1、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 birds eggs and asked me whether my collection was growing. He then asked me how my brother was and whether I liked my new job in Lon
2、don. 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 th
3、at he had pulled out the wrong tooth. Lesson49 The end of a dream 美梦告终Tired of sleeping on the floor, a young man in Teheran saved up for years to buy a real bed. For the first time in his life, he became the proud owner of a bed which had springs and a mattress. Because the weather was very hot, he
4、 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
5、 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 agai
6、n.Lesson50 Taken for a ride 乘车兜风I love travelling in the country, but I dont like losing my way. I went on an excursion recently, but my trip took me longer than I expected. Im going to Woodford Green, I said to the conductor as I got on the bus, but I dont know where it is. Ill tell you where to ge
7、t 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. Youll have to get off here, the conductor said. This is as far as we go. Is this
8、 Woodford Green ? I asked. Oh dear, said the conductor suddenly. I forgot to put you off. It doesnt matter, I said. Ill get off here. We are going back now, said the conductor. Well, in that case, I prefer to stay on the bus, I answered.Lesson51 Reward for virtue 对美德的奖赏My friend, Herbert, has always
9、 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 Herbert loves: butter, potatoes, rice, beer, milk, chocolate, and sweets. Yester
10、day I paid him a visit. I rang the bell and was not surprised to see that Herbert 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 pa
11、rcel on the desk. He explained that his diet was so strict that he had to reward himself occasionally. Then he showed me the contents of the parcel. It contained five large bars of chocolate and three bags of sweets! Lesson52 A pretty carpet 漂亮的地毯We have just moved into a new house and I have been w
12、orking 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 ha
13、ve 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
14、 some time then added, You dont need bookcases at all. You can sit here in your spare time and read the carpet! Lesson53 Hot snake 触电的蛇At last firemen have put out a big forest fire in California. Since then, they have been trying to find out how the fire began. Forest fire are often caused by broke
15、n glass or by cigarette ends which people carelessly throw away. Yesterday the firemen examined the ground carefully, but were not able to find any broken glass. They were also quite sure that a cigarette end did not start the fire. This morning, however, a fireman accidentally discovered the cause.
16、 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 wo
17、und itself round the wires. When it did so, it sent sparks down to the ground and these immediately started a fire.Lesson54 Sticky fingers 粘糊的手指After breakfast, I sent the children to school and then I went to market. It was still early when I returned home. The children were at school, my husband w
18、as at work and the house was quiet. So I decided to make some tarts for tea. 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 s
19、ticky fingers and was dismayed when I recognized the voice of Mrs 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 door-knobs. I had no sooner got back to the kitchen than the d
20、oor-bell rang loud enough to wake the dead. This time it was the postman and he wanted me to sign for a registered letter !Lesson55 Not a gold mine 并非金矿Dreams of finding lost treasure almost came true recently. A new machine called The Revealer has been invented and it has been used to detect gold w
21、hich 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 he did not like it. She enjoyed herself making t
22、he assistant bring almost everything in the window before finally buying the dress she had first asked for.Lesson58 A blessing in disguise? 是因祸得福吗？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 in
23、creased. The tree was planted near a 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
24、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 cu
25、tting their names on the tree-trunk. So far, not one of them has been struck down by sudden death!Lesson59 In or out ？ 进来还是出去？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 complai
26、ned 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 ou
27、t ! 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 remo
28、ved the gate and Rex got so annoyed we have not seen him since. Lesson60 The future 卜算未来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 relati
29、on 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 soo
30、n 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
31、fair. Lesson61 Trouble with the Hubble 哈勃望远镜的困境In future, astronauts will be required to descend from a spaceship while it is still in space and to return to it. The ability to do this will be necessary in future flights to distant planets. Scientists are now trying to discover if this is possible.
32、The spaceship Astra which left the earth a short time ago, will be travelling three hundred miles into space. At a certain point, the Astra will stop for a short time and an astronaut will attempt to leave the stationary spaceship and then return to it. We shall not know whether the experiment has b
33、een successful until we have received a radio message. The first message is expected to arrive at 7 oclock this evening. By that time, the Astra will have been flying through space for seventeen hours and will have circled the earth a great many times. When the first radio messages have been receive
34、d, the results of the trip will be announced immediately.Lesson62 After the fire 大火之后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 t
35、he 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 ton
36、s 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 tree
37、s which had been growing there for centuries, patches of green had begun to appear in the blackened soil. Lesson63 She was not amused 她并不觉得好笑Geoffrey Hampden has a large circle of friends and is very popular at parties. Everybody admires him for his fine sense of humor-everybody, that is, except his
38、 six-year-old daughter, Jenny. Recently, one of Geoffreys closest friends asked him to make a speech at a wedding reception. This is the sort of thing that Geoffrey loves. He prepared the speech carefully and went to the wedding with Jenny. He had included a large number of funny stories in the spee
39、ch and, of course, it was a great success. As soon as he had finished, Jenny told him she wanted to go home. Geoffrey 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 hadnt. Geoffrey asked
40、 her why this was so and she told him that she did not like to see so many people laughing at him!Lesson64 The Channel Tunnel 海峡隧道In l858, a French engineer, Aime Thome de Gamond, arrived in England with a plan for a twenty-one mile tunnel across the English Channel. He said that it would be possibl
41、e 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叶县康乐苑老年公寓和老年活动中心项目引 言“最美不过夕阳红，温馨又从容。夕阳是晚开的花，夕阳是陈年的酒，夕阳是迟到的爱，夕阳是未
42、了的情，多少情爱，化作一片夕阳红”！当这动听的歌声在耳畔响起，我们就会想起年迈的父母。父辈养育了我们，创造了财富，操劳了一生，如今他们步入了老年，既需要生活的照料，更需要身心的康宁。作为晚辈，我们用什么方式来赡养老人，让他们安享天伦之乐，感受到社会的关爱和人间的亲情？这是整个社会都应该重视的问题。人生最需要关爱的时期是两头：一是小时候，二是到老年。我国目前是世界上老龄化程度最快的国家，发达国家近百年才出现的人口老龄状态，我国50多年便进入了。这源于改革开放以来人口出生率的下降、经济条件的提高和健康条件的改善等因素。据统计，近60年来，我国平均寿命比建国前增长了近30岁。而目前家庭抚养晚辈与赡养
43、老人的状况，却存在着极大的反差：6个大人围着一个小孩转，赡养老人却力不从心。这在很大程度上不是因为孝心或经济原因，而是因为老年人有多方面的需要。为社会服务几十年，到老年被社会边缘化，深居家中、缺乏交流群体，老后生活无乐，岂不心寒？据统计，全国有1000万70岁以上高龄老人需要照顾。人口学家分析，我国未来相当长一段时期内，其家庭结构是一种1：2：4的倒金字塔式，即两个中年人负担4个老人和1个小孩，这不仅在经济上、尤其是在精力上都会力不从心。因此，条件好、花费少的老年公寓将受到人们的普遍欢迎。随着经济收入的增加，思想观念的更新，心灵慰藉的渴望以及对生活质量的更高追求，也将使越来越多的老年人愿意入住
44、老年公寓。养老从家庭走向社会，将成为一种趋向，不可避免地向我们走来。目前，为老年人服务的机构已逐步发展，在发达城市，有老年公寓、老年住宅，护理院、老年病医院等；乡镇则大多为一般条件的敬老院、养老院，而在中小城镇，不同档次的老年公寓，越来越受到广大老年朋友的青睐，其市场发展前景广阔。老年公寓，是既能体现老年人居住养老，又能享受到社会化服务的新型老年住宅，是由政府机构或社会力量按照市场原则举办和管理，面向有一定经济负担能力的普通老人提供居住服务的社会养老机构。加快老年公寓建设的意义已远不只是满足老年人的生活需求，更重要的是对于减轻年青一代家庭成员的精神压力，构建和谐家庭，促进社会的和谐共融有着积极
45、的作用；对于深入贯彻落实科学发展观，推进社会主义和谐社会建设具有深远的意义。叶县康乐苑老年公寓就是一家社会力量创办的社会养老机构。创办以来，发展迅速，深受欢迎。为加快叶县社会养老事业的发展，扩大经营规模，使更多的老年人入住公寓，该机构拟建老年公寓楼和老年活动中心项目。本报告就该项目建设的可行性作深入研究。- 62 -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
46、-wool. He knew I collected birds eggs 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 toot
47、h had been. I suddenly felt very worried, but could not say anything. When the dentist at last removed the cotton-wool from my mouth, I was able to tell him that he had pulled out the wrong tooth. Lesson49 The end of a dream 美梦告终Tired of sleeping on the floor, a young man in Teheran saved up for yea
48、rs 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
49、 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
