大学英语听说教程4听力原文Unit9.docVIP

Unit 9 Part B Life Goes On The city of Ypres in Belgium has been invaded 19 times, most famously in World War I. Some time ago I went with two friends to visit the battlefields and cemeteries there, and particularly to see the tomb of my uncle who was killed in the war at the age of 20. Michael, our silver-haired guide, took us first to a British cemetery, just outside the town. I stared at the lines of gravestones, neatly planted with herbs and flowers, the low surrounding walls blooming with wisteria. Michael pointed out my uncles grave to me. I walked hesitantly toward it, wondering what I would feel. And suddenly there it was, and there were hundreds of others. Nothing could have prepared me for the realization that in this area alone about 250,000 British and Commonwealth soldiers were killed. There are 75 British cemeteries, of which we visited just a few. Next, Michael took us to a place on the other side of the city. The names of 55,000 missing soldiers are engraved on its walls. We stared in awe. More than half a million horses and mules were lost, and fifteen tons of unexploded ammunition are still collected each year from the fields, Michael told us. Some way on we came to the largest British cemetery in the world. Some headstones have words of love or gratitude: He died that we might live, Gone from our sight but not from our hearts. Id like you to visit a German cemetery before finishing, Michael said. The cemetery is in wooded land. But there are no headstones, only slabs in the grass. There are no flowers, either. The whole place is dark and dank. With some relief we returned to the car. After some time, we drew up at a gate. Here, hidden from the road, lies the Pool of Peace. It was created by an explosion so loud it was heard in Downing Street, said Michael. We looked at the still water reflecting the trees surrounding it. There is hardly a sound. By the time we returned to Ypres, it was evening. The city wa