很多小夥伴都想讀英文原著學英語，可每次看兩頁就放棄。為了幫助大家從閱讀中找到樂趣，曉梅老師就帶大家一起讀英文原著，看看有意思的故事，學學地道表達，分析長難句。先從A Short History of Nearly Everything《萬物簡史》開始。這本書從宇宙大爆炸開始講現代科學史，穿插了很多科學家的生平故事，妙趣橫生。本書作者Bill Bryson喜歡用口語化的語言敘述，因而裡面的英語要比一般的原著通俗易懂。今天讀第4章關於觀察金星凌日的片段，與劍橋雅思9 Test 2 閱讀第2篇文章講同樣的事。
倒黴到家的法國科學家
It was history's first cooperative international scientific venture, and almost everywhere itran into problems. Many observers were waylaid by war or sickness or shipwreck. Others made their destinations but opened their crates to find equipment broken or warped by tropical heat. Once again the French seemed fated to provide the most memorably unlucky participants.
這是歷史上第一次國際合作的科學探險，但科學家們所到之處幾乎都出了狀況。很多觀測員不是遭遇戰爭，就是生病，或者沉船。還有一些科學家成功到達了目的地，但打開行李箱後發現測量設備要麼破損，要麼因熱帶高溫而變形。最難忘最倒黴的參與者再一次命中注定般地屬於法國。
Jean Chappe spent months traveling to Siberia by coach, boat and sleigh, nursing his delicate instruments over every perilousbump, only to find the last vital stretch blocked by swollen rivers, the result of unusually heavy spring rains, which the locals were swift to blame on him after they saw him pointing strange instruments at the sky. Chappe managed to escape with his life, but with no useful measurements.
讓·沙佩花了好幾個月乘馬車、船和雪橇到達西伯利亞，呵護著他精巧的儀器成功躲過每一劫，結果發現最後一段最重要的路被河水淹沒，原因是罕見的春季大雨。當地人看到他用奇怪的儀器指向天空時，立即把大雨歸罪於他。沙佩最終撿了條命，但沒有測量出有用的數據。
Unluckier still was Guillaume le Gentil, whose experiences are wonderfully summarized by Timothy Ferris in Coming of Age in the Milky Way. Le Gentil set off from France a year ahead of timeto observe the transit from India. But various setbacks left him still at sea on the day of the transit - just about the worst place to be, since steady measurements were impossible on a pitching ship.
更倒黴的是紀曉姆·勒讓提，蒂莫西·費瑞斯的《銀河系大定位》一書中記錄了他的遭遇。勒讓提從法國提前一年出發去印度觀測金星凌日。但各種挫折導致他在金星凌日當天還在海上，這基本上是最差的觀測地點，因為在顛簸不停的船上根本沒法進行穩定的測量。
Undaunted, Le Gentil continued on to India to await the next transit in 1769. With eight years to prepare, he erected a first-rate viewing station, tested and retested his instruments and had everything in a state of perfect readiness.
不屈不撓的勒讓提繼續前往印度，等待1769年的下一次金星凌日。經過8年的準備工作，他建立了一流的觀測站，一次又一次地測試儀器，把一切都準備得盡善盡美。
On the morning of the second transit, 4 June 1769, he awoke to a fine day; but, just as Venus began its pass, a cloud slid in front of the sun and remained there for almost exactly the duration of the transit of three hours, fourteen minutes and seven seconds.
在第二次金星凌日的上午，1769年6月4日，他醒來時天氣晴朗，但正當金星開始經過太陽表面時，一朵雲擋在了太陽前，一直停留了3小時14分鐘7秒，幾乎恰好是這次金星凌日的時間。
Stoically, Le Gentil packed up his instruments and set off for the nearest port, but en route he contracted dysentery and was laid up for nearly a year. Still weakened, he finally made it onto a ship. It was nearly wrecked in a hurricane off the the African coast. When at last he reached home, eleven and a half years after setting off, and having achieved nothing, he discovered that his relatives had had him declared dead in his absenceand had enthusiastically plundered his estate.
堅忍的勒讓提把儀器打包好，向最近的港口出發，但途中又患了痢疾，有將近一年時間臥床不起。他最後拖著虛弱的身體上了一艘船，這艘船在非洲海岸幾乎在颶風中葬身海底。出門11年半後，他終於回到家。他一無所獲，卻發現親戚們已經在沒有他的情況下宣布他死亡，爭先恐後地奪走了他的家產。
詞彙與短語
1. destination，[destnen]，n. 目的地，終點。
Maui is a popular tourist destination. 毛伊島是一個受歡迎的旅遊目的地。
2. swift [swft] to do something，迅速做某事，swift形容詞。
They were swift todeny the accusations. 他們迅速否認了這些指控。
3. a year ahead of time，提前一年
Le Gentil set off from France a year ahead of timeto observe the transit from India. 勒讓提從法國提前一年出發去印度觀測金星凌日。
4. undaunted，[ndntd]，adj. 勇敢的，無畏的，不屈不撓的。
Undauntedby the enormity of the task, they began rebuilding the village. 他們毫不畏懼這項艱巨的任務，開始重建村莊。
5. in/during somebody's absence [bsns]，在某人離開時
Ms Leighton will be in charge during my absence. 我不在時由莉頓女士負責。
長難句分析
Jean Chappe spent months traveling [spend time doing sth.] to Siberia by coach, boat and sleigh, nursing [跟traveling並列] his delicate instruments over every perilousbump, only to find the last vital stretch blocked by swollen rivers, the result of unusually heavy spring rains, which the locals were swift to blame on him after they saw him pointing strange instruments at the sky.
讓·沙佩花了好幾個月乘馬車、船和雪橇到達西伯利亞，呵護著他精巧的儀器成功躲過每一劫，結果發現最後一段最重要的路被河水淹沒，原因是罕見的春季大雨。當地人看到他用奇怪的儀器指向天空時，立即把大雨歸罪於他。