【課文】
Some plays are so successful that they run for years on end, In many ways, this is unfortunate for the poor actors who are required to go on repeating the same lines night after night. One would expect them to know their parts by heart and never have cause to falter. Yet this is not always the case.
A famous actor in a highly successful play was once cast in the role of an aristocrat who had been imprisoned in the Bastille for twenty years. In the last act, a gaoler would always come on to the stage with a letter which he would hand to the prisoner. Even though the noble was expected to read the letter at each performance, he always insisted that it should be written out in full.
One night, the gaoler decided to play a joke on his colleague to find out if, after so many performances, he had managed to learn the contents of the letter by heart. The curtain went up on the final act of the play and revealed the aristocrat sitting alone behind bars in his dark cell. Just then, the gaoler appeared with the precious letter
in his hands. He entered the cell and presented the letter to the aristocrat. But the copy he gave him had not been written out in full as usual. It was simply a blank sheet of paper. The gaoler looked on eagerly, anxious to see if his fellow actor had at last learnt his lines. The noble stared at the blank sheet of paper for a few seconds.
Then, squinting his eyes, he said: 'The light is dim. Read the letter to me'. And he promptly handed the sheet of paper to the gaoler. Finding that he could not remember a word of the letter either, the gaoler replied: 'The light is indeed dim, sire, I must get my glasses.' With this, he hurried off the stage. Much to the aristocrat's amusement, the gaoler returned a few moments later with a pair of glasses and the usual copy of the letter with he proceeded to read to the prisoner.
【課文翻譯】
有些劇目十分成功，以致連續(xù)上演好幾年。這樣一來，可憐的演員們可倒霉了。因為他們需要一夜連著一夜地重復(fù)同樣的臺詞。人們以為，這些演員一定會把臺詞背得爛熟，絕不會臨場結(jié)巴的，但情況卻并不總是這樣。
有一位名演員曾在一出極為成功的劇目中扮演一個貴族角色，這個貴族已在巴士底獄被關(guān)押了20年。在后一幕中，獄卒手持一封信上場，然后將信交給獄中那位貴族。盡管那個貴族每場戲都得念一遍那封信。但他還是堅持要求將信的全文寫在信紙上。
一天晚上，獄卒決定與他的同事開一個玩笑，看看他反復(fù)演出這么多場之后，是否已將信的內(nèi)容記熟了。大幕拉開，后一幕戲開演，貴族獨自一人坐在鐵窗后陰暗的牢房里。這時獄卒上場，手里拿著那封珍貴的信。獄卒走進牢房，將信交給貴族。但這回獄卒給貴族的信沒有像往常那樣把全文寫全，而是一張白紙。獄卒熱切地觀察著，急于想了解他的同事是否記熟了臺詞。貴族盯著紙看了幾秒鐘，然后，眼珠一轉(zhuǎn)，說道：“光線太暗，請給我讀一下這封信?！闭f完，他一下子把信遞給獄卒。獄卒發(fā)現(xiàn)自己連一個字也記不住，于是便說：“陛下，這兒光線的確太暗了，我得去眼鏡拿來?！彼贿呎f著，一邊匆匆下臺。貴族感到非常好笑的是：一會兒工夫，獄卒重新登臺，拿來一副眼鏡以及平時使用的那封信，然后為那囚犯念了起來。
【生詞和短語】
boxing n. 拳擊
run v.(戲劇，電影等)連演，連映
lines n.(劇本中的)臺詞
part n. 劇中的角色，臺詞
falter v. 支吾，結(jié)巴說
cast v. 連派……扮演角色
role n. 角色
aristocrat n. 貴族
imprison v. 關(guān)押
Bastille n. 巴士底獄
gaoler n. 監(jiān)獄長，看守
colleague n. 同事
curtain n. (舞臺上的)幕布
reveal v. 使顯露
cell n. 單人監(jiān)房，監(jiān)號
blank adj. 空白的
squint v. 瞇著(眼)看，瞄
dim adj. 昏暗
sire n.(古用法)陛下
proceed v. 繼續(xù)進行
【知識點】
詞匯
【imprison】
英英：confine as if in a prison
例句：
1. This threatens to imprison my future.
這使我的未來受到禁錮的威脅。
2. You can imprison my body, but not my mind.
你可以禁錮我的身體，卻束縛不了我的心。
3. Ship is the place for him to protect himself and imprison himself, also isolated him with the rest of the world.
船就是他保護自己，囚禁自己的地方，同時也是他與紅塵隔離的地方。
【reveal】
英英：make clear and visible
例句：
1. Sometimes those data reveal more than was intended.
有時候，數(shù)據(jù)會揭露過多的訊息。
2. Here, three of them reveal their opinions on investments and private banks.
在此，三位企業(yè)家透露了他們對投資和私人銀行的看法。
3. Bob himself does not know who sent the message, unless Alice chooses to reveal her identity in the message.
鮑伯并不知道訊息是誰送來的，除非愛麗絲在訊息中透露自己的身分。
近義：make clear, prove, disclose, expose
【proceed】
英英：continue a certain state, condition, or activity
例句：
1. Now that our plan are settled let us proceed.
既然我們的計劃已定下來了，讓我們繼續(xù)進行。
2. In order to proceed, please choose the format of the file.
若要繼續(xù)進行，請選擇該檔的格式。
3.How would you like to proceed with the negotiation?
布朗先生，您想如何繼續(xù)進行談判?
搭配
【on end】
【night after night】
【know by heart】
【learn by heart】
【in full】
【play a joke on】
Some plays are so successful that they run for years on end, In many ways, this is unfortunate for the poor actors who are required to go on repeating the same lines night after night. One would expect them to know their parts by heart and never have cause to falter. Yet this is not always the case.
A famous actor in a highly successful play was once cast in the role of an aristocrat who had been imprisoned in the Bastille for twenty years. In the last act, a gaoler would always come on to the stage with a letter which he would hand to the prisoner. Even though the noble was expected to read the letter at each performance, he always insisted that it should be written out in full.
One night, the gaoler decided to play a joke on his colleague to find out if, after so many performances, he had managed to learn the contents of the letter by heart. The curtain went up on the final act of the play and revealed the aristocrat sitting alone behind bars in his dark cell. Just then, the gaoler appeared with the precious letter
in his hands. He entered the cell and presented the letter to the aristocrat. But the copy he gave him had not been written out in full as usual. It was simply a blank sheet of paper. The gaoler looked on eagerly, anxious to see if his fellow actor had at last learnt his lines. The noble stared at the blank sheet of paper for a few seconds.
Then, squinting his eyes, he said: 'The light is dim. Read the letter to me'. And he promptly handed the sheet of paper to the gaoler. Finding that he could not remember a word of the letter either, the gaoler replied: 'The light is indeed dim, sire, I must get my glasses.' With this, he hurried off the stage. Much to the aristocrat's amusement, the gaoler returned a few moments later with a pair of glasses and the usual copy of the letter with he proceeded to read to the prisoner.
【課文翻譯】
有些劇目十分成功，以致連續(xù)上演好幾年。這樣一來，可憐的演員們可倒霉了。因為他們需要一夜連著一夜地重復(fù)同樣的臺詞。人們以為，這些演員一定會把臺詞背得爛熟，絕不會臨場結(jié)巴的，但情況卻并不總是這樣。
有一位名演員曾在一出極為成功的劇目中扮演一個貴族角色，這個貴族已在巴士底獄被關(guān)押了20年。在后一幕中，獄卒手持一封信上場，然后將信交給獄中那位貴族。盡管那個貴族每場戲都得念一遍那封信。但他還是堅持要求將信的全文寫在信紙上。
一天晚上，獄卒決定與他的同事開一個玩笑，看看他反復(fù)演出這么多場之后，是否已將信的內(nèi)容記熟了。大幕拉開，后一幕戲開演，貴族獨自一人坐在鐵窗后陰暗的牢房里。這時獄卒上場，手里拿著那封珍貴的信。獄卒走進牢房，將信交給貴族。但這回獄卒給貴族的信沒有像往常那樣把全文寫全，而是一張白紙。獄卒熱切地觀察著，急于想了解他的同事是否記熟了臺詞。貴族盯著紙看了幾秒鐘，然后，眼珠一轉(zhuǎn)，說道：“光線太暗，請給我讀一下這封信?！闭f完，他一下子把信遞給獄卒。獄卒發(fā)現(xiàn)自己連一個字也記不住，于是便說：“陛下，這兒光線的確太暗了，我得去眼鏡拿來?！彼贿呎f著，一邊匆匆下臺。貴族感到非常好笑的是：一會兒工夫，獄卒重新登臺，拿來一副眼鏡以及平時使用的那封信，然后為那囚犯念了起來。
【生詞和短語】
boxing n. 拳擊
run v.(戲劇，電影等)連演，連映
lines n.(劇本中的)臺詞
part n. 劇中的角色，臺詞
falter v. 支吾，結(jié)巴說
cast v. 連派……扮演角色
role n. 角色
aristocrat n. 貴族
imprison v. 關(guān)押
Bastille n. 巴士底獄
gaoler n. 監(jiān)獄長，看守
colleague n. 同事
curtain n. (舞臺上的)幕布
reveal v. 使顯露
cell n. 單人監(jiān)房，監(jiān)號
blank adj. 空白的
squint v. 瞇著(眼)看，瞄
dim adj. 昏暗
sire n.(古用法)陛下
proceed v. 繼續(xù)進行
【知識點】
詞匯
【imprison】
英英：confine as if in a prison
例句：
1. This threatens to imprison my future.
這使我的未來受到禁錮的威脅。
2. You can imprison my body, but not my mind.
你可以禁錮我的身體，卻束縛不了我的心。
3. Ship is the place for him to protect himself and imprison himself, also isolated him with the rest of the world.
船就是他保護自己，囚禁自己的地方，同時也是他與紅塵隔離的地方。
【reveal】
英英：make clear and visible
例句：
1. Sometimes those data reveal more than was intended.
有時候，數(shù)據(jù)會揭露過多的訊息。
2. Here, three of them reveal their opinions on investments and private banks.
在此，三位企業(yè)家透露了他們對投資和私人銀行的看法。
3. Bob himself does not know who sent the message, unless Alice chooses to reveal her identity in the message.
鮑伯并不知道訊息是誰送來的，除非愛麗絲在訊息中透露自己的身分。
近義：make clear, prove, disclose, expose
【proceed】
英英：continue a certain state, condition, or activity
例句：
1. Now that our plan are settled let us proceed.
既然我們的計劃已定下來了，讓我們繼續(xù)進行。
2. In order to proceed, please choose the format of the file.
若要繼續(xù)進行，請選擇該檔的格式。
3.How would you like to proceed with the negotiation?
布朗先生，您想如何繼續(xù)進行談判?
搭配
【on end】
【night after night】
【know by heart】
【learn by heart】
【in full】
【play a joke on】