2018-05-29

Please look after this bear: Paddington

① Sixty years after he first arrived on children's bookshelves, the duffle-coated bear from darkest Peru will set off on his final adventure next week with the publication of "Paddington at St Paul's".

② Late on Christmas Eve 1956, Michael Bond, a BBC cameraman who had dabbled in writing, spotted a lonely-looking teddy bear, the last on the shop shelf.

③ Dozens of books later, more than 35m copies of his exploits have been sold around the world, in 40 languages (including Latin).

④ Having lost his parents in an earthquake and stowed away on a boat bound for London, Paddington became a hero for orphaned and immigrant children.

⑤ Bond died last year, but not before giving his blessing to two remarkable films, winning the hearts of a new generation.

⑥ The brave bear's lessons for life are immortal: to be kind, to stand up to tyranny and, in case of emergencies, always to keep a marmalade sandwich under your hat.

"Paddington at St Paul's" 封面

▍生词好句

duffle /ˈdʌf(ə)l/: n. 厚呢子外套

duffle-coated: adj. 穿着厚呢子外套的

set off: 出发；动身

cameraman /ˈkamrəmən/: n. 摄影师

dabble in /ˈdab(ə)l/: 涉足/涉猎（某领域）

exploit /ˈɛksplɔɪt/: n. 功绩；壮举

stow away /stəʊ/: 无票乘坐（车、船等交通工具）

stowaway /ˈstəʊəweɪ/: n. 无票乘车/船等交通工具的人

(be) bound for: 开往……

orphan /ˈɔːf(ə)n/: vt. 使……成为孤儿

give blessing to: 把祝福送给……

immortal /ɪˈmɔːt(ə)l/: adj. 不朽的；永恒的

stand up to: 勇敢面对/抵抗住……

tyranny / ˈtɪr(ə)ni/: n. 暴政；暴行

marmalade sandwich /ˈmɑ:məleɪd/: 橘子酱三明治

▍补充

1. set off

set off on sth.: 开启某个旅程

set off to sp.: 动身前往某地

· He will set off to college on Saturday.

2. dabble in

I encourage you to dabble in some activities that you enjoy when you are in high school.

3. bound

We took the eastbound/westbound train.

4. blessing

You have my blessing. / I give you my blessing.

OK, you have my blessing. / I'll give you my blessing.

5. stand up to

He hit me, and then I hit him back. That was the first time in my life I'd stood up to him.

I hope I can stand up to the pressure.