappointing until he lifted some crockery and noticed a miniature painting at the bottom. He had already decided to buy it when the dealer told him it was ￡50. Frank was excited because this was a real discovery. The painting was an unknown masterpiece worth hundreds of thousands of pounds. (80 words)
作文：
An antique shop
『The Antique Shop』 has been in the little street near the church for years. As you look at it from across the road, it draws you towards it. It has one large window display designed to attract all sorts of customers. There is expensive glass, porcelain and jewellery to attract people with a lot of money; there is second-hand furniture, modern silver and other things (hardly antique!) to attract those with not so much.
When you enter the shop, a little bell rings and the owner ,a little grey-haired old lady called Mrs. Century, comes out from a room at the back and greets you like a lost relative! She greets everyone the same and always with a smile.
The shop sells all kinds of antiques. There are shelves full of old books along the back of the shop. There are two large tables in the middle of the shop covered with pieces of glass and porcelain. Then, around the walls on the floor are large pots, brass statues and things. There are lots of painting on the walls, too. At the weekend, the shop usually has five or six customers in it at one time. You might find a professional antique collector, a holiday couple and a young mother (with child in pram) looking for a cheap antique for her husband"s birthday.
We all like looking for unusual things and hope to find a bargain one day. You might find one in Mrs. Century"s 『Antique Shop』. (249 words)
Lesson35 Justice was done
摘要：
A girl in the jewellery store heard muffled cries coming from behind a wall. When she heard the cry again, she went and told the manager who rang the fire brigade. When they arrived, the fire fighters found the right chimney by tapping the walls and listening. They chipped through a thick wall and found the man who could not move because the chimney was so narrow. They finally freed him by cutting a large hole in the wall. (79 words)
作文：
A burglary that went wrong There is a large jewellery store in the town that I have often wanted to rob. A few weeks ago I started planning the theft and kept a close watch on the shop. I noticed when people went in and out, when they started and finished work, and so on. And I noticed the chimneys, too.
One night I climbed onto the roof of the store and looked for a way in. One of the chimneys seemed wide enough for me to get in, so I started climbing down. Very soon, however, I got stuck and had to climb out again. I didn"t give up. I looked around, found another chimney that looked quite wide at the top and climbed down that one. Again I got stuck.
This time, however, I was really stuck. I could climb neither up nor down. At first I struggled to try to free myself, but I couldn"t get out. Then I started to get scared and started sweating. I tried to calm myself by quietly counting and thinking of pleasant things. But nothing worked and finally I started shouting for help. Nothing happened, everything was dark and silent, and I got more and more frightened.
I think I went to sleep because I suddenly realized that light was shining down the chimney. I shouted and shouted. Eventually I heard tapping and was finally freed by fire fighters who had smashed a hole in the chimney. (240 words)
Lesson36 A chance in a million
摘要：
Hans had been wounded towards the end of the war, taken to hospital and separated from his unit. When the hospital had been bombed, he had returned to
作文：
When the war finished, Franz Bussman did everything he could to get information about his brother Hans.
With no information, he reluctantly assumed his brother was dead, and gave up the search. With no family, and having been unable to find his brother, Franze found it difficult to settle down. Over the years he moved from place to place and from job to job, never staying very long in one place.
When he met Anna (now Mrs. Bussman), he was working as a waiter in a hotel. He and Anna got married and Franz settled down at last. He moved from the dinning room into the kitchen of the hotel and became a cook. But this did not last very long. He was talking to a friend one day, a taxi driver, who suggested that they should go into partnership. So they did, and Franz became a taxi driver. He and the friend drove taxis themselves, but they also soon owned four more taxis and employed four drivers.
He visited his home town once to visit his old house, but it was a sad visit. There was a large modern block of flats where his family house used to be. And although he spoke to some of the apartment owners, no one remembered him or his family. Now that he has finally found his brother Hans, he and Anna are planning to invite Hans to come and live near them and work as a taxi driver in the company. (250 words)
Lesson37 The
摘要：
When many local people boarded the train with the writer, he was not surprised. Nor was he surprised when the train stopped at Widley. But when it stopped at each station, he began to wonder why it was going so slowly. Finally, when the train reached Westhaven, the writer spoke to the station master who denied the existence of an express. They argued and the writer was shown this timetable footnote, which said:『 This service has been suspended.』(79 words)
作文：
A disastrous train journey
When I finally boarded the train, I was looking forward to a pleasant journey to the
According to the timetable, the train was due to arrive in Slowleigh at 4.30. I had been so interested in my book that I had a shock when I looked at my watch. It was almost 4.30. I closed my book and waited for the train to slow down. It didn"t. In fact, the train was going very fast ---- and that was Slowleigh, wasn"t it?! The train went straight on. I asked the other passengers why the train hadn"t stopped and they told me it was the express to the city. I didn"t believe it
Then the ticket collector came along. He looked at my ticket and I tried to explain, but in the end I had to pay the full fare to the city.
By the time we arrived in the city it was six o"clock. The journey had lasted two hours and I was miles away from my original destination. I rang my friends and said I would get a fast train back. Then I checked the timetable: there was no fast train back to Slowleigh, only a slow one, at 7 o"clock. By the time I finally reached Slowleigh Station, it was nine o"clock at night. My pleasant little train journey had taken 4.5 hours! (250 words)
書信：
I have just heard that Joanna has given birth to a baby girl.Congratulations to you both! You must both be very proud parents and I bet she looks like Joanna! You"ve heard all the old jokes, so I won"t repeat them ---- except to say that I know you will have some sleepless nights from now on!
I hope that Joanna and your new daughter are both well. You must let me know what she weighs and who she really looks like. I hope to be able to visit you all very soon. Let me know when I shall be welcome.
All my love (104 words)
Lesson38 The first calendar
摘要;
Historians have long been puzzled by prehistoric markings on walls, bones and tusks. The people who made the markings were nomads during the last Ice Age. Finally historians have managed to read this difficult code and realized that they depict the passing of the days and phases of the moon. They are in fact a primitive calendar. There is a connection between the pictures of hunting scenes and the markings with them. (71 words )
作文：
Studying the past
Future historians will have plenty of sources from which to learn about twentieth-century man. Not only will they have the written word, they will also have films, videos, audio cassettes, CDs and CD-ROMs. In fact, they will have so much source material that they will hardly know where to start!
If they study all the material available, they will be able to build up a complete social and political history of our time. They will know exactly how we dressed, what we ate in every different country and they will know exactly what our homes were like. They will know what our towns and cities were like and what forms of entertainment we enjoyed. In fact, they will not only learn about our forms of entertainment, they will be able to enjoy a lot of them, too ---- our music, plays, musical shows, video games, our art, our literature, … And they will be able to read and see the news day by day as it happened.
They will learn in detail the way we fought our wars ---- the way we used jet fighters, helicopters, ships and tanks. They will be able to learn every detail of great moments in history, and everything about leading figures of the time as well as the lives of ordinary men and women. In future, the study of history will provide interest and excitement for a lot of people, the past will be brought to life and history will no longer be boring. (249 words )
Lesson39 Nothing to worry about
摘要：
When the boulders disappeared, there was a wide plain covered with clumps of bushes. Ahead was a huge fissure and Bruce stopped. We examined it and found it was fifty yards long, two feet wide and four feet deep. Without thinking, Bruce raced the car along it and then we were back on the plain. The village was 15 miles away and the next obstacle was a very wide shallow pool. Bruce charged in and stopped in the middle. (79 words)
作文：
Bruce remained unperturbed
It was typical of Bruce to announce 『cheerfully』 that there was no oil in the engine! For the rest of us, it was a disaster. We all got out and began shouting at him and then at each other. What could we do? We were standing in the middle of a very large pool up to our ankles in water with a car that was useless.
We tried to push it, but of course it was absolutely impossible. All we managed to do was to push it deeper into the soft mud. In the end we all walked to next village where we tried to get a taxi so that
we could take some oil (and petrol) back to the car. We couldn"t find one driver who would take us over the rough road. Fortunately there was a small garage and we paid a large sum of money to the garage owner to rent a jeep. With a can of oil and an extra can of petrol we all climbed in and set off.
When we eventually got back to the pool, we attached a rope from the jeep to the car and pulled the car out of the water. We were not surprised to find that the engine was badly damaged, and would not even start with the oil we had brought back. Disaster again, but Bruce was undismayed! (230 words )
Lesson40 Who『s who
摘要：
When a policeman arrived, he asked the workmen to go away. Later four more policemen arrived. The workmen still refused to stop and the police threatened to confiscate their pneumatic drill. One workman then threatened to call the police, which was silly because they were already under arrest. When another workman asked to make a telephone call, a policeman accompanied him to a phone. The workman actually rang the police and they realized they had been victims of a hoax. (80 words )
作文：
Arrest the police!
The policeman who accompanied the workman to the pay phone still did not realize that they had been the victims of a practical joke. When he and the worker returned to the scene of the hoax right outside the university gates, the other workman was still quarrelling with the police and resisting arrest.
Following the worker"s call to the police station, it was not long before more police arrived on the scene ---- and it is at this point that the story becomes very complicated! The workmen told the police who had just arrived that the first lot of policemen were actually students dressed up as policemen. The second lot of police therefore threatened to arrest the first lot of police, but before they did so, they asked for their identity cards. The first lot ignored this request and said that they really were policemen, but that the workmen were students. The workers had to prove their identity, too, they said.
None of them had to prove their identity by showing identity cards, because at this point two or three of the policemen started laughing, and then the workmen started laughing, and in the end they were all laughing. They finally realized that they had all been victims of a hoax ---- and not one of them could remember what the student had looked like. 『After all,』 said one workman, 『they all look the same to me.』 (237 words)
Lesson41 Illusions of pastoral peace
摘要：
You never have to travel miles to see friends because they live nearby. Nor do you have to worry about catching the last train home after the theatre. The latest exhibitions, films and plays are all a bus ride away. Shopping is a pleasure, too. There is so much variety that you never have to make do with second best. The city can be beautiful and peaceful, too ---- beautiful with the glow of neon advertisements, and peaceful at weekends. (79 words )
作文：
I have never understood city-lovers. For me a city is a place to visit for a few hours, to go shopping, to see special exhibitions, shows, plays and films. But it"s not a place to live in, even though thousands do. Usually they are tied to the city by their jobs or perhaps even by family.
There are so many advantages to living in the country. It is quiet and more healthy. There is far less traffic on the roads and the air is so much fresher. Instead of buying everything in packets from a supermarket, in the country we can always buy fresh food from farms or village shops every day ---- milk, fruit, fresh eggs, vegetables and meat. And we don"t have to look at 『Use by …』 labels to see when we must use something by: we know that everything is fresh. And the people in the country are always so polite and friendly too - as long as you obey the unwritten rules of the countryside, that is.
On the other hand, there are so many advantages to living in a town or city. The first thing most country people notice is the noise and dirt. It must be the traffic, but many country people find it difficult to breathe in the city. And it is stressful, too: people always seem to be in a rush, and they are so often rude and unfriendly.
There are so many advantages to living in the country that it is a mystery to me why some country people say they would like to live in the city. In fact, I just cannot understand how anyone can even consider living in the city.(282 words )
書信：
I was very pleased to hear that you are coming to the city for a few days next month. I think it"s good for you to see occasionally what life has to offer! And there is so much you will be able to do!
Of course I can put you up. You know you don"t really need to ask. As long as I am going to be here (and I will be during the time you want to visit), you can always use my guestroom. Let me have your exact dates and I will make sure the guestroom is ready.(100 words)
Lesson42 Modern cavemen
摘要：
On entering a narrow gap on the plateau, they climbed down and reached a narrow corridor. They edged their way along and came to a waterfall which dropped to an underground lake. They plunged into the lake in special rubber suits and let the current take them to the other side. On squeezing through a cleft in the rocks, they discovered an enormous cavern where they saw massive stalagmites and stalactites. All they could hear was water dripping from above. (80 words)
作文：
One day last summer Rob, a friend of mine, decided to go out for a day on his own. He took a day off work and went to the beach. He walked round the headland a mile from the town and found a deserted beach. He couldn"t believe it there was no one else there. He spent a marvellous relaxing day there swimming, sunbathing and reading, and for the whole day he was the only one on the beach. Then, late in the afternoon, he decided to pack up and go home.
He took his time drying himself, changing and packing his things into the shoulder bag he had brought with him, and then began to walk towards the headland. As he was walking along the beach, he suddenly realized that the tide was coming in: it was coming in very fast, and he began to get a little worried. He walked faster, but soon the tide had reached the headland and there was no way that he could walk around.
He looked round and saw a cave in the cliff. As he hoped to climb up inside it, he went in. Unfortunately, he just couldn"t see a way out, so he started back. It was too late: the tide was coming in the cave and as he looked down from the point he had reached, the sea that was already covering the floor of the cave and beginning to rise up the chimney in the cave. He turned round and started climbing again ---- and eventually found a smaller chimney that he managed to climb up to reach the top of the cliff.
He had never been so frightened in his life. He promised himself that he would never do it again. (292 words)
Lesson43 Fully insured
摘要：
The divers found the dish, but it was difficult to haul out of the water. The sides were so smooth it was almost impossible to attach chains to it Eventually chains were attached and they pulled the dish to the canal bank on a winch. Unfortunately it overbalanced and slid back. They then fixed clamps to both sides and fastened chains to lift it vertically. With a winch they hauled the dish above the surface and on to dry land. (80 words)
作文：
It was the biggest pie dish in the world and, floating on the canal, looked very inviting. It had been anchored to the side of the canal after it had been launched and was as big as many of the boats on the canal. It was about eighteen feet long and about six feet wide, and the sides were about three feet high.
When a number of teenage girls and boys came along the canal path early in the evening, they thought the dish looked fascinating. There were about ten of them and they all jumped or climbed into the dish one by one. The first thing that happened was that they started slipping and sliding everywhere and all fell down in the bottom of the dish because it was so smooth. They all laughed a lot.
Then one of them turned on the large portable radio that he had brought with him and some of them started dancing. (At least there was no one near the canal to complain about the noise.) Suddenly the dish began to move in the water. It went down one side, and then down one end, and the teenagers moved to the other end. Then it started dipping that end and they all slid into a pile. At that point the rim of the dish reached the level of the water. Once that happened, the teenagers couldn"t climb back up to the other end, and the water started pouring in. It capsized in minutes and sank in seven feet of water. Fortunately they all managed to swim to the bank and were safe.
The teenagers may not have done much damage,but if they hadn"t held their party on the dish, it wouldn"t have sunk and the insurance company wouldn"t have had to pay to salvage it from the canal. (306 words)
書信：
I have just learned from an article in last week"s local paper that you and Jane were involved in a car accident. I was really very sorry to read the news. If I had known earlier (from your family or from a friend), I would have contacted you both earlier. However, the main thing is that you are both OK. When you and Jane have recovered completely from the experience, I would like you to come over and see me for an evening. Please accept my very best wishes. (89 words)
Lesson44 Speed and comfort
摘要：
Nothing matches a plane for speed and comfort. An aeroplane reaches its destination rapidly. You travel in complete comfort, often watching a film or sipping champagne. You have a breathtaking view of the world and you can really appreciate the landscape. When you are above the clouds, the sight of cloud plains is extraordinary. The journey is so smooth that it is easy to read or sleep, and you always arrive fresh and uncrumpled at the end of the flight.(80 words )
作文：
All forms of travel have advantages and disadvantages. Flying has many advantages that regular international travellers will tell you about, but it has many disadvantages.
When you travel by train, you turn up at the railway station, buy a ticket to your destination, go onto the platform and get on the train when it arrives. With travelling by air, booking itself is a major problem. Immediately you are faced with choices because different airlines offer the same flights for different prices. Personally I never know which to choose.
And then there"s the real time. When they tell you that it is a two-hour flight, add at least five hours to that. Remember first of all that you have to get to the airport (by car, bus, coach or train). Then you have to check in----usually at least an hour before take-off ---- go through customs and passport control, and then wait in the departure lounge (bored out of your mind!) until your flight is called. Boarding, takes at least half an hour, and then you sit in the aircraft waiting to take off. At the other end, after your flight, again you are subjected to customs and passport control before waiting for your luggage before you catch your transport from the airport to your real destination.
On the flight itself you are squashed in, often sitting next to strangers who might have strange or bad habits, such as an irritating cough. They always give you a meal, but airline food often tastes like plastic and there is rarely any choice. There are just two small toilets for hundreds of people and there is the constant drone of engines and the hum of the air-conditioning system.
For some travellers, top, there is a constant sense of danger: Will we arrive safely? ---- Will any of the engines fail? ----What if there"s a mad hijacker on board?… Flying has many disadvantages but millions will still go on flying. (329 words)
書信：
Enclosed is a ticket for a performance of Shakespeare"s Hamlet at the Centre Theatre next Saturday evening. It"s a present from me and, no, I haven"t gone mad! Three months ago I saw an advertisement for this particular performance and immediately booked a ticket for it. Now, I suddenly find that I must go home to see my family, so I will not be able to attend the performance.
As I know you enjoy going to the theatre so much, and I know you are studying Hamlet for an English exam, I thought you would be able to use it ----Enjoy the performance. (103 words)
Lesson45 The power of the press
摘要：
Immediately the news got out, a plane arrived with reporters and photographers. The family"s rise to fame was swift and soon the media had told the whole country. Newspapers and magazines offered huge sums of money for exclusive rights to the story, while gifts poured in from baby products manufacturers. "The family"s old farmhouse was replaced by a new home, while lawyers were employed as spokesmen. The parents paid the price for fame: they would never again lead normal lives. (80 words)
作文：
There is a well-known expression in English to describe rising from poverty to a state of being very rich or wealthy: it"s called going 『from rags to riches』. It doesn"t usually mean that a person has been living in rags and then becomes extremely rich. The expression is not quite right to describe what happened to John, but not far wrong.
John"s life had been very ordinary and certainly lacked excitement. He was 25 years old, but he didn"t take part in any sport, he didn"t have a girlfriend and he didn"t drive a car. Instead he went everywhere on his bicycle. In fact he led a pretty boring life, but he was happy.
Then one day a friend suggested he do the football pools. (In
The lesson of the story is this: never listen to the advice of a friend. If John had never done the football pools, he would never have become a sad millionaire. On the other hand, he is now able to give a lot of money to charity ---- to help people less fortunate than himself. (271 words )
書信;
Dear Sir,
I write with reference to the article which you published in your paper two days ago about the Swifts and their four new children.
It may be a little unusual for a woman to give birth to quads (or quadruplets, to give them their proper name), but surely the event did not deserve a full page with photos! A short paragraph would have been enough: we did not need to know the ages of the parents, the father"s job, and so on.
Surely there is a lot more important news from around the world to fill the pages of your newspaper. Yours faithfully, (105 words)
Lesson46 Do it yourself
摘要：
The author looked at his machine and reckoned that only a minor adjustment was needed. After adjusting a few things, the mower still refused to work, so he dismantled it and traced the cause of the trouble: there was a broken link in the drive chain. After buying a new chain and reassembling the mower, it still did not work. However, he was not really surprised because there were bits left that did not fit anywhere ---- so he gave up. (80 words)
作文：
Friends have often told me that one of the simplest plumbing jobs in a house is changing the washer on a dripping tap. We had a dripping tap in the kitchen. It had been dripping for weeks. I didn"t want to call in a plumber because they charge a lot of money, so I decided to do it myself. Surely it"s a fairly easy job, I thought. What can go wrong?
I really did not think that it would be difficult. I knew that the first thing I had to do was to turn off the water at the mains. Unfortunately, I couldn"t find where to turn off the water. Was it under the sink in our kitchen? Or was it outside somewhere? Eventually I found it under the kitchen sink on a pipe coming up from the ground that I had never noticed before.
When I had turned off the mains tap, I turned on the kitchen tap until it stopped running. So far, so good! Then I gaily embarked on the task of unscrewing the tap and taking off the old washer. When I tried to put the new washer on, however, I realized that I had a problem. Whatever I did, it just wouldn"t go on. So I cut it a little and it went on with no problem. Then I put everything back together and turned on the mains. I was so pleased with myself ---- until, five minutes later, the tap started dripping worse than ever.
As a result of the experience, I have made a decision. I will never attempt to change a washer again, and I will call in a professional for any plumbing, building or electrical job that ever needs doing in the house. (291 words)
Lesson47 Too high a price?
摘要：
Noise constantly invades our daily lives. According to a recent survey, the worst noise is dogs barking at night, although the noise of lawn mowers, late-night parties, noisy neighbours, vehicles, planes and helicopters and large radios all adds. While the use of mobile phones in public places, it seems, is annoying, the survey revealed that one 『old-fashioned』 source of noise is snoring, with men the worst offenders: only a small percentage of women snore, but they suffer most.(80 words)
作文：
It has often been said that 『you are what you eat』. But what does that mean? It certainly does not mean that if you eat enough carrots, you will begin to look like one! It means that you will be healthy if you eat healthy food, and your health will not be so good if you eat『junk food』. And obviously it applies to some people, but not to others. A friend of mine is mainly a vegetarian, she eats mostly fruit and vegetables, with some fish, and she is extremely healthy. She even has a meal occasionally with fried eggs, fried bacon and chips , but it doesn"t seem to do her any harm. Basically she eats a diet which is 90% healthy. So, I suppose, she is what she eats.
There is a problem, however, and it is this. Your physical health is not simply the result of what you eat and drink: it is also partly a result of your own metabolism, the amount of exercise you take and the general way you live (your lifestyle, if you like). If you eat healthy food, but sit at a desk all day and then sit all evening watching television, then of course you can"t expect to be really healthy.
I eat well, I think. I eat fresh meat, fruit and vegetables when I can. I do not eat much fatty food, I do not eat much prepared food (frozen meals) and very rarely have a fried meal. I take regular exercise, particularly walking and cycling, and I don"t drink much alcohol. But I still weigh 150 pounds, which is too much for my age and height. (276 words)
書信：
You have often said that you would like to visit the
I have just seen an announcement in the university office asking for names of students from other countries that we students could recommend for a free month"s holiday course here in
Let me know what you think. (100 words)
Lesson48 The silent village
摘要：
The village contained one street and looked forbidding. Apart from a goat, it seemed deserted, so they sat down and had a picnic. Looking up, they suddenly found themselves surrounded by children in rags. The children were silent and motionless. As they walked down the street followed by the children, the village came alive with faces in windows and people watching them silently from doorways. The visitors were clearly unwelcome. They hurried back down to the stream and the boatman. (80 words)
作文;
When we reached the stream where we had stepped out of the ferry and where the boatman said he would wait, there was no one. There was no boat and no boatman.
At first we were surprised and thought that we had perhaps mistaken the place where he said he would wait. We walked along the bank of the stream for a few hundred yards in one direction, and then in the other.He was definitely not there. I was worried that the villagers would be coming down the mountain after us, but we couldn"t see anybody, and the only noise was the noise of the running stream. We called across the stream to attract the attention of anyone on the other side, but nothing happened. It seemed that we were stranded.
We sat down on the bank of the stream and just looked at each other.
『Come on,』 I said. 『We"ve been in worse situations than this. What about that time we got lost in the forest in
『You"re right,』 she said, cheering up. 『There is something we can do.』
And, since I certainly couldn"t think of anything better, we did just what she suggested. We both took off our shirts, tied our personal belongings in them (purse, money, passport, keys and so on), tied the shirts round our waists, and waded into the water until we had to swim. And we swam to the other side, where we squeezed out our shirts and put them on again wet. Then we walked back to our small hotel in the town.
Perhaps the most surprising thing was that when we walked into the hotel still wet from our swim across the stream, no one said a word! (301 words)
書信;
I am writing to congratulate you on the occasion of your eighty-fifth birthday. I have been trying to imagine all the things that have happened during your life and all the questions I could ask you. You must remember the Second World War (1939-1945). What do you remember about it? And what about the Coronation of
Once again, many congratulations on your 85th birthday! (96 words)
Lesson49 The ideal servant
摘要：
On her return with a party of guests, Aunt Harriet asked Bessie to prepare dinner. Not only was the meal below standard, Bessie could not walk steadily, and she bumped into furniture and mumbled at the guests. When she brought in the pudding, she tripped and the pudding crashed onto the dining table. While the guests were very amused, Aunt Harriet was horrified. She realized Bessie was drunk and dismissed her immediately. (72 words)
作文：
Domestic servants still exist, but nowadays, instead of working for rich old ladies, they only work for members of the royal family ,aristocrats, film stars, pop stars, successful businessmen and other rich and famous people, and there are really very few of them. The great age of domestic servants is past.
There are many reasons why there is such a small number of domestic servants now. The first thing, of course, is that there are very few families that own big houses that need domestic servants. Many of the large country houses in
The houses that are still owned privately are now run much more efficiently than they used to be, and very few entertain guests as they used to do. Instead, they open their gates to the general public, and so they need the same staff that major entertainments need. True, such large houses have some domestic staff, but they employ many other people who would not like to think of themselves as 『domestic servants』 ---- waiters and waitresses in their caf6s, cleaners, car park attendants, ticket collectors, guides, office staff, and so on.
I am personally pleased that there are so few people in domestic service now. Most of us work for someone else, it"s true, but the whole idea of being a 『servant』, a 『domestic servant』, is an idea connected more with past centuries than the twentieth or twenty-first centuries. (279 words )
Lesson 50 New Year resolutions
摘要;
The writer exercised early in the morning for two days before anyone found out. When he sat at breakfast the second day, his condition betrayed him. His enthusiasm waned so that by January 10th, things were back to normal. However, he decided to keep his mind fresh for reading. He read on his own until one evening he went down and sat in front of the television, but he dozed off. He has now bought a book on speed reading! (80 words)
作文
Are New Year resolutions made to be broken? I think so. Some people are serious about them of course, but most know that they won"t succeed in keeping them. That"s probably why they make resolutions such as 『I must be polite to Aunt Harriet』 when they only see Aunt Harriet twice a year! ----or 『I must cut down on my smoking』 when they only ever have a cigarette after a family lunch on Sundays! Such resolutions, then, are not only ridiculous, but hardly resolutions at all!
The last time I ever made a list of resolutions was five years ago. I remember now that I resolved always to do my college work on time, to keep my room tidy, to have nothing to do with the girls in the nearby girls" college, to write home at least once a week, to wash my dirty clothes regularly and to have a haircut once a month. What was I thinking of?! For most college students such resolutions would be impossible ---- and of course they were for me!
I kept three of the resolutions for a week, and a girlfriend from the nearby girls" college helped me to keep two more (the ones about keeping my room tidy and washing my dirty clothes regularly!) for another week. After that, I gave up in despair. Instead, I resolved just to try to be just a little bit more tidy and a little more thoughtful, generally.
I don"t bother to make New Year resolutions any more since I have proved to myself and others that I can"t keep them. There seems to be little point in breaking habits which have taken years to establish. (279 words )
書信;
It is about a month since I last wrote to you. At that time I was studying in a language school. However,since then I have left the school and managed to find a job.
Before I left home, I know that I promised I would write to you once a week ---- and I had every intention of doing it. I"m sorry I haven"t written as often as I promised, but I do not always have very much news. I"ll write and tell you all about the job next time. I really will try to write more often in future. (100 words)
Lesson51 predicting the future
摘要;
According to Bagrit, computers would be small enough to hold in the hand, and they would be able to provide information about traffic jams and suggest alternative routes. They would be used to help doctors diagnose illnesses, and in business would relieve office workers of dull, repetitive work. However, he failed to predict the use of the Internet as a vehicle of communication or a source of information. But as predicted, computers have become smaller, more powerful and cheaper. (79 words )
作文:
Predicting what computers will be like in 20 years" time or what they will be able to do is a guessing game. If Leon Bagrit could not predict everything, what chance have I got? However, because prediction is just a calculated guess, I will try!
The development of the computer since the 1960s has been very fast. From large mainframe computers which filled whole rooms to small lap-top computers which you can carry in a shoulder bag or large handbag, it has taken only forty years. Computers are already smaller, more powerful and cheaper than they have ever been. So what might happen in the next twenty years? Let"s speculate.
In twenty years" time it"s possible that many people will be doing their everyday shopping by computer. The 『virtual-reality』 shop will be available through your TV set. You will be able to 『walk through』 your supermarket on screen, click or tick what you want, and then order it ---- and it will be delivered. In education, most students could be using computer-notebooks which make notes for them as they listen to a lecture or watch a demonstration experiment. In the world of travel, aircraft already have computer systems that will control auto-pilot. In twenty years" time, computers could actually pilot aircraft ---- with no need for a real, live human pilot at all.
Computers already help doctors diagnose disease and other health problems, and help in the control of body systems during operations. What else might they do in the future? They might actually control certain kinds of surgery (brain surgery, for example) where the human hand cannot always keep still enough, and power computer-operated limbs.
So there are some ideas. But who knows what might really happen? No one. No one can see into the future. We shall just have to wait and see. (307 words)
Lesson52 Mud is mud
摘要：
The assistant promised to order the『 Myrolite 』 Harry bad already asked for, so he then said he wanted perfumed mud. This time her eyes lit up and she immediately fetched several bottles which she put on the counter. Harry picked up the smallest bottle, and when he learned the price ( ￡20 ), he paid and left with the bottle under his arm. This curious bottle, now in his study, was his first and last purchase of rarecosmetics. (77 words)
作文:
For me, a day"s shopping is the best way I think of to pass a day away from college or work. I have been looking forward to a day out shopping for weeks because I have wanted to get some new clothes for ages, so last Friday I took a day off.
I got up at the usual time (as if I were going to work or college) because for me shopping is as serious as work. Before I left the house I made sure I put on a good pair of walking shoes and then caught the bus into the centre of the town.
Some people visit all the shops in the hope that they will find what they want at the prices they want to pay. Not me: I"m one of those shoppers who has a list of purchases - and with a fairly good idea of how much I want to pay.
The first thing I wanted was something to wear to a friend"s wedding next month - and I didn"t want to pay very much. I found just what I wanted in the second shop I visited. And in the second shoe shop I visited, I found a pair of shoes that would go with the new clothes and which I could wear to work afterwards. Within an hour I had bought the most important things on my shopping list. I was so pleased!
But then came the most difficult part of the day. The third thing on my shopping list was 『Birthday present for Pat』. I like to give her a present but it is always so difficult. This year, I decided, I would buy her a book. Do you know how long I spent in one large book shop? Two hours! And even then I didn"t get her a book although I bought three for myself!
By the time I got home, it was six o"clock. I was absolutely exhausted, but pleased that I had managed tobuy two things on my list. (337 words)
Lesson53 In the public internet
摘要:
On receiving a complaint from a foreigner about police ill - treatment, the Ombudsman wrote to the Chief of Police asking for a record of the case. As there was no official record and the Chief denied the accusation, no action was possible. But When there was another similar complaint, the Ombudsman sent a lawyer to investigate. He ascertained the truth of the accusations, the policeman was severely reprimanded and warned that if there were further complaints he would be prosecuted. (80 words)
作文;
In
What does a policeman actually do? It is not an easy job to describe. After all, a policeman has a number of jobs in one. A policeman often has to control traffic, either on foot in the centre of a town, or in a police car on the roads. Indeed, in
A policeman has to help keep the peace, too. If there is a fight or some other disturbance, we expect the police to come and assess the situation and restore order. And they often have to deal with situations at great risk to themselves and their own safety.
We expect the police to solve crimes, of course, so an ordinary policeman, even if he is not a detective, will often have to help look for and arrest criminals.
And who do we call when there is an emergency - an air crash, a fire, a road accident, or a burglary? We call the police. So a policeman has to be prepared to face any unpleasant emergency that may happen in the modern world.
The police do an absolutely necessary job, they do it extremely well and I support them, but I do not envy policemen. I do not think that I could ever do the job of a policeman. (296 words)
Lesson54 Instinct or cleverness
The writer saw thousands of ants crawling up his peach tree. Then he noticed the leaves of the tree were withering and found there were aphids under the leaves. They were being visited by the ants. In an effort to stop them, he bound the base of the tree with sticky tape and of course they couldn"t cross it. By the next morning, however, they had solved the problem: they were climbing onto the leaves from the house wall. (79 words)
作文：
According to my dictionary, 『pests』 are 『small animals or insects that harm or destroy food supplies』. But for me, they are more than that: they are insects and small animals that spread disease and damage property, too. Whatever they do and however you define them, pests have been a major problem to man through out history. Man has tried to control or exterminate these creatures, but never with very much success.
In some ways, insets are the worst pests. Ants, locusts and beetles damage property, woodwork, crops and harvest, and in this century we have sprayed crops with insecticides and pesticides to protect them from in sects. The problem now is that there are some insects that have become immune to pesticides. Rats and mice eat our food supplies too and spread disease, and people have tried to kill or catch them with poison or traps. But again, they are still with us. We haven"t managed to exterminate them.
Let"s not forget, however, that for farmers, certain birds are 『pests』 too. In
We have tried different things, then, to control pests, and we have managed to hold some pests in check. However, some are a big problem, both in the major industrial nations and in the
Lesson55 From the earth：Greeting
摘要;
Finding life on other planets with earth based telescopes is impossible because of the heat of our planet and the dust particles throughout the solar System. A telescope would need to be as far away as Jupiter. Even then, the problem will be how to blot out the light from a planet"s sun to study it. The most likely forms of life will be plants and bacteria. Even the discovery of lowly life forms would change our view of ourselves.(80 words)
作文;
Do you remember ET in the film ET, the Extraterrestrial? If you do, you will know that the common picture of extraterrestrials is that they will look rather strange - for instance, they might have big eyes and funny feet and be a strange colour - but they will still somehow look like living creatures from earth. At the same time, of course, we believe that they will probably have incredible powers - like ET"s power to he a l in juries and to come alive again. Many science - fiction stories and films have shown aliens or extraterrestrials like this. They may somehow look like strange earth creatures, therefore, but they are benevolent.
But what if extraterrestrials - beings from other planets - are creatures with incredible intelligence and with no form, that is, with no body form like earthly creatures? They might be almost 『living thoughts』. How would we greet them? How would we deal with them? And what if they are not benevolent? In other words, what if they really want to take over the earth?
There are stories that extraterrestrials or aliens have already crashed on earth in spacecraft (flying saucers) and that scientists have studied them. There are even more fantastic stories that scientists are already learning from extraterrestrials new knowledge which will help us build incredible spacecraft to fly to other planets and beyond. Stories like that must surely be just rumours.
Perhaps one day we will know if there really are extraterrestrials out there in space, and if there are, we will know what they look like and what they think of us. Will they really be little green men? Or will they begiants? Or Perhaps they will be so small that we can hardly see them? Will they be friendly? Or will they want to take over the earth? Who knows? One thing is certain. If we were ever to discover that there are extraterrestrials out there, the discovery would completely change our view of the universe and ourselves. (329 words)
Lesson56 Our neighbour，the river
摘要:
One winter, the river rose a alarmingly, and we were worried about our new neighbours. The floods had put the telephone out of order, so we couldn"t contact then. We were watching their land when we saw the first sign of trouble, a dead sheep, and then a swimming horse. Then a raft came down, complete with the family and animals. They had clearly been frightened by the rising flood. Our men waded out and pulled the raft to the bank. (80 words)
作文;
It was a dark and gloomy street. I was on my way home from a friend"s party and had decided to take a short cut. I had just turned the corner from the main street and had started walking towards the light at the end of the short street.
Suddenly, almost by magic, I thought, there was someone standing at the far end, under the lamplight. Most people would have been frightened, perhaps terrified. I wasn"t at all frightened. Perhaps I should have been. There was someone there. I felt somehow that the person - and I couldn"t see whether it was a man or a woman - did not mean to harm me. Although I wasn"t frightened, I still wasn"t sure what to do. Should I walk on towards the end of the street and towards the light and towards the person? or should I go back the way I had come? I decided to walk on towards the light.
The 『guide』, as I called the person later, stood and seemed to wait until I was halfway down the street, and then started walking ahead of me. Even now I couldn"t describe him or her: he or she seemed to be dressed in a long gown, but there was a dim glow all around him/her. Certainly I felt safe and followed the person down several streets that I did not know. It was a part of town, I realized, that I had been warned about - but nothing happened to me - and as soon as we were near the bright lights of the main road, my 『guide』 just disappeared.
The following day I heard that a young person had been killed walking home alone not very far from where I was that night. I don"t care what other people think. I am sure that the 『guide』 was my guardian angel and that he or she looked after me. (317 words)
Lesson57 Back in the old country
摘要：
In the place of the village there was only a lake. Had he taken the wrong turning? He went back to town and retraced his route, only to finish up at the same spot. The lake was not marked. When a man on horse back appeared, the author asked the way to the old village. The horseman told him there was no village and pointed to the lake: it had been submerged with the whole valley under a man-made reservoir. (80 words) Key to Composition 作文;
There is a house in another part of my home town that I would love to own. It is called the 『White House』, like the President"s house in
When you go in through the large heavy green front door, you find yourself in a large entrance hall with a shining black and white marble floor, rooms leading off from it in all directions, and a large open staircase leading up to the first floor. There is a large dining room on the right and a large sitting room on the left. Both rooms have big windows that look out onto the front lawn. There are always peacocks on the front lawn, and there are two large oak trees where you can sit in the shade on hot summer days.
At the back of the house is a large kitchen, a laundry and work room and a games room. Upstairs there are six bedrooms and four bathrooms. I think there are four bathrooms, but I can"t quite remember.
The house is full of beautiful antique furniture and all the rooms are decorated in a classical style ---- lots of light blue and light green paint with white doors, and quite a lot of gold decoration.
The whole thing may sound like a dream, but one day it will be reality. One day I will own my ideal house. (322 words)
Lesson58 A spot of bother
摘要;
The old lady and the potter went through the flat, careful not to touch anything. Later, a police inspector looked for fingerprints while a constable checked the front door locks. There were no fingerprints, but the inspector found a bundle of jewellery suggesting this was not the burglars" first job that day. The inspector asked the lady to check what was missing and advised her not to stay in the flat. Eventually she rang her daughter to ask for help. (80 words)
作文;
There is nothing like your first visit to a foreign country. Whatever you may have heard, or whatever you have read or seen, you still don"t really know what to expect. You will hear and read a new language, you will be surrounded by a completely different culture, and everything will seem new and strange.
My first visit abroad was three years ago when I went to the
There are so many things to learn when you are in
『Excuse me,』 I said. 『Where is Albert Hall?』 I thought my English was just right.
『Oh,』 he said, 『you mean 『the Albert Hall!』
『Yes,』 I said, 『where is 『the Albert Hall?』
He then explained how to get to 『the Albert Hall, but I didn"t realize the word 『the』 was so important in English!
It is impossible to overestimate what you get from foreign travel. Going to the
Lesson59 Collecting
摘要：
Collecting provides hours of relaxation for looking at your treasures is a joy. If you have a collection at home, why go out? There is always something to do, from finding the right place for the latest addition to verifying facts in reference books. Collecting is educational, too, and through meeting people, increases your circle of friends. The hobby can lead to travel, national and international. You may become an authority on the subject and be asked to give talks. (80 words)
作文;
There was a knock on the window. At first it was hardly noticeable, almost as if a branch on the large oak tree outside had brushed against the window. It was repeated, and then there was silence.
I got up and looked out of the window. I couldn"t see anybody and my dog hadn"t started barking. It was mid-afternoon, about three o"clock and I had been listening to the radio and reading a book. The house stands on its own, down the end of a long lane in the middle of the countryside, so it is very lonely. I have few neighbours, but the neighbours I have are very good, even though we don"t see each other very often.
I had got so nervous recently that I had to summon up enough courage to unlock the front door and go outside. There was no one there. True, there was a light breeze and the wind was shaking the branches of the oak tree, but the only other sound was the noise of the traffic on the main road a mile away. For one moment I thought I saw someone hiding behind the fence, but nothing moved, so I thought I must be wrong.
I came back in and settled down by the fire with my book. Then there was a knock on the window, this time louder. It was a real knock with a human hand, no doubt about it ---- well, certainly not the branch of a tree ---- and my heart started pounding. I looked up and there, outside the window, was the little girl from down the lane. Her mother had sent her down to see if I was all right, and she had decided to play a trick on me! (292 words )
Lesson60 Too early and too late
摘要：
The girl entered the railway station twenty minutes early, but the porter said she was two hours too soon. When she showed him the details of the journey, he agreed it was correct, but said it was a mail train, nota passenger train. When she demanded to see a timetable, the station master came and pointed out that the train only stopped for mail. The train came in but the girl was still not allowed to get on. (79 words)
作文：
A piece of paper was blowing in the wind. When I saw it, I was sitting in the park eating my sandwiches. It was floating across the surface of the park lake, not large, about half the size of a postcard, and I wondered when it would drop into the water. But it didn"t. As it got near to the surface, it rose again and the wind took it over the bank towards some trees. Even then I thought that it looked very light ---- perhaps tissue paper or toilet paper, maybe ---- because it almost fluttered, like a butterfly. But then again, perhaps it wasn"t. Perhaps it was just ordinary paper that had got a bit wet.
I finished my sandwiches, threw my waste paper into the bin nearby and set off back towards the trees and my office. I was not looking forward to the afternoon. As I walked round the edge of the lake, the piece of paper flew up again in front of me. It began to annoy me, and intrigue me ---- because when it flew up, I noticed that it was pink with some writing on it. It flew away and I chased it. It dropped down and I had nearly reached it when the wind took it again. I ran after it once more and it landed again some metres in front of me. I finally caught up with it and put my foot on it to stop it flying away again. This time I held it firmly with my foot until I could lean down and pick it up. I looked at it and realized what it was: a lottery ticket ---- a little wet, and one corner was torn, but it was a lottery ticket. I could see that the date on it was about six weeks before. It was probably worth nothing, but I decided to take it home and dry it.
It was worth something! When I checked the numbers with the winning numbers six weeks before, I had four the same. The 『piece of paper』 was worth￡50! (344 words)
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