可可英语的网友们,大家好,感谢您一如既往的关注和支持。我们常说“浪子回头金不换”,不过,这个浪子是真回头还是假回头,还是需要时间来考验的。不信您听听吧。
Mark Hunter seemed like a normal 17-year-old student. When he arrived at Grant High School in Portland in September 1998, he made many friends right away. He was a first-rate student, signing up for a full load of classes, including government, Spanish, and geometry. He always handed in his homework on time. He even sang in the school choir.
But three months later, police interrupted the choir practice and arrested Mark on the spot. It turns out that he was not 17; he was 31! And his real name was not Mark, but Michael Backman. Backman had forged documents to change his identity and become a high school student again. He was trying to hide from police for many different crimes.
Grant High School was the school that Backman attended 13 years earlier. He wanted to turn over a new leaf. "I was trying to return to a time when I was not a criminal, to start again, to get a scholarship and go to college," he told police. Backman is now behind bars for his new crime as well as his old ones.
Mark Hunter是一个normal正常的,普通的17岁学生。难得的是,他还是一个first-rate student。First-rate, 第一流的, 最佳的。First-rate student就是好学生。再来看一个例子:The well-known writer is open-minded enough to admit that not all his novels are first-rate. 那位著名作家很虚心,承认他的小说并非全是上乘之作。She gave her children a first-rate education. 她给她的孩子一流的教育。
Mark不但学习好,而且signing up for a full load of classes。报名上了全科课程。其中包括了政治学,西班牙语和几何。Sign up for “报名参加,登记”。再比如:One great way to meet new people is to sign up for a class that you always wanted to take 认识新朋友的一个好方法就是报名参加一门您一直想上的课程。 Many men sign up for the army because they can not get ordinary jobs. 由于找不到工作,许我男人都报名参了军。
Mark甚至参加了学校的合唱团,不过,三个月后的一天,他就是on the spot,就在那个地方被警察逮捕。On the spot思相当于at that exact time and place,就在那时那地。例如:When blood is needed, people volunteer on the spot. 需要血的时候,人们会志愿当场献血。Even if your boss refuses to yield, he cannot fire you on the spot. 即使你的老板拒绝让步,他也不可能当场解雇你。
被逮捕后,It turns out that Mark was not 17. it turns out that用法相当于what is finally clear is that…意思是“最后谜底揭晓,事实得到澄清”。来看一个例子:But it turns out that the habit may destroy some smiles. 但是结果表明这个习惯可能会让你再也笑不出来。It turns out也可以作为插入语单独使用,表示“如大家所见,像大家看到的那样”。比如下面这个句子:Nobody likes being lonely. As it turns out, loneliness can be unhealthy as well. 没人喜欢寂寞,正如大家所见,孤独的生活也对健康也没有益处。
故事中揭晓的秘密是,Mark不但不是17岁,而是31岁,并且是个有很多前科的惯犯。之所以重新回到学校,一来是为了躲避追查,二来也是希望自己能够turn over a new leaf,翻开新的一页。汉语中也常用“翻开新的一页”这样的词语表达“一个更好的开始,重新开始,改过自新”。再来看一个例子。He has been very lazy but he is going to turn over a new leaf and work hard. 他以前一直很懒,但他将改过自新,努力工作。
Mark厌倦了做逃犯的生活,想要重新开始。可是,从前犯下的罪行不可能一笔勾销,现在他behind bars,在监狱中。总要为自己的错误付出代价。
好了,回头看看图片,按照提示尝试retell the story吧。我们下期再见。