英语翻译

Lesson 53
Hot snake触电的蛇
First listen and then answer the question.听录音,然后回答以下问题.
What caused the fire?
At last firemen have put out a big forest fire in California.Since then,they have been trying to find out how the fire began.Forest fires are often caused by broken glass or by cigarette ends which people carelessly throw away.Yesterday the firemen examined the ground carefully,but were not able to find any broken glass.They were also quite sure that a cigarette end did not start the fire.This morning,however,a firemen accidentally discovered the cause.He noticed the remains of a snake which was wound round the electric wires of a 16,000-volt power line.In this way,he was able to solve the mystery.The explanation was simple but very unusual.A bird had snatched up the snake from the ground and then dropped it on to the wires.The snake then wound itself round the wires.When it did so,it sent sparks down to the ground and these immediately started a fire.
New words and expressions 生词和短语
hot adj.带电的,充电的fireman n.消防队员cause v.引起； n.原因examine v.检查accidentally adv.意外地,偶然地remains n.尸体,残骸wire n.电线volt n.伏特（电压单位）
power line 电力线solve v.解决mystery n.谜snatch v.抓住spark n.电火花
参考译文
消防队员们终于扑灭了加利福尼亚的一场森林大火.从那时起,他们一直试图找出起火的原因.森林火灾时常由破碎的玻璃或人们随手扔掉的香烟头引起.昨天,消防队员仔细查看了地面,但未能发现碎玻璃.他们还十分肯定火灾也不是由烟头引起的.然而今天上午,一个消防队员偶然发现了起火的原因.他发现了缠绕在16,000伏高压线上的一条死蛇.就这样,他解开了起火之谜.解释很简单,却异乎寻常.一只鸟把蛇从地上抓起来,然后把它扔到了电线上.于是蛇就缠住了几根电线.当它这样做时,把火花送到了地面,这些火花立刻引起了一场大火.
Lesson 59
In or out?
进来还是出去?
First listen and then answer the question.听录音,然后回答以下问题.
Why did Rex run away?
Our dog,Rex,used to sit outside our front gate and dark.Every time he wanted to come into the garden he would bark until someone opened the gate.As the neighbours complained of the noise,my husband spent weeks training him to press his paw on the latch to let himself in.Rex soon became an expert at opening the gate.However,when I was going out shopping last week,I noticed him in the garden near the gate.This time he was barking so that someone would let him out!Since then,he has developed another bad habit.As soon as he opens the gate from the outside,he comes into the garden and waits until the gate shuts.Then he sits and barks until someone lets him out.After this he immediately lets himself in and begins barking again.Yesterday my husband removed the gate and Rex got so annoyed we have not seen him since.
New words and expressions 生词和短语
bark v.狗叫
press v.按,压
paw n.脚爪
latch n.门闩
expert n.专家
develop v.养成
habit n.习惯
remove v.拆掉,取下
参考译文
我家的狗雷克斯,过去常坐在大门外面叫.每当它想到花园里来时,便汪汪叫个不停,直到有人把门打开.由于邻居们对狗叫很有意见,所以我丈夫花了几个星期的时间训练它用脚爪按住门闩把自己放进来.雷克斯很快成了开门的专家.然而上星期我正要出去买东西时,发现它正呆在花园里边靠门的地方.这次它叫着让人把它放出去!从那以后,它养成了另外一种坏习惯.它从外面把门一打开,就走进花园,等着门自动关上.这之后他就坐下汪汪叫起来,直到有人来把它放出去.出去之后,它又马上把自己放进来,接着再开始叫.昨天,我丈夫把门卸了下来,雷克斯很生气,此后我们便再也没有见到它.