1、 Does the narrator think our first impressions of a person are always right?Why or why not?Text analysis:Maugham,the famous British short story writer,shows us how powerful contrast is in delineating a persons character.Upon first seeing the title,readers mayu think:“Oh,no.Another story about how pe
2、ople helped their friend in need!”However,when they finish reading it,readers will find it is an entirely different story:Those who appear to be friendly may turn out to be so evil-minded as to be ready to strike a cruel blow at a friend in need.Almost the entire Part II is devoted to the descriptio
3、n of Edward Burtons kindly appearance and pleasant manners.Neither the“I”in the story nor readers could imagine him hurting a fly.Yet in Part III Burton recounts cold-bloodedly how he destroyed a human life.Part I and Part II are narrated by“I”,who offers his subjective opinion of Burtons character.
4、Yet in Part III Burton himself takes over the narration to tell what happened beween him and a friend in trouble.He sounds cool and objective;just because of this he is shown to be so vicious and so cold-blooded.When contrasts abound,it is hard for readers to easily predict what will happen next.1.d
5、eceptive:likely to deceive;misleading 靠不住的靠不住的;容易上当的容易上当的Examples:1.The newspapers promised not to run deceptive ads in the future.2.The play is also an observation about the deceptive nature of appearances.2.Instinct:a tendency that one is born with to behave in a certain way without reasoning or t
6、raining本能本能,直觉直觉Examples:1.It is the mothers instinct to protect her children.2.I knew by instinct that he had come to deliver bad news.hitherto:(fml)until now;until a particular time 迄今迄今,到目前为到目前为止止Examples:1.The Hope Project sent money to students hitherto unable to afford their tuition fees.2.The
7、 printing press made books available to people hitherto unable to afford them.3.Her has hitherto achieved great success in his career.trifle:a thing,a matter or an activity that has little value or importance 小事小事;琐事琐事Examples:1.My daughter always wastes her money on trifles.2.The couple often quarr
8、eled abo8ut some petty trifle connected with the housework.for sb.s(own)part/the part of:as far as sb.Is concerned1.For my part I prefer living in the country.2.Some young students,for their part,can stay up late playing computer games.in accordance with:in agreement or harmony with1.Students will b
9、e criticized or punished if their behavior is not in accordance with school regulations.2.Some young people are self-centered,which is not in accordance with Chinese traditional values.Something of:to some degree1.Its something of a disadvantage nowadays if you cant use a computer.2.They havent got
10、a loan from the bank,which is something of disappointment.oddly enough:used to say that sth.Seems strange or surprising1.Childrens books,oddly enough,continued to have a big place in aretail sales.2.Oddly enough,some of the students dont know how to log on the Internet.in a way:to a certain extent b
11、ut not entirely1.I agree with you in a way,but there are still some areas on which I cant see eye to eye with you.2.Its easier for men to get work in a way.with(a)bad/good grace:unwillingly and rudely/willingly and happily1.After I talked to him for an hour,he admitted his mistake with bad grace 2.M
12、y mentor accepted my invitation to dinner with a good grace.go broke:have no money1.Many multinational companies went broke during the financial crisis,not to speak of small businesses.2.He invested all his money in stocks;unfortunately he made one wrong choice after another and finally went broke.d
13、own and out:having no money,home,etc.1.When he was down and out,none of his friends gave him a helping hand.2.Shortly after his company was declared bandrupt,the manager became down and out.be/go(all)to pieces:(of a person)have a breakdown;lose control of onesel 1.I was attracted by the story of a h
14、ousewife who went to pieces as one disaster followed another.2.She nearly went to pieces when she heard that her husband was among those buries in the ruins of the World Trade Center.drive at:be trying to say1.I have no idea what youre driving at.2.The teacher didnt mention the word“cheating”but I k
15、new what he was driving at.be taken aback:be shocked or surprised1.She was taken aback when a man answered the phone.2.I was taken aback when I found my computer was gone.in bad/good condition:in bad/good health1.He is in good condition again after a long holiday.2.In spite of the surgery he is still in bad conditon.turn up:arrive;make ones appearance1.He didnt turn up until the end of the examination.2.Some students always turn up late for class.
