Introduction to the text

The story is set against the background of Apartheid South Africa.

South Africa was colonized by the British and Dutch in the 17th century.

British domination of the Dutch descendants (known as Boers or Africaners( 布尔人 , 荷裔南非人 ), speaking a Dutch dialect known as Afrikaans) resulted in the Dutch establishing the new colonies of Orange Free State and Transvaal( 德兰士瓦省 [ 南非 ( 阿扎尼亚 ) 省名 ]). The discovery of diamonds in these lands around 1900 led to a British invasion which resulted in the Boer War( 布尔战争 ).

Following independence from Britain, there was a period of uneasy power-sharing between the two groups until the 1940s, when the Afrikaner National Party was able to gain a strong majority. Strategists in the National Party invented apartheid as a means to strengthen their control over the economic and social system. The aim, in reality, was to maintain white domination while extending racial separation.

Race laws touched every aspect of social life, including a prohibition of marriage between non-whites and whites, and the permit of “white-only” jobs. In 1950, the Population Registration Act required that all South Africans be racially classified into one of three categories: white, black (African), or colored (of mixed descent). Non-compliance( 顺从 ) with the race laws was dealt with harshly. Chinese settlers, mainly laborers, were classified as coloreds, while Japanese, mainly businesspeople, were classified as white.

Toward the end of the 1980s, amid increasing racial tension and criticism from the outside world, Nationalist president F. W. De Klerk started a serious reform. He removed the ban on the African National Congress, the principal anti-apartheid organization, and released Nelson Mandela, the ANC deputy president, after 27 years of imprisonment. Negotiations between the government and the ANC commenced （ began ） .

In June 1991, the Parliament started scrapping the country's apartheid laws. With Mandela's election as President in 1994, apartheid was completely brought to an end.

Words and Expressions

avert1) to prevent, to avoid 避免；防止 e.g. Preparedness averts peril. 有备无患。

Accidents can be averted by careful driving. 谨慎驾驶可避免发生事故。

2) to turn something away

e.g. To show politeness and respect, he averted his eyes when she changed out of her wet things.

When I was a child, I was told to avert my eyes from the sight of any animal being killed.

constrainedadj. too controlled as to be unnatural

e.g. I felt constrained to do what I was unwilling to do myself. 我觉得是被迫去做我自己不愿去做的事情。

Cold weather constrained the plant's growth. 寒冷的天气抑制了植物的生长。

{ 派生 } constrain v.

{ 搭配 } constrain sb. to do sth. 逼某人做某事 constrain oneself 勉强；自制

be constrained to do sth. 不得不； [ 被迫 ] 做

feel constrained 觉得不自如［受压抑，不舒服］

contemplation

n. the act or state of contemplating; thoughtful observation or study

{ 搭配 } be lost in contemplation 想得出了神 have in contemplation 打算 / 企图做某事 ...

in contemplation 计划中的；冥想 have sth. in contemplation 打算 / 企图做某事 ...

contemplate v. to consider carefully and at length

e.g. I lay in bed contemplating what to do next. 我躺在床上思考着下一步做什么。

All day he did nothing but contemplated. 他整天什么也没干， 一个劲儿地在冥思苦想。

envy n. the feeling of wanting something that sb. has 羡慕 , 忌妒{ 搭配 } be in envy of sb.’s success 羡慕某人的成

功 out of envy 出于忌妒 / 羡慕 green with envy 妒忌得面色发青 , 非常妒忌He has become an envy of all his friends, since he was assi

gned to a new promising post.他被派到一个新的很有发展前途的工作岗位 , 所以成为朋友们羡慕的对象。v. to feel envy toward. 对…感到羡慕e.g. I don't envy you your journey in this bad weather.

{ 派生 } envious a. be envious of sb. for his success =be envious of sb.’s success 忌妒 / 羡慕某人的成功

expel v. to force air, water, gas, etc, out of your body; to f

orce or drive out 赶走 , 驱逐或把…赶出去e.g. expel foul air from the lungs 从肺部排出污气 expel an invader 把侵略者赶出去 The pupil was expelled for stealing. 那学生因偷

窃被开除。{ 同义 } discharge, dismiss{ 派生 } expellee n. 被逐出国外者 , 被开除者

expeller n. 逐出者 , 开除者

expellent n. 驱除剂 , 排毒剂 adj. 具有驱逐力的

omit v. to fail to include or mention; leave out 遗漏，疏

忽没有包括或提及 ; to pass over; neglect. 忽视，忽略

e.g. omit a word 漏了一个字 omit an item from a list 从目录中略去一项You have omitted my name in from the list. 你把我

的名字从名单上漏掉了。{ 同义词 } miss, neglect, leave out

renounce v. to formally give up right, claim, ownership, etc

放弃，抛弃 e.g. He renounced his claim to the property. 他宣

布正式放弃财产所有权。 renounce one's old habits 戒绝旧习惯 renounce the world 退隐 { 派生 } renouncement n. 否认 , 拒绝

{ 同义 } abandon, discard,

give up, reject

suspend v. (1) to hang so as to allow free movement 吊，挂悬挂使自由活动

e.g. The lamp was suspended from the ceiling. (2) to cause to stop for a period; interrupt 暂行一段时期 , 中断

e.g. We suspended the building work during the rain.{ 搭配 } suspend A from B 把 A 挂在 B 上 (be) suspended in 悬浮在 ... 中 suspend from 自悬挂下来 ; ( 被 ) 停职 / 停学e.g. Tom is suspended from school for a week for bad co

nduct. 汤姆因为行为不端被停学一周。 { 派生 } suspendible adj. 可中止的 , 可中断的 suspending n. 悬浮 , 悬浊 , 悬置 suspended adj. 暂停的，缓期的（宣判）

reprimandv. to reprove severely, especially in a formal or official way 谴责 ,

严厉训斥 , 尤指以正式的或官方的形式n. rebuke, especially an official one 训斥 , 申斥{ 搭配 } reprimand sb. for sth. 为某事训斥某人 receive/give a reprimand (for sth.) 受到或给予训斥

e.g. He was reprimanded for playing truant. 他因逃学而受严斥。

She received a severe reprimand. 她受到严厉的训斥。

departure n. 1) the act of leaving 离开 2) a deviation, as from an established rule, plan, or procedure 偏

离 , 脱离已建立好的规则、计划或程序

e.g. departure and arrival 开出和到达

departure hall (飞机场的 )候机室 departure platform 发车月台

The departure of the train was delayed. 火车开出的时间推迟了。

{ 搭配 } take one’s departure 动身 , 离开

a departure from ( 从常规、习惯等的 )背离，变更

e.g. departure from the truth 失真The new policy represents a complete departure from thei

r precious position. 新政策表明了他们已彻底背离原先的立场。

for God’s sake (spoken) used when you are telling someone how important it is to

do or not to do sth. 务必 e.g. You, for God’s sake, must come back before sunse

t.

{联想 } for God's [Christ's, goodness', heaven's, mercy's] sake 看在上帝的面上做做好事吧 ! 看在老天爷份上 !

for the sake of 为了…好处；为…着想 for all [both] our sakes 为了大家 [ 你我双方 ]

for any sake 好歹 , 无论如何 Thank God!(=G-be thanked!) 感谢上帝 ! 谢天谢地 !

God bless you ! 愿上帝保佑你 [ 我 ]! 我的天啊 ! God helps those who help themselves.[谚 ] 天助自助者。

What do you know aboutAlan Paton?

An important

South African novelist

and political activist,

whose novel

Cry,

the Beloved Country

brought worldwide

attention to the tragedy

of apartheid.

Part I (Para.1-6) Introduction of the story.

Part II (Para.7-76) The body of the story.

Edward Simelane’s work was exhibited at a bookstore and was admired by a young white man, who invited him to have a drink but he was let to drink in the passage.

Sentence Appreciation

1) In the year 1960 the Union of South Africa celebrated its Golden Jubilee, and there was a nationwide sensation when the one-thousand-pound prize for the finest piece of sculpture was won by a black man, Edward Simelane. (Para.1) Para.: In the year 1960, the Union of South Africa celebrated its fif

tieth anniversary, and there was a great excitement throughout the country when people heard that the prize for the finest piece of sculpture was won by a black man.

Golden Jubilee( 五十周年纪念 ): Jubilee is the celebration of a special anniversary: silver jubilee (25th anniversary); golden jubilee (50th anniversary) and diamond jubilee (60th or 75th anniversary).

sensation: extreme excitement or interest

e.g. create / cause / make a sensation 使感动 , 引起轰动 His speech produced a great sensation in the audience.

The new opera did not cause the sensation that had been expected.

2) His work, African Mother and Child, not only excited the admiration, but touched the conscience or heart or whatever it was that responded, of white South Africa, and seemed likely to make him famous in other countries. (Para 1)

Para.: His sculpture, African Mother and Child, not only won the admiration but also moved the hearts or conscience of the white people in South Africa, probably because the work is the best they have ever seen or because the sculpture caused the white to realize the injustice of racial discrimination and the black people’s longing for a better life for their children.

excite the admiration: arouse, call forth, evoke the admiration of the public 引起公众的赞美

e.g. The glorious setting sun excited our admiration. 壮丽的日落景色令人赞叹。

conscience: the awareness of a moral or ethical aspect to one‘s conduct together with the urge to prefer right over wrong 良心

e.g. Let your conscience be your guide. 让你的良心指引你。

4) … but in certain powerful quarters, there was an outcry against any departure from the “traditional policies” of the country… (Para.3)

Para.: … but in certain politically influential circles, there was a strong protest against this decision as it was not in conformity with the traditional, apartheid policies of the country…

quarters: a usually unspecified group of people e.g. I learned the news from some usually well-informe

d quarters.outcry: a strong protest or objectione.g.There was a public outcry against police brutality. There was an outcry among the workers when the de

cision was announced.traditional policies refers to the racist policies which pol

icies which had been in effect for many years

5) "I wasn't feeling up to it," Simelane said mischievously to me. "My parents, and my wife's parents, and our priest, decided that I wasn't feeling up to it. And finally I decided so too."(Para.4)

Note: When Simelane said mischievously to the author that he wasn't feeling up to it, he meant that he was going to pretend that he was sick and therefore he could not go to the ceremony, and he knew that the author would understand that it was only an excuse. The meaning became even clearer when he went on to say that his parents and others "decided" that he wasn't feeling up to it. What they really meant of course was that he should not go to the ceremony as it was too risky.

to feel up to: to be well enough to; to be capable of, e. g.

I don't feel up to a long hike.

I don't think Ann will feel up to it. She is not as young as she used to be.

mischievously: playfully; teasingly mischievous a mischievous glance 恶意的一 瞥 a mischievous child 淘气的孩

子

6) In Orlando you develop a throat of iron, and you just put back your head and put it down, in case the police should arrive. (Para.5)

Para.: When black people in Orlando were drinking brandy, they often had to put back their head and look at whether the policeman was present or not, and drinking up the wine quickly for fear of being caught by the police.

A throat of iron: Because brandy is a very strong drink, they gradually develop a very strong throat– like a throat of iron.

in case:

Take a hat with you in case the sun is very hot.

in case of: In case of rain they can’t go.

7) They gave a window to it, with a white velvet backdrop, if there is anything called white velvet, and some complimentary words. (Para.7)

Para.: They gave a whole window to the sculpture with a white curtain at the back and some words in praise of the work. The curtain (backdrop) was made of white velvet, if there is such a thing as white velvet.

Note: Velvet is usually soft and smooth. But this country of apartheid, it was hard for the sculptor to associate the color “white” with such qualities as “softness” and “smoothness”.

Notice the sharp contrast of the colors of the backdrop and the sculpture. There is something symbolic about it.

backdrop: 1) a painted curtain hung at the back of a stage set 背景幕 2) the setting, as of a historical event; the background 背景

e.g. The important events at the beginning of the century provided the backdrop for his novel. 本世纪初的一些重大事件为他的小说提供了背景。

8) Well honestly I didn’t feel like a drink at that time of night, with a white stranger and all, and a train still to catch to Orlando. (Para.16)

Para.: Well, to tell the truth, I didn’t like the idea of having a drink at that time of night. It was getting late, and I had to catch a train to Orlando before I got into trouble with the police. Besides I would be drinking with a white stranger and would have to face all the possible consequences.

feel like: I feel like a cup of coffee. 我想喝杯咖啡。 I feel like catching cold. 我象是感冒了。and all: the whole thing, including everything or everybody mentio

ned 连同 ... 一起 ; 等等 e.g. My boss promised to provide me with a computer an

d all. He ate the whole of the fish, head, tail, bones, and all.

9) I was glad to see that the entrance lobby was deserted. I wasn’t at my easy . The lift was at ground level, marked Whites only. (Para.34)

Para.: I was glad to see that there was no one in the wide entrance passage. I was a bit nervous.

be deserted: with no one presentbe at one’s ease: feeling natural and comfortable; with

out any embarrassment or discomfort. {联想 } put/set sb. at his ease 使某人宽心 ; 使某人感到无拘无束 be ill at ease 不安；心神不宁 (stand) at ease 稍息

lift: (chiefly Britain) an elevator (AmE) Similarly flat is also used chiefly in British English. In A

merican English, apartment is more often used. English in South Africa is British English.

ground floor: also British English for what the Americans call the first floor

Has racism been a serious problem in human history? Is the problem solved?

Is it easy to detect the existence of racism? Why or why not?

Does racism only involve governments and politicians? Why or why not?

Post-reading Activities