新概念英语美音版第三册:Lesson 22 By heart

Lesson 22 By heart
熟记台词
Listen to the tape then answer the question below.
听录音，然后回答以下问题。
Which actor read the letter in the end, the aristocrat or the gaoler?
Some plays are so successful that they run for years on end.
有些剧目十分成功，以致连续上演好几年。
In many ways, this is unfortunate for the poor actors who are required to go on repeating the same lines night after night.
这样一来，可怜的演员们可倒霉了。因为他们需要一夜连着一夜地重复同样的台词。
One would expect them to know their parts by heart and never have cause to falter.
人们以为，这些演员一定会把台词背得烂熟，绝不会临场结巴的，
Yet this is not always the case.
但情况却并不总是这样。
A famous actor in a highly successful play was once cast in the role of an aristocrat who had been imprisoned in the Bastille for twenty years.
有一位名演员曾在一出极为成功的剧目中扮演一个贵族角色，这个贵族已在巴士底狱被关押了20年。
In the last act, a gaoler would always come on to the stage with a letter which he would hand to the prisoner.
在最后一幕中，狱卒手持一封信上场，然后将信交给狱中那位贵族。
Even though the noble was expected to read the letter at each performance,
尽管那个贵族每场戏都得念一遍那封信。
he always insisted that it should be written out in full.
但他还是坚持要求将信的全文写在信纸上。
One night, the gaoler decided to play a joke on his colleague to find out if,
一天晚上，狱卒决定与他的同事开一个玩笑，
after so many performances, he had managed to learn the contents of the letter by heart.
看看他反复演出这么多场之后，是否已将信的内容记熟了。
The curtain went up on the final act of the play and revealed the aristocrat sitting alone behind bars in his dark cell.
大幕拉开，最后一幕戏开演，贵族独自一人坐在铁窗后阴暗的牢房里。
Just then, the gaoler appeared with the precious letter in his bands.
这时狱卒上场，手里拿着那封珍贵的信。
He entered the cell and presented the letter to the aristocrat.
狱卒走进牢房，将信交给贵族。
But the copy he gave him had not been written out in full as usual.
但这回狱卒给贵族的信没有像往常那样把全文写全，
It was simply a blank sheet of paper.
而是一张白纸。
The gaoler looked on eagerly, anxious to see if his fellow actor had at last learnt his lines.
狱卒热切地观察着，急于想了解他的同事是否记熟了台词。
The noble stared at the blank sheet of paper for a few seconds.
贵族盯着纸看了几秒钟，
Then, squinting his eyes, he said: 'The light is dim. Read the letter to me.'
然后，眼珠一转，说道：“光线太暗，请给我读一下这封信。”
And he promptly handed the sheet of paper to the gaoler.
说完，他一下子把信递给狱卒。
Finding that he could not remember a word of the letter either,
狱卒发现自己连一个字也记不住，
the gaoler replied: 'The light is indeed dim, sire. I must get my glasses.'
于是便说：“陛下，这儿光线的确太暗了，我得去把眼镜拿来。”
With this, he hurried off the stage.
他一边说着，一边匆匆下台。
Much to the aristocrat's amusement,
贵族感到非常好笑的是：
the gaoler returned a few moments later with a pair of glasses and the usual copy of the letter which he proceeded to read to the prisoner.
一会儿工夫，狱卒重新登台，拿来一副眼镜以及平时使用的那封信，然后为那囚犯念了起来。