各位英语高手帮帮忙！急！

缤纷世界精典短篇文选八则

吃剩快餐贻鼠患？
Fast Food Scraps Threaten Rat Plague?

Britain is facing a sharp rise in its rat population as growing numbers of people leave fast food scraps in the street, an environment group warned. Keep Britain Tidy said the rodents were abandoning their traditional haunts underground and were roaming the streets, enticed by discarded remnants of burgers, pizzas and crisps. "The rat population is on the rise and soon it'll be as common to see a rodent on our street as it is to see a dog or a cat," said group Director, Sue Nelson. The practice of dumping fast food litter and scraps on the street rather than in the trash - with young men the worst offenders - was behind the rise. According to the National Rodent Survey in 2001, Britain's rat population has grown by nearly one quarter since 1998 and is now estimated at 60 million, two million more than the human population. On average a rat can give birth every 24-28 days and just a single pair of rats can produce a colony of 2,000 a year. Around 200 Britons a year contract Weil's Disease - an infection which can lead to kidney or liver failure and eventually death and which is carried in rat's urine. To highlight the issue, Keep Britain Tidy launched a cinema advert entitled "How close do you want them to get?" The ad culminates in a shocking image of a young woman sleeping in a bed of rats - echoing the nightmare scenario from James Herbert's classic horror tale The Rats, in which mutant rodents begin to prey on humans.

一个环保组织发出警告：由于越来越多的人把吃剩的快餐扔在大街上，英国的老鼠数量正在急剧上升。“保持英国清洁”组织说，人们抛弃的汉堡包、比萨饼和土豆条残渣正在诱使习惯在地下明帆薯活动的鼠类转而到大街上漫步。“老鼠数量正在增长，很快在街上看到老鼠就会和看到猫狗一样平常，”该组织负责人苏-尼尔森说。老鼠增多的背后是往大激者街上而不是垃圾箱里乱扔快餐垃圾和残渣的行为--年轻人是其中的罪魁祸首。根据2001年的国家鼠类调查，英国的老鼠数量自1998年来增长了将近1/4，目前估计为6千万只，比英国人口还多2百万。老鼠平均每24至28天就可生产一次，仅仅一对老鼠一年就能繁殖出一个2000只的鼠群。每年大约轿念有200个英国人感染威尔氏症--一种能导致肾或肝功能衰竭直至死亡的传染病，病源在老鼠的尿液中。为引起人们对这一问题的注意，“保持英国清洁”推出了名为“你希望它们靠得多近？”的影院宣传片。宣传片的高潮是一幅令人震惊的画面：一个年轻妇女睡在一张满是老鼠的床上--这是对詹姆斯-赫伯特的经典恐怖故事《老鼠》中梦魇般的景象的模拟。在那个故事中，变异的老鼠开始捕食人类。

Remarks：冒着人人喊打的风险上街的这些老鼠显然没有继承到前辈的智慧--在《伊索寓言》中，一只乡下老鼠选择了田间粗茶淡饭的太平日子而不是城里担惊受怕的奢华生活。

百岁大奖

100-Year-Old Rewards Doctor

Israel Haimowitz made a deal with his doctor 15 years ago - get me to 100 and I'll buy you a European vacation. On Sept 5, 2002, Haimowitz is celebrating his 100th birthday. And Dr. Robert Drimmer and his wife are looking forward to a trip to London next summer. "I hate to take his money," Drimmer said, but Haimowitz "would be mad if I didn't go." Haimowitz, a retired furniture salesman, said it's the least he can do. The native of Brooklyn, N.Y., is in good health, complaining only occasionally of fatigue. He moved to Florida 16 years ago. "To get a doctor down here that's considerate of his patients is difficult," Haimowitz said. He credits his longevity and health to drinking two ounces of cognac daily, along with eating five Danish butter cookies. Haimowitz, who just renewed his driver's license, said he plans to stick around awhile. "When I don't feel good, I don't want to be here. But when I feel as I do now, I want to live to 120," he said.

伊斯里尔-海莫威茨与他的医生达成了一项交易--让我活到100岁，我就送你去欧洲度假。2002年9月5日，海莫威茨在庆祝他的百岁寿辰，而罗伯特-德雷默医生和他的妻子也在期待着来年夏天的伦敦之旅。“我真的不想花他的钱，”德雷默说，可是海莫威茨“会因我不去而发疯。”退休家具推销员海莫威茨说这是他所能做的最起码的事。海莫威茨是纽约布鲁克林人，他健康状况良好，只是偶尔为疲劳所苦。16年前，海莫威茨搬到了佛罗里达。他说：“在这儿找一个会悉心照料病人的医生可不容易。”海莫威茨把自己的长寿和健康归功于每天的两盎司白兰地和5块丹麦牛油曲奇。刚刚更新了驾驶执照的海莫威茨说，他打算再活上一段时间。“如果感觉不好，我就不想再逗留了。不过，在感觉如现在般良好的时候，我希望活到120岁，”他说。

Remarks：也许这位老先生没有意识到：“感觉良好”才是他长寿的真正秘诀--如果活得没了感觉，想“逗留”也不太容易哩。

生在秋天的好处

People Born in Autumn Live Longer

People born in the autumn live longer than those born in the spring and are less likely to fall chronically ill when they are older, according to an Austrian scientist. Using census data for more than one million people in Austria, Denmark and Australia, scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research in the northern German town of Rostock found the month of birth was related to life expectancy over the age of 50. Seasonal differences in what mothers ate during pregnancy, and infections occurring at different times of the year could both have an impact on the health of a new-born baby and could influence its life expectancy in older age. "A mother giving birth in spring spends the last phase of her pregnancy in winter, when she will eat less vitamins than in summer," said Gabriele Doblhammer, one of a team of scientists who carried out the research. "When she stops breast-feeding and starts giving her baby normal food, it's in the hot weeks of summer when babies are prone to infections of the digestive system." In Austria, adults born in autumn (October-December) lived about seven months longer than those born in spring (April-June), and in Denmark adults with birthdays in autumn outlived those born in spring by about four months. In the southern hemisphere, the picture was similar. Adults born in the Australian autumn - the European spring - lived about four months longer than those born in the Australian spring. The study focused on people born at the beginning of the 20th century, using death certificates and census data. Although nutrition at all times of the year has improved since then, the seasonal pattern persists, Doblhammer said.

一位奥地利科学家认为，秋天出生的人比生在春天的人活得长，在上了年纪的时候也更不容易得慢性病。马克斯-普朗克人口研究学院位于德国北部城市罗斯托克，该学院的科学家们通过分析奥地利、丹麦和澳大利亚3国超过100万的人口普查数据得出结论，人们50岁以后的平均寿命与出生月份之间存在关联。母亲在怀孕期间所吃的东西因季节而有不同，一年里不同时间流行的传染病也不一样，两者都会对新生儿的健康发生影响，并进而影响他们到老年时的平均寿命。进行此项研究的科学家小组成员加布里埃尔-多布哈默说：“春天分娩的母亲孕期的最后阶段适逢冬季，因此她摄入的维生素要比夏季时少。她停止哺乳开始让婴儿正常进食的时候又正好赶上夏天最热的那几个星期，这时候婴儿容易发生消化系统感染。“在奥地利，秋天(10至11月)出生的成人大约要比春天(4至6月)出生的多活7个月，而在丹麦这一差异大约是4个月。南半球的情况也差不多。生于澳洲秋天--欧洲的春天--的成人寿命比春天出生的长大约4个月。研究者们使用死亡证明和人口普查数据作为参考资料，主要对象是20世纪初出生的人。多布哈默说，尽管人们在一年中各个时期的营养状况与那时相比都已经有所改善，这样的季节性差异却依然存在。

Remarks：换一个说法，也就是天秤座和天蝎座的人通常比金牛座和双子座的人长寿，你相信吗？

同病相怜

Love Means Sharing the Same Diseases

Married couples share more than their homes, cars and finances - they are also likely to have some of the same diseases, experts say. If a spouse suffers from asthma, depression, peptic ulcers, high blood pressure or raised cholesterol levels, the chances are their partner will be afflicted with the same illness. "Partners of people with specific diseases are at increased risk of the disease themselves - at least 70 percent increased risk for asthma, depression and peptic ulcer disease," Julia Hippisley Cox of the University of Nottingham in northern England said. Cox and her team said the most likely reason for the shared diseases was environment. Married couples usually eat the same foods, are exposed to the same allergens and often have similar exercise patterns, all of which contribute to ailments such as allergies, high blood pressure and raised cholesterol. The scientists studied the medical history of 8,000 married couples, aged 30 to 74. "The findings could have implications for targeting screening or disease prevention measures at partners of participants with one of these diseases," Cox added.

专家指出，已婚夫妇共同分享的不仅是房子、车子和金钱--他们还容易同时患上一些病症。如果其中一方得了哮喘、抑郁症、消化性溃疡、高血压或是胆固醇过高，那么另一方就很可能会遭受同样疾病的折磨。英格兰北部诺丁汉大学的朱丽叶-希皮斯利-科克斯说：“某些特定疾病患者的配偶罹患同样病症的机率(比别的人)要高--就哮喘、抑郁症和消化性溃疡这几种病来说，其机率要高70%。”科克斯和她的研究小组认为，“共享疾病”最可能的原因是环境。一般说来，已婚夫妇吃同样的食物、接触同样的过敏原，锻炼的模式通常也差不多，而这些都是造成过敏症、高血压以及高胆固醇等症。科学家们分析了8000对30到74岁的已婚夫妇的病历。“这一发现可能意味着我们应该对这类疾病患者的配偶实行定向隔离或采取预防措施。”

Remarks：为什么要隔离或预防呢--这样不是离“同年同月同日死”的目标更近了吗？

情书公告牌

Paris Invents New Love Messages

Declarations of undying devotion will flash across Paris's municipal bulletin boards every 20 seconds next month as the French capital invents a new way to say "I love you" on Valentine's Day. Bertrand Delanoe, the left-wing mayor known for his innovative city festivals, said the electronic boards would carry the best short love letters on February 14 - Valentine's Day - and throughout that weekend, adding that they would "help Parisians tell each other 'I love you'". He urged Parisians to send in their messages with a note indicating which neighbourhood they wanted them to be posted in. A special committee would pick out the best ones to display. The illuminated boards, which normally announce everything from city festivals to traffic warnings, stand at key squares and intersections all around the French capital.

法国首都巴黎发明了一种在情人节这天说“我爱你”的新方法，下个月中巴黎市各处的市政公告牌上每20秒就会有表达不渝热爱的宣言闪过。以喜欢组织新奇的城市节庆活动著称的左翼巴黎市长伯特兰-迪拉诺说，这些电子公告牌将会在2月14日情人节这天以及此后的周末刊载最动人的简短情书，并宣称它们会“鼓励巴黎人对彼此说‘我爱你’”。他敦促巴黎人交来他们的爱情讯息，同时注明他们希望在哪个地段公布讯息。一个特别委员会将选出最好的一些情书进行展示。这些发光的公告牌分布在巴黎各个主要广场和十字路口，通常被用于公告从城市节庆活动到交通警示的各类事项。

Remarks：市政当局活跃气氛的动机无可非议，只是我以为，就个人来说，这种“爱要让全世界知道”的做法不过是一种轻浮的炫耀或着内心虚弱者的壮胆行为--如果他/她不是真的失踪了的话。

影院的浪漫角落

Romance Blooms in Cozy Corners of Cinemas

Lovers have it tough in India's teeming financial capital, but some of the city's cinemas are playing Cupid to couples longing for time away from prying eyes. For the first time in Bombay, three upmarket cinemas have each set aside a dozen seats, called "Close-Up Corners," for couples wishing to watch a film together. The seats - priced the same as other cinema seats - are bigger and designed for two people with no arm rests between them. In conservative India, where public displays of affection are frowned upon, young men and women rarely dare to even hold hands for fear of censure or getting a "bad name." "This is the ideal place for couples to spend time together," said Hameed Shaikh, general manager of a suburban cinema, adding the "corners" were proving popular with college students. "This is a progressive step. We can't have culture cops dictating how we should behave," said 21-year-old college student P. Vijay outside a movie hall. "It's stupid to be prudish. This should be extended to more theaters in Bombay." Kamal Sharma, manager of another movie hall, said the romantic corners were a big hit even with married couples who often live in cramped, one-room homes that offer little privacy.

印度的金融中心孟买人多眼杂，情侣们的日子不太好过，不过这个城市里的一些电影院为渴望远离窥探眼光的爱侣们充当起了丘比特的角色。孟买的3家电影院各自为希望一起看电影的情侣们留出了12个被称为“亲密角落”的座位，这在孟买是破天荒的事情。这些座位--价钱和普通座位一样--比较大，设计得适合两个人坐，中间也没有扶手阻隔。在保守的印度，当众亲昵会引人非议。由于担心受责难或是得到“坏名声”，年轻男女很少敢在公共场合哪怕是牵一下手。“这是爱侣们共度好时光的理想场所，”郊区一家影院的总经理哈米德-沙哈说。他还补充道，事实证明这样的“角落”很受大学生欢迎。“这是一种进步。我们不能让文化警察来专断我们的举止，”在一间影院外面，21岁的大学生P-维贾说。“蠢人才会假正经。这种做法应该在孟买更多的影院中推广。”另一间影院的经理卡马尔-沙马说，浪漫角落甚至对已婚夫妇也很有吸引力，因为他们的住所往往非常狭窄，只有一个房间，几乎没有隐私可言。

Remarks：亲密关系是否需要展览是个人选择问题，而尊重个人选择的自由空气是应当鼓励的。

世界上最好的工作

World's Greatest Job, Up for Grabs*

Calling all chocoholics. One of Britain's most exclusive grocery stores needs a new chocolate taster - and will pay 35,000 pounds ($54,400) a year for the successful candidate. Fortnum & Mason in London's Piccadilly - one of the capital's most prestigious addresses - is looking for a chocolate buyer to travel the world, taste as much chocolate as possible and select the best for its discerning customers. Daily Telegraph newspaper said the Fortnum's personnel director Cathy O'Neill has already been bombarded with applications after she advertised the post as the "best job in the world." But not all of those interested have the right qualifications. "We only advertised it a couple of days ago," O'Neill told Daily Telegraph. "But already we have had loads of people writing in saying they have absolutely no experience, or they work in the metal industry or something, but they love chocolate."

*up for grabs：俚语，意为可得的，易得的，任何人都可能取得的。

所有巧克力爱好者请注意！英国最高档的食品杂货店之一需要一名新的巧克力试吃员--成功的应聘者将得到3万5千英镑(54,400美元)的年薪。位于伦敦皮卡迪利大街--这个都城最负盛名的地点之一--的福特纳姆及梅森商店正在寻找一名巧克力采购员，其职责是环游世界，品尝尽可能多的巧克力并为该店品味不凡的顾客们选出其中最好的品种。《每日电讯报》说，福特纳姆的人事经理凯茜-奥尼尔在广告中称这个职位为“世界上最好的工作”，随之而来的大量求职申请令她应接不暇。“我们几天前才登出广告，”奥尼尔对《每日电讯报》说。“但是我们已经收到了许多人的书面申请。他们说自己毫无经验，或是就职于金属行业，如此等等，但他们喜欢巧克力。”

Remarks：品尝可解馋，旅游可减肥，果然是好工作！

过期美味

Firm Sold Out-of-Date Food as It Was 'Tasty'

Fine wines and cheese may improve with age, but Japanese consumers were probably shocked to find that one company executive thought Chinese spring rolls did too. That, at least, is what Reiko Yoshida, head of a small food firm in western Japan, told a news conference when asked to explain why her company sold frozen spring rolls and other products that were well past their sell-by date1. "I was told that the products were past their expiry date, but I gave the order to sell them after I tried them and found them tasty," a spokesman for the company, Shinsho, quoted Yoshida as telling a news conference. The company sold about 2,600 frozen spring rolls to stores even though some were nearly six months past their expiry date, the spokesman said. Yoshida accepted now that the company should have thrown the food away after the sell-by date passed and that it would take care from now on. The firm has voluntarily halted business in 21 of its 23 shops around the country for an indefinite period of time. Japanese consumer confidence in food products has been shaken by several recent scandals, include cases of mislabeling.

美酒和干酪也许是越陈越好，不过日本的消费者可能会震惊于这样的事实：一位公司主管认为这一规律也适用于中国春卷。至少，日本西部一个小食品公司的主管吉田玲子(音)在记者招待会上是这么说的，当时人们要求她解释为何她的公司要出售已过期很久的冻春卷和其他产品。公司发言人新胜(音)引用吉田在记者招待会上的话说：“别人告诉我这些产品已经过了保质期，但我还是下令出售，因为我尝过了，味道很好。”这位发言人说，公司卖了大约2600个冻春卷给各家商店，尽管其中一些已经过期将近半年。吉田现在承认公司应该扔掉过期食品，表示以后会对此多加注意。公司并主动无限期关闭了全国23个连锁店中的21个。日本近日发生了几起这样的丑闻，包括乱贴标签的事情，日本消费者对食品的信心因此大受影响。

Remarks：臭猪头自然有烂鼻子的菩萨爱吃，对过期食品的个人爱好无可非议，但不管别人是否有此同好而强行推己及人的做法就有点过分了。

稻草人与笼中鸟

Scarecrow Guards Jail Birds

A judge on an inspection visit to a Brazilian jail discovered a straw scarecrow dressed in police uniform on the watchtower "guarding" some 735 jail birds, police said. The judge removed the scarecrow, which had apparently been manning the watchtower for days, and took it to the court as evidence. Police opened an investigation. "It is considered a grave breach of security rules," a police spokesman said, adding that a prison guard or a police officer should have been on the tower at all times. The Taubate Provisional Detention Center for prisoners awaiting trial near Brazil's biggest city of Sao Paulo was opened at the end of 2001 and has already had one publicized escape via an underground tunnel. Brazil's prison system is plagued with break-outs and violent riots due to extreme overcrowding, lack of funds and poor pay for prison officers.

巴西警方说，一位法官到巴西一座监狱视察，结果发现在了望塔中“看守”着735名囚犯的竟然是一个穿着警服的稻草人。法官拿走了稻草人--显然它已经在这个岗位上呆了不少日子了--并将它呈上法庭作为证物。警方已经展开调查。“我们认为这严重违反了安全条例，”警方发言人说，并指出任何时候了望塔上都应该有一名监狱警卫或是警官。等候审判的陶贝特临时拘留中心位于巴西最大城市圣保罗附近，2001年底才启用，但这里已经发生过了一起广为人知的犯人通过地道逃走的事件。巴西的监狱系统存在着严重的越狱和暴力骚乱问题，原因是监狱极度拥挤、缺乏资金以及监狱管理人员收入过低。

Remarks：挖地道逃走的犯人一定感到了莫大的耻辱--居然被稻草人吓到了，没敢堂而皇之地从地面上出去。

We can read of things that happened 5,000 years ago in the Near East, where people first learned to write. But there are some parts of the word where even now people cannot write. The only way that they can preserve their history is to recount it as sagas -- legends handed down from one generation of another. These legends are useful because they can tell us something about migrations of people who lived long ago, but none could write down what they did. Anthropologists wondered where the remote ancestors of the Polynesian peoples now living in the Pacific Islands came from. The sagas of these people explain that some of them came from Indonesia about 2,000 years ago.
But the first people who were like ourselves lived so long ago that even their sagas, if they had any, are forgotten. So archaeologists have neither history nor legends to help them to find out where the first 'modern men' came from.
Fortunately, however, ancient men made tools of stone, especially flint, because this is easier to shape than other kinds. They may also have used wood and skins, but these have rotted away. Stone does not decay, and so the tools of long ago have remained when even the bones of the men who made them have disappeared without trace.
参考译文
我们从书籍中可读到5,000 年前近东发生的事情，那里的人最早学会了写字。但直到皮轮念现在,世界上有些地方，人们还不会书写。 他们保存历史的唯一办法是将历史当作传说讲述，由讲述人一代接一代地将史实描述为传奇故事口传下来。人类学家过燃困去不清楚如今生活在太平洋诸岛上的波利尼西亚人的祖先来自何方，当地人的传说却告诉人们：其中一部分是约在2,000年前从印度尼西亚迁来的。
但是，和我们相似的原始人生活的年代太久远了，因此，有关他们的传说既使有如今也失传了。于是，考古学家们既缺乏历史记载，又无口桐洞头传说来帮助他们弄清最早的“现代人”是从哪里来的。
然而， 幸运的是，远古人用石头制作了工具，特别是用燧石，因为燧石较之其他石头更容易成形。他们也可能用过木头和兽皮，但这类东西早已腐烂殆尽。石头是不会腐烂的。因此，尽管制造这些工具的人的骨头早已荡然无存，但远古时代的石头工具却保存了下来。
ew words and expressions 生词和短语

fossil man (title)
adj. 化石人
recount
v. 叙述
saga
n. 英雄故事
legend
n. 传说，传奇
migration
n. 迁移，移居
anthropologist
n. 人类学家
archaeologist
n. 考古学家
ancestor
n. 祖先
Polynesian
adj.波利尼西亚（中太平洋之一群岛）的
Indonesia
n. 印度尼西亚
flint
n. 燧石
rot
n. 烂掉

二.
Last week I went to the theatre. I had a very good seat. The play was very interesting. I did not enjoy it. A young man and a young woman were sitting behind me. They were talking loudly. I got very angry. I could not hear the actors. I turned round. I looked at the man and the woman angrily. They did not pay any attention. In the end, I could not bear it. I turned round again. 'I can't hear a word!' I said angrily.
'It's none of your business,' the young man said rudely. 'This is a private conversation!'

参考译文

上星期我去看戏。我的座位很好，戏很有意思，但我却无法欣赏。一青年男子与一青年女子坐在我的身后，大声地说着话。我非常生气，因为我听不见演员在说什么。我回过头去怒视着那一男一女，他们却毫不理会。最后，我忍不住了，又一次回过头去，生气地说：“我一个字也听不见了！”
“不关你的事，”那男的毫不客气地说，“这是私人间的谈话！”
New words and expressions 生词和短语

private adj. 私人的
conversation n. 谈话
theatre n. 剧场，戏院
seat n. 座位
play n. 戏
loudly adv. 大声地
angry adj. 生气的
angrily adv. 生气地
attention n. 注意
bear v. 容忍
business n. 事
rudely adv. 无礼地，粗鲁地
三.
It was Sunday. I never get up early on Sundays. I sometimes stay in bed until lunchtime. Last Sunday I got up very late. I looked out of the window. It was dark outside. 'What a day!' I thought. 'It's raining again.' Just then, the telephone rang. It was my aunt Lucy. 'I've just arrived by train,' she said. 'I'm coming to see you.'
'But I'm still having breakfast,' I said.
'What are you doing?' she asked.
'I'm having breakfast,' I repeated.
'Dear me,' she said. 'Do you always get up so late? It's one o'clock!'

参考译文

那是个星期天，而在星期天我是从来不早起的，有时我要一直躺到吃午饭的时候。上个星期天，我起得很晚。我望望窗外，外面一片昏暗。“鬼天气！”我想，“又下雨了。”正在这时，电话铃响了。是我姑母露西打来的。“我刚下火车，”她说，“我这就来看你。”
“但我还在吃早饭，”我说。
“你在干什么？”她问道。
“我正在吃早饭，”我又说了一遍。
“天啊，”她说，“你总是起得这么晚吗？现在已经1点钟了！”

New words and expressions 生词和短语

until prep. 直到
outside adv. 外面
ring v. （铃、电话等）响
aunt n. 姑，姨，婶，舅母
repeat v. 重复
四.
We have an old musical instrument. It is called a clavichord. It was made in Germany in 1681. Our clavichord is kept in the living room. It has belonged to our family for a long time. The instrument was bought by my grandfather many years ago. Recently it was damaged by a visitor. She tried to play jazz on it! She struck the keys too hard and two of the strings were broken. My father was shocked. Now we are not allowed to touch it. It is being repaired by a friend of my father's.

参考译文

我家有件古乐器，被称作古钢琴，是1681年德国造的。我们的这架古钢琴存放在起居室里。我们家有这件乐器已经很久了， 是我祖父在很多年以前买的。可它最近被一个客人弄坏了，因为她用它来弹奏爵士乐。她在击琴键时用力过猛，损坏了两根琴弦。我父亲大为吃惊，不许我们再动它。父亲的一个朋友正在修理这件乐器。

New words and expressions 生词和短语

jazz n. 爵士音乐
musical adj. 音乐的
instrument n. 乐器
clavichord n. 古钢琴
recently adv. 最近
damage v. 损坏
key n. 琴键
string n. （乐器的）弦
shock v. 使不悦或生气，震惊
allow v. 允许，让
touch v. 触摸
五.
I was having dinner at a restaurant when Tony Steele came in. Tony worked in a lawyer's office years ago, but he is now working at a bank. He gets a good salary, but he always borrows money from his friends and never pays it back. Tony saw me and came and sat at the same table. He has never borrowed money from me. While he was eating, I asked him to lend me twenty pounds. To my surprise, he gave me the money immediately. 'I have never borrowed any money from you,' Tony said, 'so now you can pay for my dinner!'

参考译文

我正在一家饭馆吃饭，托尼.斯蒂尔走了进来。托尼曾在一家律师事务所工作，而现在正在一家银行上班。他的薪水很高，但他却总是向朋友借钱，并且从来不还。托尼看见了我，就走过来和我坐到一张桌子前。他从未向我借过钱。当他吃饭时，我提出向他借20英镑。令我惊奇的是，他立刻把钱给了我。“我还从未向你借过钱，”托尼说道，“所以现在你可以替我付饭钱了！”

New words and expressions 生词和短语

turn n. 行为，举止
deserve v. 应得到，值得
lawyer n. 律师
bank n. 银行
salary n. 工资
immediately adv. 立刻

六.
The Greenwood Boys are a group of pop singers. At present, they are visiting all parts of the country. They will be arriving here tomorrow. They will be coming by train and most of the young people in the town will be meeting them at the station. Tomorrow evening they will be singing at the Workers' Club. The Greenwood Boys will be staying for five days. During this time, they will give five performances. As usual, the police will have a difficult time. They will be trying to keep order. It is always the same on these occasions.

参考译文

“绿林少年”是一个流行歌曲演唱团。目前他们正在全国各地巡回演出，明天就要到达此地。他们将乘火车来，镇上的大部分青年人将到车站迎接他们。明晚他们将在工人俱乐部演出。“绿林少年”准备在此逗留5天。在此期间，他们将演出5场。同往常一样，警察的日子将不好过，他们将设法维持秩序。每逢这种场合，情况都是这样。

New words and expressions 生词和短语

group n. 小组，团体
pop singer 流行歌手
club n. 俱乐部
performance n. 演出
occasion n. 场合

want to help you, but you see.it will cost me much time to do it.so if i have enough time i will do this for you

翅 膀

一天，我工作的炸鸡店在关门前出现了一阵抢购狂潮，结果除了鸡翅外所有的东西都卖完了。当我正准备锁门时，一名喝醉了的旅客进来要进餐。我问他翅膀行不行，他从柜台上靠过身子来氏颤友，回答道：“女士，我到这儿来是吃歼槐东西的，不是要飞！”

Wings

The fried-chicken restaurant where I was working had a big rush just before closing one day, leaving us with nothing to sell but wings. As I was about to lock the doors, aa quietly intoxicated customer came in and ordered dinner. When I asked if wings would be all right, he leaned over the counter and replied, "Lady, I came in here to eat, not fly."

创造性

第一次求职时，我意识到在列举我所具备的为数不多的条件时，得有点创造性。当问及我是否受过其它的培训时，我老实地回答说我花了三年时间学计算机程序设计课。我得到了那份工作。

我没有提到那门功课我重复学了三年才考及格。

Creative

Applying for my first job, I realized I had to be creative in listing my few qualifications. Asked about additional schooling and training, I answered truthfully that I had spent three years in computer programming classes. I got the job.

I had neglected to mention that I took the same course for three years before I passed.

臭 鼬

“我们的地下室里有一只臭鼬，”打电话的人对警察调度员尖叫道。“我们怎样才能把它弄出来？”

“弄一些面包屑，”调度员说，“从地下室往外铺一条小道直到后洞握院。然后将地下室的门打开。”

一段时间后，那位居民又将电话打了回来。“你们将它弄出来了吗？”调度员问。

“没有，”打电话的人答道，“现在那儿有两只臭鼬了。”

Skunk

"We have a skunk in the basement," shrieked the caller to the police dispatcher. "How can we get it out?"

"Take some bread crumbs," said the dispatcher, "and put down a trail from the basement out to the back yard. Then leave the cellar door open."

Sometime later the resident called back. "Did you get rid of it?" asked the dispatcher.

"No," replied the caller. "Now I have two skunks in there!"

新发现

一个乡下人第一次到大城市游逛。他走进一座大楼，看见一个岁数很大的矮胖女人迈进一个小房间。房间的门随后关上，有几个灯在闪亮。一会儿，门开了，电梯里走出一位年青漂亮的女模特。

乡下人惊奇地眨着眼睛，慢吞吞地说：“我应该把我的老婆带来!”

New Discovery

A hillbilly was visiting the big city for the first time. Entering an office building, he saw a pudgy older woman step into a small room. The doors closed, lights flashed, and after a while the door slid open and a beautiful young model stepped off the elevator.

Blinking in amazement, the hillbilly drawled, "I should have brought my wife!"

热与冷

蒙特利尔自助餐厅的一位顾客拧开盥洗室的龙头，结果被水烫伤了。“这太可恶了，”他抱怨道，“标着C的龙头流出的是开水。”

“可是，先生，C代表Chaude－法语里代表‘热’。如果您居住在蒙特利尔的话就得知道这一点。”

“等等，”那位顾客咆哮一声，“另外一个龙头同样标的是C。”

“当然，”经理说道：“它代表冷。毕竟，蒙特利尔是个双语城市。”

Chaude and Cold

A patron in Montreal cafe turned on a tap in the washroom and got scalded. "This is an outrage," he complained. "The faucet marked C gave me boiling water."

"But, Monsieur, C stands for chaude - French for hot. You should know that if you live in Montreal."

"Wait a minute," roared the patron. "The other tap is also marked C."

"Of course," said the manager, "It stands for cold. After all, Montreal is a bilingual city."

你是怎样来的？

一个冬天的早晨，一名雇员解释他为什么迟到了四十五分钟才起来上班。“外面太滑了，我每向前迈一步，就要向后退两步。”

老板狐疑地看着他。“噢，是吗？那你是怎样到这里来的？”

“后来我决定放弃，”他说，“然后我就往家里走。”

How Did You Ever Get Here

One winter morning, an employee explained why he had shown up for work 45 minutes late. "It was so slippery out that for every step I took ahead, I slipped back two."

The boss eyed him suspiciously. "Oh, yeah? Then how did you ever get here?"

"I finally gave up," he said, "and started for home."

生词请自己挑吧。

..................................

THE NEWSPAPER 报 纸
Nowadays the newspaper possesses considerable value Everybody should read it. It supplies us with a variety of news every day. It tells us the political situation of the world. If we form the habit of reading the newspaper, we shall (will) get enough knowledge to cope with our circumstances.
现今报纸拥有极大的价值镇厅，人人都应该看它。它每天提供我们各种类类的消息。它告诉我们世界政治局势。如果我们养成看报的习惯，我们就能得到足够的知识来因应我们的环境。
学生虽然每天须做功课，但他们至少应该匀出一两个小时来看报。哪些，他们不但能增加知识而且也能赶上时代。总而言之，看报对学生很有益处。

MY DAILY LIFE 我的日常生活
Though my daily life is extremely monotonous, I try hard to adapt myself to it. Why? Because I intend to be a good student. I wish to render service to my country.
I get up at six o’clock every day. After I wash my face and brush my teeth, I begin to review my lessons. I go to school at seven o’clock.
After school is over, I return home. We usually have supper at seven o’clock.
Then I begin to do my homework. I want to finish it before I go to bed.
虽然我的日常生活十分单调，但我却竭力设法去适应它。为什么？因为我打算做一个好学生，希望将来为国家服务。
我每天六点起床、洗脸刷牙后，就开始复习功课，七点钟我就去上学。
放学后，我就回家了。我们通常在七点钟吃晚餐，之后我就开御烂隐始做家庭作业，希望在睡觉前把它做完

：A MODEL STUDENT 模范学生
Do you mind being called a bad student? Of course not. So far as I know, everybody intends to be (become) a model student.
However, to be a model student is by no means an easy thing. First, he must do his best to obtain knowledge. A man without sufficient knowledge will not succeed. Secondly, he must remember to improve his health. Only a strong man can do great tasks. Thirdly, he should receive moral education. If his conduct is not good, no one will consider making friends with him.
你价意被称为坏学生吗？当然不。就我所知，每个人都打算做模范学生。
然而，做模范学生却不容易。第一，他必须尽力获得知识（求知）。一个没有足够知识的人是不会成功的。第二，他必须记住促进健康。只有强壮的人才能做历轮大事。第三，他应该接受道德教育。如果他品行不好，没有人会考虑和他交朋友的。

HOW TO GET HAPPINESS 如何获得快乐
There is no doubt that happiness is the most precious thing in the world. Without it, life will be empty and meaningless. If you wish to know how to get happiness, you must pay attention to the following two points.
First, health is the secret of happiness (the key to happiness). Only a strong man can enjoy the pleasure of life.
Secondly, happiness consists in contentment. A man who is dissatisfied with his present condition is always in distress.
无疑的快乐是世界上最宝贵的东西。没有它，人生将是空虚的而且毫无意义的。如果你希望知道如何获得快乐，你须注意下面两点。
健康是快乐的要诀。唯有身体强壮的人才能享受人生的乐趣。
快乐在于知足。一个不满于现状的人终是处在痛苦之中。

BOOKS 书籍
As is well known, books teach us to learn life, truth, science and many other useful things. They increase our knowledge, broaden our minds and strengthen our character. In other words, they are our good teachers and wise friends. This is the reason why our parents always encourage us to read more books.
Reading is a good thing, but we must pay great attention to the choice of books. It is true that we can derive benefits from good books. However, bad books will do us more harm than good.
如众所周知，书籍教我们学习人生，真理，科学以及其它许多有用的东西。它们增加我们的知识，扩大我们的心胸并加强我们的品格。换句话说，它们是我们的良师益友。这是为什么我们的父母终是鼓励我们要多读书的理由。
读书是一好事，但我们必须多加注意书的选择。不错，我们能从好书中获得益处。然而，坏书却对我们有害无益。

THE VALUE OF TIME 爱惜时光
An English proverb says that time is money. I consider it (this) wrong. Why? Because we all know that we can earn money be work but can not in any way get back time (in anyway). For this reason, we may (can) say that time is more valuable than money.
Many people do not know the value of time. It (this) is indeed a great pity. We must bear (keep) in mind that wasting time is equal to wasting your life.
英国有句谚语说，时间就是金钱。我认为这是不对的。为什么？因为我们大家都知道我们能够用工作赚钱，但无论如何却无法把时间争取回来。基于此种理由，我们可以说时间比钱钱更宝贵。
许多人不知爱惜时光。这确实是可惜的。我们必须记住浪费时间等于浪费生命。

WHY SHOULD WE STUDY ENGLISH 为什么我们要学英文
If you want to ask me why we should study English, my answer will be simple and clear. Now let me enumerate the reasons one by one in the following.
In the first place, English has become an international language. If you know English, you van make a trip round the world without being misunderstood.
In the second place, most valuable books, newspapers and magazines are written in English. If you wish (hope) to get knowledge, you must learn English.
如果你要问我们为什么我们要学英文。我的答复很简单明了。现在让我来把我的理由一一列举在下面：
英文已成为一种国际语言。如果你通晓它，你可以环游世界不会被人误解。
大多数有价值的书籍，报纸和杂志都是用英文写的。如果你希望获得知识，你必须学习英文

多准备了几篇以供选择
希望对你有用