1、Life on a desert island Most of us have formed an unrealistic picture of life on a desert island. We sometimes imagine a desert island to be a sort of paradise where the sun always shines. Life there is simple and good. Ripe fruit falls from the trees and you never have to work. The other side of th
2、e picture is quite the opposite. Life on a desert island is wretched. You either starve to death or live like Robinson Crusoe, waiting for a boat which never comes. Perhaps there is an element of truth in both these pictures, but few of us have had the opportunity to find out.,Two men who recently s
3、pent five days on a coral island wished they had stayed there longer. They were taking a badly damaged boat from the Virgin Islands to Miami to have it repaired. During the journey, their boat began to sink. They quickly loaded a small rubber dinghy with food, matches, and cans of beer and rowed for
4、 a few miles across the Caribbean until they arrived at a tiny coral island. There were hardly any trees on the island and there was no water, but this did not prove to be a problem. The men collected rainwater in the rubber dinghy. As they had brought a spear gun with them, they had plenty to eat.
5、They caught lobster and fish every day, and, as one of them put it ate like kings. When a passing tanker rescued them five days later, both men were genuinely sorry that they had to leave., desert island 荒岛 unrealistic adj. 不现实主的 paradise n. 天堂，乐土 wretched adj. 可怜的，艰苦的 starve v. 挨饿 element n. 成分 opp
6、ortunity n. 机会 coral n. 珊瑚 Virgin Islands 维尔京群岛 Miami n. 迈阿密 （美国最南的城市） dinghy n. 救生筏，小船 Caribbean n. 加勒比海 spear gun 捕鱼枪 lobster n. 龙虾 tanker n. 油轮 genuinely adv. 由衷地,form an opinion /idea/ impression,The kid is starved for attention,an element of surprise /danger/ doubt/ risk /caution,How shall I pu
7、t it,I simply cannot put my feelings into words,Two men who recently spent five days on a coral island wished they had stayed there longer,We sometimes imagine a desert island to be a sort of paradise where the sun always shines,You either starve to death or live like Robinson Crusoe, waiting for a
8、boat which never comes,Fifty pence worth of trouble,Children always appreciate small gifts of money. Mum or dad, of course, provide a regular supply of pocket-money, but uncles and aunts are always a source of extra income. With some children, small sums go a long way. If fifty pence pieces are not
9、exchanged for sweets, they rattle for months inside money-boxes. Only very thrifty children manage to fill up a money-box. For most of them, fifty pence is a small price to pay for a nice big bar of chocolate.,My nephew, George, has a money-box but it is always empty. Very few of the fifty pence pie
10、ces and pound coins I have given him have found their way there. I gave him fifty pence yesterday and advised him to save it. Instead, he bought himself fifty pence worth of trouble. On his way to the sweet shop, he dropped his fifty pence and it bounced along the pavement and then disappeared down
11、a drain. George took off his jacket, rolled up his sleeves and pushed his right arm through the drain cover. He could not find his fifty pence piece anywhere, and what is more, he could not get his arm out. A crowd of people gathered round him and a lady rubbed his arm with soap and butter, but Geor
12、ge was firmly stuck. The fire-brigade was called and two firemen freed George using a special type of grease. George was not too upset by his experience because the lady who owns the sweet shop heard about his troubles and rewarded him with a large box of chocolates,appreciate v. 欣赏，感激 pocket money
13、零用钱 rattle v. 格格作响 thrifty adj. 节俭的 nephew n. 侄子，外甥 bounce v. 弹起，跳起 pavement n. 人行道 stick ( stuck, stuck ) v. 卡住，夹住，不能再动 brigade n. 旅， （消防）队 grease n. 润滑油,He really appreciates the picture We appreciate all the help you gave usspendthriftThis sacrifice is a small price to pay for final victoryHe was
14、 rewarded for his years of service to the company with a grand farewell party He won the race ,and what is more he broke the record,A very dear cat,Kidnappers are rarely interested in Animals, but they recently took considerable interest in Mrs Eleanor Ramsays cat. Mrs Eleanor Ramsay, a very wealthy
15、 old lady, has shared a flat with her cat, Rastus, for a great many years. Rastus leads an orderly life. He usually takes a short walk in the evenings and is always home by seven oclock. One evening, however, he failed to arrive. Mrs Ramsay got very worried. She looked everywhere for him but could n
16、ot find him.,Three day after Rastus disappearance, Mrs Ramsay received an anonymous letter. The writer stated that Rastus was in safe hands and would be returned immediately if Mrs Ramsay paid a ransom of 1000. Mrs Ramsay was instructed to place the money in a cardboard box and to leave it outside h
17、er door. At first, she decided to go to the police, but fearing that she would never see Rastus again -the letter had made that quite clear-she changed her mind. She withdrew 1000 from her bank and followed the kidnappers instructions. The next morning, the box had disappeared but Mrs Ramsay was sur
18、e that the kidnapper would keep his word. Sure enough, Rastus arrived punctually at seven oclock that evening. He looked very well, though he was rather thirsty, for he drank half a bottle of milk. The police were astounded when Mrs Ramsay told them what she had done. She explained that Rastus was v
19、ery dear to her. Considering the amount she paid, he was dear in more ways than one!,dear adj. 亲爱的，珍贵的；昂贵的 kidnapper n. 绑架者，拐骗者 considerable adj. 相当大的 wealthy adj. 富的，有钱的 orderly adj. 有规律的 disappearance n. 失踪 anonymous adj. 匿名的 ransom n. 赎金 cardboard n. 硬纸板 withdraw (withdrew, withdrawn ) v. （从银行）取钱 punctually adv. 准时地 astound v. 使吃惊,She usually spends a considerable amount of her money on clothes Are you sure you moneys in safe hands with that bank,
