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精读原文
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.
精读注解
①by heart
adv. by committing to memory凭记忆，记牢，如：Most of us in this country--all who were raised here--know the words and music of our National Anthem by heart. 我们国家里大部分的人，和在这个国家长大的人，对于这首国歌的曲调和歌词都已烂熟于心。
参考译文：熟记台词
②Some 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 samelines 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.
【熟词僻义】run /rʌn/：If a play, event, or legal contract runs for a particular period of time, it lasts for that period of time. (戏剧、事件、法律合同等) 延续，（戏剧、电影等）连演、连映，如：It pleased critics but ran for only three months on Broadway. 它得到了评论家的好评，但在百老汇只上演了3个月。
on end：in succession连续地，连续不断的。如：But it can be played for hours on end. 但它也能让你连续玩上个几小时。
in many ways：在许多方面
【语法小学堂】go on repeating：继续重复。go on doing与go on to do的区别，①go on doing表示继续／接着做一直在做的事情，如：I should not go on watching TV.我不能继续看电视了。②go on to do表示继续／接着做另一件事。如：I will go on to watch the show.我会接着去看展览。③类似的动词还有：remember, forget, stop, regret等
line/laɪn/：A line of a poem, song, or play is a group of words that are spoken or sung together. If an actor learns his or her lines for a play or film, they learn what they have to say. 台词; 诗行，如：...a line from Shakespeare's Othello: "one that loved not wisely but too well." ……莎士比亚戏剧《奥赛罗》里的一句台词：“一个在恋爱上不聪明却过于深情的人。”
【难句解析】One would expect them to know their parts by heart and never have cause to falter.：①one：此处用于泛指人们或任何人，即“任何一个人”；②have no cause to do没有任何理由；③would在此重复性和习惯性的行为，如：When we were students we would often stay up all night. 我们当学生时，经常通宵不睡。
参考英语语法网：http://www.yygrammar.com/Article/201112/2741_2.html【will和would均可用于表示习惯或倾向——既可指某人特有的习惯，也 可指事物的自然倾向。其中will表示现在的习惯，would表示过去的习惯。】
falter /'fɔːltə/：to speak in a voice that sounds weak and uncertain, and keeps stopping结巴地说，支支吾吾地说，如：‘I can’t,’ she faltered. “我做不到。”她支支吾吾地说道。Yet this is not always the case.：然而情况并非总是如此。
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。
③A famous actor in a highly successful play was once cast in the role of anaristocrat 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 wouldhand 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.
cast /kɑːst/：to choose which people will act particular parts in a play, film etc为…挑选演员，选派〔角色〕，如：The producer finally cast Finsh in the male lead. 制片人最后让芬希出演男主角。
role /rəʊl/: the character played by an actor in a play or film〔戏剧或电影中的〕角色，如：A young actor named Johnny Depp was given the leading role. 一位名叫约翰尼·德普的年轻演员获演主角。
be cast in the role of：被安排／分配扮演……角色，其中in the role of表示“充当……角色”
aristocrat /'ærɪstəkræt/：someone who belongs to the highest social class贵族（成员），如：Can't you see he just wants to play the aristocrat? 你看不出他就是想扮出一副贵族派头吗？
imprison/ɪm'prɪz(ə)n/：to put someone in prison or to keep them somewhere and prevent them from leaving监禁；禁锢，如：The government imprisoned all opposition leaders. 政府把反对派领导人全部监禁起来。
Bastille：巴士底狱，曾是法国巴黎的监狱。
In the last act：在最后一幕中。戏剧中act表示“幕”，scene表示“场”，比如：ActⅠ, Scene Ⅱ表示“第Ⅰ幕第Ⅱ场”。
gaoler /'dʒeɪlə/：监狱看守；监狱长，如：The kind gaoler agreed to post the letter for the prisoner. 好心的看守答应帮犯人寄信。
come on：在表演或比赛中常用来表示“轮到上场／上台”，如：The next player came out.轮到下一运动员出场了。
hand to：交给，递给，常用搭配：hand sb. sth.或hand sth. to sb.如：Could you hand me the book?你可以把那本书递给我吗？
【熟词僻义】expect：①If you expect something, or expect a person to do something, you believe that it is your right to have that thing, or the person's duty to do it for you. 期待，如：I do expect to have some time to myself in the evenings. 我真期待晚上能有点儿自己的时间。②You say "I expect" to suggest that a statement is probably correct, or a natural consequence of the present situation, although you have no definite knowledge. 我想，如：I expect you can guess what follows. 我想你能猜出下面会发生什么。③If you tell someone not to expect something, you mean that the thing is unlikely to happen as they have planned or imagined, and they should not hope that it will. 指望，如：You cannot expect to like all the people you will work with. 你不能指望喜欢所有和你一起工作的人。
【语法小学堂】he always insisted that it should be written out in full.本句中insist后接宾语从句，常使用虚拟语气should+动词原形，如：He insists that Mary should go with him.他坚决认为玛丽应该跟他一起走
in full:全部地、全数地。副词短语作状语，如：You should read the book in full.你应全篇阅读这本书。
参考译文：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。
④One 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.
play a joke on：戏弄某人；对…恶作剧；开…的玩笑，如：Although he is our inferior , please don't play a joke on him. 尽管他是我们的下属，但不要拿他开玩笑。
colleague /'kɒliːg/：someone you work with – used especially by professional people同事，同僚〔尤为专业人士所用〕，如：She discussed the idea with some of her colleagues. 她和几位同事讨论了这个想法。
curtain /'kɜːt(ə)n/：a sheet of heavy material that comes down at the front of the stage in a theatre〔舞台上的〕幕，帷幕，如：Before the curtain went up, the dancers took their places on stage. 幕拉起之前，舞蹈演员都在舞台上站好了位置。
reveal /rɪ'viːl/：to show something that was previously hidden展现，显露，如：The curtain opened to reveal the grand prize. 大幕拉开，大奖展现在眼前。
cell /sel/：a small room in a prison or police station where prisoners are kept〔监狱或警察局里的〕牢房，小囚室，如：He spent a night in the cells at the local police station. 他在当地警察局的小囚室里过了一晚上。
【难句解析】The curtain went up on the final act of the play and revealed the aristocrat sitting alone behind bars in his dark cell. ①...on the final act of the play：作时间状语，修饰动词went up；②...sitting alone behind bars in his dark cell：现在分词短语作定语，修饰aristocrat。
present sth. to sb.把某物交给（呈递给）某人，如：The secretary presents the documents to the boss.秘书把文件呈递给老板。
blank /blæŋk/: without any writing, print, or recorded sound无字迹的；空白的，如：Leave the last page blank . 最后一页留空。
【语法小学堂】…anxious to see if his fellow actor had at last learnt his lines：本句中，anxious to …是作gaoler的伴随状语。
关于形容词作状语的用法，参考：http://www.yygrammar.com/Article/201009/1751.html
squint/skwɪnt/:to look at something with your eyes partly closed in order to see better眯起眼睛看，如：Anna squinted in the sudden bright sunlight. 太阳光突然变强，安娜眯起了眼睛。文中squinting his eyes为现在分词短语作方式状语，修饰said
dim /dɪm/: fairly dark or not giving much light, so that you cannot see well阴暗的，昏暗的，如：a dim glow 昏暗的微光
【难句解析】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.'：Finding that…现在分词引导的宾语从句，作原因状语，表明replied动作的原因
sire /saɪə/：old use used when speaking to a king陛下〔对国王的尊称〕，如：The people await you, sire. 臣民在恭候您，陛下。
Much to the aristocrat's amusement,…：使贵族感到非常可笑的是……，much to + sb’s sth.：给某人带来很大的……
proceed /prə'siːd/：to continue to do something that has already been planned or started继续进行，继续做，如：He proceeded to tell me of my birth.他接着给我讲了我的出生。
参考译文：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。
Summary writing：(last paragraph)
用不多于80个单词描述大幕拉开最后一幕戏后的故事发展。（摘自新概念英语教师用书新版3）
The aristocrat was sitting in his cell when the gaoler entered and handed him the letter — a blank sheet of paper. The aristocrat looked at it, squinted and said: 'The light is dim. Read the letter to me.' He handed the letter back to the gaoler, who said: ' The light is indeed dim, I’ll get my glasses. ' He left the stage and returned with a pair of glasses and the real letter, which he read to the prisoner.
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