【正文】 Lesson 1 A Puma at large 逃遁的美洲獅 Listen to the tape then answer the question below. 聽錄音，然后回答以下問(wèn)題。 Where must the puma have e from? Pumas are large, catlike animals which are found in America. When reports came into London Zoo that a wild puma had been spotted fortyfive 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 39。a large cat39。 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 plained of catlike noises39。 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 e 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. New words and expressions 生詞和短語(yǔ) Puma n. 美洲獅 spot v. 看出，發(fā)現(xiàn) evidence n. 證據(jù) accumulate v. 積累，積聚 oblige v. 使??感到必須 hunt n. 追獵；尋找 blackberry n. 黑莓 human being 人類 corner v. 使走投無(wú)路，使陷入困境 trail n. 一串，一系 列 print n. 印痕 cling v. 粘 convince v. 使??信服 somehow adv. 不知怎么搞地，不知什么原因 disturb v. 令人不安 參考譯文 美洲獅是一種體形似貓的大動(dòng)物，產(chǎn)于美洲。當(dāng)倫敦動(dòng)物園接到報(bào)告說(shuō)，在倫敦以南45 英里處發(fā)現(xiàn)一只美洲獅時(shí)，這些報(bào)告并沒有受到重視?？墒?，隨著證據(jù)越來(lái)越多，動(dòng)物園的專家們感到有必要進(jìn)行一番調(diào)查，因?yàn)榉彩锹暦Q見到過(guò)美洲獅的人們所描述的情況竟是出奇地相 似。 搜尋美洲獅的工作是從一座小村莊開始的。那里的一位婦女在采摘黑莓時(shí)的看見“一只大貓”，離她僅 5 碼遠(yuǎn)，她剛看見它，它就立刻逃走了。專家證實(shí)，美洲獅非被逼得走投無(wú)路，是決不會(huì)傷人的。事實(shí)上搜尋工作很困難，因?yàn)槌３Ｊ窃绯吭诩椎匕l(fā)現(xiàn)那只美洲獅，晚上卻在 20 英里外的乙地發(fā)現(xiàn)它的蹤跡。無(wú)論它走哪兒，一路上總會(huì)留下一串死鹿及死兔子之類的小動(dòng)物，在許多地方看見爪印，灌木叢中發(fā)現(xiàn)了粘在上面的美洲獅毛。有人抱怨說(shuō)夜里聽見“像貓一樣的叫聲”；一位商人去釣魚，看見那只美洲獅在樹上。專家們?nèi)缃褚呀?jīng)完全肯定那只動(dòng)物就是美洲 獅，但它是從哪兒來(lái)的呢？由于全國(guó)動(dòng)物園沒有一家報(bào)告丟了美洲獅，因此那只美洲獅一定是某位私人收藏豢養(yǎng)的，不知怎么設(shè)法逃出來(lái)了。搜尋工作進(jìn)行了好幾個(gè)星期，但始終未能逮住那只美洲獅。想到在寧?kù)o的鄉(xiāng)村里有一頭危險(xiǎn)的野獸繼續(xù)逍遙流竄，真令人擔(dān)心。 Lesson 2 Thirteen equals one 十三等于一 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 work up with a start: the clock was striking the hours! Looking at his watch, he saw that it was one o39。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. 39。Whatever are you doing up here Bill?39。 asked the vicar in surprise. 39。I39。m trying to repair the bell,39。 answered Bill. 39。I39。ve been ing up here night after night for weeks now. You see, I was hoping to give you a surprise.39。 39。You certainly did give me a surprise!39。 said the vicar. 39。You39。ve probably woken up everyone in the village as well. Still, I39。m glad the bell is working again.39。 That39。s the trouble, vicar,39。 answered Bill. 39。It39。s working all right, but I39。m afraid that at one o39。clock it will strike thirteen times and there39。s nothing I can do about it. We39。ll get used to that, Bill,39。 said the vicar. Thirteen is not as good as one, but it39。s better than nothing. Now let39。s go downstairs and have a cup of tea.39。 New words and expressions 生詞和短語(yǔ) equal v. 等于 vicar n. 牧師 raise v. 募集，籌（款） torchlight n. 電筒光 參考譯文 我們教區(qū)的牧師總是為各種各樣的事籌集資金。但始終未能籌足資金把教堂的鐘修好。教堂的鐘很大，以前不分晝夜打點(diǎn)報(bào)時(shí)，但很多年前遭到毀壞，從此便無(wú)聲無(wú)息了。 一天夜里，我們的牧師突然被驚醒了，大鐘又在“打點(diǎn)”報(bào)時(shí)了！他一看表，才 1 點(diǎn)鐘，可是那鐘 一邊敲了 13 下才停。牧師拿著一支電筒走上鐘樓想去看看究竟發(fā)生了什么事情。借著電筒光。他看見一個(gè)人，馬上認(rèn)出那是本地雜貨店主經(jīng)比爾 .威爾金斯。 “你究竟在這上面干什么，比爾？”牧師驚訝地問(wèn)。 “我想把這口鐘修好，”比爾回答說(shuō)?！昂脦讉€(gè)星期了，我天天夜里到鐘樓上來(lái)。嗯，我是想讓你大吃一驚?！? “你確實(shí)使我大吃了一驚！”牧師說(shuō)，“也許同時(shí)你把村里所有的人都吵醒了。不過(guò)，鐘又能報(bào)時(shí)了，我還是很高興的。” “問(wèn)題就在這里，牧師，”比爾回答說(shuō)?！安诲e(cuò)，鐘能報(bào)時(shí)了，但是，恐怕每到 1 點(diǎn)鐘，它 總要敲 13 下，對(duì)此我已無(wú)能為力了?！? “大家慢慢就習(xí)慣了，比爾，”牧師說(shuō)?！?13 下是不如 1 下好，但總比 1 下也不敲強(qiáng)。來(lái)，咱們下樓去喝杯茶吧?！? Lesson 3 An unknown goddess 無(wú)名女神 Some time ago, and interesting discovery was made by archaeologists on the Aegean 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 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 . until Roman times. In the most sacred room of temple, clay fragments of fifteen statues were found. Each of these represented a goddess and had, at one time, been painted. The body of one statue was found among remains dating from the fifteenth centur y . It39。s missing head happened to be among remains of the fifth century . This head must have been found in Classical times and carefu