Welcome to our reading of Daniel Mendoza from New Concept English. Daniel Mendoza was born in 1764 in London and became one of England's most famous boxers during the Georgian era. He was a pioneering figure who helped develop modern boxing techniques and was notably the first Jewish boxing champion in England. His career spanned the late 18th and early 19th centuries, making him a significant historical figure in the world of sports.
Now let's examine the complete New Concept English passage about Daniel Mendoza. The text describes boxing in England two hundred years ago, when fighters used bare fists and fought for prize money. Here are some key vocabulary words you should know: eminent means famous or distinguished, bare-fisted refers to fighting without gloves, nobleman is a person of noble rank, patronage means support or sponsorship, crude means rough or unrefined, and colourful means interesting or vivid. These words will help you better understand the historical context of the passage.
Let's read through the passage paragraph by paragraph with proper pronunciation guidance. Boxing matches were very popular in England two hundred years ago. In those days, boxers fought with bare fists for prize money. Notice the stress patterns: popular is stressed on the first syllable, hundred on the first syllable. Because of this, they were known as prize-fighters. However, boxing was very crude, for there were no rules. Prize-fighters has stress on both prize and fight. One of the most colourful figures in boxing history was Daniel Mendoza, who was born in seventeen sixty-four. Colourful is stressed on the first syllable, and Mendoza on the second syllable. Pay attention to the rising and falling intonation patterns as you read.
Now let's analyze the grammatical structures and literary devices in this passage. Notice the use of passive voice constructions like 'were known as' and 'was born', which are common in biographical writing. The sentence about Daniel Mendoza contains a relative clause 'who was born in 1764' that provides additional information about the subject. Time expressions like 'two hundred years ago' and 'in 1764' establish the historical context. The formal writing style is typical of biographical texts, using descriptive language and historical narrative structure. The sentences follow standard English patterns with subjects, verbs, objects, and adverbial phrases that provide context and detail.
Now let's demonstrate the complete fluent reading of the Daniel Mendoza passage with proper pacing, intonation, and expression. Boxing matches were very popular in England two hundred years ago. In those days, boxers fought with bare fists for prize money. Because of this, they were known as prize-fighters. However, boxing was very crude, for there were no rules and a prize-fighter could be seriously injured or even killed during a match. One of the most colourful figures in boxing history was Daniel Mendoza, who was born in seventeen sixty-four. The use of gloves was not introduced until eighteen sixty, so the boxers fought with bare fists. They used to fight for as long as it took to knock the other man out. Notice the natural rhythm, proper stress on key words, rising and falling intonation patterns, and appropriate pauses that make this historical biographical text come alive.