unit 2高英.docx

1、unit 2高英 JEXT LANATIONS In this poignant remembrance, the author recalls the unforgettable, sorrowful experiences of her childhood when she was forced to learn Chinese, which did not interest her. The text may be divided into four parts. The first paragraph, the first part, provides the background o

2、f the narrative text. The second part, paragraphs 2-7, dynamically and vividly describes their forced walks to the Chinese school, the stern principal, the classroom, the polite formality with which lessons started,etc. Paragraphs 8-11, making up the third part, specifically and graphically depict t

3、he language gap within the extended family: between the writer and her grandmother and between her brother and mother. And in the last part, which is made up of the last three short paragraphs, the author expressed her sorrow for not having been able to become a real American. (1) Which paragraphs d

4、escribe the classroom where the author received her Chinese lessons? Paragraphs 4-5 describe the schoolroom where the author attended Chinese lessons. The classroom was actually an empty auditorium.(2) Why was the author forced to attend Chinese lessons? The authors mother maintained that it was qui

5、te necessary and useful to learn Chinese, which was the language of their heritage, and therefore that the gift must learn Chinese, her mother tongue. Paragraph i ANALYSIS This paragraph, the beginning of the narrative text, provides the background of the story. From this we readers learn that the C

6、hinese school on Yale Street, where the author and her brother used to go 10 years ago continues to exist there, remaining remarkably and stoically the same, despite its new coat of paint and its fence. It is necessary to consider the two questions below: (1) Why do you think the school was newly pa

7、inted? As the Chinese school is rather old, its outside must have been discolored and dirty. To make it lo0k attractive, the school was newly painted as a kind of face-lift. (2) What does the existence of the old school imply? The Chinese school is still there, which implies that still there are man

8、y Chinese children attending Chinese lessons in the school. Although they live abroad, Chinese parents never forget their own culture and their own language and require that their children learn their mother tongue. LANGUAGE WORK1. Despite the new coat of paint and the high wire fence, the school I

9、knew 10 years ago remains remarkably, stoically the same. Although covered with a new coat of paint and enclosed with a high wire fence, the school I knew 10 years ago continues to be the same, showing remarkable defiance of the vicissitudes of time. fence n. structure of rails, stakes, wire, etc.,

10、esp. one put round a field or garden to mark a boundary or keep animals from straying The backyard is enclosed with a high wire fence. The field is surrounded with a stake fence. vt. surround, divide, or enclose a field, a garden, etc. with a fence His land is fenced with barbed wire. The grounds ar

11、e fenced in to prevent trespassing. stoically adv. with great self-control and a strong will to endure pain, discomfort, or misfortune without complaining about it or showing signs of feeling it She behaved stoically during the final phase of her husbands illness. They endured all kinds of hardships

12、 stoically.Incidentally, the adverb stoically could be considered as an example of personification, indicating that the school, just like a man, has withstood the test of time without too much obvious change. Paragraphs 2-7 ANALYSIS Paragraphs 2-6 dynamically and vividly describe the childrens force

13、d walks to the Chineseschool, the stern principal, their classroom, the polite formality with which lessons started, etc.Paragraph 7 tells us why the author did not want to learn Chinese. The following questions are to be answered: (1) What do you know about the headmaster of the Chinese school acco

14、rding to the authors descriptions? He is a stern man who treats the children severely. He tends to punish those children who are lazy, naughty, and poor in their studies, as well as those who violate the school discipline. (2) How did the author describe the classroom where they attended Chinese les

15、sons? There were little chairs in an empty auditorium. The room smelled like Chiriese medicine, an imported faraway mustiness. Like ancient mothballs or dirty closets. (3) What else was stressed in the Chinese school besides the emphasis on speaking, reading and writing? Politeness was also emphasiz

16、ed in the school. The lessons always began with an exercise in politeness. With the entrance of the teacher, the best student would tap a bell and all the childrenwould get up, kowtow, and chant, Sing san ho, the phonetic for How are you, teacher? (4) What things did the writer consider to be more i

17、mportant and more useful than learningChinese? She considered the following things to be more important and more useful: doing multiplication tables, naming the satellites of Mars, writing reports on Little Women and Black Beauty.LANGUAGE WORK2. sneak vi. go quietly and secretly in the direction spe

18、cified He stole the money and sneaked out of the house. The cat ate the food and sneaked off. A thief took all the jewels and sneaked away.3. the empty lot: the vacant or unoccupied area or land4. No amount of kicking, screaming, or pleading could dissuade my mother, who was solidly determined to ha

19、ve us learn the language of our heritage No matter how desperately my brother and I resisted going to the Chinese school, kicking, yelling, or repeatedly begging, we could not make our mother change her mind, because she was determined to get us to learn Chinese, our mother tongue, which had been pa

20、ssed down from generation to generation. plead v. make repeated urgent requests; offer sth. as an explanation or excuse, esp. for failing to do sth. or for doing sth. wrong He pleaded with his parents for a more understanding attitude. She pleaded with him not to leave her alone. The boy pleaded to

21、be allowed to ride on the tractor. They asked him to pay for the damage, but he pleaded poverty. dissuade vt. stop sb. from doing sth. by persuasion He wrote a book to dissuade people from using tobacco. Jims father tried to dissuade him from marrying Mary. solidly adv. firmly and substantially The

22、house has a solidly-built foundation. We are solidly united on this issue. heritage n. such things as works of art, cultural achievements and folklore that have been passed on from earlier generations; property that has been or may be inherited by an heir These ancient buildings are part of our nati

23、onal heritage. She is the only heir who is entitled to the heritage.5. Forcibly, she walked us the seven long, hilly blocks from our home to school, depositing our defiant tearful faces before the stem principal. From our home to school there are seven long groups of buildings bounded by streets on

24、all sides and erected on hilly slopes. She forced us to walk past these blocks, leaving both of us in front of the grim and serious headmaster, our faces showing rebellious reluctance and wet with tears. forcibly adv. done by or involving the use of physical force; forcefully The policemen entered t

25、he building forcibly. The pirates forcibly seized our ship as well as the cargo on it. deposit vt. lay or put sth. down; put money in a bank, esp. to earn interest He deposited his papers with his lawyers. He deposited the books on the desk. The money hes deposited in the bank is enough for a new ca

26、r. defiant adj. openly opposing or resisting sb. or sth. The trade union adopted a defiant attitude toward the bosss threat. The hardliners are angrily defiant of the governments refusal and threaten to take action. the stern principal: the very disciplinary head of the school; the grim and serious

27、head of the Chinese school; the headmaster of the school who runs or manages it by taking very severe measures6. sway v. waver, oscillate irregularly She swayed her body in time with the music. The wind is swaying the tall grass. She swayed the cradle with her foot until the baby went to sleep. The

28、trees were swaying gently in the wind.7. clasp vt. hold sb. or sth. tightly in the hand; hold sb. tightly in ones arms She was clasping a knife. The couple clasped hands briefly before saying good-bye. He clasped her to his chest.8. twitching hands: hands that were moving spasmodically; hands with m

29、uscles moving rapidly and involuntarily; hands that were violently jerking9. I recognized him as a repressed maniacal child killer, and knew that if we ever saw his hands wed be in big trouble. In my opinion, the principal was a man who suffered from suppression of emotions and who was so stern and

30、severe that he would be liable to beat up a child. And I knew if we ever saw his twitching hands, we would be in for severe physical punishment, extreme pain, anxiety and worry, etc. maniacal adj. violently mad; extremely enthusiastic We hate his maniacal behavior. The maniacal expression on his fac

31、e scared his wife to death. These young men are maniacal about football matches.10. The room smelled like Chinese medicine, an imported faraway mustiness. The room gave off a smell very similar to that of Chinese medicine, a stale, mouldy, and damp smell drifting in from a faraway place. 11. Like an

32、cient mothballs or dirty closets. This is a prepositional phrase, but it stands alone like an independent clause. In fact, it is part of the previous sentence. We can incorporate it in the previous sentence: The room smelled like Chinese medicine, an imported faraway mustiness, or like ancient mothballs or dirty closets. This structure is known as a sentence fragment, which has a stressed falling tone. Therefore, its meaning is given prominence. The writer intended to ma