第二章 女仆玛莎

江苏南菁高级中学 刘 珂

难词探意

1.scrape/skreɪp/v.发出刺耳的刮擦声

2.flush/flʌʃ/v.发红;脸红

3.bleak/bliːk/adj.阴冷的；荒凉的

4.galore/ɡə'lɔː（r）/adj.大量的

Mary awoke the next morning to the sound of loud scraping.She sat up in her bed and looked around.A girl was making a fire in the fireplace.

“Who are you?” Mary asked.

The girl turned.“Oh!You're up!Morning,Miss!I'm Martha,”she said with a smile.

Mary climbed out of bed and held her arms in the air. “I suppose you'd better dress me then,”she told Martha.

Martha blinked.“You what?”

“You are my servant,aren't you?” she asked.“Dress me! ”

“Well,I have been told to come and help you,” Martha said, “but I didn't think you'd need dressing.Our Susan Ann dresses herself and she's only four!”

Mary felt her cheeks flushing.“Of course I could dress myself,if I wanted to!”she declared.

To prove it,Mary struggled into her new clothes.In truth,she had never dressed herself in her life.She found it hard,especially buttoning up her boots.Finally,with a proud look on her face,she said,“I've done it! ”

“Well done,Miss! ” Martha nodded.“Except for your boots being on the wrong feet,you've done a grand job!”

As Martha helped Mary with her buttons,she began to chat. “I hope you like it here,Miss.There's not much inside but outside—well—there's a whole world waiting for you.”

“I've never played outside,”Mary told her.

“Never played outside?No wonder you're so pale! My mother had twelve children and every one of us has played outside all our lives,especially our Dickon.”

“Dickon?”

“Aye,Dickon,my brother.He's out on the moors（荒野）against rain or sunshine.And he talks about animals madly.You never know what he'll bring home next.”

“I don't like the moors,” Mary said,remembering the bleak,black wilderness they had crossed the day before.

“Well,there are gardens galore at Misselthwaite.But there's one garden you can't enter.”

“Why not?”

The maid hesitated and then lowered her voice. “It's been locked up for ten years.Mr Craven locked it after his wife died.”

“Why?”said Mary. “Did she die in the garden?”

“Sort of.She fell off a swing and never opened her eyes again.Poor Mr Craven was heartbroken.He buried the key,so nobody could find the garden ever again.”

Martha chewed her lip.“Don't tell nobody I told you that,will you?I'll be in such trouble if you do.”

“I won't tell,” Mary promised.

Activity A Reading for comprehension

Ⅰ.Reading for the main idea

What is the main idea of Chapter Two?

A.Mary learnt to dress herself with the help of Martha.

B.Mary met Martha and was told about a secret garden.

C.Martha took Mary to play outside in the gardens.

D.Martha introduced Mary to her brother Dickon.

Ⅱ.Reading for the characters

1.According to this chapter,what was Mary's life like before she came to Misselthwaite Manor?What effects did that lifestyle have on Mary?

2.What characteristics did Mary display from the clues?Fill in the table.

Clues Characteristics“You are my servant,aren't you?” she asked.“Dress me!”（1）__________Mary felt her cheeks flushing.“Of course I could dress myself,if I wanted to! ” she declared. （2）__________Finally,with a proud look on her face,she said,“I've done it!”（3）__________“Why?” said Mary.“Did she die in the garden?”（4）

3.What kind of girl was Martha like?

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4.According to Martha,what kind of boy was Dickon like?

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Ⅲ.Reading for the secret garden

Fill in the blanks to grasp the basic information about the secret garden.

Activity B Reading for writing

Ⅰ.Useful expressions for creating a novel

1.expressions for describing emotions

with a proud look on one's face 面露骄傲

feel one's cheeks flushing 感到脸红

2.expressions for describing behaviour

sit up and look around 坐起来环顾四周

turn 转过身

say with a smile 笑着说

climb out of bed 从床上爬起来

hold one's arms in the air 把手臂举在空中

struggle into one's new clothes 艰难地穿上新衣服

blink 眨眼

nod 点头

hesitate and then lower one's voice 犹豫片刻后低声说

chew one's lip 咬了咬嘴唇

Ⅱ.Writing techniques

Foreshadowing（伏笔）

Foreshadowing is a writing technique frequently used in story writing.A person or thing is briefly mentioned in the beginning parts of the story before the person or thing shows importance in later development.Foreshadowing works as a hint suggesting what will happen in the future.There is one person and one thing mentioned in this chapter that will have great importance later.Can you find them out?

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Ⅲ.Summary writing

Write a summary of Chapter Two with about 60 words.Leave out any unnecessary details.

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Ⅳ.Description of a garden

Based on your life experience or imagination,what does an ideal garden look like?Try to describe your dream garden.

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