# 第三册 Lesson 19 A very dear cat 一只贵重的宝贝猫

## 一、课文原文

Kidnappers are rarely interested in animals, but they recently took considerable interest in Mrs. Eleanor Ramsay's cat. Mrs. Eleanor Ramsay, a very wealthy old lady, has shared a flat with her cat, Rastus, for a great many years. Rastus leads an orderly life. He usually takes a short walk in the evenings and is always home by seven o'clock. One evening, however, he failed to arrive. Mrs. Ramsay got very worried. She looked everywhere for him but could not find him.

Three days after Rastus' disappearance, Mrs. Ramsay received an anonymous letter. The writer stated that Rastus was in safe hands and would be returned immediately if Mrs. Ramsay paid a ransom of ￡1,000. Mrs. Ramsay was instructed to place the money in a cardboard box and to leave it outside her door. At first, she decided to go to the police, but fearing that she would never see Rastus again—the letter had made that quite clear—she changed her mind. She withdrew ￡1,000 from her bank and followed the kidnapper's instructions. The next morning, the box had disappeared but Mrs. Ramsay was sure that the kidnapper would keep his word. Sure enough, Rastus arrived punctually at seven o'clock that evening. He looked very well, though he was rather thirsty, for he drank half a bottle of milk. The police were astounded when Mrs. Ramsay told them what she had done. She explained that Rastus was very dear to her. Considering the amount she paid, he was dear in more ways than one!

## 二、重点词汇详解

| 单词 | 音标 | 词性 | 释义 | 用法说明 |
|------|------|------|------|----------|
| dear | /diə/ | adj. | 亲爱的；珍贵的；昂贵的 | 一语双关：感情上珍贵+经济上昂贵 |
| kidnapper | /'kidnæpə/ | n. | 绑架者 | kidnap v. 绑架 |
| considerable | /kən'sidərəbəl/ | adj. | 相�当大的 | consider v. 考虑；considerably adv. 相当 |
| wealthy | /'welθi/ | adj. | 富有的 | wealth n. 财富 |
| orderly | /'ɔ:dəli/ | adj. | 有规律的 | order n. 秩序 |
| disappearance | /'disə'piərəns/ | n. | 失踪 | disappear v. 消失 |
| anonymous | /ə'nɔnəməs/ | adj. | 匿名的 | anonymity n. 匿名 |
| ransom | /'rænsəm/ | n. | 赎金 | pay a ransom 支付赎金 |
| cardboard | /'ka:dbɔ:d/ | n. | 硬纸板 | cardboard box 纸盒 |
| withdraw | /wið'drɔ:/ | v. | （从银行）取钱 | 过去式withdrew，过去分词withdrawn |
| punctually | /'pʌŋktʃuəli/ | adv. | 准时地 | punctual adj. 准时的 |
| astound | /ə'staund/ | v. | 使吃惊 | astounded adj. 震惊的；同义词astonish |
| instruct | /in'strʌkt/ | v. | 指示，吩咐 | instruct sb. to do sth. 指示某人做某事 |

## 三、语法知识点

### 1. share...with...
- 作"与……分享、合用……"解
- 例：She shared a flat with her cat.

### 2. be in safe hands
- 意为"在可靠的人那里"，表示某人/某物被妥善保管
- 例：Don't worry, your car is in safe hands.

### 3. change one's mind
- 意为"改变主意"
- 例：She changed her mind about going to the police.

### 4. keep one's word
- 意为"遵守诺言"=keep one's promise
- 反义：break one's word/promise 食言

### 5. sure enough
- 意为"果然，无疑"，用作插入语
- 表示事情果然如预期发生

### 6. Considering... 介词短语
- 作"考虑到……""就……而言"解，此处作原因状语
- 例：Considering the amount she paid, he was dear in more ways than one!

### 7. dear的一语双关（Pun）
- dear第一个含义："亲爱的、珍贵的"（感情上珍贵）
- dear第二个含义："昂贵的"（经济上昂贵，因为付了1,000英镑赎金）
- **in more ways than one**作"在更多方面"解，点明了双关含义

### 8. fearing that... 现在分词作原因状语
- 意为"因为害怕……"
- 相当于because she feared that...

## 四、重点句型分析

### 1. take considerable interest in
- 对……产生极大兴趣
- 对比：are rarely interested in（很少感兴趣）→ took considerable interest in（产生了极大兴趣）
- 形成鲜明对照

### 2. The writer stated that Rastus was in safe hands and would be returned immediately if Mrs. Ramsay paid a ransom of ￡1,000.
- 宾语从句中嵌套条件状语从句
- 主句：Rastus was in safe hands and would be returned
- 条件从句：if Mrs. Ramsay paid a ransom

### 3. Considering the amount she paid, he was dear in more ways than one!
- **核心双关句**：dear既指"珍贵"又指"昂贵"
- in more ways than one：在不止一个方面
- 全句意味：考虑到她付的钱，这只猫在不止一个方面是"贵"的

## 五、课文翻译

绑架者很少对动物感兴趣。最近，绑架者却盯上了埃莉诺·拉姆齐太太的猫。埃莉诺·拉姆齐太太是一个非常富有的老妇人，多年来，一直同她养的猫拉斯特斯一起住在一所公寓里。拉斯特斯生活很有规律，傍晚常常出去溜达一会儿，并且总是在7点钟以前回来。可是，有一天晚上，它出去后再也没回来。拉姆齐太太急坏了，四处寻找，但没找着。

拉斯特斯失踪3天后，拉姆齐太太收到一封匿名信。写信人声称拉斯特斯安然无恙，只要拉姆齐太太愿意支付1,000英镑赎金，可以立即将猫送还。他让拉姆齐太太把钱放在一个纸盒里，然后将纸盒放在门口。一开始拉姆齐太太打算报告警察，但又害怕再也见不到拉斯特斯了——这点，信上说得十分明白——于是便改变了主意。她从银行取出1,000英镑，并照绑架者的要求做了。第二天早晨，放钱的盒子不见了。但拉姆齐太太确信绑架者是会履行诺言的。果然，当天晚上7点正，拉斯特斯准时回来了。它看上去一切正常，只是口渴得很，喝了半瓶牛奶。拉姆齐太太把她所做的事告诉了警察，警察听后大为吃惊。拉姆齐太太解释说她心疼她的猫拉斯特斯。想到她所花的那笔钱，她的心疼就具有双重意义了。

## 六、语言点精讲

### 写作手法
- **双关（Pun）**：dear一词两义——"亲爱的"与"昂贵的"，贯穿全文
- **首尾呼应**：开头提出"为什么Rastus在不止一个方面是dear的"，结尾揭晓答案
- **悬念设置**：猫失踪→匿名信→是否付赎金→猫是否回来，层层推进

### 文化背景
- **绑架赎金**：在西方社会中，绑架案中支付赎金是常见情节
- 英国人爱猫：英国文化中对猫的喜爱根深蒂固
- 1,000英镑在当时是一笔相当大的数目

## 七、课后练习要点

1. 词汇：掌握dear的双关含义，considerable, anonymous, ransom, withdraw, punctually
2. 语法：share...with, change one's mind, keep one's word, considering引导的介词短语
3. 句型：sure enough插入语；in more ways than one；fearing that分词结构
4. 理解：为什么Rastus在不止一个方面是"dear"的？——既"珍贵"又"昂贵"

## 八、本课小结

- 核心词汇：dear（双关）, kidnapper, considerable, anonymous, ransom, withdraw, astound
- 核心语法：share...with, keep one's word, considering短语, fearing that分词作状语
- 核心句型：in more ways than one, sure enough, be in safe hands
- 写作特色：双关贯穿全文、悬念层层推进、首尾呼应