上海新世紀英語高二全部課文及重點詞組

the woman bent herself down to the ground, and protested with tears, that she had no power to do the miracle or else she would gladly save her child’s life alone even if she lost her own.
finally, tom said:
“i think what the woman says is the truth. if my mother had been in her place and gifted with this power, she would not have hesitated to call her storms and lay the whole land in ruins to save my life. it is true that all mothers are the same. you are free, good woman, you and your child, for i believe you are innocent. go your way in peace.”
32. mark twain
mark twain(馬克•吐溫，美國著名幽默小說家、作家和演說家), whose original name was samuel clemens, is an important figure in american literature. speaking of short stories alone, mark twain’s position in american literature is as chekhov’s(契訶夫，俄國著名劇作家、短篇小說家) is in russian literature or guy de maupassant’s(莫泊桑，法國短篇小說家) in french literature. even in his own day, mark twain was seen as one of america’s most famous writers.
at 13, mark twain was learning to be a printer. eight years later he began to learn to work as a steamboat pilot. in 1865, he wrote the story the celebrated jumping frog of calaveras country, which made him famous. in the following years, he travelled widely as a successful lecturer and gathered material for his writing. his humorous short story the innocents abroad(《傻瓜出國記》) and his youthful adventures, the adventures of tom sawyer(《湯姆•索亞歷險記》), the prince and the pauper and the adventures of huckleberry finn helped him win a worldwide audience. at the same time he became a well-known humorist.
mark twain said, “against the assault of laughter, nothing can stand.” he argued that humor could be as powerful as any other element in literature. he did not use humor for the sake of humor. he wanted to prove in both his public and private life that he had more to tell than just a good story.
go and read his short story running for governor(《競選州長》). it is a fictitious account about mark twain himself. he was to run for governor of new york state. as the campaign got started, rumours about him began to spread. the gentleman was first accused of using bribery, and then was said to be guilty of poisoning his uncle, neither of which was based on any facts. the story went on until it reached its most exciting moment. one day at a public meeting, nine little kids of all colours climbed on to the platform and caught him around the legs, calling him “pa!” thus, he was forced to quit before it was too late.