介绍:
Thirteen equals one
'Whatever are you doing up here Bill?' asked the vicar in surprise.
'I'm trying to repair the bell,' answered Bill. 'I've been coming up here night after night for weeks now. You see, I was hoping to give you a surprise.'
'You certainly did give me a surprise!' said the vicar. 'You've probably woken up everyone in the village as well. Still, I'm glad the bell is working again.'
'That's the trouble, vicar,' answered Bill. 'It's working all right, but I'm afraid that at one o'clock it will strike 13 times and there's nothing I can do about it.'
'We'll get used to that Bill,' said the vicar. '13 is not as good as one but it's better than nothing. Now let's go downstairs and have a cup of tea.'
Some time ago, an interesting discovery was made by archaeologists on the Aegean island of Kea. An American team explored a temple which stands in an ancient city on the promontory of Ayia Irini. The city at one time must have been prosperous, for it enjoyed a high level of civilization. Houses, often three storeys high, were built of stone. They had large rooms with beautifully decorated walls. The city was even equipped with a drainage system, for a great many clay pipes were found beneath the narrow streets.
The temple which the archaeologists explored was used as a place of worship from the 15th century B. C. until Roman times. In the most sacred room of the temple, clay fragments of 15 statues were found. Each of these represented a goddess and had, at one time, been painted.
