Unit 8
Love and Resentment
Consolidation Activities
I. Text Comprehension
1. The author harbors all the following feelings towards her sick daughter EXCEPT ________.
A. love and care
B. occasional resentment and fear
C. self-reproach and guilt
D. contempt
Key: [ D ]
2. Judge, according to the text, whether the following statements are true or false.
1). I moved up against the bathroom window in the hope of catching what my daughter was exactly saying so as to know her better though I was sometimes
frightened by her wild outbursts. [ T ]
2). I bought the house on the island three years ago for the sake of my sick daughter. [ F ]
3). Although she has attacked me only three times during the 24 years of her illness, they struck me to the quick. [ T ]
4). I am kept awake tonight by the thought of the terrifying illusions which normal people experience only briefly in their worst dreams, but plague my daughter nearly all the time. [ T ]
5). Kathy began to feel the mental changes when she graduated from high school. [ F ]
4. Explain in your own words the following sentences taken from the text.
1) The screams were so faint and unclear that I could hardly hear them.
2) As my voice was getting quieter, hers grew gradually and continuously louder.
3) Everyone has deep inside an instinctive fear of madness however familiar with the illness he may be.
4) She doesn't know how to take care of her own health as a normal person
does.
5) I'll do my utmost for my sick daughter, who is the most difficult problem I have to cope with.
II. Writing Strategies
This text is a piece of lively, concrete and vivid narration. The writer describes her daughter's illness and behavior as well as the mixed feelings she has for her. Her traumatic experiences are presented through some typical events and examples, flashbacks, muffled mutterings, infuriated utterances, and dialogues. The writer's inner thoughts are also revealed, sometimes through utterances she seems to be making to herself. Moreover, in order to make her narration more vivid and impressive, the writer employs various rhetorical devises, particularly metaphor.
The following three questions are worth discussing:
(1) In which paragraphs can we find the flashbacks
Paragraphs 15-18 present the flashbacks.
(2) Can you find those sentences that seem to be spoken by the author to herself to disclose the agonizing state of her mind
Below are the inaudible utterances made by the author to reveal her
conflicting mind:
\"Damn it yourself, I said to myself. Why did I bring her up here Why, why, why\"
\"Surely, I can live for two weeks with the tension and outbursts. Her life is so limited and mine is so full. A short span of days, really, for me to take care of her; to give her some joy. I have so many days, just for me, after she goes back to the city.
\"But I can't. I resent the tension. I lose patience. Sometimes I hate her. What is wrong with me I am strong and healthy; she is vulnerable and ill. It is always my choice to have her here. But I count the days until she is gone and there are moments when I think, no, not another summer. Why do this to myself Most of the time I know that these weeks are too important to her; I cannot take them away.\"
(3) Point out some typical examples of metaphor or metaphorical expressions used in the narration.
The following are some typical examples from the text that involve metaphor or metaphorical expressions:
1) \"The flushing toilet drowned out the rest. I moved away quickly, shaken once again by her wild outbursts.\"
2) \"She had hurled accusation after accusation at me.\"
3) \"I shook away that memory and rose laboriously.\"
4) \"This is the fourth year I have had this tiny treasure of a house.\"
5) \"She has been plagued and humiliated by accidents in public.\"
6) \"I lie awake, my throat tight and aching as I remember the years in our worst, most searing nightmares.\"
7) \"My stomach is empty and gnawing and uneasy as if anything could fall in and break the superstructure I hold up with all my force.\"
8) The daughter I would have had — were it not for this evil illness — exists in embryo in the daughter I do have. After an outburst, she will come and tell me quietly: \"I am sorry, mother. I don't want to fight with you.\"
9) \"To admit the truth, sometimes I trigger her outburst.\"
10) \"Like my daughter, like all other human beings, I am not spun of one thread.\"
III. Language Work
1. Explain the underlined part in each sentence in your own words.
1). I moved cautiously…straining to catch the exact words.
trying very hard
2). The flushing toilet drowned out the rest.
made so much noise as to deaden
3). I shook away that memory and rose laboriously.
managed to get rid of
4). I couldn't bring myself to tell him that I am afraid to be deep in sleep while she is awake.
couldn't bear
5). Something inside me is going thru this funny, alien state, a sense of being at the mercy of some strange force…
under the control of
6). Like Tuesday, when I came upon her pouring coffee straight from the jar...
accidentally saw
2. Fill in each blank with one of the two words from each pair in their appropriate forms and note the difference of meaning between them.
resentment offense
1). She cherished a deep resentment towards her employer for having denied her a promotion.
2). Success is a motivator; regular failure only fuels fear and resentment.
3). Never had she seen him so tense, so quick to take offense as he had been in recent weeks.
4). Reporters and photographers alike took great offense at the rude way the star behaved during her interview.
neglect negligence
1). Negligence, among other qualities, can be the most harmful to students taking exams.
2). The town's oldest temple is collapsing due to years of neglect.
3). The neglect that large cities like New York have received over the past years is tremendous.
4). The accident resulted from faulty car brakes, and the driver was accused of negligence. medication medicine
1). Sunshine and rest are good medicine for convalescents.
2). You could begin to think about a cure that would not require lifelong medication.
3). If your doctor determines that you have high blood pressure, you may be placed on medication.
4). The best medicine for overweight individuals is careful dieting.
appellation name
1). Not being a British citizen, and belonging to a country that has not been part of the British Empire since 1776, Reagan was not entitled to use the appellation \"Sir\". 2). These bullies never used her real name, but simply referred to her with a(n) appellation. 3). She's never had any drug problems or done anything to give jazz a bad name. 4). The appellations of \"aunt\" and \"uncle\" for the older slaves were not only common among the blacks, but the whites also addressed them in the same way.
3. Fill in the blank in each sentence with a word or phrase taken from the
box, using its appropriate form.
1). Hallucination is common in patients who suffered damages to the brain.
2). There are two main problems which afflict people's hearing.
3). Having begun my life in a children's home, I have the great empathy with the little ones.
4). Some people need to confront a traumatic past, others find it better to leave it alone.
5). A new survey found that 50% of women had experienced some form of sexual harassment in their working lives.
6). He's large and languid, meeting each inquiry with an impassive countenance.
7). From the very first days of the reforms, the parliament kept on an incessant drumbeat of protest.
8). I deeply resented those sort of rumors being circulated at a time of deeply personal grief.
4. Make a sentence of your own for each of the given words with meanings other than those used in the text. You may change the part of speech of these
words.
1). advocate
He advocates streaming children, and educating them according to their needs.
2). strain
The vast expansion of university education is putting an enormous strain on the system.
3). move
The president was moved to come up with those suggestions after the hearings.
4). prescribe
Article II of the constitution prescribes the method of electing a president.
5). gnaw
Doubts were already gnawing away at the back of his mind.
6). grain
Brush the paint generously over the wood in the direction of the grain.
5. Transform each of the following sentences, using \"a factive abstract noun + an appositive clause\".
1). You may have dozed off during my lecture, but that does not exempt you from writing this paper.
The excuse that you dozed off during my lecture does not exempt you from writing this paper.
2). You went to sleep during the movie, and this fact suggests that you should go to bed earlier.
The fact that you went to sleep during the movie suggests that you should go to bed earlier.
3). You excuse yourself by saying that the children keep disturbing you, but I can't accept that.
I can't accept your excuse that the children keep disturbing you.
4). I know that I can always call upon you for support, and that is a great comfort for me.
The knowledge that I can always call upon you for support is a great
comfort for me.
5). People suspect that smoking is a major cause of cancer: this rests on a large amount of evidence.
The suspicion that smoking is a major cause of cancer rests on a large amount of evidence.
6). When scientists argued that cigarette smoking might increase one's chances of developing lung cancer, this was not well received by some smokers.
The scientists' argument that cigarette smoking might increase one's chances of developing lung cancer was not well received by some smokers.
7). It is believed that no one is infallible, and this is well-founded.
The belief that no one is infallible is well-founded.
8). It has long been said that absence makes the heart grow fonder, and I do agree with it.
I do agree with the old saying that absence makes the heart grow fonder.
9). She got greatly shocked when she realized that it was true that they had spent all their money.
The hard truth that they had spent all their money was a great shock to her.
10). Columbus reported that there was a king in the south who owned great quantities of gold, and this lured many explorers to the search for El Dorado.
Columbus's report that there was a king in the south who owned great quantities of gold lured many explorers to the search for El Dorado.
6. Put a word in each blank that is appropriate for the context.
I grew up in a small town where the elementary school was a ten-minute walk from my home and in an age when children could go home for (1) lunch and find their mother waiting.
At the time, I did not consider this a (2) luxury, although today it certainly would be. I took it for (3) granted that mothers were the sandwich-makers, the finger-painting appreciators and the homework monitors. I never questioned that this ambitious, intelligent woman, who had had a career before I was (4) born and would eventually return to a career, would spend almost every lunch hour (5) throughout my elementary school years just with me.
I only knew that when the noon bell (6) rang, I would race breathlessly home. My mother would be standing at the (7) top of stairs, smiling down at me with a look that suggested I was the only important thing she had on her mind. For this, I am forever (8) grateful.
Some sounds bring it back: the high-pitched squeal of my mother’s teakettle, the rumble of the washing machine in the basement, the jangle of my dog’s license tags as she bounded down the stairs to (9) greet me. Our time together seemed devoid of the busy schedules that now pervade my (10) life.
IV. Translation
1. Translating Sentences
Translate the following into English.
1). 当前不景气的汽车市场可能引发生产商之间新一轮的价格战。 (trigger)
The current slack automobile market might trigger another round of price wars among manufacturers.
2). 支持者的欢呼声几乎淹没了示威者的抗议。 (drown out)
The cheers by supporters almost drowned out the protests by demonstrators.
3). 许多历史性建筑因人为破坏和气候影响已近破落。 (at the mercy of)
Many historic buildings are left to decay at the mercy of vandals and the weather.
4). 飞速上涨的房价快把渴望购买新房的工薪阶层逼到了绝望的边缘。 (drive someone to the edge of)
The rapid rise in house prices has almost driven to the edge of despair the wage-earning class who are longing for a new apartment.
5). 在你父亲找到另一份工作之前，我们都要勒紧裤带。 (tighten)
We all have to tighten our belts until your father finds another job.
6). 那家公司至今没能摆脱它的老传统的束缚。 (shake away)
The company has been so far unable to shake away the shackles of its old fashion.
7). 他们意识到，在压倒性军事优势面前，抵抗意味着自杀。 (overwhelm)
They realized that it would be suicidal to resist in the face of overwhelming military superiority.
8). 把狗叫式发声当作先锋派歌唱是一种误解。 (barking)
It is mistaken that barking voice stands for avant-garde singing.
2. Translating Passage
Translate the following into Chinese.
Listen, son, I am saying this to you as you lie asleep, one little paw crumpled under your cheek and the blond curls stickily wet on your damp forehead. I have stolen into your room alone. Just a few moments ago, as I sat reading my paper in the library, a hot, stifling wave of remorse swept over me. I could not resist it. Guiltily, I came to your bedside. These were the things I was thinking, son: I had been cross to you. I scolded you as you were dressing for school because you gave your face merely a dab with a towel. I took you to task for not cleaning your shoes. I called out angrily when I found you had thrown some of your things on the floor.
参考译文
听着，儿子，我在此对你说这些话的时候，你正睡得很香，一只小手别扭地压在脸下，金色的卷发湿漉漉地粘在汗涔涔的额头上。我独自溜进了你的房间。几分钟前，我在书房看报时，一股灼人的悔恨感侵袭全身，令我窒息。我无力抵挡。就这样，我来到你的床前，心里充满内疚。儿子，我之所以内疚，是我以前常对你发火。你穿衣准备上学前随便地用毛巾抹了下脸，我就责骂你。你鞋子没擦干净，我就训斥你。你把你的一些东西扔在地上，我就怒骂你。
VI. Writing
Write an essay of about 400 words on the following topic.
THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN OUR COUNTRY
In the first paragraph of your writing you should present your thesis statement. Then in each of the paragraphs that follow, you need to give examples to prove, to illustrate, or to clarify your thesis statement. In the final paragraph, summarize what you have written and re-assert your opinion.
The following transitional devices can be used in illustration:
1. To introduce the first example:
For example, to illustrate, for instance
A typical case in point is …
2. To introduce the next example:
As another instance, …
This is also true in the case of ...
It is the same with …
The same thing goes for …
3. To introduce the last example:
Perhaps the most striking instance happened to me when …
If one more example were needed, I could mention …
4. To make a summary
The list of such examples can go on and on.
Examples like these can form a long list.
Further Enchantment
Text II
GAY
Anna Quindlen Text Comprehension
1. Answer the following multiple-choice questions:
1). The conversation the father had with his son late one night reveals to us readers that the senior had already detected that his son was involved in ______.
A. taking drug
B. gambling
C. prostitution
D. homosexuality
Key: [ A ]
2). What’s the reason that the family had to pay more money to the funeral home
A. having to handle someone infected with AIDS
B. persuading the local newspaper not to reveal the cause of death
C. keeping the people at the funeral uninterested in the cause of death
D. helping the parent remain taciturn about the cause of death
Key: [ A ]
3). From the passage, we could infer that the fact that the author’s friend might have been the “cure” for the man indicates that she was ______ to the family.
A. alien B. familiar
C. loathsome D. troublesome
Key: [ B ]
4). In some society, particularly to some people, homosexuality is ______.
A. religious B. natural
C. disgraceful D. unheard-of
Key: [ C ]
5). The author said in the passage that some parents do not spend time dealing with ______.
A. their children’s marriage they could not say YES to
B. their children’s job they were not happy about
C. their children’s intention to have sex with people of the same or opposite sex
D. their children’s peaceful life for a long time
Key: [ D ]
2. Questions for Discussion
1). What is the author's purpose in this essay
The author examines the role of diversity and its effects on an individual's personal life and society. She encourages society to be equally tolerant of two other groups: gay men and lesbians.
2). How do people treat homosexuality
Some people treat homosexuality as immoral or sinful. Others see it as a mark of disgrace.
3). How does the author respond to the parents' denial of their children's homosexuality
For some, their attitudes toward homosexuality are determined largely by prevailing religious moral codes, which treat homosexuality as immoral or sinful. Like many other sins, homosexual relations are seen as expressions of the weakness inherent in all human beings. For others, they consider homosexuality a deviant behavior. They don't want their children to be too different.
4). What does the author refer to in the last paragraph
She refers to the brevity of human life. She believes that learning to accept one's feelings, to create a satisfying life and to be equally tolerant of gay men and lesbians may be more realistic goals.
5). After reading the essay, what did you learn about homosexuality
Homosexual activities are hidden and spoken of only in whispers. One of the greatest challenges to face the homosexual community is the outbreak of AIDS. The disease has become prevalent among gay men and spread with devastating effect. Both AIDS patients discrimination in society.
and homosexuals experience an increase in
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