The Gadfly (ESL/EFL Version with Audio)

詳細資訊

This is Book 9, Collection III, of the Million-Word Reading Project (MWRP) readers. It is suitable for learners with a basic vocabulary of 1,500 words.

Million-Word Reading Project (MWRP) is a reading project for ESL/EFL learners at the elementary level (with a basic vocabulary of 1,500 words). In two years, for about fifteen minutes each day, an ESL/EFL learner can read one million words, and reach the upper-intermediate level, gaining a vocabulary of about 3,500 words and a large number of expressions.

Text Information

　Readability | 80.2

　Total word count | 26551

　Words beyond 1500 | 1326

　Unknown word percentage (%) | 4.99

　Unknown headword occurrence | 2.54

　Unknown words that occur 5 times or more | 71

　Unknown words that occur 2 times or more | 258

Synopsis

The story is set in the 1840s in Italy, when Italy was under Austrian rule. Arthur Burton is attracted by the ideals of Young Italy, so he joins it and devotes himself to the freedom of Italy. Arthur respects Mr. Montanelli, Father Director, and Mr. Montanelli is worried when he learns what Arthur is doing and tries to stop him. At one secret meeting, Arthur meets Gemma, his old playmate and falls in love with him.

Montanelli becomes the Bishop in Rome. After he leaves for Rome, Cardi arrives as the new Director and becomes Arthur’s confessor. Arthur is tricked by Father Cardi and tells him of what he and his comrades are doing. As a result, he and several of his comrades are arrested. When Arthur comes out of prison, Gemma is angry and strikes him across the cheek.

Arthur also discovers an important secret of the Bishop Montanelli. He becomes so sad that he goes to South America. There, he suffers great hardships for 13 years. When he returns to Italy, he becomes a journalist, publishing radical ideas under the name “the Gadfly”….

This book is rewritten from “The Gadfly” by the Irish writer E. L. Voynich (1864-1960), published in 1897.

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