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Lesson 36A chance in a million
Part 1: Text
We are less credulous than we used to be In the nineteenth century, a novelist would bring his story to a conclusion by presenting his readers with a series of coincidences --most of them wildly improbable. Readers happily accepted the fact that an obscure maid-servant was really the hero's mother. A long-lost brother, who was presumed dead, was really alive all the time and wickedly plotting to bring about the hero's down- fall. And so on. Modern readers would find such naive solutions totally unacceptable. Yet, in real life, circumstances do sometimes conspire to bring about coincidences which anyone but a nineteenth century novelist would find incredible.
A German taxi-driver, Franz Bussman, recently found a brother who was thought to have been killed twenty years before. While on a walking tour with his wife, he stopped to talk to a workman. After they had gone on, Mrs Bussman commented on the workman's close resemblance to her husband and even suggested that he might be his brother. Franz poured scorn on the idea, pointingout that his brother had been killed in action during the war. Though Mrs Bussman was fully acquainted with this story, she thought that there was a chance in a million that she might be right. A few days later, she sent a boy to the workman to ask him if his name was Hans Bussman, Needless to say, the man's name was Hans Bussman and he really was Franz's long-lost brother.
When the brothers were re-united, Hans explained how it was that he was still alive. After having been wounded towards the end of the war, he had been sent to hospital and was separated from his unit. The hospital had been bombed and Hans had made his way back into Western Germany on foot. Meanwhile, his unit was lost and all records of him had been destroyed. Hans returned to hisfamily home, but the house had been bombed and no one in the neighbourhood knew what had become of the inhabitants. Assuming that his family had been killed during an air-raid, Hans settled down in a Village fifty miles away where he had remained ever since.
Part 2: New words and expressions
1.credulous ['kredjul s] a.轻信的
2.improbable [im'pr b bl] a.不大可能的
3.obscure [ b'skju ] a.不起眼的；v.遮掩，模糊
4.maidservant ['meids :v nt] n.女仆，女佣
5.presume [pri'zju:m] v.假定
6.wickedly ad.心眼坏地，居心叵测地
7.plot [pl t] v.密谋
8.downfall ['daunf :l] n.倒台，垮台
9.na ve [na:'i:v] a.天真的
10.unacceptable [' n k'sept bl] a.不能接受的
11.conspire [k n'spai ] v.(事件)巧合促成
12.incredible [in'kred bl] a.难以置信的
13.resemblance [ri'zembl ns] n.相似
14.scorn [sk :n] n.嘲弄，挖苦
15.acquaint [ 'kweint] v.使了解
16.reunite ['ri:ju:'nait] v.使团聚
17.assume [ 'sju:m] v.假定，认为

★credulous ['kredjul s] a.轻信的
往往是形容人,表示一种不满的评价,也可以形容物,比如时代age.
例句：We are less credulous than we used to be.
我们不再像以往那样轻易相信别人了。
He always cheats credulous people.
他总是欺骗容易上当的人。
★improbable [im'pr b bl] a.不大可能的
Probable表示事物的可能性有充分的依据或者理由，让人有理由相信。
例：It's improbable that she'll accept the invitation.她不大可能接受邀请。
Improbable as it seems, it's true.这虽然看起来不可能,但却是真的。
possible
Possible一般用于客观上有发生的可能性，但暗示这种情况的可能性较小（即说话者对事件发生的可能性不抱有太大希望）。
It is not possible to finish the task this evening.
★obscure [ b'skju ] a.不起眼的；v.遮掩，模糊
1.adj. 难解的；不起眼的
an obscure village 一个不起眼的村庄
obscure legal phrases 难懂的法律词条
2.v. 使 ... 模糊；隐藏
Her poor English obscured her meaning.
她的英语差，难以表达自己的意思
My view was obscured by the trees.我的视线被树挡住了。
★maidservant ['meids :v nt] n.女仆，女佣
同义词：housemaid
servant n. 仆人，佣人
★presume [pri'zju:m] v.假定
搭配：presume from 从…中认为
presume on/upon 不正当地利用〔滥用〕,指望
presume on sb's kindness 利用某人的好心
presume on one's position 利用某人的职权
经常用的表达方式presume that
pressume是被动性的，被presumed的本身是要得出的结果，是在缺少足够信息的情况下presumed.这个主动被动不是说语法上的主动被动，而只是说语气。
例：We must presume they are innocent.
我们必须假定他们是无罪的。
★wickedly ad.心眼坏地，居心叵测地
the wicked stepmother 坏心眼的继母
★plot [pl t] v.密谋
1.n. 情节，阴谋
build/construct the plot of a novel 构思小说的情节
cunning plot 狡猾的阴谋
例句：This is a novel with a complicated plot.这本小说情节复杂。
2. V. 密谋
plot to do sth with sb 和某人密谋要作…事情
plot the position 标出位置
plot a temperature curve 绘制了一条温度曲线
例：He plotted the position Mary should go.
他给玛丽标出她应去的地方。
He plotted a temperature curve.他绘制了一条温度曲线。
★downfall ['daunf :l] n.倒台，垮台
例句：Various factors contributed to his downfall.
多种因素导致了他的垮台。
Greed was his downfall.贪得无厌就是他堕落的缘由。
★na ve [na:'i:v] a.天真的
naive looks 天真烂漫的样子
naive remarks 幼稚的话语
例句：It's naive of you to believe he'll do what he says.
相信他会言行一致,你未免太单纯了。
She is so naive that she believes everything he tells her.
她如此天真以致相信他告诉她的一切。
★unacceptable [' n k'sept bl] a.不能接受的
unacceptable product 不合格品
unacceptable terms 不能接受的条款...
例句：I am afraid your suggestion is unacceptable.
恐怕您的建议是不可取的
acceptable
accepted fact 被大众所接受的事实
★conspire [k n'spai ] v.(事件)巧合促成
conspire with 勾结
conspire against sb/sth 密谋反对某人/某事
例句：They conspire against the government.
他们阴谋推翻政府。
★incredible [in'kred bl] a.难以置信的
incredible method 不可思议的方法
incredible speed 难以置信的速度
credible adj. 可信的
These denials are simply not credible.
这些否认是不可信的。
★resemblance [ri'zembl ns] n.相似
bear a strong resemblance to 长得特别像
bear a little resemblance to 长得不像
例句：His words show resemblance to the facts.
他的话与事实相符。
There's a strong resemblance between Susan and Joe.
苏珊和乔相貌非常相似。
Resemble 像（状态动词，不用于进行时） 像，看起来像，显得像
She closely resembles her sister
★scorn [sk :n] n.嘲弄，挖苦
pour scorn on== look down upon 瞧不起，蔑视
scorn one's advice 不屑接受我的忠告
scorn a poor girl 鄙视一个贫穷的姑娘
scorn at sb/sth
She scorned at him 她看不起他。
★acquaint [ 'kweint] v.使了解（正式用语）
1.be acquainted with sth/sb
get fully acquainted with sth/sb对某事、某人十分熟悉
eg. I have been fully acquainted with him since I was in my college.
eg. I became acquainted with the news over the radio. 我通过广播得知这一消息。
2.acquaint sb with sth告知某人某事（也有acquaint sb with sth，但with更常见）
eg. I acquaint my boss with my ideas. 我告知老板我的意见。
3.make a person acquainted with sb :介绍某人同另一个人认识
Let me make Jerry acquainted with you.
★reunite ['ri:ju:'nait] v.使团聚
be/get reunited with 重新团聚
例句：This grand angel will not come from above to reunite with you.
这个崇高的天使不会从天上下来与你结合。
★assume [ 'sju:m] v.假定，认为
presume 侧重以过去经验或根据现实的某些感觉把某事认定为是事实。
suppose 最普通的用词，意义较广泛，指缺乏确切事实，根据一些现象进行的推测，也可指为论证而提出合乎逻辑推理的某种假定，有时仅表示自己的意见。
guess 常用词，指毫无根据仅凭个人主观臆断或碰运气的猜测。
assume 指有很少或完全无根据的1、武断推测或2、不合逻辑的推理。
1.assume+that 从句
I assumed that our team would win.我认为我们队会赢。
2.It is assumed that+从句
It is assumed that she will be back at seven.据推测她将七点钟回家。
Part 3: Notes on the text
★A chance in a million
和one chance in a thousand用法一样，都表示可能性小。
a million 是夸张用法，目的是加强语气
one in a million 百里挑一，难得的
★We are less credulous than we used to be In the nineteenth century, a novelist would bring his story to a conclusion by presenting his readers with a series of coincidences --most of them wildly improbable.
1.used to do sth 过去常常，过去·····
be used to do···· 被用来做····
2.bring sth to a conclusion 使·····结束
bring sth. to a close (比较正式的) 结束
bring sth. to an end 使···结束
3.present sb. with sth. 给某人提供…
present sth. to sb. 把某物提供给·····
4. a series of coincidences 一系列的巧合
by coincidence 巧合= by accident偶然
not a coincidence 不是偶然的巧合
more than a coincidence 不是偶然的巧合
★Readers happily accepted the fact that an obscure maid-servant was really the hero's mother. A long-lost brother, who was presumed dead, was really alive all the time and wickedly plotting to bring about the hero's down- fall. And so on.
1.the fact that··· 同位语从句
2.a long-lost brother 失联很久的哥哥（弟弟）
3.presume 参考单词解析
4.plot to 见单词解析
★Modern readers would find such naive solutions totally unacceptable. Yet, in real life, circumstances do sometimes conspire to bring about coincidences which anyone but a nineteenth century novelist would find incredible.
1.conspire with sb to do sth 和某人和某做某事（单词解析）
2. bring about 引起 ，引发
3.Which本身是定语从句，在从句中是关系代词作为find的宾语，incredible做宾补
★A German taxi-driver, Franz Bussman, recently found a brother who was thought to have been killed twenty years before. While on a walking tour with his wife, he stopped to talk to a workman.
1.who was thought……. who 所引导的定语从句修饰brother
2.on a walking tour 在作徒步旅行途中
3.While on a walking tour with his wife…While引导的状语从句的省略。
省略了he was, 在表示时间，地点，等等状语从句中，如果主句和从句中的主语相同（或是无意义的it），且以be为谓语动词，或从句中的谓语部分包含助动词be时，常可将从句中的主语和谓语动词be或谓语部分的助动词be省略。
★After they had gone on, Mrs Bussman commented on the workman's close resemblance to her husband and even suggested that he might be his brother. Franz poured scorn on the idea, pointingout that his brother had been killed in action during the war.
1.comment on sth 就...作出评论
make a comment on/upon 就…发表评论
2. suggest 用法
suggest that+虚拟语气
suggest sb for 推荐某人任职
3.Pointing out现在分词作伴随状语
★Though Mrs Bussman was fully acquainted with this story, she thought that there was a chance in a million that she might be right.
1.though引导让步状语从句
2.第二个that是同位语从句，同的chance
★A few days later, she sent a boy to the workman to ask him if his name was Hans Bussman, Needless to say, the man's name was Hans Bussman and he really was Franz's long-lost brother.
Needless to say…不必说，肯定是
it goes without saying 后话自不必说
sure enough 果不其然，不出所料
★When the brothers were re-united, Hans explained how it was that he was still alive. After having been wounded towards the end of the war, he had been sent to hospital and was separated from his unit.
1.how 引导宾语从句，it 为形式主语，that为该宾语从句的逻辑主语
2. after 引导时间状语从句
★The hospital had been bombed and Hans had made his way back into Western Germany on foot. Meanwhile, his unit was lost and all records of him had been destroyed. Hans returned to his family home, but the house had been bombed and no one in the neighbourhood knew what had become of the inhabitants.
1.make one's way 尽力··历尽艰辛
2.become of 结果如何，发生了什么==happen to :发生遭遇
what has become of…？ 什么东西发生了什么事。
也可用whatever（加强点语气）
whatever become of…？
Part 4: Grammar&Difficult point
本节课重点语法：同位语从句
参考：语法课堂-定语从句VS同位语从句
宾语从句
参考：语法课堂-宾语从句
Part 5: Homework
1.背诵lesson36单词&课文（重点语句解析需背诵）
2.重点词记忆
3.练习总结课文

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