新概念2 lesson6184.docx

新概念2 lesson6184.docx

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新概念2lesson6184

Lesson61TroublewiththeHubble

TheHubbletelescopewaslaunchedintospacebyNASAonApril20,1990atacostofoverabilliondollars.RightfromthestarttherewastroublewiththeHubble.Thepicturesitsentuswereverydisappointingbecauseitsmainmirrorwasfaulty!

NASAisnowgoingtoputthetelescoperightsoitwillsoonsendingupfourastronautstorepairit.TheshuttleEndeavourwillbetakingtheastronautstotheHubble.Arobot-armfromtheEndeavourwillgrabthetelescopeandholditwhiletheastronautsmakethenecessaryrepairs.Ofcourse,theHubbleisabovetheearth’satmosphere,soitwillsoonbesendingustheclearestpicturesofthestarsanddistantgalaxiesthatwehaveeverseen.TheHubblewilltellusagreatdealabouttheageandsizeoftheuniverse.Bythetimeyoureadthis,theHubble’seagleeyewillhavesentusthousandsandthousandsofwonderfulpictures.

Lesson62afterthefire

Firemenhadbeenfightingtheforestfirefornearlythreeweeksbeforetheycouldgetitundercontrol.Ashorttimebefore,greattreeshadcoveredthecountrysideformilesaround.Now,smokestillroseupfromthewarmgroundoverthedesolatehills.Winterwascomingonandthehillsthreatenedthesurroundingvillageswithdestruction,forheavyrainwouldnotonlywashawaythesoilbutwouldcauseseriousfloodsaswell.Whenthefirehadatlastbeenputout,theforestauthoritiesorderedseveraltonsofaspecialtypeofgrass-seedwhichwouldgrowquickly.Theseedwassprayedoverthegroundinhugequantitiesbyaeroplanes.Theplaneshadbeenplantingseedfornearlyamonthwhenitbegantorain.Bythen,however,inmanyplacesthegrasshadalreadytakenroot.Inplaceofthegreattreeswhichhadbeengrowingthereforcenturies,patchesofgreenhadbeguntoappearintheblackenedsoil.

Lesson63Shewasnotamused

JeremyHampdenhasalargecircleoffriendsandisverypopularatparties.Everybodyadmireshimforhisgreatsenseofhumour—everybody,thatis,excepthissix-year-olddaughter,Jenny.Recently,oneofJeremy’sclosestfriendsaskedhimtomakeaspeechataweddingreception.ThisisthesortofthingthatJeremyloves.HepreparedthespeechcarefullyandwenttotheweddingwithJenny.Hehadincludedalargenumberoffunnystoriesinthespeechand,ofcourse,itwasgreatsuccess.Assoonashehadfinished,Jennytoldhimshewantedtogohome.Jeremywasalittledisappointedbythisbuthedidashisdaughterasked.Onthewayhome,heaskedJennyifshehadenjoyedthespeech.Tohissurprise,shesaidshehadn’t.Jeremyaskedherwhythiswassoandshetoldhimthatshedidnotliketoseesomanypeoplelaughingathim!

Lesson64TheChannelTunnel

In1858,aFrenchengineer,AimeThomedeGamond,arrivedinEnglandwithaplanforatwenty-one-miletunnelundertheEnglishChannel.HesaidthatitwouldbepossibletobuildaplatforminthecentreoftheChannel.Thisplatformwouldserveasaportandarailwaystation.Thetunnelwouldbewell-ventilatediftallchimneyswerebuiltabovesealevel.In1860,abetterplanwasputforwardbyanEnglishman,WilliamLow.Hesuggestedthatadoublerailway-tunnelshouldbebuilt.Thiswouldsolvetheproblemofventilation,forifatrainenteredthistunnel,itwoulddrawinfreshairbehindit.Forty-twoyearslateratunnelwasactuallybegun.If,atthetime,theBritishhadnotfearedinvasion,itwouldhavebeencompleted.Theworldhadtowaitalmostanother100yearsfortheChannelTunnel.ItwasofficiallyopenedonMarch7,1994,finallyconnectingBritishtotheEuropeancontinent.

Lesson65Jumboversusthepolice

LastChristmas,thecircusowner,JimmyGates,decidedtotakesomepresentstoachildren’shospital.DressedupasFatherChristmasandaccompaniedbya‘guardofhonour’ofsixprettygirls,hesetoffdownthemainstreetofthecityridingababyelephantcalledJumbo.Heshouldhaveknownthatthepolicewouldneverallowthissortofthing.ApolicemanapproachedJimmyandtoldhimheoughttohavegonealongasidestreetasJumbowasholdingthetraffic.ThoughJimmyagreedtogoatonce,Jumborefusedtomove.Fifteenpolicemenhadtopushveryhardtogethimoffthemainstreet.Thepolicehadadifficulttime,buttheyweremostamused.‘Jumbomustweighafewtons.’saidapolicemanafterwards,‘soitwasfortunatethatwedidn’thavetocarryhim.Ofcourse,weshouldarresthim,butashehasagoodrecord,weshalllethimoffthistime.’

Lesson66Sweetashoney!

In1963aLancasterbombercrashedonWallisIsland,aremoteplaceintheSouthPacific,alongwaywestofSamoa.Theplanewasn’ttoobadlydamaged,butovertheyears,thecrashwasforgottenandthewreckremainedundisturbed.Thenin1989,twenty-sixyearsafterthecrash,theplanewasaccidentallyrediscoveredinanaerialsurveyoftheisland.Bythistime,aLancasterbomberinreasonableconditionwasrareandworthrescuing.TheFrenchauthoritieshadtheplanepackagedandmovedinpartsbacktoFrance.Nowagroupofenthusiastsaregoingtohavetheplanerestored.IthasfourRolls–RoyceMerlinengines,butthegroupwillneedtohaveonlythreeofthemrebuilt.Imaginetheirsurpriseanddelightwhentheybrokeopenthepackingcasesandfoundthatthefourthenginewassweetashoney-stillinperfectcondition.Acolonyofbeeshadturnedtheengineintoahiveanditwastotallypreservedinbeeswax!

Lesson67Volcanoes

HarounTazieff,thePolishscientist,hasspenthislifetimestudyingactivevolcanoesanddeepcavesinallpartsoftheworld.In1948,hewenttoLakeKivuintheCongotoobserveanewvolcanowhichhelaternamedKituro.Tazieffwasabletosetuphiscampveryclosetothevolcanowhileitwaseruptingviolently.Thoughhemanagedtotakeanumberofbrilliantphotographs,hecouldnotstaynearthevolcanoforverylong.Henoticedthatariverofliquidrockwascomingtowardshim.Itthreatenedtosurroundhimcompletely,butTazieffmanagedtoescapejustintime.Hewaiteduntilthevolcanobecamequietandhewasabletoreturntwodayslater.Thistime,hemanagedtoclimbintothemouthofKiturosothathecouldtakephotographsandmeasuretemperatures.Tazieffhasoftenriskedhislifeinthisway.Hehasbeenabletotellusmoreaboutactivevolcanoesthananymanalive.

Lesson68Persistent

  Icrossedthestreettoavoidmeetinghim,buthesawmeandcamerunningtowardsme.ItwasnousepretendingthatIhadnotseenhim,soIwavedtohim.IneverenjoymeetingNigelDykes.Heneverhasanythingtodo.Nomatterhowbusyyouare,healwaysinsistsoncomingwithyou.Ihadtothinkofawayofpreventinghimfromfollowingmearoundallmorning.

   'Hello,Nigel,'Isaid.'Fancymeetingyouhere!

'

   'Hi,Elizabeth,'Nigelanswered.'Iwasjustwonderinghowtospendthemorning--untilIsawyou.You'renotbusydoinganything,areyou?

'

   'No,notatall,'Ianswered.'I'mgoingto...'

   'Wouldyoumindmycomingwithyou?

'heasked,beforeIhadfinishedspeaking.

   'Notatall,'Ilied,'butI'mgoingtothedentist.'

   'ThenI'llcomewithyou,'heanswered.'There'salwaysplentytoreadinthewaitingroom!

Lesson69:

Butnotmurder

  Iwasbeingtestedforadrivinglicenceforthethirdtime.Ihadbeenaskedtodriveinheavytrafficandhaddonesosuccessfully.Afterhavingbeeninstructedtodriveoutoftown,Ibegantoacquireconfidence.SurethatIhadpassed,Iwasalmostbeginningtoenjoymytest.Theexaminermusthavebeenpleasedwithmyperformance,forhesmiledandsaid.'Justonemorething,Mr.Eames.Letussupposethatachildsuddenlycrossestheroadinfrontofyou.AssoonasItaponthewindow,youmuststopwithinfivefeet.'Icontinueddrivingandaftersometime,theexaminertappedloudly.Thoughthesoundcouldbeheardclearly,ittookmealongtimetoreact.Isuddenlypressedthebrakepedalandwewereboththrownforward.Theexaminerlookedatmesadly.'Mr.Eames,'hesaid,inamournfulvoice,'youhavejustkilledthatchild!

'

Lesson70Redfordanger

Duringabullfight,adrunksuddenlywanderedintothemiddleofthering.Thecrowdbegantoshout,butthedrunkwasunawareofthedanger.Thebullwasbusywiththematadoratthetime,butitsuddenlycaughtsightofthedrunkwhowasshoutingruderemarksandwavingaredcap.Apparentlysensitivetocriticism,thebullforgotallaboutthematadorandchargedatthedrunk.Thecrowdsuddenlygrewquiet.Thedrunk,however,seemedquitesureofhimself.Whenthebullgotclosetohim,heclumsilysteppedasidetoletitpass.Thecrowdbrokeintocheersandthedrunkbowed.Bythistime,however,threemenhadcomeintotheringandtheyquicklydraggedthedrunktosafety.Eventhebullseemedtofeelsorryforhim,foritlookedonsympatheticallyuntilthedrunkwasoutofthewaybeforeoncemoreturningitsattentiontothematador.

Lesson71Afamousclock

WhenyouvisitLondon,oneofthefirstthingsyouwillseeisBigBen,thefamousclockwhichcanbeheardallovertheworldontheB.B.C.IftheHousesofParliamenthadnotbeenburneddownin1834,thegreatclockwouldneverhavebeenerected.BigBentakesitsnamefromSirBenjaminHallwhowasresponsibleforthemakingoftheclockwhenthenewHousesofParliamentwerebeingbuilt.Itisnotonlyofimmensesize,butisextremelyaccurateaswell.OfficialsfromGreenwichObservatoryhavetheclockcheckedtwiceaday.OntheB.B.C.youcanheartheclockwhenitisactuallystrikingbecausemicrophonesareconnectedtotheclocktower.BigBenhasrarelygonewrong.Once,however,itfailedtogivethecorrecttime.Apainterwhohadbeenworkingonthetowerhungapotofpaintononeoft