新概念英語第三冊課文(1-20)-打印版

Lesson1ApumaatlargePumasarelarge,cat-likeanimalswhicharefoundinAmerica.WhenreportscameintoLondonZoothatawildpumahadbeenspottedforty-fivemilessouthofLondon,theywerenottakenseriously.However,astheevidencebegantoaccumulate,expertsfromtheZoofeltobligedtoinvestigate,forthedescriptionsgivenbypeoplewhoclaimedtohaveseenthepumawereextraordinarilysimilar.Thehuntforthepumabeganinasmallvillagewhereawomanpickingblackberriessaw'alargecat'onlyfiveyardsawayfromher.Itimmediatelyranawaywhenshesawit,andexpertsconfirmedthatapumawillnotattackahumanbeingunlessitiscornered.Thesearchproveddifficult,forthepumawasoftenobservedatoneplaceinthemorningandatanotherplacetwentymilesawayintheevening.Whereveritwent,itleftbehinditatrailofdeaddeerandsmallanimalslikerabbits.Pawprintswereseeninanumberofplacesandpumafurwasfoundclingingtobushes.Severalpeoplecomplainedof'cat-likenoises'atnightandabusinessmanonafishingtripsawthepumaupatree.Theexpertswerenowfullyconvincedthattheanimalwasapuma,butwherehaditcomefrom?Asnopumashadbeenreportedmissingfromanyzoointhecountry,thisonemusthavebeeninthepossessionofaprivatecollectorandsomehowmanagedtoescape.Thehuntwentonforseveralweeks,butthepumawasnotcaught.Itisdisturbingtothinkthatadangerouswildanimalisstillatlargeinthequietcountryside.美洲獅是一種體形似貓的大動物，產于美洲。當倫敦動物園接到報告說，在倫敦以南45英里處發(fā)現(xiàn)一只美洲獅時，這些報告并沒有受到重視?？墒牵S著證據(jù)越來越多，動物園的專家們感到有必要進行一番調查，因為凡是聲稱見到過美洲獅的人們所描述的情況竟是出奇地相似。搜尋美洲獅的工作是從一座小村莊開始的。那里的一位婦女在采摘黑莓時的看見“一只大貓”，離她僅5碼遠，她剛看見它，它就立刻逃走了。專家證實，美洲獅非被逼得走投無路，是決不會傷人的。事實上搜尋工作很困難，因為常常是早晨在甲地發(fā)現(xiàn)那只美洲獅，晚上卻在20英里外的乙地發(fā)現(xiàn)它的蹤跡。無論它走哪兒，一路上總會留下一串死鹿及死兔子之類的小動物，在許多地方看見爪印，灌木叢中發(fā)現(xiàn)了粘在上面的美洲獅毛。有人抱怨說夜里聽見“像貓一樣的叫聲”；一位商人去釣魚，看見那只美洲獅在樹上。專家們如今已經完全肯定那只動物就是美洲獅，但它是從哪兒來的呢？由于全國動物園沒有一家報告丟了美洲獅，因此那只美洲獅一定是某位私人收藏豢養(yǎng)的，不知怎么設法逃出來了。搜尋工作進行了好幾個星期，但始終未能逮住那只美洲獅。想到在寧靜的鄉(xiāng)村里有一頭危險的野獸繼續(xù)逍遙流竄，真令人擔心。Lesson2ThirteenequalsoneOurvicarisalwaysraisingmoneyforonecauseoranother,buthehasnevermanagedtogetenoughmoneytohavethechurchclockrepaired.Thebigclockwhichusedtostrikethehoursdayandnightwasdamagedmanyyearsagoandhasbeensilenteversince.Onenight,however,ourvicarwokeupwithastart:theclockwasstrikingthehours!Lookingathiswatch,hesawthatitwasoneo'clock,butthebellstruckthirteentimesbeforeitstopped.Armedwithatorch,thevicarwentupintotheclocktowertoseewhatwasgoingon.Inthetorchlight,hecaughtsightofafigurewhomheimmediatelyrecognizedasBillWilkins,ourlocalgrocer.'WhateverareyoudoinguphereBill?'askedthevicarinsurprise.'I'mtryingtorepairthebell,'answeredBill.'I'vebeencomingupherenightafternightforweeksnow.Yousee,Iwashopingtogiveyouasurprise.''Youcertainlydidgivemeasurprise!'saidthevicar.'You'veprobablywokenupeveryoneinthevillageaswell.Still,I'mgladthebellisworkingagain.''That'sthetrouble,vicar,'answeredBill.'It'sworkingallright,butI'mafraidthatatoneo'clockitwillstrikethirteentimesandthere'snothingIcandoaboutit.''We'llgetusedtothatBill,'saidthevicar.'Thirteenisnotasgoodasonebutit'sbetterthannothing.Nowlet'sgodownstairsandhaveacupoftea.'我們教區(qū)的牧師總是為各種各樣的事籌集資金。但始終未能籌足資金把教堂的鐘修好。教堂的鐘很大，以前不分晝夜打點報時，但很多年前遭到毀壞，從此便無聲無息了。一天夜里，我們的牧師突然被驚醒了，大鐘又在“打點”報時了！他一看表，才1點鐘，可是那鐘一邊敲了13下才停。牧師拿著一支電筒走上鐘樓想去看看究竟發(fā)生了什么事情。借著電筒光。他看見一個人，馬上認出那是本地雜貨店主經比爾.威爾金斯?！澳憔烤乖谶@上面干什么，比爾？”牧師驚訝地問。“我想把這口鐘修好，”比爾回答說。“好幾個星期了，我天天夜里到鐘樓上來。嗯，我是想讓你大吃一驚?！薄澳愦_實使我大吃了一驚！”牧師說，“也許同時你把村里所有的人都吵醒了。不過，鐘又能報時了，我還是很高興的?！薄皢栴}就在這里，牧師，”比爾回答說?！安诲e，鐘能報時了，但是，恐怕每到1點鐘，它總要敲13下，對此我已無能為力了。”“大家慢慢就習慣了，比爾，”牧師說?！?3下是不如1下好，但總比1下也不敲強。來，咱們下樓去喝杯茶吧?！盠esson3AnunknowngoddessSometimeago，aninterestingdiscoverywasmadebyarchaeologistsontheAegean（adj.愛琴海的；n.）islandofKea．AnAmericanteamexploredatemplewhichstandsinanancientcityonthepromontoryofAyiaIrini．Thecityatonetimemusthavebeenprosperous，foritenjoyedahighlevelofcivilization．Houses--oftenthreestoreyshigh--werebuiltofstone．Theyhadlargeroomswithbeautifullydecoratedwalls．Thecitywasevenequippedwithadrainagesystem，foragreatmanyclaypipeswerefoundbeneaththenarrowstreets．ThetemplewhichthearchaeologistsexploredwasusedasaplaceofworshipfromthefifteenthcenturyB.C.untilRomantimes.Inthemostsacredroomofthetemple,clayfragmentsoffifteenstatueswerefound.Eachoftheserepresentedagoddessandhad,atonetime,beenpainted.ThebodyofonestatuewasfoundamongremainsdatingfromthefifteenthcenturyB.C.ItsmissingheadhappenedtobeamongremainsofthefifthcenturyB.C.ThisheadmusthavebeenfoundinClassicaltimesandcarefullypreserved.Itwasveryoldandpreciouseventhen.Whenthearchaeologistsreconstructedthefragments,theywereamazedtofindthatthegoddessturnedouttobeaverymodern-lookingwoman.Shestoodthreefeethighandherhandsrestedonherhip.Shewaswearingafull-lengthskirtwhichswepttheground.Despitehergreatage,shewasverygracefulindeed,but,sofar,thearchaeologistshavebeenunabletodiscoverheridentity.不久之前，在愛琴海的基亞島上，考古工作者有一項有趣的發(fā)現(xiàn)。一個美國考古隊在阿伊亞.依里尼海角的一座古城里考察了一座廟宇。這座古城肯定一度很繁榮，因為它曾享有高度的文明，房子一般有3層樓高，用石塊修建。里面房間很大，墻壁裝飾華麗。城里甚至還鋪設了排水系統(tǒng)，因為在狹窄的街道底下發(fā)現(xiàn)了許許多多陶土制作的排水管道。考古工作者考察的這座廟宇從公元前15世紀直到羅馬時代一直是祭祀祈禱的場所。在廟中最神圣的一間殿堂里發(fā)現(xiàn)了15尊陶雕像的碎片。每一尊雕像代表一位女神，而且一度上過色。其中有一尊雕像，她的軀體是在公元前15世紀的歷史文物中發(fā)現(xiàn)的，而她那身異處的腦袋卻碰巧是在公元前5世紀的文物中找到的。她的腦袋一定是在古希臘羅馬時代就為人所發(fā)現(xiàn)，并受到精心的保護。卻使在當時，它也屬歷史悠久的珍奇之物?？脊殴ぷ髡甙堰@些碎片重新拼裝起來后，驚奇地發(fā)現(xiàn)那位女神原來是一位相貌十分摩登的女郎。她身高3英尺，雙手叉腰。身穿一條拖地長裙，盡管上了年紀，但體態(tài)確實優(yōu)美。不過，考古工作者至今未能確定這位女神的身份。Lesson4ThedoublelifeofAlfredBloggsThesedays,peoplewhodomanualworkoftenreceivefarmoremoneythanpeoplewhoworkinoffices.Peoplewhoworkinofficesarefrequentlyreferredtoas'whitecollarworkers'forthesimplereasonthattheyusuallywearacollarandtietogotowork.Suchishumannature,thatagreatmanypeopleareoftenwillingtosacrificehigherpayfortheprivilegeofbecomingwhitecollarworkers.Thiscangiverisetocurioussituations,asitdidinthecaseofAlfredBloggswhoworkedasadustmanfortheEllesmereCorporation.Whenhegotmarried,Alfwastooembarrassedtosayanythingtohiswifeabouthisjob.HesimplytoldherthatheworkedfortheCorporation.Everymorning,helefthomedressedinasmartblacksuit.Hethenchangedintooverallsandspentthenexteighthoursasadustman.Beforereturninghomeatnight,hetookashowerandchangedbackintohissuit.Alfdidthisforovertwoyearsandhisfellowdustmenkepthissecret.Alf'swifehasneverdiscoveredthatshemarriedadustmanandsheneverwill,forAlfhasjustfoundanotherjob.Hewillsoonbeworkinginanoffice.Hewillbeearningonlyhalfasmuchasheusedto,buthefeelsthathisriseinstatusiswellworththelossofmoney.Fromnowon,hewillwearasuitalldayandotherswillcallhim'Mr.Bloggs',not'Alf'.如今，從事體力勞動的人的收入一般要比坐辦公室的人高出許多。坐辦公室的之所以常常被稱作“白領工人”，就是因為他們通常是穿著硬領白襯衫，系著領帶去上班。許多人常常情愿放棄較高的薪水以換取做白領工人的殊榮，此乃人之常情。而這常常會引起種種奇怪的現(xiàn)象，在埃爾斯米爾公司當清潔工的艾爾弗雷德.布洛斯就是一個例子。艾爾弗結婚時，感到非常難為情，而沒有將自己的職業(yè)告訴妻子。他只說在埃爾斯米爾公司上班。每天早晨，他穿上一身漂亮的黑色西裝離家上班，然后換上工作服，當8個小時清潔工。晚上回家前，他洗個淋浴，重新?lián)Q上那身黑色西服。兩年多以來，艾爾弗一直這樣，他的同事也為他保守秘密。艾爾弗的妻子一直不知道她嫁給了一個清潔工，而且她永遠也不會知道了，因為艾爾弗已找到薪職，不久就要坐辦公室里工作了。他將來掙的錢只有他現(xiàn)在的一半。不過他覺得，地位升高了，損失點兒錢也值得。從此，艾爾弗可以一天到晚穿西服了。別人將稱呼他為“布洛格斯先生”，而不再叫他“艾爾弗”了。Lesson5ThefactsEditorsofnewspapersandmagazinesoftengotoextremestoprovidetheirreaderswithunimportantfactsandstatistics.Lastyearajournalisthadbeeninstructedbyawell-knownmagazinetowriteanarticleonthepresident'spalaceinanewAfricanrepublic.Whenthearticlearrived,theeditorreadthefirstsentenceandthenrefusedtopublishit.Thearticlebegan:'Hundredsofstepsleadtothehighwallwhichsurroundsthepresident'spalace.'Theeditoratoncesentthejournalistafaxinstructinghimtofindouttheexactnumberofstepsandtheheightofthewall.Thejournalistimmediatelysetouttoobtaintheseimportantfacts,buthetookalongtimetosendthem.Meanwhile,theeditorwasgettingimpatient,forthemagazinewouldsoongotopress.Hesentthejournalisttwomorefaxes,butreceivednoreply.Hesentyetanotherfaxinformingthejournalistthatifhedidnotreplysoonhewouldbefired.Whenthejournalistagainfailedtoreply,theeditorreluctantlypublishedthearticleasithadoriginallybeenwritten.Aweeklater,theeditoratlastreceivedafaxfromthejournalist.Notonlyhadthepoormanbeenarrested,buthehadbeensenttoprisonaswell.However,hehadatlastbeenallowedtosendafaxinwhichheinformedtheeditorthathehadbeenarrestedwhilecountingthe1084stepsleadingtothe15-footwallwhichsurroundedthepresident'spalace.報刊雜志的編輯常常為了向讀者提供成立一些無關緊要的事實和統(tǒng)計數(shù)字而走向極端。去年，一位記者受一家有名的雜志的委托寫一篇關于非洲某個新成立共和國總統(tǒng)府的文章。稿子寄來后，編輯看第一句話就拒絕予以發(fā)表。文章的開頭是這樣的：“幾百級臺階通向環(huán)繞總統(tǒng)府的高墻?！本庉嬃⒓唇o那位記者發(fā)去傳真，要求他核實一下臺階的確切數(shù)字和圍墻的高度。記者立即出發(fā)去核實這些重要的事實，但過了好長時間不見他把數(shù)字寄來，在此期間，編輯等得不耐煩了，因為雜志馬上要付印。他給記者先后發(fā)去兩份傳真，但對方毫無反應。于是他又發(fā)了一份傳真，通知那位記者說，若再不迅速答復，將被解雇。但記者還是沒有回復。編輯無奈，勉強按原樣發(fā)稿了。一周之后，編輯終于接到記者的傳真。那個可憐的記者不僅被捕了，而且還被送進了監(jiān)獄。不過，他終于獲準發(fā)回了一份傳真。在傳真中他告訴編輯，就在他數(shù)通向15英尺高的總統(tǒng)府圍墻的1，084級臺階時，被抓了起來。Lesson6Smash-and-grabTheexpensiveshopsinafamousarcadenearPiccadillywerejustopening.Atthistimeofthemorning,thearcadewasalmostempty.MrTaylor,theownerofajewelleryshopwasadmiringanewwindowdisplay.Twoofhisassistantshadbeenworkingbusilysince8o'clockandhadonlyjustfinished.Diamondnecklacesandringshadbeenbeautifullyarrangedonabackgroundofblackvelvet.Aftergazingatthedisplayforseveralminutes,MrTaylorwentbackintohisshop.Thesilencewassuddenlybrokenwhenalargecar,withitsheadlightsonanditshornblaring,roareddownthearcade.Itcametoastopoutsidethejeweler's.Onemanstayedatthewheelwhiletwootherswithblackstockingsovertheirfacesjumpedoutandsmashedthewindowoftheshopwithironbars.Whilethiswasgoingon,MrTaylorwasupstairs.Heandhisstaffbeganthrowingfurnitureoutofthewindow.Chairsandtableswentflyingintothearcade.Oneofthethieveswasstruckbyaheavystatue,buthewastoobusyhelpinghimselftodiamondstonoticeanypain.Theraidwasalloverinthreeminutes,forthemenscrambledbackintothecaranditmovedoffatafantasticspeed.Justasitwasleaving,MrTaylorrushedoutandranafteritthrowingashtraysandvases,butitwasimpossibletostopthethieves.Theyhadgotawaywiththousandsofpoundsworthofdiamonds.皮卡迪利大街附近的一條著名拱廊街道上，幾家高檔商店剛剛開始營業(yè)。在早晨的這個時候，拱廊街上幾乎空無一人。珠寶店主泰勒先生正在欣賞新布置的櫥窗。他手下兩名店員從早上8點就開始忙碌，這時剛剛布置完畢。鉆石項鏈、戒指漂亮地陳列在黑色絲絨上面。泰勒先生站在櫥窗外凝神欣賞了幾分鐘就回到了店里。寧靜突然被打破，一輛大轎車亮著前燈，響著喇叭，呼嘯著沖進了拱廊街，在珠寶店門口停了下來。一人留在駕駛座上，另外兩個用黑色長筒絲襪蒙面的人跳下車來。他們用鐵棒把商店櫥窗的玻璃砸碎。這開始發(fā)生時，泰勒先生正在樓上。他與店員動手向窗外投擲家具，椅子，桌子飛落花流水在拱廊街上。一個竊賊被一尊很重的雕像擊中，但由于他忙著搶鉆石首飾，竟連疼痛都顧不上了。這場搶劫只持續(xù)了3分鐘，因為竊賊爭先恐后地爬上轎車，以驚人的速度開跑了。就在轎車離開的時候，泰勒先生從店里沖了出來，跟在車后追趕，一邊還往車上扔煙灰缸、花瓶。但他已無法抓住那些竊賊了。他們已帶著價值數(shù)千鎊的首飾逃之夭夭了。Lesson7MutilatedladiesHasiteverhappenedtoyou?Haveyoueverputyourtrousersinthewashingmachineandthenrememberedtherewasalargebanknoteinyourbackpocket?Whenyourescuedyourtrousers,didyoufindthenotewaswhiterthanwhite?PeoplewholiveinBritainneedn'tdespairwhentheymademistakeslikethis(andalotofpeopledo)!Fortunatelyforthem,theBankofEnglandhasateamcalledMutilatedLadieswhichdealswithclaimsfrompeoplewhofedtheirmoneytoamachineortotheirdog.Dogs,itseems,lovetochewupmoney!ArecentcaseconcernsJaneButlinwhosefiancé,John,runsasuccessfulfurniturebusiness.Johnhadaverygooddayandputhiswalletcontaining$3,000intothemicrowaveovenforsafekeeping.ThenheandJanewenthorse-riding.Whentheygothome,Janecookedtheirdinnerinthemicrowaveovenandwithoutrealizingit,cookedherfiancé'swalletaswell.Imaginetheirdismaywhentheyfoundabeautifully-cookedwalletandnotesturnedtoash!JohnwenttoseehisbankmanagerwhosenttheremainsofwalletandthemoneytothespecialdepartmentoftheBankofEnglandinNewcastle:theMutilateLadies!TheyexaminedtheremainsandJohngotallhismoneyback.'Solongasthere'ssomethingtoidentify,wewillgivepeopletheirmoneyback,'saidaspokeswomanfortheBank.'Lastyear,wepaid$1.5mon21,000claims.這種事情在你身上出現(xiàn)過嗎？你有沒有把褲子塞洗衣機，然后又想在褲子的后兜有一張大面值的紙幣？當你把褲子搶救出來時，你有沒有發(fā)現(xiàn)那張紙幣已經變得比白紙還白？當英國人犯這種錯誤時，他們不必感到絕望（而許多國家的人都有這種絕望的感覺）。對英國人來說，值得慶幸的是英國銀行有一個殘鈔鑒別組，負責理那些把錢塞進機器或塞給狗的人提出的索賠要求?？雌饋?，狗很喜歡咀嚼錢幣。最近的一個案例與簡.巴特林有關，她的未婚夫約翰擁有一家生意興隆家具店。有一天約翰的生意很好，他把一只裝有3,000英鎊的錢包放進微波爐內保存。然后，他和簡一起去騎馬?；丶液?，簡用微波爐煮了晚飯，無意中之中把她未婚夫的錢包也一起煮了?？梢韵胂袼麄儼l(fā)現(xiàn)一只煮得很好看的錢包，鈔票已化成灰時的沮喪心情。約翰去找銀行經理，經理把約翰的錢包和紙幣的殘留物送到英國銀行在紐卡斯爾的一個專門部門——殘鈔鑒別組。他們鑒定了這些殘留物。約翰拿回了他損失的全部數(shù)額?！爸灰袞|西可供識別，我們會把錢還給人家的，”銀行的一位女發(fā)言人說。“去年，我們對21，000起索賠要求支付了150萬英鎊?！盠esson8AfamousmonasteryTheGreatStBernardPassconnectsSwitzerlandtoItaly.At2470metres,itisthehighestmountainpassinEurope.ThefamousmonasteryofStBernard,whichwasfoundedintheeleventhcentury,liesaboutamileaway.Forhundredsofyears,StBernarddogshavesavedthelivesoftravellerscrossingthedangerousPass.Thesefriendlydogs,whichwerefirstbroughtfromAsia,wereusedaswatch-dogseveninRomantimes.Nowthatatunnelhasbeenbuiltthroughthemountains,thePassislessdangerous,buteachyear,thedogsarestillsentoutintothesnowwheneveratravellerisindifficulty.Despitethenewtunnel,therearestillafewpeoplewhorashlyattempttocrossthePassonfoot.Duringthesummermonths,themonasteryisverybusy,foritisvisitedbythousandsofpeoplewhocrossthePassincars,Astherearesomanypeopleabout,thedogshavetobekeptinaspecialenclosure.Inwinter,however,lifeatthemonasteryisquitedifferent.Thetemperaturedropsto-30oandveryfewpeopleattempttocrossthePass.Themonkspreferwintertosummerfortheyhavemoreprivacy.Thedogshavegreaterfreedom,too,fortheyareallowedtowanderoutsidetheirenclosure.TheonlyregularvisitorstothemonasteryinwinterarepartiesofskierswhogothereatChristmasandEaster.Theseyoungpeople,wholovethepeaceofthemountains,alwaysreceiveawarmwelcomeatStBernard'smonastery.圣伯納德大山口連接著瑞士與意大利，海拔2,473O米，是歐洲最高的山口。11世紀建造的著名的圣伯納德修道院位于離山口1英里遠的地方。幾百年來，圣伯納德修道院馴養(yǎng)狗拯救了許多翻越這道山口的旅游者的生命。那些最先從亞洲引進的狗，待人友好，早在羅馬時代就給人當看門狗了。如今由于山里開挖了隧道，翻越山口已不那么危險了。但每年還要派狗到雪山地里去幫助那些遇到困難的旅游者，盡管修通了隧道，但仍有一些人想冒險徒步跨越圣伯納德山口。夏天的幾個月里，修道院十分忙碌，因為有成千上萬的人駕車通過山口，順道來修道院參觀。由于來人太多，狗被關在專門的圍欄里。然而到了冬天，修道院里的生活則是另一番景象。氣溫下降到零下30度，試圖跨越山口的人寥寥無幾。修道士們喜歡冬天，而不太喜歡夏天。因為在冬天，他們可以更多地過無人打擾的生活。狗也比較自由，被放出圍欄，四處遛達。冬天常來修道院參觀的只有一批批滑雪者。他們在圣誕節(jié)或復活節(jié)到那兒去。這些熱愛高山清靜環(huán)境的年輕人每年都受到圣伯納德修道院的熱烈歡迎。Lesson9FlyingcatsCatsneverfailtofascinatehumanbeings.Theycanbefriendlyandaffectionatetowardshumans,buttheyleadmysteriouslivesoftheirownaswell.Theyneverbecomesubmissivelikedogsandhorses.Asaresult,humanshavelearnedtorespectfelineindependence.Mostcatsremainsuspiciousofhumansalltheirlives.Oneofthethingsthatfascinatesusmostaboutcatsisthepopularbeliefthattheyhaveninelives.Apparently,theyisagooddealoftruthinthisidea.Acat’sabilitytosurvivefallsisbasedonfact.RecentlytheNewYorkAnimalMedicalCentremadeastudyof132catsoveraperiodoffivemonths.Allthesecatshadoneexperienceincommon:theyhadfallenoffhighbuildings,yetonlyeightofthemdiedfromshockorinjuries.Ofcourse,NewYorkistheidealplaceforsuchaninterestingstudy,becausethereisnoshortageoftallbuildings.Thereareplentyofhigh-risewindowsillstofallfrom!Onecat,Sabrina,fell32storeys,yetonlysufferedfromabrokentooth.‘Catsbehavelikewell-trainedparatroopers,’adoctorsaid.Itseemsthatthefurthercatsfall,thelesstheyarelikelytoinjurethemselves.Inalongdrop,theyreachspeedsof60milesanhourandmore.Athighspeeds,fallingcatshavetimetorelax.Theystretchouttheirlegslikeflyingsquirrel.Thisincreasestheirair-resistanceandreducestheshockofimpactwhentheyhittheground.貓總能引起人們的極大興趣。它們可以對人友好，充滿柔情。但是，它們又有自己神秘的生活方式。它們從不像狗和馬一樣變得那么順從。結果是人們已經學會尊重貓的獨立性。在它們的一生中，大多數(shù)貓都對人存有戒心。最使我們感興趣的一件事情就是一種通俗的信念——貓有九條命。顯然，這種說法里面包含著許多真實性。貓在跌落時能夠大難不死是有事實作為依據(jù)的。最近，紐約動物醫(yī)療中心對132只貓進行了為期5個月的綜合研究。所有這些貓有一個共同的經歷：它們都曾從高層建筑上摔下來過，但只有其中的8只貓死于震蕩或跌傷。當然，紐約是進行這種有趣的試驗的一個理想的地方，因為那里根本不缺乏高樓大廈，有的是高層的窗檻從上往下墜落。有一只叫薩伯瑞的貓從32層樓上掉下來，但只摔斷一顆牙。“貓就像訓練有素的跳傘隊員，”一位醫(yī)生說?？雌饋?，貓跌落的距離越長，它們就越不會傷害自己。在一個長長的跌落過程中，它們可以達到每小時60里甚至更快的速度。在高速下落中，貓有時間放松自己。它們伸展四肢，就像飛行中的松鼠一樣。這樣就加大了空氣阻力，并減少了它們著地時沖擊力帶來的震動。Lesson10ThelossofTitanicThegreatship,Titanic,sailedforNewYorkfromSouthamptononApril10th,1912.Shewascarrying1316passengersandacrewof89l.Evenbymodernstandards,the46,000tonTitanicwasacolossalship.Atthattime,however,shewasnotonlythelargestshipthathadeverbeenbuilt,butwasregardedasunsinkable,forshehadsixteenwater-tightcompartments.Eveniftwoofthesewereflooded,shewouldstillbeabletofloat.Thetragicsinkingofthisgreatlinerwillalwaysberemembered,forshewentdownonherfirstvoyagewithheavylossoflife.Fourdaysaftersettingout,whiletheTitanicwassailingacrosstheicywatersoftheNorthAtlantic,ahugeicebergwassuddenlyspottedbyalook-out.Afterthealarmhadbeengiven,thegreatshipturnedsharplytoavoidadirectcollision.TheTitanicturnedjustintime,narrowlymissingtheimmensewalloficewhichroseover100feetoutofthewaterbesideher.Suddenly,therewasaslighttremblingsoundfrombelow,andthecaptainwentdowntoseewhathadhappened.Thenoisehadbeensofaintthatnoonethoughtthattheshiphadbeendamaged.Below,thecaptainrealizedtohishorrorthattheTitanicwassinkingrapidly,forfiveofhersixteenwater-tightcompartmentshadalreadybeenflooded!Theordertoabandonshipwasgivenandhundredsofpeopleplungedintotheicywater.Astherewerenotenoughlife-boatsforeverybody,1500liveswerelost.巨輪“泰坦尼克”號1912年4月10日從南安普敦起錨駛向紐約。船上載有1,316名乘客與891名船員。卻使用現(xiàn)代標準來衡量，45,000噸的“泰坦尼克”號與算得上一艘巨輪了。當時，這艘輪船不僅是造船史上建造的最大的一艘船，而且也被認為是不會沉沒的。因為船由16個密封艙組成，即使有兩個艙進水，仍可漂浮的水面上。然而，這艘巨輪首航就下沉，造成大批人員死亡。人們將永遠記著這艘巨輪的沉沒慘劇?！疤┨鼓峥恕逼鸷胶蟮牡?天，它正行駛在北大西洋冰冷的海面上。突然，了望員發(fā)現(xiàn)一座冰山。警報響過不久，巨輪急轉彎，以避免與冰山正面相撞?！疤┨鼓峥恕边@個彎拐得及時，緊貼著高出海面100英尺的巨大的冰墻擦過去。突然，從船艙下部傳來一聲微顫音，船長走下船艙去查看究竟。由于這個聲音非常輕，沒人會想到船身已遭損壞。在下面，船長驚恐的地發(fā)現(xiàn)“泰坦尼克”號正在急速下沉，16個密封艙已有5個進水。于是，他發(fā)出棄船的命令，幾百人跳進了冰冷刺骨的海水里。由于沒有足夠的救生艇運載所有乘客，結果，1,500人喪生。Lesson11NotguiltyCustomsofficersarequitetolerantthesedays,buttheycanstopyouwhenyouaregoingthroughtheGreenChannelandhavenothingtodeclare.Evenreallyhonestpeopleareoftenmadetofeelguilty.Thehardenedprofessionalsmuggler,ontheotherhand,isnevertroubledbysuchfeelings,evenifhehasfivehundredgoldwatcheshiddeninhissuitcase.WhenIreturnedfromabroadrecently,aparticularlyofficiousyoungCustomsOfficerclearlyregardedmeasasmuggler.'Haveyouanythingtodeclare?'heasked,lookingmeintheeye.'No,'Iansweredconfidently.'Wouldyoumindunlockingthissuitcaseplease?''Notatall,'Ianswered.TheOfficerwentthroughthecasewithgreatcare.AllthethingsIhadpackedsocarefullyweresooninadreadfulmess.IfeltsureIwouldneverbeabletoclosethecaseagain.Suddenly,IsawtheOfficer'sfacelightup.Hehadspottedatinybottleatthebottomofmycaseandhepouncedonitwithdelight.'Perfume,eh?'heaskedsarcastically.'Youshouldhavedeclaredthat.'Perfumeisnotexemptfromimportduty.''Butitisn'tperfume,'Isaid.'It'shair-jam.'ThenIaddedwithasmile,'It'sastrangemixtureImakemyself.'AsIexpected,hedidnotbelieveme.'Tryit!'Isaidencouragingly.TheOfficerunscrewedthecapandputthebottletohisnostrils.HewasgreetedbyanunpleasantsmellwhichconvincedhimthatIwastellingthetruth.Afewminuteslater,Iwasabletohurryawaywithpreciouschalk-marksonmybaggage.現(xiàn)在的海關官員往往相當寬容。但是，當你通過綠色通道，沒有任何東西需要申報時，他們仍可以攔住你。甚至是最誠實的人也常弄得覺得有罪似的，而老練的職業(yè)走私犯卻使手提箱里藏著500只金表，卻也處之泰然。最近一次，我也出國歸來，碰上一位特別好管閑事的年輕海關官員，他顯然把我當成走私犯。“您有什么需要申報的嗎？”他直盯著我的眼睛問。“沒有?！蔽易孕诺鼗卮鹫f?！罢埓蜷_這只手提箱好嗎？”“好的?！蔽一卮鹫f。那位官員十分仔細地把箱子檢查了一遍。所有細心包裝好的東西一會兒工夫就亂成一團。我相信那箱子再也關不上了。突然，我看到官員臉上露出了得意的神色。他在我的箱底發(fā)現(xiàn)了一只小瓶，高興地一把抓了起來。“香水，嗯？”他譏諷地說道，“你剛才應該申報，香水不是免稅的?！薄安?，這不是香水，”我說，“是發(fā)膠。”接著我臉帶微笑補充說：“這是一種我自己配制的奇特的混合物?！薄澳憔吐勔宦劙?！”我催促說。海關官員擰開瓶蓋，把瓶子放到鼻子底下。一股怪味襲來，使他相信了我說的真話。幾分鐘后，我終于被放行，手提劃著寶貴的粉筆記號的行李，匆匆離去。Lesson12LifeonadesertislandMostofushaveformedanunrealisticpictureoflifeonadesertisland.Wesometimesimagineadesertislandtobeasortofparadisewherethesunalwaysshines.Lifethereissimpleandgood.Ripefruitfallsfromthetreesandyouneverhavetowork.Theothersideofthepictureisquitetheopposite.Lifeonadesertislandiswretched.YoueitherstarvetodeathorlivelikeRobinsonCrusoe,waitingforaboatwhichnevercomes.Perhapsthereisanelementoftruthinboththesepictures,butfewofushavehadtheopportunitytofindout.Twomenwhorecentlyspentfivedaysonacoralislandwishedtheyhadstayedtherelonger.TheyweretakingabadlydamagedboatfromtheVirginIslandstoMiamitohaveitrepaired.Duringthejourney,theirboatbegantosink.Theyquicklyloadedasmallrubberdinghywithfood,matches,andtinsofbeerandrowedforafewmilesacrosstheCaribbeanuntiltheyarrivedatatinycoralisland.Therewerehardlyanytreesontheislandandtherewasnowater,butthisdidnotprovetobeaproblem.Themencollectedrain-waterintherubberdinghy.Astheyhadbroughtaspeargunwiththem,theyhadplentytoeat.Theycaughtlobsterandfisheveryday,and,asoneofthemputit'atelikekings'.Whenapassingtankerrescuedthemfivedayslater,bothmenweregenuinelysorrythattheyhadtoleave.我們許多人對于荒島生活有一種不切實際的想法。我們有時想象荒島是陽光終日普照的天堂。在那里，生活簡單又美好。成熟的水果從樹上掉下來，人們根本無需勞動。另一種想法恰恰相反，認為荒島生活很可怕，要么餓死，要么像魯濱孫那樣，天天盼船來，卻總沒見船影。也許，這兩種都像都有可信之處。但很少有人能有機會去弄個究竟。最近有兩個人在一座珊瑚島上呆了5天，他們真希望在那兒再多呆一些日子。他們駕著一條嚴重損壞的小船從維爾京群島阿密修理。途中，船開始下沉，他們迅速把食物、火柴、罐裝啤酒往一只救生筏上裝。然后在加勒比海上劃行了幾英里，到了一座珊瑚島上。島上幾乎沒有一顆樹，也沒有淡水，但這不算什么問題。他們用橡皮艇蓄積雨水。由于他們隨身帶了一支捕魚槍，因此，吃飯不愁。他們天天捕捉龍蝦和魚，正如其中一位所說，吃得“像國王一樣好”。5天后，一條油輪從那兒路過，搭救了他們。這二位不得不離開那個荒島時，還真的感到遺憾呢！Lesson13It’sonlymeAfterherhusbandhadgonetowork,MrsRichardssentherchildrentoschoolandwentupstairstoherbedroom.Shewastooexcitedtodoanyhouseworkthatmorning,forintheeveningshewouldbegoingtoafancydresspartywithherhusband.Sheintendedtodressupasaghostandasshehadmadehercostumethenightbefore,shewasimpatienttotryiton.Thoughthecostumeconsistedonlyofasheet,itwasveryeffective.Afterputtingiton,MrsRichardswentdownstairs.Shewantedtofindoutwhetheritwouldbecomfortabletowear.JustasMrsRichardswasenteringthedining-room,therewasaknockonthefrontdoor.Sheknewthatitmustbethebaker.Shehadtoldhimtocomestraightinifevershefailedtoopenthedoorandtoleavethebreadonthekitchentable.Notwantingtofrightenthepoorman,MrsRichardsquicklyhidinthesmallstore-roomunderthestairs.Sheheardthefrontdooropenandheavyfootstepsinthehall.Suddenlythedoorofthestore-roomwasopenedandamanentered.MrsRichardsrealizedthatitmustbethemanfromtheElectricityBoardwhohadcometoreadthemeter.Shetriedtoexplainthesituation,saying'It'sonlyme',butitwastoolate.Themanletoutacryandjumpedbackseveralpaces.WhenMrsRichardswalkedtowardshim,hefled,slammingthedoorbehindhim.理查茲夫人等丈夫上班走后，把孩子送去上學，然后來到樓上自己的臥室。那天上午，她興奮得什么家務活都不想做，因為晚上她要同丈夫一起參加一個化裝舞會。她打算裝扮成鬼的模樣。頭天晚上她已把化裝服做好，這時她急于想試試。盡管化裝服僅由一個被單制成，卻十分逼真。理查茲夫人穿上化裝服后下了樓，想看穿起來是否舒服。理查茲夫人剛剛走進餐廳，前門就傳來敲門聲。她知道來了一定面包師。她曾告訴過面包師，如果她不去開門，他可直接進門，把面包放在廚房的桌上。理查茲夫人不想嚇唬這個可憐人，便趕緊躲到了樓梯下的小儲藏室里。她聽見前門被打開，走廊里響起重重的腳步聲。突然貯藏門開了，一個男人走了進來。理查茲夫人這才想到一定是供電局來人查電表了。她說了聲“是我，別怕！”然后想進行一番解釋，但已來不及了。那人大叫了一聲，驚退了幾步。理查茲夫人朝他走去，只見他“砰”的一聲關上門逃走了。Lesson14AnoblegangsterTherewasatimewhentheownersofshopandbusinessesinChicagohadtopaylargesumsofmoneytogangstersinreturnfor'protection'Ifthemoneywasnotpaidpromptly,thegangsterswouldquicklyputamanoutofbusinessbydestroyinghisshop.Obtaining'protectionmoney'isnotamoderncrime.Aslongagoasthefourteenthcentury,anEnglishman,SirJohnHawkwood,madetheremarkablediscoverythatpeoplewouldratherpaylargesumsofmoneythanhavetheirlifeworkdestroyedbygangsters.Sixhundredyearsago,SirJohnHawkwoodarrivedinItalywithabandofsoldiersandsettlednearFlorence.HesoonmadeanameforhimselfandcametobeknowntotheItaliansasGiovanniAcuto.WhenevertheItaliancity-stateswereatwarwitheachother,Hawkwoodusedtohirehissoldierstoprinceswhowerewillingtopaythehighpricehedemanded.Intimesofpeace,whenbusinesswasbad,Hawkwoodandhismenwouldmarchintoacity-stateand,afterburningdownafewfarms,wouldoffertogoawayifprotectionmoneywaspaidtothem.Hawkwoodmadelargesumsofmoneyinthisway.Inspiteofthis,theItaliansregardedhimasasortofhero.Whenhediedattheageofeighty,theFlorentinesgavehimastatefuneralandhadapicturepaintedwhichwasdedicatedtothememoryof'themostvaliantsoldierandmostnotableleader,SignorGiovanniHaukodue'.曾經有一個時期,芝加哥的店主和商行的老板們不得不拿出大筆的錢給歹徒以換取"保護"。如果交款不及時,歹徒們就會很快搗毀他的商店,讓他破產.榨取"保護金"并不是一種現(xiàn)代的罪惡行徑.早在14世紀,英國人約翰.霍克伍德就有過非凡的發(fā)現(xiàn):"人們情愿拿出大筆的錢,也不愿畢生的心血毀于歹徒之手.600年前,約翰.霍克伍德爵士帶著一隊士兵來到意大利,在佛羅倫薩附近駐扎下來,很快就出了名.意大利人叫他喬凡尼.阿庫托.每次意大利各城邦之間打伏,霍克伍德把他的士兵雇傭給愿給他出高價的君主。和平時期,當生意蕭條時,霍克伍德便帶領士兵進入某個城邦,縱火燒毀一兩個農場,然后提出,如向他們繳納保護金,他們便主動撤離?；艨宋榈掠眠@種方法掙了大筆錢.盡管如此,意大利人還是把他視作某種英雄。他80歲那年死去時,佛羅倫薩人為他舉行了國葬,并為他畫像以紀念這位"驍勇無比的戰(zhàn)士、杰出的領袖喬凡尼.阿庫托先生."Lesson15FiftypenceworthoftroubleChildrenalwaysappreciatesmallgiftsofmoney.MumorDad,ofcourse,providesaregularsupplyofpocket-money,butunclesandauntsarealwaysasourceofextraincome.Withsomechildren,smallsumsgoalongway.Iffiftypencepiecesarenotexchangedforsweets,theyrattleformonthsinsidemoney-boxes.Onlyverythriftychildrenmanagetofillupamoney-box.Formostofthem,fiftypenceisasmallpricetopayforanicebigbarofchocolate.Mynephew,George,hasamoney-boxbutitisalwaysempty.VeryfewofthefiftypencepiecesandpoundcoinsIhavegivenhimhavefoundtheirwaythere.Igavehimfiftypenceyesterdayandadvisedhimtosaveit.Instead,heboughthimselffiftypenceworthoftrouble.Onhiswaytothesweetshop,hedroppedhisfiftypenceanditrolledalongthepavementandthendisappeareddownadrain.Georgetookoffhisjacket,rolleduphissleevesandpushedhisrightarmthroughthedraincover.Hecouldnotfindhisfiftypenceanywhere,andwhatismore,hecouldnotgethisarmout.