書名：The Last of the Mohicans (25K彩圖經典文學改寫英文版+1MP3)
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《The Last of the Mohicans》（大地英豪：最後一個摩希根人）的場景設在1757年的夏天，時值北美印地安戰爭時期，英國和法國為爭奪紐約州西部而開戰。 威廉亨利堡是英國的前哨基地，由穆羅上校所負責，後來遭到法國指揮官孟康和同盟的印地安人攻擊，這些印地安人來自胡龍族和達拉威部落。穆羅上校的兩個女兒愛麗絲和蔻若，前來找他們的父親，卻在途中被胡龍族的馬瓜所挾持，因為馬瓜想向宿敵穆羅上校報一箭之仇。一位叫做鷹眼的早期移民後代，他身懷絕技，和欽加哥、安卡斯兩位摩希根人營救了兩位姊妹。他們歷經了多次危險的交戰，千鈞一髮，最後在奮戰中以悲劇收場。 這是一本虛構小說，但故事中有一些橋段以真實的歷史事件為背景，例如1757年八月威廉亨利堡的投降事件。投降之後，殖民者棄堡離開，卻遭到法國的印地安同盟者攻擊，最後有180個人左右在事件中喪生。 The Last of the Mohicans is set in the summer of 1757. This was the time of the French and Indian War, when the British and the French armies were both trying to gain control of an area of West New York State. Fort William Henry, a British outpost controlled by Colonel Munro, is under attack by the French General Montcalm and his Indian allies, amongst them the Huron and the Delaware tribes. Munro’s daughters, Alice and Cora, are on their way to join their father. They are captured by Magua, a Huron Indian who wants revenge on his old enemy Munro. The sisters are helped by an expert frontiersman called Hawkeye, and his Mohican companions Chingachgook and Uncas. After a series of terrible battles and thrilling escapes, the story has a tragic, though positive, ending. The Last of the Mohicans is a work of fiction, but some parts of the story, such as the surrender of Fort William Henry in August 1757, are based on real events from history. The colonists left the fort after surrendering, but they were attacked by the Indian allies of the French, and around 180 of them were killed. 共出版十餘本，分兩大套： ● Helbling Classics（經典英文文學改寫） 全系列皆隨書附贈全文朗讀MP3。 內文編排精美，採用彩色印刷，全文穿插精美插圖，單元設計豐富。 除了精彩的小說之外，另編寫有： 1.About the Author（作者簡介）：介紹作者，幫助認識創作背景。 2.About the Book（本書簡介）：介紹故事內容概要，幫助了解故事的背景與旨意。 3.Before Reading（閱前活動）：設計各種問題和活動，幫助暖身，啟發各種探討與學習。 4.After Reading（閱後練習）：設計各種深入的問題和題目練習，幫助復習內容，加深英語的學習印象。 5.Test（測驗）：有些讀本在閱畢之後，設計有各種測驗題目，包括文意測驗和英語練習等。 6.隨文討論：在故事行文中，另設計有針對內文情節的問題探討，幫助做啟發性的思考。 作者簡介 詹姆士．庫柏 James Fenimore Cooper 於1789年出生於美國新澤西州的柏靈頓。他在家中十二名兄弟姊妹中排行十一，父親是一位大地主，在紐約州開創了「庫柏鎮」，雙親皆是基督教貴格會的教徒。他在成長過程中，喜歡探索住家附近的田野森林。 他在十七歲時加入海軍，接下來五年的歲月都在航海中度過。二十歲時，他繼承家產，並在兩年後結婚。他曾有一段時間以農為業。他生活無虞，有時間從事閱讀之類的活動。他研究美國歷史和北美的生活。 有一次，在寫完一篇小說後，他跟妻子說，他要寫出更好的東西一點也不難。妻子鼓勵他嘗試，他開始爬格子，於1820年出版了第一本小說，之後持續創作，出版了四十餘本書籍，其中包括社會科學和政治評論。 他最有名的著作是五本「皮裹腿故事」系列，描寫美國拓荒者的故事，《最後的摩希根人》（1826年出版）即是當中的一本。這系列故事中的英雄人物叫做Natty Bumppo，他又名「鷹眼」或「皮裹腿」。 1826年到1833年期間，庫柏遊歷了歐洲，住過倫敦、巴黎和義大利的索倫托。他透過著作，主要要向讀者傳達社會責任、民主政治、美國歷史和美國的文化傳統。1851年，庫柏於家鄉庫柏鎮辭世。 James Fenimore Cooper was born in Burlington, New Jersey, USA in 1789. He was the eleventh of twelve children. His parents, William and Elizabeth Fenimore Cooper, were Quakers. His father was a successful landownerand he established the village of Cooperstown in New York State. When Cooper was growing up, he loved exploring the countryside and forests that surrounded his family’s estate. Cooper joined the Navy when he was 17 and traveled the seas for the next five years. He inherited his father’s estate when he was 20, and got married when he was 22. For a while he made a living from farming. He lived comfortably and had time for activities such as reading. He learned about American history and about the lives of the Native Americans. Once, after finishing a story he told his wife that he could easily write something better himself. She told him to try. He did, and published his first novel in 1820. He went on to write over 40 books, including works of social and political criticism. He is most famous for his five ‘Leatherstocking Tales’ set in the American frontier which include The Last of the Mohicans (1826). The hero of these novels is Natty Bumppo, who is also known as Hawkeye and as Leatherstocking. From 1826 to 1833 Cooper traveled in Europe and lived in London, Paris and Sorrento. Through his writing he aimed to teach his readers about social responsibilities, about democracy and about American history and heritage. Cooper died in 1851 at his home in Cooperstown. |
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