B4-Unit5
中国政法大学
本科教案（2006 —2007 学年第二学期）
中国政法大学·外国语学院
China University of Political Sciences and Law
School of Foreign Languages
Name of the course: College English Integrated Course 4
Course number: 108010143
Name of unit: Cruelty
Dates and times of course: four periods
Time allotment:
1st period: warming-up, cultural background, global reading
2nd period: presentation of the text
3rd period: reinforcement of the text, language focus
4th period: post-reading tasks
Teaching objectives
Students will be able to:
1.grasp the main idea (Those who appear to be friendly may turn out to be so
evil-minded as to be ready to strike a cruel blow at a friend in need) and structure of the text;
2.give reasons when they do the ranking activities and make predictions;
3.master the key language points and grammatical structures in the text;
4.conduct a series of reading, listening, speaking and writing activities centered
upon the them of the unit.
Key points (Difficult points):
1. Writing strategy: ways to conclude an essay; contrast in delineating a person’s character.
2. The meaning and the usage of the key phrases and words of the text, and skills to use them creatively.
3. The comprehension of the text, and background knowledge about Maugham and his writing style.
Self-learning/CALL plan for students
1. Ss pre-read the lesson and get the main idea.
2. Ss self study the pronunciation and spelling of news words in the computer room.
3. Gather information on Maugham and his works.
Teaching methods and procedures
I. Warming-up
1. T asks Ss the following questions to arouse Ss interests in this topic:
-- What kind of friendship is true friendship? What people do you want to make friends with?
-- Do to understand “in prosperity we know our friends, in adversity our friends know us?”
--Are you familiarized with Maugham and his works? What’s his writing style?
2. T sums up the discussion by providing more information.
3. T may move on to Text A by saying: We will go on to debate the issue of nature vs. nurture in the fifth period, when we do the Theme-Related Language Learning Tasks. Now let’s turn our attention to the text, to see what Maugham has to say about human nature.
II. Presentation of the text
1. Ss look at the title, and then predict what the text is about, or what kinds of plot are possible under such a title.
2．T asks Ss to divide the text into three parts and to work out the main idea of each part.
3. Ss do Text Organization Exercise 1 and 2 to have a good knowledge of the text structure.
4. While reading the text, T asks Ss to make predictions on plot development from hints they got in the paragraph they are reading. And remind them to resort to the contrasts abound, and how powerful contrast is in delineating a person’s character.
5. After Part I and II, T asks the following two questions:
-- Who narrates Parts I and II?
(Answer: Part I and Part II are narrated by “I”, who offers his subjective opinion of Burton’s character. )
-- 2. Why is there such a difference?
(Answer: When contrasts abound, it is hard for readers to easily predict what will happen next.)
6. At the end of Paragraphs 3, 10,16,32 and 45. T asks the following questions to help Ss to make predictions:
--What could Burton Possibly have done? (Para 3)
--Will they discuss the remittance man? (Para 10)
--What is Burton’s story about? (Para 16)
--What was Burton’s idea? (Para 32)
--Did the man swim? (Para 45)
7. T explains the key language points and has Ss practice them.
III. Post-reading tasks
1. Ss form pairs to discuss the following questions:
--Which sentence reveals Burton’s vicious nature to the full?
--Now that we have gone through the text, would you interpret the title a bit differently from your earlier prediction?
--Can you list some instances where the writing technique of contrast is used?
2. T makes a brief analysis of the text.
3. T lectures on writing strategy: Ways to conclude an essay
IV. Reinforcement
1.T ask Ss at random the following questions:
--What theme does A Friend in Need help bring out ? How?
-- Retell the story of Mr. Edward H.Burton and Mr. Turner Burton. You are given some pictures and key words for help.
2.Ss do a passage of translation.
3.T checks on Ss’work in vocabulary and structure exercise and T emphases
important points.
4. T guides Ss through other after-text exercises.
Content of teaching
I. New words and expressions & difficult sentences:
1)For my own part I find that the longer I know people the more they puzzle
me. (Para. 1)
For sb’s (own) part/the part of: as far as sb. is concerned
e.g. For my part I prefer living in the country.
Some young students, for their part, can stay up late playing computer
games.
2)Unless I had heard the story from his own lips, I should never have believed
that he was capable of such an action. (Para. 2)
If I hadn’t heard the story told by himself, I should never have believed that he could do such a thing. This is a subjunctive mood.
3)It was more startling because both in appearance and manner he suggested a
very definite type. (Para. 2)
definite: clear; that can’t be doubted
e.g.We demand a definite answer.
It’s definite that he’ll come.
Collocation:
a definite success 绝对的成功
definite period of time 确切的时间
CF: definite & definitive 这两个词均有“明确的”、“确定的”的意思。
definite 表示某事界限分明,以至于就其意义或范围不会产生任何疑问、
误解。例如：
The doctor is quite definite about the patient having developed a lung
cancer.
definitive 表示某事确定、明确无误，常含“决定性的”、“最后的”意思。
例如：This is a definitive judicial decision by the Supreme Court.
4)Here if ever was a man all of a piece. (Para. 2)
Here if there ever was a man who is the same as he looks like.
5)…more than five feet four in height, and very slender, with white hair, a red
face much wrinkled, and blue eyes. (Para. 2)
wrinkled: vt. tighten the skin of the face into lines or folds
e.g. The woman was fifty, but looked sixty. Her cheeks were sunken and her skin
was wrinkled and yellow.
He wrinkled (up) his nose at the bad smell.
6)He was always neatly and quietly dressed in accordance with his age and
station. (Para. 2)
in accordance with: in agreement or harmony with
e.g. Students will be criticized or punished if their behavior is not in
accordance with school regulations.
I sold the house, in accordance with your orders.
7)He played a good game and a generous one. (Para. 3)
He played well and did it in a graceful way.
8)At the same time he liked his game of cards and his cocktail, he could tell
with point a good and spicy story, and in his youth he had been something of an athlete. (Para. 3)
We know this guy was quite humorous and easy-going. The second sentence implies he looked healthy. Short and small as he is, he does not look morbid. All his things depict a good and kind elderly man.
spicy: adj. exciting, esp. because of being slightly indecent; containing or tasting like spice
e.g. You can often read spicy stories about film stars in the local newspapers
9)He clapped his hands for a boy and ordered two gin fizzes. (Para. 6)
clap: v. strike (the inner surface of one’s hands) together
e.g.The teacher clapped her hands to attract the class’s attention.
10)Burton sipped his gin fizz. (Para. 14)
sip: v. drink (sth.), taking a very small amount each time
e.g. She sipped politely at her drink.
He sipped the glass dry.
Pattern: sip (at/from) sth.
11)He was handsome in a way with curly hair and pink-and-white cheeks.
(Para. 15)
in a way: in a way: to a certain extent but not entirely
e.g. I agree with you in a way, but there are still some areas on which I can’t
see eye to eye with you.
The work is well done in a way.
12)He stroked his shaven chin with his thin hand; the veins stood out on it and
it was almost transparent. (Para. 16)
He was very frail. His appearance suggests no hurt. This description of his hand is a proof of what has been mentioned in LL.34-36 that he was very frail and could easily arouse others’ instincts of protection and seemed to be a man who would not bear to hurt a fly.
stroke: vt. pass the hand gently over (a surface), usu. several times
e.g. At the sight of her husband getting off the train, the woman walked
forward and embraced him and gently stroked his white hair.
I reached out and stroked the baby’s cheek tenderly.
transparent: adj. allowing light to pass through so that objects behind can be
seen clearly
e.g. The cup is made of transparent colored plastic.
Her silk dress was almost transparent.
13)‘I suppose that is why he came to me when he went broke, that and the fact
that he was a namesake of mine. (Para. 17)
I suppose 后接宾语从句;从句中的主语为that; that and the fact 为前一个that
的同位语，用来进行补充说明。也就是说,他来找我的原因有二：一是that (两个that 指代的是相同的事件)，二是the fact that。
go broke: have no money; go bankrupt
e.g. Many multinational companies went broke during the financial crisis, not to
speak of small businesses.
14)He hadn’t been willing to stick to bridge, he’d been playing poker, and he’d
got trimmed. He hadn’t a penny. (Para. 23)
stick to: refuse to abandon or change (sth.)
e.g.The mother asked her son just to tell the cops what he saw and stick to his
story.
The old man stuck to jogging every morning although he was eighty years old.
Collocation:
stick to one’s word 遵守诺言
stick to the point 紧扣要点
15)He was down and out. If he couldn’t get something to do he’d have to
commit suicide. (Para. 23)
commit: vt. do (sth. illegal or wrong)
e.g. The man was suspected of committing murder.
16)‘I got some glimmering of what he was driving at. (Para. 30)
drive at: be trying to say
e.g. I have no idea what you’re driving at.
The teacher didn’t mention the word “cheating”but I knew what he was
driving at.
NB: 用ing形式表示非正式
17)It’s over three miles and it’s rather difficult on account of the currents
round the beacon. (Para. 36)
current: n. 1. continuous flow of water or air in a particular direction
e.g. Under normal conditions, the ocean currents of the tropical Pacific travel from
east to west.
2. adj. of the present time; happening now
e.g. The current situation in this area is quite different from that in the 1990s.
Collocation:
current fashions 时装
current events 时事
current prices 现价
18)‘I could see he was rather taken aback. (Para. 37)
be taken aback: be shocked or surprised
e.g. He was taken aback when a woman answered the phone.
I was taken aback when I found my computer was gone.
19)But I needn’t have hurried; he never turned up.’(Para. 45)
turn up: arrive; make one’s appearance
e.g. He didn’t turn up until the end of the examination.
She turns up late for everything.
20)‘Did he funk it at the last moment?’I asked (Para. 46)
funk: vt. (infml) avoid because of fear
e.g.He was given a chance of taking part in the speech contest, but he funked it.
He promised to climb the mountain with us, but he funked it at the last moment.
Collocation:
funk water 怕水
funk riding a horse 怕骑马
21)‘No, he didn’t funk it. He started all right. But of course he’d ruined his
constitution by drink and dissipation. (Para. 47)
constitution: n. condition of a person’s body with regard to health, strength, etc.
e.g. A boxer must have a strong constitution.
Having been ill for several years, he has a particularly fragile constitution.
Collocation:
an old man with a weak constitution 一位体弱的老人
build up a strong/tough constitution 练出强健的体格
22)I didn’t say anything for a moment or two. I was a trifle shocked. (Para. 48)
trifle: n. a thing, a matter or an activity that has little value or importance
e.g. My daughter always wastes her money on trifles.
The couple often quarreled about some petty trifle connected with the housework.
NB：a trifle：slightly
e.g. George was a trifle awkward with girls but fond of dancing.
23)He gave a little mild chuckle and he looked at me with those kind and
candid blue eyes of his. (Para. 50)
candid: adj. not hiding one’s thoughts; frank and honest
e.g. Let me be absolutely candid with you: your work is not good enough.
Nancy is candid about the problems she is having with Steve.
Pattern: be candid about/with
Collocation:
a candid opinion 直言
CF: candid, frank & open 这三个词均有“直率的”、“坦白的”之意。
candid 既指言辞坦白直接，也指态度坦率真诚的，直抒胸臆的。例如：
To be candid with you, your son is not trustworthy.
frank较常用，一般指人在言辞或供述方面的坦白。例如：
To be frank with you, I don’t know what you are talking about.
Open强调事物的公开性，指不加遮掩的、公开的。例如：
She is a very friendly, open person.
24)‘Well, I hadn’t got a vacancy in my office at the moment.’(Para. 51)
He’d never taken seriously the friend’s need for help, or actually he had never thought of giving his poor friend a hand.
vacancy: n. unfilled position or post
e.g. The company has a vacancy in the accounts department.
II. Language focus
1. Writing strategy: Ways to conclude an essay
1) Restating the main points
For instance, in the concluding paragraph of Get the Job You Want (Test A, Unit 3, Book IV), the writer summarizes “four keys to getting hired” and calls on job applicants to go out and make their own tracks in the snow.
2) Referring back to the introduction
Some writers like to conclude their essays by briefly referring back to the introduction. Read again the introduction of The Icy Defender(Text A, Unit 1, Book IV) and its conclusion, and you will find this is what its author does for the essay.
3)Suggesting a solution, further study, or predicting an outcome.
For example, the author of Smart Cars(Text A, Unit 2, Book IV) concludes his essay by predicting how advanced highways in the United States will be by 2010 and by 2020.
4)Giving the story a surprising ending
The ending of the story by Maugham is a good case in point. True, we have already come to know Edward is anything but a reliable friend at the point when he refuses Lennyu’s request for a job; but who ever thinks that it is he who actually puts the latter to death calculatedly and mercilessly.
III. Text-related cultural knowledge:
1. The famous writer—Somerset Maugham and his works;
Maugham, (William Somerset) (1874-1965): English author, whose novels and short stories are characterized by great narrative facility, simplicity of style, and a disillusioned and ironic point of view. Maugham was born in Paris and studied medicine at the University of Heidelberg and at Saint Thomas's Hospital, London. His partially autobiographical novel Of Human Bondage (1915) is generally acknowledged as his masterpiece and is one of the best realistic English novels of the early 20th century. The Moon and Sixpence (1919) is a story of the conflict between
the artist and conventional society, based on the life of the French painter Paul Gauguin; other novels are The Painted Veil (1925), Cakes and Ale (1930), Christmas Holiday (1939), The Hour Before the Dawn (1942), The Razor's Edge (1944), and Cataline: A Romance (1948). Among the collections of his short stories are The Trembling of a Leaf (1921), which includes “Miss Thompson,” later dramatized as Rain; Ashenden: or The British Agent (1928); First Person Singular (1931); Ah King (1933); and Quartet (1948). He also wrote satiric comedies — The Circle (1921) and Our Betters (1923) —the melodrama East of Suez (1922), essays, and two autobiographies.
IV. Analysis of text
Maugham, the famous British short story writer, shows us how powerful contrast is in delineating a person’s character.
Upon first seeing the title, readers may think: “Oh, no. Another story about how people helped their friend in need!” However, when they finish reading it, readers will find it is an entirely different story: Those who appear to be friendly may turn out to be so evil-minded as to be ready to strike a cruel blow at a friend in need.
Almost the entire Part II is devoted to the description of Edward Burton’s kindly appearance and pleasant manners. Neither the “I” in the story nor readers could imagine his hurting a fly. Yet in Part III Burton recounts could-bloodedly how he destroyed a human life.
Part I and Part II are narrated by “I”, who offers his subjective opinion of Burton’s character. Yet in Part III Burton himself takes over the narration to tell what happened between him and a friend in trouble. He sounds cool and objective; just because of this he is shown to be so vicious and so cold-blooded.
When contrasts abound, it is hard for readers to easily predict what will happen next. Assignments for students
1. Review what has been learned, especially the confusable words mentioned in class.
2. Finish all the excises for Text A
3. Write an essay entitled Molding of Character as I see it.
Summary of Teaching
After learning this lesson, students will be able to grasp the theme of the text, appreciate its writing style and distinguish some confusable words and use some newly-learned words and expressions. Apart from these, Ss will also learn some other writing skills, like Ways to conclude an essay and delineating a person’s character in contrasting. What’s more, this text will direct Ss to form a correct attitude towards friendship.