练习材料：

L36-1：A chance in a million

We are less credulous than we used to be. In the nineteenth century, a novelist would bring his story to a conclusion by presenting his readers with a series of coincidences -- most of them wildly improbable. Readers happily accepted the fact that an obscure maidservant was really the hero's mother. A long-lost brother, who was presumed dead, was really alive all the time and wickedly plotting to bring about the hero's downfall. And so on. Modern readers would find such naive solution totally unacceptable. Yet, in real life, circumstances do sometimes conspire to bring about coincidences which anyone but a nineteenth century novelist would find incredible.

When I was a boy, my grandfather told me how a German taxi driver, Franz Bussman, found a brother who was thought to have been killed twenty years before. While on a walking tour with his wife, he stooped to talk to a workman. After they had gone on, Mrs. Bussman commented on the workman's close resemblance to her husband and even suggested that he might be his brother.

/wi/ /ɑr/ /lɛs/ /ˈkrɛʤələs/ /ðæn/ /wi/ /juzd/ /tu/ /bi/. /ɪn/ /ðə/ /ˈnaɪnˈtinθ/ /ˈsɛnʧəri/, /ə/ /ˈnɑvələst/ /wʊd/ /brɪŋ/ /hɪz/ /ˈstɔri/ /tu/ /ə/ /kənˈkluʒən/ /baɪ/ /prɪˈzɛntɪŋ/ /hɪz/ /ˈridərz/ /wɪð/ /ə/ /ˈsɪriz/ /ʌv/ /koʊˈɪnsədənsɪz/ -- /moʊst/ /ʌv/ /ðɛm/ /ˈwaɪldli/ /ɪmˈprɑbəbəl/. /ˈridərz/ /ˈhæpəli/ /ækˈsɛptɪd/ /ðə/ /fækt/ /ðæt/ /ən/ /əbˈskjʊr/ /ˈmeɪdˌsərvənt/ /wʌz/ /ˈrɪli/ /ðə/ /ˈhɪroʊz/ /ˈmʌðər/. /ə/ /lɔŋ/-/lɔst/ /ˈbrʌðər/, /hu/ /wʌz/ /prəˈzumd/ /dɛd/, /wʌz/ /ˈrɪli/ /əˈlaɪv/ /ɔl/ /ðə/ /taɪm/ /ænd/ /ˈwɪkɪdli/ /ˈplɑtɪŋ/ /tu/ /brɪŋ/ /əˈbaʊt/ /ðə/ /ˈhɪroʊz/ /ˈdaʊnˌfɔl/. /ænd/ /soʊ/ /ɑn/. /ˈmɑdərn/ /ˈridərz/ /wʊd/ /faɪnd/ /sʌʧ/ /ˌnaɪˈiv/ /səˈluʃən/ /ˈtoʊtəli/ /ˌʌnækˈsɛptəbəl/. /jɛt/, /ɪn/ /riəl/ /laɪf/, /ˈsɜrkəmˌstænsəz/ /du/ /səmˈtaɪmz/ /kənˈspaɪər/ /tu/ /brɪŋ/ /əˈbaʊt/ /koʊˈɪnsədənsɪz/ /wɪʧ/ /ˈɛniˌwʌn/ /bʌt/ /ə/ /ˈnaɪnˈtinθ/ /ˈsɛnʧəri/ /ˈnɑvələst/ /wʊd/ /faɪnd/ /ɪnˈkrɛdəbəl/.

/wɛn/ /aɪ/ /wʌz/ /ə/ /bɔɪ/, /maɪ/ /ˈgrændˌfɑðər/ /toʊld/ /mi/ /haʊ/ /ə/ /ˈʤɜrmən/ /ˈtæksi/ /ˈdraɪvər/, /frænz/ /ˈbʌsmən/, /faʊnd/ /ə/ /ˈbrʌðər/ /hu/ /wʌz/ /θɔt/ /tu/ /hæv/ /bɪn/ /kɪld/ /ˈtwɛnti/ /jɪrz/ /bɪˈfɔr/. /waɪl/ /ɑn/ /ə/ /ˈwɔkɪŋ/ /tʊr/ /wɪð/ /hɪz/ /waɪf/, /hi/ /stupt/ /tu/ /tɔk/ /tu/ /ə/ /ˈwɜrkmən/. /ˈæftər/ /ðeɪ/ /hæd/ /gɔn/ /ɑn/, /ˈmɪsɪz/. /ˈbʌsmən/ /ˈkɑmɛntəd/ /ɑn/ /ðə/ /ˈwɜrkmənz/ /kloʊs/ /rɪˈzɛmbləns/ /tu/ /hɜr/ /ˈhʌzbənd/ /ænd/ /ˈivɪn/ /səgˈʤɛstəd/ /ðæt/ /hi/ /maɪt/ /bi/ /hɪz/ /ˈbrʌðər/.

任务配置：L0+L4

知识笔记：

credulous adj.轻信的

improbable adj.不大可能发生的

obscure adj.无名的

maidservant n.女佣人

long-lost adj.长期失散的

presume v.推测

wickedly adv.居心叵测地

plot v.密谋

downfall n.垮台

conspire v.协力

resemblance n.相似

novelist n.小说家

bring...to a coincidence 使......结束

bring about 导致，造成

and so on 诸如此类

naive adj.天真的

do conspire to 中的do用来强调conspire

练习感悟：

Never leave the things until tomorrow you can do today.