The legend of Queen Margaret's Cave

文章詞數 難度 建議用時513 ★★★ 8 分鐘

難詞探意

1. pluck /pl?k/ v. 摘；拔

2. badge /b?d?/ n. 徽章

3. wicked /?w?k?d/ adj. 邪惡的；缺德的

4. plunder /?pl?nd?r/ n. （尤指戰爭中）掠奪的財物

5. outlaw/?a?tl??/n. （尤指舊時的）亡命徒

Today, if you go to Hexham Forest, you may see a robber's cave. It is on the bank of a little stream that flows at the foot of a hill, and people call it “Queen Margaret's Cave”. There is a legend of the cave. The story goes as follow.

One day when roses were in bloom, two noblemen came to angry words in the Temple Gardens, by the side of the river Thames. In the midst of their quarrel one of thempluckeda white rose from a bush, and, turning to those who were near him, said, “He who will stand by me in this quarrel, let him pluck a white rose with me, and wear it in his hat.”

Then the other gentleman tore a red rose from another bush, and said,“Let him who will stand by me pluck a red rose,and wear it as hisbadge.”

Now this quarrel led to a great civil war,which was called “The War of the Roses”, for every soldier wore a white or red rose in his helmet to show to which side he belonged.

The leaders of the “Red Rose” sided with King Henry the Sixth and his wife, Queen Margaret, who were fighting for the English throne.Many great battles were fought, andwickeddeeds were done in those dreadful times.

In a battle at a place called Hexham, the king's party was beaten, and Queen Margaret and her little son, Edward, the Prince of Wales,had to flee for their lives. They had not gone far before they met a band of robbers, who stopped the queen and seized all her rich jewels, and,holding a drawn sword over her head, threatened to take her life and that of her child.

The poor queen, overcome by terror, fell upon her knees and begged them to spare her only son, the little prince. But the robbers, turning from her, began to fight among themselves as to how they should divide theplunder, and,drawing their weapons,they attacked one another.When the queen saw what was happening, she took the prince by the hand, making haste to escape.

There was a thick wood close by, and the queen hid into it, but she was sorely afraid and trembled in every limb, for she knew that this wood was the hiding place of robbers andoutlaws. Every tree around her seemed to be an armed man waiting to kill her and her little son.

On and on she went through the dark wood,this way and that, seeking some place of shelter,but not knowing where she was going. At last she saw by the light of the moon a tall, fierce looking man step out from behind a tree. He came directly toward her, and she knew by his dress that he was an outlaw. But thinking that he might have children of his own, she determined to throw herself and her son upon his mercy.

When he came near, she addressed him in a calm voice and in a stately manner.

Reading Check

Continuation task

閱讀上面的文章，根據所給情節進行續寫，使之構成一個完整的故事。 詞數150左右。

Paragraph 1：

Margaret told the outlaw that she was the queen.

Paragraph 2：

The words of the queen moved the outlaw deeply.

Language Study

Useful expressions for creating a novel

1. come to angry words 言辭激烈

2. in the midst of their quarrel 在他們的爭吵中

3. pluck a white rose from a bush 從灌木叢中摘下一朵白玫瑰

4. turn to sb 轉向某人

5. tear a red rose from another bush 從另一片灌木叢中撕扯下一朵紅玫瑰

6. lead to a great civil war 導致一場規模巨大的內戰

7. in those dreadful times 在那些可怕的時代

8. flee for their lives 逃命

9. hold a drawn sword over her head 把抽出的劍懸在她頭上

10. threaten to do 威脅做某事

11. make haste to escape 趕快逃走

12. go through the dark wood 穿過陰森的樹林

13. by the light of the moon 借助于月光

14. come directly toward her 徑直向她走去

15.throw herself and her son upon his mercy 指望他能夠善待她和她的兒子