教材试题 Unit 4 Reading

Unit 4 PygmalionPre-reading1 This play was also made into a film called My Fair Lady. Have you seen the film? If you have, did you like it? Give reasons. 2 The play by Shaw has the same theme as the Greek story. In pairs discuss what this theme might be. 3 Read the information on the main characters below. Think a minute of a possible plot. Then begin to read the play and see whether you have got the right idea. ReadingPYGMALIONMAIN CHARACTERS：Eliza Doolittle(E)：a poor flower girl who is ambitious to improve herself. Professor Higgins(H)：an expert in phonetics, convinced that the quality of a persons English decides his / her position in society. Colonel Pickering(CP)：an officer in the army and later a friend of Higgins who sets him a task. FATEFUL MEETINGSAct One11:15 pm in London, England in 1914 outside a theatre. It is pouring with rain and a man is hiding from the rain but watching peoples language and reactions. While watching, he makes notes. Nearby a flower girl is also sheltering from the rain. A gentleman (G) passes and hesitates for a moment. E：Come overere, capin, and buy me flowers off a poor girl. G：Im sorry but I havent any change. E：I can giveou change, capin. G：(surprised) For a pound? Im afraid Ive got nothing less. E：(hopefully) Oah! Oh, do buy a flower. Take this for three pence. (holds up some dead flowers)G：(uncomfortably) Now dont be troublesome, theres a good girl. (looks in pocket and sounds more friendly) But wait, heres some small change. Will that be any use to you? Its raining heavily now, isnt it? (leaves)E：(disappointed at the outcome but thinks it is better than nothing) Thankou, sir (sees a man taking notes and gets worried) Hey! I aint done nothing wrong by speaking to that gentleman. Ive a right to sell flowers, I have. Im an onest girl I am! (begins to cry)H：(kindly) There! There! Whos hurting you, you silly girl? What do you take me for? (gives her a handkerchief)E：I thought maybe you was a policeman in disguise. H：Do I look like a policeman?E：(still worried) Then why didou take down my words for? How do I know whether ou took me down right? ou just show me what ou wrote?H：Here you are. (hands over the paper covered with writing)E：Whats that? That aint proper writing. I cant read that. (pushes it back at him)H: I can. (reads imitating Eliza) “Come overere, capin, and buy me flowers off a poor girl”. (in his own voice) There you are and you come from the west end of London, born in Lisson Grove if Im not mistaken. E：(looking confused) What if I was? Whats it to you?CP：(Pickering who had been watching the girl, now speaks to Higgins) Thats quite brilliant! How did you do that, may I ask?H：Simply phonetics studied and classified from peoples own speech. Thats my profession and also my hobby. I can place any spoken conversation within six miles, and even within two streets in London sometimes. CP：Let me congratulate you! But is there an income to be made in that?H：Yes, indeed. Quite a good one. This is the age of the newly rich. People begin their working life in a poor neighbourhood of London with 80 pounds a year and end in a rich one with 100 thousand. But they betray themselves every time they open their mouths. Now once taught by me. . . CP：Is that so? Extraordinary!H：(dismissively) Look at this girl with her terrible English. The English that will condemn her to the gutter to the end of her days. But, sir, (proudly) once educated to speak properly, the girl could pass herself off in three months as a duchess at an ambassadors garden party. Perhaps I could even find her employment as a ladys maid or a shop assistant, which requires better English. E：Whats that you say? A shop assistant? Now thats sommat I want, that is!H：(ignores her) Can you believe that?CP：Of course! I study many Indian languages myself andH：Do you indeed? Do you know Colonel Pickering?CP：Indeed I do, for that is me. Who are you?H：Im Henry Higgins and I was going to India to meet you. CP：And I came to England to make your acquaintance!E：What about me? Howll you help me?H：Oh, take that (carelessly throws a handful of money into her basket). We must have a celebration, my dear man. (leave together)E：(looking at the collected money in amazement) Well, I never! A whole pound!