Unit Mr Imagination

1、Unit13 Mr. ImaginationI. Warmming upII. BackgroundAbout the author: This is a delightful biographical sketch of Jules Verne （儒勒·凡尔纳）, a popular 19th-century French writer. Jules Verne is generally regarded as the father of science fiction because, first of all, he was “years ahead of the other

2、visualizers想象者 of things to come”; secondly, he is the most prolific多产的 science fiction writer, having put out more than 100 books in his lifetime. But perhaps more importantly, it is because he wrote about the marvels of tomorrow with such precise, indisputable details that he became a powerful sti

3、mulus and inspiration to later scientists.III. Text analysisThe introduction (paras. 1-8) provides a contrast between Jules Verne the science fiction writer and Jules Verne the man. The body part ( paras. 9-31) deals with his early years, his success as a writer, and his major works. The essay concl

4、udes (paras.32-34) with his last years, and the honor and popularity Jules received at his death.I. (paras.1-5) Jules Verne the writer vs Jules Verne the manA. (paras.1-3) One was a great traveler, the other, a stay-at-home.B. (para.4) One was skillful in fishing and hunting, the other, a poor hunte

5、r and with no fishing experience.C. (para.5) One foresaw major 20th-century inventions; the other never used a test tube.II. (paras.6-8) Jules Verne, father of science fiction.A. (para.6) He was years before other major science fiction writers.B. (para.7) His description of future marvels is scienti

6、fically precise and accurate.C. (para.8) He was matter-of-fact when many of his fancies came true.III. (paras.9-18) His early yearsA. (para.9) AS a child, he loved adventure.B. (para.10) As a young man, he was interested in writing.C. (paras.11-18) He made up his mind to become a writer after his en

7、counter with Alexandre Dumas.IV. (Paras. 19-22) His life in Paris.A. (para.19) He lived a few lean years after his father cut off his allowance.B. (para.20) He remained a devoted and loving son.C. (paras.21-22) He continued to write after he got married.V. (Paras.23-31) His major worksA. (paras.23-2

8、6) His first book-how he got it published and his second.B. (Paras.27-29) His best-known book Around the World in 80 Days- the sensation it created.C. (para.30) 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.D. (Para. 31) A few 20th-centurywonders that he visualized in his books.VI. (paras.31-34) His last years and h

9、is death.A. (para.32) Sneers and rumors upset him.B. (para.33) At his death he was honored and highly praised.C. (para.34) He was compared to Santa Claus.IV. Language points1. Back in the 1880s, a big red-bearded man came to call one day on the French MInistr of Education.Note how the writer begins

10、the essay. Instead of starting with Vernes birth or early days, he begins with an amusing anecdote about Verne when he was 52. This way, the writer succeeds in arousing the readers interest immediately. By the 1880s Verne had already had his major books published and become a world-famous writer. He

11、re are the years of publication of his major works:Voyage to the Centre of the World(1864)From the Earth to the Moon(1865)20,000 Leagues Under the Sea(1869)Around the World in 80 Days(1873)Mysterious Island(18740Call on sb: to visit sb formally2. Jules Verne, the man, was a stay-at-home.(para.3)Unli

12、ke the heroes in his novels , jules Verne didnt travel very much. Here, the writer wants to say that he doesnt write from his own experiences, but uses his imagination, hence the title of the essay.Stay-at-home: a person who prefers to remain quietly at home rather than to go out or to travel.3. For

13、 forty years, he sat in a small room of the red brick tower of his home, in Amiens, turning out, year in, year out, one book every six months-more than 100 altogether. (para.3)Amiens: a city in northern France. In 1888, Jules Verne was elected town councilor of Amiens, where he served for fifteen ye

14、ars and lived until his death in 1905.turn out: to produce as the result of work· For others, these could turn out to be the worst.对其它公司而言，这可能是最糟糕的时机。· Yet their results turn out to have enormous potential.但他们的成果却有巨大的潜力。Year in, year out: every year without changing; year after year withou

15、t a breakSimilar expression: Day in, day out/week in, week out: for many days/ weeks; continuously over a long period of timeEg: He has been wearing the same old suit, day in, day out, for five years. Ever since I grew up, Ive weighed 50 kilos year in, year out.4. be crowded with: (of space or time)

16、 to be too full of, eg:The office was crowded with people applying for a visa.Youve crowded your day with too many activities.My mind was crowded with fragrant芳香的 memories as I wrote these lines.5. Then he raised his gun and-proof!-shot the red ribbon off the hat of a game warden.(para.4)He raised h

17、is gun and fired, but he was such a poor hunter that he missed his target and almost killed the game warden.Proof: interj. An exclamation used to express suddenness as of disappearance or appearanceGame warden: a person employed to protect wildlife when hunting is not allowed or out of seasonNote th

18、e touch of humor in this description of Vernes hunting and fishing expeditions.6. Have sth/sb doing sth: to cause sth/sb to do sth. E.g.:I had them all laughing at my jokes.In a few years, they had their land producing good crops of corn and wheat.7. Wonder: sth that causes people to feel astonishme

19、nt or great admiration; a miracle· n. 惊奇；奇迹；惊愕· vi. 怀疑；想知道；惊讶· vt. 怀疑；惊奇；对感到惊讶· adj. 奇妙的；非凡的· e.g.: In the wonder of the sea.在这充满奇迹的海洋之上。· I wonder why you're homed by the police.我想知道你为什么让警察送你回家。wonder if 不知道；想知道是否 no wonder 难怪 wonder about 对感到奇怪；对感到疑惑 wonder at 对感到

20、吃惊 work wonders 创造奇迹；产生奇妙作用 in wonder 在惊奇中，惊讶地 wonder of the world 世界奇迹；世界奇观 natural wonder 自然景观 small wonder 不足为奇；不值得惊奇 wonder drug 奇药，特效药；千年灵芝 do wonder 创造出奇迹 stevie wonder n. 史提夫汪达（歌手） wonder woman 神奇女侠；神力女超人；神奇女郎（电视剧） boy wonder 神童；青年才俊 to a wonder 古语 得令人惊叹，得叫人惊异 for a wonder 说来奇怪 8. Foresee: to

21、 see or be aware of beforehand· e.g.: Finally, I foresee a day when I can stay at home all day.最后，当我整天呆在家里时，我都能预见一天会发生什么。· It is difficult to foresee the consequences that may arise from this action.预见这一行动可能产生的后果是困难的。9. .he was years ahead of H.G. Wells. Conan Doyle, and the other great vi

22、sualizers of things to come.he foresaw many future inventions years before other science fiction writers did.10. He wrote about the marvels of tomorrow with such precise, indisputable detail that he was taken seriously. (para.7)He described the details of things to be invented so accurately and conv

23、incingly that people almost forgot that he was writing fiction.Take sb/sth seriously: to treat sb/sth as being important and deserving attention or respect,e.g.: Dont take him seriously. Hes only joking.The town didnt take the flood warning seriously, and consequently suffered heavy casualties.I alw

24、ays take your suggestions seriously.I took the sun too seriously, and didnt take an umbrella with me this morning.He was an earnest person who too life seriously.11. Verne, who lived to see many of his fancies come true, was matter-of-face about it all. “ what one man can imagine,” he said, “another

25、 man can do.”Many of the things he imagined and described in his novels were invented before he died. But he didnt seem surprised at all. He said since one person can imagine a thing, it was only natural that another person can make it a reality.Matterof-fact (about sth): adj. not showing feelings o

26、r emotion, esp. in a situation when emotion would be expected, e.g.:He sounded matter-of-fact and unemotional.They spoke in a very matter-of-fact way about their heroic deeds.12. Be descended from sb/sth: to be related to a person or group who lived a long time agoE.g.: She claims to be descended fr

27、om Confucius.Humans are descended from ape-like creatures.13. Sign on: to engage oneself for employment; be hired. Esp. by a signed agreement签约雇用 · Once you sign on the dotted line there's no room for negotiation.从你在虚线处签下你的大名起，就再也没有谈判的余地了。· Without their support, governments in the U.S

28、. and Europe won't sign on to a deal.没有这些机构的支持，美国和欧洲的政府不会在协议书上签字。Sign-On Platform登录平台Date Sign-on职务social sign-on社会化登录；社交群组登录Sign-on Security安全性Sign-On Close运动员检录关闭Sign-on Opens运动员检录开始Sign-on Date上船日期short sign-on简化开始single sign-on单点登录；单一登录；单一登入；单一签入14. Fortunately for his later admirers, a frie

29、nd of the family saw him go on board and told the family.A friend told his family what he had seen, so his father got him home before the ship left. If the friend hadnt done this, Jules Verne would have had an entirely different life and wouldnt have become a writer to be admired by so many people l

30、ater.15. At the bottom he slipped off and landed squarely on a stout gentleman about to ascend the stairs.At the end of staircases he slipped off the banister and fell right on a stout gentleman who was going to climb the stairs.Land: to come down on sth· The ship came safe to land.这船平安抵陆。·

31、; Because of the snow, the pilot had to land the plane at an airport in another city.由于大雪，飞行员只得把飞机降落到另一座城市的一个飞机场。squarely: directly; exactlystand squarely端端正正地站着quadrilateral squarely四角地face Squarely正对着交谈对象· Deng, ever the polite listener, looked her squarely in the eye and said earnestly, He w

32、as lying.邓一向是个礼貌的听众，他正视着她的眼睛，专注地说着，而其实他当时在撒谎。· The reasons may be complex, but none of them has much to do with facing history squarely.如此作为的原因或许复杂，但起码这些国家却并不真正需要正视自己的历史问题。16. You could have knocked Jules over with a breadstick.You could have knocked Jules down with a feather. It means that Jul

33、es was greatly surprised to find who the man was.Knock sb over: to knock sb down; to hit or push sb so that they fall onto the groundbreadstick: a crisp stick-shaped roll, often served with soup· I picked up a breadstick and began nibbling on the end, measuring his expression.我一边拿起一个烘焙面包卷，开始一小口

34、一小口地把它吃完，一边估摸他的表情。· A woman goes to her doctor. She has a breadstick up her nose, a potato in her right ear and string bean in her left ear.一个妇女去看医生。她的鼻子上插着面包棒，右耳塞了一只土豆，左耳塞了带豆。17. Knowing Dumas confirmed young Vernes desire to be an author.Knowing Dumas, he became firm in his desire to be a wri

35、ter.Confirm: to make sb more firm in a belief, an attitude, etc.· Confirm they have received your package.确认他们已经收到你的包裹。· The findings confirm the worry of employers about the lack of basic skills in some university graduates.调查结果证实了雇主们对某些大学生缺乏基本技能这一现象的担忧。18. Jules, urged on by the older ma

36、n, made up his mind he would do for geography what Dumas had done for history.Earnestly persuaded by Alexandre, Jules decided to become a writer of travels and accomplish what Dumas had achieved by writing historical novels.19. Be impatient with: to have had enough, therefore not going to tolerate对不

37、耐烦；对感到急躁As a nurse, you shouldn't be impatient with patients.作为一个护士，你不应该对病人不耐心。· Investors are said to be impatient with its boss, Ben Verwaayen.投资者也开始对阿朗的老板本. 韦华恩失去耐心。20. neglect: failure to pay enough attentionV. None can afford to neglect the accumulated experience of man.谁也不能忽视人类所积累的经验。

38、· We can never neglect the value of knowledge.我们绝对不能忽略知识的价值。21. cut off: to stop abruptly· And we find ourselves cruelly cut off from the wireless world.这时我们发现被无情地切断与无线世界的联系。· However, if a machine is in sleep mode and the power is cut off then it loses state.但是，如果一台机器处于睡眠状态时电源切断，则它将失

39、去状态。22. deprive sb of sth: to stop sb enjoying or using sth; to cause sb/sth to be without (sth needed)e.g.: The hot sun deprived the flowers of water.Many children are deprived of a good education, simply because they live in the wrong place.The new laws in the country threaten to deprive many peop

40、le of the most elementary freedom.23. cocky: conceited; arrogant自大的；骄傲的；过于自信的· e.g.: During the interview, be confident but not cocky.在面试中，要自信而不要自大。· Researchers found women will quickly dismiss a man who they feel is 'too cocky' or 'too needy'.研究人员发现，女人们会很快拒绝她们觉得“太自大”或者“太穷

41、”的男人。24. irresistible: The ladies found him so attractive that they could not help loving him.· 25. sniff: to inhale a short audible breath through the nose as in smelling sth. Here it is used to indicate ridicule and contempt vi. 嗅；嗤之以鼻vt. 嗅；闻；用力吸；发觉· n. 吸，闻；嗤之以鼻；气味；以鼻吸气；吸气· e.g.:We

42、should take a sniff at everything and distinguish the good from the bad.我们对任何东西都要用鼻子嗅一嗅， 鉴别其好坏。· So eventually you know maybe you can sniff the right man out.所以最终你知道或许你可以闻出你的意中人。·Such an offer in not to be sniffed at.25. The publisher read the book through as the fidgeting young author wai

43、ted.Unlike the fifteen publishers who merely “looked at it”, Pierre Hetzel “read the book through” while the young author, eager to know what the publisher would do with the manuscripts, waited restlessly and nervously. Pierre Hetzel: one of the most important French publishers of the 19th century,

44、who also published other famous French writers works, such as those of Victor Hugo. Hetzel helped improve Vernes writings, which until then had been repeatedly rejected by other publishers. The two of them formed an excellent writer-publisher team until Hetzels death.26. Hetzel said he would publish

45、 it if Jules would rewrite it in the form of a novel.Originally, the book is a story about a balloon exploration of Africa, which had been rejected by other publishers for being “too scientific”. Acting on Hetzels advice, Verne rewrote the story, by changing the sad ending into a happy one, and toni

46、ng down various political messages.27. start sb. Off: to cause sb to go on a journey28. keep sth. alive: to keep sth in existence or continuing,E.g.: The media kept public interest in the scandal alive. Keep your dream alive in spite of the difficulties.29. connection: a train, bus, etc. onto which

47、one changes from another in the course of a journey,e.g.: As the local train was late, I missed the connection to London.30. on ones account: because of sb of for sbs sake,e.g.: Dont give up this opportunity on my account.· 30. charter: to hire for exclusive use vt. 特许；包租；发给特许执照· n. 宪章；执照；

48、特许状· e.g.: Supporters of charter schools, however, found much to criticize in the study.然而支持特许学校的人研究发现研究中有许多批评。· From there charter a small plane to drop you in a jungle settlement or beach village.从那里租用一架小型飞机，将你空投到丛林定居点，或海滨村庄。· Britain has also secured an exemption, or thinks it has,

49、 from the charter of fundamental rights.英国也设法从基本权利宪章中获得了豁免，或者说它自认为如此。31. vessel: a relatively large ship32. As the world held its breath, Fogg reached London with only minutes to spare, and won his bet.Note: This is not accurate. For the benefit of those who havent read Round the World in 80 Days, t

50、he following details might be helpful. On Wednesday, the 2nd of October, 1872, Philes Fogg bet five friends twenty thousand pounds that he would make a tour of the world in eighty days or less. He told them that he would be back to the Reform Club, on Saturday, the 21st of December at a quarter to n

51、ine p.m. While traveling eastward, he had gained one day and reached London at ten to nine a day before, on Friday. But Fogg thought it was Saturday and that he lost the bet. When he realized his mistake, he hurried to the Reform Club and reached the room where his five friends were waiting with onl

52、y a couple of seconds to spare.Time/ money to spare: time/money left over.e.g.: They arrived at the railway station with 10 minutes to spare. After paying the rent and utility bills物业账单, the family has enough money to spare.33. credit sb with: to believe or admit that sb has done sth good.e.g.: She credits her success to h