Sharpening your skills

Skills Analysis

Read the titles of the two texts in this unit and work out the metaphor used in them.

Friendship’s like buying a house (Title of the iExplore 1 text)
Are your friends an elevator or a cage?  (Title of the iExplore 2 text)

SIMILE and METAPHOR

Both titles use a figure of speech to describe friendship or friends. In a passage, figures of speech give life to language. Simile and metaphor are two frequently used figures of speech. They often provide freshness, clarity and emphasis to the author’s description.

Simile:
A simile directly compares two things, using connecting words such as “like,” “as,” “so,” “than,” or verbs such as “resemble.” The title of the text in iExplore 1 is an example of simile. For example:
1. She is as busy as a bee. 她像蜜蜂一样忙。
2. Living without an aim is like sailing without a compass.
    生活没有目标犹如航行没有指南针。
3. The first time I read an excellent book, it is to me as if I
    had gained a new friend.
我头一回读到一本好书，对我来说好象交到一位新朋友。

Metaphor:
A metaphor is an implied comparison without using connecting words. It often takes the form of “A is B,” as used in the title of the iExplore 2 text. Sometimes, the comparison is clear enough so that the “A is B” form is not necessary. For example:
1. If I ever feel like I’m stuck in a cage, I know it’s time to reach out … (Para. 13)
2. All the world is a stage and men and women are merely the players. 世界就是个舞台，男人女人只是演员。

Skills Practice

Task 1

Tell the figurative speeches used in the following sentences and then translate the sentences.

1 Painting is silent poetry, and poetry is a speaking picture.
画是无声的诗，诗是有声的画。Metaphor

2 Judicious praise is to children what the sun is to flowers.
明智的表扬对于孩子的作用，就象阳光对于花朵的作用。Simile

3 A home without love is no more a home than a body without soul is a man．
一个没有爱的家庭不能称之为家庭，正如一个没有灵魂的躯体不能称之为人一样。Simile

Task 2 Complete the sentences by choosing suitable expressions below.

your backbone     the grass     a blind date      flower
a sunflower         a poor soil      a mask

1 True friends are the people you feel comfortable around;
    you don’t have to put up ____________ in front of them.

2 The two friends have been focusing attention on their
    goal, as ____________ always turns toward the sun.
3 ____________ bends with every wind; so does support
   from a fake friend when difficulty comes.
4 The mind is ____________ unless it is continuously
   enriched with new learning.
5 Real friends are like _____________; you can count on
   them when you are in need.
6 Making friends is not ____________. You can choose
   friends who can help you grow in positive ways and
   loosen up friendships that have held you back.
7 Friendship’s ____________ grows sweeter when watched
   and tended carefully.

Now your turn!

Describe your friends or friendship with simile or metaphor.
Work in pairs. Improve and decide the best one and polish it together.
 Share your description in class!