新概念英语

第一册

学前导读

新概念第一册比较注重对话，只在后续有些重要的语法概念，所以简单分析即可，积累词汇才是重点

Lesson 1 Excuse me

Excuse me!
Yes?
Is this your handbag?
Pardon?
Is this your handbag?
Yes, it is.
Thank you very much.

• 掌握句式：Is this your ...?，以及回答

Lesson 3 Sorry sir

My coat and my umbrella please.  
Here is my ticket.  
Thank you, sir.  
Number five.  
Here's your umbrella and your coat.  
This is not my umbrella.  
Sorry, sir.
Is this your umbrella?  
No, it isn't.  
Is this it?  
Yes, it is.
Thank you very much.

• 掌握句式：Here is ...
• 掌握 not 否定回答
• 掌握 it 代词上文出现的物体

Lesson 5 Nice to meet you

Good morning.  
Good morning, Mr. Blake.  
This is Miss Sophie Dupont.  
Sophie is a new student. She is French.  
Sophie, this is Hans. He is German.  
Nice to meet you.  
And this is Naoko. She's Japanese.  
Nice to meet you.  
And this is Chang-woo. He's Korean.  
Nice to meet you.  
And this is Luming. He is Chinese.  
Nice to meet you.  
And this is Xiaohui. She's Chinese, too.  
Nice to meet you.

• 掌握基本的问候
• 掌握一些常见的国家词汇
• 掌握句式 He/She is..，以及否定形式，以及缩写形式，比如：She isn't Chinese;
• 掌握 What 开头的特殊疑问句以及回答，比如：What make is it?/It is an English car.
• 区分 a/an，以元音开头的用 an，有一条大致的规律：以 a/e/i/o/u 开头的用 an

Lesson 7 Are you a teacher

I am a new student.  
My name's Robert.  
Nice to meet you. My name's Sophie.  
Are you French?  
Yes, I am.  
Are you French, too?  
No, I am not.  
What nationality are you?  
I'm Italian.  
Are you a teacher?  
No, I'm not.  
What's your job?  
I'm a keyboard operator.  
What's your job?  
I'm an engineer.

• 掌握一般疑问句式
• 掌握基本的自我介绍以及询问国籍和工作的句式
• 掌握一些职位词汇
• 掌握 be 动词的三种人称形式 am/is/are，以及缩写形式
• 掌握人称代词所有格形式

Lesson 9 How are you today

Hello, Helen.  
Hi, Steven.
How are you today?  
I'm very well, thank you. And you?
I'm fine, thanks.  
How is Tony?  
He's fine, thanks.  
How's Emma?
She's very well, too, Helen.  
Goodbye, Helen. Nice to see you.  
Nice to see you, too, Steven.
Goodbye.

• 掌握基本问候语句
• 掌握 How 开头的特殊疑问句以及回答
• 掌握 Look at ... 句式，比如：Look at that man. Who is he?

Lesson 11 Is this you shirt

Whose shirt is that?  
Is this your shirt, Dave?  
No. Sir. It's not my shirt.  
This is my shirt. My shirt's blue.
Is this shirt Tim's?  
Perhaps it is, sir. Tim's shirt's white.
Tim!  
Yes, sir?
Is this your shirt?  
Yes, sir.
Here you are. Catch!  
Thank you, sir.

• 掌握 Whose 开头的特殊疑问句
• 掌握 this/that 代词
• 掌握名词所有格形式表示所属
• 掌握副词 Perhaps/Maybe 记住必备词汇

提示

Whose is this shirt? 和 Whose shirt is this? 都可以，只不过是省略了 shirt 而已

Lesson 13 A new dress

What colour's your new dress?  
It's green.  
Come upstairs and see it.
Thank you.  
Look! Here it is!  
That's a nice dress.  
It's very smart.

My hat's new, too.  
What colour is it?
It's the same colour.  
It's green, too.  
That is a lovely hat!

• 掌握形容词的用法
• 掌握副词：too
• 掌握颜色词汇
• 掌握更多名词

Lesson 15 Your passport, please

Are you Swedish?  
No, we are not. We are Danish.

Are your friends Danish, too?  
No, they aren't.  
They are Norwegian.

Your passports, please.  
Here they are.

Are these your cases?  
No, they aren't.  
Our cases are brown.  
Here they are.

Are you tourists?  
Yes, we are.

Are your friends tourists too?  
Yes, they are.  

That's fine.  
Thank you very much.

• 掌握可数名词单数和复数形式，以及复数变化形式
• 开始理解 a/an 修饰可数名词单数形式
• 掌握 be 动词 are 用于复数
• 掌握 this/that 的 these/those 复数形式
• 掌握更多名词

可数名词变复数的发音规则

• 词尾是清辅音发/s/
• 词尾是浊辅音发/z/
• 以 s 结尾的发/iz/

Lesson 17 How do you do

Come and meet our employees, Mr. Richards.  
Thank you, Mr. Jackson.  

This is Nicola Grey, and this is Claire Taylor.  
How do you do?  
Those women are very hard-working.  
What are their jobs?  

They're keyboard operators.  
This is Michael Baker, and this is Jeremy Short.  
How do you do?  
They aren't very busy!  
What are their jobs?  

They're sales reps.  
They're very lazy.  

Who is this young man?  
This is Jim.  
He's our office assistant.

• 复数名词用 are
• 掌握工作相关的名词
• 以 f/fe 结尾的名词变复数，去掉再加 es
• 掌握一些不规则变化的复数形式

Lesson 19 Tired and thirsty

What's the matter, children?  
We're tired...
...and thirsty, Mum.  
Sit down here.  
Are you all right now?  

No, we aren't.  
Look!  
There's an ice cream man.  

Two ice cream please.  
Here you are, children.  
Thanks, Mum.  
These ice creams are nice.  

Are you all right now?  
Yes, we are, thank you!

• 掌握 There be 句型
• 掌握以 Are 开头的一般疑问句，回答时要用复数
• 掌握更多名词和形容词

就近原则

距离最近的名词决定 be 是 are 还是 is

Lesson 21 Which book

Give me a book please, Jane.  
Which book? This one?  
No, not that one.
The red one.  
This one?  
Yes, please.  
Here you are.  
Thank you.

• 掌握祈使句，以原型动词开头
• 掌握 one 作为代词替代上文对象
• 掌握人称代词的主语形式和宾语形式

提示

把酱汁递给我.
Pass me the sauce.

Lesson 23 Which glasses

Give me some glasses please, Jane.  
Which glasses?  
These glasses?  
No, not those.  
The ones on the shelf.  
These?  
Yes, please.  
Here you are.  
Thanks.

• 复数形式
• 掌握 ones 作为代词复数替代上文对象

Lesson 25 Mrs. Smith's kitchen

Mrs. Smith's kitchen is small.  
There is a refrigerator in the kitchen.  
The refrigerator is white.  
It is on the right.  
There is an electric cooker in the kitchen.  
The cooker is blue.  
It is on the left.  
There is a table in the middle of the room.  
There is a bottle on the table.  
The bottle is empty.  
There is a cup on the table, too.  
The cup is clean.

• 掌握介词表示空间位置
• where's it?

Lesson 27 Mrs. Smith's living room

Mrs. Smith's living room is large.  
There is a television in the room.  
The television is near the window.  
There are some magazines on the television.  
There is a table in the room.  
There are some newspapers on the table.  
There are some armchairs in the room.  
The armchairs are near the table.  
There is a stereo in the room.  
The stereo is near the door.  
There are some books on the stereo.  
There are some pictures in the room.  
The pictures are on the wall.

• 掌握介词表示空间位置

Lesson 29 Come in, Amy

Come in, Amy.
Shut the door, please.
This bedroom's very untidy.
What must I do, Mrs. Jones?
Open the window and air the room.
Then put these clothes in the wardrobe.
Then make the bed.
Dust the dressing table.
Then sweep the floor.

• 固定搭配：make the bed
• 情态动词 must 后必须跟动词原形
• open 是物理层面的打开，打开电视用 turn on，而不是 open，关闭电视用 turn off
• put on 表示穿上的意思，take of 表示拿开

Lesson 31 Where's Sally

Where's Sally, Jack?  
She's in the garden, Jean.  
What's she doing?  
She's sitting under the tree.  
Is Tim in the garden, too?  
Yes, he is.  
He's climbing the tree.  
I beg your pardon?  
Who's climbing the tree?  
Tim is.  
What about the dog?  
The dog's in the garden, too.  
It's running across the grass.  
It's running after a cat.

• 掌握现在进行时，动词转换为 -ing 形式（现在分词）
• 现在分词直接加 ing
• 以 -e 结尾，去 e 加 ing
• 辅音字母结尾，双写辅音字母再加 ing
• 学习更多介词和动词用法
• 掌握动词短语：running across

Lesson 33 A fine day

It is a fine day today.  
There are some clouds in the sky, but the sun is shining.  
Mr. Jones is with his family.  
They are walking over the bridge.  
There are some boats on the river.  
Mr. Jones and his wife are looking at them.  
Sally is looking at a big ship.  
The ship is going under the bridge.  
Tim is looking at an aeroplane.  
The aeroplane is flying over the river.

• 掌握更多介词和形容词的用法

Lesson 35 Our village

This is a photograph of our village.  
Our village is in a valley.  
It is between two hills.  
The village is on a river.

Here is another photograph of the village.  
My wife and I are walking along the banks of the river.  
We are on the left.  
There is a boy in the water.  
He is swimming across the river.

Here is another photograph.  
This is the school building.  
It is beside a park.  
The park is on the right.  
Some children are coming out of the building.  
Some of them are going into the park.

• 掌握 of 所有格的用法
• 掌握更多介词和名词的用法

Lesson 37 Making a bookcase

You're working hard, George.  
What are you doing?  
I'm making a bookcase.  
Give me that hammer please, Dan.  
Which hammer? This one?  
No, not that one. The big one.  
Here you are.  
Thanks, Dan.  
What are you going to do now, George?  
I'm going to paint it.  
What colour are you going to pain it?  
I'm going to paint it pink.  
Pink!  
This bookcase isn't for me.  
It's for my daughter, Susan.  
Pink's her favourite colour.

• 掌握副词如何修饰动词
• 掌握一般将来时的形式之一：be going to
• 掌握主谓宾补：I'm going to paint it.

Lesson 39 Don't drop it

What are you going to do with that vase, Penny?  
I'm going to put it on this table, Sam.  
Don't do that. Give it to me.  
What are you going to do with it?  
I'm going to put it here, in front of the window.  
Be careful! Don't drop it!  
Don't put it there, Sam.  
Put it here, on this shelf.  
There we are!  
It's a lovely vase.  
Those flowers are lovely, too.

• 掌握祈使句否定形式
• give/show/send/take sb sth 或 sth to sb。当是代词时只能这种形式：it/them to sb
• 动词 + 副词这种短语，比如 turn on the TV。但是如果是代词就只能把代词放在中间：turn it on

Lesson 41 Penny's bag

Is that bag heavy, Penny?
Not very.
Here!
Put it on this chair. What's in it?
A piece of cheese. A loaf of bread. A bar of soap. A bar of Chocolate.
A bottle of milk. A pound of sugar. Half a pound of coffee.
A quarter of pound of tea. And a tin of tobacco.
Is that tin of tobacco for me?
Well, it's certainly not for me!

• 掌握如何量化不可数名词
• some 用于肯定句以及期望肯定回答的疑问句，any 用于否定句或不能确定以及期望否定回答的疑问句

Lesson 43 Hurry up

Can you make the tea, Sam?
Yes, of course I can, Penny.
Is there any water in this kettle?
Yes, there is.
Where's the tea?
It's over there, behind the teapot.
Can you see it?
I can see the teapot, but I can't see the tea.
There it is!
It's in front of you!
Ah yes, I can see it now.
Where are the cups?
There are some in the cupboard.
Can you find them?
Yes. Here they are.
Hurry up, Sam!
The kettle's boiling!

• Are there any + 可数名词复数，回答 There are some + 可数名词复数
• Is there any + 不可数名词，回答 There is some + 不可数名词
• a loaf of bread 和 two loaves of bread

Lesson 45 The boss's letter

Can you come here a minute please, Bob?
Yes, sir?
Where's Pamela?
She's next door.
She's in her office, sir.
Can she type this letter for me? Ask her please.
Yes, sir.
Can you type this letter for the boss please, Pamela?
Yes, of course I can.
Here you are.
Thank you, Bob.
Bob!
Yes? What's the matter?
I can't type this letter.
I can't read it!
The boss's handwriting is terrible!

Lesson 47 A cup of coffee

Do you like coffee, Ann?
Yes, I do.
Do you want a cup?
Yes, please, Christine.
Do you want any sugar?
Yes, please.
Do you want any milk?
No, thank you.
I don't like milk in my coffee.
I like black coffee.
Do you like biscuits?
Yes, I do.
Do you want one?
Yes, please.

• 掌握助动词 do 进行提问，以及回答

Lesson 49 At the butcher's

Do you want any meat today, Mrs. Bird?  
Yes, please.  
Do you want beef or lamb?  
Beef, please.  
This lamb's very good.  
I like lamb, but my husband doesn't.  
What about some steak?  
his is a nice piece.  
Give me that piece, please.  
And a pound of mince, too.  
Do you want a chicken, Mrs. Bird?  
They're very nice.  
No, thank you.  
My husband likes steak, but he doesn't like chicken.  
To tell you the truth, Mrs. Bird, I don't like chicken either!

• 掌握选择疑问句的用法以及回答，可以有无限的选择，3 项选择以及 2 项选择
• 掌握一般现在时的单数第三人称形式
• too 用于肯定和疑问句，either 用于否定句

Lesson 51 A pleasant climate

Where do you come from?
I come from Greece.
What's the climate like in your country?
It's very pleasant.
What's the weather like in spring?
It's often windy in March.
It's always warm in April and May, but it rains sometimes.
What's it like in summer?
It's always hot in June, July and August.
The sun shines every day.
Is it cold or warm in autumn?
It's always warm in September and October.
It's often cold in November and it rains sometimes.
Is it very cold in winter?
It's often cold in December, January and February.
It snows sometimes.

• 掌握 what...like? 句式
• 掌握频度副词
• 掌握月份名词

Lesson 53 An interesting climate

Where do you come from?
I come from England.
What's the climate like in your country?
It's mild, but it's not always pleasant.
The weather's often cold in the North and windy in the East.
It's often wet in the West and sometimes warm in the South.
Which seasons do you like best?
I like spring and summer.
The days are long and the nights are short.
The sun rises early and sets late.
I don't like autumn and winter.
The days are short and the nights are long.
The sun rises late and sets early.
Our climate is not very good, but it's certainly interesting.
It's our favourite subject of conversation.

• 掌握方位名词
• 掌握国家名词

Lesson 55 The Sawyer family

The Sawyers live at 87 King Street.
In the morning, Mr. Sawyer goes to work and the children go to school.
Mrs. Sawyer stays at home every day. She does the housework.  
In the afternoon, she usually sees her friends. They often drink tea together.  
In the evening, the children come home from school. They arrive home early.  
Mr. Sawyer comes home from work. He arrives home late.  
At night, the children always do their homework. Then they go to bed.
Mr. Sawyer usually reads his newspaper, but sometimes he and his wife watch television.

• go to work/school/bed
• stay at home 是名词，stay home 是副词，意思一样

Lesson 57 An unusual day

It is eight o'clock.
The children go to school by car every day,
but today, they are going to school on foot.

It is ten o'clock.
Mrs. Sawyer usually stays at home in the morning,
but this morning, she is going to the shops.

It is four o'clock.
In the afternoon, Mrs. Sawyer usually drinks tea in the living room.
But this afternoon, she is drinking tea in the garden.

It is six o'clock.
In the evening, the children usually do their homework,
but this evening, they are not doing their homework.
At the moment, they are playing in the garden.

It is nine o'clock. 
Mr. Sawyer usually reads his newspaper at night.
But he's not reading his newspaper tonight.
At the moment, he's reading an interesting book.

Lesson 59 Is that all

I want some envelopes, please.  
Do you want the large size or the small size?  
The large size, please.  
Do you have any writing paper?  
Yes, we do.  

I don't have any small pads.  
I only have large ones.  
Do you want a pad?  
Yes, please.  
And I want some glue.  
A bottle of glue.  
And I want a large box of chalk, too.  
I only have small boxes.  
Do you want one?  
No, thank you,  
Is that all?  
That's all, thank you.  
What else do you want?  
I want my change.

• 掌握 what else...? 表示“还有什么...吗?”
• 掌握 have 完全动词表示“拥有“，只能用于一般时态，不能是进行时态

Lesson 61 A bad cold

Where's Jimmy?  
He's in bed.  
What's the matter with him?  
He feels ill.  
He looks ill.  
We must call the doctor.  
Yes, we must.  
Can you remember the doctor's telephone number?  
Yes. It's 09754.  
Open your mouth, Jimmy.  
Show me your tongue. Say, "Ah'.  
What's the matter with him, doctor?  
He has a bad cold, Mr. Williams, so he must stay in bed for a week.  
That's good news for Jimmy.  
Good news? Why?  
Because he doesn't like school!

• 掌握主系表结构，及系动词：feel, look
• 掌握情态动词：must
• 掌握 for 表示一个动作持续多少时间

Lesson 63 Thank you, doctor

How's Jimmy today?  
Better, Thank you, doctor.  
Can I see him please, Mrs. Williams?  
Certainly, doctor.  
Come upstairs.  

You look very well, Jimmy.  
Yor are better now, but you mustn't get up yet
You must stay in bed for another two days.  

The boy mustn't go to school yet, Mrs. Williams.  
And he mustn't eat rich food.  
Does he have a temperature, doctor?  
No, he doesn't.  
Must he stay in bed?  
Yes.
He must remain in bed for another two days.  
He can get up.  
for about two hours each day,  
but you must keep the room warm.  

Where's Mr. Williams this evening?  
He's in bed, doctor.  
Can you see him please?  
He has a bad cold, too!

• 接触形容词比较级：well-better
• 掌握 have 与表示疼痛和疾病的名词连用
• don't 和 must't 都表示不禁令，但后者语气更加强烈

Lesson 65 Not a baby

What are you going to do this evening, Jill?  
I'm going to meet some friends, Dad.

You mustn't come home late.  
You must be home at half past ten.
I can't get home so early, Dad!  

Can I have the key to the front door please?  
No, you can't.  

Jill's eighteen years old, Tom.  
She's not a baby.  
Give her the key.  
She always comes home early.  
Oh, all right!  

Here you are.  
But you mustn't come home after a quarter past eleven.  
Do you hear?  
Yes, Dad.

Thanks, Mum.  
That's all right. Goodbye.  
Enjoy yourself!  
We always enjoy ourselves, Mum. Bye-bye.

• 当宾语和主语是一个人时就可以用反身代词
• 掌握钟点表达法

Lesson 67 The weekend

Hello. Were you at the butcher's?  
Yes, I was. Were you at the butcher's, too?  
No, I wasn't. I was at the greengrocer's.  
How's Jimmy today?  
He's very well, thank you.  
Was he absent from school last week?  
Yes, he was.  
He was absent on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.  
How are you all keeping?  
Very well, thank you.  
We're going to spend three days in the country.  
We're going to stay at my mother's for the weekend.  
Friday, Saturday and Sunday in the country!  
Aren't you lucky!

Lesson 69 The car race

There is a car race near our town every year.
In 1995, there was a very big race.  

There were hundreds of people there.
My wife and I were at the race.
Our friends Julie and Jack were there, too.
You can see us in the crowd.
We are standing on the left.

There were twenty cars in the race.
There were English cars, French cares, German cars,
Italian cars, American cars and Japanese cars.

It was an exciting finish.
The winner was Billy Stewart.
He was in car number fifteen.
Five other cars were just behind him.

On the way home, my wife said to me, 'Don't drive so quickly! You're not Billy Stewart!'

Lesson 71 He's awful

What's Ron Marston like, Pauline?  
He's awful!  
He telephoned me four times yesterday,
and three times the day before yesterday.

He telephoned the office yesterday morning and yesterday afternoon.  
My boss answered the telephone.  

What did your boss say to him?  
He said, "Pauline is typing letters. She can't speak to you now!"  

Then I arrived home at six o'clock yesterday evening.
He telephoned again. But I didn't answer the phone!  

Did he telephone again last night?  
Yes, he did.  
He telephoned at nine o'clock.  

What did you say to him?  
I said, 'This is Pauline's mother.
Please don't telephone my daughter again!'  

Did he telephone again?  
No, he didn't!

Lesson 73 The way to king Street

Last week Mrs. Mills went to London.
She does not know London very well, and she lost her way.

Suddenly, she saw a man near a bus stop. 'I can ask him the way.' she said to herself.  

'Excuse me,' she said. 'Can you tell me the way to King Street, please?'

The man smiled pleasantly.
He did not understand English!
He spoke German.
He was a tourist.

Then he put his hand into pocket, and took out a phrasebook.  
He opened the book and found a phrase. He read the phrase slowly.
'I am sorry,' he said. 'I do not speak English.'

Lesson 75 Uncomfortable shoes

Do you have any shoes like these?  
What size?  
Size five.  
What colour?  
Black.  
I'm sorry. We don't have any.  
But my sister bought this pair last month.  
Did she buy them here?  
No, she bought them in the U.S.  
We had some shoes like those a month ago, but we don't have any now.  
Can you get a pair for me, please?  
I'm afraid that I can't.  
They were in fashion last year and the year before last.  
But they're not in fashion this year.  

These shoes are in fashion now.  
They look very uncomfortable.  
They are very uncomfortable.
But women always wear uncomfortable shoes!

Lesson 77 Terrible toothache

Good morning, Mr. Croft.  
Good morning, nurse.  
I want to see the dentist, please.  
Do you have an appointment?  
No, I don't.  
Is it urgent?  
Yes, it is. It's very urgent.  
I feel awful. I have a terrible toothache.  
Can you come at 10 a.m. on Monday, April 24th?  
I must see the dentist now, nurse.  
The dentist is very busy at the moment.  
Can you come at 2 p.m.?  
That's very late.  
Can the dentist see me now?  
I'm afraid that he can't, Mr. Croft.  
Can't you wait till this afternoon?  
I can wait, but my toothache can't!

Lesson 79 Carol's shopping list

What are you doing, Carol?  
I'm making a shopping list, Tom.  

What do we need?  
We need a lot of thing this week.  

I must go to the grocer's.  
We haven't got much tea or coffee, and we haven't got any sugar or jam.  

What about vegetables?  
I must go to the greengrocer's.  
We haven't got many tomatoes, but we've got a lot of potatoes.  

I must go to the butcher's, too.  
We need some meat.  
We haven't got any meat at all.  

Have we got any beer and wine?  
And I'm not going to get any!  

I hope that you've got some money.  
I haven't got much.  
Well, I haven't got much either!

Lesson 81 Roast beef and potatoes

Hi, Carol! Where's Tom?  
He's upstairs.  
He's having a bath.  

Tom!  
Yes?  
Sam's here.  
I'm nearly ready.  

Hello, Sam. Have a cigarette.  
No, thanks, Tom.  
Have a glass of whisky then.  
OK. Thanks.  

Is dinner ready, Carol?  
It's nearly ready.  
We can have dinner at seven o'clock.  

Sam and I had lunch together today.
We went to a restaurant.  
What did you have?  
We had roast beef and potatoes.  

Oh!  
What's the matter, Carol?  
Well, you're going to have roast beef and potatoes again tonight!

Lesson 83 Going on holiday

Hello, Sam. Come in.  

Hi, Sam. We're having lunch.  
Do you want to have lunch with us?  
No, thank you, Tom.  
I've already had lunch.
I had at half past twelve.  

Have a cup of coffee then.  
I've just had a cup, thank you.  
I had one after my lunch.  

Let's go into the living room, Carol.  
We can have our coffee there.  

Excuse the mess, Sam.  
This room's very untidy. We're packing our suitcases.  
We're going to leave tomorrow.  
Tom and I are going to have a holiday.  

Aren't you lucky!  
When are you going to have a holiday, Sam?  
I don't know.  
I've already had my holiday this year.  
Where did you go?  
I stayed at home!

Lesson 85 Paris in the spring

Hello, Ken.  
Hi, George.  
Have you just been to the cinema?  
Yes, I have.  
What's on?  
'Paris in the spring'.  
Oh, I've already seen it.  
I saw it on television last year.  
It's an old film, but it's very good.  
Paris is a beautiful city.  
I've never been there.  
Have you ever been there, Ken?  
Yes, I have.  
I was there in April.  
Pairs in the spring, eh?  
It was spring, but the weather was awful.  
It rained all the time.  
Just like London!

Lesson 87 A car crash

Is my car ready yet?  
I don't know. sir.  
What's the number of your car?  
It's LFZ 312G.  
When did you bring it to us?  
I brought it here three days ago.  
Ah, yes, I remember now.  
Have your mechanics finished yet?  
No, they're still working on it.
Let's go into the garage and have a look at it.  

Isn't that your car?  
Well, it was my car.  
Didn't you have a crash?  
That's right.  
I drove it into a lamp-post.  
Can your mechanics repair it?  
Well, they're trying to repair it, sir.  
But to tell you the truth.
you need a new car!

Lesson 89 For sale

Good afternoon.  
I believe that this is house is for sale.  
That's right.  
May I have a look at it, please?  
Yes, of course. Come in.  

How long have you lived here?  
I've live here for twenty years.  
Twenty year! That's long time.  
Yes, I've been here since 1976.  
Then why do you want to sell it?  
Because I've just retired.  
I want to buy a small house in the country.  
How much does this house cost?  
$68,500.  
Well, I like the house, but I can't decide yet.  
My wife must see it first.  
Women always have the last word.

Lesson 91 Poor Ian

Has Ian sold his house yet?  
Yes, he has.
He sold it last week.  
Has he moved to his new house yet?  
No, not yet.
He's still here.  
He's going to move tomorrow.  
When? Tomorrow morning?  
No. Tomorrow afternoon.
I'll miss him.  
He has always been a good neighbour.  
He's a very nice person.  
We'll all miss him.  
When will the new people move into this house?  
I think that they'll move in the day after tomorrow.  
Will you see Ian today, Jenny?  
Yes, I will.  
Please give him my regards.  
Poor Ian!  
He didn't want to leave this house.  
No, he didn't want to leave, but his wife did!

Lesson 93 Our new neighbour

Nigel is our new next-door neighbour.
He's a pilot.  
He was in the R.A.F.  
He will fly to New York next month.  
The month after next he'll fly to Tokyo.  
At the moment, he's in Madrid.
He flew to Spain a week ago.  
He'll return to London the week after next.  
He's only forty-one years old,
and he has already been to nearly every country in the world.  
Nigel is a very lucky man. But his wife isn't very lucky.
She usually stays at home!

Lesson 95 Tickets, please

Two return tickets to London, please.  
What time will the next train leave?  
At nineteen minutes past eight.
Which platform?  
Platform Two. Over the bridge.  
What time will the next train leave?  
At eight nineteen.  
We've got plenty of time.  
It's only three minutes to eight.  
Let's go and have a drink.  
There's a bar next door to the station.  
We had better go back to the station now, Ken.  
Tickets, please.  
We want to catch the eight nineteen to London.  
You've just missed it!  
What! It's only eight fifteen.  
I'm sorry, sir.  
That clock's ten minutes slow.  
When's the next train?  
In five hours' time!

Lesson 97 A small blue case

I left a suitcase on the train to London the other day.  
Can you describe it, sir?  
It's a small blue case and it's got a zip.  
There's a label on the handle with my name and address on it.  
Is this case yours?  
No, that's not mine.  
What about this one?
This one's got a label.  
Let me see it.  
What's your name and address?  
David Hall, 83, Bridge Street.  
That's right. D.N. Hall, 83, Bridge Street.  
Three pounds fifty pence, please.  
Here you are.  
Thank you.  
Hey!  
What's matter?  
This case doesn't belong to me!  
You've given me the wrong case!

Lesson 99 Ow

Ow!  
What's the matter, Andy?
I slipped and fell downstairs.  
Have you hurt yourself?  
Yes, I have.  
I think that I've hurt my back.  
Try and stand up.  
Can you stand up? Here.  
Let me help you.  
I'm sorry, Lucy.  
I'm afraid that I can't get up.  
I think that the doctor had better see you.  
I'll phone Dr. Carter.  
The doctor says that he will come at once.  
I'm sure that you need an X-ray, Andy.

Lesson 101 A card from Jimmy

Read Jimmy's card to me please, penny.  
'I have just arrive in Scotland and I'm staying at a Youth Hostel.'  
Eh?  
He says he's just arrived in Scotland.
He says he's staying at a Youth Hostel.  
You know he's a member of the Y.H.A.  
The what?  
The Y.H.A., Mum.  
The Youth Hostels Association.  
What else does he say?  
'I'll write a letter soon.  
I hope you all well.'  
What? Speak up. Penny.  
I'm afraid I can't hear you.  
He say he'll write a letter soon.
He hopes we are all well. 'Love, Jimmy.'  
Is that all?  
He doesn't say very much, does he?  
He can't write very much on a card, Mum.

Lesson 103 The French test

How was the exam, Richard?  
Not too bad.  
I think I passed in English and Mathematics.  
The questions were very easy.  
How about you, Gary?  
The English and Maths papers weren't easy enough for me.  
I hope I haven't failed.  
I think I failed the French paper.  
I could answer sixteen of the question.  
They were very easy.  
But I couldn't answer the rest.  
They were too difficult for me.  
French test are awful, aren't they?  
I hate them.  
I'm sure I've got a low mark.  
Oh, cheer up! Perhaps we didn't to do badly.  
The guy next to me wrote his name at the top of the paper.  
Yes?  
Then he sat there and looked at it for three hours!
He didn't write a word!

Lesson 105 Full of mistakes

Where's Sandra, Bob? I want her.  
Do you want to speak to her?  
Yes, I do.  
I want her to come to my office.
Tell her to come at once.  
Did you want to see me?  
Ah, yes, Sandra.  
How do you spell "intelligent'?  
Can you tell me?  
I-N-T-E-L-L-I-G-E-N-T.  
That's right. You've typed it with only one 'L'.
This letter's full of mistakes.
I want you to type it again.  
Yes, I'll do that.  
I'm sorry about that.  
And here's a little present for you.  
What's it?  
It's a dictionary. I hope it'll help you.

Lesson 107 It's too small

Do you like this dress, madam?  
I like the colour very much.  
It's lovely dress, but it's too small for me.  
What about this one?  
It's lovely dress. It's very smart.  
Short skirts are in fashion now.  
Would you like to try it?  
All right.  
I'm afraid this green dress it too small for me as well.  
It's smaller than the blue one.  
I don't like the colour either.
It doesn't suit me at all.
I think the blue dress is prettier.  
Could you show me another blue dress?
I want a dress like that one, but it must be my size.  
I'm afraid I haven't got a larger dress.  
This is the largest dress in the shop.

Lesson 109 A good idea

Shall I make some coffee, Jane?  
That's a good idea, Charlotte.  
It's ready. Do you want any milk?  
Just a little, please.  
What about some sugar?  
Two teaspoonfuls?  
No, less than that.  
One and a half teaspoonfuls, please.  
That's enough for me.  
That was very nice.  
Would you like some more?  
Yes, please.  
I'd like a cigarette, too.  
May I have one?  
Of course.  
I think there are a few in that box.  
I'm afraid it's empty.  
What a pity!  
It doesn't matter.  
Have a biscuit instead.  
Eat more and smoke less!  
That's very good advice!

Lesson 111 The most expensive model

I like television very much.
How much does it cost?
It's the most expensive model in the shop.
It costs five hundred pounds.
That's too expensive for us.
We can't afford all that money.
This model's less expensive than that one.
It's only three hundred pounds.
But, of course, it's not as good as the expensive one.
I don't like the model.
The other model's more expensive, but it's worth the money.
Can we buy it on instalments?
Of course.
You can pay a deposit of thirty pounds, and then fourteen pounds a month for three years.
Do you like it, dear?
I certainly do, but I don't like the price.
You always want the best, but we can't afford it.
Sometimes you think you're a millionaire!
Millionaires don't buy things on instalments!

Lesson 113 Small change

Fares, please!
Trafalgar Square, please.
I'm sorry, sir. I can't change a ten-pound note.
Haven't you got any small change?
I've got no small change, I am afraid.
I'll ask some of the passengers.
Have you any small change, sir?
I'm sorry. I've got none.
I haven't got any either.
Can you change this ten-pound note, madam?
I'm afraid I can't.
Neither can I.
I'm very sorry, sir. You must get off the bus.
None of our passengers can change this note.
They're all millionaires!
Except us.
I've got some small change.
So have I.

Lesson 115 Knock, knock

Isn't there anyone at home?
I'll knock again, Helen.
Everything's very quiet.
I'm sure there's no one at home.
But that's impossible.
Carol and Tom invited us to lunch.
Look through the window.
Can you see anything?
Nothing at all.
Let's try the back door.
Look! Everyone's in the garden.
Hello, Helen. Hello, Jim.
Everybody wants to have lunch in the garden.
It's nice and warm out here.
Come and have something to drink.
Thanks, Carol.
May I have a glass of beer please?
Beer? There's none left.
You can have some lemonade.
Lemonade!
Don't believe her, Jim.
She's only joking. Have some beer!

Lesson 117 Tommy's breakfast

When my husband was going into the dining room this morning,
he dropped some coins on the floor.

There were coins everywhere. We looked for them, but we could not find them all.

While we were having breakfast, our little boy, Tommy, found two small coins on the floor.

He put them both into his mouth. 
We both tried to get the coins, but it was too late.
Tommy had already swallowed them!

Late that morning, when I was doing the housework, My husband phoned me from the office.

'How's Tommy?' he asked.

'I don't know,' I answered,

'Tommy's been to the toilet three times this morning, but I haven't had any change yet!'

Lesson 119 A true story

Do you like stories?  
I want to tell you a true story.  
It happened to a friend of mine a year ago.

While my friend, George, was reading in bed, two thieves climbed into his kitchen.

After they had entered the house, they went into the dining room.  
It was very dark, so they turned on a torch.

Suddenly, they heard a voice behind them.  
"What's up? What's up?" someone called.  
The thieves dropped the torch and ran away as quickly as they could.

George heard the noise and came downstairs quickly.  

He turned on the light, but he couldn't see anyone.  
The thieves had already gone.

But George's parrot, Henry, was still there.  
"What's up, George?" the called.  
'Nothing, Henry,' George said and smiled.  
'Go back to sleep.'

Lesson 121 The man in a hat

I bought two expensive dictionaries here half an hour ago,
but I forgot take them with me.  
Who served you, sir?  
The lady who is standing behind the counter.  
Which books did you buy?  
The books which are on the counter.  
Did you serve this gentleman half an hour ago, Caroline?  
He says he's the man who bought these books.  
I can't remember.
The man who I served was wearing a hat.  
Have you got a hat, sir?  
Yes, I have.  
Would you put it on, please?  
All right.  
Is this the man that you served, Caroline?  
Yes. I recognize him now.

Lesson 123 A trip to Australia

Look, Scott.  
This is a photograph I took during my trip to Australia.  
Let me see it, Mike.  
This is a good photograph. Who are these people?  
They're people I met during the trip.  
That's the ship we travelled on.  
What a beautiful ship!
Who's this?  
That's the man I told you about. Remember?  
Ah yes. The one who offered you a job in Australia.  
That's right.  
Who's this?  
Guess!  
It's not you, is it?  
That's right.  
grew a beard during the trip, but I shaved it off when I came home.  
Why did you shave it off?  
My wife didn't like it!

Lesson 125 Tea for two

Can't you come in and have tea now, Peter?
Not yet.
I must water the garden first.

Do you have to water it now?
I'm afraid I must.
Look at it!
It's terribly dry.

What a nuisance!
Last summer it was very dry, too.
Don't you remember?
I had to water it every day.
Well, I'll have tea by myself.

That was quick!
Have you finished already?
Yes.
Look out of the window.

It's raining!
That means you don't need to water the garden.
That was a pleasant surprise.
It means I can have tea, instead.

Lesson 127 A famous actress

Can you recognize that woman. Liz?
I think I can. Kate.
It must be Karen Marsh, the actress.
I thought so.
Who's that beside her?
That must be Conrad Reeves.
Conrad Reeves, the actor?
It can't be.
Let me have another look,
Isn't he her third husband?
No. He must be her fourth of fifth.
Doesn't Karen Marsh look old!
She does, doesn't she!
I read she's twenty-nine, but she must be at least forty.
I'm sure she is.
She was a famous actress when I was still at school.
That was a long time ago, wasn't it?
Not that long ago!
I'm not more tha twenty-nine myself.

Lesson 129 Seventy miles an hour

Look, Gray!
That policeman's waving to you.
He wants you to stop.

Where do you think you are?
On a race track?
You must have been driving at seventy miles an hour.
I can't have been.
I was doing eighty when I overtook you.

Didn't you see the speed limit?
I'm afraid I didn't, officer.
I must have been dreaming.
He wasn't dreaming, officer.
I was telling him to drive slowly.
That's why I didn't see the sign.

Let me see your driving licence.

I won't charge you this time.
But you'd better not do it again!
Thank you.
I'll certainly be more careful.

I told you to drive slowly, Gary.
You always tell me to drive slowly, darling.
Well, next time you'd better take my advice!

Lesson 131 Don't be so sure

Where are you going to spend your holidays this year, Gary?
we may go abroad.
I'm not sure.
My wife wants to go to Egypt.
I'd like to go there, too.
We can't make up our minds.
Will you travel by sea or by air?
We may travel by sea.
It's cheaper, isn't it?
It may be cheaper, but it takes a long time.
I'm sure you'll enjoy yourselves.
Don't be so sure.
We might not go anywhere.
My wife always worries too much.
Who's going to look after the dog?
Who's going to look after the house?
Who's going to look after the garden?
We have this problem every year.
In the end, we stay at home and look after everything!

Lesson 133 Sensational news

Have you just made a new film, Miss Marsh?
Yes, I have.
Are you going to make another?
No, I'm not.
I'm going to retire.
I feel very tired.
I don't want to make another film for a long time.

Let's buy a newspaper, Liz.
Listen to this!

“Karen Marsh: Sensational News!(轰动新闻) By our reporter, Alan Jones. Miss Karen Marsh arrived at London Airport today. She was wearing a blue dress and a mink coat. She told me she had just made a new film. She said she was not going to make another. She said she was going to retire. She told reporters she felt very tired and didn’t want to make another film for a long time.”

Lesson 135 The latest report

Are you really going to retire, Miss Marsh?
I may.
I can't make up my mind.
I will have to ask my future husband.
He won't let me make another film.
Your future husband, Miss Marsh?
Yes. Let me introduce him to you.
His name is Carlos.
We're going to get married next week.

Look, Liz!
Here's another report about Karen Marsh.
Listen：'Karen Marsh：The latest. At her London Hotel today Miss Marsh told reporters she might retire. 
She said she couldn't make up her mind.
She said she would have to ask her future husband.
She said her future husband would not let her make another film.
Then she introduced us to Carlos and told us they would get married next week.'

That's sensational news, isn't it, Kate?
It certainly is.
He'll be her sixth husband!

Lesson 137 A pleasant dream

Are you doing the football pools, Brian?
Yes, I've nearly finished, Julie.
I'm sure we'll win something this week.
You always say that, but we never win anything!
What will you do if you win a lot of money?
If I win a lot of money I'll buy you a mink coat.
I don't want a mink coat.
I want to see the world.
All right.
If we win a lot of money we'll travel round the world and we'll stay at the best hotels.
Then we'll return home and buy a big house in the country.
We'll have a beautiful garden and ...
But if we spend all that money we'll be poor again.
What'll we do then?
If we spend all the money we'll try and win the football pools again.
It's a pleasant dream but everything depends on 'if'!

Lesson 139 Is that you, John?

Is that you, John?
Yes, speaking.
Tell Mary we'll be late for dinner this evening.
I'm afraid I don't understand.
Hasn't Mary told you?
She invited Charlotte and me to dinner this evening.
I said I would be at your house at six o'clock,
but the boss wants me to do some extra work.
I'll have to stay at the offce.
I don't know when I'll finish.
Oh, and by the way, my wife wants to know if Mary needs any help.
I don't know what you're talking about.
That is John Smith, isn't it?
Yes, I'm John Smith.
You are John Smith, the engineer, aren't you?
That's right.
You work for the Overseas Engineering Company, don't you?
No, I don't.
I'm John Smith the telephone enineer and I'm repairing your telephone line.

Lesson 141 Sally's first train ride

Last week, my four-year-old daughter, Sally, was inveted to a children's party.
I decided to take her by train.
Sally was very excited because she had never travelled on a train before.
She sat near the window and asked questions about everything she saw.
Suddenly, a middle-aged lady got on the train and sat opposite Sally.
'Hello, little girl,'she said.
Sally did not answer, but looked at her curiously,
The lady was dressed in a blue coat and a large, funny hat.
After the train had left the station,
the lady opened her handbag and took out her powder compact.
She then began to make up her face.
'Why are you doing that?' Sally asked.
'To make myself beautiful,' the lady answered.
She put away her compact and smiled kindly.
'But you are still ugly,' Sally said.
Sally was amused, but I was very embarrassed!

Lesson 143 A walk through the woods

I live in a very old town which is surrounded by beautiful woods.
It is a famous beauty spot.
On Sundays, hundreds of people come from the city to see our town and to walk through the woods.
Visitors have been asked to keep the woods clean and tidy.
Litter baskets have been placed under the trees,
but people still throw their rubbish everywhere.
Last Wednesday, I went for a walk in the woods.
What I saw made me very sad.
I counted seven old cars and three old refrigerators.
The litter baskets were emplty and the ground was covered with pieces of paper, cigarette ends, old tyres,
empty bottles and rusty tins.
Among the rubbish, I found a sign which said,
'Anyone' who leaves litter in these woods will be prosecuted!'

第二册

学前导读

在第一册的基础上加强了语法的使用，熟悉语法的同时也要积累词汇

Lesson 1 Private conversation

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

Lesson 2 Breakfast of lunch

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

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

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

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 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 Buttons

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

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

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

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 Year.
At that moment, everybody began to laugh and sing.

Lesson 10 Not for jazz

We have an old musical instrument.
It is called a clavichord.
It was made in Germany in 1681.
Our clavichord is kept in the living room.
It has belonged to our family for a long time.
The instrument was bought by my grandfather many years ago.
Recently it was damaged by a visitor.
She tried to play jazz on it!
She struck the keys too hard and two of the strings were broken.
My father was shocked. Now we are not allowed to touch it.
It is being repaired by a friend of my father's.

Lesson 11 One good turn deserves another

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

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

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.

Lesson 14 Do you speak English

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, when the young man suddenly said, very slowly, "Do you speak English?'
As I soon learnt, he was English himself!'

Lesson 15 Good news

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.

'Mr.Harmsworth,' 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

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 "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 receive a request like this, you cannot fail to obey it!

Lesson 17 He often does this

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

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?" he asked.
'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 it into the garden.
He often does this!'

Lesson 19 Sold out

'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

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

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

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

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

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

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 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

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.

Lesson 27 A wet night

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

Jasper White is one of those rare people who believes 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

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.

Lesson 30 Football or polo

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.

Lesson 31 Success story

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!

Lesson 32 Shopping made easy

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!

Lesson 33 Out of the darkness

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.

Lesson 34 Quick work

Dan Robinson has been worried all week.
Last Tuesday he received a letter from the local police.
In the letter he was asked to call at the station.
Dan wondered why he was wanted by the police, but he went to the station yesterday and now he is not worried anymore.
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.
Dan 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 Dan was a boy of fifteen!

Lesson 35 Stop thief

Roy Trenton used to drive a taxi.
A short while ago, however, he became a bus driver and he has 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 bag.
As 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.

Lesson 36 Across the Channel

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.

Lesson 37 The Olympic Games

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.

Lesson 38 Everything except the weather

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 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.

Lesson 39 Am I all right

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, Mr. Gilbert 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 hosptial 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.'

Lesson 40 Food and talk

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 "The Globe" soon,' I said. 'Will you be seeing it?'

'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!"

### Lesson 41 Do you call that a hat

'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!

Lesson 42 Not very musical

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!

Lesson 43 Over the South Pole

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.

Lesson 44 Through the forest

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 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.'

Lesson 45 A clear conscience

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 50per cent a thief!’Two months later, some more money was sent to Sam with another note:‘Only 25per cent a thief now!’In time, all Sam'smoney was paid back in this way.
The last note said:‘I am 100per cent honest now!’

Lesson 46 Expensive and uncomfortable

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 woolen 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!

Lesson 47 A thirsty ghost

A public house which was recently bought by Mr.Ian Thompson is up for sale.
Mr.Thompson 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 Mr.Thompson 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, Mr.Thompson shook his head.
The villagers have told him that they will not accept the pub even if he gives it away.

Lesson 48 Did you want to tell me something

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.

Lesson 49 The end of a dream

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.

Lesson 50 Taken for a ride

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.
'Well, in that case, I prefer to stay on the bus,' I answered.

Lesson 51 Reward for virtue

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!

Lesson 52 A pretty carpet

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!'

Lesson 53 Hot snake

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 firemen 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.

Lesson 54 Sticky fingers

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!

Lesson 55 Not a gold mine

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 feet 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.

Lesson 56 Faster than sound

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 rivals. It sped downhill at the end of the race and its driver had a lot of trouble trying to stop it. The race gave everyone a great deal of pleasure. It was very different from modern car races but no less exciting.

Lesson 57 Can I help you, madam?

A woman in jeans stood at the window of an expensive shop. Though she hesitated for a moment, she finally went in and asked to see a dress that was in the window. The assistant who served her did not like the way she was dressed. Glancing at her scornfully, he told her that the dress was sold. The woman walked out of the shop angrily and decided to punish the assistant next day. She returned to the shop the following morning dressed in a fur coat, with a handbag in one hand and a long umbrella in the other. After seeking out the rude assistant, she asked for the same dress. Not realizing who she was, the assistant was eager to serve her this time. With great difficulty, he climbed into the shop window to get the dress. As soon as she saw it, the woman said she did not like it. She enjoyed herself making the assistant bring almost everything in the window before finally buying the dress she had first asked for.

Lesson 58 A blessing in disguise?

The tiny village of Frinley is said to possess a 'cursed tree'. Because the tree was mentioned in a newspaper, the number of visitors to Frinley has now increased. The tree was planted near the church fifty years ago, but it is only in recent years that it has gained an evil reputation. It is said that if anyone touches the tree, he will have bad luck; if he picks a leaf, he will die. Many villagers believe that the tree has already claimed a number of victims. The vicar has been asked to have the tree cut down, but so far he has refused.He has pointed out that the tree is a useful source of income, as tourists have been coming from all parts of the country to see it. In spite of all that has been said, the tourists have been picking leaves and cutting their names on the tree-trunk. So far, not one of them has been struck down by sudden death!

Lesson 59 In or out?

Our dog, Rex, used to sit outside our front gate and bark. Every time he wanted to come into the garden he would bark until someone opened the gate. As the neighbours complained of the noise, my husband spent weeks training him to press his paw on the latch to let himself in. Rex soon became an expert at opening the gate. However, when I was going out shopping last week, I noticed him in the garden near the gate. This time he was barking so that someone would let him out! Since then, he has developed another bad habit. As soon as he opens the gate from the outside, he comes into the garden and waits until the gate shuts. Then he sits and barks until someone lets him out. After this he immediately lets himself in and begins barking again. Yesterday my husband removed the gate and Rex got so annoyed we have not seen him since.

Lesson 60 The future

At a village fair, I decided to visit a fortune-teller called Madam Bellinsky. I went into her tent and she told me to sit down. After I had given her some money, she looked into a crystal ball and said: 'A relation of yours is coming to see you. She will be arriving this evening and intends to stay for a few days. The moment you leave this tent, you will get a big surprise. A woman you know well will rush towards you. She will speak to you and then she will lead you away from this place. That is all.'

As soon as I went outside, I forgot all about Madam Bellinsky because my wife hurried towards me. 'Where have you been hiding?' she asked impatiently. 'Your sister will be here in less than an hour and we must be at the station to meet her. We are late already.' As she walked away, I followed her out of the fair.

Lesson 61 Trouble with the Hubble

The Hubble telescope was launched into space by NASA on April 20,1990 at a cost of over a billion dollars. Right from the start there was trouble with the Hubble. The pictures it sent us were very disappointing because its main mirror was faulty! NASA is now going to put the telescope right, so it will soon be sending up four astronauts to repair it. The shuttle Endeavour will be taking the astronauts to the Hubble. A robot-arm from the Endeavour will grab the telescope and hold it while the astronauts make the necessary repairs. Of course, the Hubble is above the earth's atmosphere, so it will soon be sending us the clearest pictures of the stars and distant galaxies that we have ever seen. The Hubble will tell us a great deal about the age and size of the universe. By the time you read this, the Hubble's eagle eye will have sent us thousands and thousands of wonderful pictures.

Lesson 62 After the fire

Firemen had been fighting the forest fire for nearly three weeks before they could get it under control. A short time before, great trees had covered the countryside for miles around. Now, smoke still rose up from the warm ground over the desolate hills. Winter was coming on and the hills threatened the surrounding villages with destruction, for heavy rain would not only wash away the soil but would cause serious floods as well. When the fire had at last been put out, the forest authorities ordered several tons of a special type of grass-seed which would grow quickly. The seed was sprayed over the ground in huge quantities by aeroplanes. The planes had been planting seed for nearly a month when it began to rain. By then, however, in many places the grass had already taken root. In place of the great trees which had been growing there for centuries patches of green had begun to appear in the blackened soil.

Lesson 63 She was not amused

Jeremy Hampden has a large circle of friends and is very popular at parties. Everybody admires him for his great sense of humour -- everybody, that is, except his six-year-old daughter, Jenny. Recently, one of Jeremy's closest friends asked him to make a speech at a wedding reception. This is the sort of thing that Jeremy loves. He prepared the speech carefully and went to the wedding with Jenny. he had included a large number of funny stories in the speech and, of course, it was a great success. As soon as he had finished, Jenny told him she wanted to go home. Jeremy was a little disappointed by this but he did as his daughter asked. On the way home, he asked Jenny if she had enjoyed the speech. To his surprise, she said she hadn't. Jeremy asked her why this was so and she told him that she did not like to see so many people laughing at him!

Lesson 64 The Channel Tunnel

In 1858, a French engineer, Aime Thome de Gamond, arrived in England with a plan for a twenty-one-mile tunnel under the English Channel. He said that it would be possible to build a platform in the centre of the Channel. This platform would serve as a port and a railway station. The tunnel would be well-ventilated if tall chimneys were built above sea level. In 1860, a better plan was put forward by an Englishman, William Low. He suggested that a double railway-tunnel should be built. This would solve the problem of ventilation, for if a train entered this tunnel, it would draw in fresh air behind it. Forty-two years later a tunnel was actually begun. If, at the time, the British had not feared invasion, it would have been completed. The world had to wait almost another 100 years for the Channel Tunnel. It was officially opened on March 7,1994, finally connecting Britain to the European continent.

Lesson 65 Jumbo versus the police

Last Christmas, the circus owner, Jimmy Gates, decided to take some presents to a children's hospital. Dressed up as Father Christmas and accompanied by a 'guard of honour' of six pretty girls, he set off down the main street of the city riding a baby elephant called Jumbo. He should have known that the police would never allow this sort of thing. A policeman approached Jimmy and told him he ought to have gone along a side street as Jumbo was holding up the traffic. Though Jimmy agreed to go at once, Jumbo refused to move. Fifteen policemen had to push very hard to get him off the main street. The police had a difficult time, but they were most amused. 'Jumbo must weigh a few tons,' said a policeman afterwards, 'so it was fortunate that we didn't have to carry him. Of course, we should arrest him, but as he has a good record, we shall let him off this time.'

Lesson 66 Sweet as honey

In 1963 a Lancaster bomber crashed on Wallis Island, a remote place in the South Pacific, a long way west of Samoa. The plane wasn't too badly damaged, but over the years, the crash was forgotten and the wreck remained undisturbed. Then in 1989, twenty-six years after the crash, the plane was accidentally rediscovered in an aerial survey of the island. By this time, a Lancaster bomber in reasonable condition was rare and worth rescuing. The French authorities had the plane packaged and moved in parts back to France. Now a group of enthusiasts are going to have the plane restored. It has four Rolls-Royce Merlin engines, but the group will need to have only three of them rebuilt. Imagine their surprise and delight when they broke open the packing cases and found that the fourth engine was sweet as honey -- still in perfect condition. A colony of bees had turned the engine into a hive and it was totally preserved in beeswax!

Lesson 67 Volcanoes

Haroun Tazieff, the Polish scientist, has spent his lifetime studying active volcanoes and deep caves in all parts of the world. In 1948, he went to Lake Kivu in the Congo to observe a new volcano which he later named Kituro. Tazieff was able to set up his camp very close to the volcano while it was erupting violently. Though he managed to take a number of brilliant photographs, he could not stay near the volcano for very long. He noticed that a river of liquid rock was coming towards him. It threatened to surround him completely, but Tazieff managed to escape just in time. He waited until the volcano became quiet and he was able to return two days later. This time, he managed to climb into the mouth of Kituro so that he could take photographs and measure temperatures. Tazieff has often risked his life in this way. He has been able to tell us more about active volcanoes than any man alive.

Lesson 68 Persistent

I crossed the street to avoid meeting him, but he saw me and came running towards me. It was no use pretending that I had not seen him, so I waved to him. I never enjoy meeting Nigel Dykes. He never has anything to do. No matter how busy you are, he always insists on coming with you. I had to think of a way of preventing him from following me around all morning.

'Hello, Nigel,' I said. 'Fancy meeting you here!'

'Hi, Elizabeth,' Nigel answered. 'I was just wondering how to spend the morning -- until I saw you. You're not busy doing anything, are you?'

'No, not at all,' I answered. 'I'm going to...'

'Would you mind my coming with you?' he asked, before I had finished speaking.

'Not at all,' I lied, 'but I'm going to the dentist.'

'Then I'll come with you,' he answered. 'There's always plenty to read in the waiting room!

Lesson 69 But not murder

I was being tested for a driving licence for the third time. I had been asked to drive in heavy traffic and had done so successfully. After having been instructed to drive out of town, I began to acquire confidence. Sure that I had passed, I was almost beginning to enjoy my test. The examiner must have been pleased with my performance, for he smiled and said. 'Just one more thing, Mr.Eames. Let us suppose that a child suddenly crosses the road in front of you. As soon as I tap on the window, you must stop within five feet.' I continued driving and after some time, the examiner tapped loudly, Though the sound could be heard clearly, it took me a long time to react. I suddenly pressed the brake pedalhard and we were both thrown forward. The examiner looked at me sadly. 'Mr.Eames,' he said, in a mournful voice, 'you have just killed that child!'

第三册

提示

第三册着重句子之间的内在逻辑关系、充分认识和领悟英语句型的精炼、又没、实用和可模仿性，进一步的扩充词汇、短语、语法及各类句型的运用

Lesson 1 A Puma at large

Pumas are large, cat-like animals which are found in America.
When reports came into London Zoo that a wild puma had been spotted forty-five miles south of London, they were not taken seriously.
However, as the evidence began to accumulate, experts from the Zoo felt obliged to investigate, for the descriptions given by people who claimed to have seen the puma were extraordinarily similar.

The hunt for the puma began in a small village where a woman picking blackberries saw 'a large cat' only five yards away from her. It immediately ran away when she saw it, and experts confirmed that a puma will not attack a human being unless it is cornered. The search proved difficult, for the puma was often observed at one place in the morning and at another place twenty miles away in the evening. Wherever it went, it left behind it a trail of dead deer and small animals like rabbits. Paw prints were seen in a number of places and puma fur was found clinging to bushes. Several people complained of "cat-like noises' at night and a businessman on a fishing trip saw the puma up a tree. The experts were now fully convinced that the animal was a puma, but where had it come from? As no pumas had been reported missing from any zoo in the country, this one must have been in the possession of a private collector and somehow managed to escape. The hunt went on for several weeks, but the puma was not caught. It is disturbing to think that a dangerous wild animal is still at large in the quiet countryside.

Lesson 2 Thirteen equals one

Our vicar is always raising money for one cause or another, but he has never managed to get enough money to have the church clock repaired. The big clock which used to strike the hours day and night was damaged many years ago and has been silent ever since.

' One night, however, our vicar woke up with a start: the clock was striking the hours! Looking at his watch, he saw that it was one o'clock, but the bell struck thirteen times before it stopped. Armed with a torch, the vicar went up into the clock tower to see what was going on. In the torchlight, he caught sight of a figure whom he immediately recognized as Bill Wilkins, our local grocer.'Whatever are you doing up here Bill ?' asked the vicar in surprise.

' I'm trying to repair the bell,' answered Bill.' I've been coming up here night after night for weeks now. You see, I was hoping to give you a surprise.'

'You certainly did give me a surprise!' said the vicar. 'You've probably woken up everyone in the village as well. Still, I'm glad the bell is working again.'

'That's the trouble, vicar,' answered Bill. 'It's working all right, but I'm afraid that at one o'clock it will strike thirteen times and there's nothing I can do about it.'

'We'll get used to that Bill,' said the vicar. 'Thirteen is not as good as one but it's better than nothing. Now let's go downstairs and have a cup of tea.'

Lesson 3 An unknown goddess

Some time ago，an interesting discovery was made by archaeologists on the Aegean（adj.爱琴海的；n.）island of Kea．An American team explored a temple which stands in an ancient city on the promontory of Ayia Irini．The city at one time must have been prosperous，for it enjoyed a high level of civilization．Houses--often three storeys high--were built of stone．They had large rooms with beautifully decorated walls．The city was even equipped with a drainage system，for a great many clay pipes were found beneath the narrow streets．

The temple which the archaeologists explored was used as a place of worship from the fifteenth century B.C. until Roman times. In the most sacred room of the temple, clay fragments of fifteen statues were found. Each of these representeda goddess and had, at one time, been painted. The body of one statue was found among remains dating from the fifteenth century B.C. Its missing head happened to be among remains of the fifth century B.C. This head must have been found in Classical times and carefully preserved. It was very old and precious even then. When the archaeologists reconstructed the fragments, they were amazed to find that the goddess turned out to be a very modern-looking woman. She stood three feet high and her hands rested on her hip. She was wearing a full-length skirt which swept the ground. Despite her great age, she was very graceful indeed, but, so far, the archaeologists have been unable to discover her identity.

Lesson 4 The double life of Alfred Bloggs

These days, people who do manual work often receive far more money than people who work in offices. People who work in offices are frequently referred to as' white collar workers' for the simple reason that they usually wear a collar and tie to go to work. Such is human nature, that a great many people are often willing to sacrifice higher pay for the privilege of becoming white collar workers. This can give rise to curious situations, as it did in the case of Alfred Bloggs who worked as a dustman for the Ellesmere Corporation.

When he got married, Alf was too embarrassed to say anything to his wife about his job. He simply told her that he worked for the Corporation. Every morning, he left home dressed in a smart black suit. He then changed into overalls(n.工作服) and spent the next eight hours as a dustman. Before returning home at night, he took a shower and changed back into his suit.

Alf did this for over two years and his fellow dustmen kept his secret. Alf's wife has never discovered that she married a dustman and she never will, for Alf has just found another job. He will soon be working in an office. He will be earning only half as much as he used to, but he feels that his rise in status is well worth the loss of money. From now on, he will wear a suit all day and others will call him 'Mr. Bloggs', not 'Alf'.

Lesson 5 The facts

Editors of newspapers and magazines often go to extremes to provide their readers with unimportant facts and statistics. Last year a journalist had been instructed by a well-known magazine to write an article on the president's palace in a new African republic. When the article arrived, the editor read the first sentence and then refused to publish it. The article began: 'Hundreds of steps lead to the high wall which surrounds the president's palace.' The editor at once sent the journalist a fax instructing him to find out the exact number of steps and the height of the wall.

The journalist immediately set out to obtain these important facts, but he took a long time to send them. Meanwhile, the editor was getting impatient, for the magazine would soon go to press. He sent the journalist two urgent telegrams, but received no reply. He sent yet another telegram informing the journalist that if he did not reply soon he would be fired. When the journalist again failed to reply, the editor reluctantly published the article as it had originally been written. A week later, the editor at last received a telegram from the journalist. Not only had the poor man been arrested, but he had been sent to prison as well. However, he had at last been allowed to send a cable in which he informed the editor that he had been arrested while counting the 1084 steps leading to the 15-foot wall which surrounded the president's palace.

Lesson 6 Smash-and-grab

The expensive shops in a famous arcade near Piccadilly were just opening. At this time of the morning, the arcade was almost empty. Mr Taylor, the owner of a jewellery shop was admiring a new window display. Two of his assistants had been working busily since 8 o'clock and had only just finished. Diamond necklaces and rings had been beautifully arranged on a background of black velvet. After gazing at the display for several minutes, Mr Taylor went back into his shop.

The silence was suddenly broken when a large car, with its headlights on and its horn blaring, roared down the arcade. It came to a stop outside the jeweler's. One man stayed at the wheel while two others with black stockings over their faces jumped out and smashed the window of the shop with iron bars. While this was going on, Mr Taylor was upstairs. He and his staff began throwing furniture out of the window. Chairs and tables went flying into the arcade. One of the thieves was struck by a heavy statue, but he was too busy helping himself to diamonds to notice any pain. The raid was all over in three minutes, for the men scrambled back into the car and it moved off at a fantastic speed. Just as it was leaving, Mr Taylor rushed out and ran after it throwing ashtrays and vases, but it was impossible to stop the thieves. They had got away with thousands of pounds worth of diamonds.

Lesson 7 Mutilated ladies

Has it ever happened to you? Have you ever put your trousers in the washing machine and then remembered there was a large bank note in your back pocket? When you rescued your trousers, did you find the note was whiter than white? People who live in Britain needn't despair when they make mistakes like this(and a lot of people do)!Fortunately for them, the Bank of England has a team called Mutilated Ladies which deals with claims from people who fed their money to a machine or to their dog. Dogs, it seems, love to chew up money!

A recent case concerns Jane Butlin whose fiance, John, runs a successful furniture business.John had a very good day and put his wallet containing ￡3000 into the microwave oven for safekeeping. Then he and Jane went horse-riding. When they got home, Jane cooked their dinner in the microwave oven and without realizing it, cooked her fiance's wallet as well. Imagine their dismay when they found a beautifully-cooked wallet and notes turned to ash.John went to see his bank manager who sent the remains of wallet and the money to the special department of the Bank of England in Newcastle: the Mutilated Ladies! They examined the remains and John got all his money back. 'So long as there's something to identify, we will give people their money back,' said a spokeswoman for the Bank. 'Last year, we paid ￡1.5m on 21000 claims.

Lesson 8 A famous monastery

The Great St Bernard Pass connects Switzerland to Italy. At 2470 metres, it is the highest mountain pass in Europe. The famous monastery of St Bernard, which was founded in the eleventh century, lies about a mile away. For hundreds of years, St Bernard dogs have saved the lives of travellers crossing the dangerous Pass. These friendly dogs, which were first brought from Asia, were used as watch-dogs even in Roman times. Now that a tunnel has been built through the mountains, the Pass is less dangerous, but each year, the dogs are still sent out into the snow whenever a traveller is in difficulty. Despite the new tunnel, there are still a few people who rashly attempt to cross the Pass on foot.

During the summer months, the monastery is very busy, for it is visited by thousands of people who cross the Pass in cars, As there are so many people about, the dogs have to be kept in a special enclosure. In winter, however, life at the monastery is quite different. The temperature drops to -30 and very few people attempt to cross the Pass. The monks Prefer winter to summer for they have more privacy. The dogs have greater freedom, too, for they are allowed to wander outside their enclosure. The only regular visitors to the monastery in winter are parties of skiers who go there at Christmas and Easter. These young people, who love the peace of the mountains, always receive a warm.

Welcome at St Bernard's monastery.

Lesson 9 Flying cats

Cats never fail to fascinate human beings. They can be friendly and affectionate towards humans, but they lead mysterious lives of their own as well. They never become submissive like dogs and horses. As a result, humans have learned to respect feline independence. Most cats remain suspicious of humans all their lives. One of the things that fascinates us most about cats is the popular belief that they have nine lives. Apparently, there is a good deal of truth in this idea. A cat's ability to survive falls is based on fact.

Recently the New York Animal Medical Centre made a study of 132cats over a period of five months. All these cats had one experience in common: they had fallen off high buildings, yet only eight of them died from shock or injuries. Of course, New Yorkis the ideal place for such an interesting study, because there is no shortage of tall buildings. There are plenty of high-rise windowsills to fall from! One cat, Sabrina, fell 32storeys, yet only suffered from a broken tooth. ‘Cats behave like well-trained paratroopers, ’ a doctor said. It seems that the further cats fall, the less they are likely to injure themselves. In a long drop, they reach speeds of 60 miles an hour and more. At high speeds, falling cats have time to relax. They stretch out their legs like flying squirrels. This increases their air-resistance and reduces the shock of impact when they hit the ground.

Lesson 10 The loss of Titanic

The great ship, Titanic, sailed for New York from Southampton on April 10th, 1912. She was carrying 1316 passengers and a crew of 89l. Even by modern standards, the 46,000 ton Titanic was a colossal ship. At that time, however, she was not only the largest ship that had ever been built, but was regarded as unsinkable, for she had sixteen water- tight compartments. Even if two of these were flooded, she would still be able to float. The tragic sinking of this great liner will always be remembered, for she went down on her first voyage with heavy loss of life.

Four days after setting out, while the Titanic was sailing across the icy waters of the North Atlantic, a huge iceberg was suddenly spotted by a look-out. After the alarm had been given, the great ship turned sharply to avoid a direct collision. The Titanic turned just in time, narrowly missing the immense wall of ice which rose over 100 feet out of the water beside her. Suddenly, there was a slight trembling sound from below, and the captain went down to see what had happened. The noise had been so faint that no one thought that the ship had been damaged. Below, the captain realized to his horror that the Titanic was sinking rapidly, for five of her sixteen water-tight compartments had already been flooded ! The order to abandon ship was given and hundreds of people plunged into the icy water. As there were not enough life-boats for everybody, 1500 lives were lost.

Lesson 11 Not guilty

Customs officers are quite tolerant these days, but they can still stop you when you are going through the Green Channel and have nothijng to declare. Even really honest people are often made to feel guitly. The hardened professional smuggler, on the other hand, is never troubled by such feelings.even if he has five hundred gold watches hidden in his suitcase. When I returned from abroad recently, a particularly officious young Customs Officer clearly regarded me as a smuggler.

'Have you anything to declare?' he asked, looking me in the eye.

'No,' I answered confidently.

'Would you mind unlocking this suitcase please ?'

'Not at all,' I answered.

The Officer went through the case with great care. All the things I had packed so carefully were soon in a dreadful mess. I felt sure I would never be able to close the case again. Suddenly, I saw the Officer's face light up. He had spotted a tiny bottle at the bottom of my case and he pounced on it with delight.

'Perfume, eh?' he asked sarcastically. 'You should have declared that.' Perfume is not exempt from import duty.'

'But it isn't perfume,' I said.' It's hair-oil.' Then I added with a smile,' It's a strange mixture I make myself.' As I expected, he did not believe me.

'Try it!' I said encouragingly.

The Officer unscrewed the cap and put the bottle to his nostrils. He was greeted by an unpleasant smell which convinced him that I was telling the truth. A few minutes later, I was able to hurry away with precious chalk-marks on my baggage.

Lesson 12 Life on a desert island

Most of us have formed an unrealistic picture of life on a desert island. We sometimes imagine a desert island to be a sort of paradise where the sun always shines. Life there is simple and good.

Ripe fruit falls from the trees and you never have to work. The other side of the picture is quite the opposite. Life on a desert island is wretched. You either starve to death or live like Robinson Crusoe, waiting for a boat which never comes. Perhaps there is an element of truth in both these pictures, but few of us have had the opportunity to find out.

Two men who recently spent five days on a coral island wished they had stayed there longer. They were taking a badly damaged boat from the Virgin Islands to Miami to have it repaired. During the journey, their boat began to sink. They quickly loaded a small rubber dinghy with food, matches, and tins of beer and rowed for a few miles across the Caribbean until they arrived at a tiny coral island. There were hardly any trees on the island and there was no water, but this did not prove to be a problem. The men collected rain-water in the rubber dinghy. As they had brought a spear gun with them, they had plenty to eat. They caught lobster and fish every day, and, as one of them put it 'ate like kings'. When a passing tanker rescued them five days later, both men were genuinely sorry that they had to leave.

Lesson 13 It’s only me

After her husband had gone to work, Mrs Richards sent her children to school and went upstairs to her bedroom. She was too excited to do any housework that morning, for in the evening she would be going to a fancy dress party with her husband. She intended to dress up as a ghost and as she had made her costume the night before, she was impatient to try it on. Though the costume consisted only of a sheet, it was very effective. After putting it on, Mrs Richards went downstairs. She wanted to find out whether it would be comfortable to wear.

Just as Mrs Richards was entering the dining-room, there was a knock on the front door. She knew that it must be the baker. She had told him to come straight in if ever she failed to open the door and to leave the bread on the kitchen table. Not wanting to frighten the poor man, Mrs Richards quickly hid in the small store-room under the stairs. She heard the front door open and heavy footsteps in the hall. Suddenly the door of the store-room was opened and a man entered. Mrs Richards realized that it must be the man from the Electricity Board who had come to read the meter. She tried to explain the situation, saying' It's only me', but it was too late. The man let out a cry and jumped back several paces. When Mrs Richards walked towards him, he fled, slamming the door behind him.

Lesson 14 A noble gangster

There was a time when the owners of shop and businesses in Chicago had to pay large sums of money to gangsters in return for' protection' If the money was not paid promptly, the gangsters would quickly put a man out of business by destroying his shop. Obtaining 'protechon money' is not a modern crime. As long ago as the fourteenth century, an Englishman, Sir John Hawkwood, made the remarkable discovery that people would rather pay large sums of money than have their life work destroyed by gangsters.

Six hundred years ago, Sir John Hawkwood arrived in Italy with a band of soldiers and settled near Florence. He soon made a name for himself and came to be known to the Italians as Giovanni Acuto. Whenever the Italian city-states were at war with each other, Hawkwood used to hire his soldiers to princes who were willing to pay the high price he demanded. In times of peace, when business was bad, Hawkwood and his men would march into a city-state and, after burning down a few farms, would offer to go away if protection money was paid to them. Hawkwood made large sums of money in this way. In spite of this, the Italians regarded him as a sort of hero. When he died at the age of eighty, the Florentines gave him a state funeral and had a picture painted which was dedicated to the memory of 'the most valiant soldier and most notable leader, Signor Giovanni Haukodue'.

Lesson 15 Fifty pence worth of trouble

Children always appreciate small gifts of money. Father, of course, provides a regular supply of pocket-money, but uncles and aunts are always a source of extra income. With some children, small sums go a long way. If sixpences are not exchanged for sweets, they rattle for months inside money-boxes. Only very thrifty children manage to fill up a money-box. For most of them, sixpence is a small price to pay for a satisfying bar of chocolate.

My nephew, George, has a money-box but it is always empty. Very few of the sixpences I have given him have found their way there. I gave him sixpence yesterday and advised him to save it. Instead, he bought himself sixpence worth of trouble. On his way to the sweet shop, he dropped his sixpence and it rolled along the pavement and then disappeared down a drain. George took offhis jacket, rolled up his sleeves and pushed his right arm through the drain cover. He could not find his sixpence anywhere, and what is more, he could not get his arm out. A crowd of people gathered round him and a lady rubbed his arm with soap and butter, but George was firmly stuck. The fire-brigade was called and two firemen freed George using a special type of grease. George was not too upset by his experience because the lady who owns the sweet shop heard about his troubles and rewarded him with a large box of chocolates.

Lesson 16 Mary had a little lamb

Mary and her husband Dimitri lived in the tiny village of Perachora in southern Greece. One of Mary's prize possessions was a little white lamb which her husband had given her. She kept it tied to a tree in a field during the day and went to fetch it every evening. One evening, however, the lamb was missing. The rope had been cut, so it was obvious that the lamb had been stolen. When Dimitri came in from the fields, his wife told him what had happened. Dimitri at once set out to find the thief.

He knew it would not prove difficult in such a small village. After telling several of his friends about the theft, Dimitri found out that his neighbour, Aleko, had suddenly acquired a new lamb. Dimitri immediately went to Aleko's house and angrily accused him of stealing the lamb. He told him he had better return it or he would call the police. Aleko denied taking it and led Dimitri into his back-yard. It was true that he had just bought a lamb, he explained, but his lamb was black. Ashamed of having acted so rashly, Dimitri apologized to Aleko for having accused him. While they were talking it began to rain and Dimitri stayed in Aleko's house until the rain stopped. When he went outside half an hour later, he was astonished to find that the little black lamb was almost white. Its wool, which had been dyed black, had been washed clean by the rain!

Lesson 17 The longest suspension bridge in the world

Verrazano, an Italian about whom little is known, sailed into New York Harbour in 1524 and named it Angouleme. He described it as 'a very agreeable situation located within two small hills in the midst of which flowed a great river.' Though Verrazano is by no means considered to be a great explorer, his name will probably remain immortal, for on November 21st, 1964, the greatest bridge in the world was named after him.

The Verrazano Bridge, which was designed by Othmar Ammann, joins Brooklyn to Staten Island. It has a span of 4260 feet. The bridge is so long that the shape of the earth had to be taken into account by its designer. Two great towers support four huge cables. The towers are built on immense underwater platforms made of steel and concrete. The platforms extend to a depth of over 100 feet under the sea. These alone took sixteen months to build. Above the surface of the water, the towers rise to a height of nearly 700 feet. They support the cables from which the bridge has been suspended. Each of the four cables contains 26,108 lengths of wire. It has been estimated that if the bridge were packed with cars, it would still only be carrying a third of its total capacity. However, size and strength are not the only important things about this bridge. Despite its immensity, it is both simple and elegant, fulfilling its designer's dream to create 'an enormous object drawn as faintly as possible'.

Lesson 18 Electric currents in modern art

Modern sculpture rarely surprises us any more. The idea that modern art can only be seen in museums is mistaken. Even people who take no interest in art cannot have failed to notice examples of modern sculpture on display in public places. Strange forms stand in gardens, and outside buildings and shops. We have got quite used to them. Some so-called 'modern' pieces have been on display for nearly fifty years.

In spite of this, some people--including myself--were surprised by a recent exhibition of modern sculpture. The first thing I saw when I entered the art gallery was a notice which said: 'Do not touch the exhibits. Some of them are dangerous!' The objects on display were pieces of moving sculpture. Oddly shaped forms that are suspended from the ceiling and move in response to a gust of wind are quite familiar to everybody. These objects, however, were different. Lined up against the wall, there were long thin wires attached to metal spheres. The spheres had been magnetized and attracted or repelled each other all the time. In the centre of the hall, there were a number of tall structures which contained coloured lights. These lights flickered continuously like traffic lights which have gone mad. Sparks were emitted from small black boxes and red lamps flashed on and off angrily. It was rather like an exhibition of prehistoric electronic equipment. These Peculiar forms not only seemed designed to shock people emotionally, but to give them electric shocks as well !

Lesson 19 A very dear cat

Kidnappers are rarely interested in Animals, but they recently took considerable interest in Mrs Eleanor Ramsay's cat. Mrs Eleanor Ramsay, a very wealthy old lady, has shared a flat with her cat, Rastus, for a great many years. Rastus leads an orderly life. He usually takes a short walk in the evenings and is always home by seven o'clock. One evening, however, he failed to arrive. Mrs Ramsay got very worried. She looked everywhere for him but could not find him.

Three day after Rastus' disappearance, Mrs Ramsay received an anonymous letter. The writer stated that Rastus was in safe hands and would be returned immediately if Mrs Ramsay paid a ransom of &1000. Mrs Ramsay was instructed to place the money in a cardboard box and to leave it outside her door. At first, she decided to go to the police, but fearing that she would never see Rastus again --the letter had made that quite clear--she changed her mind. She drew &1000 from her bank and followed the kidnapper's instructions. The next morning, the box had disappeared but Mrs Ramsay was sure that the kidnapper would keep his word. Sure enough, Rastus arrived punctually at seven o'clock that evening. He looked very well, though he was rather thirsty, for he drank half a bottle of milk. The police were astounded when Mrs Ramsay told them what she had

done. She explained that Rastus was very dear to her. Considering the amount she paid, he was dear in more ways than one!

Lesson 20 Pioneer pilots

In 1908 Lord Northcliffe offered a prize of &1000 to the first man who would fly across the English Channel. Over a year passed before the first attempt was made. On July 19th, 1909, in the early morning, Hubert Latham took off from the French coast in his plane the 'Antoinette IV'. He

had travelled only seven miles across the Channel when his engine failed and he was forced to land on the sea. The 'Antoinette' floated on the water until Latham was picked up by a ship.

Two days later, Louis Bleriot arrived near Calais with a plane called 'No. XI'. Bleriot had been making planes since 1905 and this was his latest model. A week before, he had completed a successful overland flight during which he covered twenty-six miles. Latham, however did not give up easily. He, too, arrived near Calais on the same day with a new 'Antonette'. It looks as if there would be an exciting race across the Channel. Both planes were going to take off on July 25th, but Latham failed to get up early enough. After making a short test flight at 4.15 a.m., Bleriot set off half an hour later. His great flight lasted thirty seven minutes. When he landed near Dover, the first person to greet him was a local policeman. Latham made another attempt a week later and got within half a mile of Dover, but he was unlucky again. His engine failed and he landed on the sea for the second time.