新概念英語第三冊(cè)(美音版)A chance in a million
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Lesson 36
A chance in a million
百萬分之一的機(jī)遇
Listen to the tape then answer the question below.
聽錄音，然后回答以下問題。
What was the chance in a million?
We are less credulous than we used to be. In the nineteenth century, a novelist would bring his story to a conclusion by presenting his readers with a series of coincidences -- most of them wildly improbable. Readers happily accepted the fact that an obscure maidservant was really the hero's mother. A long-lost brother, who was presumed dead, was really alive all the time and wickedly plotting to bring about the hero's downfall. And so on. Modern readers would find such naive solution totally unacceptable. Yet, in real life, circumstances do sometimes conspire to bring about coincidences which anyone but a nineteenth century novelist would find incredible.
When I was a boy, my grandfather told me how a German taxi driver, Franz Bussman, found a brother who was thought to have been killed twenty years before. While on a walking tour with his wife, he stooped to talk to a workman. After they had gone on, Mrs. Bussman commented on the workman's close resemblance to her husband and even suggested that he might be his brother. Franz poured scorn on the idea, pointing out that his brother had been killed in action during the war. Though Mrs. Busssman fully acquainted with this story, she thought that there was a chance in a million that she might be right. A few days later, she sent a boy to the workman to ask him if his name was Hans Bussman. Needless to say, the man's name was Hans Bussman and he really was Franz's long-lost brother. When the brothers were reunited, Hans explained how it was that he was still alive. After having been wounded towards the end of the war, he had been sent to hospital and was separated from his unit. The hospital had been bombed and Hans had made his way back into Western Germany on foot. Meanwhile, his unit was lost and all records of him had been destroyed. Hans returned to his family home, but the house had been bombed and no one in the neighbourhood knew what had become of the inhabitants. Assuming that his family had been killed during an air raid, Hans settled down in a village fifty miles away where he had remained ever since.
New words and expressions 生詞和短語
credulous
adj. 輕信的
improbable
adj. 不大可能的
obscure
adj. 不起眼的
maidservant
n. 女仆，女傭
presume
v. 假定
wickedly
adv. 心眼壞地，居心叵測(cè)地
plot
v. 密謀
downfall
n. 倒臺(tái)，垮臺(tái)
naive
adj. 天真的
unacceptable
adj. 不能接受的
conspire
v. （事件）巧合促成
incredible
adj. 難以置信的
scorn
n. 嘲弄，挖苦
acquaint
v. 使了解
reunite
v. 使團(tuán)聚
assume
v. 假定，認(rèn)為
我 們不再像以往那樣輕易相信別人了。在19世紀(jì)，小說家常在小說結(jié)尾處給讀者準(zhǔn)備一系列的巧合——大部分是牽強(qiáng)附會(huì)，極不可能的。當(dāng)時(shí)的讀者卻愉快地接受 這樣一些事實(shí)，一個(gè)低賤的女傭?qū)嶋H上是主人公的母親；主人公一位長期失散的兄弟，大家都以為死了，實(shí)際上一直活著，并且正在策劃暗算主人公；如此等等，現(xiàn) 代讀者會(huì)覺得這種天真的結(jié)局完全無法接受。不過，在現(xiàn)實(shí)生活中，有時(shí)確實(shí)會(huì)出現(xiàn)一些巧合，這些巧合除了19世紀(jì)小說家外誰也不會(huì)相信。 當(dāng)我是個(gè)孩子的時(shí)候，我祖父給我講了一位德國出租汽車司機(jī)弗朗茲。巴斯曼如何找到了據(jù)信已在20年前死去的兄弟的事。一次，他與妻子徒步旅行。途中，停下 來與一個(gè)工人交談，接著他們繼續(xù)往前走去。巴斯曼夫人說那工人與她丈夫相貌很像，甚至猜測(cè)他可能就是她丈夫的兄弟。弗朗茲對(duì)此不屑一顧，指出他兄弟已經(jīng)在 戰(zhàn)爭中陣亡了。盡管巴斯曼夫人熟知這個(gè)情況，但她仍然認(rèn)為自己的想法仍有百萬分之一的可能性。幾天后，她派了一個(gè)男孩去問那人是否叫漢斯.巴斯曼。不出巴 斯曼夫人所料，那人的名字真是漢斯.巴斯曼，他確實(shí)是弗朗茲失散多年的兄弟。兄弟倆團(tuán)聚之時(shí)，漢斯說明了他活下來的經(jīng)過，戰(zhàn)爭即將結(jié)束時(shí)，他負(fù)傷被送進(jìn)醫(yī) 院，并與部隊(duì)失去聯(lián)系。醫(yī)院遭到轟炸，漢斯步行回到了西德。與此同時(shí)，他所在部隊(duì)被擊潰，他的所有檔案材料全部毀于戰(zhàn)火。漢斯重返故里，但他的家已被炸 毀，左鄰右舍誰也不知原住戶的下落，漢斯以為全家人都在空襲中遇難，于是便在距此50英里外的一座村子里定居下來，直至當(dāng)日。
credulous adj. 輕信的(修飾人)
credible: 可信的，可靠的 （修飾事物）
Eg: The story he told us is credible.
incredulous
incredible
believable
Eg; He demanded for believable explanation
unbelievable
■improbable adj. 不大可能的
■obscure adj. 不起眼的
Eg: The bus stopped at an obscure little town
令人費(fèi)解的
An obscure figure can be seen through the fog.
vague 多用于比喻意，指不明確說明而造成的模糊不清
■maidservant n. 女仆，女傭
■presume v. 假定
vt.
presume that
presume: 假定(根據(jù)過去的經(jīng)驗(yàn)和感覺作出決斷)
assume : 武斷的，把尚未證實(shí)的作為依據(jù)，與事實(shí)不相符合
Eg: Let us assume that your words are fact
suppose : 最普通的用詞，猜想、陳述自己的看法
Eg: I suppose that it was my fault.
■wickedly adv. 心眼壞地，居心叵測(cè)地
■plot v. 密謀
The criminals were plotting to rob the bank.
conspire: 眾多人合謀做重大的犯法勾當(dāng)，猶指反叛，不用于修飾單個(gè)人
scheme: 某人暗中設(shè)計(jì)狡詐的手段來謀求自己的私利
The man is scheme for power.
■downfall n. 倒臺(tái)，垮臺(tái)
■naïve adj. 天真的
■unacceptable adj. 不能接受的
■conspire v. （事件）巧合促成
vi.
The weather and car trouble conspire to spoil our vacation.
■incredible adj. 難以置信的
■resemblance n. 相似
likeness: 最普通的用語，比resemblance意味要強(qiáng)
bear a strong resemblance to sb. or sth.
The girl bears a strong resemblance to her sister.
such a resemblance
resemble 特別是指外觀或外在性質(zhì)的相似
similarity:性質(zhì)、特色、程度的相似
The two envents which happened at the same time have got similarity
similar to sth. or sb.
They have got close likeness.
■scorn n. 嘲弄，挖苦
pour scorn on
pour contempt on
pour ridicule on 對(duì)……嘲弄，挖苦，斥之以鼻
pour heap
Eg: He poured scorn on his wife’s suggestion.
look down upon / think scorn of 藐視
contempt: 蔑視，強(qiáng)烈譴責(zé)某人或某事低賤、卑鄙，語氣強(qiáng)于scorn
despite: 語氣較弱，表示嘲弄
Eg: His suggestion was dismissed with scorn.
His face showed the scorn he felt.
■acquaint v. 使了解
be acquainted with sth. 對(duì)……有所了解
acquaint sb. with sth. / acquaint sb. of sth. 告之某人某事
make a person acquainted with sb. 介紹某人同另一個(gè)人認(rèn)識(shí)
Let me make ... acquainted with you (正式用法)
acquaintance n. 熟人
■reunite v. 使團(tuán)聚
■assume v. 假定，認(rèn)為
It is a chance in a million to meet you here.
He let out a scream that must can be heard in Peru.
背熟：We are less credulous than we used to be.
We are not so honest as we used to be.
謂語動(dòng)詞是be動(dòng)詞的時(shí)候用used to be,而不用used to
謂語動(dòng)詞是實(shí)義動(dòng)詞的時(shí)候用used to
He works less hard than he used to.
bring sth to a conclusion 結(jié)束== bring sth to a close(更正式)
Eg: They decided to bring the meeting to a conclusion.
It was ... who brought meeting to a close.
present sb with sth. 向某人提供了……== present sth to sb.
背熟：who was presumed dead, was really alive all the time and wickedly plotting to bring about the hero's downfall.
bring about 產(chǎn)生，影響
Modern science has brought about great changes in life.
背熟：find such naive solutions totally unacceptable
find sth. interesting 覺得某事有趣
find sth. beautiful 覺得某物漂亮
背熟：Mrs Bussman commented on the workman's close resemblance to her husband and even suggested that he might be his brother.
comment on sth 就……作出評(píng)論，評(píng)價(jià)-- remark on
Hans explained how it was that he was still alive.
Eg: I can’t explain how it is that he is still here.
make one’s way
become of ==happen to 發(fā)生遭遇，不幸的事件，多用于疑問句，主語必須是what / whatever
Eg: Whatever became of that girl?
Please explain what became of you yesterday.
用assuming, 而不用presuming;主觀上的臆斷、無事實(shí)根據(jù)的。
1
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詞匯速記：新概念英語詞匯隨身聽速記手冊(cè)3 第34-37課
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Comprehension
1 What would a modern reader find totally unacceptable in a novel today?
a. having for a hero a man once presumed dead.
b. The happiness a hero might feel on being reunited with his mother.
c. Any character beign so wicked as to plot against the hero.
d. Two brothers, each presuming the other long since dead, meeting again by chance.
2 When Mrs. bussman suggested that the workman might be Franz’s brother _____ .
a. she was told for the first time that Hans had been killed
b. Franz objected to the idea of being associated with a workman
c. Franz was so sure his brother was dead he did not take her seriously
d. they were both too shy to ask the workman if this was so themselves
3 What did Hans Bussman do immediately after the war was over?
a. He went to hospital to have his woulds attended to.
b. He deserted his unit and walked back to his home town.
c. He inquired after his family’s where abouts but found no trace of them.
d. He settled in a village near his home, hoping his family would find him.
Structure
4 ---- his readers with a series of coincidences _____ wildly improbable. (ll.2-4)
a. mostly being b. most of which were c. most of them were d. which would be most
5 A long-lost brother had not in fact died and _____ to bring about the hero’s downfall. (ll.5-7)
a. wickedly plotting b. wickedly plotted c. been wickedly plotting d. had been wickedly plotting
6 He stopped _____ . (ll.11-12)
a. in order to talk to a workman b. a workman for a talk
c. talking to a workman d. so that he talked to a workman
7 She sent a boy to ask the workman _____ . (l.16)
a. what was he called b. what he was called c. how he was called d. if he was called
8 Meanwhile his unit was lost and _____ had been destroyed. (ll.20-21)
a. each of his records b. all records of him c. all records of his d. every record of his
Vocabulary
9 he found a brother who was thought to have been killed twenty years _____ . (ll.10-11)
a. ago b. back c. before hand d. previously
previously ==before
10 Mrs. bussman told her husband that he and the workman _____ … (ll.12-13)
a. had a close look b. had the same look c. looked very alike d. looked the same way
look表示人的外貌，長相應(yīng)該采用復(fù)數(shù)形式
11 ---- there was the _____ chance she might be right. (l.15)
a. remotest b. scarcest c. greatest d. lightest
remote 既表示“遙遠(yuǎn)、偏僻的”，也表示“微弱的”，特別用來修飾chance, possibility
12 ---- how it had _____ that he was still alive. (l.18)
a. become b. arrived c. resulted d. come about
come about: happen
become of ==come about
多用于疑問句，尤其是How does it come about that?結(jié)構(gòu)中
【Key to Multiple choice questions】
1. D 2. C 3. C 4. B 5. D 6. A 7. B 8. B 9. D 10. C 11. A 12. D
