书城英文图书英国学生文学读本(套装共6册)
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第86章 THE CARE OF OUR STREETS

1.When walking along the streets you sometimes see a notice,“Keep to your right.”There are other rules which might be put up for young people to read,such as these:“Don‘t run or play on the street;”“Don’t push against people or stand in their way;”“Keep out of the way of carriages;”“Don‘t throw down orange-peel or waste-paper.”

2.There are many different kinds of men needed to look after our streets,so that we may walk about in safety and in comfort.First,there is the policeman.He has not only to look after thieves,but to keep order and see that all obey the laws.He must see that carriages are not driven too fast,and that nothing is done to block up the way and preventpassing along freely.

3.If a fire breaks out,the policeman is ready to give the alarm.If any persons are noisy or quarrel some,it is he who has to quiet them,or take them to the police-station if they will not obey.

4.Boys and girls do not know how much of ourcomfort is due to the policemen.It is often wonderful how patient they are with rough people.

5.Look!Who are these men that are so busy breaking up the roadway?These are the men who keep our streets in order.When the stones are worn smooth,or when hollows are formed in some pieces,horses are apt to slip.This will not do,so here come our hard-working road-makers to put all to rights.

6.Night is coming on.It will soon be dark.Ha!here come our lamp-lighters.Each carries a torchat the end of a long rod,so that he looks like a glow-worm in the twilight.The lamp-lighter is a good fairy,who drives away the darkness from our streets,and leaves a long line of sparkling lumps behind him.

7.Busy lamp-lighter!He will have to come round again in the early morning to put out the lights.To-morrow forenoon also he will come to polishthe glassof the lamps,and make them all ready for the evening.

8.The men who look after our drains and our gas and water pipes have a good deal to do with our streets,but we can hardly say that they take care of them.

9.But we must not forget the scavenger,who keeps our streets clean.In our large towns much of his work is done when we are all asleep.His task is not a pleasant one,but it is very,very useful.What a mess our streets would soon get into,if it were not for his busy brush and shovel!

10.All of these men are under the orders of the Town Council,or,in country places,the County Council.The Council is made up of persons chosen by the people who live in the town or the county.

11.So you see that the people living in each place have the care of it in their own hands.They have to pay the money needed for keeping everything in order,and they have to choose men to take charge of it and spend it.