中级美语教程第9课

1、中级美语教程第 9 课 Lesson 97 The Bronze Age While on an expedition in western China twenty years ago, some explorers discovered the mummies of a tall, red-haired people. Though estimated to be nearly 4,000 years old, the corpses were quite well preserved. Scientists are excited because these mummies are a

2、link between the East and the West. What were redheads doing in China and who were they? Though the answers to these questions may never be answered with certainty, these mummies provide new information about the Bronze Age, when men used tools and weapons made of bronze. This was the period between

3、 the Stone Age and the Iron Age. As the explorers continue their work, new mysteries are waiting to be discovered. Lesson 98 Speaking from the Grave B： Can you imagine what it was like 4,000 years ago? C： Thats hard to imagine. But if the mummies could speak, they could certainly tell us a great dea

4、l. B： Well, that, of course, is impossible. But scientists can tell a lot from the things the explorers found. C： I know. For example, they think the 4000-year-old mummies were Celts. B： Who were the Celts? C： They were ancient European people who settled in Britain even before the Romans existed. B

5、： Wow! Thats amazing! C： So you see, although mummies dont really speak, they are speaking from their graves. B： Stop it! youre giving me the creeps! Lesson 99 Stop Swearing! Everywhere in the world you can hear people swearing or using foul language. Even when learning a second language, many peopl

6、e know how to swear before they can speak the language properly. Indeed, it is a disease. Recently, in New Jersey, the government decided to do something about the problem. It banned swearing. You could face a US$500 fine, including a three-month jail term for swearing. Considering the trivial natur

7、e of the crime, the punishment seemed quite harsh to some. Some say the law infringes on their rights. But others say it is a good law because people in New Jersey have really stopped swearing so much. Lesson 100 Stop Bullshitting! Candy is asking her friend, Rudy, why guys swear so much. C： Why do

8、guys swear so much? R： It adds color and emphasis to language. C： Bullshit! People who swear dont have class. R： See? You just said bullshit. C： Bullshit isnt swearing. Its even in the dictionary. R： Sure its swearing. C： It simply mean, male cow manure. R： Then why dont you just say shit? Its in th

9、e dictionary as well. C： Were just going round in circles. Tell you what. If you stop saying shit, Ill stop saying bull-shit. R： Considering they both arent very nice things to say anyway, thats a deal. Lesson 101 A Red-hot Cure Have you ever had an operation? If you have, youll know that surgical s

10、cars can leave you with a burning pain for months and sometimes even years. Frankly speaking, the pain is sometimes so unbearable its hard to even stand the weight of your own clothes on the scars. Generally speaking, most ordinary painkillers wont work. Besides, they are so powerful that they may c

11、ause side effects. Fortunately, according to a recent study, doctors say there is a red-hot cure ： chili peppers. An ointment is made from the ingredient that makes chili peppers hot. It kind of short-circuits the pain. The ointment is sold in a tube that lasts a month and costs only US$16. Its considered the newest, most creative and inexpe