英语初级听力mp3下载和原文文本力(新版)  Lession23

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The scene is at an airport. A man and a woman carrying several cases approach a customs officer (C.O.).
Man: (whispering) Don't worry. Everything will be all right.
Woman: I hope you know what you're doing!
(They put their bags down in front of the customs officer.)
C.O.: Good morning, sir, madam. Just returning from a holiday, are you?
Woman: That's right.
C.O.: And how long have you been abroad?
Woman: Two weeks.
Man: Yes, not very long. Not long enough to buy anything anyway. (laughing)
C.O.: I see. Have you got anything to declare?
Man: I'm sorry, I don't really know what you mean.
Woman: Harry!
C.O.: Come on, sir. I'm sure you know what I mean. Have you got anything to declare?
Man: Well ... yes. I would like to declare that I love my wife.
Woman: Oh, Harry. You've never said that before.
Man: Well, it's true! It's just that I've never been able to tell you before.
Woman: And I love you too!
C.O.: (clearing throat) I'm sorry to interrupt, but I must ask you whether you have any goods to declare.
Man: Ah, well I do have a record-player, a fridge and something for my wife's birthday that I'd rather not tell you about.
Woman: Harry! And I thought you'd forgotten again!
Man: Of course not, dear!
C.O.: (annoyed) What I want to know, sir, is whether you have any goods in that bag that I should know about.
Man: Well, let's have a look. (opens bag) We've got some bars of soap, a tube of toothpaste, clothes, a jar of cream ...
C.O.: (angry) I only want to know if you have anything liable for tax, like cigarettes, perfumes or bottles of anything.
Man: Well, we do have a bottle of shampoo.
C.O.: Okay. I've had enough. You can go.
Man: You mean that's it?
C.O.: Please go away!
Woman: Come on, Harry. He just told us we could go.
(Takes hold of the suitcase and the contents spill out.)
C.O.: Just a minute. May I see that jewellery, please?
Man: Oh, my God! You great clumsy idiot!
Woman: I'm sorry. I didn't mean to.
Man: You never do anything right. I don't know why I married you in the first place!
Woman: But Harry! You just said you loved me.
Man: Not any more.
C.O.: And now what have you got to declare, sir?

Sam Lewis was a customs officer. He used to work in a small border town. It wasn't a busy town and there wasn't much work. The road was usually very quiet and there weren't many travelers. It wasn't a very interesting job, but Sam liked an easy life. About once a week, he used to meet an old man. His name was Draper. He always used to arrive at the border early in the morning in a big truck. The truck was always empty. After a while Sam became suspicious. He often used to search the truck, but he never found anything. One day he asked Draper about his job. Draper laughed and said, "I'm a smuggler."
Last year Sam retired. He spent his savings on an expensive holiday. He flew to Bemp3uda, and stayed in a luxury hotel. One day, he was sitting by the pool and opposite him he saw Draper drinking champagne. Sam walked over to him.
Sam: Hello, there!
Draper: Hi!
Sam: Do you remember me?
Draper: Yes ... of course I do. You're a customs officer.
Sam: I used to be, but I'm not any more. I retired last month. I often used to search your truck ...
Draper: ... but you never found anything!
Sam: No, I didn't. Can I ask you something?
Draper: Of course, you can.
Sam: Were you a smuggler?
Draper: Of course I was.
Sam: But ... the truck was always empty. What were you smuggling?
Draper: Trucks!

The first thing they do is to put out an APB and this goes to all the police stations in the country. Next we contact the hospitals. Often the person we are looking for has been in an accident. Then we might try parents, friends or relatives they might be with. We try to follow their movements and to find the last person they saw or were with. Then we try the media. We put photographs in local or national papers—especially papers they might read. There are other things we can do: put posters in places they might be, go on television. Here in America there is a magazine in which there are photographs of missing children. This is often the last hope. Of course, with nearly two million missing children every year, we can't do all these things for everyone. We haven't got the time, the money or the staff.

Are you a morning person or an evening person? That's the question. When do you work best? For me the answer is easy. I work best in the morning. All my creative work is done before lunchtime. I get up at about eight, and then have breakfast. I listen to the radio a bit, and read the papers. And I start. Usually I work from nine or nine thirty until twelve but after that I'm useless. On a good day I write fifteen hundred words or more, sometimes two thousand words, in the morning. Then after lunch I go for a walk, or read. In the evening I like to relax, go to the pub or go out and meet people. If you're a writer you need self-discipline. But if you're tired, it shows: the mind and body must be fresh.