Warming up
and Reading I
Unit 3
The Million Pound
Bank-note
Warming up
What do you know about
Mark Twain?
The greatest humorist
of the 19th century
in American literature.
Also one of the greatest
Mark Twain
(1835—1910)
writers in the world.
Do you know any of his
works?
Read the short passage quickly and fill in the
chart.
Real name
Meaning of his
pen name
Birth date
Birthplace
Place where he
grew up
His famous stories
Fill in the blanks.
Real name of
MT
Samuel Langhorne Clemens
Meaning of
his pen name
The water is 2 fathoms deep.
(=12feet)
Birth date
Birth place
November 30th, 1835
Florida
Place where
he grew up
His famous
stories
In Hannibal, Missoouri,
along the Mississippi
River.
The Adventures of Tom
Sawyer; The Adventures
of Huckleberry Finn.
Mark Twain:
(1835—1910)
The greatest humorist of the 19th
century American literature.
Novels:
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
(1876)(汤姆·索亚历险记）
The Prince and the Pauper
(1882)(皇子与贫儿)
The Adventures of Huckleberry
Finn (1894)(哈克贝利·费恩历险
记)
He is good at writing about
children’s adventures.
The Adventures of
Tom Sawyer
《汤姆·索亚历险记
》
The Adventures of
Huckleberry Finn
《哈克贝利·弗恩历
险记》
his masterpieces
The Adventures
of Tom Sawyer
1876
Summary of The adventures of Tom Sawyer
This is a story about a young boy named Tom
Sawyer who is very mischievous and likes to go
on adventures. He lives with his Aunt Polly and
his halfbrother Sid. Tom also had two friends
named Joe Harper and Huckleberry Fin. Becky
Thatcher is Tom’s girlfriend and Injun Joe is
the town’s thief and murder. This story takes
place in the mid-1800s in a small village in
Missouri along the Mississippi River.
his masterpieces
The Adventures
of Huckleberry
Finn
1881
Summary of The adventures of Huckleberry
Finn
Before the novel begins, Huck Finn has led a
life of absolute freedom. His parents are
either dead or absent and so Huck is not
used to following any rules. The most
important part of his character is his desire
to save a black slave, Jim, and free him from
slavery. He runs away with Jim whom he
sees as a person and not property. They
escape down the river giving Huckleberry
time to think of the best thing to do.
his short stories
1. Running for
Governor
his short stories
2. The £
1,000,000
Bank-Note
Discussion
Suppose a rich
person gives you a
million pound banknote, what will you
do with it? Give the
reasons.
spend them on food
do some science research
buy a big flat
toys
Pre-reading
We are going to study the play “The Million
Pound Bank Note” by Mark Twain. First,
let’s learn something about play.
戏剧包括哪些要素？
情感，欲望，争斗，妥协。
什么是戏剧冲突？
戏剧冲突表现在人物性格的冲突上，具
体表现为一系列的动作。
什么是戏剧语言？
戏剧语言包括人物语言和舞台说明。舞台说
明是写在剧本每一幕的开端，结尾和对话中
间的说明性的文字，内容包括人物表、时间、
地点、服装、道具、布景、以及人物的表情、
动作、上下场等，它具有增强舞台气氛，烘
托人物心情，展示人物性格，推动情节展开
等多种作用。
Listen to the tape and read the play,
and find out the conflict in the play.
After that, answer the questions.
•How many characters are there in the
scene? Who are they?
Characters （人物）：
Henry Adams:
a lost American
businessman in London
“Roderick” and “Oliver”:
two brothers and rich
Englishmen
Who is the main character? Where does
he come from?
Henry, the hero of
the story, comes
from America.
When and where did the story happen?
In London, the summer of 1903.
Where are the characters in Scene 3?
In the old brothers’ home.
What happened in Scene 3?
The two old brothers gave Henrry
a bank note.
ACT
1
SCENE
1&2
A brief
introduction to the
story
the bet
ACT
1
SCENE
3
The story began
Read the play carefully and answer the
following questions:
1. Where does Henry Adams come from?
Does he know much about London?
2. What did he do in America?
3. Why is Henry lost in London? How did
he get there?
4. How many questions do the brothers
ask Henry? What is the brothers’
concern?
5. Why do the brothers give Henry the
letter?
6. Can you find the examples of polite
requests?
7. Can you guess why the brothers do not
permit Henry to open the letter until 2
o’clock?
1. Where does Henry Adams come
from? Does he know much about
London?
Henry comes from San Francisco.
No, he doesn’t know London at all.
2. What did he do in America?
He worked for a mining company.
3. Why is Henry lost in London?
How did he get there?
He was sailing out the bay when he
was carried out to sea by a strong
wind and was survived by a ship
for London.
4. How many questions do the brothers
ask Henry? What is the brothers’
concern?
Seven. They want to know whether
or not Henry is penniless.
5. Why do the brothers give Henry the
letter?
• It was his first visit to London so
nobody knew him.
• He had no money so he would have to
rely on the bank note.
• They thought he looked honest because
he asked for a job and not charity.
6. Can you find the examples of polite
requests?
•Would you step inside a moment, please?
•Good morning, sir, would you please come in?
•Permit me to lead the way, sir.
•How do you do, Mr…er…?
•I wonder, Mr Adams, if you’d mind...
•May we ask what you’re doing in this
country…?
•Now if you’ll excuse me I’ll…
Put the following events in correct order.
(1) Henry wandered in London streets.
(2) About a month ago Henry Adams was
sailing out of the bay.
(3) The next morning he was spotted by a ship.
(4) Towards nightfall he found himself carried
out to sea by a strong wind.
(5) On the ship he earned his passage by
working as an unpaid hand.
Key:
(2) About a month ago Henry Adams was
sailing out of the bay.
(4) Towards nightfall he found himself
carried out to sea by a strong wind.
(3) The next morning he was spotted by a
ship.
(5) On the ship he earned his passage by
working as an unpaid hand.
(1)Henry wandered in London streets.
F (fact) or O (Opinion)
1). Henry wants to find a job in
London.(F )
2). Henry is given an envelope by the
two brothers. ( F)
3). Henry is an unlucky young man. ( O)
4). The servant is called James. ( F )
5). Henry is foolish to go and meet the
two brothers. (O)
Retell the story by filling the following
passage.
Henry was an American
_________. One day he had
an accident in a bay
___. Luckily he was
survived by a ship for _______.
London He
arrived in London by earning his passage
without pay.
He was lost
___ in the street in ____.
rags To
his surprise an incredible
_________ thing
happened. Two rich brothers gave him
a million pound bank-note because
bet
they had made a ____.
What do you think of Henry?
Tells the truth to the brothers.
It is my first trip here.
Well, to be honest, I have none.
(no money)
Well, I can’t say that I have any
plans.
Wants work but not charity.
I earned my passage by working as an
unpaid hand.
Could you offer me some kind of work
here?
I don’t want your charity, I just want
an honest job.
Well, it may seem luck to you but
not to me.
If this is your idea of some kind of
joke, I don’t think it’s very funny.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll
be on my way.
Post reading
What kind of persons you think Oliver
and Roderick are?
Oliver and Roderick:
rich (servants and not worrying about
giving a stranger a million pound bank-
note), mischievous (prepared to bet one
million pounds just for a bit of fun),
good judges of character (they see Henry
is honest and proud)
Prediction
What do you think will happen to
Henry?
Will the bank-note help him or get him
into trouble?
Give a possible development to the
story.