The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare 单词提示 1.disguise 伪装 2.pleading 恳求 3.scale 天平 4.hooray 万岁 5.slammed his fist 砸下他的拳头 原文 CHAPTER FOUR: The Trial When the trial began, Portia gave the Duke of Venice a letter. The letter was from Bellario. It said that he could not be Antonio's lawyer because he was sick. Bellario wrote that Balthasar would be Antonio's lawyer instead. Balthasar was actually Portia in disguise. The Duke didn't mind that Balthasar would represent Antonio. He did wonder, however, if Balthasar was experienced enough. "He"looked very young. Portia looked around the huge courtroom. Shylock seemed to be enjoying his day in court. Antonio looked at her with begging eyes. Portia then looked over at her husband. Bassanio didn't realize that Balthasar was actually his wife, either. As the trial began, the room grew quiet. Portia spoke to Shylock first. "Sir.According to the agreement, you can take a pound of flesh from Antonio. There's no question about that. But I want to remind you of another choice. Of a more noble choice. You could choose to be merciful. You may ask, 'What is mercy?' Well,I'll tell you. Mercy is like the gentle rain. It falls from heaven. It blesses everyone. It blesses the person who gives mercy and the person who takes it. Mercy makes you feel like a king. You have all of the power in the world. You have the power to give Antonio his life. It is only through mercy that you can do this." All of the citizens in the courtroom agreed with Portia. Everyone except for Shylock. "I don't care about mercy! I only want justice!" he yelled. "Well, why don't you just allow Antonio to pay you back?" "It's too late for that now. I don't want money. I want my pound of flesh. Read the contract. It says that I can take the pound of flesh. And it says that I can take it from the place nearest to his heart." "Antonio,you must get ready to die, then," said Portia. Everyone in the crowd gasped. They couldn't believe what they were hearing. "Shylock,"said Portia in a pleading voice, "please, take this money and let me tear up the loan contract." Shylock said, "I will never change my mind. Not for any reason." He began sharpening his long knife. He couldn't wait to cut into Antonio. Portia turned to Antonio. "Do you have anything to say before you die?" "No,"said Antonio. "I am ready to die." Then he turned to Bassanio. "Goodbye,my friend. Don't blame yourself for my death." Bassanio was crying. "Oh,Antonio. I would do anything to save your life. But there's nothing I can do.I'm so sorry. You are the best friend in the world." "Enough of this," yelled Shylock. "Let's get on with it. I want my pound of flesh." Portia asked the Duke, "Is the scale ready?" The Duke nodded. "Is the doctor here?" "What doctor?" asked Shylock. "There should be a doctor here. Antonio shouldn't bleed to death." But,of course, Shylock wanted him to bleed to death. "The contract says nothing about a doctor." "But surely we need a doctor here. It's the only decent thing to do!" "The contract says nothing about a doctor," Shylock repeated. "Alright,"said Portia. "A pound of flesh is yours. The law allows it. The court awards it." Shylock was very happy that he could finally kill his enemy. He was very pleased with the young lawyer. "You are such a good lawyer," he said. "You understand justice." Shylock picked up his sharp knife. It was bright and shiny. The moneylender had an evil look in his eyes. "Come here," he said to Antonio. "Just a minute," said Portia. "There is another thing I need to tell you.This contract doesn't give you a drop of blood. If Antonio loses a drop of blood,you will break the law. The City of Venice will take all of your money and land. Do you understand?" Shylock didn't know what to say. Everything had changed. He couldn't possibly get his revenge now. His face turned red with anger. Everyone was very impressed with this young lawyer. "Balthasar"used the terms of the contract to save Antonio. There was no mention of blood in the contract. Shylock could not take any blood. Therefore,he couldn't take any flesh, either. The people in the courtroom clapped their hands. "Hooray for Balthasar!" Shylock slammed his fist against the table. "Well,where's my money, then? If I can't have my pound of flesh, I want my money." "Here it is." Bassanio happily threw him a bag with three thousand ducats inside. Shylock began to walk away. "Not so fast." said Portia. "You tried to murder someone. By law, you must give all of your money to the City of Venice. You could also be killed. You are at the mercy of the Duke of Venice. Get down on your hands and knees. Beg him for forgiveness." "No,"said the Duke. "I don't think anyone should have to beg for their life. It isn't right. I must make an important decision, and I must think about it carefully. I want Shylock thrown in jail tonight. Tomorrow I will tell you what his punishment will be." Everyone left the courthouse that afternoon. They walked through the streets talking about the trial. No one could remember a more unusual day.

听前提示 一、三遍英文，一遍中文，再一遍英文。 二、从听懂的词入手，理解句子含义。 三、根据中英文意思，听不懂的多听几遍。 原文 171. I ran as fast as possible to catch up with him. 我尽力追赶他。 172. After reading his books I feel I can construct a house. 读完他的书后，我觉得我能建一栋房子。 173. I am looking forward to hearing from you soon. 我期待很快就能收到你的信。 174. I used to play alone when I was a child. 我小时候常常独自玩耍。 175. The students were for the most part from the West Coast. 大部分的学生来自西海岸。 176. I couldn't have done it without you. Thank you. 没有你我无法做到，谢谢。 177. The old houses were torn down to make room for a supermarket. 这栋老房子被拆了，好腾出地方给超市。 178. He was kind enough to take me to the hospital. 他好心地把我送到医院。 179. I haven't had time to look for what you wanted. 我没时间找你想要的东西。 180. I am looking for a present for my mother. 我正在为我的妈妈寻找礼物。

听前提示 一、每期提供10个单词，每个单词都会有2-3个例句，方便理解记忆。 二、每个单词和句子都会重复5遍，其中第2遍为慢速，有助于识别。 三、本材料的整体难度较低，可以用来听力磨耳朵和单词查漏补缺。 Day 9 81. Allow vt.允许，准许；承认；给予；（for)考虑到 Allow me to introduce myself. 请允许我自我介绍一下。 They won't allow us to enter the garden. 他们不允许我们进入花园。 He doesn't allow his son to eat ice cream. 他不允许儿子吃冰淇淋。 His parents won't allow him to stay out late. 他的父母不允许他在外面呆到很晚。 Her health has improved sufficiently to allow her to return to work. 她的健康状况已大大改善，足以让她重返工作岗位。 82. Ally n.同盟国；盟友，支持者；v.与……结盟，与……联合 I want to be your ally, not your enemy. 我想成为你的盟友，而不是你的敌人。 He is a close ally of the Prime Minister. 他是总理的亲密盟友。 83. Almost adv.几乎，差不多 We're almost there. 我们快到了。 There's almost nothing in the fridge. 冰箱里几乎什么都没有。 Almost everyone here can speak English. 这里几乎每个人都能说英语。 The insect's wings are almost transparent. 昆虫的翅膀几乎是透明的。 84. Alone adj.独自的；单独的；孤独的 adv.独自，单独； Please leave me alone! 请别管我！ She is scared of going out alone. 她害怕一个人出去。 He lives alone and often feels lonely. 他一个人住，常常感到孤独。 It scared me to think I was alone in the building. 以为我一个人呆在大楼里真是太吓坏了。 85. Along prep.沿着，顺着；adv.向前；一起，一道； We walked along the beach. 我们沿着海滩散步。 Do you get along with your boss? 你和你的老板相处得好吗？ I found it difficult to get along with him. 我发现很难和他相处。 86. Aloud adv.大声地，出声地 She read the letter aloud to us. 她大声朗读了给我们的信。 I could not stop myself from crying aloud. 我无法阻止自己大声哭泣。 87. Alphabet n.字母表；基本要素；初步，入门 The English alphabet has 26 letters. 英文字母表有26个字母。 A is the first letter of the alphabet. A是字母表的第一个字母。 Can you say the alphabet in reverse order? 你能用相反的顺序说出字母表吗？ 88. Already adv.已经，早已；马上，够了 Have you already read this book? 你已经读过这本书了吗？ She has already left the office. 她已经离开办公室了。 We've already ordered food and drinks. 我们已经订购了食物和饮料。 89. Alternative n.可供选择的事物，替代物adj.可替代的，备选的； We have no alternative but to fire him. 我们别无选择，只能解雇他。 80. Although conj.虽然，尽管；但是，然而 Although he has many friends, he is lonely. 尽管他有很多朋友，但他很孤独。 Although she lives nearby, I rarely see her. 虽然她住在附近，但我很少见到她。 Although he's young, he's an outstanding doctor. 尽管他还年轻，但他是一位出色的医生。

词汇提示 1.baptized 洗礼 2.buried 下葬 3.worship 崇敬 4.sermon 布道 5.ushers 引座员 6.choir 合唱团 7.hymns 赞美诗 原文 Sunday Morning at Church Every Sunday is a holiday, or half-holiday, in North America. Some stores may be open, but banks, offices, and government services are usually closed. Sunday closing has a Christian origin. Christians believe that Jesus Christ rose from the dead on a Sunday morning. So Sunday is known as the "Lord's Day." About 30 or 35% of North Americans attend church regularly on Sunday mornings. About the same percentage attend church occasionally. At Christmas and Easter the churches are very full, as people celebrate these two important holy days. Nearly everybody goes to church at least three times. They are baptized or dedicated as a child. Most people are married in a church, and many people are buried after a church service. Church services are usually held Sunday mornings, often at 11:00 am, although there may also be evening services provided. Most services last an hour. Their purpose is to worship God and to help people focus on religious and moral beliefs. The service is led by a pastor, minister or priest who usually also looks after the people and the business of the church. It is the pastor who delivers the sermon, a twenty-minute talk on a religious or moral matter. Usually members take part in the service. They may lead the singing, read from the Bible, offer prayers for the congregation, take up the collection, or act as ushers. Most churches also have a choir, a group of singers who lead in singing the hymns. There are many cultural traditions connected to going to church. People normally wear their best clothing, and try to be on their best behavior. Talking or making noise in church is usually considered bad. This is why children often have a separate "children's church" or Sunday school, where they can be more like children. The Sunday service is the main weekly event at many churches. But nowadays there are a growing number of large "super-churches" which organize all kinds of activities for their members. These churches usually have large buildings and a large staff to plan and lead various activities. These might include prayer group, counseling and social work, youth programs,social action, fund-raising events, etc. Many large churches have gymnasiums for regular sports activities. At the same time, "house churches" are also becoming very popular. Sometimes a group will meet in a house until they have the money to buy a church. But many people say they prefer to meet in small groups. That way, they get to know one another better. Then they feel comfortable sharing their problems and successes, and praying for each other. Some say that large churches can interfere with getting close to God and other Christians. There are many different "brands" of Christianity The largest single denomination in North America is Roman Catholicism. Other large Christian "brands" are Episcopalian, Methodist, Baptist, Pentecostal,Lutheran and Presbyterian. All have slightly different traditions and beliefs. Although in the past, these groups have often been in conflict with one another, today they usually cooperate in working together for their members and the community. 翻译 星期日早晨在教堂 在北美，每个星期天都是假期或半日假期。 一些商店可能会开门，但银行、办公室和政府服务部门通常会关门。 星期日关门与基督教有关。 基督徒相信耶稣基督在一个星期天的早晨死而复生。 所以星期天被称为“主日”。 大约30%或35%的北美人在周日早上定期去教堂。 大约同样比例的人偶尔去教堂。 在圣诞节和复活节，教堂里挤满了人，因为人们庆祝这两个重要的神圣日子。 几乎每个人都至少去教堂三次。 他们在孩童时期受洗或献身。 大多数人在教堂举行婚礼，许多人在教堂仪式后下葬。 教堂礼拜通常在周日早上举行，通常在上午11点，尽管也可能有晚上的礼拜。 大多数服务持续一小时。 他们的目的是敬拜上帝，帮助人们专注于宗教和道德信仰。 仪式由牧师、牧师或神父主持，他们通常也会照顾教堂的会众和事务。 布道是由牧师来做的，一个关于宗教或道德问题的二十分钟的演讲。 通常会员会参加这项服务。 他们可能带领唱诗，诵读圣经，为会众祷告，收集收藏品，或充当引座员。 大多数教堂也有唱诗班，这是一群唱圣歌的歌手。 有许多文化传统与去教堂有关。 人们通常穿着最好的衣服，并努力表现出最好的行为。 在教堂里说话或制造噪音通常被认为是不好的。 这就是为什么孩子们经常有一个单独的“儿童教堂”或主日学校，在那里他们可以更像孩子。 星期日礼拜是许多教堂每周的主要活动。 但是现在有越来越多的大型“超级教会”为其成员组织各种各样的活动。 这些教堂通常有很大的建筑和大量的工作人员来计划和领导各种活动。 这些活动可能包括祷告小组、咨询和社会工作、青少年项目、社会行动、筹款活动等。 许多大型教堂都有体育馆，用于定期的体育活动。 与此同时，“家庭教会”也变得非常流行。 有时，一群人会在一所房子里聚会，直到他们有钱买一座教堂。 但是很多人说他们更喜欢小团体聚会。 这样，他们就能更好地了解彼此。 然后他们会很舒服地分享他们的问题和成功，并为彼此祈祷。 有人说，大型教堂会妨碍人们接近上帝和其他基督徒。 基督教有许多不同的“品牌” 北美最大的单一教派是罗马天主教。 其他大型基督教“品牌”有圣公会、卫理公会、浸信会、五旬节、路德会和长老会。 它们都有略微不同的传统和信仰。 虽然在过去，这些团体经常相互冲突，但今天他们通常合作，为成员和社区共同努力。

The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare 单词提示 1.trembled 发抖 2.will 遗嘱 3.greedy 贪婪 4.gem 珠宝 5.nasty 肮脏 原文 CHAPTER THREE: The Debt A few days later, a messenger arrived at Portia and Bassanio's house. Bassanio received the letter and opened it. It read: Dear Bassanio. My ships have all sunk. I am in big trouble. Shylock wants to take a pound of flash from me. Everyone has tried to talk him out of it. Even the Duke of Venice has tried. But no one has had any success. I am going to die. Please come to my trial and execution. I want to see you once more. Come quickly. I don' I have much time. Your friend Antonio. As Bassanio read the note, his face turned white. He had to sit down. His hands trembled. Portia ran to him. "What is it? What's wrong? Please! Answer me!" "Oh!My poor friend Antonio! He's going to die! Portia, listen to me carefully. I amnot only a poor man. I am a debtor as well." Bassanio told her all about the money and the pound of flesh. A chill ran through Portia's body. She couldn't believe that a man wanted to cut a pound of flesh from someone. "Bassanio,go to your friend right away," she said." You are my husband now. My money is your money. You must pay back Antonio's debt. I'll give you two times the original loan. Go quickly before Antonio is killed." Bassanio put a lot of money in a bag and left for Venice. He found Antonio in prison. When he saw his friend, Antonio ran to him and hugged him. Antonio looked small and weak. "My dear friend," said Bassanio. "I'll go to Shylock today and pay back the money. I'm sure he'll take it and then you can go free. After all, he is very greedy. He won't say no to money." "Dear Bassanio," said Antonio. "You are loo kind. But I think it's too late. Shylock wants a pound of flesh from me. According to the loan agreement,that's what I owe him. You won't be able to talk him out of it." "He's never refused money before." "This time it's different. He hates me so much that he wants to kill me. And to make matters worse, Jessica ran away from home." "Jessica?Do you mean Shylock's daughter?" "That's right. She married the young man who was living in your parents' house. The Christian boy. She is going to give up her religion and become a Christian. And when she ran away from home, she stole a gem from Shylock, too." "Oh!That's terrible," said Bassanio. "He probably thinks that I made her marry the Christian. But I have nothing to do with it. I swear! He's really mad! He cut Jessica out of his will. And, for the past few days, Shylock's been talking about me. He's told everyone that he's going to kill me." "Don't worry about that," said Bassanio. "I'll talk to Shylock. I'll make him change his mind. I'll do whatever I need to." Bassanio went out of the prison and found Shylock. "Please,I beg you. Please spare Antonio's life. Please, please release him from prison.Here's six thousand ducats. That's twice the amount we borrowed in the first place." Bassanio begged on his hands and knees. "No.I want a pound of flesh. He owes me that." "I'll give you nine thousand ducats. Just let him live!" "No." "Name your price. I'll pay you anything." "I want a pound of flesh." Bassanio realized that Shylock would not change his mind. There was only one thing that he could do. He had to go to court. At that time, everyone of Venice was talking about the problem. Everyone felt sorry for Antonio. He had only wanted to help a friend. And everyone hated Shylock. He was such an evil man. More than being evil, however, he was angry. He was angry with Antonio. Antonio had always spoken roughly to him at the Rialto. He had cursed Shylock for being a Jew. He had yelled at him for being a mean and greedy businessman. Shylock was also very angry about his daughter. His whole world was a dark and nasty place. And he had nothing but hatred in his heart for these two Christians, Antonio and Bassanio. A date was set for the trial. It was a very important trial. Even the Duke of Venice was involved. He would be the judge. Meanwhile,in Belmont, Portia heard about the trial. She decided that she had to help poor Antonio. She could not rely on fate to change the course of events. Portia wrote a letter to her cousin, Bellario. He was a well-known lawyer. She asked for his opinion about Antonio's case. She also asked him to lend her the clothes that he wore in court. A few days later, a letter and a box arrived in Belmont. The letter had instructions for defending Antonio. In the box were two sets of clothes that Bellario wore in court. Portia dressed in one set. She made Nerissa wear the other set. Then they left for Venice. Portia and Nerissa went to the Grand Courthouse of Venice. There,they waited for the trial to begin. On the day of trial, it seemed like every Venetian came to the court. Everyone wanted to know what would happen to Antonio.

听前提示 一、三遍英文，一遍中文，再一遍英文。 二、从听懂的词入手，理解句子含义。 三、根据中英文意思，听不懂的多听几遍。 原文 161. A group of young men are playing handball in the playground. 一群年轻人在操场上打手球。 162. I thought you'd be full after eating that big steak. 我觉得吃完那块大牛排你就饱了。 163. It is cruel of him to say such things to her. 他跟她说这样的话真是太残忍了。 164. My father will often read the newspaper during meals. 我父亲常在吃饭时看报纸。 165. We're out of tissue paper, so I need to go buy some. 卫生纸用完了，我必须去买。 166. It is more blessed to give than to receive. 赠与比接受更让人觉得幸福。 167. I find it difficult to express my meaning in words. 我觉得很难用言语表达我的意思。 168. This car was so cheap that he could afford it. 这车便宜得他也买得起。 169. He has spent ten years in jail for murder. 他因为谋杀案在牢里待了十年。 170. Our eyes take time to adjust to the darkness. 我们的眼睛需要时间来适应黑暗。

听前提示 一、每期提供10个单词，每个单词都会有2-3个例句，方便理解记忆。 二、每个单词和句子都会重复5遍，其中第2遍为慢速，有助于识别。 三、本材料的整体难度较低，可以用来听力磨耳朵和单词查漏补缺。 Day 8 71. Agree vi.同意；持相同意见 I partly agree with you. 我部分同意你的看法。 I don't agree with their policy. 我不同意他们的政策。 I'm pretty sure that he'll agree. 我很确定他会同意的。 72. Agreement n.协定，协议；同意 We have already reached an agreement. 我们已经达成协议。 Did you make a formal agreement with him? 你和他达成正式协议了吗？ I'm glad we're all in agreement about that. 我很高兴我们都同意这一点。 73. Ahead ad.在前；向前；提前 Go ahead with your story. 继续讲你的故事。 The road ahead was blocked. 前方的道路被封锁了。 We've got a lot of trouble ahead. 我们前面遇到了很多麻烦。 74. Aim vi.&n.瞄准，针对；致力；目标 His aim is to become a doctor. 他的目标是成为一名医生。 I always aim high to achieve my best. 我总是以高远的目标来实现自己的最佳状态。 She went to Silicon Valley with the aim of finding a job. 她去硅谷是为了找工作。 The primary aim of this course is to improve your spoken English. 本课程的主要目的是提高你的英语口语。 75. Airport n.机场，航空站 Let's go straight to the airport. 我们直接去机场吧。 I dropped her off at the airport. 我把她送到机场了。 How far is it from here to the airport? 从这里到机场有多远？ 76. Alarm n.惊恐，忧虑；警报 Turnoff the alarm clock please! 请把闹钟关掉！ Don't worry! It was a false alarm. 别担心！这是个错误的警报。 The fire alarm went off in the middle of the night. 火警在半夜响起。 77. Alarming adj.令人担忧的，令人恐惧的 v.使不安，使恐慌； The forests are disappearing at an alarming rate. 森林正在以惊人的速度消失。 There is an alarming increase in crime these years. 这些年来，犯罪率惊人地增加。 78. Alcohol n.酒精，乙醇 He doesn't drink alcohol. 他不喝酒。 Do you have alcohol-free drinks? 你有无酒精饮料吗？ Whisky contains a large percentage of alcohol. 威士忌含有很大比例的酒精。 79. Alcoholic adj.酒精的，含酒精的；酒精中毒的n.酗酒者，酒鬼 I don't like alcoholic drinks. 我不喜欢含酒精的饮料。 Her father has been an alcoholic for many years. 她父亲多年来一直是酒鬼。 80. Alive a.活着的；活跃的 Is the snake alive? 那条蛇还活着吗？ Is the mouse dead or alive? 老鼠死了还是活着？ He's alive, his heart is still beating. 他还活着，他的心脏还在跳动。

词汇提示 1.minstrel 吟游诗人 2.dialect 方言 3.melodies 旋律 4.folk songs 民歌 5.moderately 适当地 原文 Stephen Foster ? American Songwriter Before radio and television, movies and recordings, entertainment was often a family or community matter. Someone in the family could play a musical instrument, or a neighborhood musician would play for small gatherings. In addition, there would be travelling groups of musicians, actors and clowns who would go from town to town. In nineteenth century United States, one of the most popular forms of entertainment was the minstrel show. Black slavery was still permitted in the southern states until 1865. Even after that date, the lives of many blacks working on large farms or plantations did not change much. They did hard physical labor in the fields, had little control over their lives, and very little time to relax with their friends. Foster,who was born in 1826, made this situation the background for many of his songs. White musicians would try to imagine the feelings of black men and women working on the plantations. They would write songs in the dialect or speech patterns that they thought black slaves used. In these songs, the black people would be talking about their hardships, falling in love, playing music and dancing, and finally growing old and dying. They would play musical instruments, like the banjo, a small four-stringed guitar, which black people played often. As a small boy, Stephen Foster had sometimes been taken to a black church by his family's black servant, Olivia Pise. Here he first heard the melodies that inspired his own songs. Only a couple of Foster's songs are based directly on "Negro spirituals;" but many of his songs have the natural simplicity and emotional power of folk songs. The youngest member of a large family, Foster showed his musical talent at an early age. Growing up in an energetic business family Stephen was expected to become a businessman. And,for a while, he worked as a book keeper. Foster attended minstrel shows and tried to get the performers to sing his songs. Sometimes the performers would steal his songs and publish them under their own names. Copyright laws were weak and rarely enforced,so some music publishers would just go ahead and publish a song without paying the songwriter. Since Foster hoped to make a living as a songwriter, this was a problem. Foster's first hit song was "Oh!Susanna" published in 1848. It became popular with the thousands of men from all over the United States who were heading west to the Californian gold-rush of 1849. Unfortunately,as an unknown song writer Foster received no money from his early songs. He seems to have given them out right to the music publishers, just to establish his reputation. Foster's name, however, was soon widely known,and in 1849 he was able to afford to give up book keeping, and marry the daughter of a Pittsburgh physician. During the next five years, he earned a moderately good income from songwriting. In 1851, a daughter Marion was born. Foster wrote many of his best-known songs at this time - "Old Folks at Home"in 1851;"My Old Kentucky Home" in 1853, and "Jeanie With the Light Brown Hair" in 1854. Difficulties in Foster's marriage began fairly soon. He spent days locked in his room working on his songs. Then he would rush out with his materials to the local music store, presumably to test out the songs on his friends. Eventually,his wife and daughter left him. Foster died alone in a rooming house in 1864. However,there were very few typically American songs. Foster provided many songs that expressed the life of nineteenth century U.S.A. In a sense, Foster helped to create roots for American popular music. 翻译 斯蒂芬·福斯特?美国作曲家 在广播、电视、电影和唱片出现之前，娱乐通常是家庭或社区事务。 家里有人可以演奏乐器，或者邻里音乐家会在小型聚会上演奏。 此外，还有由音乐家、演员和小丑组成的巡回团体，他们会从一个城镇到另一个城镇。 在19世纪的美国，最流行的娱乐形式之一是吟游诗人表演。 直到1865年，南方各州仍然允许蓄奴。 即使在那之后，许多在大农场或种植园工作的黑人的生活也没有太大改变。 他们在地里干着繁重的体力劳动，对自己的生活几乎没有控制权，很少有时间和朋友们一起放松。 福斯特出生于1826年，他的许多歌曲都以这种情况为背景。 白人音乐家试图想象在种植园工作的黑人男女的感受。 他们会用他们认为黑人奴隶使用的方言或语言模式来写歌。 在这些歌曲中，黑人会谈论他们的苦难，恋爱，演奏音乐和跳舞，最后变老和死亡。 他们会演奏乐器，比如班卓琴，一种黑人经常演奏的四弦小吉他。 斯蒂芬·福斯特小时候，有时会被家里的黑人仆人奥利维亚·皮斯带到黑人教堂。 在这里，他第一次听到了启发他创作自己歌曲的旋律。 福斯特的歌曲中只有几首是直接取材于“黑人灵歌”，但他的许多歌曲都具有民歌的自然质朴和情感力量。 作为一个大家庭中最小的成员，福斯特在很小的时候就展示了他的音乐天赋。 斯蒂芬生长在一个充满活力的商业家庭，人们期望他成为一名商人。 有一段时间，他做过簿记员。 福斯特参加了吟游诗人的演出，并试图让表演者唱他的歌。 有时表演者会窃取他的歌曲，并以自己的名义发表。 版权法很弱，很少被执行，所以一些音乐出版商会直接出版一首歌，而不付钱给词曲作者。 由于福斯特希望以写歌为生，这就成了一个问题。 福斯特的第一首热门歌曲是《哦!苏珊娜》出版于1848年。 1849年，成千上万的美国人从美国各地前往西部的加利福尼亚淘金热，这个词受到了他们的欢迎。 不幸的是，作为一个不知名的词曲作者，福斯特没有从他早期的歌曲中获得任何收入。 他似乎把版权给了音乐出版商，只是为了树立自己的声誉。 然而，福斯特的名字很快就广为人知了，1849年，他放弃了簿记工作，娶了匹兹堡一位医生的女儿。 在接下来的五年里，他从写歌中获得了相当不错的收入。 1851年，女儿玛丽昂出生了。 福斯特在这个时期创作了许多他最著名的歌曲——1851年的《家里的老人》;1853年的《我的肯塔基老家》和1854年的《浅棕色头发的珍妮》。 福斯特的婚姻很快就出现了问题。 他一连几天把自己锁在房间里写歌。 然后，他会带着他的材料冲到当地的音乐商店，大概是为了在他的朋友们身上测试这些歌曲。 最终，他的妻子和女儿离开了他。 1864年，福斯特独自一人在一间公寓里去世。 然而，很少有典型的美国歌曲。 福斯特创作了许多表达19世纪美国生活的歌曲 从某种意义上说，福斯特为美国流行音乐奠定了基础。

The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare 单词提示 1.grumbled 发牢骚 2.dearly 极高的 3.insulted 辱骂 4.spat 吐口水，口角 5.cheapskate 小气鬼 6.gasped 喘气 7.swear 发誓 原文 CHAPTER TWO: The Loan Meanwhile,in Venice, Antonio and Bassanio found Shylock. He was at the Rialto, as usual. "Shylock,I have a request for you," said Antonio. "I'd like you to loan three thousand ducats to my best friend, Bassanio. I will sign the contract. I'll happily pay you back in a few days. I'll have plenty of money when my ships arrive." "I have an idea," said Bassanio. "Why don't we go out to dinner? We can talk more about this loan. " "I never eat with Christians," grumbled Shylock. "I may lend them money or do business with them. But I don't eat with them. Not ever!" "Very well," said Bassanio. "Why don't you just lend me the money, then?You know that Antonio will pay you back." As Shylock listened to Antonio and Bassanio, he became angrier and angrier. How foolish these two men were! They knew how much he hated them. And yet they were asking him for a loan! He was determined to make Antonio pay dearly. "Shylock!"yelled Antonio, "Are you going to lend us the money or not? Answer me!" Shylock answered him slowly. "Do you remember all of those times that you insulted me in a loud voice that everyone could hear? You once spat on me and called me a dog. And now you want to borrow money from me, a dog!" "Look!I'm not asking you a favor. You can charge me any interest you want. I don't mind. My ships will arrive any day now." "Alright,Antonio. I'm willing to lend you the money. I won't even charge you any interest. Just pay me back the loan on time." Antonio couldn't believe his ears. "What did you say?" "I said you didn't know me. You always call me a cheapskate, but I am not. I will help you. I won't even charge you a single ducat. However, there's something I'm worried about. What if you don't pay me back?" "Don't worry, Shylock. I'll pay you back." "Well,I need some kind of a guarantee, don't I? Three thousand ducats is a lot of money. If you don't pay me back on time, I want a pound of flesh. I'll take a pound of flesh from any part of your body." Antonio didn't like what Shylock proposed. "No.I'd rather pay you interest if I'm late on the payment." "I'm afraid that's no good," said Shylock as he laughed. "Do you think I'd take money from a fellow moneylender? Besides, this contract is only a joke! Do you think that any lawyer or judge would believe me? Would they really believe that I want a pound of your flesh? You don't have to worry about anything! It's my way of saying the bad feelings of the past between us are finished." Antonio pulled Bassanio aside and spoke to him secretly. "I don't want to do business with this man. He's evil. And I know that he'd take the pound of flesh from me if he could. Let's see if somebody else will lend us the money." But Bassanio had other ideas. "Who else in Venice can lend me this much money? Besides, this man is crazy. Don't worry about the guarantee. Nobody would make you pay a pound of flesh! Everyone will think he's nuts!" So,Antonio agreed to the conditions of the loan. The three men went to a lawyer and signed an agreement. A strange smile came over Shylock's face. In fact, Shylock wanted to take a pound of flesh from Antonio. He'd hated Antonio for so long. And he lost a lot of money because of this generous moneylender. Bassanio took the money that Antonio had borrowed although he had a bad feeling about the loan contract. He bought many gifts and clothes that he needed to propose to Portia. He then loaded the gifts into a carriage. He and his servant, Gratiano, went to Portia's house with the carriage. When Bassanio arrived, Portia was delighted. She had hoped that he would return for her. She was in love with him. "Portia,I'm so happy to see you again," said Bassanio. "But I have something awful to tell you. I'm broke. I have no money." "Bassanio!Don't worry about that! I have all of the money we need. Money means nothing tome. The only thing you have to worry about is choosing the right box. Then, we can live happily ever after." Portia told Bassanio about her father's contract. "Alright.I'll go choose the box now." Portia started to worry. What if he chose the wrong box? "Don't choose today. I have a bad feeling. I want you to wait." "Wait!But the sooner I choose, the sooner I can marry you. I can't wait any longer." "Then let me hire a musician. Maybe the music will help you think more clearly." A little while later, a musician came. He began to play soothing music. Bassanio slowly walked over to the golden chest. He looked at it carefully. "This can't be it," he said to himself. "It's too obvious. Everyone would choose the golden one first. I think Portia's father wanted to separate the wise men from the fools." Then,he walked over to the silver chest. "If men didn't choose the golden chest, then they would choose this one. That's obvious, as well." Bassanio's eyes settled on the lead chest. "This is the least obvious choice. I don't think anyone else would choose this one." He opened the box. He gasped. He couldn't believe his eyes! Int he box was a small picture of Portia. Bassanio could now marry her! He was so happy that he couldn't even speak. Portia put her arms around him and said, "Oh, Bassanio! I'm the luckiest woman in the world. Yesterday, I was just a girl with a lot of money. Today, I'll be a wife. Please, take this ring and show me you will accept my proposal. Put it on and promise me that you'll never take it off." "I am lucky, too," said Bassanio. "Yesterday, I was poor and lonely. Today,I will be married to the most beautiful woman in the world. I promise that I'll wear this ring forever. Until I die! I swear!" It was a very happy moment. Gratiano felt that it was a good time to ask Bassanio something. "Since you're getting married, I'd like to get married, too." "Well,that's wonderful," said Bassanio. "But who are you going to marry?" "I want to marry Nerissa." Bassanio and Portia were very surprised. "I didn't know you wanted to get married, Nerissa," cried Portia. "This is a great day!" That evening the couples got married. Bassanio and Gratiano wore golden rings that they promised never to take off. They were the happiest men in the world.

听前提示 一、三遍英文，一遍中文，再一遍英文。 二、从听懂的词入手，理解句子含义。 三、根据中英文意思，听不懂的多听几遍。 原文 151. Will you listen to me for a few minutes? 您愿意听我说几分钟话吗？ 152. Can you tell me where the nearest bus stop is? 你能把最近的公车站指给我看吗? 153. I'd love to find out why she said so. 我很想找出她为什么这么说的原因。 154. He rushed into the room with his coat on. 他穿着大衣冲进房间。 155. The more books you read, the more you'll know. 你看的书越多，你知道的越多。 156. We have less than five minutes to evacuate the whole building. 我们有不到五分钟来疏散整栋楼的人。 157. I wonder why they left my name off the list. 我很奇怪他们为什么没把我的名字加在名单上。 158. About how much will I have to pay for all the treatments? 我大概一共要付多少医药费？ 159. She did not visit me on Sunday but on Monday. 她没有在星期天来找我，而是星期一。 160. How large is the population of New York City? 纽约市的人口有多少？

听前提示 一、每期提供10个单词，每个单词都会有2-3个例句，方便理解记忆。 二、每个单词和句子都会重复5遍，其中第2遍为慢速，有助于识别。 三、本材料的整体难度较低，可以用来听力磨耳朵和单词查漏补缺。 Day 7 61. Afraid a.害怕的；担心的 I'm afraid of snakes. 我怕蛇。 He isn't afraid of death. 他不怕死亡。 I'm afraid that I might make you angry. 恐怕我可能会让你生气。 I want to ask her out but I'm afraid of being rejected. 我想请她出去但我害怕被拒绝。 62. After prep.在.….以后；次于 Don't chase after fame. 不要追逐成名。 She arrived shortly after us. 她在我们之后不久就到了。 Please look after my luggage. 请照顾好我的行李。 Brush your teeth after each meal. 每顿饭后刷牙。 She died at the age of 69 after a long illness. 她长期患病后去世，享年69岁。 63. Afternoon n.下午，午后 I trained heavily yesterday afternoon. 昨天下午下了大雨。 Why don't we go swimming this afternoon? 我们今天下午为什么不去游泳？ Are you ready for this afternoon's meeting? 你准备好参加今天下午的会议了吗？ 64. Afterwards adv.过后，后来 Shortly afterwards I met her again. 不久之后我又见到了她。 Let's go out now and eat afterwards. 我们现在出去然后再吃饭吧。 65. Again ad.又一次；而且 See you again. 再见。 I think that we should try again. 我想我们应该再试一次。 I'll start again from the beginning. 我会从头开始重新开始。 That customer came back to complain again. 那个买家又回来抱怨了。 66. Against prep.倚在；逆，对着，反抗 That's against the law. 那是违法的。 Everyone was against them. 每个人都反对他们。 He is leaning against the rail. 他靠在铁轨上。 The boat is going against the current. 这艘船正在逆流而行。 He plans on taking legal action against the company. 他计划对该公司采取法律行动。 67. Age n.年龄；时代 vt.变老 She is about my age. 她差不多我的年龄了。 He looks old for his age. 他看起来年纪大了。 A tour company, the retirement age is 60. 在我们公司，退休年龄为60岁。 Wisdom does not automatically come with age. 智慧不会随着年龄的增长而自动出现。 68. Agency n.经办；代理；代理处 My wife works in a travel agency. 我妻子在一家旅行社工作。 He works for a big advertising agency. 他在一家大型广告公司工作。 Could you recommend a good travel agency? 你能推荐一家好的旅行社吗？ 69. Aggressive a.侵略的；好斗的 He is an aggressive person. 他是一个好斗的人。 It is a dangerous aggressive dog. 这是一只危险的侵略性狗。 He gets aggressive when he's drunk. 喝醉的时候他会变得好斗。 70. Ago ad.以前 It happened a long time ago. 它发生在很久以前。 She left home ten minutes ago. 她十分钟前离开家了。 I quit smoking three years ago. 我三年前戒烟了。 She gave birth to twins a week ago. 她一周前生了双胞胎。 A century ago most people walked to work. 一个世纪前，大多数人步行去上班。

词汇提示 1.suburban 郊区 2.shopping cart 购物车 3.aisles 过道 4.food court 美食广场 5.bump 碰上 原文 Shopping at the Mall At one time in North America, most people shopped downtown on Main Street. Most businesses were at the center of town. When people started using automobiles, however,they moved away from downtown. In time, most people lived in the suburbs. Eventually, stores and small shopping plazas were built in suburban areas. Still, most of the big stores were downtown. But as more and more cars were on the roads, driving and parking downtown became a problem. There wasn't room for a lot of cars to park downtown. People also didn't want to fight downtown traffic just to go shopping. So in the 1950s and 1960s, there was the beginning of large suburban shopping malls and plazas. Plazas were a row of stores attached to one another. Malls were usually a double row of stores with a roof connecting both rows. This means that shoppers did all their shopping inside. Large department stores and grocery stores were usually part of the mall, but there were many smaller stores as well. When you came to the mall and went inside, many people would get a shopping cart. You can walk along the aisles, putting your purchases in the cart. When you are finished shopping, you can push your shopping buggy out to the car. Many malls also have buggies or strollers for pushing small children along. There can be a lot of walking in a trip to the mall. In fact, some people go to the mall just to exercise. A half dozen laps around the mall every morning amount to a pretty good workout. However, there are always places to sit down when you get tired. Most malls have a food court. This is an open area with a lot of tables and chairs. Usually there are a dozen or more small restaurants circled around the food court. The department stores often have full-size restaurants. Malls have large parking lots. Unlike downtown, you don't pay to park at the mall. On a busy day, finding a space close to the store can be a challenge. Many people go to the malls when the weather is bad. During wintry weather, the malls are busy. Likewise, in really hot summer weather, people go to the malls to get cool. The climate there is always the same. People don't go to the malls just to shop. They also go to meet people. Usually, you bump into friends and neighbours there. Old people, as well as teenagers, go there to see friends. Usually the malls sponsor special events. With lots to see and do, malls are a popular place to "hang out." 翻译 在购物中心购物 曾经有一段时间，在北美，大多数人在市中心的主街购物。 大多数企业都在市中心。 然而，当人们开始使用汽车时，他们就离开了市中心。 当时，大多数人住在郊区。 最终，商店和小型购物广场在郊区建成。 不过，大多数大商店都在市中心。 但是随着越来越多的汽车上路，在市中心开车和停车成了一个问题。 市中心没有足够的地方停放很多汽车。 人们也不想为了去购物而与市中心的交通堵塞作斗争。 因此，在20世纪50年代和60年代，大型郊区购物中心和广场开始出现。 广场是一排彼此相连的商店。 购物中心通常是两排商店，两排商店之间有屋顶连接。 这意味着购物者在室内购物。 大型百货商店和杂货店通常是购物中心的一部分，但也有许多较小的商店。 当你来到商场，走进去的时候，很多人会推着购物车。 你可以沿着过道走，把买的东西放到购物车里。 当你买完东西后，你可以把你的购物手推车推到汽车上。 许多商场也有童车或婴儿车，用来推小孩子。 去购物中心的路上可能要走很多路。 事实上，有些人去购物中心只是为了锻炼身体。 每天早上绕着购物中心跑六圈就是一次很好的锻炼。 然而，当你累的时候，总有地方可以坐下来。 大多数商场都有美食广场。 这是一个有很多桌椅的开放区域。 通常有十几家或更多的小餐馆围绕着美食广场。 百货公司通常有大型餐厅。 购物中心有很大的停车场。 不像市中心，在购物中心停车不用付钱。 在繁忙的日子里，找一个离商店近的地方可能是一个挑战。 天气不好的时候，许多人去购物中心。 冬天的时候，商场很热闹。 同样，在非常炎热的夏天，人们去商场凉快。 那里的气候总是一样的。 人们去购物中心不只是为了购物。 他们也去见人。 通常，你会在那里遇到朋友和邻居。 老人和青少年都去那里看望朋友。 通常商场会赞助一些特别的活动。 购物中心有很多景点和活动，是一个受欢迎的“闲逛”的地方。