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Unit 3
Leisure Activities
After-Class Reading
PASSAGE 1 Fatal Attraction[1]
The "Queen" of British murder mystery writing is, without doubt, Agatha Christie. Although the writer herself died over 20 years ago, her 78 "Whodunit" novels continue to sell in huge numbers. They have been translated into more than a hundred languages and they have sold over two billion copies.
The appeal of Agatha Christie's books, both in Britain and abroad, is not hard to understand. Each book is cleverly constructed. She uses characters that are easily recognizable and her plots develop almost like clockwork. But most importantly, all her stories set a puzzle for the reader.
Nearly all of Christie's books start with a murder, forcing the reader to ask the question, "whodunit?", and all of them end with a solution. The fun for the reader is in following the clues hidden in the story and trying to reach the correct solution before the author reveals it. This formula appeals to the strongest of human instincts curiosity and its popularity shows no sign of going away[2].
Many of the mysteries are solved by one of the Christie's regular investigators, like the very confident Belgian, Hercule Poirot, or the apparently harmless little old lady, Miss Marple. She also created a special setting for her stories which has become as familiar as some of her characters. It is England between the two World Wars, where close-knit communities live in quiet villages or rich city folk assemble for weekends at grand country houses.
This world is ruled by a rigid social hierarchy. The owners of the country houses, probably members of the aristocracy, are at the top, then there are the professional classes: doctors, lawyers and businessmen. At the bottom are the common people, who normally appear in the books as servants, cooks and gardeners. When a murder is committed, there's no shortage of suspects to be investigated.
Agatha Christie's world is not quite a real world, which is one of the reasons why her books have not become dated. This is a world which is safe and predictable until a murder shatters people's lives. The crime must be solved so that the murderer can be arrested, but also, so that calm can be restored.[3]
During most of Agatha Christie's life, England had the death penalty for murder. So, once the crime in her books is solved and the murderer identified, that is the end for him or her. There are no loose ends and the reader can sleep peacefully in his or her bed.
In the real world, of course, things don't happen quite like that. Criminals go unpunished, people are wrongly convicted and there are miscarriages of justice. In short, the real world is not a safe place. It is for this reason that so many readers like to bury their heads in[4] an old-fashioned detective story with a safe and predictable ending.
The kind of whodunit Agatha Christie wrote is certainly old-fashioned. Few contemporary crime writers are producing this kind of book. The modern crime novel is more morally and psychologically complex, often adding to "whodunit?", another question: "whydunit?". Modern writers are more interested in understanding the criminal's mind and what drives a person to kill. They explore a world of crime that is much darker than anything imagined by Agatha Christie. Instead of being comforting, most contemporary crime novels unsettle their readers.
But Britain's affection for what the Americans call the "cosy" school of crime fiction has not died.[5] Murder is still considered to be entertainment and the television schedules are full of detective dramas which end with a murderer safely under arrest.
Another sign of how popular whodunits have become are "Murder Mystery Weekends", offered by hotels. Guests take on the characters of classic whodunit suspects and spend a weekend trying to find out who among them is the "murderer". Or there are murder dinner parties, at which groups of friends get together to solve a crime over the dinner table, using specially prepared information about their character and their whereabouts. If murder with your meal doesn't appeal, there are a range of popular board games and computer games to test your powers of detection.
But for some people it can become an obsession. Letters still get sent to "221b Baker Street, London[6]", home of Sherlock Holmes, perhaps the most famous fictional detective of all, asking for his help in solving a variety of mysteries. So many letters arrive for the great detective, that the company which now occupies that address employs someone with the special job of answering them.
So long as human beings remain curious, there seems no doubt that the whodunit, in all its various forms, will continue to exert its fatal attraction. (792 words)
Proper Names
Marseilles
(地名)马赛(法国第二大城市)
Mediterranean
(地名)地中海
Michel Redolfi
(男子名)米歇尔.雷朵夫
New Words
attach
v. join or fasten something (to something else) 将某物系在、附在、固定在(另一物)上
e.g. I ) We attach labels to things before we put them away.
II ) Heavy thread attached the buttons firmly to my winter coat.
avant-garde
adj. favoring new and progressive ideas, especially in art and literature (尤指文学、艺术方面)先锋派的，前卫派的
clarity
n. the state or quality of being clear 清澈，清晰
e.g. The teacher praised the clarity of expression in the student's essay.
concertgoer*
n. someone who often goes to concerts 经常去听音乐会的人
crisp
adj.
1) sharp and clear 脆的;清脆的
e.g. The pianist made each note sound crisp and distinct.
2) firm and fresh, as if recently made or grown 新鲜而爽口的
e.g. Bake the potatoes for 15 minutes, till they are nice and crisp.
eardrum*
n. 耳膜
environment
n. the surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal, or plant lives or operates 环境
e.g. I don't feel safe in this dangerous environment.
flesh
n. the soft part of the body of a person or animal that is between the skin and the bones 肉;肉体
e.g. The smell of burned flesh came from the smoking debris (瓦砾) of the nearby buildings.
flute
n. a musical instrument that is shaped like a long, thin pipe 笛
folklore*
n. the traditional beliefs, customs, and stories of a community, passed through the generations by word of mouth 民间信仰，民间传说，民俗
forehead
n. the part of the face between the eyebrows and the hairline 前额
e.g. I wiped the sweat from my forehead.
futuristic
adj. having or involving very modern technology or design 未来的，未来派(艺术)的，未来主义的
gravity
n. the force that pulls things toward the center of planets, suns, moons, etc. 重力，引力
e.g. The moon has very little gravity as compared with Earth.
harp
n. a musical instrument having strings attached to a frame of wood 竖琴
illusion
n. a vision of something that is not really there; a false image 错觉，幻觉，假象
e. g. The magician created the illusion that his assistant had been cut in half.
inspire
v.
1) fill somebody with the ability or urge to do, feel, etc. something beyond his usual ability 使产生灵感，启示
e.g. The Lake District scenery inspired Wordsworth to write his greatest poetry.
2) encourage someone to do something, usually something new or unusual 鼓励，激励
e.g. I was inspired to work harder by her example.
jellyfish
n. sea animal with a jelly-like body and stinging tentacles水母，海蜇
microphone
n. an instrument for receiving sound waves and changing them into electrical waves, used in broadcasting or recording sound or for making sound louder 麦克风，话筒，传声器
e.g. Her voice won't be heard unless she uses a microphone.
opera
n. a musical play in which all of the words are sung 歌剧
e.g. It is a one-act opera about contemporary women in America.
optional
adj. which may be freely chosen or not chosen 可选择的，非强制的
e.g. Sociology is an optional subject in our school.
radical
adj.
1) relating to or affecting the fundamental nature of something, far reaching or thorough 基本的，彻底的
e.g. Our firm underwent radical changes to prevent bankruptcy.
2) advocating thorough or complete political or social reform 主张彻底改革的，激进的
e.g. There existed political tension between radical and conservative politicians.
revolutionize*
v. cause great changes in the way that something is done 使发生革命性剧变，使彻底变革
sensory*
adj. of the senses or of sensation 感官的，感觉上的
shrimp
n. a small sea creature with an outer shell, ten legs and a tail (小虾)
siren
n.
1) (in Ancient Greek literature) one of the creatures who were half woman and half bird, whose beautiful singing tempted sailors to sail into dangerous waters where they died 赛壬(希腊神话中的半人半鸟海妖，常用美妙的歌声诱惑航海者触礁毁来)
2) a warning device which makes a long, loud, wailing noise 汽笛，警报器
skull
n. bony framework of the head under the skin 头骨
e.g. The driver's skull was cracked when his head hit the windshield in the crash.
snap
v. (snapped, snapping)
1) move quickly with a sharp sound 啪地移动
e.g. He snapped the cap on his ballpoint pen.
2) (cause to) break suddenly and sharply off or in two parts (使)突然断开，断开(成两截)
e.g. She snapped off a piece of chocolate.
snorkel
n. a piece of equipment that allows a swimmer to breathe air under water (潜游者使用的)水下呼吸管
speaker
n. (informal) loudspeaker, that part of a radio, record player, etc. from which sound comes out 扬声器，喇叭
e.g. John balanced the sound between the two speakers.
submerge
v. go under the surface of water, or put something under water (使)潜入(没入)水中，(使)浸没，淹没
e.g. The tunnel entrance was submerged by rising sea water.
synthesize*
v. combine (parts) into a whole 合成
e.g. The two elements are synthesized by a chemical process.
underwater*
adj. & adv. situated or used or done below the surface of the water 水面下的(地)
upside down
adv. with the top at the bottom and the bottom at the top 颠倒地
e.g. You've hung that picture upside down!
vague
adj. not clearly expressed or perceived 含糊的，模糊的
e.g. The confusing movie had a rather vague ending.
vision
n. unusual discernment or foresight 洞察力，远见
e.g. Because of the owner's vision, the company remained competitive.
weightlessness*
n. a state of having no weight, especially when there is no gravity, as in space 失重
e.g. Astronauts quite often find that weightlessness makes them feel sick.
Phrases and Expressions
attach to
fix on or to 系于，贴于，固定于
e.g. I attached a photo to my application form.
complete (adj.) with
fully or additionally supplied 齐备的，备有……的，具有
e.g. She bought a lovely Beverly Hills mansion, complete with a swimming pool.
hold one's breath
1) stop breathing for a short time 暂时屏住呼吸
e.g. How long can you hold your breath?
2) wait anxiously for something 紧张地等待
e.g. All Europe held its breath to see who would win the election.
in contact with
1) in the state of touching or coming together 接触
e.g. Have the children been in contact with the disease?
2) in the state of having a connection or exchanging information or ideas with someone else 联系，交往
e.g. We stay in contact with each other by telephone.
PASSAGE II Fatal Attraction[1]
The "Queen" of British murder mystery writing is, without doubt, Agatha Christie. Although the writer herself died over 20 years ago, her 78 "Whodunit" novels continue to sell in huge numbers. They have been translated into more than a hundred languages and they have sold over two billion copies.
The appeal of Agatha Christie's books, both in Britain and abroad, is not hard to understand. Each book is cleverly constructed. She uses characters that are easily recognizable and her plots develop almost like clockwork. But most importantly, all her stories set a puzzle for the reader.
Nearly all of Christie's books start with a murder, forcing the reader to ask the question, "whodunit?", and all of them end with a solution. The fun for the reader is in following the clues hidden in the story and trying to reach the correct solution before the author reveals it. This formula appeals to the strongest of human instincts curiosity and its popularity shows no sign of going away[2].
Many of the mysteries are solved by one of the Christie's regular investigators, like the very confident Belgian, Hercule Poirot, or the apparently harmless little old lady, Miss Marple. She also created a special setting for her stories which has become as familiar as some of her characters. It is England between the two World Wars, where close-knit communities live in quiet villages or rich city folk assemble for weekends at grand country houses.
This world is ruled by a rigid social hierarchy. The owners of the country houses, probably members of the aristocracy, are at the top, then there are the professional classes: doctors, lawyers and businessmen. At the bottom are the common people, who normally appear in the books as servants, cooks and gardeners. When a murder is committed, there's no shortage of suspects to be investigated.
Agatha Christie's world is not quite a real world, which is one of the reasons why her books have not become dated. This is a world which is safe and predictable until a murder shatters people's lives. The crime must be solved so that the murderer can be arrested, but also, so that calm can be restored.[3]
During most of Agatha Christie's life, England had the death penalty for murder. So, once the crime in her books is solved and the murderer identified, that is the end for him or her. There are no loose ends and the reader can sleep peacefully in his or her bed.
In the real world, of course, things don't happen quite like that. Criminals go unpunished, people are wrongly convicted and there are miscarriages of justice. In short, the real world is not a safe place. It is for this reason that so many readers like to bury their heads in[4] an old-fashioned detective story with a safe and predictable ending.
The kind of whodunit Agatha Christie wrote is certainly old-fashioned. Few contemporary crime writers are producing this kind of book. The modern crime novel is more morally and psychologically complex, often adding to "whodunit?", another question: "whydunit?". Modern writers are more interested in understanding the criminal's mind and what drives a person to kill. They explore a world of crime that is much darker than anything imagined by Agatha Christie. Instead of being comforting, most contemporary crime novels unsettle their readers.
But Britain's affection for what the Americans call the "cosy" school of crime fiction has not died.[5] Murder is still considered to be entertainment and the television schedules are full of detective dramas which end with a murderer safely under arrest.
Another sign of how popular whodunits have become are "Murder Mystery Weekends", offered by hotels. Guests take on the characters of classic whodunit suspects and spend a weekend trying to find out who among them is the "murderer". Or there are murder dinner parties, at which groups of friends get together to solve a crime over the dinner table, using specially prepared information about their character and their whereabouts. If murder with your meal doesn't appeal, there are a range of popular board games and computer games to test your powers of detection.
But for some people it can become an obsession. Letters still get sent to "221b Baker Street, London[6]", home of Sherlock Holmes, perhaps the most famous fictional detective of all, asking for his help in solving a variety of mysteries. So many letters arrive for the great detective, that the company which now occupies that address employs someone with the special job of answering them.
So long as human beings remain curious, there seems no doubt that the whodunit, in all its various forms, will continue to exert its fatal attraction. (792 words)
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发表于 2016-7-10 09:23:09