LadyLee的學習筆記小行星

好書俱樂部 Back Club 2022.03.03 Unit 2 ★★★

WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING -- A story about fishing, growing up, and murder.

    You've probably never heard of crawdads, but you may love lobster. In fact, they are very similar. Crawdads look like lobsters, but are found in fresh water. To be where the crawdads sing is to be alone in nature. The same can be said for the main character in Delia Owen's novel, Where the Crawdads Sing. The novel follows Kya, a young woman trying to survive in the marsh of Barkley Cove, a small, fictional town in the US state of North Carolina.

     Kya's mother and siblings left when she was young. Her father stayed and taught her to fish, but he also abandoned her after a while. She continues fishing to make a living as she grows up. Following the advice of her friend, Tate, Kya publishes two books on the wildlife of the marsh she lives in. However, Kya's life is turned upside down when Chase, her former lover, is found dead. As a suspect of his murder, Kya must prove her innocences to a town that looks down on her for her lifestyle.

    The novel is a mixture of many genres. It is a coming-of-age~ story, a romance, and a murder mystery all in one. Not only does Kya need to overcome' the harshs environment of the marsh, but she must also face the challenges posed by society.

    沼澤女孩-- 一個揉合了捕魚、成長以及謀殺案的故事。

    或許你從來沒有聽說過「蝦」,但你可能相當喜愛龍蝦。事實上,兩者十分相似。蝦形似龍蝦,但地們生活在淡水裡。身處於蝦吟唱的地方,意思就是子然一身處在大自然中。迪婭·歐文斯的小說《沼澤女孩》中的主角正如此這部小說敘述一位名為奇雅的年輕女子,在美國北卡羅萊納州的虛構小鎮巴克利海灣的沼澤中,掙扎生存的故事。

    奇雅的母親及兄弟姊妹在她年幼時離開了她。她父親留下來並教她如何捕魚,但是一段時間後,他也離棄了奇雅。而她則繼續捕魚謀生長大。在採納她朋友泰特的建議下,奇雅出版了兩本關於她居住之沼澤中的野生動物的書。然而,當她的前男友柴斯被發現死亡時,奇雅的生活隨即天翻地覆。身為柴斯遇害的嫌疑人,奇雅必須向瞧不起她生活方式的小鎖證明自己的清白。

    這部小說融合了許多題材。集結了邁入成人世界的故事、愛情以及凶殺謎團於一體。奇雅不僅需要克服沼澤的惡環境,她還必須面對社會帶來的嚴峻挑戰。

◎ 單字片語Words & Phrases ◎

1. hear of sb/sth     聽過某人/某事

· I'd never heard of this writer before she won the prize.

  在她獲獎之前,我從來沒有聽過這位作家。

2. survive       vi.存活 & vt.熬過;從⋯⋯生還

· There are many families struggling to survive on low incomes.

  有許多家庭靠著微薄的收入掙扎過活。

3. abandon     vt.拋棄,遺棄

· Emma abandoned the car after she hit a tree.

  艾瑪開車撞到樹後就棄車而去。

4. make a living 謀生

· Patrick has been making a living by driving a taxi for 20 years.

派翠克已經開計程車維生二十年了。

5. innocence        n.無罪・清白;純真

· The lawyer made a strong argument for the innocence of his client.

   那位律師力爭他的委託人是清白的。

6. look down on... 瞧不起·⋯·

· Don't look down on Tim just because he comes from a poor family.

  不要因為提姆出身於貧窮家庭就瞧不起他。

7. overcome      vt.克服

· Mandy has been trying hard to overcome all of the difficulties in her life.

  曼蒂一直在努力克服她人生中的所有困境。

8.harsh [harf]a.嚴峻的;嚴厲的

· No matter how harsh life gets, I never give up hope.

   無論生活會有多艱難,我都不會放棄希望。

◎ 補充詞彙 Extra Words & Phrases ◎

· crawdad      n.螯蝦,淡水龍蝦

· lobster         n.龍蝦

· marsh          n. 沼澤

· cove            n.小海灣

· fictional        a.虛構的

· sibling          n.兄弟姊妹

· turn...upside down 使··(生活)變得天翻地覆

· genre           n.文藝作品之類型

· coming-of-age  a.成年的

· So, I associate the fall season with my coming of age, so to speak.
  因此，可以說我將秋天和我的成長聯繫起來。

· "The Catcher in the Rye" is a coming of age novel by J.D. Salinger.
 《麥田捕手》是J.D. Salinger著作關於青少年成長故事的小說。
· “It’s such a hard time to be a teenager, social movements are happening ... as they are coming of age.
「做一名青少年是一段艱難的時期，社會運動正在發生......隨著他們的逐漸成年。
· Finally, after "midlife" comes "old age."
  最後，在「中年」之後的是「老年」（old age）。

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  ◎ Tips in Use 重點解析 ◎ 

 ※ not only... but (also)... 的用法 ※

" not only... but (also)...  ” 為對等連接詞片語,表「不僅⋯而且⋯」可連接對等的單字、片語或子句。

· Beth is not only a singer but also a writer.

  貝絲不僅是歌手還是作家。

· Being on time not only shows respect but also makes a good impression on others.

  準時不僅可以表示尊重,同時也能給別人留下好印象。

· Carol not only treated us warmly, but she also cooked dinner for us.

  卡蘿不僅熱情地招呼我們,還為我們準備了晚餐。

 ※注意:

若連接對等的主要子句且not only, 由於 not only 視為否定副詞, 故not only的第一個主要子句倒

裝; also可以省略,或移至句中。

· Not only is Luka the best player on the team, but he also became one of the best in the league.

路卡不僅是隊上最好的球員,他也成為聯盟的最佳球員之一。

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題目～英文試金石 You Can Do This 從下欄選出最適合的句子來完成該句

___ 1. Looking down on others is
___ 2. Rachel abandoned
___ 3. In harsh environments,

A. her long-term boyfriend while abroad.

B. animals often evolve.

C. made a good living by selling automobiles.

D. often an expression of a lack of confidence.

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答案～英文試金石 You Can Do
.
.
.
.
.
1.D 2.A 3.B
· evolve  v.進化