新编英语教程复习资料

A New English Course (Book 6)
Unit One
Text I
Two Words to Avoid, Two to Remember
Arthur Gordon

I. Pre-reading Brainstorming:
1. Make a guess of the two words the author advises the reader to avoid and the two words to remember.
2. The answers to the preceding question are “next time” and “if only”. Which two do you think are the words to avoid and
which two to remember? Give your reasons for your answer.
II. Comprehension:
1. Main Idea:
In the present narration, by relating his meeting with his psychiatrist friend “ the Old Man”, the writer aims at demonstrating
the power of positive thinking. Due to his failure to complete an important project, the writer was frustrated and depressed.
The old man advised him to shift the focus, to substitute “next time ”which is forward and positive for “if only” which is
backward and negative so as to get out of the depressed state of mind.

2. Organization and Development
i. (paras 1-3) Introduction: presenting the background information of this narration——the time and place of the
meeting, the relationship between the writer and the old man.
ii. (paras 4-31) The writer’s meeting with the Old Man and the advice given by the Old Man on how to get rid of
depression.
iii. (paras 32-33) Conclusion: what the writer learns from the Old Man: whenever I find myself thinking “if only”,
I change it to “next time”.
iv.
3. Comprehension Questions:
1) How were the author and the old man related?
The old man was an eminent psychiatrist and the author was a client of his.
2) According to the author, how much did the session with his psychiatrist friend that afternoon mean to him?
To him, the session was just like “a flash of insight that leaves him a changed person——not only changed, but changed
for the better.”
3) Why did the old man let the author listen to the three speakers on the tape?
The tree speakers on the tape were all unhappy, and the two words they all used frequently in what they said were “ in
only”. What the old man wanted to point out to the author was that to keep saying “ if only” would not change anything;
on the contrary, it only kept the person facing the wrong way ——backward instead of forward. Thus it did more harm
than good to the person who kept saying them.
4) What did the old man advise the author to do to get out of his depressed state of mind?
Shift the focus: substitute “next time” for “ if only”.
5) In what way are the two phrases “if only” and “next time” different?
They point to entirely different mental directions: one is backward and negative, and the other forward and positive.
6) What do you think is the tone of the passage?
Instructive and inspirational.

4. Difficult Sentences for Paraphrasing or Translation
1) The most inspiring and gratifying fact of life is the unexpected spark of enlightenment that makes you different and a
better person than before. (ll.1-2)
2) At last he walked over from the other side of the street, wrapped in his old-fashioned overcoat, his bald head covered by a
shapeless felt hat. He looked like a dwarfish old man full of energy rather than a well-known psychiatrist. (ll.11-13)
3) The next speaker on the tape was a woman who had remained single because she thought she was obliged to take care of

her mother who was a widow. She still remembered and told others miserably about all the chances of marriage she had
missed. (ll. 39-40)
4) Eventually, if you form a habit of saying “if only”. The phrase can really turn to an obstruction, providing you with an
excuse for giving up trying anything at all. (ll. 58-59)
5). …you are always thinking of the past, regretting and lamenting. You did not look forward to what you can do in the
future at all. (ll. 65-66)
6) The Old Man said to me trickily, using the phrase “if only” on purpose, “If only we’d got here ten seconds earlier, we’d
have caught the cab.” I laughed and understood what he meant. So I followed his advice and said, “Next time I’ll run faster.”
(ll 91-93)


Text II
The Romance of Words
Wilfred Funk and Norman Lewis
I. Pre-reading Brainstorming:
1. What romance do words have?
2. Make a guess at the subject matter of the passage.

II. Comprehension:
1. Main Ideas:
In the present exposition, by using analogies and various examples, the writers explain the origins of words, words families
and words meanings of the language in order to show the dynamic nature of words, in the hope of calling the readers to pay
more attention to words, which they tend to take for granted.

2. Organization and Development:
A. (paras 1-2) Introduction: purpose of writing.
B. ( paras 3-19) Explanation of:
i. the toot of a word——the origins of words (para3-11)
ii. the branches of our language——the word families (para12-15)
iii. the leaves of our language——the words themselves and the word meanings(para16-19)
C. (paras 20-21) Conclusion: echoing the beginning paragraphs in the writing purpose.

3. Comprehension Questions:
1) What is the writers’ purpose of writing? Where in the essay is it first made clear? Is it echoed somewhere else?
The writers’ purpose of writing is to call upon the readers to pay more attention to words, which they tend to take for granted.
This is made clear at the very beginning of the article by the sentence “From now on we want you to look at words intently,
to be inordinately curious about them and to examine them syllable by syllable, letter by letter.” This is echoed by the
sentence in the last paragraph: “ From this time on, as we enter our word studies, try to become self-conscious about words.”
2) To show the dynamic nature of words, the writers have used two analogies. What are they? Which one do they concentrate
on?
The two analogies the writers have made are “human beings” and “living trees”. But in the article they concentrate on the
analogy of “living trees.”
3) Where in the essay can you find the writers’ explanations of the root of a word, the branches, and the leaves of our
language respectively?
Their explanations can be found in paras. 6, 12, and 16 respectively:
The story of the root of a word is the story of its origin.
The branches of our language tree are those many groups of words that have grown out from one original root.
The leaves of this language tree would be the words themselves and their meanings.
4) What is the root of a word? Give five examples of the roots of words with explanations.

The root of a word refers to the origin of the word. Examples:
i. etymology—the study of origins of words; the true knowledge of words. Roots: Greek word etymon ( true) and Greek
ending logia (knowledge).
ii. calculate—find out an amount by using numbers. Root: Latin word calculus (pebble). In Roman times, pebbles in the
hodometer in a vehicle for hire were counted at the end of a trip to calculate the bill or fare.
iii. surplus—excess; more than what is needed. Roots: French sur (over) and French plus (more).
iv. supercilious— haughty. Root: Latin supercilium (eyebrow that has just been raised).
v. companion—mate, friend. Roots: Latin cum (with) and Latin panis (bread), i. e., one who eats bread with you.
vi. broker—a person who sells and buys stocks and bonds. Root: Middle English brocour, a broacher ( one who opens a cask
to draw off the wine or liquor).
5) Give examples of your own, showing the changes in word meanings:
A quotation from Quirk (1963): “ …Change of meaning is a commonplace, and indeed it would appear to be fundamental in
living language. …… almost every word we use today has a slightly different meaning from the one it had a century ago: and
a century ago it had a slightly different meaning from the one it had a century before that.”
Examples: Admiration in Shakespeare’s day meant astonishment; to season meant “ to moderate”. So, when Haratio says to
Hamlet, “Season your admiration for a while……” , he is not telling Hamlet “ to increase his respect (the current meaning of
admiration ) for something”, but “to moderate his astonishment.” When Juliet tells Romeo, “ I am too fond,” she is not
claiming she likes Romeo too much. She means “I am too foolish.”
Pencil is from a Latin word meaning “ a little tail” or “ a fine brush,” like our Chinese “pen”（毛笔）. Later, when it was
made of wood and graphite, it was still called a “ pencil”.
Paper comes from the Greek name of a plant, the papyrus, that grows in Egypt and from which the Egyptians made their
paper. Now paper is made from a large number of other materials, but the word paper had continued in use.
Feedback originally used as in electronics, meaning “ response” in common use, as in “ The teacher likes to have feedback
from his students.”
An abundance of examples can be found in popular web language, such as恐龙、粉丝、美眉、烘培鸡、偶稀饭, etc.

Unit Two
TEXT I
The Fine Art of Putting Things Off
Michael Demarest
I) Pre-reading Brainstorming:
Do you often put things off or not? Why?
How can “putting things off” be a fine art?
II) Comprehension:
1) Main Idea:
Through depicting popularity of procrastination in nearly all the fields, the writer wanted to prove that “delay can often
inspire and revive a creative soul” and “to put off making decision is itself a decision” and therefore it can be a fine and
useful art.
2) Purpose of writing and Tone:
In half serious and half-joking manner and humorous tone, Demarest expresses his view on procrastination that while in
some cases it is irrational and encumbering to delay, it is justified and fruitful.
3) Organization and Development:
Introduction: (P1-2) The world is probably divided between delayers and do-it- nowers;
Body: (1)(P3-7) Delay is not without its advantages: it can often inspire and revive a creative soul;
Conclusion: (P8-9) Explanation and conclusion of procrastination;

ORGANIZATION AND DEVELOPMENT
The use of the word yet
to what he has read about in the preceding one. (Para. 2 illustrates the trouble procrastination may incur while para. 3 tells

the reader that delay can often inspire and revive a creative soul. )
At the beginning of para. 4, the word cunctator
Para. 5 begins with the parody of the proverb will, there is a way
the word
His point
The use of the word also

4) Comprehension Questions:
l. In what sense is the word “art” used in the title?
--- method, skill
2. How does Demarest begin his essay? Is it an effective beginning?
--- He begins with the famous saying of Chesterfield's and instances of non- compliance of some historically
well-known figures.
---Yes. This effectively reminds people that procrastination is not under all circumstances a
non-recommendable practice: sometimes people do have a good reason to wait before they take action.
3. Why does Demarest refer to visit to the barber, the dentist, and the doctor as “Faustian encounters”(para.2)?
---
Most people are unwilling to visit barbers, doctors, and dentists.
4. How do you understand the word “blessedly” used in para.?
---It means
depriving the proconsul of the excuse to delay action.
5. Explain Demarest’s distortion of the proverb “where there is no will, there is a way” at the beginning of para.5.
---The author is playing punning on the word
two paragraphs. But mind that the word is used in different senses in the two instances. In the preceding paragraph,

distorted version of the old saying, the word
there is no will to procrastinate, there is a way to do so.
---1) pun 双关; 2) parody 诙谐模仿
6. How do you explain the parenthesis (at 50-plus an hour) in p.8?
---This is a humorous touch. This refers to what the psychologists (more exactly psychiatrists or psychoanalysts)
charge their clients for the consultations. This explains why they always delay curing their patients.
7. Think of one or two examples to illustrate what Dr. Greenson says “All frightened people will then avoid the
moment of truth entirely, or evade or postpone it until the last possible moment.”
---For example, a person who has a bad tooth tends to delay his visit to the dentist until the pain becomes intolerable.
8. While the points Demarest makes about his subject matter are serious, the tone of his writing is a mixture of the
serious and humorous. Identify his shift in tone from one to the other.
---While the statement at the beginning of para. 3
the following illustrations do not sound to be so. But remember Jean Kerr was a humorist. What he says about the
procrastination in the army, though a bit overstated, may still be seriously meant. The two illustrative examples,
especially the one of the U.S. general's taking a sporting day off to delay the battle, are instances of humor at the cost of
credibility.
In the last paragraph the inclusion of
such as the creation of a great painting, a book and a building.
1) Difficult Sentences for paraphrasing
1. Moses pleaded a speech defect to rationalize his reluctance to deliver Jehovah’s edict to Pharaoh.(L.6-7)
---Moses justified his unwillingness to pass Jehovah's order to Pharaoh, saying that he was
2. Yet for all the trouble procrastination may incur, delay can often inspire and revive a creative soul. (L.15-16)
---Delay leads to problems. However in many cases, it can often stimulate the creativity in an artist.
3. He notes that speedy action can be embarrassing or extremely costly. (L.34-35)

--- It points out that hastiness may give rise to decisions which turn out to be humiliating or expensive.
4. Bureaucratization, which flourished amid the growing burdens of government and the greater complexity of society,
was designed to smother policymakers in blankets of legalism, compromise and reappraisal --- and thereby
prevent hasty decisions from being made.
---Excessive red- tape developed because public administration was expanding in scope and because society was growing
more and more complicated. In this sense, red- tape helped those in charge of policy to be fully engaged in al enormous
amount of paperwork and judgment, thus making it impossible for an immature decision to result.
5...many of my friends go through agonies when they face a blank page.
--- … many of my friends have a hard time the moment they attempt to put pen to paper.

Unit Two
TEXT II
Gossip
Francine Prose
I) Pre-reading Brainstorming:
1) How would you define the word “gossip”?
2) What functions does gossip have?
II) Main Idea of the passage:
Through clarifying the present misunderstanding and distorting of the word “gossip”, the writer emphasizes the strength
of gossip as the heritage, as the legacy of a certain community and other functions that it can play in the society.
2) Structure of the passage:
Introduction: (P1-2) Gossip
---heritage, birthright
Body: (P3-9) What is gossip?
---How has it been distorted?
---What are the functions roles of gossip?
Conclusion: (P10) I’ll continue to cherish gossip.
V) Comprehension Questions:
1. Why does the author begin her essay with the small town’s reaction to the domestic arrangements of a pair of
Siamese twins?
--- Prose identifies gossip with the community in which it is carried out; it is part of the community, contributing to linking
all its members into a whole. The domestic arrangements of the Siamese twins, though an event sensational enough to arouse
much town talk, was in the woman's opinion, incomparable to what had been happening in the town itself. Note that in the
quotation of the woman, the two words
2. How is Prose’s thesis echoed in the concluding paragraph?
--- Gossip makes her feel close to those places where she had once lived. What Prose wants to emphasize is the strength of
gossip as the heritage, as the legacy of a certain community.
3. Most people make a distinction between gossiping and exchanging information as Prose’s mother does. Does
Prose herself agree to such a distinction?
---No, she doesn't, although sometimes she seems to be following the trend and making such a distinction. (Refer to para. 4. )
Yet the truth is that she is doing so out of the pressure imposed by social strain or simply out of courtesy.
4. What point does Prose want to make by tracing the origin of the word “gossip” in para. 6?
--- To show that gossip is a synonym for connection, for community. It thus should not be regarded as a word with negative
connotations.
5. Why does Prose think gossip’s analytical component is more important?
--- To examine why somebody does something contributes to one's moral development.
6. What negative aspect of gossip does Prose touch on near the end of essay? How does she explain it away?
---Nosiness. But this is unavoidable for we were all born to be curious.

Answer for True or False Questions
1. F (To this woman, the fact about Chang and Eng seemed less important than the glee with which she said it. In other
words, she was more interested in gossip than Chang and Eng's life. )
2. T
3. F (Almost all of us gossip, but hardly anyone is ready to admit to it or defend it. )
4. F (Tile term
5. F (According to the author, gossip and literature share some essential qualities. )


Unit Three
TEXT I
Walls and Barriers
Eugene Raskin

I) Pre-reading Brainstorming
Pre-reading Questions
1) Why was the Great Wall built in China? What was its main function when it was first built?
---The Great Wall of China was first built following the unification of China by the First Emperor of the Qin Dynasty in
221 B. C. It was renovated and rebuilt in succeeding dynasties. In its present form, it substantially dates from the Ming
Dynasty (1368- 1644). It stretches from Gansu Province to Shanhaiguan, Hebei, winding continuously across northern China
and totaling 6,700 kilometers in length. The wall was erected to protect China from northern tribes.
2) What is the relation between “walls” and “barriers”?
---A wall is defined as a continuous and usually vertical and solid structure of stones, bricks, concrete, etc. , serving to
enclose or protect or divide off town, house, room, field, etc. A barrier is defined as a material object that serves as an
obstruction or an obstacle to prevent communication or to check (e. g. , the advance of an enemy).
In the old days, walls were erected as barriers against danger from without, and the Great Wall of China can serve as a
typical example of this. Most walls in China function as barriers.

II)Comprehension:
1) Main Idea:
This passage compares classical and modern architecture as well as old and new views of money, and it contrasts the
modern notion of wall-as-window with the ancient conception of wall-as-barrier.
The writer’s Conclusion point of view: Architecture is an expression of people’s mentality (attitudes, prejudices, taboos,
and ideals); therefore, changes in their views of the world and of themselves are bound to be mirrored in architecture.
2) Purpose of writing and Tone:
Raskin in “Walls and Barriers” intends to illustrate and promote an opinion that changes in their views of the world and
of themselves are bound to be mirrored in architecture. He achieves his purpose through logical reasoning (inductive
analysis, making comparison and contrasts and cause-and-effect analysis)
3) Organization and Development:
Introduction: (P1-2) Opening of the passage
Body: (1) (P3-5) compares classical and modern architecture as well as old and new views of money
(2) (P6-10) contrasts the modern notion of wall-as-window with the ancient conception of wall-as-barrier.
Conclusion: (P11) Our changing conceptions of ourselves in relations to the world determine how we shall build
our walls.


ORGANIZATION AND DEVELOPMENT
of contrasts:
a. architectural designs of banks paras. 3 & 4

b. function of bank para. 4
c. classical and new criticism of architecture para.6
d. attitude toward possible hostility in primitive and modern world paras. 7 & 9
e. attitude toward privacy paras. 8, 9, & 10
t on the opening of the passage:
His father is made to represent the earlier generation; his voice is a voice from the past. Raskin's is a voice of the present,
representing the new generation. As what he wants to do is to contrast the old views with the modern ones, quoting his
father is an effective way of starting the essay.
4) Comprehension Questions:
1. Why do you think Raskin’s father and people of his generation take a negative attitude toward a bank with glass
walls?
---To people of Raskin's father's generation, money is a tangible commodity. To deposit money in a bank is to keep it in the
safe the banker provides. Therefore a bank must be solidly constructed to perform this function. A bank with glass walls falls
short of the expectations of these people.
2. Why was it necessary for banks in the past to have heavy walls and bronze doors?
--- First, money was a tangible commodity, and there was much more cash in circulation then. So it was necessary to have a
strong
Second, to attract customers by satisfying them psychologically.
3. What changes have occurred in peoples notion of money, in the function of the bank, and accordingly, in its
architectural features?
What points does Raskin want to illustrate by dealing with these changes?
--- Money: used to be a tangible commodity; being less tangible now, less cash being used, being replaced largely by credit.
Function of the bank: provision of a safe before; provision of services now. Architecture: used to have an impregnable
appearance; has become a cubical cage of glass, the door becoming a window display. The point illustrated: Architecture
is a medium for the expression of human beliefs and attitudes.
4. How does Rashkin contrast “classical” and “new” theories of architecture?
---Ref. to cal architecture measures excellence by form with little regard to function. The new theory of
architecture stresses the integration of form and function, especially the function of architecture as a manifestation of
human mentality.
5. What do the words “And then” at the beginning of para.8 indicate?
--- The paragraph is a continuation of the discussion of walls as barriers carried out in the preceding paragraph, but from
another aspect.
6. What point is the example in para. 7 supposed to illustrate?
---Thc last sentence in para. 6, i.e., walls are not simply walls but physical symbols of the barriers in men's minds.
7. What evidence does Raskin give to prove that people in some Mediterranean cultures attached great importance to their
private life and inner world?
--- Behavior --- went about in guarded litters or veiled.
Architectural features --- surrounding walls, rooms facing a patio, etc.
Decorative arts --- intricate and rich.
Philosophy --- contemplative.
8. In which two aspects of life does Raskin contrast the modern men and their predecessors?
In what way do the differences affect architecture?
--- One.. attitude toward threat and hostility from the world without.
Two: attitude toward privacy.
Effect on architecture: Heavy walls are obsolete, more delicate materials are used instead.
9. Why are glass walls becoming popular in architecture?
--- The traditional functions of walls have changed, and glass walls can perform the functions walls are expected to perform
in modern architecture. What's more, glass walls adequately express the beliefs of tile modern man.
10. What general conclusion can you draw with regard to the relation between the form and function of

architecture from Raskin’s article?
--- The form of architecture is determined by its function.

5) Difficult Sentences for paraphrasing
1. Of course, my father is a gentlemen of the old school, a member of the generation to whom a good deal of modern
architecture is unnerving; but I suspect --- I more than suspect, I am convinced, --- that his negative response was not so
much to the architecture as to a violation of his concept of the nature of money.(L.4-7)
--- Brought up in tile old tradition, my father is naturally not prepared to accept the idea of modern architecture; his objection
to it. I would assume, indeed I should say I am pretty sure, is not a result of his strong dislike of tile physical building itself,
but rather that of his refusal to change his attitude towards money.
a building’s design made it appear impregnable, the institution was necessarily sound, and the meaning of the
heavy wall as an architectural symbol dwelt in the prevailing attitude toward money, rather than in any aesthetic
theory. (L.11-14)
--- If a building was made to look sturdy, invulnerable, it would be accordingly regarded as reliable, and the significance of
the thick walls would be measured not by their artistic value, but by their seeming ability to provide a safe location for
money.
1. In a primitive society, for example, men picture the world as large, fearsome, hostile, and beyond human
control.(L.34-35)
--- People in a primitive society, for example, saw the world as an enormous planet full of fear, hatred and disorder.
2. The principal function of today’s wall is to separate possibly undesirable outside air from the controlled
conditions of temperature and humidity which we have created inside.(L.61-62)
--- Today a wall serves mainly as a physical means to protect ibc desired atmosphere inside from being disturbed by
anything unwelcome outside.
3. To repeat, it is not our advanced technology, but our changing conceptions of ourselves in relation to the world
that determine how we shall build our walls.(L.70-71)
--- Again, the decisive factor that can influence the design of a wall is not the advancement of science and technology, but
our ever-changing attitude towards our place in this world.
Unit Three
TEXT II
Barrier Signals
Desmond Morris
I) Pre- reading Brainstorming:
1) What is body language? What do you know about it?
--- nonverbal communication; body language kinesics
--- message of space: space; territoriality; proxemics;
2) What is barrier signal? What are functions of barrier signals?
3) Examples of barrier signals?
II) Main Idea of the passage:
This essay, in the form of extended definition and developed largely through examples, illustrates the Body-cross, the
most popular form of Barrier Signals
III) Structure of the passage:
Introduction (P1-2): the origin and development of barrier signals

Main part (P3-12): the Body-cross --- its variables in different situations, such as greeting, standing & sitting
3) Examples of barrier signals throughout the text by Morris:
l. A little child biding behind its mother's body or a chair or some piece of solid furniture.
2. A teenage girl covering up her face with hands or papers.
3. The special guest on a gala occasion having his right hand reach across his body and
touch his left cuff-link.
4. The female guest on a gala occasion having her right hand across her body and shifting the position of her handbag.
5. A man fingering a button or the strap of a wristwatch.
6. A woman smoothing out an imaginary crease in a sleeve or repositioning the scarf or coat held over her left arm.
7. A man rubbing his hands together or clasping them firmly in front of him.
8. Thc arm-fold, i.e., the left and right arms intertwining themselves across the front of tile chest.
9. Pressing the tightly clasped hands down on to the crotch.
10. Using the desk as a barrier.
V) Comprehension Questions:
1. Morris begins his essay with the example of childhood hiding. Is it as effective way of opening? Why or why not?
---Yes, it is. This is something everyone shares as part of his early experience.
2. What is a Barrier Signal as defined by Morris?
---A Barrier Signal is a trivial action a person performs unconsciously to fend off any potential threat.
3. What are examples given in P.4-6 intended to illustrate?
---They are given to illustrate the various ways in which Body-cross, the most popular form of Barrier Signal, is
disguised.
4. In what sense are some barriers incomplete?
--- Refer to para.7.
5. How does Morris explain the phenomenon that in a greeting situation it is always the new arrival that makes the
body-cross movement?
---It is always the new arrival who is invading the home territory of the greeters.
6. What change occurs in the psychology of the person greeted when the greeting is over? Why is “something more lasting
than a mere cuff- fumble” needed?
--- When greeting is over and conversation begins, the greeted feels that he now enjoys equal status with the greeter so
far as “territory” is concerned. The two parties are equally vulnerable to the threatening. Something more lasting than a
mere cuff-fumble摆弄袖口 is needed because the ensuing随即而来的 conversation lasts much longer than the
greeting.
7. (P.12) Do you think that a desk is really a good example of a “signal” Why or why not?
--- It may not be a good example because a desk is not always there to perform the function of a barrier signal; more
often than not its presence is necessitated by the practical function it is to perform.
8. What is the thesis statement of the article?
Unit 4
Text I
The Lady, or the Tiger? Part I
Frank R. Stockton

I. Pre-reading Brainstorming:
The text is a short story about how justice is administered by a semi-barbaric king. In what way do you suppose the

administration of justice can be related to the title of the story?

II. Comprehension:
Idea:
This part is the opening scene of the short story, in which Stockton tells the reader about a semi-barbaric king of a
kingdom distant from the Latin countries in the very olden time. The king demands absolute obedience from his subjects,
admits no deviation from the course he has set, and rejoices over his success in turning each of his fancies into fact, and who
administers justice by relying purely on chance or uncertainty. This is the background information for the second part of the
story, in which, as the reader can easily imagine, some human tragedies may happen simply due to such barbarism of the
king.

2. Organization and Development
The first part of the text is the beginning of the story.
Para 1: time, place and character of the story
Paras 2-8: the king’s semi-barbaric method of administering justice

3. Comprehension Questions:
(1) What kind of combination was the king? Which half of this combination do you think was more influential in what he
decided to do?
(2) Who do you think the king’s Latin neighbors might be?
(3) What does the word “irresistible “ in para. 1 modify?
(4) Which sentence in para. 1 makes it quite clear that the king was a despotic ruler?
(5) Why could the arena be justifiably called “ the king’s arena”?
(6) Describe in your own words how the arena was used as a “ law-court in that kingdom”.
(7) Do you agree with the masses of people there that the king’s way of administering justice was fair because the accused
had the whole matter in his own hands? If not, can you help the thinking part of the community by finding a charge against
the unfairness of the plan?
(8) What was it that made the “trials” in the arena so appealing to the people?
(9) Does the word “masses” used in the story have any special connotation?

Unit Five
Text I
The Lady, or the Tiger? Part II
Frank R. Stockton

I. Pre-reading Brainstorming:
The story goes that a young man of low position and the semi-barbaric king’s daughter fell in love with each other. The
king came to know of this and would not let it go on. So he ordered the trial of the youth in his arena. Which door do you
think the young man opened, and which came out from the door, the lady, or the tiger?

II. Comprehension:
1. Main Idea:
When the love affair between the king’s daughter, who possessed a nature as fierce and tyrannical as his own, and a
young courtier was known to the king, he ordered the trial of the youth in his arena. Believing that the princess succeeded in
knowing behind which door stood the tiger, and which waited the lady, the young man expected her to signal him.
Conflicting thoughts went on in the mind of the princess when she was tortured by the envisioned consequences that would
be entailed by her decision. At last she made a slight, quick movement toward the right door. The young man walked firmly

towards it. Which came out of the door, the lady or the tiger?

2. Organization and Development
The second part of the text is the middle and the ending of the story.
paras1-17: the middle of the story
para18: the ending of the story
paras1-2: the king came to know the love affair between his daughter and a young man of low position. So he ordered the
trial of the youth in his arena.
Paras 3-9: During the trial, the lovers were able to communicate with glances without being detected by anyone else. Though
a tense atmosphere prevailed in the arena, the young man took action firmly.
Para 10: the climax of the story: the young man opened the right door.
Paras 11-17: The author offers a detailed description of the conflicting psychology of the princess——to save her lover or to
let the most beautiful lady behind the door take her lover away?
Para 18: the ending of the story——a conclusion without a conclusion.

3. Comprehension Questions:
(1) Stockton was very brief about the love story between the princess and the courtier. Why?
(2) What made the trial of the young courtier a special occasion?
(3) Which door do you think the courtier expected the princess to direct him to open? And which door was the princess most
likely to direct him to open?
(4) Where does the story reach its climax? How does Stockton lead his readers to the climax?
(5)What has Stockton done in paras. 13-16? How are these paragraphs related to the preceding one?


Unit Six
Text I:
Dull Work
I. Pre-reading Activities
Warming-up discussions on the next two topics:
1. Do you think you can achieve much if you live a plain, ordinary life?
2. Does monotonous, routine work dull one’s mind?
II. Comprehension and Analysis
1. Main Idea:
In this passage the writer tries to show that what a man can achieve does not depend on the type of work he does, or
the life experiences he has; rather, it depends on his ability to transmute what seems dull and routine into what is
momentous.
2. Organization and Development:
the use of the technique—classical rhetoric—for effective expository writing
Introduction: (P1) presentation of the real objective that the writer intends to attain, or the genuine concern he aims to
focus on
Body: (P2—P5) the citations of numerous truly brilliant people and their reputed creations, as well as the writer’s own
experiences
Conclusion: (P6) reinforcement of the topic


Text II:
Doing Chores
Idea of the passage
To season chores with work, and to intersperse them with a few happenings, is the secret of a contented existence.

ure of the passage
Para.1: introduction
Para.2-5:development
Para.6:conclusion
hension Questions
points does the writer make about the nature of chores?
Chores are repetitive. (para.2)
Chores leave no visible mark of improvement or progress behind them.(para.3)
Chores are neutral, but obligatory.(para.4)
Chores are a source of mild satisfaction.(para.5)
do you understand what the writer calls “happening”?Can you give some examples to illustrate?
Probably a “happening” refers to what a person thinks of doing on the impulse, as contrasted with what one does
is suggested by the writer’s wording,e.g., unpredictable, vaporous imaginings, sudden impulse, poetic
flights. Examples like the sudden whim to plant a pine tree in the backyard, to paint the room pink, to have a green light
installed in the doorway.
do you think of the distinction made between “chores” and “work”?
A writer himself, Heckscher thinks of work in terms of literary or artistic creations; to him “chores” and “work”
differ basically in the significance they entail. You may not agree with him. Remember that to some people, work
consists in doing chores.
does the writer say that chores can in the end evoke a mild satisfaction? Do you think this argument plausible?
Satisfaction is derived from the ease with which one does whatever he does. In doing chores this kind of ease is
nearly a hundred per cent guaranteed; one is least likely to be baffled while doing chores.
you agree with the thesis “to season chores with work, and to intersperse them with a few happenings, is the secret of
a contented existence”?
Open to discussion.

Unit Seven
Text I :
Beauty
I . Pre-reading Questions for Discussion:
1. What do you think beauty consists in, the outer looks, or the inner character ad intellect, or both? Why do you think
so?
2. Why do you think women are described as being “beautiful” while men are described as being “handsome”?
II . Comprehension and Analysis:
Main Idea and Purpose of Writing
Through the discussion on the lexical narrowing of “beauty”, the author aims actually to exploring a feminist issue
that demands public attention and discrediting modernsociety’s biased attitude to women as shown in the changed
meaning of the word “beauty”..
Organization and Development
para.1—3: the narrowing of the meaning of beauty or the split-up between inner beauty and outer beauty
para.4—9: the detriment along with this narrowing upon the notion of beauty and women
para.10: the importance of saving both women and beauty or a call against social prejudice


Text II:
Sexism in English: A Feminist View
Main Idea of the passage
Sexism is deep seated in English.

Structure of the passage
para.1—3:introduction of the topic, that is, sexism as part of culture shapes language
para.4—9:words from women’s body versus those indicating men’s mind or activities
para.10—14:sexual connotations are given to feminine words while the masculine words retain a serious, businesslike
aura
Comprehension Questions
is the author’s answer to the question she raises at the beginning of the selection? Do you agree with her?
She believes that culture shapes language. According to her following discusssion, sexism as part of culture affects
the words in language.
do most linguists think of the attempt to replace some terms in the English language considered as sexist?
As believers of the principle that culture shapes language, most of them regard such an attempt futile.
you think the Chinese language is free from sexism? Provide evidence to support your answer.

Unit Eight
TEXT I
Appetite
Laurie Lee
Pre-reading Activities
Warming-up discussions on the next two topics:
1) What are the dictionary definitions of “appetite”?
2) If you have an appetite for food or for something else, do you as a rule try hard to satisfy it? Will you feel disppointed if
your appetite is not satisfied? Why or why not?

“appetite” means:
a. a desire for food or drink
b. a desire to satisfy, any bodily need or craving
c. a strong desire or liking for something; fondness; taste
eg. she gave him just enough information to whet his appetite.

Main Idea:
By interpreting what “appetite” means to him, the author actually is seeking to explain to his readers a relatively more
abstract idea (“appetite” in its broad sense), a subject, a look at how to keep away from boredom in life.
Purpose in writing:
to give a more general difinition of “appetite” and call attention to the importance of preserving it as a source of
satisfaction in life.

Organization and Development:
Section I: (P1-3) defining the word “appetite” in a broad sense
Section II: (P4—P7)Topic and examples of fasting to illustrate the happiness that can be derived from the preservation of
appetite
Conclusion: (P8) reinforcement of the topic

ANALYSIS OF EXAMPLES
There are two very vivid examples in para. 6 which clearly illustrate the author's view on appetite, thus providing a concrete
definition of
Example 1. Primitive men went off hunting, leaving the women and children in the cave hungry and miserable for days
on end. Then the men returned with plenty of meat and everybody enjoyed a hearty meal; thus appetite showed its true
worth.
Example 2. Modern men have easy access to cheap chicken and frozen peas, so easy that they no longer know the true

worth of appetite.


Comprehension Questions:
1. How does Lee suceed in making his notion of appetite clear in the first paragraph?
---The language he uses becomes more concretespecific, and less abstractgeneral: a major pleasure of life--- keenness of
living---a sense that tells you that you are still curious to exist--you still have an edge on your longings. He ends by
using vocabulary directly connected with eating.
2. what various version of definition of appetite does Lee give in the first three paragraphs? Compare them with the
definition of the word in your dictionary.
---
1. What is the meaning of the word “got” in Lee’ quotation of Wilde in para.2 and also in the sentence “I got mine once
only”? Explain the paradox in what Wholde said.
---
Those whose desires are always satisfied are more pitiable.
As there is no more longing in life, what there is left for them is nothing but boredom. (Recall Churchill's
Book 5)
2. How doe you understand the sentence “…the whole toffeeness of toffee was… of having eaten it”
---While toffees refer to the sweets in a concrete sense, toffeeness refers to the appeal toffees hold for the child.

5. What does the word “No” refer to? (P.3)
---The negation in the sentence
6. How does the first word of para.4 relate to the previous one?
---What follows
7. How do you explain the shift of verb tenses as Lee proceeds from para.3 to para.4?
---The author is shifting from relating a past personal experience to drawing a general conclusion.
8. Which sentence in para. 3 conveys a similar message to the sentence “the object of desire is always at its most
flawlessly perfect”
---
9. Is the word “fasting” used in its original sense (para.6)?
---Yes, if
here has acquired the meaning of temporary denial of pleasures.
8. What part of speech is the word “once” in “Once we were separated by hunger both from our food and families” (p.6) ?
Does the pronoun “we” here refer to the author and his contemporariers?
---Adv., meaning
No. It refers to human beings in general.
9. What is the point Lee is trying to make by such a contrast in para.6?
---The contrast between ancient, less developed societies, where food was scarce and family separation was necessitated by
the effort to find food, and affluent modern societies, where needs and desires are easily satisfied.
The point: wanting is the greatest source of pleasure; a life without desire waiting to be satisfied is a life without
pleasure.
Unit Eight
TEXT II
Wanting an Orange
Larry Woiwode
Main Idea of the passage：
Childhood memory of oranges in the winters in North Dakota in the 1940’s.
ure of the passage
Para.1—11: childhood recollections of the orange

Para.12—16: a sensory description of the ways of cutting, dividing, and eating an orange
Para.17: life brought by the orange upon the monotonous atmosphere of the North Dakota wintry world
hension Questions
do you think made an orange such a coveted object for the author when he was a boy? Was it just the taste of the
fruit, or was there something more than the mere eating of it?
It was more than the eating of the fruit. The very sight of the orange enlivened the monotonous atmosphere of the
North Dakota wintry world. It inspired the boy’s imagination about the world other than his own.
ere in the article Woiwode shifts from the past tense to the present. Where? And why?
In the paragraph that begins with “The packed heft and texture…”, he shifts from the past tense to the present, and
adheres to it till the end. The reason for the shift is that here he quits his childhood recollections, and begins describing
very specifically and vividly the ways of cutting, dividing, and eating an orange. The present tense makes the
description graphic.
does Woiwode make his description of the orange and eating of it concrete and sensual?
He uses numerous concrete and specific words, and also similes to describe how an orange looks, tastes, and what
happens when it is cut open, or bitten into, and also how the eater feels, e.g.,
…the eruption of smell and the watery fireworks…
…the gaseous spray…a mist-like smoke…
…the green nip…like a detonator…
…to sink a tooth under the peel…
…giving the impression that babies are being hatched…
…abrade the corners of your mouth, making them fell raw…
a description of an object, a hobby, an incident, or an experience in your childhood recollections that meant as
much to you as the orange to Woiwode.
Open to discussion.