第六章 走廊內的哭泣

江蘇南菁高級中學 徐奚瀟

難詞探意

1. glimmer /?ɡl?m?(r)/ n. 閃爍的微光

2. hunchback /?h?nt?b?k/ n. 駝背的人

3. crossly /kr?sl?/ adv. 憤怒地

4. growl /ɡra?l/ v. 低吼

5. monsoon /?m?n?su?n/ n. (南亞地區的)雨季

The rain began again that night. It beat against the window, waking Mary up. She listened as the wind howled round the house and down her chimney. She tried but could not get back to sleep. “Stupid wind! ”she thought.

Then she heard another noise. It sounded just like a person lost in the wild and wandering on and on crying. She sat up. She listened for a few minutes and each minute she became more and more sure. It was someone crying! She tiptoed out of bed and opened her door. The crying was coming from the other side of the house: from the part she wasn't allowed to explore. Taking her candle, she made her way along the corridor, her heart beating so loud that she fancied she could hear it. The far-off faint crying went on and led her and soon Mary came to a door where a glimmer of light spilled into the corridor. She swallowed hard and stepped into a huge room. There was a fire glowing, throwing shadows onto large, handsome furniture,and in a four poster bed a boy about her own age was crying his heart out.

The boy had huge, dark eyes that seemed too big for his thin, pale face. When he saw the light from Mary's candle his eyes widened even further, but the crying stopped.

“Wh... who are you?” the boy asked, his voice trembling. “Are you a ghost?”

“No, no, I'm Mary Lennox. I live here. Who are you?”

“I'm Colin.”

“Colin?”

“Colin Craven. My father is master of this house.”

“Oh! ” Mary gasped. “I didn't know Mr Craven had a son! ”

“Well, he does, not that he cares,” Colin sniffed.

“That makes us cousins! ” Mary said and told him who she was. “Didn't anyone tell you about me?”

“No. They probably daren't.”

“Why?” Mary asked.

“I don't like new people. I don't like being looked at.”

“Why not?”

Colin wiped the tears from his eyes. “Because I shall have a hunchback like my father any day now.If I live long enough to get a hunchback, that is.”

“Why won't you live long enough?”

Colin stared at Mary crossly. “Because I am so weak and ill. Isn't it obvious?”

“It's not obvious to me. You just look thin and pale. A bit like I did when I came from India. What does your father do to help?”

“My father? My father hates me! ” Colin growled. “He hates me because when I was born my mother died. The only time he comes in this room is when he thinks I am asleep! ”

“How...how old are you?” Mary asked.

“Ten.”

“The same as me,” Mary replied.

The same length of time the secret garden has been locked up, she thought. Mary remembered Martha telling her about the broken swing. Poor Mrs Craven. Dying without ever seeing her baby！

“Tell me about India,” Colin said, breaking into Mary's thoughts.

So Mary told him about India. About the heat and the monsoons and the elephants and tigers and rajahs. Colin listened until he began to fall asleep. Mary felt tired too. “I am going back to my room now,”she said softly.

“You must come again,” he told her, his voice far away. “Come again soon.”

Activity A Reading for comprehension

Ⅰ. Understanding the main idea

Write a summary of Chapter Six with about 50 words. Remember to leave out unnecessary details.

Ⅱ. Understanding the characters

Age: ___(___1)_years old

Parentage: lost his ________(2)

Title: little master of Misselthwaite

Appearance: ________(3)

Physical condition: ________(4)

Character: isolated and ________(5)_,

hypochondriac

“It's not obvious to me. You just look thin and pale. A bit like I did when I came from India.”

Poor Mrs Craven. Dying without ever seeing her baby.

Mary is ___(___7)_Colin and treats him as gently as she could.

“My father? My father hates me! ” Colin growled. “He hates me because when I was born my mother died. The only time he comes in this room is when he thinks I am asleep! ”

Uncle Craven _______(9)_Colin, because he cannot deal with being a father.

Ⅲ. Understanding the details

1. Why could Colin inspire so much of hard-hearted Mary's kindness?

2. Why did Uncle Craven dislike Colin and avoid seeing him except when he believes he's asleep?

Activity B Reading for writing

Ⅰ. Useful expressions for creating a novel

expressions for descirbing appearance have huge, dark eyes too big for his thin, pale face his eyes widen even further expressions for describing feelings her heart beats so loud that she fancies she could hear it his voice trembles expressions for describing behaviour/environment beat against the window howl round the house and down the chimney tiptoe out of bed swallow hard throw shadows onto large, handsome furniture cry one's heart out wipe the tears from one's eyes stare at Mary crossly break into Mary's thoughts有一雙烏黑的大眼睛對他瘦削和蒼白的臉龐來說太大了他的眼睛睜得更大了她心跳如此之快以至于她覺得可以聽見他的聲音顫抖著（雨滴）敲打著窗戶（風）在屋外咆哮著灌入煙囪躡手躡腳地爬出被窩（由于緊張等）做吞咽動作在大型的精美家具上投下陰影聲嘶力竭地哭泣擦干眼眶中的淚水慍怒地看著瑪麗打斷瑪麗的思緒

Ⅱ. Extension task

If you are an expert on preschool education and you're supposed to comment on the case of Colin Craven and Archibald Craven. Would you approve of the way Archibald treats little Colin, and would you act otherwise if you were him? Please give a mini-talk about this father-and-son issue.