1、1Half a Day Naguib MahfousPre-class Work I Read the text once for the main idea. Do not refer to the notes, dictionaries or the glossary yet.I walked alongside my father, clutching his right hand. All my clothes were new: the black shoes, the green school uniform, and the red cap. They did not make
2、me happy, however, as this was the day I was to be thrown into school for the first time.My mother stood at the window watching our progress, and I turned towards her from time to time, hoping she would help. We walked along a street lined with gardens, and fields planted with crops: pears, and date
3、 palms.“Why school ?“ I asked my father. “What have I done ?“Im not punishing you, “ he said, laughing. “Schools not a punishment. Its a place that makes useful men out of boys. Don t you want to be useful like your brothers?“I was not convinced. I did not believe there was really any good to be had
4、 in tearing me away from my home and throwing me into the huge, high-walled building.When we arrived at the gate we could see the courtyard, vast and full of boys and girls. “Go in by yourself, “ said my father, “and join them. Put a smile on your face and be a good example to others. “I hesitated a
5、nd clung to his hand, but he gently pushed me from him. “Be a man, “ he said. “Today you truly begin life. You will find me waiting for you when its time to leave. “I took a few steps. Then the faces of the boys and girls came into view. I did not know a single one of them, and none of them knew me.
6、 I felt I was a stranger who had lost his way. But then some boys began to glance at me in curiosity, and one of them came over and asked, “Who brought you?“My father, “ I whispered.“My fathers dead, “ he said simply.I did not know what to say. The gate was now closed. Some of the children burst int
7、o tears. The bell rang. A lady came along, followed by a group of men. The men began sorting us into ranks. We were formed into an intricate pattern in the great courtyard surrounded by high buildings; from each floor we were overlooked by a long balcony roofed in wood.“This is your new home, “said
8、the woman. “There are mothers and fathers here, too. Everything that is enjoyable and beneficial is here. So dry your tears and face life joyfully. “Well, it seemed that my misgivings had had no basis. From the first moments I made many friends and fell in love with many girls. I had never imagined
9、school would have this rich variety of experiences.We played all sorts of games. In the music room we sang our first songs. We also had our first introduction to language. We saw a globe of the Earth, which revolved and showed the various continents and countries. We started learning numbers, and we
10、 were told the story of the Creator of the universe. We ate delicious food, took a little nap, and woke up to go on with friendship and love, playing and learning.Our path, however, was not totally sweet and unclouded. We had to be observant and patient. It was not all a matter of playing and foolin
11、g around. Rivalries could bring about pain and hatred or give rise to fighting. And while the lady would sometimes smile, she would often yell and scold. 2Even more frequently she would resort to physical punishment.In addition, the time for changing one s mind was over and gone and there was no que
12、stion of ever returning to the paradise of home. Nothing lay ahead of us but exertion, struggle, and perseverance. Those who were able took advantage of the opportunities for success and happiness that presented themselves.The bell rang, announcing the passing of the day and the end of work. The chi
13、ldren rushed toward the gate, which was opened again. I said goodbye to friends and sweethearts and passed through the gate. I looked around but found no trace of my father, who had promised to be there. I stepped aside to wait. When I had waited for a long time in vain, I decided to return home on
14、my own. I walked a few steps, then came to a startled halt. Good Lord! Where was the street lined with gardens? Where had it disappeared to? When did all these cars invade it? And when did all these people come to rest on its surface? How did these hills of rubbish find their way to cover its sides?
15、 And where were the fields that bordered it? High buildings had taken over, the street was full of children, and disturbing noises shook the air. Here and there stood conjurers showing off their tricks or making snakes appear from baskets. Then there was a band announcing the opening of a circus, wi
16、th clowns and weight lifters walking in front.Good God! I was in a daze. My head spun. I almost went crazy. How could all this have happened in half a day, between early morning and sunset? I would find the answer at home with my father. But where was my home? I hurried towards the crossroads, becau
17、se I remembered that I had to cross the street to reach our house, but the stream of cars would not let up. Extremely irritated, I wondered when I would be able to cross.I stood there a long time, until the young boy employed at the ironing shop on the corner came up to me.He stretched out his arm a
18、nd said, “Grandpa, let me take you across.“Read the text a second time. Learn the new words and expressions listed below.Glossaryacross adv. take sb. : take sb. to the other sidealongside adv. side by side; next tobalcony n. 阳台band n. a group of musicians, especially a group that plays popular music
19、 乐队beneficial adj. usefulborder v. 与接界；与 相邻circus n. 马戏团cling to v. to hold closely; refuse to let goclown n. a person who dresses funnily and tries to make people laugh by his jokes or actions 小丑conjurer n. a magician 魔术师convince v. to make sb. believe; to persuade 说服creator n. one who makes sth. f
20、or the first time 创造者；the Creator（宗教）造物主crossroads n. a place where two or more roads cross 交叉路口curiosity n. the desire to learn and know 好奇心daze n. a condition of beging unable to think or feel clearly 晕眩exertion n. effort 努力；尽力glance n. a quick look at sth.3globe n. 地球；地球仪halt n. a stop or pauseha
21、tred n. strong feelings of dislikehesitate v. to pause 犹豫不决intricate adj. very complicatedintroduction n. present for the first time 介绍irritated adj. annoyedjoyfully adv. very happilylift v. 抬；举；weight lifters: those who compete in contests of strength by lifting heavy objectsmisgiving n. （常用复数）feel
22、ings of doubt and fear 顾虑nap n. a short sleep during the dayobservant adj. careful to observe (rules)遵守规则的opportunity n. a chanceoverlook v. to see a place from a building or window 俯视palm n. 棕榈树； date : 椰枣树paradise n. heaven 天堂perseverance n. to keep trying to do sth. in spite of the difficulties 顽
23、强拼搏physical adj. of material substance; often refers to human body 肉体的；身体的rank n. a line (of people)revolve v. to move or turn in a circle around a central pointrivalry n. 竞争scold v. to angrily criticize sb. , especially a childsingle adj. only onesort n. , v. The noun means a kind or a type; the ve
24、rb means to put things in a particular orderspin v. to turn round and roundstartled adj. surprised and often slightly frightenedstream n. a natural flow of water; anything that moves on continuously; a of: 一连串的stretch v. 伸展； out: 伸出sunset n. the time when the sun is seen to disappear as night begins
25、 日落surface n. 表面sweetheart n. a person one lovestrace n. a sign that sth. is there 迹象；痕迹trick n. （魔术）戏法unclouded adj. without any cloud, clear, untroubleduniform n. a special set of clothes which all members of a group wear, especially in a school, the army or the policeuniverse n. 宇宙vain n. in : wi
26、thout resultvariety n. different kinds of the same thing 丰富多彩；品种多样various adj. several of a varietyvast adj. very largewhisper v. to say something very quietly so that other people cannot hear what you are sayingyell v. to shout loudly because you are very excited, angry, or in pain4Stopping by Wood
27、s on a Snowy EveningBy Robert Frost Whose woods these are I think I know. His house is in the village though; He will not see me stopping here To watch his woods fill up with snow. My little horse must think it queer To stop without a farmhouse near Between the woods and frozen lake The darkest even
28、ing of the year. He gives his harness bells a shake To ask if there is some mistake. The only other sounds the sweep Of easy wind and downy flake. The woods are lovely, dark and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep【作者简介】罗伯特弗罗斯特(Robert Frost 18741963)，弗罗斯特是20世纪美国文学史上伟大的新英格兰诗人之一。深深扎根于他充满挫折和辉煌的生活经历以及由此产生的感情，他的诗歌主要描写他所热爱的新英格兰质朴的乡村生活及乡村美景, 充满对新英格兰人民和生活的热爱。他的诗歌独具风格，以诗歌口语化,简单易懂著称，诗歌风格兼以东方“白居易”和“王维”之称，生动朴实地描写了田园风光和农村日常生活。他的诗充满了美国的乡土气息，流传广泛，深为人们喜爱，他的诗以描写农村生活为主，其中蕴含着丰富的哲理。特别是这种感情洋溢在每句诗行中。因此，通过了解他的生活经历，阅读和理解他的诗歌我们才可以真正走入他的精神世界。
