新概念3-第9部分

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


ixty　reporters　and　photographers。　The　news　was　of　national　importance；　for　the　poor　couple　had　become　the　parents　of　the　only　quintuplets　in　America。　
The　rise　to　fame　was　swift。　Television　cameras　and　newspapers　carried　the　news　to　everyone　in　the　country。　Newspapers　and　magazines　offered　the　family　huge　sums　for　the　exclusive　rights　to　publish　stories　and　photographs。　Gifts　poured　in　not　only　from　unknown　people；　but　from　baby　food　and　soap　manufacturers　who　wished　to　advertise　their　products。　The　old　farmhouse　the　family　lived　in　was　to　be　replaced　by　a　new　100；000　home。　Reporters　kept　pressing　for　interviews　so　lawyers　had　to　be　employed　to　act　as　spokesmen　for　the　family　at　press　conferences。　The　event　brought　serious　changes　to　the　town　itself。　Plans　were　announced　to　build　a　huge　new　highway；　as　Aberdeen　was　now　likely　to　attract　thousands　of　tourists。　Signposts　erected　on　the　outskirts　of　the　town　directed　tourists　not　to　Aberdeen；　but　to　'Quint…City　U。S。A。'　The　local　authorities　discussed　the　possibility　of　erecting　a　'quint　museum'　to　satisfy　the　curiosity　of　the　public　and　to　protect　the　family　from　inquisitive　tourists。　While　the　five　babies　were　still　quietly　sleeping　in　oxygen　tents　in　a　hospital　nursery；　their　parents　were　paying　the　price　for　fame。　It　would　never　again　be　possible　for　them　to　lead　normal　lives。　They　had　become　the　victims　of　commercialization；　for　their　names　had　acquired　a　market　value。　The　town　itself　received　so　much　attention　that　almost　every　one　of　the　inhabitants　was　affected　to　a　greater　or　less　degree。

Lesson46　Do　it　yourself
So　great　is　our　passion　for　doing　things　for　ourselves；　that　we　are　becoming　increasingly　less　dependent　on　specialized　labour。　No　one　can　plead　ignorance　of　a　subject　any　longer；　for　there　are　countless　do…it…yourself　publications。　Armed　with　the　right　tools　and　materials；　newly…weds　gaily　embark　on　the　task　of　decorating　their　own　homes。　Men　of　all　ages　spend　hours　of　their　leisure　time　installing　their　own　fireplaces；　laying…out　their　own　gardens；　building　garages　and　making
furniture。　Some　really　keen　enthusiasts　go　so　far　as　to　build　their　own　record　players　and　radio　transmitters。　Shops　cater　for　the　do…it…yourself　craze　not　only　by　running　special　advisory　services　for　novices；　but　by　offering　consumers　bits　and　pieces　which　they　can　assemble　at　home。　Such　things　provide　an　excellent　outlet　for　pent…up　creative　energy；　but　unfortunately　not　all　of　us　are　born　handymen。　
Wives　tend　to　believe　that　their　husbands　are　infinitely　resourceful　and　versatile。　Even　husbands　who　can　hardly　drive　a　nail　in　straight　are　supposed　to　be　born　electricians；　carpenters；　plumbers　and　mechanics。　When　lights　fuse；　furniture　gets　rickety；　pipes　get　clogged；　or　vacuum　cleaners　fail　to　operate；　wives　automatically　assume　that　their　husbands　will　somehow　put　things　right。　
The　worst　thing　about　the　do…it…yourself　game　is　that　sometimes　husbands　live　under　the　delusion　that　they　can　do　anything　even　when　they　have　been　repeatedly　proved　wrong。　It　is　a　question　of　pride　as　much　as　anything　else。　　Last　spring　my　wife　suggested　that　I　call　in　a　man　to　look　at　our　lawn…mower。　It　had　broken　down　the　previous　summer；　and　though　I　promised　to　repair　it；　I　had　never　got　round　to　it。　I　would　not　hear　of　the　suggestion　and　said　that　I　would　fix　it　myself。　One　Saturday　afternoon；　I　hauled　the　machine　into　the　garden　and　had　a　close　look　at　it。　As　far　as　I　could　see；　it　only　needed　a　minor　adjustment：　a　turn　of　a　screw　here；　a　little　tightening　up　there；　a　drop　of　oil　and　it　would　be　as　good　as　new。　Inevitably　the　repair　job　was　not　quite　so　simple。　The　mower　firmly　refused　to　mow；　so　I　decided　to　dismantle　it。　The　garden　was　soon　littered　with　chunks　of　metal　which　had　once　made　up　a　lawn…mower。　But　I　was　extremely　pleased　with　myself　I　had　traced　the　cause　of　the　trouble。　One　of　the　links　in　the　chain　that　drives　the　wheels　had　snapped。　After　buying　a　new　chain　I　was　faced　with　the　insurmountable　task　of　putting　the　confusing　jigsaw　puzzle　together　again。　I　was　not　surprised　to　find　that　the　machine　still　refused
to　work　after　I　had　reassembled　it；　for　the　simple　reason　that　I　was　left　with　several　curiously　shaped　bits　of　metal　which　did　not　seem　to　fit　anywhere。　I　gave　up　in　despair。　The　weeks　passed　and　the　grass　grew。　When　my　wife　nagged　me　to　do　something　about　it；　I　told　her　that　either　I　would　have　to　buy　a　new　mower　or　let　the　grass　grow。　Needless　to　say　our　house　is　now　surrounded　by　a　jungle。　Buried　somewhere　in　deep　grass　there　is　a　rusting　lawn…mower　which　I　have　promised　to　repair　one　day。

Lesson47　Through　the　earth鈥檚　crust
Satellites　orbiting　round　the　earth　have　provided　scientists　with　a　vast　amount　of　information　about　conditions　in　outer　space。　By　comparison；　relatively　little　is　known　about　the　internal　structure　of　the　earth。　It　has　proved　easier　to　go　up　than　to　go　down。　The　deepest　hole　ever　to　be
bored　on　land　went　down　25；340　feet　considerably　less　than　the　height　of　Mount　Everest。　Drilling　a　hole　under　the　sea　has　proved　to　be　even　more　difficult。　The　deepest　hole　bored　under　sea　has　been　about　20；000　feet。　Until　recently；　scientists　have　been　unable　to　devise　a　drill　which　would　be　capable　of　cutting　through　hard　rock　at　great　depths。　This　problem　has　now　been　solved。　Scientists　have　developed　a　method　which　sounds　surprisingly　simple。　A　new　drill　which　is　being　tested　at　Leona　Valley　Ranch　in　Texas　is　driven　by　a　turbine　engine　which　is　propelled　by　liquid　mud　pumped　into　it　from　the　surface。　As　the　diamond　tip　of　the　drill　revolves；　it　is　lubricated　by　mud。　Scientists　have　been　amazed　to　find　that　it　can　cut　through　the　hardest　rock　with　great　ease。　The　drill　has　been　designed　to　bore　through　the　earth　to　a　depth　of　35；000　feet。　It　will　enable　scientists　to　obtain　samples　of　the　mysterious　layer　which　lies　immediately　below　the　earth's　crust。　This　layer　is　known　as　the　Mohorovicic　Discontinuity；　but　is　commonly　referred　to　as　'the　Moho'。
Before　it　is　possible　to　drill　this　deep　hole；　scientists　will　have　to　overcome　a　number　of　problems。　Geological　tests　will　be　carried　out　to　find　the　point　at　which　the　earth's　crust　is　thinnest。　The　three　possible　sites　which　are　being　considered　are　all　at　sea：　two　in　the　Atlantic　Ocean　and　　one　in　the　Pacific。　Once　they　have　determinded　on　a　site；　they　will　have　to　erect　a　drilling　vessel　which　will
not　be　swept　away　by　ocean　currents。　The　vessel　will　consist　of　an　immense　platform　which　will　rise　to　70　feet　above　the　water。　It　will　be　supported　by　six　hollow　columns　which　will　descend　to　a　depth　of　60　feet　below　the　ocean　surface　where　they　will　be　fixed　to　a　huge　float。　A　tall　steel　tower　rising　to　a　height　of　nearly　200　feet　will　rest　on　the　platform。　The　drill　will　be　stored　in　the　tower
and　will　have　to　be　lowered　through　about　15；000　feet　of　water　before　operations　can　begin。　Within　the　tower；　there　will　be　a　laboratory；　living　accommodation　and　a　helicopter　landing　station。　Keeping　the　platform　in　position　at　sea　will　give　rise　to　further　problems。　To　do　this；　scientists　will　have　to　devise　methods　using　radar　and　underwater　television。　If；　during　the　operations　the　drill　has　to　be　withdrawn；　it　must　be　possible　to　re…insert　it。　Great　care　will　therefore　have　to　be　taken　to　keep　the　platform　steady　and　make　it　strong　enough　to　withstand　hurricanes。　If　the　project　is　successful；　scientists　will　not　only　learn　a　great　deal　about　the　earth；　but　possibly　about　the　nature　of　the　universe　itself。　

Lesson48　The　silent　village
In　this　much…travelled　world；　there　are　still　thousands　of　places　which　are　inaccessible　to　tourists。　We　always　assume　that　villagers　in　remote　places　are　friendly　and　hospitable。　But　people　who　are　cut　off　not　only　from　foreign　tourists；　but　even　from　their　own　countrymen　can　be　hostile　to　travellers。　Visits　to　really　remote　villages　are　seldom　enjoyableas　my　wife　and　I　discovered　during　a　tour　through　the　Balkans。　
We　had　spent　several　days　in　a　small　town　and　visited　a　number　of　old　churches　in　the　vicinity。　These　attracted　many　visitors　for　they　were　not　only　of　great　architectural　interest；　but　contained　a
large　number　of　beautifully　preserved　frescoes　as　well。　On　the　day　before　our　departure；　several　bus　loads　of　tourists　descended　on　the　town。　This　was　more　than　we　could　bear；　so　we　decided　to　spend　our　last　day　exploring　the　countryside。　Taking　a　path　which　led　out　of　the　town；　we　crossed　a　few　fields　until　we　came　to　a　dense　wood。　We　expected　the　path　to　end　abruptly；　but　we　found　that　it　traced　its　way　through　the　trees。　We　tramped　through　the　wood　for　over　two　hours　until　we　arrived　at　a　deep　stream。　We　could　see　that　the　path　continued　on　the　other　side；　but　we　had　no　idea　how　we　could　get　across　the　stream。　Suddenly　my　wife　spotted　a　boat　moored　to　the　bank。　In　it　there　was　a　boatman　fast　asleep。　We　gently　woke　him　up　and　asked　him　to　ferry　us　to　the　other　side。　Though　he　was　reluctant　to　do　so　at　first；　we　eventually　persuaded　him　to　take　us。　The　path　led　to　a　tiny　village　perched　on　the　steep　sides　of　a　mountain。　The　place　consisted　of　a　straggling　unmade　road　which　was　lined　on　either　side　by　small　houses。　Even　under　a　clear　blue　sky；　the　village　looked　forbidding；　as　all　the　houses　were　built　of　grey　mud　bricks。　The　village　seemed　deserted；　the　only　sign　of　life　being　an　ugly…looking　black　goat　tied　to　a　tree　on　a　short　length　of
rope　in　a　field　nearby。　Sitting　down　on　a　dilapidated　wooden　fence　near　the　field；　we　opened　a　couple　of　tins　of　sardines　and　had　a　picnic　lunch。　All　at　once；　I　noticed　that　my　wife　seemed　to　be　filled　with　alarm。　Looking　up　I　saw　that　we　were　surrounded　by　children　in　rags　who　were　looking　at　us　silently　as　we　ate。　We　offered　them　food　and　spoke　to　them　kindly；　but　they　remained　motionless。　I　concluded　that　they　were　simply　shy　of　strangers。　When　we　later　walked　down　the　main　street　of　the　village；　we　were　followed　by　a　silent　procession　of　children。　The　village　which　had　seemed　deserted；　immediately　came　to　life。　Faces　appeared　at　windows。　Men　in　shirt　sleeves　stood　outside　their　houses　and　glared　at　us。　Old　women　in　black　shawls　peered　at　us　from　door…ways。　The　most　frightening　thing　of　all　was　that　not　a　sound　could　be　heard。　There　was　no　doubt　th