Jane Eyre (Vocabulary: 2000 words for senior high school students to read)

Author: Xia Shaofang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-08-01
Features: Robinson Crusoe was born into a respectable merchant family and longed for seafaring adventures, determined to see the world overseas. He secretly set sail without his father's knowledge. On his first voyage, he encountered a fierce storm, his ship sank, and he barely escaped with his life. On his second voyage to Africa for trade, he made a fortune. On his third voyage, misfortune struck again when he was captured by Moors and became a slave. Later, he escaped in the master's small boat but was rescued by a Portuguese merchant ship. Upon arriving in Brazil, he bought a plantation and became a plantation owner. Unsatisfied with his sudden wealth, he set sail again, this time to Africa to trade slaves. During the journey, the ship encountered a storm and ran aground, resulting in the death of all crew members and passengers, except for Robinson Crusoe, who survived and washed ashore on a deserted island. Using the ship's mast, he built a raft and repeatedly transported food, clothing, weapons, tools, and other supplies from the ship to the shore. He set up a tent and settled near a hill. Next, he drove sharpened wooden stakes around the tent to build a fence and dug a hole behind the tent for shelter. With simple tools, he made tables, chairs, and other furniture, hunted wild game for food, and drank from a stream, overcoming the initial hardships. He began to grow barley and rice on the island, crafted wooden mortars, pestles, and sieves, ground flour, and baked coarse bread. He captured and domesticated wild goats, allowing them to reproduce. He also made pottery and other necessities to ensure his survival. Despite this, Robinson Crusoe never gave up on finding a way to leave the island. He felled a large tree and spent several months building a single-log boat, but it was too heavy to be dragged into the sea. He had to abandon the project and start building a smaller one. After living alone on the island for 17 years, one day, he discovered human bones and signs of a fire on the island's coastline. It turned out that a group of cannibals from a nearby island had held a human sacrifice here. Robinson Crusoe was horrified. From then on, he remained vigilant and paid closer attention to his surroundings. By the 24th year, another group of cannibals arrived on the island, bringing captives they intended to kill and eat. Robinson Crusoe rescued one of them. He named the rescued native "Friday." From then on, "Friday" became Robinson Crusoe's loyal servant and friend. Later, Robinson Crusoe and "Friday" rescued a Spanish man and "Friday's" father. Soon after, a British ship stopped nearby, and the crew mutinied, leaving the captain and two others stranded on the island. Robinson Crusoe and "Friday" helped the captain subdue the mutineers and reclaim the ship. They left the mutineers on the island while Robinson Crusoe, "Friday," and the captain returned to England. By then, Robinson Crusoe had been away from home for 35 years. In England, he married and had three children. After his wife's death, Robinson Crusoe set sail for trade again and passed by the island where he had once lived. By then, the crew members and Spanish settlers who remained on the island had established families and prospered. Robinson Crusoe brought new settlers to the island,， and left them with various daily necessities, departing the island with satisfaction.