[al:新概念英语（三）] [ar:MP3 同步字幕版（英音）] [ti:Mud is Mud] [by:更多学习内容，请到chazidian.com搜索“新概念”] [00:01.46]Lesson 52 [00:03.42]Mud is mud [00:11.85]Why did Harry decide to give up his little game? [00:18.09]My cousin, Harry, [00:19.57]keeps a large curiously-shaped bottle on permanent display in his study. [00:25.32]Despite the fact that the bottle is tinted a delicate shade of green, [00:30.20]an observant visitor would soon notice that it is filled with what looks like a thick, greyish substance. [00:38.96]If you were to ask Harry what was in the bottle, he would tell you that it contained perfumed mud. [00:46.91]If you expressed doubt or surprise, [00:49.42]he would immediately invite you to smell it and then to rub some into your skin. [00:55.66]The brief experiment would dispel any further doubts she might have. [01:00.28]The bottle really does contain perfumed mud. [01:04.55]How Harry came into the possession of this outlandish stuff makes an interesting story which he is fond of relating. [01:12.92]Furthermore, the acquisition of this bottle cured him of a bad habit he had been developing for years. [01:20.78]Harry used to consider it a great joke to go into expensive cosmetic shops and make outrageous requests for goods that do not exist. [01:30.96]He would invent fanciful names on the spot. [01:34.25]On entering a shop, [01:35.73]he would ask for a new perfume called 'Scented Shadow' or for 'insoluble bath cubes'. [01:42.99]If a shop assistant told him she had not heard of it, he would pretend to be considerably put out. [01:50.03]He loved to be told that one of his imaginary products was temporarily out of stock [01:56.08]and he would faithfully promise to call again at some future date, but of course he never did. [02:03.01]How Harry managed to keep a straight face during these performances is quite beyond me. [02:09.57]Harry does not need to be prompted to explain how he bought his precious bottle of mud. [02:15.42]One day, he went to an exclusive shop in London and asked for 'Myrolite'. [02:21.66]The shop assistant looked puzzled and Harry repeated the word, slowly stressing each syllable. [02:28.30]When the woman shook her head in bewilderment, [02:31.12]Harry went on to explain that 'myrolite' was a hard, amber-like substance which could be used to remove freckles. [02:40.70]This explanation evidently conveyed something to the woman who searched shelf after shelf. [02:47.60]She produced all sorts of weird concoctions, but none of them met with Harry's requirements. [02:53.94]When Harry put on his act of being mildly annoyed, the assistant promised to order some for him. [03:01.08]Intoxicated by his success, Harry then asked for perfumed mud. [03:06.53]He expected the assistant to look at him in blank astonishment. [03:10.86]However, it was his turn to be surprised, for the woman's eyes immediately lit up [03:17.05]and she fetched several bottles which she placed on the counter for Harry to inspect. [03:22.78]For once, Harry had to admit defeat. [03:25.93]He picked up what seemed to be the smallest bottle and discreetly asked the price. [03:31.49]He was glad to get away with a mere twenty pounds and he beat a hasty retreat, clutching the precious bottle under his arm. [03:40.53]From then on, Harry decided that this little game he had invented might prove to be expensive. [03:47.04]The curious bottle which now adorns the bookcase in his study was his first and last purchase of rare cosmetics.