§ Lesson 22 By heart 熟记台词

【New words and expressions】 生词和短语

●run v. （戏剧、电影等）

●lines n. （剧本中的）台词

●part n. 剧中的角色，台词

●falter v. 支吾，结巴说

●cast (cast, cast ) v. 选派……扮演角色

●role n. 角色

●aristocrat n. 贵族

●imprison v. 关押

●Bastille . 巴士底狱

●gaoler n. 监狱长，看守连演，连映

●colleague n. 同事

●curtain n. （舞台中的）幕布

●reveal v. 使显露

●cell n. 单人监房，监号

●blank adj. 空白的

●squint v. 眯着（眼）看，瞄

●dim adj. 昏暗

●sire n. （古用法）陛下

●proceed v. 继续进行

■run v. （戏剧、电影等）

The film is so successful that it runs for several weeks.

■lines n. （剧本中的）台词

■part n. 剧中的角色，台词

■falter vi. 支吾，结巴说

stammer

He has practised the poem several times, so he has no cause to falter.

falter v. 蹒跚而行（=stgger）

He faltered home.

■cast (cast, cast ) v. 选派……扮演角色

●role n. 角色

The actor was cast in the role of hero.

■aristocrat n. 贵族

■imprison v. 关押

put sb imprison: 关押

He was imprisoned for 10 years.

imprisonment：n.

sentence sb to life imprisonment：判某人终生监禁

监狱：prison, jail, gaol

把……送进监狱

send sb. to prison == put sb in prison == throw sb into prison

in prison 坐牢

the prison 监狱

He is in prison / jail.

He is behind boars.

■Bastille . 巴士底狱

■gaoler n. 监狱长，看守连演，连映

■colleague n. 同事

■curtain n. （舞台中的）幕布

■reveal v. 使显露

The secret hasn’t been reveald.

reveal:揭露，揭穿，把什么露出来

A curtain was up and revealed the beautiful scenery.

disclose:揭发

discclose the truth

discover: 发现

uncover: 揭开具体的盖子

A very tight dress reveals the beautiful figure. 紧身的裙子露出了漂亮的身段。

revealabel adj. 可展现的

revealer: 探测器

■cell n. 单人监房，监号

■blank adj. 空白的

■squint . 眯着（眼）看，瞄

squint one's eyes 眯上眼睛

Eg.: He squinted his eyes and looked at the letter.

pear at : 眯着眼睛看

■dim adj. 昏暗

The room is too dim so I can;t read the letter.

gloomy:(天气，心情)抑郁的

The weather is gloomy today.

He is in gloomy mood.

dusky:(天色)昏暗的

Towards evening is getting dusky.

murly:（天色）漆黑的，黑暗的

I can’t go out at murky night.

misty:多雾的，迷蒙的

The building is out of sight on such a misty day.

■sire n. （古用法）陛下

■proceed v. 继续进行

proceed vi. particular after stopping

proceed to / with:进行继续某事

Let’s proceed to business.

You must proceed with your work.

proceed from 从什么着手开始继续

They proceed from lesson 1.

procced from 起诉某人

Eg: He decided to proceed against his neighbour.

【Text】

§ Lesson 22 By heart 熟记台词

Listen to the tape then answer the question below.

Which actor read the letter in the end, the aristocrat or the gaoler?

Some plays are so successful that they run for years on end. In many ways, this is unfortunate for the poor actors who are required to go on repeating the same lines night after night. One would expect them to know their parts by heart and never have cause to falter. Yet this is not always the case.

A famous actor in a highly successful play was once cast in the role of an aristocrat who had been imprisoned in the Bastille for twenty years. In the last act, a gaoler would always come on to the stage with a letter which he would hand to the prisoner. Even though the noble was expected to read the letter at each performance, he always insisted that it should be written out in full.

One night, the gaoler decided to play a joke on his colleague to find out if, after so many performances, he had managed to learn the contents of the letter by heart. The curtain went up on the final act of the play and revealed the aristocrat sitting alone behind bars in his dark cell. Just then, the gaoler appeared with the precious letter in his hands. He entered the cell and presented the letter to the aristocrat. But the copy he gave him had not been written out in full as usual. It was simply a blank sheet of paper. The gaoler looked on eagerly, anxious to see if his fellow actor had at last learnt his lines. The noble stared at the blank sheet of paper for a few seconds. Then, squinting his eyes, he said: 'The light is dim. Read the letter to me.' And he promptly handed the sheet of paper to the gaoler. Finding that he could not remember a word of the letter either, the gaoler replied: 'The light is indeed dim, sire. I must get my glasses.' With this, he hurried off the stage. Much to the aristocrat's amusement, the gaoler returned a few moments later with a pair of glasses and the usual copy of the letter which he proceeded to read to the prisoner.

参考译文

有些剧目十分成功，以致连续上演好几年。这样一来，可怜的演员们可倒霉了。因为他们需要一夜连着一夜地重复同样的台词。人们以为，这些演员一定会把台词背得烂熟，绝不会临场结巴的，但情况却并不总是这样。

有一位名演员曾在一出极为成功的剧目中扮演一个贵族角色，这个贵族已在巴士底狱被关押了20年。在最后一幕中，狱卒手持一封信上场，然后将信交给狱中那位贵族。尽管那个贵族每场戏都得念一遍那封信。但他还是坚持要求将信的全文写在信纸上。

一天晚上，狱卒决定与他的同事开一个玩笑，看看他反复演出这么多场之后，是否已将信的内容记熟了。大幕拉开，最后一幕戏开演，贵族独自一人坐在铁窗后阴暗的牢房里。这时狱卒上场，手里拿着那封珍贵的信。狱卒走进牢房，将信交给贵族。但这回狱卒给贵族的信没有像往常那样把全文写全，而是一张白纸。狱卒热切地观察着，急于想了解他的同事是否记熟了台词。贵族盯着纸看了几秒钟，然后，眼珠一转，说道：“光线太暗，请给我读一下这封信。”说完，他一下子把信递给狱卒。狱卒发现自己连一个字也记不住，于是便说：“陛下，这儿光线的确太暗了，我得去眼镜拿来。”他一边说着，一边匆匆下台。贵族感到非常好笑的是：一会儿工夫，狱卒重新登台，拿来一副眼镜以及平时使用的那封信，然后为那囚犯念了起来。

【课文讲解】

by heart 熟记台词

on end

1．== continuously: 连续的，位于具体的时间之后

Eg: He sat there for hours on end.

We had hardly anything to eat for days on end.

2． ==upright 竖着

Eg: The cat's fur stood on end.

I got a big shock so my hear stood on end.我吓了一大跳，以致于毛骨悚然。

who = actor, 关系代词做主语，不能省略

Eg.: The student who was required to recite the poem 100 times is really poor.

learn/ know by heart: 把……牢记在心

Eg.: The sentence is so important that you must learn it by heart.

heart and soul 全心全意的，全身心的

Eg: We serve the students heart and soul

take heart 鼓起勇气，恢复信心

lose heart 失去信心

lose heart to sb= give heart to sb: 轻信于某人

Eg: The boy lost his heart to the girl

put one's heart into sth: 致力于某事

Eg: Nothing is difficult if you put your heart into it.世上无难事，只怕有心人

have one's heart in one's boots提心吊胆

Eg: He had his heart in his boots when he went out alone at night.

even though = even if = though / although

at each performance = at every performance

insist: 坚决要求，suggest:建议， order:命令，demand:要求，require:要求

表示建议/要求/希望，和that宾语从句搭配，that从句必须出现should + 动词原形的虚拟，should 可以省略。

in full==fully=completely

play a joke(cheek) on sb: 开某人玩笑

on the final act == in the last act

with，独立主格结构

hand to == present sth. to == pass to 把……递给某人

as usual

look on 旁观

anxious,形容词短语做伴随状况状语

stare at 一眨不眨地

squinting: ing形式，做方式状语，伴随状况状语

prmptly ==immediately

with this 说完这话

hurry off

much, 用来加强语气

play a joke on 开玩笑; play a trick on 捉弄，单方面取乐

have a joke with sb. 和某人开玩笑，强调两人共同取乐

Eg.: He laughs best who laughs last. 笑到最后的才是笑得最好的。

【Multiple choice questions】

Comprehension

1 Which of the following proverbs suits the gist of the story best?

a. He laughs best, who laughs last.

b. Speech is silver, but silence is golden.

c. Look before you leap.

d. Don’t count your chickens before they are hatched.

2 The play in which the two actors took part _____ .

a. had had a highly successful run of twenty years

b. was about the plight of a nobleman

c. ended with the imprisonment of the aristocrat

d. had been performed so often that audiences were bored by it

end with 以......结束

3 Which statement is true?

When the aristocrat was presented with a blank sheet of paper, _____ .

a. he improvised the words which he had forgotten

b. the gaoler was eagerly waiting to take the aristocrat’s part

c. he pretended that the light was not good enough for him to read by

d. he asked the gaoler to fetch him some glasses

Structure

4 A gaoler would come on stage with a letter_____ to the prisoner. (ll.7-8)

a. to be delivering b. and delivered c.to deliver d. delivered

with a letter独立主格结构，只有动词不定式to 有要做某事

倘若应用for, 此句应改为 with a letter for the prisoner.

5 He always insisted _____ in full. (l.9)

a. on its being written out b. on writing it out

c. to have it written out d. that it would have to be written out

insist that + should

insist on + 名词，动名词

d选项中would 改为should

6 --to find out if he _____ the contents of the letter by heart. (ll.10-11)

a. had known b. was knowing c. knew d. know

7 But he gave _____ which had not been written out in full. (ll.13-14)

a. the copy to him b. a copy him c. him a copy d. him the copy

give him a copy

a表示任意的一份，the 表示特指

a选项中the copy to him 改为a copy to him即可

8 _____ remember a word of the letter, so he replied… (ll.17-18)

a. But neither could the gaoler b. Nor the gaoler could

c. Also the gaoler could not d. Either the gaoler could not

neither, nor用于句首，句子倒装

Vocabulary

9 The gaoler decided to _____ his colleague. (l.10)

a. have a joke with b. play the fool with c. make fun of d. play a trick on

play a joke on 开玩笑； play a trick on 捉弄，单方面取乐

have a joke with sb. 和某人开玩笑，强调两人共同取乐

Eg.: I’ve just had a joke with my classmate.

10 He wanted to see if his fellow actor had _____ learnt his lines. (ll.10-11)

a. lastly b. in the end c. conclusively d. finally

finally 最后(用于句中)

lastly 顺序上的最后

in the end 强调最终失败的结果（用于句首或句尾）

Eg.: He worked harder and harder, but in the end he failed.

conclusively 总结的

11 Then, _____ about him, he said,…(l.16)

a. searching b. peering c. blinking d. staring

peer about 眯着眼睛看

Eg: When you enter a cinema, you often have to peer about.

search:搜寻，寻找：search for sth.

blink 眨眼睛

stare: 盯着看： stare at

12 Agreeing that the light was dim, the gaoler _____ he would get his glasses. (l.18)

a.spoke b. informed c. said d. rejoined

informed 表示正式的通知

【Key to Multiple choice questions】

1. A 2. C 3. C 4. C 5. A 6. C 7. C 8. A 9. D 10. D 11. B 12. C