唐書哲
【作家簡介】:
石黑一雄( Kazuo Ishiguro),日裔英國作家,1954年出生于日本長崎,1960年時(shí)隨父親遷往英國,先后在肯特大學(xué)和東英吉利大學(xué)獲得學(xué)士和碩士學(xué)位。1982年出版第一部小說《群山淡景》(A PaleView of Hills),獲得英國皇家學(xué)會頒發(fā)的溫尼弗雷德·霍爾比獎,引起英國文壇注意。隨后便一發(fā)不可收拾,至今已發(fā)表7部長篇小說和一部短篇小說集,并斬獲包括布克獎(The Man Booker Prize)在內(nèi)的眾多文學(xué)獎。2008年,石黑一雄被《泰晤士報(bào)》(The Times)評為英國自1945年以來最偉大的50位小說家之一。
【作品簡介】:
石黑一雄在小說中善于利用回憶來探討階級、英國性( Englishness)、戰(zhàn)爭的創(chuàng)傷、童真的失去、英帝國的沒落、克隆人的困境等主題。石黑一雄的語言典雅考究、敘事冷靜克制,看似平靜的語言背后隱藏著強(qiáng)烈和深厚的感情,有評論家認(rèn)為他的語言比英國本土作家還要地道。他的小說散發(fā)著淡淡的憂傷,結(jié)尾常給人一種懸而未決的感覺:主人公經(jīng)過掙扎后終于能夠坦然面對自己的過去,但未來將走向何處,作者并沒有告訴我們。1989年,石黑一雄出版《長日留痕>(The Remains of the Day),獲得英國文學(xué)最高獎——布克獎,該書1993年被改編成同名電影,并獲得8項(xiàng)奧斯卡提名。2005年,石黑一雄將筆觸投向克隆人問題,出版了《千萬別丟下我》(Never Let Me Go),探討克隆人的心理世界以及克隆問題的道德困境。2010年,該書被改編成電影,并獲得了不少影評家的好評。
【內(nèi)容提要】:
在英國鄉(xiāng)間有一所名叫黑爾舍姆的學(xué)校。這里的學(xué)生和別處的學(xué)生看起來并無差別,他們也學(xué)習(xí)體育、繪畫、音樂等課程,可是游客、老師和校監(jiān)卻對他們避而遠(yuǎn)之。后來通過傳聞和老師的話,敘述者凱西和她的朋友露絲、湯米發(fā)現(xiàn)他們原來是克隆人,他們存在的目的是為人們捐獻(xiàn)器官,每人捐獻(xiàn)三四次后,生命就完結(jié)了。這一發(fā)現(xiàn)讓他們踏上了尋找身份之旅:露絲通過尋找自己的“原型”來理解自己的身份,湯米通過繪畫來證明自己的情感和靈魂與人類一樣豐富。凱西和湯米為了延緩捐獻(xiàn)找到了克勞德夫人,卻被告知夫人也無能為力,他們的命運(yùn)注定是悲劇性的。選文中,凱西聽著歌曲《千萬別丟下我》,懷里抱著枕頭,把它當(dāng)成自己的孩子晃來晃去,站在門口的夫人看到這一切,不禁抽泣哽咽……
1. impulse (n.)沖動。例: He bought an iPhone 8s on an impulse and regretted later.
2.sway (v.)搖動;搖擺。例:The dry branches of the trees are swaying violently in the cold winter wind.
3. stand in代替。例:The supervisor will be away for a week and I have to stand in for her.
4.threshold(n.)門檻。例:The small wooden house has a flat stone for a threshold.
5.corridor (n.)走廊。例:My room is at the end of the corridor.
6.fathom (v.)理自軍;了解。例:Her love to him is difficult to fathom, but it's definitely reliable.
7. hunch (v.)隆起。例:Stand straight, don't hunch your shoulders.
8.creepy (adj.)使人毛骨悚然的;怪異的。例:It is really creepy to watch Japanese horror movies.
9.chill(n.)寒冷;寒意。例:The horrible scene of the accident sent a chill to her heart.
10. giggle (v.)咯咯笑。例:The children couldn't stop giggling when they saw the teacher fall on the ground.
【作品簡評】:在《千萬別丟下我》中,克隆人有著和正常人一樣的外貌,一樣豐富的情感和靈魂,但是他們既不能繁衍后代,也不能和自己相愛的人廝守,最終都將走向死亡。湯米和凱西找到了克勞德夫人,希望用他們的愛情來感動、說服她,從而推遲捐獻(xiàn)。克勞德夫人和埃米莉表示非常同情,她們也一直在努力為克隆人爭取權(quán)利并為禁止人類克隆而奔走呼告,但是卻無法改變現(xiàn)狀。選文中,凱西抱著枕頭隨著《千萬別丟下我》起舞,夫人看到這一幕也忍不住哭泣??寺〖夹g(shù)的發(fā)明讓疾病有了更多的治療方式,使器官移植也成了可能,然而它也帶來了冷漠和殘忍:少數(shù)人的健康是以犧牲有感情、有靈魂的克隆人為代價(jià)的?!肚f別丟下我》其實(shí)是關(guān)于克隆人命運(yùn)的寓言:在一個以人類為中心的社會,克隆人的身份不被承認(rèn)、生命得不到尊重,他們的命運(yùn)注定是悲劇性的。石黑一雄通過探討克隆人的命運(yùn)批判了人類中心主義以及后資本主義時(shí)代科技和資本所引發(fā)的道德倫理困境。
[True or False] Read the excerpt and mark the fo//owing statements T (true) or F (false).
1. Since the narrator had always wanted to play the tape, she put it into the recorder._______
2. The narrator danced to the music and imagined the pillow as her baby. _______
3. Madame's sobbing alarmed the narrator and waked the narrator out of her dream._______
4. The narrator was convinced by Tommy's explanation for Madame's sobbing. _______
5. When the narrator held the pillow and danced to the music, she knew she couldn't have babies._______
[Blank Filling] Fill in the following blanks with the words given to you. Change the form where necessary.
threshold, stand in, impulse, sway, fathom, hunch, corridor, creepy, chill, giggle
1. Tony talked in such a strange way that I couldn't _______ what he intended to say.
2. Susie and Yasmine whispered about the waitress's funny skirt and ______ loudly.
3. When he saw his father working in the field with a bent back, he had a/an _______ to cry.
4. He is a man with strong determination and no one can _______ his decision.
5. He shivered in cold and quickened his steps when a _______ wind blew from the north.
[Cloze] Read the passage and fill in the blanks with suitable words. The initial letters have been given to you.
The Remains of the Day
The Remains of the Day tells the story of Stevens, an English butler who gave his life service to the former Lord Darlington. The novel b
____1____ with Stevens receiving a letter from a former colleague, Miss Kenton, describing her married life. When he received the letter, Stevens' new employer, a wealthy American named Mr. Farraday, e____2____ him to borrow his car to take a break. As he s____3____, Stevens had the opportunity to reflect on his loyalty to Lord Darlington, on the meaning of dignity and even on his relationship with his late father. Ultimately, Stevens was forced to ponder the true nature of his r____4____. with Miss Kenton. As the book progresses, we begin to find that Stevens and Kenton were mutually attracted to each other. Working together during the years leading up to World War Ⅱ, Stevens and Miss Kenton f____5____ to admit their true feelings towards each other. Miss Kenton later m____6____ another man and became Mrs. Benn. She admitted what a life with Stevens might have been like, but she has come to love her husband and was looking forward to the birth of their first grandchild. Stevens mused over lost o____7____, both with Miss Kenton and with his long-time employer, Lord Darlington. At the e____8____ of the novel, Stevens focused on the “remains of his day”, referring to his future with Mr. Farraday.
[Translation]Put the following sentences into proper English.
1.石黑一雄(Kazuo lshiguro)是英國當(dāng)代著名小說家,他的作品已經(jīng)被翻譯成了將近30種語言。
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2.《長日留痕》(The Remains of the Day)是石黑一雄的代表作,1989年獲布克獎(The Man Booker Prize)。
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3.在小說中,石黑一雄常通過記憶來探討階級、英國性( Englishness)、童真的失去等主題。
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4.石黑一雄的《長日留痕》和《千萬別丟下我》都被改編成了電影,并獲得好評。
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5.石黑一雄的作品大都超越種族和國家的界限,探討尊嚴(yán)和人類克隆等普適性的主題。
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[Writing] Human cloning is the creation of a genetically identical copy of a human and the possibility of human cloning has raised controversies. Some people believe that human cloning can provide organs for transplantation, help childless parents, and provide potential solutions to current incurable diseases. Others argue that human cloning is not a safe technology and that it may /ead to social inequality and discrimination against cloned humans. Please write an essay to express your view on human cloning. You should write at least 150 words.
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[Culture Bridge] All the following sentences are English translations of some famous sentences from Chinese classic essays. Read them and identity the original Chinese text.
1.A mountain needn't be high. It is famous so long as there is a deity on it.
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2. Erudite scholars come in good spirits to talk with me, and among my guests there is no unlearned common man.
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3. A solitary wild duck flies alongside the multi-colored sunset clouds, and the autumn water is merged with the boundless sky into one hue.
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4. Old as one is, he gains vigor with age and by no means wavers in his aspiration. Poor as one is, he is all the more determined in adversity and by no means gives up his ambition.
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5. When they were in high positions at court, they were concerned about the people. When they were in remote places, they were concerned about their emperors.
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