(Text 1) Never Say Goodbye
1. When I was ten I was suddenly confronted with the anguish of moving from the only home I had ever known. My whole life, brief as it was, had been spent in that big old house, gracefully touched with the laughter and tears of four generations.
2. When the final day came, I ran to the haven of the small back porch and sat alone, shuddering, as tears welled up from my heart. Suddenly I felt a hand rest on my shoulder.I looked up to see my grandfather. “It isn’t easy, is it, Billy?” he said softly, sitting down on the steps beside me.
3. “Grandpa,” I replied through my tears, “how can I ever say goodbye to you and all my friends?”
4. For a moment he just stared off into the apple trees. “Goodbye is such a sad word,” he said. “It seems too final, too cold, for friends to use. We seem to have so many ways of saying goodbye and they all have one thing in common: sadness.”
5. I continued to look into his face. He gently took my hand in his. “Come with me, my friend,” he whispered.
6. We walked, hand in hand, to his favorite place in the front yard, where a huge red rosebush sat conspicuously alone.
7. “What do you see here, Billy?” He asked.
8. I looked at the flowers, not knowing what to say, and then answered, “I see something soft and beautiful, Grandpa.”
9. Kneeling, he pulled me close. “It isn’t just the roses that are beautiful, Billy. It’s that special place in your heart that makes them so.”
10. His eyes met mine again. “Billy, I planted these roses a long, long time ago --before your mother was even a dream. I put them into the soil the day my first son was born. It was my way of saying thank you to God. That boy’s name was Billy, just like yours. I used to watch him pick roses for his mother.”
11. I saw my grandfather’s tears. I had never seen him cry before. His voice became hoarse.
12. “One day a terrible war came, and my son, like so many sons, went away to fight a great evil. He and I walked to the train station together ... Three months later a telegram came. My son had died in some tiny village in Italy. All I could think of was that the last thing I said to him in this life was goodbye.”
13. Grandpa slowly stood up. “Don’t ever say goodbye, Billy. Don’t ever give in to the sadness and the loneliness of that word. I want you to remember instead the joy and the happiness of those times when you first said hello to a friend. Take that special hello and lock it away within you — in that place in your heart where summer is an always time. When you and your friends must part, I want you to reach deep within you and bring back that first hello.”
14. A year and half later, my grandfather became gravely ill. When he returned from several weeks in the hospital, he wanted his bed next to the window, where he could see his beloved rosebush.
15. Then the family was summoned and I returned to the old house. It was decided that the oldest grandchildren would be allowed to say their goodbyes.
16. When it came to my turn, I noted how tired he looked. His eyes were closed and his breathing was slow and hard.
17. I took his hand as gently as he had once taken mine.
18. “Hello, Grandpa,” I whispered. His eyes slowly opened.
19. “Hello, my friend,” he said, with a brief smile. His eyes closed again and I moved on.
20. I was standing by his rosebush when an uncle came to tell me that my grandfather had died. Remembering Grandpa’s words, I reached deep within me for those special feelings that had made up our friendship. Suddenly, and truly, I knew what he had meant about never saying goodbye — about refusing to give in to the sadness.
Detailed Analysis of Paragraphs 1-4
Questions
1. What do you know about theauthor’s home? (Paragraph 1)
The author’s home was a large old house, in which four generations had lived in harmony and experienced bothh appiness and sadness.
2. Why did the author shudder andshed tears when the final day came? (Paragraph 2)
Because he was extremely reluctant to leave and could not bear to say goodbye to his grandfather and his friends as well as to his big old house.
3. Why did his grandfather advise him not to use the word “goodbye” to friends? (Paragraph 4)
Because the word “goodbye” seemed too final, too cold, for friendsto use and it implied sadness.His grandfather wanted him to recall the joy and happy events of the life instead of feeling sad and miserable.
Words and Expressions
1. confront: vt.
1) be faced with and have to deal with
e.g. The actress was confronted by a large group of reporters as she left the stage door.
Whenever we are confronted with any difficulties, we shouldn’t give up what we are doing.
2) force to deal with or accept the truths of; bring face to face with
e.g. When the police confronted her with the evidence, she confessed she was guilty.
Collocations: be confronted with；confront sb. with sth.
Synonyms: encounter, face
2. anguish: n. very great pain and suffering, esp. of the mind
e.g. Lear, a broken, confused old man, died in anguish.
李尔王，这位身心交瘁、精神恍惚的老人在痛苦中死去。
Derivations: anguished: adj. anguish: vt.
3. gracefully: adv.
1) in an attractively and effortlessly fine and smooth manner
e.g. Already in her fifties, she danced gracefully on the stage last night, attracting a large audience.
The figure skater glided gracefully on the ice. 花样滑冰者在冰上优雅地滑行。
2) in a way that shows willingness tobehave fairly and honorably
e.g. The request was gracefully refused. 这个请求被有礼貌地回绝了。
Derivations: graceful: adj. grace: n.
Comparison: gracious, graceful
4. touch: vt.& vi.
1) put one’s hand onto sth. or sb. else
e.g. Visitors are requested not tot ouch the paintings.
2) have an effecton one’s feelings; cause one to feel pity, sympathy, etc.
e.g. Her plight has touched the hearts of people around the world.
她所处的困境牵动着全世界人民的心。
The environmental problems touch us all. 这些环境问题与我们所有人都有关。
Collocation: be touched with
e.g. Her hair is touched with grey. 他有些灰发了。
Derivations: touched: adj. touching: adj.
5. shudder: vi. shake uncontrollably for a moment, esp. from fear, cold, or dislike
shudder at/with
e.g. She shuddered at the sight of the dead body. 她一看到那具尸体就不寒而栗。
Comparison: shudder, shake
shudder: vi. It suggests a more intense shaking,which is less noticeable to an onlooker.
shake : vt.&vi. It suggests sth. that is done to as well as by a person or object.
6. well: vi. flow or start to flow(outflow)
e.g. Strong emotions welled up.
Collocation: well out/up/forth
e.g. She was so moved that her tears welled out (up/forth) from her eyes. 她感动得泪如泉涌。
7. rest on/upon
1) lean on; to be supported by
e.g. She sat down and rested her feet on the chair.
2) (esp.of a proof, argument, etc.) be based on; be grounded on; depend on
e.g. His hopes rest on the leader. 他的希望全寄托在领导者的身上。
e.g. Our policy should rest on the basis of self-reliance.
我们的政策要建立在自力更生的基础之上。
8. through: prep.
(1) in at one side, end, or surface of something and out at the other
e.g. We couldn’t see through the mist.
Is it quicker to drive straight through the center?
(2) among or between the parts or members of
e.g. The monkeys swung through thetrees.
I searched through my papers forthe missing documents.
9. stare: vi.
(1) look steadily for a long time, e.g. in greatsurprise or shock
e.g. The child stared the stranger up and down. 这个孩子上上下下地打量着这个陌生人。
He was staring, thinking.
(2) be very plain to see; be obvious
e.g. The lies in the report stared out at us from every paragraph.
Collocations: stare sb. down/out 盯得某人局促不安
stare sb. into silence 瞪得某人哑口无言
stare sb. up and down 上下打量某人
stare sb. in the face 近在眼前
Paraphrasing and Translation
1. My whole life, brief as it was, had been spent in that big old house, gracefully touched with the laughter and tears of four generations. (Paragraph 1)
Paraphrase:I spent my whole life, although it was so brief, in that big oldhouse, in which four generations of our family had lived harmoniously and experienced both happiness and sadness.
Explanation: “brief as it was” In a formalstyle,ascan be used in a special word order to mean although. The construction suggests a very emphatic contrast.
Frosty as it was, they still went out. (Although it was very extremely cold, they stillwent out.)
Bravely as they fought, they had no chance of winning. (Although they fought so bravely, they had no chance of winning.)
Translation: 我这一辈子都是在这的旧大宅子中度过的，尽管生命非常短暂，我却深深地体会到了一家四代人的欢笑与泪水。
2. I felt a hand rest on my shoulder.(Paragraph 2)
Explanation: The word feel can be followedby the “object + infinitive (withoutto)” structure.
Did you feel the earth move?
He felt her hand tense up in his.
Question: Do you know some other words which can be followed by the “object + infinitive (without to)” structure?
Hear, listen, let, make, have, notice, watch,etc.
Translation: 我感到有只手搭在我的肩上。
Detailed Analysis of Paragraphs 5-13
Questions
1. Why did the author’s grandfather take him to see the rosebush in the front yard?
The author’s grandfather wanted to tell him the story about the planting of the roses and explain to him the reason not to say goodbye to one’s relatives and friends.
2. Why did the author’s grandfatherplant those roses? (Paragraph 10)
To thank God for his good fortune of having his first son by planting those roses.
3. What kind of advice did theauthor’s grandfather offer in Paragraph 13? (Paragraph 13)
Never give in to the sadness and the loneliness evoked by that word goodbye and remember instead the joy and the happiness of those times sharing with a friend.
Words and Expressions
10. pick: vt. vi.
1) take what one likes or considers best, or most suitable from a group
e.g. One of my sisters has been picked for the Olympic team.
The police asked him if he could pick (out) the killer from a series of photos.
2) gather; pull or break off (part of a plant) from a tree or plant
e.g. Machines pick the fruit from/off the trees.
They spent the summer picking strawberries.
3) take up or remove sth. separately or bit by bit using the fingers, a beak, a pointed instrument, etc.
e.g. He was on his knees picking crumbs off the carpet.
Comparison:choose, select, pick
choose: It stresses a choice of the best suited between or among things under consideration, which is the result of one's judgment.
e.g. She said she had chosen the skirt because its color was just right for the season.
select: It stresses a choice of sth. best to one's liking or desire among many things present through careful examination and discrimination, with a view to a given purpose.
e.g. You may select whatever you like as the birthday gift.
pick: It is an informal word and a synonym to select.
e.g. Mary picked a red skirt because she liked red.
11. hoarse: adj. (of a voice) rough-sounding, as though the surface of the throat is rougher than usual, e.g. when the speaker has a sore throat
e.g. You'll make yourself hoarse if you keep shouting like that!
Comparison: husky, harsh, thick
husky: (of a person's voice) low and rough, often in an attractive way, or because of illness
e.g. She's got a nicehusky voice— very sexy.
You sound husky — doyou have a cold?
harsh: unpleasant to listen to
e.g. "There is no alternative, " she said in a harsh voice.
thick: not as clear or high as usual, for example because someone has been crying
e.g. Bill's voice was thick and gruff.
12. evil
1) n. a great wickedness or misfortune
e.g. Drug-addiction is one of today's great social evils.
There's always a conflict between good and evil in his plays.
2) adj. immoral, cruel, or veryunpleasant
e.g. It's a battle against the country's most evil terrorists.
Synonyms: corrupt, vicious, wicked, malicious
Antonyms: good, honest, moral, sinless
13. tiny: adj. extremely small; very small
e.g. Though she wastiny, she had a very loud voice.
Synonyms: mini, small, little, puny, slight
Antonyms: big, enormous, great, huge, large, vast
Comparison:small, little, tiny
small: It refers to size and is the usual opposite of "big" or "large".
e.g. Could I have a hamburger and a small Coke please?
little: It refers to size but it also expresses the speaker's feelings.
e.g. They live in a beautiful little village.
14. part: vt. (to cause to) separate or be no longer together
e.g. To be parted from him even for only two days made her sad.
Tony bent to look out of the window, parting the curtains with one hand.
Derivations: parted: adj. parting: n./adj.
e.g. On his wall he has a poster of Marilyn Monroe, her lips forever parted (= separated) in anticipation.
The pain of parting had lessened over the years.
15. bring back
1) cause to return
e.g. All library books must be brought back before the end of the term.
2) obtain and return with
e.g. He always brings me back something nice when he goesabroad.
Travellers brought back news of the outside world.
3) cause to return to the mind
e.g. The photos brought back some wonderful memories.
Seeing her again brought all the sweet memories back.
4) start to do or use something that was done or used in the past
e.g. Few politicians are in favour of bringing back the death penalty.
He wants to bring back the glamour of the old Hollywood films.
Activity: Act It Out
Please say sth. in the following voices:
in a harsh voice
in a high-pitched voice
in falsetto
in a strident voice
in a choking voice
in a hoarse
Paraphrasing and Translation
3. ... before your mother was even a dream. (Paragraph 10)
Paraphrase:... before your grandma and I could think about having a daughter/ long before your mother was born.
4. I used to watch him pick roses for his mother. (Paragraph 10)
Translation: 过去，我常看到他为他母亲采摘玫瑰花。
Explanation:The word watch can be followed by the “object + infinitive (without to)”or “object + -ing” structure, but there is often a difference inmeaning. The use of an infinitive indicates the whole of an action or event, and that of an -ing form suggests part of an action or event.
I watched her cross the road. (from one side to theother)
I watched her crossing the road. (in the middle ofthe road, on her way across)
5. Take that special hello and lock it away within you — in thatplace in your heart where summer is an always time. (Paragraph 13)
Paraphrase: Bear that special hello in your mind and never forget it so that you will be always filled with the joy and happiness of summer.
Explanation:Note that the word alwaysis usually an adverb, rarely used as an adjective. However, it is used as an adjective in this sentence by the writer in the meaning of “everlasting.”
Translation: 请将那特别的问候深藏于心——珍藏在你内心那充满永恒夏日阳光之处。
6. When you and your friends must part, I want you to reach deep within you and bring back that first hello.(Paragraph 13)
Paraphrase: When you and your friends must separate, I hope that you can recall the joy and happiness you got when you first greeted each other.
Translation: 在你必须与你朋友分别时，希望你能于内心深处找回初次问候时的喜悦。
Detailed Analysis of Paragraphs 14-20
Questions
1. Why did the author’s grandfatherwant his bed to be next to the window? (Paragraphs 14)
Because he wanted to see his beloved rosebush through the window and because the sight of the rosebush would remind him of the joy and happiness of life he had experienced.
2. Why was the family summoned tothe old house? (Paragraph 15)
Because it was decided that the oldest grandchildren would be allowed to say their goodbyes to their dying grandfather.
3. What do you think of the parting between the author and his grandfather? (Paragraphs 16-19)
The parting between the author and his grandfather was calm and pleasant as if they were old friends greeting each other, which showed that his grandfather adopted an optimistic attitude towards death and that the author became so strong-willed as not to give in to the sadness.
Words and Expressions
16. gravely: adv. in a way showing great seriousness; (of manner) in a state of being serious and solemn
e.g. “The situation poses a serious threat to peace,” said the ambassador gravely.
大使严肃地说：“这样的局势对和平形成严重的威胁。”
Synonym: seriously
Derivations: grave: adj. gravity: n.
e.g. His face was grave as he told them about the accident.
He doesn’t seem to understand the gravity of the situation.
17. beloved: adj./n. (aperson who is) dearly loved
e.g. His beloved wife died.
It is a gift from my beloved. (=from my wife, husband, etc.)
18. summon: vt.
1) order officially to come
e.g. The guards were summoned into the presence of the Queen.
2) tell or request people to cometo; convene
e.g. At the critical moment, the army commander summoned all the officers to a meeting to work out new strategies and tactics which would make it possible to conquer the enemy.
在紧急关头，军长召集全体军官开会，制定新的克敌战略战术。
Collocation: summon sth. up
1) bring (a quality) out of oneself,esp. with an effort
e.g. She had to summon up all her strength to lift the rock.
I can’t summon up much enthusiasm for the project.
2) cause sth. to come into the mind;evoke sth.
e.g. He summoned up his memory of his former neighbour.
Derivation: summoner n.
19. turn: n.
1) an act of turning; a single movement completely round a fixed point
e.g. Don’t pull the handle; give it a turn.
Give the key a turn, and the lock will open.
2) a point of change in time
e.g. Young people at the turn of the century must draw up a mighty blueprint.
世纪之交的年轻人必须绘制一幅宏伟的蓝图。
Collocations: at every turn: everywhere or all the time
by turns: (of people or their actions) one after the other; in
rotation
in turn: afterwards; in the correct or expected order
on the turn: about to turn or change
out of turn: at an unsuitable time or in an unsuitable way
20. note: vt.
1) notice and remember; observe
e.g. Note the way this writer uses the present tense for dramatic effect.
Please note that this bill must be paid within 10 days.
Note how he operates the machine and try to copy with him.
2) remark; call attention to
e.g. The report notes with approval the government’s efforts to resolve this problem.
这份报告以赞同的口吻特别提到政府为解决这个问题所作的努力。
Derivations: noted; notable
Comparison: note, notice
note: v. notice and remember
e.g. N ote how he operates the machine and try to copy with him.
notice: v. to pay attention (to) with the eyes, other senses, ormind
e.g. She was wearing a new dress, but he didn’t even notice(it).
Did you noticewhether I locked the door?
21. breathe: vt.
1) take air, gas, etc. into the lungs and send it out again
e.g. The doctor told me to breathe in deeply and then to breathe out slowly.
I will remember the day as long as I breathe.
2) whisper; say softly
e.g. He breathed words of love into her ear.
She breathed a sigh of relief when she heard that she had passed the exam.
Derivation: breather n.
e.g. We’ve been working quite a long time now; let’s have/take abreather.
Paraphrasing and Translation
7. Remembering Grandpa’s words, I reached deep within me for those special feelings that had made up our friendship. (Paragraph 20)
Paraphrase: Remembering Grandpa’s words, I tried to bring back to my mind the joy and the happiness that I had shared with him.
Translation: 忆起爷爷的嘱咐时，我在内心深处找回了那些建立起我们友谊的特别情感。
