"Have you anything to declare?" he asked, looking me in the eye.
"No", I answered confidently.
"Would you mind unlocking this suitcase please?"
"Not at all", I answered.
The officer went through the case with great care. All the things I had packed so carefully had soon in a dreadful mess. I felt sure that I would never be able to close that suitcase again. Suddenly, I saw the officer's face light up. He had spotted a tiny bottle at the bottom of my suitcase and he pounced on it with delight.
"Perfume, eh", he asked sarcastically. "You should have declared that, perfume is not exempt from from import duty."
"But it isn't perfume."I said,"it's hair gel"than I added with a smile, "it's a strange mixture I made myself."
As i expected, he didn't believe me.
"Try it", I said encouragingly.
The officer unscrewed the cap and put the bottle to his nostrils. He was greeted by an unpleasant smell witch convinced him that I was telling the truth. A few minutes later, I was able to hurry away with precious chalk marks on my baggage.
Lesson 13
It's only me
What did the man expect to find under the stairs?
After her husband has gone to work, Mrs Richards sent her children to school, and went upstairs to her bedroom. She was to exited to do any housework that morning, for in the evening she would be going to a fancy dress party with her husband. She intended to dress up as a ghost and as she had made her costume the night before, she was impatient to try it on. Though the costume consisted only of a sheet, it was very effective. After putting it on, Mrs Richarts went downstairs. She wanted to find out whether it would be comfortable to wear.
Just as Mrs Richarts was entering the dining room, there was a knock on the front door, she knew that it must be the baker. She had told him to come stright in if ever she fail to open the door and to leave the bread on the kichen table. Not wanting to frighten the poor man, Mrs Richards quikly hid in the small storeroom under the stairs. She heard the front door open and heavy footsteps in the hall. Suddenly the door of the storeroom was opened and a man entered. Mrs Richards realized that it must be the man from the Electicity Board who had come to read the meter. She tried to explain the situiation, saying "it's only me", but it was to late. The man let out cry and jumped back several paces. When Mrs Richards walked towards him, he fled, slamming the door behind him.
Lesson 14
A noble ganster
How did Halkwook make money in times of peace?
There was a time when the owners of shops and businesses in Chicargo had to pay large sums of money to gansters in return for "protection". If the money wasn't paid promptly,
the ganster would quikly put a man out of business by destroying his shop, obtaining protection money is not a modern crime, as long ago as the 14th century, an Englishman Sir John Halkwood made the remarkable discovery that people would rather pay large sums of money than have their lives' work distroyed by gansters.
600 years ago, Sir John Halkwood arrived in Italy with a band of soldiers and settled near Florence. He soon made a name for himself and came to be known to the Italians as Giovanni Acuto. Whenever the Italian city states were at war with each other, Halkwood used to hired his soldiers to princes who were willing to pay the high price he demonded. In times of peace, when business was bad, Halkwood and his men would march into a city state and after burning down a few farms would offer to go away if protection money was paid to them. Halkwood made large sums of money in this way. In spite of this, Italians regarded him as a sort of hero. When he died at the age of 80, The Florentinse gave him a state funeral and had a piture painted which was dedicated to the memory of the most valiant soldier and most notable leader, Signor Giovanni Haukodue.
Busy busy weekend!
Lesson 15
Fifty pence worth of trouble
Did George get anything from his fift pence? What?
CHilgren always appreciate small gifts of money. Mom or Dad, of course, provide a regular supply of pocket money, but uncles and aunts are always a source of extra income. With very small sums go a long way. If fifty pence pieces are not exchanged for sweets, They rattle for months inside their money boxes. Only very thrifty children manage to fill up a money box. For most of them, fifty pence is a small price to pay a big bar of chocolate.
My nephew, George, has a money box but it's always empty. Very few of the fifty pence peces and pound coins I have given him have found their way there. I give him fifty pence yesterday and advised him to save it. Instead , he bught himself fifty pence worth of trouble. On his way to the sweet shop, he dropped his fifty pence and it bounced along the pavement and then disappeared down a drain. George took off his jacket, rolled up his sleeves and pushed his right arm through the drain cover. He could nor find his fifty pence piece anywhere, and what's more, he could nor get his arm out. A crowd of people gathered around him and a lady rubbed his arm with soap and butter, but George's arm was firmly stuck. The fire brigade was called and two firefighters greed George with a special type of grease. George was not too upset by his experence because the lady who owns the sweet shop heard about his troubles and rewarded him with a large bar of chocolate.
Lesson 16
Mary had a little lamb
Was Dimitri right to apolegize to his neighbor? Why not?
Mary and her husband Dimitri lived in a tiny villige og Perachora in southern Greece. One of Mary's prize possession was a little white lamb which her husband had given her. She kept it tied to a tree in a field during the day and went to fetch it every evening. One evening, however, the lamb was missing. The rope had been cut, so it was obvious that the lamb had been stolen.
When Dimitri came in from the fields. His wife told him what had happened, Dimitri at once set out to find the thief. He knew it would not prove difficult in such a small villige. After telling several of his friends about the theft, Dimitri found out that his neighbor, Aleko had suddenly acquired a new lamb. Dimitri immediately went to Aleko's house and angrily accused him of stealing the lamb. He told him he had better return it or he would call the police. Aleko denied taking it and led Dimitri into his back yard. It was true that he has just bought a lamb, he explained, but his lamb was black. Ashamed of having actded so rashly, Dimitri apologized to Aleko for having accused him. While they were taking, it began to rain, and Dimitri stayed in Aleko's house untill the rain stopped. When he went outside half an hour later, he was astonished to find that the little black lamb was almost white. Its wool, which had been dyed black, had been washed clean by the rain.
Lesson 17
The longest suspension bridge in the world
How is the bridge supported?
Verrazano, an Italian about whom little is known, sailed into New York Harbour in 1524 and named it Angou. He described it as a very agreeable situation located within two small hills in midst of which flowed a great river. Though Verrazano is by no means considered to be a great explorer, hia name will probably remain immortal, for on November 21st, 1964, The longeat suspension bridge was named after him.
本帖最后由 andyandjasmine 于 2014-6-7 15:16 编辑
The Verrazano bridge, which was desighed by Othmar Ammann, joined Brooklyn to Staten Island. It has a span of 4,260 feet.
The bridge is so long, that the shape of the Earth had to be taken into acount by its designer. Two great towers support two huge cables. The towers are built on immense under water platforms made of steel and concrete. The plarforms extend to a depth of over 100 feet under the sea. These alone took 16 months to build. Above the surface of the water, the towers rise to a height of nearly 700 feet. They support the cables from which the bridge has been suspended. Each of the four cables contains 26,108 lengh of wire It has been estimated that if the bridge were packed with cars, it would only still be carrying a third of its total capacity. However, size and strengh are not the only inportant things about this bridge. Despite its ammensity, It is both simple and elegant, fullfilling its designer's dream to create a enormous object drawn as faintly as possibly.
Lesson 18
Electric currents in modern art
How might some of the exhibits have been dangerous?
Modern sculpture rarely surprises us anymore. The idea that modern art can only be seen in museums is mistaken. Even people who take no interest in art cannot have failed to notice the examples of modern sculpture on display in public places. Strange forms stand in gardens, and outside buildings and shops we have got quite use to them. Some so called"modern pieces " have been on display for nearly eighty years.
In spite of this, some people--including myself--were surprised by a recent exhibition of modern sculpture. The first thing I saw when I entered the art gallery was a notice which said:"Do not touch the exhibits. Some of them are dangerous!" The objects on display were pieces of moving sculpture. Oddly shaped forms that are suspended from the ceiling and move in response to a gust of wind are quite familiar to everybody.
These objects, however, were different. Lined up against the wall, there were long thin wires attached to metal spheres. The spheres had been magnetized and attracked or repelled each other all the time. In the centreof the hall, there were a number of tall structures whichcontained coloured lights. These lights flickered continuously like traffic lights which have gone mad. Spark were emmited from small black boxes and red lamps flashed on and off angrily. It was rather like an exhibition of prehistorical electric equipment. These peculiar forms not only seem, seemed desighed to shock people emotionally, but to give them electric shocks as well.
Lesson 19
A very dear cat
Why was Rastus more dear in more ways than way?
Kidnappers are rarely interested in animals, but they recently took considerable interest on Mrs.Eleanor Ramsay's cat. Mrs Eleaner Ramsay, a very wealthy old lady, has shared a flat with her cat, Rastus for a great many years. Rastus leads a orderly life. He usually takes a shot walk in the evening and is always home by seven o' clock. One evening however, he failed to arrive. Mrs Ramsay got very worried, she find everywhere for him but could not find him.
3 days after Rastus's disappearance, Mrs Ramsay received an anonymous letter, the writer stated that Rastus was in safe hands. It would be returned immediately if Mrs Ramsay paid a ransom of $1000. Mrs Ramsay was instructed to place the money in a cardboard box and to leave it outside her door. At first, she decided to go to the police, but fearing that she would never see Rastus again. The letter had made that quite clear. She changed her mind. She withdrew $1000 from her bank and followed the kidnapper
s instructions The next morning, the box had disappeared, but Mrs Ramsay was sure that the kidnapper would keep his word. Sure enough, Rastus arrived punctually at seven o'clock that evening. He looked very well, though he was rather thirsty, for he drank half bottle of milk. The police were astounded when Mrs Ramsay told them what she had done. She explained Rastus was very dear to her, considering the amount she paid, he was dear in more ways than one.
Lesson 20
Pioneer pilots
What was the name of the first plane to fly across the English Channel?
In 1980, Lord Northcliff offered a prize of $1000 to the first man who would fly across the English Channel. Over a year past before the first attempt was made. On July 19th 1909, in the early morning, Hubert Latham took of from the French coast in his plane the "Antoinette iv". He has only travelled 7 miles across the channel, when his engine failed and he was forced to land on the sea. The Antoinette floated on the water until Latham was picked up by a ship.
Lesson 21 Daniel Mendoza
How many unsuccessful attempts did Mendoza made before becoming champion of all England?
Boxing matches were very popular 200 years ago. In those days, boxers fought with bare fists for prize money. Because of this, they were known as "prizefighters". However, boxing was very crude, for their were no rules and a prizefighter could be seriously injured or even killed during a match.
One of the most colourful figuresin boxing history, was Daniel Mendoza. Who was born in 1764. The use of gloves were not introduced until 1960, when the marquis of Queensberry drew up the first set of rules, though he was technically a prize fighter, Mendoza did much to change crude prize fighting into a sport, for he brought science to the game. In his day, Mendoza enjoyed tremendous popularity. And he was adored by rich and poor alike.
Mendoza rose to fame swiftly after a boxing match when he was only 14 years old. This attracted the attention of Richard Humphries. Who was than the most eminent boxers in England. He offered to train Mendoza and his young pupil was quick to learn. In fact, Mendoza soon became so successful that Humphries turned against him. The two men quarreled bitterly and it was clear that the argument could only be settled by a fight. A match was held at Stilton, where both men fought for an hour, the public bet a great deal of money on Mendoza, but he was defeated. Mendoza met Humphries in the ring on a later occasion and he lost for a second time. It was not until his third match in 1790 that he finally beat Humphries and became champion of England. Meanwhile he founded a highly successful academy and even Lord Byron became one of his pupils. He earned enormous sums of money and was paid as much as $100 for a single appearance. Despite this, he was so extravagant that he was always in debt. After he was defeated by a boxer called Gentleman Jackson, he was quickly forgotten. He was sent to prison for failing to pay his debts and died in poverty in 1836.
Lesson 22 By heart
Which actor read the letter in the end, the aristocrat or the gaoler?
Some plays are so successful that they runs for years on end. In many ways, this is unfortunate for the poor actors who are required to go on repeating the same words night after night. One would expect them to know their parts by heart, and never have cause to falter. Yet this is not always the case.
A famous actor in a highly successful play was once cast in the role of the aristocrat who had been imprisoned in the Bastille for 20 years. In the last act, a gaoler would always come on to the stage with a letter which he would hand to the prisoner. Even though the noble was expected to read the letter at each performances, he always insisted that it should be written out in full.
One night, the gaoler decided to play a joke on his colleague to find out if, after so many performances, he had managed to learn the contents of the letter by heart. The curtain went up on the final act of the play, and revealed the aristocrat sitting alone behind bars in is dark cell, just then, the gaoler appeared with the precious letter in his hands, he entered the cell and presented the letter to the aristocrat. But the copy he gave him had not been written out in full as usual, it was just a simple blank sheet of paper. The gaoler looked on eagerly, anxious to see if his fellow actor had at last learned his lines. The noble stared at the blank sheet of the paper for a few seconds, then squinting his eyes, he said"the light is dim read the letter to me." and he promptly handed the sheet of paper to the gaoler. Finding that he could not remember a word of of the letter either, the gaoler replied"the light is indeed dim, sire, I must get my glasses " with this, he hurried off the stage. Much to the aristocrat's amusement, the gaoler returned a few moments later with a pair of glasses and the usual copy of the letter which he proceeded to read to the prisoner.
很棒的宝贝
Lesson 23
One man's meat is another man's poison
What was it about snails that made the writer collect them for his friends on that day in particular?
People become quite illogical when they try to decide what can be eaten, and what cannot be eaten. If you lived in the Mediterranean, for instance, they would consider octopus a great delicacy. You would not be able to understand why some people find it repulsive. On the other hand, your stomach will turn at the idea of frying potato in animal fat, the normally accepted practisce in many northern countries. The sad truth is that most of us have been brought up to eat certain foods and we stick to it all our lives.
No creature has received more praise and abuse than the common garden snails. Cooked in wine snails are great luxury in various parts of the world. There are countless people who ever since their early years have learned to associate snails with food. My friend, Robert, lives in the country where snails are despised. As his flat is in a large down, he has no garden of his own. For years, he has been asking me to collect snails from my garden and take them to him. The idea had never appealed to me. But one day, After a heavy shower, I happened to be working in my garden when I noticed a huge number of snails, taking a straw on some of my prize plants. Acting on a sudden impulse, I collected several dozen, put them in a paper bag and took them to Robert. Robert was delighted to see me and equally pleased with my little gift. I left the bag in the hall, and Robert and I went into the living room where we talked for several hours. I had forgotten all about the snails when Robert suddenly said that I must stay for dinner. Snails would, of course, be the main dish. I didn't fancy the idea and I reluctantly followed Robert out of the room. To our dismay, we saw that their were snails everywhere: They had escaped from the paper bags and had taken complete possession of the hall!
I have never be able to look at a snail since then.9
Lesson 24
A skeleton in the cupboard
Who was Sebastian?
We often read in navels how a seemingly respectable person or family has some some terrible secrets which has been concealed from strangers for years. The English language possesses a vivid saying to describe this sort of situation. The terrible secret is called "a skeleton in the cupboard". At some dramatic moment in the story, the terrible secret becomes know and a reputation is ruined. The reader's hair stands on end when he reads in the final pages of the novel that the heroine, a old lady who had always been so kind to everybody had, in her youth, poisoned everyone of her five husbands.