91_Three_Men_in_a_Basket
91 Three Men in a Basket¶
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 ofthe 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!
Words¶
- pilot /ˈpaɪlət/ 飞行员
- balloon /bəˈlun/ 气球
- for /fɔr/ 走向
- Royal /ˈrɔɪəl/ Air /ɛr/ Force /fɔrs/ 英国空军
- spying /ˈspaɪɪŋ/ 监视
- keep /kip/ track /træk/ of /ʌv/ 跟踪
- make /mek/ out /aʊt/ 辨别
- binoculars /bəˈnɑkjəlɚz/ 双筒望远镜
Expressions¶
- spy on sb./sth. 暗中监视某人/某物
- keep track of 跟踪；记录
- seem to be doing ... 似乎正在做……
- make for sw. 朝某地前进
- make out… 辨认出……
- soon afterwards 不久之后
- be called in... 被召来……