1、1新概念英语第三册作文和书信写作Lesson 1 A puma at large 逃遁的美洲狮Mrs. Stone had spent the whole morning picking blackberries in the countryside near her home. It was nearly lunch time, so she decided to return for lunch. She was just picking up her basket when she heard a noise in the bushes. Then she saw an animal w
2、hich looked like a cat. She knew it was not a cat because it was so large. The animal suddenly turned round to look at her and she thought it was going to come towards her and perhaps attack her. She dropped her basket and screamed loudly. Hearing the sound, the animal disappeared into the bushes, a
3、fter which Mrs. Stone picked up her basket and ran all the way home.She told her neighbours that she had seen a puma in the countryside, but they did not believe her. She also telephoned the police but they didnt believe her either. (148 words)Lesson 2 Thirteen equals one 十三等于一A sticky businessWe we
4、re used to hearing our church bell striking the hours in our small village. For as long as anyone could remember, the bell had struck the hours day and night. However, one night the church bell remained silent and the next morning we saw that the clock had stopped at exactly one a.m. Our clock was c
5、learly damaged, but no one could explain how this had happened.Armed with a torch, our vicar climbed into the church tower to see what was going on. He heard a loud buzz as he went towards the clock and in the torchlight he found it had been invaded by bees. He was lucky they didnt sting him! He sho
6、ne his torch into the great bell and saw that it was full of wax and honey. No wonder it wasnt working!A bee keeper was called in to deal with the situation. He immediately removed the queen bee to one of his bee hives and the other bees followed. The clock was cleaned and was soon working again. We
7、 not only enjoyed hearing it strike the hours day and night, but we enjoyed eating the honey as well.(195 words)Lesson 3 An unknown goddess 无名女神After walking round the ancient city, the archaeologists discovered an ancient temple. This temple had obviously been a place of worship because it containe
8、d a sacred room. On entering the sacred room, the archaeologists found the clay fragments of fifteen statues, each of which was a goddess which had once been painted. After this, workmen began digging and soon discovered the head of a statue among remains dating from the fifth century B.C. They also
9、 found the body of this statue among remains from the fifteenth century B.C. The archaeologists carefully put the fragments together. They were astonished to find that the figure was a goddess. The goddess was a modern-looking woman. She had her hands on her hips and she was wearing a full-length sk
10、irt. Although the archaeologists tried very hard to identify her, they were unable to find out her name. (143 words)2Lesson 4 The double life of Alfred Bloggs 阿尔弗雷德.布洛格斯的双重生活Nearly caughtOne morning Alf and three other dustmen were collecting rubbish in Merton Street and they stopped outside Mrs. Fr
11、osts house.Though Alf didnt know it, his wife was visiting Mrs. Frost at the time. She and Mrs. Frost were old friends, though Mrs. Frost had never met Alf. Alf was just getting out of the dustcart to go into Mrs. Frosts backyard when he saw his wife leaving Mrs. Frosts house. He quickly returned to
12、 the dustcart and hid in the driving cabin. While he was hiding, his fellow dustmen helped him by collecting Mrs. Frosts rubbish. Meanwhile, Alfs wife and Mrs. Frost talked on the doorstep. It looked as though their conversation would never end!At last Mrs. Bloggs said goodbye to Mrs. Frost. She wav
13、ed to one of the dustmen whom she recognized and she went towards the dustcart to greet him. The dustman waved back and gave her a big smile as the dustcart drove off. Mrs. Bloggs stood on the pavement and watched the dustcart disappear down the street. Then she began to walk home. Its all right, Al
14、f, his friend said. She cant see you now.Thanks, Jim, Alf said. That was a lucky escape! (200 words )Key to Letter writingA possible answeraddressdateDear Mrs. Frost,It was nice to meet you at Selenas party last week.You mentioned you had a copy of Whos Who. I am writing to ask if I could borrow it
15、for a couple of days. Im doing some research on politicians and this book contains a lot of information. I promise I will take good care of it and return it to you as quickly as possible.I look forward to hearing from you soon.Yours sincerely,signature (80 words)Lesson 5 The facts 确切数字The journalist
16、 counted the number of steps as he wearily climbed up to the high wall surrounding the presidents palace. On arriving at the main gate, he sat down to get his breath back. He then produced a tape measure in order to measure the wall. While he was busy measuring the wall, a policeman approached him a
17、nd asked him what he was doing. Though the journalist explained he was a reporter and his editor had asked him to find out the exact height of the wall, the policeman refused to believe him. He was arrested and sent to prison because the police thought that he might be a spy or might even want to as
18、sassinate the president. When the journalist insisted he was innocent, he made things worse for himself. This proved to the police that the man certainly was guilty and deserved to stay in prison indefinitely. (149 words)3Key to Letter writingA possible answeraddressdateDear Jack,Many congratulation
19、s on your recent marriage!Quite by chance I happened to read about your wedding in our local newspaper and I was thrilled with the news. Your wife sounds really charming. I gather that you will both be moving to our area, so well soon be neighbours. I hope youll be very happy and Ill be able to see
20、you soon.I look forward to seeing you again and meeting your wife. My kindest regards to you both.Yours sincerely,signature (79 words)Lesson 6 Smash-and grab 砸橱窗抢劫They got awaySeeing the thieves car join the traffic on Piccadilly, Mr. Taylor took a taxi and followed them. The taxi driver drove at fu
21、ll speed when Mr. Taylor told him what had happened.There wasnt too much traffic at this time of the morning so there was a mad chase through the streets of London. For a short time, the thieves car was on the wrong side of the road and hit another car, but it did not stop. Two policemen in a police
22、 car watched in amazement as the two vehicles went past, both breaking the speed limit. Lights on and horn blaring, the police car chased both the speeding cars. Mr. Taylors taxi stopped when the traffic lights turned red. The thieves ignored the traffic lights and got away. Meanwhile, the police ca
23、ught up with the taxi at the traffic lights and the taxi driver was charged with speeding. They refused to let the driver off, even though Mr. Taylor carefully explained the situation.However, the police informed another police car of the chase and ten minutes later the thieves car was found abandon
24、ed in a side street. The thieves had escaped on foot and disappeared among the crowd. (200 words)Key to Letter writingA possible answer (body of letter only)You wont believe what happened to me on Tuesday morning!I was walking down a busy street near Piccadilly when I saw a man smash the window of a
25、n antique shop and run off with an expensive vase. Other passers-by saw him, too, and we all chased the man down the street, shouting Stop! Thief! Stop! Thief! We managed to catch the man, but unfortunately the vase got broken.Ill tell you the full story when we meet next week. (80 words)Lesson 7 Mu
26、tilated ladies 残钞鉴别组Jane opened the oven door and saw that her meal was ready to serve. She took the 4food out of the oven and in doing so, noticed something strange inside the oven which she couldnt recognize. So she went to find John and told him about it. In dismay, John quickly explained that he
27、 had put his wallet containing the days takings into the oven for safekeeping. They both rushed to the oven and saw that the money had been destroyed At first, they didnt know what to do. John wanted to throw the money away, but Jane wouldnt let him. Its best not to disturb the wallet, Jane said. Yo
28、u can see all the money is there, even if it has been destroyed Jane told John to go and see his bank manager for advice, so the next day John took the wallet and the ashes to the bank (150 words)Key to Letter writingA possible answer (body of letter only)Thank you again for your wonderful hospitali
29、ty!It was a real pleasure to see you again after such a long time. Ill never forget your kindness during my stay. I particularly enjoyed our visit to the local market and our long walks in the countryside. I also enjoyed your company and the excellent food and wine. Youre a perfect host!I hope you w
30、ill be able to visit me before long and look forward to seeing you soon. Lesson 8 A famous monastery 著名的修道院One very cold morning, a monk took two St. Bernards dogs out for exercise. He immediately noticed that the dogs were very restless. Suspecting a traveller might be in difficulty, the monk retur
31、ned to the monastery to organize a search party.The two dogs led four monks through the snow. Two of the monks pulled a sledge behind them, in case they needed it. There had been very high winds the previous night, but now everything was still and visibility was bad because there was a heavy fog. Mo
32、reover, the temperature had fallen to -20.The dogs led the monks towards the Pass and as the monks got near, they heard cries in the distance. The dogs soon found a man who was trapped under the snow and immediately dragged him out. The man was alive, but frozen stiff. The monks strapped him to the
33、sledge and took him back to the monastery.The man was unconscious, but he soon recovered in the warm atmosphere of the monastery where he was given plenty of hot drinks and food. When the traveller was able to speak, the monks listened with interest as he told them what had happened the previous nig
34、ht. (200 words)Key to Letter writingA possible answer(body of letter only)I hear youll be taking a holiday in the Alps, which Im sure youll enjoy!I went there last year and stayed in the Berg Hotel high in the mountains not far from Zermatt. The hotel has fine views across the valley and I warmly re
35、commend it. Youll love the healthy mountain air and enjoy every comfort at moderate prices. Im going there again this year.I look forward to hearing all about your holiday when you get back. (79 words)5Lesson 9 Flying cats 飞猫 Human beings like to keep dogs and cats. Dogs are submissive and faithful
36、to their masters, but cats like to be independent. Cats are especially lovable when they are still kittens. As kittens they like to play by chasing anything that moves. Thats how they learn to hunt mice, birds, insects and other small creatures. A lot of people keep cats so they can have a pet . As
37、kittens grow into cats, they like to stay indoors. They like regular meals and enjoy sleeping in front of a nice fire. However, they also like going out. During the day time and at night they like to go hunting. Sometimes during the night they have fights with other cats. Cats are very clean animals
38、. You often see them washing themselves. Human beings are fascinated by their behaviour because cats are domestic animals, while at the same time they enjoy their independence. (150 words)Key to Letter writingA possible answer(body of letter only)Im afraid I have to report a little accident: my baby
39、 tore some of the pages from the book you kindly lent me.I am very sorry that this happened. I had left the book on a low table, but the baby got hold of it and tore several pages. However, I was able to buy another copy and Im sending it to you by separate post. Please let me know when it arrives.M
40、y kindest regards to you all. (80 words)Lesson 10 The loss of the Titanic “泰坦尼克“号的沉没Abandon snipThe Titanic began to sink, slowly at first. The order to abandon ship was unexpected, so passengers and crew were completely unprepared. It was the middle of the night. Some people were asleep in their ca
41、bins.Others were on deck admiring the brilliant night sky and the giant icebergs rising above them. Others were eating and dancing in the wonderful ballrooms on the ship.The immediate effect was panic and confusion. People began rushing in all directions, wondering what to do next. The cold was inde
42、scribable and many passengers were still in their night clothes. Members of the crew came up from below and began to lower the lifeboats. It was a case of women and children first, but it soon became obvious that there werent enough lifeboats for everyone, so people jumped overboard into the freezin
43、g water in order to save their lives. Some of those swimming in the water struggled to get into the lifeboats, but most of them were already full.The Titanic sank rapidly, carrying many people down with it. There were cries of despair from people in the water as they watched the lifeboats moving awa
44、y and were left to drown in the icy ocean.(200 words)Lesson 11 Not guilty 无罪When the Customs Officer asked the traveller if he was carrying anything valuable, the man said that he had nothing to declare. The Officer asked the man to open his 6suitcase. Although the case contained only a suit and som
45、e dirty clothes, it was very heavy. This made the Customs Officer suspicious, so he removed all the clothes from the case. The case was soon empty and when the Officer lifted it, he found that it was still very heavy.The Officer examined the case carefully and saw that the bottom was very shallow. H
46、e pressed the base hard and removed the bottom part of the case which contained a quantity of emeralds and other precious stones. While the Officer was looking at an emerald, the man tried to escape. For a moment the man disappeared among the passing holiday travellers, but he was soon caught and pl
47、aced under arrest. Key to Letter writingA possible answer(body of letter only)Thank you for your letter asking me to lend you some money to start a new business.Im very sorry that I cant help you at the moment. I not only have a great many expenses of my own, but Im in debt myself. Why dont you ask
48、our friend Jim Clark? I know Jim is keen to invest in business and might be able to lend you some money.I wish you every success in your new business venture. (80 words)Lesson 12 Life on a desert island 荒岛生活ShipwreckedThe ship went down and everyone was drowned. I was the only one who managed to jum
49、p into the sea. I clung to a plank in the water for several hours till I was washed up on a desert island.I slept on the beach for a very long time-I cant remember how long. When I woke up, I was hungry and thirsty, so I decided to explore the island. It was uninhabited, but I found plenty of fruit which had fallen from the trees. I lived on coconuts and pineapples and there was plenty of fresh spring water. I tried to hunt wild animals with my bare hands(small pigs and other creatures), but I faile
