上海新世纪英语高二全部课文及重点词组

ing to school the next day. The children complain about so much homework. But one student does not protest at all. That student is an eager beaver. He loves to do math problems, and does not mind all the homework.
The expression is said to have come from the name of a hard-working animal---the beaver.
Beavers are strange-looking creatures. They spend a lot of time in the water, building dams to create little lakes or ponds. They use their huge teeth and work hard to cut down trees, remove branches and put them across streams. They use their tails to pack mud on the branches to make the dams solid. Few other animals work so hard.
Historians say the beaver had an important part in the settlement of North America.
There were hundreds of millions of beavers when European settlers first arrived. The settlers put great value on the fur of beavers. In fact, for two hundred years or more, beavers provided the most valuable fur in North America. Beaver skins often used as money.
Young men looking for adventure headed west across the country to search for beavers. In their search, they explored much of the western territories. The trading posts, where they exchanged beaver skins for the goods they needed, became villages, and later towns and cities.
IT’S IN THE BAG The bag---one of the simplest and most useful things in every man or woman’s life---has given the world many strange expressions that are not very simple. A number of these expressions are widely used in the United States today. Some were imported from England a long time ago.
When you are sure of something, you can say, “It’s in the bag.”
This phrase seemed to have arrived with the modern paper bag. Before, Americans used to say, “It’s all wrapped up.” Then, things you bought were wrapped in plain brown paper, or sometimes in old newspaper.
Another widely used expressions is “to let the cat out of the bag”, meaning to reveal a well-kept secret.
No one can explain how the cat got into the bag, or why it remained there. But there is an old story about it. Long ago tradesman sold things in large cloth bags. Once a woman asked for a pig. The tradesman held up his cloth bag. Inside there was supposed to be a live pig. The woman asked to see it. When the dishonest tradesman opened the bag, out jumped a squealing cat, not a pig. The tradesman’s secret was out: he was tricky, and now everybody knew it.
18. English proverbs
Characters
Teacher of English: Ms Smith (MS)
Students: Li (LI), Mao (MA), Anne (AN), Rivera (RI)
MS: Good morning, everyone. I hope you all know what we are here for. The topic of our discussion this morning is “English Proverbs”.
LI: So, I’m in the right group.
MA: Me, too.
RI: Me, too.
MS: But I was told we would have four…and yet…
AN: I’m coming. Good morning. Am I late?
MS: Morning. “Speak of angels and you hear their songs.”
AN: Is that a proverb referring to my coming?
MS: Exactly.
LI: We have a saying in Chinese, which I think is very close in meaning…
MA: Speak of Cao Cao and he appears.
MS: Right. Well, “first things first”. A proverb is a traditional saying which offers advice or presents a moral in a short and brief manner. A proverb normally is a sentence, into which the writer often works rhyme. For instance, “East or west, home is best.” Sometimes it comes out in the form of a phrase.
MA: I’ve seen dictionaries of proverbs.
MS: Well, there are thousands of proverbs. They fall into three main categories. Those of the first type take the form of abstract statements. They express general truths. Here are two good examples: “One is never too old to learn.” and “A man who neglects his studies in youth will regret it in later years.”
RI: I think there is some truth in both proverbs. To encourage a person who has had little education for some reason as a young man, we may use the former. With us, I guess the latter works.
MS: So you have to keep this in mind. Never use proverbs out of context. “One man’s meat is another man’s poison.”
LI: I see. Then, what is the second type?
MS: The second type uses specific observations from everyday experience to make a general point.
AN: “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.” Does it fall into the second category?
MS: You’re right, dear. Then the third type consists of sayings from particular areas of traditional customs and beliefs. “After dinner, rest a while; after supper, walk a mile.” is an example of this type. Such proverbs are often related to agriculture, the seasons, and the weather.
LI: Many people hold the opinion that proverbs are going out of fashion. Is that true?
MS: The fact is, as some old ones are falling into disuse, new ones are being created. The computer world has recently given us lots of them.
AN: I’ve got one: “Rubbish in, rubbish out.”
MA: It also goes “Garbage in, garbage out.”
MS: I think it is more common to say “Garbage in, garbage out.” Well, I hope, today “You’ll have something nice out as you have had something nice in.”
AN: Thank you, Ms Smith. By the way, do we have an assignment as usual?
MS: Yes. You are to collect some proverbs of the first type, that is, proverbs that express general truths.
LI: I’d like to collect some on studies.
MS: Good! I’m so glad to have been with you. (To the four students) “Strike while the iron is hot.” See you next week.
19. Tips on making a public speech
It is interesting to note that speeches are always “given” or “delivered”. They are never “said”. When giving a speech, therefore, it is useful to think of yourself as playing a part, i.e. acting. This kind of acting calls for an integration of verbal and nonverbal communication. Nonverbal communication chiefly involves the speaker’s stance and gestures, the eye contact between the speaker and the audience, and a good control of the presentation speed of talking/speaking.
STANCE This is important to the delivery of a good speech. Stand up straight and keep your head up. Dropping your head looks unprofessional and may prevent your audience from hearing you clearly. On the other hand, don’t stand like a guard on duty. You have to be able to move in a natural way in order to add expression to your words. Body language “says” a lot. Avoid holding your hands tightly together; this will interfere with free and natural movement. Don’t play with keys or coins in your pocket; this will distract your audience.
GESTURES Gestures and facial expressions are both important aids to the spoken word when you are communicating. A dull, long speech delivered without expression, without gestures or eye contact will not be well received. The skill is in deciding how much gesturing to be employed and in making sure that your gestures are natural.
In general, the larger the audience, the more expansive the gestures should be, because they will not be seen so clearly by the audience. In a small group, facial expressions will add a lot to understanding. Try telling somebody something funny with a very serious face. They will have difficulty believing what you are really saying is funny.
Different gestures are supposed to be used in delivering a speech. Some people use their hands a lot when speaking. You must make sure that your gestures are not repeated too often, and they should be expressive and meaningful.
EYE CONTACT To have maximum impact you need to make each member of your audience fell as if you were speaking to them personally. To do this, glance towards all sections of the audience and don’t be afraid to move your head. If you favour one direction, the other side may feel you are ignoring them and therefore lose interest in what you are saying.
TIMING Accurate timing is essential. You should ensure that you don’t fall short of or run over the time allowed for your speech. Either way, the audience will feel unhappy and lose concentration on your speech. The best way to overcome this is through preparation. Clear thinking about what you want to say and how long your speech will last, before you start to write it, will save a lot of time. When practising, make sure that you speak at the correct speed and do time yourself.
20. Keep it short for the audience’s sake
How long should I make my speech? How long will my audience concentrate on my speech? Hoe slowly should I speak to make myself clearly understood? In trying to answer these questions, we see how important timing is to speech.
KEEP YOUR SPEECH LESS THAN 15 MINUTES Lin Yutang, the famous writer and translator, once said about the length of a speech, “the shorter, the better.” Speaking around the topic should be seriously avoided, not only in speech, but in all conversations in English. Being indirect and roundabout in your approach may be thought skillful in Chinese. But in English speech? No way. When one is making a speech in English, he should always stick to the point, and use simple, clear, and direct language.
According to scientists, audiences can generally only manage to concentrate for about 13 minutes. So a 10-15-minute speech is about right.
The famous Gettysburg Address, delivered by Abraham Lincoln on November 19, 1863 has about 200 words, but it still managed to express the idea that all people are born equal.
150-160 WORDS PER MINUTE Speaking speed often depends on the occasion for the speech. The number of people in the audience is also an important factor to be considered.
If you are speaking to hundreds or even thousands of people, especially in the open air, you should speak slowly. The idea is to let the audience catch every single word of your speech. For example, when Martin Luther King spoke, even to a small group, his usual speaking speed was only 110 to 120 words per minute.
When you are speaking indoors to a small group, say, 10 or 20 people, you may speed up a bit. Speaking at a speed of around 200 words a minute, you can still retain the audience’s attention.
So, we can see that the average speed is about 150 to 160 words per minute.
Whether you are speaking slowly or rapidly, the important point is to pronounce every word clearly. Otherwise, no matter how wonderful you think your content is, the audience won’t be able to follow you. Use phonetic symbols to mark the places you often mess up, in advance, and practise every day before you get up on stage.
PAUSE FOR DRAMATIC EFFECT If you want a particular sentence or expression to leave a deep impression on your audience, you can pause a while before uttering it. During the pause, the audience will grow curious about why you choose to pause and they will anxiously expect to hear the next sentence, which is exactly what you want to happen.
But don’t pause too frequently or too long. Eye contact and a smile, with a bit of body language, will also effectively impress your audience. If you simply stop suddenly and remain silent for several seconds before you start again, they’ll probably think, “Oh, he (she) has forgotten the words!”
21. Making friends
Jamie was like a magnet---she always had a crowd around her. She wasn’t especially pretty, and she wasn’t particularly good at sports. But she was one of the most popular students at school. Everyone loved her!
Why? What was it about Jamie that made everyone notice her? If her looks and her talents weren’t anything to show off, what did she have going for her?
Here it is---short and simple---Jamie had learned the secret of how to make friends and keep them. Her secret is: Be nice to others! Jamie was kind and genuinely cared about others: people responded by wanting to be around her.
Going along with this big secret of making friends are a few additional suggestions:
SMILING SUGGESTS CONFIDENCE There is something fascinating about someone who smiles a lot. We are automatically drawn to someone who is happy. Wearing a smile usually implies the person behind it is approachable. An approachable person makes others feel at ease and comfortable.
Smiles also convey confidence, which is really important when making friends. You don’t have to actually feel confident to smile, but when you do, people will think you are. Furthermore, the more you smile, the more natural your smile will be. You’ll gain confidence from smiling!
LEARN TO LISTEN AND TALK Everyone wants to talk. We all have a story to tell. Each of us enjoys having someone listen to what we say. It makes us feel important when someone is truly interested in what we’re saying.
When other people find out you are willing to listen, they will be talking to you! When someone is talking to you, zero in 100 per cent on that person. Don’t pretend to listen but really think about something else. That won’t work in making friends.
Meanwhile, don’t put the burden of the entire conversation on someone else. You’ve got to do your part, too. It is learning when to talk that is important. Try not to talk just to hear yourself talking; no one else can get a word in.
Everyone should learn to give and take in any relationship. Learn to move from being the centre of attention to focusing on the needs of others. Modesty is extremely attractive.
TRY TO ADD VALUE TO THOSE AROUND YOU People light up when you recognize something they do well and let them know. It only takes a minute to give someone a compliment or to notice what gifts a person has. It automatically adds value to how they see themselves. Try to be the kind of person who’s always seeing the positive qualities in others. Don’t tear someone down.
22. What does friendship mean to westerners?
What is meant by the word “friend”? The dictionary defines it as “one attached to another by affection or respect”. Americans use the word freely---that is, a friend may or may not be a person to whom one is really attached. Friends may have known each other since childhood or they may have recently met. It is difficult to give an exact definition of this word as it is used in the US, because it covers many types of relationships.
It is common for Americans to have different “circles”. Terms such as office mate and tennis partner indicate different types of friends. The office mate is a friend in the office and the tennis partner is a friend on the tennis court. A person may have many good friends and one best friend. “Best friends” are usually two people of the same sex who have known each other for a long period of time. People usually have more casual friends than close or best friends.
Americans move around quite often and learn to develop friendships easily and quickly. About one out of every five American families moves every year. People move to new places because they begin new jobs, attend distant colleges, get married, have children or simply want a change in their lives. Perhaps as a result of this, people form and end friendships quickly.
Relationships based on a common activity may stop or end when the activity ends. Students might meet in classes and remain friends for the duration of the course and then stop seeing each other after the final examination. The same holds true for neighbours who are the closest of friends until one moves away. In these friendships, shared daily experiences form the foundation for the relationship. Long-lasting friendships develop when individuals have similar interests and a common outlook on life. the high rate of mobility in the US can explain a great deal about short-term friendships.
Friendship and friendliness do not mean the same thing. Friendliness characterizes much of American daily interaction but is not always an indication of friendship. Strangers may share life histories without any wish to set up a relationship. Instant friendships are characterized by the appearance of two people becoming close but, in reality, there is no string connection between them. Two people saying hello to each other after being introduced for the first time do not always mean that they have a strong wish to develop a friendship. Many people frequently smile or say “Have a nice day” or “See you later”, or even give an invitation as part of a cultural pattern of politeness. Such expressions do not always suggest an offer of continued friendship.
23. Adjo
How the years have rushed by! It has been a long time since I knew Marget Swenson. I was a child when I knew her, and now I myself have children. The mind loses many things as it matures, but I never lost Marget---my first love and first hurt.
I met Marget Swenson when she joined our sixth-grade class.
Marget, just fresh from Sweden, and I, a sixth generation American. She spoke very little English, but somehow we did manage to understand each other. We took to each other instantly.
Marget lived up on the hill. That was the place where there were many large and pretty houses. I suppose it was only in passing that I knew only white people lived there.
We had so much fun together. We sat for hours in my garden or hers, surrounded by grass. Her words were Swedish; mine, English. We laughed at the way each of us slid our tongues over the unfamiliar words. I learned the Swedish equivalents of hello, friend, and goodbye.
However, such fun did not last long, and the disaster began at Marget’s birthday party.
It was a Wednesday. I arrived at the party early. Marget and I ran around quickly, putting the finishing touches on the decorations.
Some fifteen minutes later, the doorbell rang, and in came Mary, another girl in our class.
But after that nobody came. No one.
When it got to be after five, Mrs Swenson called Marget inside. She was there for a long time, and when she came out, she looked very, very sad. “My mother does not think they are coming,” she said.
“Why not?” Mary blurted.
Marget cast a quick glance at me, but she didn’t say anything.
I took Marget’s hand. “It’s me, isn’t it?” I said. Oh! I remember so painfully today how much I wanted her quick and positive “No!” to my question. But I was only aware of Marget trying to slip her hand from mine. I opened my hand and let her go.
It was different between us after her birthday. Marget stopped coming to my house, and when I asked her when she would, she looked as though she would cry.
One day, uninvited, I went to her house, climbed up the hill, and a restless feeling grew within me at every step.
Marget almost jumped when she opened the door. She stared at me in shock. Then, quickly, in a voice I’d never heard before, she said, “My mother says you can’t come to my house any more.”
I opened my mouth, and closed it without speaking. The awful thing had come; my suspicion was confirmed; Marget was white and I was not. I did know it deep within myself.
Since that meeting Marget and I did not speak to each other at all.
On the last day of school, getting up a strange courage, I handed my autograph book to Marget. She hesitated, then without looking up, wrote words I don’t remember now; they were quite common words, the kind everyone was writing in everyone else’s book. I waited. Slowly, she passed her book to me and in it I wrote with a slow, firm hand some of the words she had taught me. I wrote Adjo min van---Goodbye, my friend. I released her, let her go, told her not to worry, told her that I no longer needed her. Adjo.
24. Ryan, his friends, and his incredible torch run
We met in a biology class. Ryan sat in the front so that his wheelchair wouldn’t get in the way. I, however, believed that he wouldn’t have gotten in the way wherever he sat. I greeted him with a “Hello!” and he replied cheerfully. Later it proved that this simple “Hello!” was all it took for Ryan and me to become great friends.
Ryan suffered from brain damage and had endured many an obstacle. Yet, he is able to go on living his life to the fullest. He knows the old saying, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” to the deepest and most personal extent.
The highlight of our friendship came in our junior year, when Ryan asked me to hold the flag that would mark the spot where he would begin his Olympic torch run. When he asked me, I didn’t know what to say. “Why me?” I asked. He gently responded that he would be honoured if I would accept this position. He said that the Olympic committee sent a letter saying that the person that holds the flag must be someone important to him, and I was important to him because I was the only true friend he had ever made that talked to him and not to his wheelchair. How could I refuse such a gracious compliment and request?
On June fifth, I took the flag and reached Ryan’s starting point early. By then, the streets had begun to fill with students from the surrounding schools and the area residents. Everyone was excited. Then came the van that carried the torch runners. All of the runners got out except Ryan. They lined up outside of the van and began to chant his name. Ryan! Ryan! Then all of the people that lined the streets joined in. Ryan! Ryan! All I could do was not to cry.
The lift then lowered Ryan to the ground. There he was, in all his glory. People saw him for Ryan and not for his wheelchair. It all became slow motion at the sight of the arriving torch. I gave Ryan a hug and then stepped into my spot. The runner lit Ryan’s torch and then Ryan began his journey. As he took off down the street, the chanting became louder and louder. The excitement filled the air. I could not have been any prouder of Ryan! He deserved this moment in time---a historic moment that he was a part of and allowed me to be a part of, too.
That moment will last in time forever. It expressed the whole meaning of the flame: love, enthusiasm, and brotherhood. It showed us all that love is really what makes this small world go around.
25. The father of modern physics
Albert Einstein was born of Jewish parents in 1879 in Germany. He did badly in most subjects at school, but was fascinated by mathematics, which he did quite well. When he was fifteen, his family moved to Italy, and from there he went to Switzerland to attend a polytechnic school.
After gaining a teaching qualification from the polytechnic, Einstein took a post as a junior clerk in an office. Einstein was happy to get such an easy job, because it gave him plenty of time to think about physics. It was the “thought experiments” that he carried out in his head that led to a new understanding of space, time and gravity(引力).
In 1905, when he was twenty-six years old, Einstein began to publish his thoughts. One of his theories provided an explanation for a puzzling effect, called the photoelectric effect(光电效应), which had been noticed some years earlier. It was in 1921 that he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics for his work on the photoelectric effect.
In 1914, Einstein became a professor of physics at the University of Berlin and all went well until Hitler came to power in 1933. Einstein, who was Jewish, spoke out against Nazi crimes. As a result, he had to leave Germany and spent the rest of his life teaching in the United States at Princeton University.
In the long course of research, Einstein developed his theories of relativity. These theories were so different and new that most scientists could do not believe or understand them, and it took a long time for them to be accepted.
Einstein’s theories also predicted that solid objects can be changed into pure energy. This did lead to the development of nuclear power(核能) and the atomic bomb(原子弹). However, Einstein himself protested against nuclear weapons, and became involved in the peace movement after the First World War.
Einstein passed away in 1955 at the age of seventy-six. What he left behind is a wealth of ideas that form the foundation of modern physics today.
Apart from his scientific work, Einstein found much pleasure in simple pastimes. Among his hobbies were sailing and playing the violin. Besides, he loved the company of children.
Although he was one of the greatest scientists who ever lived, Einstein did not take himself seriously. Once, when asked to enter a newspaper competition to write an article explaining how light is bent by gravity, he joked that the competition was much too difficult for him to enter.
26. The survival of the fittest
For a long time people had wondered how life had developed on earth. The Bible(圣经) stated that god had created everything in a week. Some people did not believe this. “What about fossils?” they asked. “What has happened to the strange creatures which existed so many years ago?” they asked.
Charles Darwin(查尔斯•罗伯特•达尔文，英国生物学家，进化论奠基人), a young man just out of university in 1831, was offered a job on a ship on a voyage of discovery around the world. Life on board was tough. Darwin was terribly seasick and was only happy when he was ashore collecting plant samples and observing animals. It was to be the most important journey in his life. It lasted for five years; he returned in October 1836.
Darwin studied nature in South America and in a group of small islands in the South Pacific. On each island there were birds. They were very similar, but the shape of their beaks, and even their eating habits varied. Darwin wondered why they were different. Then he realized that, long before, they had been the same. Each island had different foods available. Only the birds that could eat available food could survive, this might depend on having the right shape of beak. He realized that the same process happened with all living things. Over millions of years, all plants and animals have gradually changed into the forms we see today. What we call “the survival of the fittest” he named “natural selection”. Darwin called this slow process of change “evolution”. It explains why many kinds of creature, whose fossil remains, are no longer alive.
By 1846, he had published an article describing his voyage. He also began to think seriously about evolution and natural selection, and wrote two essays describing his ideas. He did not publish these essays because he realized his ideas proved the Bible’s theory of creation was wrong, and he was worried about the anger and troubles they would cause.
Darwin spent the following years developing his theories and making them perfect. In 1859 he published them in The Origin of Species(《物种起源》). It caused a huge row because it seemed to deny what the Bible said. His The Descent of Man(《人类的由来》), 1871, pointed out that mankind had come from the same ancestor. Darwin was upset by the opposition. Other scientists agreed with his ideas and took up his cause. The Church prohibited the teaching of the Theory of Evolution(进化论) in some countries. However, today most people believe that Darwin was right.
27. Miracle in the rice field
It is said that every scientist has a childhood dream for his or her future success. For Yuan Longpin, known as the “father of hybrid rice(杂交水稻)”, the dream is that he cultivates rice as huge as peanuts, and farmers can have a rest in the cool shadow of big rice plants.
Yuan Longpin was born into a poor family in 1931. Upon graduating from the Southwestern Agricultural College(西南农业学院) in 1953, he began his teaching career at an agriculture school and has since devoted himself to agricultural education and research.
He came up with the idea of hybrid rice for the first time in the 1960s. In the early 1970s, he succeeded in developing the world’s first high-yield hybrid rice. Of great importance is his pioneering work, which has established China’s position of world leadership in this area.
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization(FAO)(联合国粮食与农业组织) has decided to get involved in the work of spreading the coverage of Yuan’s high-yield hybrid rice, which it considers the best way to increase the world’s grain output.
In the following years, increasing grain output of hybrid rice further showed the success of Yuan Longpin’s research. This made him firmly believe that China can surely feed her large population with her limited cultivated land.
This breakthrough in rice cultivation has significantly contributed to solving the food problem in China and the rest of the world. Yuan’s amazing achievement has won him a great many awards and honours from the United Nations and worldwide.
However, even with such a great achievement, Yuan won’t take a break. In his mind there always exist a dream, more practical than that of his youth, that popularizing the new hybrid rice with higher yields around the world can eliminate starvation on Earth. “If the new hybrid rice were grown in the world’s remaining fields, the present grain output around the world would be more than doubled. This can solve the grain shortage,” said the scientist.
Some people estimate Yuan’s actual fortune might make him one of the richest people in China. But he doesn’t know for sure himself, for he seems to care for nothing more than his research.
In spite of his busy research work, Yuan Longpin has managed to keep some hobbies in his spare time, including reading books and listening to music. He enjoys daily motor cycling and sometimes playing the violin.
28. Newton’s three important laws
Things that move obey certain laws. Three important laws of motion were established by Isaac Newton (1642～1727) (英国物理学家、天文学家和数学家，被公认为有史以来最伟大和影响最深远的科学家).
NEWTON Ⅰ: INERTIA(惯性定律)
Newton’s first law of motion seems simple: Objects at rest tend to remain at rest, while moving ones continue to move at a uniform speed in a straight line---unless acted upon by an outside force. This resistance(阻力) to change is called inertia, and it explains a lot of everyday experienced no matter where you happen to live.
One is that when the car or airplane you’re in begins to move, your body is pushed back against the seat. That is, it tends to remain at rest despite the forward-moving force of the vehicle transferred to you through the seat. Another aspect of this law shows that the normal courses for freely moving objects is a straight line. That explains why, when you whirl(迅速旋转) something around your head---such as a ball on a string---and then let it go, the ball flies straight. It neither keeps circling your head nor does it move off in a sweeping(做大幅度弧线形运动的) curve(曲线).
NEWTON Ⅱ: F=MA
Newton’s second law relates the amount of force needed to move an object to the object’s mass and tits acceleration(加速度).
Push a child in a swing, or ride a planet around the sun, and you’re using Newton’s second law of motion, which states that whenever you want to change the speed or direction of something, you have to apply an appropriate force. The bigger the mass or the larger the intended acceleration, the greater the necessary force. This law’s formula allows engineers to calculate what’s required to launch a jet fighter(喷气式战斗机) from an aircraft carrier(航空母舰), or how strong a seat belt must be to restrain(抑制，控制), say, a 160-pound person when his car stops suddenly while travelling at 60 mph.
NEWTON Ⅲ: EQUAL AND OPPOSITE(作用力与反作用力)
All objects, moving or at rest, obey Newton’s third law of motion, which holds that in nature, unaccompanied(无陪伴的) forces do not exist.
You can’t take a step without applying Newton’s third law, which explains that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Each time your foot pushes down on the ground, the ground pushes back with the same amount of force pointed in precisely(精确地，准确地) the opposite direction. In fact, it’s the force exerted(施加压力) by the ground that pushes you along, not the force of your foot.
That seems odd, but it’s easy to demonstrate. Stand on a nearly frictionless(无摩擦力的) surface such as an oily floor, or put on a pair of roller skates(四轮旱冰鞋). Now take a step. Push as hard as you like, but the oil or skates keep that force from being applied to the floor, so there is no opposite, reactive force exerted on your foot. The result: Your legs and feet may struggle to move about, but you don’t move forward.
29. Oliver wants more (Adapted from Oliver Twist Charles Dickens)
Life in the workhouse was very severe indeed. The member of the board of management had ruled that the children should work to earn their living, and that they should be given three meals of thin soup a day, with an onion twice a week and half a cake on Sundays.
The room, in which the boys were fed, was a large stone hall, with a huge pot at one end. Out of this, the master, assisted by one or two women, served out the soup at mealtimes. Each boy had one small bowl, and nothing more---except on public holidays, when he had a small piece of bread as well. Never ever did the bowls need washing. The boys polished them with their spoons till they shone again; and when they had performed this operation, they would sit staring at the huge pot, as if they could have eaten that, too.
Oliver Twist and his companions suffered terrible hunger in silence for three months; so desperate did they become in the end that one boy, who was tall for his age, told the others that unless he had another bowl of soup every day, he was afraid he might some night eat the boy who slept next to him. He had a wild, hungry eye, and they fully believed him. A council was held; votes were cast, and it fell to Oliver Twist to walk up to the master after supper that evening, and ask for more.
The evening arrived; the boys took their places. The master, in his cook’s uniform, stood beside the huge pot with his two assistants behind him; the soup was served out. It quickly disappeared; the boys whispered to each other, and made signs to Oliver. He rose from the table and, advancing to the master, bowl in hand, said.
“Please, sir, I want some more.”
The master was a fat, healthy man; but the turned very pale. He stared with horror and amazement at the small boy for some seconds.
“What!” he said finally in a faint voice.
“Please, sir,” replied Oliver, “I want some more.”
The master aimed a blow at Oliver’s head with his big spoon, seized him tightly in his arms, and shouted for Mr. Bumble.
Mr. Bumble, hearing the cry and learning the cause of it, rushed into the room where members of the board were meeting and, addressing the gentleman at the head of the table, said, “Mr. Limbkins, I beg your pardon, sir! Oliver Twist has asked for more.”
There was a general alarm. Horror showed on every face.
“For more!” said Mr. Limbkins. “Be calm, Mr. Bumble, and answer me clearly. Do you mean to say that he asked for more, after he had eaten the supper given by the board?”
“He did, sir,” replied Bumble.
“That boy will be hanged,” said one of the gentlemen on the board. “I know that boy will be hanged one day.”
Oliver was locked up at once. Next morning a notice was put up on the outside of the gate, offering a reward of five pounds to anybody who would take Oliver Twist away from the workhouse.
30. Enjoy the classics
What’s a classic? It can be put in the following way: When you reread a classic, you do not see more in the book than you did before; you see more in you than you did before.
In school, we learn one of the most interesting and difficult skills---how to read. At the same time, we learn to hate to read the things worth reading most!
It has happened to us all---with assignment reading! It happened to me. The teacher assigned Pickwick Papers(《匹克威克外传》). I didn’t want to read it. So I fought it. I disliked it. I thought I won.
But I lost. My struggle to keep away from Pickwick Papers cost me all the good things that can come from getting near to those few books called the “classics”.
I have come back to Pickwick Papers on my own since. I like it. And I have discovered a new level of pleasure from it with each reading.
I come back to this question: What is a classic? A classic is a book that gives you wonderful feelings, and enables you to uncover part of the meaning of life. A classic is a book that has stood the test of time, a book that men and women all over the world want to keep all their lives.
Not many books can stand such a test. Considering all the books that have been produced, classics account for only a very small share of the total---less than 0.001 percent. That’s just a few thousand books. Of those, under 100 make up the solid core.
Why should you read the classics? Why should you try to enjoy them?
I suggest three reasons:
1. a classic opens your mind.
2. a classic helps you grow.
3. a classic helps you understand your life, your world, yourself.
The last one is a big one. A classic can give you insights into yourself. Sure, you can get pleasure out of almost any book. But a classic, once you go deep into it, lifts you up high!
When you read classics, don’t just dip your toe into the deep waters of the classics. Plunge in! Join generations of bright human beings before you. You’ll find yourself enlightened by the thoughts and observations of the most gifted writers in history.
Someone has said the classics are the diary of man. Open up the diary. Read about yourself―and understand yourself.
31. Is she guilty? (Adapted from The Prince and the Pauper Mark Twain)
By a twist of fate, Tom, a pauper, was mistaken for Edward Tudor, the Prince of Wales. Since he looked very much like the prince, his true identity went hidden. So when Edward’s father died, Tom was made the new “king”.
One day, a terrified woman and her little girl were brought before Tom. He ordered the sheriff to state the crime they had committed.
“Your majesty, they must have been practising witchcraft.”
Tom had been taught to hate people who practised witchcraft. Still, to satisfy his curiosity, he asked:
“Where and when was this committed?”
“One midnight, in December---in a ruined church, your majesty.”
“Who was present?”
“Only these two, your majesty.”
“Have they confessed?”
“No, they deny it.”
“Then how was this crime known?”
“Certain witness saw them there, your majesty, and this should be enough to prove that they are guilty. Then came a terrible storm. It is evident that they used their evil power to bring about the storm. About forty people witnessed the storm and had every reason to remember it, for they suffered from it. They should not have made all these people suffer so much.”
“This sounds very serious indeed.” Tom thought about this information for a while, and then he asked: “Did this woman also suffer from the storm?”
Several old heads among the group nodded. They recognized the wisdom of this question.
The sheriff answered, “Indeed she did, your majesty. Her house was swept away and she and her child are now homeless.”
“How did they bring about the storm?” asked Tom.
“By pulling off their stocking, your majesty.”
This astonished Tom and made him more curious than ever. He said, eagerly:
“That is wonderful! Has it always this disastrous effect?”
“Always---at least when the woman desires it and says the right words, either in her mind or with her tongue.”
Tom turned to the woman, and ordered her:
“Exert your power. I wish to see a storm!”
In the group, cheeks went pale suddenly. There was a general, though unexpressed, desire to get out of the place. The woman looked puzzled and astonished.
Tom added excitedly, “Do not fear, you shall not be punished. More than that, you shall go free. Exert your power.”
“Oh, my king, I do not have such power. I have been falsely accused. I should not have been brought here at all.”
“Take courage. No harm will come to you. Make a storm, it does not matter how small a storm. Do this, and your life shall be spared; you and your child will go free.”
The woman bent herself down to the ground, and protested with tears, that she had no power to do the miracle or else she would gladly save her child’s life alone even if she lost her own.
Finally, Tom said:
“I think what the woman says is the truth. If my mother had been in her place and gifted with this power, she would not have hesitated to call her storms and lay the whole land in ruins to save my life. it is true that all mothers are the same. You are free, good woman, you and your child, for I believe you are innocent. Go your way in peace.”
32. Mark Twain
Mark Twain(马克•吐温，美国著名幽默小说家、作家和演说家), whose original name was Samuel Clemens, is an important figure in American literature. Speaking of short stories alone, Mark Twain’s position in American literature is as Chekhov’s(契诃夫，俄国著名剧作家、短篇小说家) is in Russian literature or Guy de Maupassant’s(莫泊桑，法国短篇小说家) in French literature. Even in his own day, Mark Twain was seen as one of America’s most famous writers.
At 13, Mark Twain was learning to be a printer. Eight years later he began to learn to work as a steamboat pilot. In 1865, he wrote the story The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras Country, which made him famous. In the following years, he travelled widely as a successful lecturer and gathered material for his writing. His humorous short story The Innocents Abroad(《傻瓜出国记》) and his youthful adventures, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer(《汤姆•索亚历险记》), The Prince and the Pauper and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn helped him win a worldwide audience. At the same time he became a well-known humorist.
Mark Twain said, “Against the assault of laughter, nothing can stand.” He argued that humor could be as powerful as any other element in literature. He did not use humor for the sake of humor. He wanted to prove in both his public and private life that he had more to tell than just a good story.
Go and read his short story Running for Governor(《竞选州长》). It is a fictitious account about Mark Twain himself. He was to run for Governor of New York State. As the campaign got started, rumours about him began to spread. The gentleman was first accused of using bribery, and then was said to be guilty of poisoning his uncle, neither of which was based on any facts. The story went on until it reached its most exciting moment. One day at a public meeting, nine little kids of all colours climbed on to the platform and caught him around the legs, calling him “Pa!” Thus, he was forced to quit before it was too late.
You are sure to burst out laughing as you are reading the short “story”. But you don’t really feel happy as the story helps you see through the dark side of American society in his day. It’s a case in point for readers to see why Mark Twain is called by critics “the people’s author”, and why he is still remembered as one of the greatest American humorists by people all over the world.