Lesson Two Waiting for the Police Warm-up Activities Background Information Vocabulary Text Analysis...
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Transcript of Lesson Two Waiting for the Police Warm-up Activities Background Information Vocabulary Text Analysis...
Lesson Two Waiting for the Police
Warm-up Activities
Background Information
Vocabulary
Text Analysis
Detailed Study of the Text
Exercises
Lesson Two Waiting for the Police
Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson go on a camping trip, set up their tent, and fall asleep. Some hours later Holmes wakes him up.
“Watson, look up at the sky and tell me what you see.”
Watson replies, :”I see millions of stars.”
“What does that tell you?”
Watson ponders for a minute. “ Astronomically speaking, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Astrologically, it tells me that Saturn is in Leo. Timewise, it appears to be approximately a quarter past three. Theologically, it’s evident the Lord is all powerful and we are small and insignificant. Meteorologically, it seems we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. What does it tell you?”
Holmes is silent for a moment, then speaks. “Watson, you idiot, someone has stolen our tent.”
Lesson Two Waiting for the Police
English novelist, playwright, and journalist, was bor
n in London into literary circumstances. His father, Be
njamin Farjeon, was a well-known novelist and he was
the brother of the children's writer Eleanor Farjeon and
the playwright Herbert Farjeon. Although he was a des
cendant of Thomas Jefferson, Farjeon was named aft
er his maternal grandfather, the American actor Josep
h Jefferson. He was educated privately and at Peterbo
rough Lodge. From 1910 to 1920 he did editorial work
for the Amalgamated Press.
Lesson Two Waiting for the Police
Farjeon's career as a fiction writer was long and prol
ific. With over eighty published novels to his credit, ma
ny in the mystery and detective genre, he enjoyed wha
t the London Times obituarist called a deserved popul
arity for "ingenious and entertaining plots and characte
rization." His early novel, Master Criminal, is a tale of i
dentity reversal involving two brothers, one a master d
etective, the other a master criminal. "Mr. Farjeon displ
ays a great deal of knowledge about story-telling," dec
lared the New York Times reviewer, "and multiplies th
e interest of his plot through a terse, telling style and a
rigid compression."
Lesson Two Waiting for the Police
Farjeon was one of the first detective writers to mingl
e romance with crime. Although known for his keen hum
or and flashing wit, he was no stranger to the sinister and
terrifying. The critic for the Saturday Review of Literature
praised Death in the Inkwell, one of his later books, callin
g it an "amusing, satirical, and frequently hair-raising yar
n of an author who got dangerously mixed up with his im
aginary characters. Tricky."
Lesson Two Waiting for the Police
Vocabulary
1. to pop in and out: to make brief visit and then leave suddenly
She’s always popping in and out.
I’ve just popped in to say hello.
I’m afraid she’s just popped out for a few minutes.
I am just popping round to the shop.
Vocabulary
2. eccentric: a. a. departing from a recognized, conventional, or established norm or pattern b. deviating from a circular form or path, as in an elliptical orbit
The old lady has some eccentric habits.
Mars, Venus and the other planets move in eccentric orbits. 火星、金星及其他行星沿不正圆的轨道运行。
Vocabulary
3. inquire: v. to seek information by asking a question
to make an inquiry or investigation
I’ll inquire about the flights.
She inquired after my mother’s health.
The director inquired of me about/concerning our work.
We inquired into his story, and found it was true.
He inquired for the book in a bookshop.
Text Analysis
This story is set in a boarding house where life, especially evening life, is notoriously dull for the odd collection of people who live there. But one of the guests manages to think of something which does stir up quite a bit of interest.
Characters:
Mrs. Mayton, Mr. Monty Smith, Miss Wicks, Bella, Mr. Calthrop, Mr. Penbury
Setting:
Text Analysis
Structure:
Part I (Paras. 1– 11): an idle discussion about where Mr. Wainright has gone and serving to introduce the characters who live in the boarding-house.
Part II (Paras. 12– 33): Mr. Penbury announces that Mr. Wainwright is dead.
Part III (Paras. 34– 88): Mr. Penbury directs a general rehearsal of their alibis while waiting for the police.
Part IV (Paras. 89– 91): a suspense ending
Text Analysis
Mrs. Mayton
Mr. Monty Smith
Bella
Miss. Wicks
Mr. Calthrop
Mr. Penbury
landlady
as polite as paleoldest
Young lovely
Middle-aged
Eccentric intelligent
Try to keep everyone talking
Keep any ball rolling
Knitting all the timeNot particularly smart
Walk in sleep, doze all the time
Have a chilling effect, possess a brain
Detailed Study of the Text
How is the story started? (read the first paragraph)
The story starts with a question from the landlady Mrs. Mayton.
This as an appropriate and direct beginning. The question immedi
ately arouses the attention of the boarders gathered in the drawing
room. This first bit of conversation is actually the beginning of an i
dle conversation conducted by bored people to kill time. But this p
art gives us a brief introduction of all the boarders and prepares u
s for an unexpected turn of events.
Detailed Study of the Text
Why did Mrs. Mayton ask this question? (read the first part)
It didn’t matter to her in the least where Mr. Wainwright had gone.
What she is really interested in is the money paid by the boarders.
And sometimes, as a landlady, she felt obliged to whip up a little
interest to start an idle conversation.
Detailed Study of the Text
What did Mr. Penbury say that got everybody’s attention? What was his purpose by doing this? (read the second part)
He announced that Mr. Wainwright is dead, which shocked everyone except Miss Wicks. He might feel too bored at such an evening hour and tried to stir up some interest to kill time, so he can be described as the director of this little melodrama.
Detailed Study of the Text
What was Mr. Penbury’s suggestion? What effect did he want to cultivate?
He told them he had phoned the police and propose that they consider their alibis while waiting for the police to come.
By directing a general rehearsal of their alibis, he tried to arouse everybody’s attention and created an atmosphere of tension and horror, which might be better than boredom.
Detailed Study of the Text
What did everyone respond to Mr. Penbury? How did they try to offer their alibis? (read the third part)
Most of them tried hard to clear up a little ground by considering their alibis, though they are nervous, excited, anxious, impatient, angry, …
Being the only person to know the inside story, Miss Wicks responded to Mr. Penbury’s conspiracy amusedly by making up a vivid plot of killing “Mr. Annoyance”.
Exercises
Translation of the phrases
board and lodging
a split second
whipping the dead horse
a matter of form
the tense atmosphere
to walk in one’s sleep
食宿
瞬间
做徒劳无益之事
走形式
紧张气氛
梦游