Part I:

I. Discussion

1. In what way does the general speak? What is told by the discrepancy between what he says and what he does?

2. In Para. 3 the author writes “He saw the dead black eyes of the general on him, studying him. General Zaroff’s face suddenly brightened.” What does  the word “dead” mean here and what causes the general’s face to brighten?

3. How did Zaroff make Rainsford accept his idea of a game?

4. In Para. 13, the General has given Rainsford a lot of valuable advice such as avoiding the big swamp and wearing moccasins. Why does the General help Rainsford?

5. What kind of man is Zaroff, judged from his speech and actions? (para. 13)

II. Language Study

1. As you wish, my friend. The choice rests entirely with you. But may I venture to suggest that you’ll find my idea of sport more interesting than Ivan’s.  (Para. 6)

The choice rests entirely with you: It’s all up to you to decide whether to play the game or not.

rest (para. 6)

a. rest with

    The final decision rests with the President.

    It rests with the jury to decide the prisoner’s fate.

    It rests with you to settle your differences as best as you can.

b. rest on

    Success in management ultimately rests on sound judgment.

may I venture to: It’s a polite way to put forward a proposal, but Zaroff’s proposal is cruel and bloody in nature.

venture (para. 6)

a. venture sth  

If I may venture an opinion, I’d say the plan needs closer examination.

b. venture to do sth

May I venture to suggest a few improvements?

c. venture + prep.

Nobody ventured out of doors during the period of SARS.

venture to do sth.: 敢于（做某事），大胆（做某事）

Examples:

Very few people ventured to go out on that stormy night.

I venture to suggest that you are wrong.

May I venture to suggest a change of plan?

venture on/upon 冒险进行（某事）

You should never have ventured on such an enterprise.

The hope of making further discoveries led them to venture upon a second voyage.

my idea of sport: my idea of amusement or fun

2. He nodded toward the corner to where the giant stood, his thick arms crossed on his hogshead of a chest.  (Para. 7)

where the giant stood: Here “where” is used to introduce a nominal clause of object, the object of preposition “to”.

hogshead of a chest: “Of” is used between two nouns, with the first modifying the second.

Please translate the following phrases or sentences into Chinese.

1)     a tyrant of a father

2)    that palace of a house

3)    some fool of a man

4) That’s a hell of a thing to do.

5) Ha! What a devil of a name!

6) In rushed a giant of a French officer.

7) She was a mere slip of a girl. Could she do that?

3. The general raised his glass, but Rainsford sat staring at him.  (Para. 10)

The general is ready to propose a toast for the game they are going to play, but Rainsford finds all things unbelievable.  

4. “Your brain against mine. You woodcraft against mine. Your strength and stamina against mine. Outdoor chess! And the stake is not without value, eh?” (Para. 11)

stake (para. 11)

a. at stake: The tension was naturally high for a game with so much at stake.

  At stake is the success or failure of world trade talks.

b. stake sth (usu. money or reputation) on sth

  He has staked his political future on the outcome of an election.

c. have a stake in sth

  The parties who hammered out the agreement now have a stake in making it work because they helped to create it.

Zaroff found the idea of competing with Rainsford interesting because Rainsford was a famous hunter. The game would become a game of strength, ability, skill, experience, and intelligence. The game would be as interesting as a game of outdoor chess. And both sides had the lives as the stakes.

5. One foolish fellow tried it. The deplorable part of it was that Lazarus followed him. He was the finest hound in my pack. (Para. 13)

One foolish fellow tried to escape through the Death Swamp, and he was killed by the quicksand. But the sad thing was that one of my finest hounds followed him there and was devoured by the quicksand. (Pay attention to the different attitudes Zaroff had for the loss of a man and a dog. For the man, he considered it a foolish behaviour, whereas for the hound, a lamentable thing.)

6. General Zaroff, with a deep courtly bow, strolled from the room.  (Para. 14)

Courtly: graceful and polite because he was once a Russian general

strolled from the room: walked out of the room in a slow and relaxed way because he was quite confident that he would win and he would have a wonderful time playing with Rainsford

Part II

I. Discussion

1. What animals are the two characters compared to separately? (paras. 18, 20, 24, 27)

2. How does Rainsford’s awareness of his situation change step by step?

3. What tricks does Rainsford use in order to escape from being hunted by the General?

4. Why does the general identify loudly Rainsford’s trick every time? What does this detail tell us of his character?

5. Are there any details that hint at the general’s cold-bloodedness?

 II. Language Study

1. Rainsford had fought his way through the bush for two hours. “I must keep my nerve. I must keep my

nerve,” he said through tight teeth. (Para. 15)

keep my nerve: to keep calm

Rainsford had run for his life through the bush for two hours. “I must keep calm and act wisely or I would be caught,” he said with his teeth clenched because of nervousness.

2. He had not been entirely clear-headed when the chateau gates snapped shut behind him. His whole

idea at first was to put distance between himself and General Zaroff. He had plunged along, spurred on by a sharp feeling of panic. (Para. 16)

He couldn’t think clearly and wisely when the gates were shut with a loud sound. At first the only thing he wanted to do was to get as far away as possible from Zaroff. He had moved quickly, driven by a feeling of extreme fear.

3.  But now he had got a grip on himself, had stopped, and was taking stock of himself and the situation.

(Para. 16)

Now he calmed down, had stopped the blind running for life, and was making an appraisal of himself and the situation.

4. He saw the straight flight was futile; inevitably it would bring him face to face with the sea. He was in a picture with a frame of water, and his operations, clearly must take place within that frame.  (Para. 17)

flight: noun form of flee, the act of escaping from danger

futile: useless; in vain

He realized the straight escape was useless; of course it would make him face the sea. He was surrounded by the sea, and as a result all his actions must be carried out within the frame of water.

5. He executed a series of intricate loops; he doubled on his trail again and again. (Para. 18)

Executed: to perform a difficult act or movement

Loops: a shape produced by a curve crossing itself

He moved round and round many times and after that he covered the same trail repeatedly so as to confuse Zaroff.

6. “I have played the fox,” he thought, “now I must play the cat.” … after a fashion, rested. (Para. 18)

after a fashion: in a way

Rainsford said to himself that he has done enough running and now should hide up in a tree.

7. Rainsford’s impulse was to hurl himself down like a panther, but he saw that the general’s right hand held something metallic—a small automatic pistol. (Para. 20)

Rainsford’s first reaction was to jump upon General Zaroff and take his chances, but then he was checked by the sight of the pistol in the general’s right hand.

8. The pent-up air burst hotly from Rainsford’s lungs. (Para. 22)

the air he had held in his lungs while the general was right under the tree

9. Rainsford’s second thought was even more terrible. It sent a shudder of cold horror through his whole being. (Para. 23)

through his whole being: through his whole body

After a second thought, Rainsford realized the situation was  not  what he had thought. And it made him tremble all over.

10. Following the trail with the sureness of a bloodhound came the general. (Para. 27)

Bloodhound: a large hunting dog with a very sharp sense of smell

The sentence is used in inverted order. The normal order should be: The general came following the trail with the sureness of a bloodhound.

11. His foot touched the protruding bough that was the trigger. (Para. 27)

Protruding: sticking out

Bough: a main branch on a tree

12. He sensed the danger and leaped back with the agility of an ape. (Para. 27)

Although there was no proof he felt that there was danger and he jumped back with the quickness of a monkey.

13. ... but for his alertness, he must have been smashed beneath it. (Para. 27)

But for: without

If he had not been so alert, he would certainly have been crushed to death.

14. “I am going now to have my wound dressed. But I shall be back. I shall be back.” (Para. 28)

have my wound dressed: have my wound cleaned and bandaged

(Pay attention to the fact that the general says “I shall be back” two times to show his will and determination to get Rainsford. )

15. He crouched behind lightning-charred tree and waited. Soon he heard the padding sound of feet on the soft earth. (Para. 31)

lightning-charred tree:  a tree which had been struck and burnt by lightning

padding: walking with a soft and steady sound  

16. Then he felt an impulse to cry out with joy, for he heard the sharp scream of pain as the cover of the pit gave way and the pointed stakes found their mark. (Para. 31)

gave way: to collapse because of too much pressure

found their mark: hit their target  

17. At daybreak Rainsford was awakened by a sound that made him know that he had new things to learn about fear. (Para. 33)

At sunrise Rainsford was waken up by the baying of the hounds that made him feel more frightened than before.   

18. Rainsford had hardly tumbled to the ground when the pack took up the cry again. (Para. 38)

tumbled to: to fall quickly and suddenly downward

No sooner had Rainsford fallen to the ground than the pack barked again.

19. Two slight annoyances kept him from perfect enjoyment. (Para. 39)

However it could have been a perfect hunting game but for two slight annoyances.

Part III

I. Discussion

1. Who won the game in the end? Why doesn’t the writer tell us directly? 

2. General Zaroff has promised that if Rainsford wins the game, he would send Rainsford back to the mainland. In the end the general fails to get Rainsford by midnight of the third day.Rainsford could leave the island. But why does the story end in the death of Zaroff?

3. What might have happened to the general?

4. What moral lesson does the general’s end tell?

5. What will happen if the story is continued?

II. Language Study

1. He had never slept in a better bed, Rainsford decided. (para. 46)

Decide: to come to a conclusion

So who won the duel? The fact that Rainsford can now sleep in this wonderful bed is a clear indication that he has come out the winner. Notice that the author does not waste words on describing the process. He simply tells us the result, thus leaving everything else to our own imagination.