【文章內(nèi)容簡(jiǎn)介】 ll have to pass a special test. The students are going to take the test in two days39。 time. Even so, people are going to find it difficult to get to work. But so far, the public has expressed its gratitude to the students in letters to the Press. Only one or two people have objected that the students will drive too fast! Lesson85 Never too old to learn 活到老學(xué)到老 I have just received a letter from my old school informing me that my former head master, Page, will be retiring next week. Pupils of the school, old and new, will be sending him a present to mark the occasion. All those who have contributed towards the gift will sign their names in a large album which will be sent to the headmaster39。s home. We shall all remember Page for his patience and understanding and for the kindly encouragement he gave us when we went so unwillingly to school. A great many former pupils will be attending a farewell dinner in his next Thursday. It is a curious coincidence that the day before his retirement, Page will have been teaching for a total of forty years. After he has retired, he will devote himself to gardening. For him, this will be an entirely new hobby. But this does not matter, for, as he has often remarked, one is never too old to learn. Lesson86 Out of control 失控 As the man tried to swing the speedboat round, the steeringwheel came away in his hands. He waved desperately to his panion, who had been waterskiing for the last fifteen minutes. Both men had hardly had time to realize what was happening when they were thrown violent1y into the sea. The speedboat had struck a buoy, but it continued to move very quickly across the water. Both men had just begun to swim towards the shore. they noticed with dismay that the speedboat was moving in a circle. It now came straight towards them at tremendous speed. In less than a minute, it roared past them only a few feet away. After it had passed, they swam on as quickly as they could because they knew that the boat would soon return. They had just had enough time to swim out of danger when the boat again pleted a circle. On this occasion, however, it had slowed down considerably. Before long, the noise dropped pletely and the boat began to drift gently across the water. Lesson87 A perfect alibi 極好的不在犯罪現(xiàn)場(chǎng)的證據(jù) 39。At the time the murder was mitted, I was travelling on the o39。clock train to London,39。 said the man. 39。Do you always catch such an early train 39。 asked the inspector. 39。Of course I do,39。 answered the man.39。 I must be at work at o39。clock. My employer will confirm that I was there on time. Would a later train get you to work on time? asked the inspector. 39。I suppose it would, but I never catch a later train.39。 39。At what time did you arrive at the station? eight. I bought a paper and waited for the train.39。 39。And you didn39。t notice anything unusual. I suggest,39。 said the inspector, 39。that you are not telling the truth. I suggest that you did not catch the o39。clock train, but that you caught the which would still get you to work on time. You see, on the morning of the murder, the o39。clock train did not run at all. It broke down at station and was taken off the line.39。 Lesson88 Trapped in a mine 困在礦井里 Six men have been trapped in a mine for seventeen hours. If they are not brought to the surface soon they may lose their lives. However, rescue operations are proving difficult. If explosives are used, vibrations will cause the roof of the mine to collapse. Rescue workers are therefore drilling a hole on the north side of the mine. They intend to bring the men up in a special capsule. If there had not been a hard layer of rock beneath the soil, they would have pleted the job in a few hours. As it is, they have been drilling for sixteen hours and they still have a long way to go. Meanwhile, a microphone, which was lowered into the mine two hours ago, has enabled the men to keep in touch with the closest relatives. Though they are running out of food and drink, the men are cheerful and confident that they will get out soon. They have been told that rescue operations are progressing smoothly. If they knew how difficult it was to drill through the hard rock, they would lose heart. Lesson89 A slip of the tongue 口誤 People will do anything to see a free showeven if it is a bad one. When the news got round that a variety show would be presented at our local cinema by the P. and U. Bird Seed Company, we all rushed to see it. We had to queue for hours to get in and there must have been several hundred people present just before the show began. Unfortunately, the show was one of the dullest we have ever seen. Those who failed to get in need not have felt disappointed as many of the artistes who should have appeared did not e. The only funny things we heard that evening came from the advertiser at the beginning of the. He was obviously very nervous and for some minutes stood awkwardly before the microphone. As soon as he opened his mouth, everyone burst out laughing. We all know what the poor man should have said, but what he actually said was: This is Seed Bird Company. Good ladies, evening and gentlemen!39。 lesson90 for supper ？ 晚餐吃什么？ Though Brazil is one of the richest countries in the world, much of it has not yet been developed. It was mainly for this reason that the Brazilian government decided to have a new city built 600 miles northwest of Rio de Janeiro. Designed by the great architect Costa, the new city, Brasilia, replaced Rio de Janeiro as the capital of in 1960. Brasilia has been carefully planned for modern living. Its wide roads, which can take fourteen lanes of traffic, have been kept away from living areas. Children do not have to cross busy streets to go to school. Housewives can visitshopping on foot, for in these specially designed living areas, cars are unnecessary. At first, the government had great difficulty in persuading people to leave Rio and to settle in Brasilia. Since 1960, however, the population has been growing all the