每天一課英語口語365 Unit 086-098

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[00:00.00] [00:00.00]86 Clouds [00:03.50]A cloud consists of tiny drops of water or ice crystals or floats in the air. [00:11.10]Clouds are grouped into classes according to their height above the ground. [00:17.03]There are three major groups of clouds: there are low clouds, middle clouds, and high clouds. [00:26.17]The low clouds float less than 6000 feet or 1800 meters above sea level. [00:34.98]There are two kinds of low clouds. [00:38.77]The two kinds of low clouds consist of stratus and stratocumulus clouds. [00:46.65]The stratus clouds cover the sky like a white blanket. [00:51.20]They bring rain or snow. The stratocumulus clouds cover the sky with large clouded masses. [01:00.89]The middle clouds usually lie from 6000 to 20,000 feet above sea level or about 1800 to 6100 meters above sea level. [01:15.00]Middle clouds are grouped into three subclasses. [01:19.96]They are grouped into altostratus, altocumulus, and nimbostratus. [01:27.48]An al-tostratus cloud forms a smooth white sheet across the sky. [01:33.73]Nim-bostratus forms a smooth grey layer across the sky. [01:39.34]In the third category of clouds are the high clouds. [01:45.64]High clouds are found 20,000 feet above the earth, or higher. [01:51.28]There are two kinds of high clouds. [01:55.33]They are cirrus clouds and cirrostratus clouds. [02:00.56]All high clouds are formed entirely of ice crystals. [02:05.49]The middle and low clouds are mainly water droplets. [02:10.56]No two clouds are exactly the same. [02:14.87]They are always changing their shape or form. [02:18.81]Clouds are interesting to scientists, to artists, and to picnickers. [02:26.86]87 Notice [02:30.33]Ladies and Gentlemen, may I have your attention please. [02:36.21]I am sorry to have to tell you that the police have asked us to e-vacuate [02:42.90]everyone from this building as quickly as possible. [02:48.07]We have found a bag possibly containing an explosive device and the bag is now in one of the dressing rooms backstage. [03:00.01]Experts are on their, way to examine it. [03:03.64]We ask you to leave in a quiet and orderly fashion. [03:09.54]There is absolutely no need to worry. [03:13.52]Please make your way out by Exit 1, cross over the road and wait outside the supermarket on the comer of King' s Road. [03:26.18]Please help elderly or disabled people. [03:30.49]If you have children with you, make sure you do not become separated from them. [03:38.20]Hold small children firmly by hand. [03:43.03]If you forget anything--your umbrella, your coat, even your handbag, please do not try to go back for it. [03:54.14]This will only cause unnecessary confusion and delay. [03:59.62]If you see any suspicious object--a parcel or bag--do not touch it, but tell us as you leave, please stop smoking. [04:13.41]We rely on your cooperation [04:16.37]and hope that you will be able to return to your seats shortly to enjoy the last act of the play. [04:26.37]88 Insurance [04:31.49]Life is full of dangers and surprises. [04:36.14]Your house may bum down, and you may fall out of the window and break your neck. [04:44.03]Mice may eat your floor so that you drop in the flat be-low. [04:50.12]Any thing may happen you can never know. [04:55.00]You can not always prevent disasters, but you can insure a-gainst them. [05:03.23]Most forms of insurance are voluntary. [05:07.44]It is up to you whether you insure or not. [05:12.24]But some forms are compulsory. [05:16.63]That means you have to insure. [05:19.74]For example, a driver must take out a third-party insurance policy. [05:26.87]The three parties are you yourself, your insurance company, [05:33.27]and anybody else--for ex-ample, the man who had a crash with you. [05:39.88]It doesn't cover fire, theft or anything else. [05:45.94]Its aim is only to protect road users from each other. [05:51.32]If you want to insure against all the other terri-ble things that might happen to you or your car, [05:59.81]you can take a comprehensive policy. [06:03.81]Another form of compulsory insurance is National Insur-ance. [06:10.81]Everybody over 16 earning money on a regular basis must pay a sum each week to the state. [06:20.47]These weekly contributions cover part of the cost of the National Health Service and the other social service benefits e.g. [06:31.42]unemployment benefit, sickness benefit, old-age pensions and so on. [06:42.76]89 Skills in Giving Gifts [06:47.93]When you wish to give someone a gift it is always good to remember some basic rules. [06:55.61]Consider the age, the sex, and the length of your acquaintance as well as the occasion. [07:04.49]You should know when it is all right to give a gift of money, and when it would be improper. [07:13.32]In any case, when you receive a present, don't forget to send a thank-you note as soon as possible. [07:23.25]Often people like to bring a gift for the hostess of the party they have been invited to. [07:32.13]This can be something just for the hostess or something for the party, [07:39.36]like sweets or fruit, things which all may enjoy. [07:45.24]If you stay at a friend's house overnight for a weekend [07:50.70]it is usual to take a gift showing appreciation for their friendliness and their kindness. [07:59.97]Again, you may choose some-thing for the hostess alone or for the entire family. [08:07.63]Sometimes it is not possible to return a favor as you would like to. [08:14.29]When this happens, you may show your own thoughtfulness by giving a thank-you gift, [08:21.81]especially if you can find something unusual. [08:26.17]Weddings are a time when gifts of money are greatly appreciated and quite acceptable. [08:35.29]You should never leave money when you have been a weekend guest. Try to use imagination in choosing a thank-you gift. [08:48.07]90 The Mystery of Diamond [08:53.63]The diamond is considered the most famous and valuable jewel in the world. [09:01.18]Diamonds were made as a result of great volcanic heat and pressure. [09:07.16]A volcano is a mountain with a hole in the top. [09:12.25]When a volcano is very active, it sometimes explodes and causes great damage. [09:20.98]Diamonds were pushed towards the surface of the earth-millions of years ago-by a great number of volcanic explosions. [09:33.23]It is in the narrow volcanic pipes that diamonds are found. [09:38.77]They are also found among the sand and stones of certain river beds, [09:46.19]and a few places or the floor of the sea, for they are washed down the mountainsides by the rain. [09:54.29]Diamonds are very rare. [09:57.76]There are not many diamond pipes or diamond-producing rivers in the world. [10:03.56]During the last century, adventurers from Europe went to Brazil, [10:10.69]because they had heard that there are diamonds in the River Amazon. [10:15.60]Many of these early diamond miners died of illness or were lost forever in the great forests. [10:24.93]But some returned home rich. [10:28.77]The earliest known diamonds were found in India many centuries ago. [10:36.37]The most recent exciting discoveries have been made in eastern Russia. [10:42.53]But most of the world's diamonds now come from Congo, [10:47.78]from Tanzania--which has the largest dia-mend mine in the world--and from South Africa. [10:56.93]91 The Stars Are Shining Tonight [11:02.36]Light travels at a speed which is about a million times faster than the speed of sound. [11:10.46]In one second, light travels about 300,000 km, but sound travels only 344 kin. [11:22.58]You can get some ideas of this difference by watching the start of a race. [11:29.03]If you stand some distance away from the starter, [11:33.63]you can see smoke come from his gun before the sound reaches your ears. [11:40.45]This great speed of light produces some strange facts. [11:46.17]Sun-light takes about 8 minutes to reach us. [11:51.29]If you look at the light of the moon tonight, [11:54.79]remember that the light rays left the moon 1.3 seconds before they reached you. [12:02.63]The nearest star is so far away that the light which you can see from it tonight [12:09.70]started to travel towards you four years ago at a speed of nearly 2 million km per minute. [12:19.00]In some cases, the light from one of tonight's stars start-ed on its journey before you were born. [12:28.12]Thus, if we want to be honest, we cannot say, "The stars are shining tonight." [12:37.19]We have to say, "The stars look pretty. [12:41.97]They were shining four years ago, but their light has only just reached the earth." [12:50.04]92 The Seasons [12:55.89]The year is divided into four seasons: spring, summer, autumn and winter. [13:05.32]In spring, nature wakes from her long winter sleep. [13:10.86]The trees are filled with new life, the earth is warmed by the rays of the sun, and the weather gets gradually milder. [13:21.36]The fields and meadows are covered with fresh green grass. [13:27.00]The woods and forests are filled with the songs of birds. [13:33.04]The sky is blue and cloudless. [13:36.88]At night millions of stars shine in the darkness. [13:41.68]When summer comes, the weather gets warmer still and sometimes it's very hot. [13:48.92]It's the farmer's busy season--he works in his fields from moming till night. [13:56.08]The grass must be cut and the hay must be made, while the dry weather lasts. [14:03.44]Autumn brings with its harvest-time, when the crops are gathered in and the fruit is picked in the orchards. [14:12.30]The days get shorter and the nights longer. [14:15.82]The woods turn yellow, and leaves begin to fall from the trees. [14:21.73]When winter comes, we spend more time indoors because outdoors it's cold. [14:29.25]Rivers and lakes are frozen, and the roads are sometimes covered with slippery ice or deep snow. [14:40.30]93 On Writing a Letter [14:44.56]The first step in writing letters is to get over the guilt of mail writing. [14:51.79]You don't "owe" anybody a letter. [14:55.32]Letters are gifts. [14:57.67]The burning shame you feel when you see unanswered mail makes it harder to pick up a pen [15:06.37]and makes for a cheerless letter when you finally do. [15:11.23]Skip sentences like "I feel bad about not writing, but I've been so busy," etc. [15:21.55]Few letters are obligatory, and they are "Thanks for the wonderful gift" [15:28.94]and "welcome your friends to stay with you." and not many more than that. [15:35.99]Writethose promptly if you want to keep your friends. [15:41.11]Don't worry about others, except love letters, of course. [15:47.44]When your true love writes "Dear Light of My Life; Joy of My Heart." [15:54.88]Some re-sponse is called for. [15:58.17]Keep your writing stuff in one place where you can sit down for a few minutes. [16:05.72]Such as envelopes, stamps, address book, everything in a drawer so you can write fast when the pen is hot. [16:16.77]Sit down for a few minutes with the blank sheet in front of you, [16:22.36]and meditate on the person you will write to, [16:26.38]let your friends come to mind until you can almost see her or him in the noon with you. [16:35.84]Remember the last time you saw each other and how your friend looked [16:43.29]and what you said and what perhaps was said between you, [16:48.46]and when your friend becomes ready to you, start to write. [16:54.67]Write the salutation--Dear You--and take a deep breath and plunge in. [17:04.13]A simple declarative sentence will do, followed by another and another. [17:11.34]Tell us what you're doing and tell it like you were talking to us. [17:16.93]Don't think about grammar, don't think about style, don't try to write dramatically, just give us your news. [17:27.82]Where did you go, who did you see, what did they say, and what do you think. [17:38.90]94 A Chinese Calendar [17:42.77]A calendar is a kind of chart that is used to keep trace of days, months, and years. [17:50.68]The ancient calendars of China were sometimes divided into 12-year-cycle. [17:58.18]Each year in the ]2-year-cycle had the name of an animal. [18:04.37]There were twelve animals that were used to name the 12 years of the cycle. [18:10.95]These animals are the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, clog and boar. [18:29.39]Following that order, you can figure out the animal for any year. [18:35.09]In ancient times these animals had some significance or meaning for people. [18:43.14]There were two areas of using the Chinese calendar. [18:47.45]One area of its use was in selecting a marriage partner. [18:53.38]For example, a woman who was born in the year of the rooster was perfectly suited to a man [19:01.89]who was born in the year of the sheep, [19:05.10]but would not be suitable for a man who was born in the year of the monkey. [19:10.98]People often consulted the charts before selecting a marriage partner. [19:17.36]Another area of use for the calendar was in selecting a pro-fession. [19:24.62]For example, a person born in the year of the dragon might be good for the medical profession, [19:33.42]but not for the legal profession. [19:36.90]A person born in the year of the rooster might be suitable for a profession as a cook, [19:45.05]but not for a profession as a tailor. [19:49.25]According to some accounts, people often consulted the calendar when making choices like these. [19:58.03]95 Body Language [20:02.78]When we do not understand each other's language, we talk with the help of signs. [20:10.38]A Frenchman was once traveling in England. [20:14.85]He could not speak English at all. [20:18.33]One day he went into a restaurant and sat down at a table. [20:24.62]When the waiter came, he opened his mouth, put his fingers in it and took them out again. [20:33.50]He wanted to say, "Bring me something to eat." [20:39.12]The waiter soon brought him a cup of tea. [20:43.79]The man moved his head from side to side. [20:48.81]The waiter understood him and took away the tea. [20:54.27]In a moment he brought a cup of coffee and put it on the table. [21:01.06]The man again moved his head from side to side. [21:06.73]He moved his head from side to side whenever the waiter brought him something to drink. [21:14.88]He brought him a lot of different drinks, but drinks are not food, of course. [21:23.40]When the man was going away, another man came in. [21:28.93]This man saw the waiter, and he put his hands on his stomach. [21:35.83]That was enough: in a few minutes there was a large plate of meat and vegetables on the table in front of him. [21:47.74]So you see, we cannot understand the language of signs so well as the language of words. [21:59.81]96 Earthquake [22:03.63]Most earthquakes occur within the upper 15 miles of the earth's surface. [22:10.13]But earthquakes can and do occur at all depths to about 460 miles. [22:18.36]Their number decreases as the depth increases. [22:23.32]At about 460 miles one earthquake occurs only every few years. [22:31.34]Near the surface earthquakes may run as high as 100 in a month, but the yearly average does not vary much. [22:43.20]In comparison with the total number of earthquakes each year, the number of disastrous earthquakes is very small. [22:53.78]The extent of the disaster in an earthquake depends on many factors. [23:02.06]If you carefully build a toy house with an Erector set, it will still stand no matter how much you shake the table. [23:11.20]But if you build a toy house with a pack of cards, a slight shake of the table will make it fall. [23:21.21]An earthquake in Agadir, Morocco, was not strong enough to be recorded on distant instruments, [23:30.35]but it completely destroyed the city. [23:33.85]Many stronger earthquakes have done comparatively little damage. [23:39.18]If a building is well construct-ed and built on solid ground, it will resist an earthquake. [23:47.57]Most deaths in earthquakes have been due to faulty building construction or poor building sites. [23:56.16]A very serious factor is panic. [23:59.63]When people rush out into narrow streets, more deaths will result. [24:05.98]The United Nations has played an important role in reducing the damage done by earthquakes. [24:14.32]It has sent a team of experts to all countries known to be affected by earthquakes. [24:22.20]Working with local geologists and engineers, the experts have studied the nature of the ground [24:31.19]and the type of most practical building code for the local area. [24:36.23]If followed, these suggestions will make disastrous earthquakes almost a thing of the past. [24:45.71]97 The Reasons for Plant Death [24:50.63]Even the newest gardener realizes that plants die without water. [24:57.60]What is not so well known is that plants die equally deci-sively, though not so quickly, if they are overwatered. [25:09.07]Beginners usually decide to play it safe and keep their potted plants thor-oughly wet. [25:18.08]In consequence, death by drowning is one of the commonest disasters to befall the plants of new horticulturists. [25:28.61]Plants wither away if they don't get enough water, and this draws attention to their problem. [25:36.86]A plant has been slightly under-watered so that it droops and strikes terror into the heart of its new owner. [25:46.66]But it will, in fact, recover completely as long as rescue comes in time and the process is not repeated too often. [25:58.70]Overwatered plants, unfortunately, do not give any such obvious signal; [26:05.81]slowly they cease to thrive and the first visible indication of serious trouble is a yellowing of the lower leaves. [26:16.96]Unless the overwatered pot soil is given a considerable period without wa-ter, [26:24.30]during which time the plant will continue look wretched, [26:29.06]it will suddenly collapse in exactly the same way as the underwa-tered plant--but [26:37.99]with no chance of being revived because the roots have rotted away. [26:44.36]98 The Intemational Red Cross [26:50.29]The Red Cross is an international organization which cares for people who are in need of help. [26:59.41]A man in a Paris hospital who needs blood, a woman in Mexico who was injured in an earthquake, [27:09.44]and a family in India that lost their home in a storm may all be aided by the Red Cross. [27:18.35]The Red Cross exists in almost every country around the globe. [27:24.70]The World Red Cross Organizations are sometimes called the Red Crescent, [27:32.04]the Red Mogen David, the Sun, and the Red Lion. [27:37.91]All of these agencies share a common goal of trying to help people in need. [27:45.70]The idea of forming an organization to help the sick and wounded during a war started with Jean Henri Dunant. [27:56.62]In 1859, he observed how people were suffering on a battlefield in Italy. [28:04.35]He wanted to help all the wounded people regardless of which side they were fighting for. [28:12.97]The most important result of his work was an international treaty called the Geneva Convention. [28:23.21]It pro-tects prisoners of war, the sick and wounded, and other citizens during a war. [28:32.46]The American Red Cross was set up by Clara Barton in 1881. [28:40.92]Today the Red Cross in the United States provides a num-ber of services for the public, [28:49.93]such as helping people in need, teaching first aid, [28:55.34]demonstrating water safety and artificial respi-ration, and providing blood.

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[00:00.00]86 Clouds
[00:03.50]A cloud consists of tiny drops of water or ice crystals or floats in the air.
[00:11.10]Clouds are grouped into classes according to their height above the ground.
[00:17.03]There are three major groups of clouds: there are low clouds, middle clouds, and high clouds.
[00:26.17]The low clouds float less than 6000 feet or 1800 meters above sea level.
[00:34.98]There are two kinds of low clouds.
[00:38.77]The two kinds of low clouds consist of stratus and stratocumulus clouds.
[00:46.65]The stratus clouds cover the sky like a white blanket.
[00:51.20]They bring rain or snow. The stratocumulus clouds cover the sky with large clouded masses.
[01:00.89]The middle clouds usually lie from 6000 to 20,000 feet above sea level or about 1800 to 6100 meters above sea level.
[01:15.00]Middle clouds are grouped into three subclasses.
[01:19.96]They are grouped into altostratus, altocumulus, and nimbostratus.
[01:27.48]An al-tostratus cloud forms a smooth white sheet across the sky.
[01:33.73]Nim-bostratus forms a smooth grey layer across the sky.
[01:39.34]In the third category of clouds are the high clouds.
[01:45.64]High clouds are found 20,000 feet above the earth, or higher.
[01:51.28]There are two kinds of high clouds.
[01:55.33]They are cirrus clouds and cirrostratus clouds.
[02:00.56]All high clouds are formed entirely of ice crystals.
[02:05.49]The middle and low clouds are mainly water droplets.
[02:10.56]No two clouds are exactly the same.
[02:14.87]They are always changing their shape or form.
[02:18.81]Clouds are interesting to scientists, to artists, and to picnickers.
[02:26.86]87 Notice
[02:30.33]Ladies and Gentlemen, may I have your attention please.
[02:36.21]I am sorry to have to tell you that the police have asked us to e-vacuate
[02:42.90]everyone from this building as quickly as possible.
[02:48.07]We have found a bag possibly containing an explosive device and the bag is now in one of the dressing rooms backstage.
[03:00.01]Experts are on their, way to examine it.
[03:03.64]We ask you to leave in a quiet and orderly fashion.
[03:09.54]There is absolutely no need to worry.
[03:13.52]Please make your way out by Exit 1, cross over the road and wait outside the supermarket on the comer of King' s Road.
[03:26.18]Please help elderly or disabled people.
[03:30.49]If you have children with you, make sure you do not become separated from them.
[03:38.20]Hold small children firmly by hand.
[03:43.03]If you forget anything--your umbrella, your coat, even your handbag, please do not try to go back for it.
[03:54.14]This will only cause unnecessary confusion and delay.
[03:59.62]If you see any suspicious object--a parcel or bag--do not touch it, but tell us as you leave, please stop smoking.
[04:13.41]We rely on your cooperation
[04:16.37]and hope that you will be able to return to your seats shortly to enjoy the last act of the play.
[04:26.37]88 Insurance
[04:31.49]Life is full of dangers and surprises.
[04:36.14]Your house may bum down, and you may fall out of the window and break your neck.
[04:44.03]Mice may eat your floor so that you drop in the flat be-low.
[04:50.12]Any thing may happen you can never know.
[04:55.00]You can not always prevent disasters, but you can insure a-gainst them.
[05:03.23]Most forms of insurance are voluntary.
[05:07.44]It is up to you whether you insure or not.
[05:12.24]But some forms are compulsory.
[05:16.63]That means you have to insure.
[05:19.74]For example, a driver must take out a third-party insurance policy.
[05:26.87]The three parties are you yourself, your insurance company,
[05:33.27]and anybody else--for ex-ample, the man who had a crash with you.
[05:39.88]It doesn't cover fire, theft or anything else.
[05:45.94]Its aim is only to protect road users from each other.
[05:51.32]If you want to insure against all the other terri-ble things that might happen to you or your car,
[05:59.81]you can take a comprehensive policy.
[06:03.81]Another form of compulsory insurance is National Insur-ance.
[06:10.81]Everybody over 16 earning money on a regular basis must pay a sum each week to the state.
[06:20.47]These weekly contributions cover part of the cost of the National Health Service and the other social service benefits e.g.
[06:31.42]unemployment benefit, sickness benefit, old-age pensions and so on.
[06:42.76]89 Skills in Giving Gifts
[06:47.93]When you wish to give someone a gift it is always good to remember some basic rules.
[06:55.61]Consider the age, the sex, and the length of your acquaintance as well as the occasion.
[07:04.49]You should know when it is all right to give a gift of money, and when it would be improper.
[07:13.32]In any case, when you receive a present, don't forget to send a thank-you note as soon as possible.
[07:23.25]Often people like to bring a gift for the hostess of the party they have been invited to.
[07:32.13]This can be something just for the hostess or something for the party,
[07:39.36]like sweets or fruit, things which all may enjoy.
[07:45.24]If you stay at a friend's house overnight for a weekend
[07:50.70]it is usual to take a gift showing appreciation for their friendliness and their kindness.
[07:59.97]Again, you may choose some-thing for the hostess alone or for the entire family.
[08:07.63]Sometimes it is not possible to return a favor as you would like to.
[08:14.29]When this happens, you may show your own thoughtfulness by giving a thank-you gift,
[08:21.81]especially if you can find something unusual.
[08:26.17]Weddings are a time when gifts of money are greatly appreciated and quite acceptable.
[08:35.29]You should never leave money when you have been a weekend guest. Try to use imagination in choosing a thank-you gift.
[08:48.07]90 The Mystery of Diamond
[08:53.63]The diamond is considered the most famous and valuable jewel in the world.
[09:01.18]Diamonds were made as a result of great volcanic heat and pressure.
[09:07.16]A volcano is a mountain with a hole in the top.
[09:12.25]When a volcano is very active, it sometimes explodes and causes great damage.
[09:20.98]Diamonds were pushed towards the surface of the earth-millions of years ago-by a great number of volcanic explosions.
[09:33.23]It is in the narrow volcanic pipes that diamonds are found.
[09:38.77]They are also found among the sand and stones of certain river beds,
[09:46.19]and a few places or the floor of the sea, for they are washed down the mountainsides by the rain.
[09:54.29]Diamonds are very rare.
[09:57.76]There are not many diamond pipes or diamond-producing rivers in the world.
[10:03.56]During the last century, adventurers from Europe went to Brazil,
[10:10.69]because they had heard that there are diamonds in the River Amazon.
[10:15.60]Many of these early diamond miners died of illness or were lost forever in the great forests.
[10:24.93]But some returned home rich.
[10:28.77]The earliest known diamonds were found in India many centuries ago.
[10:36.37]The most recent exciting discoveries have been made in eastern Russia.
[10:42.53]But most of the world's diamonds now come from Congo,
[10:47.78]from Tanzania--which has the largest dia-mend mine in the world--and from South Africa.
[10:56.93]91 The Stars Are Shining Tonight
[11:02.36]Light travels at a speed which is about a million times faster than the speed of sound.
[11:10.46]In one second, light travels about 300,000 km, but sound travels only 344 kin.
[11:22.58]You can get some ideas of this difference by watching the start of a race.
[11:29.03]If you stand some distance away from the starter,
[11:33.63]you can see smoke come from his gun before the sound reaches your ears.
[11:40.45]This great speed of light produces some strange facts.
[11:46.17]Sun-light takes about 8 minutes to reach us.
[11:51.29]If you look at the light of the moon tonight,
[11:54.79]remember that the light rays left the moon 1.3 seconds before they reached you.
[12:02.63]The nearest star is so far away that the light which you can see from it tonight
[12:09.70]started to travel towards you four years ago at a speed of nearly 2 million km per minute.
[12:19.00]In some cases, the light from one of tonight's stars start-ed on its journey before you were born.
[12:28.12]Thus, if we want to be honest, we cannot say, "The stars are shining tonight."
[12:37.19]We have to say, "The stars look pretty.
[12:41.97]They were shining four years ago, but their light has only just reached the earth."
[12:50.04]92 The Seasons
[12:55.89]The year is divided into four seasons: spring, summer, autumn and winter.
[13:05.32]In spring, nature wakes from her long winter sleep.
[13:10.86]The trees are filled with new life, the earth is warmed by the rays of the sun, and the weather gets gradually milder.
[13:21.36]The fields and meadows are covered with fresh green grass.
[13:27.00]The woods and forests are filled with the songs of birds.
[13:33.04]The sky is blue and cloudless.
[13:36.88]At night millions of stars shine in the darkness.
[13:41.68]When summer comes, the weather gets warmer still and sometimes it's very hot.
[13:48.92]It's the farmer's busy season--he works in his fields from moming till night.
[13:56.08]The grass must be cut and the hay must be made, while the dry weather lasts.
[14:03.44]Autumn brings with its harvest-time, when the crops are gathered in and the fruit is picked in the orchards.
[14:12.30]The days get shorter and the nights longer.
[14:15.82]The woods turn yellow, and leaves begin to fall from the trees.
[14:21.73]When winter comes, we spend more time indoors because outdoors it's cold.
[14:29.25]Rivers and lakes are frozen, and the roads are sometimes covered with slippery ice or deep snow.
[14:40.30]93 On Writing a Letter
[14:44.56]The first step in writing letters is to get over the guilt of mail writing.
[14:51.79]You don't "owe" anybody a letter.
[14:55.32]Letters are gifts.
[14:57.67]The burning shame you feel when you see unanswered mail makes it harder to pick up a pen
[15:06.37]and makes for a cheerless letter when you finally do.
[15:11.23]Skip sentences like "I feel bad about not writing, but I've been so busy," etc.
[15:21.55]Few letters are obligatory, and they are "Thanks for the wonderful gift"
[15:28.94]and "welcome your friends to stay with you." and not many more than that.
[15:35.99]Writethose promptly if you want to keep your friends.
[15:41.11]Don't worry about others, except love letters, of course.
[15:47.44]When your true love writes "Dear Light of My Life; Joy of My Heart."
[15:54.88]Some re-sponse is called for.
[15:58.17]Keep your writing stuff in one place where you can sit down for a few minutes.
[16:05.72]Such as envelopes, stamps, address book, everything in a drawer so you can write fast when the pen is hot.
[16:16.77]Sit down for a few minutes with the blank sheet in front of you,
[16:22.36]and meditate on the person you will write to,
[16:26.38]let your friends come to mind until you can almost see her or him in the noon with you.
[16:35.84]Remember the last time you saw each other and how your friend looked
[16:43.29]and what you said and what perhaps was said between you,
[16:48.46]and when your friend becomes ready to you, start to write.
[16:54.67]Write the salutation--Dear You--and take a deep breath and plunge in.
[17:04.13]A simple declarative sentence will do, followed by another and another.
[17:11.34]Tell us what you're doing and tell it like you were talking to us.
[17:16.93]Don't think about grammar, don't think about style, don't try to write dramatically, just give us your news.
[17:27.82]Where did you go, who did you see, what did they say, and what do you think.
[17:38.90]94 A Chinese Calendar
[17:42.77]A calendar is a kind of chart that is used to keep trace of days, months, and years.
[17:50.68]The ancient calendars of China were sometimes divided into 12-year-cycle.
[17:58.18]Each year in the ]2-year-cycle had the name of an animal.
[18:04.37]There were twelve animals that were used to name the 12 years of the cycle.
[18:10.95]These animals are the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, clog and boar.
[18:29.39]Following that order, you can figure out the animal for any year.
[18:35.09]In ancient times these animals had some significance or meaning for people.
[18:43.14]There were two areas of using the Chinese calendar.
[18:47.45]One area of its use was in selecting a marriage partner.
[18:53.38]For example, a woman who was born in the year of the rooster was perfectly suited to a man
[19:01.89]who was born in the year of the sheep,
[19:05.10]but would not be suitable for a man who was born in the year of the monkey.
[19:10.98]People often consulted the charts before selecting a marriage partner.
[19:17.36]Another area of use for the calendar was in selecting a pro-fession.
[19:24.62]For example, a person born in the year of the dragon might be good for the medical profession,
[19:33.42]but not for the legal profession.
[19:36.90]A person born in the year of the rooster might be suitable for a profession as a cook,
[19:45.05]but not for a profession as a tailor.
[19:49.25]According to some accounts, people often consulted the calendar when making choices like these.
[19:58.03]95 Body Language
[20:02.78]When we do not understand each other's language, we talk with the help of signs.
[20:10.38]A Frenchman was once traveling in England.
[20:14.85]He could not speak English at all.
[20:18.33]One day he went into a restaurant and sat down at a table.
[20:24.62]When the waiter came, he opened his mouth, put his fingers in it and took them out again.
[20:33.50]He wanted to say, "Bring me something to eat."
[20:39.12]The waiter soon brought him a cup of tea.
[20:43.79]The man moved his head from side to side.
[20:48.81]The waiter understood him and took away the tea.
[20:54.27]In a moment he brought a cup of coffee and put it on the table.
[21:01.06]The man again moved his head from side to side.
[21:06.73]He moved his head from side to side whenever the waiter brought him something to drink.
[21:14.88]He brought him a lot of different drinks, but drinks are not food, of course.
[21:23.40]When the man was going away, another man came in.
[21:28.93]This man saw the waiter, and he put his hands on his stomach.
[21:35.83]That was enough: in a few minutes there was a large plate of meat and vegetables on the table in front of him.
[21:47.74]So you see, we cannot understand the language of signs so well as the language of words.
[21:59.81]96 Earthquake
[22:03.63]Most earthquakes occur within the upper 15 miles of the earth's surface.
[22:10.13]But earthquakes can and do occur at all depths to about 460 miles.
[22:18.36]Their number decreases as the depth increases.
[22:23.32]At about 460 miles one earthquake occurs only every few years.
[22:31.34]Near the surface earthquakes may run as high as 100 in a month, but the yearly average does not vary much.
[22:43.20]In comparison with the total number of earthquakes each year, the number of disastrous earthquakes is very small.
[22:53.78]The extent of the disaster in an earthquake depends on many factors.
[23:02.06]If you carefully build a toy house with an Erector set, it will still stand no matter how much you shake the table.
[23:11.20]But if you build a toy house with a pack of cards, a slight shake of the table will make it fall.
[23:21.21]An earthquake in Agadir, Morocco, was not strong enough to be recorded on distant instruments,
[23:30.35]but it completely destroyed the city.
[23:33.85]Many stronger earthquakes have done comparatively little damage.
[23:39.18]If a building is well construct-ed and built on solid ground, it will resist an earthquake.
[23:47.57]Most deaths in earthquakes have been due to faulty building construction or poor building sites.
[23:56.16]A very serious factor is panic.
[23:59.63]When people rush out into narrow streets, more deaths will result.
[24:05.98]The United Nations has played an important role in reducing the damage done by earthquakes.
[24:14.32]It has sent a team of experts to all countries known to be affected by earthquakes.
[24:22.20]Working with local geologists and engineers, the experts have studied the nature of the ground
[24:31.19]and the type of most practical building code for the local area.
[24:36.23]If followed, these suggestions will make disastrous earthquakes almost a thing of the past.
[24:45.71]97 The Reasons for Plant Death
[24:50.63]Even the newest gardener realizes that plants die without water.
[24:57.60]What is not so well known is that plants die equally deci-sively, though not so quickly, if they are overwatered.
[25:09.07]Beginners usually decide to play it safe and keep their potted plants thor-oughly wet.
[25:18.08]In consequence, death by drowning is one of the commonest disasters to befall the plants of new horticulturists.
[25:28.61]Plants wither away if they don't get enough water, and this draws attention to their problem.
[25:36.86]A plant has been slightly under-watered so that it droops and strikes terror into the heart of its new owner.
[25:46.66]But it will, in fact, recover completely as long as rescue comes in time and the process is not repeated too often.
[25:58.70]Overwatered plants, unfortunately, do not give any such obvious signal;
[26:05.81]slowly they cease to thrive and the first visible indication of serious trouble is a yellowing of the lower leaves.
[26:16.96]Unless the overwatered pot soil is given a considerable period without wa-ter,
[26:24.30]during which time the plant will continue look wretched,
[26:29.06]it will suddenly collapse in exactly the same way as the underwa-tered plant--but
[26:37.99]with no chance of being revived because the roots have rotted away.
[26:44.36]98 The Intemational Red Cross
[26:50.29]The Red Cross is an international organization which cares for people who are in need of help.
[26:59.41]A man in a Paris hospital who needs blood, a woman in Mexico who was
injured in an earthquake,
[27:09.44]and a family in India that lost their home in a storm may all be aided by the Red Cross.
[27:18.35]The Red Cross exists in almost every country around the globe.
[27:24.70]The World Red Cross Organizations are sometimes called the Red Crescent,
[27:32.04]the Red Mogen David, the Sun, and the Red Lion.
[27:37.91]All of these agencies share a common goal of trying to help people in need.
[27:45.70]The idea of forming an organization to help the sick and wounded during a war started with Jean Henri Dunant.
[27:56.62]In 1859, he observed how people were suffering on a battlefield in Italy.
[28:04.35]He wanted to help all the wounded people regardless of which side they were fighting for.
[28:12.97]The most important result of his work was an international treaty called the Geneva Convention.
[28:23.21]It pro-tects prisoners of war, the sick and wounded, and other citizens
during a war.
[28:32.46]The American Red Cross was set up by Clara Barton in 1881.
[28:40.92]Today the Red Cross in the United States provides a num-ber of services for the public,
[28:49.93]such as helping people in need, teaching first aid,
[28:55.34]demonstrating water safety and artificial respi-ration, and providing blood.