Hard Times艰难时世
朗读指数：◆◆◆
背诵指数：◆◆◆
难度指数：◆◆
总词汇量：0319词汇
每篇好故事都有灵魂！
今日关键语导读Today’s Key Points
《艰难时世》是英国作家狄更斯的长篇小说。小说中，工业小镇焦煤镇上的人们被禁锢和奴役着，没有自由。选文出自小说的第一章，作者对人物的描写细致生动，使得迂腐刻板的形象跃然纸上。
文中障碍词抢先攻克！
障碍词先听为快Words and Expressions
monotonous/m"ntns/adj.单调的，枯燥的，乏味的
vault/v？：lt/n.（教堂等的）拱顶
observation/，bz："ve/n.评述，评论
commodious/k"mds/adj.宽敞的
inflexible/n"fleksbl/adj.难弯曲的；顽固的，死板的
dictatorial/，dkt"t：rl/adj.独裁的；专横的；霸道的
obstinate/"bstnt/adj.固执的
imperial/？m"prl/adj.（度量衡）英制的
精彩文字，耳听心受！
好英文娓娓动听Words and Expressions
Now what I want is， Facts.Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts.Facts alone are wanted in life.Plant nothing else， and root out everything else.You can only form the minds of reasoning animals upon Facts：nothing else will ever be of any service to them.AThis is the principle on which I bring up my own children， and this is the principle on which I bring up these children.Stick to Facts， sir！
BThe scene was a plain， bare， monotonous vault of a school-room， and the speaker"s square forefinger emphasized his observations by underscoring every sentence with a line on the schoolmaster"s sleeve. The emphasis was helped by the speaker"s square wall of a forehead， which had his eyebrows for its base， while his eyes found commodious cellarage in two dark caves， overshadowed by the wall.The emphasis was helped by the speaker"s mouth， which was wide， thin， and hard set.The emphasis was helped by the speaker"s voice， which was inflexible， dry， and dictatorial.The emphasis was helped by the speaker’s hair， which bristled on the skirts of his bald head， a plantation of firs to keep the wind from its shining surface， all covered with knobs， like the crust of a plum pie， as if the head had scarcely warehouse-room for the hard facts stored inside.CThe speaker’s obstinate carriage， square coat， square legs， square shoulders，-nay， his very neckcloth， trained to take him by the throat with an unaccommodating grasp， like a stubborn fact， as it was，-all helped the emphasis.
“In this life， we want nothing but Facts， sir；nothing but Facts！”
The speaker， and the schoolmaster， and the third grown person present， all backed a little， and swept with their eyes the inclined plane of little vessels then and there arranged in order， ready to have imperial gallons of facts poured into them until they were full to the brim.
难点重点，一目了然！
长难句解析Sentence Structures
A
This is the principle on which I bring up my own children， and this is the principle on which I bring up these children.
这就是我教养我自己的孩子们所根据的原则，这也就是我用来教养这些孩子的原则。
bring up 养育。例如：I was brought up by my grandmother.我是祖母养大的。
B
The scene was a plain， bare， monotonous vault of a school-room， and the speaker"s square forefinger emphasized his observations by underscoring every sentence with a Line on the schoolmaster"s sleeve.
这是一间简陋单调的拱形教室，屋里没什么陈设。讲话的人每说完一句话，便用他那方方正正的食指在那位教师的袖子上横划一下，来加强他的语气。
underscore 强调。例如：We have to underscore this peculiar feature of our product.我们必须强调我们产品的这种特点。
C
The speaker"s obstinate carriage， square coat， square Legs， square shoulders，-nay， his very neckcloth， trained to take him by the throat with an unaccommodating grasp， Like a stubborn fact， as it was，-all helped the emphasis.
讲话的人的顽固姿态，板板正正的外衣，四四方方的两腿，还有那四四方方的肩膀，——不仅如此，就像顽固的事实一般，练就来紧紧掐住他喉咙的那条领带——这一切都在帮助他来加强语气。
as it is/was事实上；既然如此。
Oliver Twist 雾都孤儿
朗读指数：◆◆◆
背诵指数：◆◆
难度指数：◆◆◆
总词汇量：0408词汇
每篇好故事都有灵魂！
今日关键语导读Today’s Key Points
《雾都孤儿》是英国作家狄更斯创作的写实小说。小说主人公奥立弗在孤儿院长大，历经学徒生涯，艰苦逃难，误入贼窝，又被迫与狠毒的凶徒为伍，历尽无数辛酸，最后在善良人的帮助下，查明身世并获得了幸福。
文中障碍词抢先攻克！
障碍词先听为快Words and Expressions
beadle/"bi：dl/n.（旧时教区的）执事，牧师助手
intuitive/n"tj（：）？t？v/adj.有直觉力的；凭直觉获知的
perception/p"sep？？n/n.感觉；知觉
parish/"pr/n.（尤指英国圣公会和罗马天主教会有一个牧师管理并有一个主教堂的）教区
gruff/ɡrf/adj.粗声粗气的
stammer/"stm/v.口吃地说，结结巴巴地说
sob/sb/v.啜泣，呜咽，抽噎
pauper/"p：p/n.穷人；（尤指旧时）靠救济过活的人
精彩文字，耳听心受！
好英文娓娓动听Words and Expressions
A“Bow to the board，”said Bumble.Oliver brushed away two or three tears that were lingering in his eyes， and seeing no board but the table， fortunately bowed to that.
“What"s your name， boy？”said the gentleman in the high chair.
BOliver was frightened at the sight of so many gentlemen， which made him tremble；and the beadle gave him another tap behind， which made him cry；and these two causes made him answer in a very low and hesitating voice；whereupon a gentleman in a white waistcoat said he was a fool， which was a capital way of raising his spirits， and putting him quite at his ease.
“Boy，”said the gentleman in the high chair，“listen to me. You know you"re an orphan， I suppose？”
“What"s that， Sir？”inquired poor Oliver.
“The boy is a fool-I thought he was，”said the gentleman in the white waistcoat， in a very decided tone. If one member of a class be blessed with an intuitive perception of others of the same race， the gentleman in the white waistcoat was unquestionably well qualified to pronounce an opinion on the matter.
“Hush！”said gentleman who had spoken first.“You know you"ve got no father or mother， and that you are brought up by the parish， don"t you？”
“Yes， Sir，”replied Oliver， weeping bitterly.
“What are you crying for？”
“I hope you say your prayers every night，”said another gentleman in a gruff voice，“and pray for the people who feed you， and take care of you， like a Christian.”
“Yes， Sir，”stammered the boy. The gentleman who spoke last was unconsciously right.It would have been very like a Christian， and a marvelously good Christian， too， if Oliver had prayed for the people who fed and took care of him.But he hadn"t， because nobody had taught him.
“Well， you have come here to be educated， and taught a useful trade，”said the red-faced gentleman in the high chair.
“So you"ll begin to pick oakum tomorrow morning at six o"clock，”added the surly one in the white waistcoat.
