话题链接:You will remember that the Bank of England once issued two notes of a million pounds each, to be used for a special purpose connected with some public transaction with a foreign country.For some reason or other only one of these had been used and canceled; The other still lay in the vaults of the Bank.Well, the brothers, chatting along, happened to get to wondering what might be the fate of a perfectly honest and intelligent stranger who should be turned adrift in London without a friend, and with no money but that million-pound bank-note, and no way to account for his being in possession of it.Brother A said he would starve to death; Brother B said he wouldn't.Brother A said he couldn't offer it at a bank or anywhere else, because he would be arrested on the spot.So they went on disputing till Brother B said he would bet twenty thousand pounds that the man would live thirty days, anyway, on that million, and keep out of jail, too.Brother A took him up.Brother B went down to the Bank and bought that note.Just like an Englishman, you see; pluck to the backbone.Then he dictated a letter, which one of his clerks wrote out in a beautiful round hand, and then the two brothers sat at the window a whole day watching for the right man to give it to….

  他们物色了一个年轻人做试验。带着这张毫无使用价值的百万英镑钞票,年轻人经历如在梦中。年轻人得到了他想得到的,包括爱情和受人尊敬。他爱上的女孩正是兄弟B的女儿Portia,但是这个年轻人会过上幸福生活吗?

任务导入:Imagine what kind of life Henry will live with Portia and try to make up a short play between them.Then act it out before your classmates.

You can do it as the following steps:

1.Before write your play, read the novel of The Million Pound Bank-Note to get some background knowledge and refer to some play scripts to learn how to write a play; 2.Choose the right persons to be the roles of the play and learn some skills of performance from books or experts, etc.

3.Practice the play together and act it out before your classmates.

An example scene:

P=Portia H=Henry

P:Oh, Henry.It's nice to see you home so early!

H:Mm, ah.

P:(looking worried)What's happened?

H:I can't hide much from you, can I, dear?We have lost our money.The railway company in Brazil has collapsed and all our money has disappeared.But I have a plan to help us.We can go back to America and start again.I can become a gold miner and we can make our fortune that way.

P:Leave London?Leave my father?Oh no, Henry, please!

H:I think it might be better for us.We would stand on our own feet.

P:(crying)I shall have to go home.You can't love me if you want to do this dreadful thing.

H:(putting his arms round her)Of course I do.It is for our sake that I suggest this.It will be an adventure.We will be able to travel where we like and I will be able to show you so many lovely places.

P:As long as you love me I shall be happy.

H:And I shall always do that!

Is it possible to persuade mankind to live without war? War is an ancient custom which has existed for at least six thousand years. It was always evil and usually foolish, but in the past the human race managed to live with it. Modern skill has changed this. Either man will stop war, or war will stop man. For the present, it is nuclear weapons that cause the greatest danger, but bacteriological( 细菌的 ) or chemical weapons may, before long, offer an even greater threat. If we succeeded in stopping war, there would be no danger for us. To do this, we need to persuade mankind to look upon international questions in a new way, not by contests of force, in which the victory goes to the side which is most skillful in massacre (大屠杀 ),but by arbitration (仲裁)in accordance with agreed principles of law. It is not easy to change old mental habits, but this is what must be attempted.

There are those who say that the adoption of this or that ideology (意识形态)would prevent war. I believe this to be a complete error. All ideologies are based upon beliefs without proof which are, at best, doubtful, and at worst, totally false. Those people who believe them are willing to go to war in support of them.

The movement of world opinion during the past two years has changed very largely such as we can welcome. It has become a common belief that nuclear war must be avoided. Of course, very difficult problems remain in the international world, but the spirit in which they are being approached is a better one than it was some years ago. It has begun to be thought, even by the powerful men who decide whether we shall live or die, that agreements should be reached even if both sides do not find these agreements wholly satisfactory. It has begun to be understood that the important conflict (冲突) nowadays is not between East and West, but between Man and the H?bomb.

From the first paragraph we can know that ____.

A. we may face greater threat from weapons 

B. bacteriological or chemical weapons are less dangerous than nuclear weapons

C. man’s idea of victory has changed

D. dangerous weapons are forbidden in modern society

According to the author,______.

A. it is impossible to live without war

B. the difference between East and West will lead to war

C. war must be stopped if man wants to survive

D. war will be stopped by modern skill

The author believes that the only way to stop war is to____.

A. stop nuclear weapons

B. settle international issues through agreements

C. destroy bacteriological and chemical weapons

D. let the stronger side take over the world

The last paragraph suggests that______.

A. nuclear war will definitely not take place

B. real agreements have been now reached

C. world opinion is still divided on nuclear war

D. man is beginning to realize that nuclear war is his greatest enemy

Which of the following words can best describe the author’s feeling in writing this passage?

A. Disappointed.   B. Doubtful.   C. Worried.   D. Hopeful.

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