Unit 2 Improving yourself 名著选萃-【优学精讲】2024-2025学年高中英语选择性必修第二册教用Word(外研版)

A Letter from My Father Excerpt from Frankenstein 热衷于生命起源的生物学家弗兰肯斯坦制造出一个巨大的怪物，在怪物终于获得生命睁开双眼时，弗兰肯斯坦却被他的狰狞面目吓得落荒而逃，接踵而至的更是一系列诡异的悬疑命案。 　　Suddenly he said：“My dear Victor, what is the matter with you？Are you ill？Has something awful happened？” “Don't ask me that，” I cried. I put my hands over my eyes. I thought I could see the horrible creature there in front of me①. I pointed wildly② across the room, and shouted③：“He can tell you. Save me! Save me！” I tried to fight the creature, but there was nothing there. Then I fainted④ and fell to the floor. Poor Henry! I do not know what⑤ he thought. He called a doctor and they put me to bed. I was very ill for two months, and Henry stayed and looked after⑥ me. His loving care saved me from death. I wanted to go home and see my family as soon as possible⑦. When I was well enough, I packed⑧ my clothes and books. All my luggage (行李) was ready, and I was feeling very happy when⑨ the postman arrived with some letters. One of the letters ended⑩ my short time of happiness. The letter was from my father in Geneva, and this is what⑪ he wrote： My dear Victor， I want you to know before⑫ you arrive home that an awful thing has happened. Your dear youngest brother, William, is dead. He was murdered⑬. It happened last Thursday evening when Elizabeth and I and your two brothers, Ernest and William, went for a walk⑭ outside the city. William and Ernest were playing. William had hidden from Ernest, and Ernest asked Elizabeth and me to help find William. We all began to search for⑮ him, but we couldn't find him. We searched all night but in vain⑯. At five in the morning I found him. He was lying on the grass, white and still⑰. I could see the marks⑱ of fingers on his neck—the murderer had strangled⑲ him. 　　Elizabeth had let him wear a gold chain⑳ of hers round his neck. On the chain was a very small picture of your mother. We all think that someone murdered William to steal㉑ the gold chain. Poor Elizabeth is terribly㉒ unhappy at William's death. She thinks he died because she let him wear the chain. Hurry home, my dear Victor. You are the only one who㉓ can help Elizabeth, and we all need you. With all our love， Your Father Henry helped me to catch the train. The journey seemed very long, and it was late at night before the train reached Geneva. I decided to㉔ spend the night in a village outside the town and go home early in the morning. I wanted to see the place where㉕ William had died. As I started my walk, a storm broke㉖ and lightning lit the sky. The police had put posts (布告) round the place where the murderer had strangled William, so I found it easily. I cried sadly as㉗ I stood there. My poor brother had been a kind and happy boy, and we had all loved him. Again the lightning lit the sky, and I saw a huge figure㉘ standing in the rain. When I saw it, I knew at once what it was. It was the creature that I had made. What was he doing there？But although I asked myself the question, I knew the answer. He had murdered my brother. I was sure that I was right. I decided to try and catch him. But as I moved, he ran towards the mountains. He ran much faster than any man. He climbed the mountain easily, reached the top, and disappeared㉙. I stood there in the dark and the rain, and knew that I had created a monster. And he had murdered my brother. ①此处为省略了that的宾语从句。 ②wildly adv. 失控地 ③shout v. 大喊 ④faint v. 晕倒 ⑤此处为what引导宾语从句。 ⑥look after 照顾 ⑦as soon as possible 尽快 ⑧pack v. 打包 ⑨此处为“be doing...when...”句型，意为“正在做……这时……”。 ⑩end v. 结束 ⑪此处为what引导表语从句。 ⑫此处为before引导时间状语从句。 ⑬murder v. 谋杀 ⑭go for a walk 散步 ⑮search for 寻找 ⑯in vain 徒劳无功 ⑰此处为形容词作状语。 ⑱mark n. 痕迹 ⑲strangle v. 勒死；掐死 ⑳chain n. 项链 ㉑steal v. 偷窃 ㉒terribly adv. 非常，极度 ㉓此处为who引导定语从句，who在从句中作主语。 ㉔decide to do 决定做 ㉕此处为where引导定语从句，where在从句中作状语。 ㉖break [熟词生义] v. 开始；(风暴)发作 ㉗此处为as引导时间状语从句。 ㉘figure [熟词生义] n. 身影 ㉙此处为动词的联动。 学科网（北京）股份有限公司 $