高级英语第一册lesson6Blackmail课文详细讲解2detailstudy、背景知识、文章结构与修辞学习

高级英语第一册lesson6 Blackmail 课文详解2 detail study、背景知

识、文章结构及修辞学习

2008-02-11 12:11:18| 分类：默认分类| 标签：|字号大中小订阅

高级英语第一册lesson6 Blackmail 课文详解2 detail study、背景知识、文章结构及修辞学习

2007年01月01日星期一下午11:48

96. bulbous: shaped like a bulb, swelling and disgustingly fat and round

bulbous dome / nose

97. peremptorily: (fml) showing an expectation of being obeyed at once and without question, impolitely and unfriendly, commanding, insisting obedience

98. rivet: metal pin for fasten plates.

to hold or fasten with or as if with rivets

cf: glare, stare, fix

99. feature: any of the noticeable parts of the face

a man with Oriental features

Her mouth is her worst feature / best feature, like a cherry.

100. set in a mould:

When you take a picture, you set your body, your countenance ...in a certain way. That is to se t in a mould.

(A lame one-eyed king taking a picture)

mould (Am.E) = mould (Br.E): character, distinctive nature, a person's character, nature, etc., co nsidered as having been shaped by family type, education, training, experience, etc.

Be cast in a mould of a particular kind means to have the characteristics, attitudes, behaviour or lifestyle that are typical of that kind of person

be made / cast in mould of

He is made in his father's mould. (He has the same personality and character as his father's)

101. imperious: in tensely compelling, marked by arrogant assurance, dominating. This word is related to imperial.

The whole sentence can be paraphrased as follows:

Her handsome high-cheekboned features were set in a way which shows her imperial characte r.

102. respite: a short period of pause or rest, during a time of great effort pain, or trouble, a ti me of relief (as from labour, suffering or war) or delay (as before sentencing or executing).

The patient said he never had any respite from the pain.

Sentence sb. to death with 2-years' respite.

103. bore: make a hole in

This machine can bore through solid rock.

104. swallow: to take back, to keep from expressing or showing, to accept without questioning , protest or resentment

to swallow one's words: take back what was said

105. sullen: silently bad-tempered, unforgiving, dark, gloomy

look sullen, to wear a sullen look

106. comply: act according to a demand, order, rule

to comply with the law / regulations

107. vacillation: hesitation, uncertainty, waver, continuous changing of one's opinions

This word implies prolonged hesitation resulting from one's inability to reach a decision

He vacillates between accepting & not accepting.

The earthquake caused the entire house vacillate.

108. dally: to waste time or be slow

Don't dally or we'll be late.

dally over one's work

109. bulge: to swell out as a result of the pressure from within

110. bead: small ball of glass or other material with a hole through it for a string worn with ot her others on a thread, esp. round the neck for ornament.

She is wearing a string of green beads.

背景知识

Background information

Title of the novel: Hotel

Setting:

The story happened in a hotel named St. Gregory /'greg ri/ in New Orleans, Louisiana which is in the south of US.

Main character of the novel:

Peter McDermott, assistant general manager

Main characters in this part of the novel:

Ogilvie: chief house officer

the Duke of Croydon: newly appointed British ambassador to the United States

the Duchess of Croydon: wife of the Duke

a prostitute called lady friend by Ogilvie

Plot:

Gregory was now at the brink of bankruptcy, but Peter McDermott is trying every means he c ould to save it.

Several events happened during the week with the present text as part of it.

The Duke of Croydon was an internationally famous statesman and the newly appointed Britis h ambassador to Washington. They occupied the best suite of the hotel.

Monday evening, the Duke went to the gambling house. Later, his wife pursued and found hi m. On their way back, the car Jaguar knocked down a woman and her child. Both killed.

Then we have the present text.

...

At one o'clock Thursday morning, Ogilvie drove the car north. But he was seen leaving the hot el by McDermott. Later in the afternoon, McDermott witnessed the funeral of the two victims of the accident. He suddenly realized the relation between these two events and contacted police.

Ogilvie was caught in Tennessee and sent back to New Orleans.

The Duke decided to go to the police to confess his crime (to surrender himself / to give hims elf up). But he was hurled out the elevator due to the breakdown of it. He hit the cement ground a nd died instantly.

Anyway, the novel had a pleasant ending.

One of the guests, who looked old and sick, turned out to be a millionaire. Earlier he was seri ously ill and was saved by McDermott and his girl friend. To show his gratitude and to repay the ho tel staffs' kindness, he bought the hotel and appointed McDermott executive vice president of the h otel.

This kind of novels are called thrillers. Generally defining, a thriller is a work of fiction or dram a designed to hold the interest by the use of a high degree of intrigue, adventure or suspense. (thril l: to cause sudden strong feeling of joy, fear, excitement, pleasure etc. that seems to flow round the body like a wave)

Others can be called cop-criminal novels, detective novels. The main purpose is for entertainm ent, amusement. Very often this kind of novels contain a lot of action, usu. suspension, not very mu ch deep thought, without moral intention, not considered classic.

The basic technique is to make the whole story of crime into sth. like a jigsaw puzzle. You can not see the outcome until the final part is put in.

文章结构

Structural and stylistic analysis

Part 1. Prelude

The chief house officer...Ogilvie remained standing {p.84 (old book, ditto)}.

Section 1. The chief house officer...that both might return at any moment.

The setting, main characters, and the suspension.

Section 2. A wave of cigar smoke...Ogilvie remained standing.

The preliminary encounter between the house detective and the Croydons.

Part 2: Process of unveiling the crime

Now then...the Duchess turned away (p. 89).

Section 1. Now then...Now we're getting somewhere (p. 86).

First round of clash. the Duke confessed his crime.

Section 2. Wearily, in a gesture...I can prove all I need to (p.87).

Second round of clash. Ogilvie spelt out what he found out about the activity of the Croydons and tried to confirm all the detailed. The Duchess tried to win back the upper hand.

Section 3. The Duke cautioned...the Duchess turned away (p. 89).

The Croydons realized that they were convicted of the crime. The conviction was undeniable.

Part 3. The Dirty Deal

Section 1. Her husband asked...You people are hot (p.91).

Eliminating the possibility of having the car repaired in New Orleans.

The possibility of not being found.

Section 2. The Duchess ...Or had they? (p. 93)

The interior monologue of the Duchess. Her judgement, analysis and calculation of the situatio n, weighing the advantages and disadvantages, the pros and cons.

Section 3. (The Duchess faced Ogilvie... the silence hung (p. 94)

The Duchess' decision to gamble on the greed of the house detective.

Section 4. The ending.

The dirty deal reached.

修辞学习

RHETORIC

Metaphor:

...the nerves of both ... were excessively frayed...

his wife shot him a swift, warning glance.

The words spat forth with sudden savagery.

Her tone ...withered...

...self-assurance...flickered...

The Duchess kept firm tight rein on her racing mind. Her voice was a whiplash.

eyes bored into him

I’ll spell it out.

Euphemism:

...and you took a lady friend.

Metonymy:

won 100 at the tables

lost it at the bar

they'll throw the book,...

Onomatopoeia:

appreciative chuckle

clucked his tongue