關於英語故事聽讀材料

　　故事永遠伴隨著我們,伴隨著我們的學習,從童年到老年,從課堂到職場,從故土到異鄉。因此我們說,學習始於故事。本文是，希望對大家有幫助!

　　：Cloning Pets

　　A company in Phoenix, Arizona, says that it can now clone your cat. “Actually,” said Felix Lee, President of Twice Is Nice, Inc., “you don’t even have to wait until your beloved cat dies. We already have clients whose clone lives with its donor.”

　　The price is steep. A clone of your cat will cost $50,000. First, your veterinarian must do a biopsy of your cat. This is sent to TwIN, Inc., where it is cultured to grow fresh new cells. These new cells are stored in liquid nitrogen until you notify TwIN, Inc., that you are ready for the clone. A

　　t this time, you pay half the amount ***$25,000***. A cultured cell is implanted into a female cat that is in estrus, and if all goes well, a kitten is born about 60 days later. The new kitten is weaned in about eight weeks. TwIN, Inc. delivers the kitten to you after it receives the remaining $25,000.

　　“We are a growing company,” said Lee. “Our facility can handle about a dozen births a year now, but our goal is to produce about 50 kittens and 50 puppies a year.” The company is currently experimenting with stray dogs. Some canine clones seem to be perfect, but some have been bizarre. Nevertheless, Lee believes that they will be successfully cloning dogs in about a year.

　　：Blood Drive at Civic Center

　　The local university blood center had a blood drive today at the Civic Center auditorium. Almost 300 people showed up, but about 50 were turned away for various medical reasons. Fifty others left because the lines were moving so slowly. The event concluded at 6 p.m., three hours after the scheduled close. It was a long day for everyone—administrators, nurses, and donors. But there were plenty of chairs and tables, and many people brought their own books, magazines, or newspapers.

　　The first thing the donors had to do, of course, was fill out the donor registration and screening form. When they finished filling out the form, they waited until a nurse called them to her desk. The average adult body contains 8 to 12 pints of blood. Donors can give one pint at a time. It takes your body 2 to 4 weeks to replace this amount. Most donors filled up the pint bag within 5 to 10 minutes.

　　Before leaving, the donors received a sheet of instructions including: Do not lift any heavy objects for 12 hours. Leave your pressure bandage on for 2-3 hours. Do not smoke for at least 30 minutes. Avoid alcohol for the rest of the day. Do not do any strenuous activity for 24 hours.

　　"I wish I could hug and kiss all the volunteers that are here today," said Martha, the blood center donor recruiter. "Many donors underestimate the importance of what they're doing. They think it is no big deal, but it is a big deal. Their blood is actually saving lives, helping other people to live. We cannot thank them enough for that, nor can the recipients.”

　　：Blood Drive at Civic Center

　　The Oakville pier collapsed Saturday afternoon at 3:30. Although hundreds of people were on the pier at the time of the collapse, no one was killed and only 15 people were injured. One person was seriously injured. That person was a 43-year-old man who suffered two broken legs, eight broken ribs, and a punctured lung.

　　Hundreds of people gathered around to watch the rescue efforts. Three local television stations and two radio stations broadcast live from the pier. The collapse occurred after a big rig went out of control Saturday morning and slammed into one of the main supports for the pier.

　　For public safety reasons, a city council member wanted to close the pier immediately. However, local businesses on the pier and nearby protested. Oakville officials decided to wait until tomorrow before sending out a structural engineer to investigate the damage.

　　“The driver reeked of booze,” said a police officer who had written the truck driver a ticket for driving under the influence. “He was so drunk that he didn't even apply his brakes before he crashed into the support. It's a miracle that he didn’t kill someone,” said the officer, who took the driver to jail.

　　City officials said it was too early to get a complete damage estimate, but that repairs to the pier would probably cost at least $500,000 and take a month or more. The local business people are very unhappy because the repair process will significantly reduce consumer purchases for the summer season.

　　“We make 80 percent of our annual profits from June through September,” noted one T-shirt vendor. “This is going to hurt.”