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 realized Bessie was drunk and dismissed her immediately. (72 words)
Lesson 50 New Year resolutions 新年的决心
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)
Lesson 51 Predicting the future 预测未来
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 )
Lesson 52 Mud is mud 实事求是
The assistant promised to order the? Myrolite ?Harry bad already asked for, so he then said he wantedperfumed mud. This time her eyes lit up and she immediately
fetched several bottles which she put onthe counter. Harry picked up the smallest bottle, and when he learned the price ( ￡20 ), he paid and leftwith the bottle under his arm. This curious bottle, now in his study, was his first and last purchase of rarecosmetics. (77 words)
Lesson 53 In the public interest 为了公众的利益
On receiving a complaint from a foreigner about police ill - treatment, the Ombudsman wrote to the Chiefof Police asking for a record of the case. As there was no official record and the Chief denied theaccusation, no action was possible. But When there was another similar complaint, the Ombudsman senta lawyer to investigate. He ascertained the truth of the accusations, the policeman was severelyreprimanded and warned that if there were further complaints he would be prosecuted. (80 words)
Lesson 54 Instinct or cleverness? 是本能还是机智
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.
Lesson 55 From the earth: Greetings 来自地球的问候
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)
Lesson 57 Back in the old country 重返故里
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 tothe 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)
Lesson 58 A spot of bother 一点儿小麻烦
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)
Lesson 59 Collecting 收藏
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)
Lesson 60 Too early and too late 太早和太晚
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, not a 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 )