unit-2-spring-sowing

1、 Spring SowingLiam OFlahertySow seeds in seedbedsPlow the fieldTransplant the seedlings into the paddy field.ReapHusk He was born in 1896 in a remote village in Ireland. His family were not well off. He was a significant Irish novelist and short story writer and was considered to be a leading figure

2、 in the Irish literary renaissance.His works combine brutal naturalism, psychological analysis, poetry, and biting satire with an abiding respect for the courage and persistence of the Irish people.Liam OFlaherty 1896 1984Major works include: Thy Neighbours Wife (1924) thought to be one of his best.

3、 The Informer (1925) for which he had been awarded the 1925 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction. Famine (1937) The Black SoulAuthorassert v. a. to make other people recognize your right or authority to do sth by behaving firmly and confidently 維護自己的權利或權威 eg. ones authority, independence, rig

4、hts You are too timid - you must try to assert yourself more. b. state (sth) clearly and forcefully as the truth 聲稱，斷言 eg. She asserted her innocence assertion n.assertive adj. showing a strong and confident personality; asserting oneself eg. They state their opinions in an assertive tone of voice S

5、ynonyms: affirm, allege, claimbreed breed v. 1. (of animals) produce young 生育，繁殖 eg. How often do lions breed? 2. bring up; train; educate 養(yǎng)育，訓練，教育 eg. Spartan youths were bred as warriors. breed n. a type of person of animal 品種，種類 eg. What breed is your dog? crunch vv. to make a loud sound of sth b

6、eing crushedeg. She was crunching peanuts while watching TV. The frozen snow crunched under our feet. n. crunching crunchy adj. firm and crisp, and making a sharp sound when broken or crushed eg. crunchy biscuits dejected adj. depressed; saddejection n. eg. 他們三番五次失敗后情緒非常低落。 Repeated failure had left

7、 them feeling very dejected. /in dejectiongrumblev. 1. (at/to sb)(about/at/over sth) complain or protest in a bad-tempered way eg. 你自己犯了愚蠢的錯誤，別向我抱怨Dont grumble at me about your own stupid mistakes? 2. make a deep continuous sound eg. thunder grumbling away in the distance n. 1. complaint; 2. rumblei

8、mminence n. imminent adj. (esp. of unpleasant events)about to happen very soon 即將發(fā)生的，臨近的，逼近的Examples: the imminence of nuclear war They got no warning of imminent danger. An announcement of further cuts in government expenditure is imminent.pretend v.pretend to do sth 當他媽媽進房間時，男孩假裝睡著了。 The boy prete

9、nded to be asleep when his mother entered his room. 我們按門鈴時，她假裝不在家。 She pretended that she was not at home when we rang the bell. revel v. to take great pleasure or delight in sthExamples: They revelled all day and all night after their exams. 經歷了一個漫長的酷暑，我們盡情享受這場暴雨。 After the long hot summer we revel

10、led in the rainstorm.subjugate v. to defeat sb/sth; to gain control over sb/sthExample:Their costly and futile attempt to subjugate the Afghans lasted just 10 years.他們想征服阿富汗人的意圖耗費大量金錢而且無效，只維持了十年的時間Synonymsdefeatconquervanquishsubduebeatdefeat, conquer, vanquish, beat, overcome “Whether we defeat the

11、 enemy in one battle, or by degrees, the consequences will be the same.” (Thomas Paine) “A conquering army on the border will not be halted by the power of eloquence.” (Otto von Bismarck)The forces of Napoleon were vanquished at waterloo. “To win battles you beat the soul of the enemy man.” (George

12、S. Patton) “The last foreigner to subjugate England was a Norman duke in the Middle Ages named William.” (Stanley Meisler) swear v. swear-swore-sworn1. to use rude or offensive language, usu. because you are angry at sb/sth eg. She bumped her head in the doorway and swore loudly. 2. to make a solemn

13、 promise eg. 你愿意在法庭上宣誓說你曾看見他做那件事嗎？ Are you willing to swear in court that you saw him do it?tremor n.slight shaking or tremblingExample: The story was so terrible that it sent tremors down my spine. 她的聲音有點顫抖 There was a tremor in her voice.triangulartri- : three, triple tricolor tricycle trilingual

14、bi-: two, twice bicycle biannual a biannual meeting bicentenary bicentennial anniversary/celebration bimonthly journal 雙月刊 bigamy bilateral binoculars monologue n. mono-: one, single monogamy monolingual monopoly monopolize monorail monosyllable monotonous 我們現(xiàn)在可以開始儀式了嗎？Shall we commence the ceremony

15、 now?那老漢拄著拐杖一瘸一拐地走著。The old man hobbled along the road with the aid of his stick. 他的談判技巧使他贏得了精明外交官的名聲。His skill in negotiating earned him a reputation as a shrewd diplomatist.我看見那男人身后拖著一捆柴。I saw the man dragging a bundle of firewood after him. BackgroundGenreA Short Story Plot: Setting: BWTRBackgrou

16、ndGenreA Short Story Plot: a young couples first day of spring sowing Irish village Setting: In spring BWTRText AnalysisStructurePart I (paras. ): Introduction.Part II (paras. ): Preparation.Part III (paras. ): In the morning.Part IV (paras. ): At noon.Part V (paras. ): In the afternoon.TWBRText Ana

17、lysisStructurePart I (paras. 1-3): Introduction.Part II (paras. 4-8): Preparation.Part III (paras. 9-14): In the morning.Part IV (paras. 15-20): At noon.Part V (paras. 21-35): In the afternoon.TWBRText OrganizationPart 1 ( ): Martin and Mary began their first day of spring sowing as a couple.Part 2

18、( ): The couple worked in their field before sunrise till sundown. Part 3 ( ): They were proud of their good days work. Para.1- 4Para.5-31Para.32-35Text AnalysisPart 1 (paras. 1-3)How does the author describe the couples feeling about the spring sowing? Did Martin feel confident in himself? Please f

19、ind evidence in the text. Martin stood in his shirt by the window, rubbing his eyes and yawning, while Mary raked out the live coals that had lain hidden in the ashes on the hearth all night. live（usu. attrib.）: (here) still burning or glowing; not extinct/dead live fish a live TV program a live cov

20、erage of the World Cup a live bomb live wires Outside, cocks were crowing and a white streak was rising from the ground, as it were, and beginning to scatter the darkness. as it were: seemingly; in a way; so to speak. 可以說是，似乎就是，好像 A shortening of “as if it were so”, this idiom has been in use since

21、Chaucers time. We use this idiom to make what we are saying sound less definite. eg. She is my best friend, my second self, as it were. 他似乎生活在夢幻世界里。 He was living in a dream world, as it were. 他閉上眼睛，好像在回味那歡樂的時光。 He closed his eyes, trying to relive that happy moment, as it were. translate the senten

22、ce Outside, cocks were crowing and a white streak was rising from the ground, as it were, and beginning to scatter the darkness. a. vi/vt (cause people or animals to) move, esp quickly, in different direction e.g. The crowd scattered. The police scattered the crowd. b. throw sth in different directi

23、on, here and there e.g. scatter the seed over the groundWe scattered plates of food around the room before the party. scattered: adj. lying far apart; not close togethereg. a thinly scattered population . it was hateful leaving a warm bed at such an early hour. (Para. 2)“It + link verb + adj./noun +

24、 present participle” is a common way of commenting on what you are doing or experiencing.Instead of present participles, you can use the infinitive.Its been nice talking to you.Its difficult trying to persuade a person like Ricky.Its important to know your own limitations.It is necessary to upgrade

25、anti-virus software regularly.What did they look like? Martin, with his brown hair and eyes, his freckled face and his little fair moustache, looked too young to be married, and his wife looked hardly more than a girl, red-cheeked and blue-eyed, her black hair piled at the rear of her head with a la

26、rge comb gleaming in the middle of the pile, Spanish fashion. What did they look like? Martin, with his brown hair and eyes, his freckled face and his little fair moustache, looked too young to be married, and his wife looked hardly more than a girl, red-cheeked and blue-eyed, her black hair piled a

27、t the rear of her head with a large comb gleaming in the middle of the pile, Spanish fashion. They ate in silence, sleepy and bad-humored and yet on fire with excitement.(para.3)on fire: a. burning b. (of passion) burning with emotion; excited or passionateExamples:The enemy could not but abandon th

28、e warship on fire. He was on fire with excitement at this marvelous sight. Although still not fully awake and in a bad mood, the young couple was already greatly excited, because that day was the first day of their spring planting since getting married. Mary, with her shrewd womans mind, thought of

29、as many things as there are in life as a woman in the first joy and anxiety of her mating. (para.3) as+adj./adv./many,much n.+as-clause/n/pron eg. He studies as hard as his brother. Your pen writes as smoothly as mine. This dictionary is not as/so useful as you think. Your bag is twice as expensive

30、as mine. The refrigerators in that shop will be cheaper, but not as good. 你犯了和我一樣多的錯誤。 Youve made as many mistakes as I have. 我還沒有掙到我想掙的那么多錢。 I havent got as much money as I thought. Mary, like all sharp and smart women, thought of many things in life when she got married. But Martins mind was fixed

31、 on one thought. (para.3) fix: fasten sth firmly to sth fix sth on sb/sth: direct (esp. ones eyes) on sb/sth with steady attention 使（目光、感情、注意力）集中于 eg. Her eyes were fixed on the gun. 他一整個下午都在全身貫注地工作。 For the whole afternoon, he fixed his thoughts on his work. fixed: adj. not changing; set; settled P

32、art 2 (paras.4-8)Can you complete the sentence He swore and said that a man would be better off dead than.When they were in the barn, was Martin eager to commence the work? How about after they reached the little field? Please give textual evidence.better off: in a more favorable position or financi

33、al circumstances (Notice that this phrase is the comparative form of well off“)well off: in a good position, esp financiallyExamples:His family is not very well off.You dont need to look for another job - youre well off where you are. They were not rich, but they were better off than most of their n

34、erghbours.We would be better off flying than driving there. It will be sunset before we begin at this rate.(para.4)at this rate: progressing at this speedExamples:Where has he got to? At this rate we will miss the train.At this rate they will soon overtake other countries.It will be sunset before we

35、 begin at this rate.(para.4) It was more than a thousand years before man began to know that they could not try to conquer nature day and night. 很長一段時間后我才認識到自己的錯誤。 It was quite some time before I came to realize my mistake. 那人告訴我們至少還有30英里才能到最近的加氣站。 The man told us there were at least thirty miles be

36、fore we got to the nearest gas station.I had not gone far before big flakes of snow began drifting down. 她走沒多久，我就想起來我忘了告訴她一件重要的事情。 She had not left long before I remembered that I had forgotten to tell her something important. 他們結婚沒多久他就在一場車禍中失去了他的妻子。 They had not been married long before he lost his

37、 wife in a car accident.bursta. to break open or apart suddenly or violentlyb. (burst with) to be full to the point of breaking opene.g. If you blow that balloon up any more it will burst.e.g. More puddings? - No thanks. Im burstingShe is always bursting with ideas.c. （burst in/into）enter (a room, e

38、tc) suddenlye.g. The police burst in and arrested the gang.burstd. (be bursting to do sth) be very eager to do sthe.g. I was bursting to tell my parents about my life at college. e. (burst out ) suddenly begin doing stheg. burst out crying, laughing,singingf. (burst into sth ) send out or produce st

39、h suddenly and violentlyeg. burst into tears, songs, angry speech The aircraft crashed and burst into flamesAnd they both looked back at the little cluster of cabins that was .cluster: number of people, animals or things grouped closely together eg. a cluster of flowers a cluster of houses, islands,

40、 spectatorswith throbbing heartsthrob v. (of the heart, pulse, etc) beat, esp faster or stronger than usual eg. Her heart was throbbed with excitement. He had a bad headache, and his head throbbed.take (complete) hold (of sb/sth) to gain complete control or influence over sb.; Examples: She felt a s

41、trange excitement taking hold of her. She was determined not to let the illness take hold again. 這個想法永遠不會影響到投票者。 The idea will never take hold of the voters.Word Buildingivy-covered adj.nounpast participlesnow-coveredwind-blownflood-strickenweather-beatenhen-peckeddog-tiredstudent-centered被雪覆蓋的被風吹的受

42、災的（因風吹日曬）粗糙的，受損的怕老婆的，懼內的極度疲乏的，累極了以學生為中心的Word Buildingwhiten v.suffix-en: to make or becomedarkenfastenheightenlengthenmoistensharpenstrengthenweakenworsen變黑暗裝牢；系緊增高；增強（使）變長使?jié)駶櫍ㄊ梗╀J利；（使）敏銳加強；（使）堅固使弱；使稀?。ㄊ梗夯唬ㄊ梗┳儔腤ord Buildingwoolen adj.suffix-en: made of; looking likeearthengoldenleadenwooden土制的；地球上的

43、金制的；金色的鉛制的；沉悶的木制的；呆笨的Text AnalysisDetailed AnalysisPart III: paras.9-14Was Mary eager to work with her husband? Find textual evidence. How did Martin react to that? Why did Mary suddenly become afraid of the earth? Was Martin exceptional among the men in the village? take for to regard asExamples: I

44、 think they took me for Japanese. Do not take our silence for approval. 你當我們是傻子嗎 Do you take me for a fool? She became suddenly afraid of that pitiless, cruel earth, the peasants slave master that would keep her chained to hard work and poverty all her life until she would sink again into its bosom.

45、 chain sb/sth to sth (usu. be chained to sth): fasten or confine sb/sth with or as if with a chain; 拴住，束縛 Examples: My brother was chained to my sick mother for more than 30 years. 很多女性覺得自己被拴在廚房的洗滌槽上。 Too many women nowadays feel chained to the kitchen sink. She became afraid of the earth because it

46、 was going to force her to work like a slave and force her to struggle against poverty all her life until she died and was buried in it.cock: to tilt or turn eg. He paused and cocked his head as if listening. 那小伙子考慮了一會，頭歪向一邊。 The young man thought about this for a moment, his head cocked to one side

47、.secure: to get hold or possession of ; to acquireeg. Eddies qualifications would no doubt help secure him a job. 她費了九牛二虎之力才為我弄到了一張票。 With a tremendous effort, she managed to secure a ticket for me.Text AnalysisDetailed AnalysisPart IV: paras.15-20Was Martin satisfied with his work? Find textual evi

48、dence.Did Mary have a good appetite? Why or why not?draught: 1. current of air2. the amount swallowed eg. take a deep/long draught of beer. He empited his glass at one draught. rob sb. of sth. to deprive sb. of sth. belonging to that person by an unjust procedureExamples: Those cats robbed me of my

49、sleep. The fact that he had lied before robbed his words of any credibility. 當邁爾斯戴維斯（Miles Davis）去年九月去世，爵士就失去了它最具特色的嗓音。 When Miles Davis died last September, jazz was robbed of its most distinctive voice.She was so tired that she had lost her appetite. . a strange joy swept over her. (para. 17)A new

50、 broom sweeps clean. (proverb)A terrible storm swept across the whole city.The generals eyes swept over the soldiers, and he gave the order to attack.You cant say they are all corrupt. Thats too sweeping. There might be a few exceptions.overpower v. to overcome by superior forceExamples:He was overp

51、owered by the heat.They were overpowered by grief when their son died. 她完全被兩個襲擊她的男人控制了。 She was completely overpowered by the two men who attacked her.adj. overpowering find the smell overpoweringThe feeling of joy drove away the feeling of terror that she had had in the morning.find out the sentenc

52、es that embody the emotional characteristics of farmers shy, not very demonstrative, feel ashamed of gentle feelingsA good farmer is not supposed to be soft and sentimental. Paragraph 18The heavy work made Martin thirsty and hungry and made him enjoy his lunch and tea more.gleam(para.2&18)glisten(pa

53、ra.17)glimmer(para.5)shine brightlyshine brightly (usu. because it is wet or oily)sent out weak and unsteady lightcarry a long way/carry far (said of sound or smell) to go very farExample: 即使在這么安靜的環(huán)境中，他還是懷疑這個聲音能否傳很遠。 Even in this stillness he doubted if the sound would carry a long way. Text Analysi

54、sDetailed AnalysisPart V: paras.21-35How did Martins grandfather comment on the couple?What had Martin and Mary accomplished by the end of the days sowing?What did Martin think of the days work?a flash of sth. a sudden, brief and intense display of sth.Examples: Likeaflashoflightning, themeteorshot

55、acrossthe sky. What did Ivy tell you? Liz demanded with a flash of anger.a flash of inspiration, intuition, etc. cross ones mind (of thoughts, etc.) to come into ones mind; to suddenly occur to one 出現(xiàn)，掠過eg. It never crossed my mind that they would turn the proposal down.Cf. pass through ones mind eg

56、. It passed through her mind that he might have got lost. sth occur to sb: (of an idea or thought) come into sbs mind 想起,想到 eg: 我就是想不起他的名字。 His name just did not occur to me. 我從來沒有想到財富也會毀滅一個人的一生。 It never occurred to me that wealth could ruin a persons life. sth. dawn on sbeg. 經濟學家們開始意識到問題不是生產過剩，而是消

57、費過低 It gradually began to dawn on the economists that the problem was not overproduction, but under-consumption. sth comes to sb : (of an idea) occur to sb The idea came to him in his bath. sth. strikes sb (strike: hit; occur to sbs mind) It struck her that although she was now rich by her own stand

58、ard, she was not really happy. 她意識到按照她自己的標準她現(xiàn)在富裕了，但是她并不真正快樂。may/might well do sthmay/might as well do sthIts no boasting to say that you might well be proud of being the wife of Martin Delaney.有充分的理由能，完全能做某事倒也無妨Since nobody else wants this job, we might as well let him have it.e.g.Hemaywellrefuse to

59、speak toyou,becausehes inabadmood.說你完全有理由為給馬丁 德萊尼當老婆感到自豪，這話不是吹牛吧。Text AnalysisThemeTry to interpret the symbolized meaning:springEarly in the morningFirst day of sowingTWBRReinforcementAppreciationRWBTPlease underline and read aloud the descriptions of nature, mans body movement and feelings in the

60、text that you find beautiful and impressive. The use of “as”“as” is used as preposition e.g. They ate in silence, sleepy and yet on fire with excitement, for it was the first day of their first spring sowing as man and wife. (Para. 3)b. “as+adj./adv./many,much n.+as-clause/n/pron” “as” being an adve