大英3 Unit 6

Objectives

Students will be able to:

1. understand the main idea (Old Behrman saved Johnsy's life at the expense of his own) and structure of the text;

2. appreciate how the repeated use of clues helps weave a piece of narration together; 3. grasp 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.

Time Allotment

1st period Pre-reading tasks Cultural notes 2nd period Text organization Language study 3rd period Language study Text analysis 4th period Post-reading tasks Pre-reading Tasks

1. T asks Ss the following questions on the song:

— According to Michael Jackson, among faith, hope and charity, which is the most important? (charity)

— Is love all we need to solve the world's problems? Why or why not? (Ss' own interpretation) 2. Debate: Charity begins at home.

1) T writes down on the blackboard the saying “Charity begins at home.” and invites some Ss to interpret the saying

2) T asks the question: Is it enough only to help those people we know?

3) Ss divide into a pro side and a con side, then discuss with neighbors and list key arguments on a sheet of paper. 4) Ss debate.

3. T leads in to the text by saying: Maybe we should help both strangers and people who are close to us. In this unit, Text A tells a story about how an old painter helped a young painter he knew, while Text B tells how a woman helped a boy who had tried to rob her of her handbag. (2 minutes)

Text Organization and Analysis

Scenes 1 2 3 Paragraphs Paras 1-2 Paras 3-8 Paras 9-17 Characters Sue, Jonsy the doctor, Sue Johnsy, Sue Events Sue’s roommate Johnsy caught pneumonia. The doctor told Sue that Johnsy needed a strong will to live on. Johnsy decided that she would die when the last leaf fell. 4 5 Paras 18-21 Paras 22-23 Behrman, Sue Sue, Johnsy Sue told Behrman about Johnsy’s fancy. As Johnsy was encouraged by the last leaf that wouldn’t give in to the weather, her will to live returned. The doctor told Sue that Johnsy would recover, but Behrman caught Pneumonia himself and his case was hopeless. Sue told Johnsy that Behrman had performed a kind deed without and thought of self. 6 Paras 34-37 the doctor, Sue 7 Paras 38-39 Sue, Jonsy As discussed in Text Organization Exercise 2, \"the last leaf” threads throughout the story to make the latter a coherent piece. In fact, if we look closely enough, we can find some other \"threads\".

For example, the doctor visited three times. It was from him that we learn how sick Johnsy was, how she had a 50-50 chance, and how she was sure to recover. His three visits sum up three stages of Johnsy's illness. Moreover, he is very convenient when Old Behrman's sickness needed to be revealed.

Let's look at another example. When Johnsy decided to die with the fall of the last leaf, she refused to take any soup. Yet when she was shaken alive again by that undying last leaf, one of her first desires was to drink some soup.

Similarly, before she fell ill, she had wished to paint the Bay of Naples, Inspired by the last leaf, she again looked forward to painting it.

In Paras 18-19, we learn that Old Behrman was a failure career wise. He had always talked about a masterpiece, yet he was unable to deliver it. In Para 20, there went he again, \"Some day I will paint a masterpiece, and we shall all go away.\" Finally, he painted his masterpiece at the cost of his life.

Cultural Notes

O. Henry (1862-1910): pseudonym of William Sydney Porter (1862-1910). American writer of short stories, best known for his ironic plot twists and surprise endings. Born and raised in Greensboro, North Carolina. O. Henry attended school only until age 15, when he dropped out to work in his uncle's drugstore. During his 20s he moved to Texas, where he worked for more than ten years as a clerk and a bank teller. O. Henry did not write professionally until he reached his mid-30s, when he sold several pieces to the Detroit Free Press and the Houston Daily Post. In 14 he founded a short-lived weekly humor magazine, The Rolling Stone.

In 16, O. Henry was charged with embezzling funds from the First National Bank of Austin, Texas, where he had worked from 11 to 14. The amount of money was small and might have been an accounting error; however, he chose to flee to Honduras rather than stand trial. Learning that his wife was dying, he returned to Texas in 17 and, after her death, turned himself in to the authorities. He served three years of a five-year sentence at the federal penitentiary in Columbus. Ohio, where he first began to write short stories and use the pseudonym O. Henry.

Released from prison, O. Henry moved to New York City in 1901 and began writing full time. In his stories he made substantial use of his knowledge of Texas, Central America, and life in prison. He also became fascinated by New York street life, which provided a setting for many of his later stories. During the last ten years of his life. O. Henry became one of the most popular writers in America, publishing over 500 short stories in dozens of widely read periodicals.

O. Henry’s most famous stories, such as “The Gift of the Magi”, “The Furnished Room” and “The Ransom of Red Chief”, make simple yet effective use of paradoxical coincidences to produce ironic endings. For example, in \"The Gift of the Magi\" a husband sells his watch to buy his wife a Christmas present of a pair of hair combs; but, she cuts and sells her long hair to buy him a Christmas present of a new chain for his watch. His style of storytelling became a model not

only for short fiction, but also for American motion pictures and television programs.

Writing at the rate of more than one story per week, O. Henry published ten collections of stories during a career that barely spanned a decade. They are Cabbages and Kings (1904), The Four Million (1906), Heart of the West (1907), The Trimmed Lamp (1907), The Gentle Grafter (1908), The Voice of the City (1908), Options (1909), Roads of Destiny (1909), Whirligigs (1910), and Strictly Business (1910). The collections Sixes and Sevens (1911), Rolling Stones (1912), and Waifs and Strays (1917) were published after his death. In 1919 the O. Henry Memorial Awards for the best American short stories published each year were founded by the Society of Arts and Sciences. The Complete Works of O. Henry was published in 1953.

Language Study

1. in tune: harmonious(ly) (often followed by with, the opposite: out of tune) Examples: His ideas are in tune with the times.

The price of gold coins fluctuates in tune with that of commodities. Her character is quite out of tune with her beauty.

2. Joint: held or done by two or more persons together

Examples: She had taken the money out of the joint account she had with her husband.

There are a number of different forms of business ownership, such as partnerships, corporations and joint ventures.

To attract foreign capital, China issued new economic regulations giving more preferential treatment to joint ventures.

3. scarcely: not quite; almost not

Examples: I can scarcely remember when I last ate home-baked bread.

The couple has scarcely gone out since the baby was born.

4. bare: without covering, clothing, or decoration

Examples: Soil held in place by plant roots is less likely to blow or wash away than bare soil.

In the 1970s China implemented its \"barefoot doctor\" campaign, which trained thousands of villagers in rudimentary health care.

In giving first aid to an electric-shock victim, a caregiver must not touch me victim with bare hands.

5. in a whisper: in a low voice

Examples: He bent down and addressed her in a whisper.

I was awakened by hearing my own name spoken in a whisper.

6. hear of: be told about or have knowledge of

Examples: Three weeks passed, and nothing was heard of the missing boy.

She called me as soon as she heard of the trouble I was in.

7. nonsense: foolish talk, ideas, behavior

Examples: I think the report is nonsense and nothing but a waste of paper.

Currently, the Web contains everything from nonsense to up-to-the-minute news about the US presidency or US stock quotes from Wall Street. Stop that nonsense, children, and get into bed!

8. turn loose: allow (sth.) to be free of control

Examples: The sick whale will be taken care of by the scientists before being fumed loose.

The soldiers turned the prisoners loose one by one shortly after the city was

conquered.

9. look the part: have an appearance for a particular job, role, or position Examples: I think he must be a captain — he certainly looks the part.

Despite looking the part, Michael was not an artist at all.

10. for the rest: as regards other matters

Examples: The book contains some interesting passages about the author's childhood. For the

rest, it is rather dull.

The working conditions in my new job are excellent, but for the rest, I am not impressed.

11. fierce: 1) violent and angry

Examples: A fierce police dog was chained to a wall.

It was estimated that the fierce storm killed at least several thousand people and left more than one million without homes. 2) intense: strong

Examples: The world is becoming a global market, and the competition is fierce.

While Apple enjoyed brighter sales, competitors in the IBM PC world fought a fierce battle for market share.

12. mock: ridicule; make fun of (used in the pattern: mock (at) sb./sth.) Examples: They mocked him and called him a coward.

Don't mock at him just because he keeps falling off his bike.

13. fancy: sth. imagined; unfounded opinion or belief

Examples: The forecasts in his book were not wild fancies. I think the story is a mixture of fad and fancy. 14. pull up: raise

Examples: I sat at my desk, knees pulled up to my chin.

The old woman pulled the curtain up to see what was going on outside.

15. stand out: be easily seen above or among others

Examples: The working experience in Microsoft last year still stands out in my mind.

On the record I have just played, the first song stands out from all the others.

16. wear away: 1) (of time) pass gradually

Examples: They didn't reach an agreement. Instead they wore the afternoon away in arguing.

The day wore away, and we still couldn't find a solution to the problem. 2) (cause to) become thin or damaged by constant use

Examples: The steps have been worn away by the feet of thousands of visitors.

The pattern on the handle had completely worn away.

17. cling to: hold tight to

Examples: The child is clinging to his mother's legs.

Another man was rescued as he clung to the riverbank.

18. call to: attract the attention of(sb.) by speaking out

Examples: The fisherman called to the villagers on the shore.

Every morning we can hear various birds calling to one another in the park.

19. sin: offence against God, religion or good morals

Examples: In Christian theology, the first sin was committed by Adam.

The man confessed his sins to the priest.

20. acute: 1) (of diseases) coming quickly to the critical stage

Examples: She was taken to the hospital suffering from acute appendicitis.

His disease is not acute but chronic. 2) severe

Examples: The company is said to be suffering from acute financial difficulties.

Food shortages in some African countries are becoming acute.

21. be wet through: be wet all over

Examples: My mother came home wet through.

Their house was flooded: the carpet was wet through and the furniture was ruined.

Post-reading Tasks

1. Group discussion:

What do you think can support you in your moments of depression, despair or a setback? 2. T guides Ss through some after-text exercises and T checks on Ss’ home reading (Text B). 3. Essay writing:

T asks Ss to write an essay entitled A Brief Introduction on a Famous Writer