Text Translation of College English Reading Course 2

College English Intensive Reading 2 Text Translation on Monday, November 9, 29 at 9: 32 a.m.

Unit 1

This is a humorous article. But after reading it, you will find that the author is very serious when writing this article.

is there life on the earth?

Venus was very busy last week. Scientists there successfully sent a satellite to the earth for the first time, and the satellite has been sending back signals and photos since then.

The satellite was launched to an area called Manhattan (it was named after Professor Manhattan, a great astronomer on Venus, who first discovered this area with a telescope 2, light years ago).

Because of good weather conditions and high-quality signals, scientists on Venus can get valuable information about whether manned flying saucers can land on the earth. A press conference was held in Venus Institute of Technology.

"We come to the conclusion that according to the satellite landing on the earth in a week," Professor Zog said, "there is no life phenomenon on the earth."

"How can you see it?" The science reporter of Venus Evening News asked.

"First of all, the material that constitutes the surface of Manhattan is hard concrete, and of course nothing grows there. Moreover, the atmosphere is full of carbon monoxide and other deadly gases, and no one can breathe this air to survive. "

"What does this mean for our flying butterfly plan?"

"We will have to bring our own oxygen, which makes the flying saucer much heavier than originally planned."

"Did you find other risk factors in your research?"

"Please look at this photo. Do you see this dark black cloud floating above the earth's surface? We call it the Edison Union Belt. We don't know what it is made of, but it has brought us a lot of trouble. Before sending the satellite to the earth, we will try to suppress it. rdquo;

"Here you will notice a river-like waterway, but satellite information shows that the waterway is polluted and the water is not drinkable. This means that we will have to bring our own drinking water. This will further increase the weight of the flying saucer. "

"Sir, what are the little black dots in those photos?"

"We don't know yet. They seem to be metal particles moving along some channels. They can release gas, make noise and keep hitting each other. There are so many such channels and so many such particles on the earth that it is impossible to land a UFO there without being hit by a particle. "

"What are those upright stalagmite-like protrusions?"

"Those are granite structures that can glow at night. Professor Glaume called them skyscrapers because they seemed to scratch the sky. "

"If all you said is true, will it delay the UFO project for many years?"

"Yes, but we will start the project as soon as the additional funds provided by the Grubb Foundation arrive."

"Professor Zog, why do we have to spend hundreds of millions of zlotys to implement the UFO landing plan? Since there is no life on earth. " "Because if we Venusians can learn to breathe the air on the earth, we can live anywhere."

Unit 2

A heated discussion about whether men are braver than women is conducted in an unexpected way.

Dinner

I first heard this story in India, where people still tell it as if it were true today-even though any naturalist knows it can't be true. Later, I was told that it appeared in a magazine shortly after the First World War. But the story published in the magazine and the person who wrote it have never been found.

The story takes place in India. A colonial official and his wife held a popular dinner party. The guests sitting with them were officers and other people's wives, as well as a visiting American naturalist. The banquet was held in their spacious dining room, and there was no carpet on the indoor marble floor. The roof is exposed; Outside the wide glass door is the balcony.

During the dinner, a young lady had a heated discussion with a major. The young lady thinks that women have made progress, and they don't jump into chairs at the sight of mice as in the past. The major disagreed.

"When a woman encounters an emergency," said the major, "her reaction is to scream. Men may want to scream, but compared with women, their self-control is slightly better. This extra self-control is what really works. "

The American didn't take part in the argument, he just stared at the other guests present. When he observed this, he found a strange expression on the hostess's face. She stared straight ahead, her facial muscles twitching slightly. She made a gesture to the Indian footman standing behind the seat and whispered a few words to him. The footman left the dining room quickly with his eyes wide open.

Among the guests present, except the American, I didn't notice this scene, nor did I see the footman put a bowl of milk on the balcony next to the door.

the American suddenly woke up. In India, milk in a bowl has only one meaning-bait to attract snakes. He realized that there must be a cobra in the dining room. He looked up at the rafters on the roof-that was the most likely place for snakes to hide-but it was empty. Three corners of the room are empty, and in the fourth corner, the servants are waiting for the next dish. In this way, there is only one place left-under the dining table.

His first thought is to jump back and warn others. But he knew it would cause a riot, which would scare the glasses and bite people. So he spoke a phone call quickly, and his tone was so majestic that everyone was quiet.

"I want to know how restrained all of you are. I'll count to three hundred-that's five minutes-and none of you will move. The offender will be fined fifty rupees. Get ready! "

During his counting, the 2 people sat there like a stone sculpture. When he counted to "... 28 ...", he suddenly saw the cobra emerge from his eyes and crawl to the bowl of milk. When he jumped up and slammed all the doors leading to the balcony firmly, there was a scream in the room.

"You are right, Major!" The host said loudly. A man has just shown us an example of being calm and calm. "

" Wait a minute, "said the American, turning to the hostess. "Mrs. Wentz, how do you know that cobra is in the house?" A faint smile flashed on the hostess's face and she replied, "Because it was crawling over my instep."

Unit 3

Jefferson died a long time ago, but we are still interested in some of his ideas.

Jefferson's Proverbs

Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, may not be as famous as George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, but most people remember at least one fact about him: he drafted the Declaration of Independence.

Although Jefferson lived more than 2 years ago, we can still learn a lot from him today. Many of his thoughts are of special significance to contemporary youth. Here are some ideas he has said and written:

See for yourself. Jefferson believed that a free man can obtain knowledge from many other sources besides books; It is important to do the investigation yourself. When he was still young, he was appointed as a member of a committee to investigate whether the southern branch of the James River was deep enough for large ships. While other members of the committee were sitting in the state capitol studying documents on this issue, Jefferson jumped into a canoe to make on-the-spot observation.

you can learn from anyone. Jefferson belongs to the highest social class according to his birth and education. However, in an era when people from humble origins were rarely talked to, in that era, the nobles gave orders. Jefferson tried his best to talk to gardeners, servants and waiters. Jefferson once said to lafayette, a French nobleman: You must go to the homes of ordinary people like me, look at their cooking pots and eat their bread. As long as you are willing to do this, you will find out why the people are dissatisfied and you will understand the revolution that is threatening France. "

judge for yourself. Jefferson would never accept other people's opinions without careful consideration. "Don't believe it or reject it." In his letter to his nephew, he wrote, "Because other people believe or reject something. God has given you a mind to judge truth and falsehood. Then you can use it. " Jefferson thought that people were "completely reliable, and they should be allowed to hear everything true and false, and then make a correct judgment. If it were up to me to decide whether we should have a government instead of newspapers or newspapers instead of the government, I would not hesitate to choose the latter. "

do what you think is right. In a free country, there are always conflicting ideas, and this is the source of strength. It is conflict rather than absolute agreement that keeps freedom alive. Although Jefferson has been severely criticized for many years, he never answered those who criticized him. He expressed his opinion in a letter he wanted to write to a friend: "Every question has two sides. If you insist on standing on one side and take effective actions according to it, then those who stand on the other side will of course resent your actions. "

believe in the future and youth. Jefferson believed that the hands and feet of "now" should never be bound by those useless customs. "No society," he said, "can make a constitution that will always apply, and even a law that will always apply cannot be made. The earth belongs to the living generation. He is not afraid of new ideas or the future. "How much pain," he commented, "is caused by some disasters that have never happened! I expect the best, not the worst. I sailed my own ship hopefully, leaving my fears behind. "

Jefferson's courage and idealism are based on knowledge. He probably knows more than anyone in his contemporaries. He is an expert in agriculture, archaeology and medicine. He did this a century before crop rotation and soil conservation were widely adopted by everyone. He also invented a plow that was better than any at that time. He has influenced the construction industry in the whole United States, and he has continuously produced various devices, making many tasks that need to be done in daily life easier.

among Jefferson's many talents, one is the most important: he was first of all an excellent and tireless writer. His complete works, currently being published for the first time, will exceed fifty volumes. His talent as a writer was soon discovered, so when the time came to write the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia in 1776, the task fell on his shoulders. Millions of people are excited to read the following words he wrote: we hold these truths to be self-evident; All men are created equal ... "Jefferson passed away on July 4, 1826, which coincided with the 5th anniversary of American independence. He left his compatriots a rich ideological legacy and numerous examples. Thomas Jefferson made great contributions to American education. He believed that only a country composed of educated people could remain free.

Unit 4

Before entering the university, I tried my best to save some money. The author applied for a teaching career. But the interview is getting worse and worse ...

My first job

While I was waiting to enter the university, I saw an advertisement in a local newspaper saying that I had learned something in a suburb of London and wanted to recruit a teacher about ten miles from my residence. Because I was short of money and wanted to do something useful, I applied. At the same time, I was worried that I had no degree and no teaching experience, and the possibility of getting this job was slim.

however, three days later, a letter came and asked me to go to Croydon for an interview. It turned out to be really troublesome to get there on the road: first take the train to Croydon station, then take a ten-minute bus, and then walk at least a quarter of a mile. As a result, I got there on a hot morning in June, because I was so depressed that I didn't feel nervous.

The school is a red brick house with big windows. The front garden is a square paved with gravel: there are a cluster of holly shrubs on each corner, and there are a cluster of holly shrubs on each corner. They are struggling to survive through the dust and smoke blowing from the busy street.

It is obviously the headmaster himself who opens the door. He is short and fat, with a sandy moustache, wrinkled forehead and almost bald hair.

He looked at me with an air of surprise and disapproval, just like a colonel looked at a private who didn't fasten his boots. "Oh," he mumbled. "You'd better come inside." The narrow, sunless corridor smelled of rotten cabbage, which smelled uncomfortable; The narrow, sunless corridor smelled of rotten cabbage, which smelled uncomfortable; The ink on the wall was stained, the lines were dirty, and there was silence around. His study, judging from the crumbs on the carpet, "you'd better sit down," he said, and then asked me many questions: what courses did I take to get the general school certificate; How old am I? What games will I play? Asked here, he suddenly stared at me with his bloodshot eyes and asked me if I thought games were an extremely important part of children's education. I mumbled something about not paying too much attention to games. He mumbled something. I said something wrong. The headmaster and I obviously don't have much in common.

He said that there is only one class in the school, and there are twenty-four boys, ranging in age from seven to thirteen. Besides the art class, he personally teaches and goes to the park one mile away on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons to play football and cricket.

the whole teaching plan frightened me. I have to divide the whole class into three groups and give them lessons in turn at three different levels; I feel scared at the thought of teaching algebra and geometry, two subjects that I learned badly at school. Perhaps even worse is the arrangement of playing cricket on Saturday afternoon, because my friend metropolis is enjoying himself leisurely at this time.

I asked shyly, "What's my salary?" "Twelve pounds a week plus lunch." He stood up before I could raise an objection. "Well," he said, "you'd better meet my wife. She is the real supervisor of this school. "

I can't stand it any longer. I was very young at that time, and the thought of working under a woman was the biggest insult.

Unit 5

From the perspective of a young friend, Einstein is a simple, modest and ordinary person.

Professors have fun with toys

My father is a close friend of Albert Einstein. When I was a child, I was very shy when I visited Einstein's house. When I felt free, he said, "I have something to show you." He went to the desk and brought back a Youyou. He tried to show me how to play this toy; But he couldn't make it follow.