普通高中课程标准实验教科书 英语必修3 Unit 3 The Million Poun

Reading and Speaking Task

                                                                                THE MILLION POUND BANK NOTE

Act II, Scene 4

NARRATOR¹: At the end of the month, Henry was very rich and didn't fear jail². Dressed in the finest clothes, he drove³ by the brothers' house in Portland Place and, seeing they were back, went to get Portia at her friend's home.

HENRY:         My dear, the way you look today, it would be a crime⁴ not to ask for a good salary for the lob they'll give to me. 

PORTIA:         Oh, please remember that if we ask for too much we may get no salary at all; and then what'll happen to us, with no way in the world to earn a living?

(At the brothers' home, the servant lets them in. The two brothers are seated, waiting.)

HENRY:         Good morning, gentlemen. ( Roderick seems very surprised to see Portia ) Portia, these are the men who helped me.

PORTIA:         So very nice to meet you, kind sirs. (She gives Oliver a wink⁵ with one eye.)

HENRY:         Gentlemen, I'm ready to report.

RODERICK: Er ... Portia, I ...

OLIVER:        We're both glad to hear it, for now we can decide the bet⁶ which Roderick and I made. If you've won for me, you shall have any job as my gift. Have you got the million pound bank note?

HENRY:         Here it is, sir.

OLIVER:         I've won! Now what do you say, Roderick?

RODERICK:  I say that I've lost twenty thousand pounds. I never would have believed it. Why, that is amazing, man!

HENRY:         Come, let's be going now, Portia.

OLIVER:         But wait, wait! The job, you know. I must give you a job, as I promised.

HENRY:         Well, thank you very much, but I really don't want one now.

PORTIA:         Henry, I'm disappointed⁷ (失望的) in you. You didn't thank the gentlemen properly. May I do it for you?

HENRY:         Let me see you try.

 

(Portia walks over to Roderick and gives him a hug. Then she sits in Oliver's lap⁸, puts her arms around his neck and kisses him on the cheek. Oliver begins laughing.)

 

PORTIA:         Papa, he says he doesn't want anything else from you.

HENRY:         (shocked) My dear, is that your papa?!

PORTIA:         He's my stepfather, and the dearest one that ever was.

HENRY:         Oh, my dearest dear sir, I regret what I said. You have got a job open that I want.

OLIVER:         Name it.

HENRY:         Son-in-law.

OLIVER:         Well, well, well! But you've never had such a job before. How can I be sure you can do it successfully⁹?

HENRY:         Try me ... oh, do, I beg of you! Give me 30 or 40 years, and ...

OLIVER:         Oh, well, all right.

NARRATOR:  Are Portia and Henry happy? There are not enough words in the biggest dictionary to describe it. Did the people of London have a good time with this bit of news? Yes. Portia's stepfather took that bank note. back to the Bank of England and cashed it. The bank note was then useless for money but was his wedding gift to the young couple. Yes, the bank note was worth millions of dollars, but not worth one tenth as much as how Henry felt about Portia.

1 narrator   

n.讲述者；解说员；旁白者

参考例句：

• He listens and waits for the narrator to explain more.他听著，等待讲的人进一步解释。
• The story's narrator is an actress in her late thirties.故事的叙述者是位年近四十的女演员。

2 jail   

n.监狱，看守所；vt.监禁，拘留

参考例句：

• The castle had been used as a jail.这城堡曾用作监狱。
• If she carries on shoplifting,she'll end up in jail.她如果还在店铺里偷东西，最终会被抓进监狱的。

3 drove   

vbl.驾驶，drive的过去式；n.畜群

参考例句：

• He drove at a speed of sixty miles per hour.他以每小时60英里的速度开车。
• They drove foreign goods out of the market.他们把外国货驱逐出市场。

4 crime   

n.犯罪，罪行，罪恶

参考例句：

• You'll have to pay for your crime.你得为你的罪行付出代价。
• Crime in our big cities is on the increase.在我们大城市里犯罪率正在增长。

5 wink   

n.眨眼，使眼色，瞬间；v.眨眼，使眼色，闪烁

参考例句：

• He tipped me the wink not to buy at that price.他眨眼暗示我按那个价格就不要买。
• The satellite disappeared in a wink.瞬息之间，那颗卫星就消失了。

6 bet   

v.打赌，以(与)...打赌；n.赌注，赌金；打赌

参考例句：

• I bet you can't do this puzzle.我敢说，你解决不了这个难题。
• I offered to bet with him.我提出与他打赌。

7 disappointed   

adj.失望的，不满意的，不如意的

参考例句：

• He seemed disappointed when the man refused his request.当那个人拒绝了他的要求时他看起来很失望。
• He was disappointed so often that he became hopeless.他屡次失望，以致变为了绝望。

8 lap   

n.(坐立时)大腿的前部，膝部；(跑道的)一圈

参考例句：

• She is still going strong on the last lap.她在跑最后一圈时仍然劲头很足。
• She was sitting with her hands on her lap.她坐着，把手放到膝上。

9 successfully   

adv.圆满地；顺利地；成功地

参考例句：

• The meeting passed off successfully.会议开得很成功。
• At last we successfully put through the business deal.最终我们成功地完成了这桩交易。