《剑桥双语分级阅读·小说馆（第4级）：柏林快车》：
Hiro stared at the phone. Of course, he understood what had happened now - the Shark's phone was a Nokia just like his. In his excitement to check the message, Hiro hadn't noticed there was no screensaver, no photo of his dog.
Well, it was a simple mistake and there was nothing to feel guilty about. When the Shark returned from the toilet, Hiro would hand back the phone and apologise.The message didn't seem that private. Hiro knew the Brandenburg Gate was one of the most famous sights in Berlin. So, the man was meeting someone there. He was going to collect some equipment and half his fee. Surely there wasn't anything very private about that?
Hiro put the phone down and looked up. He wondered if the Shark had checked Hiro's phone and discovered the mistake, too. The light was still on above the toilet door.Perhaps even at this moment the Shark was reading one of the love messages Akiko had sent Hiro before their break-up. Hiro had saved seven or eight of them.Hiro read the message on the Shark's phone once more. Perhaps it was the result ofthe book he was reading with all its murders, but the more Hiro looked at the message, the more uncomfortable he felt. There seemed to be something odd about it, something that wasn't quite right. He paused for a second, then did something really stupid. He knew it was stupid even before he did it, but it was just so easy. He pressed the Inbox key on the Shark's phone, and found the message list. The first message on the list - the one he'd just read - was from someone called 'M'. Hiro picked the next message. It was also from 'M'. Hiro looked up once more. It was safe: the toilet light was still on. He opened the message. The little
screen filled immediately.
Hiro wasn't sure he understood. His heart was beating fast. Part of the message was obvious: tomorrow was Tuesday and the Hotel Adlon must be in Berlin. He knew what a fee was, too: money that is paid for doing something. But what about the rest? Wasn't ‘assignment' another word for 'job'? The word sounded a little bit odd. Wasn't ‘assignment' a word a writer would use in a thriller to mean ...? No, that was a crazy thought! 'It must be the effect of that silly book I'm reading,' Hiro said to himself.
The next moment his heart stopped. When he looked up, the light above the toilet had gone out. Not only that,but the door was opening and the Shark was coming out.The old man was already making his way back towards him.
Hiro had to act fast. He closed the message, then dropped the phone back on to the seat beside him. Now he could relax: the Shark would never know Hiro had been reading the messages. Hiro watched the man come up.
……
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——李艳（北京市大峪中学英语教师）
★小小的一本书，情节生动、贴近生活充满真情，语言平实地道，很好上手，让中小学生在享受阅读乐趣的同时习得语言知识。
——王文赞（清华大学附属中学英语教师）