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The Million Pound Bank Note by Mark Twain

词汇提示

1.luxuries 奢侈品

2.ambassador 大使

原文

Chapter Five: The Poor Millionaire

The impossible happened.

I bought everything I wanted without money.

I showed my banknote and asked for change, but every time the same thing happened.

No one was able to change it.

I bought all that I needed and all the luxuries that I wanted.

I stayed at an expensive hotel in Hanover Square.

I always had dinner at the hotel.

But I preferred having breakfast at Harris's simple eating place.

Harris was happy with all his new customers.

I lived like a rich, important man.

I had money to spend.

I lived in a dream.

But often, I said to myself, "Remember, this dream will end when the two men return to London. Everything will change."

My story was in the newspapers.

Everyone talked about the "strange millionaire with the million-pound note in his pocket."

Punch magazine drew a funny picture of me on the front page.

People talked about everything I did and about everything I said.

They followed me in the streets.

I kept my old clothes, and sometimes I wore them.

It was fun when the shop owners thought I was poor.

Then I showed them the banknote, and, oh, how their faces changed!

After ten days in London, I went to visit the American Ambassador.

He was very happy to meet me.

He invited me to a dinner-party that evening.

He told me that he knew my father from Yale University.

He invited me to visit his home whenever I wanted.

I was glad to have a new, important friend.

I thought to myself, "I'll need an important friend, when the story of the million-pound note and bet comes out."

I want the reader to know that I planned to pay back all the shop owners who sold me things on credit.

"If I win the bet for the old gentleman," I thought, "I will have an important job. With an important job, I will have a big salary."

I planned to pay back everyone with my first year's salary.

提示

一、每期五个句子，均是从四六级听力真题中选取的长难句。

二、每个句子念三遍女声，一遍男声，再一遍女声。

三、如果觉得语速过快，可以在播放器上调慢语速，多听几遍。

词汇提示

1.vulnerable 脆弱

2.satellite 卫星

3.orbiting 绕转

4.tripping 摔倒

原文

56.

Mike's lunches of love has fed more than 2000 of the town's most vulnerable residents.

迈克的爱心午餐已经惠及镇上2000多名最脆弱的居民。

57.

A NASA satellite orbiting over Portugal took photographs that reveal the effects of pollution from ships.

葡萄牙上空运行的一颗美航天局(NASA)卫星拍摄的照片揭示了船舶污染的影响。

58.

"These clouds can be huge, some of them stretch hundreds of kilometers from end to end", NASA officials said.“

“有的非常大，从一端到另一端的宽度足有数百千米，”NASA官员表示。

59.

A piece of history has been found thanks to a boy tripping on a rare, 1.2-million-year-oldanimal fossil.

由于一个男孩被一个稀有的120万年前的动物化石绊倒，一段历史就这样被揭开了。

60.

Please bear in mind that the price includes moving all the furniture, and the whole task would take two days.

您得知道，这个价格包括搬运所有的家具，而且做完整个工作得花费两天时间。

听前提示

一、三遍英文，一遍中文，再一遍英文。

二、从听懂的词入手，理解句子含义。

三、根据中英文意思，听不懂的多听几遍。

词汇提示

1.chopsticks 筷子

2.poetry 诗

3.terms 协议

原文

301.

Bob is an Australian, but he speaks Korean as if it were his mother tongue.

鲍勃是澳大利亚人，但他韩语说得就像母语一样好。

302.

The airplane flies at a speed of five hundred kilometers per hour.

飞机以每小时五百公里的速度飞行。

303.

Before forks and chopsticks, people usually ate food with a piece of flat bread.

在叉子和筷子问世之前，人们通常用一片面包吃饭。

304.

While I understand what you say, I can't agree with you.

虽然我理解你说的话，但我不能同意。

305.

In general, communication between doctors and their patients is the most important part of medical treatment.

一般来说，医生和病人之间的沟通是治疗中最重要的部分。

306.

The doctor told you to stay in bed until your fever goes down, didn't he?

医生让你卧床休息直到退烧，是吗?

307.

Only if a foreigner has read much English poetry can he understand Shakespeare.

只有读过很多英文诗的外国人才能理解莎士比亚。

308.

Regarding the matter of house-rent, I have come to terms with him.

关于房租的问题，我已和他达成了协议。

309.

I had no idea it would put you to so much trouble.

我不知道这会给你带来这么大的麻烦。

310.

Turn to the right at the corner, and you will find it on your left.

在拐角处向右转，你就会发现它在你的左边。

词汇提示

1.suitor 追求者

2.parental 父母的

3.supervision 监管

4.rebellious 叛逆的

5.prominent 重要的

6.promising 有前途

7.spiritual 精神的

8.horrified 惊恐

9.superintendent 管理者

10.allied 盟军

11.wounded

12.pit 坑

13.tend 护理

原文

Florence Nightingale

It could be said that Florence Nightingale was responsible for inventing modern nursing.

Indeed, Nightingale did open up the professions to women generally.

Her example and influence during the mid to late nineteenth Century were an important factor in opening doors to women.

Nightingale's own life reflects many of these changes.

She was born in 1820, and was one of two daughters of a wealthy English family.

Her mother was a beautiful society lady who had once turned down a favored suitor because he was not wealthy enough.

She wanted both her daughters to be socially popular and to marry rich and important men.

Florence's father ensured thatshe had a good education.

But she was frustrated because girls and women were always under parental supervision

She felt called to a life of action, but her family insisted that she divide her time between being with her family and attending social functions.

She was not allowed to do anything on her own.

When she was 16, Nightingale said that God spoke to her and called her to do His work.

But Florence didn't know what work she was being called to do.

Years passed away while she sat with her mother and sister, or attended dances and concerts or travelled to Europe.

Nightingale became more angry and rebellious.

She offended her family and friends by refusing to marry several prominent men who wanted to marry her.

By the time she was 24, she had decided to be a nurse.

But how did one become a nurse? At that time, the profession didn't seem promising.

The only respectable nurses were those women in religious orders that ministered to the patient's spiritual health,but were not trained in medicine.

The majority of nurses were poor, untrained women who were suspected of being too fond of men or alcohol, or both.

In fact, one hospital preferred to hire unwed mothers as nurses because they had no reputations to lose.

Nightingale's family was horrified by her plans.

Their opposition delayed her plans but could not stop them.

In 1850 she visited a hospital in Germany for the first time.

In 1853, she was appointed superintendent of a women's nursing home in London.

But, Florence was still waiting for her true calling.

In 1855, the Times of London was printing reports from the Crimean War.

France and England were fighting Russia in the Crimean Peninsula.

After one allied victory, the wounded French soldiers were well taken care of,but the wounded English soldiers were left to die.

Back in England there was a public outcry.

It was Florence's opportunity.

She was soon on her way to Istanbul, Turkey, with 38 nurses.

Scutari, Turkey, was the hospital where the British wounded were brought.

This so-called hospital was a death pit, where 42 out of every 100 men died.

The army was unwilling to listen to Miss Nightingale or to let her tend the wounded.

She had to wait until conditions became so bad that the regular medical officers were overwhelmed.

As soon as the army turned to her, she immediately went to work.

She had the entire hospital cleaned, a new kitchen set up, and a good water supply obtained.

The death rate dropped to 22 out of every 1,000.

Nightingale became famous overnight.

Although her efforts in the Crimean War injured her health, she continued her work back in London.

She published a 1,000-page report on medical conditions in the British Army,several books on nursing and her own proposals and suggestions.

She also set up a training school for nurses.

Long before her death in 1910, she had seen nursing become a well-established profession.

Almost single-handedly she had helped to bring about proper treatment of the sick and injured.

翻译

弗洛伦斯·南丁格尔

可以说，弗洛伦斯·南丁格尔是现代护理的发明者。
事实上，南丁格尔确实打开了女性的职业大门。
19世纪中后期，她的榜样和影响力是向女性敞开大门的重要因素。
南丁格尔自己的生活反映了许多这些变化。
她出生于1820年，是英国一个富裕家庭的两个女儿之一。
她的母亲是一位美丽的社交女士，她曾经因为一个受人青睐的追求者不够富有而拒绝了他。
她希望她的两个女儿都能在社会上受欢迎，并嫁给富有和重要的男人。
弗洛伦斯的父亲确保她受了良好的教育。
但她很沮丧，因为女孩和妇女总是在父母的监督下
她觉得自己需要有所作为的生活，但她的家人坚持让她在与家人相处和参加社交活动之间分配时间。
她不被允许做任何自己的事。
当她16岁的时候，南丁格尔说上帝和她说话，并叫她做他的工作。
但是佛罗伦萨不知道她要做什么工作。
当她和母亲和姐姐坐在一起，或参加舞会和音乐会，或去欧洲旅行时，岁月流逝了。
南丁格尔变得更加愤怒和叛逆。
她拒绝嫁给几个想嫁给她的著名男人，这冒犯了她的家人和朋友。
到她24岁时，她已决定当一名护士。
但一个人是如何成为护士的呢？当时，这个职业似乎没有前途。
唯一受人尊敬的护士是那些信奉宗教的妇女，她们为病人的精神健康服务，但没有受过医学训练。
大多数护士都是贫穷、未经培训的女性，她们被怀疑太喜欢男性或酒精，或者两者兼而有之。
事实上，一家医院更愿意雇佣未婚妈妈当护士，因为她们没有名誉可言。
南丁格尔的家人被她的计划吓坏了。
他们的反对推迟了她的计划，但没有阻止她。
1850年，她第一次访问了德国的一家医院。
1853年，她被任命为伦敦一家女子疗养院的院长。
但是，弗洛伦斯仍然在等待她的真正召唤。
1855年，伦敦泰晤士报印刷了克里米亚战争的报道。
法国和英国在克里米亚半岛与俄罗斯作战。
在一次盟军胜利后，受伤的法国士兵得到了很好的照顾，但受伤的英国士兵却任由死去。
在英国，公众表示强烈抗议。
这是弗洛伦斯的机会。
她很快带着38名护士前往土耳其伊斯坦布尔。
土耳其的斯库塔里是英国伤员被送往的医院。
这所所谓的医院是一个死亡坑，每100人中就有42人死亡。
军队不愿意听南丁格尔小姐的话，也不愿意让她照顾伤员。
她不得不等待，直到情况变得如此糟糕，以至于正规的医务人员不堪重负。
军队一向她求助，她就立即开始上班。
她让人打扫了整个医院，布置了新厨房，并获得了良好的供水。
死亡率降至每1000人中的22人。
南丁格尔一夜成名。
尽管她在克里米亚战争中的努力工作损害了她的健康，但她仍继续在伦敦工作。
她发表了一份1000页的关于英国军队医疗状况的报告，几本关于护理的书，以及她自己的建议和意见。
她还建立了一所护士培训学校。
早在她1910年去世之前，她就已经看到护理成为一个成熟的职业。
她几乎是凭一己之力帮助病人和伤员得到适当的治疗。

The Million Pound Bank Note by Mark Twain

词汇提示

1.tailor's 裁缝店

2.millionaire 百万富翁

3.elegant 优雅

原文

Chapter Four: At the Tailor's

Every time I passed in front of a tailor's, I wanted to enter and buy some new clothes.

But, I had no money to pay for them.

The £1,000,000 banknote in my pocket was useless!

I passed in front of the same tailor's six times.

At last I entered.

I quietly asked if they had an old, unattractive suit that no one wanted to buy.

The man I spoke to nodded his head, but he didn't speak.

Then another man looked at me and nodded his head.

I went to him and he said, "One moment,please."

After some time, he took me to a backroom.

He looked at several ugly suits that no one wanted.

He chose the worst for me.

I really wanted a suit, so I said nothing.

It was time to pay.

"Can you wait a few days for the money? I haven't got any small change with me."

The man said, "Oh, you haven't? Well, I thought gentlemen like you carried large change."

"My friend," I replied, "you can't judge a stranger by the clothes he wears. I can pay for this suit. But, can you change a large banknote?"

"Oh, of course we can change a large banknote," he said coldly.

I gave him the banknote.

He received it with a smile, a big smile that covered his face.

When he read the banknote, his smile disappeared.

The owner of the shop came over and asked me, "What's the trouble?"

"There isn't any trouble. I'm waiting for my change."

"Come, come. Give him his change, Tod. Quickly!"

Tod answered, "It's easy to say, but look at the banknote."

The owner looked at the banknote.

Then he looked at my package with the ugly suit.

"Tod," he shouted, "you are stupid! How can you sell this unattractive suit to a millionaire! Tod, you can't see the difference between a millionaire and a poor man."

"I apologize, sir," the owner continued.

"Please take off those things you are wearing and throw them in the fire. Put on this fine shirt and this handsome suit. It's perfect for you - simple but elegant."

I told him I was very happy with the new suit.

"Oh, wait until you see what we can make for you in your size! Tod, bring a pen and a book. Let me measure your leg, your arm.…."

I didn't have a moment to speak.

The owner measured me.

Then he ordered his tailors to make me morning suits, evening suits, shirts, coats and other things.

"But, my dear sir," I said, "I can order all these things only if you change my banknote. Or, if you can wait a while before I pay you."

"Wait a while. I'll wait forever, that's the word. Tod, send these things to the gentleman's address. Let the less important customers wait! What's your address, sir?"

"I'm changing my home. I'll come back and give you my new address," I replied.

"Quite right, sir, quite right. Let me show you to the door, sir. Good day, sir, good day."

提示

一、每期五个句子，均是从四六级听力真题中选取的长难句。

二、每个句子念三遍女声，一遍男声，再一遍女声。

三、如果觉得语速过快，可以在播放器上调慢语速，多听几遍。

词汇提示

1.supervisor 主管

2.on shift 轮班

3.toughness 强度

原文

51.

The cafe is open in the mornings every day of the year, and has two members of staff or supervisors on shift every day.

咖啡馆每天早上营业，每天有两名员工或主管轮班。

52.

Removing foreign objects from ears and noses costs England almost 3 million pounds a year, a study suggests.

一项研究表明，英国每年要花费近300万英镑来移除耳朵和鼻子里的异物。

53.

Such cats displayed more aggressive and anxious behavioral styles as well as more stress-related sickness.

这类猫表现出更具攻击性、更加焦虑的行为模式，还会患上更多与压力有关的疾病。

54.

The toughness of the race allows for racers to eat pretty much whatever they want. The more calories, the better.

比赛的激烈程度使选手们可以想吃什么就吃什么。卡路里越多越好。

55.

A rich and filling fruit pies quickly got the races attention, and the village gained some fame as a result.

一种馅料丰富且丰盛的水果馅饼很快引起了赛事的注意，村庄也因此名声大噪。

听前提示

一、三遍英文，一遍中文，再一遍英文。

二、从听懂的词入手，理解句子含义。

三、根据中英文意思，听不懂的多听几遍。

词汇提示

1.dispense 提供

2.underlings 下属

3.suburbs 郊区

4.mother tongue 母语

原文

291.

The fact (that) nowadays fewer men smoke is a headache for the Chinese tobacco industry.

如今男性烟民越来越少，这一事实令中国烟草业头痛。

292.

On my way home, I fell asleep on the train and rode past my station.

在回家的路上，我在火车上睡着了，坐过站了。

293

The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.

世界是一本书，不旅行的人只读了其中的一页而已。

294.

Before buying anything, you had better ask yourself whether you cannot do without it.

在买任何束西之前，你最好问问自己，是否不能没有它。

295.

I guess I've reached the age where I have to dispense advice to my underlings.

我想我已经到了给下属提建议的年龄了。

296.

The construction of a high way will contribute to the growth of the suburbs.

高速公路的建设将有助于郊区的发展。

297.

After that, I left, but then I realized that I forgot my backpack at their house.

在那之后，我离开了，但后来我意识到我把背包忘在他们家了。

298.

I know you worked very hardon it, but still I'm not satisfied with your report.

我知道你很努力，但我还是不满意你的报告。

299.

It took John only one day to make friends with his classmates at the school.

约翰只花了一天时间就在学校和同学交朋友了。

300.

Once I learned what to listen for, I came to appreciate modern jazz.

自从我学会了该听什么，便开始欣赏现代爵士乐。

词汇提示

1.Dutch 荷兰的

2.recipes 食谱

3.wafers 威化饼

4.ginger 姜

5.slang 用俚语说

6.vanilla 香草的

7.crispy 松脆的

8.dough 面团

9.chunks 块

10.foil 箔纸袋

原文

Favorite Cookies

North Americans are known for their "sweet tooth".

This means that they like snacks with lots of sugar.

Americans drink a lot of coffee, tea and hot chocolate, and usually they have something sweet with their drink.

Cookies are one of America's favorite desserts.

The word "cookie" comes from a Dutch word meaning "little cake."

People from Europe brought their favorite recipes with them when they came to America.

The English brought their custom of having tea in the afternoon.

Usually with their tea they would have cakes or biscuits.

Biscuits are usually hard wafers like, for example, ginger snaps.

In fact, the Italian slang word for Englishman is "cake eater".

In the early days, all cookies were homemade.

But, in the late nineteenth Century, biscuits began to be manufacturedin large quantities by machine.

In 1912, the National Biscuit Company(Nabisco) in the U.S.A. introduced Oreo cookies.

This cookie has a rich creamy vanilla filling between two crispy chocolate wafers.

This product was designed to meet the demand for an English-style biscuit.

Oreos were good to dunk in a drink, to eat whole, to eat in parts, or to use in cooking.

Oreos have become both America's and the world's favorite commercial cookie.

New varieties of Oreos are added regularly to the original product.

Although commercial biscuits like Oreos are very popular, many people prefer home-baked ones.

In fact, there is a whole line of commercial cookies called "home-style,"which try to imitate homemade cookies.

The most popular cookie in America can be either bought in a package or baked at home.

These are chocolate chip cookies.

Ruth and Kenneth Wakefield operated the Toll House Inn in Whitman, Massachusetts.

One day in 1930, Mrs. Wakefield ran out of baking chocolate for her baking cookies.

She broke up a chocolate bar and added the pieces to her cookie mix.

She expected that the chocolate bits would melt into the dough when she baked them.

But they didn't.

Soon chocolate chip cookies were being made commercially by adding small chunks of chocolateto regular chocolate cookie dough.

Lots of people like to make their own by adding commercial chocolate chips to their dough.

Now chocolate chip cookies are the most popular kind of cookie in North America.

Over seven billion are eaten annually here.

Half of all the cookies baked in American homes are chocolate chip cookies.

Experiments in baking and packaging have led to new kinds of cookies.

Recently, soft cookies have become very popular.

Since they are packaged in foil, they can stay fresh and soft for many months.

It seems likely that the love of cookies will be around for a long time.

翻译

最受欢迎的饼干

北美洲人以“甜食”著称。
这意味着他们喜欢含大量糖的零食。
美国人喝很多咖啡、茶和热巧克力，而且通常他们的饮料中含有一些甜味。
饼干是美国人最喜欢的甜点之一。
“饼干”一词来自荷兰语，意思是“小蛋糕”
来自欧洲的人来到美国时，带着他们最喜欢的食谱。
英国人带来了下午喝茶的习俗。
通常他们喝茶时会吃蛋糕或饼干。
饼干通常是硬的薄饼，比如生姜片饼干。
事实上，意大利语中英国人的俚语是“吃蛋糕的人”。
早期，所有的饼干都是自制的。
但是，在十九世纪末，饼干开始用机器大量生产。
1912年，美国国家饼干公司（Nabisco）推出奥利奥饼干。
这种饼干在两块酥脆的巧克力薄饼之间有丰富的香草奶油馅。

该产品旨在满足英式饼干的需求。
奥利奥很适合浸泡在饮料中，可以吃整个，可以吃部分，也可以用于烹饪。
奥利奥已经成为美国和世界上最受欢迎的商业饼干。
奥利奥的新品种定期添加到原始产品中。
虽然像奥利奥这样的商业饼干很受欢迎，但许多人更喜欢自制的。
事实上，有一种商业曲奇被称为“家庭风格”，试图模仿自制曲奇。
在美国，最受欢迎的曲奇既可以在包装中购买，也可以在家里烘焙。
这些是巧克力饼干。
露丝和肯尼斯·韦克菲尔德在马萨诸塞州惠特曼经营收费站旅馆。
1930年的一天，韦克菲尔德夫人烤饼干的巧克力用完了。
她把一块巧克力棒掰开，并把它加到饼干里。
她希望当她烤巧克力时，巧克力碎片会融化在面团中。
但它们没有。
很快，通过在普通巧克力曲奇面团中加入小块巧克力，巧克力曲奇饼干开始商业化生产。
很多人喜欢在面团中加入商业巧克力片来制作自己的巧克力。
现在，巧克力饼干是北美最受欢迎的一种饼干。
这里每年有超过70亿被吃掉。
美国家庭烘焙的饼干有一半是巧克力片饼干。
烘焙和包装的实验催生了新的饼干种类。
最近，软饼干变得非常流行。
因为它们是用箔纸包装的，所以它们可以保持新鲜和柔软好几个月。
看来，对饼干的喜爱将持续很长一段时间。

The Million Pound Bank Note by Mark Twain

词汇提示

1.servant 佣人

2.continent 大陆

3.asylum 精神病院

原文

Chapter Three: The Letter

When I left the eating place, I hurried to the house of the two gentlemen.

I wanted to correct the mistake they had made.

I was very nervous.

When I arrived, the same servant opened the door.

I asked for the two gentlemen.

"They are gone," the servant said.

"Gone? Gone where?"

"Oh, on a journey."

"But, where did they go?"

"To the Continent, I think."

"The Continent?"

"Yes, sir."

"When will they return?"

"In a month."

"A month! Oh, this is awful! How can I talk to them? It's extremely important."

"I can't help you. I don't know where they are, sir."

"Then I must see a member of the family."

"All the family are away. They're in Egypt and India, I think."

"Before leaving, the two gentlemen made an enormous mistake. They will certainly return home tonight. Tell them that I came here to correct the mistake. I will return tomorrow."

"I'll tell them if I see them. But I won't see them! Sir, you must not worry because everything is all right. They will be here on time, and they will see you then. Good-bye."

I was confused.

My head was in a fog.

I did not understand what the servant told me.

The letter I remembered the letter!

This is what it said:

You are an intelligent and honest man. You are also poor and a stranger. In this envelope you will find some money. It is yours only for 30days. At the end of 30 days, return to this house, I have a bet on you. If I win this bet, you can have any job with any salary that you want.

There were no signature, no address, no date on the letter.

How strange! I didn't know what to think.

I went to a park, sat down and thought about what to do.

After an hour, I reached the decision that follows.

The two old gentlemen are playing a game that I don't understand.

They are betting on me. (But, at that time, I didn't know anything about the details of the bet.)

If I go to the Bank of England to return the banknote, the bank will ask me lots of questions.

If I tell the truth, no one will believe me.

They will put me in an asylum.

If I tell a lie, the police will put me in prison.

I can't even give it to anyone, because no honest person will want it.

I can do only one thing: I must keep the bill for a whole month.

And, I must not lose it.

If I help the old man to win his bet, he will give me the job I want.

The idea of an important job with a big salary made me happy.

With this exciting idea in mind, I began walking down the streets of London.

提示

一、每期五个句子，均是从四六级听力真题中选取的长难句。

二、每个句子念三遍女声，一遍男声，再一遍女声。

三、如果觉得语速过快，可以在播放器上调慢语速，多听几遍。

词汇提示

1.prior 先前的

原文

46.

These are much better and much more productive ways for companies to move forward on their employees' wellbeing.

这些都是公司改善员工福利可以采用的更好的、更有成效的方式。

47.

They were first introduced to California by Spanish and Russian explorers and settlers many centuries ago.

多个世纪前，西班牙和俄罗斯的探险家和定居者首次将它们引入加利福尼亚州。

48.

Mr. Wilson says when people start to know other people around them, they realize they're not that different.

威尔逊说，当人们开始了解周围的人时，他们会意识到自己并没有什么不同。

49.

Technical engineers who worked on the plane prior to take-off are reportedly going to be questioned by the police.

据报道，起飞前在飞机上作业的技术工程师们将接受警方的讯问。

50.

The unnamed woman from the province of Shandong started to have coughing problems when she was 7 or 8 years old.

这位姓名不详的女子来自山东省，她从七八岁时开始出现咳嗽问题。