Far away from the hustle and bustle

Author: [British] Hardy (Hardy/T.) / Zhu Chuhua
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-03-01
Features:
A large-scale comprehensive graded reader aligned with the new curriculum standards·Explores classic Western literary masterpieces with diverse themes;·Lively and authentic language, preserving the original flavor of English;·Corresponds to the Cambridge English Proficiency Exams;·Bilingual edition meets the needs of learning and appreciation;·English annotations and English-Chinese parallel versions cater to different teaching and reading requirements.
This is a graded reader series of world literary masterpieces published for students learning English as a foreign language. The series is closely aligned with the requirements of the new English Curriculum Standards, divided into 6 levels based on difficulty, suitable for students at all stages of learning and helping them achieve the cultivation goals of the new curriculum in terms of language skills, language knowledge, learning strategies, and cultural awareness. The series mainly features the following:
- Includes classic Western literary masterpieces, helping students improve their language proficiency while allowing them to glimpse the full scope of literary masterpieces through simplified versions suitable for their foreign language level.
- Graded according to the new curriculum standards, with vocabulary ranging from 700 to 3,500 words, meeting the reading needs of middle school students.
- Gradually increasing difficulty in language, aiding teachers in expanding students' language knowledge and cultural background, and enhancing their English reading skills.
- Simple, vivid, and authentic language, published with English annotations, preserving the original essence of English while bilingual annotations remove language barriers, fully engaging readers and making English reading easier.
Thomas Hardy was born on June 2, 1840, in Bockhampton, Dorset, England. When he was born, the ancient Hardy family was poor and belonged to the working class. Before entering a rural primary school at the age of 8, he received education from his mother. At the age of 16, Hardy became an apprentice under an architect in Dorchester. At 21, he was employed by a well-known church architect in London. In 1868, Hardy was sent to St. Julites, where he met Emma Gifford on the way and later married her. Hardy's wife often encouraged him to abandon his career in architecture and turn to writing. From the success of his first novel, Tess of the d'Urbervilles (1874), to the publication of The Mayor of Casterbridge (1886) and Jude the Obscure (1896), Hardy wrote a total of 11 novels. Among his most famous works are The Return of the Native (1878), The Mayor of Casterbridge (1886), and Tess of the d'Urbervilles (1891). Critics later accused Hardy's later works of promoting pessimism and moral violation, leading him to abandon his novel writing career. He devoted the rest of his life to poetry and published his first poetry collection, Wessex Poems, in 1898. Emma passed away in 1912, and Hardy remarried, settling into a quiet life in Dorchester. In his final years, he began writing his autobiography, which was published posthumously as the work of his second wife in 1928—this was Hardy's wish. Thomas Hardy was buried in the Poet's Corner at Westminster Abbey.