现代大学英语精读第一册lesson.pdf

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1、Lesson Three Message of the Land Teaching Objectives:A.To know the background information about the author,and the style of this text.B.To acquire the key words,important and difficult sentences and language points C.To understand and master the usage of the basic rhetorical devices:simile and metap

2、hor D.To understand the connotation of the title and main idea of the text.Teaching Procedure:I.Pre-task 1.Warm up Individual questions:The title“Message of the Land means that land can convey something to people.Then what does land convey to people,or what role does land play in peoples daily life

3、in your mind What is peoples attitude to land nowadays 2.Background information:The author:Pira Sudham(1942)is an English writer in Thailand.He was born in a poor family in rural Esarn,in the northeast of the country.At the age of 14,he traveled to Bangkok to become a temple boy,a servant to the mon

4、ks.He continued to study and won entrance to Thailands top University,Chulalongkorn.He later won a New Zealand government scholarship which allowed him to travel from New Zealand to Australia,Chinas Hong Kong and Europe.Pira Sudham never forgets Esarn,where he experienced poverty and injustices in h

5、is early years,and which became the background for many of his short stories and novels.His novel Monsoon Country made him a nominee for the 1990 Nobel Prize for the literature.This text is adapted from the farmer and his wife in guidebook to better reading series published in 1982.The city:Bangkok

6、Bangkok,population 8,538,610(1990),is the capital and largest city of Thailand.The city is located on the east bank of the Chao Phraya River,near the Gulf of Thailand.Bangkok is one of the fastest-growing,most economically dynamic and socially progressive cities in Southeast Asia.Local people like t

7、o think that it is emerging as a regional centre to rival Singapore and Hong Kong,but it suffers from major infrastructure and social problems as a result of its rapid growth.It is also one of the worlds most popular tourist destinations.Bangkok is the economic center of Thailand.The Chao Phraya Riv

8、er allows Bangkok to function as a port.The Stock Exchange of Thailand is located in Bangkok.Tourism is a major source of revenue.The city contains many Buddhist temples(known in Thai as Wats),among the best known being Wat Pho and Wat Arun.Thailand Buddhism Buddhism is Thailands main religion.94%of

9、 Thai people are Buddhist.The other are Muslim,Catholic or Chinese.Buddhism was born 2,546 years ago(the official year in Thailand is the year 2003 and the traditional year is the year 2546).Buddhism is linked with the historical Indian prince,Siddharta Gautama,who became the Buddha and reached the

10、enlightenment.Now his teachings are still followed.His teachings say that people suffer because they are attached to material things,to women or men by heart links.These links cause suffer,jealousy so pain.People are never satisfied,.they want more money,more power.The aim of Buddhism is to get rid

11、of these pains and of these links.There are several kinds of Buddhism.Thai Buddhism is called Theravada Buddhism.Quote from the author:The following is a part of the authors remarks,based on which we can have a glimpse of the poor of Tailand.“If I had not left my village then,I would have been subje

12、ct like most villagers,to the mercy of nature:floods,drought,disease,ignorance and scarcity.With endurance,I would have accepted them as my own fate,as something I can not go against in this life.”II.Task cycle:Theme of the text:The text tells about the deep regret of the old people over the loss of

13、 traditional values and the way of life.Structure of the text:The text can be divided into two parts:Part I(paras 1-7):about the interview of wife.Part II:(paras.811)about the farmers speech In-class discussion:Question:What kind of writing does this text belong to Answer:This text is an essay in a

14、very broad sense of the word,or rather an interview.It is written down by the writer who interviewed a farmer and his wife.(Since the World War II it has become popular for writers to interview people,record what they say and,after some,not too much,editing,publish these peoples stories in book form

15、.)Question:What are stylistic features of essay Answer:Generally speaking,the style of essay is colloquial.The language is straightforward.The sentences are short and words are small and easy,which help readers to understand what s going on.Questions in mind:What do we learn from the old couple in t

16、he interview What are their characteristics What problems does the old couple meet with What is the root of the problem Are there any effective ways to solve the problem Detailed study of the Text:1).They belonged to my parents and forefathers.(para1)to belong to sb:to be owned by sb.“Yes,these are

17、our rice fields.They belonged to my parents and forefathers.The land is more than three centuries old.”Question:In the first paragraph,why does the wife start her conversation with the talk about the land Answer:The wife has already regarded the land as part of her life.This is the land where her pa

18、rents and forefathers lived and it is bound with family history and tradition.It represents the root of her family.2).it was I who stayed with my parents till they died.(para1)Sentence structure:the emphatic structure.Pattern:it is was thatwho Function:to emphasize some parts in a sentence,.the subj

19、ect.It was the policeman that/who caught a pickpocket on No.933 bus yesterday.the object.It was a pickpocket that the policeman caught on No.933 bus yesterday.the adverbial It was on bus that the policeman caught a pickpocket yesterday.(the adverbial of place)It was yesterday that the policeman caug

20、ht a pickpocket on No.933 bus.(the adverbial of time)Task:Make sentence according to each pattern 3).My husband moved into my house as is the way with us in Esarn.(para 1)“As”introduces a defining relative clause,and functions as its subject,representing what is stated in the main clauses.More examp

21、les:As is known to all,Taiwan belongs to China.(as-subject of the clause)As is often the case,the boy was late for class.(as-subject of the clause)Question:What is the cultural connotation in this sentence Answer:When we got married)my husband came to live in our house.It was the tradition here in E

22、sarn that the bridegroom should come to live with the brides family.4).The rest,two boys and two girls,went away as soon as we could afford to buy jeans for them.(para 1)the rest(of sth):the remaining people or things;the others.其中一本书比较难，其他的简单。One of the books is quite difficult;the rest are easy.to

23、 afford sth.to do sth.:to have enough money to buy or to do sth.目前，我负担不起去欧洲旅行。At the moment,I cant afford a trip to Europe.two boys and two girls:used as the appositive of“the rest”More examples:Your father,a proud and unbending man,refused all help that was offered him.Playing football,his only int

24、erest in life,brought him many friends.A dry lightning storm,that is,a thunderstorm without rain,started a fire in a remote part of the forest in August.The whole sentence:Our other childrentwo boys and two girlsleft as soon as we had the money to buy them jeans.5).They come to see us now and then,s

25、tay a few days,and then they are off again.(para 2)(every)now and then:from time to time;now and again;occasionally stay a few days:Here the phrase“a few days”is used adverbially.be off:be away from a place,6).and tell us that they are doing well.I know this is not always true.(para 2)The whole sent

26、ence:although they always tell us that everything is fine with them,I know they also have difficulties and problems.They just do not tell us because they do not want us to worry.7)it is like a knife piercing my heart.(para 2)The whole sentence:When I hear about their hardships,I feel very bad.8)Its

27、easier for my husband.He has ears which dont hear,a mouth which doesnt speak,and eyes that dont see.(para2)Sentence structure:These three clauses are all restrictive relative clause and they are the parallel structure.The whole sentence:News about my childrens problems doesnt make my husband as sad

28、as me.He doesnt bother about what is happening around us and to our children.He never says anything about them.9)He has always been patient and silent,minding his own life.(para2)mind:take care of;attend to“minding his own life”:this present participle phrase functioning as adverbial of accompanying

29、 circumstances The whole sentence Hes always been patient and talks little.He just does his duty and carries on his life.Cf.“mind ones own business”-“dont interfere”10)Our piece of land is small,and it is no longer fertile,bleeding year after year and,like us,getting old and exhausted.(para 3)year a

30、fter year:every year for many years The whole sentence:Our land is getting poorer with each passing year,like us who are getting old,weak and tired.“bleeding year after year”:this present participle phrases functions here as a cause.More example:They sent us their statement,hoping to get our support

31、.They went on with their struggle,thinking theirs was a just cause.Not having received an answer,he decided to write another letter to them.The doctor,not wishing to make her nervous,did not fully explain the seriousness of her condition.“getting old and exhausted”:(rhetorical device)personification

32、 Personification:Definition:Referring to inanimate things or abstractions as if they were human.It is a kind of metaphor.More examples:As London increased,however,rank and fashion rolled off to the west,and trade,creeping on at their heels took possession of their deserted abodes.The youth were sing

33、ing,laughing and playing the music instruments.The trees and flowers around them danced heartily as if touched by merry mood.How soon hath Time,the subtle thief of youth,stolen on his wing my three and twentieth year!11)but in a bad year,its not only the ploughs that break but our hearts too.(para 3

34、)its not only:a kind of emphatic structure.break:“break”in this sentence governs both“ploughs”and“hearts”,therefore we call this kind of rhetorical device as syllipsis.Syllipsis (一语双叙)Definition:a single word is made to modify or govern two or more words in the same sentence.More examples:The senato

35、r picked up his hat as well as his courage.COATTAILS:Clothes that fit the man and the times.(Advert.In New York Times Magazine,1980)Ten minutes later,the coffee and Commander Dana of Naval Intelligence arrived simultaneously.蜜蜂是在酿蜜，又是在酿造生活，-杨朔荔枝蜜 水调数声持酒听，午醉醒来愁未醒。送春出去几时回临晚镜，伤流景，往事后期空记省。-张先天仙子 第二位汪太太过

36、了门没生孩子，只生病。在家养病反倒把这病养家了，不肯离开她，所以她终年娇弱得很 -钱钟书围城 The whole sentence:but when there is a drought,the land is so hard that the ploughs break.And we become very,very sad.Question:Summarize these three paragraphs:Answer:The wife tells us briefly about her family and how all her children left.12)Only ten y

37、ears ago,you could barter for things,but now its all cash.(para 4)The whole sentence:Just ten years ago,we cold exchange one thing for another,but today we have to use money to get everything we need.(In the past,we were more or less self-sufficient.But now,we have to buy everything in the market.)1

38、3)Men used to make things with fine bamboo pieces,but no longer.(para 4)used to do sth.but no longer:it is often used to show a change.They used to come and see their parents every week,but no longer.他们过去每周常来看他们父母，但现在不再了。The whole sentence:In the past men made fine bamboo crafts but they no longer d

39、o that.14)Shops have sprung up,filled with colorful plastic things and goods we have no use for.(para 4)to spring up:appear suddenly or develop quickly to be filled with sth:to be made full of sth.This past participle phrase functioning as post-modifier to modify“shops”.More examples:The men,soaked

40、with sweat from an all-night march,immediately went into action.The substance,discovered almost by accident,has revolutionized medicine.The book,written in 1957,tells of the struggle of the miners.to have no use for sth:to not need sth.This is a relative clause.当他们的儿子开始上学，他就不再需要玩具了。When their son st

41、arted school,he had no use of his toys.The whole sentence:Many shops appear in a short time.In these shops there are lots of colorful plastic things and things that are useless for us.15)Those rough fingers and toes are for working in the mud of our rice fields.(para 4)Question:What is good of paint

42、ing the nails of my fingers and toes Answer:Their place is in the paddy fields where I work,so there is no point of making them look pretty.16)In my day,if I were to lightning would strike me.(para 4)in somebodys day:when somebody was young The whole sentence:When I was young,I surely would be punis

43、hed by God if I ever wore the kind of trousers they wear today.Cultural background:In Thailand,females wear wrap-around skirts.In some Asian countries,to be stuck dead by lightening is believed to be a punishment by God.Question:What is the topic sentence of Para.4 What are the supporting details An

44、swer:Topic sentence:“we two havent changed much,but the village has.”Supporting details:Cash instead of barter Paid help Plastic things instead of village crafts The old alone on the land Young peoples different way of thinking,dressing and behaving 17)I know,times have changed,but certain things sh

45、ould not change.(para 5)The whole sentence:I know,times have changed,but we shouldnt give up or abandon certain things,for example,our duty to our parents,our religious beliefs,our sympathy for others,etc.18)Young people tend to leave,and thats a shame.(para 5)tend to do sth.:to be likely to do sth.

46、(usually bad).It tends to rain.要下雨。The whole sentence:It is shameful that young people dont do these things,thinking that they are only for the old.Question:What is the function of the first sentence in para.5 Answer:The first sentence in para.5 is a transitional sentence.The wife shifts her talk to

47、 the things that should not change,which include peoples worship,and young peoples respect to their parents and the aged.19)Why,only the other day I heard a boy shout and scream at his mother.(para 6)The whole sentence:Recently I heard a boy shout or yell rudely at his mother.Compare:“to shout at sb

48、”.and“to shout to sb”.to shout at sb:to speak loudly,often angrily to sb.他经常对妻子大喊大叫，这让她很伤心。He often shouted at his wife,and this upset her.to shout to sb:to speak loudly.Tom 喊 Jack 传球。Tom shouted to Jack to pass the ball.20)If that kind of thing had happened when I was young,the whole village would

49、have condemned such an ungrateful son,and his father would surely have given him a good beating.(para 6)had happened.would have condemned:subjunctive mood,opposite to the past.It is used in the unreal conditional clauses.If I had worked harder,I would have passed the exam.If you had come five minute

50、s earlier,you would have caught the train.condemn:scold severely given him a good beating:hit him as a punishment The whole sentence:In my day if a boy had screamed at his mother,the whole village would have scolded him for his lack of gratitude,and his father would certainly have punished him.21)As