Lesson Twenty-fiveChance

Guide Questions Analysis and Explanation Reading Comprehension Summary of The Lesson

Guide Questions What reminds the writer of sth. in the past? What happened in February ? Why did the car pull up suddenly? What was the cause of the trouble? What the word "disappear" mean here? What happened two weeks ago? Did the man survive the accident? Was it the driver's fault?

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The road where the author lives is very long and straight and its surface is made of wood. At night cars stopped suddenly at the same place in the road near his house,making unpleasant noises and waking him up.The first event happened in February because the main water-pipe burst and a hole appeared in the middle of the road: the second event took place in August for the reason that a rough piece of the road looked like a man lying there in the moonlight .He seemed to be dressed in light brown clothes with squares on the cloth.The third event that occurred two weeks ago was caused by a man who was run over by a car and died.Coincidentally, the man who died was wearing the same kind of clothes as the imagined man in the second event.

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Chance Not everything which happens in life can be properly explained. The following story is one such happening .Read it and see if you can find an answer to the author's experience.

The road where I live is very long and very straight .The surface is made of wood and the road is well lighted at night.The result is that cars and taxis going by during the night often go quite fast.I don't blame them.They hardly ever wake me unless they stop near the house. 　 return　

But about two months ago, one of them did wake me .The driver stopped suddenly just opposite my window. You know what a noise the wheels make when a car stops suddenly like that .Then after quite a short pause he drove on again .That was nothing , of course ,and it didn’t have much effect on me at the moment. I was only just asleep .But about two minutes later the same thing happened again .This time it was a taxi —— at least it sounded like a taxi. At just about the same place on the road the driver stopped the taxi suddenly and the wheels made the same kind of noise .Then I think he backed up a few yards, but I don't know .In any case he moved the car about a bit ,and in a minute or two he drove off .As you can imagine, this second event had a greater effect on me and when a third car did exactly the same thing — I really did try to consider the problem. You know that the mind is not very clear at three o'clock in the morning. I

said,"oh yes. I know what it is .It's the same as last February." return

In February — or was it January? — in any case, whenever it was, the main water-pipe burst, and a hole appeared in the middle of the road .They put a fence round it, and red lamps, and a watchman stayed there. That was all right, of course, but during the night a thick fog came on , and cars came at high speed along the road,and didn't see the lights until they were nearly on top of them, and had to stop suddenly. After the first two or three did this, the watchman left the hole and went to the side of the road. In any case I thought ,"That's happened again."But then I said ,"But it's August now — there can't be a fog in August ,so it's not that.I must see what's the matter." return

So I got out of bed and went to look out of the window.Soon a large car came fast along, and just opposite me it stopped suddenly like the others. I couldn't quite see where it had stopped because there are trees on each side of my window; but I heard people get out and there was a lot of excitement for about a minute.Then they climbed in again and the door was shut and away they went.You can quite imagine how interesting it all was.I said I could not bear this for another moment. I must go and see what was happening.So I put on a few clothes and went downstairs and out into the road. Beautiful warm night and a good moon.I looked up and down but there wasn't a thing in sight, and there seemed to be nothing whatever wrong with the road .So I crossed over to the place where all the cars had stopped so suddenly. I could see the marks of the wheels on the road. And then I saw the cause of all the trouble.

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The moonlight was quite bright, and about fifteen yards up the road there was a deep shadow thrown by a tree.In this shadow there was a man lying. His back was towards me and his feet were about a yard from the edge of the road. He seemed to me to be dressed in light brown clothes with squares on the cloth.You often see girls with coats made of that kind of stuff. Well, of course,I started walking up the road towards him, but when I got within five or six yards an extraordinary thing happened. He disappeared. Actually, he didn't exactly disappear, but I suddenly saw what he really was.He was a rough piece of the road.Something seemed to have gone wrong with the water-pipe during the afternoon. They had come and mended it.and hadn't had time to make the road good again.They had just put the wood blocks back loosely, and brushed some sand over the whole thing.This produced a perfectly astonishing effect; it looked like a man.And to add to the effect,there was a small pieces of paper stuck on the road, and it

looked white just where the collar would be. return

Well, I walked backwards and forwards across the place: just where you could see the man and then couldn't see him. And it was very astonishing. It's a little difficult to describe. I don't know whether any of you have been to the cinema. But when I went, one of the scenes showed a beautiful girl sitting on a stone seat by the side of a lake, with flowers and so on, really very fine. And then suddenly the whole thing disappeared and you found yourself in a low-down eating house in New York,watching an ugly man eating food. Well, that's what it was like while I was walking backwards and forwards. And while I was doing that a policeman came round the corner, very surprised to see me playing my little game so early in the morning. He probably said,"Here's a fellow not properly dressed. I 'll arrest him, and that will do me good."

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He came up to me with a certain amount of hesitation,but I said , “Now you stand just here and look at that man lying there.”And he looked and gave a cry of astonishment.Then he started off up the road, meaning to pick him up.But in three or four yards he got to the place where the figure disappeared, and then it really was as good as a play.He looked , and rubbed his eyes, and looked again.Then he walked to the piece of road and examined that. And as soon as he had decided it wasn't my fault, I explained to him how dangerous it was.I told him that all the cars and taxis were stopping suddenly ,and there might be an accident. And they were waking me up every two minutes. So I said,"If you'll stay here and warn people, I 'll go to see Sir William Horwood in the morning and ask him to make you an officer." And he said, " I am an officer." So I said " Never mind— perhaps he'll make you another."And I went back to bed.

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At about four o'clock in the morning there were noises in the road, so I got up and looked out, and there was my policeman and an inspector walking backwards and forwards and enjoying themselves very much.They were doing a kind of slow dance on the road. I think they went on dancing till it got light. Well, the next day men came and mended the road properly, and that was the end of that. That was in August .Now comes the strange part.Exactly two weeks ago — at about one o'clock in the morning — there was the same old noise of a car stopping suddenly and violently. I was half asleep,and I said ," The same thing 's going to go on all night, and I shan't get any sleep at all." return

But this car didn't drive on as it ought to have done.There were voices and footsteps, and the sound of the car being backed. General excitement After a few minutes of this I got curious, and I went out again. The car had stopped just at the same old place .But there wasn't any mistake this time.They had run over a man, and he was quite dead.They said he had walked right into them. He was wearing light brown clothes, with squares on the cloth. You often see girls with coats made of that kind of stuff. I call this chance. perhaps you do not .. return

From A Book of Short Stories, Longman Series.

Approximately 12250 words.

Analysis and Expression

it didn't have much effect on me at the moment. 1) to have ( much ,little) effect on : to have influence on A word from the teacher will have much effect on my son. 2) at the moment : If it is used in past tense, it means "then."If in present tense, it means "now". He was busy at the moment. He is reading at the moment.

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back up: 倒车（ 倒退回去） to back a car up 倒车 They couldn‘t understand ,so he backed up and told them once more. 他们不懂，所以重新倒回去解释。

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In any case: anyhow 无论如何，不管怎样 In any case, finish this work today. return

burst: v. 1) 爆裂，绽开 The type burst. The sun burst through the clouds. 2 ）充满，挤满（常用 -ing 形式）The city was bursting with visitors . return

…but during the night a thick fog came on . come on : attack “ 袭来” “开始…起来。”A storm came on in the afternoon下午下起雨来。 I felt a cold coming on .我觉得开始有点感冒了。 return

…and didn‘t see the lights until they were nearly on top of them.1)“them” replaces the lights.2)on top of : nearby The bookstore is just on top of a restaurant. to be well qualified 胜任 He is the man on top of his job.

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Beautiful warm night and a good moon:It was a

beautiful warm night with a good moon. return

there seemed to be nothing whatever wrong with the road : in a negative sentence,“ whatever ” is placed after a noun for stress. 相当于“ at all ” ，丝毫的 , 任何的 。 No one whatever would have anything to do with him.

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and about fifteen yards up the road: about fifteen ya

rds aways from the along the road.

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…in light brown clothes with squares on the cloth. 我看见他似乎穿着淡棕色格子布的衣服。

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stuff 1) n. material , article 材料 , 物品 He is always eating sweet stuff. 2) v. to fill 塞满 The bus was stuffed with passengers.

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They had just put the wood blocks back loosely, and brushed some sand over the whole thing. 他们只是把松散的木块随便铺上 , 而且在上面撒了一些沙子 .wood blocks 大木块 , put …back 把…放在后面He put some chairs back in order to make room.

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It looked white just where the collar would be. 这使得那块路更像一个人的样子 . where : 达到 ------ 地步I did get to where I wasn‘t terrified.

我确实达到了不害怕的地步 . return

You found yourself in a low-down eating house in New York. 1) to find oneself --- : to be in some state unconsciously. He found himself near the king‘s palace. 他不知不觉来到国王的宫殿。 2) a low-down eating house : an eating place for poor people.

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I 'll arrest him, and that will do me good: I'll arrest him and that will make my superiors pleased with me.

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Then he started off the road, meaning to pick him up.He started walking forward to the place where that man was lying ,to help him stand up.start off: set off 动身 , 出发 They started off across the desert.

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then it really was as good as a play.as good as: almost 与 ----- 几乎一样 , 实际上等于 We 've as good as ruined The house was as good as sold .

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But this car didn't drive on as it ought to have done. 1) to drive on , "on"here means continuously . 2) ought to have done sth.: should have done sth. It means sth.should be done ,but in fact it wasn't. The former is stronger than the latter. The house was not very old .It ought not to have been knocked down.这房子不旧 , 本不该拆毁 .

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General excitement:There was general excitement,meaning people were talking and running about as if they were greatly disturbed. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

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run over : 碾过 He was run over by a carriage and got hurt.

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They said he had walked right into them:They

said the man walked directly into their moving car.

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Chance: an event that happens by accident.

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Reading Comprehension

True or False Every night the writer can't go to sleep well because the house he

lives is near the street. F The writer couldn't sleep well one August night. T This story is mainly concerned with the three unexpected events the

writer met with. T The writer called it chance because the man was dressed in the same

clothes. F

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According to the author,the moonlight made the man disappear.

F In the sentence"Here is a fellow not properly dressed", the

phrase"a fellow" implies the writer. T Two weeks later ,a man was scared to death by the

shadow. F "Chance"refers to the place the cars stopped. F

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Multiple-choice 1. The cars stopping on the road opposite his winter made the author ____.

[A] sleepless [B] nervous [C] think of a road accident [D] think of the water-pipe which burst last

February.

key: [D ]

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2. When the author went out of his door he saw ____. [A] a deep hole where the water-pipe had

burst [B] a man lying on the road in the shadow of a

tree [C] a watchman guarding the hole with lights [D] a policeman and an inspector investigating

the hole

Key: [B]

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3. The man lying on the road was actually ____.

[A] a place shadowed by the trees [B] a hole lying open [C] a rough piece of the road [D] a water-pipe under repair

Key: [C]

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4. The author met a policeman who_____.

[A] was sent by the police station to look into the matter

[B] was led to see the extraordinary thing [C] was made an officer overnight. [D] saw the place and left

Key: [B]

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5. When the author was woken up two weeks later, he went out and saw _____.

[A] another piece of rough road [B] a man had been hit [C] general excitement [D] a policeman was inspecting the accident.

Key: [B]

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Questions for discussion

What were the causes of these three events?

Why does the writer use the flashback?

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Comment In telling this strange story ,the writer does a

good job in gradually building up a mysterious atmosphere by describing three events in this passage.These three events center on the same fact that cars stopped suddenly at a particular place of the road, making unpleasant noises, but each event has its own cause, all these explain the meaning of the title "chance"to arouse the reader's curiosity .

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Outline of the textComment on the story

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Answer:The cars were stopping at the same place of the road.

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Answer: The main water-pipe burst and a hole appeared in the middle of the road. return

Answer: Cars that were moving at high speed could not see the fence and the red lights and had to stop suddenly when they saw them.

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Answer: There was a man lying on the road in shadow of a tree.

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Answer: The writer discovered it was only an optical illusion,what he saw was not really a man ,but a rough piece of the road.

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Answer: A man was knocked down by a car. return

Answer: No, he didn't.

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Answer: No.The man walked directly to the moving car .

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Answers for discussion: The main water-pipe burst and a hole

appeared in the middle of the road:the moonlight's reflection on a piece of uneven road created the optical illusion of a man's body:a man was knocked down by a car and died.

The flashback is used here to give the reason why he came out into the street.