新概念英语（三）

 

[A Puma at Large]

[00:00.68]Lesson 1

[00:02.36]A puma at large

[00:09.81]Where must the puma have come from?

[00:14.48]Pumas are large, cat-like animals which are found in America.

[00:19.17]When reports came into London Zoo that a wild puma had been spotted forty-five miles south of London,

[00:26.27]they were not taken seriously.

[00:29.15]However, as the evidence began to accumulate,

[00:33.21]experts from the Zoo felt obliged to investigate,

[00:37.15]for the descriptions given by people who claimed to have seen the puma were extraordinarily similar.

[00:43.86]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.

[00:53.61]It immediately ran away when she saw it,

[00:56.49]and experts confirmed that a puma will not attack a human being unless it is cornered.

[01:02.94]The search proved difficult,

[01:05.20]for the puma was often observed at one place in the morning and at another place twenty miles away in the evening.

[01:12.58]Wherever it went, it left behind it a trail of dead deer and small animals like rabbits.

[01:19.38]Paw prints were seen in a number of places and puma fur was found clinging to bushes.

[01:25.39]Several people complained of 'cat-like noises' at night and a businessman on a fishing trip saw the puma up a tree.

[01:34.26]The experts were now fully convinced that the animal was a puma,

[01:38.72]but where had it come from?

[01:41.27]As no pumas had been reported missing from any zoo in the country,

[01:45.55]this one must have been in the possession of a private collector and somehow managed to escape.

[01:52.16]The hunt went on for several weeks,

[01:54.18]but the puma was not caught.

[01:57.42]It is disturbing to think that a dangerous wild animal is still at large in the quiet countryside.

 

 

[Thirteen Equals One]

[00:00.29]Lesson 2

[00:02.18]Thirteen equals one

[00:10.10]Was the vicar pleased that the clock was striking? Why?

[00:16.63]Our vicar is always raising money for one cause or another,

[00:20.87]but he has never managed to get enough money to have the church clock repaired.

[00:26.49]The big clock which used to strike the hours day and night was damaged many years ago and has been silent ever since.

[00:36.38]One night, however, our vicar woke up with a start:the clock was striking the hours!

[00:43.48]Looking at his watch, he saw that it was one o'clock,

[00:47.38]but the bell struck thirteen times before it stopped.

[00:51.91]Armed with a torch, the vicar went up into the clock tower to see what was going on.

[00:58.03]In the torchlight, he caught sight of a figure whom he immediately recognized as Bill Wilkins, our local grocer.

[01:06.24]'Whatever are you doing up here Bill?' asked the vicar in surprise.

[01:11.57]'I'm trying to repair the bell, ' answered Bill.

[01:15.23]'I've been coming up here night after night for weeks now.

[01:18.64]You see, I was hoping to give you a surprise.'

[01:22.40]'You certainly did give me a surprise!' said the vicar.

[01:25.82]'You've probably woken up everyone in the village as well.

[01:29.51]Still, I'm glad the bell is working again.'

[01:33.01]'That's the trouble, vicar, 'answered Bill. 'It's working all right,

[01:38.07]but I'm afraid that at one o'clock it will strike thirteen times and there's nothing I can do about it.'

[01:45.01]'We'll get used to that, Bill, 'said the vicar.

[01:48.05]'Thirteen is not as good as one, but it's better than nothing.

[01:52.95]Now let's go downstairs and have a cup of tea.'

 

 

 

 

[An Unknown Goddess]

[00:00.95]Lesson 3

[00:02.34]An unknown goddess

[00:10.64]How did the archaeologists know that the statue was a goddess?

[00:16.23]Some time ago, an interesting discovery was made by archaeologists on the Aegean island of Kea.

[00:24.33]An American team explored a temple which stands in an ancient city on the promontory of Ayia Irini.

[00:32.71]The city at one time must have been prosperous, for it enjoyed a high level of civilization.

[00:38.98]Houses -- often three storeys high -- were built of stone.

[00:44.07]They had large rooms with beautifully decorated walls.

[00:48.39]The city was even equipped with a drainage system, for a great many clay pipes were found beneath the narrow streets.

[00:57.46]The temple which the archaeologists explored was used as a place of worship from the fifteenth century B.C. until Roman times.

[01:07.15]In the most sacred room of the temple, clay fragments of fifteen statues were found.

[01:14.21]Each of these represented a goddess and had, at one time, been painted.

[01:20.18]The body of one statue was found among remains dating from the 15th century B.C.

[01:27.02]Its missing head happened to be among remains of the fifth century B.C.

[01:32.80]This head must have been found in Classical times and carefully preserved.

[01:37.84]It was very old and precious even then.

[01:41.87]When the archaeologists reconstructed the fragments, they were amazed to find that the goddess turned out to be a very modern-looking woman.

[01:51.07]She stood three feet high and her hands rested on her hips.

[01:55.76]She was wearing a full-length skirt which swept the ground.

[01:59.95]Despite her great age, she was very graceful indeed, but, so far, the archaeologists have been unable to discover her identity.

 

 

[The Double Life of Alfred Bloggs]

[00:00.78]Lesson 4

[00:02.44]The double life of Alfred Bloggs

[00:11.34]Why did Alf want a white-collar job?

[00:16.83]These days, people who do manual work often receive far more money than people who work in offices.

[00:24.76]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.

[00:36.74]Such is human nature, that a great many people are often willing to sacrifice higher pay for the privilege of becoming white-collar workers.

[00:48.19]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.

[01:00.78]When he got married, Alf was too embarrassed to say anything to his wife about his job.

[01:07.63]He simply told her that he worked for the Corporation.

[01:11.57]Every morning, he left home dressed in a smart black suit.

[01:16.45]He then changed into overalls and spent the next eight hours as a dustman.

[01:22.90]Before returning home at night, he took a shower and changed back into his suit.

[01:29.02]Alf did this for over two years and his fellow dustmen kept his secret.

[01:35.66]Alf's wife has never discovered that she married a dustman and she never will, for Alf has just found another job.

[01:44.47]He will soon be working in an office.

[01:47.61]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.

[01:57.05]From now on, he will wear a suit all day and others will call him 'Mr.Bloggs', not 'Alf'.

 

 

[ti:The Facts]

[00:00.67]Lesson 5

[00:02.12]The facts

[00:08.68]What was the consequence of the editor's insistence on facts and statistics?

[00:16.65]Editors of newspapers and magazines often go to extremes to provide their readers with unimportant facts and statistics.

[00:25.01]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.

[00:35.09]When the article arrived, the editor read the first sentence and then refused to publish it.

[00:42.43]The article began:'Hundreds of steps lead to the high wall which surrounds the president's palace.'

[00:50.24]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.

[01:01.28]The journalist immediately set out to obtain these important facts, but he took a long time to send them.

[01:08.66]Meanwhile, the editor was getting impatient, for the magazine would soon go to press.

[01:14.24]He sent the journalist two more faxes, but received no reply.

[01:19.44]He sent yet another fax informing the journalist that if he did not reply soon he would be fired.

[01:26.81]When the journalist again failed to reply,  the editor reluctantly published the article as it had originally been written.

[01:35.61]A week later, the editor at last received a fax from the journalist.

[01:40.98]Not only had the poor man been arrested, but he had been sent to prison as well.

[01:47.19]However, he had at last been allowed to send a fax in which he informed the editor that he had been arrested

[01:55.99]while counting the 1, 084 steps leading to the 15th foot wall which surrounded the president's palace.

 

 

[ti:Smash-and-Grab]

[00:00.42]Lesson 6

[00:02.22]Smash-and-grab

[00:08.70]How did Mr. Taylor try to stop the thieves?

[00:13.91]The expensive shops in a famous arcade near Piccadilly were just opening.

[00:19.86]At this time of the morning, the arcade was almost empty.

[00:24.53]Mr. Taylor, the owner of a jewellery shop was admiring a new window display.

[00:30.92]Two of his assistants had been working busily since 8 o'clock and had only just finished.

[00:38.10]Diamond necklaces and rings had been beautifully arranged on a background of black velvet.

[00:45.36]After gazing at the display for several minutes, Mr. Taylor went back into his shop.

[00:52.13]The silence was suddenly broken when a large car, with its headlights on and its horn blaring, roared down the arcade.

[01:01.86]It came to a stop outside the jeweller's.

[01:05.68]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.

[01:16.82]While this was going on, Mr. Taylor was upstairs.

[01:21.36]He and his staff began throwing furniture out of the window.

[01:26.25]Chairs and tables went flying into the arcade.

[01:30.59]One of the thieves was struck by a heavy statue,

[01:34.21]but he was too busy helping himself to diamonds to notice any pain.

[01:40.36]The raid was all over in three minutes, for the men scrambled back into the car and it moved off at a fantastic speed.

[01:50.19]Just as it was leaving,

[01:52.38]Mr.Taylor rushed out and ran after it throwing ashtrays and vases,

[01:57.86]but it was impossible to stop the thieves.

[02:00.99]They had got away with thousands of pounds worth of diamonds.

 

 

[ti:Mutilated Ladies]

[00:00.24]Lesson 7

[00:01.89]Mutilated Ladies

[00:08.69]Why did Jane cook John's wallet?

[00:12.78]Has it ever happened to you?

[00:15.17]Have you ever put your trousers in the washing machine and then remembered there was a large bank note in your back pocket?

[00:23.29]When you rescued your trousers, did you find the note was whiter than white?

[00:29.10]People who live in Britain needn't despair when they make mistakes like this (and a lot of people do)!

[00:36.62]Fortunately for them, the Bank of England has a team called Mutilated Ladies

[00:42.32]which deals with claims from people who fed their money to a machine or to their dog.

[00:48.62]Dogs, it seems, love to chew up money!

[00:52.94]A recent case concerns Jane Butlin whose fiance, John, runs a successful furniture business.

[01:01.06]John had a very good day and put his wallet containing ￡3, 000 into the microwave oven for safekeeping.

[01:09.99]Then he and Jane went horse-riding.

[01:12.63]When they got home, Jane cooked their dinner in the microwave oven and without realizing it, cooked her fiance's wallet as well.

[01:22.99]Imagine their dismay when they found a beautifully-cooked wallet and notes turned to ash!

[01:31.09]John went to see his bank manager who sent the remains of wallet and the money

[01:36.68]to the special department of the Bank of England in Newcastle: the Mutilated Ladies!

[01:42.82]They examined the remains and John got all his money back.

[01:48.33]'So long as there's something to identify, we will give people their money back,' said a spokeswoman for the Bank.

[01:56.56]'Last year, we paid ￡1.5 million on 21,000 claims.'

 

 

[ti:A Famous Monastery]

[00:00.54]Lesson 8

[00:02.15]A famous monastery

[00:09.49]What are the St.Bernard dogs used for?

[00:15.03]The Great St.Bernard Pass connects Switzerland to Italy.

[00:20.49]At 2,473 metres, it is the highest mountain pass in Europe.

[00:28.15]The famous monastery of St.Bernard,

[00:31.71]which was founded in the eleventh century, lies about a mile away.

[00:36.95]For hundreds of years, St.Bernard dogs have saved the lives of travellers crossing the dangerous Pass.

[00:44.64]These friendly dogs, which were first brought from Asia,

[00:49.20]were used as watchdogs even in Roman times.

[00:53.39]Now that a tunnel has been built through the mountains, the Pass is less dangerous,

[00:58.92]but each year, the dogs are still sent out into the snow whenever a traveller is in difficulty.

[01:06.32]Despite the new tunnel,

[01:07.93]there are still a few people who rashly attempt to cross the Pass on foot.

[01:14.69]During the summer months, the monastery is very busy,

[01:18.30]for it is visited by thousands of people who cross the Pass in cars.

[01:24.01]As there are so many people about, the dogs have to be kept in a special enclosure.

[01:30.32]In winter, however, life at the monastery is quite different.

[01:35.72]The temperature drops to -30 degrees,

[01:38.73]and very few people attempt to cross the Pass.

[01:42.74]The monks prefer winter to summer for they have more privacy.

[01:47.68]The dogs have greater freedom, too,

[01:50.39]for they are allowed to wander outside their enclosure.

[01:53.92]The only regular visitors to the monastery in winter are parties of skiers who go there at Christmas and Easter.

[02:02.36]These young people,

[02:04.34]who love the peace of the mountains,

[02:06.56]always receive a warm welcome at St.Bernard's monastery.

 

 

[ti:Flying Cats]

[00:00.70]Lesson 9

[00:02.62]Flying cats

[00:10.02]How do cats try to protect themselves when falling from great heights?

[00:17.34]Cats never fail to fascinate human beings.

[00:21.77]They can be friendly and affectionate towards humans, but they lead mysterious lives of their own as well.

[00:29.47]They never become submissive like dogs and horses.

[00:33.63]As a result, humans have learned to respect feline independence.

[00:39.36]Most cats remain suspicious of humans all their lives.

[00:43.91]One of the things that fascinates us most about cats is the popular belief that they have nine lives.

[00:51.86]Apparently, there is a good deal of truth in this idea.

[00:57.69]A cat's ability to survive falls is based on fact.

[01:03.18]Recently the New York Animal Medical Centre made a study of 132 cats over a period of five months.

[01:13.00]All these cats had one experience in common: they had fallen off high buildings,

[01:17.88]yet only eight of them died from shock or injuries.

[01:24.07]Of course, New York is the ideal place for such an interesting study, because there is no shortage of tall buildings.

[01:33.79]There are plenty of high-rise windowsills to fall from!

[01:38.48]One cat, Sabrina, fell 32 storeys, yet only suffered from a broken tooth.

[01:46.89]'Cats behave like well-trained paratroopers,' a doctor said.

[01:52.15]It seems that the further cats fall, the less they are likely to injure themselves.

[01:59.16]In a long drop, they reach speeds of 60 miles an hour and more.

[02:05.01]At high speeds, falling cats have time to relax.

[02:09.23]They stretch out their legs like flying squirrels.

[02:13.69]This increases their air-resistance and reduces the shock of impact when they hit the ground.

 

 

[ti:The Loss of the Titanic]

[00:01.14]Lesson 10

[00:02.92]The loss of the Titanic

[00:10.52]What'd have happened if only two of the 16 water-tight compartments had been flooded?

[00:19.25]The great ship, Titanic sailed for New York from Southampton on April 10th, 1912.

[00:27.22]She was carrying 1, 316 passengers and a crew of 891.

[00:35.33]Even by modern standards, the 46, 000 ton Titanic was a colossal ship.

[00:42.72]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.

[00:55.71]Even if two of these were flooded, she would still be able to float.

[01:00.83]The tragic sinking of this great liner will always be remembered, for she went down on her first voyage with heavy loss of life.

[01:11.82]Four days after setting out, while the Titanic was sailing across the icy waters of the North Atlantic,

[01:19.22]a huge iceberg was suddenly spotted by a lookout.

[01:23.88]After the alarm had been given, the great ship turned sharply to avoid a direct collision.

[01:31.18]The Titanic turned just in time, narrowly missing the immense wall of ice which rose over 100 feet out of the water beside her.

[01:42.60]Suddenly, there was a slight trembling sound from below,

[01:47.57]and the captain went down to see what had happened.

[01:51.73]The noise had been so faint that no one thought that the ship had been damaged.

[01:57.36]Below, the captain realized to his horror that the Titanic was sinking rapidly,

[02:03.98]for five of her sixteen watertight compartments had already been flooded!

[02:10.00]The order to abandon ship was given and hundreds of people plunged into the icy water.

[02:17.23]As there were not enough life-boats for everybody, 1, 500 lives were lost.

 

Thank you for attention: Yumo Math and English Practice;