"There is poetry and calligraphy in my belly." Reading classics is like stepping into the world of classics and communicating with the characters in the books. Many world famous novels often have an unforgettable opening. Its first sentence or paragraph may attract people deeply, or make people think deeply, making readers unable to stop. The beginnings of these familiar masterpieces take you through centuries of fiction and reality.
. In the afternoon, during your lazy leisure time, reading the first sentence of "Portrait of a Lady" (Henry James, United States) will make you feel like you have drank a cup of warm afternoon tea, refreshing.
★ Under certain circumstance there are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to (past participle as attributive) the ceremony known as (past participle as attributive) afternoon tea.
In some cases, life is very There are few things more satisfying than spending time in a ritual called afternoon tea.
[Vocabulary learning]
circumstance /ˈsɜːkəmstəns/ n. Condition, situation; details, the whole story → under circumstance of Under... conditions (circumstances)
agreeable /əˈɡriːəb(ə)l/ adj. Pleasant, likeable
dedicate /ˈdedɪkeɪt / v. Dedicate oneself to, devote oneself to → dedicate oneself to devote oneself to something
ceremony /ˈserəməni/ n. Ceremony, ceremony; etiquette, etiquette
. Boys and girls who are in their youth and long for love, read " Pride and Prejudice" 》( Jane Austen , UK). The different attitudes of the five daughters of the Bennet family towards love and marriage are enough to tell young people: it is wrong to marry for property, money and status; and it is also stupid to marry without considering the above factors.
★ It (formal subject) is a truth universally acknowledged (past participle as attributive) , that (introducing subject clause) a single man in possession of (possession) a good fortune, must be in want of ( need ) a wife.
It has become a universally recognized truth that all wealthy bachelors always want to marry a wife.
[Vocabulary learning]
universally /ˌjuːnɪˈvɜːsəli/ adv. universally, everyone; anytime, anywhere, under various circumstances
acknowledge /əkˈnɒlɪdʒ/ v. acknowledge; recognize; (public) thanks
possession /pəˈzɛʃə n/n.Own, own; property , ownership
fortune /ˈfɔːtʃuːn/ n. Destiny; opportunity; wealth, huge sum of money; future, future
. Is love bitter or sweet? Whether they have experienced love or not, how many people can tell the difference? "Love in the Time of Cholera" (Garcia Márquez, Colombia), this colorful masterpiece of joys and sorrows that spans fifty years, shows the possibility of all love, all the ways, expressions and means of love And all the pain, pleasure, torture, and happiness of love. After reading the first sentence of it, you may have some slight feelings.
★ It was inevitable: the scent of bitter almonds always reminded him of the fate of unrequited love.
It was inevitable, the smell of bitter almonds always reminded him of a love destined to be unrequited.
[Vocabulary learning]
inevitable /ɪnˈevɪtəbl/ adj. inevitable, inevitable
scent /sent/ n. fragrance; (animal or human) smell, smell; clue, trace
remind /rɪˈmaɪnd/ v. remind, remind → remind sb. of reminds; reminds
unrequited /ˌʌnrɪˈkwaɪtɪd/ adj. unrequited; unpaid
. Resentful of the world? Want to find a way out of a contradictory current situation? Reading the first paragraph of "A Tale of Two Cities" ( Charles Dickens , UK), you will re-examine the adversity in your life, condense more bright factors, reshape a new atmosphere of your own good state, transcend sentimentality, Break through barriers and have a better vision and a freer and bolder courage.
★ It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness; it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity; it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness; it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair. We had everything before us, we had nothing before us; we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way (the other direction, the opposite direction) .
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness; it was the epoch of faith, it was the epoch of doubt; It is the season of light, it is the season of darkness; it is the spring of hope, it is the winter of despair; people have everything before them, people have nothing before them; people are going straight to heaven, people are going straight to hell.
[Vocabulary learning]
wisdom /ˈwɪzdəm/ n. Wisdom, intelligence; wisdom; learning, knowledge
epoch /ˈiːpɒk/ or /ˈepək/ n. Period; era; new era
incredulity /ˌɪnkrəˈdjuːləti/ n. Doubt; Not gullible, not easy to believe
despair /dɪˈspeə(r)/ n. Despair; desperate people or things
. If you are dreaming of wealth, if you think money can make you happy, "The Great Gatsby" (Scott Fey) Zgerald (USA) will tell you: A life of spending money and extravagant money may make you feel extremely happy for a while, but it will also make you sink. When all the truth is revealed, life is like fireworks. The brilliance is only for a moment, and the disillusionment is eternal.
★ In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since (attributive clause) . “Whenever you feel like (…+doing, want to do something) criticizing (criticize) any one," he told me, "just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had (attributive clause)."
I am still young and have little experience. When I was deep in love, my father taught me a sentence that I still remember. He said to me, "Whenever you want to criticize anyone, just remember that not everyone in this world has the advantages you have."
【Vocabulary Learning】
vulnerable /ˈvʌlnərəbl/ adj. Vulnerable; vulnerable; vulnerable to criticism
criticize /ˈkrɪtɪsaɪz/ vt. Criticism; comment; judgment vi. Criticism; comment
advantage /ədˈvɑːntɪdʒ/ or /ədˈvæntɪdʒ/ n. Favorable conditions, advantages; advantages; benefits
★ All happy families are happy alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way (in its own way; do its own thing) .
Happy families are all similar, and unhappy families are unhappy in their own way.
. Failure is inevitable in life. How to accept failure calmly and face death calmly and bravely? Reading "The Old Man and the Sea" (Ernest Hemingway, United States), a world-famous novel that won the Nobel Prize for Literature, you can appreciate the power of persistence and the fighting spirit of never bowing to fate and never admitting defeat. and a positive and optimistic attitude towards life.
★He was an old man who fished alone in a skiff in the gulf stream（attributive clause） and he had gone 84 days now without taking a fish.
on the boat It has been 84 days of fishing and I haven’t caught a single fish.
[Vocabulary learning]
skiff /skɪf/ n. Small boat; small sailing boat; light boat
stream /striːm/ n. Small river, stream; (gas, liquid) flow, stream
"The smell of foreign things will become disgusting after a long time; The taste of reading becomes deeper the longer you read it. "
The reason why a masterpiece is a masterpiece is that no matter what time it goes through, it still exudes the charm of thought and art. The words of famous works are the condensation of a writer’s spiritual carrier. Read classics, constantly absorb their essence, and enrich your heart. Especially world famous books, if you read them carefully, you will be amazed by their charm.
(Pictures and texts are referenced from the Internet, deleted for infringement.)
(I am @Suddenly want to say , a college English teacher. Friends who like reading are welcome to add me to communicate.)
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