双城记-第1课

背景知识 

1. 作者介绍

查尔斯·狄更斯（Charles Dickens, 1812-1870）是一名英国小说家，通常被认为是维多利亚时代最伟大的作家。他的著作包括《圣诞颂歌》《大卫·科波菲尔》《双城记》等。他的父亲是一名办公室职员，收入丰厚，但他的铺张浪费和不称职经常给家庭带来经济困难。1824年，这个家庭跌到了谷底。狄更斯开始在一家工厂从事体力劳动，他的父亲因债务入狱。这让狄更斯对穷人的生活有了同情了解，影响了他的写作。

2. 故事简介

1775年，在巴黎一家酒馆的楼上，一位白发男人正忙着做鞋。他曾在巴士底狱当了 18 年的囚徒。在一辆去巴黎的车上坐着路茜，这是他从未见过面的女儿。路茜把父亲带回了伦敦，在女儿的爱心和照料之下，他忘掉了过去并学会了像一个自由人那样去生活。然而在法国大革命的暴风雨年代，过去既没有消失也没有被忘掉。不久，过去的危险秘密地把路茜和她所爱的人们带回了巴黎……那儿恐怖的死亡机器——断头台正饥饿地等候着法兰西的敌人们。

故事原文 

A Tale of Two Cities L1

双城记 L1

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. It was the season of light, it was the season of darkness. It was the spring of hope, it was the winter of sadness. It was the year one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five.

那是最好的年代，也是最糟的年代。那是光明的时节，也是黑暗的时节。那是希望的春季，也是悲伤的冬日。那是公元1775年。

In France there was a King and a Queen, and in England there was a King and a Queen. They believed that nothing would ever change.(1) But in France things were bad, and getting worse.(2) The people were poor, hungry and unhappy. The King made paper money and spent it, and the people had nothing to eat. Behind closed doors in the homes of the people, voices spoke in whispers against the King and his noblemen; they were only whispers, but they were the angry whispers of desperate people.(3)

那时的法国有国王和王后，英国也有国王和王后。他们相信什么事情都不会改变。但是法国的境况很糟糕，而且是每况愈下。人民在贫穷、饥饿和不幸中生活。国王发行纸币进行挥霍，而百姓却要忍饥挨饿。在门户紧闭的家中，人们悄声地谈论着反对国王和他的贵族们的话题。它们只是低声的密谈，但却是绝望中的人们愤怒的声音。

Late one November night, in that same year 1775, a coach going from London to Dover, stopped at the top of a long hill. The horses were tired, but as they rested, the driver heard another horse coming fast up the hill behind them. The rider stopped his horse beside the coach and shouted:

就在那1775年11月的一个深夜，一辆从伦敦赶往多佛的马车停在了一条绵延的山丘的顶部。马匹都已经很累了，但在它们休息时，赶车人听到后面有另一匹马正急速地朝他们赶来。骑马人把马停在马车的旁边并喊道：

'I want a passenger, Mr Jarvis Lorry, from Tellson's Bank in London.'

“我要找伦敦台尔森银行来的贾维斯·劳里先生。”

'I am Mr Jarvis Lorry,' said one of the passengers, putting his head out of the window. 'What do you want?'

“我就是贾维斯·劳里先生，”车内的一位乘客从车窗探出头来说道。“有什么事吗？”

'It's me! Jerry, Jerry Cruncher, from Tellson's Bank, sir,' cried the man on the horse.

“是我！杰里，杰里·克拉彻，从台尔森银行来的，先生，”马上的人喊道。

'What's the matter, Jerry?' called Mr Lorry.

“什么事，杰里？”劳里先生问道。

'A message for you, Mr Lorry. You've got to wait at Dover for a young lady.'

“捎个信儿给您，劳里先生，您得在多佛等候一位年轻女士。”

'Very well, Jerry,' said Mr Lorry. 'Tell them my answer is CAME BACK TO LIFE.'(4)

“好吧，杰里，”劳里先生说。“告诉他们，就说我的答复是'活过来' ”。

It was a strange message, and a stranger answer. No one in the coach understood what they meant.

口信儿是奇特的，而答复就更奇特了。马车上的人都不明白他们在说什么。

 （原文中出现高光标示内容请见核心语言点）

核心语言点 

1. ever 曾经，任何时候，任何时间

    一般用于疑问句，否定句，比较级等

    hardly ever 几乎不……

    比较级+ than ever 比以前更……

例句：Nothing ever seems to upset him. 似乎没什么能让他沮丧的。

           I hardly ever drink. 我几乎不喝酒。

           I hardly ever smoke. 我几乎不抽烟。

          The smell is worse than ever. 这气味比以前更加难闻了。

          The film was better than ever. 这电影比之前的好。

2. worse 更坏的，更糟糕的

    get worse 加重，变得更糟，每况愈下

    There’s nothing worse than... 没有什么比……更糟糕

例句：The conditions Holmes’s living in are worse than we thought.

           福尔摩斯的居住条件比我们想象的更糟糕。

           Your cold seems to be getting worse.

           你的感冒似乎在加重。

           There’s nothing worse than an amputated spirit.

           没有什么比精神残废更加可怕。

3. noblemen （男）贵族

    noble 高尚的，伟大的，贵族的，显贵的

    noble ideals 伟大理想

    a noble gesture 一个高姿态

    noble family/blood/birth 显赫的家庭/贵族血统/出身贵族

4. come back to life 活过来，复苏，醒过来

    life 生活，生命，生活方式

    private/working life 私人生活/职业生涯

例句：He doesn’t know what he really wants in life.

          他不知道自己在生活中真正想要的是什么。

          Cats are supposed to have nine lives.

          据说猫有九条命。

          I left home when I was young and went to other cities to see life.

         我年轻时离家去闯荡世界。

         Teaching has been her life.

         教书已成为了她的生命。