3．Who First Made Ice Cream
Most Americans think that ice cream is as American as baseball and apple pie．But ice cream was known long before America was discovered．
The Roman emperor Nero may have made a kind of ice cream．He hired hundreds of men to bring snow and ice from the mountains．He used it to make cold drinks．Traveler Marco Polobrought back recipes for chilled and frozen milk from China．
Hundreds of years later，ice cream reached England．It is said that King Charles Ienjoyed that treatvery much．There is a story that he bribed his cook to keep the recipe for ice cream a royal secret．
Today ice cream is known throughout the world．Americans alone eat more than two billion quartsa year．
3．誰是冰淇淋的首創者
大多數美國人認為，冰淇淋像棒球和蘋果餅一樣，是屬於美國的。但是，早在人們發現美洲大陸之前，冰淇淋就已經問世了。
古羅馬國王尼祿可能配製過一種冰淇淋。他曾僱用幾百人從山上搬來雪和冰，用以製作冷飲料。旅行家馬可波羅也曾從中國帶回了冷凍奶和冰奶的配方。
幾百年後，冰淇淋傳到了英國。據說國王查理一世十分欣賞這種食品，他曾賄賂御廚，要他把製作冰淇淋的配方作為皇家祕密，守口如瓶。
今天全世界都知道冰淇淋了，僅美國人一年的消耗量就超過20億夸脫。
英語知識小品【5】人類儲存肉的三種方法』5．The Three Ways of Man to Preserve Meat
Finding enough meat was a problem for primitive man．Keeping it for times when it was scarce was just as hard．Three ways were found to keep meat from spoiling：salting，drying，and freezing．
People near salty waters salted their meat．At first they probably rubbed dry salt on it，but this preserved only the outside．Later they may have pickled their meat by soaking it in salt water．
In hot，dry lands，men found that they could eat meat that had dried while it was still on the bones．They later learned to cut meat into thin strips and hang it up to dry in the hot air．
Men in cold climates found that frozen meat did not spoil．They could leave their meat outside and eat it when they pleased．
5．人類儲存肉的三種方法
對原始人類來說，獲得充足的肉是件難事，而把肉類儲存到缺肉的時令也同樣不容易。人們找到了防止肉類變腐的三種辦法：鹽醃、風乾和冷凍。
靠近鹹水地帶的居民用鹽醃肉。起先，他們可能是把幹鹽擦在肉上，但這隻能使肉的外部不腐。後來，他們也許就改用鹹水浸泡的辦法來醃肉了。
在炎熱、乾燥的地方，人們發現他們可以食用已經變幹、但仍連在骨骼上的肉。後來，他們學會把肉切成薄條，懸掛起來，讓它在炎熱的空氣中變幹。
生活在寒冷氣候下的人們則發現凍肉不腐。他們可以把肉置於室外，高興時隨時可吃。
英語知識小品【4】幫助改良土壤的蚯蚓』4．Earthworms that Help Improve the Soil
The earthworm is a useful animal．Out of the ground，it is food for other animals．In the ground，it makes rich soil for fields and gardens．
Earthworms dig tunnels that loosen the soil and make it easy for air and water to reach the roots of plants．These tunnels help keep the soil well drained．
Earthworms drag dead leaves，grass，and flowers into their burrows．When this plant material decays，it makes the soil more fertile．
No other animal is so useful in building up good topsoil．It is estimated that in one year fifty thousand earthworms carry about eighteen tons of fine soil to the surface of an acre of land．One worm may add three quarters of a pound of earth to tho topsoil．
4．幫助改良土壤的蚯蚓
蚯蚓是一種有益的動物。來到地面上，它成了其他動物的食品，而在地裡，它卻為田地和花園製造著肥沃的土壤。
蚯蚓挖掘風洞，使土壤變鬆，並使空氣和水容易抵達植物的根部。這些風洞有助於土壤迅速排水。
蚯蚓把枯樹葉、草和花朵拖進自己的洞中，這種植物性物質腐爛後，便使土壤變得更肥沃了。
在製造優良的表面土壤方面，沒有別的動物能像蚯蚓這樣有用。據估計，一年中，5萬條蚯蚓能把大約18噸的細壤送到1英畝土地的表面，一條蚯蚓也許能把3／4磅的土壤加到地表層。
英語知識小品【6】夏威夷群島是怎樣形成的』6．How the Hawaiian Is lands Were Built
Volcanoes have been erupting on the earth for millions of years．More than five hundred still erupt today．These are called active volcanoes．Volcanoes are located in belts or chains．They are found where the earth's crust is weak．The weak spots let the hot rock escape when the volcano erupts．
Many volcano belts are mountain ranges along the edges of continents．One belt runs along the western coast of South America up through the western part of the United States．Other volcanoes are found in ocean basins．
About three－fifths of all active volcanoes in the world are in the Pacific Ocean．Many of these volcanoes erupt under the water．The Hawaiian Islands were built by volcanoes that began erupting under water and finally reached the surface of the ocean．
6．夏威夷群島是怎樣形成的
火山在地球上噴發已有幾百萬年的歷史。有500多座火山至今還在噴發，這些火山叫做活火山。火山呈帶狀或鏈狀分佈，它們一般位於地殼脆弱的地段。火山噴發時，灼熱的岩漿便從脆弱的地點流出。
許多火山帶是一些大陸邊緣的山脈。有一個火山帶沿南美洲的西海岸向北，穿過美國的西部。另一些火山位於海洋盆地中。
世界上大約有3／5的活火山在太平洋，這些火山中有許多在水下噴發。夏威夷群島便是由從水下噴發、最終達到洋麵的火山而形成的。
英語知識小品【2】領帶的滄桑』2．The Necktie through Thick and Thin
From hat to shoes，men's clothes are useful．Only one piece of clothing is worn just for decoration．It is the necktie，or cravat．The necktie is left over from the time when men wore ruffles，ribbons，and tassels．
Beau Brummel was an Englishman of the early 1800's．He was famous for his fancy clothes．The story is told that he used to invite guests just to watch him knot his white cravat．
Now，perhaps，even the necktie is going out of style．It has been getting smaller and smaller for hundreds of years．It started out as a piece of lace and turned into a silk bow．Then it became a triangle that was tied around the neck．Now many neckties are no wider than a piece of string．
2．領帶的滄桑
人的衣物，從帽子到鞋，都有實用價值。唯有一樣完全是為了裝飾，那就是領帶，或者叫“克拉瓦特”。領帶是人們從佩戴飾邊、緞帶和帽穗的時代遺留下來的。
博·布倫美是19世紀初葉的一位英國人，因穿著的花哨而出名。傳說他常邀請客人專程去觀看他給自己白色的領帶打結。
現在，也許連領帶也快不時髦了。幾百年來，領帶變得越來越小。當初，它只不過是一段帶子，後來變成絲制的蝴蝶結，以後又演變為纏在脖子上的三角形飾物。現在許多領帶的寬度只不過相當於一根繩子的粗細罷了。
異國的陽光其實並不遙遠
What day is it today? Is it Tuesday or Thursday? This thought raced through her mind as she sat back with her studentsgoing over the lesson that never seemed to end. Didn’t I just do this yesterday? Or was it a year ago? Hell, everything seemed to jumble together anymore. "Miss Smith
can I go to the bathroom?" Jorge asked, as he proceeded to jump from one foot to another, holding himself. How many times have I heard this? She wondered as she abruptly said, "Yes" and watched as he raced out of the room.
Sitting at the table she gazed at her students while thinking of what she would do after work. Maybe I’ll go to the gym or stop at the market for something to eat tonight. Mechanically she continued with her lesson on the short letter "a" with her students. "The letter "a" makes what sound?" "a, a, a", the students sang together going through the empty motions. The clock dragged away the minutes teasing her with the tediousness of the day.
Won’t it end? She thought as the phone rang out its morse code for her room. Sighing she stood up and walked through the maze of students desks to get to the phone. Picking up the receiver the other voice seemed a hundred miles away. Oh, how I wish I were anywhere but here. Here mind wandered to the hot exotic beach of Cabo, Mexico, where she had spent her last summer break. She still remembered the cool breezes that caressed her skin as she lay on the gritty sand.
"Miss Smith did you hear me?" the secretary annoyingly asked her. "Oh, sorry. What did you say?" "Can you send Carla to the office?" the secretary impatiently asked. "Oh, course" she replied as she hung up the phone. She turned from the phone and yelled out Carla’s name. Carla, who was one of the many who always seemed so needy that were in her class this year. Carla looked up from her desk, her hair hanging like a matted displaced doll. Her face was lined with dirt that gave her the appearance of one of those munchkins from the Wizard of Oz. "You need to go to the office", she said while Carla slowly rose from her desk. "Why do I have to go?" whined Carla. "It’s between you and the office—just go up" she hastily turned her back as Carla walked out of the room. Like having free school uniforms is the answer. It would be nice if just once someone called saying something nice or thanking me for all the endless crap I have to deal with. With a sigh she walked back to her other students who were clustered at the back table patiently waiting her return.
The rest of the afternoon blurred into one long endless repetition. Finally the bell rang as a relief. As she led her students out the door they walked behind her as baby chicks returning to their fold. She noticed that their mother hens clucked to them behind the iron gate. As she proceeded to walk down the corridor, the air, which rose with the musical tingle of Spanish coloring everything that touched it, greeted her. She watched with a touch of envy as the children left her to return to those homes that probably were filled with laughter and warmth while she would once again return to the same endless march of boredom.
"Senora, un momento por favor" She turned her head and noticed the small shriveled man, his brown face lined with a map to places only he knew. "Thanks for helping my grandson Julio to read" the gentleman said in his faltering broken English. She immediately thought of Julio, who once as unreachable as a hardened walnut, slowly cracked opened to reveal the eager child inside. She thought of the inner struggle Julio must have had as he tried to make sense of the foreign letters and the sudden joy when he had unbroken the mysterious code. Was the grandfather the same? She looked up at this elderly gentleman, probably his grandfather, and quickly recognized the sameness of the two. "Gracias Senora" a weathered hand came out and firmly grasped hers with warmth that radiated from his soul to hers. Just as abruptly he removed his hand and left her. As he walked away she thought of that exotic sun and realized maybe it was closer to her than she thought.
今天是星期幾？星期二還是星期三？她和學生進行那似乎永無休止的複習，課間休息時，這個念頭在她腦子裡轉了好幾圈。我是不是昨天才做完？或者那已是去年的事了？該死，好像什麼事都攪到一塊兒來了。“史密斯小姐，我可以去一下洗手間嗎？”喬治正要邁腿，又停下問道。我是第幾次聽到這個了？她想著這個問題，隨即說道：“去吧”，看著他跑出了教室。
她坐在桌邊，眼睛盯著學生，腦子裡卻在想，下了班該去哪裡。也許該去健身，或者去市場買點東西晚上吃。她機械地上著課，給學生講字母“a”。“‘a’怎麼念？”“a, a, a”學生們齊聲乾巴巴地念著。時鐘一分分過去，似乎在嘲笑她這沉悶的一天。
該結束了吧？她正想著，教室的電話響了。她嘆了一口氣，站起身來，穿過學生的課桌去接電話。拿起話筒，那一端的聲音似乎從100英里以外傳來。天，要是身處異地該多好！。她神遊到了充滿異國情調的`墨西哥卡波海灘，去年暑假她就是在那兒度過的。她仍記得慵懶地躺在沙灘上，任習習涼風親吻自己的肌膚。
“史密斯小姐，你在聽我說話嗎？”祕書有點生氣地問道。“哦，對不起，你剛才說什麼？”“叫卡拉到我辦公室來一下。”祕書更不耐煩了。“哦，好的。”她邊說邊掛了電話。她轉過身來叫著卡拉的名字。卡拉是今年她班上許多貧困學生之一。卡拉抬起頭，鬆散的頭髮像一篷亂草。滿臉泥垢的她看起來像《綠野仙蹤》裡的芒虛金。“你去一趟辦公室。”當卡拉慢慢抬起頭的時候，她說道。“為什麼要我去？”卡拉囁嚅道。“去了就知道。快去吧。”她隨即轉過身，卡拉出去了。她是去領免費的校服的。如果能有人打電話來，說些好聽的話或者感謝我做的這些討厭的工作就好了。她嘆了口氣，回到後排那一群正耐心等著她的學生。
整個下午都在不斷重複著這不盡的單調。最後，救命的鐘聲終於敲響了。她帶著學生走出了教室，就像母雞帶著小雞回窩似的。她看到學生的媽媽正在鐵門後熱切等待著他們。當她穿過走廊的時候，那帶著西班牙音樂氣息的空氣迎面撲來。她羨慕地看著孩子們離開她，回到充滿歡笑和溫暖的家，而自己卻不得不再次回到這無盡的單調與無聊之中。
“您好，夫人，打擾你幾分鐘。”她轉過頭看到一個窘迫的男人，棕色的臉上佈滿了皺紋。“謝謝您對我孫子胡里奧的幫助。”他用蹩腳的英語說道。她立即想起了胡里奧，曾經外表看來那麼不可接近，後來慢慢地敞開了一個孩子熱切的內心世界。胡里奧一定暗暗努力想學好外文，並且每次進步都能令他欣喜不已。這位祖父也是這樣嗎？她抬頭看著這位也許是胡里奧祖父的老人家，很快就意識到他們兩人之間的共通之處。“謝謝您，夫人。”他伸出一隻飽經風霜的手，緊緊握住她，他的熱情深深地感染了她。他很快又縮回了手，走開了。當他離開時，她想到了異國的陽光，而且明白，異國的陽光其實並不遙遠。
