The Missing Five-Pound Note

1. Background Knowledge

2. Text Analysis

3. Exercises

4. Questions for Discussion

Background Knowledge

The drama is one of several methods of telling a story. It differs from the novel in that the story is not told directly by the author but is acted on a stage by actors before an audience. Strictly speaking, a printed play is not a play at all until it is acted. So, in reading plays, we should visualize as well as we can the stage for which the play was written; that is, we must imagine seeing and hearing the characters in action.

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Background Knowledge

The playwright has special restrictions not imposed on the novelist or short-story writer. He is restricted in time by the patience and endurance of the audience. He is restricted in space by the physical limitations of the stage and the kind of visual backgrounds the theater affords. One more restriction on the playwright is that he must keep himself out of the picture. He cannot, like some novelists or short-story writers, come forward, interrupt the action, and tell the audience what he means by a certain scene or explain to them what is going on in the minds of his characters. He cannot point out the moral; the play must explain itself.

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Background Knowledge

Most critics agree that the essence of drama is conflict. A conflict is a clash of actions, ideas, desires or wills. It may happen in different forms: man against man, man against environment or man against himself. The conflict becomes more and more intensified as the play moves on until it reaches its climax, the point of greatest excitement or tension. When the story is over, we are able to see what it all amounts to, what the playwright has been gradually disclosing throughout the play. Only then can we define and assess the theme, a kind of generalization about life embodied in the story.

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Questions for Discussion

1. What helps the policeman make his correct judgment?

2. Can you find out the use of irony in the text?

3. What can we learn from the text?

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Exercises

1. Multiple-choice Questions

2. True/False Questions

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1.We can learn from this dialogue that .

A) money had never been stolen in that office

B) money was often stolen in that office

C) it was not in the office that the money was stolen

D) it was not the first time that money was stolen

Multiple-choice Questions

Answer

1.We can learn from this dialogue that D .

A) money had never been stolen in that office

B) money was often stolen in that office

C) it was not in the office that the money was stolen

D) it was not the first time that money was stolen

Multiple-choice Questions

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2.Jim said that Nobby sometimes checked the mail too well. What did he mean by this?

A) Nobby always checked the mail very carefully.

B) Nobby only checked the mail sometimes.

C) Nobby would sometimes take cash from the mail.

D) Nobby sometimes checked the mail carefully and at other times he did not do so.

Multiple-choice Questions

Answer

Multiple-choice Questions

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2.Jim said that Nobby sometimes checked the mail too well. What did he mean by this? (C)

A) Nobby always checked the mail very carefully.

B) Nobby only checked the mail sometimes.

C) Nobby would sometimes take cash from the mail.

D) Nobby sometimes checked the mail carefully and at other times he did not do so.

3.Nobby meant to tell the policeman in the interview that .

A) he didn’t like Jim

B) Jim was lazy in his work

C) the boss liked him better than Jim

D) Jim was a suspicious character

Multiple-choice Questions

Answer

Multiple-choice Questions

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3.Nobby meant to tell the policeman in the interview that D .

A) he didn’t like Jim

B) Jim was lazy in his work

C) the boss liked him better than Jim

D) Jim was a suspicious character

4.When the policeman called Nobby a “clever boy ”, his intention was .

A) to praise Nobby for acting sensibly

B) to find fault with Nobby

C) to hear whether Nobby had anything else to say

D) to give Nobby the impression that his explanation was accepted as the truth

Multiple-choice Questions

Answer

Multiple-choice Questions

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4.When the policeman called Nobby a “clever boy ”, his intention was D .

A) to praise Nobby for acting sensibly

B) to find fault with Nobby

C) to hear whether Nobby had anything else to say

D) to give Nobby the impression that his explanation was accepted as the truth

5.The officer didn’t believe Nobby had put the money in the dictionary because .

A) Jim would have known about it

B) it would still be in the dictionary

C) you can’t put a bill between pages 123and 124. They are the two sides of one piece of printed paper

D) pages 123and 124were torn out of the dictionary

Multiple-choice Questions

Answer

Multiple-choice Questions

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5.The officer didn’t believe Nobby had put the money in the dictionary because C .

A) Jim would have known about it

B) it would still be in the dictionary

C) you can’t put a bill between pages 123and 124. They are the two sides of one piece of printed paper

D) pages 123and 124were torn out of the dictionary

6.Finally we can decide that Jim was .

A) careless

B) blameless

C) faithful to his boss

D) friendly to Nobby

Multiple-choice Questions

Answer

Multiple-choice Questions

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6.Finally we can decide that Jim was B .

A) careless

B) blameless

C) faithful to his boss

D) friendly to Nobby

True/False Questions

1. Nobby and Jim work in the same office and they have been good friends.

2. When Jim and Nobby were being questioned, Nobby did the talking most of the time.

3. The policeman thought Jim was a suspicious character because he was the only other person in the office when the money disappeared.

True/False Questions

1. Nobby and Jim work in the same office and they have been good friends. (F)

2. When Jim and Nobby were being questioned, Nobby did the talking most of the time.

3. The policeman thought Jim was a suspicious character because he was the only other person in the office when the money disappeared.

True/False Questions

1. Nobby and Jim work in the same office and they have been good friends. (F)

2. When Jim and Nobby were being questioned, Nobby did the talking most of the time. (T)

3. The policeman thought Jim was a suspicious character because he was the only other person in the office when the money disappeared.

True/False Questions

1. Nobby and Jim work in the same office and they have been good friends. (F)

2. When Jim and Nobby were being questioned, Nobby did the talking most of the time. (T)

3. The policeman thought Jim was a suspicious character because he was the only other person in the office when the money disappeared. (F)

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True/False Questions

4. When Nobby went out to buy the newspaper, he slipped the note into his desk dictionary. He was afraid Jim might steal the money while he was out.

5. Nobby tried to throw the blame on Jim.

6. Nobby reveals his own guilt by saying he put the note between pages 123 and 124.

True/False Questions

4. When Nobby went out to buy the newspaper, he slipped the note into his desk dictionary. He was afraid Jim might steal the money while he was out. (F)

5. Nobby tried to throw the blame on Jim.

6. Nobby reveals his own guilt by saying he put the note between pages 123 and 124.

True/False Questions

4. When Nobby went out to buy the newspaper, he slipped the note into his desk dictionary. He was afraid Jim might steal the money while he was out. (F)

5. Nobby tried to throw the blame on Jim. (T)

6. Nobby reveals his own guilt by saying he put the note between pages 123 and 124.

True/False Questions

4. When Nobby went out to buy the newspaper, he slipped the note into his desk dictionary. He was afraid Jim might steal the money while he was out. (F)

5. Nobby tried to throw the blame on Jim. (T)

6. Nobby reveals his own guilt by saying he put the note between pages 123 and 124. (T)

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A five-pound note is missing from the office. Can it be found? Who has stolen i

t? With these questions in mind, read the following short play and try to find the answer.

Narrator: Nobby Stiles and Jim Dixon work in the same office, but they have never been good friends. One Friday morning a five-pound note has been stolen, and when a policeman calls to interview the two office boys, Nobby tries to throw the bla

me on Jim.

Policeman: Now then, Nobby, you say there were just two of you at the office this morning when the five-pound note disappeared.Nobby: That’s right, just Jim and me.Policeman: And where did the five-pound note come from in the first place? Nobby: It arrived in an envelope, in payment of a bill. Policeman: You mean someone dared to send cash by an ordinary mail?

Nobby: Oh, that often happens, and it’s not the first time it has disappeared, either. There’s someone with light fingers around here.Jim: Well, you needn’t look at me like that, Nobby Stiles. After all, it was you who opened the letter, and you who took out the five-pound note in the first place.Nobby: Well, I always check the mail for the boss before he gets here, don’t I?Jim: Perhaps you check it too well sometimes!

Policeman: Now then you two, just stop it. (Turning to Nobby) If you opened the letter, Nobby, and took out the five-pound note, then how did it get stolen?Nobby: That’s exactly what I’d like to know. I got here at eight o’clock this morning, a few minutes before Jim—he’s often a bit late. I’d begun opening the mail when I realized I’d forgotten to buy the boss’s newspaper on the way to the office.

Jim: I fetch the paper on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, and it’s Nobby’s turn the rest of the week. Nobby: I normally buy it at the newsagent’s round the corner, so I just went out to get a copy this morning.Jim: Yes, that’s right, because you were leaving the office just as I arrived.

Policeman: And where was the five pounds all this time, Nobby?.Nobby: Well, usually it’s the boss who looks after money—the safe’s in his office—but since he hadn’t arrived, I folded and slipped it into my desk dictionary here.Policeman: Why did you do that?Nobby: Well, I didn’t want to carry it out into the street, and I wasn’t going to leave it lying around to tempt anyone coming i

nto the office as soon as I had left for a moment!

Policeman: So you hid it in this dictionary. (He flicks through the book.) Well, it’s certainly a good hiding place, all 364 pages of it!Nobby: You’re right, and that’s what I thought! I slipped it in between pages 123 and 124—one, two, three, and four, that’s easy to remember. That’s why I put the note there, so I could find it quickly when I got back.

Policeman: Clever boy!Nobby: Yes. I was only out for a minute or so. The dictionary was in the same place when I returned, but when I opened it the money was gone. And I know where. I’m afraid that the only other person in the office at that time was Jim.

Jim: But I tell you, I didn’t take the money.Policeman: I’m sure you didn’t, Jim, but I think I know who did. Nobby Stiles, you’d better accompany me to the police station, young man.Narrator: And the policeman was right, for Nobby later admitted that he had stolen the money and hidden it outside the office when he went for the newspaper. But what made the policeman suspect Nobby?

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missing [] a. 遗失的=loste.g. Is there anything else missing? 还有别的东西丢了吗？

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interview [] vt. 与…面谈，会见=meete.g. The newspaper reporters interviewed the minister. 报社记者们采访了部长。

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Now then :used at the beginning of a sentence to attract the attention of the listener 喂（我说，听着）

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in the first place:usually means 首先 ,but here it means 当初，原先。

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envelope [] n. 信封=covering of a lettere.g. Fold the letter and put it in an envelope. 把信叠好放入信封中。

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payment [] n. 支付；报偿=payinge.g. The payment of this bill is due tomorrow. 明天就该支付这个账单了。 In payment of a bill:

to pay for things bought or services offered. Return

cash [] n. 现金=money in coin or notese.g. I have no cash with me — may I pay by cheque? 我没带现金——用支票付款可以吗？

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mail [] n. 邮件=poste.g. You’d better send the letter by air mail. 这封信你最好航空邮寄。

ordinary mail: 平邮，没有挂号

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after all 毕竟e.g. Of course she behaved awfully, but after all, she is your sister. 当然她表现得很糟糕，但毕竟她是你姐姐。

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exactly [] ad. 正好，恰恰=juste.g. That’s exactly what I expected. 那正是我所期待的。

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normally [] ad. 通常，按惯例=usuallye.g. Normally the train takes twenty minutes to reach the next town. 通常火车要花二十分钟到达下一个市镇。

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newsagent [] n. （英）报刊经售人=shopkeeper who sells newspaperse.g. I bought today’s Daily at the newsagent’s of the railway station. 我在火车站的报摊上买了今天的日报。 newsagent’s:

newspaper stand ,a place to sell newspapers Return

look after 照管e.g. I will come up occasionally to look after the house. 我会偶尔来照管房子。

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go after 追赶；追求e.g. The dogs went after the wounded deer. 猎狗追赶着受伤的鹿。

day after day(year after year) 日复一日（年复一年）e.g. But year after year the government refused to provide these funds. 但是年复一年政府都拒绝提供这些资金。

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one after another 一个接一个地e.g. They rose one after another and walked out. 他们站了起来，一个接一个地走了出去。

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safe [] n. 保险柜=fireproof and burglar-proof box in which money and other valuables are kept.e.g. Important documents like these should be kept in the safe. 象这样的重要文件应该放在保险箱里。

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fold [] vt. 折叠=bend one part of a thing back over on itself.e.g. After get-up, he folded back the bed clothes. 起床后他叠起了被褥。

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slip [] vt. 悄悄地塞=put secretlye.g. He slipped a marker between the pages. 他在书页中加上书签。

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tempt [] vt. 引诱=luree.g. Nothing could tempt him to such a course of action. 没有任何事情能够诱使他做这种事。

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as soon as 一…（就…）e.g. I’ll tell him the news as soon as I see him. 我一看到他就把这个消息告诉他。

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flick (through) [] vi. 飞快地翻阅=touch lightlye.g. He flicked through the magazine, then threw it away. 他随手翻翻杂志，就把它扔在一边。

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accompany [] vt. 陪同=go withe.g. He was accompanied by his secretary. 他由秘书陪同。

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admit [] vt. 承认，供认=confesse.g. The accused man admitted his guilt. 被告承认了他的罪行。

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suspect [] vt. 怀疑=doubte.g. We suspect the truth of the account. 我们怀疑这一报告的真实性。

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Nobby tries to make Jim responsible for the missing five-pound note.诺比想把丢五英镑的责任推到吉姆身上。

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And where did the five-pound note come from in the first place?首先要问那张五英镑的钞票是怎么来的？

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There’s someone with light fingers around here.我们这儿有人手脚不干净。

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This sentence has an ironic meaning: You are not checking the mail but looking for the cash.

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and Nobby fetches the paper on Thursdays and Fridays周四和周五轮到诺比买报纸

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I folded and slipped it into my desk dictionary here.我把钞票对折了一下，夹在案头词典里。

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The sentence carries double meanings. The surface meaning is that "Nobby, you are quick-witted. It's true that 123 and 124 are very easy to remember." Actually the policeman means "Nobby, you are being a bit too clever! You have revealed your guilt by saying so."

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Do you like detective stories? Why?

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What does Nobby imply?

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What's the understatement of Jim's words?

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Is the policeman's action important to the story?

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What is in the policeman's mind now?

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