Quartz 4

40 articles

54 min read

1. Fall in Love with English

Hiding behind the loose dusty curtain, a teenager packed up his overcoat into the suitcase. He planned to leave home at dusk though there was thunder and lightning outdoors. He had got to do this because he was tired of his parents’ nagging (唠叨的) about his English study and did not want to go through it any longer. He couldn’t get along well with English and disliked joining in English classes because he thought his teacher ignored him on purpose. As a result, his score in each exam never added up to over 60.

His partner was concerned about him very much. She understood exactly what he was suffering from, but entirely disagreed with his idea. In order to calm him down and settle his problem, she talked with him face to face and swapped (交换) a series of learning tips with him. The items she set down helped him find the highway to studying English well.

The teenager was grateful and got great power from his friend’s words. Now, he has recovered from being upset and has fallen in love with English.

2. Different Countries Have Different Kinds of Englishes

Voyages of people from England play an important part in spreading the English language. At present, English is frequently spoken as an official or common language in many countries, such as America, Singapore, Malaysia and some African countries. All based on British English, the English spoken in these countries can be well understood by native English speakers. But actually, these Englishes have been gradually changing in accents, spellings, expressions and the usage of vocabulary.

Because of this fact, you can make use of the differences to tell which country the foreigners of your block are from.

a group of buildings with streets on all sides
She took the dog for a walk around the block.

For example, if a boss fluently commands his driver, “Come up straight to my apartment by elevator and take some gas for my trucks and cabs”, instead of requesting, “Please come to my flat by lift and take some petrol for my lorries and taxis”, you can recognize his American identity, while the latter suggests that he is British.

3. A Hard Trip

My sister was fond of traveling. Ever since graduating, she had been determined to organize a trip to an old temple. Since transporting fare was expensive, she decided to use a bicycle to cycle there not caring about the disadvantages. Her stubborn attitude was always her shortcoming. Once she made up her mind to do something, no one could persuade her to change her mind. Finally, we gave in as usual though we preferred to take a train. After we prepared everything, including the schedule, reliable weather forecast and the insurance, we began our trip.

Our journey was along a river flowing from a high altitude. Our pace was slow because the river frequently had many sharp bends through deep valleys, where the water seemed to boil.

a curve or turn, especially in a road or river
a sharp bend in the road

Just as I recorded in my journal, it was really a hard journey. But we also enjoyed great views. One night, I put my head on my pillow—a parcel of wool coats, and lay beneath the stars. When the flame in front of our cave went out at midnight, I found the sky so beautiful!

4. A Horrible Earthquake

Dirty water rose in wells and canals before the earthquake. But no one judged that an earthquake was coming. Suddenly, everything shook. It seemed as if the world was at an end. Millions of brick houses and a number of dams were destroyed. Railway tracks became useless bars. Pipes in mines burst and let out smelly steam. Huge cracks trapped cyclists everywhere.

The next day, this event was the headline or main title of all newspapers. With the reporters giving an outline of the disaster, the whole nation was shocked by the damage and the victim’s extreme suffering. People were moved when they read that the survivors comforted each other by saying “Congratulations! You survived!”. So they not only expressed their sympathy sincerely, but also organized together to help the victims right away. The injured were rescued and the dead were buried. The frightened survivors were dug out from under the ruins and were offered shelter, fresh water and electricity. Thanks to people’s help, the loss was minimized.

5. The Great President

As the founder of the republic, the president had many good qualities. Before coming to power, he was a generous lawyer. He was willing to selflessly help everyone who turned to him.

He turned to the employment agency for support.

Turn to [=refer to] the handout for the exact figures.

He accepted no fee to offer legal guidance and opinions to those who were out of work or uneducated. Later, believing all mankind to be equal, he devoted himself to stopping the unfair anti-black laws. He set up the Black Youth League and was voted to be the leader. However, though he kept peaceful principles without violence and terror, his mean enemies still blew up his house and attacked his relatives, and he himself couldn’t escape being sentenced to 30 years in prison.

Not fearing of the prison guards’ cruelty, he kept active and begged no mercy from them. As a matter of fact, he was always hopeful and never lost heart during the stage even though he was in trouble.

Finally, people rewarded him with the leader’s position and a gold blanket.

6. A Brave Maid

A wooden vase from the Ming Dynasty at the entrance of the reception hall amazed everyone. The artists designed it in a rare style and selected valuable jewels to decorate it. People thought highly of its fancy colour of honey and the beautiful paintings on it.

The vase used to belong to a former castle. But when the country was at war, the enemy troops exploded the castle. Debates on how the vase survived went on and on. In order to remove people’s doubt, a team of no less than 20 people carried out an informal investigation. The evidences they found showed that a maid took the vase apart and asked a sailor to sink it in a local well. She never gave away the secret even under the cruel trial of the enemies who were in search of treasures.

It is worth giving this brave maid a fortune in return.

7. A Fair Competition

Swifter, Higher and Stronger stands for the spirit of the Olympics. But fairness is the basis of this motto. Only when you win fairly will you and your homeland deserve the great glory. But nowadays, unlike the ancient honest slave competitors, some hopeless athletes who can’t bear the pain of training cheat when taking part in games. Medals seem to have magical power causing them to cheat, and the prize money has replaced the motto as their only goal.

So, in the gymnastics event to be held in our city next month, one of the host’s responsibilities is to keep competitions fair. They advertised on posters outside the stadium to promise that every competitor is to have a regular physical examination in a gymnasium one after another. No one can bargain on this. The volunteers in charge will be very strict. It is foolish to cheat because they will not be admitted to compete and will even be fined as well.

8. Computers

The goal of early calculating machines was to simplify difficult sums. But with the help of new technology, electronic chips replaced tubes and a revolution of artificial intelligence has arisen.

tube: a sealed container, typically of glass and either evacuated or filled with gas, containing two electrodes between which an electric current can be made to flow 电子管, 真空管（尤指真空或充气的玻璃管, 内含两个电极, 其间可有电流通过）。

From then on, the appearance of computers totally changed our lives. They can not only download information from the web when connected by the network or mobile phone signals, but also solve different types of logical problems. With operators as their coaches, they can even control rockets to explore the moon and instruct androids with the human race’s characters to mop floors and watch over your naughty niece. Anyhow, computers are so helpful that they do bring happiness.

the human race：人类种族

However, computers are easily attacked by viruses. This reality has become a hard-to-deal-with problem. As a result, computers are dangerous in a way. So, personally, I worry about their universal applications in some fields, such as finance.

9. Wildlife Protection

Dinosaurs died out because of an unexpected incident. But wildlife today disappears or is in danger just because humans do harm to it. For example, tigers are hunted for fur to make carpets so that they can only live in secure reserves; grassland is destroyed without mercy so that dust storms come into being affecting distant cities.

Last year, scientists saw some monkeys rubbing themselves with a certain kind of insects to protect themselves from fierce mosquitoes biting. According to the result of the inspection, they found that the insect contains a powerful drug, so local farmers were employed to catch the insects. The ending was that the insects disappeared from the whole zone. When told that it was a loss to humans, the farmers burst into laughter and responded, “Our real loss is our decreasing income.”

We should appreciate the natural balance and pay more attention to the importance of wildlife protection. Not until we succeed in letting wildlife live in peace, can we smile in relief.

 

10. My First Band

I was very sensitive to music. Just dipping into the music books briefly, I could sing or play well. To be honest, I always dreamt of becoming a famous folk actor. I was so confident that I never decreased my devotion.

I formed my first band called “Rolling Frog”. At the beginning, we relied on performing on instruments in pubs or to passers –by to earn extra money in cash. Then we wore false beards to pretend to be the musicians whom people were familiar with. In addition, we attached humorous acts to our performances and played jokes on each other. Soon, our “funny jazz” became famous and invitations to perform for broadcast stations began to come. Afterwards, we sorted out attractive music and made a record in a studio. A million or so copies were sold and we became millionaires.

It was painful that the band broke up finally. But above all, I realized my dream to be a musician.

11. An Interesting Festival

The Agricultural Feast takes place after the Independence Day. It is not a worldwide celebration. Only Christians in Mexico look forward to its arrival for its religious origin:

Long ago, humans’ ancestors were bad. They fooled and played tricks on each other and never kept their word. So God turned up and drowned all their crops. Humans starved day and night, weeping. In order to gain God’s forgiveness, a woman poet set off to see God. She admired God and kept apologizing. God was moved. With his permission, humans finally had good harvests again. So, to wipe sadness and remind themselves of the belief in God, people began the festival.

On the festival, people gather in open air, such as playgrounds or parking lots, and energetically have fun with each other all night long, as though they were never tired. When a beauty dressed up in lovely clothing reads poems in memory of the poet, everyone holds their breath. Then, it is the custom that the bone of a rooster head is given to her as an award.

Obviously, the story is not true, but the festival is interesting.

12. Balanced Diet

Wang Peng earned his living by running a barbecue restaurant, which served delicious bacon, fried chicken breast and mutton roasted with pepper and garlic. But his food and discount attracted fewer and fewer customers. Finally, he was in debt. Yong Hui’s slimming restaurant served fresh peas, carrots, eggplants, and raw cucumbers with vinegar. As the hostess, she said fibres benefited customers’ digestion the most. In order not to let Yong Hui get away with telling lies, Wang Peng spied on Yong Hui despite her glare. But he was surprised that she was losing her customers, too.

slimming: the practice of trying to lose weight 减肥；减轻体重
a slimming club
减肥俱乐部

Curiosity drove Wang Peng to consult an expert. The expert sighed and said, “Both of your menus have weakness and limited strength. Your customers put on weight too easily, while Yong Hui’s lose weight too quickly. So, Wang Peng, cut down the fat of your food and increase vegetables and fruits, like nuts, beans, mushrooms, peaches and lemons. You ought to combine the two menus and provide a balanced diet.”

Before long, Wang Peng won his customers back.

 

13. Sailing Home

This novel was about an unbelievable but genuine adventure. Its author was a black businessman who was brought up in America. In 1956, he visited Africa, his birthplace. One day, when he was wandering on the pavement near the bay enjoying the sea scenes, he lost his money and passport that he kept in an envelope. So he went to the embassy to seek help, but the ambassador with rude manners didn’t permit his staff to help though he bowed to him. Staring at his impatient face, he understood that it was the fault of his skin colour that accounted for their rejection. So he decided to take a chance to sail on a small boat home.

pavement: [C] (BrE) (NAmE side·walk) a flat part at the side of a road for people to walk on
a pavement cafe
路边咖啡馆

account: (formal) to have the opinion that sb/sth is a particular thing 认为是；视为
~ sb/sth + adj.
In English law a person is accounted innocent until they are proved guilty.
按英格兰法律，一个人未经证实有罪之前被视为无罪。
~ sb/sth + noun
The event was accounted a success.
人们认为这次活动是成功的。

He met a large amount of difficulty but was never stopped. On the contrary, difficulty pushed him to go ahead harder. Three months later, he was spotted by a ship by accident. He was in rags indeed. A maid even screamed when bringing him a steak and pineapple dessert. Aboard, he earned his passage by working as a barber and got home finally. As for the name of his novel, he couldn’t think of a better one than the phrase “Go Ahead”.

14. Explore MKII

MKII, a planet billions of kilometers away, is the origin of life in many religions. Physicists have proved the theory that its gentle climate and the pull of its gravity are similar to the earth’s.

[sing.] the ~ (of sth)a strong physical force that makes sth move in a particular direction 力；引力；磁力
the earth’s gravitational pull
地球的引力

And astronomers have found that oxygen atoms and carbon dioxide, which are fundamental to life, exist in its atmosphere through satellites. Cheered up by this news, biologists, in their turn, began to do some research to remove people’s puzzles — Now that there are some suitable conditions, does life really exist on this globe? Do they multiply by laying eggs or giving birth to babies?

[I, T] (biology 生物) to reproduce in large numbers; to make sth do this （使）繁殖，增殖
Rabbits multiply rapidly.
兔子繁殖迅速。

~ sth
It is possible to multiply these bacteria in the laboratory.
在实验室里繁殖这些细菌是可以做到的。

Last month, a spaceship was sent there. It’s a pity that this mission failed. Unlike the earth, MKII is a much younger planet. Thus, masses of harmful acid clouds float everywhere causing violent chain reactions to break out. These clouds not only blocked out the pilots’ sight but also damaged the engine system. Luckily, the pilots watched out carefully and prevented the spaceship from crashing in time.

 

15. A Journey across Canada

After a quiz last autumn, Kuang crossed the continent eastward to Toronto to visit his schoolmate, the distance measuring approximately 5,000 kilometers,

His train started from Vancouver, a city surrounded by mountains. After confirming his baggage was aboard the train, Kuang settled down in his seat. Having a gift for communication, he started chatting with another passenger within 5 minutes. Their topics included the Canadian traditions, the Prime Minister, the mixture of races, and the terrifying Great Fall. After a nice buffet at noon, he was pleased to find that the scenery was impressive. He saw beautiful harbours in the distance, wealthy urban areas and maple forest that covered thousands of acres. He even managed to catch sight of an eagle flying upward over bushes.

Kuang reached Toronto which lies slightly near the border at a misty dawn. There was frost and the broad downtown streets were very quiet. Though it was early, Kuang phoned his schoolmate in a booth nearby at once rather than waiting for him to come. They had a good time together.

16.A Woman Doctor-Lina

Born in a pigs’ nest, Lina led a poor life in her childhood. She was looked down upon by the children of her generation. But she intended to become a doctor after she came across Lin Qiaozhi by chance, who was delivering medical courses to an audience crowding around her. Before moving off, Lin inspired her to carry on her study. With Lin’s support, Lina entered an institute and studied hard sparing no time for entertainment. Her being outspoken and modest won respect for her. Her excellent arguing skills and observation ability put others into the shade.

Now, Lina has become a specialist in human beings’ emergency sickness. Her kindness and considerate behavior to the poor were well known. The organization she founded carried out campaigns and welfare projects to help cut the death rate for the poor. Her job was hard but worthwhile. She often refers to the connection between her achievement and Lin Qiaozhi, and says that her poor childhood is the bond between her and the poor.

    

17. A New Farming Way

Tuan was a farmer in Vietnam. For decades, he had been struggling to rid his family of hunger. However, it always confused him how to expand the output of his crops. This disturbing problem led to his regretting being a farmer. He would rather have chosen another job.

One day, when skimming through a newspaper, Tuan read a comment on Yuan Longpin. He underlined Yuan’s nationality and occupation, and then focused on his discovery and the statistics of his research. He found the knowledge Yuan circulated very practical. Therefore, he made a summary and began to build up a new farming method. He planted super grain of rich nutrition and equipped himself to keep his crops roots free from bacteria and pests. He also enriched minerals in the soil while reducing chemical fertilizers. Though it cost him more time and freedom, he was full of hope.

The next year, Tuan was sunburnt but satisfied with his production very much. Thanks to Yuan Longpin, he not only won the battle against hunger, but he could also export his crops abroad.

 

18. Chaplin - A Great Master of Humour

Chaplin was an extraordinary performer who starred in and directed many outstanding comedies. Few were bored watching his moustache, his gestures or his entertaining reactions when chased by detectives. Being drunk, sliding on a banana skin or whispering his own failures to nobody, he made us feel more content with our life without any verbal explanation. His particular sense of humor has astonished everybody throughout the world up to now.

In a small budget film, he played a badly-off and homeless person wearing worn-out shoes and messy clothes. On one occasion, he was trapped by a snowstorm in a vast mountainous area. Though he overcame many difficulties, he wasn’t fortunate enough. With all the porridge eaten up, he picked out a shoe and boiled it to eat. He cut off the leather bottom and chewed it like a pancake. According to an actress, his acting was so convincing and amusing that everybody couldn’t help bursting into laughter.

19. A Misunderstanding

In general, spoken statements are the major way of communication, but body language and facial expressions also have such kinds of function. For example, yawning means being not interested and turning one’s back to someone or swinging your fist shows your anger. But what those gestures really mean is subjective in different cultures. Thus, misunderstandings happen now and then in today’s world of cultural crossroads.

Once, representing the Adults’ Education Association, I went to the airport to meet an official of high rank from Columbia and take him to his dormitory and then to the canteen. After the flight arrived, I saw a man looking around curiously. So I approached to greet him. He suddenly dashed to hug me and kissed me on both cheeks. As a young girl, I felt truly embarrassed and put up my hands to defend myself. His false smile told me that he had lost face.

Later, I received a cassette from him, in which he recorded his apology. On hearing that Columbians were more likely to kiss others, I soon felt at ease.

20. A Unique Theme Park

独一无二的主题公园

As soon as our shuttle got close to the theme park by the freeway, everyone came to life and put on cloth sneakers in advance for an outing. Our translator paid for the admission, and we started enjoying the various attractions in the sunlight.

According to the travel brochure, this unique park is famous for its well preserved minority culture. We experienced many deeds of the early settlers, such as swinging across rivers, hunting creatures in the jungle, or taking part in swords fighting tournaments.

This park is also famous for its wooden souvenirs. Whichever we bought in the central shop was made of wood, and wherever we went we could see minority carpenters working. They made wooden tools, wooden cartoon figures, wooden athletic products and so on. They even built a huge wooden engine with a length of 20 metres, which was modeled after a real one.

This theme park is really a fantasy amusement park. No wonder it has become the brand of local tourism.

21. A Strange Disease

When the construction of the firework factory came to the stage of painting, a pump was put in. Then, all the painters in the neighbourhood were defeated by a severe disease whose characteristic was alike to that of a bad burn.

An expert physician was instructed to attend to the victims and handle this case. He was enthusiastic, but he didn’t foresee that it was a hard challenge. After simple enquiry, he announced that the polluted paint was to blame. But without positive evidence, people suspected and rejected his view, saying the theory he put forward made no sense. Being much more strict with himself, he contributed himself to the case. Apart from making enquiries, he made detailed charts and analysed the data cautiously. Finally, he drew a scientific conclusion, linking the disease to the radium in the pump. Exposed to radium, a kind of radioactive material in the universe, people absorbed radiation and got sick immediately.

Spinning the pump backward, he took away the radium. This simple movement cured all the victims.

22. Sightseeing in the United Kingdom

After the wedding, my cousin and his wife went to the United Kingdom for nationwide sightseeing. He faxed a letter to me in English yesterday. To my delight, he no longer made any tense error. And his description roughly clarified my questions about the UK—its currency, its administration, the institution which divides it into four provinces, and the historical conflicts and quarrels when Southern Ireland broke away from the UK.

Unwilling to leave out any attraction, my cousin arranged his enjoyable journey carefully. One attractive place he visited was a castle in the countryside of Scotland, which lies near a port. It used to be the headquarters（请注意：音频里面是headquarter，没有加s，是不对的。）of the Communism Union but broke down during the war. Finding nothing could take the place of this splendid architecture, people accomplished rebuilding it in 1952. It was to their credit that all furnished rooms are consistent with what they used to be. My cousin was thrilled by its collections consisting of statues plus royal uniforms folded in glass tanks. Though there was no possibility to buy some of these exhibits, it was convenient to take photos, which he sent me along with his fax.

我的表弟和他妻子在举办了婚礼后到联合王国做全国旅游观光去了。他昨天传真了一封英文信给我，让我高兴的是，他再也不犯时态错误了，而且他的描述也粗略地向我阐明了关于英国的一些问题——它的货币啦，行政管理啦，把它分成四个行政区的制度啦，还有在南爱尔兰脱离联合王国时发生的一些历史上的冲突和争拗。

因为不愿意漏掉任何一个景点，我表弟仔细地安排了他愉快的旅程。他参观的其中一个吸引人的地方是苏格兰乡村的一个城堡。城堡靠近一座港口，曾经是共产主义联盟会的总部，但是在战争中倒塌了。人们发现没有任何东西可以取代这座辉煌的建筑，于是在1952年完成了重建。值得赞扬的是，所有配备家具的房间都和它们过去一致的。由雕像加折叠在玻璃柜里的皇家制服组成的收藏品使我表弟震撼不已。尽管没有可能购买这些展览品，拍照却很方便，他在传真中一起发给了我。

23. An Air Crash

I was a previous typist in a post office. Because I couldn’t tolerate typing any more postage bills or postcodes on a typewriter every day, I resigned. With a greedy motivation of making big money, I took up working as a business representative for the G.E Ecology Company, which produced goods by recycling useful materials from our dustbins. My new job left me good impressions in many aspects except that the working timetable was full of traveling by jets.

Once, when speeding up, our jet was swallowed by a thunderstorm, which destroyed our GPS receiver and made us lose sight of the directions. A constantly flashing light showed that our jet was in danger. A steward instantly asked us to put on masks and fasten the safety belts, and then pressed a button to switch on the escaping capsule. It slid sideways out of the opening at once and landed in a desert area safely. Lacking food and tablets, we were nervous and uncertain at first. But we all kept optimistic and made good adjustment to the situation. We swept up the surrounding mud to make our settlement and were back on our feet soon. Finally, guided by the smoke of our crashing jet, some local citizens came by carriages and saved us.

24. An Amateur Journalist

Jane is a housewife, but delighted to work as an amateur journalist. It is a dilemma for her to rush between family and work, and it is also unusual for the News Department to depend on an amateur to cover crimes. But Jane is really gifted. It is admirable that she is seldom accused of making mistakes. And, eager to become more professional, she concentrates on her job and updates herself now and then.

Once she is informed of a new case, her normal working process is as follows: first, she makes appointments with guilty people for interviews. So as to acquire accurate stories, she usually demands to record what they say. Meanwhile, a technically good colleague will assist her in taking photographs. Second, she assesses whether they are deliberately hiding the truth. If she is skeptical about their words, she will look into the case herself. Third, she writes thorough stories ahead of the deadline and submits it to the senior chief editor, who polishes and approves every section. Finally, her stories will be published in different editions of their magazine.

25. First Aid

A boy fell ill. His organs were damaged by the radiation of an infrared ray stove. But before the ambulance arrived, a number of other injuries happened to this unlucky boy over and over again. First, he was choked by some poisonous liquid from the kettle on the cupboard. Then his wrist skin was burnt by electric shock. Finally, his ankle was cut by a pan.

Fortunately, the boy’s nurse gave him proper temporary treatments according to his complex symptoms. She mildly squeezed the poisonous liquid out of his throat and put bandages firmly in place to apply pressure to the ankle wound to stop bleeding. As for the burn, she used scissors to remove his sleeve, poured a basin of cold water over the burn to cool it and put her hands on a damp blouse to cover his swollen tissue tightly. She also inspired his bravery to fight against the unbearable pain. Her first aid made a vital difference in saving his life. A ceremony was held to honour the nurse who overcame a variety of barriers to save the boy.

26. Abstract Art

Abstract art used to be controversial. On one hand, the artists stopped painting delicate figures but attempted to adopt special techniques to give people different visual impacts. On the other hand, their works, including sculptures carved out of marble or fragile clay, were all with a specific aim of showing feelings. Some conventional scholars who were allergic to abstract art said it was evidently ridiculous and neither art nor geometry. Their Traditional Art Committee predicted its soon disappearing.

But nowadays, abstract art has become part of the permanent possessions of contemporary civilization. Galleries along the Madison Avenue give scores of superb exhibitions on typical abstract works, appealing to many who have a preference for abstract art. The Shadow of Egypt, a café in this district, has become the home to those aggressive abstract artists. Consequently, it is not a coincidence for you to meet one of these artists of great reputation in the flesh. They are asked for signatures and given bunches of fragrant flowers plus they are given a great deal of praise by their faithful fans.

27. A Russian Poem

Since childhood, Anton had often recited poems, accompanied by pianists and violinists, at wedding ceremonies before brides and bridegrooms exchanged rings. Gradually, he found writing poems the most appropriate way to convey his joy and sorrow. When his poem Contradictory Blank won him a national championship and a scholarship to the Moscow University from a sponsor, he was just an unknown librarian. After getting his diploma, he devoted his life to writing poems. Using concrete but flexible language and the minimum of words is his style. He tried out different patterns and preferred nursery rhyme in particular. The following is a translation of one of his works made up of 3 sections:

Little sparrow with heavy load, Ran out of energy and very cold; No compass and all sweat salty, Can you go through the endless darkness? Little balloon let out by the thread, Flew over cottages and was very glad; With warmth transformed from sunlight, He said he could forever fly; Take it easy, little balloon; Don’t tease the sparrow with his wound; On the bare branch and have a rest; This diamond heart will eventually get success.

28. Let’s Help Adolescents

Whether they are male or female, adolescents feel like deciding on everything themselves in spite of parents’ instruction, especially when they face problems like sex, mental stress, etc., which make them feel ashamed and embarrassed. Thus they often automatically get into troubles due to their imperfect comprehension and judgement. Some are addicted to cigarettes, only several packets of which will hurt their lungs and make them breathless quickly. Others can’t quit drinking alcohol, whose harmful effects include causing young pregnant women to abort or give birth to abnormal babies. The worst is drug abuse, for the withdrawal is tough once their bodies are accustomed to the drugs. Meanwhile, those who share needles bought from illegal chemists are at great risk of being infected with desperate AIDS. If so, neither injecting nor taking pills can guarantee their survival.

However, don’t be disappointed at or have prejudice against our children so easily. After all, being awkward is an appendix of youth. As long as we strengthen communication with them instead of only banning this or banning that, we will surely help them avoid anything unfit.

29. Refresh Our Environment

As the director stated on behalf of his researching group, the data of this graph makes a clear presentation of the future environmental tendency. On one hand, the quantity of fuel keeps on decreasing by 9% per year while the growth of a wide range of pollution has been a global trend. On the other hand, the mildly but steadily going up of the average temperature is resulting in catastrophes like widespread floods. Without disagreement, they subscribe to the view that it is humans’ existence and their randomly consuming energy that result in this phenomenon.

Many people have a commitment that developing nuclear power or energy from outer space will stop bad consequences coming about. However, scientists and educators are opposed to this view even if our needs may be met on the whole. They tend to advocate refreshing our circumstances by saving energy and recycling waste. It is suggested that we use energy-saving appliances such as electrical motors, microwaves and so on and not be casual about little things like recycling a can. So please glance around and see what you can do. So long as everybody makes contribution, we will not have to put up with this problem anymore.

30. A Volcano Eruption

As the best candidate, I was appointed to collect and evaluate information for a database about diverse natural disasters, such as hurricanes, typhoons or thunderstorms. Sometimes I did this by giving out questionnaires to those who went through them. But sometimes I had to go through actual disasters myself. The Musaki Volcano was one of them.

At that time, I lived in a bungalow alongside the volcano with a novelist, who came for the appreciation of its eruption.

appreciation [U] pleasure that you have when you recognize and enjoy the good qualities of sb/sth 欣赏

She shows little appreciation of good music.
她感受不到美好音乐的妙处。
The crowd murmured in appreciation.
人群低声赞叹着。

One day, when I was drawing diagrams on the balcony and he was bathing inside, the volcano erupted unexpectedly. The ash and lava fountains shooting highly in the sky varied from 50 to 100 meters in height. It was absolutely fantastic! I even noticed a rainbow appear in the fog caused by a heat wave.

But, glancing through our surroundings, I foresaw the potential danger and found no guarantee of our safety. The uncomfortable gas almost made us unconscious. Sweats of anxiety began to drop. Managing to stop panicking and trembling, we quickly put on our protective suits, helmets and boots and eventually made our way to a safe place. How lucky we were even though my precious equipment and documents were all burnt to the ground!

31. Defeat Disability

Yang’s ambition was to get an architect certificate or become a bowling master. But when he was conducting experiments with a microscope in the basement, a tank on the bench exploded, sending him flying outwards through the exit. He was out of breath while knowing he lost his eyesight as well as 70% of his hearing. In other words, he was disabled.

disabled: unable to use a part of your body completely or easily because of a physical condition, an illness, an injury, etc.; unable to learn easily 丧失能力的；有残疾的；无能力的

physically/mentally disabled
有生理残疾的；精神伤残的
severely disabled
严重伤残
He was born disabled.
他天生残疾。
facilities for disabled people
残疾人使用的设施

Feeling clumsy, he was annoyed at first though nobody made fun of him. He cut out going outdoors and just sat around at home talking to his parrot or tortoise silently.

cut out: to stop doing (something)终止做，停止做（某事）

I’ve cut down on the number of cigarettes I smoke, but I’d like to cut out [=give up] smoking altogether.
我吸烟已经比以前少了，但我还是想完全戒掉。
I told you to cut that out! [=I told you to stop that]
我告诉过你别干那事了。
That’s enough, kids. I mean it! Cut it out**!**
够了，孩子们。我可不是说着玩的！别闹啦！

His sister resigned to help him in many ways. Her assistance and encouragement were so beneficial to his psychology that he adapted to his disability soon and became outgoing again. In a college accessible to him, he studied politics and literature. He always sat in the front row near the entry without any absence and, with the help of his handy laptop, he studied well by means of dictation. His thesis, Abolishing Slavery, met with all professors’ approval. After class, he and his companions often played drum music, which was noisy but suitable for his hearing. After graduation, he made high profits by designing software for a firm. All in all, in his community, he won his dignity and people’s congratulations.

He always wished all the best to his disabled fellows and encouraged them, “Never mind! All you have is adequate to get your achievement.”

32. Happy Marriage Needs Fighting For

As a talented navy officer, he was bound to be busy. When his wife rang him up to declare her divorce alarm, he was still scanning a digital counter to check the data so as to give an assessment of the theoretical framework for a biochemical weapon. His junior staff’s sympathy made him feel embarrassed(ashamed).

digital counter: 数码计数器

junior：[usually before noun] having a low rank in an organization or a profession 地位（或职位、级别）低下的
junior employees
低层雇员
~ to sb
She is junior to me.
她职位比我低。

His wife was a part-time clerk. With his high bonus, she lived in a grand house with elegant cushions and bedding. Her favour was reading stars’ biographies or absurd fictions with endless chapters in her armchair. People envied her leisure life very much. But in fact, she was tired of being left alone. She sent emails to his mailbox every week to state her thinking and ask for his [accompaniment], but never received reply of satisfaction. Tired of his explanation that he must obey the orders, she filed for divorce.

Because he desired to get their holy affection back, he set other affairs aside. He trimmed his fingernails short and changed his overweight figure as well as his awful haircut. He wore an apron to prepare delicious cuisine for her. He also bought her a necklace and piles of flowers hoping that their receiver could turn around.

After being tested out for 3 months in all, he eventually succeeded.

33. Mark and a Seal

Seal: a large mammal that eats fish and lives partly in the sea and partly on land or ice

Mark rented an accommodation with his pension near the shore. He paid annual visits there to enjoy the vivid beauty in the depths of the pure sea.

Once, with his underwater telescope and flashlight, Mark dived along the boundary between the steep reef and the area of seaweed conservation. Suddenly, an awesome Antarctic seal with sharp teeth appeared opposite him.

 The Antarctic is the area around the South Pole.

Every cell in his body was scared to death. But soon, he was aware that he wasn’t the target of an attack. With a neat wound in its lip caused by a shark, this grey seal was washed upside down by the tides time after time.

tidy and in order; carefully done or arranged 整洁的；整齐的；有序的
a neat desk
整洁的课桌
neat handwriting
工整的笔迹
neat rows of books
一排排整齐的书
She was wearing a neat black suit.
她穿着整洁的黑色套装。
They sat in her neat and tidy kitchen.
他们坐在她那干净整齐的厨房里。

an injury to part of the body, especially one in which a hole is made in the skin using a weapon （身体上的）伤，伤口；（武器造成的）伤
a leg/head, etc. wound
腿伤、头伤等

But it tried to jog Mark as if to urge him to help it. So Mark abandoned fleeing away. With its teamwork, Mark used a net to drag the seal to the shallow water. Without pausing he helped it out after a simple operation and settled it in a narrow cave by the seaside. Every time he brought it tasty fish, it would yell and suck his hands happily. Witnesses said their anecdotes reflected a magic dimension of the relationship between humans and animals.

tasty: (approving) having a strong and pleasant flavour 美味的；可口的；好吃的a tasty meal美餐
something tasty to eat好吃的东西

34 episode EN

Link to original

34. Helping the Remote Village

A year ago, the famous astronaut received an invitation by airmail from a remote village. Intending to sniff some fresh air, he and his interpreter paid a fortnight visit there.

It was a privilege for them to be there, but they were shocked by what they saw. The tracks were muddy. The river was drying up. Most villagers only possessed one broom, a few tins and several jars and their rectangular grass huts with round angles were surrounded by weeds. Besides, their school had no roof and platform, and the students had no concept of clicking a computer at all. They were badly in need.

Soon, the astronaut made a generous voluntary donation to the village. There were textbooks for students, sewing machines for tailors and tractors for farmers. His distribution catalogue also included operating a clinic and a trunk library, as well as giving weekly lessons to teach relevant farming knowledge like how to dry out seeds or raise oxen. He himself not only helped do some paperwork but also purchased grills for boys to toast potatoes and combs for girls who were dying to get one. The other day, he heard from the villagers again inviting him to participate in the donation anniversary. For political and security reasons, he couldn’t adjust his outgoing arrangement-otherwise he would go. But his deeds were remembered forever.

35 episode EN

Link to original

35. Study in America

Nannan’s father runs an enterprise near the Ming Tombs selling batteries and drills to the Daqing Oilfield. Hoping to get the qualification to help govern it, Nannan made much preparation and then left her motherland with her visa to study in America. Having reached her destination, she settled in an inn recommended by the travel agent.

Inn used in the names of many pubs, hotels and restaurants （用于客栈、旅馆和饭店的名称中）
Holiday Inn
假日酒店

agent: a person whose job is to act for, or manage the affairs of, other people in business, politics, etc. （企业、政治等的）代理人，经纪人
an insurance agent
保险经纪人
Our agent in New York deals with all US sales.
我们在纽约的代理商经办在整个美国的销售。

As far as Nannan was concerned, she always kept it up in China. But she had to acknowledge it was not easy to adjust herself to the new academic requirements, which were not parallel with China’s. Though she was occupied with lectures and seminars day in and day out, the essays she drafted were still contradicted by her tutors. As for her routine life, she felt that it was hard to fit in, too. For example, she found English idioms difficult to understand. And it was out of the question to eat delicious Chinese foods though many optional cafeterias served abundant substitutes. In addition, she had to wait in a queue early for the minibus that took her to school and it was usually so cold that she felt numb. What bothered her most was that she received no apology when her sleeping was disturbed by a barking dog in a shopkeeper’s cage.

apology: [C, U] ~ (to sb) (for sth)a word or statement saying sorry for sth that has been done wrong or that causes a problem 道歉；谢罪
to offer/make/demand/accept an apology
主动道歉；致歉；要求／接受道歉
You owe him an apology for what you said.
你要为你所说的话向他道歉。
We should like to offer our apologies for the delay to your flight today.
今天航班误点，敬请原谅。
We received a letter of apology.
我们收到了一封道歉信。

Luckily, with her parents comforting her by videophone, she became autonomous soon and eventually got her bachelor’s degree successfully.

36 episode EN

Link to original

36. Immigrate to America

Attracted by the boom in America, my nephew teamed up with a Korean to illegally cross the Bearing Strait in the Arctic to America. To avoid the Customs’ punishment, they hid in a small ferry called the North Pole Seagull, sitting back to back without sleeping, showering and shaving for 3 days, and had no chance to mourn their lost luggage when landing. The hardship of this crossing was apparent.

(usually Customs) (BrE also ˌRevenue and ˈCustoms) the government department that collects taxes on goods bought and sold and on goods brought into the country, and that checks what is brought in （政府部门）海关

French Customs have arrested two men.
法国海关逮捕了两名男子。
a customs officer
海关官员

At first, he made a living by means of raising cattle and then was hired in aircraft industries. He lived in a Catholic district. Taking in a small percentage of Pakistani immigrants, the majority of the residents were from Italy and Denmark, who all kept up their customs and cultures. Different blocks here were distinctly marked out and indicated from the racial angle. It was unfair and needed reforming. But with nowhere else to go, my nephew lived on and managed to make a life for himself.

My nephew’s fortune came when he bravely helped a conductor brake a train to stop it from slipping out of the rails. The man was elected vice chairman of the Socialist Party later. It occurred to my nephew that he could grasp this opportunity to ask for his help. The man who was thankful helped him apply to the civil authority for the right to live in America by inserting his brave deed into his documents.

Unlike a great many other applicants, his application was approved by the Federal Justice Ministry. Before long, he started his own bakery and lived a better life.

37 episode EN

Link to original

37. Be Careful about Cloning

After a series of initial experiments and corrections, the scientist’s hard work paid off when the twin clone turkeys were hatched with normal feather and claws. This breakthrough possibly enabled people to bring their adored pets back to life. However, it bothered him from time to time that their health was in poor condition because they were unable to resist illnesses. This drawback cast him down.

This drawback let him down.
This drawback got him down.

Merely 2 weeks later, the clones and their carrier died, which struck frustration into his heart. He retired before he attained his ambition and became a member of an opera chorus to relieve his depression.

Shortly afterwards, the media published a conservative argument objecting to cloning owing to moral problems, and suggested the constitution include compulsory regulations to forbid obtaining commercial profits from cloning.

When interviewed, the scientist stared at the decorations on the ceiling, thinking for a while, and then said, “I’m not in favour of any arbitrary assumption, but undertaking cloning does differ from the straightforward procedure of making loafs out of flour. Until we accumulate enough exact knowledge, any practice is in vain and is bound to fail. Altogether, being more careful is reasonable or we may walk into
a side road.”

side road: a smaller and less important road leading off a main road 支线；叉道；旁路

38 episode EN

Link to original

38. Strange Patent Applications

I set about working in the current Patent Office after resigning from the court personnel. Competent and dynamic, I never feel passive while diving into the identifications of whether applications are valid and practical according to the new version of the criteria.

set about sth| set about doing sth ⇒ to start doing sth
She set about the business of cleaning the house.
We need to set about finding a solution.我们得着手寻找一个解决办法。

With the expectation of distinguishing their own importance, some people leave the beaten track and file strange products with us now and then, for example, lantern that can be attached on your forehead, cubic walnuts, refrigerator made of straw and glue, perfume that nobody can bear to smell, and so on.

off the beaten track: far away from other people, houses, etc. 远离闹市；偏远They live miles off the beaten track.他们住在偏远地带。
what does beaten mean?
beat: [T] ~ sth (through, across, along, etc. sth)to make a path, etc. by walking somewhere or by pressing branches down and walking over them 踏出，踩出（道路）
a well-beaten track (= one that has been worn hard by much use)
经过很多人踏出来的路
The hunters beat a path through the undergrowth.
猎人们在灌木丛中踩出了一条小径。

Once, a man made a triangle helicopter out of stainless wires and string. He called us up and merrily claimed it was stable and convenient to use, and never out of order. I asked him to hang on, but this innocent man just rang off and set out to fly from his courtyard. I dialed his number in the directory trying to ring him back, but never got through.

ring off
(BrE) to put down the telephone because you have finished speaking 挂断电话
He rang off before I could explain.
我还没来得及解释他就挂了。

Merciful God blessing, an abrupt freezing rainfall made his powder wet. Luckily, the trouble was without any extension except that he crashed into a greengrocer’s making all the ripe fruits become messy jam. When people seized this crazy man with caution and sobered him by tapping his face, he complained about the bad weather instead of associating his failure with his unscientific design.

sober:
[T, I] ~ (sb)to make sb behave or think in a more serious and sensible way; to become more serious and sensible （使）变得持重，变得冷静
The bad news sobered us for a while.
坏消息使我们冷静了一会儿。
He suddenly sobered.
他突然严肃起来。

39 episode EN

Link to original

39. Pronunciation and Status

An ambassador and a referee were consulting a professor on the caption of a Buddhistic alphabet when a sobbing woman stopped them to sell an antique musical bathtub. Her dirty garment and the handkerchief around her waist were badly in need of sending to a laundry. The ambassador uncomfortably gave her a handful of pence from his wallet and said, “Take this fortune away, troublesome woman.”

pence is the plural of penny
penny: a small British coin and unit of money. There are 100 pence in one pound (£1). 便士（英国的小硬币和货币单位，1 英镑为 100 便士）

When her figure faded away, the brilliant professor said, “You are mistaken and your improper remark on her should be condemned. In terms of this extraordinary woman, you can’t classify her status by her horrible clothes or disgusting nails. Her clean woolen vest and stockings, especially her classic pronunciation, all suggested her upper status.” The ambassador gave a whistle in amazement, and advised making her acquaintance. The professor hesitated for a while, then compromised.

The outcome was that she was an authentic superior police officer. When they were shown in her office and saw her once more, she brought them a teapot of tea and some cookies, laughing and saying, “I rubbed some cream and wax on my garment and passed myself off as a shabby woman among thieves and robbers to investigate a plot. Generally speaking, your overlooking me and my adaptation are the best help. But my pronunciation seemed to have betrayed me.”

40 episode EN

Link to original

40. A Sly Murder

sly: (disapproving) acting or done in a secret or dishonest way, often intending to trick people 诡诈的；狡诈的 SYN cunning

a sly political move
诡诈的政治手段
(humorous)
You sly old devil! How long have you known?
你这个老滑头！你知道有多久了？

When giving a lecture about the significance of punctuation, the academic professor was interrupted and arrested by the police for murdering his wife, a receptionist of a kindergarten. The police found some photos he deleted from their e-album showing that they used to have a gay life.

gay: cheerful and lively欢乐的；欢快的

The band was playing a gay tune.
乐队正在演奏一首欢快的乐曲。
a gay festival/reception
欢乐的节日/愉快的招待会

But, fed up with her wrinkled face, he murdered her instead of divorcing her to avoid fortune division.

also dividing up fortune

He cut up a kind of seashell with a sharpened knife, and hammered it into powder on a skateboard, and made at most one gram, which was enough to accelerate one’s pulse until he or she dies. This kind of poison can date back to 10,000 BC when people rubbed it on spears to kill beasts. The professor mixed the poison with onion, watermelon and yogurt for his wife. Howling and scratching her chest, she felt dizzy and died soon.

After tentative examination, the police assumed she died of heart disease. But systematic botanical analyses showed that the watermelon spit on the messy mat and the quilt was poisonous. Regardless of exhaustion and starvation, the acute and skilful policemen used radioactive equipment to make sure the category of the poison. Primitive and not ample as their alternative equipment was, they got perfect accuracy somehow.

acute: (of the senses 感官) very sensitive and well developed 灵敏的 SYN keen

Dogs have an acute sense of smell.
狗的嗅觉灵敏。

used to say that in spite of sth being true, what follows is also true 尽管；虽然；即使 SYN though

Happy as they were, there was something missing.
尽管他们很快乐，但总缺少点什么。
Try as he might (= however hard he tried), he couldn’t open the door.
他想尽了办法也没能打开门。

People applauded the police and the woman’s family can look ahead with relief now.

“In years of roaming the wilds, my campfires seem like glowing beads in a long chain of experience. Some of the beads glow more than others, and when I blow on them ever so softly, they burst into flame. When that happens, I recapture the scenes themselves, pick them out of the almost forgotten limbo of the past, and make them live.”

blow:to send out air from the mouth 吹（直译就是吹）

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