FirstSnowUnderstandingideasReadtheshortintroductiontotheauthorofFirstSnowandanswerthequestions.

1WhatcareersdidPriestleyhaveinhislifetime?PriestlyjoinedthearmyinWorldWarIbeforegoingontostudyatCambridgeUniversity.Aftergraduation,heworkedasafreelancewriterandradiopresenter.2WhatkindofpersondoyouthinkPriestleywas?Domoreresearchifnecessary.

Withhischildlikesimplicity,andkindlyhospitality(friendlyandgenerous),MrWoodhousehasbeenseenasacharmingfigurebygenerationsofreaders–asoneofthemostenchantingofchumps.MrRobertLyndoncesaidofJaneAusten’scharacters:“Theyarepeopleinwhoselivesaslightfallofsnowisanevent.”anotherMr.Woodhouse?RobertWilsonLynd(20April1879–6October1949)wasanIrishwriter,editorofpoetry,urbaneliteraryessayistandstrongIrishnationalist.JaneAustenRobertWilsonLyndForJaneAusten’scharacters,evensomethingassmallasaslightfallofsnowissignificantandexciting.EventhoughthisfairandwittyreviewermightthinkofmeasanotherMr.Woodhouse,Ihavetosaythatlastnight’sfallofsnowherewassignificantandexciting.WhydoestheauthormentionJaneAustenatthebeginningofthepassage?ByreferencingthecharactersofJaneAusten,whoisknownforherwitty,perceptiveobservationsofearly19thcenturyEnglishcountrylife,theauthorisemphasisingtheironyandself-awarenesswithwhichhegoesontomakehisstatementaboutthefirstsnow.《PrideandPrejudice》《SenseandSensibility》《Emma》What’stheauthor’sfeelingtowardsthesnow?Iwasnearlyasexcitedaboutitthismorningasthechildren,whomIfoundalllookingthroughthewindowatthemagicoutsideandtalkingawayasexcitedlyasifChristmashadsuddenlycomeroundagain.Thefactis,however,thatthesnowwasasstrangeandfascinatingtomeasitwastothem.Itisthefirstfallwehavehadherethiswinter,andlastyearIwasoutofthecountry,sweatinginahotclimate,duringthesnowyseason,sothatitreallydoesseemanagesinceIsawthegroundsofantasticallycarpeted.時(shí)間從句謂語(yǔ)動(dòng)詞形式現(xiàn)在過去式(be動(dòng)詞用were)過去had+過去分詞將來would/could/might＋動(dòng)詞原形Shelooksasif/thoughsheweretenyearsyounger.Thegirllistenedasif/thoughshehadbeenturnedintoastone.Heopenshismouthasif/thoughhewould

saysomething.asif/though引導(dǎo)的從句中，常用虛擬語(yǔ)氣表示所述的情況與事實(shí)不符：What’stheauthor’sfeelingtowardsthesnow?Thefirstfallofsnowisnotonlyaneventbutitisamagicalevent.Yougotobedinonekindofworldandwakeuptofindyourselfinanotherquitedifferent,andifthisisnotmagic,thenwhreisittobefound?Theverysecrecyandquietnessofthethingmakesitmoremagical.Inwhatorderisthepassagedeveloped?WhenIgotupthismorning...Thesuncameout...Anhourortwolater...Now...Chronological(Time)OrderorSequence.

Theworldbecameacoldplaceofdeadwhiteandpaleblues.Thelightcomingthroughthewindowsseemedquitestrange,anditmadethefamiliarbusinessofsplashingandshavingandbrushinganddressingverystrangetoo.WhenIgotupthismorning...Thenthesuncameout,andbythetimeIhadsatdowntobreakfastitwasshiningbravelyandflushingthesnowwithdelicatepinks.Thedining-roomwindowhadbeentransformedintoalovelyJapaneseprint.Thesuncameout...Thelittleplumtreeoutside,withthefaintlyflushedsnowliningitsbranchesandartfullydisposedalongitstrunk,stoodinfullsunlight.Thesuncameout...Everythinghadchangedagain.Anhourortwolater...Everythingwasacoldsparkleofwhiteandblue.

Thegroundwentonandon,theskywas

thickgrey,andallthetreessomanyblackandthreateningshapes.Theentirescenelookedlikeacruelgrassland.

Atanymoment,itseemed,abodyofhorsemenmightbeseenbreakingoutfromtheblacktrees,somanyweaponsmightbeheardandsomedistantspotofsnowbereddened.Itwasthatkindoflandscape.Nowithaschangedagain.Theglarehasgoneandnotouchofthedisturbingremains.Trans:炫目的日光已經(jīng)消失，也不再是有那種緊張不安感。Now...Butthesnowisfallingheavily,ingreatsoftflakes,sothatyoucanhardlyseeacrosstheshallowvalley,andtheroofsarethickandthetreesallbending,andtheweathercockofthevillagechurch,stilltobeseenthroughthegreyloadedair,hasbecomesomecreatureoutofHansAndersen.雪的形態(tài)雪后的場(chǎng)景用HansAndersen筆下的生物借代描寫教堂上風(fēng)信雞的美與奇，描繪出一個(gè)雪后的童話世界。Now...Frommystudy,whichisapartfromthehouseandfacesit,Icanseethechildrenflatteningtheirnosesagainstthewindow,andthereisrunningthroughmyheadarhymeIusedtorepeatwhenIwasachildandflattenedmynoseagainstthecoldwindowtowatchthefallingsnow:Lastnight’sfallofsnowherewasanevent.Thesnowwasstrangeandfascinating.Thegroundwassofantasticallycarpeted.Thefirstfallofsnowisnotonlyanevent,butitisamagicalevent.Theworldwasacoldplaceofdeadwhiteandpaleblues.Thelittleplumtreeoutside,withthefaintlyflushedsnowliningitsbranchesandartfullydisposedalongitstrunk,stoodinfullsunlight.underlinetheexpressionstheauthorusestodescribethefirstsnowEverythingwasacoldsparkleofwhiteandblue.Thesnowisfallingheavilyingreatsoftflakes.Theroofsarethick.Thetreesareallbending.Icanseethechildrenflatteningtheirnosesagainstthewindow.

1Bydescribingthemagicalsceneryofthefirstsnow,theauthorencouragesreaderstocometoEnglandandexperienceitsbeautyforthemselves.2Bydepictingthebeautiful,near-magicalsceneryofthefirstsnow,theauthorwantstoconveyhisloveforsnow.3Byrecallinghismemoriesasachildduringthefirstsnow,theauthorexpresseshislongingfortheinnocenthappinessofchildhood.

Choosetheauthor’spurposeinwritingthepassageandgiveyourreasons.2Whatotherliteraryworksaboutsnowdoyouknow?Sharethemwiththeclass.3Haveyouencounteredanydifficultiesinunderstandingthispassage?Canyouusevisualisationtobetterunderstandthepass