自考英语综合二下册课文 lesson 3

　　[00:00.00]Lesson Three

[00:03.89]Text

[00:06.53]The Man Who Could Work Miracles (II)H. G. Wells

[00:15.31]On Sunday evening Mr.Fotheringay went to church,

[00:21.66]and Mr.Maydig preached about "things that are not lawful 1 ".

[00:29.70]Mr. Fotheringay suddenly decided 2 to consult Mr. Maydig,

[00:35.94]who took him to his study."You don't believe, I suppose," said Mr. Fotheringay

[00:45.37]"that some common sort of person like myself,for instance

[00:52.51]is able to do things by his will. "

[00:57.68]"Something of the sort, perhaps, is possible," said Mr. Maydig.

[01:04.13]"I think I can show you by a sort of experiment," said Mr.Fotheringay.

[01:11.18]"Now, take that tobacco jar on the table, for instance.

[01:17.74]What I want to know is whether what I am going to do with it is a miracle or not

[01:26.39]"He pointed 3 to the tobacco jar, and said:

[01:31.53]"Be a bowl of violets."The tobacco jar did as it was ordered.

[01:41.38]Mr.  Maydig stared at the change,

[01:46.34]and presently he ventured to lean over the table and smell the violets.

[01:53.71]Mr. Fotheringay said,"Just told it and there you are.Is that a miracle?

[02:02.64]What do you think is the matter with me?"

[02:06.77]"It's a most extraordinary thing."

[02:11.13]"And this day last week I knew no more that I could do things like that

[02:18.27]than you did It came quite suddenly.

[02:23.93]It's something odd about my will, I suppose. "

[02:29.29]"Is that the only thing? Could you do other things besides that?"

[02:37.34]"Oh, yes," said  Mr.Fotheringay."Just anything."He thought a little.

[02:44.88]"Here! Change into a glass bowl full of water with goldfish swimming in it

[02:53.64]You see that,Mr. Maydig?"

[02:56.69]"It's incredible.""I could change it into just anything,"Said Mr. Fotheringay

[03:05.65]"Here! Be a pigeon,will you?"

[03:09.91]In another moment a blue pigeon was fluttering round the room.

[03:15.87]"Stop there, will you?said Mr. Fotheringay,

[03:21.20]and the pigeon hung motionless in the air."

[03:26.05]I could change it back to a bowl of flowers," he said

[03:31.10]and after placing the pigeon on the table he worked that miracle.

[03:37.86]Then he restored the tobacco jar.

[03:43.22]Mr.May dig had followed all these changes with small cries.

[03:50.30]"Well,"he said.Mr.Fotheringay

[03:56.46]told Mr. Maydig all about his strange experiences;the latter listened intently

[04:05.60]"Amazing," he said,"

[04:09.97]The power to work miracles is a gift, and a very rare gift.

[04:18.01]Go on. Go on. "Mr. Fotheringay mentioned Winch.

[04:25.06]"That's what troubled me most," he sad,

[04:29.64]and what I'm in need of advice for most is about Winch;

[04:36.09]of course he's in San Francisco.

[04:40.24]You see, I'm in very great difficulties ...

[04:45.52]"Mr. Maydig looked serious.

[04:49.46]"Yes, it's a difficult position,"he said.

[04:55.39]"But we'll leave Winch for a little and discuss the larger question.

[05:02.47]I don't think this is criminal at all.

[05:06.73]No,it's just miracles,miracles of the very highest class.

[05:14.98]"He began to walk about while Mr. Fotheringay sat at the table,looking worried.

[05:23.74]I don't see what I can do about Winch,"he said.

[05:29.69]"If you can work miracles, " said Mr.Maydig, "you can find a way about Winch

[05:38.44]My dear sir, you are a most important man.

[05:44.08]A man of the most astonishing possibilities.

[05:49.83]The things you  may do..."

[05:54.69]"Yes, I've thought of a thing or two," said Mr. Fotheringay.

[06:01.04]"But I thought it better to ask someone.""Quite right," said Mr. Maydig.

[06:08.98]"It's practically an unlimited 4 gift.Let us test your powers. "

[06:17.94]Mr. Fotheringay began to work miracles.

[06:24.18]At first the miracles he worked were little things with cups and such things

[06:32.54]But after they had worked a dozen of these,

[06:37.58]their sense of power grew,their imagination increased,

[06:46.73]and their ambition enlarged."And about Mr. Winch "said Mr. Fotheringay.

[06:56.16]Mr. Maydig waved the Winch difficulty away,

　　[07:01.75]and made a series of wonderful proposals.

[07:06.89]The small hours found Mr. Maydig

[07:12.07]and Mr. Fotheringay outside under the moon.

[07:18.13]Mr. Fotheringay was no longer afraid of his greatness.

[07:25.07]They had reformed every drunkard in the area;

[07:31.03]they had changed all the beerand alcohol to water;

[07:38.58]they had improved the railway communication of the place,

[07:44.43]drained a swamp, and improved the soil.

[07:50.31]"The place," gasped 5 Mr. Maydig,"won't be the same place tomorrow.

[07:58.15]And just at that moment the church clock struck three.

[08:04.70]"I say," said Mr. Fotheringay, "I must be getting back.

[08:11.47]I've got to be at business by eight."

[08:16.33]"We're only beginning "said Mr. Maydig,

[08:21.60]full of the sweetness of unlimited power.

[08:27.06]"Think of all the good we're doing. "

[08:31.71]"But ..." said Mr.Fotheringay.

[08:35.58]Mr. Maydig gripped his arm suddenly. His eyes were bright and wild.

[08:44.51]"My dear chap," he said,  "there's no hurry.

[08:49.84]Look!"He pointed to the moon. "Stop it!"

[08:55.90]"That's a bit tall," he said after a pause."Why not?" said Mr.Maydig.

[09:05.88]"Of course it don't stop.You stop the rotation 6 of the earth, you know.

[09:13.25]Time slops.It isn't as if we were doing harm." "Well,"said Mr. Fotheringay.

[09:23.41]"I'll try."He spoke 7 to theturning earth.

[09:29.57]"Just stop rotating, will you?"

[09:33.94]Immediately he was flying head over heels through

[09:40.31]at the rate of dozens of miles a minute.

[09:45.35]He was turning round and round.

[09:49.71]He thought in a second, and willed."Let me down safe and sound."

[09:57.47]He willed it only just in time,

[10:01.84]for his clothes,heated by his rapid flight through the air,

[10:08.31]were already beginning to burn.

[10:12.47]He came down with a forcible bump on what appeared to be some fresh-turned earth

[10:21.30]A flying cow hit the ground and smashed like an egg.

[10:27.15]There was a crash that made all the most violent crashes of his past life

[10:34.62]seem like the sound of falling dust.

[10:39.66]A vast wind roared throughout earth and heaven,

[10:45.90]so that he could scarcely lift his head to look.

[10:51.18]For a while he was too breathless and astonished

[10:57.24]even to see where he was or what had happened.

[11:03.20]"Good heavens!" he gasped."I was nearly killed!What has gone wrong?

[11:11.56]And only a minute ago,a fine night.

[11:16.52]What a wind! Where's Maydig?"He looked around him.

[11:24.38]"The sky's all right,"said Mr. Fotheringay.

[11:29.74]"There's the moon overhead. Just as it was. But the rest?

[11:37.29]Where's the village?Where's anything?

[11:42.25]And what started this wind? I didn't order the wind."Mr.Fotheringay

[11:51.81]struggled to get to his feet in vain and remained on all fours,holding on

[12:00.95]Far and wide nothing was visible

[12:07.12]through the dust that flew in the wind except masses of earth and heaps of ruins.

[12:16.55]No trees, no houses,no familiar shapes,

[12:24.31]only a wilderness 8 of disorderand a rising storm.

[12:31.67]When Mr. Fotheringay stopped the rotation of the solid globe,

[12:38.94]he said nothing about the movables upon its surface.

[12:45.00]And the earth spins so fast that the surface at its equator

[12:52.65]is travelling at more than a thousand miles an hour.

[12:58.89]So that the village,

[13:02.13]and everything and everybody had been thrown violently forward

[13:10.88]at about nine miles per second much more violently

[13:18.82]than if they had been fired out of a cannon 9.

[13:23.47]And every human being,every living creature,every house,

[13:30.84]and every tree had been so jerked and smashed and utterly 10 destroyed.

[13:39.02]That was all

[13:41.97]These things Mr.Fotheringay did not fully 11 appreciate.

[13:48.42]But he perceived that his miracle had miscarried,

[13:54.30]and with that a great disgust of miracles came upon him.

[14:01.38]A great roaring of wind and waters filled the earth and sky,

[14:09.03]and he saw a wall of water pouring towards him.

[14:15.28]"Stop!" cried Mr.Fotheringay to the advancing water.

　　[14:22.33]"Stop just a moment while I collect my thoughts-.. "said Mr. Fotheringay

[14:29.88]to the storm and the thunder.

[14:35.52]"And now what shall I do? Oh, I wish Maydig was about. "

[14:43.17]He remained on all fours leaning against the wind,

[14:49.34]intent to have everything right."I know," said Mr.Fotheringay.

[14:58.12]"Let nothing that I'm going to order happen until I say 'Off!'.

[15:05.98]"He lifted his voice against the whirlwind,

[15:10.84]shouting louder and louder in a vain desire to hear himself speak.

[15:19.38]"Now! Remember what I said just now.In the first place,

[15:27.74]when all I've got to say is done, let me lose my miraculous 12 power;

[15:35.68]let all these dangerous miracles be stopped.

[15:41.04]And second, let me be back just before the miracles began;

[15:49.50]let everything be just as it was before that lamp turned upside down.

[15:57.96]It's a big job, but it's the last.Have you got it?

[16:05.62]That's it! Yes. "He dug his fingers into the earth, closed his eyes,

[16:16.35]"Off!"Everything became perfectly 13 still."So you say," said a voice.

[16:27.43]He opened his eyes and found himself in the bar,

[16:33.18]arguing about miracles with Toddy Beamish.

[16:38.35]He had a vague sense of some great thing forgotten,which passed immediately

[16:47.60]Except for the loss of his miraculous powers,everything was back as it had been

[16:56.37]And among other things, of course, he did not believe in miracles.

[17:03.82]"I tell you that miracles can't possibly happen,"

[17:08.86]he said,"and I'm prepared to prove it. "

[17:13.61]"That's what you think,"said Toddy Beamish.

[17:19.07]"Look here,Mr.Beamish," said Mr. Fotheringay.

[17:24.53]"Let us clearly understand what a miracle is. . . "