现代大学英语精读4第二版Unit6TheTelephone

1、,Unit 6 The Telephone,Anwar F. Accawi,The Telephone,Unit 6,Questions / Activities,Check-on Preview,Objectives,W,B,T,R,Warming up,The Telephone,Unit 6,Warming up,Questions / Activities,Did the title tell you much? What did you expect to read?,W,B,T,R,Please define the underlined words in each context

2、: (p.22) In the evening, the laughter and noise of the men trailed off and finally stopped (p.22)“Ill give him a trail to follow,” muttered Rainsford. (L. 8) (p.21)to bring news that would change their lives and deliver them from their aimless existence. (p.22)or to deliver a message to his wife, su

3、ch as,n. The track of a person or animal by which it can be followed,v. (voice off), it becomes gradually quieter and then stops,Check-on Preview,Warming up,free sb from a situation,take sth to a place,有时候，在这漫长的等待中，加上酷热，苍蝇以及羊粪的气味，人们的脾气变得暴躁起来。年轻一点的女人因为担心她们的婴儿，开始为该轮到谁接水争吵起来。有时，争吵升级，女人们大打出手；她们扯着对方的头发、吐

4、着口水、诅咒着、尖叫着、谩骂着，把我的耳朵刺得嗡嗡作响。我们这些和母亲一道去取水的被晒得黝黑的小男孩喜欢这样的打斗，因为女人们扭打着在沙地里打滚的时候，我们可以看到她们的大腿和花内裤。偶尔，我们幸运地可以看到更多，因为有些女人在长裙下面根本什么都没穿。上帝呀，我曾经多么盼望这样的打斗。我现在还记得那种冲动、那种兴奋，连阳光都在滚滚的尘土上跳舞，当一条裙子被扯破了，年轻女人的一只白皙的乳房漏了出来，旋即又被遮了起来。在我的日历上，大旱的那一年将永远是我孩提时代最美妙的年份之一。,Translate the following paragraph into English by yourself

5、and then compare with the original.,Check-on Preview,Warming up,Understand the theme of the story (understand globalization from another perspective, cf. “Globalizations Dual Power”) Appreciate the style perspective tone strongly flavored expressions metaphor, simile, exaggeration,Objectives,Warming

6、 up,Background,Social Background,Author,B,W,T,R,The Telephone,Unit 6,Anwar F. Accawi,His Life,Born in Lebanon in a family whose ancestors are believed to have gone to Jerusalem in the Crusades. Taught English at the University of Beirut Left for the U.S. when the civil war brokeout in Lebanon Has be

7、en teaching English at the English Language Institute of the Uni. of Tennessee,Background,Author,Non-Fiction The Boy from the Tower of the Moon (1999) Short fiction The Camera in Homeworks (1996),Background,His Works,Author,Background,Social Background,A Short Story,Plot: a little boys first time to

8、 go to school on the way to school Setting: at school on the way home Protagonist/Narrator: “I” the boy in the story Theme of the story: what do you think?,B,W,T,R,Location: Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Israel and Syria Ethnic divisions: Arab 95%, Armenian 4%, other 1%,Backg

9、round,Social Background,Languages: Arabic (official), French (official), Armenian, English Religions: Islam 70% Christian 30% Judaism Independence: 22 November 1943 (from League of Nations mandate under French administration),Background,Social Background,The Capital CityBeirut “Paris of the Middle E

10、ast”,Background,Social Background,Text Analysis,T,W,B,R,The Telephone,Unit 6,What would be the key words if you want to discuss its theme? - technology, progress, globalization? - a better life?,Text Analysis,Theme,The advent of the telephone and automobile (magic carpet of the twentieth century) li

11、nk Magdaluna to the outside world and gradually destroy its centuries-old tradition of self-sufficiency; the Lebanese Civil War (1975-90) completes the villages slow and agonizing death. Yet Magdaluna remains alive in Accawis loving portrait, a gentle recollection of childhood that doubles as a poig

12、nant reminder of modernitys sometimes devastating impact. -Wendy Smith Is this all?,Text Analysis,Theme,Part I (1-10)village life before the installation. P(1-8): what time meant to people in Magadaluna P(9-10): the authors memory of a draught in his childhood. Part II (11-25)changes brought to the

13、village by telephone. P11: Transition P(12-18): Installation P(19-25): Changes happening to the village,Text Analysis,Structure,Text Analysis,Detailed Analysis,Main Idea,Sentence Paraphrase,Words crack(p.6); shortly after (p.4.); incorporate (p.8).,1.He felt sick he came back from tropical countries

14、. 2.She bought Vogue and Elle every month to keep track of fashion. 3. He picked up a piece of rock and cracked it in half. 4.The government this principle into the 1997 law.,shortly after,incorporated,Text Analysis,Detailed Analysis,Wrap-up of this part,Find evidence in this part suggesting the vil

15、lagers had a monotonous life. Find evidence in this part suggesting the villagers had a hard life. Find out the expressions bearing a strong local flavor. Find the figures of speech in this part.,Text Analysis,Detailed Analysis,B. The Year of the Drought (paras.9-10) Why did the narrator say that th

16、e year of drought was one of his best years? Do the boys memories of that year reveal anything important? Whats that? Could you figure out the one of the advantages of adopting a boys perspective? ,Text Analysis,Detailed Analysis,Wrap-up of this part,What was the image of the village women? Does it

17、fit into the woman images of our society? What does this part tell us about the local life?,Text Analysis,Detailed Analysis,A. Transition (para. 11) Main idea? The year of drought also one of the worst years Any other noted feature(s)? the boys attitude towards the installation of the telephone? The

18、 division of ideas among the villagers? The general attitude towards the installation? ,Part II : main idea (Para. 11-25)changes brought by the telephone,Text Analysis,Detailed Analysis,The retired cook, Abu Raja The retired Turkish-army drill sergeant, The vineyard keeper The village whore Why defi

19、nite articles?,Text Analysis,Detailed Analysis,B. Installation (paras. 12-18) What was the villagers response to the installation of telephone? What did the villagers think of the telephone men? How did the villagers have such an impression? How different were their positions when they came to obser

20、ve the process? What does this suggest? (para.13),Text Analysis,Detailed Analysis,Changes in the village (Paras. 19-25),Mother- father,Home- abroad,Life- death,Text Analysis,Detailed Analysis,Paras. 19 - 20: Main idea? Before the telephones arrival, the house of the village whore Im Kaleem was the v

21、illages center. Any other noted feature(s)? Im Kaleems features? Her place as one of comfort and entertainment? Any question(s) in mind? Why she was attractive to those men?,Text Analysis,Detailed Analysis,The village whore Im Kaleen,Appearance: short, middle-aged, jet-blackhair Voice: raspy, loud (

22、exaggeration) Identity: widow, devout Catholic, village whore (whats special about her being a whore?) Function: burden-reliever for women, confessor and troubleshooter for men Q: How do you understand this? Do you agree with the authors opinion in retrospect?,Text Analysis,Detailed Analysis,Para. 2

23、1: Main idea? Abu Rajas dikkan became the villages new center. Any other noted feature(s)? young villagers wish to leave? Foreign things, esp. American beverage ,Text Analysis,Detailed Analysis,Para. 22: Main idea? The telephone was bad news for “me” personally, because “I” could no longer make mone

24、y out of running errands. Any other noted feature(s)? the earlier closeness among villagers? Boys are boys (everywhere)? ,Text Analysis,Detailed Analysis,Paras. 23 24: Main idea? The telephone calls did come and villagers started to leave the village, leaving only the old, the sick and the maimed be

25、hind. Any other noted feature(s)? the exodus? Many of them were doing hard, often menial, work? There was no more life / vitality in the village? ,Text Analysis,Detailed Analysis,Para. 25: Main idea? “My” family also moved away, and “I” am now in the U.S., stilling looking for “that better life.” An

26、y other noted feature(s)? Has the author found the “better” life he wants? (endless search / pursuit) ,Text Analysis,Detailed Analysis,R,W,B,T,Reinforcement,Stylistic Features,Discussion,The Telephone,Unit 6,a strong local flavor figures of speech: - metaphor, simile, exaggeration humor very descrip

27、tive: choice of sentence structures - eg. and and and choice of “the” before names - Everyone knew everyone else.,polished simplicity,Reinforcement,Stylistic Features,Reinforcement,Discussion,Work in groups of four: Now its time to reflect on what we discussed in the first class. Has your understand

28、ing of the text changed? Why or why not? There are several possible ways of reading the story. Which way do you like best? Give your reasons.,R,W,B,T,Are the changes all negative? How do you understand these changes?,Negative changes (in the eyes of the boy): change of the villages center change of peoples rel