看經典文學提升英文閱讀力

夏日

A Summer Day

This is the way the morning dawns:

Rosy tints on flowers and trees,

Winds that wake the birds and bees,

Dewdrops on the fields and lawns—

This is the way the morning dawns.

This is the way the sun comes up:

Gold on brook and glossy leaves,

Mist that melts above the sheaves,

Vine, and rose, and buttercup—

This is the way the sun comes up.

This is the way the river flows

Here a whirl, and there a dance;

Slowly now, then, like a lance,

Swiftly to the sea it goes—

This is the way the river flows.

Words and Phrases:

dawn [dɔn] v. 破曉，（天）剛亮

rosy [ˋrozɪ] adj. 玫瑰色的，紅潤的

tint [tɪnt] n. 色彩，色調

brook [brʊk] n. 小溪，小河

glossy [ˋglɔsɪ] adj. 光滑的，有光澤的

buttercup [ˋbʌtɚ͵kʌp] n. 毛茛屬植物

This is the way the rain comes down:

Tinkle, tinkle, drop by drop,

Over roof and chimney top;

Boughs that bend, and skies that frown—

This is the way the rain comes down.

This is the way the birdie sings:

“Baby birdies in the nest,

You I surely love the best;

Over you I fold my wings”—

This is the way the birdie sings.

This is the way the daylight dies:

Cows are lowing in the lane,

Fireflies wink on hill and plain;

Yellow, red, and purple skies—

This is the way the daylight dies.

George Cooper

Words and Phrases:

tinkle [ˋtɪŋk!] n. 叮噹聲；v. 發出叮噹聲

bough [baʊ] n. 大樹枝

bend [bɛnd] v. 彎曲

frown [fraʊn] v. 皺眉，蹙額

firefly [ˋfaɪr͵flaɪ] n. 螢火蟲

wink [wɪŋk] v. 閃爍；眨眼



夏　日

天剛破曉，

花和樹都被染成了紅色，

風兒把小鳥和蜜蜂叫醒，

田野和草地上到處是晶瑩的露珠―

這是剛剛破曉時的美景。

太陽升起來了，

在小溪和光潔的樹葉上撒下一片金黃。

一根根葡萄藤上，玫瑰花上，黃色的毛莨上，

還籠罩著一層薄霧―

太陽升起時的景色多麼迷人。

河水在流動，

時而在這兒打一個迴旋，

時而在那兒手舞足蹈―

此一時緩慢優雅，

彼一時又像個騎士，

迅速奔向大海。

河水流動是如此姿態萬千。

雨落下來了，

越過屋頂，飄過煙囪，

叮叮噹當響著，一串串落下。

大樹枝彎曲著身子，

天空也皺起眉頭―

這是雨落下時的景致。

鳥兒唱起了歌：

「我親愛的孩子們，

你們是我的至愛，

我願為你們擋風遮雨。」―

鳥兒們唱得多麼歡快！

天暗下來了，

乳牛在小徑上低聲哞叫，

螢火蟲在小山和田野中閃著亮光。

天空慢慢由黃變紅，由紅變紫，直至漆黑一片—

陽光漸漸消失了。

喬治•庫柏

Practice

1. Which is part of the morning dawn?

A. Fireflies wink on hill and plain.

B. Boughs that bend and skies that frown.

C. Rosy tints on flowers and trees.

D. Cows are lowing in the lane.

2. Which is the scenery when the sun rises?

A. Gold on brook and glossy leaves.

B. The birds sing on the nest.

C. Cows are lowing in the lane.

D. Boughs that bend, and skies that frown.

3. What does the birdie sing about?

A. Its mate.

B. The river.

C. The rain.

D. Baby birdie.

Answers

1. C 2. A 3. D

破碎的窗戶

The Broken Window

George Ellet had a bright silver dollar for a New-year gift.

He thought of all the fine things he might buy with it.

The ground was all covered with snow; but the sun shone out bright, and everything looked beautiful.

So George put on his hat, and ran into the street. As he went skipping along, he met some boys throwing snowballs. George soon engaged in the sport.

He sent a ball at James Mason, but it missed him, and broke a window on the other side of the street.

George feared some one would come out of the house and find him. So he ran off as fast as he could.

As soon as he got round the next corner, George stopped, because he was very sorry for what he had done.

He said to himself, “I have no right to spend my silver dollar, now. I ought to go back, and pay for the glass I broke with my snowball.”

Words and Phrases:

silver [ˋsɪlvɚ] adj. 銀的

put on 穿上，戴上

ought to 應該

pay for 償還，付款

He went up and down the street, and felt very sad. He wished very much to buy something nice. He also wished to pay for the broken glass.

At last he said, “It was wrong to break the window, though I did not mean to do it. I will go and pay for it. If it takes all my money, I will try not to be sorry. I do not think the man will hurt me if I pay for the mischief I have done.”

George started off, and felt much happier for having made up his mind to do what was right.

He rang the doorbell. When the man came out, George said, “Sir, I threw a snowball through your window. But I did not intend to do it. I am very sorry, and wish to pay you. Here is the dollar my father gave me as a New-year gift.”

The gentleman took the dollar, and asked George if he had no more money. George said he had not. “Well,” said he, “this will do.”

So, after asking George his name, and where he lived, he called him an honest boy, and shut the door.

George went home at dinner time, with a face as rosy, and eyes as bright, as if nothing had gone wrong. At dinner, Mr. Ellet asked him what he had bought with his money.

George very honestly told him all about the broken window, and said he felt very well without any money to spend.

Words and Phrases:

start off 動身，出發，開始

intend to do sth. 故意去做某事

When dinner was over, Mr. Ellet told George to go and look in his cap. He did so, and found two silver dollars there.

The man, whose window had been broken, had been there, and told Mr. Ellet about it. He gave back George’s dollar and another besides.

A short time after this, the man came and told Mr. Ellet that he wanted a good boy to stay in his store.

As soon as George left school, he went to live with this man, who was a rich merchant. In a few years he became the merchant’s partner.

Words and Phrases:

cap [kæp] n. 帽子

live with 和…住在一起

破碎的窗戶

喬治•埃利特的新年禮物是一枚閃亮的銀幣。

他想用它買許多自己一直想要的好東西。

地面上覆蓋著白雪。在陽光的照耀下，一切事物都顯得非常美麗。

喬治戴上帽子，跑到了大街上。當他在街上遛達的時候，看到一群男孩在打雪仗。喬治馬上加入了他們。

他向詹姆士•梅森擲了一個雪球，但沒有擊中他，反而打中了街道另一邊的一扇窗戶。

喬治害怕有人會從房子裡跑出來找他算賬，於是快速地跑開了。

但當他跑到旁邊拐角處時卻停了下來，因為他為自己剛才所做的事深感內疚。

他自言自語道：「現在我可沒有權利去花自己的銀幣了。我應該回去，用它來賠償我剛才拿雪球打破的玻璃。」他在街上徘徊了很久，心裡感到非常難過。他非常想買一些好東西，但他又想賠償那塊打破的玻璃。

最後他說：「儘管我不是有意的，但我打碎玻璃是不對的。即使用光我所有的錢，我也要去賠償。只有這樣做，我才不會感到不安。如果我那樣做，相信屋主是不會傷害我的。」

喬治朝那間房子走去，並為自己下定決心去做正確的事情而感到由衷的快樂。

他按響了門鈴。當屋主出來時，喬治說：「先生，我擲雪球時打破了您家的玻璃窗。但我不是故意的，我非常抱歉。這枚銀幣是我父親給我的新年禮物，我想拿它來賠償您。」

那位先生接過那枚銀幣，並問喬治身上是否還有錢，喬治說他沒有了。

「好，」那位先生說，「這些就夠了。」

那位先生問了喬治的姓名和住址後，誇他是一個誠實的孩子，然後關上了門。喬治在晚餐時回到了家，臉色紅潤，眼睛明亮，好像什麼事也沒發生。在吃飯時，埃利特先生問他用那個銀幣買了什麼。喬治非常誠實地告訴了他自己打碎玻璃的事，並說，雖然自己現在沒有錢花了，但卻感到非常開心。飯後，埃利特先生示意喬治去看看他的帽子。他一看，發現帽子裡放著兩枚銀幣。

原來，那位窗戶被打破的先生已經來過這兒了，他告訴了埃利特先生先前發生的事情。臨走前，他不僅退回了喬治那枚銀幣，同時又送了一枚銀幣給他。

事過不久，那位先生又來找埃利特先生，告訴他自己想找個好孩子去他的店裡幫忙。

喬治畢業之後，便去那位先生的商店幫忙。那位先生是一位非常富有的商人。幾年後，喬治成為了他的合夥人。

1. What was George's first reaction when he broke a window on the other side of the street?

_________________________

2. Write down the words that can explain the reason why George was determined to pay for the broken window.

_________________________

3. Which word would best describe George's virtue in this article? Try to find it.

_________________________

夏日

A Summer Day

This is the way the morning dawns:

Rosy tints on flowers and trees,

Winds that wake the birds and bees,

Dewdrops on the fields and lawns—

This is the way the morning dawns.

This is the way the sun comes up:

Gold on brook and glossy leaves,

Mist that melts above the sheaves,

Vine, and rose, and buttercup—

This is the way the sun comes up.

This is the way the river flows

Here a whirl, and there a dance;

Slowly now, then, like a lance,

Swiftly to the sea it goes—...

國立台灣科技大學應用外語系黃玟君博士

 台灣英語暢銷書作家，著作豐富，美國俄亥俄州立大學英語教學/多元文化教育博士

 現任教於國立台灣科技大學應用外語系，《聯合報》「笑談時事英語」專欄作者，《自由時報》「KUSO英文小辭典」專欄作者。

 《EZ Talk 美語會話誌》、《EZ Basic 美語會話誌》、《BeautyEnglish漂亮美語》總編審

富含道德寓意與雋永佳句的經典讀本

黃玟君博士國立台灣科技大學應用外語系

McGuffey Readers 《麥加菲讀本》是美國著名教育家 William H. McGuffey 為美國學生所編寫的一系列讀本，內容淺顯易懂但寓意深刻，值得推薦給想一窺經典英文選文，並瞭解美國文化及價值觀的學習者。本書可說是去蕪存菁版的McGuffeyReaders，書中不僅主題多元，所收錄的文章形式也很多樣化，包含詩、散文、故事、以及知識性文章等，內容包羅萬象，讓人讀來興趣盎然、欲罷不能。

令人讚賞的是，除了選文佳，本書在個別選文後提供的「背景知識」，從一般台灣讀者較陌生的詩體形式解說，到對個別作者及故事的介紹，以及解讀不同文章的象徵意義，都有助於讀者深入了解所閱讀的選文。最重要的，這本書所收錄的眾多故事皆隱含高尚的道德內涵，例如善良、互助、誠實、勤奮等，這些在現今紛擾的社會尤顯珍貴。舉例來說，「一小塊麵包」(The Little Loaf) 彰顯了面對飢荒的人性光輝；「微笑」(Smiles) 說明了世界上有比錢更重要的東西；「山姆和哈利」(Sam and Harry) 則反映了富而不仁的社會縮影；此外，「艾美沒有賺到的錢」(The Money Amy Did Not Earn) 說明了即知即行的重要性；「威利和邦斯」(Willieand Bounce) 則印證了狗是人類最好朋友的道理。可見McGuffey Readers 雖成書於多年前，但共通的人性價值並無二致，也不曾改變！

閱讀此書時，我有幾點建議供讀者參考。第一，請先閱讀英文選文再看其後的譯文，如此一來你既可以體會閱讀英文的樂趣，還能真正增進閱讀能力。第二，朗讀書中優美的詩及散文，如此你才能真正體會英語語言之美。第三，試著尋找書中雋永的句子，並將之收藏；例如在本書中，我會推薦給讀者以下的佳句：Waste not;want not. (p.207) （不浪費，就不會缺乏）、Never be afraid to do good, but alwaysfear to do evil. (p.244) （永不畏懼做好事，但絕不要做壞事）、Never brag of yourfish before you catch them. (p.199)（在沒抓到魚之前，絕不要誇耀）等。

我在多年前閱讀 McGuffey Readers時，便曾被其中引人入勝且形式眾多的選文所吸引，現在閱讀本書，讓我有機會重新回味當初閱讀McGuffey Readers的種種樂趣，那種純粹且美好的感動，值得與喜愛英文的你一同分享！

國立台灣科技大學應用外語系黃玟君博士

 台灣英語暢銷書作家，著作豐富，美國俄亥俄州立大學英語教學/多元文化教育博士

 現任教於國立台灣科技大學應用外語系，《聯合報》「笑談時事英語」專欄作者，《自由時報》「KUSO英文小辭典」專欄作者。

 《EZ Talk 美語會話誌》、《EZ Basic 美語會話誌》、《BeautyEnglish漂亮美語》總編審

富含道德寓意與雋永佳句的經典讀本

黃玟君博士國立台灣科技大學應用外語系

McGuffey Readers 《麥加菲讀本》是美國著名教育家 William H. McGuffey 為美國學生所編寫的一系列讀本，內容淺顯易懂但寓...

前言
使用說明

Nature 1 自然
夏日 A Summer Day
樹葉之語 What the Leaf Said
黃昏頌歌 Evening Hymn
小鳥的晨曲 Birdie’s Morning Song

Animal 2動物
蜂鳥 Humming Birds
威利和邦斯 Willie and Bounce
小白貓 The White Kitten
海狸 The Beaver
獅子 The Lion
鳥兒趣聞 Anecdotes of Birds
蝙蝠 Bats
三隻小老鼠 Three Little Mice

Integrity 3 正直誠信
破碎的窗戶 The Broken Window
不要給我王冠 No Crown for Me
一小塊麵包 The Little Loaf
掃煙囪的小男孩 The Little Chimneysweep Boy
好哥哥 A Kind Brother

Diligence 4勤奮進取
優秀源於勤奮 No Excellence without Labor
知足的男孩 The Contented Boy
蜜蜂 The Bee
約翰•卡本特 John Carpenter

Self-discipline 5 自律
不滿的鐘擺 The Discontented Pendulum
如果我還是一個男孩 If I Were a Boy
艾美沒有賺到的錢 The Money Amy Did Not Earn
一分鐘的自白 What the Minutes Say

Kindness 6善良
善良的行為 Deeds of Kindness
山姆和哈利 Sam and Harry
微笑 Smiles
孝順的孩子 The Good Son
一個玩笑 A New Kind of Fun
我同情他們 I Pity Them
善良的人永遠不會被拋棄
The Righteous Never Forsaken

Perseverance 7 堅持毅力
堅持 Perseverance
有志者事竟成
Where There Is a Will There Is a Way
優秀的朗讀者 The Good Reader
狐狸和鴨子 The Fox and the Ducks

Communication 8 處事溝通
回聲 The Echo
風和太陽 The Wind and the Sun
海水為什麼是鹹的
Why the Sea Is Salt
通往快樂的道路
The Way to Be Happy
我沒有捕到的魚
The Fish I Didn’t Catch
一個故事，兩種說法
Two Ways of Telling a Story
不浪費，就不會缺乏
Waste Not, Want Not
和藹地說話 Speak Gently

Life 9精彩人生
年輕的教師 The Young Teacher
甲魚湯 Turtle Soup
喬治的美食 George’s Feast
哈利的財富 Harry’s Riches
笛河上的磨坊主 The Miller of the Dee

Others 10其他
勇敢和怯懦 Courage and Cowardice
真正的男子氣概 True Manliness
正確的辦法 The Right Way
知識就是力量 Knowledge Is Power

前言
使用說明

Nature 1 自然
夏日 A Summer Day
樹葉之語 What the Leaf Said
黃昏頌歌 Evening Hymn
小鳥的晨曲 Birdie’s Morning Song

Animal 2動物
蜂鳥 Humming Birds
威利和邦斯 Willie and Bounce
小白貓 The White Kitten
海狸 The Beaver
獅子 The Lion
鳥兒趣聞 Anecdotes of Birds
蝙蝠 Bats
三隻小老鼠 Three Little Mice

Integrity 3 正直誠信
破碎的窗戶 The Broken Window
不要給我王冠 No Crown for Me
一小塊麵包 The Little Loaf
掃煙囪的小男孩 The Little Chimneysweep Boy
好哥哥...