Unit 6

The monsters are due on the Maple Street

I. Questions for discussion

1.What is the setting of the story? Can you describe this town?

2.What happened all of a sudden? What did people see and hear?

3. Why did Tommy try to stop Steve from going away? Did Steve and other people believe the theory?

4. How did Goodman become the first suspect?

5. What did people plan to do now that they believed Goodman to be evil?

II. Background Information

1. About the author

Rod Serling (1924-) is one of the leading television playwrights today in the United States. He is the man who started CBS’ The Twilight Zone, This little play, adapted from Tomorrow Scholastic Literature Anthology is a kind of science fiction.

2. Introduction to the text1) This text is written in the tradition of

science fiction. Science fiction usually describes imaginary future developments in science. But unlike “Round the World in 80 Days” by Jules Verne, today’s science fiction often tries to give a moral message. Therefore, it is more “fiction” than “science”. The present text is a good example.

2) This is a short 2-act play. In reading a play, first we should learn about the setting or background, and get to know the characters and their relation to each other; then we must find out what is happening (the plot and the dramatic conflict), and understand how the drama leads to the climax or how the dramatic conflict is resolved.

3) In the title, the “monsters” seem to refer to ETs (extraterrestrial beings) who are out to destroy us human beings on earth. When we finish the play, however, we realize that monsters actually live in our own hearts. Because of our weakness or wicked ways, we tend to destroy each other or seek our own destruction. This, and not the ETs , is our real enemy and real danger.

4)In this play, the author emphasizes three fatal human weakness: our deep suspicion and distrust of one another, our eagerness to find a scapegoat, and our readiness to turn into a mob.

5 ） Elements of the play : stage directions, action of drama, stage spectacle (戏剧场面 ), dramatic situation, suspension in a play, dramatic conflicts, dramatic structure, actor’s lines (台词 ).

III. Detailed discussion of the text

1. The monsters are due on Maple Street (title)

to be due: to be expected to happen or arrive at a particular time, e.g.

The train is due in exactly 25 minutes.

She is due to arrive at 5:30.

The meeting is due to start in 5 minutes.

2. Steven Brand polishes his car parked in front of his house.

The car was parked in front of the house.

→The car parked in front of the house belongs to Mr. Tian.

• Substitutes:

– The book was written by Mark Twain.

– The bicycle was made in China.

– The railway was completed last year.

– The machine was imported from Germany.

– The talk was given by and expert on this subject.

3. …and is just stopping to sell some ice-cream…

to stop to do sth: to stop (doing what you

are doing) (in order) to do sth. e.g.

● She was working. When she saw me, she stopped to talk to me.

● I worked the whole day. I only stopped to eat.

4. Another man waters his lawn.

★ here “water” is used as verb. The following nouns can also be used as verbs:

• Land, screw, face, back, grade, score, question, fish, book, ship, paper, truck, bike, dust etc. e.g.

• The workers are landing goods from a ship.

• She slowly backed the car into the garage.

5. …the man… stands there speechless.

• “Speechless” here is used as the subject complement modifying “the man”. It is not used modify the verb “stands”, e.g.

• The sun was burning hot.

• He was lying there, fast asleep.

• Three months later, she came back home, penniless.

• 6. from across the street.

• ( double prepositions)

• e.g. He jumped out from behind the tree.

• She drew a gun from inside the drawer.

• I came from beyond the moutains.

7. We see a man screwing in a light bulb…

★ see / hear/ find sb. do/doing sth.

8. A man working on an electric power mower plugs in the plug.

List of verbs to be used:

sb. standing (sitting, lying, talking, reading, writing, looking, wearing, carrying, fighting, quarreling, drinking, singing, dancing, making, fixing, polishing, washing, mowing, screwing, etc.)

8.Operator, something’s wrong with the phone.

operator: someone who works for a telephone company, whom you can call for help when you have problems with your phone.

“something (anything, nothing) is wrong with sth.” e.g.

• There seems to be something wrong with the computer, but I don’t know what it is.

9. … the power’s off.

→There is no power; power is no longer connected.

• “off” here indicates a state of not working or operating (of a machine or electrical appliance). Its opposite is “on”. e.g.

• The light was off, and the room was pitch dark.

• The gas was off and it was terribly cold.

10. Phone won’t work.

• “To work” here means “to do what it is supposed to do”, referring to some machine or equipment. e.g.

• Our air-conditioner is working beautifully.

• This machine doesn’t work. We have to get it fixed.

11. I’ll cut through the back yard…see if the power’s still on on Cherry Street. I’ll be right back.

→ I’ll cut across/go right through the back yard rather than go around it in order to save time.

• I’ll be right back: I’ll be back very soon; I won’t stay there.

12. Doesn’t make sense. → It doesn’t have any reason or explaination./ I can’t understand it. e.g.

● Why should he hate his own son like that? It doesn’t make any sense.

13. all of a sudden: suddenly

14. Maybe it’s an electrical storm or something.

• It is used when you can’t remember or do not want to give another example of something you are talking about. e.g. ●Many people believed that the sea monster was probably a big fish or something.

●Can I get you something to drink—tea, coffee, or something?

15. Well, why don’t you go downtown and check with the police?

• Downtown: towards or in the center; main business area of a town or a city?

• to check with sb.: to ask sb. e.g.

• You’d better check with your doctor to see whether you should make this long trip.

• I’ll check with my lawyer and see what he has to say about this .

16. A little power failure and right away we got all excited.

• “And” here means “then”. It is used to indicate the consequence or the result of what precedes it. e.g.

• A few nice words, and he will do anything for you.

• One step forward, and you are dead!• One more mistakes, and you are fired!

17. We’ll get this all straightened out. ★ to straighten sth. out: to settle a difficult situation by dealing with the things that cause problems or confusion, e.g.

• It will take a while before the two countries can straighten out their difference.

• We still need to straighten out a few things before we sign the agreement. ★ to get sth. done e.g. We’ll get the window fixed.

18. Out of gas? → Are you out of gas?/ Have you run out of gas?/ You have no more gas? e.g.

●We are out of sugar.

●We must help those who are out of work.

19. I just had it filled up.

★ have (had) sth. done, e.g.

had it repaired/had it fixed/ had it changed/ had it arranged/had it shortened/ had it cut etc.

20. intently: paying close attention to something so that you think about nothing else, e.g.

●He gazed at his daughter intently.

21. Whoever was in that thing that came by overhead. I don’t think they want us to leave here.

• to come by: to make a short visit to a place on one’s way to somewhere else.

• Overhead: adv. above your head.

22. Whatever gave you that idea?

• “whatever” here is more emphatic than “what”. It is often used to show anger or impatience.

• e.g. It can’t done? Whatever do you mean?

• A police came? Whatever did he mean?

• Whatever is the matter with you?

23. persistently: continuing to do, to exist, or to happen although it is difficult or other people warn you against it, e.g.

• If you want to succeed, you must make a persistent effort.

• At first she couldn’t do it. But she was very persistent, and finally she became the best in the class.

24. … that boy of yours

It is more emphatic than “your boy”. It is often used to express strong approval or disapproval. e.g.

That coat of yours is dirty!

Look, I’m not at all interested in that car of yours!

25. And this thing, being so close—why, there’s no telling the sort of stuff it can do.

★ being so close: as it was so close.

★ Why: interjection. It is used to show one is surprised or annoyed. e.g.

And her son is so young. Why, he is not yet six.

★ There is no telling…: It means that it is impossible to know what has happened or what will happen next.

26. And it wasn’t until the ship landed that…

• “not…until…” e.g.

• It wasn’t until this morning that I finally heard the news.

• It wasn’t until my mother passed away that I realized how much I loved her.

• It wasn’t until I met you that my life began to have a purpose.

27. …conscious of his parents staring at him…

“★ conscious of sb. doing sth.” , e.g.

• All this time, I was conscious of somebody following me.

• He was working so hard that he was not even conscious of somebody entering the room.

28. That was the way they prepared things for the landing.

• ★ Drill “the way sb. does sth.” :

• — How do you prepare your lesson?

• —I… That’s the way I prepare my lesson.

• Substitutes: How do you practice speaking?/ How do Chinese husband and wife usually share the housework?/ How do Chinese students spend their holidays?

29. all by itself: without any help; alone, e.g.

• She finished the job all by herself.

• The door opened all by itself.

• I was sitting there all by myself.

30. How come his car just started like that?

• “How come” is used to ask somebody why something has happened.

• Unlike the why- question, it doesn’t require the change in the word order.

Compare:

• Why didn’t you go?

• How come you didn’t go?

31. And he never did come out…

(for emphasis)

e.g.

I do like fish, but I’m too full.

I do have a sister.

My father did work in the Army.

32. different from…

e.g. Hongkong is quite different from Beijing in many aspects.

★ adj + prep.”

be different from/ be interested in/ be afraid of/ be fond of/ be sure of/ be busy with/ be good at/ be angry with/ be full of

33. …fit that description → If we say somebody fits the description, it means he/she is just the person we are looking for.

e.g. He doesn’t fit the description, he’s much too thin.

• This is not the house we’re looking for. It doesn’t fit the description.

34. I just don’t understand it… any more than any of you do! “★ not any more than…”

• I don’t earn any more than you do. Why do I have to pay more?

• I don’t want to go any more than you do. But somebody has to go there.

• I don’t like him any more than you do. But we have to help him.

35. I’d come out here…and I’ll see…

• “would” here is used to describe what one used to do a lot or what used to happen a lot.

36. She’s making it up, anyway.

★ to make up: to invent a story or explanation in order to deceive someone, e.g.

• Nobody believed him. He made up the whole story.

IV. Oral activity

• Act out the whole play