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 a difficult time, but they were most amused. 'Jumbo must weigh a few tons,' said a policeman afterwards, 'so it 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. Imagine 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!
versus [ˈvɜːrsəs] (表示两队或双方对阵)对,诉,对抗
circus [ˈsɜːrkəs] 马戏团
accompany [əˈkʌmpəni] 陪同;陪伴
guard of honour 仪仗队
hold up 延误;阻碍
record /ˈrekərd/ 记录,记载
bomber[ˈbɑːmər] 轰炸机
remote [rɪˈmoʊt] 遥远的;偏远的;
wreck[rek] 沉船;严重损毁的船;(事故中)遭严重毁坏的汽车(或飞机等);(身体或精神上)受到严重损伤的人
undisturbed [ˌʌndɪˈstɜːrbd] 未被移动(或触及);未受惊扰的;
aerial [ˈeriəl] 从飞机上的;空中的
survey /sərˈveɪ/ 调查;测量;勘测;
reasonable [ˈriːznəbl] 公平的;合理的;有理由的;
rare [rer] 稀有的;珍贵的
rescue[ˈreskjuː] 营救;援救;
enthusiast [ɪnˈθuːziæst] 狂热爱好者;爱好者
restore [rɪˈstɔːr] 修复;使复原;
delight [dɪˈlaɪt] 高兴;愉快;
condition [kənˈdɪʃn] 条件;状态;状况;健康状况
packing case 包装箱
colony[ˈkɑːləni] 群体,集落 , 殖民地;
hive [haɪv] 蜂箱;蜂房;
beeswax [ˈbiːzwæks] 蜂蜡;
preserve [prɪˈzɜːrv] 保护;维护;保留;维持…的原状
第66课,生词多,句式也不够熟悉,读了很多遍,录了很多遍,才终于能一个不错的读下来。此刻感觉嗓子有点不舒服,有点担心。希望是虚惊一场。
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