Lesson Two Never Late (2)

1
Lesson TwoNever Late (2)

• Guide Questions
• Analysis and Explanation
• Reading Comprehension
• Summary of the Lesson

2
What will happen to the narrator who has
pulled the iron thing near the notice? Did he
have a strong reason to do that? Will he be
punished for what he has done? Continue your
reading and find the answer. Well, a
noise started above our heads. That was to show
everyone that there was something wrong. It was
not a small sound. It hurt my ears, and quite
possibly the men in my ship two miles away could
hear it. Then everyone began to talk at the same
time. Then the train stopped, and I was glad to
see that we were still in the station. Again I
tried to get through the door into the corridor,
and this time I certainly tried very hard. But
all the people and the suitcases and boxes made
it impossible.
3
I was getting very hot and rather angry.
Then the noise above our heads stopped, but
something seemed to be happening outside in the
station. A lot of people were running about, and
some of them were calling to others and making a
lot of noise. There were two small men just in
front of me they were standing in the corridor
and looking through the window. I could see over
their heads, and so I could see the station
outside. Out there a rather fat man, dressed in
blue, was running about and trying to look in
through the windows. He seemed to be very angry
about something. Well, I needed help,
and perhaps he could help me he was wearing
blue and so he was perhaps a man who worked on
the train. So I raised my two bags high in the
air, and made signs over the mens heads that I
wanted so get out
4
The man in blue stopped running and stood there
with a very red and angry face. He leaned down
and looked at me out of the tops of his eyes.
Then he called to someone whom I could not see,
and pointed at me through the window. He was
certainly an angry man. But he seemed to be angry
with me, and I could not understand that. I only
wanted to get out. I tried to speak to
him, but the window was closed. I raised my
voice, and everyone stopped talking.
5
They all seemed to think that something was going
to happen now. They were right. The fat man
came to the window, and someone opened it.Did
you stop this train? he cried. How hot he
looked! Of course I stopped it , I said I
want to get out..He could not believe his ears
. You stopped The Flying bluebird? he cried at
the top of his voice.Yes ,I certainly did, I
answered.But you cant do that! he cried
angrily . You cant do that.I can do it ,I
said. Ive done it.
6
You cant! You cant ! I thought that he was
going to need a doctor. You may stop every other
train in the world if you like, but not The
Flying bluebird It will be late at Endoran, and
it is never late. Never!. Never! No one has ever
stopped it before.I was not feeling very
pleased about all this. Well, I said , now
Ive stopped it. Thats something new in the
world. Help me to get out.
7
He was so angry that for some seconds he could
not speak. Then he said , There will soon be
something new in your life.. He looked away
from me towards the back of the train . I was
still trying to get out, of course, but it was
impossible. There were about twelve people
between me and the outside door, and the floor of
the corridor was covered with all kinds of
things. No one could walk on that floor. My two
cases gave me a lot of trouble, too. When I
looked out of the window again, I saw five
policemen. The man in blue clothes
8
was talking to one of them and pointing at me.
This one seemed to be an officer, and he told me
angrily to get out at once. But what was the use
of that? I could not move, and so he became
angrier. Get out! he said again. Youre
coming with us to the police station.The
police station? I cried . What have I
done?Youve stopped The Flying Bluebird, he
called back. I cant come to the police
station, I said I have to catch my ship, and
it leaves at half past eleven, I have no time to
come to the police-station. You wont catch any
ship today , he said Get out.I cannot get
out, I cried. Ive tried for ten minutes, and
its impossible. Oh, is it? he said. We shall
see. He took his four men away from
the window, and then I heard someone opening the
outside door at the end of the corridor. A noise
started near the door, and I heard angry voices.
9
The police were trying to
reach me and take me to police-station. But they
could not. It was true that I could not get out
but it was also true that they could not get in.
I heard the sound of something falling outside.
The policemen were throwing the suitcases and
boxes out of the train ! Angry cries came from
their owners, and of course the owners got out,
too. The corridor was not so full
now, and I could hear the police coming nearer
and nearer to me .
10
I lost hope of catching my ship. I had not enough
money to buy a ticket for another ship, or to
stay in a hotel for several days. My bank was
far away . But I did not need a hotel, I was
going to the police-station. It seemed
a long time before the officer reached me, and
when at last his face came round the door, it was
very hot. Most of the things from the corridor
were now outside on the station, and a lot of
very angry people were out there too. I got ready
to go with the officer. Follow me
,he said. I did so, and we easily
reached the door and got out. There was a lot of
noise there, but I was able to hear him.
11
Good morning !he said kindly .I hope that you
will catch your ship! I was very surprised. But
arent we going to the police-station? I asked.
Oh, no. Theres no need for that. You were quite
right. Of course you couldnt get out. No train
ought to have so many people in it. Good
morning!I liked that officer. He was a man who
could think.
12
I thanked him and walked away with my two cases.
I looked back once. The Flying bluebird still
stood in the station, and the people were trying
to put their things back into the train . The
officer was talking to the man in blue, who did
not look very happy. The officer was pointing at
all the people, and it seemed to me that the man
in blue was going to take my place at the
police-station.
13
I caught my ship easily. It was quiet there. I
had drink as soon as I could. I needed it.From
A Number of Things Longman,1962Approximately
1200 words
return
14
Guide Questions

• What happened then?
• Who was that fat man in blue?
• Why was he so angry?
• What did he want to do to the narrator?
• Who came then?
• What did the officer do?
• Did he take the narrator to the police station
  after he looked into the matter? And why?
• Who was going to the police station instead?
• What does the title mean?
• What do you think of the story?
• What happened at the end of the story?
  return

15
Reading Comprehension

• True or False
• Multiple-choice
• Question for discussion
• return

16
True of False

• After a loud noise the train stopped and people
  began to talk at the same time.
• T
• The narrator was serious when he said the men in
  my ship two miles away could hear it.
• F
• The fat man in uniform, perhaps, belonged to the
  train station.
• T
• He called one police officer to take the narrator
  away to the police-station
• T
• The police officer did as the fat man told him.
• F
  return

17
Multiple choice1. A noise started above our
heads. Here the noise was given out by _____.

• A the shouting angry men
• B the ship two miles away
• C the falling of boxes and suitcases
• D the train itself telling people that the
  train would stop
• Key D
  return

18
2. The fat man, dressed in blue, was _____.

• A trying to move suitcases from the corridor
• B angry at the narrator for stopping the train
• C trying to help the man who wanted to get out
• D angry he could not speak to the man because
  the window was closed
• Key B
  return

19
3. The statement I thought that he was going to
need a doctor means _____.

• A I thought he was angry
• B I thought he should call a doctor
• C I thought he was so angry he would make
  himself ill
• D I thought he had gone mad
• Key C return

20
4. When the police officer went to the train he
wanted _____.

• A to arrest the man who had stopped the train
• B to clear the way for the man to get out
• C to find out what was wrong in the train
• D to talk to the man who had stopped the train
• Key A
  return

21
5. Why did the police officer change his mind?

• A He was too tired from moving suitcases.
• B He liked the man who had stopped the train.
• C He thought it too much trouble to arrest the
  man.
• D He understood why the man had to stop the
  train.
• Key D
  return

22
Questions for Discussion

• What do you think of the police officer?
• What do you think of the fat man in blue?
• 
  return

23
Outline

• The train stopped, but it caused much panic
  outside in the station. A fat man in blue, a man
  who worked on the train, was extremely angry at
  the narrators action. No one had ever stopped
  The Flying Bluebird before it had always run on
  time Railway policemen were sent for and it
  seemed the narrator was going to be taken to the
  police station for what he had done.
• The officer, however, was a man who could use his
  head. After he looked into the matter, he found
  out that the narrator was justified in stopping
  the train the train was too crowded for him to
  get off. Now it was not the narrator but the man
  in blue who should go to the police station,
  because he was partly responsible for the
  overcrowdedness of the train.
  return

24
I was getting very hot I was getting worried and
frightened.?????????hot adj. Being at a high
temperature.????Causing a burning sensation, as
in the mouth spicy ????????????,?????????hot
peppers a hot curry.????????????Arousing
intense interest, excitement, or
controversy???????,?????,????a hot new book
a hot topic.?????????????
return
25
The usage can be regarded as an
exaggeration. It hurt my ears, and
quite possibly the men in my ship two miles
away could hear it.??????,??????????????????
return
26
I tried to get through the door into the
corridor I made my efforts to come out from the
compartment (??)into the passage(??)???????????
return
27
make a lot of noise,make a noise??,??,????The
song has made a noise.??????????
return
28
dressed in blue??????????????in??? Out there a
rather fat man, dressed in blue, was running
about A rather fat man who was dressed in blue
was running up and down outside the train
return
29
???WELL????,??????(???????)???????WELL???????????
??????EG, Well, do as you please??(??),?????
Well, who was it???,????? Well,
Heres Jack.?!?????
return
30
raise vt.To move to a higher position elevate
??,??????????????raised the loads with a
crane.?????????To gather together collect
??????raise money from the neighbors for a
charity.?????????????? So I raised my two
bags high in the air, and made signs over the
mens heads that I wanted to get
out.???????????,???????????????,?????????that
????????

return
31
lean down??,??The tree leans down towards the
house.
return
32
Looked at me out of the tops of his
eyes??????(????????)
return
33
He could not believe his ears.???????????She
could not believe her eyes.??????????
return
34
I thought that he was going to need a
doctor.????????
return
35
he cried at the top of his voice?????top
n.The uppermost part, point, surface, or end.
?,?????????????The highest degree, pitch, or
point the peak, acme, or zenith
???????,???????,??????It had come at a time
when he was not feeling at the top of his form?
Anthony Powell)??????????????(??????)

return
36
He looked away from me towards the back of the
train.??????,???????????look away from????
??
return
37
something new here is a euphemism. The
man means that the narrator will be punished
because of stopping the train. Then he said,
There will soon be something new in your
life.???? ?????,??????
return
38
You may stop every other train in the world if
you like ?????????????,???????????.every other
train ???The Flying Bluebird???????. ??every
other?????????
return
39
Thats something new in the world.??????????????
????new??EG. The doctor told her not to take
anything sweet.
return
40
There were about twelve people between me and the
outside door, and the floor of the corridor was
covered with all kinds of things??????????12?,???
????????????be covered with ????
return
41
But what was the use of that? But it was no use
telling me to get out of the train.??????????????
?That??????get out at once
return
42
It was true that I could not get out but it was
also true that they could not get
in.????????????????????It is true that but
?????,?? ???? ????????It is ?true
?????????EG, It is true that he is not clever,
but he is very diligent.
return
43
He took his four men away from the
window.?????????????take sb. away
from????????
return
44
We shall see. We shall see if it is impossible
to get out of the train.?????????????????
return
45
My bank was far away I could not draw money
from the bank because it was a long distance
away.???????????,??????
return
46
The policemen were throwing the suitcases and
boxes out of the train.??????????? throwing
out of?????
return
47
lose hope of ?????It is very dangerous
for a man who lost hope of living.
return
48
It seemed a long time before the officer reached
me.?????????????BEFORE ???????????,????
? ??????BEFORE ?NOT UNITIL??????,?
???????????BEFORE?????????????????????,??,???????
?????BEFORE??EG, Any pictures that are taken
will have to travel for three minutes before they
reach the earth.???????????3????????

return
49
Good morning!Here Good morning is used for
greeting. In Chinese, we say ???!It is quite
different from Good morning in the following
which means Good bye for farewell.
return
50
when at last his face came round the doorwhen
he at last appeared at the door.??????????
return
51
He was a man who could think.?????????????Here
obviously the narrator implied that the man in
blue was a person who couldnt think. If a
person who could not think with his brain, he is
a fool.
return
52
who did not look very happy is a
non-attributive clause modifies the man.
According to the context we can guess the
reason of his being unhappy.
return
53
to take my place in the police stationTake
ones place as we ve learnt that earlier just
means ????here in Chinese.It implied that the
man in blue would be punished in the police
station because of his fault.
return
54
Comments

• Lesson 2 begins with a description of the panic
  in the station caused by the narrator. Policemen
  were sent for. After a careful investigation into
  the matter, the police officer allowed the
  narrator to leave and decided to place the blame
  on the train official. He should not have allowed
  the corridor to become so crowded. Through out
  this part the narrator keeps the reader involved
  in his worries Will he miss his boat? Will he be
  taken to jail? The end provides a satisfactory
  climax for the readers emotions. The person who
  was really in the wrong was punished.
• In an informal and light style the narrator tries
  to make an amusing story out of a very serious
  matter. It sets the reader thinking about these
  questions What tragedies could occur from such
  an overcrowded condition? What would happen if
  someone had a heart attack? What if a fire broke
  out?
• 
  return

55
Outline of the textComment on the storyreturn
56
Answer It caused great panic outside in the
station.
return
57
Answer A train official
return
58
Answer Because no one had ever stopped this
train before.
return
59
Answer He threatened to have the narrator taken
to the police station.
return
60
Answer Railway policemen
return
61
Answer He got on the train to find out why the
narrator could not get off the train
return
62
No.return
63
Answer The fat man in blue.
return
64
Answer At first we may think it means The Flying
Bluebird was never late, but when we finish
reading the whole story , it suddenly dawns upon
us that it also refers to the narrators never
being late to catch his ship.
return
65
Answer A humorous story.
return
66
Just contrary to the readers
expectation, the train official was taken to the
police station.
return