The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

2020-06-17吴淑琼

疯狂英语·新悦读 2020年3期

难词探意

1. gripping /'ɡrɪpɪŋ/ adj. 扣人心弦的

2. haunt /hɔːnt/ v. 萦绕于脑际

Agrippingand emotional story of betrayal and redemption, The Kite Runner had me thrilled and moved, both at the same time. It tells the story of Amir and Hassan, the closest friends, as good as brothers,and also experts in the art of kite flying. The two young boys live in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, and this year they are going to try harder than ever to win the local kite-fighting tournament—a popular Afghan pastime, and this is Amir's one hope of winning his father's love. But just like the kites battling in the sky,war comes to Afghanistan, and the country becomes an extremely dangerous place.

In war, people are often forced to make great sacrifices, and the young Amir himself commits an act of betrayal, towards his best friend Hassan no less, which willhaunthim for the rest of his life. Amir and his father are forced to flee Afghanistan for America, and The Kite Runner becomes the story of Amir's quest for redemption—righting the wrongs he committed all those years ago as a boy in Kabul.

The story is fast-paced and hardly ever dull, and introduced me to a world—the world of Afghan life—which is strange, fascinating and yet oddly familiar all at the same time.Hosseini's writing finds a great balance between being clear and yet powerful, and not only is the story itself brilliantly constructed, but the book also explores the very art of storytelling. Amir himself becomes a writer, and he reflects on his experiences in the story as though his life itself were a piece of fiction (which of course it is! ).

But I think the best bit about The Kite Runner is its sense of fate and justice, of good overcoming evil in the end, despite all odds. Without giving away the ending, Amir ends up back in Afghanistan and makes a very different set of sacrifices in order to set things straight. The final chapter of the book is perhaps my favourite, and one that I have found moving even when rereading it. The message behind the very ending could be interpreted differently by different readers, but personally I feel that it offers a small sense of hope for both the future of its characters, and perhaps for war-torn Afghanistan as well.

Reading Check

What does the author think about The Kite Runner?

Language Study

Sentence for writing

Hosseini's writing finds a great balance between being clear and yet powerful, and not only is the story itself brilliantly constructed, but the book also explores the very art of storytelling.

【信息提取】not only...but also...意为“不仅……而且……”，其中的also有时可以省略。用于连接两个对等的成分，若连接两个成分作主语，谓语动词要遵循“就近一致原则”。为了强调，可将not only置于句首，此时其后的部分通常要用部分倒装的形式。

【句式仿写】他们不但需要衣服，而且还缺水。

Cultural Background

《追风筝的人》

《追风筝的人》是美籍阿富汗作家卡勒德·胡赛尼（Khaled Hosseini）的第一部长篇小说，是美国2005年排名第三的畅销书。

作者卡勒德·胡赛尼，著有《追风筝的人》《灿烂千阳》《群山回唱》等作品。 2006年，因其作品巨大的国际影响力，他获得了联合国人道主义奖，并受邀担任联合国难民署亲善大使，他还创立了以自己名字命名的基金会，为阿富汗的难民提供人道主义援助。

主题应用·语库构建

Ⅰ. 短语积累

1. deliver urgent messages 提供紧急信息

2. construct a wooden kite 制作木风筝

3. fly high to spy on the situation of the enemy 飞得很高去侦察敌人的情况

4.make and fly various kites 制作和放飞各种风筝

5. reflect the pleasing mood of the spring 表达出春天愉悦的心情

6. make full use of the tenacity of the bamboo 充分利用竹子的韧性

7. draw many fans with a passion for flying kites吸引许多喜欢放风筝的粉丝

8. in a unique enthusiasm 一种独特的热情

9. soar their kites high into the sky 让他们的风筝高飞到空中

10. be taken over as a major sport by kings and royalty 成为国王和皇室的主要运动项目

11. show their skills and expertise in their art of kite flying 展示他们放风筝的技巧和专业知识

12. beat their competitors at any cost 不惜任何代价击败竞争对手

13. one of the major day of festivity 节日中重要的一天

14. take advantage of the favorable morning breeze利用早晨有利的微风

15. find optimum terrace for kite flying 寻找放风筝的最佳平台

16. make it a collective activity to celebrate together 让它成为一起庆祝的集体活动

17. the most important scientific device to have come to Europe from China 从中国来到欧洲的最重要的科学仪器

18. use kites to tow torpedoes with great accuracy用风筝来精确地牵引鱼雷

19. forecast the weather and frighten evil spirits away 预报天气，吓跑恶灵

20. give thanks to the gods for good harvests, fertility, weather and prosperity 感谢上天赐予的丰收、富饶、好天气和繁荣

21. a splendid warm bright day with energetic breezes to lift the kites overhead 晴朗而温暖的天气，和煦的微风将风筝高高举起

22. be covered with kites from before dawn until the dark hours 从黎明前到天黑都被风筝覆盖

Ⅱ. 美句背诵

1. Kiteshave a long and varied historyand many different types areflown individuallyat festivals worldwide. Kites may be flownfor recreation, art or other practical uses. 风筝有着悠久而多样的历史，许多不同类型的风筝在世界各地的节日中单独放飞。放飞风筝可能是为了娱乐、艺术或其他实际用途。

2. In ancient China the kitewas known as“zhi yuan” (paper glede). Originallyregarded asa technology, it also featured prominently in many art collections, andwas considered to have unique artistic value. 在中国古代，风筝被称为“纸鸢”。它最初被认为是一种技术，在许多艺术收藏品中也占有重要地位，被认为具有独特的艺术价值。

3. During the prosperous Tang Dynasty, when amusementsthrived with the development of culture and economy, kites became the favorite of the people ofboth court and country. 在繁荣的唐朝，随着文化和经济的发展，娱乐活动蓬勃发展，风筝成为皇室和百姓的宠儿。

4. Making and flying various kitesreflected the pleasing mood of the spring. Kite-flyingis now believed to be good for the health. 制作和放飞各种各样的风筝表达了春天令人愉悦的心情。放风筝现在被认为对健康有益。

5. While the basic procedureremains the same, styles of kite-makingvary in different regions. 虽然制作风筝的基本程序是一样的，但不同地区的风筝制作方式不同。

6. The kites in the “World Kite Capital” of Weifang in Shandong Provinceare well known fortheir exquisite craftsmanship, materials, painting, sculpture andflexible flying movement. “世界风筝之都”——山东潍坊的风筝以其精湛的工艺、材料、绘画、雕刻和可灵活飞行而闻名。

7. Every year, the festival will be held there andis expected to draw many fanswith a passion for flying kites. 每年，这个节日都会在那里举行，预计会吸引很多喜欢放风筝的粉丝。

8. State of Gujaratgets soaked inthe whole new burst of hues during the International Kite Festival every year when the placeerupts in a unique enthusiasm. 在每年的国际风筝节期间，在当地爆发出一种独特的热情时，古吉拉特邦便沉浸在崭新的色彩迸发中。

9. Children, who wouldmake so many excuses to be absent from the schoolevery day, would be found wide awake andsoaring their kites high into the skyearly in the morning on this day. 在这一天早上，那些找各种各样的借口逃学的孩子总是会被发现正非常清醒地在放风筝，且他们的风筝飞得很高。

10. The art or hobby of kite flyingwas developed over the period of timein India and itwas taken over as a major sportby kings and royalty. 在印度，放风筝的艺术或爱好是在一段时间内发展起来的，后来被国王和皇室接纳为一项主要运动。

11.As it grew, kite flyingbecame a serious gamewith many different types of kites beginning to be made with special strings to compete viciously. 随着风筝的发展，放风筝变成了一项严肃的游戏，人们开始制作许多不同类型的风筝，并使用特殊的风筝线进行激烈的竞争。

12. Expert kite makers and kite flyers from India and across the globewere invited or hired to show their skills and expertisein their art of kite flying andbeat their competitors at any cost. 来自印度和世界各地的风筝制作专家和放风筝能手被邀请或雇用来展示他们放风筝的技巧和专业知识，并不惜任何代价击败他们的竞争对手。

13. But preciselyhow and when the tradition of kite flying beganis still obscure. Some sources suggest that it was introduced by Muslim traders whocame fromPersia while simultaneously Chinese traders and pilgrims also brought in the tradition from Tibet. 但确切地说，放风筝的传统是如何、何时开始的，至今仍不清楚。一些资料表明，他们是由来自波斯的穆斯林商人引进的，同时中国商人和朝圣者也带来了来自西藏的传统。

14. Peoplegather in small groupson theirs or their friends' rooftops to find optimum terrace for kite flying,making it a collective activityto celebrate together. 人们聚在自己的屋顶或朋友的屋顶上，寻找放风筝的最佳平台，使之成为一项一起庆祝的集体活动。

15.Kites of all shapes and sizesare flown andfar from a friendly competition, for many, it becomes almost a battle in mid-air. 各种形状和大小的风筝被放飞，对许多人来说，这远远不是一场友好的比赛，而是一场半空中的战斗。

16. The excitement does not come to an end even afterthe long day of celebrationandas soon as the night falls, peopleattach lighted paper lanternscalled tukkal to the kite strings which shine throughout the night looking truly spectacular. 即使在漫长的庆祝日之后，这种兴奋也不会消失。每当夜幕降临，人们就会把一种叫作tukkal的点燃的纸灯笼挂在风筝线上。这些纸灯笼照亮了整个夜空，看起来十分壮观。

17. Kitesare used forbird scaring, forecasting the weather andfrightening evil spirits away. 风筝是用来吓唬鸟儿、预报天气和吓跑恶灵的。

18. Kites have been used for thousands of years tolift offeringsandgive thanks to the godsfor good harvests, fertility, weather and prosperity. 风筝已经被使用了几千年，被用来举起祭品和感谢上天赐予的丰收、富饶、好天气和繁荣。