新概念英語必背20篇支持直接打印

Askeletoninthecupboard“家丑”

Weoftenreadinnovelshowaseeminglyrespectablepersonorfamilyhassometerriblesecret

whichhasbeenconcealedfromstrangersforyears.TheEnglishlanguagepossessesavividsaying

todescribethissortofsituation.Theterriblesecretiscalled'askeletoninthecupboard,.

Atsomedramaticmomentinthestory,theterriblesecretbecomesknownandareputationis

ruined.Thereader'shairstandsonendwhenhereadsinthefinalpagesofthenovelthat

theheroine,adearoldladywhohadalwaysbeensokindtoeverybody,had,inheryouth,poisoned

everyoneofherfivehusbands.

Itisallverywellforsuchthingstooccurinfiction.Tovaryingdegrees,weallhavesecrets

whichwedonotwantevenourclosestfriendstolearn,butfewofushaveskeletonsinthe

cupboard.TheonlypersonIknowwhohasaskeletoninthecupboardisGeorgeCarlton,and

heisveryproudofthefact.Georgestudiedmedicineinhisyouth.Insteadofbecomingadoctor,

however,hebecameasuccessfulwriterofdetectivestories.Ioncespentanuncomfortable

weekendwhichIshallneverforgetathishouse.Georgeshowedmetotheguestroomwhich,he

said,wasrarelyused.Hetoldmetounpackmythingsandthencomedowntodinner.AfterI

hadstackedmyshirtsandunderclothesintwoemptydrawers,Idecidedtohangoneofthetwo

suitsIhadbroughtwithmeinthecupboard.Iopenedthecupboarddoorandthenstoodinfront

ofitpetrified.Askeletonwasdanglingbeforemyeyes.Thesuddenmovementofthedoormade

itswayslightlyanditgavemetheimpressionthatitwasabouttoleapoutatme.Dropping

mysuit,IdasheddownstairstotellGeorge.Thiswasworsethan'aterriblesecret';this

wasarealskeleton!ButGeorgewasunsympathetic.’Oh,that,'hesaidwithasmileasif

heweretalkingaboutanoldfriend.‘That'sSebastian.YouforgetthatIwasamedicalstudent

onceuponatime.’

參考譯文

在小說中，我們經(jīng)常讀到一個表面上受人尊重的人物或家族，卻有著某種多年不為人所知的駭人聽聞的

秘密。英語中有一個生動的說法來形容這種情況。驚人的秘密被稱作“柜中骷髏”。在小說的某個戲劇

性時刻，可怕的秘密泄漏出來，接著便是某人的聲譽(yù)掃地。當(dāng)讀者讀到小說最后幾頁了解到書中女主人

公，那位一向待大家很好的可愛的老婦人年輕時一連毒死了她的5個丈夫時，不禁會毛骨悚然。

這種事發(fā)生在小說中是無可非議的。盡管我們?nèi)巳硕加懈鞣N大小秘密，連最親密的朋友都不愿讓他們知

道，但我們當(dāng)中極少有人有柜中骷髏。我所認(rèn)識的唯一的在柜中藏骷髏的人便是喬治?卡爾頓，他甚至

引以為自豪。喬治年輕時學(xué)過醫(yī)，然而，他后來沒當(dāng)上醫(yī)生，卻成了一位成功的偵探小說作家。有一次，

我在他家里度周末，過得很不愉快。這事我永遠(yuǎn)不會忘記。喬治把我領(lǐng)進(jìn)客房，說這間房間很少使用。

他讓我打開行裝后下樓吃飯。我將襯衫、內(nèi)衣放進(jìn)兩個空抽屜里，然后我想把隨身帶來的兩套西服中的

一套掛到大衣柜里去。我打開柜門，站在柜門前一下子驚呆了。一具骷髏懸掛在眼前，由于柜門突然打

開，它也隨之輕微搖晃起來，讓我覺得它好像馬上要跳出柜門朝我撲過來似的。我扔下西服沖下樓去告

訴喬治。這是比“駭人聽聞的秘密”更加驚人的東西，這是一具真正的骷髏啊！但喬治卻無動于衷?！班?，

是它呀！他笑著說道，儼然在談?wù)撘晃焕吓笥?。“那是塞巴斯蒂安。你忘了我以前是學(xué)醫(yī)的了?！?/p>

Lesson33Adaytoremember難忘的一天

Wehaveal1experienceddayswheneverythinggoeswrong.Adaymaybeginwellenough,but

suddenlyeverythingseemstogetoutofcontrol.Whatinvariablyhappensisthatagreatnumber

ofthingschoosetogowrongatpreciselythesamemoment.Itisasifasingleunimportant

eventsetupachainofreactions.Letussupposethatyouarepreparingamealandkeeping

aneyeonthebabyatthesametime.Thetelephoneringsandthismarksthepreludetoan

unforeseenseriesofcatastrophes.Whileyouareonthephone,thebabypullsthetablecloth

offthetable,smashinghalfyourbestcrockeryandcuttinghimselfintheprocess.Youhang

uphurriedlyandattendtobaby,crockery,etc.Meanwhile,themealgetsburnt.Asifthis

werenotenoughtoreduceyoutotears,yourhusbandarrives,unexpectedlybringingthreeguests

todinner.

Thingscangowrongonabigscale,asanumberofpeoplerecentlydiscoveredinParramatta,

asuburbofSydney.Duringtherushhouroneeveningtwocarscollidedandbothdriversbegan

toargue.Thewomanimmediatelybehindthetwocarshappenedtobealearner.Shesuddenly

gotintoapanicandstoppedhercar.Thismadethedriverfollowingherbrakehard.Uiswife

wassittingbesidehimholdingalargecake.Asshewasthrownforward,thecakewentright

throughthewindscreenandlandedontheroad.Seeingacakeflyingthroughtheair,a

lorry-driverwhowasdrawingupalongsidethecar,pulledupallofasudden.Thelorrywas

loadedwithemptybeerbottlesandhundredsofthemslidoffthebackofthevehicleandon

totheroad.Thisledtoyetanotherangryargument.Meanwhile,thetrafficpiledupbehind.

Ittookthepolicenearlyanhourtogetthetrafficonthemoveagain.Inthemeantime,the

lorrydriverhadtosweepuphundredsofbrokenbottles.Onlytwostraydogsbenefitedfrom

allthisconfusion,fortheygreedilydevouredwhatwasleftofthecake.Itwasjustoneof

thosedays!

我們大家都有過事事不順心的日子。一天開始時，可能還不錯，但突然間似乎一切都失去了控制。情況

經(jīng)常是這樣的，許許多多的事情都偏偏趕在同一時刻出問題，好像是一件無關(guān)緊要的小事引起了一連串

的連鎖反應(yīng)。假設(shè)你在做飯，同時又在照看孩子。這時電話鈴響了，它預(yù)示著一連串意想不到的災(zāi)難的

來臨。就在你接電話時，孩子把桌布從桌子上扯了下來，將家中最好的陶瓷餐具半數(shù)摔碎，同時也弄傷

了他自己。你急急忙忙掛上電話，趕去照看孩子和餐具。這時，飯又燒糊了。好像這一切還不足以使你

急得掉淚，你的丈夫接著回來了，事先沒打招呼就帶來3個客人吃飯。

就像許多人最近在悉尼郊區(qū)帕拉馬塔所發(fā)現(xiàn)的那樣，有時亂子會鬧得很大。一天傍晚交通最擁擠時，一

輛汽車撞上前面一輛汽車，兩個司機(jī)爭吵起來。緊跟其后的一輛車上的司機(jī)碰巧是個初學(xué)者，她一驚之

下突然把車停了下來。她這一停使得跟在后頭的司機(jī)也來了個急剎車。司機(jī)的妻子正坐在他身邊，手里

托著塊大蛋糕。她往前一沖，蛋糕從擋風(fēng)玻璃飛了出去掉在馬路上。此時，一輛卡車正好從后邊開到那

輛汽車邊上，司機(jī)看見一塊蛋糕從天而降，緊急剎車。卡車上裝著空啤酒瓶，成百只瓶子順勢從卡車后

面滑出車外落在馬路上。這又引起了一場唇槍舌劍的爭吵。與此同時，后面的車輛排成了長龍，警察花

了將近一個小時才使車輛又開起來。在這段時間里，卡車司機(jī)不得不清掃那幾百只破瓶子。只有兩只野

狗從這一片混亂中得到了好處，它們貪婪地吃掉了剩下的蛋糕。這就是事事不順心的那么一天！

Lesson34Ahappydiscovery幸運的發(fā)現(xiàn)

Antiqueshopsexertapeculiarfascinationonagreatmanypeople.Themoreexpensivekind

ofantiqueshopwhererareobjectsarebeautifullydisplayedinglasscasestokeepthemfree

fromdustisusuallyaforbiddingplace.Butnoonehastomusterupcouragetoenteraless

pretentiousantiqueshop.Thereisalwayshopethatinitslabyrinthofmusty,dark,disordered

roomsarealraritywillbefoundamongstthepilesofassortedjunkthatlitterthefloors.

Noonediscoversararitybychance.Atrulydedicatedbargainhuntermusthavepatience,and

aboveall,theabilitytorecognizetheworthofsomethingwhenheseesit.Todothis,he

mustbeatleastasknowledgeableasthedealer.Likeascientistbentonmakingadiscovery,

hemustcherishthehopethatonedayhewillbeamplyrewarded.

Myoldfriend,FrankHalliday,isjustsuchaperson,liehasoftendescribedtomehowhepicked

upamasterpieceforamere￡50.OneSaturdaymorning,Frankvisitedanantiqueshopinmy

neighbourhood.Ashehadneverbeentherebefore,hefoundagreatdealtointeresthim.The

morningpassedrapidlyandFrankwasabouttoleavewhenhenoticedalargepackingcaselying

onthefloor.Thedealertoldhimthatithadjustcomein,butthathecouldnotbebothered

toopenit.Frankbeggedhimtodosoandthedealerreluctantlypriseditopen.Thecontents

weredisappointing.Apartfromaninteresting-lookingcarveddagger,theboxwasfullof

crockery,muchofitbroken.Frankgentlyliftedthecrockeryoutoftheboxandsuddenlynoticed

aminiaturepaintingatthebottomofthepackingcase.AsitsCompositionandlinereminded

himofanItalianpaintingheknewwell,hedecidedtobuyit.Glancingatitbriefly,the

dealertoldhimthatitwasworth￡50.Frankcouldhardlyconcealhisexcitement,forheknew

thathehadmadearealdiscovery.Thetinypaintingprovedtobeanunknownmasterpieceby

Correggioandwasworthhundredsofthousandsofpounds.

古玩店對許多人來說有一種特殊的魅力。高檔一點的古玩店為了防塵,把文物漂亮地陳列在玻璃柜子里，

那里往往令人望而卻步。而對不太裝腔作勢的古玩店，無論是誰都不用壯著膽子才敢往里進(jìn)。人們還常

常有希望在發(fā)霉、陰暗、雜亂無章、迷宮般的店堂里，從雜亂地擺放在地面上的、一堆堆各式各樣的破

爛貨里找到一件稀世珍品。

無論是誰都不會一下子就發(fā)現(xiàn)一件珍品。一個到處找便宜貨買的人必須具有耐心，而且最重要的是看到

珍品時要有鑒別珍品的能力。要做到這一點，他至少要像古董商一樣懂行。他必須像一個專心致志進(jìn)行

探索的科學(xué)家那樣抱有這樣的希望，即終有一天，他的努力會取得豐碩的成果。

我的老朋友弗蘭克?哈利戴正是這樣一個人。他多次向我詳細(xì)講他如何只花50英鎊便買到一位名家的杰

作。一個星期六的上午，弗蘭克去了我家附近的一家古玩店。由于他從未去過那兒，結(jié)果他發(fā)現(xiàn)了許多

有趣的東西。上午很快過去了，弗蘭克正準(zhǔn)備離去，突然看見地板上放著一只體積很大的貨箱。古董商

告訴他那只貨箱剛到不久，但他嫌麻煩不想把它打開。經(jīng)弗蘭克懇求，古董商才勉強(qiáng)把貨箱撬開了。箱

內(nèi)東西令人失望。除了一柄式樣別致、雕有花紋的匕首外，貨箱內(nèi)裝滿了陶器，而且大部分都已破碎。

弗蘭克輕輕地把陶器拿出箱子，突然發(fā)現(xiàn)在箱底有一幅微型畫，畫面構(gòu)圖與線條使他想起了一幅他所熟

悉的意大利畫，于是他決定將畫買下來。古董商漫不經(jīng)心看了一眼那幅畫，告訴弗蘭克那畫值50英鎊。

弗蘭克幾乎無法掩飾自己興奮的心情，因為他明白自己發(fā)現(xiàn)了一件珍品。那幅不大的畫原來是柯勒喬的

一幅未被發(fā)現(xiàn)的杰作，價值幾十萬英鎊。

Lesson40Who'swho真假難辨

Ithasneverbeenexplainedwhyuniversitystudentsseemtoenjoypracticaljokesmorethan

anyoneelse.Studentsspecializeinaparticulartypeofpracticaljoke:thehoax.Inviting

thefirebrigadetoputoutanonexistentfireisacrudeformofdeceptionwhichno

self-respectingstudentwouldeverindulgein.Studentsoftencreateamusingsituationswhich

arefunnytoeveryoneexceptthevictims.

Whenastudentrecentlysawtwoworkmenusingapneumaticdrilloutsidehisuniversity,he

immediatelytelephonedthepoliceandinformedthemthattwostudentsdressedupasworkmen

weretearinguptheroadwithapneumaticdrill.Assoonashehadhungup,hewentoverto

theworkmenandtoldthemthatifapolicemanorderedthemtogoaway,theywerenottotake

himseriously.Headdedthatastudenthaddressedupasapolicemanandwasplayingallsorts

ofsillyjokesonpeople.Boththepoliceandtheworkmenweregratefultothestudentfor

thispieceofadvanceinformation.

Thestudenthidinanarchwaynearbywherehecouldwatchandheareverythingthatwenton.

Sureenough,apolicemanarrivedonthesceneandpolitelyaskedtheworkmentogoaway.When

hereceivedaveryrudereplyfromoneoftheworkmen,hethreatenedtoremovethembyforce.

Theworkmentoldhimtodoashepleasedandthepolicemantelephonedforhelp.Shortly

afterwards,fourmorepolicemenarrivedandremonstratedwiththeworkmen.Asthemenrefused

tostopworking,thepoliceattemptedtoseizethepneumaticdrill.Theworkmenstruggled

fiercelyandoneofthemlosthistemper.Hethreatenedtocallthepolice.Atthis,thepolice

pointedoutironicallythatthiswouldhardlybenecessaryasthemenwerealreadyunderarrest.

Pretendingtospeakseriously,oneoftheworkmenaskedifhemightmakeatelephonecallbefore

beingtakentothestation.Permissionwasgrantedandapolicemanaccompaniedhimtoapay

phone.Onlywhenhesawthatthemanwasactuallytelephoningthepolicedidherealizethat

theyhadal1beenthevictimsofahoax.

誰也弄不清為什么大學(xué)生好像比任何人都更喜歡惡作劇。大學(xué)生擅長一種特殊的惡作劇一一戲弄人。請

消防隊來撲滅一場根本沒有的大火是一種低級騙局，有自尊心的大學(xué)生決不會去做。大學(xué)生們常常做的

是制造一種可笑的局面，使大家笑上一場，當(dāng)然受害者是笑不出來的。

最近有個學(xué)生看見兩個工人在大學(xué)校門外用風(fēng)鉆干活,馬上打電話報告警察,說有兩個學(xué)生裝扮成工人，

正在用風(fēng)鉆破壞路面。掛上電話后，他又馬上來到工人那兒，告訴他們?nèi)粲袀€警察來讓他們走開，不要

把他當(dāng)回事；還對工人說，有個學(xué)生常裝扮成警察無聊地同別人開玩笑。警察與工人都對那個學(xué)生事先

通報情況表示感謝。

那學(xué)生躲在附近一拱形門廊里，在那兒可以看見、聽到現(xiàn)場發(fā)生的一切。果然，警察來了，有禮貌地請

工人離開此地；但其中一個工人粗魯?shù)鼗亓藥拙?。于是警察威脅要強(qiáng)行使他們離開。工人說，悉聽尊便。

警察去打電話叫人。一會兒工夫，又來了4個警察，規(guī)勸工人離開。由于工人拒絕停下手中的活，警察

想奪風(fēng)鉆。兩個工人奮力抗?fàn)?，其中一個發(fā)了火，威脅說要去叫警察。警察聽后譏諷地說，這大可不必，

因為他倆已被逮捕了。其中一個工人裝模作樣地問道，在被帶往警察局之前，是否可以打一個電話。警

察同意了，陪他來到一個投幣電話前。當(dāng)他看到那個工人真的是給警察掛電話，才恍然大悟，原來他們

都成了一場騙局的受害者。

Lesson41IllusionsofPastoralPeace寧靜田園生活的遐想

Thequietlifeofthecountryhasneverappealedtome.Citybornandcitybred,Ihavealways

regardedthecountryassomethingyoulookatthroughatrainwindow,orsomethingyou

occasionallyvisitduringtheweekend.Mostofmyfriendsliveinthecity,yettheyalways

gointorapturesatthemerementionofthecountry.Thoughtheyextolthevirtuesofthe

peacefullife,onlyoneofthemhasevergonetoliveinthecountryandhewasbackintown

withinsixmonths.Evenhestilllivesundertheillusionthatcountrylifeissomehowsuperior

totownlife.Heisforevertalkingaboutthefriendlypeople,thecleanatmosphere,the

closenesstonatureandthegentlepaceofliving.Nothingcanbecompared,hemaintains,with

thefirstcockcrow,thetwitteringofbirdsatdawn,thesightoftherisingsunglintingon

thetreesandpastures.Thisidyllicpastoralsceneisonlypartofthepicture.Myfriend

failstomentionthelongandfriendlesswintereveningsinfrontoftheTVvirtually

theonlyformofentertainment.Hesaysnothingaboutthepoorselectionofgoodsintheshops,

oraboutthoseunfortunatepeoplewhohavetotravelfromthecountrytothecityeveryday

togettowork.Whypeoplearepreparedtotolerateafour-hourjourneyeachdayforthedubious

privilegeoflivinginthecountryisbeyondme.Theycouldbesavedsomuchmiseryandexpense

iftheychosetoliveinthecitywheretheyrightlybelong.

Ifyoucandowithoutthefewpastoralpleasuresofthecountry,youwillfindthecitycan

provideyouwiththebestthatlifecanoffer.Youneverhavetotravelmilestoseeyourfriends.

Theyinvariablylivenearbyandarealwaysavailableforaninformalchatoranevening's

entertainment.Someofmyacquaintancesinthecountrycomeuptotownonceortwiceayear

tovisitthetheatreasaspecialtreat.Forthemthisisamajoroperationwhichinvolves

considerableplanning.Astheplaydrawstoitsclose,theywonderwhethertheywillevercatch

thatlasttrainhome.Thecitydwellerneverexperiencesanxietiesofthissort.Thelatest

exhibitions,films,orplaysareonlyashortbusrideaway.Shopping,too,isalwaysapleasure.

Thereissomuchvarietythatyouneverhavetomakedowithsecondbest.Countrypeoplerun

wildwhentheygoshoppinginthecityandstaggerhomeloadedwithasmanyoftheexoticitems

astheycancarry.Noristhecitywithoutitsmomentsofbeauty.Thereissomethingcomforting

aboutthewarmglowshedbyadvertisementsoncoldwetwinternights.Fewthingscouldbemore

impressivethanthepeacethatdescendsondesertedcitystreetsatweekendswhenthethousands

thattraveltoworkeverydayaretuckedawayintheirhomesinthecountry.Ithasalways

beenamysterytomewhycitydwellers,whoappreciateallthesethings,obstinatelypretend

thattheywouldprefertoliveinthecountry.

寧靜的鄉(xiāng)村生活從來沒有吸引過我。我生在城市，長在城市，總認(rèn)為鄉(xiāng)村是透過火車車窗看到的那個樣

子，或偶爾周末去游玩一下的景象。我的許多朋友都住在城市，但他們只要一提起鄉(xiāng)村，馬上就會變得

欣喜若狂。盡管他們都交口稱贊寧靜的鄉(xiāng)村生活的種種優(yōu)點，但其中只有一人真去農(nóng)村住過，而且不足

6個月就回來了。即使他也仍存有幻覺，好像鄉(xiāng)村生活就是比城市生活優(yōu)越。他滔滔不絕地大談友好的

農(nóng)民，潔凈的空氣，貼近大自然的環(huán)境和悠閑的生活節(jié)奏。他堅持認(rèn)為，凌晨雄雞第一聲啼叫，黎明時

分小鳥吱喳歡叫，冉冉升起的朝陽染紅樹木、牧場，此番美景無與倫比。但這種田園詩般的鄉(xiāng)村風(fēng)光僅

僅是一個側(cè)面。我的朋友沒有提到在電視機(jī)前度過的漫長寂寞的冬夜一一電視是唯一的娛樂形式。他也

不說商店貨物品種單調(diào)，以及那些每天不得不從鄉(xiāng)下趕到城里工作的不幸的人們。人們?yōu)槭裁辞樵该刻?/p>

在路上奔波4個小時去換取值得懷疑的鄉(xiāng)間的優(yōu)點，我是無法理解的。要是他們愿意住在本來屬于他們

的城市，則可以讓他們省去諸多不便與節(jié)約大量開支。

如果你愿舍棄鄉(xiāng)下生活那一點點樂趣的話，那么你會發(fā)現(xiàn)城市可以為你提供生活中最美好的東西。你去

看朋友根本不用跋涉好幾英里，因為他們都住在附近，你隨時可以同他們聊天或在晚上一起娛樂。我在

鄉(xiāng)村有一些熟人，他們每年進(jìn)城來看一回或幾回戲，并把此看作一種特殊的享受?？磻蛟谒麄兪羌笫?

需要精心計劃。當(dāng)戲快演完時，他們又為是否能趕上末班火車回家而犯愁。這種焦慮，城里人是從未體

驗過的。坐公共汽車幾站路，就可看到最新的展覽、電影、戲劇。買東西也是一種樂趣。物品品種繁多，

從來不必用二等品來湊合。鄉(xiāng)里人進(jìn)城采購欣喜若狂，每次回家時都買足了外來商品，直到拿不動方才

罷休，連走路都搖搖晃晃的。城市也并非沒有良辰美景。寒冷潮濕的冬夜里，廣告燈箱發(fā)出的暖光，會

給人某種安慰。周末，當(dāng)成千上萬進(jìn)城上班的人回到了他們的鄉(xiāng)間寓所之后，空曠的街市籠罩著一種寧

靜的氣氛，沒有什么能比此時的寧靜更令人難忘了。城里人對這一切心里很明白，卻偏要執(zhí)拗地裝出他

們喜歡住在鄉(xiāng)村的樣子，這對我來說一直是個謎。

Lesson43Fullyinsured全保險

Insurancecompaniesarenormallywillingtoinsureanything.Insuringpublicorprivate

propertyisastandardpracticeinmostcountriesintheworld.If,however,youwereholding

anopenairgardenpartyorafeteitwouldbeequallypossibletoinsureyourselfintheevent

ofbadweather.Needlesstosay,thebiggertheriskaninsurancecompanytakes,thehigher

thepremiumyouwillhavetopay.Itisnotuncommontohearthatashippingcompanyhasmade

aclaimforthecostofsalvagingasunkenship.Buttheclaimmadebyalocalauthorityto

recoverthecostofsalvagingasunkenpiedishmustsurelybeunique.

Admittedlyitwasanunusualpiedish,foritwaseighteenfeetlongandsixfeetwide.It

hadbeenpurchasedbyalocalauthoritysothatanenormouspiecouldbebakedforanannual

fair.Thepiecommitteedecidedthatthebestwaytotransportthedishwouldbebycanal,

sotheyinsureditforthetrip.Shortlyafteritwaslaunched,thepiecommitteewenttoa

localinntocelebrate.Atthesametime,anumberofteenagersclimbedontothedishand

heldalittlepartyoftheirown.Dancingprovedtobemorethanthedishcouldbear,forduring

thepartyitcapsizedandsankinsevenfeetofwater.

Thepiecommitteetelephonedalocalgarageownerwhoarrivedinarecoverytrucktosalvage

thepiedish.Shiveringintheirwetclothes,theteenagerslookedonwhilethreemendived

repeatedlyintothewatertolocatethedish.Theyhadlittledifficultyinfindingit,but

haulingitoutofthewaterprovedtobeaseriousproblem.Thesidesofthedishweresosmooth

thatitwasalmostimpossibletoattachhawsersandchainstotherimwithoutdamagingit.

Eventuallychainswerefixedtooneendofthedishandapowerfulwinchwasputintooperation.

Thedishrosetothesurfaceandwasgentlydrawntowardsthecanalbank.Foroneagonizing

moment,thedishwasperchedprecariouslyonthebankofthecanal,butitsuddenlyoverbalanced

andslidbackintothewater.Themenwerenowobligedtotryoncemore.Thistimetheyfixed

heavymetalclampstobothsidesofthedishsothattheycouldfastenthechains.Thedish

nowhadtobeliftedverticallybecauseoneedgewasrestingagainstthesideofthecanal.

Thewinchwasagainputintooperationandoneofthemenstartedupthetruck.Severalminutes

later,thedishwassuccessfullyhauledabovethesurfaceofthewater.Waterstreamedin

torrentsoveritssideswithsuchforcethatitsetupahugewaveinthecanal.Therewas

adangerthatthewavewouldreboundofftheothersideofthebankandsendthedishplunging

intothewateragain.Byworkingattremendousspeed,themenmanagedtogetthedishonto

drylandbeforethewavereturned.

保險公司一般說來愿意承保一切東西。承辦公共財產(chǎn)或私人財產(chǎn)保險是世界上大部分國家的正常業(yè)務(wù)。

如果你要舉辦一次露天游園會或盛宴，為避免碰上不好的天氣而遭受損失也同樣可以保險。不用說，保

險公司承擔(dān)風(fēng)險越大，你付的保險費也就越高。航運公司為打撈沉船而提出索賠，這是常有的事，但某

地當(dāng)局為打撈一只焙制餡餅的盤子提出索賠，倒是件新鮮事兒。

這個餡餅盤子確實少見，有18英尺長，6英尺寬。某地方當(dāng)局買下它用來焙制一個巨大的餡餅為一年

一度交易會助興。餡餅委員會確認(rèn)運輸這只盤子的最佳方案是通過運河水運。于是，他們對這只盤子的

運輸安全投了保。盤子下水后不久，餡餅委員會成員們來到當(dāng)?shù)匾患倚【频陸c賀。就在這個時候，許多

十幾歲的孩子爬上盤子舉行他們自己的集會。他們跳起了舞，盤子難以承受。舞會進(jìn)行過程中，盤子傾

覆，沉入了7英尺深的水中。

餡餅委員會給當(dāng)?shù)仄囆蘩韼炖习宕螂娫挘動嵑箝_著一輛急修車前來打撈盤子。那些孩子們穿著濕

衣服哆嗦，看著3個工人輪番潛入水中以確定盤子的位置。他們沒費多大事兒就找到了盤子，可是把盤

子撈出卻是一個很大的難題。盤子四邊十分光滑，要在盤邊拴上繩索或鏈條而同時又不損壞它是很難辦

到的。不過，他們終于將鏈條固定在盤子的一端，一臺大功率的絞車開動起來。盤子慢慢浮出水面，被

輕輕地拽向運河岸邊。在令人忐忑不安的瞬間，盤子晃晃悠悠地上了岸，但它突然失去了平衡，又跌回

水中。工人們只得再來一次。這次，他們用沉重的金屬夾子把盤子夾住，以便往盤子上安裝鐵鏈。這次，

盤子必須垂直吊出水面，因為盤子的一邊緊靠著運河河岸。絞盤機(jī)再次啟動，一位工人發(fā)動了急修車的

引擎。幾分鐘后，盤子被成功地拽出了水面。波浪從盤子兩側(cè)急涌而出，在運河里掀起一股大浪。但是

當(dāng)波浪從河對岸折回來時，就有再次把盤子拖進(jìn)水里的危險。工人們動作迅速，終于趕在那股大浪返回

之前把盤子拽到了岸上。

Lesson44Speedandcomfort又快捷又舒適

People,travelinglongdistancesfrequentlyhavetodecidewhethertheywouldprefertogo

byland,sea,orair.Hardlyanyonecanpositivelyenjoysittinginatrainformorethana

fewhours.Traincompartmentssoongetcrampedandstuffy.Itisalmostimpossibletotake

yourmindoffthejourney.Readingisonlyapartialsolution,forthemonotonousrhythmof

thewheelsclickingontherailssoonlullsyoutosleep.Duringtheday,sleepcomesinsnatches.

Atnight,whenyoureallywishtogotosleep,yourarelymanagetodoso.Ifyouarelucky

enoughtogetasleeper,youspendhalfthenightstaringatthesmallbluelightintheceiling,

orfumblingtofindyourticketforinspection.Inevitablyyouarriveatyourdestinationalmost

exhausted.Longcarjourneysareevenlesspleasant,foritisquiteimpossibleeventoread.

Onmotorwaysyoucan,atleast,travelfairlysafelyathighspeeds,butmoreoftenthannot,

thegreaterpartofthejourneyisspentonroadswithfewservicestationsandtoomuchtraffic.

Bycomparison,ferrytripsorcruisesofferagreatvarietyofcivilizedcomforts.Youcan

stretchyourlegsonthespaciousdecks,playgames,meetinterestingpeopleandenjoygood

foodalwaysassuming,ofcourse,thattheseaiscalm.Ifitisnot,andyouarelikely

togetseasick,noformoftransportcouldbeworse.Evenifyoutravelinidealweather,sea

journeystakealongtime.Relativelyfewpeoplearepreparedtosacrificeholidaytimefor

thepleasureoftravellingbysea.

Aeroplaneshavethereputationofbeingdangerousandevenhardenedtravellersareintimidated

bythem.Theyalsohavethedisadvantageofbeinganexpensiveformoftransport.Butnothing

canmatchthemforspeedandcomfort.Travellingataheightof30,000feet,farabovethe

clouds,andatover500milesanhourisanexhilaratingexperience.Youdonothavetodevise

waysoftakingyourmindoffthejourney,foranaeroplanegetsyoutoyourdestinationrapidly.

Forafewhours,yousettlebackinadeeparmchairtoenjoytheflight.Therealescapist

canwatchafilmandsipchampagneonsomeservices.Butevenwhensuchrefinementsarenot

available,thereisplentytokeepyouoccupied.Anaeroplaneoffersyouanunusualand

breathtakingviewoftheworld.Yousoareffortlesslyoverhighmountainsanddeepvalleys.

Youreallyseetheshapeoftheland.Ifthelandscapeishiddenfromview,youcanenjoythe

extraordinarysightofunbrokencloudplainsthatstretchoutformilesbeforeyou,whilethe

sunshinesbrilliantlyinaclearsky.Thejourneyissosmooththatthereisnothingtoprevent

youfromreadingorsleeping.Howeveryoudecidetospendyourtime,onethingiscertain:

youwillarriveatyourdestinationfreshanduncrumpled.Youwillnothavetospendthenext

fewdaysrecoveringfromalongandarduousjourney.

出遠(yuǎn)門的人常常需要決定是走旱路、水路，還是坐飛機(jī)。很少有人能夠真正喜歡坐幾個小時以上的火車。

車廂很快就變得擁擠、悶熱，想擺脫開旅途的困擾是很難的?？磿荒芙鉀Q部分問題。車輪與鐵軌間單

調(diào)的嘎喳聲很快就會送你進(jìn)入夢鄉(xiāng)。白天是忽睡忽醒，到了夜晚，你真想睡了，卻很難入睡。即使你走

運弄到一個臥鋪,夜間有一半時間你會盯著車頂那盞小藍(lán)燈而睡不著覺;要不然就為查票摸索你的車票。

一旦抵達(dá)目的地，你總是疲憊不堪。乘汽車作長途旅行則更加不舒服，因為連看書都幾乎不可能。在公

路上還好，你至少能以相當(dāng)快的速度安全地向前行。但旅行的大部分時間都花在路上，而且只有很少的

服務(wù)設(shè)施，交通也很擁擠。相比之下，坐船旅行或環(huán)游可以得到文明世界的各種享受。你可以在甲板上

伸展四肢、做游戲，還能見到各種有趣的人，能享用各種美味佳肴一一當(dāng)然，這一切只有在大海風(fēng)平浪

靜的情況下才有可能。如果大海肆虐起來，你就可能暈船，那種難受勁兒是任何一種別的旅行方式都不

會帶來的。即便風(fēng)平浪靜，坐船旅行也要占用很長時間。沒有多少人會為了享受坐船旅行的樂趣而犧牲

假期的時間。

飛機(jī)以危險而著稱，連老資格的旅行者也怕飛機(jī)。飛機(jī)的另一個缺點是昂貴。但就速度與舒適而言，飛

機(jī)是無與倫比的。騰云駕霧，在3萬英尺高空以500英里的時速旅行，這種經(jīng)歷令人心曠神怡。你不必

想辦法去擺脫旅途的困擾，因為飛機(jī)會迅速地把你送到目的地。幾小時之內(nèi)，你躺在扶手椅上，享受著

旅途的歡樂。真正會享受的人還可以在某些航班上看一場電影和喝香檳。即使沒有這些消遣條件，也總

是有事可做。飛機(jī)上，你可以觀察世界上非同尋常的奇妙的美景。你毫不費勁地飛越高山幽谷，你確能

飽覽大地的風(fēng)貌。如果這種景色被遮住了，你便可以觀賞一下展現(xiàn)在你面前的、一望數(shù)英里的、連綿不

斷的云海，同時陽光燦爛，天空清澈明朗。旅途平穩(wěn)，絲毫不妨礙你閱讀或睡眠。不管你打算如何消磨

時間，有件事是可以肯定的，即當(dāng)你抵達(dá)目的地時，你感到精神煥發(fā)，毫無倦意，用不著因為漫長旅途

的辛苦而花幾天時間休息來恢復(fù)精神。

Lesson45Thepowerofthepress新聞報道的威力

Indemocraticcountriesanyeffortstorestrictthefreedomofthepressarerightlycondemned.

However,thisfreedomcaneasilybeabused.Storiesaboutpeopleoftenattractfarmorepublic

attentionthanpoliticalevents.Thoughwemayenjoyreadingaboutthelivesofothers,it

isextremelydoubtfulwhetherwewouldequallyenjoyreadingaboutourselves.Actingonthe

contentionthatfactsaresacred,reporterscancauseuntoldsufferingtoindividualsby

publishingdetailsabouttheirprivatelives.Newspapersexertsuchtremendousinfluencethat

theycannotonlybringaboutmajorchangestothelivesofordinarypeoplebutcaneven

overthrowagovernment.

Thestoryofapoorfamilythatacquiredfameandfortuneovernight,dramaticallyillustrates

thepowerofthepress.ThefamilylivedinAberdeen,asmal1townof23,000inhabitantsin

SouthDakota.Astheparentshadfivechildren,lifewasaperpetualstruggleagainstpoverty.

Theywereexpectingtheirsixthchildandwerefacedwithevenmorepressingeconomicproblems.

Iftheyhadonlyhadonemorechild,thefactwouldhavepassedunnoticed.Theywouldhave

continuedtostruggleagainsteconomicoddsandwouldhavelivedinobscurity.Buttheysuddenly

becametheparentsofquintuplets,fourgirlsandaboy,aneventwhichradicallychangedtheir

lives.Thedayafterthebirthofthefivechildren,anaeroplanearrivedinAberdeenbringing

sixtyreportersandphotographers.

Therisetofamewasswift.Televisioncamerasandnewspaperscarriedthenewstoeveryone

inthecountry.Newspapersandmagazinesofferedthefamilyhugesumsfortheexclusiverights

topublishstoriesandphotographs.Giftspouredinnotonlyfromunknownpeople,butfrom

babyfoodandsoapmanufacturerswhowishedtoadvertisetheirproducts.Theoldfarmhouse

thefamily1ivedinwastobereplacedbyanew$500,000home.Reporterskeptpressingfor

interviewssolawyershadtobeemployedtoactasspokesmenforthefamilyatpressconferences.

Whilethefivebabieswerestillquietlysleepinginoxygententsinahospitalnursery,their

parentswerepayingthepriceforfame.Itwouldneveragainbepossibleforthemtoleadnormal

lives.Theyhadbecomethevictimsofcommercialization,fortheirnameshadacquiredamarket

value.Insteadofbeingfivenewfamilymembers,thesechildrenhadimmediatelybecomea

commodity.

在民主國家里，任何限制新聞自由的企圖都理所當(dāng)然地受到譴責(zé)。然而，這種自由很容易被濫用。常人

軼事往往比政治事件更能引起公眾注意。我們都喜歡看關(guān)于別人生活的報道，但是否同樣喜歡看關(guān)于自

己生活的報道，就很難說了。記者按事實至上的論點行事，發(fā)表有關(guān)別人私生活的細(xì)節(jié)，有時會給當(dāng)事

人造成極大的痛苦。新聞具有巨大的威力。它們不僅可以給尋常人家的生活帶來重大的變化，甚至還能

推翻一個政府。

下面這戶窮人一夜之間出名發(fā)財?shù)墓适聭騽⌒缘卣f明了新聞報道的威力。這戶人家住在南達(dá)科他州一個

人口為23,000的小鎮(zhèn)上，鎮(zhèn)名為阿拜丁。家里已有5個孩子，全家人常年在貧困中掙扎。第6個孩子

即將問世，他們面臨著更為嚴(yán)峻的經(jīng)濟(jì)問題。如果他們只是添了1個孩子，這件事本來就不會引起任何

人的注意。這家人會繼續(xù)為克服經(jīng)濟(jì)上的拮據(jù)而奮斗，并默默無聞地活下去。但是他們出人意料地生了

個五胞胎，4女1男。這事使他們的生活發(fā)生了根本的變化。五胞胎降生第二天，一架飛機(jī)飛抵阿拜丁，

隨機(jī)帶來60名記者與攝影師。

這一家迅速出了名。電視攝像機(jī)和報紙把消息傳送到全國。報紙、雜志出高價向他們購買文字、圖片的

獨家報道權(quán)。不但素昧平生的人寄來了大量的禮物，而且嬰兒食品、嬰兒肥皂制造廠商為了替自己產(chǎn)品

做廣告也寄來了大量的禮物。這家人住的舊農(nóng)舍將由一座價值50萬美元的新住宅所取代。由于記者紛

紛要求會見，他們不得不請了律師充當(dāng)他們家的發(fā)言人舉行記者招待會。眼下，五胞胎還靜靜地躺在醫(yī)

院嬰兒室的氧氣帳里，他們的父母卻為這名聲付出了代價，他們再也無法過正常的生活。他們成了商業(yè)

化的受害者，因為他們的名字具有了市場價值。這些孩子立即成了商品，而不是5個新的家庭成員。

Lesson50NewYearresolutions新年的決心

TheNewYearisatimeforresolutions.Mentally,atleast,mostofuscouldcompileformidable

listsof'dos'and'don'ts'.Thesameoldfavouritesrecuryearinyearoutwithmonotonous

regularity.Weresolvetogetupearliereachmorning,eatless,findmoretimetoplaywith

thechildren,doathousandandonejobsaboutthehouse,benicetopeoplewedon，tlike,

drivecarefully,andtakethedogforawalkeveryday.Pastexperiencehastaughtusthat

certainaccomplishmentsarebeyondattainment.Ifweremaininveteratesmokers,itisonly

becausewehavesooftenexperiencedthefrustrationthatresultsfromfailure.Mosto