Lesson 56 Faster than sound!

Lesson 56 Faster than sound! 　　比声音还快! 　　First listen and then answer the question. 　　听录音，然后回答以下问题。 　　How fast did the winning car go? 　　Once a year, a race is held for old cars. A lot of cars entered for this race last year and there was a great deal of excitement just before it began. One of the most handsome cars was a Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost. The most unusual car was a Benz which had only three wheels. Built in 1885, it was the oldest car taking part. After a great many loud explosions, the race began. Many of the cars broke down on the course and some drivers spent more time under their cars than in them! A few cars, however, completed the race. The winning car reached a speed of forty miles an hour -- much faster than any of its rivals. It sped downhill at the end of the race and its driver had a lot of trouble trying to stop it. The race gave everyone a great deal of pleasure. It was very different from modern car races but no less exciting. 　　New words and expressions 生词和短语 　　sound n. 声音 　　excitement n. 激动，兴奋 　　handsome adj. 漂亮的;美观的 　　Rolls-Royce 罗尔斯--罗伊斯 　　Benz n. 奔驰 　　wheel n. 轮子 　　explosion n. 爆炸，轰响 　　course n. 跑道;行程 　　rival n. 对手 　　speed v. 疾驶 　　downhill adv. 下坡 　　参考译文 　　旧式汽车的比赛每年举行一次。去年有很多汽车参加了这项比赛。比赛开始之前，人们异常激动。最漂亮的汽车之一是罗尔斯--罗伊斯生产的银鬼汽车，而最不寻常的一辆则要属只有3只轮子的奔驰牌汽车了。该车造于1885年，是参赛车中最老的一辆。在好一阵喧闹的爆炸声之后，比赛开始了。很多汽车在途中就抛了锚，而有些驾驶员花在汽车底下的时间比坐在汽车里面的时间还长。然而还是有几辆汽车跑完了全程。获胜的那辆车达到了时速40英里--远远超过任何对手。它在接近终点时，冲下了山坡，驾驶员费了好大劲才把车停下来。这次比赛使每个人都挺开心。它虽然与现代汽车比赛大不相同，但激动人心的程度并不亚于现代化汽车大赛。