书城外语笑死你的英文书
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第55章 Napoleon Was Ill

Jack had gone to the university to study history,but at the end of his first year,his history professor failed him in his examinations,and he was told that he would have to leave the university。However,his father decided that he would go to see the professor to urge him to let Jack continue his studies the following year。

“He is a good boy”said Jack’s father,“and if you let him pass this time,I am sure he will improve a lot next year and pass the examinations at the end of it really well。”

“No,no,that is quite impossible”replied the professor immediately。“Do you know,last month I asked him when Napoleon had died,he did not know!”

“Please,sir,give him another chance”said Jack’s father。“You see,I am afraid we do not take any newspaper in our house,so none of us even know that Napoleon was ill。”

拿破仑病了

杰克到一所大学去学历史。第一学期结束时,历史课教授没让他及格。学校让他退学。然而,杰克的父亲决定去见教授,强烈要求让杰克继续来年的学业。

“他是个好孩子,”杰克的父亲说,“您要是让他这次及格,我相信他明年会有很大进步,学期结束时,他一定会考好的。”

“不,不,那不可能,”教授马上回答,“你知道吗?上个月我问他拿破仑什么时候死的,他都不知道。”

“先生,请再给他一次机会吧。”杰克的父亲说,“你不知道,恐怕是因为我们家没有订报纸。我们家的人连拿破仑病了都不知道。”

urge[:d]vt。力劝,敦促;鼓励,极力主张

例:He urged the necessity for immediate action。他强烈要求立即采取行动。

关于fail的习惯用语有:

don’t fail to务必,一定

never fail to(do)必定,从未忘记……

without fail必定,务必

fail of缺乏……能力;不能达到

fail to没有(做某事);疏忽;忘记(做某事)

Napoleon Bonaparte拿破仑?波拿巴

拿破仑?波拿巴(Napoleon Bonaparte,1769.8.15~1821.5.5),人们称他为“奇迹的创造者”,法兰西第一共和国第一执政(1799年~1804年),法兰西第一帝国及百日王朝的皇帝(1804年~1814年,1815年)、军事家、政治家。他曾经带领军队占领过西欧和中欧的大部分领土,使法国资产阶级革命的思想得到了更为广阔的传播。他是法兰西共和国近代史上著名的军事家和政治家,在位前期是法国人民的骄傲。