新概念英语第二册

LESSON 91

Three men in a basket

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原文

A pilot noticed a balloon which seemed to be making for a Royal Air Force station nearby. He informed the station at once, but no one there was able to explain the mystery. The officer in the control tower was very angry when he heard the news because balloons can be a great danger to aircraft. He said that someone might be spying on the station and the pilot was ordered to keep track of the strange object.

The pilot managed to circle the balloon for some time. He could make out three men in a basket under it and one of them was holding a pair of binoculars. When the balloon was over the station, the pilot saw one of the men taking photographs. Soon afterwards, the balloon began to descend and it landed near an airfield.

The police were called in, but they could not arrest anyone for the basket contained two members of Parliament and the commanding officer of the station. As the commanding officer explained later, one half of the station did not know what the other half was doing.

译文

一名飞行员注意到一个气球似乎正飞往附近的皇家空军基地。他立即通知了电视台,但没有人能够解释这个谜团。控制塔的官员听到这个消息后非常愤怒,因为气球对飞机来说是一个很大的危险。他说,可能有人在监视空间站,飞行员被命令跟踪这个奇怪的物体。

飞行员设法绕气球飞行了一段时间。他可以看到下面的一个篮子里有三个人,其中一个拿着一副双筒望远镜。当气球飞到空间站上空时,飞行员看到其中一名男子正在拍照。不久之后,气球开始下降并降落在机场附近。

警察被叫来,但他们无法逮捕任何人,因为篮子里有两名议员和车站指挥官。正如指挥官后来解释的那样,车站的一半人不知道另一半人在做什么。