现代大学英语精读1midnightvisitor解读
Unit4midnightvisitor精品PPT课件

your friends
❖ (Para. 2) Ausable was, for one thing, fat. Very fat. And then there was his accent.
WORD FOCUS: sad ❖ unhappy sad because of the situation you are in ❖ miserable very sad ❖ depressed sad for a long time, and feeling that your life will never
❖ passably
Jack of all trades, master of none. [谚]样样皆通,样样稀松。
❖ adv. /'pɑːsəbli; 'pæ səbli / in a way that is acceptable or good enough; in a way that is fairly good, but not excellent:
direction along something;
❖ More examples:
1. Go down the road till you reach the traffic lights.
2. We live just up the road, past the post office.
3. I looked up and down the corridor.
It was a wet and gloomy day. It was a gloomy room with one small window.
Unit-4--The-Midnight-VisitorPPT课件

Can you figure out the total number? I can’t figure him out.
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4
risk: She is too sensible to take/run a risk when driving. We’ll take /run the risk of being late. He was determined to get there even at the risk of his life. v. risk+ n. risk+-ing To save that traveler, they had to risk getting caught in the storm.
fire!
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6
concerning: prep. This book deals with questions concerning China’s diplomatic policies. synonyms regarding
with reference to with respect to
She is now on a diet to keep her figure. 4). person , esp. person of influence
第一册第四课MidnightVisitor精品PPT课件

Text Analysis Theme
• Wisdom is more powerful than any weapon. • Never judge a person by his appearance. • First impressions could be misleading. • He who laughs last, laughs longest.
谋)and politics; while a detective story is usually concerned with local crimes.
Warming-up Questions
Have you ever read any stories or seen any movies of secret agents?
Genre
a short story--a spy story
Setting: a French hotel room Characters: Ausable, Fowler, Max and a Climax Theme
waiter
Genre
How is a spy story similar to or different from a detective story?
What is your impression of a secret agent? Who is the best-known image of a secret agent
ever invented in your opinion?
Warming-up Questions
Please enjoy the following pictures in Hollywood movies and give your description of 007—James Bond , the best-known secret agent ever invented across the world. Try to think of as many words as possible to describe people who work as a secret agent.
The Midnight Visitor综合英语1,课文原文

The Midnight VisitorRobert Arthur Ausable did not fit the description of any secret agent Fowler had ever read about. Following him down the corridor of the gloomy French hotel where Ausable had a room, Fowler felt disappointed. It was a small room on the sixth floor and hardly a setting for a romantic figure.Ausable was, for one thing, fat. Very fat. And then there was his accent. Though he spoke French and German passably, he had never altogether lost New England accent he had brought to Paris from Boston twenty years ago."You are disappointed," Ausable said wheezily over his shoulder. "You were told that I was a secret agent, a spy, dealing in espionage and danger. You wished to meet me because you are a writer, young and romantic. You thought you would have mysterious figures in the night, the crack of pistols, drugs in the wine.""Instead, you have spent a dull evening in a French music hall with a sloppy fat man who, instead of having messages slipped into his hand by dark-eyed beauties, gets only an ordinary telephone call making an appointment in his room. You have been bored!" The fat man chuckled to himself as he unlocked the door of his room and stood aside to let his frustrated guest enter."You are disillusioned," Ausable told him. "But take cheer, my young friend. Before long you will see a paper, a quite important paper for which several men and women have risked their lives, come to me in the next-to-last step of its journey into official hands. Someday soon that paper may well affect the course of history. There is drama in that thought, don't you think?" As he spoke, Ausable closed the door behind him. Then he switched on the light.And as the light came on, Fowler had his first real thrill of the day. For halfway across the room, a small automatic pistol in his hand, stood a man.Ausable blinked a few times."Max," he wheezed, "you gave me quite a start. I thought you were in Berlin. What are you doing in my room?"Max was slender, not tall, and with a face that suggested the look of a fox. Except for the gun, he did not look very dangerous."The report," he murmured. "The report that is being brought to you tonight concerning some new missiles. I thought I would take it from you. It will be safer in my hands than in yours."Ausable moved to an armchair and sat down heavily. "I'm going to raise the devil with the management this time; I am angry," he said grimly. "This is the second time in a month that somebody has gotten into my room off that confounded balcony!" Fowler's eyes went to the single window of the room. It was an ordinary window, against which now the night was pressing blackly."Balcony?" Max asked curiously. "No, I had a passkey. I did not know about the balcony. It might have saved me some trouble had I known about it.""It's not my balcony," explained Ausable angrily. "It belongs to the next apartment." He glanced explanatorily at Fowler. "You see," he said, "this room used to be part of a large unit, and the next room through that door there used to be the living room. It had the balcony, which extends under my window now. You can get onto it from the empty room next door, and somebody did, last month. The management promised to block it off. But they haven't."Max glanced at Fowler, who was standing stiffly a few feet from Ausable, and waved the gunwith a commanding gesture. "Please sit down," he said. "We have a wait of half an hour, I think.""Thirty-one minutes," Ausable said moodily. "The appointment was for twelve-thirty. I wish I knew how you learned about the report, Max."The little spy smiled evilly. "And we wish we knew how your people got the report. But, no harm has been done. I will get it back tonight. What is that? Who is at the door?"Fowler jumped at the sudden knocking at the door. Ausable just smiled, "That will be the police," he said. "I thought that such an important paper should have a little extra protection. I told them to check on me to make sure everything was all right."Max bit his lip nervously. The knocking was repeated."What will you do now, Max?" Ausable asked. "If I do not answer the door, they will enter anyway. The door is unlocked. And they will not hesitate to shoot."Max's face was black with anger as he backed swiftly toward the window; with his hand behind him, he opened the window and put his leg out into the night. "Send them away!" he warned. "I will wait on the balcony. Send them away or I'll shoot and take my chances!"The knocking at the door became louder and a voice was raised. "Mr. Ausable! Mr. Ausable!"Keeping his body twisted so that his gun still covered the fat man and his guest, the man at the window swung his other leg up and over the window sill.The doorknob turned. Swiftly Max pushed with his left hand to free himself and drop to the balcony. And then as he dropped, he screamed once, shrilly.The door opened and a waiter stood there with a tray, a bottle and two glasses. "Here is the drink you ordered, sir." He set the tray on the table, uncorked the bottle, and left the room.White faced and shaking, Fowler stared after him. "But... but... what about... the police?" he stammered."There never were any police." Ausable sighed. "Only Henry, whom I was expecting.""But what about the man on the balcony?" Fowler began."No," said Ausable, "he won't return."。
unit-11-The-Midnight-Visitor

• Examples:
The thief slipped the watch into his
pocket.
The little girl slipped (on the ice), but she laughed.
7
4. disillusioned
• adj. feeling disappointed and unhappy
•
because sb./sth. is not as
good as you thought
• disillusioned with sb./sth.
• Examples:
Disillusioned Susan decided to forget the man she had loved for many years.
He was disillusioned with life in many aspects.
8
5. stiffly adv. without being able to move one’s
body
• Example:
The old man bent down stiffly.
stiff adj. a. difficult to bend; rigid;
not flexible
b. thick and hard to stir
c. hard; difficult
d. severe; tough
e. (of a price) too high
f. (of a breeze) blowing
strongly
g. (of an alcoholic drink) strong
• Part 2 (paras. 6-16 ) about:The unexpected visit of Ausable’s adversary Max.
midnight visitor课文

midnight visitor课文"Midnight Visitor" is a short story written by Robert Arthur. It tells the tale of a young girl named Emily who is visited by a mysterious figure late at night.One stormy night, Emily is awoken by a loud knocking on her bedroom window. She is startled and scared, but curiosity gets the better of her and she decides to investigate. She cautiously opens the window and is surprised to find a man standing outside.The man introduces himself as Mr. Charles and claims to be a distant relative of Emily's family. He explains that he has traveled a long way to visit her and has arrived at such a late hour due to unforeseen circumstances. Emily finds his story strange but lets him in, as he seems harmless.As Mr. Charles enters the room, Emily notices that he appears disheveled and tired. He tells her that he urgently needs her help with a family matter. According to him, there is a hidden treasure that rightfully belongs to their family, and he needs Emily's assistance in finding it.Emily is skeptical but intrigued. Mr. Charles insists that they must leave immediately to search for the treasure. Despite her doubts,Emily agrees to accompany him. They venture out into the stormy night, following Mr. Charles' directions to a nearby forest.Within the forest, Mr. Charles leads Emily to a secluded spot where he believes the treasure is buried. He starts digging frantically, urging Emily to help him. However, Emily's suspicion grows as she notices inconsistencies in his story and behavior.Just as Emily is about to confront Mr. Charles about her doubts, they are interrupted by the sound of approaching police sirens. It turns out that Mr. Charles is a criminal who had been on the run, using his distant family connection to manipulate Emily into aiding him in his escape.Realizing she has been deceived, Emily quickly distances herself from Mr. Charles and helps the police apprehend him. She returns home, feeling shaken but grateful that she trusted her instincts and did not become entangled in his criminal activities."Midnight Visitor" serves as a cautionary tale about the importance of being cautious and not easily trusting strangers, even if they claim to be family. It highlights the need to rely on one's instincts and to prioritize personal safety in uncertain situations.。
当代商务英语综合教程1 Unit 16 The Midnight Visitor

raise the devil with the management this time; I am angry,” he said
grimly.“This is the second time in a month that somebody has gotten
into my room off that confounded balcony!” Fowler's eyes went to the
14
Text A The Midnight Visitor
Passage
19
“What will you do now, Max?” Ausable asked. “If I do not answer
the door, they will enter anyway. The door is unlocked. And they will not
Passage
3
“You are disappointed,” Ausable said wheezily over his shoulder.
“You were told that I was a secret agent, a spy, dealing in espionage and
danger. You thought I would have mysterious figures in the night, the crack
What is that? Who is at the door?”
17
Fowler jumped at the sudden knocking at the door. Ausable just
smiled, “That will be the police,” he said. “I thought that such an
现代大学英语精读1(带译文)

现代大学英语精读1(带译文)一、课文背景本单元选自美国作家埃德加·爱伦·坡的短篇小说《黑猫》。
故事讲述了一位酗酒成性的男子,因虐待并杀害自己收养的黑猫,最终被黑猫的鬼魂复仇,自己也在精神崩溃中走向毁灭。
这篇小说通过恐怖、悬疑的情节,揭示了人性的黑暗面和道德的沦丧。
二、课文概要1. 故事发生在美国一个偏远的农场,主人公是一位酗酒成性的男子。
他收养了一只黑猫,取名普卢托。
随着时间的推移,他对黑猫产生了强烈的依赖,甚至将它视为自己的朋友。
2. 有一天,男子在醉酒后用刀划伤了普卢托的左眼。
酒醒后,他为自己的行为感到愧疚,但为了掩盖罪行,他决定将黑猫埋在院子里。
3. 在黑猫被埋葬的当晚,男子听到了黑猫的哀嚎声。
他开始怀疑自己的行为,精神状态逐渐恶化。
4. 为了摆脱黑猫的纠缠,男子决定离开农场,搬到城里居住。
然而,他发现黑猫的鬼魂无处不在,甚至出现在他的新家中。
5. 最终,男子在精神崩溃中走向毁灭,被黑猫的鬼魂复仇。
三、课文难点解析1. 生词短语(1)酗酒成性:drunkard,意为“酒鬼”。
(2)虐待:torture,意为“折磨”。
(3)复仇:revenge,意为“报复”。
2. 句子结构(1)It was in the early part of the evening that I first became aware of the symptoms of my little trouble.本句中,It wasthat为强调句型,强调时间状语“in the early part of the evening”。
symptoms意为“症状”,指男子开始意识到自己的精神状态出现问题。
(2)I resolved to get rid of the cat at once.本句中,resolve to do sth. 意为“决定做某事”,get rid of意为“摆脱”。
男子决定立刻摆脱黑猫。