The LAPD, the FBI, and the CIA are all trying to prove that they are the best at apprehending(拘捕)criminals. The President decides to give them a test. He releases a rabbit into a forest and has each of them try to catch it.
The CIA goes in. They place animal informants(提供信息的人)throughout the forest. They question all plant and mineral witnesses. After three months of extensive investigations they conclude that rabbits do not exist.
Then the FBI goes in. After two weeks with no clue they burn the forest, killing everything in it, including the rabbit, and they make no apologies. The rabbit had it coming. Then the LAPD goes in. They come out two hours later with a badly beaten raccoon(浣熊). The raccoon is yelling: \
Notes:
LAPD 洛杉矶警察局 FBI 美国联邦调查局 CIA 美国中央情报局
More readings for fun
I. A frog telephoned the Psychic(精神的)Hotline and was told, \a beautiful young woman who will want to know everything about you.\
The frog said, \\
II. A wife says to her husband one weekend morning, \He brings in the daily newspapers every morning.\
Her husband replied, \
The wife responded, \
Part Three Further Development Enriching Your Word Power
1) A 2) B 3) C 4) A 5) C 6) B 7) A 8) B 9) B 10) C
2. Do You Know What They Mean?
1) It is risky to sacrifice one thing or accomplishment which has been attained, for the uncertain hope of gaining more.
2) When one is close to one's limits (of strength, tolerance, endurance, patience, etc.), an otherwise insignificant thing can surpass these limits and cause disaster.
3) One cannot rely on expectations or assumptions; it is better to rely only on what is certain.
4) Too much curiosity can cause one to abandon caution and encounter unseen danger.
5) Don't stir up trouble when all is calm.
6) Don't be discouraged if you don't get the one you want -- others are available. 7) People should be treated equally, regardless of their gender.
8) Changing one's mind in the middle of a task or event will cause more problems than if the task/event had been thought through beforehand.
9) It's too late to protect yourself after something bad has happened; take appropriate precautions.
10) One may suggest something to another, but cannot force the other to do what he does not wish to do.
3. Do Animals Love Each Other?
This activity can also be conducted as a debate. Put the students with the same opinion into the same group.
Opinion A: I think it’s love, because love is the most common feeling in human beings as well as in animals. To love her calf is the mother’s instinct. Both geese and swans are symbols of marital fidelity or love because they stay together all their lives and form lasting pairs.
Opinion B: Animals don’t know what love means. It is the ―bond between‖ rather than the ―love between‖ the mother elephant and her calf. The mother is not displaying ―true love‖, but simply following the dictates of her genes. Animals don’t experience joy, love and heartbreak like our own.
Opinion C: The elephant is driven by a natural instinct. All animals protect their young and the bond between any mother animal and her babies is very strong. The maternal instinct exists in animals and humans alike. Perhaps part of the love between a mother and her child is a natural instinct. If this is the case, then the elephant and her calf are also linked by a form of love.
4. Interesting Stories about Animals Sample 1
Mandarin ducks are the symbol of love and loyalty. But according to scientific observations, it would seem that the male mandarin duck is not really that loyal. The couple stay together in the spring but when the mating season is over, the male goes away and does not wait for the ducklings to hatch or help to look after them.
However, swans pair for life and remain loyal to each other in their relationship. I think they are qualified to replace mandarin ducks as the symbol of love and loyalty. It is said that the couple will stay together all their life. When one of them dies, the other becomes so sad that it doesn’t eat and may dash around until it kills itself.
Sample 2
I grew up on a farm and it was my job to look after ducks. I spent so much time with them that they knew my gestures. I just had to point a certain way and they would all move together to go for their food. One day, some of my classmates were walking by my home. There were boys and girls. To play a joke on them, I pointed to the girls and all the ducks went over to them. The girls were terrified!
5. How Man Uses Animals STEP ONE
1) for sports and entertainment: bull fighting, horse-racing, fishing, rooster fighting, cricket fighting, greyhound racing, dog sled racing, monkey show, equestrian, etc. 2) for food: meat, milk, eggs, blood, bones, honey, edible bird’s nest, bear’s paw, etc. 3) for pets: dogs, snakes, turtles, cats, goldfish, fish, rabbits, parrots, guinea pigs, etc. 4) for various products: ivory, fur, leather, wool, silk, oil, bones, feathers, horns, etc. 5) for work: horses, dogs, camels, oxen, elephants, monkeys, pigeons, donkeys, buffalo, etc.
STEP TWO Possible answers:
-- If we were forbidden to use or abuse animals in all of the ways mentioned, life for man would be quite different and difficult, too.
-- If we were not allowed to use animals for sports and entertainment, we would have fewer activities.
-- If we were not allowed to use animals for food, people’s health would be much poorer. We would suffer a lot of illnesses because of the lack of proteins. Perhaps people would be less intelligent for the lack of certain trace elements. Perhaps people would be healthier by not eating meat, and also stay slim.
-- If we were not allowed to use animals as pets, some old people and children would be much more lonely, because pets are their good companions. Some stray animals would not be taken good care of. But animals would enjoy more freedom by living in their natural environment.
-- If we were not allowed to use animals for clothes, people especially women would have fewer choices for clothing. But the animals would be well protected, people wouldn’t hunt animals for money, and the balance of nature could be kept. Some animals would not be extinct. If we were not allowed to use animals for assorted products, some animals such as elephants and whales, would face less danger of extinction.
-- If we were not allowed to use animals for work, people themselves would have to work harder. Or, they would have to think of others ways to make the work easier.
6. Debate Possible answers:
Animals should be trained to help humans because:
-- in this way we can make better use of the resources on the earth; -- we can develop a closer relationship between humans and animals; -- we can protect them better by giving them food and shelter.
-- animals are savage and wild and thus should not have the same rights as humans; -- the basic right of animals is to live;
-- those who say no to this question are killing animals for such things as food and leather;
-- otherwise we have to train ourselves for a living. Animals should not be trained because: -- animals should have the right to live freely;
-- animals shouldn’t be enslaved as the blacks used to be; -- some animals have to be trained, for example, dogs; -- animals are not personal belongings of human beings; -- animals should live peacefully in nature; -- humans are selfish in doing so.
Part Four Writing and Translation
1. Translation Practice 主语从句:
这种理论的核心是,我们的环境同我们的才能、性格特征和行为,即使有什么联 系的话,也是不足道的。
遗憾的是,我们的呼吁没有得到响应。
众所周知,肺癌至少部分是由于吸烟过多引起的。
现在把话题转到一个月以前在那里发生的惨案上,这是很自然的事。 那位老太太解释说她在为一个女孩找一双手套。
宾语从句:
他再三提醒大家说,决定这件事的不止他一个人,还有其他许多人。 他们想要说明,为什么我们有某些性格特征和表现出某些行为。
在这场争论中,赞成\天性\的那些人认为:我们的性格特征和行为模式大多是由生物因素所决定的。
伽利略最光辉的业绩在于他在1609年第一个把新发明的望远镜对准天空,以证实行星是围绕太阳旋转而不是围绕地球。
3. Writing