An Integrated English Course Book 4

Unit Twelve

General understanding of the text1. How does a western family usually

celebrate Christmas? 2. What does the title of this text suggest to

you? What’s the story about?3. Discuss the 5Ws in the story.

When? Where? Who? What? Why? How? 4. What’s the author’s purpose of Writing?5. How many parts can the text be divided

into? What are they? (p.187)

How to celebrate Christmas• Docarate homes and stores with Christmas trees and bright

lights• Christmas Eve• Expect a visit from Santa Claus, • a fat, smiling old man with a red nose and white beard,

dressed in a red suit with white fur and a black belt, who rode in an open sleigh pulled by eight white reindeer

• Christmas Day, Boxing Day• Exchange gifts• Attend church, which presents special holiday concerts• Sing Christmas carols• Christmas dinner (turkey, roast potatoes, Christmas

pudding)

What’s the story about?• (p. 185)

• The story tells how two parents restore the real meaning of Christmas after being submerged in the sorrow of losing their son as well as Christmas for 17 years.

5Ws• When and where did the story happen?

• Who was “I”? Other characters in the story?

• What had happened to the family?

• Why didn’t the family celebrate Christmas for a long time? For how long 、

• What /who made the author refind Christmas?

Purpose of writing• (186)

• To relate how she was alienated from Christmas and how she regained the real meaning of Christmas.

Text structure• Part I (Paragraphs 1-5) Christmas found

-- talks about the joy and happiness brought by the coming of Christmas Boy.

• Part II (Paragraphs 6-8) Christmas lost -- gives an account of the sorrow and sadness caused by the sudden death of Christmas Boy.

• Part III (Paragraphs 9-24) Christmas re-found -- describes the return of the joy and happiness to the family.

Part I (Paragraphs 1-5)• CHRISTMAS FOUND• The first three paragraphs introduce the writer’s

dream, and how her dream really came true.• What was the writer’s dream?• She dreamt of having a big family vibrating with

energy, life and love, especially at Christmas. • How did her dream come true?• It came true with the arrival of an adopted son,

Christmas Boy, as well as two more biological children.

vibrate--if something vibrates, or if you vibrate it, shakes

quickly and continuously with very small movements 振动 , 激动 , 颤动 ; 使颤动 , 使振动 • The ground vibrated during the earthquake.

地震时地面震动。• Their hearts vibrated to the speaker's stirring appeal.

( 情感上被撼动）• 他们听了演讲人激动人心的呼吁心潮起伏。• If I could sing your name right now, the cells in your

body would vibrate with remembrance.• 如果我可以立刻唱你的名字，在你的身体的细胞

将会以记忆振动。

Language work• 1. … but we had not reckoned on the

possibility of infertility. --- but we had not expected that we would be unable to have our babies.

• reckon on --- to expect; depend on (something happening or getting something) 估计；料想

• We’re reckoning on a large profit.

• infertility 不育--- the state of being unable to produce young

• 2. Undaunted, we applied for adoption and, within a year, he arrived.--- Not discouraged by our infertility, we requested to adopt a child. Within a year, we succeeded in adopting one.

• undaunted --- adj. not at all discouraged by danger or difficulty; bold ，不气馁的；坚定而勇敢的

• daunt --- v. to cause to lose courage or the will to act使沮丧 , 使气馁

• He felt completely daunted by the difficulties that faced him.

• 3. in rapid succession--- the rapid act of following one another快速且连续不断 ；接二连三

• His words came out in rapid succession.

• Cf. in rapid sequence 紧接着 , 一个接着一个

• 4. … compared with my quiet childhood, that made an entirely satisfactory crowd.--- With three children, my family was filled with a big crowd, which, quite different from my quiet childhood, completely satisfied my dream of having a big family.

• satisfactory --- adj. good enough to be pleasing, or for a purpose, rule, standard令人满意的；满足的• a satisfactory excuse for his absence

• c.f. satisfaction --- n. contentment; pleasure; fulfillment of a need, desire, etc. • He took great satisfaction from playing the piano well.

• 5. As our Christmas Boy grew, he made it clear that only he had the expertise to select and decorate the Christmas tree each year. --- As our Christmas Boy grew, he showed his special skill in selecting and decorating the Christmas tree and he became the only qualified person to do those things each year.

• 6. rush the season --- to make people prepare for Christmas hastily long before Christmas really came.

• 7. He pressed us into singing carols, our froglike voices contrasting with his musical gift of perfect pitch. --- He forced all of us to sing carols, even though our voices, compared with his perfect voice with musical gift, were too harsh and husky( 沙哑的 ) to sing.

• 8. Each holiday he stirred us up, leading us through a round of merry chaos. --- Each holiday, he tried to excite us and turned the whole family into a cheerful disorder

• stir up --- cause to move or excite激起 , 鼓动 , 煽动

• merry chaos --- This is an expression of oxymoron矛盾修饰法 .

• Oxymoron is a figure of speech in which two words with opposite meanings are used together to describe the same object or phenomenon. “Chaos” refers to a state of complete and thorough disorder or confusion, which is, however, modified by an adjective incompatible to or contradictory with its original meaning.

• There are two more expressions of oxymoron in the following part of the text, i.e. bitter-sweet memories (Paragraph 18), chilly but comforting silence (Paragraph 23).

• More examples: an open secret, a poor millionaire, a private public man, changelessly changing, audible silence, conspicuous absence, war is peace, ignorance is strength, wealth is poverty.

• What we can get by using oxymoron in the right context is an unexpected but acceptable, seemingly contradictory but sensible combination of opposites.

• 9. Our friends were right about adopted children not being the same. --- Our friends were right in saying that adopted children would usually be different from biological children

• heredity--- n. the fact that living things have the ability to pass on their own qualities from parent to child in the cells of the body

• irrepressible --- adj. too strong or forceful to be held back 抑制不住的• irrepressible high spirits, an irrepressible talker

• bossy --- adj. having or showing fondness for giving orders

• 10. Through his own unique heredity, his irrepressible good cheer, his bossy wit, our Christmas Boy made our life colorful. --- With his unique ability inherited from his own parents, his cheerful personality, as well as his wit of ordering others to cooperate with him, he changed our life into a colorful one.

Questions for discussion1. Why did the author dream of a big family?

2. How did the author make her dream come true?

3. How does the author describe the importance of Christmas Boy to her family?

• 1) Why did the author dream of a big family?

• As the only child, the author had had a lonely childhood. Especially when she had to spend a quiet Christmas, she was really longing for a big family full of energy, life and love.

• 2) How did the author make her dream come true?

• She adopted a child since they were unable to bear a child at the beginning of their marriage, and named him Christmas Boy. Shortly after his arrival, they gave births to two biological children. Hence, the author finally had got a big family vibrating with energy, life and love.

• 3) How does the author describe the importance of Christmas Boy to her family?

• He is the only person who had the expertise to select and decorate the Christmas tree each year. He stirred up all the family members with gift list and Christmas carols in the Christmas season. And he made life colorful with his good cheer and bossy wit.

Part II (Paragraphs 6-8)• CHRISTMAS LOST

• This part describes what kind of sorrow the death of Christmas boy has brought to this family. From then on, the family lost Christmas for 17 years.

Language work• 11. stop by/in

--- to make a short visit to (someone’s home)• Similar expressions: drop in; drop by

• 12. … where memories clung to every room. --- our home where every room would make us recall the past.

• cling to --- to hold tightly, to stick firmly • She clung tightly to her few remaining possessions.• Small children cling to their mothers. 小孩子都缠着母亲 . • She clung to the hope that he was still alive.

Questions for discussion1. What happened to Christmas Boy as well as

his family?

2. How can you know the parents suffered great sorrow at their son’s death?

3. What kind of life did the parents live after their adopted son died?

• 1) What happened to Christmas Boy as well as his family?

• Christmas Boy was killed in a car accident on his 26th Christmas after he decorated his parents’ Christmas tree as usual, which was such a sorrow to his parents that they sold their home in Denver and moved to California in order to forget all the miserable memories left to them.

• 2) How can you know the parents suffered great sorrow at their son’s death?

• Paragraph 7 tells us that they were grief-stricken and they sold their home and moved to California, leaving behind their friends and church, as well as the sad memories of their Christmas Boy.

• 3) What kind of life did the parents live after their adopted son died?

• With all the joys brought by Christmas Boy taken away, the parents lived in grief and pain and could not bear to visit their hometown even once in the following 17 years. And Christmas must be the most miserable time for all the members of their family and all kinds of Christmas activities had disappeared from this family.

Part III (Paragraphs 9-19)• CHRISTMAS RE-FOUND

• This part tells us that 17 years later, the parents returned to the city, which brought back all kinds of memories of Christmas Boy. However, they gradually realized that they had found the joy of a noisy Christmas of a big family again.

Language work• 13. We slid into the city on the tail of a blizzard,

through streets ablaze with lights.--- We drove into the city at night just after a heavy snowstorm, in order not to be noticed by any acquaintance.

• on the tail of --- following closely behind; at the end of (metaphor)

• blizzard --- a long severe snowstorm 暴风雪• ablaze --- shining brightly, flashing 闪耀 / 着火

的

slide• --- to go slowly and unnoticed; to pass smoothly

or continuously; slip 滑动；偷偷进入 [ 溜掉 ]• slide away 溜掉• slide into 不自觉地陷入 ( 某种状态 ); 把 ... 轻

轻 [ 偷偷 ] 放入 slide into bad habits, debt • slide over [round, around] 一语带过 , 略过 , 回

避 , 让 ... 滑过• She slid out of the room when no one was looking.

• She slid over the question without answering it.

• 14. fix one’s gaze on --- gaze at

• 15. We settled into a small, boxy house, so different from the family home where we had orchestrated our lives. It was quiet, like the house of my childhood. --- We settled down in a small house, which was so different from our previous home where, with our Christmas Boy, we had changed our quiet life into a cheerful one. Now the small house reminded me of the quiet house of my childhood, which I had disliked so much.

• 16. snowcapped mountains --- mountains whose peaks were covered with snow

• 17. pull up --- to come to a stop

• The car pulled up outside the station.

• peal :a ringing of a set of bells 钟声；响亮的铃声

• peals of laughter 哄堂大笑，一阵大笑声• a peal of applause [laughter]

一阵响亮的鼓掌声 [ 笑声 ]

• The impatient peal of the doorbell: transferred epithet 转移修饰语 , 移就

• 18. There stood our granddaughter, and in her gray-green eyes and impudent grin I saw the reflections of our Christmas Boy. --- Our granddaughter was standing there, her gray-green eyes as well as her rude smile reminded us of her father, our Christmas Boy.

•19. Behind her, lugging a large pine tree, came her mother, stepfather and ten-year-old half brother. --- Her mother, stepfather and ten-year-old half brother came after her, dragging a large pine tree.

• 20. flurry --- n. a sudden shared feeling of excitement 阵风 , 疾风 , 慌张 / 激动• A flurry of wind upset the small boat.

一阵疾风吹翻了小船。• a flurry of interest in the new product

对新产品突发的兴趣• flurry v (pt, pp flurried) [usu passive] confuse

and disturb; fluster 使迷乱 ; 使慌张• Keep calm! Don't get flurried. 镇静 ! 不要慌 .

• Cf. flurr v. 飞起，撒开

• 21. cheeky --- disrespectful, rude 厚颜无耻的• 22. shape up --- begin to do right

(It’s time to get back on the right track and have a Christmas tree.)

• -- To improve so as to meet a standard: 调整；形成 ( 不负期望地行动 )

• Either shape up or ship out. 如果不好好干就请你走人

• You’d better shape up, young man, or you will be punished.

• 23. in a whirl --- in a confusing rush 在旋转（混乱）中• My head's in a whirl; I must sit down and think.• 我的脑袋一片混乱，我得坐下好好想一想。

• 24. You sure as heck can --- You certainly can

• heck interj, n (infml euph 口 , 婉 ) (used to express mild annoyance or surprise or for emphasis 用以表示轻度的懊恼或惊讶 , 或用以加强语气 ) hell:

• Oh heck, I'm going to be late. 糟糕 , 我要迟到了 . • How in the heck did you do that? 你究竟是怎么做

的？

• poignant --- producing a sharp feeling of sadness or pity 令人痛苦的；深刻的

• poignant sorrow, regret, memories 深沉的悲哀 ﹑痛悔 ﹑ 辛酸的回忆

• a poignant moment 伤心的时候 .

• rigid ---stiff, firm 坚硬的 ; 不易弯曲的 ; 坚固的

• Beliefs have ossified into rigid dogma.

• 信仰已僵化为不可更动的教条。• pew --- the long seat in church for people to sit

教堂内的靠背长凳

• 25. We had long ago given up the poignant Christmas services, but now under pressure, we sat rigid in the front pew, fighting back tears.--- After the death of our Christmas Boy, we had not expected to have any Christmas services any more. Now, at the demand of our granddaughter’s family, we sat in the front seat, but the sad memories stiffened our body and filled our eyes and heart with tears.

• 26. soprano 女高音--- (a woman or child with, or a musical part for) a singing voice in the highest range

• 27. In a rare emotional response, the congregation applauded in delight.--- Greatly touched by her singing, the audience gave a big applause to her delightedly

• 28. relish --- enjoy, be pleased with

• 29. We had been alerted that there would be a whole mess of people for dinner — but 35! --- We had been warned that there would be a large number of people attending dinner, but we had never expected that there would be 35 of them.

• 30. assorted relatives --- various types of relatives

• 31. exuberant --- adj. (of people and their behavior) overflowing with life and cheerful excitement 喜悦充溢的；活力充沛的 , 精神旺盛的 ;

• 32. bounce --- jump or spring up and down like a ball

• 33. sort out --- separate from a mass or a group

• Sort out the papers to be thrown away, and put the rest back.

• 34. They took us in, enfolded us in joyous camaraderie. --- They received us and treated us like old friends.

• take in --- receive and provide lodgings for (a person)• The kind old lady offered to take in the poor homeless

stranger.

• enfold --- enclose, esp. in one’s arms; embrace• camaraderie --- n. the fellowship and good will

shown to each other by comrades, esp. people who spend time together at work, in the army, etc. 同志之爱；友情

• 35. We sang carols in loud, off-key voices, saved only by that amazing soprano. --- We sang carols loudly, often in the wrong key, but every time we were led to the right key by our granddaughter’s perfect singing.

Questions for discussion1. Did the author overcome the heartbreaking sorrow

of her son’s death after 17 years?2. What kind of comparison does the author

intentionally make between her granddaughter and Christmas Boy? What do you think is her intention to present all these reflections of Christmas Boy?

3. How did the author and her husband change after they met their granddaughter and her new family?

4. Analyze the complicated relationship of the people at the Christmas party to figure out what is love.

• 1) Did the author overcome the heartbreaking sorrow of her son’s death after 17 years?

• Even after 17 years, the mother still could not bear to visit her son’s grave. The quietness of their present small, boxy house was a sharp contrast to the energetic atmosphere of their family home. The appearance of their granddaughter was the reflection of their adopted son.

• 2) What kind of comparison does the author intentionally make between her granddaughter and Christmas Boy? What do you think is her intention to present all these reflection of Christmas Boy?

• Their similar appearances: • “In her gray-green eyes and impudent grin I saw the

reflection of our Christmas Boy”.

• The preparation for Christmas: • The granddaughter: “They swept past us in a flurry of

laughter; …They decorated the tree and piled gaily packages under the boughs.”

• Christmas Boy: “He selected and decorated the Christmas tree each year. He rushed the season, starting his gift list before we’d even finished the Thanksgiving turkey.”

• Their similar personality:• The granddaughter: “You sure as heck can, as bossy as her

father had been.”• Christmas Boy: “his own unique heredity, his irrepressible

good cheer, his bossy wit”

• Their perfect voice and joyful singing at Christmas party:• The granddaughter: “Our granddaughter’s magnificent

soprano voice soared, clear and true, in perfect pitch.” “We sang carols in loud, off-key voices, saved only by that amazing soprano.”

• Christmas Boy: “He pressed us into singing carols, our froglike voices contrasting with his musical gift of perfect pitch.”

• The author’s intention is to lay a foundation for the following statement of how they had found the lost Christmas again among a group of caring family members, connected not by kinship, but hearts full of love.

• 3) How did the author and her husband change after they met their granddaughter and her new family?

• Firstly, the parents refused to do any Christmas services, saying that they had not had a Christmas tree for 17 years, and that they just couldn’t join them for church and for their Christmas dinner.

• Then, reluctantly they attended the Christmas party under pressure, and sat rigid in the front pew, fighting back tears.

• Later on, when they heard their granddaughter’s song “O Holy Night”, they recalled the old memories, which were no longer bitter only, but mixed with bitterness and sweetness.

• Finally, they sang carols happily in loud voices together with caring strangers, and enjoyed the joyous and noisy Christmas party, which they had been refusing in the past 17 years.

4) Analyze the complicated relationship of the people at the Christmas party to figure out what is love.

• The parents had no kinship with any people at the party. They had no biological relationship with their granddaughter, her mother, her stepfather, her half brother, as well as all the relatives of her family.

• However, all these strangers surrounded them and helped them to find the lost joy of Christmas again. For all that they received, they felt great gratitude toward their Christmas Boy, whom they had cherished so much with their love though he was only their adopted son.

• It is shown that just because they gave their love to their adopted son, as a result, they now harvested great love from all these strangers.

Paragraphs 20-24• This concluding part is about the writer’s

realization of the real meanings of a true family and Christmas.

• What is the real meaning of a true family and Christmas?

Language Work• 36. … it occurred to me that a true family is

not always one’s own flesh and blood. It is a climate of the heart.

• I suddenly realized that a family is not always made up by kinship (blood relation) and the hearts filled with love for others would surely make up a true family.

• 37. Had it not been for our adopted son, we would not now be surrounded by caring strangers who would help us hear the music again. --- I felt grateful to my adopted son, without whom we would not have a chance to spend Christmas with these caring people and hear the Christmas carols again, which we had not had for so many years.

• 38. zoom --- (of a driver or vehicle) to go quickly

• Jack went zooming past in his new car.

• The jet zoomed low over our heads.

• 喷气式飞机在我们头顶上空轰的一声低飞而过 .

• 39. Once more that day her voice, so like her father’s, lifted in song, and the mountainside echoed the chorus of “Joy to the World”, on and on into infinity. --- After hearing her carols at the Christmas party, for a second time she sang with a voice similar to her father’s. Her song “Joy to the World” echoed among the mountains as if it would be passed on unlimited by time and space.

• 40. I felt, … a sense of peace, of the positive continuity of life, of renewed faith and hope. --- I resumed a peaceful state of mind free of sorrow, through realizing that life will be infinite with continuing love, and I began to hold a new faith in and hope for a life filled with love.

• 43. The real meaning of Christmas had been restored to us. --- I found the real meaning of Christmas again, that is, hearts with love, which I had had when my family was filled with energy and love with all my three children around me, but later I had mistakenly lost after my adopted son’s death.

restore• restore law and order 恢复法律和秩序• restore sb. to consciousness 使某人恢复知觉• restore sb. to life 使某人苏醒过来• restore sb. to his old post 使某人复职• restore a building 修复一座 (毁坏 )建筑物

cf. renovate 修复（旧建筑物），整修• restore the stolen funds 偿还被偷的现款• restore the book to the shelf 把书放回书架

Questions for discussion1. What is a climate of the heart? Why does the

author say that a true family is a climate of the heart?

2. How did the author’s biological children treat their adopted brother?

3. Why, for the first time, did the author feel “a sense of peace, of the positive continuity of life, of renewed faith and hope”?

4. What is the real meaning of Christmas implied by the author?

• 1) What is a climate of the heart? Why does the author say that a true family is a climate of the heart?

• A climate of the heart refers to an atmosphere full of love. The author realized through her own experience in that big family that a true family was one in which all the members were extending great love to each other without caring whether they shared any kinship or not.

• 2) How did the author’s biological children treat their adopted brother?

• They also showed their love to him in their own ways: the artist daughter painted a heart-shaped rock on the headstone of her adopted brother’s grave, writing the words “To my brother, with love” on its surface; while the son sent a holly bright Christmas wreath every year.

• 3) Why, for the first time, did the author feel “a sense of peace, of the positive continuity of life, of renewed faith and hope”?

• When the author saw that her own children loved their adopted brother as usual, her granddaughter and her new family had never forgotten her father and never ceased to love him, she realized that their Christmas Boy was still living in all his family members’ hearts, and she would not torture herself any more with the loss of her adopted son because she had found him again in their hearts. That’s why she felt a sense of peace. With their love passed on and on, she harbored ( 心怀 )a new faith in and hope for finding a joyful life again.

• 4) What is the real meaning of Christmas implied by the author?

• The real meaning of Christmas lies in our hearts. Christmas is not only a time for family members to gather together, but it is also an occasion to show our deep love for each other. As long as our hearts are together, all the family members, living or dead, our own flesh and blood or not (biologically connected or not), will make up a true and harmonious home.

Text comprehension• Exercise III (p. 186)• 1. Why did the narrator desire to have as many

as six children?• Because being the only child in the family, the

narrator was bored with the untimely quietude at Christmas in her house and longed for an energetic, lively atmosphere on that occasion, which could be brought about only by a crowd of children. As a result she vowed that she would have as many as six children after she got married.

• 2. In what ways was Christmas Boy different from his foster parents?

• First, he had a music gift that his foster parents lacked. Second, his active, bossy character contrasted with the relative passivity on his foster parents’ part. He pressed them into singing carols and he stirred them up into animated Christmas activities. By contrast the parents were being dominated on that occasion. Another point is that the boy had irrepressible good cheer, a buoyant (轻松活泼的 ) spirit that the parents seemed to lack.

• 3. What is meant by “Christmas lost”?• The phrase means two things. First, it means that

the narrator lost her Christmas Boy, who was killed on his 26th Christmas. Secondly, it means that the narrator no longer celebrated Christmas in the 17 years that followed the death of her Christmas Boy. It was on Christmas that they lost their son the Christmas Boy and thus the special occasion became a double-edged heart-breaking day for her. So for 17 years she hadn’t had a Christmas tree and had given up Christmas church services. In this sense, it could be said that she had not had Christmas in its true sense for 17 years.

• 4. Why did her granddaughter’s solo bring back bitter-sweet memories to the narrator?

• On the one hand, the girl’s solo reminded the narrator of the happy times when her Christmas Boy sang Christmas carols together with her and other family members, for the girl resembled her father, among other things, in having a good voice. On the other hand, the Christmas solo also brought back memories of the heart-breaking accident of her Christmas Boy that happened on the Christmas 17 years ago.

• 5. How did the narrator find back Christmas?• It was with the help of her granddaughter that the

narrator found back Christmas. It was the girl who, with other family members, brought a Christmas tree to the old couple; it was the girl who persuaded, or obliged, the old couple to attend the Christmas church services; it was at the Christmas dinner party at the girl’s house that the couple was brought back to joyous camaraderie and sang carols with others; it was the girl who took the old couple to the grave of their Christmas Boy and led the crowd in singing the Christmas chorus “Joy to the World”. In short, the girl helped to restore the true meaning of Christmas to the narrator. Thus the narrator recovered from bereavement （亲人丧亡） and found back Christmas.

• 6. What does the narrator think is the real meaning of Christmas?

• To the narrator, the true meaning of Christmas is peace, continuity of life, faith and hope.

Paraphrase• 1. We had not expected that we were unable to bear

a child.• 2. We produced two children of our own one after

another.• 3. My granddaughter resembled his father so much

in her gray-green eyes and cheeky grin that I saw in her my Christmas Boy.

• 4. It’s time to get back on the right track and have a Christmas tree.

• 5. I realized that a true family could include people other than one’s own children.

Structural analysis of the text• Paragraphs 1-5 are the first part of the text, which

talks about the joy and happiness brought by the coming of the Christmas Boy.

• Paragraphs 6-8 form its second part, which gives an account of the sorrow and sadness caused by the sudden death of the Christmas Boy.

• Paragraphs 9-24 make up its last part, which describes the return of the joy and happiness to the family.

Rhetorical features of the text• Oxymoron is a figure of speech in which two words

with opposite meanings are used together to describe the same object or phenomenon. More examples: an open secret, a poor millionaire, a private public man, changelessly changing, audible silence, conspicuous absence, war is peace, ignorance is strength, wealth is poverty. What we can get by using oxymoron in the right context is an unexpected but acceptable, seemingly contradictory but sensible combination of opposites.

Vocabulary exercises -I• 1. taking a child legally into our family as

our son

• 2. children born by ourselves

• 3. prepared in a hurry

• 4. routine; habit

• 5. satisfied with

• 6. corrected only by

Vocabulary exercises -II• 1. B

• 2. A

• 3. B

• 4. D

• 5. C

• 6. B

Vocabulary exercises -III• 1. bounce … off • 2. sliding into • 3. has been pressed into • 4. clung to• 5. pull … up • 6. in succession • 7. reckoning on • 8. stir up

Grammar exercises -I1. Had it not been for our adopted son, we

would not now be surrounded by caring strangers.

2. Had I known that, I wouldn’t have said anything.

3. Should the guests arrive early, no one will be here to greet them.

4. Were I the President, I would make some changes.

• 5. Had Susan not been so lazy, she could have passed her history final.

• 6. Had Harry locked his door properly, the burglar would not have entered his apartment.

• 7. Had I not seen it with my own eyes, I would not have believed it.

• 8. Should there be a global nuclear war, some scientists predict that life on earth as we know it would end forever.

Grammar exercises -II1. would not be waiting

2. would not be able to go

3. had read

4. had given

5. would love

6. had finished

Grammar exercises -III1. Given

2. unless

3. In the event of

4. but for

5. Supposing

6. in case

Grammar exercises -IV1. If he laughs last, he laughs best.2. If you try to grasp everything, you will get

nothing. 3. If you give him an inch, he will take a mile. 4. If he had been born in better times, he would

have done credit to the profession of letters.5. If the same thing should happen in wartime, it

would amount to disaster. 6. If you should hear him talk, you’d think he had

passed half his life in Australia.

Grammar exercises -V• 1. He remained faithful to his friend.

White clouds hang motionless in the sky. • 2. There rose in his imagination visions of a world

empire. If ever again there happens an accident like that, we’ll have only ourselves to blame.

• 3. It never occurred to me for a moment that you meant that. Didn’t it occur to you to phone them about it?

Translation -I• 1. I’ll give you a week to sort your men out, then I

expect things to run smoothly. • 2. Whenever we move to a new house, we always

cling to too many possessions. • 3. She is such a talkative woman that whenever

she takes her turn to start talking, her words will come out in rapid succession.

• 4. He will always help in time of need, on this you can reckon.

• 5. He slid his pistol into his pocket.

• 6. My mind is in a whirl with all this noise, I cannot think clearly.

• 7. The farmer took in the lost travelers for the night.

• 8. He smiled, relishing his moment of command.

Translation -II• 有一天，我意识到我很少向与我共度岁月的妻子

表达过感激之情。结婚 40周年纪念日，当我和妻子雪莉漫步在那熟悉的海边时，我告诉她，我对她能与我共度今生是多么地感激。

• 我们不必非得到纪念日时才去感谢与我们最亲近但又往往容易被我们忽略的人。如果说我在致谢方面学到点什么的话，那应该是这样 — 现在就说感谢！当你充满真诚的感激之情时，那就行动吧。说声感谢再容易不过了，但却可以为这个世界增添不少欢乐。

• 说声感谢，在点亮别人世界的同时，也点亮了你自己的世界。如果你感到不被他人重视、喜爱或感激的话，那你就重视、喜爱和感激他人吧！这也许正是你需要的“良药”。

• 感恩可以产生连锁反应，进而改变我们周围的每一个人— 包括我们自己。因为没有人会误解一颗充满感激的心的旋律：它传递的信息是世界通用的，它的歌词超越所有世俗的障碍，它的音乐打动苍天。

Dictation•The celebration of Christmas is a joyful mixture of customs/ that have developed in many different lands/ over thousands of years. Integrated into our customs are ancient Roman traditions,/ early Christian practices,/ medieval pagan rituals/ and Victorian nostalgia./

•Many customs/ – caroling, Santa, stockings, and gingerbread/ – originated in Europe./ Americans have embraced these customs/ and added their own special traditions to them/ as they have been passed down through the generations./

• The Germans introduced the Christmas tree to America./ Many years before the celebration of Christmas began/ the Germans used evergreens to decorate their homes./ They believed/ that these trees represented life and immortality/ and would protect their homes from evil/ during the coming year./ There are many different stories/ about how the tree first appeared in America/ – but the result is the same /– rare is the home/ that does not decorate a tree at Christmas.

Cloze• 1. with • 2. into • 3. for • 4. on • 5. different • 6. let • 7. not • 8. such • 9. Even • 10. by

Text II One Small Stone, Unforgotten

• 1. Why did the author enjoy his visits to the cemeteries when he was a child?

• Because the cemeteries were quiet, calm places full of life stories. Just the name and dates of a person’s life were interesting enough for him. He would imagine whole scenarios about how that person lived and what kind of family he had had. He would infuse the dead of rural Indiana with all manner of mystery.

• 2. What made him feel dissatisfied with his life in the rural Indiana?

• When he was in his teens, he found the life in his home area too quiet and sheltered. What he needed was an escape from it and a new way of life.

• 3. What did he learn from his stone-leaving experience at the end of the passage?

• From this experience, he came to realize that what his father did all the years in the cemeteries, which seemed to be tedious and insignificant, gave the relatives of the dead people a lot of comfort and warmth. Love and care should not be confined to family members.

Quiz -Vocabulary1. 不育的，不结果的 2. 僵硬的，坚硬的3. 不明智的，不谨慎的 4. 混杂的，什锦的5. 专门知识 6. （教堂）会众7. 影像，映像 8. 花环9. 无限，无穷 10. 连续性，持续性11. 同志情谊，友情 12. 遗传（特征）13. （圣诞）颂歌 14. 冬青

Key -Vocabulary1. infertile 2. rigid /stiff

3. impudent 4. assorted

5. expertise 6. congregation

7. reflection 8. wreath

9. infinity 10. continuity

11. camaraderie 12. heredity

13. carol 14. holly

Oral practice• Topic 1: A proverb goes like this: “Blood is thicker

than water.” Do you think there is any contradiction between this proverb and the way the author of the text looks at human relationship? What do you think is the human relationship?

• Topic 2: Shall we Chinese celebrate western holidays like Christmas, St. Valentine’s Day, etc.? What can we do to preserve our cultural identity?