倒背如流新概念三冊(cè)精華課文16篇

倒背如流新概念三冊(cè)精華課文16篇美洲獅是一種體形似貓的大動(dòng)物，產(chǎn)于美洲。當(dāng)倫敦動(dòng)物園接到報(bào)告說，在倫敦以南45英里處發(fā)現(xiàn)一只美洲獅時(shí)，這些報(bào)告并沒有受到重視?？墒?，隨著證據(jù)越來越多，動(dòng)物園的專家們感到有必要進(jìn)行一番調(diào)查，因?yàn)榉彩锹暦Q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(shí)的看見"一只大貓"，離她僅5碼遠(yuǎn)，她剛看見它，它就立刻逃走了。專家證實(shí)，美洲獅非被逼得走投無路，是決不會(huì)傷人的。事實(shí)上搜尋工作很困難，因?yàn)槌３Ｊ窃绯吭诩椎匕l(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(huì)留下一串死鹿及死兔子之類的小動(dòng)物，在許多地"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?nèi)缃褚呀?jīng)完全肯定那只動(dòng)物就是美洲獅，但它是從哪兒來的呢？由于全國動(dòng)物園沒有一家報(bào)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(shè)法逃出來了。搜尋工作進(jìn)行了好幾個(gè)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(xiǎn)的野獸繼續(xù)逍遙流竄，真令人擔(dān)心?！顿u油翁》早已經(jīng)向我們揭示出學(xué)好外語的最簡(jiǎn)單樸素的真理——“熟能生巧”，成功就是熟能生巧。學(xué)了十多年英語背不出一篇課文。精讀的重點(diǎn)在于精，而不在于多。我從新概念三冊(cè)選出精華課文16篇，希望大家讀熟，滾瓜爛熟，讀到和讀漢語的感覺差不多。你的英語能力一定能達(dá)到一個(gè)新的高度，過四級(jí)英語將不在話下。倒背如流新概念學(xué)習(xí)方法1.狂聽時(shí)減少背誦的難度。2.倒譯3.試背將課文中的關(guān)鍵詞寫下來作為提示，來背誦課文。單純地反復(fù)閱讀效果并不好，學(xué)習(xí)者應(yīng)該在文章還沒有完全記住前積極進(jìn)行嘗試再現(xiàn)，回憶不起來時(shí)再閱讀。這樣容易記住，而且保持時(shí)間也長(zhǎng)。（）Lesson4ThedoublelifeofAlfredBloggs阿爾弗雷德.布洛格斯的雙重生活Listentothetapethenanswerthequestionbelow.聽錄音，然后回答以下問題。WhydidAlfwantawhite-collarjob?4.復(fù)述用自己的語言說出課文的主要內(nèi)容。文章通過理解消化，語句通過熟讀試背，也已朗朗上口，如果再反復(fù)朗讀幾遍，就能流利地背誦下來。5.默寫所謂“眼過千遍，不如手抄一遍”。既用腦，又動(dòng)手，可加深對(duì)文章的記憶。Thesedays,peoplewhodomanualworkoftenreceivefarmoremoneythanpeoplewhoworkinoffices.Peoplewhoworkinofficesarefrequentlyreferredtoas"white-collarworkers'forthesimplereasonthattheyusuallywearacollarandtietogotowork.Suchishumannature,thatagreatmanypeopleareoftenwillingtosacrificehigherpayfortheprivilegeofbecomingwhite-collarworkers.Thiscangiverisetocurioussituations,asitdidinthecaseofAlfredBloggswhoworkedasadustmanfortheEllesmereCorporation.（）Lesson1APumaatlarge逃遁的美洲獅)Listentothetapethenanswerthequestionbelow.聽錄音，然后回答以下問題。)Wheremustthepumahavecomefrom?Whenhegotmarried,Alfwastooembarrassedtosayanythingtohiswifeabouthisjob.HePumasarelarge,cat-likeanimalswhicharefoundinAmerica.WhenreportscameintoLondonZoothatawildpumahadbeenspottedforty-fivemilessouthofLondon,theywerenottakenseriously.However,astheevidencebegantoaccumulate,expertsfromtheZoofeltobligedtoinvestigate,forthedescriptionsgivenbypeoplewhoclaimedtohaveseenthepumawereextraordinarilysimilar.simplytoldherthatheworkedfortheCorporation.Everymorning,helefthomedressedinasmartblacksuit.Hethenchangedintooverallsandspentthenexteighthoursasadustman.Beforereturninghomeatnight.Hetookashowerandchangedbackintohissuit.AlfdidthisforovertwoyearsandhisfellowdustmenkepthissecretAlf'swifehasneverdiscoveredthatshemarriedadustmanandsheneverwill,forAlfhasjustfoundanotherjob.Hewillsoonbeworkinginanoffice.Hewillbeearningonlyhalfasmuchasheusedto,buthefeelsthathisriseinstatusiswellworththelossofmoney.Fromnowon,hewillwearasuitalldayandotherswillcallhim'Mr.Bloggs',not'Alf'.Thehuntforthepumabeganinasmallvillagewhereawomanpickingblackberriessaw'alargecat'onlyfiveyardsawayfromher.Itimmediatelyranawaywhenshesawit,andexpertsconfirmedthatapumawillnotattackahumanbeingunlessitiscornered.Thesearchproveddifficult,forthepumawasoftenobservedatoneplaceinthemorningandatanotherplacetwentymilesawayintheevening.Whereveritwent,itleftbehinditatrailofdeaddeerandsmallanimalslikerabbits.Pawprintswereseeninanumberofplacesandpumafurwasfoundclingingtobushes.Severalpeoplecomplainedof"cat-likenoises'atnightandabusinessmanonafishingtripsawthepumaupatree.Theexpertswerenowfullyconvincedthattheanimalwasapuma,butwherehaditcomefrom?Asnopumashadbeenreportedmissingfromanyzoointhecountry,thisonemusthavebeeninthepossessionofaprivatecollectorandsomehowmanagedtoescape.Thehuntwentonforseveralweeks,butthepumawasnotcaught.Itisdisturbingtothinkthatadangerouswildanimalisstillatlargeinthequietcountryside.參考譯文如今，從事體力勞動(dòng)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(lǐng)工人"，就是因?yàn)樗麄兺ǔＪ谴┲差I(lǐng)白襯衫，系著領(lǐng)帶去上班。許多人常常情愿放棄較高的薪水以換取做白領(lǐng)工人的殊榮，此乃人之常情。而這常常會(huì)引起種種奇怪的現(xiàn)象，在埃爾斯米爾公司當(dāng)清潔工的艾爾弗雷德.布洛斯就是一個(gè)例子。艾爾弗結(jié)婚時(shí)，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(dāng)8個(gè)小時(shí)清潔工。晚上回家前，他洗個(gè)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(gè)清潔工，而且她永遠(yuǎn)也不會(huì)知道了，因?yàn)榘瑺柛ヒ颜业叫铰?，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(diǎn)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。參考譯文1Anoblegangster貴族歹徒1524年，一位鮮為人知的意大利人維拉薩諾駕船駛進(jìn)紐約港，并將該港名為安古拉姆。他對(duì)“”。雖然維1964年11月21日建成的一座世界上最長(zhǎng)的吊橋是以他的名字命名。維拉薩諾大橋由奧斯馬.阿曼設(shè)計(jì)，連結(jié)著布魯克林與斯塔頓島，橋長(zhǎng)4,260英尺。由于橋身太長(zhǎng)，設(shè)計(jì)者不得不考慮了地表的形狀。兩座巨塔支撐著4根粗大的鋼纜。塔身建在巨大的水下鋼盤混凝土平臺(tái)上。平臺(tái)深入海底100英尺。僅這兩座塔就花了16個(gè)月才建成。塔身高出水面將近700英尺。高塔支撐著鋼纜，而鋼纜又懸吊著大橋，4根鋼纜中的每根由26108股鋼繩組成。據(jù)估計(jì)，若橋上擺滿了汽車，也只不過是橋的總承載力的1/3。然而，這座橋重要特點(diǎn)不僅是它的規(guī)模與強(qiáng)度。盡管此橋很大，但它的結(jié)構(gòu)簡(jiǎn)單，造型優(yōu)美，實(shí)現(xiàn)了設(shè)計(jì)者企圖創(chuàng)造一個(gè)“盡量用細(xì)線條勾畫出一個(gè)龐然大物”的夢(mèng)想。DanielMendoza.BoxingmatcheswereverypopularinEnglandtwohundredyearsago.Inthosedays,boxersfoughtwithbarefistsforprize.Becauseofthis,theywereknownas'prize-fighters'.However,boxingwasverycrude,fortherewerenorulesandaprize-fightercouldbeseriouslyinjuredorevenkilledduringamatch.OneofthemostcolourfulfiguresinboxinghistorywasDanielMendoza,whowasbornin1764.Theuseofgloveswasnotintroduceduntil1860,whentheMarquisofQueensberryupthefirstsetofrules.Thoughhewastechnicallyaprize-fighter,Mendozadidmuchtochangecrudeprize-fightingintoasport,forhebroughtsciencetothegame.In,Mendozaenjoyedtremendous.Hewasadoredbyrichandpooralike.Mendozarosetofameswiftlyafteraboxing-matchwhenhewasonlyfourteenyearsold.ThisattractedtheattentionofRichardHumphrieswhowasthenthemosteminentboxerinEngland.HeofferedtotrainMendozaandhisyoungpupilwasquicktolearn.Infact,MendozasoonbecamesosuccessfulthatHumphriesturnedagainsthim.Thetwomenquarrelledbitterlyanditwasclearthattheargumentcouldonlybesettledbyafight.AmatchwasheldatStilton,wherebothmenfoughtforanhour.ThepublicbetagreatdealofmoneyonMendoza,buthewasdefeated.MendozametHumphriesintheringonalateroccasionandhelostforasecondtime.Itwasnotuntilhisthirdmatchin1790thathefinallybeatHumphriesandbecameChampionofEngland.Meanwhile,hefoundedahighlysuccessfulAcademyandevenLordByronbecameoneofhispupils.Heearnedenormousofmoneyandwaspaidasmuchas100poundsforasingleappearance.Despitethis,hewassoextravagantthathewasalwaysindebt.AfterhewasdefeatedbyaboxercalledGentlemanJackson,hewasquicklyThelongestsuspensionbridgeintheworld世界上最長(zhǎng)的吊橋TheVerrazanoBridge,whichwasdesignedbyOthmarAmmann,joinsBrooklyntoStatenHewassenttoprisonforfailingtopayhisdebtsanddiedinpovertyin1836.Ithasaspanof4,260feet.Thebridgeissolongthattheshapeoftheearthhadtobetaken兩百年前，拳擊比賽在英國非常盛行。當(dāng)時(shí)，拳擊手們不戴手套，為爭(zhēng)奪獎(jiǎng)金而搏斗。因此，accountbyitsdesigner.Twogreattowerssupportfourhugecables.Thetowersarebuilton他們被稱作“職業(yè)拳擊手”。不過，拳擊是十分野蠻的，因?yàn)楫?dāng)時(shí)沒有任何比賽規(guī)則，職業(yè)拳擊手有immenseunderwaterplatformsmadeofsteelandconcrete.Theplatformsextendtoadepthofover可能在比賽中受重傷，甚至喪命。拳擊史上最引人注目的人物之一是丹尼爾.門多薩，他生于17641860年昆斯伯里侯爵第towersrisetoaheightofnearly700feet.Theysupportthecablesfromwhichthebridgehasbeen一次為拳擊比賽制定了規(guī)則，拳擊比賽這才用上了手套。雖然門多薩嚴(yán)格來講不過是個(gè)職業(yè)拳擊suspended.Eachofthefourcablescontains26,108lengthsofwire.Ithasbeenestimatedthatifthe手，但在把這種粗野的拳擊變成一種體育運(yùn)動(dòng)方面，他作出了重大貢獻(xiàn)。是他把科學(xué)引進(jìn)了這項(xiàng)bridgewerepackedwithcars,itwouldstillonlybecarryingathirdofitstotal.However,size運(yùn)動(dòng)。門多薩在他的全盛時(shí)期深受大家歡迎，無論是富人還是窮人都對(duì)他祟拜備至。andstrengtharenottheonlyimportantthingsaboutthisbridge.Despiteitsimmensity,itisbothsimpleandelegant,fulfillingitsdesigner'sdreamtocreate'anenormousobjectdrawnasfaintlyas意。他主動(dòng)提出教授門多薩，而年少的門多薩一學(xué)就會(huì)。事實(shí)上，門多薩不久便名聲大振，致使possible'.漢弗萊斯與他反目為敵。兩個(gè)人爭(zhēng)吵不休，顯而易見，只有較量一番才能解決問題。于是兩人在門多薩在14.漢弗萊斯的注2斯蒂爾頓設(shè)下賽場(chǎng)，廝打了一個(gè)小時(shí)。公眾把大筆賭注下到了門多薩身上，但他卻輸了。后來，門多薩與漢弗萊斯再次在拳擊場(chǎng)上較量，門多薩又輸了一場(chǎng)。直到1790年他們第3次對(duì)壘，門多薩才終于擊敗漢弗萊斯，成了全英拳擊冠軍。同時(shí)，他建立了一所拳擊學(xué)校，辦得很成功，連拜倫勛爵也成了他的學(xué)生。門多薩掙來大筆大筆的錢，一次出場(chǎng)費(fèi)就多可達(dá)100英鎊。盡管收入不少，但他揮霍無度，經(jīng)常債臺(tái)高筑。他被一個(gè)叫杰克遜紳士的拳擊手擊敗后很快被遺忘。他因無力還債而被捕入獄，最后于1836年在貧困中死去。7Lesson27（）Nothingtosellandnothingtobuy沒有東西可賣也沒有東西可買Ithasbeensaideveryonelivesbysellingsomething.thelightofthisstatement,teacherslivebysellingknowledge,philosophersbysellingwisdomandpriestsbysellingspiritualcomfort.Thoughitmaybepossibletomeasurethevalueofmaterialgoodtermsofmoney,itisextremelydifficulttoestimatethetruevalueoftheserviceswhichpeopleperformforus.Therearetimeswhenwewouldwillinglygiveeverythingwepossesstosaveourlives,yetwemightgrudgepayingasurgeonahighfeeforofferinguspreciselythisservice.Theconditionsofsocietyaresuchthatskillshavetobepaidforinsamewaythatgoodsarepaidforatashop.Everyonehassomethingtosell.Trampsseemtobetheonlyexceptiontothisrule.Beggarsalmostsellthemselvesashumanbeingstoarousethepityofpassers-by.Butrealtrampsarenotbeggars.Theyhavenothingtosellandrequirenothingfromothers.Inseekingindependence,theydonotsacrificetheirhuman.Atrampmayaskyouformoney,buthewillneveraskyoutofeelsorryforhim.Hehasdeliberatelychosentoleadthelifeheleadsandisfullyawaretheconsequences.Hemayneverbesurewherethenextmealcoming,butheisfromthethousandsofanxietieswhichafflictotherpeople.Hisfewmaterialpossessionsmakeitpossibleforhimtomovefromplacetoplacewithease.Byhavingtosleepinopen,hegetsfarclosertotheworldofnaturethanmostofuseverdo.Hemayhunt,beg,orstealoccasionallytokeephimselfalive;hemayeven,intimesofrealneed,doalittlework;buthewillneversacrificehisfreedom.Weoftenspeakoftrampswithcontemptandputtheminthesameclassasbeggars,buthowmanyofuscanhonestlysaythatwehavenotfeltalittleenviousoftheirsimplewayoflifeandtheirfreedomfromcare?（）Lesson24Askeletoninthecupboard“家丑”Weoftenreadinnovelshowaseeminglyrespectablepersonorfamilyhassometerriblesecretwhichhasbeenconcealedfromstrangersforyears.TheEnglishlanguagepossessesavividsayingtodescribethissortofsituation.Theterriblesecretiscalled‘a(chǎn)skeletoncupboard’.somedramaticmomentinthestory,theterriblesecretbecomesknownandareputationisruined.Thereader'shairstandsonwhenhereadsinthefinalpagesofthenovelthattheheroine,adearoldladywhohadalwaysbeensokindtoeverybody,had,inheryouth,poisonedeveryoneofherfivehusbands.Itisallverywellforsuchthingstooccurinfiction.Todegrees,weallhavesecretswhichwedonotwantevenourclosestfriendstolearn,butfewofushaveskeletonsinthecupboard.TheonlypersonIknowwhohasaskeletoninthecupboardisGeorgeCarlton,andheisveryproudofthefact.Georgestudiedmedicineinhisyouth.Insteadofbecomingadoctor,however,hebecameasuccessfulwriterofdetectivestories.IoncespentanuncomfortableweekendwhichIshallneverforgetathishouse.Georgeshowedmetotheguest-roomwhich,hesaid,wasrarelyused.Hetoldmetounpackmythingsandthencomedowntodinner.AfterIhadstackedmyshirtsandunderclothesintwoemptydrawers,IdecidedtohangoneofthetwosuitsIhadbroughtwithmeinthecupboard.Iopenedthecupboarddoorandthenstoodinofitpetrified.Askeletonwasdanglingbeforemyeyes.Thesuddenmovementofthedoormadeitswayslightlyanditgavemetheimpressionthatitwastoleapoutatme.Droppingmysuit,IdasheddownstairstotellGeorge.Thiswasworsethan‘a(chǎn)terriblesecret’;thiswasarealskeleton!ButGeorgewasunsympathetic.‘Oh,that,’hesaidwithasmileasifheweretalkingaboutanoldfriend.‘That'sSebastian.YouforgetthatIwasamedicalstudentonceatime.’據(jù)說每個(gè)人都靠出售某種東西來維持生活。根據(jù)這種說法，教師靠賣知識(shí)為生，哲學(xué)家靠賣智慧為生，牧師靠賣精神安慰為生。雖然物質(zhì)產(chǎn)品的價(jià)值可以用金錢來衡量，但要估算別人為我們?yōu)樗峁┑姆?wù)的價(jià)值卻是極其困難的。有時(shí)，我們?yōu)榱送炀壬敢飧冻鑫覀兯加械囊磺?。但就在外科大夫給我們提供了這種服務(wù)后，我們卻可能為所支付的昂貴的費(fèi)用而抱怨。社會(huì)上的情況就是如此，技術(shù)是必須付錢去買的，就像在商店里要花錢買商品一樣。人人都有東西可以出售。在這條普遍的規(guī)律前面，好像只有流浪漢是個(gè)例外，乞丐出售的幾乎是他本人，以引起過路人的憐憫。但真正的流浪并不是乞丐。他們既不出售任何東西，也不需要從別人那兒得到任何東西，在追求獨(dú)立自由的同時(shí)，他們并不犧牲為人的尊嚴(yán)。游浪漢可能會(huì)向你討錢，但他從來不要你可憐他。他是故意在選擇過那種生活的，并完全清楚以這種方式生活的后果。他可能從不知道下頓飯有無著落，但他不像有人那樣被千萬樁愁事所折磨。他幾乎沒有什么財(cái)產(chǎn)，這使他能夠輕松自如地在各地奔波。由于被迫在露天睡覺，他比我們中許多人都離大自然近得多。為了生存，他可能會(huì)去打獵、乞討，偶爾偷上一兩回；確實(shí)需要的時(shí)候，他甚至可能干一點(diǎn)兒活，但他決不會(huì)犧牲自由。說起流浪漢，我們常常帶有輕蔑并把他們與乞丐歸為一類。但是，我們中有多少人能夠坦率地說我們對(duì)流浪漢的簡(jiǎn)樸生活與無憂無慮的境況不感到有些羨慕呢？在小說中，我們經(jīng)常讀到一個(gè)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“柜中骷髏”。在小說的某個(gè)戲劇性時(shí)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(shí)一連毒死了她的5個(gè)丈夫時(shí)，不禁會(huì)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·卡爾頓，他甚至引以為自豪。喬治年輕時(shí)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(huì)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(gè)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(dòng)于衷?！班蓿撬?！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?！?Lesson33Adaytoremember（）難忘的一天Wehaveallexperienceddayswheneverythinggoeswrong.Adaymaybeginwellenough,butsuddenlyeverythingseemstogetoutofcontrol.Whatinvariablyhappensisthatagreatnumberofthingschoosetogowrongatpreciselythesamemoment.Itisasifasingleunimportanteventsetupachainofreactions.Letussupposethatyouarepreparingamealandkeepingonthebabyatsametime.Thetelephoneringsandthismarksthe3preludetounforeseenseriesofcatastrophes.Whileyouareonphone,thebabypullsthetable-clothoffthetable,smashinghalfyourbestcrockeryandcuttinghimselfintheprocess.Youhanguphurriedlyandattendtobaby,crockery,etc.Meanwhile,themealgetsburnt.Asifthiswerenotenoughtoreduceyoutotears,yourhusbandarrives,unexpectedlybringingthreegueststodinner.Myoldfriend,FrankHalliday,isjustsuchaperson.Hehasoftendescribedtomehowhepickedamasterpieceforamere￡50.OneSaturdaymorning,Frankvisitedanantiqueshopinmyneighbourhood.Ashehadneverbeentherebefore,foundagreatdealinteresthim.ThemorningpassedrapidlyandFrankwasabouttoleavewhenhenoticedalargepacking-caselyingonthefloor.Thedealertoldhimthatithadjustcome,butthathecouldnotbebotheredtoopenit.Frankbeggedhimtodosoandthedealerreluctantlypriseditopen.Thecontentsweredisappointing.fromaninteresting-lookingcarveddagger,theboxwasfullofcrockery,muchofitbroken.Frankgentlyliftedthecrockeryoutoftheboxandsuddenlynoticedaminiaturepaintingatthebottomofthepacking-case.AsitsCompositionandlineremindedhimofanItalianpaintingheknewwell,hedecidedtobuyit.Glancingatitbriefly,thedealertoldhimthatitwasworth￡50.Frankcouldhardlyconcealhisexcitement,forheknewthathehadmadea.ThetinypaintingprovedtoanunknownmasterpiecebyCorreggioandwasworthhundredsofthousandsofpounds.Thingscangowrongonabigscale,asanumberofpeoplerecentlydiscoveredinParramatta,asuburbofSydney.Duringthehouroneeveningtwocarscollidedandbothdriversbegantoargue.Thewomanimmediatelybehindthetwocarshappenedtobealearner.Shesuddenlyapanicandstoppedhercar.Thismadethedriverfollowingherbrakehard.Hiswifewassittingbesidehimholdingalargecake.Asshewasthrownforward,thecakewentrightthroughthewindscreenandlandedontheroad.Seeingacakeflyingthroughtheair,alorrydriverwhowasdrawingupalongsidethecar,pulledupofasudden.Thelorrywasloadedwithemptybeerbottlesandhundredsofthemslidthebackofthevehicleandontotheroad.Thisledtoyetanotherangryargument.Meanwhile,thetrafficpiledupbehind.Ittookthepolicenearlyanhourtogetthetrafficonthemoveagain.Inmeantime,thelorrydriverhadtosweepuphundredsofbrokenbottles.Onlytwostraydogsbenefitedfromallthisconfusion,fortheygreedilydevouredwhatwasleftofthecake.Itwasjustoneofthosedays!我們大家都有過事事不順心的日子。一天開始時(shí)，可能還不錯(cuò)，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(shí)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(shí)又在照看孩子。這時(shí)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(shí)，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(shí)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(shí)，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(gè)客人吃飯。古玩店對(duì)許多人來說有一種特殊的魅力。高檔一點(diǎn)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(duì)不太裝腔作勢(shì)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?cái)[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(huì)一下子就發(fā)現(xiàn)一件珍品。一個(gè)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(shí)要有鑒別珍品的能力。要做到這一點(diǎn)，他至少要像古董商一樣在行。他必須像一個(gè)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(huì)取得豐碩的成果。我的老朋友弗蘭克·50英鎊便買到一位名家的杰作。一個(gè)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?yàn)樗靼鬃约喊l(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(jià)值幾十萬英鎊。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(shí)亂子會(huì)鬧得很大。一天傍晚交通最擁擠時(shí)，一輛汽車撞上前面一輛汽車，兩個(gè)司機(jī)爭(zhēng)吵起來。緊跟其后的一輛車上的司機(jī)碰巧是個(gè)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(gè)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(shí)，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(shì)從卡車后面滑出車外落在馬路上。這又引起了一場(chǎng)唇槍舌劍的爭(zhēng)吵。與此同時(shí)，后面的車輛排成了長(zhǎng)龍，警察花了將近一個(gè)小時(shí)才使車輛又開起來。在這段時(shí)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！10Lesson40Who'swho（）真假難辨Ithasneverbeenexplainedwhyuniversitystudentsseemtoenjoypracticaljokesmorethananyoneelse.Studentsspecializeaparticulartypeofpracticaljoke:thehoax.Invitingthefire-brigadetoputoutanon-existentfireisacrudeformofdeceptionwhichnoself-respectingstudentwouldeverindulge.Studentsoftencreateamusingsituationswhicharefunnytoeveryoneexceptthevictims.Whenastudentrecentlysawtwoworkmenusingapneumaticdrilloutsidehisuniversity,heimmediatelytelephonedthepoliceandinformedthemthattwostudentsdressedasworkmenweretearinguptheroadwithapneumaticdrill.soonashehad,hewentovertotheworkmenandtoldthemthatifapolicemanorderedthemto,theywerenottotakehim.Headdedthatastudenthaddressedupasapolicemanandwasplayingallofsillyjokesonpeople.Boththepoliceandtheworkmenweregratefultothestudentforthispieceofadvanceinformation.（）Lesson34Ahappydiscovery幸運(yùn)的發(fā)現(xiàn)Antiqueshopsexertapeculiarfascinationonagreatmanypeople.Themoreexpensivekindofantiqueshopwhererareobjectsarebeautifullydisplayedinglasscasestokeepthemfreefromdustisusuallyaforbiddingplace.Butnoonehastomusterupcouragetoenteralesspretentiousantiqueshop.Thereisalwayshopethatinitslabyrinthofmusty,dark,disorderedroomsarealraritywillbefoundamongstthepilesofassortedjunkthatlitterthefloors.Noonediscoversararitychance.Atrulydedicatedbargainhuntermusthavepatience,andaboveall,theabilitytorecognizetheworthofsomethingwhenheseesit.Todothis,hemustbeatleastasknowledgeablethedealer.Likeascientistbentonmakingadiscovery,hemustcherishthehopethatonedayhewillbeamplyrewarded.Thestudenthidinanarchwaynearbywherehecouldwatchandheareverythingthatwenton.Sureenough,apolicemanarrivedsceneandpolitelyaskedtheworkmentogo4away.Whenhereceivedaveryrudereplyfromoneoftheworkmen,hethreatenedtoremovethembyforce.Theworkmentoldhimtodoashepleasedandthepolicemantelephonedforentertainment.Someofmyacquaintancesinthecountrycomeuptotownonceortwiceayeartovisitthetheatreasaspecialtreat.Forthemthisisamajoroperationwhichinvolvesconsiderableplanning.Astheplaydrawstoclose,theywonderwhethertheywillevercatchthatlasttrainhome.Thecitydwellerneverexperiencesanxietiesofthissort.Thelatestexhibitions,films,orplaysareonlyashortbusrideaway.Shopping,too,isalwaysapleasure.Theresomuchvarietythatyouneverhavetomakedowithsecondbest.Countrypeoplerunwildwhentheygoshoppinginthecityandstaggerhomeloadedwithasmanyoftheexoticitemsastheycancarry.Northecitywithoutitsmomentsof.Thereissomethingcomfortingaboutthewarmglowshedbyadvertisementsoncoldwetwinternights.Fewthingscouldbemoreimpressivethanthepeacethatdescendsondesertedcitystreetsatweekendswhenthethousandsthattraveltoworkeverydayarehelp.Shortlyafterwards,fourmorepolicemenarrivedandremonstratedwiththeworkmen.Asthemenrefusedtostopworking,thepoliceattemptedtoseizethepneumaticdrill.Theworkmenstruggledfiercelyandoneofthemlosthistemper.Hethreatenedtocallthepolice.Atthis,thepolicepointedoutironicallythatthiswouldhardlybenecessaryasthemenwerealreadyunderarrest.Pretendingtospeakseriously,oneoftheworkmenaskedifhemightmakeatelephonecallbeforebeingtakentothestation.Permissionwasgrantedandapolicemanaccompaniedhimtoapayphone.Onlywhenhesawthatthemanwasactuallytelephoningthepolicedidherealizethattheyhadallbeenthevictimsofahoax.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(zhǎng)一種特殊的惡作劇——戲弄人。請(qǐng)消防隊(duì)來撲滅一場(chǎng)根本沒有的大火是一種低級(jí)騙局，有自尊心的大學(xué)生決不會(huì)去做。大學(xué)生們常常做的是制造一種可笑的局面，除了受害者大家都覺得非?；?。tuckedawayintheirhomesinthecountry.Itbeenamysterytomewhycitydwellers,whoappreciateallthesethings,obstinatelypretendthattheywouldprefertoliveinthecountry.最近有個(gè)學(xué)生看見兩個(gè)工人在大學(xué)校門外用風(fēng)鉆干活，馬上打電話報(bào)告警察，說有兩個(gè)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€(gè)警察來讓他們走開，不要把他當(dāng)回事；還對(duì)工人說，有個(gè)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(duì)那個(gè)學(xué)生事先通報(bào)情況表示感謝。寧靜的鄉(xiāng)村生活從來沒有吸引過我。我生在城市，長(zhǎng)在城市，總認(rèn)為鄉(xiāng)村是透過火車車窗看到的那個(gè)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(huì)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(diǎn)，但其中只有一人真去農(nóng)村住過，而且不足6個(gè)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?dòng)押玫霓r(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(jiān)持認(rèn)為，凌晨雄雞第一聲啼叫，黎明時(shí)分小鳥吱喳歡叫，冉冉升起的朝陽染紅樹木、牧場(chǎng)，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(gè)側(cè)面。我的朋友沒有提到在電視機(jī)前度過的漫長(zhǎng)寂寞的冬夜——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)槭裁辞樵该刻煸诼飞媳疾?個(gè)小時(shí)去換取值得懷疑的鄉(xiāng)間的優(yōu)點(diǎn)，我是無法理解的。要是他們?cè)敢庾≡诒緛韺儆谒麄兊某鞘?，則可以讓他們省去諸多不便與節(jié)約大量開支。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(chǎng)發(fā)生的一切。果然，警察來了，有禮貌地請(qǐng)工人離開此地；但其中一個(gè)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(huì)兒工夫，又來了4個(gè)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(gè)工人奮力抗?fàn)?，其中一個(gè)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?yàn)樗麄z已被逮捕了。其中一個(gè)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(gè)電話。警察同意了，陪他來到一個(gè)投幣電話前。當(dāng)他看到那個(gè)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(chǎng)騙局的受害者。（）Lesson41IllusionsofPastoralPeace寧靜田園生活的遐想如果你愿舍棄鄉(xiāng)下生活那一點(diǎn)點(diǎn)樂趣的話，那么你會(huì)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?yàn)樗麄兌甲≡诟浇?，你隨時(shí)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(jì)劃。當(dāng)戲快演完時(shí)，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(yàn)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(shí)都買足了外來商品，直到拿不動(dòng)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(huì)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(shí)的寧靜更令人難忘了。城里人對(duì)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(duì)我來說一直是個(gè)謎。Thequietlifeofthecountryhasneverappealedtome.Citybornandcitybred,Ihavealwaysregardedthecountryassomethingyoulookatthroughatrainwindow,orsomethingyouoccasionallyvisitduringtheweekend.Mostofmyfriendsliveinthecity,yettheygointorapturesatmentionofthecountry.Thoughtheyextolthevirtuesofthepeacefullife,onlyoneofthemhasevergonetoliveinthecountryandhewasbackintownwithinsixmonths.Evenhestilllivesundertheillusionthatcountrylifeissomehowsuperiortotownlife.Heisforevertalkingaboutthefriendlypeople,thecleanatmosphere,theclosenesstonatureandthegentlepaceofliving.Nothingcanbecompared,hemaintains,withthefirstcockcrow,thetwitteringofbirdsatdawn,thesightoftherisingsunglintingonthetreesandpastures.Thisidyllicpastoralsceneisonlypartofthepicture.MyfriendfailstomentionthelongandfriendlesswintereveningsinfrontoftheTVvirtuallytheonlyformofentertainment.Henothingaboutthepoorselectionofgoodsintheshops,oraboutthoseunfortunatepeoplewhohavetotravelfromthecountrytothecityeverydaytogettowork.Whypeoplearepreparedtotolerateafour-hourjourneyeachdayforthedubiousprivilegeoflivinginthecountryisbeyondme.Theycouldbesavedsomuchmiseryandexpenseiftheychosetoliveinthecitywheretheyrightlybelong.12Lesson43Fullyinsured（）全保險(xiǎn)Insurancecompaniesarenormallywillingtoinsureanything.Insuringpublicorprivatepropertyisastandardpracticeinmostcountriesintheworld.If,however,youwereholdinganopenairgardenpartyorafeteitwouldbeequallypossibletoinsureyourselfineventbadweather.Needlesstosay,thebiggertheriskaninsurancecompanytakes,thehigherthepremiumyouwillhavetopay.isnotuncommontohearthatashippingcompanyhasmadeaclaimforthecostofsalvagingasunkenship.Buttheclaimmadebyalocalauthoritytorecoverthecostofsalvagingasunkenpiedishmustsurelybeunique.Ifyoucanwithoutthefewpastoralpleasuresofthecountry,youwillfindthecitycanprovidewiththebestthatlifecanoffer.Youneverhavetotravelmilestoseeyourfriends.Theyinvariablylivenearbyandarealwaysavailableforaninformalchatoranevening's5Admittedlyitwasanunusualpiedish,foritwaseighteenfeetlongandsixfeetwide.Ithadbeenpurchasedbyalocalauthoritysothatanenormouspiecouldbebakedforanannualfair.Thepiecommitteedecidedthatthebestwaytotransportthedishwouldbebycanal,sotheyinsureditforthetrip.Shortlyafteritwaslaunched,thepiecommitteewenttoalocalinntocelebrate.thesametime,anumberofteenagersclimbedontothedishandheldalittlepartyoftheirown.Dancingprovedtobemorethedishcouldbear,forduringthepartyitcapsizedandsankinsevenfeetofwater.Thepiecommitteetelephonedalocalgarageownerwhoarrivedinarecoverytrucktosalvagethepiedish.Shiveringintheirwetclothes,theteenagerslookedonwhilethreemendivedrepeatedlyintothewatertolocatethedish.Theylittledifficultyinfindingit,buthaulingitoutofthewaterprovedtobeaseriousproblem.Thesidesofthedishweresosmooththatitwasalmostimpossibletoattachhawsersandchainstotherimwithoutdamagingit.Eventuallychainswerefixedtooneendofthedishandapowerfulwinchwasintooperation.Thedishrosetothesurfaceandwasgentlydrawntowardsthecanalbank.Foroneagonizingmoment,thedishwasperchedprecariouslyonthebankofthecanal,butitsuddenlyoverbalancedandslidbackintothewater.Themenwerenowobligedtotryoncemore.Thistimetheyfixedheavymetalclampstobothsidesofthedishsothattheycouldfastenthechains.ThedishnowhadtobeliftedverticallybecauseoneedgewasrestingagainstthePeople,travelinglongdistancesfrequentlyhavetodecidewhethertheywouldprefertogobyland,sea,orair.Hardlyanyonecanpositivelyenjoysittinginatrainforafewhours.Traincompartmentssoongetcrampedand.Itisalmostimpossibletotakeyourmindoffthejourney.Readingisonlyapartialsolution,forthemonotonousrhythmofthewheelsclickingontherailssoonlullsyoutosleep.Duringtheday,sleepcomesinsnatches.Atnigh