Welcome to New Concept English Book 3, Lesson 2. This lesson will help you develop advanced English language skills through comprehensive text analysis. Our learning objectives include mastering key vocabulary and expressions, understanding complex grammatical structures, developing reading comprehension skills, and applying language in practical contexts. This lesson builds upon previous knowledge while introducing new concepts that will enhance your English proficiency.
Now let's read the complete text of Lesson 2, titled 'Thirteen equals one'. Our vicar is always raising money for one cause or another, but he has never managed to get enough money to have the church clock repaired. The big clock which used to strike the hours day and night was damaged many years ago and has been silent ever since. One night, however, our vicar woke up with a start: the clock was striking the hours! He looked at his watch. It was one o'clock. He listened again; there was no doubt about it, the clock was definitely striking. It struck thirteen times!
Let's analyze the key vocabulary from Lesson 2. The word 'vicar' refers to a priest in the Church of England. 'Raise money' means to collect funds for a specific purpose. A 'cause' is a principle or movement that people support. To 'manage' means to succeed in doing something difficult. 'Repair' means to fix something that is broken or damaged. When a clock 'strikes', it sounds to indicate the hours. 'Damage' means to harm or break something. 'Silent' means making no sound at all. The phrase 'with a start' means suddenly and in surprise. Finally, 'definitely' means certainly or without any doubt. Understanding these vocabulary items helps us comprehend the story better.
Now let's examine the key grammar points in Lesson 2. First, we see the Present Perfect Tense in phrases like 'he has never managed to get enough money' and 'has been silent ever since'. These show actions that started in the past and continue to affect the present. Second, we have Past Perfect constructions like 'The big clock which used to strike' and 'was damaged many years ago', indicating completed past actions. Third, there are relative clauses such as 'The big clock which used to strike the hours', where 'which' introduces additional information about the clock. Fourth, we find adverbial phrases like 'with a start' showing manner, and 'ever since' indicating time. Finally, there's an emphatic structure in 'there was no doubt about it', which strengthens the statement's certainty.
Let's analyze the deeper meaning of this text. The main theme revolves around the irony of a broken church clock that suddenly starts working but strikes thirteen times instead of the correct hour. The story is set in a church where the vicar constantly raises money for various causes but cannot afford to repair the important clock. The key elements include the church setting, the vicar as the main character, the problem of insufficient funds for repairs, and the surprising twist when the clock works but tells the wrong time. The author uses several literary techniques: irony is central as the clock works but gives incorrect information, suspense builds when the vicar 'woke up with a start', and humor emerges from the title 'Thirteen equals one'. In British culture, church clocks traditionally strike a maximum of twelve times, making thirteen strikes both unusual and amusing. This story demonstrates how sometimes getting what we want doesn't solve our problems in the way we expected.