Lesson1A puma at large
Pumas are large,cat-like animals which are found in America.When reports came into London Zoo that a wild puma had been spotted forty-five 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'a large cat'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（adj.被困得走投无路的）.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 complained of'cat-like noises'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 come 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 s
everal 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.
Lesson2Thirteen equals one
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 woke up with a start:the clock was striking the hours!Looking at his watch,he saw that it was one o'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.'Whatever are you doing up here Bill?'asked the vicar in surprise.
'I'm trying to repair the bell,'answered Bill.'I've been coming up here night after night for weeks now.You see,I was hoping to give you a surprise.'
'You certainly did give me a surprise!'said the vicar.'You've probably woken up everyone in the village as well.Still,I'm glad the bell is working again.'
'That's the trouble,vicar,'answered Bill.'It's working all right,but I'm afraid that at one o'clock it will strike thirteen times and there's nothing I can do about it.'
'We'll get used to that Bill,'said the vicar.'Thirteen is not as good as one but it's better than nothing.Now let's go downstairs and have a cup of tea.'
Lesson3An unknown goddess
Some time ago，an interesting discovery was made by archaeologists on the Aegean（adj.爱琴海的；n.）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 even 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 B.C.until Roman times.In the most sacred room of the 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 s
tatue was found among remains dating from the fifteenth century B.C. Its missing head happened to be among remains of the fifth century B.C.This head must have been found in Classical times and carefully preserved.It was very old and precious even then. When the archaeologists reconstructed the fragments,they were amazed to find that the goddess turned out to be a very modern-looking woman.She stood three feet high and her hands rested on her hip.She was wearing a full-length skirt which swept the ground.Despite her great age,she was very graceful indeed,but,so far,the archaeologists have been unable to discover her identity.
Lesson4The double life of Alfred Bloggs
These days,people who do manual work often receive far more money than clerks who work in offices.People who work in offices are frequently referred to as'white collar workers'for the simple reason that they usually wear a collar and tie to go to work.Such is human nature,that a great many people are often willing to sacrifice higher pay for the privilege of becoming white collar workers.This can give rise to curious situations,as it did in the case of Alfred Bloggs who worked as a dustman for the Ellesmere Corporation.
When he got married,Alf was too embarrassed to say anything to his wife about his job.He simply told
her that he worked for the Corporation.Every morning,he left home dressed in a smart black suit.He then changed into overalls(n.工作服)and spent the next eight hours as a dustman.Before returning home at night,he took a shower and changed back into his suit.Alf did this for over two years and his fellow dustmen kept his secret.Alf's wife has never discovered that she married a dustman and she never will,for Alf has just found another job.He will soon be working in an office as a junior clerk.He will be earning only half as much as he used to,but he feels that his rise in status is well worth the loss of money.From now on,he will wear a suit all day and others will call him'Mr.Bloggs',not'Alf'.
Lesson5The facts
Editors of newspapers and magazines often go to extremes to provide their readers with unimportant facts and statistics.Last year a journalist had been instructed by a well-known magazine to write an article on the president's palace in a new African republic.When the article arrived,the editor read the first sentence and then refused to publish it.The article began: 'Hundreds of steps lead to the high wall which surrounds the president's palace.'The editor at once
sent the journalist a fax instructing him to find out the exact number of steps and the height of the wall.
The journalist immediately set out to obtain these important facts,but he took a long time to send them.
Meanwhile,the editor was getting impatient,for the magazine would soon go to press.He sent the journalist two urgent telegrams,but received no reply.He sent yet another
telegram informing the journalist that if he did not reply soon he would be fired.When the journalist again failed to reply,the editor reluctantly published the article as it had originally been written.A week later,the editor at last received a telegram from the journalist.Not only had the poor man been arrested,but he had been sent to prison as well.However,he had at last been allowed to send a cable in which he informed the editor that he had been arrested while counting the1084steps leading to the15-foot wall which surrounded the president's palace.
Lesson6Smash-and-grab
The expensive shops in a famous arcade near Piccadilly were just opening.At this time of the morning,the arcade was almost empty.Mr Taylor,the owner of a jewellery shop was admiring a new window display.Two of his assistants had been working busily since8o'clock and had only just finished.Diamond necklaces and rings had been beautifully arranged on a background of black velvet.After gazing at the display for several minutes,Mr Taylor went back into his shop.
The silence was suddenly broken when a large car,with its headlights on and its horn blaring,roared do
wn the arcade.It came to a stop outside the jeweler's.One man stayed at the wheel while two others with black stockings over their faces jumped out and smashed the window of the shop with iron bars.While this was going on,Mr Taylor was upstairs.He and his staff began throwing furniture out of the window.Chairs and tables went flying into the arcade. One of the thieves was struck by a heavy statue,but he was too busy helping himself to diamonds to notice any pain.The raid was all over in three minutes,for the men scrambled back into the car and it moved off at a fantastic speed.Just as it was leaving,Mr Taylor rushed out and ran after it throwing ashtrays and vases,but it was impossible to stop the thieves.They had got away with thousands of pounds worth of diamonds.
editor at large
Lesson7Mutilated ladies
Children often have far more sense than their elders.This simple truth was demonstrated rather dramatically during a civil defence exercise in a small town in Canada.Most of the inhabitants were asked to take part in the exercise during which they had to pretend that their city had been bombed.Air-raid warnings were sounded and thousands of people went into special air-raid shelters.Doctors and nurses remained above ground while Police patrolled the streets in case anyone tried to leave the shelters too soon.
The police did not have much to do because the citizens took the exercise seriously.They stayed underground for twenty minutes and waited for the siren to sound again.On leaving the air-raid shelters,they saw that doctors and nurses were busy.A great many people had volunteered to act as casualties.Theatrical make-up and artificial blood had been used to make the injuries look realistic.A lot of People were lying'dead'in the streets.The living helped to carry the dead and wounded to special stations.A Child of six was brought in by two adults.The child was supposed to be dead.With theatrical make-up on his face,he looked as if he had died of shock.Some people were so moved by the sight that they began to cry.However,the child suddenly sat up and a doctor asked him to comment on his death.The child looked around for a moment and said,'I think they're all crazy!'
Lesson8A famous monastery
The Great St Bernard Pass connects Switzerland to Italy.At2470metres,it is the highest mountain pass in Europe.The famous monastery of St Bernard,which was founded in the eleventh century,lies about a mile away.For hundreds of years,St Bernard dogs have saved the lives of travellers crossing the dangerous Pass.These friendly dogs,which were first brought from Asia,were used as watch-dogs even in Roman times.Now that a tunnel has been built through the mountains,the Pass is less dangerous,but each year,the dogs are still sent out into the snow whenever a traveller is in difficulty.De
spite the new tunnel,there are still a few people who rashly attempt to cross the Pass on foot.
During the summer months,the monastery is very busy,for it is visited by thousands of people who cross the Pass in cars,As there are so many people about,the dogs have to be kept in a special enclosure.In winter,however,life at the monastery is quite different.The temperature drops to-30and very few people attempt to cross the Pass.The monks Prefer winter to summer for they have more privacy.The dogs have greater freedom,too,for they are allowed to wander outside their enclosure.The only regular visitors to the monastery in winter are parties of skiers who go there at Christmas and Easter.These young people,who love the peace of the mountains,always receive a warm.
Welcome at St Bernard's monastery.
Lesson9Flying cats飞猫
Cats never fail to fascinate human beings.They can be friendly and affectionate towards humans,but they lead mysterious lives of their own as well.They never become submissive like dogs and horses.As a result,humans have learned to respect feline independence.Most cats remain suspicious of humans all their lives.One of the things that fascinates us most about cats is the popular belief that they have nine lives.Apparently,they is a good deal of truth in this idea.
A cat’s ability to survive falls is based on fact.
Recently the New York Animal Medical Centre made a study of132cats over a period of five months.All these cats had one experience in common:they had fallen off high buildings,yet only eight of them died from shock or injuries.Of course,New Yorkis the ideal place for such an interesting study,because there is no shortage of tall buildings.There are plenty of high-rise windowsills to fall from!One cat,Sabrina,fell32storeys,yet only suffered from a broken tooth.‘Cats behave like well-trained paratroopers,’a doctor said.It seems that the further cats fall, the less they are likely to injure themselves.In a long drop,they reach speeds of60miles an hour and more.At high speeds,falling cats have time to relax.They stretch out their legs like flying squirrel.This increases their air-resistance and reduces the shock of impact when they hit the ground.
Lesson10The loss of Titanic
The great ship,Titanic,sailed for New York from Southampton on April10th,1912.She was carrying1316passengers and a crew of89l.Even by modern standards,the46,000ton Titanic was a colossal ship.At that time,however,she was not only the largest ship that had ever been built,but was regarded as unsinkable,for she had sixteen water-tight compartments.Even if
two of these were flooded,she would still be able to float.The tragic sinking of this great liner will always be remembered,for she went down on her first voyage with heavy loss of life.
Four days after setting out,while the Titanic was sailing across the icy waters of the North Atlantic,a huge iceberg was suddenly spotted by a look-out.After the alarm had been given,the great ship turned sharply to avoid a direct collision.The Titanic turned just in time,narrowly missing the immense wall of ice which rose over100feet out of the water beside her.Suddenly, there was a slight trembling sound from below,and the captain went down to see what had happened.The noise had been so faint that no one thought that the ship had been damaged. Below,the captain realized to his horror that the Titanic was sinking rapidly,for five of her sixteen water-
tight compartments had already been flooded!The order to abandon ship was given and hundreds of people plunged into the icy water.As there were not enough life-boats for everybody,1500lives were lost.
Lesson11Not guilty
Going through the Customs is a tiresome business.The strangest thing about it is that really honest people are often made to feel guilty.The hardened professional smuggler,on the other hand,is never tro
ubled by such feelings,even if he has five hundred gold watches hidden in his suitcase.When I returned from abroad recently,a particularly officious young Customs Officer clearly regarded me as a smuggler.
'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 were soon in a dreadful mess.I felt sure I would never be able to close the case again.Suddenly,I saw the Officer's face light up.He had spotted a tiny bottle at the bottom of my case and he pounced on it with delight.
'Perfume,eh?'he asked sarcastically.'You should have declared that.'Perfume is not exempt from import duty.'
'But it isn't perfume,'I said.'It's hair-oil.'Then I added with a smile,'It's a strange mixture I make myself.'As I expected,he did not 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 which 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.
Lesson12Life on a desert island
Most of us have formed an unrealistic picture of life on a desert island.We sometimes imagine a desert island to be a sort of paradise where the sun always shines.Life there is simple and good.
Ripe fruit falls from the trees and you never have to work.The other side of the picture is quite the opposite.Life on a desert island is wretched.You either starve to death or live like Robinson

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