When a thief was caught on the premises of a large jewellery store one morning, the shop assistant must found it impossible to resist the temptation to say"It serves him right". The shop was an old converted house with many disused fireplaces and tall narrow chimneys. Towards mid day, a girl heard a muffled cry coming behind one of the walls as the cry was repeated several times, she ran to tell the manager, who promptly rang up the fire brigade. The cry had certainly come from one of the chimneys, but as there were so many of them, the firefighters could not be certain which one it was. They located the right chimney by tapping at the walls and listening for the man's cries. After chipping through a wall which was 18 inches thick they found that a man had been trapped in the chimney. As it was extremely narrow, the man was unable to move, but the firefighters were eventually able to free him by cutting a huge hole in the wall. The sorry looking blackened figure that emerged admitted at once he had tried to break into the shops during the night but had got stuck in the chimney. He had been there for nearly 10 hours. Justice had been done even before the man was handed over to the police.
Lesson 36
A chance in a million
What was the chance in a million?
We are less credulous than we use to be. In the 19th century, a a novelist would bring his story to a conclusion by presenting his readers with a series of coincidences--most of them wildly improbable. Readers happily accepted the fact that a obscure maidservant was really the hero's mother. A long lost brother who was presumed dead was really alive all the time and wickedly plotting to bring about the hero's downfall. And so on. Modern readers would find such naive solutions totally unacceptable. Yet in real life, circumstances do sometimes conspire to bring about coincidences which anyone but a 19th Century novelist would find incredible.
When I was a boy, my grandfather told me how a German taxi driver, Franz Bussman, found a brother who was thought to have been killed 20 years before. While on a walking tour with his wife, he stopped to talk to a work man. After they had gone on, Mrs Bussman commented on the the close resemblance to her husband. And even suggested that he might be his brother. Franz poured scorn on this idea, pointing out his brother had been killed in action during the war. Though Mrs Bussman was fully acquainted with this story. She thought that there was a chance in a million that she might be right. A few days later, she sent a boy to the workman to ask him if his name was Hans Bussman, needless to say, the man's name was Hans Bussman and he really was Franz's long lost brother. When the brothers were reunited, Hans explain how he was still alive. After having been wounded during the end of the wall, he had been sent to hospital and was separated with his unit. The hospital had been bombed and Hans had made his way back into western Germany on foot. Meanwhile, his unit was lost and all records of him had been destroyed. Hans returned to his family home but the house had been bombed and no one in the neighbourhood knew what had become of the inhabitants. Assuming that his family had been killed during an air raid, Hans settled down in a village 50 miles away where he had remained ever since.
Lesson 37
The Westhaven Express
What was the mistake the author made?
We have learnt to expect that trains will be punctual. After years of conditioning, most of us have developed an unshakable faith in railway timetables. Ships maybe delayed by storms. Flight maybe canceled because of bad weather. But trains must be on time. Only an exceptionally heavy snowfall might temporarily dislocate railway services. It all too easy to blame the railway authority when sth does go wrong. The truth is that when mistakes occur they are more likely to be ours than theirs.
After consulting my railway timetable, I noted with satisfaction that their was a express train to Westhaven. It went directly from my local station and the journey lasted a mere 1 hour and 17min. When I boarded the train, I could not help noticing that a great many local people got on as well. At the time, this did not strike me as odd. I reflected that there must be a great many people beside myself who wish to take advantage of this excellent service. Neither was I surprised when the train stopped at Widley, a tiny station a few station along the line. Even a mighty express train can be held up by signals. But when train dawdled station after station, I began to wonder. It suddenly downed on me that this express was not roaring down the line at 90miles an hour, but barely chugging along at 30. One hour and 17minutes passed, and we had not even covered half of the distance. I asked a passenger if this was the Westhaven Express, but he had not even heard of it. I determine to lodge up a complaint as soon as we arrived. Two hours later, I was talking angrily to the station master at Westhaven. When he denied the train's existence, I borrowed his copy of the timetable. There was a note of triumph in my voice when I told him that it was there in black and white. Glancing at it briefly, he told me to look again. I tiny asterisk conducted me a footnote at the bottom of the page. It said"This service has been suspended."
Lesson 38
The first calendar
What is the importance of the dots, lines, and symbols engraved on stones, bones and ivory?
Future historians will be in a unique position when they come to record the history of our own times. They will hardly know which fact to select from the great mass of evidence that steadily accumulates. What's more, they will not rely solely on the written word, films, videos, CD and CD-ROMs are just some of the bewildering amount of information they will have. They will be able, as it were, to see and hear us in action. But the historians attempting to reconstruct the distant past is always faced with a difficult task. He has to deduce what he can from the scanty clues available. Even seeming insignificant remains can shed interesting light on the history of early man.
Up to now, historians have assumed that the calendars into being with advent of agriculture, for then man was faced with the real need to understand sth about the seasons. Recent scientific evidence seems to indicate that this assumption is incorrect.
Historians have long been puzzles by dots, lines and symbols which have been engraved on walls, bones and the ivory tusks of mammoths. The nomads who made these marking lived by hunting and fishing during the last Ice Age which began at about 35000BC and ended at about 10000BC. By correlating markings made in varies parts of the world, historians have been able to read the difficult code. They have found that it is connected with the passage of days and the phases of the moon. It is, in fact, a primitive type of calendar. It has long been known that the hunting scenes depicted on walls were not simply a form of artistic expression. They had a definite meaning, for they as near as early man could get to writing. It is possible that there is a definite relation between these paintings and markings that sometimes accompany them. It seems that man are making a real effort to understand the seasons 20000 years earlier than has been supposed.
Lesson 39
Nothing to worry about
What was the difference between Bruce's behaviour and that of other people?
The rough road across the plain soon became so bad that we tried to get Bruce to drive back to the village we had come from. Even though the road was littered with boulders and pitted with holes, Bruce was not in the least perturbed. Glancing at his map he informed us that the next village was a mere 20 miles away. It was not that Bruce always underestimated difficulties. He simply had no sense of danger at all. No matter what the conditions were, he believed that a car should be driven as fast as it could possibly go.
As we bumped through the dusty track, we swerved to avoid large boulders. The wheels scooped up stones which hammered ominously under the car. We felt sure that sooner or later a stone would rip a hole in our petrol tank or damage the engine. Because of this, we kept looking back, wondering if we were leaving a trail of oil and petrol behind us.
What a relief it is when the boulders suddenly disappeared given way to a stretch of plain where the only obstacles were clumps of bushes. But there was worse to come. Just ahead of us, there was a huge fissure. In response to renewed pleadings, Bruce stopped.
Though we all got out to examine the fissure, he remained in the car. We informed him that the fissure extended for 50yards and was two feet wide and four feet deep. Even this had no effect, Bruce went into low gear and drove at a terrifying speed. Keeping the two wheels astride the crack as he followed its zigzag course. Before we had time to realize what had happen, we were on the plain again. Bruce consulted the map once more and told us that the village was now only 15miles away. Our next obstacle was a shallow pool of water about half a mile across. Bruce charged at it, but in the middle, the car came into a grinding halt. yellow light on the flash board flashed angrily and Bruce cheerfully announced that was no oil in the engine.
Lesson 40
Who's who
How did the policeman discover that the whole thing was a joke?
It has never been explained why university students seem to enjoy practical jokes more than anyone else. Student specialize in a particular type of practical joke--the hoax. Inviting the fire brigade to put out an nonexistent fire is a crude form of deception which no self-respecting student would ever indulge in. Student often create amusing situations which are funny to everyone exept the victims.
When a student recently saw two workmen using a pneumatic drill outside his university, he immediately telephoned the police and informed them that two student dressed up as workmen were tearing up the road with a pneumatic drill. As soon as he had hang up, he went over to the workmen and told them that if a policeman ordered them to go away, they were not to take them seriously. He added that a student had dressed up as a policeman and was playing all sorts of silly jokes on people. Both the police and the workman were grateful to the student for this piece of advance information.
The student hid in an archway nearby where he could watch and hear everything that went on. Sure enough, a policeman arrived on the scene and politely asked the workman to go away. When he received a very rude reply from one of the workmen, he threatened to remove them by force. The workmen told him to do as he pleased and the policeman telephoned for help. Shortly afterwards, four more policemen arrived and remonstrated with the workmen. As the men refused to stopped working, the police attempted to cease the pneumatic drill. The workmen struggled fiercely, and one of them lost his temper. He threatened to call the police. At this, the police pointed out ironically that this would hardly be necessary, as the man were already under arrest. Pretending to speak seriously, one of the workman asked if he could make a telephone call before being taken to the station. Permission was granted and a policeman accompanied him to a pay phone. Only when he saw that the man was actually calling the police did he realize that they had all been the victims of a hoax.
Lesson 41
Illusions of pastoral peace
What particular anxiety spoils the country dweller's visit to the theatre?
The quite life of the country has never appeal to me. City born and city bred, I have always regarded country as sth you look at though a train window, of sth you occasionally visit during the weekend. Most of my friends live in the city, yet they always go into raptures at the mere mention of the country. Though they extol virtues of the peaceful life, only one of them has ever gone to lived in the country and he was back in town within six month. Even he still lives under illusion that country life is somehow superior to town life. He is forever talking about the friendly people, the clean atmosphere, the closeness to nature and the gentle pace of living. Nothing can be compared, he maintains. With the first cockcrow, the twittering of birds at dawn, the sight of the rising sun glinting on the trees and pastures. This idyllic pastoral scene was only part of the picture. My friend failed to mention the long and friendless winter evenings in front of the TV--virtually the only form of entertainment. He says nothing about the poor selection of goods in the shops or about those unfortunate people who have to travel from the country to the city everyday to get to work. Why people are prepared to tolerate a four hour journey each day for the dubious privilege of living in the country is beyond me.They could be saved so much misery and expenses is they chose to live in the city, where they rightly belong.
If you can do without the pastorals peace of the country, you will find the city can provide you with the best that life can order. You never have to travel miles to see your friends, they invariably live nearby and are always available for an informal chat or an evening's entertainment. Some of my acquaintances in the country come to town once or twice a year to visit the theatre as a special treat.
For them, this is a major operation which involves considerable planning. As the play draw to its close, they wonder whether they will catch that last train home. The city dweller never experiences anxieties of this sort. The latest exhibitions, films or plays are just a short bus drive away. Shopping too, is always a pleasure. There is so much variety that you never have to make due with the second best. Country people run wild when they go shopping in the city and stagger home loaded with as many of the exotic items as they can carry. Nor is the city with out its moments of beauty, there is sth comforting about the warm glow shed by advertisements on cold wet winter nights. Few things could be more impressive than the peace that descends on deserted city streets at weekends when the thousands that travel to work everyday are tucked away in their homes in the country. It has always been a mystery to me why city dwellers who appreciate all these things, obstinately pretend that they would prefer to live in the country.
Lesson 42
Modern cavemen
With what does the writer compare the Gouffre Berger?
Cave exploration, or pot-holing, as ti has come to be known, is a relatively new sport. Perhaps it is the desire for solitude or the chance of making an unexpected discovery that lures people down to the depth of the earth. It is impossible to give a satisfactory explanation for a pot-holer's motives. For him, caves have the same peculiar fascination which high mountains have for the climber.
andyandjasmine于2014-8-18 21:17补充以下内容：
They arouse instincts which can only be dimly understood.
Exploring a really deep cave is not a task for Sunday afternoon ramblers. Such undertaking require the precise planning and foresight of military operations. It can take as long as eight days to rig up rope ladders and to establish a supply base before a decent can be made in to a very deep cave. Precautions of this sort are necessary, for it is impossible to foretell the exact nature of the difficulties which will confront the pot-holer. The deepest known cave in the world is the Gouffre Berger near Grenoble. It extends to a depth of 3,723 feet. This immense chasm has been formed by an underground stream with has tunneled a course through a flaw in the rocks. The entrance to the cave is on a plateau in the Dauphine Alps. As it is only 6 feet across, is it barely noticeable. The cave might never have been discovered had the entrance been spotted by the distinguished French pot-holer Berger. Since its discovery, it has become a sort of pot-holers Everest. Though a number of descents have been made much of it still remains to be explored.
A team of pot-holers recently went the Gouffre Berger. After entering the narrow gap on the plateau, they climbed down the steep sides of the cavern until they came to a narrow corridor. They had to edge their their way along this, sometimes wading across shallow streams, or swimming across deep pools. Suddenly they came to a waterfall which dropped into an underground lake at the bottom of the cave. They plunged into the lake and after loading their gear on an inflatable rudder dinghy, let the current carry them to the other side. To protect themselves from icy water, they had to wear special rudder suits. At the far end of the lake, they came to huge piles of rubble which had been washed up by the water. In this part of the cave, they could hear an insistent booming sound which they found was caused by a small water spout shooting down into the pool from the roof of the cave. Squeezing through a cleft in the rocks, the pot-holers arrived at an enormous cavern, the size of a huge concert hall. After switching on powerful arc lights, they saw great stalagmites--some of them over 40 feet high, rising up like tree trunks meet the stalactites suspended from the roof. Round about, piles of limestone glistened in all the colors of the rainbow. In the eerie silence of the cavern, the only sound that could be heard was made by water which drip continuously from the high dome above them.
Lesson 43
Fully insured
Who owned the pie dish and why?
Insurance company are normally willing to insure anything. Insuring public or private property is a standard practice in most countries in the world. If however, you were holding an open air garden party or a fete, it would be equally possible to ensure yourself in the event of bad weather. Needless to say, the bigger the risk an insurance company takes, the higher the premium you will have to pay. It is not uncommon to hear that a shipping company has made a claim for the cost salvaging a sunken ship. But the claim made by a local authority to recover the cost of salvaging a sunken pie dish must surely be unique.
Admittedly it was an unusual pie dish, for it was 18 feet long and 6 feet wide. It had been purchased by a local authority so that an enormous pie could be baked for an annual fair. The pie committee decided that the best way the transfer the dish would be by canal. So they insured it shortly after it was launched. The pie committee went to a local inn to celebrate. At the same time, a number of teenagers climbed on to the pie dish and held a little party of their own. Dancing proved to be more than the dish could bear, for during the party, it capsized and sank in 7 feet of water.
