and fitted, but the ship lost the lead. After crossing the Equator, they called in at a port to have a new rudder fitted.
Even with a new rudder, the Cutty Sark arrived in England a week after the Thermopylae, which was 500 miles ahead. (80 words)
Lesson 26 Wanted: a large biscuit tin 征购大饼干筒
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)
Lesson 27 Nothing to sell and nothing to buy 不卖也不买
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)
Lesson 28 Five pounds too dear 五镑太贵
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)
Lesson 29 Funny or not? 是否可笑？
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)
Lesson 30 The death of a ghost 幽灵之死
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)
Lesson 31 A lovable eccentric 可爱的怪人
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)
Lesson 32 A lost ship 一艘沉船
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 Russia when she was torpedoed by an enemy submarine.(80 words )
Lesson 33 A day to remember 难忘的一天
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 )
Lesson 34 A happy discovery 幸运的发现
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)
Lesson 35 Justice was done 伸张正义
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 )
Lesson 36 A chance in a million 百万分之一的机遇
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 West Germany on foot. Meantime, his unit had been lost and all records of him destroyed. He returned to the family home to find the house bombed. Assuming all his family were dead, he settled in a village 50 miles away where he had lived until he met Franz and his wife. (80 words)
Lesson 37 The Westhaven Express 开往威斯特海温的快车
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)
Lesson 38 The first calender 最早的日历
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 )
Lesson 39 Nothing to worry about 不必担心
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)
Lesson 40 Who’s who 真假难辨
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 )
Lesson 41 Illusions of pastoral peace 宁静田园生活的遐想
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 )
Lesson 42 Modern cavemen 现代洞穴人
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)
Lesson 43 Fully insured 全保险
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)
Lesson 44 Speed and comfort 又快捷又舒适
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 ) Lesson 45 The power of the press 新闻报道的威力
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)
Lesson 46 Do it yourself 自己动手
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)
Lesson 47 Too high a price? 代价太高
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)
Lesson 48 The silent village 沉默的村庄
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.
Lesson 49 The ideal servant 理想的仆人
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
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