高级英语Lesson_1_Face_to_Face_with_Hurricane_Camill.doc

EXERCISES 1 I . Write a short note of about 100 words on Las Vegas.Suggested Reference Books SRB 1. any standard gazetteer2. Encyclopedia Americana3. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Questions on content:1. Why did John Koshak decide to stay and face the dangers of a devastating hurricane?2. What does “Magna Products” stand for?3. Why did Charlie think they were in real trouble when he found the water tasted salty?4. Why did Grandmother Koshak, at this critical moment, tell her husband she loved him?5. Why did John Koshak feel a crushing guilt?6. Why did Grandmother Koshak ask the children to sing?7. What did Janis understand when John put his arm around her?. Questions on appreciation:1. What is the organizational pattern of this piece of narration? How would you classify the first six paragraphs?2. What does the writer focus chiefly on - developing character, action (plot), or idea (theme) ?3. Who is the protagonist or leading character in the story?4. What opposing forces make up the conflict?5. How does the writer build up and sustain the suspense in the story?6. How does the writer give order and logical movement to the sequence of happenings?7. At what point in the story does the action reach its highest point?8. At what point would you have ended the story? Why?9. Is the last paragraph important? Why?. Paraphrase：1. Were elevated 23 feet. (para 3)2. The place has been here since 1915, and no hurricane has ever bothered it. (para 3)3. We can batten down and ride it out. (para 4)4. The generator was doused, and the lights went out. (para 9)5. Everybody out the back door to the cars! (para 10)6. The electrical systems had been killed by water. (para 11)7. John watched the water lap at the steps, and felt a crushing guilt. (para 17)8. Get us through this mess, will You? (para 17)9. She carried on alone for a few bars; then her voice trailed away. (para 21)10. Janis had just one delayed reaction. (para 34)V. Translate paras 21-27 into Chinese. Look up the dictionary and explain the meaning of the italicized words:1. since the water mains might be damaged (para 5)2. sit out the storm with the Koshaks (para 6)3. another neighbor came by on his way inland (para 6)4. the French doors in an upstairs room blew in (para 8)5. the generator was doused (para 9)6.the electrical systems had been killed by water (para 11)7.it devasted everything in its swath (para 19)8.she carried on alone for a few bars (para 21)9.make it a lean-to against the wind (para 25)10.and he pitched in with Seabees in the worst volunteer work of all (para 33). Discriminate the following groups of synonyms:1. demolish, destroy, raze, annihilate2. disintegrate, decay, rot, spoil, molder, decompose Suggested Reference Books SRB1. Websters New World Dictionary of the American Language2. Websters New Dictionary of Synonyms3. Readers Digest, Use the Right Word. Analyse the formation of the following words and list 5-10 ex- amples of each:1. television2. northwestward3. motel4. bathtub5. returneesSuggested Reference books SRB1. any standard dictionary2. Walkers Rhyming Dictionary3. any book on lexicology or word building. In this narration, the writer makes effective use of verbs. List 10 verbs you consider used most effectively and give your reasons. Mention two examples of each of the following: simile, metaphor, personification. Why does the writer use so many elliptical and short simple sentences? Illustrate your answer with a few examples. Analyse paragraph 1. Does it have a topic sentence, a central idea? How is the paragraph developed? What is the function of the last sentence?. Correct the mistakes in the following sentences. Avoid run-on sentences, sentence fragments, dangling modifiers, illogical or faulty parallelism and unnecessary shifts in point of view.1. The basketball game was canceled. Because half of the players were in bed with the flu.2. These snakes are dangerous however, most snakes are quite harmless.3. Looking out toward the horizon, she saw only the old cabin in which Mary had been born. A single cottonwood that had escaped the drought. The apparently boundless expanse of sunburned prairie.4. With the knowledge that, although the documents have been stolen, they have not yet been seen by a foreign agent.5. Last year, after graduating from high school, my father put me to work in his office.6. To appreciate the poem, it must be read aloud.7. I helped my mother wash clothes last Sunday, thus causing me to miss that film.8. Driving across the state, many beautiful lakes were seen.9. Unselfish people not only are happier but they are more successful.10. I finally realized that my daydreaming was not making me beautiful, slender, or friends.11. He is a man of wide experience and who is also very popular with the farmers.12. I am interested in electronics, because it is a new field and which offers interesting opportunities to one who knows science13. We swept the room carefully, and the furniture and shelves were dusted.14. If ones mouth is dry, eat a lump of sugar or chew gum.15. You must make yourself interesting to the group that listen to you and are constantly trying to detect your mistakes. Topics for oral work:1. What are the strong and weak points of the narration?2. Whom do you admire most in this story? Why?3. What have you learned about people and society in the United States? Does the story give a true and complete picture? XV. Write a short narration of around 300 words relating your ex- perience of an earthquake, a flood, a typhoon or a hailstorm. 15 习题全解 I. Las Vegas. Las Vegas city is the seat of Clark County in South Nevada. In 1970 it had a population of 125,787 people. Revenue from hotels, gambling, entertainment and other tourist-oriented industries forms the backbone of Las Vegass economy, Its nightclubs and casinos are world famous. The city is also the commercial hub of a ranching and mining area. In the 19th century Las Vegas was a watering place for travelers to South California. In 1.855-1857 the Mormons maintained a fort there, and in 1864 Fort Baker was built by the U. S. army. In 1867, Las Vegas was detached from the Arizona territory and joined to Nevada. (from The New Columbia Encyclopedia ) . 1. He didn t think his family was in any real danger, His former house had been demolished by Hurricane Betsy for it only stood a few feet above sea level. His present house was 23 feet above sea level and 250 yards away from the sea. He thought they would be safe here as in any place else. Besides, he had talked the matter over with his father and mother and consulted his longtime friend, Charles Hill, before making his decision to stay and face the hurricane.2. Magna Products is the name of the firm owned by John Koshak. It designed and developed educational toys and supplies.3. Charlie thought they were in real trouble because salty water was sea water. It showed the sea had reached the house and they were in real trouble for they might be washed into the sea by the tidal wave. 4. At this Critical moment when grandmother Koshak thought they might die at any moment, she told her husband the dearest and the most precious thing she could think of. This would help to encourage each other and enable them to face death with greater serenity.5.John Koshak felt a crushing guilt because it was he who made the final decision to stay and face the hurricane. Now it seemed they might all die in the hurricane.6.Grandmother Koshak asked the children to sing because she thought this would lessen tension and boost the morale of everyone.7.Janis knew that John was trying his best to comfort and encourage her for he too felt there was a possibility of their dying in the storm.1.This piece of narration is organized as follows. .introduction, development, climax, and conclusion. The first 6 paragraphs are introductory paragraphs, giving the time, place, and background of the conflict-man versus hurricanes. These paragraphs also introduce the characters in the story.2. The writer focuses chiefly on action but he also clearly and sympathetically delineates the characters in the story.3. John Koshak, Jr. , is the protagonist in the story.4. Man and hurricanes make up the conflict.5. The writer builds up and sustains the suspense in the story by describing in detail and vividly the incidents showing how the Koshaks and their friends struggled against each onslaught of the hurricane.6. The writer gives order and logical movement to the sequence of happenings by describing a series of actions in the order of their occurrence.7. The story reaches its climax in paragraph 27.8. I would have ended the story at the end of Paragraph 27,because the hurricane passed, the main characters survived, and the story could come to a natural end.9. Yes, it is. Because the writer states his theme or the purpose behind his story in the reflection of Grandmother Koshak: We lost practically all our possessions, but the family came through it. When I think of that, I realize we lost nothing important. .1. We re 23 feet above sea level.2. The house has been here since 1915, and no hurricane has ever caused any damage to it.3. We can make the necessary preparations and survive the hurricane without much damage.4. Water got into the generator and put it out. It stopped producing electricity, so the lights also went out.5. Everybody go out through the back door and run to the cars.6. The electrical systems in the car had been put out by water.7. As John watched the water inch its way up the steps, he felt a strong sense of guilt because he blamed himself for endangering the whole family by deciding not to flee inland.8. ()h God, please help us to get through this storm safely.9. Grandmother Koshak sang a few words alone and then her voice gradually grew dimmer and stopped.10. Janis displayed rather late the exhaustion brought about by the nervous tension caused by the hurricane.See the translation of the text.1. main: a principal pipe or line in a distributing system for water, gas, electricity, etc.2.sit out: stay until the end e by;(American English) pay a visit 4.blow in：burst open by the storm.5.douse:put out(a light，fire，generator。etc。)quickly by pouring water over it6.kill：(American English)to cause(an engine-etc)to stop 7swath：the space covered with one cut of a scythe;a long strip 0r track 0f any kind 8bar：a measure in music；the notes between two vertical lines 0n a music sheet91eanto：a shed or other small outbuilding with a sloping roofthe upper end of which rests against the wall of another building 1 0Seabee：a member of the construction battalions of the Civil Engineer Corps of the USNavy，that build harbor facilities，airfields，etcSeabee stands for CB, short for Construction Battalion1destroy一词最为常见，主要强调破坏的力度之大和彻底，一般不带感情或修辞色彩。 demolish和raze通常用于巨大物体，如大型建筑物等。demolish常用引申义，指任何复合体的被毁，如demolish a theory with a few incisive comments。意即“用几句锋利的评语推翻某种理论”。而raze几乎无一例外地用于指建 筑物的被毁。annihilate在这些词中所表示的损坏程度最为强烈，字面 意思是“化为乌有”，但实际上往往用于指对人或物的严重 损伤。如说annihilate an enemy force，是指使敌军遭到重创，不仅没有还手之力。而且没有招架之功。如说annihilate ones opponent in a debate，是指彻底驳倒对手。2。decay常指某物自然而然地逐渐衰败腐化。如：His teeth have begun to decay(他的牙齿开始老化变坏。) rot指有机物质，如蔬菜等因菌毒感染而腐败变质，如：rotting apples(烂了的苹果)。spoil用于非正式文体，常指食物变质。如：Fish spoils quickly in summer。(鱼在夏天极易变质。)molder用于指物体缓慢、逐步地腐朽。如：Old buildings molder away(老房子渐渐腐烂了。)disintegrate意指把某物从整体变为碎片或一个个部分。如：rocks disintegrated by frost and rain(被霜和雨蚀裂成碎块的岩石)。decompose指将物质分解为其构成成分。如：Water call be decompose(be decomposed)into hydrogen and oxygen(水可分解成氧和氧。)该词还可用来替代rot，使语气略显委婉。 .1. television = tele + vision, a combining form tele- plus a noun vision. Further examples, telegram, telephone, telescope, telegraph, telecommunication, telecast, etc. 2. northwestward = north + west + ward or northwest + ward. -ward is a suffix meaning “in a (specific) direction or course. Further examples :eastward. westward. backward, upward, inward, outward, seaward, home-ward. etc. 3. motel = motorist + hotel, a blend word formed by combining parts of other words. Further examples: smog = smoke + fog. smaze = smoke + haze, brunch = breakfast + lunch, moped = motor + pedal, galumph = gallop = triumph, etc. 4. bathtub=bath + tub, a compound word formed by combining two nouns. Further examples: bathrobe, bathroom. bedroom, roommate, butterfly, dragonfly, foot ball. housekeeper, etc. 5. returnees=return + ees, a verb plus a noun forming suffix -ee designating a person in specified condition. Further examples: employee, refugee, retiree, examinee, escapee, nominee, interviewee, divorcee. IX. 1. lash as in Camille lashed northwestward across tile gulf of Mexico. A vivid way to say strike with great force.2. pummel as in It was certain to pummel Gulfport.Because the word is originally applied to human beings, meaning beat repeatedly with the fists.3. whip as in Wind and rain now whipped the house. Because it is more vivid than fall heavily on.4. kill as in the electrical systems had been killed by water. Because it leaves a deeper impression on the readers than stop does.5. inch one s way as in Water inched its way up the steps ” It makes the readers also see clearly that water was rising little by little.6. bother as in no hurricane has ever bothered it. It virtually means do damage to here.7. lap as in John watched the water lap at the steps, meaning extend beyond some limit or, in fact, rise slowly.8. skim as in the hurricane . lifted the entire roof off the house and skimmed it 40 feet through the air, which gives the readers a deep impression of how strong the wind was.9. seize as in It seized a 600,000-gallon Gulfport oil tank 1and dumped it 3ymiles away. It seemed as if the hurricane had a very strong and large hand.10. crack and snap as in Telephone poles and 20-inch thick pines cracked like guns as the winds snapped them, providing the readers with a vivid picture of winds blowing violently.X. Simile: 1. The children went from adult to adult like buckets in a fire brigade. (comparing the passing of children to the passing of buckets of water in a fire brigade when fighting a fire) 2. The wind sounded like the roar of a train passing a few yards away. (comparing the sound of the wind to the roar of a passing train) Metaphor : 1. We can batten down and ride it out. (comparing the house in a hurricane to a ship fighting a storm at sea) 2. Wind and rain now whipped the house. (Strong wind and rain was lashing the house as if with a whip.) Personification : 1. A moment later, the hurricane, in one mighty swipe, lifted the entire roof off the house and skimmed it 40 feet through the air. (The hurricane acted as a very strong person lifting something heavy and throwing it through the air.) 2. It seized a 600, 000-gallon Gulfport oil tank and dumped it 3 1/2miles away. (The hurricane acted as a very strong man lifting something very heavy and dumping it 3 1/2 miles away.). .Elliptical and short simple sentences generally increase the tempo and speed of the actions being described. Hence in a dramatic narration they serve to heighten tension and help create a sense of danger and urgency. For examples see the text, paragraphs 10-18 and 21-26. The topic sentence of paragraph 1 is John Koshak, Jr. ,knew that Hurricane Camille would be bad. This idea is developed or supported by facts or reasons showing how John Koshak, Jr. , knew that Hurricane Camille would be badThe last sentence introduces some other characters in he story and serves as a transition to the next important point in the storywhy John KoshakJr，decided not to abandon his home在给出答案之前，首先将该题中的几个语法术语解释一下。The sentence fragment：片断句。一个合乎语法的完整句子必须具有主语和谓语这两种基本成分。从结构上来说，它应该是可以独立运用的语言单位。片断句是指像短语、从句、同位语以及其他诸如此类不能够独立使用的语言单位。写作时若错误地使用标点符号将这类不能独立使用的语法结构当成句子分列出来，那便叫做片断句，练习中的第1、第3和第4句就是这样的非完整句，即片断句。 The runon sentence:误用逗号连接句。该断句的地方没有正确地使用标点符号断句，而将两个或两个以上结构上各自独立完整而又互不从属的句子融合在一起成为一个不合语法、 结构松散的句子称融合句。如果两个完整的句子中间只用逗号隔开而被错误地并成一个句子，这种句子便叫误用逗号连接句，练习中的第2句即是。The dangling modifier：垂悬修饰语。由非谓语动词(分词、动名词、不定式)组成的短语若使用不当，与其所修饰的成分没有实质上的联系，这种结构便叫垂悬修饰语。垂悬修饰语并非语法上的错误，只是修辞上的毛病，但仍应避免使用这样的结构，尤其是不要使用那些会产生歧义、引起误解的垂悬修饰语。练习中的第5、6、7、8句均含垂悬修饰语。 The illogical or faulty parallelism：误用平行句法。误用平行句法指用平行结构来表达并非平行的思想内容。这是应该避免的修辞上的毛病。不能将which或who引导的从句用and 与主句相联。关联连词(bothand，eitheror等)只能用于联接句中起同一语法作用的平行成分。练习中的第9、10、11、12句都是误用平行结构的例句。The shift in point of view：角度转换。不必要的甚至错误的角度转换是应该避免的。若非必须如此。一般不由主动语态转换成被动语态。人称及单复数也不应随便转换。练习中的第13、14、15句都是角度转换的例子。练习中的错句可改正如下：The basketball game was canceled because half of the players were in bed with fluThese snakes are dangerous。However，most snakes are quite harmless3Looking out toward the horizon，she Saw only the old cabin in which Mary was born，a single cottonwood that had escaped the drought and the apparently boundless expanse of sunburned prairie4We knew that although the documents have been stolen