继《美国语文》之后的另一套经典原版教材,
了解英国人文历史、欣赏英国文学的优秀读本
全套共6册,分级编写,还附有大量插图。充满趣味的英语故事与优美的英国文学相融合,让国内学生更好地感悟英国文化历史,并真正学好英语这门语言。无论是作为英语学习的课本,还是作为提高英语水平的课外读物,这套书都极有价值。
The Royal Readers were edited and published by the famous British
publisher and used in schools until well into the 20th century.
They are edited as six books in the Royal School Series. Students
progressed from the very easy lessons to classic readers.
The First Book, beginning with similarly easy lessons, consisted
of rhymes and simple short stories with plenty of illustrations for
young learners. Children learned letters and easy reading. The
first part of this book focuses exclusively on monosyllabic words
and the second part introduces two syllable words.
In the Second Book there are short selections of poetry and prose
designed to encourage interest in reading. Each story is followed
by a lesson on pronunciation, simple definitions of new words and
questions on its content.
The Third Book is very similar though slightly more advanced and
including more writing exercises.
The Fourth Book includes phonetic exercises, model compositions
and dictation exercises, as well as outlines of British History
from Roman Period as far as 1400 A. D.
The Fifth Book features sections on health of the body, plants
and their uses, as well as quotes and stories of great men.
Book Six, the final book in the series, contains word lessons and
passages with sections on great inventions, classification of
animals, useful knowledge, punctuation and physical geography, as
well as the British Constitution.
目錄:
MY CAT
THE HOOP
KNIFE AND FORK
THE BIRD’S NESTS
LITTLE ROBIN REDBREAST
NURSERY RHYMES
SAILING THE BOAT
LONG TIME AGO
THE LITTLE MILK-MAID
THE SWING
GOING FOR A DRIVE
LUCY AND HER KITTEN
THE CAT AND THE MOUSE
TOM AND HIS DOG
THE SHEEP AND THE LAMB
THE HEN AND ITS CHICKS
THE BIRD AND ITS NEST
THE COW ON THE GRASS
THE SEE-SAW
THE CAT ON THE TREE
THE BIRD’S SONG
THE OLD MAN AND THE DOG
MORNING AND NIGHT
THE PET BIRD
LITTLE PUSSY
A WEEK AT THE FARM
THE OWL
THE PET GOAT
THE STORM
ON INSTINCT
THE GREAT JUMP
FRISK AND NED
I WILL NOT HURT MY LITTLE DOG
THE LARK
MARY’S LITTLE LAMB
ONE THING AT A TIME
NURSERY RHYMES
COUNT TEN
MY DOG DASH
GOOD-NIGHT
THE BOY THAT LIKED PLAY I
THE BOY THAT LIKED PLAY II
FORGIVE
SPRING
RAIN
NORTH, SOUTH, EAST, WEST
A VISIT TO THE BLACKSMITH’S SHOP
FACTS FOR LITTLE FOLKS
THE LAST CROSS WORD
SUMMER
AUTUMN
MICE
WHAT THE CLOCK SAYS
WINTER
QUITE A MAN
A WILLING BOY
THE TWO WHITE RABBITS
FAN AND HER PUPS
A GAME WITH PUSS
A GOOD LITTLE GIRL
LITTLE WHEEL AND BIG WHEEL
TIDY TOM
WASHING DAY
ON THE SHORE
THE SUN
SKIPPING
EACH ONE USEFUL
GOD IS IN HEAVEN
THE RABBIT IN THE WOOD
THE KETTLE AND ITS FRIENDS
SAILING THE BOAT
內容試閱:
SCENES IN THE TROPICS
I. THE FOREST
IN hot countries the woods are not like our woods. They are great
dark forests. where the trees grow so closely together, and are so
tall, that if you looked up you could hardly see the sky.
Then there are a great many climbing plants, that twist
themselves round and round the trunks and branches of the trees.
They are called vegetable cables, because they are so much like
ropes. They reach from one tree to another, and almost fill up the
spaces between. The white man has to carve out his way with his
hatchet, or else burn a passage for himself through the dense
mass.
Dangers of every kind lurk in the forest. The quick subtle Indian
dare not venture there without his poisoned arrows, nor the white
man without the thunder and lightning of his gun. The venomous①
snake may lie coiled among the bushes, or traces of the savage
jaguar② may be seen upon the path.
Birds, beasts, and insects live there, for the most part,
undisturbed. It is their home; and on every side they are at work,
hunting their prey, or escaping from danger. For though man seldom
wages war upon them, these wild creatures of the forest are engaged
in constant warfare with each other; and the weak are always using
some contrivance① to protect themselves from the strong.
There are a great many curious things to be seen in these South
American
forests. In the deepest gloom, where the trees shut out the sun,
myriads② of lights flit about, and twinkle like little stars. As
they flash here and there, you might fancy that troops of fairies
were floating about with torches in their hands; but there are no
fairies in the case,—the lights are only the torches of the
fireflies that live in the recesses③ of the woods, and every night
make a kind of illumination amongst the trees.
There are troops of monkeys, that run along the vegetable cables
from one tree to another, or swing from the branches by their
tails, making a noise all the time as if they were talking to each
other. When night comes they roll themselves into a ball, huddled
together as close as may be, to keep themselves warm.
Sometimes it happens that a few little monkeys have not been
alert④ enough to get into the ball, and are left shivering outside.
They keep up a pitiful howling the whole night through, as if they
were telling the rest how cold and miserable they are, and begging
to be let in. But the others pay no attention, and go quietly off
to sleep.
Then there are all sorts of wonderful birds, such as we never see
in our country, except in cages.
Flocks of parrots glisten in the sun, clad in glowing scarlet,
and green, and gold. Humming-birds, like gems of beauty, come to
seek honey and insects from the forest flowers. Fly-catchers gleam
and sparkle everywhere. Water-fowl of snowy plumage sport on the
streams, their white dresses contrasting with those of the red
flamingo, or the scarlet ibis, that stand patiently fishing on the
shore.
QUESTIONS
Why are the forests in hot countries so dark? What are the
climbing-plants called? Why? How does the white man make a way for
himself through the forest? What dangers lurk there? Of what is the
forest specially the home? What are the lights that flit about in
the gloom? How do the monkeys swing themselves from one tree to
another? How do they keep themselves warm at night? What birds are
found in these forests?
PRONUNCIATION
climb?-ing pro-tect?
mon?-keys qui?-et-ly
veg?-e-ta-ble cu?-ri-ous shiv?-er-ing
spar?-kle
poi?-soned car?-ry-ing
pit?-i-ful plu?-mage
un-dis-turbed? il-lu-mi-na?-tion mis?-er-a-ble
fl am-in?-go
crea?-tures hud?-dled
at-ten?-tion pa?-tient-ly
DICTATION
In the dense forests of South America, birds, beasts, and insects
live, for the most part, undisturbed by man.
But though man does not wage war upon them, they are engaged in
constant warfare with each other.
II. THE BIRD OF PARADISE
IF you turn now to the map of Asia, you will find a number of
islands lying to the south of Malacca, and forming a link between
Asia and Australia.
These islands are in the very midst of the Tropics. The warm
tropical① seas bathe their coasts; and dark, dense forests, cover
many of them from the sea-shore to the top of the highest
mountain.
One of the largest of these islands, called New Guinea, and a few
small islands near it, are the home of the splendid Bird of
Paradise. These birds live nowhere else. The natives call them
God’s Birds, because they think them more splendid than any other
that he has made.
The head and neck of the Bird of Paradise are as soft as velvet,
and of a golden tint, that changes, while you are looking at it,
into all the colours of the rainbow. Its tail is a magnificent
plume② of fairy-like feathers, partly white and partly yellow, so
that you might think they were made of silver and gold. This plume
is very much longer than the body, and makes the bird appear larger
than it is; for in reality it is only about the size of a
pigeon.
We can hardly fancy a flock of these beautiful birds upon the
wing, floating at their ease, or pursuing the insects of various
kinds that serve them for food. But this is no uncommon sight in
that land of flowers and spices— a land that seems exactly fitted
to be the home of the Bird
of Paradise.
But there, as in all tropical countries, there is a season of
rain and storm. Then the birds disappear, as the swallows do with
us, and seek some sheltered place. But when the rain is over, and
the spices in the woods breathe out fresh fragrance, they return to
their old haunts,① and the gay plumes of the male birds may be seen
glittering amongst the trees as before.
When the Birds of Paradise are about to take one of their long
flights, they choose a leader to be king over them. Where he goes
they go, and where he settles they settle, perching on the same
tree.
He generally flies high up in the air, far above the heads of his
subjects; and he takes care to lead them against the wind, so that
their loose floating plumes may not be blown over their heads. If a
storm comes, they then rise higher and higher, and keep mounting
until they reach a calmer and serener region.
The natives always know the king, by the spots which he has upon
his tail, like the eyes upon the feathers of the peacock. When they
go into the woods to shoot these birds, they try to kill him first.
In order to get a good shot, they make a little bower of leaves and
branches of trees, within which they can hide themselves and yet
see all that is going on.
The birds are perched around them, suspecting no danger; but
arrow after arrow comes out of this leafy bower, and strikes down
first one, and then another, till the natives think that they have
enough. They cut off the legs, and stuff the bodies with spices,
and make a famous trade of selling them to Europeans.
The natives used to pretend that this bird had neither legs nor
stomach! Thus it was believed for a long time that it fed on the
dew, and never
alighted on the ground This is why it has been called the “Bird
of Paradise.”
QUESTIONS
Where does the Bird of Paradise live? What do the natives call
it? Why? What is remarkable in the colour of its head and neck? and
in the colour and size of its tail? When do these birds disappear?
Who leads these birds in their long flights? How do the natives
know the king? Where do they conceal themselves when shooting these
birds? How do they prepare them for the European market? What did
the natives use to pretend about them? Why was it called the Bird
of Paradise?
……