1、1Lesson 1 A private conversation 私人谈话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
2、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 cant hear a word!“ I said angrily.“ Its none of your business,“ the young man said rudely. “This is a private conversation!“Lesson 2 Breakfast or lunch? 早餐还是午餐It was Sunday. I nev
3、er 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. Its raining again. Just then, the telephone rang. It was my aunt Lucy. Ive just arrived by train, she said. Im coming to see yo
4、u.But Im still having breakfast, I said.What are you doing? she asked.Im having breakfast, I repeated.Dear me, she said. Do you always get up so late? Its one oclock!Lesson 3 Please send me a card 请给我寄一张明信片Postcards always spoil my holidays. Last summer, I went to Italy. I visited museums and sat in
5、 public gardens. A friendly waiter taught me a few words of Italian. Then he lent me a book. I read a few lines, but I did not understand a word. Everyday I thought about postcards. My holidays passed quickly, but I did not send cards to my friends. On the last day I made a big decision. I got up ea
6、rly and bought thirty-seven cards. I spent the whole day in my room, but I did not write a single card!Lesson 4 An exciting trip 激动人心的旅行I have just received a letter from my brother, Tim. He is in Australia. He has been there for six months. Tim is an engineer. He is working for a big firm and he ha
7、s already visited a great number of different places in Australia. He has just bought an Australian car and has gone to Alice springs, a small town in the centre of Australia. He will soon visit Darwin. From there, he will fly to Perth. My brother has never been abroad before, so he is finding this
8、trip very exciting.Lesson 5 No wrong numbers 无错号之虞Mr.James Scott has a garage in Silbury and now he has just bought another garage in Pinhurst. Pinhurst is only five miles from Silbury, but Mr. Scott cannot get a telephone for his new garage, so he has just bought twelve pigeons. Yesterday, a pigeon
9、 carried the first message from Pinhurst to Silbury. The bird covered the distance in three minutes. Up to now, Mr.Scott has sent a great many requests for spare parts and other urgent messages from one garage to the other. In this way, he has begun his own private telephone service.Lesson 6 Percy B
10、uttons 珀西巴顿斯I have just moved to a house in Bridge Street. Yesterday a beggar knocked at my door. He asked me for a meal and a glass of beer. In return for this, the beggar stood on his head and sang songs. I gave him a meal. He ate the food and drank the beer. Then he put a piece of cheese in his p
11、ocket and went away. Later a neighbour told me about him. Everybody knows him. His name is Percy Buttons. He calls at every house in the street once a month and always asks for a meal and a glass of beer.Lesson 7 Too late 为时太晚The plane was late and detectives were waiting at the airport all morning.
12、 They were expecting a valuable parcel of diamonds from South Africa. A few hours earlier, someone had told the police that thieves would try to steal the diamonds. When the plane arrived, some of the detectives were waiting inside the main building while others were waiting on the airfield. Two men
13、 took the parcel off the plane and carried it into the Customs House. While two detectives were keeping guard at the door, two others opened the parcel. To their surprise, the precious parcel was full of stones and sand!Lesson 8 The best and the worst 最好的和最差的Joe Sanders has the most beautiful garden
14、 in our town. Nearly everybody enters for The Nicest Garden Competition each year, but Joe wins every time. Bill Friths garden is larger than Joes. Bill works harder than Joe and grows more flowers and vegetables, but Joes garden is more interesting. He has made neat paths and has built a wooden bri
15、dge over a pool. I like gardens too, but I do not like hard work. Every year I enter for the garden competition too, and I always win a little prize for the worst garden in the town!Lesson 9 A cold welcome 冷遇On Wednesday evening, we went to the Town Hall. It was the last day of the year and a large
16、crowd of people had gathered under the Town Hall clock. It would strike twelve in twenty minutes time. Fifteen minutes passed and then, at five to twelve, the clock stopped. The big minute hand did not move. We waited and waited, but nothing happened. Suddenly someone shouted. Its two minutes past t
17、welve! The clock has stopped! I looked at my watch. It was true. The big clock refused to welcome the New 2Year. At that moment, everybody began to laugh and sing.Lesson 10 Not for jazz不适于演奏爵士乐We have an old musical instrument. It is called a clavichord. It was made in Germany in 1681. Our clavichor
18、d 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
19、are not allowed to touch it. It is being repaired by a friend of my fathers.Lesson 11 One good turn deserves another 礼尚往来I was having dinner at a restaurant when Tony Steele came in. Tony worked in a lawyers office years ago, but he is now working at a bank. He gets a good salary, but he always borr
20、ows 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
21、 now you can pay for my dinner!Lesson 12 Goodbye and good luck 再见，一路顺风Our neighbour, Captain Charles Alison, will sail from Portsmouth tomorrow. Well meet him at the harbour early in the morning. He will be in his small boat, Topsail. Topsail is a famous little boat. It has sailed across the Atlanti
22、c many times. Captain Alison will set out at eight oclock, so well have plenty of time. Well see his boat and then well say goodbye to him. He will be away for two months. We are very proud of him. He will take part in an important race across the Atlantic.Lesson 13 The Greenwood Boys 绿林少年The Greenw
23、ood 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
24、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.Lesson 14 Do you speak English? 你会讲英语吗？I had an amusing experience last year.
25、 After I had left a small village in the south of France, I drove on to the next town. On the way, a young man waved to me. I stopped and he asked me for a lift. As soon as he had got into the car, I said good morning to him in French and he replied in the same language. Apart from a few words, I do
26、 not know any French at all. Neither of us spoke during the journey. I had nearly reached the town, when the young man suddenly said, very slowly, “Do you speak English? As I soon learnt, he was English himself!Lesson 15 Good news 佳音The secretary told me that Mr. Harmsworth would see me. I felt very
27、 nervous when I went into his office. He did not look up from his desk when I entered. After I had sat down, he said that business was very bad. He told me that the firm could not afford to pay such large salaries. Twenty people had already left. I knew that my turn had come.Mr.Harmsworth, I said in
28、 a weak voice.Dont interrupt, he said.Then he smiled and told me I would receive an extra thousand pounds a year!Lesson 16 A polite request 彬彬有礼的要求If you park your car in the wrong place, a traffic policeman will soon find it. You will be very lucky if he lets you go without a ticket. However, this
29、does not always happen. Traffic police are sometimes very polite. During a holiday in Sweden, I found this note on my car: sir, we welcome you to our city. This is a “No Parking“ area. You will enjoy your stay here if you pay attention to our street signs. This note is only a reminder. If you receiv
30、e a request like this, you cannot fail to obey it!Lesson 17 Always young 青春常驻My aunt Jennifer is an actress. She must be at least thirty-five years old. In spite of this, she often appears on the stage as a young girl. Jennifer will have to take part in a new play soon. This time, she will be a girl
31、 of seventeen. In the play, she must appear in a bright red dress and long black stockings. Last year in another play, she had to wear short socks and a bright, orange-coloured dress. If anyone ever asks her how old she is, she always answers, Darling, it must be terrible to be grown up!Lesson 18 He
32、 often does this! 他经常干这种事3After I had had lunch at a village pub, I looked for my bag. I had left it on a chair beside the door and now it wasnt there! As I was looking for it, the landlord came in.Did you have a good meal?“ he asked.Yes, thank you, I answered, but I cant pay the bill. I havent got
33、my bag.The landlord smiled and immediately went out. In a few minutes he returned with my bag and gave it back to me.Im very sorry, he said. My dog had taken in into the garden. He often does this!Lesson 19 Sold out 票已售完The play may begin at any moment, I said.It may have begun already, Susan answer
34、ed.I hurried to the ticket office. May I have two tickets please? I asked.Im sorry, weve sold out, the girl said.What a pity! Susan exclaimed.Just then, a man hurried to the ticket office.Can I return these two tickets? he asked.Certainly, the girl said.I went back to the ticket office at once.Could
35、 I have those two tickets please? I asked.Certainly, the girl said, but theyre for next Wednesdays performance. Do you still want them?I might as well have them, I said sadly.Lesson 20 One man in a boat 独坐孤舟Fishing is my favourite sport. I often fish for hours without catching anything. But this doe
36、s not worry me. Some fishermen are unlucky. Instead of catching fish, they catch old boots and rubbish. I am even less lucky. I never catch anything - not even old boots. After having spent whole mornings on the river, I always go home with an empty bag. You must give up fishing! my friends say. Its
37、 a waste of time. But they dont realize one important thing. Im not really interested in fishing. I am only interested in sitting in a boat and doing nothing at all!Lesson 21 Mad or not? 是不是疯了？Aeroplanes are slowly driving me mad. I live near an airport and passing planes can be heard night and day.
38、 The airport was built years ago, but for some reason it could not be used then. Last year, however, it came into use. Over a hundred people must have been driven away from their homes by the noise. I am one of the few people left. Sometimes I think this house will be knocked down by a passing plane
39、. I have been offered a large sum of money to go away, but I am determined to stay here. Everybody says I must be mad and they are probably right.Lesson 22 A glass envelope 玻璃信封My daughter, Jane, never dreamed of receiving a letter from a girl of her own age in Holland. Last year, we were travelling
40、 across the Channel and Jane put a piece of paper with her name and address on it into a bottle. She threw the bottle into the sea. She never thought of it again, but ten months later, she received a letter from a girl in Holland. Both girls write to each other regularly now. However, they have deci
41、ded to use the post office. Letters will cost a little more, but they will certainly travel faster.Lesson 23 A new house 新居I had a letter from my sister yesterday. She lives in Nigeria. In her letter, she said that she would come to England next year. If she comes, she will get a surprise. We are no
42、w living in a beautiful new house in the country. Work on it had begun before my sister left. The house was completed five months ago. In my letter, I told her that she could stay with us. The house has many large rooms and there is a lovely garden. It is a very modern house, so it looks strange to
43、some people. It must be the only modern house in the district.Lesson 24 It could be worse 不幸中之万幸I entered the hotel managers office and sat down. I had just lost $50 and I felt very upset. I left the money in my room, I said, and its not there now. The manager was sympathetic, but he could do nothin
44、g. Everyones losing money these days, he said. He started to complain about this wicked world but was interrupted by a knock at the door. A girl came in and put an envelope on his desk. It contained $50. I found this outside this gentlemans room, she said. Well, I said to the manager, there is still
45、 some honesty in this world!Lesson 25 Do the English speak English? 英国人讲的是英语吗？I arrived in London at last. The railway station was big, black and dark. I did not know the way to my hotel, so I asked a porter. I not only spoke English very carefully, but very clearly as well. The porter, however, cou
46、ld not understand me. I repeated my question several times and at last he understood. He answered me, but he spoke neither slowly nor clearly. I am a foreigner, I said. Then he spoke slowly, but I could not understand him. My teacher never spoke English like that! The porter and I looked at each oth
47、er and smiled. Then he said something and I understood it. Youll soon learn 4English! he said. I wonder. In England, each person speaks a different language. The English understand each other, but I dont understand them! Do they speak English?Lesson 26 The best art critics 最佳艺术评论家I am an art student
48、 and I paint a lot of pictures. Many people pretend that they understand modern art. They always tell you what a picture is about. Of course, many pictures are not about anything. They are just pretty patterns. We like them in the same way that we like pretty curtain material. I think that young chi
49、ldren often appreciate modern pictures better than anyone else. They notice more. My sister is only seven, but she always tells me whether my pictures are good or not. She came into my room yesterday.What are you doing? she asked.Im hanging this picture on the wall, I answered. Its a new one. Do you like it?She looked at it critically for a moment. Its all right, she said, but isnt it upside down?I looked at it again. She was right! It was!Lesson
