Task 1： Watch these videos carefully !!!

Task2: Carefully read the explanation of the text and have discussion with your partner.

Section One Pre-reading Activities

I. Reading aloud

Listen and read the following sentences, paying attention to the pauses between sense groups.

1. When I was ten / I was suddenly confronted with the anguish of moving from the only home / I had ever known.

2. “It isn’t easy, / is it, Billy?” / he said softly, / sitting down on the steps beside me.

3. I was standing by his rosebush / when an uncle came to tell me / that my grandfather had died.

4. It's that special place in your heart / that makes them so.

5. “ ... We seem to have so many ways of saying goodbye / and they all have one thing in common: / sadness.”

 

II. Cultural information

Quote

Bertrand Russell: Young men who have reason to fear that they will be killed in battle may justifiably feel bitter in the thought that they have been cheated of the best things that life has to offer. But in an old man who has known human joys and sorrows, and has achieved whatever work it was in him to do, the fear of death is somewhat abject and ignoble. The best way to overcome it — so at least it seems to me — is to make your interests gradually wider and more impersonal.

 

Henry David Thoreau: The failures and reverses which await men — and one after another sadden the brow of youth — add a dignity to the prospect of human life, which no Arcadian success would do.

 

 

III. Audiovisual supplement

Watch a video clip and answer the following questions.

1. What are the people doing in the video?

2. How did the boys feel?

3. Have your family ever moved from one place to another? If you have, how did you feel when you were going to be away from the old place?

 

Answers to the questions:

1. The mother and her three children were moving to a new place.

2. Simon felt excited about moving to a large house because he wanted to keep some bigger pets. But Jared was not happy about the moving. / He was angry about it.

3. Students are encouraged to answer this question freely.

 

Video Script:

Mom: There it is. Pretty much … how I remember it! I was younger than you last time I was here, Simon.

Mallory: Well … it’s … big.

Simon: Yes! So I can get bigger pets here, right, Mom?

Mom: Sure, get a cow! Get a whole flock!

Simon: Herd.

Mom: That, too. What do you think, Jared? ... Jared? ... OK, here we go!

Simon: It’s OK, Mr. Tibbs. It’s OK. … Oh, it has that old people smell. … It’s just an observation, not a judgment.

Mom: You’re angry about the move. I get that. Just what are you expecting your silent protest will get you? … At least acknowledge this isn’t the way to deal with your anger the way you said you were gonna do. Say yes with your head. Two blinks. … Nothing. [sigh] Mal, you and Simon take your stuff. Wait in the foyer while I go look for the main circuit breaker.

Mallory: OK, Mom. … Get out of the car right now!

Jared: You are not my mother, Mallory!

Mallory: No, I’m worse. Because Mom doesn’t believe in hitting!

 

 

Section Two Global Reading

Section Three Detailed Reading

Text I

                            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 generations¹.

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 shoulder². 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 dream³. I put them into the soil the day my first son was born. It was my way of saying thank you to God. That boy5s name was Billy, just like yours. I used to watch him pick roses for his mother⁴.”

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 time⁵. 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 friendship⁶. Suddenly, and truly, I knew what he had meant about never saying goodbye — about refusing to give in to the sadness.

 

Paragraphs 1-4

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.

Synonyms: 

pain, suffering

 

Exercise: Choose the proper word to fill in each blank in the following sentences.

         anguish        anguished

(1) Outsiders will find it hard to imagine the mental ___________ we had to go through.  (anguish)

(2) A(n) ________ look appeared on her face.  (anguished)

(3) She was in _______ over her missing child. (anguish)

 

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 to behave 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

graceful: moving in a smooth and attractive way, or having an attractive shape or form

gracious: behaving in a polite, kind, and generous way, especially to people of a lower rank.

Thank you for your__________ hospitality. (gracious)

The lady of small waist is elegant and _______.( graceful)

 

4. touch: vt.& vi.

1) put one’s hand onto sth. or sb. else

e.g. Visitors are requested not to touch the paintings.

2) have an effect on 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

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.

People still ______ at the thought of that terrible earthquake. (shudder)

The tree branches were _______ in that sudden gust of wind. (shaking)

 

6. well:  vi. flow or start to flow (outflow)

e.g. Strong emotions welled up.

Collocation:

well out/up/forth

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 the trees.

I searched through my papers for the missing documents.

 

9. stare: vi.

(1) look steadily for a long time, e.g. in great surprise 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

 

Activity: Role Play

Directions: A grandchild is going to say goodbye to his beloved grandfather/grandmother because he is leaving for college next day and will be away for several months. Work in groups and role play the child, his mother and his grandfather. You are supposed to use the following words and phrases as many as possible.

 

confront    anguish    gracefully touched with the laughter and tears,

shudder    well up    rest on    through ones’ tears

stare      have sth. in common    

 

Sentences

 

2. I felt a hand rest on my shoulder. (Paragraph 2)

Explanation: The word feel can be followed by the “object + infinitive (without to )” 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。

 

Paragraphs 5-13

 

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.

Exercise : Choose the proper word to fill each blank in the following sentences.

            choose        select       pick

(1) I ________ a piece of fluff off my shiny black suit. (picked)

(2) After careful comparison, Beijing was ________ as the city where the 2008 Olympic Games were to be held. (selected)

(3) Mr. Johnson was__________ to participate in the project because of his being a fully qualified engineer. ( chosen )

 

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 nice husky voice — very sexy.

    You sound husky — do you 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.

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

 

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 very unpleasant

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 was tiny, 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.

 

13. 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.

Translation:

结婚这三十年间他们几乎从未分开过。

They were hardly ever parted in thirty years of marriage.

The sunlight flooded the room when he parted the curtains.

他拉开窗帘，屋里顿时充满了阳光。

 

14. 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 goes abroad.

    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.

 

Exercise：Fill in the blanks with one of the following prepositions.

      in  on   away   up   with  back   into

 1. People arrived at the site of the fire and began clearing ________ the debris. (away)

 2. He threw himself wholeheartedly _______ the fight against fascism. (into)

 3. The storekeeper knew exactly where everything was and could lay his hands ______ what he wanted in the dark. (on)

 4. The fire heats the room _______ within minutes. (up)

 5. I wrote to Donna several months ago, but she hasn't written _______ yet. (back)

 6. This cake's very light compared _______ the last one you made. (with )

 7. I've got a pain ______ my back. ( in)

 

Sentences

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 in meaning. 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 the other)

I watched her crossing the road. (in the middle of the road, on her way across)

 

5. Take that special hello and lock it away within you — in that place 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 always is 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。

 

Paragraphs 14-20

Words and Expressions

15. 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.

 

16. beloved

      adj./n. (a person who is) dearly loved

e.g. His beloved wife died.

   It is a gift from my beloved. (=from my wife, husband, etc.)

 

17. 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 come to; 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.

 

18. 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

 

19. 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. Note how he operates the machine and try to copy with him.

notice: v. to pay attention (to) with the eyes, other senses, or mind

e.g. She was wearing a new dress, but he didn’t even notice (it).

    Did you notice whether I locked the door?

 

20.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 a breather.

 

Activity: Rumor Goes

Sit in rows or lines of five. The students in the first row / line are given one sentence, which they should recite to the next students. The sentences will be passed on until the last students, who come to the blackboard to write down the sentences.

His face was grave as he told them about the accident.

He doesn’t seem to understand the gravity of the situation.

She had to summon up all her strength to lift the rock.

I can’t summon up much enthusiasm for the project.

He tried to summon up his memory what he knew of his former neighbour. 

Note how he operates the machine and try to copy with him.

She was wearing a new dress, but he didn’t even notice (it).

She breathed a sigh of relief when she heard that she had passed the exam.

The president stopped off briefly in London on his way to Geneva.

 

Sentence

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.