Lesson Two Waiting for the Police Warm-up Activities Background Information Vocabulary Text Analysis Detailed Study of the Text Exercises

Lesson Two Waiting for the Police   Lesson Two Waiting for the Police Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson go on a camping trip, set up their tent, and fall asleep. Some hours later Holmes wakes him up. “Watson, look up at the sky and tell me what you see.” Watson replies, :”I see millions of stars.” “What does that tell you?” Watson ponders for a minute. “ Astronomically speaking, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Astrologically, it tells me that Saturn is in Leo. Timewise, it appears to be approximately a quarter past three. Theologically, it’s evident the Lord is all powerful and we are small and insignificant. Meteorologically, it seems we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. What does it tell you?” Holmes is silent for a moment, then speaks. “Watson, you idiot, someone has stolen our tent.”    

Lesson Two Waiting for the Police   Lesson Two Waiting for the Police English novelist, playwright, and journalist, was born in London into literary circumstances. His father, Benjamin Farjeon, was a well-known novelist and he was the brother of the children's writer Eleanor Farjeon and the playwright Herbert Farjeon. Although he was a descendant of Thomas Jefferson, Farjeon was named after his maternal grandfather, the American actor Joseph Jefferson. He was educated privately and at Peterborough Lodge. From 1910 to 1920 he did editorial work for the Amalgamated Press.    

Lesson Two Waiting for the Police Farjeon's career as a fiction writer was long and prolific. With over eighty published novels to his credit, many in the mystery and detective genre, he enjoyed what the London Times obituarist called a deserved popularity for "ingenious and entertaining plots and characterization." His early novel, Master Criminal, is a tale of identity reversal involving two brothers, one a master detective, the other a master criminal. "Mr. Farjeon displays a great deal of knowledge about story-telling," declared the New York Times reviewer, "and multiplies the interest of his plot through a terse, telling style and a rigid compression."

Lesson Two Waiting for the Police Farjeon was one of the first detective writers to mingle romance with crime. Although known for his keen humor and flashing wit, he was no stranger to the sinister and terrifying. The critic for the Saturday Review of Literature praised Death in the Inkwell, one of his later books, calling it an "amusing, satirical, and frequently hair-raising yarn of an author who got dangerously mixed up with his imaginary characters. Tricky."  

Lesson Two Waiting for the Police

Vocabulary 1. to pop in and out: to make brief visit and then leave suddenly She’s always popping in and out. I’ve just popped in to say hello. I’m afraid she’s just popped out for a few minutes. I am just popping round to the shop.

Vocabulary 2. eccentric: a. a. departing from a recognized, conventional, or established norm or pattern b. deviating from a circular form or path, as in an elliptical orbit The old lady has some eccentric habits. Mars, Venus and the other planets move in eccentric orbits. 火星、金星及其他行星沿不正圆的轨道运行。

Vocabulary 3. inquire: v. to seek information by asking a question to make an inquiry or investigation I’ll inquire about the flights. She inquired after my mother’s health. The director inquired of me about/concerning our work. We inquired into his story, and found it was true. He inquired for the book in a bookshop.

Text Analysis Setting: This story is set in a boarding house where life, especially evening life, is notoriously dull for the odd collection of people who live there. But one of the guests manages to think of something which does stir up quite a bit of interest. Characters: Mrs. Mayton, Mr. Monty Smith, Miss Wicks, Bella, Mr. Calthrop, Mr. Penbury

Text Analysis Structure: Part I (Paras. 1– 11): an idle discussion about where Mr. Wainright has gone and serving to introduce the characters who live in the boarding-house. Part II (Paras. 12– 33): Mr. Penbury announces that Mr. Wainwright is dead. Part III (Paras. 34– 88): Mr. Penbury directs a general rehearsal of their alibis while waiting for the police. Part IV (Paras. 89– 91): a suspense ending

Text Analysis Try to keep everyone talking Mrs. Mayton landlady Mr. Monty Smith Keep any ball rolling as polite as pale Bella oldest Knitting all the time Miss. Wicks Young lovely Not particularly smart Middle-aged Walk in sleep, doze all the time Mr. Calthrop Mr. Penbury Eccentric intelligent Have a chilling effect, possess a brain

Detailed Study of the Text How is the story started? (read the first paragraph) The story starts with a question from the landlady Mrs. Mayton. This as an appropriate and direct beginning. The question immediately arouses the attention of the boarders gathered in the drawing room. This first bit of conversation is actually the beginning of an idle conversation conducted by bored people to kill time. But this part gives us a brief introduction of all the boarders and prepares us for an unexpected turn of events.

Detailed Study of the Text Why did Mrs. Mayton ask this question? (read the first part) It didn’t matter to her in the least where Mr. Wainwright had gone. What she is really interested in is the money paid by the boarders. And sometimes, as a landlady, she felt obliged to whip up a little interest to start an idle conversation.

Detailed Study of the Text What did Mr. Penbury say that got everybody’s attention? What was his purpose by doing this? (read the second part) He announced that Mr. Wainwright is dead, which shocked everyone except Miss Wicks. He might feel too bored at such an evening hour and tried to stir up some interest to kill time, so he can be described as the director of this little melodrama.

Detailed Study of the Text What was Mr. Penbury’s suggestion? What effect did he want to cultivate? He told them he had phoned the police and propose that they consider their alibis while waiting for the police to come. By directing a general rehearsal of their alibis, he tried to arouse everybody’s attention and created an atmosphere of tension and horror, which might be better than boredom.

Detailed Study of the Text What did everyone respond to Mr. Penbury? How did they try to offer their alibis? (read the third part) Most of them tried hard to clear up a little ground by considering their alibis, though they are nervous, excited, anxious, impatient, angry, … Being the only person to know the inside story, Miss Wicks responded to Mr. Penbury’s conspiracy amusedly by making up a vivid plot of killing “Mr. Annoyance”.

Exercises Translation of the phrases board and lodging a split second whipping the dead horse a matter of form the tense atmosphere to walk in one’s sleep 食宿 瞬间 做徒劳无益之事 走形式 紧张气氛 梦游