Lesson 7 The Devil and Tom Walker (2)

Washington Irving

1、Tom Walker loved money as much as he loved life. But he asked for time to think. He told his wife what had happened as soon as he got home. She wanted Captain Kidd’s treasure so much that she urged him to give the Devil what he wanted, but Tom refused.

2、At last, Mrs. Walker decided to do what Tom refused to do. She put all her silver in a large piece of cloth and went to see the dark giant. Two days passed, she did not return home. She was never seen again.

3、People said later that Tom went to the place where he had met the giant. He saw his wife’s cloth hanging in a tree. He was happy, because he wanted to get her silver.But when he opened the cloth, there was no silver in it—only a human heart.

4、Tom was sorry he lost the silver, but not sorry he lost his wife. He wanted to thank the giant for this. And so, every day he looked for the giant. Tom finally decided that he would give the giant what he wanted in exchange for Captain Kidd’s treasure.

5、One night, Tom Walker met the giant and offered his soul in exchange for Captain Kidd’s treasure. The devil wanted more than that. He said that Tom would have to use the treasure to do the Devil’s work. He wanted Tom to buy a ship and bring slaves to America.

6、As we have said, Tom Walker was a hard man who loved nothing but money. But even he could not agree to buy and sell human beings as slaves. He refused to do this. And so, the Devil said that his second most important work was lending money. The men who did this work for the Devil forced poor people who borrowed money to pay back much more than they had received. Tom liked this kind of work. And so the Devil gave him Captain Kidd’s treasure.

7、A few days later, Tom Walker was a lender of money in Boston. Everyone who needed help—and there were many who did—came to him to borrow money. Tom Walker became the richest man in Boston. When people were not able to pay him back, he took away their farms, horses, and their houses.

8、As he got older and richer, Tom began to worry. What would happen when he died? He had promised his soul to the Devil. Maybe… maybe… he could break that promise.

9、Tom then became very religious. He went to church every week. He thought that if he prayed enough, he could escape from the Devil.

10、One day, Tom took the land of a man who had borrowed money. The poor man asked for more time to pay. “Please do not destroy me!” he said. “You have already taken all my money!” Tom got angry and started to shout, “Let the Devil take me if I have taken any money from you!”

11、That was the end of Tom Walker. For just then, he heard a noise. He opened the door. There was the black giant, holding a black horse. The giant said, “Tom, I have come for you.” He picked up Tom and put him on the horse. Then he hit the horse, which ran off, carrying Tom.

12、Nobody ever saw Tom Walker again. A farmer said that he saw the black horse, with a man on it, running wildly into the forest.

13、After Tom Walker disappeared, the government decided to take Tom’s property. But there was nothing to take. All the papers which showed that Tom owned land and houses were burned to ashes. His boxes of gold and silver had nothing in them but small pieces of wood. The wood came from newly cut trees. Tom’s horses were dead, and his house suddenly burned up.

(689 words)

Exercises

Ⅰ. How well did you read?

1. [Draw a conclusion] What does “this” in the sentence “He wanted to thank the giant for this” refer to?

A. His wife’s death.

B. The lost of his wife’s money.

C. The chance the Devil offered to make him the richest man in Boston.

2. [Check the details] What did Tom Walker promise to give the Devil for Captain Kidd’s treasure ？

A. He offered the Devil his wife’s life.

B. He offered the Devil his own soul.

C. He promised to give the Devil his wife’s money.

3. [Check the details] What did people find in Tom Walker’s boxes after he was taken away by the Devil?

A. Small pieces of wood. B. Newly cut trees. C. Some burned ashes.

Ⅱ. Read for words.

1. Choose one best paraphrase or Chinese meaning for the underlined words.

(1) “Please do not destroy me!” he said. “You have already taken all my money!” (Para. 10, Line 2)

A. kill B. take everything away C. send to the Devil

(2) After Tom Walker disappeared, the government decided to take Tom’s property. (Para. 13, Line 1)

A. money, especially gold and silver B.land and houses

C. the things that belong to sb.

2. Choose one best paraphrase or Chinese meaning for the underlined expressions.

(1) Maybe… maybe… he could break that promise. (Para. 8, Lines 2~3)

A. break the rule B. follow his words C. not keep his word

(2) He picked up Tom and put him on the horse. (Para. 11, Line 3)

A. 抓起，拾起 B. 开车接 C.注意到

Ⅲ. Writing practice.

1. Did Tom Walker want to get Captain Kidd’s money?

2. What did he tell his wife?

3. What did his wife do when Tom didn’t go to the Devil?

4. Was Tom Walker sorry for his wife’s death or the loss of his wife’s money?

5. How did Tom Walker become the richest man in Boston?

6. How did the Devil take Tom Walker away?