Editors of newspapers and magazines often go to extremes to provide their readers with unimportant facts and statistics. Last year a journalist had been instructed by a well-known magazine to write an article on the president's palace in a new African republic. When the article arrived, the editor read the first sentence and then refused to publish it. The article began: 'Hundreds of steps lead to the high wall which surrounds the president's palace.' The editor at once sent the journalist a telegram instructing him to find out the exact number of steps and the height of the wall.

The journalist immediately set out to obtain these important facts, but he took a long time to send them. Meanwhile, the editor was getting impatient, for the magazine would soon go to press. He sent the journalist two more faxes, but received no reply. He sent yet another fax informing the journalist that if he did not reply soon he would be fired. When the journalist again failed to reply, the editor reluctantly published the article as it had originally been written. A week later, the editor at last received a telegram from the journalist. Not only had the poor man been arrested, but he had been sent to prison as well. However, he had at last been allowed to send a fax in which he informed the editor that he had been arrested while counting the 1,084 steps leading to the fifteen-foot wall which surrounded the president's palace.

二、【New words and expressions】生词和短语

◆editor n. 编辑

◆extreme n. 极端

◆statistics n. 统计数字

◆journalist n. 新闻记者

◆president n. 总统

◆palace n.王宫;宏伟的住宅

◆publish v. 出版

◆fax n. 传真

◆impatient adj. 不耐烦的

◆fire v. 解雇

◆originally adv. 起初，原先，从前

★editor n. 编辑

edit vt. 编辑

edition n.编辑

editorial adj. 编辑的，主编的;n. 社论，评论

★extreme n. 极端

go to extreme(s) to do 走极端

Eg: He went to extreme to say that the play was the best one.

He went to extremes to say that his girlfriend was the most beautiful in the world.

go from one extreme to the other

★statistics n. 统计数字

★journalist n. 新闻记者

journalist (杂志) 新闻记者

reproter (电视台) 记者

correspondent (电台)记者，通讯员

★president n. 总统

★palace n.王宫;宏伟的住宅

★publish v. 出版

Eg: They have already published the magazine.

= print vt.

Eg: the book has already been published.

The book has gone to press.

★fax n. 传真

sent a fax

★impatient adj. 不耐烦的

patient adj. 有耐心的

patiently adv. 有耐心地

impatient adj. 不耐烦的

impatiently adv. 不耐烦地

patience n.

impatience

★fire v. 解雇

He was fired from his job.

dismass (正式)

The manager disissed him from his company.

sack(俚语) vt. 解雇，辞退

Eg: If you do it wrong again you will be sacked.

★originally adv. 起初，原先，从前

original adj.

三、【课文精析】

go to extremes 走极端

provide = supply 给…，提供(通常与介词搭配连用)

provede sb. With sth. / provide sth. for sb.

He provided them with a bed for the night.

He provided a bed for them for the night.

instruct sb. to do sth ==tell sb. formally to do sth. 正式告诉某人做某事

‘…a journalist had been instructed by a well-known magazine to write an article on the president's palace in a new African republic.’

主动语态：A well-known magazine instructed a journalist to write an article on the president's palace in a new African republic.’

The teacher instructed him to take the examination.

on ==about 侧重强调课题专一

A book on radio

When the article arrived = When the editor received the article

refuse to publish it

refuse: vt. 拒绝(态度严厉)

decline: vt. 婉言谢绝

repudiate: vt. 断然拒绝

which 指代the high wall

instructing—现在分词进一步补充说明fax的情况

set out to do sth.==decide and try to do 决定，打算，着手做=set about doing

Eg: He set out to make his first 1,000,000 in 5 years

take sb. a long time to do sth. 某事花了某人很久的时间

It took me five days to write the article.

two more faxes = another two faxes

fail to

reluctantly = unwillingly 勉勉强强地，不情愿地

as it had originally been written = in its original way

倒装简述：

not only 位于句首，必须采用倒装形式

The poor man had not only been arrested, but had been sent to prison as well.

1.否定副词位于句首，要倒装。

Never have I read such stories. 我从来没有读过这样的小说。

Nowhere can he find the book he wants. 无论在哪儿他都找不到他想要的那本书。

Hardly did I think it possible. 我并不认为这是可能的。

常用的否定副词：never, seldom, rarely, little, hardly, scarcely, nowhere, no sooner

2.含有only的状语位于句首，句子要倒装

Only then did he realize that he had made a mistake.只有到那个时候，他才认识到自己犯了个错误。

Only when a great deal more information has been obtained will it be possible to plan a trip.

只有获得比较多的信息之后，才有可能计划去旅行。

3.还有not的副词短语位于句首，要倒装。

not for a moment, not in the least , not for an instant, not until

Not in the least is he interested in Englsh literature. 他对英国文学一点都不感兴趣。

Not for an instant did i believe he had lied.

4.含有no的短语位于句首，句子要倒装。

at no time, in no way, in no sence, by no means, in no case, on no account, on no condition , under no circumstances.‘绝不’

Under no circumstances can we accpet the check.无论如何我们不能接受这笔钱。

On no account must you leave the baby in the house.你无论如何也不能把婴儿留在房间里。

5.so,suh位于句首，句子也要倒装。

He had at last been allowed = he had at last been permitted

= he had asked for permission

be allowed to do, be permitted to do, asked for permission to do sth. ：请求允许，被允许

in which ----which指代fax

while和现在分词搭配，做时间状语，表示“正在做某事的过程中”，可以用while引导的时间状语从句去替换。

while he was counting…

leading to 现在分词，通向

the steps leading to the president’s palace

the road leading to the forest

fifteen-foot ----做前置定语，这里的名词必须是单数形式新概念英语听力

which指代wall (避免和前面的句式结构相同)