Bedside Lamp English Learning Reader I Jane Eyre (English-Chinese Contrast)

Author: Mao Ronggui
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-05-01
Features:
Famous figures and experts in the field of English discuss reading. Dry English is not good; don't always put improving English as the sole purpose of reading. Reading is primarily about absorbing knowledge, and in the process of absorbing knowledge, the language is naturally absorbed. Thinking in English is a goal many English learners aspire to, as it is the foundation for expressing thoughts fluently in English. For Chinese students living in a non-English environment, it is indeed very difficult to think partly or entirely in English, but it is not an unattainable goal. From my own experience learning English, I have found that persistent extensive reading is one of the most effective ways to achieve this goal. For intermediate and advanced English learners, I especially recommend English easy readers. The material should be easy to understand, with a strong narrative element, and the reading speed should be as fast as possible. The more you read, the better. This is a tried-and-true method for learning English.
Jane Eyre is an orphan born into a poor clergyman's family. Her parents, who fell ill with typhoid fever, died within a month of each other. As a young child, Jane was sent to live with her aunt and uncle. After her uncle, Mr. Reed, passed away, Jane spent ten years enduring discrimination and abuse. Once, after resisting her cousin's beating, Jane was locked in the red room. The physical pain and mental humiliation left her seriously ill. Her aunt, seeing her as a thorn in her side, separated her from her own children and thus began a more open and resolute confrontation with her aunt. Later, Jane was sent to Lowood Orphanage. The orphanage had strict rules and a harsh lifestyle, and the headmaster was a cold hypocrite. Jane continued to suffer both mentally and physically at the orphanage. Due to the poor living conditions, children often died of illness at the orphanage. After graduating, Jane taught at the orphanage for two years, but during this time, her close friend Helen died of tuberculosis. Jane grew tired of life at the orphanage and placed an advertisement for a position as a governess. The housekeeper at Thornfield Manor hired her. The master of the manor, Rochester, often traveled abroad, and the large estate was attended by only one girl, Adele Varens, who was less than ten years old and under Rochester's guardianship—she would be Jane's student. One evening, Jane went for a walk and encountered her master, who had just returned from abroad. This was their first meeting. Later, she discovered that her master was a moody and unpredictable person, whose attitude toward her was sometimes kind and sometimes harsh. The entire house was gloomy and empty, and sometimes strange, eerie laughter could be heard. One night, Jane was woken by this laughter and found that Rochester's room was on fire. She woke him up and helped him put out the fire. After returning, Rochester often hosted dinner parties. At one such dinner, he paid great attention to a beautiful young woman named Blanche. Jane was called into the drawing room but was coldly treated by Blanche and her daughter. She endured the humiliation and left the room. By then, she had fallen in love with Rochester. In truth, Rochester had also fallen in love with Jane, but he merely wanted to test her feelings for him. When he proposed to Jane, she accepted him. The night before the wedding, Jane had a vision in her sleep of a repulsive woman in her wedding gown before the mirror. The next day, as the wedding was quietly taking place in the church, someone suddenly appeared to testify that Rochester had been married fifteen years ago. His wife was the madwoman who had been locked in the attic. The law prevented their love, plunging both into deep sorrow. On a night of fierce wind and rain, Jane left Rochester. In her search for a new path in life, Jane lived in poverty, begging along the way, enduring countless hardships, and was eventually taken in by the Rev. St. John at the marsh house, where she also taught at a local school. Soon after, Jane learned that her uncle had died and left her an inheritance, and she also discovered that St. John was her cousin. She decided to split the inheritance with him. St. John was a fervent believer and planned to go to India as a missionary. He asked Jane to marry him and go with him to India, but she refused and decided to return to Rochester's side. She returned to Thornfield Manor, only to find that the house had been destroyed. The madwoman had set fire to the place and died by falling from the roof, and Rochester had been injured and disabled. Jane found him and married him, finally achieving the happiness she had long dreamed of.