1. Unit13
The mystery of the moonstone

2. Wilkie Collins was born into an artist’s family in 1824 and died in 1889.
In his lifetime, he wrote 25 novels, more than 50 short stories, at least 15 plays. Wilkie Collins was a close friend of Charles Dickens’. He was a superstar of Victorian fiction. Now he is
also being given critical and popular attention. His detective stories are famous for the unexpected suspense. His novel The Moonstone is considered as the first detective story in the history of England.

3. What do you already know about the story The Moonstone?
Pre-reading:
What do you already know about the story The Moonstone?
Something about the Moonstone
How many main characters in the novel? Who are they?

4. Get the main idea of each paragraph:
sth about the moonstone
some information about Rachel
the tension and strange things caused by the moonstone
sth happened at Rachel’s birthday party
The Moonstone is missing and Sergeant Cuff’s discovering

5. the 1st suspect
the 2nd suspect
the 3rd suspect
the 4th suspect
Para 6:
Para 7:
Para 8:
Para 9:
Para 10:
Sergeant’s vital clue

6. Post-reading:
1. Rachel’s birthday party was not a success. Why not?
Several arguments and strange things happened: Godfrey proposed marriage to Rachel and was turned down, Franklin argued with Mr. Candy, and Indian entertainers arrived but gave poor entertainment. The passage also suggests a reason why the party was not successful might be the bad luck of the Moonstone.

7. 2. Why did Sergeant Cuff think Franklin might have stolen the diamond?
He is enthusiastic to help the investigation even though this makes Rechel very angry. Is he covering up hid guilt?

8. F F F F T Decide true or false:
The man who stole the Moonstone left it to his sister’s daughter because he loved her very much.
Godfrey was under suspicious for stealing the diamond because Rachel refused his marriage .
Sergeant Cuff has one vital clue_ the stained garment .
Franklin’s being love with Rachel made Dr Candy angry for Dr Candy loved her deeply.
Rosanna may have taken the diamond to please Franklin who had heavy debts. F T F F F

9. a.The book is set in France in the eighteenth century.
language points:
The novel The Moonstone is set in England in 1848, but the story really began 50 years earlier.
a.The book is set in France in the eighteenth century.
The film is set in the gold rush.
--put
b. The gentleman set the cup to his lips elegantly.
c. Please set the table for dinner.
d. Have you set the time for the meeting?
The students of our school often go home to see their parents and have rests at a set time.
e. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west.
f. He set a diamond in a ring.
--Put into order for use
--fix
--fixed
--go down
--fix…firmly into..

10. 2. The diamond was cursed and the man lived a sad, lonely life without friends or family.
# When the person failed, he was always cursing (at) his bad fate.
# be cursed with 因...而受害
Cursed with
_________ his bad health, he couldn’t get the job.
be under a curse ( suffer as the result of a curse)
Their tribe is under a curse.

11. 3. When he died he left the Moonstone to his sister’s daughter, Rachel, in an act of revenge, passing on his bad fortune to her. ( para1)
# It is an act of kindness to help a blind.
an act of cruelty/ an act of war / an act of mercy
# Hamlet revenged his dead father.
I broke Mary's pen by accident, and in revenge she tore up my school work.
do sth. in/ out of revenge for 报复性地/出于报复做某事

12. Rachel
Franklin
Godfrey
Dr Candy
Rosanna
Sergeant Cuff
Indian entertainers

13. Translate the following:
1. His move to quit smoking cigars to please her is seen by the servants as evidence that he is in love with Rachel.
2. Is it coincidence or is it the Moonstone’s bad luck that causes the tension and strange things that happened during the rest of the evening?
3. Franklin’s reply that doctors just guess which drug they should recommend, makes Dr Candy extremely angry.
4. Whoever is guilty must have a stain on his or her clothes.

14. 4. Franklin, who is a smoker, is considerate towards Rachel.
# 老师是体谅学生的。
Teachers are considerate towards students.
# 在我睡觉的时候你不弹钢琴，真是考虑得周到。
It was considerate of you not to play the piano while I was having a sleep.
consider/ consideration/ considerable/ considering
He bought his car at a _________ expense.
She’s very active, _________ her age.
When marking Tom’s exam papers, the teacher took Tom’s long illness into__________.
They ________ themselves very important.

15. 5. But from the moment Rachel fastens it to her dress, things start going wrong.( para 3)
He went grey with worry.
Fish soon goes bad in hot weather.
go blind/ mad/ wild…
# How’s everything going?
# The story goes that a king loved new clothes…
# They used to go hungry.
# Is your watch going?

16. 6.Rachel is stubborn in resisting his enquiries about the Moonstone to the degree that she makes it seem as if she does not want the mystery to be solved.
Chinese fans love Yao Ming to the degree that they will try to watch any match that Yao Ming competes in.
to a degree/ to the highest degree/ to a high degree
to what degree
到何种程度
He is careful to a degree/ to a high~/ to the highest ~.
To what degree are you interested in English?

17. That’s all.
Thank you!