by Heart 熟記于心
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.
4. Yet this is not always the case.
但情況卻并不總是這樣。
語(yǔ)言點(diǎn):句子結(jié)構(gòu)分析:yet表轉(zhuǎn)折，這是一種相當(dāng)委婉的表達(dá)方式。
5. 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.
有一位名演員曾在一出極為成功的劇目中扮演一個(gè)貴族角色，這個(gè)貴族已在巴士底獄被關(guān)押了20年。
語(yǔ)言點(diǎn)1:句子結(jié)構(gòu)分析:who引導(dǎo)定語(yǔ)從句，修飾arisocrat。
語(yǔ)言點(diǎn)2:優(yōu)秀寫(xiě)作短語(yǔ)總結(jié):扮演一個(gè)…角色；起到…作用
cast a role of
have a role in
play the part of
be in the role of
例句支持:
The regimental police have played a great role in this rescue.
特警在這次解救行動(dòng)中起到了極其重要的作用。
6. In the last act, a gaoler would always come on to the stage with a letter which he would hand to the prisoner.
在最后一幕中，獄卒手持一封信上場(chǎng)，然后將信交給獄中那位貴族。
語(yǔ)言點(diǎn)1:句子結(jié)構(gòu)分析:which引導(dǎo)定語(yǔ)從句，修飾letter。
語(yǔ)言點(diǎn)2:had sth.to sb.的意思是“把某物交給某人”。
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.
4. Yet this is not always the case.
但情況卻并不總是這樣。
語(yǔ)言點(diǎn):句子結(jié)構(gòu)分析:yet表轉(zhuǎn)折，這是一種相當(dāng)委婉的表達(dá)方式。
5. 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.
有一位名演員曾在一出極為成功的劇目中扮演一個(gè)貴族角色，這個(gè)貴族已在巴士底獄被關(guān)押了20年。
語(yǔ)言點(diǎn)1:句子結(jié)構(gòu)分析:who引導(dǎo)定語(yǔ)從句，修飾arisocrat。
語(yǔ)言點(diǎn)2:優(yōu)秀寫(xiě)作短語(yǔ)總結(jié):扮演一個(gè)…角色；起到…作用
cast a role of
have a role in
play the part of
be in the role of
例句支持:
The regimental police have played a great role in this rescue.
特警在這次解救行動(dòng)中起到了極其重要的作用。
6. In the last act, a gaoler would always come on to the stage with a letter which he would hand to the prisoner.
在最后一幕中，獄卒手持一封信上場(chǎng)，然后將信交給獄中那位貴族。
語(yǔ)言點(diǎn)1:句子結(jié)構(gòu)分析:which引導(dǎo)定語(yǔ)從句，修飾letter。
語(yǔ)言點(diǎn)2:had sth.to sb.的意思是“把某物交給某人”。