新概念第二册
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 5 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 10 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 5 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 grassseed which would grow quickly. The seed was sprayed over the ground in huge quantities by aeroplanes. The 10 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 5 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 10 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, Aimé Thomé 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 5 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 10 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 adifficult time, but they were most amused .‘Jumbo must weigh a few tons,’said a policemen afterwards, ‘soit 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. I magine 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 be 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 camerunning towards me. It was no use pretending that I had not seenhim, so I waved to him. I never enjoy meeting Nigel Dykes. Henever 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. Assoon 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 pedal hard 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!’
Lesson 70 Red for danger
During a bullfight, a drunk suddenly wandered into the middle of the ring. The crowd began to shout, but the drunk was unaware of the danger. The bull was busy with the matador at the time, but it suddenly caught sight of the drunk who was shouting rude remarks and waving a red cap. Apparently sensitive to criticism, the bull forgot all about the matador and charged at the drunk. The crowd suddenly grew quiet. The drunk, however, seemed quite sure of himself. When the bull got close to him, he clumsily stepped aside to let it pass. The crowd broke into cheers and the drunk bowed. By this time, however, three men had come into the ring and they quickly dragged the drunk to safety. Even the bull seemed to feel sorry for him, for it looked on sympathetically until the drunk was out of the way before once more turning its attention to the matador.