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

关键句型 "One would expect [clause]"

定义

这个句型用于表达对某事的合理预期或假设，通常以 One would expect 开头，后跟一个从句 [clause]，描述预期的内容。根据《剑桥英语语法指南》，它是一种礼貌的间接表达方式，表示“人们会期望”或“可以预料到”，常用于正式或叙述性文本中。结构简单：One would expect + [clause]，其中 would 是情态动词，帮助软化语气，使表达更委婉。

它常出现在故事、文章或讨论中，帮助描述普遍的假设。

用法

此句型主要用于描述预期的结果或行为，常见于叙述故事、表达意见或分析情况的场景。例如，在文章中，它可以表示对某事合乎逻辑的期待。规则：One would expect 后接一个从句，通常是宾语从句或不定式结构。在语法体系中，它属于情态动词句型，与其他表示假设的结构相关。横向比较：与 "I expect [clause]" 相比，One would expect 更客观和正式，因为它使用 one 代表一般人，而不是个人观点；与 "It is expected that [clause]" 相比，它更简洁，直接使用情态动词 would 来暗示可能性。

跨语法联系：它与条件句（如 "If [clause], then [clause]"）有联系，因为 would 常用于虚拟语气。学生可以将其与 should 句型（如 "One should expect"）比较，前者更侧重假设，后者更侧重建议。

这种句型在英语中帮助构建逻辑叙述，增强文章的连贯性。

注意事项

学生容易犯的错误包括：直接用 I would expect 替换，导致表达变得主观；或遗漏 would，说成 "One expect [clause]"，这会使句子 grammatically incorrect。纠正建议：记住 would 的使用来表示推测，并练习在上下文中应用。另一个常见问题是用错从句结构，如用简单句代替从句。

例如：

错误示例：One expect them to know their parts.  (缺少 would，句子不完整)
正确示例：One would expect them to know their parts by heart.

在口语中，学生可能忘记保持正式语气，导致表达不自然。

练习

一个原创例子：假设你在讨论演员的准备工作，你可以说：“One would expect a professional actor to memorize all their lines before the show.” 学生可以替换 [clause]，如改成 “One would expect a student to finish homework on time.” 这能帮助他们在日常对话或写作中应用，例如在学校讨论中说：“One would expect friends to support each other during tough times。”

通过替换关键词，学生能加深对句型的灵活掌握，并练习在不同场景中使用。

额外内容

背景知识：这个句型源于英语中正式表达的传统，常在文学或新闻中出现，体现了英语的间接表达方式。对比分析：与中文的“人们会期望……”类似，但英语通过 would 结构来实现更礼貌的语气。在其他语言如法语中，类似结构如 "On s'attendrait à ce que..."，但英语版本更简洁。了解此句型能帮助学生在阅读故事时更好地理解作者的意图，同时为学习更复杂的假设句打下基础。

关键句型 "Even though [clause], [clause]"

定义

这个句型用于表达让步或转折，表示尽管有某种情况，另一情况仍然存在。结构为：Even though + [第一从句] + , + [第二从句]。根据《牛津现代英语语法》，它是一种连接词引导的状语从句，常用来显示对比或意外结果。Even though 强调“尽管”或“即使”，使句子更生动地展示矛盾。

它在英语中是常见的方式来处理复杂关系，帮助文章更流畅。

用法

此句型广泛用于叙述故事、表达观点或描述现实中的矛盾场景。例如，在文章中，它可以表示预期的反转。规则：Even though 引导的从句通常放在句首，后跟逗号和主句。从句常用过去时或现在时，取决于上下文。在语法体系中，它属于从句结构，与其他让步连词如 although 或 though 相关。横向比较：与 Although [clause], [clause] 相比，Even though 更加强调程度，暗示情况更出人意料；与 Despite [noun phrase] 相比，前者使用从句更灵活，可以包含完整的描述。

跨语法联系：它与条件句或对比句型（如 "However, [clause]"）有联系，学生可以学习如何将它与转折词结合使用，以增强写作的逻辑性。

这个句型在对话和写作中都很实用，能让表达更丰富。

注意事项

学生常犯的错误是混淆 Even though 和 Even if，后者用于假设而非事实；或忘记用逗号分隔从句，导致句子结构混乱。纠正建议：练习时注意上下文的时态一致，并用例句强化记忆。另一个问题是过度使用，导致句子冗长；建议只在需要强调对比时应用。

例如：

错误示例：Even though he was tired he went on.  (缺少逗号，句子不标准)
正确示例：Even though he was tired, he went on repeating the lines.

通过纠正这些错误，学生能避免常见的语法陷阱。

练习

一个原创例子：在日常生活中，你可以说：“Even though it was raining, we decided to go for a walk in the park.” 学生可以替换 [clause]，如改成 “Even though she was busy, she helped her friend with homework.” 这鼓励他们在个人故事中应用，例如写日记时说：“Even though I was nervous, I gave a great presentation.”

替换练习能让学生探索不同场景，增强对句型的实际运用。

额外内容

背景知识：Even though 起源于英语中强调对比的表达方式，在文学中很常见，如莎士比亚的作品。文化背景：英语文化强调逻辑和转折，这与亚洲语言的间接表达类似。对比分析：与西班牙语的 "A pesar de que..." 相似，但英语结构更直接。学习此句型能帮助学生在阅读和写作中处理复杂情感，同时扩展到其他从句类型，如时间从句。