The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare 单词提示 1.sentence 宣判 2.gloomy 黑暗的 原文 Chapter Five: The Sentence The next morning was gray and rainy. Shylock felt that it was the last day of his life. The atmosphere of the courtroom was very gloomy. The crowd hated Shylock, but nobody wanted him to be killed. When the Duke walked in, everyone became very quiet. "Most people understand mercy," said the Duke, at last. "It seems that you.Shylock, don't understand it. I am a human being. I understand mercy. And I understand the value of a human life. In the spirit of mercy, I forgive you. I will spare your life. I must punish you, though. If I don't, maybe other people will act like you. You must give half of your money to Antonio, and the other half to the City of Venice." Antonio was always a generous man. Even after all that had happened, he didn't change. He knew that Shylock's daughter, Jessica, was poor. "I have a request about the money," said Antonio. "What is your request?" asked the Duke. The court became quiet again. The crowd leaned forward to hear. "I want to give Shylock's money to his daughter. And I want him to put Jessica back in his will." "I think this is a fair request. Shylock, I order you to give half of your money to Jessica. And you must write her back into your will. If you don't do this, I'll throw you in jail for the rest of your life." Shylock felt sick. He had failed to get revenge on Antonio. He had lost his money. He hated everyone. "Fine,I'll do what you want. Just let me go now. I am not feeling well." Shylock was set free. He walked through the streets pulling out his hair. He couldn't believe his luck! "Sir,"said the Duke to Portia. "I have never seen such a clever lawyer in my life. I must admit that I was worried at first because you looked so young. If you're not too busy, please have dinner with me tonight. I'd love to talk about the law with you." Portia wanted to get home before her husband. "I would love to, but I have another case that I must work on. I'm sorry. I'm just too busy to have dinner with you tonight." "Oh,well. Another time, then." The Duke turned to Antonio. "You should pay this lawyer well. You owe him an awful lot." "Please,"said Bassanio to Portia. "Take these three thousand ducats. That's how much we borrowed from Shylock in the first place." "I don't want the money." "I'll give you three thousand more, then." "I don't want any money at all," said Portia. "Instead,I want your wedding ring." "My wedding ring? I'm sorry. This is the one thing in the world that I can't give you. I promised my wife that I would never take it off. I will find you the most expensive ring in Venice. I will buy it for you now. But I can't give you this ring. No way!" "I want your wedding ring, but I'm not going to beg. I see that you're too cheap to give it to me." Portia left the courtroom. She seemed angry. Actually,she was happy. "Please,Bassanio. Give him the ring," said Antonio. "I know your wife will bemad. But think about what this lawyer has done for us today. I owe him my life.Don't you think that's worth your wedding ring?" Bassanio felt ashamed. Antonio was right. He took off his ring and gave it to Gratiano. "Go and find Balthasar. Give him this ring." When Gratiano found Portia, he gave her the ring. Nerissa,who was with her, said, "You! Gratiano! You give me your ring, too."Gratiano knew that he couldn't say "no." He gave her his ring. When Portia and Nerissa were alone, they had a good laugh. They decided to play a trick on their husbands. Bassanio and Gratiano returned to Belmont that evening. They found their wives waiting for them. They kissed their wives. For a moment, everyone was very happy to be together again. Then,the women started yelling at them. "Where's your wedding ring?" cried Portia. "You gave our wedding rings to other women," screamed Nerissa. "Please believe us," said Bassanio. "We gave our rings to two young lawyers.The lawyers saved the life of my best friend. They said that they wanted our wedding rings as payment. They wouldn't accept anything else. Please understand,darling. They saved Antonio's life!" Bassanio felt sad and guilty. "I suppose that there is only one thing we can do," said Portia. Bassanio was afraid. Gratiano's knees were shaking. "We must give you your rings back." Portia opened her hand. Nerissa opened hers as well. Bassanio and Gratiano couldn't believe their eyes! They were holding their wedding rings! Portia and Nerissa started to giggle. Then they laughed harder and harder. The men stood there with confused looks on their faces. Finally,Portia began to tell their story. Bassanio was amazed. His wife was even more wonderful than he had thought. She was the cleverest woman in Italy. She saved his best friend's life. He was overcome with happiness. As if this surprise weren't enough, a messenger soon arrived with another. The man brought news that Antonio's ships had not sunk. They had safely arrived in Venice. The goods were ready for sale. They couldn't have been happier. That night, they all celebrated under the beautiful Italian moon. They laughed thinking about the rings and the trick Portia and Nerissa had played on Bassanio and Gratiano. Bassanio looked lovingly at his wife. "What's the scariest thing in the world?" he asked her. "Owing a pound of flesh to a money-lender?" asked Portia. "Absolutely not! It's losing my wife's wedding ring." Bassanio never took off his ring again. End of The Merchant of Venice

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 181. With your approval, I would like to offer him the job. 如果您同意，我想给他这份工作。 182. This book is for students whose native language is not Japanese. 这本书是给母语不是日语的学生写的。 183. I don't want to work under these conditions. 我不想在这些条件下工作。 184. She was more beautiful than all the others. 她比其他人都漂亮。 185. Where do you suppose you'll spend your vacation? 你觉得你会去哪儿度假? 186. She bought six yards of cloth fora dress. 她买了六码的布做衣服。 187. Don't be afraid of making mistakes when you speak English. 当你说英语的时候不要怕犯错。 188. I don't want to hear any more of your complaining. 我不想再听你抱怨了。 189. She may be a nurse. I am not sure. 她可能是护士。我不太肯定。 190. The air is thin at the top of a high mountain. 山顶上空气稀薄。

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 10 91. Altogether adv.完全地；总共；总之 You owe me $99 altogether. 你一共欠我99美元。 It has cost me $1000 altogether. 总共花了我1000美元。 How many sheep are there in the field altogether? 田里总共有多少只羊？ 92. Always adv.总是，每次都是；一直，长久以来 His room is always tidy. 他的房间总是很整洁。 I always keep my promises. 我总是信守诺言。 She was always short of cash. 她总是缺钱。 She always showed genuine concern for others. 她总是对别人表现出真正的关心。 93. Amaze v.使惊奇，使惊愕 I was amazed at his courage. 我对他的勇气感到惊讶。 It amazes me that no one noticed the error. 令我惊讶的是，没人注意到这个错误。 I'm amazed at her rapid progress in English. 我对她在英语方面的快速进步感到惊讶。 94. Amazing adj.惊人的，了不起的；v.使惊奇，使惊愕 The concert was so amazing. 音乐会太棒了。 The magician performed some amazing tricks. 魔术师执行了一些惊人的技巧。 It's amazing how much money he spends everyday. 他每天花多少钱真是太神奇了。 95. Ambition v.追求，有……野心 I have no political ambition. 我没有政治野心。 His ambition is to become a great scientist. 他的志向是成为一名伟大的科学家。 She finally achieved her ambition of becoming a famous writer. 她终于实现了成为著名作家的雄心。 96. Ambulance n.急救车，救护车v.用救护车送（人） Please send an ambulance. 请派一辆救护车。 Do you want me to call an ambulance? 你要我叫救护车吗？ She died before the ambulance arrived. 她在救护车到达之前就死了。 97. Among prep.在...…当中，周围是；与...…在一起 The profits are shared out equally among the partners. 利润在合作伙伴之间平均分配。 98. Amount n.数量，量；金额，钱数；v.达到，总计 His debts amount to $2,000. 他的债务总额为2,000美元。 I borrowed a large amount of money from her. 我从她那里借了很多钱。 No amount of money can make up for their loss. 没有多少钱可以弥补他们的损失。 99. Amuse v.逗乐，逗笑； My joke amused everyone. 我的笑话让所有人都开心。 We were greatly amused by her story. 她的故事让我们非常开心。 100. Amusing adj.逗人发笑的，有趣的v.逗乐，逗笑； I found her very amusing. 我觉得她很有趣。 What an amusing situation! 多么有趣的情况！ I saw an amusing comedy last night. 昨晚我看了一部有趣的喜剧。 She told the children an amusing story. 她给孩子们讲了一个有趣的故事。

词汇提示 1.pilgrim 朝圣者 2.puritans 清教徒 3.barn 谷仓 4.wrestling 摔跤 5.cranberries 蔓越莓 6.squash 南瓜 原文 Thanksgiving Day Thanksgiving Day has a special meaning for Americans. Many holidays were brought along from Europe by the early settlers, and didn't change very much. But Thanksgiving takes on a special shape in North America. That is because of the Thanksgiving celebrated by the early pilgrim settlers in Massachusetts in 1621. These early settlers were from England and they were known as Puritans. This is because they wanted to purify the state religion of England. They felt that the churches were more concerned with politics and customs than God and worship. They were also called Pilgrims, because they were willing to travel to other countries in order to worship God the way they wanted to. When the English government put some of the Pilgrims in jail, the rest left England and went to the Netherlands. In the Netherlands, they could have their own churches. However,it was hard to earn a living there, and at first they didn't know the language. In time, the English king learned where they were and tried to have them arrested. So they thought of another plan. Pilgrim leaders like William Brewster attempted to raise money to start a colony in North America. They would have to borrow money and pay it back later. Thirty members of the Pilgrim church in the Netherlands voted to sail to America with their families. They returned to England and set sail on two ships, the Speedwell and the Mayflower. When the Speedwell appeared unable to cross the ocean, both ships returned to England. All who still wanted to sail crowded into the Mayflower and set sail on September 6, 1620. Many of the passengers became sick during the long voyage, and some died. They encountered fierce storms because they were sailing late in the season. After sixty-six days, they sighted the sandy shoreline of Cape Cod, in present-day Massachusetts. There was disagreement between the Pilgrims and others on board ship about what to do. So first they had to agree to a common form of government and elect a governor. Since winter was coming, they decided to stay on the ship till spring. About half of the remaining settlers died during that first winter. When the Mayflower sailed back to England, only about fifty settlers were left. Nearly half of these were children. There were Indians in Massachusetts, but at first they were not friendly. They shot arrows at the settlers. But one day a friendly Indian named Samoset came to visit them. He spoke English and could tell them many things. He brought another Indian named Squanto, who showed the Pilgrims how to plant corn. Eventually,their chief Massosoit came, and he promised to keep peaceful relations with the settlers. All spring and summer of 1621, the Pilgrims worked hard in the fields. They also finished building houses and barns. In the fall, they were delighted to see that the corn and vegetables had grown well. They decided to have a thanksgiving feast and invited their Indian friends. On the day of the feast, Chief Massosoit came with ninety Indians. There were turkeys, deer meat and fish to eat. The feast lasted three days. When the food ran low, the Indians went out to shoot more birds and animals. The Pilgrims and Indians competed in races, wrestling, shooting and other games. The Pilgrims addressed prayers and thanks to God for providing food, shelter,freedom of religion and friendly Indians in this new land. Ever since 1621, Thanksgiving celebrations include memories of that special occasion. Today,turkeys, cranberries, corn and squash are usually part of the Thanksgiving meal. In the United States, Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday. It is celebrated every year on the fourth Thursday in November. In Canada, where the harvest is earlier, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second Monday of October. The celebration always includes giving thanks for the good things that people have received, especially for food and families. Along with this goes the Thanksgiving meal, when so many good things are eaten. 翻译 感恩节 感恩节对美国人来说有着特殊的意义。 许多节日都是由早期的移民从欧洲带来的，并没有太大的变化。 但感恩节在北美有一种特殊的形式。 这是因为1621年马萨诸塞州早期移民庆祝的感恩节。 这些早期的移民来自英国，他们被称为清教徒。 这是因为他们想要净化英国的国教。 他们觉得教会更关心政治和习俗，而不是上帝和敬拜。 他们也被称为朝圣者，因为他们愿意前往其他国家，以他们想要的方式崇拜上帝。 当英国政府把一些清教徒关进监狱时，其余的人离开英国去了荷兰。 在荷兰，他们可以有自己的教堂。 然而，在那里谋生很困难，一开始他们不懂语言。 后来，英国国王得知了他们的下落，并试图逮捕他们。 所以他们想到了另一个计划。 像威廉·布鲁斯特这样的清教徒领袖试图筹集资金在北美建立殖民地。 他们将不得不借钱，以后还钱。 荷兰清教徒教会的30名成员投票决定与家人一起乘船前往美国。 他们回到英国，乘坐两艘船，“速德威尔”号和“五月花”号启航。 当斯比德威尔号似乎无法横渡大洋时，两艘船都返回了英国。 1620年9月6日，所有仍然想航行的人都挤上了五月花号，起航了。 许多乘客在长途航行中生病，有些人死亡。 他们遇到了猛烈的风暴，因为他们在季末航行。 66天后，他们看到了科德角的沙滩海岸线，在今天的马萨诸塞州。 清教徒和船上的其他人对该怎么做存在分歧。 因此，首先他们必须同意一个共同的政府形式，并选举一位总督。 因为冬天就要来了，他们决定在船上待到春天。 剩下的定居者中大约有一半在第一个冬天死亡。 当五月花号返回英国时，只剩下大约50名定居者。 其中近一半是儿童。 马萨诸塞州有印第安人，但起初他们并不友好。 他们向定居者射箭。 但是有一天，一个名叫萨莫塞特的友好的印第安人来拜访他们。 他会说英语，能告诉他们很多事情。 他带来了另一个名叫斯匡托的印第安人，斯匡托向清教徒们展示了如何种植玉米。 最后，他们的首领马索索伊特来了，他承诺与定居者保持和平关系。 1621年的整个春天和夏天，清教徒们都在地里辛勤劳作。 他们还完成了房屋和谷仓的建造。 到了秋天，他们高兴地看到玉米和蔬菜长得很好。 他们决定举办一场感恩节宴会，并邀请了他们的印第安朋友。 在宴会那天，马索索伊特酋长带着90个印第安人来了。 有火鸡、鹿肉和鱼可以吃。 宴会持续了三天。 当食物用完了，印第安人就出去射击更多的鸟类和动物。 清教徒和印第安人比赛赛跑、摔跤、射击和其他游戏。 清教徒们祈祷并感谢上帝在这片新土地上提供食物、住所、宗教自由和友好的印第安人。 自1621年以来，感恩节庆祝活动就包含了对那个特殊时刻的回忆。 今天，火鸡、蔓越莓、玉米和南瓜通常是感恩节大餐的一部分。 在美国，感恩节是一个全国性的节日。 每年11月的第四个星期四庆祝。 在加拿大，收获较早，感恩节在十月的第二个星期一庆祝。 庆祝活动通常包括对人们收到的好东西表示感谢，特别是对食物和家庭。 随之而来的是感恩节大餐，人们会吃很多好吃的东西。

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。