By heart

原文

Some plays are so successful that they run for years on end, In many ways, this is unfortunate for the poor actors who are required to go on repeating the same lines night after night. One would expect them to know their parts by heart and never have cause to falter. Yet this is not always the case.

A famous actor in a highly successful play was once cast in the role of an aristocrat who had been imprisoned in the Bastille for twenty years. In the last act, a gaoler would always come on to the stage with a letter which he would hand to the prisoner. Even though the noble was expected to read the letter at each performance, he always insisted that it should be written out in full.

One night, the gaoler decided to play a joke on his colleague to find out if, after so many performances, he had managed to learn the contents of the letter by heart. The curtain went up on the final act of the play and revealed the aristocrat sitting alone behind bars in his dark cell. Just then, the gaoler appeared with the precious letter in his bands. He entered the cell and presented the letter to the aristocrat. But the copy he gave him had not been written out in full as usual. It was simply a blank sheet of paper. The gaoler looked on eagerly, anxious to see if his fellow actor had at last learnt his lines. The noble stared at the blank sheet of paper for a few seconds. Then, squinting his eyes, he said: 'The light is dim. Read the letter to me'. And he promptly handed the sheet of paper to the gaoler. Finding that he could not remember a word of the letter either, the gaoler replied: 'The light is indeed dim, sire, I must get my glasses.' With this, he hurried off the stage. Much to the aristocrat's amusement, the gaoler returned a few moments later with a pair of glasses and the usual copy of the letter with he proceeded to read to the prisoner.

译文

有些戏剧非常成功，以至于一连上演数年。从许多方面来说，这对那些可怜的演员们是不幸的，因为他们不得不夜复一夜地重复着同样的台词。人们本以为他们早已将角色背得滚瓜烂熟，再也不会出错。然而，事实并非总是如此。

一位著名演员在一出非常成功的戏剧中，曾被选演一个在巴士底狱（注：法国旧时的监狱）被囚禁了二十年的贵族角色。在最后一幕，狱卒总是上场带来一封信递给囚犯。尽管这位贵族在每次演出中都应该朗读这封信，但他总是坚持要将信写成全文。

有一天晚上，狱卒决定跟他的同事开个玩笑，看看在经过这么多次演出后，他是否已经把信的内容背得滚瓜烂熟了。幕布升起，揭开了戏剧的最后一幕，只见那位贵族独自坐在黑暗的牢房里铁栏后面。就在这时，狱卒拿着那封珍贵的信出现了。他走进牢房，把信递给贵族。但是，这次的信不像往常那样写成全文，而仅仅是一张白纸。狱卒急切地注视着，想知道他的同事是否终于学会了台词。贵族盯着那张白纸看了几秒钟。然后，他眯起眼睛说：“光线太暗了，把信读给我听。”于是，他立刻把那张纸递还给狱卒。狱卒发现自己也一个字都记不住，便回答说：“光线确实太暗了，陛下，我得去拿眼镜。”说罢，他匆匆走下舞台。令那位贵族大为 amused，狱卒片刻后带回一副眼镜和通常的那封信，接着为囚犯朗读起来。

词汇表

successful

形容词

英:/səkˈsɛsfəl/

美:/səkˈsɛsfəl/

定义

1. 成功的 - Achieving the desired outcome or having achieved fame, wealth, or respect.

例子: The successful play attracted thousands of viewers.

例子: She is a successful businesswoman who started her own company.

2. 顺利的 - Resulting in a positive or favorable result.

例子: The experiment was successful, leading to new discoveries.

例子: His successful career in acting began with a small role.

近义词

thriving: 强调持续增长或繁荣，常用于商业或个人发展，而 'successful' 更泛指整体成就。

prosperous: 侧重于财富或经济成功，与 'successful' 相比，更强调物质方面的丰裕。

accomplished: 更注重技能或成就的完成度，'successful' 则更广泛地包括结果导向。

反义词:

unsuccessful, failing, unsatisfactory

用法

常用于描述成就或结果的积极方面，常见搭配如 'successful career' 或 'successful event'，在正式和非正式语境中均适用，无特定文化限制。

形式:

副词形式: successfully, 名词形式: success

深入解析：关键句型 "so ... that ..."

定义

这个句型是一种常见的英语从句结构，用于表达因果关系，其中 so 后跟形容词或副词，表示程度之高，that 引导结果状语从句。它的基本结构是：so + 形容词/副词 + that + 从句，例如 "Some plays are so successful that they run for years on end." 在权威教材如《新概念英语》或《剑桥英语语法》中，这个句型被定义为强调原因导致的结果，突出一种强烈的对比或极端情况。核心含义是展示某种状况的极端程度进而引发特定后果，帮助学生理解因果逻辑的表达。

用法

此句型常用于描述结果明显的场景，如文章中的例子，强调成功带来的持久影响。在语法体系中，它属于状语从句的一部分，具体是结果状语从句，与其他从句如时间状语（e.g., "when"）或条件状语（e.g., "if"）形成对比。使用规则包括：so 必须与形容词或副词搭配（如 so successful 或 so quickly），而 that 后跟一个完整的从句。跨语法点联系：它与比较级结构（如 "so ... as"）相关联，还可以连接到并列句或复合句中。例如，在写作中，它能与过去时或现在时结合，增强叙述的生动性。同时，它有助于学生从简单句过渡到复杂句，构建更流畅的英语表达。

注意事项

学生易犯的错误包括：误用 so 和 such，例如将 "so successful" 错误地说成 "such successful"（应为 "such a successful play"）；或者省略 that，直接说 "The play is so good it runs forever"，这在正式英语中可能显得不规范。另一个常见偏误是句型不平衡，导致从句过长或主句不完整。纠正建议：练习时，确保 so 后跟正确的词类，并始终包含 that 以保持句子的完整性。还需注意语境，避免在非正式对话中过度使用，以免显得夸张；另外，在口语中，that 可以偶尔省略，但建议初学者保留它以强化结构。

练习

一个额外的例子：在日常对话中，你可以说："The movie was so exciting that I watched it twice." 通过这个例子，学生可以尝试替换形容词（如用 so funny），并构建自己的句子，例如 "The book is so interesting that I can't put it down." 这有助于应用句型于实际情景，如分享个人经历。

额外内容

背景知识：这个句型源于英语的演变，类似于法语中的结果表达方式，在文学和新闻中很常见。对比分析：与 "too ... to ..."（表示过于...以至于不能）不同，"so ... that ..." 强调积极或消极的结果。例如，"too tired to walk" 对比 "so tired that I fell asleep"。补充信息：掌握此句型后，学生能更好地处理描述性写作，提升说服力，如在作文中用它来强调观点。

深入解析：关键句型 "Even though ... , ..."

定义

这个句型是一种让步状语从句的表达，用于介绍一个事实或条件，尽管如此，结果仍然发生。结构为：Even though + 从句 + , + 主句，例如文章中的 "Even though the noble was expected to read the letter at each performance, he always insisted that it should be written out in full." 在权威教材如《新概念英语》或《牛津英语语法》中，它被定义为强调对比，突出让步后的意外结果，核心含义是承认一个障碍或条件但不改变整体事实。

用法

此句型常用于叙述故事或辩论中，展示转折或矛盾，如文章描述演员的期望与实际行为。在语法体系中，它属于从句结构，具体是让步状语从句，与其他连接词如 "although" 或 "though" 类似，但 Even though 更加强调程度，增加强调感。使用规则：Even though 引导的从句通常放在句首，后跟逗号和主句；它可以与各种时态结合，如过去时或现在时。跨语法点联系：它与条件句（e.g., "if"）或对比句（e.g., "however"）相关，帮助学生构建复杂句式。例如，在写作中，它能连接到并列结构中，增强文章的逻辑流畅性，并与词汇如 "despite" 形成互补。

注意事项

学生易犯的错误包括：将 Even though 与 Even if 混淆，前者表示事实让步，后者表示假设（如 "Even if it rains, we'll go"）；或者在从句中使用错误时态，导致逻辑混乱，如说 "Even though he goes tomorrow, he went yesterday"。另一个偏误是遗漏逗号，导致句子阅读困难。纠正建议：通过练习区分不同连接词，并确保从句和主句时态一致；建议学生在写作时大声朗读，检查转折是否自然。此外，避免在简单句中使用此句型，以免显得冗长；初学者应从口语练习入手，逐步应用到正式文本。

练习

一个额外的例子："Even though it was raining, we decided to go for a walk." 学生可以尝试修改为自己的情景，如 "Even though I was tired, I finished the homework." 这有助于强化句型的应用，并鼓励在对话中练习转折表达。

额外内容

背景知识：这个句型反映了英语中让步逻辑的演变，源自古英语的条件表达，在现代英语中用于增强说服力。对比分析：与 "Although ..." 类似，但 Even though 更强调程度，如 "Although it was cold" 对比 "Even though it was freezing"。补充信息：它在演讲和辩论中很实用，能帮助学生表达复杂观点，提升语言的说服性。