第一单元：阿基米德和金皇冠Archimedes and the golden crowmOne day in ancient Greece, King Hiero asked a crown maker to make him a golden crown. At first, he was very happy with it.古希腊的一天，海尔罗国王请一位皇冠工匠给他制作一顶金皇冠。
起初，他对皇冠感到非常高兴。
“It’s a nice crown, isn’t it?”he asked his men. Later, however, he began to doubt that it was a real golden crown. “Is it made completely of gold?”he wondered. He sent it to Archimedes and asked him to find out the truth.“This problem seems difficult to solve. What should I do?”thought Archimedes. “这是一个很漂亮的皇冠，不是吗？”他问仆人。
然而后来他开始怀疑皇冠是否是一顶真的金皇冠。
“这真是纯金的吗？”他纳闷着。
他把皇冠送到了阿基米德那里，叫他搞清楚真相。
“这个问题似乎很难解决。
我该怎么办？”阿基米德想。
Archimedes was still thinking about this problem as he filled his bath with water. When he got into the bath, some water ran over.“That’s it!”shouted Archimedes. “I know how to solve the king’s problem!”Archimedes went straight to the palace to see the king. First, he weighed the crown and asked the king for some gold of the same weight.Next, he put two pots into two big bowls and filled both pots with water. He put the gold into one pot and some water ran into the bowl. Then he put the crown into the other pot. This time, even more water ran into the bowl.当阿基米德往浴池里倒水的时候他仍然思考着这个难题。
当他进入浴池时，一些水溢了出来。
“就是如此”阿基米德喊道，“我知道如何解决国外的难题了！”阿基米德直接去到了宫殿觐见国王。
首先，他称了皇冠，然后像国王要了同等重量的金子。
接着，他放了两个罐子到两个大碗里，然后把罐子注满了水。
他把金子放入其中一个罐，一些水跑到了碗里。
然后他把皇冠放入另一个罐。
这一次，更多的水跑到了碗里。
“Look at this,”said Archimedes to King Hiero. “A crown made completely of gold displaces less water than a crown made of gold and another metal. This crown displaced more water than gold of the same weight, so I’m certain that it’s not completely made of gold.”“The crown maker tricked me , didn’t he? What a bad man he is!”shouted King Hiero. He then sent the crown maker to prison.“快看”阿基米德对国王说道。
“一个完全由金子制作的皇冠比一个由金子和其他金属制作的皇冠要取代更少的水。
这顶皇冠比同等质量的金子取代更多的水，所以我确定这不是纯金的。
“金匠骗了我，对不对？这个大坏人！”海尔罗国王喊道。
然后他把金匠投入了监狱。
第二单元：两位天才Two geniusesMany people consider Albert Einstein(1879-1955) a genius.This story about him shows that he also had a sense of humour.许多人认为阿尔伯特，爱因斯坦(1879-1955)是一位天才。
这个关于他的故事表明他也有幽默感。
Einstein often received invitations to explain his theories at different universities. On these trips, his driver Hans often said to him. “It is a pleasure to drive a genius like you, Dr Einstei n.”爱因斯坦经常收到邀请，在不同的大学解释他的理论。
在这些旅行中，他的司机汉斯经常对他说。
能为一个天才开车这是一个愉快的事情比如你，爱因斯坦博士。
One evening, on their way to a university, Einstein said, “I’m so tired. I wish I could avoid giving my lecture tonight, Hans, but I don’t want to let my audience down.一天晚上，在去大学的路上，爱因斯坦说：“我太累了。
”我希望今晚能避免演讲，汉斯，但我不想让听众失望。
“I know w hat to do,” said Hans. “I ca n give the lecture for you. You can trust me. I’ve listened to your lecture so many times that I’ve learnt it by heart. No one knows you at this university, so they won’t find ou t."“我知道怎么办。
”汉斯说。
“我可以替你演讲。
你可以相信我。
我听了你的演讲好多遍了，我已经背熟了。
在这所大学没有人认识你，所以他们不会知道真相的。
”So, they changed places. At the university, Hans was guided to the front of the hall. Einstein took a seat, listened to Hans give his lecture without difficulty, and joined in the applause at the end.于是，他们变换了位置。
在大学里，汉斯被领到了大厅的前面。
爱因斯坦坐下，听汉斯轻而易举地演讲，最后他也鼓掌喝彩。
However, before Hans left, a man shouted, “I’d like to ask you a question.” He then asked a question so difficult that Hans had no idea what he was talking about.然而在汉斯离开前，一位男子大声喊道：“我想问你一个问题。
”然后他问了一个非常难的问题。
以至于汉斯丝毫不知道他在说什么。
Einstein turned pale. “Oh no!” he thought. “Now we’re in trouble.” But Hans just laughed and said, ”That’s such an easy question that even my driver can answer it. Hans, please…”爱因斯坦脸色变白。
“哦，糟糕！”他想，“现在我们麻烦了。
”但汉斯只是笑着说：“这是如此简单的一个问题，甚至我的司机也能回答，汉斯请说一说…”Einstein stood up and answered the question perfectly.爱因斯坦站起来，完美地回答了这个问题。
They left the university, with Einstein driving. A little later, Hans offered to drive. “No, ” laughed Einstein. “It’s a pleasure to drive a genius like you Hans.”爱因斯坦驾车，离开了那所学校。
过了一会儿，汉斯提出开车。
“不，”爱因斯坦笑道，“汉斯，给一位像你这样的天才开车是一件令人高兴的事情。
”第三单元：城市里的家庭生活Family life in citiesPaula interviewed two teenagers for a programme on family life. She asked them some questions. Here are their answers. Emily (aged 15)1. well, there are just three of us: my mum, my dad and me.2. Have I got many possessions? Yes, I’ve got a lot of things: a big TV, a new computer and a mobile phone.3. No, I’m not expected to do the housework.4. We go out for dinner together sometimes, but my dad is often abroad on business, and my mum works too. We usually just do our own personal things.5. No, they don’t usually set rules for me and since I’m a good daughter they never punish me. 6 Well, I like our new flat. It’s much bigger than our last one. But I feel lonely when my parents are away from home.在城市的家庭生活保拉采访的两个十几岁的青少年对家庭生活的计划。
