新概念英语第三册：A chance in a million
新概念一直被视为英语学习的经典教材，为了让同学们能够更加全面完善的学习新概念英语第三册，新东方网英语频道将帮助同学们一起总结知识点。A chance in a million 百万分之一的机遇
We are less credulous than we used to be. In the 19th 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 solutions totally unacceptable. Yet, in real life, circumstances do sometimes conspire to bring about coincidences which anyone but a 19th century novelist would find incredible.
我们不再像以往那样轻易相信别人了。在19世纪，小说家常在小说结尾处给读者准备一系列的巧合——大部分是牵强附会，极不可能的。当时的读者却愉快地接受这样一些事实，一个低贱的女佣实际上是主人公的母亲;主人公一位长期失散的兄弟，大家都以为死了，实际上一直活着，并且正在策划暗算主人公;如此等等，现代读者会觉得这种天真的结局完全无法接受。不过，在现实生活中，有时确实会出现一些巧合，这些巧合除了19世纪小说家外谁也不会相信。
New words and expressions 生词与短语
credulous
adj. 轻信的
improbable
adj. 不大可能的
obscure
adj. 不起眼的
maidservant
n. 女仆，女佣
presume
v. 假定
wickedly
adv. 心眼坏地，居心叵测地
plot
v. 密谋
downfall
n. 倒台，垮台
naive
adj. 天真的
unacceptable
adj. 不能接受的
conspire
v. (事件)巧合促成
incredible
adj. 难以置信的
scorn
n. 嘲弄，挖苦
acquaint
v. 使了解
reunite
v. 使团聚
assume
v. 假定，认为
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