高三英语上学期Unit13-Warming-up.pptVIP

Unit 13 The Mystery Of the Moonstone Warming up Answer the following question: By whom was the novel The Moonstone written? Wilkie Collins, one of the first writers of detective novels in Britain. Background Information Wilkie Collins (1824 – 1889) Wilkie Collins wrote 27 novels, more than 50 short stories and at least 15 plays. As a close friend of Charles Dickens, Collins was one of the best known, best loved, and, for a time, best paid. Now, Collins is being given more critical and popular attention. Almost all his books are in print, he is studied widely, and new film and television plays of his books have been made. Nevertheless, there is still much to be discovered about this superstar of Victorian fiction. Collins’ masterpiece: The Moonstone Wilkie Collins The Moonstone The Moonstone (1) The Moonstone is a huge yellow diamond that was once part of a statue of the moon god in India. An Englishman stole the diamond, and left it to his sister’s daughter, Rachel, as a gift for her 18th birthday. (2) (3) Before her birthday party, Rachel’s friend Franklin painted a door in her sitting room with flowers and birds. (4) All the guests are astonished by its size and rare beauty. But from the moment Rachel fastens it to her dress, things start going wrong. (5) Over dinner, Franklin has a quarrel with Dr Candy, the local doctor, about prescription and medicine. (6) One of the guests, Godfrey, asks Rachel to marry him, but she declines. Some Indians come to the house offering to entertain the guests, but they are not very skilled and behave strangely. (7) At the end of the party everyone leaves except for Franklin and Godfrey, who are staying the night. (8) (9) Before going to bed, Rachel puts the diamond in the drawer of a cupboard in her sitting room, but the following morning it is gone. (10) Rachel’s mother hires the famous detective Sergeant Cuff to investigate the theft. Cuff suspects almost everyone: the Indians, the servants, Godfrey, Candy, Franklin,