I have a story to tell. It is a story of love and hatred. A story of giving and taking. A story of laughter and tears. This story was told a long time ago. But it still has as much meaning today as it did then. It happened in a city called Venice in Italy. This beautiful city rests like a crown jewel on the Adriatic Sea.

There lived a moneylender named Shylock in Venice. He earned a lot by lending money to merchants. Many people hated Shylock. Some people hated him because he forced merchants to repay him in terrible ways. Others hated him simply because he was Jewish.

Of all the merchants who lived in Venice, one hated Shylock more than the others. His name was Antonio. Shylock hated Antonio as well. This was because Antonio was a very generous moneylender. He lent money to people in trouble and often didn't charge them interest. Shylock lost a lot of business because of Antonio's generosity.

More importantly, Shylock hated Antonio because he was a Christian. And Antonio hated Shylock because he was a Jew. In those days, Jews and Christians didn't like each other. They couldn't agree about anything. They couldn't understand each other's religion or culture.

Antonio and Shylock often ran into each other at the Rialto. The Rialto was the business center of Venice. When the two met, they would have arguments. Antonio would often yell at Shylock for the heartless way of doing business. Shylock often thought about ways to get even with Antonio.

Almost everyone in Venice really liked Antonio. They felt that he was kind and honest. The merchants especially admired him. They knew that he would help them when they were in hard times.

Antonio's best friend was a young man named Bassanio. Bassanio's family was very rich. His parents had given him money, but Bassanio had spent it all. He had wasted his money on wine and good food. He had traveled and he had had fun. And, of course, he ended up without any money. This was very common for young men during that time.

In the past, Antonio had helped him in many ways. In fact, he already owed Antonio lots of money. Antonio never said "no" to Bassanio. It seemed Antonio was happy to share his money with his friends.

One day, Bassanio came to Antonio for another loan.

"Antonio! I have great news! I've fallen in love with someone! Her name is Portia. She's the most beautiful woman in the world! And not only that, she's rich, too. Her father passed away recently, and she's going to inherit lots of money!"

"That's wonderful news, Bassanio," said Antonio. "It sounds like she is a wonderful woman, but does she love you as much as you love her?"

"Of course, she does. When she looks at me, her eyes are full of love and respect.Listen. I want to buy some gifts for her. The only problem is that I don't have any money right now. I know I owe you a lot of money, but can I borrow a little more? I promise I'll pay you back."

"Bassanio! You know that my money is your money. I'd gladly lend it to you anytime. The only problem is that I don't have any money right now. I've spent all of my money on merchandise. I can't help you. I'm sorry."

"What should I do?" asked Bassanio. "She'll never marry me unless I give her some gifts."

"Don't worry," said Antonio. "I know what you can do. You can borrow money from a moneylender named Shylock. He always has money on hand. He'll certainly lend you money if I sign a loan agreement. And the ships will come in any day now. I'll make lots of money when my merchandise arrives. I'll pay him back then."

"Thanks, Antonio. You really are a great friend!"

While Bassanio and Antonio were out to find Shylock, Portia was facing her own problems. Portia's father had arranged conditions of her marriage before he died.

He didn't trust Portia's judgment. He felt that she would choose an unsuitable person to marry. So, before he died, he had put three chests in a room. One chest was made of gold, one of silver and one of lead. In one of these chests was a small picture of Portia.

If a suitor chose the right box, he would find the picture. That meant that he could propose to Portia. Portia's father believed that the best husband would know which box to choose.

If he found the wrong box, he would have to leave the house right away. He wouldn't be allowed to marry Portia. In addition, he wouldn't be able to marry anyone or have a girlfriend for the rest of his life. Every suitor had to sign a contract agreeing to these conditions. It was a big risk for them. But Portia's father felt that his daughter was worth the risk.

Portia lived in a small town called "Belmont." She had many men visit her house. They all wanted to marry her because she was rich and beautiful. She was tired of having these strange men come to her house. She was also unhappy that her father didn't trust her judgment. Portia often talked to her servant, Nerissa, about her problems. Nerissa was more of a friend than a servant.

"Why couldn't my father just trust me?" she asked Nerissa one day.

"Your father was right," said Nerissa. "There are so many bad men out there. They just want to marry you for your money."

"But the men who come here are so boring. They have bad manners, and they are vain. Some of them drink too much wine. Some of them even smoke! Ah! I'm so sick of these guys!"

Portia was a very independent person. She was capable of making decisions for herself. She also believed that she was smarter than most men. Portia was sad. She thought that she would have to marry a boring, stupid man with bad habits.

"Not one of these guys is decent. What should I do?"

"Do you remember the man from Venice?" asked Nerissa.

Portia's eyes sparkled. "Yes. I remember him. Bassanio. How could I forget? He was so much better than all of the other men who came here. He was handsome and gentle. He was charming, kind, and intelligent. But it's hopeless! He'll never sign my father's contract. I'm a woman who can't even choose her own husband. I'm so unlucky!"

Another servant then entered the room.

"Madam, a message has arrived from the Prince of Morocco. He will be arriving tomorrow."

"Great! Another unsuitable suitor! I wonder what problems this one will have."

KEY WORDS

hatred n. 仇恨，憎恨

laughter n. 笑声

meaning n. 意义，含义

rest v. 位于，处于

jewel n. 宝石

name v. 取名，称呼

lend v. 借出

(lend-lent-lent)

force v. 强迫

repay v. 偿还

(repay-repaid-repaid)

simply adv. 仅，只

Jewish adj. 犹太人的，犹太族的

as well 也

generous adj. 慷慨的，大方的

in trouble 陷入困境中

charge v. 收费

interest n. 利息

generosity n. 慷慨，大方

Christian n. 基督教徒

religion n. 宗教

run into 遇见，碰见

argument n. 争论，辩论

yell at 冲着……大叫

heartless adj. 无情的

get even with 报复

admire v. 赞赏，钦佩

in hard times 有困难，不景气

spend v. 花费

(spend-spent-spent)

waste v. 浪费

have fun 玩得开心

end up 结束，告终

common adj. 普遍的，常见的

in the past 在过去，从前

owe v. 欠，欠债

seem like 看来似乎

share v. 分享

fall in love with 爱上

not only... 不仅……

pass away 去世

recently adv. 最近

inherit v. 继承

be full of 充满

respect n. 尊敬，重视

gift n. 礼物

right now 现在

borrow v. 借入

promise v. 保证

pay back 还（钱）

gladly adv. 乐意地，高兴地

anytime adv. 任何时候，随时

merchandise n. 商品，货物

marry v. 和……结婚

on hand 在手头，现有

certainly adv. 当然，肯定

sign v. 签字

agreement n. 合同，协议

any day 随便哪天

make money 赚钱

face v. 面临，面对

arrange v. 安排

trust v. 相信，信任

judgment n. 判断

unsuitable adj. 不适合的

chest n. 匣子

be made of 用……做成的

lead n. 铅

suitor n. 求婚者

mean v. 意味着

(mean-meant-meant)

propose v. 求婚

allow v. 允许

in addition 另外

be able to 能，会

contract n. 合同，契约

risk n. 风险

worth adj. 值得的

be tired of 厌烦

unhappy adj. 不快乐的

servant n. 仆人

boring adj. 令人厌烦的

manners n. ( pl. ) 礼貌，礼节

vain adj. 虚荣的，自负的

smoke v. 抽烟

be sick of 厌恶，厌倦

independent adj. 独立的

be capable of 能够

make a decision 作决定

for oneself 为自己，独自地

stupid adj. 愚蠢的

habit n. 习惯

decent adj. 正派的，像样的

sparkle v. 发光

gentle adj. 温文尔雅的

charming adj. 迷人的

intelligent adj. 有才智的

hopeless adj. 没有希望的

even adv. 甚至

own adj. 自己的

unlucky adj. 不幸的

madam n. 女士，小姐

wonder v. 想知道，纳闷

One Point Lesson

Some people... Others hated him simply because he was Jewish.

有些人……另一些人则仅仅因为他是犹太人而讨厌他。

some... others... ：一些……另一些……

e.g. Some say that he is innocent. Others say that he is guilty.

有些人说他是无辜的，另一些人却说他是有罪的。

This was very common for young men during that time .

那时，像他这样的情况在年轻人中是很普遍的。

during ＋一段时间：表示“在某一特定的时段内”。

e.g. He studied mathematics hard during the winter vacation .

在寒假里，他努力学习数学。

He'll certainly lend you money if I sign a loan agreement.

如果我打一张欠条的话，他肯定会借钱给你的。

if 引导条件状语从句，表示假设。如果主句为一般将来时，从句用一般现在时。

e.g. If I need money, I'll borrow some from Ken.

如果我需要钱，我会向肯借。

He felt that she would choose an unsuitable person to marry.

他觉得她会挑一个不合适的人结婚。

unsuitable ：suitable的反义词，加前缀un-表示相反的意义。类似的前缀还有im-, in-, ir-, dis- 等。

e.g. It was impossible for him to help you at that moment.

那时他根本帮不了你。 KCvGClml/S+sQmO2LAtQ4stVu40i+8YWrwWg9iWWsZDtvBUyyRgKIKVuqIYozNe7