---
url: https://gaojian.site/new-concept/book-3/22-by-heart.md
description: 新概念英语第三册：By Heart。精读、词块回忆、双向译练、句法、逻辑与FSRS复习。
---

# 22 · 熟记台词

### 第1段

Some plays are so successful that they run for years on end. In many ways, this is unfortunate for the poor actors who are required to go on repeating the same lines night after night. One would expect them to know their parts by heart and never have cause to falter. Yet this is not always the case.
A famous actor in a highly successful play was once cast in the role of an aristocrat who had been imprisoned in the Bastille for twenty years. In the last act, a gaoler would always come on to the stage with a letter which he would hand to the prisoner. Even though the noble was expected to read the letter at each performance, he always insisted that it should be written out in full.
One night, the gaoler decided to play a joke on his colleague to find out if, after so many performances, he had managed to learn the contents of the letter by heart. The curtain went up on the final act of the play and revealed the aristocrat sitting alone behind bars in his dark cell. Just then, the gaoler appeared with the precious letter in his hands. He entered the cell and presented the letter to the aristocrat. But the copy he gave him had not been written out in full as usual. It was simply a blank sheet of paper. The gaoler looked on eagerly, anxious to see if his fellow actor had at last learnt his lines. The noble stared at the blank sheet of paper for a few seconds. Then, squinting his eyes, he said: "The light is dim. Read the letter to me". And he promptly handed the sheet of paper to the gaoler. Finding that he could not remember a word of the letter either, the gaoler replied: "The light is indeed dim, sire, I must get my glasses." With this, he hurried off the stage. Much to the aristocrat's amusement, the gaoler returned a few moments later with a pair of glasses and the usual copy of the letter which he proceeded to read to the prisoner.

中文理解：有些戏剧大获成功，能连续上演好几年。可从许多方面来说，这对演员未必是好事，因为他们不得不夜复一夜地重复同样的台词。按理说，他们早该把自己的台词背得滚瓜烂熟，绝不会再卡壳了，事实却并非总是如此。
有一次，一位著名演员在一部非常卖座的戏里，饰演一名被囚禁在巴士底狱二十年的贵族。每到最后一幕，狱卒都会拿着一封信上台，交给囚犯。虽然这位“贵族”每场演出都要念这封信，他却始终坚持，必须把信的全文写在纸上。
一天晚上，饰演狱卒的演员想跟同事开个玩笑，看看演过这么多场后，对方究竟有没有把信的内容背下来。最后一幕的幕布升起，只见那位贵族独自坐在幽暗的牢房里，面前是铁栏杆。这时，狱卒拿着那封重要的信出现了。他走进牢房，把信交给贵族，可这一次，纸上并没有像往常那样写好全文，而是一张白纸。狱卒满怀期待地看着同伴，急着想知道他到底记住台词没有。贵族盯着白纸看了几秒，随后眯起眼睛说：“光线太暗了，念给我听吧。”说完，立刻把纸递给狱卒。狱卒这才发现，自己也一个字都想不起来，便回答：“光线确实太暗了，阁下，我得去拿眼镜。”说着，他匆匆走下台去。没过多久，狱卒便拿着眼镜和那封平时用的信回来了，开始给囚犯念信，惹得“贵族”暗自发笑。

* **for years on end**：连续多年；on end 跟在时段后面强调连续，如 for hours on end。

* **night after night**：夜复一夜；强调持续重复的体验。

* **by heart**：熟记；凭记忆；表示已记熟，不代表已理解或能迁移。

* **cast in the role of**：被选中扮演……；be cast in the role of + 角色，演员与角色经历须分开。

* **in full**：完整地；本课指信的内容写全，也可指全额付款。

* **play a joke on**：开……的玩笑；on 引出被开玩笑的人。

* **behind bars**：身陷囹圄；在铁窗后；常指监禁，也可描写舞台上牢房的具体布景。

* **as usual**：像往常一样；说明与往常相同，可放句首或句末交代背景。

* **a blank sheet of paper**：一张白纸；sheet 是纸张计量单位；paper 表材料时不可数。

* **stared at**：盯着看；stare at 带持续注视意味，不等于快速 glance at。

* **handed the sheet of paper to**：把这张纸递给……；hand + 物 + to + 人，清楚标明传递方向。

* **hurried off**：匆匆离去；hurry off to do，既给离开动作也给目的。

* **a pair of**：一副；一双；后接binoculars等复数形态；单副的核心名词是pair。

* **proceeded to**：接着做……；proceed to do 表下一步动作，不是一直重复同一动作。

#### 原文注释 · Some plays are so successful that they run for years on end.

注释：①run = are performed regularly。②on end =without a break, continuously。 ③are required = are expected, have to。④repeating = saying again。 ⑤falter = make a mistake, say in a weak manner, stumble。

#### 原文注释 · A famous actor in a highly successful play was once cast in the role of an aristocrat who had been imprisoned in the Bastille for twenty years.

注释：①role = part , character。②hand = give。③in full = completely。

#### 原文注释 · One night, the gaoler decided to play a joke on his colleague to find out if, after so many performances, he had managed to learn the contents of the letter by heart.

注释：①play a joke = play a trick。②went up = opened。③stared at = look very carefully at。④Much to the aristocrat's amusement，much 这个副词修饰其后的介词短语，much to + one's sth.是一个常见的状语短语，“给某人带来很大的”之意。

\[语法符号讲解] \[1]本句的补语中，我们额外划分了if 引导的宾语从句，所以在最后，为了表示宾语从句的结束，我们将横线画到了点句号下面。

#### Summary 摘要

The aristocrat was sitting in his cell when the gaoler entered and handed him the letter—a blank sheet of paper. The aristocrat looked at it, squinted and said: "The light is dim. Read me the letter." He handed the letter back to the gaoler, who said: "The light is indeed dim. I'll get my glasses." He left the stage and returned with a pair of glasses and the real letter, which he read to the prisoner. (79 words)

#### Composition 作文 Six Short Weeks 难熬六周

\[1]A couple of years ago, a new play called The World Tomorrow was going to be shown in our local theatre. There was a great deal of advertising for it and there was considerable public interest, mainly, I think, because the cast contained a number of famous actors and actresses.

\[2]Most actors and actresses are usually nervous on the first night of any play, and no one really knows what can go wrong or how the audience will react. In the case of The World Tomorrow, no one forgot their lines, but the play was not well received. It was a comedy, so it was supposed to be funny, but nobody laughed—not in the right places anyway—and people even walked out before the end(提前退场). The cast suspected that they would get bad reviews the following day, and they did. One review described it as "the saddest comedy I've ever seen"; another thought it was "the most professionally acted disaster we have ever seen on our local stage".

\[3]In spite of the reviews, however, the play still ran for six weeks. The last performance, on the last Saturday evening, attracted a small audience, and the actors struggled through to the end. At the end of six terrible weeks, however, there was one final moment of relief. When the last line was spoken: "Our six short weeks have hastened to their end," the audience saw the funny side of it and laughed. Even the actors and actresses laughed. (248 words)

## 学完这一课

写一部戏的人物设定，区分饰演者和角色的过去。

[Nce · 本册复习台](/new-concept/book-3/review) · [三册选择地图](/new-concept/)

*译文依据整理稿，由本站按中文表达重新校订；解析据吴应时、何景霖整理资料及首轮审校稿；词伙与练习提示为本站学习设计。原PDF第76—78页，2022年2月第3版。*