One night, the gaoler decided to play a joke on his colleague to find out if, after so many performances, he had managed to learn the contents of the letter by heart.

play a joke on sb. ^{给某人开玩笑（拿某人寻开心）}

• He added that a student had dressed up as a policeman and was playing all sorts of silly jokes on people.

play a trick on sb. ^{给某人开玩笑（替换）}

• He played a trick on his wife, but she beat him up.

kid (sb.) / joke ^{戏弄(某人)/开玩笑}

• Are you kidding (me)?
• Are you joking? ^{vi. 不能加me}

have a joke with sb. ^{与某人分享笑话（给某人讲个笑话）}

• I've just had a joke with the manager.

make fun of sb. ^{拿某人寻开心（戏弄）}

• The other children were always making fun of him because he was fat.

make a fool of sb.  ^{让某人出丑（愚弄）}

• I suddenly realized that I was being made a fool of.

play the fool (with sb.) ^{扮演傻瓜逗某人乐}

• Stop playing the fool (with me). You'll fall!

The curtain went up on the final act of the play and revealed the aristocrat sitting alone behind bars in his dark cell.

the curtain goes up / rises ^幕布升起

• the curtain comes down / falls ^{幕布落下了}

on the final act ^{时间状语（在最后一幕开始的时间）}

• in the last act ^{时间状语（在最后一幕的过程中）}

all (alone / on one's own / by oneself) ^{单独的、独自的}

• She was sitting alone on a park bench.
• I don't like walking home on my own at night.
• Do you share the apartment or do you live by yourself?
• Wendy was frightened, all alone in that big old house. ^{完全是独自一人}

oneself ^{亲自做...(无by的情况)}

• Then I added with a smile,' It's a strange mixture I make myself.'
• Well, I'll have tea by myself. ^独自一人
• Lesson 46 Do it yourself ^DIY
• I would not hear of the suggestion and said that I would fix it myself. ^NCE3-46

lonely / lonesome ^{孤独的、寂寞的}

• lonely hearts ad ^征婚广告
• Are you lonesome tonight? Do you miss me tonight? Are you sorry we drifted apart?

Just then, the gaoler appeared with the precious letter in his hands.

He entered the cell and presented the letter to the aristocrat.

present sth. to sb. ^{呈递（庄重的、带有仪式感的）给某人}

• present sb. with sth. ^{倒过来说（看名词长短）}
• When Dickie was given the watch, he presented the assistant with the cloth bag.
• He entered the cell and presented the aristocrat with the letter. ^替换

But the copy he gave him had not been written out in full as usual. 

It was simply a blank sheet of paper.

a sheet of paper ^{长方格固定规格的纸（A4、B5）}

• a piece of paper ^{随便一张纸（没有规格）}

The gaoler looked on eagerly, anxious to see if his fellow actor had at last learnt his lines.

look on ^{vi.旁观（不参与）}

• stand by ^站在旁边
• Only one man tried to help us, the rest just looked on / stood by in silence.

onlooker / bystander ^{旁观者 / 看热闹的人}

• An onlooker is someone who watches an event take place but does not take part in it. ^旁观者
• A bystander is a person who is present when something happens and who sees it but does not take part in it. ^旁观者

形容词做原因状语^{（省略being）}

• Ashamed of having acted so rashly, Dimitri apologized to Aleko for having accused him.
• Tired of sleeping on the floor, a young man in Tehran saved up for years to buy a real bed.
• be anxious / eager / impatient / itching / desperate / dying to do...
• can't wait to do ... ^{等不急要做}

learn / know sth. by heart

• learn sth.
• know their parts by heart
• learn the contents of the letter by heart
• learn his lines

Then, squinting his eyes, he said: 'The light is dim. Read the letter to me.' And he promptly handed the sheet of paper to the gaoler.

read sth. to sb. = read sb. sth. ^读给...

• Read me the letter.

Then, he squinted his eyes and said: 'the light is dim. Read the letter to me.' ^{中文习惯（眯眼和说一样重要）}

• 汉语：parataxis 平行语，连动句，没有轻重之别。 
• 英语：hypotaxis 层次语，突出中心动词，次要动词状语化。

Finding that he could not remember a word of the letter either, the gaoler replied: 'The light is indeed dim, sire. I must get my glasses.' With this, he hurried off the stage.

• He looked at his watch and saw that it was one o'clock, but the bell struck thirteen times and then it stopped. ^中文思维
• Looking at his watch, he saw that it was one o'clock, but the bell struck thirteen times before it stopped.

With this ^随着...

• with the coming of spring ^{随着春天的到来}
• with the approach of Christmas ^{随着圣诞节的临近}
• with the outbreak of war ^{随着战争的爆发}
• with the progress of science ^{随着科学的发展}
• with the evidence began to accumulate ^{with 介词后只能跟名词不能跟句子}
• However, as the evidence began to accumulate, experts from the zoo felt obliged to investigate, ... ^{AS 连词（随着）}

Much to the aristocrat's amusement, the gaoler returned a few moments later with a pair of glasses and the usual copy of the letter which he proceeded to read to the prisoner.

to one's ... ^{使某人⋯的是}

• to one's amusement
• to one's surprise
• to one's delight
• to one's excitement
• to one's dismay
• to one's sorrow

并列句 → 定语从句

• ...and,he proceeded to read it to the prisoner. →  the letter which he proceeded to read to the prisoner.
• He violently beat the boy and the boy later died from his injuries. → He violently beat the boy who later died from his injuries.
• Ha said he had lost his watch, but it was not true. → Ha said he had lost his watch, which was not true.