我用的初中英语第一册是这个版本:
著名的课文包括My name is Li Ming, I am twelve years old. I am a middle school student. 还有 How are you? I am fine, thank you. And you?
高中英语第一册第一课是马克思学英语的故事。实际上那之前,从70年代初开始,很多常见的英语课本里开篇都会引用一句马克思语录:外语是人生斗争的武器。
我们的英语老师变态地要求全文背诵课文,背不下来就说下午放学后到办公室背去,以至于到现在这第一课的第一段我还基本记得:
Karl Marx was born in Germany, and German was his native language. When he was still a young man, he was forced to leave his homeland for political reasons. He stayed in Belgium for a few years, then he went to France. Before long he had to move on, again! In 18XX, he went to England and made London the base for his revolutionary work.
第二册的印象反而不深了,第一课好像叫Portrait of a teacher,内容都记不得了。倒是另外一课的开头一直没忘:
Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12th, 1809 in a log cabin in Kentucky.
有篇课文是关于爱因斯坦的,正好那时候还在集邮,几个同好聊起来发现有人还没有爱因斯坦的邮票,就结伴跑到当地邮票市场寻找,一时间市场里到处都是我们的喊声:Einstein! Einstein!
还有很多名著改编版,都德的《最后一课》、莫泊桑的《丢失的项链》、笛福的《鲁滨逊漂流记》、安走生的《皇帝的新衣》、马克吐温《百万英镑》节选《在服装店》、狄更斯《双城记》等等。
还有一篇奇葩的《拿破仑的三个问题》。
对了,还有《威廉退尔》。几年后上大学时流行的是DOS环境下的挖金子,里边的音乐用到了《威廉退尔》序曲。那时候晚上走在各系长长的走廊里,两边的实验室里此起彼伏的都是这个声音,不禁令人感叹生活是如此美好。
罗西尼的原作: