by Heart 熟記于心
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 with he proceeded to read to the prisoner.
7.Even though the noble was expected to read the letter at each performance, he always insisted that it should be written out in full.
盡管那個貴族每場戲都得念一遍那封信。但他還是堅(jiān)持要求將信的全文寫在信紙上。
語言點(diǎn):句子結(jié)構(gòu)分析:even though引導(dǎo)讓步狀語從句。to read the letter at each performance為動詞不定式短語，充當(dāng)主語noble的補(bǔ)足語，說明貴族做什么事情。
8.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.
一天晚上，獄卒決定與他的同事開一個玩笑，看看他反復(fù)演出這么多場之后，是否已將信的內(nèi)容記熟了。
語言點(diǎn):句子結(jié)構(gòu)分析:if在本句中不表?xiàng)l件，而作“是否”講，if之后的部分都是find out的內(nèi)容，為賓語從句。
9.The curtain went up on the final act of the play and revealed the aristocrat sitting alone behind bars in his dark cell.
大幕拉開，最后一幕戲開演，貴族獨(dú)自一人坐在鐵窗后陰暗的牢房里。
語言點(diǎn):句子結(jié)構(gòu)分析:and并列連接前后兩個動作，使得句子流暢，銜接自然。Sitting alone behind bars in his dark cell為現(xiàn)在分詞短語，作后置定語，修飾aristocrat。
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 with he proceeded to read to the prisoner.
7.Even though the noble was expected to read the letter at each performance, he always insisted that it should be written out in full.
盡管那個貴族每場戲都得念一遍那封信。但他還是堅(jiān)持要求將信的全文寫在信紙上。
語言點(diǎn):句子結(jié)構(gòu)分析:even though引導(dǎo)讓步狀語從句。to read the letter at each performance為動詞不定式短語，充當(dāng)主語noble的補(bǔ)足語，說明貴族做什么事情。
8.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.
一天晚上，獄卒決定與他的同事開一個玩笑，看看他反復(fù)演出這么多場之后，是否已將信的內(nèi)容記熟了。
語言點(diǎn):句子結(jié)構(gòu)分析:if在本句中不表?xiàng)l件，而作“是否”講，if之后的部分都是find out的內(nèi)容，為賓語從句。
9.The curtain went up on the final act of the play and revealed the aristocrat sitting alone behind bars in his dark cell.
大幕拉開，最后一幕戲開演，貴族獨(dú)自一人坐在鐵窗后陰暗的牢房里。
語言點(diǎn):句子結(jié)構(gòu)分析:and并列連接前后兩個動作，使得句子流暢，銜接自然。Sitting alone behind bars in his dark cell為現(xiàn)在分詞短語，作后置定語，修飾aristocrat。