HC-L16_Lunch Money

# Lesson 16
## Vocabulary in Context

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feature（以……為特色；著重於）feature（以……為特色；著重於）  
Storytellers often feature, or focus on, tales from their own cultural tradition.說故事的人常常會以自己文化傳統中的故事為重點，或特別著重（feature）這些故事。

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record（紀錄）record（紀錄）  
One of these tiny volumes could claim the record as the world's smallest book.這些小小的書本其中一本，可能可以號稱是世界上最小書的紀錄（record）。

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assuming（假設；只要）assuming（假設；只要）  
Mimes can tell stories without words, assuming viewers follow their motions.默劇演員不用說話也能講故事，只要（assuming）觀眾看得懂他們的動作。

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mental（心理的；腦海中的）mental（心理的；腦海中的）  
Exact words help readers create mental pictures of a story's characters and setting.精確的用字可以幫助讀者在腦海中（mental）想像故事人物和場景的畫面。

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launch（出版；發行）launch（出版；發行）  
After the launch, or initial printing, of his book, this author signs a copy of it at a store.在他的書出版（launch），也就是第一次印刷之後，這位作者在書店替一本書簽名。

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thumbed（快速翻閱）thumbed（快速翻閱）  
At the library, this student thumbed through books to find a story to read later.在圖書館裡，這位學生快速翻閱（thumbed）書本，想找一本之後要讀的故事。

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developed（設計；發展）developed（設計；發展）  
An artist developed, or planned, this character from pencil sketch to final color drawing.藝術家從鉛筆草圖到最後的彩色圖畫，逐步設計（developed）這個角色。

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incredibly（非常地；令人難以置信地）incredibly（非常地；令人難以置信地）  
Roman heroes like Hercules are often incredibly, or unbelievably, strong.像 Hercules 這樣的羅馬英雄通常非常、非常強壯，強到令人難以置信（incredibly）。

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episodes（章節；片段）episodes（章節；片段）  
A story told in several episodes, or parts, is sometimes called a series.由好幾個章節（episodes）或部分組成的故事，有時候會被稱為系列故事。

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villains（壞人；反派角色）villains（壞人；反派角色）  
In old movies most villains had evil grins, wore black clothes, and battled the heroes.在老電影中，大多數壞人（villains）都露出邪惡的笑容、穿黑色衣服，並且和英雄對抗。

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LUNCH MONEY by Andrew Clements selection illustrated by Adam Gustavson  
LUNCH MONEY 作者：Andrew Clements（選文）插畫：Adam Gustavson

## ESSENTIAL QUESTION
## ESSENTIAL QUESTION  
In what ways can illustrations enhance a reader's experience?插圖可以用哪些方式提升讀者的閱讀體驗呢？

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Standing in the cafeteria line, Greg opened his red plastic pencil case.在餐廳排隊時，Greg 打開他的紅色塑膠鉛筆盒。  
He counted once, and then he counted again, just to be sure.他數了一次，接著又數了一次，只為了確定沒有算錯。  
Then he grinned.然後他咧嘴笑了。  
There were thirteen left.還剩下十三本。

*Sweet! That means I sold seventeen units.*  
*太棒了！那表示我賣出了十七個「單位」。*

That’s what Greg called the comic books he’d been selling—units.這就是 Greg 對他一直在賣的漫畫書的稱呼——「單位」。  
And selling seventeen units before lunch was a new sales record.而在午餐前就賣出十七個「單位」，創下了新的銷售紀錄。

Greg’s comic books weren’t the kind for sale at stores. Greg 的漫畫書不是那種在商店裡販售的漫畫書。  
Regular comic books were sort of tall.一般的漫畫書都滿高的。  
Also a little floppy.而且有點軟軟的、容易彎。  
Not Greg’s.但 Greg 的不是。

Greg’s comic books were about the size of a credit card, and they could stand up on one end all by themselves. Greg 的漫畫書大約只有信用卡那麼大，而且它們可以自己用其中一邊立起來站著。  
They were only sixteen pages long, and he could fit about fifty of them into his pencil case.它們每一本只有十六頁，而他大概可以把五十本塞進他的鉛筆盒裡。  
These comic books were short and sturdy.這些漫畫書又短又結實。  
And that’s why they were called Chunky Comics.所以它們才被叫做 Chunky Comics。

Greg loved that name. Greg 很喜歡這個名字。  
He had chosen it himself.這是他自己取的。  
He got to pick the name because he was the author of all the Chunky Comics stories.他可以取名字，因為所有 Chunky Comics 的故事作者都是他。  
He had drawn all the pictures too.他也把所有的圖都畫好了。  
And he was also the designer, the printer, and the binder.而且他也是設計師、印刷的人，還負責把書裝訂起來。  
Plus he was the marketing manager, the advertising director, and the entire sales force.除此之外，他還是行銷經理、廣告總監，以及全部的銷售人員。  
Chunky Comics was a one-kid operation, and that one kid was Greg Kenton. Chunky Comics 是一個「一個小孩就能搞定」的工作室，而那個小孩就是 Greg Kenton。

Greg snapped the pencil case shut and grabbed a tray. Greg 啪一聲把鉛筆盒闔上，拿起一個餐盤。  
He took a grilled cheese sandwich, a cup of carrot sticks, and then looked over the fruit cocktail bowls until he found one with three chunks of cherry. 他拿了一份烤起司三明治、一杯胡蘿蔔條，然後把水果杯一碗碗看過去，直到找到一碗裡面有三塊櫻桃的。  
He got a chocolate milk from the cooler, and as he walked toward his seat, Greg did some mental math. 他從冷藏櫃拿了一瓶巧克力牛奶，走向座位時，Greg 在心裡算起數學來。

Monday, the first day Chunky Comics had gone on sale, he had sold twelve units; Tuesday, fifteen units; Wednesday, eighteen units; and today, Thursday, he had already sold seventeen units—before lunch. 週一是 Chunky Comics 開始販售的第一天，他賣了十二本；週二，十五本；週三，十八本；而今天週四，他在午餐前就已經賣了十七本。  
So that was . . . sixty-two units since Monday morning, and each little book sold for $.25. 所以從週一早上到現在一共是……六十二本，而每一本小書賣 0.25 美元。  
So the up-to-the-minute sales total for September 12 was . . . $15.50. 所以截至目前為止，9 月 12 日的最新銷售總額是……15.50 美元。

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Greg knew why sales were increasing: word of mouth. Greg 知道為什麼銷量在增加：因為口耳相傳。  
Kids had been telling other kids about his comic book. 孩子們一直把他的漫畫書推薦給其他孩子。  
The cover illustration was powerful, the inside pictures were strong, and the story was loaded with action. 封面插圖很有衝擊力，裡面的圖也很精彩，而且故事充滿動作場面。  
The title was *Creon: Return of the Hunter*, and it was volume 1, number 1, the very first of the Chunky Comics. 標題是《Creon: Return of the Hunter》，而且是第 1 冊、第 1 期，是 Chunky Comics 的第一本。  
So that made it a collector’s item. 所以它就成了收藏品。

Greg sat down at his regular lunch table, next to Ted Kendall. Greg 在他平常坐的午餐桌坐下，旁邊是 Ted Kendall。  
Ted nodded and said, “Hi,” but Greg didn’t hear him. Ted 點點頭說：「嗨。」但 Greg 沒聽到。  
Greg picked up his sandwich and took a big bite. Greg 拿起三明治，大大咬了一口。  
He chewed the warm bread and the soft cheese, but he didn’t taste a thing. 他嚼著溫熱的麵包和柔軟的起司，卻一點味道都沒嚐到。  
Greg was still thinking about sales. Greg 還在想著銷售的事情。

*Fifteen fifty in three and a half days—not so hot.* *三天半才十五塊五——不怎麼樣。*

Greg had set a sales goal for the first week: twenty-five dollars—which meant that he had to sell one hundred units. Greg 設定了第一週的銷售目標：二十五美元——也就是他得賣出一百本。  
It looked like he was going to fall short. 看起來他可能達不到目標。

請看下側文字： 請看下方的文字：

**Voice** Authors can use word choice and point of view to show what a character is like. Explain how the author uses these techniques to make Greg’s personality and voice come through.  
**Voice（聲音／敘述語氣）** 作者可以用用字選擇和敘事觀點來呈現角色是什麼樣的人。請說明作者如何用這些技巧，讓 Greg 的個性和「說話的感覺（敘述語氣）」表現出來。

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The idea of making and selling comic books had hit Greg like a KRAK!! over the head from Superman himself. 製作並販賣漫畫書這個點子，就像是超人親自用「KRAK!!」一聲敲在 Greg 的頭上一樣，突然打中他。  
It made perfect sense. 這一切都很合理。  
Candy and gum were against school rules, and tiny toys were boring—and also against the rules. 糖果和口香糖違反校規，小玩具又無聊——而且也違反規定。  
But how could he go wrong selling little books? 可是賣小書怎麼可能會出錯呢？  
School was all about books and reading. 學校本來就都是書和閱讀。  
True, reading a comic book wasn't exactly the same as reading a regular book, but still, there was a rack of comics right in the kids' section at the public library downtown, and some new graphic novels, too. 的確，看漫畫不完全等同於看一般的書，不過市中心的公共圖書館在兒童區就有一整架漫畫，還有一些新的圖像小說也是。

Comic books had been part of Greg's life forever, mostly because of his dad's collection. 漫畫一直都是 Greg 生活的一部分，主要是因為他爸爸的收藏。  
His dad's collection filled three shelves in the family room—and it was worth over ten thousand dollars. 他爸爸的收藏塞滿了家庭房裡的三層書架——而且價值超過一萬美元。  
Once Greg had shown he knew how to take care of the comic books, he had been allowed to read and look at them all he wanted. 一旦 Greg 證明自己懂得怎麼愛惜漫畫書，他就被允許想看多少就看多少。  
Greg had even bought a few collectible comics of his own, mostly newer ones that weren't very expensive. Greg 甚至還自己買了幾本可收藏的漫畫，多半是比較新的、價格也不貴的。

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It was his love of comic books that had first gotten Greg interested in drawing.一開始是因為他喜歡漫畫書，才讓 Greg 對畫畫產生興趣。Comics had led Greg to books like *How to Draw Comic Book Villains*, *You Can Draw Superheroes*, *Make Your Own Comic-Book Art*, and *Draw the Monsters We Love to Hate*.漫畫也帶著 Greg 去看一些書，像是《How to Draw Comic Book Villains》、《You Can Draw Superheroes》、《Make Your Own Comic-Book Art》，還有《Draw the Monsters We Love to Hate》。Back in third grade Greg had used his own money to buy india ink, dip pens, brushes, and paper at the art supply store.早在三年級的時候，Greg 就用自己的錢到美術用品店買了印度墨水、沾水筆、畫筆和紙。And drawing new comic-book characters was one of his favorite things to do—when he wasn't earning money.而在他沒有去賺錢的時候，畫新的漫畫角色就是他最喜歡做的事情之一——

That whole summer before sixth grade Greg had worked toward the launch of Chunky Comics.在上六年級前的整個暑假，Greg 都在為推出 Chunky Comics 而努力。From the start he had felt pretty sure he could come up with a story idea, and he knew he would be able to do the drawings.從一開始，他就很有把握自己能想出故事點子，而且他也知道自己一定畫得出來。

But first he'd had to deal with a lot of hows:可是首先，他得先處理一大堆「要怎麼做」的問題：How does a whole comic book get put together?一本完整的漫畫書到底要怎麼做出來？How big should each be?每一本應該要多大？How was he going to print them?他要怎麼把它們印出來？How much would it cost him to make each one?做一本要花他多少錢？And finally, how much money should he charge for his finished comic books—assuming he could actually make some?最後，如果他真的做得出來，那完成的漫畫書要賣多少錢才好呢？

But one by one, Greg had found the answers.不過，Greg 一個一個找到了答案。An encyclopedia article about printing books had helped a lot.百科全書裡一篇介紹印書的文章幫了很大的忙。It showed how pages of a book start as one large sheet of paper that gets folded in half several times.文章說明了書頁一開始是一大張紙，會被對折好幾次。Each time the sheet is folded, the number of pages is doubled.每對折一次，頁數就會加倍。So Greg took a piece of regular letter-size paper, and folded it in half three times the way it showed in the encyclopedia.所以 Greg 拿了一張一般的 letter-size 紙，照著百科全書上示範的方式對折三次。That one piece of paper turned into a chunky little sixteen-page book—Chunky Comics.那一張紙就變成一本厚厚的小小十六頁書——Chunky Comics。It was so simple.這實在太簡單了。

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But not really.但其實也沒那麼簡單。Greg figured out that making little comic books was a ten-step process.Greg 發現，做小漫畫書其實是個十個步驟的流程。

1. Write a story that can be told on twelve to fourteen mini-comic book pages.  
1. 寫一個可以用十二到十四頁迷你漫畫書頁數講完的故事。

2. Sketch, draw, ink, and then letter all sixteen minipages—which include the front and back covers.  
2. 把全部十六頁迷你頁面（包含前封面和後封面）都完成：先打草稿、再畫線稿、上墨，最後再把字寫上去。

3. Paste eight of the minipage drawings into their correct positions on a piece of paper to make "master copy one"—a sheet that can be copied again and again.  
3. 把其中八張迷你頁的圖貼到一張紙上正確的位置，做成「master copy one」——這是一張可以一直拿去影印的母版。

4. Paste up the other eight minipages to make "master copy two."  
4. 把另外八張迷你頁貼好，做成「master copy two」。

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5. Using a copier, print the images from "master copy one" onto one side of a "press sheet"—a piece of regular letter-size paper.  
5. 用影印機把「master copy one」的圖印到一張「press sheet」（一張一般的 letter-size 紙）的一面。

6. Print "master copy two" onto the flip side of the press sheet—making eight page images on the front, and eight on the back.  
6. 再把「master copy two」印到 press sheet 的背面——讓正面有八頁圖、背面也有八頁圖。

7. Carefully fold the press sheet with the sixteen copied minipages on it.  
7. 小心把印有十六張迷你頁的 press sheet 對折。

8. Put in two staples along the crease at the very center of the little book—between pages 8 and 9.  
8. 沿著小書正中間的摺痕，用兩個釘書針釘起來——位置在第 8 頁和第 9 頁中間。

9. Trim the three unstapled edges—and that makes one finished mini-comic book.  
9. 把沒有釘起來的三個邊裁切整齊——這樣就完成一本迷你漫畫書了。

10. Repeat.  
10. 重複以上步驟。

And each of the ten steps had to be done perfectly, or no one would ever want to spend money on his little comics.而且這十個步驟每一步都得做得很完美，不然就不會有人想花錢買他的小漫畫。

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After all the *hows* had been settled, then came the writing.在所有的「怎麼做」都確定好之後，接著就開始寫作了。  
But Greg hadn’t written just one story.可是 Greg 並不是只寫一個故事。  
He had *developed* a master publishing plan.他還*設計*了一個完整的出版大計畫。  
Volume 1 was going to be about Creon, an *incredibly* intelligent Stone Age hero who helped his tribe deal with ancient dangers, like prehistoric beasts and Cro-Magnon marauders.第 1 集要寫的是 Creon，一位*超級*聰明的石器時代英雄，他會幫助部落面對古老的危險，像是史前猛獸，還有 Cro-Magnon 的掠奪者。  
Greg figured there could be seven or eight issues about Creon.Greg 覺得關於 Creon 可以做成七、八期。

Chunky Comics volume 2 would *feature* the future, where a superhero named Eeon tried to protect a small colony of humans living in a world of melting ice caps and mutant life-forms that were part human, part toxic sludge, and part recycled trucks and airplanes.《Chunky Comics》第 2 集會*主打*未來，有個叫 Eeon 的超級英雄，努力保護一個小小的人類殖民地；他們住在一個冰帽融化的世界裡，還有變種生物──一部分是人類、一部分是有毒汙泥，另一部分是回收再利用的卡車和飛機。  
Again, there would be seven or eight issues featuring Eeon.同樣地，也會有七、八期是以 Eeon 為主角的故事。

請看下側文字：  
**Visual Elements** What do you notice about this story's illustrations? What do they help you understand about the story and the main character?  
**視覺元素** 你注意到這個故事的插圖有哪些特色？它們幫助你更了解故事和主角的哪些部分？

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Then Chunky Comics volume 3 would feature Leon, a fairly normal modern-age technodude who suddenly finds himself energized when his digital atomic watch overheats and burns its circuits into the nerves on his wrist.接著《Chunky Comics》第 3 集會以 Leon 為主角，他是一個相當普通的現代科技男，某天他的數位原子錶過熱，電路燒壞，還把電路烙進他手腕的神經裡，結果他突然發現自己充滿能量。  
Leon learns that the watch can be set for the future or the past.Leon 也發現，這支手錶可以設定到未來或過去。  
The six or seven time-travel adventures of volume 3 would follow Leon to the past, where he would team up with Creon, and then to the future, where he would offer his services to the amazing Eon.第 3 集的六、七個時空旅行冒險，會跟著 Leon 先到過去，和 Creon 組隊，然後再到未來，去協助厲害的 Eon。  
And eventually, all three characters would have some final episodes together: Creon, Leon, and Eon—past, present, and future.最後，這三個角色還會一起出現在一些最終篇章：Creon、Leon 和 Eon——過去、現在與未來。

Once the master plan was set, writing the first Creon story, Return of the Hunter, had been pretty easy for Greg.整個大計畫一決定好之後，對 Greg 來說，寫第一個 Creon 故事《Return of the Hunter》就變得滿容易的。  
But the drawing was more difficult than he'd thought it would be.可是畫圖比他想像中還要困難。  
It had taken a long time to get each small page looking just the way he wanted.他花了很長時間，才讓每一張小小的頁面看起來完全符合他想要的樣子。  
It wasn't like doodling or sketching.這跟隨便塗鴉或畫草圖不一樣。  
These pictures had to be good—good enough to sell.這些圖一定要畫得很好——好到可以拿去賣。

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When both covers and the fourteen inside pages had been drawn and inked and pasted in place to make the two master copies, Greg tackled his first printing.當封面和裡面的十四頁都畫好、上墨完成，並且貼到定位做成兩份母本之後，Greg 就開始挑戰他的第一次印刷。  

The copier he used was his dad's, and it was actually part of the printer that was hooked up to the computer in the family room.他用的影印機是他爸爸的，而且其實它是客廳裡連著電腦那台印表機的一部分。  
It was an ink-jet printer, plus a scanner, plus a copier—one of those "all-in-one" machines.那是一台噴墨印表機，加上掃描器，再加上影印功能——就是那種「多功能事務機」。  
It made copies in either black and white or color.它可以印黑白或彩色的影本。  

Greg had stuffed about forty ruined sheets of paper into the recycling bin before he had figured out how to get all sixteen page images copied correctly onto the front and back of one sheet of paper.Greg 在弄清楚怎麼把全部十六頁的圖，正確地印到同一張紙的正反面之前，已經把大約四十張印壞的紙塞進回收桶了。  

But finally, he had folded his first perfectly printed sheet, stapled it twice, and trimmed the top, front, and bottom edges.不過最後，他終於把第一張完美印好的紙對折、釘上兩個釘書針，然後把上方、前側和下方的邊緣修剪整齊。  
And then, one hot night in the middle of July, Greg stood there in his family room and thumbed through the very first volume of Chunky Comics.接著，在七月中某個炎熱的夜晚，Greg 就站在他家的客廳裡，用拇指一頁一頁翻著《Chunky Comics》的第一集。  
It had been a proud moment.那真的是一個令人驕傲的時刻。  

請看下側文字：  
**Author's Purpose** Why do you think the author uses such detail to explain how the comic books are made? What do these details reveal about the main character?  
**作者的寫作目的** 你覺得作者為什麼要用這麼多細節來說明漫畫書是怎麼做出來的？這些細節透露出主角有哪些特質？

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