文档内容
A very new, young officer was at a railway station. He was going
to visit his mother, and he wanted to telephone her to tell her the time of
his train. He looked in all his pockets, but found that he did not have
the coins for the telephone, so he went outside and looked around for
someone to help him.
At last an old soldier came by, and the young officer stopped him and
said,“Have you got change for ten pence?”
“Wait a moment,” the old soldier answered, beginning to put his hand
in his pocket.“I'll see whether I can help you.”
“Don't you know how to speak to an officer?”the young man
said angrily. “Now let's start again . Have you got change for ten
pence?”
“No, sir,” the old soldier answered quickly.Mrs. Green has lived near the park of the city for forty years. She's
very rich and has got a lot of money. But she never buys
something expensive for her family and always does all
the housework herself. She sweeps all the rooms every day.
Last morning, when she got up, she felt terrible. After breakfast she
felt even worse. She found some medicine and took it. But it
was useless to her and she had to go to a hospital.
The doctor looked her over and asked her to be in hospital, but
she refused and went home on foot. As soon as she got home, the
telephone rang. She hurried to answer it. It was the doctor. He told her
she had left her purse in the hospital and a nurse had found it.
“Could you tell me her name, please?”asked Mrs. Green.
“Of course, Mrs. Green. Are you going to thank her?”asked the
doctor.
“No, no.”She said,“My handbag was lost three years ago.
I want to know if she found it.”Sam had a dog. Its name was Tod. It was very helpful, but it ate too
much. So Sam didn't like it, and he wanted to kill Tod, He tied Tod in
a bag and put it in a small boat. He rowed the boat to the middle of a
big river. Just as he threw the poor animal into the river, the boat
began to go down. Both Sam and Tod fell into the river.
Tod was able to swim, but Sam couldn't. The dog
bit (咬) the rope and got out of the bag. It tried its best to swim
to save Sam. The man was saved, so he was very thankful to the
dog. He did not want to kill the dog any more. From then on, he gave
the dog as much food as it wanted.In England, if you are under the age of eighteen, you're not allowed
to drink in a public bar.
Mr. Thompson used to go to a bar near his house, but he
never took his son,Tom, because he was too young. Then when Tom
had his eighteenth birthday, Mr. Thompson took him
to his usual bar for the first time.
They drank for half an hour, and then Mr. Thompson said to his
son,“Now, Tom, I want to teach you a lesson,
You must always be careful not to drink too much. And how do you
know when you've had enough? Well, I'll tell you. Do you see those
two lights at the end of the bar? When they seem to have become four,
you've had enough and should go home.”“But, Dad,”said Tom,“I
can only see one light at the end of the bar.”Friends are different things to different people.To my little sister, a
friend is someone who likes to swim and ride bikes. My mom's idea of
a friend is someone like Mrs. Smith who walks and talks with her every
morning.My dad's friends are neighbors who help him with the work
like building shelves and planting trees.
Steve, our monitor, is my best friend.
We go skating, play football, talk about sports, and go to a concert.
When I broke my leg, he always came over to play games in school, he
carried my schoolbag for me and got my lunch for me. I know I can
always count on him, and he also knows that he can count on me.
Some friends may be in your life for a while. Others will be
there for a long time, maybe even forever.I
would hate to move, unless I could take my friends with me They
are too important to leave behind.A man is talking to the family doctor. “Doctor, I doubt whether my
wife's going deaf.” The doctor answers, “Here’s something you can
try on her to test her hearing. Stand some meters away from her and
ask her a question. If she doesn't answer, move a little closer and ask
again. Keep repeating this until she answers. Then you'll be able to
tell if she is deaf or not.”
The man goes home and begins to test his wife's hearing. He
stands by the wall and says, “My dear, what's for dinner?” He doesn't
hear an answer, so he moves closer to her. “My dear, what's for
dinner?” Still no answer. He repeats this several times, until he's
standing just a few feet away from her.
Finally, she answers, “For the eleventh time, I said we're
having meat and rice!”Jack had gone to the university to study his history, but at the end
of his second term, he failed his history exam, and he was told that he
would be dismissed from university. However, his father decided that
he would go to see the history professor to ask him
to let Jack continue his studies the next year.
“He's a good boy,” said Jack's father, “ Please pardon him. If you let
him pass this time, I'm sure he'll improve a lot next year and pass the
examinations at the end of it really well.”
“No, no, that's quite impossible!” replied the
professor immediately. “Do you know, last month I asked him when
Napoleon died, and he didn't know!” “Please,
sir, give him another chance” said Jack's father. “You
see, I'm afraid we don't take any newspapers in our house so we even
don't know that Napoleon was ill recently.”Everybody dreams of doing something important. As a boy
Raymond dreamed of being a scientist, in fact, he is a postman now.
Raymond is an active young man. He lives by the saying “If you
can't live the life you love, Love the life you live” He greets everyone
with a big smile and a friendly “Hi, how are you?” And he really wants
to know! It's hard to feel unhappy when we hear him whistling
happily up and down the street.
Raymond looks good. His shirt and trousers always look very clean.
After work, he likes going to the gym to take exercise.
Raymond is strict in his work. He cares about the people on this
street every day, he knocks on Mrs. Jordan's door to ask for a drink
of cool water. He's not really thirsty. Mrs. Jordan is old, and he just
wants to make sure she's okay.Jimmy started painting when he was three years old, and when he
was five, he was already very good at it. He also got many prizes for his
painting. He painted many beautiful and interesting pictures, and
people paid a lot of money for them They said, “This boy's going to
be famous when he's a little older, and then we’re going to sell these
pictures for a lot more money.”
Jimmy's pictures were different from other people's because he never
painted it on all of the paper. He painted on half of it, and the other half
was always empty.
“That's very clever,” everybody said. “Nobody else does that!”They
all believed that the boy was a pioneer in painting.
One day, somebody bought one of Jimmy's pictures and then said to
him, “Please tell me this, Jimmy. Why do you paint on
the bottom half of your pictures, but not on the top half ?” “Because I'm
small,”Jimmy said, “and my brushes don't reach very high.”One day, a guru knew what he would be in his next life. So
he called his favorite disciple and asked him what he would do to show
thanks. The disciple said he would do whatever his guru asked him to do.
After the guru received the promise, he said, “Then this is what I'd like you
to do for me. I've just learned that when I die very soon, I'm going to be born as
a pig. Do you see that pig eating rubbish over there in the yard ?
I'm going to be born as one of its baby pigs. You’ll recognize me by
a mark on my face When the baby pigs have been born, find the baby pig with
a mark on its face and kill it with your knife. Then I’ll not live a pig's life. Will
you do this for me?”
The disciple was sad to hear all this, but he agreed to do as he had promised.
Soon after this conversation, things happened just as the guru
had mentioned. The guru died. Four baby pigs were born. One day, the
disciple held his knife with him and picked out the baby pig with a mark on its
face. Just as he was about to kill it, the little pig suddenly spoke,“Stop! Don't
kill me!”it cried.
The disciple was very surprised, and he heard the little pig
speak in a human voice, it said, “Don't kill me I want to live on as a pig. When
I asked you to kill me, I didn't know what a pig's life would be
like. It's great! Just let me go.”A certain old gentleman was very unhappy about modern education, and
thought that young people didn’t know the difference between right and wrong.
One day he was taking a walk near the church when he saw some young
boys standing around a small cat. The old gentlemen went up to the boys and
asked them what was happening. One of the boys said to him “We're having
a competition. We're telling lies, and the one who tells the biggest lie will keep
the cat.”
The old gentleman thought this was a good chance to teach the boys a useful
lesson, so he said to them, “I've never told a lie in my life”. At once there was a
great shout from all the boys, and they said,“You've won! The cat belongs to
you!”In many parts of the world, there are
four seasons: spring, summer, fall and winter. There are only three in America:
football, basketball and baseball. If you want to know what season it is, just
have a look at what people are playing.
Sports are an important part of American culture. Students learn to play
many sports at school. They take PE classes. Some join the school teams, and
others join school sports leagues.
For many people in the USA, sports are not just for fun. They're almost are
religion. Thousands of sports fans buy expensive tickets to watch their favorite
teams and sports stars play. Other fans watch games on TV at home. The most
devoted sports fans never miss a game.A long time ago, there was a huge apple tree. A little boy loved to come and
play around it every day. He climbed to the tree top, ate the apples, played
under the tree... He loved the tree and the tree loved to play with him.
Time went by...The little boy had grown up and he no longer played around
the tree.
One day, the boy came back to the tree and looked sad. “Come and play
with me,”the tree asked the boy.
“I am no longer a kid. I do not play around trees any more” The boy
replied, “I want toys. I need money to buy them.” “Sorry, but I don't have
money. But you can pick all my apples and sell them. So, you will have
money.” The boy was so excited. He picked all the apples on the tree and left
happily. The boy didn't come back after he picked the apples. The tree was sad.
One day, the boy returned and the tree was so excited “Come and play with
me” The tree said “I don't have time to play. I have to work for my family. We
need a house. Can you help me?” “Sorry, but I don't have a house. But you
can cut off my branches to build your house.” So the boy cut all the branches of
the tree and left happily.
One hot summer day, the boy returned and the tree was very happy.
“Come and play with me!” the tree said.“I am sad and getting old I want to go sailing to relax myself. Can you give
me a boat?” “Use my trunk to build the boat. You can sail and be happy.” So
the boy cut the tree trunk to make a boat. He went sailing and did
not show up for a long time.
Finally, the boy returned after he left for so many years. “Sorry, my boy.
But I don’t have anything for you any more. No more apples for you.” the tree
said. “I don’t have teeth to eat.” The boy replied “No more trunk for you to
climb on” “I am too old for that now.” the boy said. “I really want to give you
something——the only thing left is my dying roots(根).” The tree said. “I
don't need much now, just a place to rest. I am tired after all these years.” The
boy replied. “Good! Come here, please sit down with me and have a rest,” The
boy sat down and the tree smiled .
This is a story of everyone. The tree is our parents. When we were young,
we loved to play with Mom and Dad. When we grow up, we leave them, and
only come to them when we need something or when we are in trouble.
Whatever, parents will always be there and give everything they could
to make you happy. You may think that the boy is cruel to the tree but that's
how all of us are treating our parents.On Tuesday, October 4, Mr. Goff visited our class. He is Karen's
dad, and he just got back from a business trip to China. He has many
pictures of busy cities and beautiful mountains. His pictures are worth
seeing. Mr. Goff came to our class to tell us what life is like in China.
We learned that pupils in China went to school six days a
week in the past. But now they have a
rest at weekends. They write with 2,000 characters instead of 26 letters.
Each character is a complete word. They also review their
lessons. After school, pupils play basketball and volleyball and ride
bikes. They do the same things as we do.
Mr. Goff said a businessman from China would visit him soon. We
will invite the man to our class. In that way, he can tell us more about
pupils in China.Young men often give flowers to young women when
they are in love. The tradition may have come from Turkey(土耳其).
In the 1700s in Turkey, it was quite popular for people in love to send
each other baskets full of strange things.The baskets were
sent secretly to the person who was receiving it. Usually, an old woman
who sold flowers or fruit on the street left the basket beside the door of
that person.
These baskets included many kinds of gifts: flowers, stones, candles,
etc. Each thing in the basket had a special meaning. By working out the
secret message hidden in each gift, the person who received the basket
began to understand little by little the true feelings of the person who
sent it.
The idea of sending gifts of love with secret meanings
quickly spread to other countries. However, as time passed, only
sending flowers remained popular.Flowers told young ladies about the feelings in the heart of young
men. Each different flower had a different meaning. For example, the
flowers from an orange tree meant, “you are beautiful and pure.” Pink
carnations meant, “My love for you is
great.” Yellow roses, on the other hand, meant, “I saw you with
someone else.”
Many flower dictionaries were made to help young people in love
understand the meaning of the flowers they received. However, not all
of the dictionaries agreed on the meaning of each flower, so a person
had to be careful about the flowers they chose to send.
By the 1880s, using flowers to send messages had become
unpopular, and the more direct way of sending love letters
began. Today, flowers are still considered a lovely gift, but the
meaning for each kind of flower has been lost.Many of my classmates think they are forced to go to school. They
say they are only interested in playing. But I love going to school, and
my favorite subject is science. I like science because
the experiments and field trips are exciting.
In science we do many exciting experiments in the lab. One time we
made crystal form(晶形)in a bottle by using salt in water. Another
time we watched how baby chicks are hatched(孵出).
We also take exciting field trips for science, We went to
a museum and saw huge dinosaurs( 恐 龙 ) and tiny butterflies. On
Tree-planting Day, we went to a forest and collected leaves.
It's good to play, but I would rather do experiments and go on field
trips. That’s why science is my favorite subject.Jane got home late at night. She was going to knock at the
door. Just then it opened. Her father was standing by the door. He was
a tall man with white hair. “Come in,” he said “I am getting
cold.” Jane went in. Her mother was waiting in the room. Her mother
was a short woman. She was sitting on the sofa, and looked pale. Her
father closed the door.
“Well,”he said, “Where have you been? You promised not to stay
out beyond 11 o'clock. It's one o'clock now.”
“It's only a quarter to one.”
“That doesn't make any difference. You should have come
home earlier”, her father replied angrily.
“We've been very worried about you,” said her mother.
“I'm sorry,” Jane said. “I was at a party. I didn't notice the time.”
“You've got a watch,” said her father. “Your mother and I have
waited for a long time. We didn't know where you were”
“I can look after myself,” replied Jane “I'm not a baby any more”...
That is a situation that we often see in our life. Please do not let
your parents worry about you again!Since my son was three years old, he's kept asking me “why?” about
everything. Why is the sky blue? Why are there clouds? Why can't I go
outside? Why do I have to be nice? Anyway, I always try my best to
answer his questions.
Now my son is ten years old. At this age, the boy is interested in all
kinds of things, and he’s got more questions to trouble me. Do people
in prison celebrate festivals? Why are dogs' noses always wet? Why are
women and men's shoe sizes different? ...
These days, the boy shows interest in the facts of life, so
I borrowed books from the library and prepared myself for any
questions he might ask. At the end of our long talk, he still looked
confused(迷惑的). “If you have any questions,” I said, “please ask
them. There are no stupid questions.”
“Well. suppose I was married,” he said with shame, “my wife was
going to give birth to a baby, and I had to rush her to the hospital,
okay?”
“Yes,”I smiled and encouraged him to continue his question.
Then he asked,“Can I go through red lights?”Today I read a book about snakes. I found some interesting
facts, especially some surprising facts in it. Did you know that some
big snakes are strong enough to kill a pig or a goat? All snakes eat
animals. Without snakes, the world would probably be filled
with rats and mice.
You probably didn’t know that snakes smell with their noses and
their tongues. Some snakes are even longer than an elephant or
a giraffe!
This book made me think a lot about snakes. Most snakes
don't hurt people, but some are dangerous. I'm thinking if I saw a
snake, would I know if it was dangerous?One of the most important meals of the day is breakfast. People should
always eat a good breakfast to keep well. Eating the right food
is necessary for good health. You should eat different kinds of
food in order to keep a good health.
A good breakfast should include eggs, bread, milk, and so on. By eating
breakfast every morning, you may feel lively in the morning's
work. Stepping out into the morning air after a good breakfast
will make you feel wonderful.
Without breakfast, children may not grow as fast as they should and
may not study and play as well in school in the morning as they could. They
may have more sickness, and when they are sick, it may take them longer
time to get well than children with good health habits.
Food provides energy for the body. Without food the
body operation will slow down. So you must eat breakfast to keep well and
do your best each morning.Everyone has had the experience of giving a gift. A proper gift
can help communication and express good wishes, and sometimes it
may also bring about unexpected good results. But, an improper gift
may not only fail to show good wishes, but also even result in
misunderstandings(误会). The art of giving gifts needs more attention,
especially in communication with friends from different countries.In an ancient kingdom(王国), all men were ruled by their wives.
The king didn't believe it. In order to prove it was not true, the king
had all the men of his kingdom brought before him. He warned that
any man who did not tell the truth would be seriously punished.
Then he asked all the men who followed their wives' orders to
step to the left side of the hall. All the men did so but one little man
who moved to the right side.
“It's good to see,”said the king“, that we have one real man in the
kingdom. Tell these chicken-hearted men why you alone among them
stand on the right side of the hall.”
“Your Majesty(陛下),”came the reply in a weak voice, “it is
because before I left home my wife told me to keep out of crowds(人
群). I don't dare to go against her.”电
Because of electricity( ), it is easy for us to turn
on an electric lamp or a TV. But where does all that
发 电
electricity come from? Most power plants (
厂
) produce electricity by using coal, oil, natural
核 能
gas, and nuclear energy( ). Other plants make
electricity by using sunlight, wind, water, or even heat
from underground!What kind of work do you want to do when you are older?
Many jobs might interest you. Two of them that have been
around the longest are farming and building. People who work
with computers have newer kinds of jobs.
The jobs of tomorrow will be decided by what people
need and want. When we decide which job to take, we need to
get the necessary information about chances of jobs. The
chances result from the relations between
商品
the total population, labor force, and the need for goods( )
and services.I am sixteen years old. I have a younger brother. My brother's
name is Jim. Jim is a handsome boy and sometimes
very humorous. He makes me laugh a lot, and I love him and
am proud of him.
One afternoon I was walking from my house to the store to buy
some ink when I saw a small boy running along the
street towards me. He was running at high speed. When he came near
me, I was surprised to see it was Jim.
“Hi, Jim,”I shouted to him,“why are you running like that?”
Jim didn't stop. He looked a bit nervous, and shouted to me,“I'm
trying to stop two boys from fighting.”
I was surprised again. I laughed and said“, That's an important job
for a little boy, isn't it? You don't do things like that very often. Who
are the two boys?”
“They're Tom and me,”answered Jim as he continued
running down the street very quickly.Mr. and Mrs. Long have a poor memory, and they are also very
careless. Compared with the careless parents, their daughter Linda is
quite different. Linda is very careful in doing things. If Mr. and
Mrs. Long can act carefully and remember to check their work, they'll
not cause so much trouble in their life.
One summer they plan to fly to New York for a visit. They get
to the airport only ten minutes before the plane leaves. So time is
short. But suddenly Mrs. Long says she must tell Linda, their
daughter, not to forget to lock the front door when she leaves for
school in the morning. As Linda is then at school, they can't reach her
on the phone. So the couple hurries to the post office. Mrs. Long
writes a short note to Linda, while Mr. Long buys a stamp and an
envelope(信封). Soon the note is ready. They put the stamp on the
envelope and drop it in the letter box in a hurry. But suddenly
Mrs. Long begins to cry. The short note to her daughter is still in her
hand.She has put their plane tickets in the envelope!George Washington had many great successes in his life, but he
didn't succeed in keeping his own teeth! Back then, many people lost
their teeth, But modern people know how to protect their teeth
The most important thing is to brush your teeth. By keeping the
teeth clean you will not have a toothache or other tooth disease.
One other important thing is to eat right. For example, milk
and cheese give teeth calcium( 钙 ), which they need to be strong.
Fruits and vegetables also help by providing VA and VD. On the other
hand, sweet food is bad for teeth.
So brush your teeth and eat right. They are the basic things you
should do to protect your teeth. If you do the things, you'll be able to
have good teeth for your whole life. That’s one success that even
George Washington didn't have!1. If the teacher asks a question, you should give an answer. If
you do not understand the question, you should raise your hand and
ask the teacher to repeat the question. If you do not know the
answer, it is all right to tell the teacher that you do not know. Then
the teacher knows what you need to learn.
2. There is no excuse for not doing your homework. If you
are absent, you should call your teacher or someone who is in your
class and ask for the homework. It is your duty to find out what
homework you have missed. It is not the teacher's duty to tell you
the missing homework.
3. You must not be absent on a test day. Serious illness is the only
reason for missing a test.
4. Be on time! It is considered not polite to be late. Also, it
disturbs other classmates. If you must come in late, be sure to do
it quietly. In the U.S, it is not necessary to knock before you enter
the classroom. Most of the teachers will give you a low grade if you
are often late.
5. Have your textbook out and be ready to begin when the class
starts. Be sure you have a paper and a pencil ready.6. In America, you should call your teacher by his or her last name,
not“teacher". Also you should use Mr., Miss, Ms. or Mrs. before the
last name (such as Mrs. Smith or Mr. Jones). This is considered polite.
7. Be polite to other students. If another student is answering a
question or giving a report, you should listen quietly and give them
your attention.
8. It is considered impolite in the U.S. to eat, drink or chew
gum(嚼口香糖) during class. Also, taking off one's shoes in the
classroom is not polite.
9. If you must leave during class, do so quietly. There is no need to
tell the teacher. However, leaving the class for something instead of
an emergency (紧急情况) is not accepted.
10. Copying another student's test or paper is never accepted. It is
called cheating. At most schools in the U. S , students who cheat will
be dismissed.During World War Two, a lot of young women in Britain(英国)
were in the army. Joan Phillips was one of them. She worked in a
big camp, and of course met a lot of men, officers, and soldiers.
One evening she met Captain Humphreys at a dance. Joan also played
the piano there. They had a very good time. Captain Humphreys said
to her,“I'm going abroad tomorrow, but I'd be very happy if we
could write to each other.”Joan agreed. Then Captain Humphreys
went to a foreign country. And they wrote for several months.
Then his letters stopped, but she received one from another officer,
telling her that he had been wounded and was in a certain army
hospital in England.
Joan went there and said to the matron(护士长)“, I've come to visit
captain Humphreys.”
“Only family members are allowed to visit patients here,”the
matron said.
“Oh, that's all right,”answered Joan“I'm his sister.”
“I'm pleased to meet you,”the matron said,“I'm his
mother!”My cousin was giving an English lesson to a class of adults(成
年 人 ). They had recently come to live in America. My
cousin placed many daily objects on a table. There was a pen, a ruler,
an eraser, a tape, a piece of chalk, a newspaper,
a magazine, a map, a table tennis ball and so on. Then she asked
every member of the class to give her an object as they were told. The
class went very smoothly and the students seemed interested and
serious about the work. But when my cousin said to an Italian(意大利
的)student,“Give me the keys,”the man looked surprised. Seeing
this, my cousin thought that the student hadn't heard her clearly, so
she repeated,“Give me the keys.”The Italian student seemed a little
shy, and then he threw his arms around the
teacher's neck and kissed her on both cheeks(脸颊).What would you do if you found a cockroach in your classroom?
Would you cry? Would you laugh? Or would you just sit there
and do nothing? In my class we did all those.
Suddenly I heard a terrible cry from one of the girls. My heart
missed a beat. I heard another cry. I am
now thinking to myself “what is going on”! Then there it was! It
was at least an inch and a half long, just a little cockroach! Now this
was the first time I had seen in real life, but from all the pictures and
the movies I had seen in the past, I could tell it was a cockroach.
My teacher quickly ran to fetch some paper towels. To be honest, I
didn't think that window cleaner could help. I was wrong. The little
cockroach got a big drop of “ The Window Cleaner ” ,
and lying on the floor, did not move.
Well that was just the beginning. OK, here is the whole story. My
teacher walked over to the, now not moving, cockroach. If you have a
weak stomach, I am warning you now... she stepped on it.I don't know if you have seen the movies where someone steps on
the cockroach and you hear a loud “CRUNCH”(嘎扎嘎扎的压
碎 ), but I can tell you right now that those movies
are one-hundred percent true.
I was laughing so hard that I was crying. I looked around the
classroom. Some of my friends were laughing too. Of course the girly
girls were crying and some of the other kids thought it
was no big deal and just sat there reading their books.
My teacher was not very happy to find out that she was the one
who had to clean up the dirty place.
Most people will not realize that when you step on a cockroach it
will make a terrible sound you may not want to hear. So when you
ever go to kill a cockroach, watch out for “THE CRUNCH”.Miss Green ate a lot for every meal, and she liked eating meat,
especially pork and beef. So she was
very fat. She weighed 100 kilos and she got heavier every month.
One day she went to see a doctor. The doctor said,“You have to go
on a diet(节食), Miss Green". He gave her a small book and said,
“This is a book on how to lose your weight. Please eat the things
on page 11 every day. Then come back and see me in two weeks.”
Miss Green came again two weeks later, but she wasn't thinner. She
was much fatter.The doctor was surprised and said, “Are you eating
the things on page 11 of the small book?" "Yes, doctor" She
answered. The next day, the doctor visited Miss Green when she was
having her meals. “ Miss Green, ” he said, “ Why are you
eating potatoes and dumplings? They are not on the list of your diet.”
“But doctor,”Miss Green answered, “I ate my diet at lunch time.
This is my supper.”
Funny enough! That's why Miss Green is getting fat. But since
then, Miss Green has made up her mind to lose weight,
and she has made an effort to follow the doctor's advice.
【汉语翻译】Two men were going along a lonely road and talking of what they
would do if a bear or wolves attack(进攻)them .“Never fear,”said
the larger one, “I can protect myself and you too, so there will be
no danger. There is nothing in the forest for any man to fear, except a
hungry bear, and I'd like to meet the bear that could be a match for
me.”
Just at that time, a huge bear appeared in the road and moved
towards the two men.
The two men ran for a tree. The one who had spoken
so bravely reached it first and climbed to safety. The smaller man，
being left to face the bear alone, threw himself on the ground and
lay as if dead. When the bear came up, he smelt the man on the
ground and went away. Then the larger man came down from the tree
and said, “What did the bear say in your ear? You seemed like old
friends.”
“Oh,”the other answered, “he told me never to trust a
boaster(自夸者)”.Saturday, March 24th
We have arrived in the hot, wet city of Bangkok, the capital of
Thailand. This is our first trip to Thailand. All the different smells make us
want to try the food. We are going to eat something special for dinner
tonight. The hotel room we booked is cheap, but very clean and tidy. We plan
to stay here for a few days, visit some places like the Palace in the city and
then travel to Chiang Mai in the North.
Tuesday, March 27th
Bangkok is wonderful and surprising! The places are interesting. We visited
the famous market which was on water, and saw a lot of fruits and
vegetables. Everything is so colorful, and we have already
taken hundreds of photos with our new camera. Later we
will leave for Chiang Mai. We will take the train north, stay in Chiang Mai for
two days, and then catch a bus to Chiang Rai.
Friday, March 30th
Our trip to Chiang Rai was long and boring. We visited a small village in
the mountains.The village people here love the quiet life——no computers or
phones. They are the kindest people I have ever met. I feel good
here and hope to be able to come back next year.About ten years ago when I was a student in college, life was hard for me
then. Both my parents had lost their jobs, so I worked at my University's
Museum in my spare time. One day while working in the gift shop, I saw an old
couple come in with a little girl in a wheelchair.
As I looked closer at this girl, I found that she had no arms or legs, just
a head, neck and torso(躯干). She was wearing a pretty white dress, also a little
red cap.
When they came closer to me, I turned my head toward the girl and gave her
a wink(眨眼). As I took the money from her grandparents, I looked back at the
girl, who was giving me the prettiest, largest smile I had ever seen.
All of a sudden her handicap( 残 疾 )was gone and all I saw was
this perfect girl. I was deeply moved by her smile, and almost immediately she
gave me a completely new sense of what life is all about. She took me from a
poor, unhappy college student and brought me into her world: a world of smiles,
love and warmth.
That was ten years ago. I'm a successful business person now
and whenever I am in low spirits and think about the troubles of the world, I'll
think about that little girl and the lesson about life that she taught
me, so I will never lose courage.On April 27 is Take Our Daughters to Work Day in Britain. Started in
America and brought to Britain in 1994, Take Our Daughters to Work Day has
become a special day for girls between 11 and 15. On that day thousands of
girls take a day off school and go together with one of their parents to their
work places. The purpose of this day is to open up girls' eyes and get them
to believe in themselves.
For many years people have thought that boys can do better than girls in
society. But in fact girls can be whatever they want to be just like boys,
whether it is a pilot, a nurse or a manager. On this special day, girls can have a
close look at what their parents are doing and this may help girls to believe in
themselves when they need to choose their work.
Schools and many companies also think this activity useful. Green Middle
School for Girls, in north London has made the day a necessary part of
education.
Zarina, 15, studying in Green Middle school, went to her
mother's law office. She found it interesting to see her mother at work. She has
always liked this idea of going into law and thinks maybe she will does the
same work as her mother later.
If parents believe in their daughters and show examples both at work
and at home for them, this will give a lot of help to girls. Take Our
Daughters to Work Day is certainly a step in the right direction.
【汉语翻译】Aunt Frankie is a fun, busy and caring lady ! She is always ready to have
fun. After a long day at work, she usually comes in the door singing some
songs from the 80s. Sometimes she has a new dance step to share. Aunt
Frankie and her husband own a candy shop. That shop has brought in some
money for them, but they don't buy much furniture. Aunt Frankie enjoys
having more space in her house.
When Aunt Frankie stays at home, she likes to be comfortable, and she
almost always wears a big white T-shirt, old pink shorts, and no socks or shoes.
I love to visit Aunt Frankie. There I can always please my stomach. Aunt
Frankie has theability to bake(烤) different kinds of pies and biscuits. They
all taste very delicious. Eggs, milk, butter, and salt all become wonderful in
her kitchen. She promises to teach me someday.
When I've come to eat some bananas and pears, she will sit next to me at
the table. She puts her hands on mine and asks me how my day was, how my
classes are going, what new friends I've made, and whether I've
made progress in my grammar and composition. Aunt Frankie
also has many tales and funny jokes to tell me.
【汉语翻译】That summer was a hot one in Boston. Almost every
afternoon, I went swimming in a nearby swimming pool with
my best friend, Ben Franklin. We loved those long, hot days.
On one pleasant afternoon, Ben was late. I went to his house
and climbed upstairs to his small bedroom. He was sitting there
making a kite.
“ ” “
What's with the kite? I said, I thought we were going
”
swimming.
“
Ben smiled at me and said, We need the kite for
”
swimming.
“ ”
Who goes swimming with a kite? I asked.
“ ”
I do, Ben said. His blue eyes were shining.
With such a clever friend, I got used to hearing crazy ideas. I
“ ”
just shook my head, I'd like to see how you do it.Half an hour later, we were standing on the bank of the
圆木
pool. Ben held his crazy kite in one hand and a log( ) in
the other. He sat on the bank, took off his shoes, and tied the
end of the kite thread to his foot. Then he flew the kite into
the air and let the wind
catch it. The kite rose over the swimming pool.
“ “
This is fantastic ! I shouted.
Ben smiled at me and jumped into the pool. He threw one
， 倚 靠
arm over his log leaned( ) back, and let the
kite pull him across the pool.
“ “ ，“ ”
Oh, I get it ! I cried It's a flying sail!The world around us is full of colors: the grass is green, the sky is
blue. What a pity it will be if people can not see all the colors. But there are
people who are blind to certain colors.
Human color blindness is a strange thing to explain. In a single eye there
are millions of very small things called “cones(锥形物)”. They help us to see
in bright light and to tell the difference between colors. There are also millions
of “rods(视网膜杆)”but they are used for seeing when it is nearly dark. They
show us shape but not the color.
Some birds and animals' eyes have few or no cones, so they can not see
colors. Cats and dogs cannot see colors as well as we can.
Some insects(昆虫) can even see X-rays. Scientists know that there are other
colors around us which insects can see but which we cannot see.
Human beings have favorite colors. Blue is often popular because it is the
color of the cool sky and sea. Green is the color which makes us think of grass,
field and forest.Yellow is the color of the sun. On the other hand, red is the
color of blood and fire. It makes some people think of accidents, danger and
blood. Black is the color of the night. In the dark we cannot see what is around
us, so we are sometimes afraid of the unknown and do not like
black as a color.
【汉语翻译】More and more people are living the life with computers. Using
computers you can send e-mails quickly and easily. You are able to send a
letter with photos and sounds to someone anywhere in the world without
putting a stamp. E-mail can send its message to the other side of the world in
seconds. E-mail is easy to use and it saves time and money. It serves for
twenty-four hours. You can send e-mails to your friends when they are in bed,
and when they send e-mails back, maybe you're seeing a film at the cinema.
Computers are also important for students now. Many students like to surf
the Internet, but some students only play games instead of searching for
useful information and learning from the Internet. Besides, they spend too
much time on the computer, which is very bad for their health. Can
you imagine in the future without teachers but computers? Students will
teach themselves in the school in the future. At that time, students will carry
a personal computer (PC) instead of a book bag. And teachers
will disappear. Computers help students develop their own ways of
learning. Students will follow the learning programs by looking at on-line
libraries and watching lessons, Students can take advantage of
all kinds of learning websites.W: Waitress, G: Guest
W: Good afternoon, sir. We have both Chinese food
and western food. Which do you like better, Chinese or Western?
G: I'll have Chinese food for a change today. I like Chinese food
very much, you know.
W: I'm glad to hear that. This way, please. Here is the menu for
today.
G: Thanks. This is my first visit to China. Could you tell me what
different kinds of Chinese food you serve here?
W: As you can see from the menu, we serve Shanghai food,
Guangdong food and Sichuan food .
G: Could you tell me more about them?
W:With pleasure. Generally, Guangdong food
is a bit light. Sichuan food has a strong and hot taste.Shanghai food is rather oily.
G: Very interesting. There are so many kinds of dishes of
different tastes. It's hard to decide which to take. But I think I'll have
Sichuan food this time as I like hot food. I'd like to have
some standard Sichuan dishes.
W: Would you like pork shreds with fish seasoning(鱼香肉丝) ,
chicken cubes with chili peppers( 辣 子 鸡 丁 ) and sour pungent
soup(酸辣汤)?
G: Very nice. Let me try them.
W: We usually serve the food first and then the soup, but we'll
bring you the soup first if you like.
G: I'm used to having soup first.
W: All right, sir. I'll get it for you right now.There once lived many frogs in a great pond under
a bridge. They had an excellent home and all the food they wished,
but they were not satisfied. They made speeches in the pond. They
said they should have a king.
Then they asked the God to give them a king. The God gave them
a big piece of wood. The wood did not move at all, so the frogs went
to ask the God to give them a king which could take action. The God
sent them an eel(鳗鱼), but the frogs thought the eel was too small
and did not look like a king, so the eel was not welcome in the
pond. Then the frogs went to the God again for the last time. The
frogs were given a stork(白鹤)as their king. They believed the stork
was great, which could rule over them, so they showed honor to the
stork. But the stork ate all the frogs one by one until there
was hardly any frog left in the whole pond.
How much better it would have been for the frogs if
they had been satisfied with their life!Many people who are alive today know what it is like to live in a world without
television. Television is only about forty years old. Yet it has been an important part in
our lives.
Some people think that the years before television were a better time. They believe
that families talked more and did more things together. More books were read. People got
more outdoor exercise.
But others disagree. They say that television is a good tool for education. It tells us
what is happening in the world. It provides plenty of fun for us. It helps us understand
how people live and work.
Although some people describe television as a great teacher, others say television has
caused the poor reading and writing skills of our people. Television
gets praise for helping us understand the people of the world. But it also has influence on
family life.Television tells us the news of the day. But it can also make us lazy by giving
only short news instead of telling the whole story.
Even people who love television are not happy with it. They think there are too
many advertisements on television. People will probably continue to discuss about
television's value. But everyone agrees that it is one of the most important
inventions of the twentieth century.Once there was an English prince( 王 子 ). His name was
Henry. Prince Henry liked to study languages, but smiles never came
on his face. His father, the King, loved him dearly, and tried to make
him happy in every possible way.
The King gave the boy a small horse, so that he might ride when he
liked. The King also had a boat made for the Prince, so that he might
sail on the lake.
Yet the young Prince was not happy. One day the King had
an interview with a man named Sir Arthur. Prince Henry was also
there, with an unhappy face, as usual.
Sir Arthur turned to the King, and said,"I have a method to make
Prince Henry happy, but you have to send him to
the countryside" . At first, the King refused, but Sir Arthur insisted on
taking the Prince to the country. Finally, the King agreed.
Prince Henry and Sir Arthur went to Sir Arthur's house. His big
yard was divided into two parts-inside yard and outside
yard, and the outside yard was a big garden with a flowerbed.Sir Arthur canceled all his activities and stayed with the Prince at
home. He told Henry, "Do you know my flowerbed can talk, and it
has a secret.”The prince thought it very strange. Sir Arthur went on,
"it tells the secret only to those who watch it every day. If you learn
the secret, you will be happy every day in the year.”
Prince Henry looked, but there was no flower, not even a leaf
upon it. Then he circled the flower-bed every day. Even when
a storm came ， he didn't go inside, so
he caught a cold and coughed badly.
Many days passed. The flowerbed was wet, and the warm sun
shone upon it. At last, one fine morning, he saw tiny plants coming
up.
Day after day he saw that these plants made lines, and that the
lines formed some letters. He thought about the spelling and tried
to translate them into his own language. At last, he got it: DO SOME
GOOD TO SOMEONE EVERY DAY.I clean the rain off my face. Most explorers (探险家) hope to find
land, but Meriwether Lewis and I, William Clark, came all the way
from St. Louis to reach the Pacific Ocean. I turn around and face the
rest of our ship members.
“We did it!” I
shout, putting up our flag. Everyone cheers as loudly as waves(波
浪 )hitting the rocks. "We've paddled ( 划 桨 ) upstream, walked a
long way over snowy mountains, and faced hunger and many other
dangers. ”
At the time, I see the girl. She keeps silent.“Of course, without the
help of our Indian friend, we wouldn't have made it. Thank you,
miss.”
I look back at the Pacific and notice that Meriwether looks
unhappy. I truly can understand why. We had hoped to
see Asian trading ships at sea, but there are no ships anywhere. We
planned to sail home by sea. Maybe the ships will come soon.
If not, we'll have to go back the same way we came.Chopsticks are an ancient way of eating food, and even though they
were developed some 5,000 years ago in China, the tradition is still
alive around the modern world. There are many reasons for using
chopsticks, but probably they developed because using two sticks of
wood allows one to get close enough to get the food out of a pot
(锅) without burning themselves.
Although forks and knives and other pointed tools have
been introduced to China over the years, chopsticks have remained
the main way to eat food. Chopsticks are mostly made from
wood, with bamboo being the most widely used. Foreigners like to
buy silk chopsticks as gifts.
The Chinese people usually eat from a bowl or small plate. They
use chopsticks to eat noodles and rice, but Koreans(韩国人)eat their
rice with a spoon.
【汉语翻译】Beijing Zoo has many animals such as the giant (巨大的) panda
and the golden monkey, and also has the animals from all over the
world——elephant, camel, giraffe, tiger, lion, zebra, etc.
Beijing Zoo covers an area of more than 50,000 square meters and
there are more than 30 large halls. It is also a famous center of
zoological(动物的) research.
Recently, a new form of ticketing has been introduced at Beijing
Zoo——a CD-like ticket. There is music and video of the animals in
it. You can read it through your computer or V player. There is also
an important message on the CD: we should all help protect
the environment where we live.Finding pleasant ways to eat more fruit is one of the secrets
of losing weight successfully.
Because strawberry and watermelon taste very good when
put together, this strawberry and watermelon Juice is a great
way to help us to achieve the purpose of losing weight.
This juice is lovely served for breakfast with our strawberry
and orange pancakes. Put l/2 cup of strawberries and 2 cups of
watermelon together, and serve immediately in your favorite
glass.If you have too much coke, sugar, and chocolate, you'll be easily
getting fat. Now I'd like to talk about coke.
Coke is a soft drink. It has many advantages but on the other hand
many disadvantages which lead to health problems.
There are plenty of sugar added to give the coke more taste and
energy and while energy can be good, too much of it
can increase health risks.
But it looks as if coke will still remain number one when it comes
to soft drinks， but please remember that if you have health problems
then do not drink it, if not, coke still remains a favorite, and drink it
sometimes!All kinds of vehicles — — buses, coaches, cars
and motorcycles, come and go every day. But it seems that we think
the road is ours! The drivers may be a boss or a high-level worker, but
will not care about the rules of road.
We feel proud that we've got our driving license, but we must drive
safely. It is wise to follow many rules and laws. You must know
what traffic lights and signs(标记) mean. You must know where and
when you can park . Also use common sense and politeness. Be
careful and enjoy the drive!
Never pay the cost of your and your family's safety along with the
safety of other people on the road. Please set an example to your kids
and others.The iron and steel industry is an important basic
经 济
industry of the national economy( ). Modern
life depends greatly on iron, the most widely used of
all metals, usually in the form of steel. It is needed
to carry out even the simplest daily tasks.Follow the instructions carefully. There are no pictures here, only
step by step instruction. Also, I hope this article will help those who
haven't the chance to go to a club for Chinese Kongfu training. You
may practice anywhere, but let me offer some suggestions before we
begin.
If you are practicing a form, you will need enough room.
However, you may always practice parts of the form when there is
no enough space. The height of
the ceiling is not important, either. Even if you have to keep
your knees bent(弯曲)in order not to hurt your head, that is in fact
good in your training. A dirty basement( 地下室 ) corner may be
cleaned, and perhaps an old mirror can be placed on a chair for
corrections. You don't need a lot of light, either. What is important is
to wear big warm clothing and flat shoes such as cheap
cotton tennis shoes.
【汉语翻译】Barack H. Obama, the 44th President of the United States, has
become the number one hero in the heart of Americans. His wife
Michelle Obama serves as First Lady. The position of First Lady
carries no official(官方的) duties, so each First Lady has served her
country according to( 按 照 ) her own wishes and interests. Some
have played an active role in policy-making.
On April 3 in London, U. S First Lady told children at a North
London school that being smart is cool, and education is the most
important thing in life. She spoke to the students, "If you want to
know the reason why I am standing here, it's because of education."
She told the 100 young girls，"I never cut class. I loved getting A's, I
liked being smart. I thought being smart is cooler than anything in the
world. "
She tried to lift their spirits and asked the girls to believe
their dreams.The Karuta(歌留多) game is a traditional Japanese game. What is
Karuta? Karuta is a Japanese word for a game which is
played everywhere. It's really quite simple:
1. Lay all the cards face down on the table or floor.
2. The students put their hands on their heads.
3. The teacher calls out one of the cards.
4. The first student to "snap"(抢夺) the card keeps it.
5. When there are no more cards, the winner is the person with the
most.
This game usually works well with pronunciation.
A Japanese poem card game was held in Beijing on Saturday. This
was also a Karuta game.More than a score of Chinese college and middle school students
and a dozen Japanese primary school student , joined in the Karuta
(歌留多) game. The Chinese students were from Beijing Foreign
Studies University, Beijing University of Science
and Technology and some other universities. They tried
to recite some of the poems written on the cards. A third-year
college student felt she was lucky she got the victory. Her
team won the first place.
The students from two countries played together and were
friendly to each other.Taking a shower can make you cleaner and healthier. Before
taking a shower, remember to place your clothes in an area where
they will not get wet. The toilet is not the best place, as it can provide
a place for germs (细菌). Also, check the temperature, and as soon as
the temperature is correct, carefully step into the shower, and then
begin to wash your body.
A shower can be very relaxing at the end of a day, or in the very
beginning of a new day. But if you want to enjoy your shower to the
highest degree, please read on to find out!
1. Prepare the bathroom. Make the room smell good, possibly
light some candles and turn off the lights, whatever you feel
makes a relaxing environment.2. Prepare your favorite drink such as juice, milk and wine! Use
a plastic or metal drink container(容器) with a cover. Do not use a
container made of glass! If it falls, the pieces could hurt you.
3. Remember to take deep breaths, and that your primary aim here
is to relax, so do not think anything unhappy.
4. Believe that you are in your own little
world, and, especially, enjoy the water.
5. Buy a shower radio, so while taking a shower you can listen to
music at the same time.
6. If you feel you need it, sing aloud!木 星
We do not yet know if the planet Jupiter( ) has
a solid surface. Jupiter's clouds are thought to be about
30 miles (50km) thick. Jupiter has sixteen moons.
Jupiter is easy to find very early in the morning in the
sky. Walk outside before the sun rises, and look south and
up. Jupiter shines more brightly than everything around
望远镜
it. Small telescopes( ) have no trouble seeing Jupiter's
云带
cloud belts( ) and its four largest moons.5
Sally was a student.It was going to be her mother's birthday. She
wanted to buy her a present that would be nice and useful but not
expensive
A week before her mother's birthday, she went shopping after a
quick and simple lunch.When she had been looking for half an hour,
she found a shop that was selling cheap umbrellas,and decided to
take a black one. Her mother had lost hers the month before.
She thought, “ You could carry that when you
are wearing clothes of any color.”So she decided to buy a lovely
black umbrella and took it back to the school with
her until her classes had finished.On her way home in the train that evening she
felt hungry because she had such a small lunch that she went along to
the buffet car(餐车) for a sandwich and a cup of coffee.
Sally told them her mother’s umbrella was missing and she had to
get off at the next station.
After the three other passengers heard the story, they asked her for
her mother’s address so that they could send the umbrella to herif
somebody had taken it by mistake, and brought it back after Sally
had got out of the train.
The next week, Sally heard from her mother.It said, “Thank
you very much for your lovely presents, but why did you send me
three similar black umbrellas?”Greenland is the largest island on earth. It is in the north of Europe.
Near Greenland is another island. It is small. Its name is Iceland. Do
you think that Greenland is green and warm?Do you think that
Iceland is white with ice?If you do, you are wrong. Not many people
live on the big island of Greenland.There are more people in your
hornet own than in all of Greenland That is because Greenland is not
green Greenland is white. Most of Greenland is covered with lots of
ice. The ice covering Greenland is higher than some of the world's
buildings. What about Iceland? Is it colder than Greenland? No, it is
not. Ice land has ice, but not so much ice as Greenland. Iceland has a
lot of hot springs(温泉). They give out hot water and steam (蒸汽).
So it is not as cold as Greenland. And there area lot more
people who live in Iceland.A few years ago, when my family moved to this city, I became
interested in soap-box race That's when Id is covered that“it is far
easier to start something than it is to finish it.”
Dad bought a set of tools to make a racing car for me I just
couldn't wait, and one day, while Dad was at work, I decided to have
my car going. I looked at the drawings,and I said to myself,“Dude,
you can do this.”I got out Dad's toolbox, and I started building. Part
A fit into Part B Part C was a little harder to connect to Part D. It was
easy to fix Part E. By the time I got to Part G. I'd made a real
mess(混乱)of things. I really regret having done such a silly thing.
What did I learn from this experience?Now I know that before I
start something, I should know how to finish it.Mr. Young was a boss,and he worked hard. Seldom did he have a
vacation. His wife was afraid that he would get sick if he continued
like that, so she suggested to him taking a vacation. At last Mr. Young
agreed. But she was afraid that he might be disturbed by his
company,so before they left, Mrs. Young went to see her husband's
secretary.Mrs. Young told her,“My husband needs a vacation very
much, so whatever happens; please don't disturb him with letters or
telephones while were away. Just wait until we get back.”
Then on a pleasant morning, after Mr. and Mrs. Young had been
away about a week, when the couple was having a picnic and eating
their hamburger,Mr. Young received a phone call from his
secretary,she said, “ Something terrible has happened to your
business,but I remember what Mrs. Young told me. so I'm not going
to disturb you with it now while you're enjoying your
vacation .Bye-bye!”Every summer my family goes to the beach I dig in the sand
贝壳
and search for sea shells( ).
I've collected many shells so far. They have different colors:
（ 灰 色
orange,silver,purple,gray ), brown... Some are
common,others are unusual. I have a shell which is like a
bird's wing,and one of my shells is like a whale's eyes.
Last year, my elder sister helped me put all my shells in my
drawers and on my desk.When I see them, I will remember the
fun I have at the beach.(L: Lisa, S: Sam)
L: Ten years ago, I went on a tour to London with my pet dog.
S: Did you have a good time there?
L: Yes. I did. One day, after a tiring tour,I went into a restaurant
with my pet dog.
S: You should feed your dog first, I think
L: Right, so I signed(打手势) a waiter(服务员）to come over. At
that time, I couldn't speak English. So I pointed to the dog and made
an“eating”gesture,showing that the dog needed some food.
S: What happened then?
L: The waiter nodded and walked away with my pet dog. I was
happy because I made the waiter understand me without any
difficulty.But after half an hour, he returned with a plate.
S: What was on the plate?
L: My pet dog! My pet dog was killed and cooked!As house prices have risen too much these years, many people
find it hard to afford a house. But all the people who do not have a
house dream of the day when they’ll pick up the keys to
their own home. The idea of owning a home is wonderful.
Buying a house will cost you a lot of money, so never do it in a
hurry. Whatever the market condition is, when you are planning to
buy a house ， there are many things to consider ， whatever
your intention is, to buy or only rent(租). After all, it is going to be
your home, perhaps for quite a long time, and you want to be happy
with it. You have to decide correctly what kind of house you want,
how much you can afford to pay, and the type of area you wish to
live in. However, it's always easy to forget all above, because it's
most probably that you'll fall in love with the house for sale when
you first see it.In only fifty years, English
has developed into the language most widely spoken and used in the
world. English is the working language of
most international organizations( 组 织 ), international trade and
tourism (旅游业).
Businessmen and tourists often come to China without being able
to speak Chinese.Chinese businessmen, taxi drivers and students talk
with them using English. English is also the language of world
culture, such as pop music and the Internet. You can listen to
English songs on the radio or use English to communicate with
people around the world through the Internet. With so many people
communicating in English every day, it will become more and more
important to have a good knowledge of English.Once upon a time(从前) a certain king sent a message to another
king, saying, “Send me a blue pig with a black tail, or else——”
The other replied, “I haven't one; if I had——”
Both kings were so angry that they went to war with each
other. They collected all their soldiers and fought with each
other. Brave men were killed, and women and children died because
they could get nothing to eat.
When it seemed that neither side could win the war, the kings began
to talk about peace. First of all, it was necessary to explain the two
messages. Each king was angry at what the other had said.
“ What did you mean, ” Asked the second king, “ by saying,
‘sending a blue pig with a black tail, or else——’?”
“Why,”said the first king, “I could mean only one thing.I meant that I wanted you to send me a blue pig with a black tail, or
else a pig of some other color.”
“ Oh, that was all, was it? I did not get the whole of your
message,”answered the second king. “What a pity! “He added.
“ Ah, but I must know what you meant by your reply to my
message,”asked the first king.“You said, 'I haven't one; if I had——”
“Why, my answer is very clear. I meant that I hadn't one; if I had,
I should have sent it to you.”
“Well, well! “said the first king, “We have been fighting about
nothing. If we had only explained these things before the war started,
then this bitter war must have been avoided.”
So the great war of the blue pig with the black tail was recorded in
the histories of the two countries in order to prevent such a war
happening again.The cat lived in a nunnery(女修道院). She had noticed that when a
certain bell was rung, a group of nuns(修女) would come for their
meals，and she also received her food.
One day she was shut up in a room by herself when she heard the
bell ring. But she couldn't open the door, the window was too high to
reach, and the glass was too strong to break. At last, after some hours,
the door was opened. She hurried to the place where she expected to
find her dinner, but no dinner there. She was very hungry, and hunger
made her clever. She knew where the rope hung which pulled the
bell. “Now, when that bell rings I generally get my supper,”she
thought as she ran towards the rope. That was a thick rope.It was easy for her to reach the rope. She jumped upon it. It gave a
pleasant sound. As she was swinging, she thought, “Now I shall get
my supper, though I have lost my dinner. ”The bell rang louder and
louder.
The nuns hearing the bell ring at so unusual an hour, and came
hurrying to the bell. They wondered what was
wrong. To their great surprise, they saw it was the cat which rang the
bell! They couldn't understand and thought for some time, till the
sister who gave the cat her meals remembered that she had not
been present at dinner time, and then, she brought double meals to the
cat immediately.Small machines have been invented to measure( 测 量 ) time. They
are clocks and watches. The invention was a great success.
Today almost everyone wears a watch on his arm to tell the time. Same
watches also tell the date. Men, women and children wear them. Now good
watches are almost completely correct. Repairs and oiling are seldom
necessary.
A clock wakes us. The clock at the office records the time we arrive at
work, and the one in the kitchen tells us when dinner is ready. We try to be on
time for conferences, we try to save time for important things and not
to waste time on stupid things, and we pay for time to park on a busy
street. People often say that time is money . Truly we can create wealth by
using time in a proper way.
Time passes rapidly, and it never returns. We want to be always
young, but that's impossible. That is the magic of time.We can't catch
time. Time is difficult to control and easy to waste. In fact, time is
dangerous. If we don’t control it, it will control us. So we must become
the master of time, not its servant.
Time is fair to everyone. Let's make good use of our time!
Never put off until tomorrow what can be done today.Jimmy is our new neighbor. He speaks with strange accent, but we
like to talk with him. He told me an interesting story about himself.
He said he liked growing flowers in his garden in his spare time.
And one Sunday morning, after breakfast he put on his old clothes
and began digging in his garden. He dug and dug. After half an hour
he suddenly found a coin near his foot. He put it in his right pocket. A
few minutes later, he found another one. He put it in the same
pocket, too. The same thing happened for the third, the fourth and the
fifth time. He was very happy and told his wife about it. She was very
happy, too. She said,“A thief(小偷) stole a lot of coins from a shop a
few days ago. The police caught him but they didn’t find
any coins.”Then Jimmy went on digging and found some more coins, but just
when he began to dig, he felt something cold in his trousers. It ran
down one of his legs. He put his hand down quickly ——and the
coin came into his hand. Now he knew there was a hole in his pocket.
Jimmy also told me something even funnier about his son, Jack.
One day he took his son Jack to a boy's clothing shop. That shop was
giving away（赠送）balloons to buyers' children. Jack asked if he
might have two balloons.“Sorry,”the salesperson said,“but we give
only one balloon to each child. Do you have a brother at home?”Jack
was always honest. He didn't tell lies, but he wanted another balloon
badly“. No.”he replied regretfully“, but my sister has a brother, and I'd
like one for him.”
What a lovely boy Jack is!People have sailed around the world in quite small boats. It is
not an easy thing.Sometimes the weather goes bad. That will be the
end of a boat and the end of everyone in it. Accidents can happen
easily and quickly.
One family had an accident with a big fish. The fish swam under
their boat and bit(咬) holes in it. The water came into the boat, and of
course，the boat soon went down. However, these people had another
smaller boat——a life-boat(救生艇)，and they all got into that. They
lived and hoped for many days. They woke and slept, and they always,
hoped... At last a ship found them.
How do people live in a very small life-boat? Perhaps far weeks
or months. They must be strong in every way.They must have hope——they must want to live. But you cannot eat
and drink hope.
You cannot drink sea water. Drink a lot of sea water——you will
quickly die.Sailors（水手) can drink rain water. They must catch rain
water in their boat. They must also catch fish and birds for
food. Lifeboats do not often carry a cooker，and so the sailors cannot
cook their food. Raw(生的) fish and bird-meat is not very nice. But
there won't be any choice in a life-boat! The sailors must eat raw
food or they will die.
What do people think about in a life-boat? They think about land, a
warm bed, dry clothes, clean water and food.To begin with, smoking costs a lot of money. Smokers may also
have to spend more on medicine and doctor visits. Another reason not
to smoke is that it is bad for people who do not smoke, Second-hand
smoke( 二手烟 ) is a serious public health risk. It isn't polite for a
person to smoke in front of a nonsmoker. Besides, nonsmokers
usually don't like the smell left in rooms, cars, or even on a smoker's
clothes!
Most importantly, smoking causes big health problems. For
example, smoking makes it harder to breathe if a person
has illnesses like asthma (哮喘). Smoking hurts a person's lungs(肺) ,
causing diseases like cancer, etc.
So if you don't smoke, don't start. If you do smoke, it's time to give
it up.
