epdc精简打印背诵版本新概念英语第二册课文(给力上班自学族)

2021年1月20日发(作者：especially)
Lesson 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 the man and the woman angrily. They did not pay any attention. In the end, I
could not bear it. I turned round again.
your business,
Lesson 2 Breakfast or lunch?
早餐还是午餐

It was Sunday. I never get up early on Sundays. I sometimes stay in bed until
lunchtime. Last Sunday I got up very late. I looked out of the window. It was dark
outside. 'What a day!' I thought. 'It's raining again.' Just then, the telephone rang. It was
my aunt Lucy. 'I've just arrived by train,' she said. 'I'm coming to see you.'
'But I'm still having breakfast,' I said.
'What are you doing?' she asked.
'I'm having breakfast,' I repeated.
'Dear me,' she said. 'Do you always get up so late? It's one o'clock!'
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 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 early 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 has 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 trip very exciting.
Lesson 5 No wrong numbers
无错号之虞

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

carried the first message from Pinhurst to Silbury. The bird covered the distance in three
minutes. Up to now, 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 Buttons
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 pocket 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. 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 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 in our town. Nearly everybody enters for
'The Nicest Garden Competition' each year, but Joe wins every time. Bill Frith's garden
is larger than Joe's. Bill works harder than Joe and grows more flowers and vegetables,
but Joe's garden is more interesting. He has made neat paths and has built a wooden
bridge 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 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. 'It's two minutes past twelve! The clock has
stopped!' I looked at my watch. It was true. The big clock refused to welcome the New
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Year. At that moment, everybody began to laugh and sing.

Lesson 10 Not for jazz
不适于演奏爵士乐


Lesson 14 Do you speak English?
你会讲英语吗？

We have an old musical instrument. It is called a clavichord. It was made in
Germany in 1681. Our clavichord is kept in the living room. It has belonged to our
family for a long time. The instrument was bought by my grandfather many years ago.
Recently it was damaged by a visitor. She tried to play jazz on it! She struck the keys too
I had an amusing experience last year. 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 not know
any French at all. Neither of us spoke during the journey. I had nearly reached the town,
hard and two of the strings were broken. My father was shocked. Now we are not
allowed to touch it. It is being repaired by a friend of my father's.

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
lawyer's office years ago, but he is now working at a bank. He gets a good salary, but he
always borrows money from his friends and never pays it back. Tony saw me and came
and sat at the same table. He has never borrowed money from me. While he was eating,
I asked him to lend me twenty pounds. To my surprise, he gave me the money
immediately. 'I have never borrowed any money from you,' Tony said, 'so now you can
pay for my dinner!'

Lesson 12 Goodbye and good luck
再见，一路顺风

Our neighbour, Captain Charles Alison, will sail from Portsmouth tomorrow. We'll
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 Atlantic many times. Captain
Alison will set out at eight o'clock, so we'll have plenty of time. We'll see his boat and
then we'll 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 Greenwood Boys are a group of pop singers. At present, they are visiting all
parts of the country. They will be arriving here tomorrow. They will be coming by train
and most of the young people in the town will be meeting them at the station. Tomorrow
evening they will be singing at the Workers' Club. The Greenwood Boys will be staying
for five days. During this time, they will give five performances. As usual, the police
will have a difficult time. They will be trying to keep order. It is always the same on
these occasions.

when the young man suddenly said, very slowly,
learnt, he was English himself!'

Lesson 15 Good news
佳音

The secretary told me that Mr. Harmsworth would see me. I felt very 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.
'orth,' I said in a weak voice.
'Don't 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 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
will enjoy your stay here if you pay attention to our street signs. This note is only a
reminder.' If you receive 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 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 often does this!
他经常干这种事

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After 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 wasn't there! As I was looking for it, the landlord came in.
'Did you have a good meal?
'Yes, thank you,' I answered, 'but I can't pay the bill. I haven't got my bag.'
The landlord smiled and immediately went out. In a few minutes he returned with
my bag and gave it back to me.
'I'm 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 answered.
I hurried to the ticket office. 'May I have two tickets please?' I asked.
'I'm sorry, we've 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 I have those two tickets please?' I asked.
'Certainly,' the girl said, 'but they're for next Wednesday's 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 does 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. 'It's a waste of time.' But they don't realize
one important thing. I'm 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. 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. 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 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 decided 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
now 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 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 manager's office and sat down. I had just lost $$50 and I felt very
upset. 'I left the money in my room,' I said, 'and it's not there now.' The manager was
sympathetic, but he could do nothing. 'Everyone's losing money these days,' he said. He
started to complain about this wicked world but was interrupted by a knock at the door.
A girl came in and put an envelope on his desk. It contained $$50. 'I found this outside
this gentleman's room,' she said. 'Well,' I said to the manager, 'there is still 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, could 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 other and smiled. Then he said something and I understood it. 'You'll soon learn
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English!' he said. I wonder. In England, each person speaks a different language. The
English understand each other, but I don't understand them! Do they speak English?
Lesson 26 The best art critics
最佳艺术评论家

I am an art student 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 children 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.
'I'm hanging this picture on the wall,' I answered. 'It's a new one. Do you like it?'
She looked at it critically for a moment. 'It's all right,' she said, 'but isn't it upside
down?'
I looked at it again. She was right! It was!
Lesson 27 A wet night
雨夜

Late in the afternoon, the boys put up their tent in the middle of a field. As soon as
this was done, they cooked a meal over an open fire. They were all hungry and the food
smelled good. After a wonderful meal, they told stories and sang songs by the campfire.
But some time later it began to rain. The boys felt tired so they put out the fire and crept
into their tent. Their sleeping bags were warm and comfortable, so they all slept soundly.
In the middle of the night, two boys woke up and began shouting. The tent was full of
water! They all leapt out of their sleeping bags and hurried outside. It was raining
heavily and they found that a stream had formed in the field. The stream wound its way
across the field and then flowed right under their tent!
Lesson 28 No parking
禁止停车

Jasper White is one of those rare people who believe in ancient myths. He has just
bought a new house in the city, but ever since he moved in, he has had trouble with cars
and their owners. When he returns home at night, he always finds that someone has
parked a car outside his gate. Because of this, he has not been able to get his own car
into his garage even once. Jasper has put up 'No Parking' signs outside his gate, but these
have not had any effect. Now he has put an ugly stone head over the gate. It is one of the
ugliest faces I have ever seen. I asked him what it was and he told me that it was Medusa,
the Gorgon. Jasper hopes that she will turn cars and their owners to stone. But none of

them has been turned to stone yet!
Lesson 29 Taxi!
出租汽车！

Captain Ben Fawcett has bought an unusual taxi and has begun a new service. The
'taxi' is a small Swiss aeroplane called a 'Pilatus Porter'. This wonderful plane can carry
seven passengers. The most surprising thing about it, however, is that it can land
anywhere: on snow, water, or even on a ploughed field. Captain Fawcett's first passenger
was a doctor who flew from Birmingham to a lonely village in the Welsh mountains.
Since then,Captain Fawcett has flown passengers to many unusual places. Once he
landed on the roof of a block of flats and on another occasion, he landed in a deserted
car park. Captain Fawcett has just refused a strange request from a businessman. The
man wanted to fly to Rockall, a lonely island in the Atlantic Ocean, but Captain Fawcett
did not take him because the trip was too dangerous.
Lesson30 Football or polo
？足球还是水球？

The Wayle is a small river that cuts across the park near my home. I like sitting by
the Wayle on fine afternoons. It was warm last Sunday, so I went and sat on the river
bank as usual. Some children were playing games on the bank and there were some
people rowing on the river. Suddenly, one of the children kicked a ball very hard and it
went towards a passing boat. Some people on the bank called out to the man in the boat,
but he did not hear them. The ball struck him so hard that he nearly fell into the water. I
turned to look at the children, but there weren't any in sight: they had all run away! The
man laughed when he realized what had happened. He called out to the children and
threw the ball back to the bank.
Lesson31 Success story
成功者的故事

Yesterday afternoon Frank Hawkins was telling me about his experiences as a
young man. Before he retired, Frank was the head of a very large business company, but
as a boy he used to work in a small shop. It was his job to repair bicycles and at that time
he used to work fourteen hours a day. He saved money for years and in 1958 he bought a
small workshop of his own. In his twenties Frank used to make spare parts for
aeroplanes. At that time he had two helpers. In a few years the small workshop had
become a large factory which employed seven hundred and twenty-eight people. Frank
smiled when he remembered his hard early years and the long road to success. He was
still smiling when the door opened and his wife came in. She wanted him to repair their
grandson's bicycle!
Lesson32 Shopping made easy
购物变得很方便

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People are not so honest as they once were. The temptation to steal is greater than
ever before--especially in large shops. A detective recently watched a well-dressed
woman who always went into a large store on Monday mornings. One Monday, there
were fewer people in the shop than usual when the woman came in, so it was easier for
the detective to watch her. The woman first bought a few small articles. After a little
time, she chose one of the most expensive dresses in the shop and handed it to an
assistant who wrapped it up for her as quickly as possible. Then the woman simply took
the parcel and walked out of the shop without paying. When she was arrested, the
detective found out that the shop assistant was her daughter. The girl 'gave' her mother a
free dress once a week !
Lesson33 Out of the darkness
冲出黑暗

Nearly a week passed before the girl was able to explain what had happened to her.
One afternoon she set out from the coast in a small boat and was caught in a storm.
Towards evening, the boat struck a rock and the girl jumped into the sea. Then she swam
to the shore after spending the whole night in the water. During that time she covered a
distance of eight miles. Early next morning, she saw a light ahead. She knew she was
near the shore because the light was high up on the cliffs. On arriving at the shore, the
girl struggled up the cliff towards the light she had seen. That was all she remembered.
When she woke up a day later, she found herself in hospital.
Lesson34 Quick work
破案“神速”

Ted Robinson has been worried all the week. Last Tuesday he received a letter
from the local police. In the letter he was asked to call at the station. Ted wondered why
he was wanted by the police, but he went to the station yesterday and now he is not
worried any more. At the station, he was told by a smiling policeman that his bicycle
had been found. Five days ago, the policeman told him, the bicycle was picked up in a
small village four hundred miles away. It is now being sent to his home by train. Ted
was most surprised when he heard the news. He was amused too, because he never
expected the bicycle to be found. It was stolen twenty years ago when Ted was a boy of
fifteen !
Lesson35 Stop thief!
捉贼

Rov Trenton used to drive a taxi. A short while ago, however, he became a bus
driver and he was not regretted it. He is finding his new work far more exciting. When
he was driving along Catford Street recently, he saw two thieves rush out of a shop and
run towards a waiting car. One of them was carrying a bag full of money. Roy acted

quickly and drove the bus straight at the thieves. The one with the money got such a
fright that he dropped the the thieves were trying to get away in their car , Roy
drove his bus into the back of it. While the battered car was moving away, Roy stopped
his bus and telephoned the police. The thieves' car was badly damaged and easy to
recognize. Shortly afterwards, the police stopped the car and both men were arrested.
Lesson36 Across the Channel
横渡海峡。

Debbie Hart is going to swim across the English Channel tomorrow. She is going to
set out from the French coast at five o'clock in the morning. Debbie is only eleven years
old and she hopes to set up a new world record. She is a strong swimmer and many
people feel that she is sure to succeed. Debbie's father will set out with her in a small
boat. Mr. Hart has trained his daughter for years. Tomorrow he will be watching her
anxiously as she swims the long distance to England. Debbie intends to take short rests
every two hours. She will have something to drink but she will not eat any solid food.
Most of Debbie's school friends will be waiting for her on the English coast. Among
them will be Debbie's mother, who swam the Channel herself when she was a girl.
Lesson37 The Olympic Games
奥林匹克运动会

The Olympic Games will be held in our country in four years' time. As a great
many people will be visiting the country, the government will be building new hotels, an
immense stadium, and a new Olympic- standard swimming pool. They will also be
building new roads and a special railway line. The Games will be held just outside the
capital and the whole area will be called 'Olympic City'. Workers will have completed
the new roads by the end of this year. By the end of next year, they will have finished
work on the new stadium. The fantastic modern buildings have been designed by Kurt
Gunter. Everybody will be watching anxiously as the new buildings go up. We are all
very excited and are looking forward to the Olympic Games because they have never
been held before in this country.
Lesson38 Everything except the weather
唯独没有考虑到天气

My old friend, Harrison, had lived in the Mediterranean for many years before he
returned to England. He had often dreamed of retiring in England and had planned to
settle down in the country. He had no sooner returned than he bought a house and went
to live there. Almost immediately he began to complain about the weather, for even
though it was still summer, it rained continually and it was often bitterly cold. After so
many years of sunshine, Harrison got a shock. He acted as if he had never lived in
England before. In the end, it was more than he could bear. He had hardly had time to
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settle down when he sold the house and left the country. The dream he had had for so
many years ended there. Harrison had thought of everything except the weather.
Lesson39 Am I all right?
我是否痊愈
?
While John Gilbert was in hospital, he asked his doctor to tell him whether his
operation had been successful, but the doctor refused to do so. The following day, the
patient asked for a bedside telephone. When he was alone, he telephoned the hospital
exchange and asked for Doctor Millington. When the doctor answered the phone,
t said he was inquiring about a certain patient, a Mr. John Gilbert. He asked if
Mr. Gilbert's operation had been successful and the doctor told him that it had been. He
then asked when Mr. Gilbert would be allowed to go home and the doctor told him that
he would have to stay in hospital for another two weeks. Then Dr. Millington asked the
caller if he was a relative of the patient. 'No,' the patient answered, 'I am Mr. John
Gilbert.'
Lesson40 Food and talk
进餐与交谈

Last week at a dinner party, the hostess asked me to sit next to Mrs. Rumbold. Mrs.
Rumbold was a large, unsmiling lady in a tight black dress. She did not even look up
when I took my seat beside her. Her eyes were fixed on her plate and in a short time, she
was busy eating. I tried to make conversation.
'A new play is coming to
'No,' she answered.
'Will you be spending your holidays abroad this year?' I asked.
'No,' she answered.
'Will you be staying in England?' I asked.
'No,' she answered.
In despair, I asked her whether she was enjoying her dinner.
'Young man
，
'she answered
，
'if you ate more and talked less
，
we would both enjoy
our dinner!
’

Lesson41 Do you call that a hat?
你把那个叫帽子吗？

'Do you call that a hat?' I said to my wife.
'You needn't be so rude about it,' my wife answered as she looked at herself in the
mirror.
I sat down on one of those modern chairs with holes in it and waited. We had been
in the hat shop for half an hour and my wife was still in front of the mirror.
'We mustn't buy things we don't need,' I remarked suddenly. I regretted saying it

almost at once.
'You needn't have said that,' my wife answered. 'I needn't remind you of that
terrible tie you bought yesterday.'
'I find it beautiful,' I said. 'A man can never have too many ties.'
'And a woman can't have too many hats,' she answered.
Ten minutes later we walked out of the shop together. My wife was wearing a hat
that looked like a lighthouse!
Lesson42 Not very musical
并非很懂音乐

As we had had a long walk through one of the markets of old Delhi, we stopped at a
square to have a rest. After a time, we noticed a snake charmer with two large baskets at
the other side of the square, so we went to have a look at him. As soon as he saw us, he
picked up a long pipe which was covered with coins and opened one of the baskets.
When he began to play a tune, we had our first glimpse of the snake. It rose out of the
basket and began to follow the movements of the pipe. We were very much surprised
when the snake charmer suddenly began to play jazz and modern pop songs. The snake,
however, continued to 'dance' slowly. It obviously could not tell the difference between
Indian music and jazz!
Lesson43 Over the South Pole
飞越南极

In 1929, three years after his flight over the North Pole, the American explorer, R.E.
Byrd, successfully flew over the South Pole for the first time. Though, at first, Byrd and
his men were able to take a great many photographs of the mountains that lay below,
they soon ran into serious trouble. At one point, it seemed certain that their plane would
crash. It could only get over the mountains if it rose to 10,000 feet. Byrd at once ordered
his men to throw out two heavy food sacks. The plane was then able to rise and it
cleared the mountains by 400 feet. Byrd now knew that he would be able to reach the
South Pole which was 300 miles away, for there were no more mountains in sight. The
aircraft was able to fly over the endless white plains without difficulty.
Lesson44Through the forest
穿过森林

Mrs. Anne Sterling did not think of the risk she was taking when she ran through a
forest after two men. They had rushed up to her while she was having a picnic at the
edge of a forest with her children and tried to steal her handbag. In the struggle, the strap
broke and, with the bag in their possession, both men started running through the trees.
Mrs. Sterling got so angry that she ran after them. She was soon out of breath, but she
continued to run. When she caught up with them, she saw that they had sat down and
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were going through the contents of the bag, so she ran straight at them. The men got
such a fright that they dropped the bag and ran away. 'The strap needs mending,' said
Mrs. Sterling later, 'but they did not steal anything.'
Lesson45 A clear conscience
问心无愧

The whole village soon learnt that a large sum of money had been lost. Sam Benton,
the local butcher, had lost his wallet while taking his savings to the post office. Sam was
sure that the wallet must have been found by one of the villagers, but it was not returned
to him. Three months passed, and then one morning, Sam found his wallet outside his
front door. It had been wrapped up in newspaper and it contained half the money he had
lost, together with a note which said: 'A thief, yes, but only 50 per cent a thief!' Two
months later, some more money was sent to Sam with another note: 'Only 25 per cent a
thief now!' In time, all Sam's money was paid back in this way. The last note said: 'I am
100 per cent honest now!'
Lesson46 Expensive and uncomfortable
既昂贵又受罪

When a plane from London arrived at Sydney airport, workers began to unload a
number of wooden boxes which contained clothing. No one could account for the fact
that one of the boxes was extremely heavy. It suddenly occurred to one of the workers to
open up the box. He was astonished at what he found. A man was lying in the box on top
of a pile of wooden goods. He was so surprised at being discovered that he did not even
try to run away. After he was arrested, the man admitted hiding in the box before the
plane left London. He had had a long and uncomfortable trip, for he had been confined
to the wooden box for over eighteen hours. The man was ordered to pay $$3,500 for the
cost of the trip. The normal price of a ticket is $$2,000!
Lesson47 A thirsty ghost
嗜酒的鬼魂

A public house which was recently bought by Mr. Ian Thompson is up for sale.
on is going to sell it because it is haunted. He told me that he could not go to
sleep one night because he heard a strange noise coming from the bar. The next morning,
he found that the doors had been blocked by chairs and the furniture had been moved.
Though on had turned the lights off before he went to bed, they were on in
the morning. He also said that he had found five empty whisky bottles which the ghost
must have drunk the night before. When I suggested that some villagers must have come
in for a free drink, on shook his head. The villagers have told him that they
will not accept the pub even if he gives it away.
Lesson48 Did you want to tell me something?
你想对我说什么吗？


Dentists always ask questions when it is impossible for you to answer. My dentist
had just pulled out one of my teeth and had told me to rest for a while. I tried to say
something, but my mouth was full of cotton wool. He knew I collected match boxes and
asked me whether my collection was growing. He then asked me how my brother was
and whether I liked my new job in London. In answer to these questions I either nodded
or made strange noises. Meanwhile, my tongue was busy searching out the hole where
the tooth had been. I suddenly felt very worried, but could not say anything. When the
dentist at last removed the cotton wool from my mouth, I was able to tell him that he had
pulled out the wrong tooth.
Lesson49 The end of a dream
美梦告终

Tired of sleeping on the floor, a young man in Teheran saved up for years to buy a
real bed. For the first time in his life, he became the proud owner of a bed which had
springs and a mattress. Because the weather was very hot, he carried the bed on to the
roof of his house. He slept very well for the first two nights, but on the third night, a
storm blew up. A gust of wind swept the bed off the roof and sent it crashing into the
courtyard below. The young man did not wake up until the bed had struck the ground.
Although the bed was smashed to pieces, the man was miraculously unhurt. When he
woke up, he was still on the mattress. Glancing at the bits of wood and metal that lay
around him, the man sadly picked up the mattress and carried it into his house. After he
had put it on the floor, he promptly went to sleep again.
Lesson50 Taken for a ride
乘车兜风

I love travelling in the country, but I don't like losing my way.
I went on an excursion recently, but my trip took me longer than I expected.
'I'm going to Woodford Green,' I said to the conductor as I got on the bus, 'but I
don't know where it is.'
'I'll tell you where to get off.' answered the conductor.
I sat in the front of the bus to get a good view of the countryside. After some time,
the bus stopped. Looking round, I realized with a shock that I was the only passenger
left on the bus.
'You'll have to get off here,' the conductor said. 'This is as far as we go.'
'Is this Woodford Green?' I asked.
'Oh dear,' said the conductor suddenly. 'I forgot to put you off.'
'It doesn't matter,' I said. 'I'll get off here.'
'We're going back now,' said the conductor.
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'Well, in that case, I prefer to stay on the bus,' I answered.
Lesson51 Reward for Virtue
对美德的奖赏

My friend, Hugh, has always been fat, but things got so bad recently that he
decided to go on a diet. He began his diet a week ago. First of all, he wrote out a long
list of all the foods which were forbidden. The list included most of the things Hugh
loves: butter, potatoes, rice, beer, milk, chocolate; and sweets. Yesterday I paid him a
visit. I rang the bell and was not surprised to see that Hugh was still as fat as ever. He
led me into his room and hurriedly hid a large parcel under his desk. It was obvious that
he was very embarrassed. When I asked him what he was doing, he smiled guiltily and
then put the parcel on the desk. He explained that his diet was so strict that he had to
reward himself occasionally. Then he showed me the contents of the parcel. It contained
five large bars of chocolate and three bags of sweets!
Lesson52 A pretty carpet
漂亮的地

We have just moved into a new house and I have been working hard all morning. I
have been trying to get my new room in order. This has not been easy because I own
over a thousand books. To make matters worse, the room is rather small, so I have
temporarily put my books on the floor. At the moment, they cover every inch of floor
space and I actually have to walk on them to get in or out of the room. A short while ago,
my sister helped me to carry one of my old bookcases up the stairs. She went into my
room and got a big surprise when she saw all those books on the floor. 'This is the
prettiest carpet I have ever seen,' she said. She gazed at it for some time then added,
'You don't need bookcases at all. You can sit here in your spare time and read the
carpet!'
Lesson53 Hot snake
触电的蛇

At last firemen have put out a big forest fire in California. Since then, they have
been trying to find out how the fire began. Forest fires are often caused by broken glass
or by cigarette ends which people carelessly throw away. Yesterday the firemen
examined the ground carefully, but were not able to find any broken glass. They were
also quite sure that a cigarette end did not start the fire. This morning, however, a
fireman accidentally discovered the cause. He noticed the remains of a snake which was
wound round the electric wires of a 16,000-volt power line. In this way, he was able to
solve the mystery. The explanation was simple but very unusual. A bird had snatched up
the snake from the ground and then dropped it on to the wires. The snake then wound
itself round the wires. When it did so, it sent sparks down to the ground and these

immediately started a fire.
Lesson54 sticky fingers
粘糊的手指

After breakfast, I sent the children to school and then I went to the shops. It was
still early when I returned home. The children were at school, my husband was at work
and the house was quiet. So I decided to make some meat pies. In a short time I was
busy mixing butter and flour and my hands were soon covered with sticky pastry. At
exactly that moment, the telephone rang. Nothing could have been more annoying. I
picked up the receiver between two sticky fingers and was dismayed when I recognized
the voice of Helen Bates. It took me ten minutes to persuade her to ring back later. At
last I hung up the receiver. What a mess! There was pastry on my fingers, on the
telephone, and on the doorknobs. I had no sooner got back to the kitchen than the
doorbell rang loud enough to wake the dead. This time it was the postman and he wanted
me to sign for a registered letter!
Lesson55 Not a gold mine
并非金矿

Dreams of finding lost treasure almost came true recently. A new machine called
'The Revealer' has been invented and it has been used to detect gold which has been
buried in the ground. The machine was used in a cave near the seashore where -- it is
said -- pirates used to hide gold. The pirates would often bury gold in the cave and then
fail to collect it. Armed with the new machine, a search party went into the cave hoping
to find buried treasure. The leader of the party was examining the soil near the entrance
to the cave when the machine showed that there was gold under the ground. Very
excited, the party dug a hole two feel deep. They finally found a small gold coin which
was almost worthless. The party then searched the whole cave thoroughly but did not
find anything except an empty tin trunk. In spite of this, many people are confident that
'The Revealer' may reveal something of value fairly soon.

Lesson56 Faster than sound!
比声音还快！

Once a year, a race is held for old cars. A lot of cars entered for this race last year
and there was a great deal of excitement just before it began. One of the most handsome
cars was a Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost. The most unusual car was a Benz which had only
three wheels. Built in 1885, it was the oldest car taking part. After a great many loud
explosions, the race began. Many of the cars broke down on the course and some drivers
spent more time under their cars than in them! A few cars, however, completed the race.
The winning car reached a speed of forty miles an hour -- much faster than any of its
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