Bedside Lamp English Learning Reader II: The War of the Martians (English-Chinese Contrastive)

Author: Li Zhengshuan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-05-01
Features: Story Summary
At the end of the last century, humanity suffered a terrible war. The enemy was an intelligent life far superior to us, equipped with extremely advanced technology and weapons capable of destroying everything on Earth. They were the Martians, inhabitants of Mars.
In the morning of 1894 in Britain, a "meteor" fell from the sky and landed near a sand quarry in Woking. After the meteor passed, a green tail lingered in the sky for several minutes. Upon hearing the news, people flocked to the scene, eager to witness the Martian monster. It was actually a huge cylinder, from which a brownish creature slowly out. Its skin was wet and glistened in the sunlight; it had a large, round head with two big eyes and a triangular mouth, dripping with saliva. Eight long arms extended from either side of its mouth. It controlled a powerful weapon—thermal radiation beams—and instantly incinerated everything near the sand quarry. Humanity faced a catastrophe!
The news of the Martian invasion of Earth reached the military quickly. The military responded swiftly, surrounding the sand quarry and sending cannons. A battle between two planets began. However, as soon as the fighting started, it became clear that the military's efforts were futile, as the entire sent army was annihilated in an instant. Another "meteor" the sky, followed by the gradual landing of more Martians on Earth. They joined the first Martian to land and boarded a massive metal robot, using it as shelter as they advanced with overwhelming force toward the capital of the world's most powerful nation at the time—London.
During this time, the military quickly mobilized, strengthened its forces, and set up multiple defensive lines between Woking and London. Cannons were positioned, soldiers stood ready, and London was surrounded by one hundred and sixteen heavy guns. With these arrangements, the military was confident in its ability to stand against the Martians. But just a few days later, the military had to announce to the city: The Martians had completely destroyed Richmond, Wimbledon, and Kingston, and were approaching London. They used a deadly black poison gas, and our forces had been completely annihilated. London residents who wanted to survive should flee the city immediately. London fell!
The streets and alleys of London were empty, covered in black dust and charred corpses; the cries of the Martians echoed throughout the city. Now, London had become a deathly city under the iron hooves of the Martians.
One day, people suddenly found the city silent, no longer hearing the Martian cries of "Woo-woo-woo." Upon going outside, they discovered that all the Martians had died one by one. Humanity had regained the light.
Why did the Martians die so quickly? How did they meet their end? To learn the truth of the story, read this book.