Unit 3 Stevie Wonder Sunshine in the Shadow

Text A Listening First ListeningBefore listening to the following tape, have a quick look at the words below.amaze 使惊羡 drum 鼓 harmonica 口琴 rock and roll music 摇滚乐 porch 门廊audition 试唱 hit 轰动一时的人 album 集锦密纹唱片 influential 有影响的 encounter 遭到 charts 排行榜Second ListeningNow listen to the tape again. Then choose the best answer to each of the following question.1. The main purpose of the listening passage is .A to give an overview if Stevie Wonders life and careeB to analyze different types of music popular albumsC to discuss different types of music in the U.S.D to discuss the status of blind people in the U.S.2. Stevies career as a pop musician can be described as A a long struggle to gain fameB a great success from a young age onC a long but unremarkable careerD early popularity that didnt last3. Which of the following problems did Stevies NOT have to overcome?A Being born poor and blindB An unhappy childhoodC A serious car accidentD Both A and B Prereading Questions1. Do you know who Stevie Wonder is? What do you know about him and his accomplishments?2. Besides Stevie Wonder, what other people with physical disabilities do you know about who have achieved fame and success ? Describe who they are and what they have done? Stevie Wonder:Sunshine in the ShadowWhen Stevie Morris was born, on May 13, 1950, the doctors shook their heads and told the mother that her son was born blind and likely would always be that way. She broke into tears.Blind and black and poor - what kind of a life could this new infant have? In her wildest dreams, Mrs. Morris could never have imagined that her new baby would become a famous musician called Stevie Wonder. At the time, all she could do was pray and worry.Stevie himself didnt worry at all. Life was too full. He was brought up among church-going people whose faith helped them bear the poverty. He loved music and would pound spoons or forks on any surface that faintly resembled a drum.He even ran and played with sighted children. “I didnt realize I was blind until I was about four,” he says. That might sound strange. To a small child just learning about the world, it wasnt strange at all. Stevie heard and smelled and touched. As far as he knew, that was all anyone could do. That was life.When Stevies mother got tired of her tables being used for drums, she bought him a toy set. He played so hard that he had actually worn the toy out within a few weeks. Other toys sets followed; then an uncle added a toy harmonica, and Stevie learned to play it so quickly that everyone was amazed.Stevie taught himself to play the piano as quickly as he had once learned the harmonica. With friends, he began playing rock and roll music. They performed on the front porch of Stevies apartment building, drawing crowds of neighbors to watch and listen and clap time to the beat.“I loved that beat,” Stevie says. He not only loved the beat he was very good at making it. Ronnie White, of the Miracles singing group, heard Stevie and promptly took him down to his recording company, Motown Records.“Give him an audition,” Ronnie said. They did. All the top people at Motown got together to hear a little blind boy who wasnt even ten years old yet. At first, they were being nice. Poor kid. They didnt want to hurt his feelings.Then they heard Stevie sing and play, and nobody said “poor kid” anymore. They were too busy congratulating themselves on finding a youngster who could be the musical talent of the decade. “Hes a wonder boy,” somebody said as they watched little Stevie dart from one instrument to the next, playing each one with ease.“Wonder,” somebody said, “Little Stevie Wonder”.The new name stuck and Stevie Morris became Little Stevie Wonder. He had his first hit when he was twelve years old. It was called “Fingertips” and it was a smash.Over the following years, Little Stevie Wonder became one of the top recording artists at Motown, producing one hit after another. But as he grew into adulthood, Stevie began to get tired of the way the Motown company controlled all aspects of his career. He wanted to write and produce his own songs, but the Motown company thought it was unwise to change a winning formula. When he turned 21, Stevie finally got his freedom. Against Motowns wishes he started exploring: he made records that combined gospel, rock and roll, and jazz and which used African and Latin American rhythms. To the record companys surprise, Stevies new albums such as “Music of My Mind” and “Inner visions” were even more popular than his early ones. Stevie Wonder had become a mature man and an independent musical artist.Just after this success, however, tragedy struck. In August of 1973, Stevie was involved in a serious car accident. For nearly a week he lay in a coma, unable to speak or walk. “We dont know when hell be out of danger,” the doctor said. Everyone waited and prayed. Suddenly, it didnt matter that Stevie was a musical genius or that he had conquered blindness and poverty. All he had left was his faith and strong will.That turned out to be enough. Stevie fought back from the shadow of death as he had once fought out from the shadow of blindness. He went on to give more performances, make more hit records.The car accident changed Stevie by making him reevaluate his goal in life. He still loved to make music, but he also started to pay more attention to the world outside. He worked to create a national holiday to honor the civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He recorded songs urging racial harmony and raised money to end world hunger. Recently, Stevie was honored by South African president Nelson Mandela for his work against that countrys system of racial apartheid.Stevie Wonder has faith and fame, wealth and love. He has not only conquered his own darkness, but through his music and his social activities he has been able to bring sunshine to the shadow of other lives.New words 1. sunshine snain n. 阳光2. infantinfnt n . 婴儿3prayprei vi. 祈祷4spoon spu:n n. 匙,5faintly feintli ad. 微弱地6resemblerizembl vt .类似7drum drm n. 鼓8sighted saitid a. 看得见的. 9harmonica h:mnik n. 口琴10 amaze meiz vt. 使惊奇11porchp:t n. 门廊12apartmentp:tmnt n. 公寓13clapklp vi. 拍手14miraclemirkl n .奇迹15promptlyprmptliad. 及时地16audition:dinn. 面试17kidkid n. 小孩18congratulatekngrtjuleitvt. 祝贺19youngsterjst n. 年轻人20talenttlnt n.天才21decadedekeidn.十年22dart d:t n.猛冲23instrumentinstrumntn.仪器24ease i:z n.容易25fingertipfig.tipn.指.26smashsm v.粉碎27adulthooddlthudn.成年28aspectspektn.方面29careerkri n.生涯30formulaf:mjuln.公式31exploreikspl:v.勘探32gospelgspl n.福音音乐33jazz dz n.爵士乐34rhythm rim n.韵律35albumlbmn.集锦密纹唱片36independent.indipendnta.独立的37tragedytrdidi n.惨事38involveinvlv vt.使陷入39comakumn.昏迷40musical mju:zikla.音乐的41genius di:nisn.天才42conquer kk vt.征服43performancepf:mnsn.表演44reevaluateri:ivljueitvt.重新评价45goal gul n.目的46hungerhg n.饥饿47urge:d vt.力劝48racialreil a.种族的49harmonyh:mnin.和睦50 system sistm n. 系统51 apartheid p:theit n. 南非种族隔离52 fame feim n. 名声53 activity ktiviti n. 活动Phrases and Expressions1.break into 突然（哭、笑、唱）起来2.bring up 抚养3.as far as 就4.get tired of 厌倦5.wear out 把.用坏6.congratulate oneself on/ that 因.而暗自庆幸 7.with ease 容易地8.grow into 成长为ExercisesReading Aloudi. Read the following paragraphs until you have learned them by heart. Then, translate them into Chinese.Blind and black and poorwhat kind of life could this new infant have? In her wildest dreams, Mrs. Morris could never have imagined that her new baby would become a famous musician called Stevie Wonder. At the time, all she could do was prayand worry. Stevie himself didnt worry at all. Life was too full. He was brought up among churchgoing people whose faith helped them bear the poverty. He loved music and would pound spoons or forks on any surface that faintly resembled a drum.Comprehension of the Textii. Answer the following questions.1. What was the difference between the way Stevies mother responded to his blindness and the way Stevie did?2. What musical instruments did Stevie learn to play?3. Where was the first place where Stevie performed?4. How did Stevie get his nickname?5. What conflict did Stevie have with Motown Records? 6. How different were the records Stevie made after turning 21?7. What major difficulty did Stevie encounter in 1973? 8. How has Stevies life been different since the car accident?Responding to the textiii. Discuss the following questions in your group or with your class.1. What does the title of the story, “Sunshine in the Shadow” mean?How do you like the seemingly self-contradictory title?2. What do you think of Stevie and his accomplishments?Vocabularyiv. Fill in the following blanks with the words or expressions given below. Change the forms where necessary.wear outbear racial maturedrawconquer break intopay attention to aspectperform as far as get tired of1.The films he directed two decades ago still _ large audiences today.2. Of all the sorrows she had to _, none was so great as her sons being born blind.3. He didnt throw away the stockings until they were so _ that they couldnt be mended anymore.4. He finally _ sitting in the office all day and longed for a more active life.5. He had a vision (幻想) of a society in which the members of different races could live together in _ harmony. 6. He _ so little _ what he was doing that he cut his face while shaving.7. Although hes only 16 he has very _ ideas about life.8. He told such a funny story that everybody _ laughter.9. The concert at which the classical pianist _ was a great success.10. Although he made a great deal of money, he could never _ his feelings of worthlessness.11. We must consider all _ of the plan before deciding.12. _ I know, it is not necessary to buy tickets in advance. They should be available at the door.v. Replace the underlined parts in the following sentences with words or expressions from the text that best keep each sentences original meaning.1.Having grown up in a church-going family, Bill is friendly, polite and willing to help anyone in need. 2.As soon as he turned into a side road, he started to run. 3.The teacher was very much surprised to find that the laziest student in her class had received a grade of 100 on an important test. 4.Mr. Johnson had made up his mind to go to Africa with the medical team. His wife could do nothing but help him to pack up. 5.The twin brothers are like each other not only in appearance but also in character. 6.Bob was intelligent and capable of passing his exam without difficulty. 7.The boy has overcome his fear of failure and is making great progress in his studies. 8.She never buys cheap shoes for her son as they become useless very quickly. 9.The job proved to be harder than we had thought. 10.To everyones surprise, Jane has become a beautiful young woman. 11.Her death at the age of 21 was a very sad event for the family. 12.When she found her child was running a high fever, she immediately took him to hospital. Word Buildingvi. The suffix ous can be added to nouns to form adjectives with the meaning having much, full of or causing, e.g. , famous =having much fame dangerous= causing danger The suffix al can also be added to nouns to form adjectives with the meaning of, e.g. , musical=of music natural=of nature Now form adjectives by adding ous or al to the nouns given below and then fill in the blanks in the following sentences with some of them. Make changes in spelling where necessary. condition culture courage education industry nation humor joy medicine mountain murder person nerve logic poison victory space tradition1.For such a famous, wealthy man, his life was surprisingly simple and ordinary.2.The school uses a combination of modern and methods for teaching reading. 3.Mark Twain was one of Americans greatest writers. Computers “think” in a much more logical way than human beings.4.It was of her to challenge the managing directors decision.5.Can you tell the difference between mushrooms and edible varieties?6.Many teachers believe that reducing the size of classes will improve standards. 7.The team was loudly cheered by their fans.vii. The suffix ness can be added to adjectives to form nouns with the meaning the quality or condition of being, e.g. blindness = the condition of being blind kindness = the quality of being kind Add ness to the adjectives given below and then fill in the blanks in the following sentence with some of them. Change the forms where necessary. .correct ill prepared dark lazy friendly careless great cold eager nervous warm-hearted1.With a big roar, the motorcycle disappeared into the .2.The slightest when driving can result in a serious accident.3.You have to conquer your if you want to become a good speaker.4.They have made sure that everything is in a state of . 5.Remember, if your daughter shows any signs of , you must take her to the doctor promptly.6.Jacks hands were trembling with as he opened the letter from his girlfriend.CloseX. Fill in each of the blanks with an appropriate word.Stevie Wonders life had been filled _ challenges. However, he has _ each one by finding joy even in a life with a great deal of pain. _ he was born poor and _, Stevie had a wonderful _ because he played with all of the sighted children. When young Stevie discovered music, he _ his family with his talent. Soon his _ and the world learned how gifted a musician he was. As a man, Stevie had to _ for the right to make music his own way. When he did make his own _, they were very popular. Stevie had trusted his own _ enough to become a mature musical artist.After a serious car _, Stevie didnt just survive. He became famous not _ for his music, but also for his public mindedness. He sang _ serious problems and the need for people everywhere to get _. The life of Stevie Wonder shows the importance of having a positive _ and trusting your own abilities.Translationviii. Translation the following sentences into English1. 据我所知，他们必须做的只是来见一见他们想抚养的孩子，并填写一份表格 。2. 随着他对世事的了解越来越多，他终于厌倦了对名利的追求。3. 小女孩的歌声给老人带来了欢乐，帮助他忍受住种种生活的艰辛。4. 人们纷纷前来向他们祝贺又一座黄浦江大桥的胜利建成。5. 这个十岁的男孩小提琴拉得如此娴熟，在场的人都惊叹不已。6. 车祸之后，史蒂威重新评价了自己的人生目标，决定更多地注意外部世界。7. 母亲即使做梦也没想到她的儿子会成为一名世界著名的钢琴家。8. 当听到他们的老师已摆脱了死亡的阴影时，学生们都大声欢呼.Reading AnalysisWhen writi