幻小說的夢想家 French author Jules Verne takes readers on adventures in his stories by Lisa Holl Chang
Balloon flights over Africa, journeys under the sea in a submarine, expeditions to the North Pole – even today these ideas sound thrilling. But at the time French author Jules Verne (1828-1905) wrote of them, his readers could only imagine them.
Childhood adventures
Even as a young boy, Verne was fascinated with travel. His passion was sparked by watching boats travel the Loire River, which his family vacationed by in the summer. At 12, the young Verne hopped on an ocean-going vessel without his parents’ knowledge. Unfortunately for Verne, his father found out and caught him before the ship Coralie actually went to sea. Verne promised then that he “would only travel in imagination.”
Becoming a writer
At the time, his parents didn't understand what he actually meant by those words, Verne's father, a lawyer, expected his son to follow in his footsteps. He sent Verne to Paris to study law. There, Verne concentrated on writing instead, causing his father to stop his financial support. Undeterred, Verne worked at a theater owned, Verne worked at a theater owned by Alexandre Dumas and wrote several plays.
At the age of 28, Verne married Honorine Morel, a young widow who had two daughters. With a family to support, Verne began working as a stockbroker. But he continued to write, getting up at 5a.m. to write before going to his job in the afternoon. Verne's break finally came in 1862 when he met publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel. Hetzel saw potential in Verne's stories and advised Verne on how to make them better. Verne successfully published his first book in 1863 and went on to write 54 novels.
In his books, Verne enthralls readers with tales of extraordinary adventures. For example, in Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. Verne's characters explore oceans in a submarine. In Around the World in 80 Days, a man makes a bet to circle the globe in 80 days. Known as a visionary. Verne portrayed skyscrapers, automobiles and air-conditioners in Paris in the 20th Century. None of those things existed then; they sprung from Verne's imagination. But he would not be surprised that today they are reality.
Information
Many of Jules Verne's books are part of what is known as "The Extraordinary Voyages", Some of the more famous titles include Journey to the Center of the Earth, a story that has been retold in movie format our times!
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea is a classic underwater adventure, while Verne's Around the World in 80 Days is a novel that was recently adapted into a movie starring Jackie Chan.
Grammar
With a family to support, Verne began working as a stockbroker.
With a family to support-Because he has a family to support, Verne... (is too wordy, and too plain)
With only a few dollars left in his wallet, Sam needed to find an ATM soon.
With three meetings to attend and several reports to finish. Tara knew her day was going to be a busy one.
With three meetings to attend and several reports to finish, Tara knew her day was going to be a busy one.
Vocabulary
spark (n)-火花(v)-激起，引发 The trip to Paris sparked her interest to lean French.
Mass demonstrations were sparked by the controversial policy. 引起大型示威。
footstep-足迹
follow in someone’s footsteps-跟随某人的足迹。继承衣钵，追随某人的脚步。
*Samuel followed in his father's footsteps and became an engineer. 继承父亲的衣钵。。
*Nicky followed in her sister's footsteps by attending Harvard.跟随她姐姐的脚踪。
undeterred-未受阻的或不气馁的not being bothered. un-否定的意思 deter-使某人打消念头
*Nobody supported Bob's idea of starting his own business, but he was undeterred.
*Undeterred, we went on vacation even though the typhoon was coming.
thrilling-exciting.
expedition-means take a trip or journey.
hopped on-get on without planning ahead.
vessel-another word for large ship.
widow-The poor window had to give up her children and send them to the orphanage.
*After the accident, Patrick found himself a widower with three kids.
publish-The author's latest novel was published in 1999.
*His book was published by Random House, a world-renown publisher.
*Dave works for a publisher that only publishes text books.
visionary-The Nobel-Prize winner was a visionary who started a new era in his professional field.
Chat Room
vacation/holiday- 假期，度假/ 节日，假日
vacation-(n), (v)- American says" go on vacation (n) or go vacation (v)度假
holiday- Englishman says "go on holiday" 度假（英国人）加拿大人say both ways.
holiday- American people mean that country reserve a day off to memorable or celebrate, such as July 4th, a national holiday. 国定假日
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break-在此表达“好运”
break a leg 跌断你的腿= a big break 幸运之神=a lucky break =good luck
say to a player on his/her performance "break a leg" instead of "good luck", they are very superstitious. They believe that when people say "good luck " to them is mean there are some "bad luck" will happen to them.
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