18.Chaplin-A Great Master of Humour
幽默大师卓别林
Chaplin was an extraordinary performer who starred in and directed many outstanding comedies. Few were bored watching his moustache, his gestures or his entertaining reactions when chased by detectives. Being drunk, sliding on a banana skin or whispering his own failures to nobody, he made us feel more content with our life without any verbal explanation. His particular sense of humor has astonished everybody throughout the world up to now.
In a small budget film, he played a badly-off and homeless person wearing worn-out shoes and messy clothes. On one occasion, he was trapped by a snowstorm in a vast mountainous area. Though he overcame many difficulties, he wasn’t fortunate enough. With all the porridge eaten up, he picked out a shoe and boiled it to eat. He cut off the leather bottom and chewed it like a pancake. According to an actress, his acting was so convincing and amusing that everybody couldn’t help bursting into laughter.
卓别林是一名非凡的演员，他主演并导演了多部杰出的喜剧。看见他可笑的小胡子、滑稽的手势动作，还有面对警探的追捕时有趣的反应，很少有人会觉得厌烦。喝醉酒啦，踩到香蕉皮滑倒啦，或者自言自语（低语）自己的糗事啦，他无需任何语言解释的表演总是使我们对自己的生活感到更加满意。他独特的幽默感直到现在依然使世界各地的人们都感到惊讶。
在一部小预算的电影里，他穿着磨破的鞋子和脏兮兮的衣服，扮演了一名贫穷又无家可归的人。在一幕场景中，他被一场暴风雪困在一片多山的区里。尽管他克服了许多困难，但是他还是运气不好的。粥都吃完了，他只好挑出一只鞋子煮来吃。他切下皮革的鞋底，像烙饼一样地咀嚼起来。据一名女演员所说，他的表演是如此地令人信服而又逗人发笑的，以致在场的所有人都忍不住大笑起来。
16.A Woman Doctor-Lina
女医生丽娜
Born in a pigs’ nest, Lina led
a poor life in her childhood. She was looked down upon by the children of her
generation. But she intended to become a doctor after she came across Lin
Qiaozhi by chance, who was delivering medical courses to an audience crowding
around her. Before moving off, Lin inspired her to carry on her study. With
Lin’s support, Lina entered an institute and studied hard sparing no time for
entertainment. Her being outspoken and modest won respect for her. Her
excellent arguing skills and observation ability put others into the shade.
Now, Lina has become a
specialist in human beings’ emergency sickness. Her kindness and considerate
behavior to the poor were well known. The organization she founded carried out
campaigns and welfare projects to help cut the death rate for the poor. Her job
was hard but worthwhile. She often refers to the connection between her
achievement and Lin Qiaozhi, and says that her poor childhood is the bond
between her and the poor.
丽娜出生在猪圈里，童年过着贫穷的生活，被和她同辈的孩子看不起。但是在她偶然遇见了林巧芝之后却打定注意想要成为一名医生，当时林巧芝正在给拥挤在她身边的观众传授医疗课程，在离开之前，林巧芝鼓舞她继续坚持学习。在林的支持下，丽娜进入了一所学院。她努力学习，毫不浪费时间玩闹娱乐。她的坦诚和谦虚为她赢得了尊敬，她优秀的辩论技巧和观察能力使其他的人都黯然失色。
现在，丽娜已经成为一名人类紧急病症专家。她对穷人的好心和考虑周到的一举一动都众所周知，她建立的组织开展各种活动和福利项目来为穷人减少死亡率。她的工作艰苦却很值得。她常常提到她的成就和林巧芝之间的联系，还总是说她贫穷的童年就是她与穷人之间的纽带。
14.Explore MKII
探测MKII行星
MKII, a planet billions
of kilometers away, is the origin of life in many religions. Physicists have
proved the theory that its gentle climate and the pull of its gravity are
similar to the earth’s. And astronomers have found that oxygen atoms and carbon
dioxide, which are fundamental to life, exist in its atmosphere through
satellites. Cheered up by this news, biologists, in their turn, began to do some
research to remove people’s puzzles—Now that there are some suitable
conditions, does life really exist on this globe? Do they multiply by laying
eggs or giving birth to babies?
Last month, a spaceship
was sent there. It’s a pity that this mission failed. Unlike the earth, MKII is
a much younger planet. Thus, masses of harmful acid clouds float everywhere
causing violent chain reactions to break out. These clouds not only blocked out
the pilots’ sight but also damaged the engine system. Luckily, the pilots
watched out carefully and prevented the spaceship from crashing in time.
MK二号是一颗几十亿公里外的行星，它在许多宗教里都是生命起源的地方。物理学家已经证明了它温和的气候和重力的牵引都和地球相似的理论；天文学家也通过卫星，在它的大气层里发现了氧原子和二氧化碳的存在，这些都是对生命来说，都是基本的。受到这一消息的鼓舞，生物学家们接着开始了研究以解开人们的迷惑——既然有了适合的条件，生命真的存在于这个星球吗？他们是通过下蛋，还是产仔来繁殖后代的呢？
上个月，一艘太空飞船被派到了那儿。可惜的是，这次任务失败了。不像地球，MK二号是一颗年轻得多的行星。因此，大团大团的有害酸云到处漂浮，引起猛烈的连锁反应的爆发。这些云团不仅阻挡了飞行员的视线，而且还损坏了发动机系统。幸运的是，飞行员小心注意，才及时阻止了飞船的坠毁。
14.Explore MKII
探测MKII行星
MKII, a planet billions
of kilometers away, is the origin of life in many religions. Physicists have
proved the theory that its gentle climate and the pull of its gravity are
similar to the earth’s. And astronomers have found that oxygen atoms and carbon
dioxide, which are fundamental to life, exist in its atmosphere through
satellites. Cheered up by this news, biologists, in their turn, began to do some
research to remove people’s puzzles—Now that there are some suitable
conditions, does life really exist on this globe? Do they multiply by laying
eggs or giving birth to babies?
Last month, a spaceship
was sent there. It’s a pity that this mission failed. Unlike the earth, MKII is
a much younger planet. Thus, masses of harmful acid clouds float everywhere
causing violent chain reactions to break out. These clouds not only blocked out
the pilots’ sight but also damaged the engine system. Luckily, the pilots
watched out carefully and prevented the spaceship from crashing in time.
MK二号是一颗几十亿公里外的行星，它在许多宗教里都是生命起源的地方。物理学家已经证明了它温和的气候和重力的牵引都和地球相似的理论；天文学家也通过卫星，在它的大气层里发现了氧原子和二氧化碳的存在，这些都是对生命来说，都是基本的。受到这一消息的鼓舞，生物学家们接着开始了研究以解开人们的迷惑——既然有了适合的条件，生命真的存在于这个星球吗？他们是通过下蛋，还是产仔来繁殖后代的呢？
上个月，一艘太空飞船被派到了那儿。可惜的是，这次任务失败了。不像地球，MK二号是一颗年轻得多的行星。因此，大团大团的有害酸云到处漂浮，引起猛烈的连锁反应的爆发。这些云团不仅阻挡了飞行员的视线，而且还损坏了发动机系统。幸运的是，飞行员小心注意，才及时阻止了飞船的坠毁。
12.Balanced Diet
平衡膳食
Wang Peng earned his living by running a barbecue
restaurant, which served delicious bacon, fried chicken breast and mutton
roasted with pepper and garlic. But his food and discount attracted fewer and
fewer customers. Finally, he was in debt. Yong Hui’s slimming restaurant served
fresh peas, carrots, eggplants, and raw cucumbers with vinegar. As the hostess,
she said fibres benefited customers' digestion the most. In order not to let
Yong Hui get away with telling lies, Wang Peng spied on Yong Hui despite her
glare. But he was surprised that she was losing her customers, too.
Curiosity drove Wang Peng to consult an
expert. The expert sighed and said, “Both of your menus have weakness and
limited strength. Your customers put on weight too easily, while Yong Hui’s
lose weight too quickly. So, Wang Peng, cut down the fat of your food and
increase vegetables and fruits, like nuts, beans, mushrooms, peaches and
lemons. You ought to combine the two menus and provide a balanced diet.”
Before long, Wang Peng won his customers
back.
王鹏经营一家烧烤餐厅来谋生，他的餐厅供应美味的腊肉、油炸的鸡胸，还有用辣椒和大蒜一起烤制的羊肉。但是，他的食物和折扣吸引的顾客越来越少，最后是他负债累累。永慧的减肥餐厅供应的是新鲜的豌豆、红萝卜、茄子和醋腌的生黄瓜。作为老板娘（女主人），她总是说食物纤维才最有利于顾客的消化。为了不让永慧说了谎不受惩罚，王鹏不顾她的怒视，前去探查个究竟。但是让他惊奇的是，永慧的顾客也在严重地流失。
好奇心驱使王鹏去咨询专家。那位专家叹息着说：“你们俩的菜单都缺点明显、优点有限。你的顾客很容易就发胖，而永慧的顾客体重却减轻得太快。所以嘛，王鹏，你要减少你的食物中的脂肪含量，增加蔬菜和水果，例如坚果、豆类、蘑菇、桃子和柠檬之类。你应该把两份菜单结合起来，给顾客提供平衡的膳食。”不久，王鹏就赢回了他的顾客。
10.My First Band
我的第一支乐队
I was very sensitive to music. Just dipping into
the music books briefly, I could sing or play well. To be honest, I always
dreamt of becoming a famous folk actor. I was so confident that I never
decreased my devotion.
I formed my first band called “Rolling Frog”. At
the beginning, we relied on performing on instruments in pubs or to passers –by
to earn extra money in cash. Then we wore false beards to pretend to be the
musicians whom people were familiar with. In addition, we attached humorous
acts to our performances and played jokes on each other. Soon, our “funny jazz”
became famous and invitations to perform for broadcast stations began to come.
Afterwards, we sorted out attractive music and made a record in a studio. A
million or so copies were sold and we became millionaires.
It was painful that the band broke up
finally. But above all, I realized my dream to be a musician.
我对音乐很敏感，只要简要地浏览一下乐谱，我就能演唱或演奏得很好。说实话，我一直都梦想着能成为出名的民间演员，自信的我从未减少过热爱。
我组成的第一支乐队叫做“摇滚蛙”。开始，我们依靠在酒吧里或向路人表演乐器来挣些零花的现金。然后我们带上假胡子假扮人们熟悉的音乐家，除此之外，我们在表演中加上幽默的动作，互相开着玩笑。很快，我们的“滑稽爵士乐”出了名，到广播电台表演的邀请开始多起来。随后，我们把我们吸引人的音乐做了分类，在一间音乐工作室录制了1张唱片，大约卖出了100万张，这使我们都成了百万富翁。
乐队最终的解散让我很心痛，但最重要的是，我实现了自己当音乐家的梦想。
10.My First Band
我的第一支乐队
I was very sensitive to music. Just dipping into
the music books briefly, I could sing or play well. To be honest, I always
dreamt of becoming a famous folk actor. I was so confident that I never
decreased my devotion.
I formed my first band called “Rolling Frog”. At
the beginning, we relied on performing on instruments in pubs or to passers –by
to earn extra money in cash. Then we wore false beards to pretend to be the
musicians whom people were familiar with. In addition, we attached humorous
acts to our performances and played jokes on each other. Soon, our “funny jazz”
became famous and invitations to perform for broadcast stations began to come.
Afterwards, we sorted out attractive music and made a record in a studio. A
million or so copies were sold and we became millionaires.
It was painful that the band broke up
finally. But above all, I realized my dream to be a musician.
我对音乐很敏感，只要简要地浏览一下乐谱，我就能演唱或演奏得很好。说实话，我一直都梦想着能成为出名的民间演员，自信的我从未减少过热爱。
我组成的第一支乐队叫做“摇滚蛙”。开始，我们依靠在酒吧里或向路人表演乐器来挣些零花的现金。然后我们带上假胡子假扮人们熟悉的音乐家，除此之外，我们在表演中加上幽默的动作，互相开着玩笑。很快，我们的“滑稽爵士乐”出了名，到广播电台表演的邀请开始多起来。随后，我们把我们吸引人的音乐做了分类，在一间音乐工作室录制了1张唱片，大约卖出了100万张，这使我们都成了百万富翁。
乐队最终的解散让我很心痛，但最重要的是，我实现了自己当音乐家的梦想。
8.Computers
电脑
The goal of early
calculating machines was to simplify difficult sums. But with the help of new
technology, electronic chips replaced tubes and a revolution of artificial
intelligence has arisen. From then on, the appearance of computers totally
changed our lives. They can not only download information from the wet when
connected by the network or mobile phone signals, but also solve different
types of logical problems. With operators as their coaches, they can even
control rockets to explore the moon and instruct androids with the human race’s
characters to mop floors and watch over your naughty niece. Anyhow, computers
are so helpful that they do bring happiness.
However,
computers are easily attacked by viruses. This reality has become a
hard-to-deal with-problem. As a result, computers are dangerous in a way. So,
personally, I worry about their universal applications in some fields, such as
finance.
早期计算机器的目的是简化比较难的计算。但是在新技术的帮助下，电子芯片代替了电子管，一场人工智能革命由此掀起。从那时起，电脑的出现完全改变了我们的生活，它们不仅能在网络或移动电话信号的连接下从网上下载信息，而且可以解决各种类型的逻辑问题。在操作员的教练下，它们甚至还可以控制火箭探索月球，指导具有人类性格的机器人擦洗地板和照顾你调皮的侄女。不管怎么说，电脑都是如此的有用，以致的确给人们带来了快乐。
然而，电脑很容易受到病毒的攻击，这一现实已经成为一个难以处理的难题，结果，电脑在某种程度上是很危险的。因此，就个人而言，我很担心电脑在某些领域，例如金融方面的广泛应用。
6.A Brave Maid
勇敢的女仆
A wooden vase from the
Ming Dynasty at the entrance of the reception hall amazed everyone. The artists
designed it in a rare style and selected valuable jewels to decorate it. People
thought highly of its fancy colour of honey and the beautiful paintings on it.
The vase used to belong
to a former castle. But when the country was at war, the enemy troops exploded
the castle. Debates on how the vase survived went on and on. In order to remove
people’s doubt, a team of no less than 20 people carried out an informal
investigation. The evidences they found showed that a maid took the vase apart
and asked a sailor to sink it in a local well. She never gave away the secret
even under the cruel trial of the enemies who were in search of treasures.
It is worth giving this
brave maid a fortune in return.
接待大厅入口处的明朝木制花瓶使每个人都惊奇不已。艺术家以一种罕有的风格设计它，并挑选了贵重的珠宝装饰它。人们高度赞赏它那蜂蜜般的奇特颜色，还有上面绘制的绘画。
这个花瓶曾经属于一座从前的城堡，但在战争期间，敌人的军队炸毁了城堡，于是关于这个花瓶是如何幸存下来的争论就一直在持续着。为了解开人们的疑问，一个由不少于20人的调查队开展了一次非正式的调查。他们找到的证据表明，有个女仆把花瓶拆开，然后让一名水手把它沉到当地的一个水井里。她从来没有泄露这个秘密，即使是在搜寻财宝的敌人残酷的审讯下。
这位女仆真是值得给予一大笔钱作为对她的回报。
4.A Horrible Earthquake
10.My First Band
我的第一支乐队
I was very sensitive to music. Just dipping into
the music books briefly, I could sing or play well. To be honest, I always
dreamt of becoming a famous folk actor. I was so confident that I never
decreased my devotion.
I formed my first band called “Rolling Frog”. At
the beginning, we relied on performing on instruments in pubs or to passers –by
to earn extra money in cash. Then we wore false beards to pretend to be the
musicians whom people were familiar with. In addition, we attached humorous
acts to our performances and played jokes on each other. Soon, our “funny jazz”
became famous and invitations to perform for broadcast stations began to come.
Afterwards, we sorted out attractive music and made a record in a studio. A
million or so copies were sold and we became millionaires.
It was painful that the band broke up
finally. But above all, I realized my dream to be a musician.
我对音乐很敏感，只要简要地浏览一下乐谱，我就能演唱或演奏得很好。说实话，我一直都梦想着能成为出名的民间演员，自信的我从未减少过热爱。
我组成的第一支乐队叫做“摇滚蛙”。开始，我们依靠在酒吧里或向路人表演乐器来挣些零花的现金。然后我们带上假胡子假扮人们熟悉的音乐家，除此之外，我们在表演中加上幽默的动作，互相开着玩笑。很快，我们的“滑稽爵士乐”出了名，到广播电台表演的邀请开始多起来。随后，我们把我们吸引人的音乐做了分类，在一间音乐工作室录制了1张唱片，大约卖出了100万张，这使我们都成了百万富翁。
乐队最终的解散让我很心痛，但最重要的是，我实现了自己当音乐家的梦想。
可怕的地震
Dirty water rose in wells and canals before the
earthquake. But no one judged that an earthquake was coming. Suddenly,
everything shook. It seemed as if the world was at an end. Millions of brick
houses and a number of dams were destroyed. Railway tracks became useless bars.
Pipes in mines burst and let out smelly steam. Huge cracks trapped cyclists
everywhere.
The next day, this event was the headline or main title
of all newspapers. With the reporters giving an outline of the disaster, the
whole nation was shocked by the damage and the victim’s extreme suffering.
People were moved when they read that the survivors comforted each other by
saying “Congratulations! You survived!”. So they not only expressed their
sympathy sincerely, but also organized together to help the victims right away.
The injured were rescued and the dead were buried. The frightened survivors
were dug out from under the ruins and were offered shelter, fresh water and
electricity. Thanks to people’s help, the loss was minimized.
地震前，水井和运河里的污水都涨涌起来。但是却没人判断出地震即将来临。霎那间，一切都在摇晃，似乎整个世界就要结束。数以百万的砖房和许多水坝遭到破坏；铁路轨道都变成无用的铁条；煤矿管道纷纷爆裂，发出有臭味的蒸汽；到处都有骑车的人被巨大的裂缝陷住。
第二天，所有报纸都纷纷以大字标题或主要标题报道了这一事件。记者们描述了灾难的大概情况，全国都被地震的破坏和灾民们极度的苦难所震惊。当人们读到幸存者以“恭喜啊，你还活着。”
来互相安慰时，都被感动了。人们不仅衷心地表达了他们的同情，而且还立刻组织起来帮助灾民。伤员被救助了，死者被埋葬了，吓坏的幸存者被从废墟中挖出来了，栖身处、净水和电力也很快得到提供。多亏了人们的帮助，灾区的损失被减到了最小。
2. Different Countries Have Different
Kinds of Englishes
不同的国家有不同的英语
Voyages of people from Englandplay an important part in
spreading the English language. At present, English is frequently spoken as an
official or common language in many countries, such asAmerica,Singapore,
Malaysia
and some African countries. All based on British English, the English spoken in
these countries can be well understood by native English speakers. But
actually, these Englishes have been gradually changing in accents, spellings,
expressions and the usage of vocabulary.
Because of this fact, you can make use of the
differences to tell which country the foreigners of your block are from. For
example, if a boss fluently commands his driver, “Come up straight to my
apartment by elevator and take some gas for my trucks and cabs”, instead of
requesting, “Please come to my flat by lift and take some petrol for my lorries
and taxis”, you can recognize his American identity, while the latter suggests
that he is British.
英国人的航海在英语的传播中扮演了重要的角色。目前，英语在许多国家被作为官方语言或通用语言频繁地使用，例如美国、新加波、马来西亚和一些非洲的国家。这些国家的英语都以英式英语为基础，能很好地为以英语为本族语的人所理解。但是实际上，这些英语在口音、拼写、表达和词汇的使用方面都在逐渐变化。
因为这一情况的存在，你就可以利用这些英语之间的区别说出你们街区的外国人是哪个国家来的了。例如，如果有个老板流利地命令他的司机：“Come up straight to my apartment by elevator and take some gas for
my trucks and cabs（直接搭电梯到我公寓上来拿卡车和出租车的汽油）”，而不是要求说，“Please
come to my flat by lift and take some petrol for my lorries and taxis（请直接搭电梯到我公寓上来拿卡车和出租车的汽油）”，你就可以轻易地辨认出他的美国人身份，而后者却暗示着那是一位英国人。（请注意：听力录音里第二段两个“电梯”的单词跟原文不一致，原文是对的，录音弄错了，elevator才是美式说法而lift是英式说法。
