《高级英语》第一册教案
Unit 1: The Middle Eastern Bazaar
I. Additional Background Knowledge
1. Middle Eastern Countries
2. Architecture of Gothic Style
II. Introduction to the Passage
1.Type of literature: a piece of objective description
2.The purpose of a piece of objective description:
---to record and reproduce a true picture with opinions and emotions of the author excluded
3. Ways of developing a piece of objective description:
---to begin with a brief general picture, divide the object into parts and organize the detailed description in order of space
III. Effective Writing Skills
1. making effective use of specific verbs
2. using adjectives accurately
3. using five human senses---hearing, smelling, seeing, tasting and
touching to make the
description vivid
https://www.doczj.com/doc/0e14160480.html,ing rhetorical devices properly
IV. Rhetorical Devices
1. simile
2. metaphor
3. assonance
4. onomatopoeia
V. Special Difficulties
1. paraphrasing some sentences
2. translating some paragraphs
3. identifying figures of speech
VI. Questions
1. What is a bazaar? Can you name some of the Middle Eastern countries
in which such bazaars are likely to be found?
2. Name all the markets in the bazaar. What kind of economy do you think
they represent? Give facts to support your view.
3. What scene do you find most picturesque in the bazaar? Why?
Unit 2: Hiroshima---“the Liveliest” City in Japan
by Jacques Danvoir
I. Additional Background Knowledge
1. The City of Hiroshima
2. The first dropping of an atomic bomb---“Little Boy”
II. Introduction to the Passage
1. Type of literature: a piece of radio report
2. The purpose of a piece of radio report: to inform the auditors of the truth
3. Some characteristics of radio report: authenticity and objectivity III. Effective Writing Skills
1. accurately recording the dialogues with some Japanese to reinforce the authenticity of the report
3. carefully observing and describing details to reinforce the authenticity of the report
3. vivid and humorous description to make the report interesting
IV. Rhetorical Devices
1. metaphor
2. anti-climax
V. Special Difficulties
1. reading between the lines
2. paraphrasing some sentences
VI. Questions
1. What was the writer’s attitude towards Hiroshima?
2. Was Hiroshima in any way different from other Japanese cities?
3. Even in this short description one may find some of the problems of Japan, or at least, of Hiroshima. Can you say what they are?
4. How do the Japanese themselves look at Hiroshima? Why?
VII. Detailed Teaching Notes:
Hiroshima--the "Liveliest" City
In Japan
1. The Map of Japan
Hiroshima
Hiroshima, city on southwestern Honsh? Island, Japan, capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, at the head of Hiroshima Bay. The city was founded in 1594 on six islands in the ?ta River delta. Hiroshima grew rapidly as a castle town and commercial city, and after 1868 it was developed as a military center. On August 6, 1945, during World War II (1939-1945), the first atomic bomb to be used against an enemy position was dropped on the city by the United States Army Air Forces (see Nuclear Weapons). According to U.S. estimates 60,000 to 70,000 people were killed or missing as a result of the bomb and many more were made homeless. (In 1940 the population of Hiroshima had been 343,698.) The blast also destroyed more
than 10 sq km (4 sq mi) of the city, completely destroying 68 percent of Hiroshima's buildings; another 24 percent were damaged. Every August 6 since 1947, thousands participate in interfaith services in the Peace Memorial Park built on the site where the bomb exploded. In 1949 the Japanese dedicated Hiroshima as an international shrine of peace. After the war, the city was largely rebuilt, and commercial activities were resumed. Machinery, automobiles, food processing, and the brewing of sake are the main industries. The surrounding area, although mountainous, has fertile valleys where silk, rice, and wheat are produced. Population (1990) 1,085,705.
2. The Bombing of Hiroshima
On August 6, 1945, during World War II, the United States dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, a Japanese city and military center. An estimated 60,000 to 70,000 people were killed or reported missing, and thousands more were made homeless. Sixteen hours after the attack, U.S. President Harry S. Truman’s report of the e vent was broadcast to radio listeners.
The explosion produces great amounts of heat, a shock wave and intense radiation. The region of the explosion becomes radioactively contaminated and radioactive products may be deposited elsewhere as fallout.
At 8:15 a.m. on August 6, 1945, by order of President Truman, the first Atomic bomb, nicknamed Little Boy was exploded over a point near the centre of Hiroshima, destroying almost everything with a radius of 830-1,450 meters. The damage beyond this area was considerable, and over 71,000 people were killed instantly. Many more later died of injuries and the effects of radiation. Casualties numbered nearly 130,000. Survivors are still dying of leukaemia, pernicious anaemia and other diseases induced by radiation. Almost 98% of the buildings were destroyed or severely damaged.
The Japanese dedicated post-war Hiroshima to peace. A destroyed area named "Peace City" has been set aside as a memorial. A peace Park was build.
A special hospital built here treats people suffering from exposure to radiation and conducts research into its effects.
3. Rhetoric
tenor (subject): the concept, object, or person meant in a metaphor vehicle (reference): a medium through which something is expressed, achieved, or displayed
Simile: A simile makes a comparison between two unlike things having at least one quality or characteristic in common. The two things compared must be dissimilar and the basis of resemblance is usually an abstract quality. The vehicle is almost always introduced by the word "like" or "as".
Self-criticism is as necessary to us as air or water.
The water lay grey and wrinkled like an elephant's skin.
My very thoughts were like the ghostly rustle of dead leaves.
The bus went as slowly as a snail.
Her eyes were jet black, and her hair was like a waterfall. The comparison is purely imaginative, that is, the resemblance between the two unlike things in that one particular aspect exists only in our minds, and not in the nature of the things themselves.
As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country. Metaphor is considered the most important and basic poetic figure and also the commonest the most beautiful.
Snow clothes the ground.
The town was stormed after a long siege.
Boys and girls, tumbling in the streets and playing, were moving jewels.
I had a lump in my throat
At last this intermezzo came to an end...
I was again crushed by the thought...
...when the meaning ... sank in, jolting me...
Metonymy(借代、换喻)
She was a girl who excited the emotions, but I was not one to let my heart rule my head.
He took to the bottle.
...little old Japan adrift amid beige concrete skyscrapers ...struggle between kimono and the miniskirt
I thought that Hiroshima still felt the impact
Metonymy can be derived from various sources:
a. Names of persons
Uncle Sam: the USA
b. Animals
the bear: the Soviet Union
the dragon : the Chinese (a fight between the bear and the dragon)
c. Parts of the body
heart: feelings and emotions
head, brain: wisdom, intelligence, reason
grey hair: old age
d. Profession:
the press: newspapers, reporters etc.
He met the press yesterday evening at the Grand Hotel.
the bar: the legal profession
e. location of government, business etc.
Downing Street: the British Government
the White House: the US president and his government
the Capital Hill: US Congress
Wall Street: US financial circles
Hollywood: American filmmaking industry
Euphemism: the substitution of an agreeable or inoffensive expression for one that may offend or suggest sth unpleasant. e.g:
He was sentenced to prison---He is now living at the government's expenses.
The boy is a bit slow for his age.
to go to heaven---dead
to go to the bathroom, do one's business, answer the nature's call, put an end to my life.
Each day of suffering that helps to free me from earthly cares.
Irony:
Hiroshima---the Liveliest City in Japan
the good fortune that my illness has brought me
Anti-Climax:
a town known throughout the world for its---oysters
Alliteration:
slip to a stop
tested and treated
Rhetorical Question
Was I not at the scene of the crime?
4. Detailed Study of the Text:
1. slip: to move slidingly, smoothly, secretly or unnoticed. it carries
a stronger implication of a frictionless than slide.
2. lump: a mass of sth. solid without a special size of shape
a lump of lead, sugar
Black coffee, 2 lumps, please!
a hard swelling on the body
She was afraid when she felt a lump in her left breast
to have a lump in one's throat:
to have a tight feeling in the throat because strong emotion, such as sorrow or gratitude, to have one's throat choked, to have a feeling of pressure, being unable to breath, a tight sensation in the throat caused by unexpressed pity, sorrow, excitement, etc.
All during her husband's funeral, she had ...
John's mother had a ... at his college graduation.
The strong sensation of excitement and sorrow made me unable to breathe or to speak as if my throat was choked, as if my throat got blocked by sth. solid.
3. on my mind: troubling one's thoughts, causing anxiety, unhappiness. When you have sth on your mind, you can't get rid of it, you are completely preoccupied, and obsessed.
His failure weighs heavily on him mind.
He has got too much on his mind to worry about your problem.
I am glad you want to talk about this. It's been on my mind for weeks. cf:
in one's mind: think about, think of
I think I know what's in your mind.
Her mother was always in her mind.
4. the very act of stepping on this soil:
act and action:
Action refers primarily to the process of acting; act to the result, the things done. An action is usually regarded as occupying some time and involving more than one step; an act is more frequently thought of as momentary of instantaneous and as individual.
The rescue of a shipwrecked crew is a heroic action while the launching of the lifeboat, a brave act.
a course of action
on this soil: on this land, on this earth, ground
The word SOIL conveys a strong emotion, it is an emotive word.
A person in exile comes back to his motherland, he kneels down to kiss the soil.
Here is suggests the emotion of the author. He thinks his country is responsible for the A-bomb destruction. He is preoccupied. He has the feeling of atoning (making repayment) for the crime.
5. adventure: a journey that is strange and exciting and often dangerous, sth. you do or a situation you become involved in that is rather unusual, exciting and dangerous. From the text itself one can clearly see that the meaning is “trip” since it is foll owed by this word.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn
6. reportorial: (not in Longman or ALD)
belonging to, of, about a reporter. the adj. form of reporter
7. crime: an offence which is punishable by law
Here: an immoral act
8. appear
Appear, Look,and Seem can mean to be as stated in one's view or judgement, but not necessarily in fact.
Seem suggests an opinion based on subjective impression rather than objective signs.
He seems tired.
My other visits to Beijing were twenty years ago. How would it seem after such a long time?
Look implies that the opinion is based on a general visual impression.
His lips looked unnatural.
He looks nervous.
Appear suggests a distorted impression, such as can be produced by a restricted point of view.
His tongue could make the worse appear the better reason.
He appeared not to have heard what had been said about him.
He appears / seems / looks to be / like an honest man.
9. preoccupy: to fill the thoughts or hold the interest of, to fill one's mind completely so that not enough attention is given to other present matters
When he is preoccupied with his hobby, he has no idea of what is going on around him.
I was too preoccupied to hear the bell.
He had a preoccupied look on his face, as if sth. was troubling him. preoccupation: extreme concern for sth.
Reading is his main preoccupation.
It seemed to me that the Japanese did not have the same extreme concern which is bothering me.
I was totally absorbed in the consideration of the crime, but the Japanese did not appear to be so.
My mind was completely filled with sad thoughts ...
10. rub shoulders with: to meet and mix with (people)
This is not the sort of club where the great rub shoulders with the humble.
A person in my position rubs shoulders with all kinds of people.
In our class, people of all trades (porter, carpenter, coppersmith, etc.) rubber shoulders with each other.
11. oblivious: be unaware of, not noticing, unconscious of, lacking mindful attention
Their government is oblivious of the rights of the governed.
I am oblivious of my former failure.
I was so preoccupied with the book that I was oblivious of the surroundings.
I was so preoccupied with the beautiful woman I met on the bus that I was oblivious of the pickpocket beside me / of what the conductress was yelling when the bus came to a stop.
12. bob: to move up and down quickly and repeatedly
The cork on the fishing line bobbed up and down on the water.
13. rite: form of behaviour with a fixed pattern. A rite is a series of words and actions which as a fixed order and which is used for a special religious purpose.
I don't know much about the rites of that church.
Secret society has their special rites.
ceremonial / burial / funeral rites
the rites of hospitality
the marriage rite of the church
Ritual actions are always done in exactly the same way whenever a particular situation arises, (a slightly humorous use).
On Sunday we make our ritual visit to the pub at lunchtime.
14. formula: an expression which is often used in a particular situation, esp. one that has come to sound stupid and meaningless
They exchange the set of conventionally / customarily fixed pattern of daily greetings.
15. facade: front or face of a building towards a street or open place
16. grin: broad smile that shows the teeth, it intends to imply naive cheerfulness
17. rear-view mirror: a mirror (as in an automobile) that gives a view of the area behind the vehicle
18. martyr: person who is put to death or caused to suffer for his beliefs or for the sake of a great cause or principle
a martyr to a cause / love (殉情) / duty (殉职)
Eternal life to the revolutionary martyrs! (革命英雄永垂不朽)
v.: to put to death, cause to suffer, to torture, out of cruelty
19. lurch: to move with irregular sudden movements, to move unsteadily, clumsily, with heavy rolling and swaying back and forth
20. in response to: as an answer to
In response to your inquiries, we regret to inform you that we cannot help you in this matter.
Twice I put the request to him but he said nothing in response.
21. twist: to wind a number of threads, etc. together
to make a rope by twisting threads
to twist the hair to make it curl
to turn, to change direction abruptly
to twist the cap of a tube of tooth paste
He twisted my arm.
Give the handle a twist, that will open the box.
22. screech: make a harsh, piercing sound, to make a sharp, high-pitched noise
23. halt: to stop or pause, mainly used in the phrase "come to a halt"
24. ignorance: lack of knowledge
Please forgive our ignorance.
Poverty, disease and ignorance remain major world problems.
We are in complete ignorance of his plan.
ignorant: To be ignorant of sth. is not to know it.
He is quite ignorant of Latin.
She was ignorant of his presence.
cf:
disregard: to treat as not worthy of notice
He disregarded Tom , and spoke straight to me.
We disregarded the go ssip and rumours.
neglect: to give no or too little attention or care to
You are neglecting your work / duty.
There is a factor which we must certainly not neglect.
neglect: fail to do sth. because of carelessness
He neglected to return the book to the library.
Don't neglect to lock (locking) the door when you leave.
To ignore sth. is to pretend not to know or see it.
She saw him coming but ignored him.
It is not a question that can be ignored.
Of these three words, ignore is the strongest and neglect is the weakest It is a point of honor with the taxi driver to take the passenger to whichever destination he wants to go.
25. intermezzo: short musical composition to be played between the acts of a drama or an opera, or one that connects the main divisions of a large musical work such as a symphony. This word is used very lighted-hearted here
26. I found myself in front of the gigantic city hall.
cf: I got to the front of...
The first sentence indicates suddenness, unconsciousness. I suddenly discovered that I was in front of the city hall.
gigantic: a close synonym of giant, from which it is derived, very likely to be used in metaphorical extensions.
giant: in fairy tales, a very big, strong creature in the form of a man, but often unfriendly to human beings and very cruel and stupid.
In some culture, eg. Greek, Scandinavian, American Indian, giants were believed to be the first race of people lived on earth.
gigantic: titanic, massive, huge
27. usher: official door keeper, a man who shows people to their seats on an important occasion, (or in a theatre, cinema)
28. heave: to give out (a sad sound) esp. in the phrase " to heave a sigh / groan"
We all heaved a sigh of relief when the work was done.
sigh: an act of letting out a deep breath slowly and with a sound, usu. expressing tiredness, sadness or satisfaction
She nodded, sighed and went on cooking.
He gave another deep sigh.
29. sketch: to draw roughly and quickly with outlines but little detail
30. embankment: a wide wall of stones or earth, which is build to keep
a river from overflowing its banks, or to carry a road or railway over low ground
cf:
bank: land long the side of a river, lake, etc.
shore: the land along the edge of a large stretch of water
beach: a shore of an ocean, sea, or lake or the bank of a river covered by sand, smooth stones or larger pieces of rock
coast: the land next to the sea
When meaning land bordering a body or stream of water, the four words are comparable.
Shore is the general word for the land immediately bordering on the sea, a lake, or a large stream.
Coast denotes the land along the sea regarded especially as a boundary. Beach applies to the pebbly or sandy shore washed by the sea or a lake a rocky shore with here and there a cove with a beach
Both shore and beach may denote a resort frequented for pleasure or vacation. In this use shore may specifically indicates proximity to the sea, and beach a place adapted to the use of swimmers or sunbathers. spend the summer at the shore
spend a part of each day at the beach
Bank denotes the steep or sloping margin of a stream.
31. barge: a large low boat with a flat bottom, used mainly for carrying heavy goods on a canal or river
32. moor: to faster (a ship, boat) to land, to the bed of the sea, etc. by means of ropes, chains an anchor, etc.
33. arresting: striking, attracting and holding attention. This word adds to striking the suggestion of capturing attention
arresting beauty / story
arrest: to seize in the name of law and usu. put in prison, to catch and fix (esp. sb.'s attention)
The bright lights arrest the boy's attention.
34. spectacle: sth. seen, sth. taking place before the eyes, esp. sth. fine, remarkable
The big army parade on national day is a grand spectacle.
The erupting volcano is a wonderful spectacle.
The opening ceremony of the exhibition was a fine spectacle.
35. adrift: afloat without control, driven about by the sea or wind
a has the meaning of "away, from, of, in, on, etc."
a board: on the board, on the boat
a fire: to set sth. on fire: The house was afire.
a float: on water
a foot: on foot I came afoot.
36. beige
khaki / flannel / indanthrine
mohair / palace / melton / cashmere
37. amid: fml and lit. among, in the middle of
38. incessant: never stopping, it implies ceaseless or uninterrupted activity
39. stun: to make unconscious by hitting the head
The robbers stunned the guard by banging him on the head.
He was stunned by the news of his father's death.
stunning: very attractive, delightful, beautiful, making you become intoxicated
40. costume: the clothes worn by people at a particular time in history or in a particular country
a museum of costume
portraits of people dressed in 17th-century costume
a set of clothes worn by an actor or performer or by sb. at a fancy dress party
bathing / swimming / riding / hunting costume
He was in academic costume.
41. tread: to walk or step, to put the foot down on
(Notice: the mind is fixed on the feet)
42. cautious: having or showing great care, as if there might be some danger, esp. fear of failure or harm to oneself or others, act very carefully so as to avoid or to minimized the risks of disaster
The thief cautiously opened the door.
The troops advanced with great caution.
43. twinge: a sudden sharp pain
to feel a twinge in the region of heart
a twinge of toothache / conscience
44. embarrass: to feel ashamed or socially uncomfortable
45. prospect: reasonable hope, sth. which is expected or considered probable
She was quite excited by the prospect of seeing...soon.
He was in high spirits at the prospect.
The scandal ruined his prospects.
I see no prospect of his recovery.
prospect: a wide or distant view, esp. seen from a high place
From the top of the hill there's a beautiful prospect over the valley. cf:
expectation: thing that is expected
The boy has great prospects / expectation.
We came here with the expectation of meeting the mayor, but I see no prospects of seeing him now since he is oblivious of us humbles.
46. emotion: any of the strong feelings of the human spirit
Love, hatred, and grief are emotions.
His speech has an effect on our emotions rather than our reason.
47. bombardment: attack, onslaught
bombard: to attack with artillery / shells, or bombers
48. slay (slew, slain): (lit.) kill or murder, to kill, esp. violently, put to death
49. linger on: to live on the point of death for some time, esp. when suffering from a disease, be slow in dying
The pain lingered on for weeks (was slow to disappear).
The dying man lingered on.
He's no better, but he's lingering on by sheer will power.
linger: to wait for a time which is considered too long instead of going, stay, delay going
The newly acquainted young couple lingered around the hall long after the concert had ended.
She shouldn't have lingered after the others had left---that was fatal.
50. agony: very great pain or suffering of mind or body, suggesting suffering so intense that both body and mind are involved in a struggle to endure the unbearable, intolerable
He suffered agonies from his broken arm.
The country must not again go through the agony of war.
The refugees are experiencing the agony of...
the agony of defeat and the thrill of victory
Thousands upon thousands of others were on the brink of death, suffering the intense, unbearable pain both physically and spiritually, and dying slowly.
51. inhibit: cause one to suppress certain thoughts or desires because of the environmental condition
His way of teaching is dull, and inhibits imagination.
This medicine will inhibit the spread of the disease.
inhibited: (of people's character) unable to express what one really feels or do what one really wants, feeling restrained, having to suppress one's emotion
They were too inhibited to laugh freely.
52. agitate: to stir, upset, disturb
The speech agitated the crowd.
agitated: emotionally disturbed and excited.
The audience was agitated.
agitator: person who stirs up public opinion, esp on a political matter agitation: painful excitement of the mind or feelings, anxiety, a public argument, unrest
None of them noticed her agitation.
be in agitation
53. assent: (fml) agreement, an acceptance (of a statement) as true
It basically apply to opinion or proposal, suggesting understanding The committee assented to our proposals.
The teacher answered with a brief nod of assent.
agree: It can imply previous disagreement, discussion and attempts of persuading
I don't agree with him on many things.
I think it impossible to agree to your proposals.
54. sink in: penetrate, esp. gradually, to enter a solid through the surface, be fully absorbed or understood,
If the ink sinks in, it'll be hard to remove the spot from the cloth. When Frank heard that war had started, it didn't sink in for a long time until his father was drafted into the army.
I think the lesson has sunk in, he won't make the same mistake again.
The beam sinks earthwards.
55. jolt: to shake or be shocked
The cart jolted along over the rough road, jolting every bone in his body. With a tremendous jolt the car started.
to run over a hole and receive a jolt
The news was a jolt to me.
56. reverie: dreamy thinking, esp. of agreeable things, that state of being absorbed in dreamlike contemplation, daydreaming
He loved to indulge in reveries about his future.
He was awakened from his reverie by the teacher's question.
She sat at the window, deep in reverie.
He was sunk in reverie and did not hear me.
When one is preoccupied with sth., he has preoccupations. And he is always oblivious of the things around. He is in deep reverie.
57. heinous: (lit) (of wicked people or acts) very shameful, very bad, hatefully and shockingly evil, abominable, outrageous, so openly and shamelessly bad or so conspicuous that it excited hatred or horror Treason has always been regarded as a heinous crime.
58. confess: admit
Confession: a religious service at which a person tells his faults to a priest
Confess usu. applies to what one feels to be wrong. If you confess sth. or confess to sth., You admit that you have done sth. that you feel ashamed of, or embarrassed about. But admit stresses reluctance, or unwillingness.
In usage, these two words are almost the same, both can be followed by a clause, a noun, a gerund (with or without a “to”) or a complex object. Usage:
to confess / admit that...
to confess / admit one's sins / error / crime
to confess / admit hating sb. / the weakness
to admit to stealing / the murder /
to confess oneself to be guilty
to confess / admit oneself to be beaten
But confess is often followed by a “to”:
He confesses to having done it.
She confessed readily to what she described as an ignorance of modern science.
59. cataclysm: a violent and sudden change or event, esp. a serious flood or earth quake or a war, disaster
60. trace: a visible mark or sign of the former presence of a thing or event, a mark or sign showing the former presence or passing of some person, vehicle, or event.
61. preserve: (fml or lit) to keep from destruction, to protect. The word stresses the idea of resistance to destructive agencies and hence implies the use of means to keep sth. in existence
Old records are preserved by protecting them from light and moisture. 62. erect: (fml) to build or establish (a solid thing which was not there before, construct, set up
Erect basically means to set upright, while Build strictly implies a fitting together of parts and materials to form sth. which may be large or small
to erect a flagpole
Many factories erected during that period.
63. impact: collision, an impinging or striking esp. of one body against another, the action of one object hitting another, with great force, the force of impression of one thing on another, an impelling or compelling effect
The car hit the stone wall with great impact.
a target constructed to resist the impact of a bullet
We see the impact of modern science on our society everywhere.
The book made a great impact on its readers.
the concrete embankment built to resist the impact of floods
Notice:This word is normally used as uncountable noun but sometimes can have an indefinite article but never plural form.
64. demolish: pull down or tear down, to destroy
65. somehow: in some way not yet know or stated, by some means, for some reason that is not clear
66. belly: (infml) 'abdomen, stomach, paunch are synonyms when naming the front part of the human trunk below the chest
67. spare: to keep from harming, punishing or attacking
Take my money but spare my life.
They prayed that Allah might spare the village from starvation.
68. feel sick: vomit, upset in the stomach so as to want to throw up what is in it.
69. or else: or if not, or otherwise. This expression is basically used as a threat
He must pay 0 or else go to jail.
Do what I tell you or else!
70. commit:
a. to do, to perform sth. bad, wrong or unlawful
to commit an error / many horrible crimes
b. to order sb. to be placed under the control of another or in a mental hospital
71. humiliate: to cause to feel humble or to lose the respect of others, to hurt the pride or dignity of
He humiliated her beyond endurance.
72. encounter: to meet or be faced by sth. bad, esp. a danger or a difficulty. n. sudden or unexpected, esp. hostile meeting with
What if we should encounter a bear?
73. . on the part of: by, of
It will arouse deep suspicions on the part of our allies.
I apologize for any mistake on my part.
74. scare; a mark remaining on the skin or an organ from a wound, cut, etc.
76. victim: a person, animal or thing that suffers pain, death, harm, destruction, etc. as a result of other people's actions, of illness, bad luck, etc.
77. genetic damage: a damage, harm, illness which have been passed on / inherited and will be passed on from generation to generation
78. earthly: of this world as opposed to heaven; material worldly as opposed to spiritual
earthly care: daily life and worries, cares on the earth which is in contrast with that in heaven, in death.
Unit 3: Ships in the Desert by Al Gore
I. Additional Background Knowledge
1. Al Gore the author
2. Clean Air Act
3. The Aral Sea
II. Introduction to the Passage
1. Type of literature: a piece of exposition
2. The purpose of a piece of exposition:
--- to inform or explain
3. Ways of developing the thesis of a piece of exposition:
--- comparison, contrast, analogy, identification, illustration, analysis, definition, etc.
4. The central thought or thesis
III. Effective Writing Skills
1. making effective use of specific verbs
2. discussing the solution to environmental problems from a politician’s
point of view, that is, relating the solution to environmental destruction to the solution to arm races
IV. Rhetorical Devices
1. understatement
2. metaphor
V. Special Difficulties
1. analyzing the structure of some long and complicated sentences
2. understanding the scientific matters connected with ecological
environment
3. translating long and complicated sentences
4. mastering the rules of word formation
VI. Questions
1. How has human civilization now become the dominant cause of change in the global environment?
2. What changes in the global environment present a strategic threat to human
civilization? How should we face this challenge and solve the problem?
3.What solutions does the writer put forward to our ecological problems?
Detailed Teaching Notes:
I.Background knowledge
1.About the author:
Al Gore was born in 1948 in Washington D.C., U.S. He has been a Senator (1984-1992) representing the State of Tennessee, and U.S.
Vice-President (1992-2000) under President Bill Clinton. He ran for the Presidency against George W. Bush jr. but the latter won the closely tied election and has become the 43rd American President. The text is taken from Al Gore’s book Earth in the Balance.
2.The Aral Sea:
The Aral Sea, located in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan (both countries were part of the former Soviet Union), is historically a saline lake. It is in the centre of a large, flat desert basin. The Aral Sea is a prime example of a dynamic environment. In 1960 it was the world’s fourth largest lake, the size of the entirety of Southern California (at 26,250 square miles, approximately two hundred times larger than the Salton Sea).
3.America’s Great Lakes:
America’s Great Lakes refer to the group of five freshwater lakes, central North America, between the United States and Canada, largest body of fresh water in the world. From west to east, they are Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie, and Lake Ontario. HOMES can help remember the names of the five lakes. H stands for Huron, O for Ontario, M for Michigan, E for Erie and S for Superior.
https://www.doczj.com/doc/0e14160480.html,ke Superior:
Lake Superior is one of the cleanest lakes in the world because of its temperature, size, and the lack of people living around it. Lake Superior, with a surface area of 31,700 square miles, is the largest
freshwater lake in the world by surface area. This one body of water contains 10% of all the freshwater in all the lakes and rivers in the world.
The amount of time needed for the water in Lake Superior to be completely replaced is 191 years. The lake is known for its cold temperatures. Almost all of Lake Superior’s water stays at 39 deg rees Fahrenheit (4 degrees Celsius) all year. Lake Superior is often referred to as “crystal
clear,” with visibility of 50 feet or more.
5.Antarctica:
Antarctica is icy cold. Transantarctic Mountains divide it into the East Antarctic and West Antarctic subcontinents. China has set up two scientific research stations there: Zhongshan Station in the East and Great Wall in the West.
6.Clean Air Act:
American Congress passed the Clean Air Act in 1970, which is one of the oldest environmental laws of the U.S. as well as the most far-reaching, the costliest, and the most controversial.
II.Rhetorical devices:
1.understatement: the prospects of a good catch looked bleak
2.alliteration: fast pasture for fast-food beef
3.metaphor: cloak, ghosts
4.rhetorical question:
But, without even considering that threat, shouldn’t it startle us that we have now put these clouds in the evening sky which glisten with a spectral light?
Or have our eyes adjusted so completely to the bright lights of civilization that we can’t see these clouds for what they are—a physical manifestation of the violent collision between human civilization and the earth?
5.metonymy: concrete
III.Preview:
1.What’s the meaning of the title?
2.What do you expect to have when you read the title?
3.What kind of writing is the text?
4.What is the theme? What does the author try to tell us through his article?
5.How is the exposition developed?
6.How does the essay begin?
7.What’s the effect the writer produces here?
IV.Detailed study
Paragraph 1
1．capable of processing a fifty-ton catch on a good day: having the ability of cleaning and preparing for marketing or canning fifty-tons of fish on a productive day.
catch: the amount of something caught; in the sentence it refers to the amount of fish caught
e.g. The boat brought back a big catch of fish.
2. the prospects of a good catch looked bleak: a good catch did not look
promising / hopeful.
This is obliviously an understatement because with sand all around there was no chance of catching fish, to say nothing of catching a lot of fish.
3.waves lapping against the side of the ship: waves touching the
side of the ship gently and makes a soft sound
lap can also be used as a noun.
e.g. Your lap is the flat area formed by your thighs when you are
sitting down.
4.as far as I could see in all direction: that extended as far
as the eye could see;
5.that stretched all the way to the horizon: that extended to
the far off place where the sky meet the earth
https://www.doczj.com/doc/0e14160480.html,parable: something that is comparable to something else
7. My search for… these images of destruction: I traveled around the
world because I wanted to see, check and study cases of such destruction in order to find out the basic causes behind the environmental crisis.
images of destruction: typical examples of destruction
8.the sun glaring at midnight through a hole in the sky: the sun
shining at midnight through the ozone depletion
9.about the tunnel he was digging through time: about the tunnel
he was drilling for samples from the glacier, which estimates the time.
The deeper he drilled, the farther the sample in time; in other words, the surface of the glacier is an indication of recent time while the deeper part of the glacier tells of situation of a much more remote period.
10.Slipping his parka back to reveal a badly burned face that was
cracked and peeling: Pushing his parka back, he revealed a badly burned face because of overexposure to direct sunlight; on the face there were lines that were split open and pieces of skin were coming down.
parka: n. waterproof jacket with a hood attached (as worn for skiing, mountain climbing, etc.)
11.He moved his finger back in time to the ice of two decades ago:
Following the layers of ice in the core sample, his finger came to the place where the layer of ice was formed 20 years ago.
12.two continents: South America and Antarctica
13.emission: the amount of pollutants discharged
14.least accessible place on earth: the place which is the most
difficult to get to in the world
Paragraph 3
15.Industry meant coal: the development of industry meant the use
of large amount of coal as fuel to generate power.
16.bringing rising levels of carbon dioxide: making the amount
of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere grow
17.with its ability to trap more heat…warm the earth: heat cannot easily get through carbon dioxide and go into the high altitude so carbon dioxide plays the role of a cover, keeping the heat near the earth.
18.upwind from the ice runaway…that inexorab le change:
upwind: in the direction from which the wind is blowing or usually blows
ice runway : runway is a strip of paved ground for use by airplanes in taking off and landing, and here in the South Pole the runway is a strip of ice ground
to prevent the metal parts from freeze-locking together: to stop the metal parts from being frozen solid
monitor the air: watch or check on the air
to chart the course: to show the onward movement on an outline map inexorable: that cannot be changed; unalterable
e.g. the inexorable rise in the cost of living
19.graph: usually a mathematical diagram
Paragraphs 4 & 5
20.pitch: pitch a tent means put up a tent
e.g. They pitched their tent near the stream.
They pitched their tent at the edge of the field.
21.slab: A slab of something is a thick flat piece of it.
e.g. a slab of rock; a concrete slab; a slab of cheese
22.frigid: cold; icy; freezing
e.g. frigid weather
23. a hearty breakfast: a satisfying and rich breakfast
24.snowmobile: a kind of motor vehicle for traveling over snow, usually with steerable runners at the front and tractor treads at the rear
25.rendezvous point: the place where a submarine was to pick them up
26.hover: to wait close by, especially in an overprotective, insistent or anxious way
When a bird or insect hovers, it stays in the same position in the air by moving its wings very quickly.
If somebody is hovering, they are waiting in one place, for example, because they cannot decide what to do.
A figure hovered uncertainly in the doorway.
27.After it crashed through…resubmerged: After it broke through the ice, picked up it new passengers, and went below the surface of water again…
28.the polar ice cap: 极地冰冠
29.to secure the release of previously top secret data: to ensure the making public of data which was originally classified as top secret .
30.from submarine sonar tracks: obtained from submarine sonar tracks
31.an d then I was standing …sheets collide: and then I was standing in the vast scene of snow which was fearfully beautiful, windswept and shining white, with the stretch of ice field characterized by small ridges because of the force of the collision of the separate layers.
eerily: mysteriously or uncannily, especially in such a way as to frighten or disturb
windswept: swept by or exposed to winds
with the horizon defined by little hummocks: with stretch of ice field characterized by small ridges
32.the ice here will thin: the ice here will become thin
33.the consequences of a thinning cap could be disastrous: the result of a thinning cap may indicate the possibilities of disasters could: the word indicates “possibilities”
34.Considering such scenarios is not a purely speculative exercise: Thinking about how a series of events might happen as a consequence of the thinning of the Polar cap is not just a kind of practice in conjecture / speculation, it has got practical value.
scenario: a) an outline for an proposed or planned series of events, real or imagined 方案
b) the scenario of a film is a piece of writing that gives an outline of the story 脚本
speculative: meditating; thinking; pondering; guessing
35.the pattern of ice distribution: the regular way ice is distributed
36. a still controversial claim: a statement which some scientists still do not completely accept
37.which a variety of data now suggest: data coming from different sources point to this conclusion
38.the Arctic Circle: an imaginary line drawn round the world at
a certain distance from the most northern point (the North Pole), north of which there is no darkness for six months of each year and almost no light for the other six months. cf. the Antarctic Circle
39.tundra: any of the vast, nearly level, treeless plains of the Arctic regions
Paragraph 6
40.billowing: large swelling mass of
billow v. When smoke or cloud billows, it moves slowly upwards or across the sky
41.Acre by acre, the rain forest is being burned to create fast pasture for fast-food beef: Bit by bit trees in the rain forest are felled and the land is cleared and turned into pasture where cattle can be raised quickly and slaughtered and the beef can be used in hamburgers.