Unit
12 The Journey Ahead
Reading
I was twenty-five when I was arrested ([1`rEst] vt.逮捕,拘留n. [U] 逮捕,拘留)
for stealing a loaf ([lof] n. [C] (pl. loaves)一條(麵包))
of bread to feed my starving family. For that petty ([`pEtI] adj.輕微的,小的)
crime, I spent nineteen years in jail ([dZel] n. [U]監獄).
When I was discharged from prison,
I was a bitter man. I walked for miles, trying to find somewhere to rest. By
the time I reached Digne
([`din1] n.迪涅),
the sun had already set, and I was hungry and exhausted ([IG`zOstId] adj.疲憊不堪的,筋疲力盡的exhaust [IG`zOst] vt. 使疲憊不堪,使筋疲力盡).
I headed for an inn ([In]
n. [C]小旅館,小酒館), seeking accommodation ([1&kAm1`deS1n] n. [U]住宿accommodate [1`kAm1&det] vt. 為…提供住所)
for the night. Looking
me up and down
((批判性地)打量某人) with
distrust and suspicion ([s1`spIS1n] n. [U]不信任,懷疑suspect [s1`spEkt] vt. 懷疑(某事是事實)n. [C] 嫌疑犯suspicious [s1`spIS1s] adj. 懷疑的), the owner of the inn
sent a boy to the police station to inquire
([In`kwaIr] vi. (fml.)詢問,打聽inquiry [`Inkw1rI] n. [C] 詢問,打聽) about
me. When the boy returned, he handed the owner a note. From the note, the owner
learned that my name was Jean Valjean ([`ZA9 vAl`ZA9] n.尚萬強)
and that I was an ex-convict ([`kAn&vIkt] n. [C](服刑中的)囚犯vt. 宣判(某人)有罪).
As a result, he refused to let me in.
I left the inn in humiliation
([hju&mIlI`eS1n] n.
[U]恥辱,屈辱humiliate [hju`mIlI&et] vt. 使蒙羞,出醜). I could
feel that people behind me were exchanging
([Iks`tSendZ] vt.交換,交流n. [U]交換,交流)
looks of fear and that my arrival would soon become the talk of ((某地)人人談論的話題)
the town. Just as I had expected, everyone in Digne knew that I was released ([rI`lis] vt.允許…離開,釋放n. [U] 釋放)
on parole ([p1`rol] n. [U]假釋).
Consequently, no one was willing to reach
out to (向…伸出援手,對…提供援助) me, and even a glass of water was
too much for me to ask for. Cold and starving, I was left shivering ([`SIv2] vi.(因寒冷、害怕或激動而)打顫,顫抖n. [C] 打顫,顫抖)
in the dark.
Fortunately, the bishop
([`bIS1p] n.
[C]主教) of Digne took pity ([`pItI] n. [U]同情,憐憫vt. (pitied | pitied | pitying) 同情,憐憫) on me and welcomed me with open arms (熱情地,熱烈地). Even after he knew my true identity, this man
didn’t drive
me out
(驅離…) of
his home as most others had done. Instead, he invited me to stay and dine ([daIn] vi. (fml.)用飯,吃正餐)
with him.
That night, though I was lucky
enough to sleep in bed for the first time in nineteen years, I couldn’t fall
asleep. I kept thinking about the precious
([`prES1s] adj.貴重的,珍貴的;寶貴的,珍貴的)
silverware ([`sIlv2&wEr] n. [U]銀器)
on the bishop’s dining table. I should have thanked
him for offering me food and shelter
([`SElt2] n. [U]庇護,(暫時的)住所vt. 庇護,掩護),
yet I found myself deeply disturbed by the thought of how unfairly society had
treated me over the past years. After a slight hesitation, I got up, stole the
silverware, and slipped away. However, I didn’t get far. By the time it was
dawn, the police had caught me and taken me back to the bishop.
“I’m so delighted to see you
again!” the bishop said to me before I could speak. “You forgot to take the candlesticks
([`k8ndL&stIk] n. [C]燭臺).”
With my eyes nearly popping out of
my head, I was stunned ([st^nd] adj.驚愕的stun [st^n] vt. (stunned | stunned
| stunning) 使大吃一驚,使目瞪口呆)
by his words—the bishop had not only forgiven me for my crime but also wanted
me to have his only possessions ([p1`zES1n] n.
[C] (usu. pl.)所有物,財物n. [U] (fml.)擁有,持有possess [p1`zEs] vt. (fml.) 擁有)
of value.
After the police left, the bishop
told me, “Everyone deserves ([dI`z3v] vt.值得,應該得到)
a second chance. Promise me that you will use this silver to become an honest
man.” He continued solemnly ([`sAl1mlI] adv.鄭重地,莊嚴地solemn
[`sAl1m] adj. 鄭重的,莊嚴的;表情嚴肅的), “Jean
Valjean, my brother, you no longer belong to
(是…一類;屬於…)
evil, but to good. It is your soul that I am buying for you, and I give
it to God!”
I left the bishop’s house and roamed ([rom] vt.(漫無目的地)遊蕩,徘徊)
the countryside. My thoughts were on my dreadful
([`drEdf1l] adj.糟透的,討厭的) days in
prison and on my wasted life. I was upset and angry. But as I brooded ([brud] vi.沉思,憂慮)
over my misery, the bishop’s words flashed through my mind. All at once
(突然), my anger and gloom ([Glum] n. [U] 鬱悶,絕望;黑暗,陰暗gloomy [`GlumI] adj. 鬱悶的,絕望的) somehow ([`s^m&ha5] adv.不知怎麼地adv.以某種方法) vanished. The bishop’s love and forgiveness had cast
out (驅逐…,趕走…) my hatred for the world.
From that moment on, I was truly
free. I, Jean Valjean, became a changed man and never committed another crime.
Comprehension Check
Choose the correct answer to each question or
statement.
( ) 1. What is the main idea of the reading?
(A) Bishops have always treated other people
kindly.
(B) An ex-convict decided to be a changed man.
(C) The owner of an inn has to inquire about each
of his or her guests.
(D) The people of Digne refused to help those in
need.
( ) 2. What did the bishop do after he learned of Jean Valjean’s true
identity?
(A) He gave Jean Valjean the silverware so that he
would have money to stay at an inn.
(B) He refused to offer Jean Valjean a room and
ordered him to leave the town.
(C) He kindly invited Jean Valjean to stay and have
dinner with him.
(D) He called the police and asked them to take
away Jean Valjean.
( ) 3. According to the reading, which of the following statements is
true?
(A)
The owner of an inn drove Jean Valjean out because the inn was crowded with
people.
(B)
Jean Valjean stole from the bishop and slipped away without ever getting
caught.
(C)
The bishop’s forgiveness and love made Jean Valjean’s hatred for the world
disappear.
(D)
The bishop of Digne was a man of great wealth and influence at that time.
( ) 4. From the reading, we can infer that Jean Valjean would __________.
(A) lead a miserable life because of his criminal
record
(B) rob the rich of a lot of money to help the poor
(C) visit other bishops to steal more silverware
(D) stop committing crimes and start living a new
life
Word
File
I. Walking in a
II. Types of Crime
burglary 侵入搶劫 domestic violence 家庭暴力 kidnapping綁架 bribery賄賂
piracy 盜版 fraud 詐騙 smuggling
走私 forgery
偽造
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Patterns in Use
1 By the time + S1 + V1ed, S2
+ had + p.p.2
By the time + S1 + V1,
S2 + will + have +p.p.2
Examples:
‧By the time I reached Digne, the sun had already set.
‧By the time it was dawn, the police had caught me and taken me back to
the bishop.
‧By the time Sue gets home this evening,
her mother will have cooked a
delicious dinner.
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Exercise A:
Rewrite
the following sentences by using the above patterns. The first one has been
done for you.
1. The beautiful butterfly flew away before Jerry took out his camera.
→ By the time Jerry took out
his camera, the beautiful butterfly had flown away.
2. The basketball players did their warm-up exercise before the game
started.
→ _____________________________________________________________________________________
3. I will return the DVDs before the video rental store closes.
→
_____________________________________________________________________________________
4. The broken ceiling fan was repaired before summer approached.
→
_____________________________________________________________________________________
5. Sheila will finish all her assignments before her favorite talk show
begins.
→
_____________________________________________________________________________________
◎Exercise
B:
Eric (“E”) is talking to his friend, Thomas (“T”),
about Eric’s date with Sarah. Complete their conversation by using the given
words and the patterns on page 281. The first one has been done for you.
T: How was
your date with Sarah last night?
E: It wasn’t
good at all. Actually, it is the worst date I’ve ever had.
T: How come?
What happened?
E: Well, to start with, Sarah was very late. 1By the time she showed up, I had been
waiting (she/show up; I/be/wait)
in the restaurant for an hour! It was really impolite of her to waste my time
like that! Then, things just went from bad to worse. The service at the
restaurant was awful. 2____________________ (the first course/be/serve; I/lose/my appetite). I tried to chat
with Sarah, but there wasn’t much to talk about. The truth was that we had
nothing in common. 3____________________ (we/have/dessert; we/run out/conversation topics).
T: Oh, no.
That sounds really bad!
E: Absolutely! It was! 4____________________
(our date/end; we/decide/never/contact/each
other/again).
T: I feel sorry for you, Eric. Well, cheer up!
Maybe it was just bad luck. I’m sure you will meet the right girl someday.
E: I guess it’s not that easy to find Miss Right. 5____________________
(I/meet/the girl of my
dreams;I/become/old man).
2 S + V + (that)-clause and that-clause
Examples:
‧From the note, the owner
learned that my name was Jean
Valjean and that I was an ex-convict.
‧I could feel that people behind me were exchanging
looks of fear and that my arrival
would soon become the talk of the town.
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Exercise A:
Combine each of the following pairs of sentences by using the pattern on
page 282. The first one has been done for you.
1 I didn’t expect that my team would knock out
the other teams.
I
didn’t expect that I would win the MVP
award.
→ I didn’t expect (that) my team would knock out the other teams and
that I would win the MVP award.
2 Meg
remembered that she had taken out the garbage.
She
remembered that her brother had done the dishes.
→
____________________________________________________________________________________
3 Blake
has decided that he will major in economics in college.
He
has decided that Princeton
University will be his
top choice.
→ ____________________________________________________________________________________
4 Ethan
noticed that Debby had forgotten to turn off the light.
He
noticed that Shawn had left the water running in the bathroom.
→
____________________________________________________________________________________
5 Allison
mentioned that the deadline for the paper was next Monday.
She
mentioned that she was running out of time.
→
____________________________________________________________________________________
◎Exercise B:
After watching the musical “Les Misérables,” Flora (“F”) had a discussion with her friend Claire
(“C”) about it. Complete their conversation by using the given words and the
pattern on page 282. The first one has been done for you.
F: How did you
like the musical, Claire?
C: I liked it a lot. I
think 1(that) the story touched many people’s hearts and
that the plot helped me learn a lesson about forgiveness (the story/touch/many people’s hearts; the plot/help/I/learn/lesson/forgiveness).
F: Indeed! No wonder it has
been performed on stage for over two decades. I believe 2____________________
(the musical/will/be performed/another
decade; people around the world/will/enjoy/watch/it).
C: I agree with
you. How about the music? Did you like it?
F: It was great as well. I
think 3____________________ (the
words/be/expressive of the characters' emotions; the
music/be/worth/listen/again and again).
C: Exactly! Actually, the
story and the music come together to make this one of my favorite musicals. By
the way, which character did you like best?
F: Jean Valjean, of course.
His experiences showed 4____________________ (the world/be/cruel/he; he/have/courage/face/his uncertain future).
C: Right! He really had a
tough life. Oh! I also feel such sympathy for Cosette, another main character
in the story. I wish 5____________________ (she/could/have/have/happy childhood; the
Thénardiers/would/have/treat/she/better). She was such a poor girl who was
beaten and starved by them.
F: Luckily, Jean Valjean
came along to take care of her, and she finally married the man she loved.
C: That is
probably the only happy event in this musical.
Writing Hands-on
Letter Writing: Part
IV—Thank-you Letters
There is a variety of situations
in which you should express thanks. For example, gifts, invitations,
assistance, information, and suggestions you have received are all reasons to
thank someone. To express thanks, a thank-you letter is more polite than just
saying “thank you.” Thank-you letters should be sent promptly after the event
you benefit from. The following are some tips for writing thank-you letters.
1. Express your thanks at the
beginning of the letter.
2. A thank-you letter does not
need to be long. Make it to the point.
3. Briefly and vividly describe
what you want to thank the receiver of the letter for.
4. Explain what you have learned
or how you have benefited.
5. If you have received a gift,
explain how much you like it and how helpful it will be.
6. Express thanks again and
include your best wishes at the conclusion of the letter.
7. The style, tone, and wording of thank-you
letters may be formal or informal depending on whom you wish to show thanks to.
Here are some commonly used
expressions for showing thanks:
‧Thank you for your kindness/help/hospitality/
. . .
‧I would like to express my thanks/appreciation/gratitude
to . . . (for . .
. )
‧It was very kind/thoughtful
of you to give me . . .
‧How nice/thoughtful
you were to . . .
‧How nice/thoughtful
of you to . . .
‧I (greatly) appreciate your . .
.
‧It was a pleasure/an
honor for me to . . .
Example:
The following is a thank-you letter written by
Ariel. She wrote this letter to the librarian, Mr. Ruth, to show her gratitude
for his help.
Sept. 30, 2015
Dear Mr. Ruth,
Thank you for taking the time and trouble to help
me find the books and information I needed for my report. Without your help,
I wouldn’t have been able to hand it in on time.
I used to go to the library to borrow novels.
This was the first time I had gone to the library for a class. I never
thought that I would have a hard time finding what I wanted.
You taught me how to make good use of the
library. I realize that I can go to the library for many more things than
just fun reading. By taking advantage of the library with your help, I have
learned more than I expected. Thanks for your patience and your great help.
What's more, I’m glad that I have made a new friend.
Best wishes,
Ariel
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Exercise:
I. Think of a
sentence to appropriately respond to each of the following situations. The
first one has been done for you.
1. You were invited to stay at
your friend’s house for a few days.
Thanks so much for your hospitality/kindness.
2. Your best friend held a
birthday party for you.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
3. Your teacher gave you some
very useful advice.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
4. Your neighbor gave you an
unexpected Christmas gift.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
II. You got what you had longed for on your birthday. Write a thank-you
letter to the person who gave you the gift.
____________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
____________
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