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高中英语课文阅读材料 Furthermore...
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Adventures of Robinson Crusoe
(Key words: adventure, publish, attract, shipwreck, alone, make a living, resource, shelter, grow, domesticate, savage, return, hero, courage)
Robinson Crusoe, which was published in 1719, is the best known of Daniel Defoe's (1) novels. There are actually three parts to Robinson Crusoe though only the first part is widely known and read.
The full title of the first part is The Life and Strange Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe. The immediate and great success of the first part, with four editions (2) called for in four months, led the author to follow it up with a second part, The Farther Adventures of Robinson Crusoe.
In the same year, the third part, The Serious Reflections During the Life and Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe: With His Vision of the Angelic World, was written. However, only the first part that deals with Robinson's adventures on the uninhabited (3) island attracted the attention of the readers and is widely read even today.
Robinson Crusoe had been a sailor, a merchant and a plantation (4) owner. One day he met with his most unfortunate shipwreck (5). Then he was cast (6) by the waves upon the shore of an island, alone.
After sleeping in a tree for a night he decided to stay on the island and make a living by himself. He swam back to the wrecked ship and got out of it quite a few things, some food, clothing, tools and guns.
After that, by using the available resources got from the ship and those he found from the desert (7) island, he managed to create a home for himself. He first built a shelter against the wind and rain and the possible attack of wild animals. Then he grew barley (8) and rice and domesticated (9) goats.
He once fought against cannibal (10) savages and rescued (11) one savage whom he named Friday. He made Friday his servant, built a boat and lived on the lonely island for 28 years. One day he saved Friday's father and a Spaniard. Now with the three people on the island, he became the leader of the whole group and began to live a not uncomfortable life. Finally he saved the captain of an English ship from a group of rebels and returned to England on that ship.
Robinson Crusoe as a hero and Robinson Crusoe as a book have been so widely known, chiefly because of Crusoe's courage and will to face hardships and determination to preserve himself and improve on his livelihood by struggling against nature. These virtues are still of high value today.
Questions
1. How did Robinson Crusoe make a living by himself in the desert island?
2. Why is the book Robinson Crusoe so widely received among readers?
Notes: 1.丹尼尔笛福，英国作家，代表作为《鲁滨逊漂流记》 2. (n.) 版本 3. (adj.) 无人居住的 4. (n.) 种植园 5. (n.) 船只失事 6. (v.) 投，抛 7. (adj.) 荒芜的 8. (n.) 大麦 9. (v.) 驯养 10. (adj.) 吃人的 11. (v.) 营救
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