《牛津书虫》读到二级一半的时候写了《牛津书虫》系列图书的正确打开方式(1)。现在三级也读到一半左右了,继续总结。
词汇
从一级到三级,最明显的差异当然是词汇量。
比如对情绪的描写,一级几乎只有happy, sad, angry, afraid这几个词,所以故事情节稍一紧张人物就angry了,要么就是his/her face became red;到了二级时,人物最经常的情绪是crossly,frightened,terror;三级,人物已经能nervous, gloom等等
语言表达
一级的三十几本书的表达方式都是非常直接的,句式也是最常见的主谓宾,很少修饰词,更少修饰语,比如《绿野仙踪》开头这段:
There were no trees and no hills in Kansas, and it was often very windy. Sometimes the wind came very fast and very suddenly. That was a cyclone, and it could blow trees and people and buildings away. There were cellars under all the houses. And when a cyclone came, people went down into their cellars and stayed there.
这一段,全部是简单句,而且几乎没有什么修饰词。
二级,句式开始复杂,短小的从句频繁出现。比如《鲁宾逊漂流记》开头:
I was born in the year 1632, in the city of York in the north of England. My father was German, but he came to live and work in England. Soon after that, he married my mother, who was English. Her family name was Robinson, so, when I was born, they called me Robinson, after her.
三级,复杂的长句是主流的。比如《野性的呼唤》第一段:
Buck did not read the newspapers. He did not know that trouble was coming for every big dog in California. Man had found gold in the Yukon, and these men wanted big, strong dogs to work in the cold and snow of the north.
篇幅
一级和二级每本书的篇幅差不太多,因为一级的词汇量小句式简单,以我的水平,基本上平均一个小时可以读完一本书,而二级平均需要一个半小时左右。三级的篇幅明显长了,需要两个多小时读完。
从音频看,一级和二级的朗读速度都比较慢,一本书也是需要一个多小时播放完。三级的朗读速度明显快了一些,虽然篇幅长了,但一本书在一个半小时到两个小时播放完了。
仍然推荐听音频。这套书的朗读并非的教科书式的朗读,或者新闻播音员式的朗读,而是讲故事说评书式的,朗诵者会分角色带口音地表演,按情节调整语速,对听力是很好的训练。
文化
我不知道《书虫》这套书编撰的目标里是不是有对外输出英国正统文化这一项,但从选材看,基本是十八、九世纪英国的经典作品,故事背景都是几个世纪前英国工业革命时期,从这些经典故事能看出英式价值观。虽然每一级也掺杂了少许现代故事或惊悚小说,但这些更象是调剂读者口味的零食。
与原著的差别
从上面摘引的几段原文来看,跟原著相比,书虫的改写是相当大的。阅读时也能感觉到书虫版的简约,不仅仅是遣词造句上大刀阔斧地修枝剪叶,复杂的故事情节也被砍得七零八落,故事的发展有时过于神速和突兀。
我随便对照了六级的《苔丝》与原著,发现改得面目全非。象《苔丝》这种重在以景述情、以环境描写推进情节发展的小说,即使到书虫六级的水平,也是很难阅读原著。从阅读来讲,书虫与原著的差别,大概相当于小学语文课本与红楼梦的差别。
革命尚未成功,同志仍需努力
十月初买的书,我以为有三个月到年底应该可以读完六级,现在发现,自己太乐观了。以目前每天花两到三小时的时间推进,每本书一遍音频一遍文字阅读,第三级起码还需要二十天左右才能完成,这样推算,明年二月底能读完全书已经算快的了。
思考题:中文的分级阅读应该怎么做呢?