现代大学英语精读4-Spring-Sowing

1、Lesson Two Spring Sowing Liam OFlahertyAbout the authorAbout the author Liam OFlaherty is one of the most significant and important modern Anglo-Irish authors. His novels have not been met with much critical analysis over the last forty years because he stopped publishing work in 1956. Both his nove

2、ls and his short stories define Anglo-Irish literature in that his themes stem from his experiences growing up in a poverty-stricken society on the island of Aran; his naturalistic, mystical, romantic, and realistic styles were also defined by his experiences in his native Ireland. Liam OFlaherty Li

3、am OFlaherty was born in Ireland in 1896. He wrote in English and Irish. His main works include the novels: Thy Neighbours Wife The Black Soul The Informer The Assassin Shame the Devil FamineLiam OFlahertyPre-class workPre-class work1. Do you know how spring sowing is done against the background of

4、a traditional agricultural country in Ireland?2. Do you know how spring sowing is done in our country?About the story:About the story: “Spring Sowing” is taken from the authors first collection of short stories which bears the same title published in 1924. The story describes the first day of the fi

5、rst spring planting of a newly-wedded couple against the background of a traditional agricultural country.Detailed Discussion of the TextDetailed Discussion of the TextPara 1Para 1l rake out sth: remove ashes from ( a fire, kiln, etc)l live coals live: still burning or glowing; not extinct eg: a liv

6、e spark; a live volcanol hearth: the area around a fire place or the area of floor in front of itl streak: a streak is a long thin mark, line or band of a different substance or color. Here in the text, it refers to the ray of early sunlight which was white against the dark sky. eg: There are streak

7、s of gray appearing in her black hair.l streak (v.): 1) to cover with lines eg: The woman finished her moving story, our faces were streaked with tears. 2) to move very fast eg: The cat streaked across the road with the dog behind it. (idm.) 1) like a streak of lightning: very quickly 2) a winning/l

8、osing streak: refers to the repeated success/failure during a time of good or bad luckl as it were: seemingly; in a way; so to speak ( used to comment on the speakers own choice of words, which may give only an approximate meaning) eg: She seemed very relaxed- in her natural setting as it were.Para

9、2Para 2l His freckled face and his little fair moustacheufreckled: covered with small light-brown spots on the human skinulight in color; blond. Westerners hold the notion that light coloring is desirable. P: The mans fair moustache and freckled face suggest that he I still quite youngl Her black ha

10、ir piled at the rear of her head with a large comb gleaming in the middle of the pile, Spanish fashion. P: her black hair piled into a mass at the back of her head with a comb shining in the middle of the pile,in the way Spanish do. Comb is used here to keep her hair back and for decoration.Para 3Pa

11、ra 3l They ate in silence, sleepy and yet on fire with excitement, for it was the first day of their spring sowing as man and wife. P: They had their breakfast, keeping silent, although still not fully awake, the young couple was already greatly excited, because that day was the first day of their f

12、irst planting after they got married.uon fire: (fig.) burning with emotion, passion or sensation; greatly excited; full of ardor; very enthusiastic, excited, or passionate eg: He was on fire with excitement at this marvelous sight.uman and wife: husband and wifel open up: (cause sth to) be available

13、 for development, production, etc eg: open up undeveloped land, new territory, etcl But somehow the imminence of an event that had been long expected, loved, feared and prepared for made them dejected. P: The couple had been looking forward to and preparing for this spring planting for a long time.

14、But now that the day had finally arrived, strangely, they felt somehow a bit sad. We do not know why the young couple felt that way. Probably the first day of their first spring planting seemed to indicate to them that their honeymoon was over, and now was the time for them to be prepared for the en

15、dless toil ahead.u the imminence of an event: the fact that sth (usu unpleasant) is now about to take place. u“Event” here refers to the spring plantingu dejected: irritated; in low spirits; depressed; disheartened; sadPara 4Para 4l Martin fell over a basket in the half-darkness of the barn, he hwor

16、e and said that a man would be better off dead than P: In the barn, it was still very dark as it was very early in the morning. So Martin tripped over a basket. He cursed and said that it would be better for him to die than ( to have to get up at such an early hour and begin the days toil- probably

17、for the rest of his life).ube better off (doing sth): be wiser ( to do sth specified ); in a more favorable position or financial circumstances This phrase is the comparative form of “ well off”. eg: Hed be better off going to the police about it. They would be better off flying than driving there.l

18、 be cross ( with sb) (about sth): be rather angry or irritated; annoyed; ill-tempered eg: I was cross with him for being late.l And somehow, as they embraced, all their irritation and sleepiness left them. And they stood there embracing until at last Martin pushed her from him with pretended roughne

19、ss and said: “Come, come, girl, it will be sunset before we begin at this rate.” P: However, all of the unhappiness and drowsiness melt away with their hug. They remained in each others arms until finally Martin pushed her away, with pretended roughness, to show that he was now the bread-winner of t

20、he family and had serious work to do and therefore must stop this sentimental nonsense, otherwise they would not be able to get anything done in the whole day.uat this rate: at this speedPara 5Para 5l Still, as they walked silently in their rawhide shoes through the little hamlet, there was not a so

21、ul about. P: When they walked silently through the small village, they saw not a single person around then because they were earlier than everybody else.uhamlet: a small villageusoul: here it means a person, not the spiritual part of a person that some believe to continue to exist after they die.l A

22、nd they both looked back at the little cluster of cabins that was the center of their world, with throbbing hearts. For the joy of spring had now taken complete hold of them. P: Both of them looked back towards their small village, which was the most important place for them because they and their f

23、orefathers before them were born and raised here. Their hearts were quivering with excitement at that moment, for the coming of spring had already filled their hearts with pleasure.u a cluster of: number of people, animals or things grouped closely togetheru a cluster of cabins: a group of wooden ho

24、uses very close together eg: a cluster of houses, spectators, bees, islands , etc throbbing: beating rapidly or violently to take complete hold of: to gain complete control or influence over sb; to have great power over sb; to overpower sb eg: She felt a strange excitement taking hold of her.Para 10

25、Para 10l in the name of God: used to add force to determination 1) on behalf of sb/sth eg: I greet you in the name of the President. 2) by the authority of sth eg: I arrest you in the name of the law. 3) calling sb/sth to witness eg: In Gods name, what are you doing? 4) for the sake of sth eg: They

26、did it all in the name of friendship.l to raise the first sod: to lift the first piece of soilPara 12Para 12l Suppose anybody saw us like this in the field of our spring sowing, what would they take us for but a pair of useless, soft, empty-headed people that would be sure to die of hunger. P: If pe

27、ople should see us like this ( with your arm round my waist), what would they think of us? They were sure to take us for a pair of good-for-nothings, people who are unable to endure hardship and foolish and, therefore, were sure to die of hunger. to take for: to regard as eg: Do you take me for a to

28、ol? Dont take our silence for approval.u soft: weak or delicate; not strong or vigorous; esp not able to endure hardship, as because of easy livingu empty-headed: stupid; silly and ignorant; lacking sense or discretionl His eyes had a wild, eager light in them as if some primeval impulse were burnin

29、g within his brain and driving out every other desire but that of asserting his manhood and of subjugating the earth. P: His eyes shone and his only desire now was to prove what a strong man he was and how he could conquer the land. u primeval: belonging to the first or earliest age or ages; primiti

30、ve; ancientu but: except; with the exception of; save eg: He didnt speak anything but English.u to assert ones manhood: to state strongly or behave in such a way as to show that you are already a full grown man, an adult, a man capable of supporting his family and able to handle all difficulties in

31、lifeu subjugate: to bring under control; to conquer; to subdueu to subjugate the earth: to conquer the earth and make it produce foodPara 13Para 13l draw back: withdraw; retreat eg: I guess I looked terrible, because my mother drew back when she saw my face.l He turned up the first sod with a crunch

32、ing sound P: He dug up the first piece of earth with grass and roots with his spade, making a crunching sound turn up: to dig up Notice that “to turn up” here is not an idiomatic phrase verb like the following: Turn up the radio a little bit. I cant hear. I dont know why she didnt turn up at the mee

33、ting the other day. ( =appear) u sod: a section of grass-covered surface soil held together with matted rootsu to crunch: to make a crackling sound as if you are chewing sth noisilyl Mary sighed and walked back hurriedly to her seeds with furrowed brows. P: Why did Mary sigh? Why did she walk back h

34、urriedly with furrowed brows? Mary sighed probably because she was reluctant to dismiss her romantic feelings at that moment. She sighed because she knew she would have to go back to work.Furrowed brows: deep frownsl to drive out the sudden terror that had seized her at that moment when she saw the

35、fierce, hard look in her husbands eyes that were unconscious of her presence. P: ( she began to work hard) in order to get rid of the terror that suddenly seized her when she saw that her husband had suddenly changed from the loving husband she knew into a fierce-looking farmer who did not seem to b

36、e aware that his bride was with him.l 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 it bosom. P: She became afraid of the earth because it was going to force her t

37、o work like a slave and force her to struggle against poverty all her life until she died and was buried in it.u pitiless: without pity; unfeeling; cruel; mercilessu to be chained to: to be bound to; to have your freedom restrained because of a responsibility you cannot escapeb eg: Women nowadays re

38、fuse to be chained to the kitchen sink.u bto sink again into its bosom: to die and be buried in the earth; to return to the earthl Her short-lived love was gone. Henceforth she was only her husbands helper to till the earth. P: The love they had for each other did not last long. Their romance was no

39、w replaced by their necessity to face the hard work. From then on, she was merely her husbands helper and had to work side by side with him.u henceforth: from this time on; from now onu bto till the earth: to prepare land for raising crops a by plowing and fertilizing; to cultivatel And Martin, abso

40、lutely without thought, worked furiously P: Martin on the other hand had no time to waste on idle thoughts. He just concentrated on his work and worked with great energy.ufuriously: with great energy; fiercelyPara 14Para 14l to be dotted with: to have people or things spread here and there over a wi

41、de areal there was a sharpness in the still thin air that made the men jump on their spade halts ferociously and beat the sods as if they were living enemies. P: The chilly and biting air of early spring made the peasants work fiercely with their spades, beating the sods a if they were enemies.uhalt

42、: the top part of the spade which you press with your footu ferociously: furiously; fierelyl Birds hopped silently before the spades, with their heads cocked sideway, watching for worms. Made brave by hunger, they often dashed under the spades to secure their food. P: The birds were early too just l

43、ike the farmers.u to cock sideways: to tilt or turn (said of the head or ear) to one side eg: He paused and cocked his head as if listening.u to secure: to get hold or possession o; to obtain after a lot of effort; to acquire eg: With a tremendous effort, she managed to secure a ticket for me.Para 1

44、7Para 17l “Yes, isnt it lovely,” said Mary, looking at the black ridges wistfully. P: What do you think was on Marys mind at that moment? She was sad that this was going to be her life from now on, toiling and sweating over the land until the day she died. But on the other hand what they had done th

45、at day also make her proud and hopeful. Yes, isnt it lovely: Yes, it is lovely indeed. ( Notice that this pattern is used to express agreement.)uwistfully: showing or expressing melancholy yearningsl The hurried trip to the village and the trouble of getting the tea ready had robbed her of her appet

46、ite. P: She was so tired that she lost her appetite.u to rob sb of sth: to deprive sb of sth belonging to that person by an unjust procedure eg: The accident robbed him of his health.l She had to keep blowing at the turf fire with the rim of her skirt, and the smoke nearly blinded her.u to blow at t

47、he fire: to sent out a current of air to the fireu turf: peat; a soft brown substance like earth that is used for burning instead of coal, especially in Ireland; a dense accumulation of vegetable matter found in a swamp, used as fuel instead of coal when dried.l It overpowered that other feeling of

48、dread that had been with her during the morning. P: The feeling of joy drove away the feeling of terror that she had had in the morning. uto overpower: to overcome by superior force eg: I was so overpowered by my guilt and my shame that I was unable to speak.Para 18Para 18l Martin ate heartily, reve

49、lling in his great thirst and his great hunger, with every pore of his body open to the pure air. P: The heavy work made Martin thirsty and hungry and made him enjoy his lunch and tea more.uheartily: with a good appetiteuto revel in: to take much pleasure in; to delight inupore: one of the small hol

50、es in your skin that sweat passes throughl Shyly and in silence, not knowing what to say and ashamed of their gentle feeling. P: Farmers are often described as men of few words. They are usually shy or bashful, not very demonstrative. And they often feel ashamed of their gentle feelings because a farmers life is tough, and a good farmer is not supposed to be soft and sentimental.Para 19Para 19l The rasping noise carried a long way in the sil