Unit five cruelty
Learning objectives: Students will be able to:
1. Grasp the main idea and structure of the text;
2. Give reasons when they do the ranking activities and make predictions; 3. Master the key language points and grammatical structures in the text;
4. Conduct a series of reading, listening, speaking and writing activities related to the theme of the unit. Pre-reading tasks:
1. Upon first seeing the title, what kind of story it is in your guess? 2. Can we judge a person by his/her appearance? Why? or why not? First period
I. Listening practice (15m)
For a long time, scientists have suspected that life exists on other plants besides earth, but until recently, they had very little evidence to support this theory. Not long ago, some pieces of rock from outer space were discovered in Australia. This discovery has stirred up a lot of excitement among experts throughout the world because these rocks contain chemicals similar to those found on earth and in our own bodies. This indicates to some specialists that life, in some form, is not only possible but also probable on other planets. Other scientists agree that there is a possibility of life on other planets but perhaps had flourished and died off many millions of years ago.
Questions:
1. According to this passage, does life exist on other planets?
－Possibly.
2. What did the rocks from other space contain?
－Chemicals similar to those found on earth.
3. What about the experts’ reactions to this discovery? －this discovery has stirred up a lot of excitement. II. Review work (15m)
1. Upon first seeing the title, what kind of story it is in your guess?
Possible answer: Upon first seeing the title, we may think, \"oh, it’s just another story about how people helped their friend in need!\" However, when we finish reading it, we will find it is an entirely different story. Those who appear to be friendly may turn out to be so evil-minded as to be ready to strike a cruel blow at a friend in need, just like Edward Burton in this passage.
2. Can we judge a person by his/her appearance? Why? or why not?
Possible answer: some people seem easy to understand because their character appears obvious on first meeting. But appearances are not always reliable. They can be deceptive or misleading sometimes. III. Background information (10m)
Maugham, William Somerset (1874—1965)
Maugham, William Somerset was British novelist, playwright, short-story writer, and
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highest paid author in the world in the 1930s. His novels and short stories are characterized by great narrative facility, simplicity of style, and a disillusioned and ironic point of view. His reputation stood higher with the public than with critics. He believed that man’s fate is usually determined by accidents beyond his control, so his attitude to life was somber and pessimistic. He was influenced a lot by Guy de Maupassant. He was born in the British Embassy in Paris and studied medicine at the University of Heidelberg. His partially autobiographical novel of Human Bondage (l915) is generally acknowledged as his masterpiece and is one of the best realistic English novels of the early 20th century. One story, Rain, which appeared in The Trembling of a Leaf (1921), was also turned into a successful feature film. Popular plays written by Maugham include The Circle (1921), East of Suez (1922), The Constant Wife (1926) and the anti-war play, For Services Rendered (1932). Other novels contributing to his worldwide fame include The Painted Veil (1925), Cakes and Ale (1930), Christmas Holiday (1939), The Hour Before the Dawn (1942). He also wrote satiric comedies——The Circle (1921) and Our Betters (1923).
In his later years Maugham wrote his autobiography, Summing Up (1938) and works of fiction such as The Razor's Edge (1945), Catalina (1948) and Quartet (1949). IV. The structure of Text A (50m)
Part One (para1) It is no easy to judge people, for they aren’t always what they
appear to be.
Part Two (para2-3) Kind and gentle, Edward Burton, a wealthy merchant, appeared
as if he could not bear to hurt a fly.
Part Three (para4-51) As it turned out, Burton was cold-blooded enough to send a
friend to certain death.
Explain the three parts in details:
Part one: we get some clues about Maugham’s point of view: even though
he has been studying his fellowmen for thirty years, he still feels it hard to judge people, for they aren’t always what they appear to be. What’s more, the longer he knows people the more they puzzle him.
Attention to the two phrases:
1. shrug one’s shoulders: raise(one’s shoulders) slightly to express doubt, indifference, ignorance, etc.
2. for sb’s part/the part of sb.: as far as sb is concerned.
Eg. For my own part I am against the belief that men should dominate the nature rather than live in harmony with it.
Part two: Almost the entire Part two is devoted to the description of Edward Burton’s kindly appearance and pleasant manners. Neither the “I” in the story nor readers could imagine him hurting a fly. Yet in Part Three Burton recounts cold-bloodedly how he destroyed a human life. (contrast)
Questions to help the students understand this part:
1. Does the narrator think our first impressions of a person are always right? Why or why not?
The narrator thinks that our first impressions are always deceptive, because he found that the longer he knows people the more they puzzle him. (L2-5)
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2. What was Edward Burton by profession? How did he look?
He was a merchant. (L7) He was a tiny little fellow, not much more than five feet four in height, and very slender, with white hair, a red face much wrinkled, and blue eyes. (L13-15)
3. What struck the narrator most about Edward Burton? How does the narrator describe this obvious side to Burton’s character?
What struck the narrator most is Burton’s kindness. (L27) The narrator gave a detailed description of Burton’s appearance and manners: There was something very pleasing in his mild blue eyes. His voice was gentle; you could not imagine that he could possibly raise it in anger; his smile was benign…(L27-29) Summary of part two:
The two paragraphs give us a vivid description of Edward Burton, so ask the students pay attention to the following descriptive words: a merchant doing
business in Japan; tiny little fellow, not more than five feet four in height (165cm), very slender, white hair, a red wrinkled face, blue eyes, neatly and quietly dressed; fond of playing bridge, not talkative, sensible language, humorous, popular in the club, a united and affectionate family, very kind, gentle voice, benign smile; a
self-made man. All these descriptive words made others think that he is a kind man, so kind that he can not bear to hurt a fly. Language points:
1.(all) of a piece: the same in all parts; the same as sth. else
Eg. The style of the book is all of piece, in both illustrations and text.
The essays he completed in the latter part of his life are of a piece with his earlier work.
all of a piece = all of one piece Other usages of piece
master piece杰作; 杰出的事;tear to pieces撕碎; 彻底摧毁; 痛斥 2.in accordance with: in agreement or harmony with
Eg. Students will be criticized or punished if their behavior is not in accordance
with school regulations.
Some young people are self-centered, which is not in accordance with Chinese traditional values.
act in accordance with the rules 根据条例行事 3.something of: to some degree
Eg. It’s something of a disadvantage nowadays if you can’t use a computer.
They haven’t got a loan from the bank, which is something of disappointment. Second period
I. Review work: dictation (10m)
Don’t judge by appearances because they can be misleading or deceptive sometimes. Just like Edward Burton in this passage, he is a merchant doing business in Japan for many years. He is very slender and always neatly- dressed in accordance with his age and station. Both in appearance and manner he suggests a man all of a piece until I hear the story from his own mouth about his cruelty and
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cold-bloodedness. II. Part three(25m)
Part One and Part Two are narrated by “I”, who offers his subjective opinion of Burton’s character. Yet in Part Three Burton himself takes over the narration to tell what happened between him and a friend in trouble. He sounds cool and objective; just because of this he is shown to be so vicious and so cold-blooded. Teacher should arouse students’ attention to the shift of person in the narration. Section one (para4-16): what Edward knew about Lenny.
Lenny: a remittance man, who plays bridge well, a good guy, often well-dressed,
smart-looking, curly hair and pink-and-white cheeks, which make him handsome, drinks too much.
Attention to Edward’s expressions when he was telling sth. about Lenny. His kindly
chuckle made me think that he could lose money at bridge with a good grace.
Section two (para17-31): How Edward responded to Lenny’s request.
Edward Burton: when Lenny came to Edward for help, he was rather surprised and couldn’t help laughing, then he turned down Lenny’s request mercilessly. Because of Lenny’s insist, he asked if Lenny could do sth. else except playing cards. Hearing that Lenny can swim, he showed his disdain by saying, “I could hardly believe my ears; it seemed such an insane answer to give.” From this part we can get some clues about Edward’s hard heart.
Section three (para32-51): How Edward, a “kind” gentleman, handled a friend in
desperate need of help.
Ask the students to cover this section and try to find some evidences of Edward’s
being cruel and cold-blooded.
Possible answer: 1) The currents round the beacon were more than Lenny could
manage.
2) He knew Lenny was not in good condition and he had ruined his
constitution by drink and dissipation, esp. when Lenny hesitated, he even encouraged him to accept this challenge. 3) He didn’t get a vacancy in his office at that moment.
III. Language points(25)
1. oddly enough: used to say that sth. seems strange or surprising E.g. oddly enough = strangely enough
Children’s books, oddly enough, continued to have a big place in retail sales. Oddly enough, some of the students don’t know how to log on the Internet. 2. in a way: to a certain extent but not entirely
E.g. I agree with you in a way, but there are still some areas on which I can’t see eye to eye with you. It’s easier for men to get work in a way.
c.f. in a big way大规模地; 豪华地; 隆重地 in a great way大规模地; 豪华地; 隆重地
in a family way不拘礼节地, 家常随便地; 怀孕 in a general way一般说来, 大体上 in a good way昌盛地, 富裕地
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in a hundred and one ways千方百计地
3. with (a) bad/good grace: unwillingly and rudely/willingly and happily E.g. After I talked to him for an hour, he admitted his mistake with bad grace. My mentor accepted my invitation to dinner with good grace. c.f. get into sb. good graces博得某人的欢心 good graces好意, 友意; 宠爱
have the grace to (do) 有... 的雅量, 有勇气… make one's graces行礼
with an ill grace勉强地, 不情愿地 with a good grace高兴地, 欣然地 with an easy grace态度自若
4.stick to: refuse to abandon or change (sth.)
E.g. Mike, you just tell the cops what you saw; stick to your story.
The old man stuck to jogging every morning although he was eighty years old. 5. down and out: having no money, home, etc.
E.g. When he was down and out, none of his friends gave him a helping hand.
Shortly after his company was declared bankrupt, the manager became down and
out.
6. be taken aback: be shocked or surprised
E.g. She was taken aback when a man answered the phone.
I was taken aback when I found my computer was gone. IV. Summary(30m)
1. Writing skills: contrast
Maugham, the famous British short writer, shows us how powerful contrast is in delineating a person’s character. Upon first seeing the title, readers may think: “ Oh, no. Another story about how people helped their friend in need!” However, when they finish reading it, readers will find it is an entirely different story: Those who appear to be friendly may turn out to be so evil-minded as to be ready to strike a cruel blow at a friend in need.
Almost the entire Part two is devoted to the description of Edward Burton’s
kindly appearance and pleasant manners. Neither the “I” in the story nor readers could imagine him hurting a fly. Yet in Part Three Burton recounts cold-bloodedly how he destroyed a human life.
Part One and Part Two are narrated by “I”, who offers his subjective opinion of Burton’s character. Yet in Part Three Burton himself takes over the narration to tell what happened between him and a friend in trouble. He sounds cool and objective; just because of this he is shown to be so vicious and so cold-blooded.
When contrasts abound, it is hard for readers to easily predict what will happen next.
2. Sentence structure:
Unless: it is used to talk about a situation that could happen, or something that could be true in the future. If you know that sth has not happened or that sth is not true, use if…not.指将来可能发生或可能真实的情况用unless;如果知道事情没有发生或不
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真实则用if…not.(see the exercise on P177).
Eg. You won’t get paid for time off unless you have a doctor’s note.
If you weren’t always in such a hurry, your work would be much better.
It happens that…or one happens to do/be doing…(see the exercise on P178.2) V. Homework
1. Re-read the passage and describe Edward Burton in one paragraph about 60 words.
2. Finish the vocabulary exercises on P172-173 and the translation on P180. 3. Preview task of Text B.
1). Cover all the words and phrases in Text B esp. the following ones:
mercy revenge depend on let go put a stop to
2). Log on the Internet and consult some info. about Hemingway. 3). Read the text and try to find the main idea. Third period
I. Dictate the following sentences(15m)
1. Don’t judge by appearances-appearances can be deceptive.
2. People must have small sight or great vanity if they think that first impressions are always right.
3. He was always neatly and quietly dressed in accordance with his age and station. 4. His being small and frail aroused our instinct of protection. 5. He has accepted my invitation with a good grace. II. Homework checking (35m)
III. Background information about Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961)(15m)
Ernest Hemingway was born on 21st July 1899 in Oak Park, a suburb of Chicago, Illinois. At the age of 17 Hemingway published his first literary work. He died aged 61 in 1961, of self-inflicted gun shot wounds. He was a world-renowned US writer of novels and short stories. He created a style of writhing using short, simple sentences, and received the Nobel Prize for literature in 1954.
Hemingway was a myth in his own time, and a myth in American Literature. He made a great contribution to the development of a new style in America, the colloquial style—simplicity, apparent naturalness
directness, clarity and freshness concrete and specific words casual and conversational words
short sentences, sometimes ungrammatical
He wrote all his life about one theme, which is neatly summed up in the famous phrase “grace under pressure”, and created one hero to act that theme out. Hemingway’s public image was one of a tough guy, whom even an air-crash could not kill.
IV. Tell the students the story of The Old Man and the Sea briefly in order to help
them understand Hemingway’s writing style (25m)
It is a short novel, a fable of a kind, about an old Cuban fisherman Santiago
and his battle with a great marlin. For 84 days, Santiago does not catch a single fish but he does not feel discouraged. He goes far out into the sea and hooks a
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giant marlin. A desperate struggle ensues in which Santiago manages to kill the fish and tie it to his boat, only to find that on the way home he has to fight a more desperate struggle with other dangerous giant sharks, which eat up a marlin, leaving only a skeleton. The old man brings it home and goes to bed to dream, almost dead with exhaustion.
Here in Santiago we see the spirit of the noble-if tragic-Hemingway type of
individualism, contending with a force he knows it is futile to battle with. He keeps on fighting because he believes that “a man is not made for defeat…A man can be destroyed but not defeated.” However the man eventually comes to the realization that in going far out alone, “beyond all the people in the world”, he has met his doom, and he feels good to be one of the human and the natural world. That he begins to experience a feeling of brotherhood and love not only for his fellowmen but also for his fellow creatures in nature is a convincing proof that Hemingway’s vision of the world has undergone a profound change. Fourth period
I. Ask the students to scan the passage and try to finish the comprehension check on P187. (25m)
II. Teachers summarize the story as following (25m)
This short story describes a tough and handicapped fellow. In a bloody fight, he lost his two eyes. Though leading a hard life, he never felt discouraged; but rather, he wanted no pity from others and took all these in an easy way, which makes others in the saloon, feel free to talk about his fighting in his present. He never minded when other people called him “blindy” that he earned after the fierce fight. It is amazing that he could ask his enemy Willie Sawyer who made him blind to give him a ride, and didn’t feel offended when he put him out of the car letting him walk lonely in an extremely cold night. However, when talking about that guy, he showed no trace of hatred or anger on his face. He is so optimistic and generous that he almost forgot about that fighting night, and even joked with him while Willie Sawyer still felt uncomfortable when they met. So he said “He ain’t got no sense of humor at all”, “you know that Willie Sawyer he’ll never be a man of the world”, which implied and proved that he remained to be a man of the world though he suffered a lot from his loss of eyes. Through blindy’s story, Hemingway illustrates again that “A man can be destroyed but not defeated.” As long as one has a strong will, he can still regain happiness by forgetting about the unhappy past and forgiving the person who has ever hurt him.
III. Go over the underlined sentences in the passage and let some students translate them. (20m) IV. A writing practice
Write a composition about 120 words on the topic Make Our Cities Greener, try to conclude the essay by suggesting a solution. (see writing strategy on P191) The following outline may be helpful. 1. 城市绿化现状。
2. 绿化的好处（如清洁空气，美化城市，改善气候等）。
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3. 如何才能实现绿化？
Make Our Cities Greener
With the industrialization of cities, large amounts of green land was destroyed and replaced by modern structures and plants could seldom be seen. Years ago, city dwellers came to realize how much they need greenery. Plants have appeared quickly. Still, the present situation is far from satisfactory.
People need greenery for its benefits. Plants can make the air clean and fresh by absorbing certain kinds of poisonous gases and producing oxygen at the same time. Plants are also great contributors to the beauty of cities. What’s more, plants can change the climate for the better in the long run. Such pleasant and healthy surroundings are beneficial to people’s mental and physical well-being.
To make cities greener, city planners should leave enough space for plants. What’s more, the importance of a green city should be made known to all citizens so that they voluntarily grow plants and guarantee their survival. We should try every means possible to make our cities greener.
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