Lesson 18 Electric currents in modern art

'Do not touch the exhibits. Some of them are dangerous!'

“切勿觸摸展品，某些展品有危險！”

Lesson 18 Electric currents in modern art

The objects on display were pieces of moving sculpture.

展品都是些活動的雕像。

Lesson 18 Electric currents in modern art

Oddly shaped forms that are suspended form the ceiling and move in response to a gust of wind are quite familiar to everybody.

人們所熟悉的是懸掛在天花板上、造型奇特、隨風飄蕩的雕塑品。

Lesson 18 Electric currents in modern art

These objects, however, were different.

這些展品卻使人大開眼界。

Lesson 18 Electric currents in modern art

Lined up against the wall, there were long thin wires attached to metal spheres.

靠墻排列著許多細長的電線，而電線又連著金屬球。

Lesson 18 Electric currents in modern art

The spheres had been magnetized and attracted or repelled each other all the time.

金屬球經過磁化，互相之間不停地相互吸引或相互排斥。

Lesson 18 Electric currents in modern art

In the centre of the hall, there were a number of tall structures which contained coloured lights.

展廳中央是裝有彩色燈泡的許多高高的構件，

Lesson 18 Electric currents in modern art

These lights flickered continuously like traffic lights which have gone mad.

燈泡一刻不停地閃爍著，就像失去了控制的紅綠燈。

Lesson 18 Electric currents in modern art

Sparks were emitted from small black boxes and red lamps flashed on and off angrily.

小黑盒子里迸出火花，紅色燈泡發怒似地忽明忽暗。

Lesson 18 Electric currents in modern art

It was rather like an exhibition of prehistoric electronic equipment.

這兒倒像是在展覽古老的電子設備。

Lesson 18 Electric currents in modern art

These peculiar forms not only seemed designed to shock people emotionally, but to give them electric shocks as well!

好像設計這些奇形怪狀的展品不僅是為了給人感情上的強烈刺激，而且還想給人以電擊似的！

Lesson 19 A very dear cat

Kidnappers are rarely interested in animals, but they recently took considerable interest in Mrs.Eleanor Ramsay's cat.

綁架者很少對動物感興趣。最近，綁架者卻盯上了埃莉諾。拉姆齊太太的貓。

Lesson 19 A very dear cat

Mrs.Eleanor Ramsay, a very wealthy old lady,

埃莉諾。拉姆齊太太是一個非常富有的老婦人，

Lesson 19 A very dear cat

has shared a flat with her cat, Rastus, for a great many years.

多年來，一直同她養的貓拉斯一起住在一所公寓里。

Lesson 19 A very dear cat

Rastus leads an orderly life.

拉斯特斯生活很有規律，

Lesson 19 A very dear cat

He usually takes a short walk in the evenings and is always home by seven o'clock.

傍晚常常出去溜達一會兒，并且總是在7點鐘以前回來。

Lesson 19 A very dear cat

One evening, however, he failed to arrive.

可是，有一天晚上，它出去后再也沒回來。

Lesson 19 A very dear cat

Mrs.Ramsay got very worried.

拉姆齊太太急壞了，

Lesson 19 A very dear cat

She looked everywhere for him but could not find him.

四處尋找，但沒有找著。

Lesson 19 A very dear cat

There days after Rastus' disappearance,

拉斯特斯失蹤3天后，

Lesson 19 A very dear cat

Mrs.Ramsay received an anonymous letter.

拉姆齊太太收到一封匿名信。

Lesson 19 A very dear cat

The writer stated that Rastus was in safe hands and would be returned immediately if Mrs.Ramsay paid a ransom of $1,000.

寫信人聲稱拉斯特斯安然無恙，只要拉姆齊太太愿意支付1，000 英鎊贖金，可以立即將貓送還。

Lesson 19 A very dear cat

Mrs.Ramsay was instructed to place the money in a cardboard box and to leave it outside her door.

他讓拉姆齊太太把錢放在一個紙盒里，然后將紙盒放在門口。

Lesson 19 A very dear cat

At first she decided to go to the police,

一開始拉姆齊太太打算報告警察，

Lesson 19 A very dear cat

but fearing that she would never see Rastus again -- the letter had made that quite clear -- she changed her mind.

但又害怕再也見不到拉斯特斯——這點，信上說得十分明白——于是便改變了主意。

Lesson 19 A very dear cat

She withdrew $1000 from her bank and followed the kidnapper's instructions.

她從銀行取出1，000 英鎊，并照綁架者的要求做了。

Lesson 19 A very dear cat

The next morning, the box had disappeared but Mrs. Ramsay was sure that the kidnapper would keep his word.

第二天早晨，放錢的盒子不見了。但拉姆齊太太確信綁架者是會履行諾言的。

Lesson 19 A very dear cat

Sure enough, Rastus arrived punctually at seven o'clock that evening.

果然，當天晚上7點正，拉斯特斯準時回來了。

Lesson 19 A very dear cat

He looked very well though he was rather thirsty, for he drank half a bottle of milk.

它看上去一切正常，只是口渴得很，喝了半瓶牛奶。

Lesson 19 A very dear cat

The police were astounded when Mrs.Ramsay told them what she had done.

拉姆齊太太把她所做的事告訴了警察，警察聽后大為吃驚。