[00:07.29]Lesson 57
[00:09.09]Read and act A Play(1) Scene 1
[00:14.42]It's an early Saturday evening at the Beijing Railway Station.
[00:18.36]An excited crowd of passengers is standing on Platform 6.
[00:22.88]A special express train is leaving for Shanghai.
[00:26.12]The train has a new luxury car.
[00:28.37]It is bright white,blue,and red,and looks like a hotel on wheels.
[00:33.36]Ladies and gentlemen,please step this way.
[00:37.09]The train is ready to board.
[00:39.55]Everyone gets in a queue to board the train.
[00:42.42]The last passenger carries a small black leather suitcase.
[00:46.42]He holds it in his arms very carefully,as if it was a baby.
[00:52.56]All aboard! Train No.4 for Shanghai is now leaving!
[01:05.18]Scene 2
[01:06.53]The train has left the station.
[01:08.49]All but one of the passengers from the luxury car are in the dining car.
[01:13.43]The lucury car has six rooms.
[01:15.89]In the fourth,the man with the black suitcase is talking on the telephone.
[01:22.16] Hello,is that you,Mr Wang? Ma Yuan here.
[01:26.88]My,you voice is so clear!
[01:29.63]Uh...yes,the train is on its way.
[01:32.79]We've been travelling for nearly two hours now. Yes,I'm alone.
[01:37.96]The other passengers are having their dinner in the next car.
[01:42.22]Suddenly there is a knock at the door to his room.
[01:45.35]Mr Ma is surprised and a bit nervous.
[01:48.77]Oh,wait a moment...(opens the door)
[01:53.53]Sorry to disturb you,sir,but will you be having dinner tonight?
[01:58.28]No,thank you.I've already had my dinner.
[02:01.73](The attendant leaves).What were you saying,Mr Wang?
[02:05.00]Yes,I'll be quite careful about it. Yes.You needn't worry.
[02:15.55]Lesson 58
[02:17.30]2.Read and act A Play (2) Scene 3
[02:23.65]The other five passengers return to the sleeping car.
[02:27.49]They are laughing and talking.
[02:29.21]All are wearing comfortable silk slippers that the train provides.
[02:33.63] Mr Ma,it's a pity you didn't have dinner with us.
[02:38.90]Why,the new dining car is lovely!
[02:42.38]And the wine... was delicious,as you can see.
[02:46.50](to Ma Yuan) Would you like a glass of red wine?
[02:49.35]No,thank you.I don't drink.
[02:53.51]Well,neither do we,usually. But it's such a grand night,isn't it?
[03:00.06]Yes,it's rather fine.(Just then Lu Zhi's foot kicks the suitcase,which opens.)
[03:02.80](All are surprised.Mr Ma looks nervous). Uh...it's a treasure.
[03:05.97]Indeed,yes! May I ask my friend,Mr Lum Tek?
[03:10.93]He's from Hong Kong,and is an art collector who's had some training.
[03:16.28]Certainly.I'll be glad to meet him.
[03:22.03]Li Ji returns a few minutes later with Mr Lum Tek and Mr Zhang,
[03:26.89]whose rooms are next to mr Ma.
[03:29.24]All three do business in Shanghai.
[03:31.88]Hello,I'm Lum Tek from Kowloon and this is my friend,Zhang Hua,from Tianjin.
[03:39.72]We were told that you have an old treasure to show us,Mr Ma. Indeed,I do.
[03:47.97]Here she is:"Lady Resting by a Lake."
[03:53.64]This carving is more than two hundred years old.
[03:58.08]Why,I can't see any marks on it! How wonderful it is!
[04:05.24]Where on earth did you get it?
[04:07.88]It must be form a clever collector.It must be a museum piece.
[04:12.84]Er--it isn't yet.But of course it will be soon enough.
[04:18.90]Mr Ma,can you tell us more about it? I'm sure it's quite a story.
[04:30.37]Lesson 59
[04:31.91]1.Read and act A Play (3) Scene 4
[04:37.19]It gives me great pleasure to share its story with you.
[04:42.04]But first,let me ask a question.What do you know about jade?
[04:48.21]It's sometimes called "the stone of heaven".
[04:52.36]Correct,and why is that?
[04:56.12]We Chinese believe jade must come from heaven.
[04:59.89]As the saying goes:"There is a price for gold,but no price for jade."
[05:05.63]Yes,you are right,Mr Zhang.
[05:08.27]Can you tell us a bit more about this carving?
[05:12.53]Certainly.Often mountain rivers leave jade on the river banks.
[05:19.61]But the jade of this carving was found in Tianshan by a traveller on horseback
[05:26.45]He was riding a white horse looking for water.
[05:30.81]The horse was thirsty and began to stamp on the ground.
[05:36.07]Just then part of a large rock broke off.
[05:40.01]Gree jade shone in the sun!
[05:43.25]My,my! Can you imagine how surprised the traveller was?
[05:49.41]Who cares about that? What happened to the jade,Mr Ma?
[05:54.14]The traveller told some workers in a nearby town.
[05:58.22]They agreed to help him to dig out the jade.
[06:02.06]Some years later a rich man in Kashi bought it.
[06:06.79]What happened to the traveller who had discovered the jade?
[06:10.76]No one knows.Some say the workers murdered him and sold the jade.
[06:17.10]Others say the traveller and the workers were robbed.
[06:21.54]How did the carving get its name?
[06:24.60]A good question,Mr Zhang.
[06:27.34]It is said that the rich man who bought the jade
[06:31.31]was very interested in ancient China.
[06:34.37]He had read about Yang Yuhuan.
[06:37.43]Wasn't she the lady Emperor Xuanzong loved very much?
[06:42.47]Why,yes,that's right! She was famous for her beauty |