Leonardo da Vinci is one of the greatest geniuses of all time. 列奥纳多达芬奇是有史以来最伟大的天才之一。
He was a painter, an architect, an engineer and a scientist.他是画家、建筑师、工程师和科学家。
He was born in Vinci, Italy in 1452. 他于1452年出生在意大利的芬奇。
Vinci is a town just outside of the great Italian city, Florence. 芬奇是意大利佛罗伦萨城外的一个小镇。
His name Da Vinci means "of Vinci”. 他的名字达芬奇的意思是“芬奇之城”。
Leonardo’s father was a lawyer and landowner, and his mother was a peasant. 列奥纳多的父亲是位律师和地主，母亲是位农民。
Leonardo’s parents were never married to each other. 列奥纳多的父母从未结婚。
Leonardo lived with his mother until he was around 5 years old. 列奥纳多5岁前一直和母亲住在一起。
When he was 5, he moved into the home of his father. 他5岁的时候搬到了他父亲家。
By then his father had married a 16-year-old girl. 那时，他的父亲已经娶了一个16岁的女孩。
Leonardo’s mother married another man, and moved to another town. 列奥纳多的母亲嫁给了另一个男人，搬到了另一个城镇。
She had many more children after that, with several different men. 从那以后，她又和几个不同的男人生了很多孩子。
In the end, Leonardo had more than 15 half-sisters and brothers. 最后，达芬奇有超过15个同父异母的兄弟姐妹。
As a young man, Da Vinci didn’t go to school. 达芬奇年轻时没有上过学。
He was educated at home in reading, writing and mathematics. 他在家里接受阅读、写作和数学教育。
In other subjects, he was mostly self-educated. 在其他科目上，他大多是自学的。
He had access to books at his father’s home. 他在他父亲家里可以接触到书。
Leonardo spent a lot of time outdoors and developed a strong interest in nature. 列奥纳多花了很多时间在户外，并对大自然产生了浓厚的兴趣。
He loved to observe things, especially birds. 他喜欢观察事物，尤其是鸟类。
He was also interested in the properties of water. 他还对水的性质感兴趣。
Leonardo’s early drawings and paintings demonstrated a rare talent. 列奥纳多早期的绘画作品显示出一种罕见的才能。
His father and his father’s friends recognized his talent and encouraged him. 他的父亲和他父亲的朋友们看出了他的才能并鼓励他。
When he was 15, he was sent to Florence. 15岁时，他被送到佛罗伦萨。
In Florence, he became an apprentice to a famous master painter. 在佛罗伦萨，他成了一位著名绘画大师的徒弟。
For the next few years, Leonardo worked at his master’s workshop. 接下来的几年里，列奥纳多在师傅的工作室里工作。
It wasn't long before his ability surpassed that of his master. 不久他的能力就超过了他的师傅。
Some people say that his master became jealous of Leonardo’s great talent. 有人说他的师傅嫉妒达芬奇的天才。
They say that the master vowed to never paint again. 据说大师发誓再也不画画了。
In 1478, with his father's help, Leonardo set up his own workshop. 1478年，在父亲的帮助下，列奥纳多建立了自己的画室。
In 1482, he entered the service of a powerful man in the city of Milan. 1482年，他在米兰市为一个有权势的人服务。
This man was the Duke of Milan. 这个人就是米兰公爵。
For the next few years, Leonardo designed buildings,
machinery and weapons of war. 在接下来的几年里，列奥纳多设计了建筑物、机器和战争武器。
Weapons were important because Italy was constantly at war during this period. 武器很重要，因为意大利在这一时期一直处于战争状态。
From 1485 to 1490, Leonardo produced designs for a variety of weapons. 从1485年到1490年，列奥纳多设计了多种武器。
In his notes, he predicted the development of advanced weapons such as submarines and flying machines. 在他的笔记中，他预测了潜水艇和飞行器等先进武器的发展。
In 1499, the French invaded Italy and Leonardo left Milan.
1499年，法国人入侵意大利，列奥纳多离开米兰。
All together, Leonardo spent 17 years in Milan. 列奥纳多总共在米兰待了17年。
He dissected bodies, both human and animal, to study and illustrate anatomy. 他解剖人体和动物，以学习和讲解解剖学。
His detailed illustrations are masterpieces. 他的详细插图是杰作。
Leonardo filled many notebooks with drawings and ideas. 列奥纳多在许多笔记本上画满了图画和想法。
He wrote backwards, so you need a mirror to read them. 他写的是倒写的，所以你需要一面镜子才能看清楚。
He worked very slowly, and the range of his interests was very wide. 他工作非常缓慢，他的兴趣范围非常广泛。
As a result, Leonardo left many paintings and projects unfinished. 因此，列奥纳多留下了许多未完成的绘画和工程。
One painting that he did finish was the Mona Lisa, one of the world’s most famous paintings. 他完成的一幅作品是《蒙娜丽莎》，世界上最著名的画作之一。
People are still interested in this painting, 500 years after he painted it. 在他画完这幅画500年后，人们仍然对它感兴趣。
Thought there are many theories, nobody knows who the woman in the painting really was. 虽然有很多理论，但没有人知道画中的女人到底是谁。
In 1516 Leonardo left Italy for good when the French King,
Francis 1, offered him a position. 1516年，法国国王弗朗西斯一世给了他一个职位，列奥纳多从此离开了意大利。
There，he had the freedom to paint or draw whatever he wanted. 在那里，他可以随心所欲地画画。
Leonardo died in 1519 at the age of 67. 列奥纳多于1519年去世，享年67岁。
Some say that the French King, who had became a close friend, was with him when he died. 有人说他死的时候法国国王和他在一起，国王和他成了亲密的朋友。
He was buried in a church which was destroyed during the
French Revolution. 他被埋葬在一座在法国大革命期间被毁的教堂里。
The exact location of his remains is unknown. 他的遗体的确切位置尚不清楚。
Waste water and carbon gases from farm animals are bad for the environment. 农场动物排放的废水和二氧化碳对环境有害。
Animal wastes and other chemicals flow into the ground and pollute water supplies. 动物粪便和其他化学物质流入地下，污染水源。
Exhaust gases from automobiles are a major cause of air pollution and global warming. 汽车排放的废气是造成空气污染和全球变暖的主要原因。
As a result, many companies are trying to produce more efficient and cleaner cars. 因此，许多公司都在努力生产更高效、更清洁的汽车。
Pesticides and fertilizers are used by farmers to grow crops, such as fruits and vegetables. 农药和肥料被农民用来种植农作物，如水果和蔬菜。
These chemicals pollute the water supplies when they flow into the ground or rivers. 这些化学物质流入地下或河流时会污染水源。
Factories, like this one, allow harmful chemicals to get into air or water. 像这样的工厂会让有害化学物质进入空气或水中。
Companies need to try harder to protect the environment and our health. 公司需要更加努力地保护环境和我们的健康。
Nuclear waste products are radioactive and can pollute the environment for thousands of years. 核废料具有放射性，可以污染环境数千年。
They need to be safely transported and stored in a safe place. 它们需要安全运输并存放在安全的地方。
The British writer, Jane Austen, was born in England in 1775, one of seven children. 英国作家简·奥斯汀1775年出生于英国，是七个孩子中的一个。
She wrote some of the most popular love stories of all time. 她写了一些有史以来最受欢迎的爱情故事。
One of the most famous female rulers in history, Cleopatra had affairs with Julius Caesar and later with Mark Antony. 克莉奥帕特拉是历史上最著名的女统治者之一，她与凯撒大帝有过绯闻，后来又与马克·安东尼有过绯闻。
She was known for her great beauty and charming voice.她以美貌和动人的嗓音而闻名。
Born in 1756, Mozart composed and performed some of the world’s greatest classical music. 莫扎特生于1756年，创作并演奏了世界上最伟大的古典音乐。
He was the youngest of seven children and by the age of five he was already composing music. 他是七个孩子中最小的，五岁时他已经在作曲了。
The son of a king, Alexander the Great was a military leader who created one of the largest empires in the ancient world. 亚历山大大帝是一位国王的儿子，是一位军事领袖，他创建了古代世界最大的帝国之一。
As a youth, Alexander was taught by the Greek philosopher Aristotle. 年轻时，亚历山大受希腊哲学家亚里士多德的教育。
Mahatma Gandhi was a 20th century leader who used nonviolent resistance to lead India to independence. 圣雄甘地是20世纪的一位领导人，他利用非暴力抵抗来领导印度走向独立。
Gandhi dedicated his life to the pursuit of truth. 甘地一生致力于追求真理。
M: I’d like to speak with Mr. Bennett, please. 我想找班尼特先生。
W: I’m sorry, but he’s not here right now. 对不起，他现在不在。
Would you like to leave a voice message? 你要不要留话?
M: It’s urgent that I speak with him. 我有急事要找他。
It’s an emergency! 这是紧急情况！
W: Oh, I see. 哦，我明白了。What kind of emergency? 什么紧急情况？
M: It’s very personal. So I can’t give you any details. 这是非常私人的。所以我不能给你任何细节。
M: Sure, my number is 583-4987. 当然可以，我的号码是583-4987。
A: That was a great dinner. 那是一顿丰盛的晚餐。
B: Here, put away your wallet. I’ll pay the bill.来，把你的钱包收起来。我来付帐。
A: You paid last time, this time it's my turn to pay. 上次你付了钱，这次轮到我付了。
B: Hey, you don’t have a job, and I do. Let me pay.你没有工作，而我有。让我付吧。
A: Thanks for the offer, but I can handle it. 谢谢你的好意，但我能应付。
B: Wait, let’s flip for it. 等等，我们掷硬币决定吧。
A: Flip for it? What does that mean? 掷硬币?这是什么意思?
B: Do you see this coin? 你看到这枚硬币了吗?
This side is heads, and the opposite side is tails. 这一边是正面，另一边是反面。
I’ll flip it up in the air. 我把它抛向空中。
If it comes down with heads facing up, I’ll pay. 如果头朝上掉下来，我就付钱。
If tails is up, you can pay.如果反面朝上，你付钱。
A: Okay, that’s fine with me. 好吧，我没意见。
B: Look, it’s heads up. So I’ll pay. 看，这是正面的。所以我来付钱。
A: Thanks, it’s very nice of you. 谢谢，你真好。
B: It’s my pleasure. 这是我的荣幸。
W: Do you want anything else sir? 先生，您还要点什么吗?
Would you like to see the dessert menu? 您要看一下甜点单吗?
M: No, thanks. I’m ready for the check. 不,谢谢。我准备结账了。
Here is my credit card.这是我的信用卡。
W: I’m sorry sir, but we don’t take credit cards. 对不起，先生，我们不接受信用卡。
M: You’re joking, right? 你在开玩笑,对吧?
W: No sir, I’m not joking. 不，先生，我不是在开玩笑。
Do you see that sign? It says "cash only".你看到那个标志了吗?上面写着“只收现金”。
M: I didn’t see it when I came in. 我进来的时候没看到。
I don’t have enough cash to pay the bill.我没有足够的现金付账。
W: There's a bank down the street, sir. 先生，街那头有家银行。
If you let me hold your driver’s license, you can go and get the cash.如果你把你的驾照给我，你就可以去取现金。
M: Ok, I hope the bank is open. 好的，我希望银行还在营业。
W: The bank is closed, but you can use the ATM to get your cash. 银行已经关门了，但是你可以用自动取款机取钱。