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At one point in my life, I was a shepherd at Luberon.
It was a very isolated place.
I would often spend weeks there without seeing a single person.
During those weeks, I would joyfully spend my time with my dog, tending my flocks of sheep.
At times when I did see another person, it was usually the loner who lived up on Mount Lure.
From time to time, he would come down, looking for some simple conversation and to hear some news of the outside world.
I also saw the odd coalmen.
They worked in the coal mines not too far from my fields.
All of these people were simple folk and did not care for the shallow wants of the world.
About once every two weeks, a person was sent to bring me supplies on a mule.
This person was usually a farmhand from the lowlands or an old woman who always wore a reddish-colored cap.
I heard all of the news from the lowlands from them.
However, the news that interested me the most was any word about my Master's daughter.
My Master's daughter was the prettiest girl in the surrounding area.
But I was just a lowly twenty-year-old shepherd who tended her father's flocks.
I always had to remind myself that there were many handsome young men in the lowlands.
They could provide better for her than what some poor shepherd could.
Being a vain girl, I knew that she would always have more interest in wealthier men.
I never even expected her to say hello to me.
Two weeks had passed since my last supplies had been delivered to me.
It was a Sunday, and I was waiting for the mule to arrive with my provisions.
I waited patiently, but no one came.
"It is the fault of my Master's house," I thought.
"They have forgotten to send me my provisions."
I waited until noon.
I watched for someone to come, but in the distance, I noticed there was a very dark storm.
"The storm has delayed the person from delivering me my necessities," I thought.
"I am sure that the roads are very bad now because of the storm."
Another three hours passed.
The storm had now passed.
I looked into the sky.
It was now a beautiful, clean, blue sky, and the sun was casting its warm rays over the hills.
The familiar sound of water running through the brook brightened my spirits.
Then I heard another familiar sound.
It was the sound of the bell ringing around the mule's neck.
I waited to see whether it was a farmhand or the old woman who wore the red cap.
I was greatly surprised.
It was neither the farmhand nor the old woman.
It was the young lady, my Master's daughter.
She rode up as I watched in amazement.
She climbed down from the mule and said,
"The farmhand is sick and the old woman is spending a holiday with her children.
So I came instead."
She also told me that she had lost her way.
However, when I looked into her face, her eyes danced.
It seemed like she was delayed because she had stopped to dance on the hills instead.
In that fresh afternoon air, she looked simply beautiful.
I could hardly take my eyes off her.
I had never stood so closely to her before.
I had only ever seen her from an admiring distance.
When I returned to the lowlands in the winter with the flocks, I went to the farm for my dinner.
At those times, I had seen her proudly walking through the rooms, not saying a word to any of the servants.
She had always appeared to be very proud at those moments.
Now she was standing directly in front of me.
I had her all to myself.
I watched as she took my provisions off the mule.
"So where is it that you sleep?" the girl asked me.
I showed her. My bed was a very simple place made only of straw and sheepskin.
Just above on the wall were my cape and stick.
She found it all very amusing.
"You poor shepherd!" she exclaimed.
"You live here?
You must always be so lonely and bored!
What do you do with your time?
What do you think about during your days?" she asked.
I wanted to reply, "I only think about you."
However, I didn't. In fact, I couldn't speak a word.
My Master's daughter realized my embarrassment.
She took great pleasure in it.
She started to tease me.
"And do the fairies come to visit you here?" she asked, laughing with a twinkle in her eyes.
I thought that she seemed as delicate and graceful as a fairy.
She quickly prepared to leave.
We said goodbye, and I watched her as she disappeared.
However, the sound of the mule's footsteps continued for a while longer.
The sounds of those footsteps stayed with me for a long time.
I wanted to keep hearing them over and over in my head.
They were a reminder of my very pleasant visitor.
shepherd n. 牧羊人
isolated adj. 与世隔绝的
spend v. 度过
(spend-spent-spent)
single adj. 单个的
joyfully adv. 愉快地
tend v. 照料
flock n. 群
loner n. 独居者
from time to time 有时
conversation n. 谈话
odd adj. 临时的
coalman n. 运煤工人
coal mine 煤矿
folk n. 人们
care for 计较
shallow adj. 浅薄的
want n. [～s] 想望的事物
supplies n. 生活必需品
mule n. 骡子
farmhand n. 农场工人
lowland n. [～s] 低地
reddish-colored adj. 浅红色的
interest v. 使……感兴趣
master n. 主人
surrounding adj. 周围的
area n. 地区
lowly adj. 地位低下的
remind v. 提醒
provide for 养活
vain adj. 虚荣的
wealthy adj. 富有的
expect v. 期望
say hello to sb. 和某人打招呼
deliver v. 递送
provision n. 供应品（尤指食物及其他必需品）
patiently adv. 耐心地
fault n. 错误
forget v. 忘记
(forget-forgot-forgotten)
notice v. 看到
storm n. 暴风雨
delay v. 耽误
necessity n. 必需品
because of 因为
look into 观察
cast v. 投射（光、影等）
(cast-cast-cast)
ray n. 光线
familiar adj. 熟悉的
brook n. 小溪
brighten v. （使）愉快
spirit n. [～s] 情绪
ring v. 响
(ring-rang-rung)
ride v. 骑
(ride-rode-ridden)
amazement n. 惊诧
lose one's way 迷路
fresh adj. 清新的
take one's eyes off 把目光挪开
closely adv. 近地
admiring adj. 赞赏的
proudly adv. 高傲地
servant n. 佣人
moment n. 时刻
directly adv. 直接地
all to oneself 完全独用地
show v. 给……看
be made of 由……构成的
straw n. 稻草
sheepskin n. 羊皮
cape n. 斗篷
stick n. 手杖
amusing adj. 有趣的
exclaim v. 惊呼
bored adj. 无聊的
reply v. 回答
embarrassment n. 窘迫
take pleasure in 从……中得到乐趣
tease v. 戏弄
fairy n. 仙女
twinkle n. （眼睛的）闪亮
delicate adj. 娇柔的
graceful adj. 优雅的
prepare v. 准备
disappear v. 消失
footstep n. 脚步
continue v. 持续
stay with 跟……在一起
over and over 一遍又一遍地
reminder n. 起提醒作用的东西
pleasant adj. 令人愉快的
Being a vain girl , I knew that she would always have more interest in the wealthier men.
我知道她是个虚荣的女孩，通常会对那些更富有的男子更感兴趣。
“Being a vain girl”为现在分词做状语，修饰主句中的she。
e.g. Going for a walk , he met his teacher. (=As he went for a walk, ...)
他散步的时候遇到了自己的老师。
It was neither the farmhand nor the old woman.
来者既不是伙计也不是老妇人。
neither A nor B ：既不是……也不是……
e.g. Neither you nor I can do it.
你我都干不了这事。
I had never stood so closely to her before.
以前我从没离她这么近过。
had ＋过去分词：表示过去某个时间之前已经发生的事情。
e.g. She had left when I got there.
我到那儿的时候她已经走了。
She found it all very amusing .
她觉得一切都是那么有趣。
find ＋宾语＋形容词：意思是“发现某物／某人……”。
e.g. I found him smart .
我发现他很聪明。
A 用所给词语的正确时态填空。
look spend see live tend
I would often spend weeks there without ❶ ___________ a single person. During those weeks, I would joyfully ❷ ___________ my time with my dog, ❸ ___________ my flocks of sheep. At times when I did see another person, it was usually the loner who ❹ ___________ up on Mount Lure. From time to time, he would come down, ❺ ___________ for some simple conversation.
B 选择正确的答案。
❶ Who would usually bring the shepherd supplies?
(a) The Master's daughter.
(b) A coalman.
(c) A farmhand or an old woman.
❷ What did the shepherd usually think about?
(a) His flocks of sheep.
(b) His Master's daughter.
(c) His supplies.
C 根据故事内容，将下列句子重新排序。
❶ The Master's daughter teased the shepherd.
❷ The shepherd watched the Master's daughter as she disappeared.
❸ The shepherd was waiting for his provisions.
❹ The shepherd showed the Master's daughter where he slept.
❺ The Master's daughter arrived on the mule.
______⇨______⇨______⇨______⇨______
D 选择适当的词语填空。
graceful bored proud surprised familiar
❶ The Master's daughter looked very ______________ in her house.
❷ The shepherd was ______________ to see the Master's daughter.
❸ The Master's daughter was as ______________ as a fairy.
❹ Finally, the shepherd heard the ______________ sound of bell ringing.
❺ The Master's daughter thought the shepherd must be ______________ with his simple life.
A ❶ seeing
❷ spend
❸ tending
❹ lived
❺ looking
B ❶ (c)
❷ (b)
C ❸⇨❺⇨❹⇨❶⇨❷
D ❶ proud
❷ surprised
❸ graceful
❹ familiar
❺ bored