Once upon a time in a faraway land there was a tiny kingdom that was peaceful, prosperous, and rich in romance and tradition. There, in a stately chateau, lived a widowed gentleman with his little daughter, Cinderella. A kind and devoted father, he gave his beloved child every luxury and comfort. Still, he felt she needed a mother’s care, and so he married again. For his second wife he chose a woman of a good family with two daughters just Cinderella’s age: by name, Anastasia and Drizella.
| faraway | adj. | 遙遠的 | widowed | adj. | 成為鰥夫的 | |
| stately | adj. | 堂皇的 | devoted | adj. | 摯愛的 | |
| chateau | n. | 莊園 | beloved | adj. | 所深愛的 |
It was upon the untimely death of this good man, however, that the stepmother’s true nature was revealed – cold, cruel, and bitterly jealous of Cinderella’s charm and beauty. She was grimly determined to forward the interests of her own two awkward daughters.
| untimely | a | 過早的 | determed | adj. | 決意的 | |
| reveal | v. | 顯露 | forward | v. | 促進,助長 | |
| bitterly | adv. | 懷恨地 | awkward | adj. | 笨拙的 | |
| grimly | adv. | 可怕地 |
As time went by, the chateau fell into despair. The family fortunes were squandered upon the vain and selfish stepsisters while Cinderella was forced to become a servant in her own home.
| despair | n. | 絕望 | vain | adj. | 自負的 | |
| squander | v. | 浪費,揮霍 |
Yet through it all, Cinderella remained gentle and kind. With each and every dawn she found new hope that someday her dreams of happiness would come true…
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