1、.,Unit Two,Text A All the Cabbie Had Was a Letter,.,Text A,Part Pre-reading Task Part Comprehension questions Part Language Points Part Post-questions Part V Text Structure Part Translation,.,Pre-reading task,One day Chen and I went downtown. I wanted to buy some supplies. He hates shopping but came

2、 along since he speaks better Chinese than me. Also, he is a better bargainer. For these good reasons he offers to help even though its boring, since otherwise I would buy the wrong thing. We help each other because we are friends. We started being friends by helping each other. “Is it possible for

3、Chinese and foreigners to become friends?” Ive been asked this many times. When I first arrived from multicultural Canada, I replied, “Of course!” But now Im not so sure.,.,For me, China seems “reversed”. Relationships seem more important than the individuals involved. In North America, an individua

4、l is more important than relationships or roles. These two opposite starting points shape reality and expectations. Many say to me, “I hope we can be friends.” And what he or she wants is to practice English. Others want to be my friend because I am a foreigner and they think this makes them look go

5、od. This hurts me since I am along here and making friends is what I want, not teaching English every hour of the day or night, or being a prize. I feel used. But for Chinese, “using” is part of friendship. How did Chen and I become friends? When I first arrived he helped me buy what I needed, his w

6、ay of starting a friendship. I thanked him by taking him out for lunch and discovered we share many attitudes and interests - my way of finding a friend. I saw that he didnt just spend time with me to improve his English or be seen with a foreigner. He cares about me, and I care about him. So I call

7、 him “friend”, but later than he called me “friend”.,.,Chinese friends share “things in common”: a task, a class, a hometown. You may or may not like the person, but if he or she can do something for you because of his or her position or job, you ask without the shyness a foreigner feels, enlarging

8、friendship beyond what a North American usually means. For us, friendship can be cut, or die from separation. Chinese are friends even if they havent spoken for 20 years. If you shared something at one time, then all your life you are friends. This is the best of “guanxi”, “relationship”, the Wide W

9、eb that connects Chinese through time and space. Chinese invented the Internet long before Bill Gates was born.,.,1. Chen hates shopping but still went with Dr. Wyse because _. A. he speaks better Chinese B. he is a better bargainer C. Wyse is his friend D. all above 2. Why was Dr. Wyse so sure that

10、 Chinese and foreigners could become friends when first arriving in China? A. Chinese people are kind in nature. B. Dr. Wyse likes making friends with others. C. People in Dr. Wyses country are from different cultures. D. Chinese and foreigners are alike in many ways. 3. Why does China seem “reverse

11、d” according to Dr. Wyse? A.Chinese make use of their friends while North Americans do not. B.Chinese and North Americans are opposite in the ideas of starting a friendship. C. People who say “I hope we can be friends” dont really mean it. D. North Americans care about their friends while Chinese do

12、 not.,Reading comprehension,.,4.According to Dr. Wyse, one should _. A. make use of his friend B. care about his friends C. have many life-long friends D. make friends with those who have the same background 5. Chinese invented the Internet long before Bill Gates was born because _. A. Chinese have

13、been connected with each other by relationships among friends since very early times. B. Chinese knew the advanced technology to connect people together in ancient times. C. Chinese have had the skills to bridge cultural differences since early times. D. Chinese can keep their friendship for very lo

14、ng time.,Keys:1. D 2. C 3. B 4. B 5. A,.,Questions,After reading the above passage, can you list several differences between the Chinese and North American concept of friend and friendship? Do you agree with Dr. Wyses ideas about the Chinese concept of friend and friendship? State your reasons. Do y

15、ou often write to your friends? If you do, tell us the fun of writing letters; if you dont, tell us how you and your friends keep contact.,.,key,Back,.,Comprehension questions,How could the author know that the driver was lost in his reading? Why did the driver sound as if he had a cold? Why did the

16、 driver decline to go on with his letter? Does the author travel a lot? Why did the driver include Ed as his family? Did the driver often see his friend? Why? What was the reason for not keeping in touch with old friends according to the author? Why did the author decline to read the letter? What di

17、d the first sentence of the letter remind the author of?,.,Why did the author feel sad about “old friend”? How did the driver and his friend get to know the latest information about each other in the last 20 or 30 years? Why did the author want to receive such a letter from his oldest friend? Who wr

18、ote the letter? Why did Tom never mail the letter? What was the first thing the author wanted to do after he arrived at the hotel? And why?,.,Keys,The author had to tap on the windshield to get the drivers attention. (L2) He was very sad and was probably weeping when reading the letter. (L4-5) He ha

19、d read the letter several times and known it well. (L7-8) Yes, he was on the road very often. (L9-10) Ed was his oldest friend. (L13) No. He moved away from the old neighborhood. (L25-26) He didnt seem to find the time to keep in touch with his friends. (L37) It was a personal letter. He didnt want

20、to invade the privacy of other people. (L40-41),.,The first sentence of the letter reminded the author of himself because he often postponed writing letters to friends. (L45-46) People were losing their old friends as time went by. (L56-57) They sent Christmas cards with notes to tell the other what

21、 was going on about their families. (L65-68) He was moved by the letter and wanted to have such a good old friend. (L75-76) Tom, the driver. (L79, L85) Ed had died before he could mail it. (L84-85) He was urged to write a letter to his friend and mailed it because it might be too late to do so. (L88

22、-89),back,.,Language points,1. be lost / lose oneself in sth: to be so involved in something that you do not notice anything else. e.g. Its easy to lose yourself in the magic of this film. I was lost in the beauty of the scenery. c.f. feel / be lost (in the crowd): to not feel confident about what t

23、o do or how to behave, esp. among people you do not know. e.g. Will your child feel lost at a nursery? c.f. get lost (in sth): to be forgotten or not noticed in a complicated process or busy time. e.g. Its easy for your main points to get lost in a long speech,.,2. available: able to be used, bought

24、 or found. e.g. The university is trying to make more accommodation available for students. an increase in the number of jobs available to women Other usages: Drugs like crack are freely / readily available. (very easy to obtain by anyone) Every available ambulance was rushed to the scene of the acc

25、ident. (everyone that you can get) The president was not available for comment. (not before noun not busy),.,3. settle: to put in a comfortable position +back / into / down e.g. Mel settled back in his chair and closed his eyes. Mary had already settled herself in a corner where she could watch. Oth

26、er usages: settle a quarrel / argument / dispute (to end) settle out of court ( to come to an agreement to avoid going to a court of law) settle a bill / account/ claim (to pay money that is owed) settle ones nerves / stomach (to stop being upset; to calm),.,4. He sounded as if he had a cold or some

27、thing: The sentence implies the sad state of mind the taxi driver was in. or something: used when you are not sure, can not remember or do not want to give another example of something you are mentioning. e.g. Heres some money. Get yourself a sandwich or something. Her name was Judith, or Judie or s

28、omething. Similar expression: (or) something like that: used when you can not remember or do not want to say something exactly. e.g. She works in sales or promotion, something like that. 5. go ahead: to continue; to begin. e.g. Their solicitor is asking if you want to go ahead with the deal. The new

29、spaper decided to go ahead and publish the story.,.,6. know/learn something by heart: to know or learn something so that you can remember all of it. e.g. You have to know all the music by heart. Other expressions: You love the boy heart and soul, dont you? (completely) The new book gets to the heart

30、 of the controversy over nuclear power. (to get to the most important part of) have a heart of gold / stone (to be very kind / cruel) We took heart when we saw the sign, knowing that we were close to home. (to feel encouraged) After I leave, Joe can sing in the shower to his hearts content. (to do s

31、omething as much as someone wants) What a great meal! You certainly know the way to a mans heart. (humorous to know the way to please someone),.,7. At least they do with me because Im on the road so much.: At least letters from home mean a lot to me because I travel a lot in a car for long distances

32、.,.,8. estimate: to try to judge the value, size, speed, cost, etc of something, partly by calculating and partly by guessing. e.g. The mechanic estimated the cost of repair at $150. It is estimated that between 70 and 90 per cent of car crimes occur in the daytime. It is difficult to estimate how m

33、any deaths are caused by passive smoking each year. c.f. assess: to calculate the value or cost of something; to make a judgment about a person or situation after thinking carefully about it. e.g. They assessed the value of the house at over $250,000. Its difficult to assess the effects of the new l

34、egislation just jet. evaluate: to carefully consider something to see how useful or valuable it is. e.g. evaluating the success of the training scheme figure: infml, esp. AmE to form a particular opinion after thinking about a situation. e.g. I figured that he was drunk and shouldnt be allowed to dr

35、ive,.,9. This isnt family.: This isnt a letter from my family. Family mostly refers to a group of people who are related to each other, esp. a mother, father, and their children. e.g. Do you know the family next door? While home most probably refers to the house, apartment, or place where a family l

36、ive. e.g. A family of swallows had made their home under the roof 10. might / may (just) as well: usu. spoken used to suggest doing something that you do not really want to do, because you have no better ideas. e.g. Its no good waiting for the bus. We might as well walk .,.,11. Im not much a hand at

37、 writing.: Im not good at writing. be of a hand at: be good at not much of a: not a good e.g. Some people may think that doing housework for others is not much of a career. 12. keep up: to continue doing something, or to make something continue. e.g. I dont think I can keep up this difficult task an

38、y longer. Keep up the good work! Other usages: The shortage of supplies is keeping the price up. (preventfrom falling) Im having trouble keeping up with the rest of the class. (to manage to learn as fast as) We sang as we marched, to keep our spirits up. (to try to stay happy, strong, confident, etc

39、.),.,13. correspondence: letters exchanged between people, esp. official or business letters; the process of sending and receiving letters. U +with e.g. A secretary came in twice a week to deal with his correspondence. All correspondence between us must cease. Other usage: There was no correspondenc

40、e between the historical facts and Johnsons account of them. (relationship or connection) 14. I take it (that): used to say that you expect someone will do something, know something, etc. e.g. I take it youve heard that Ricks resigned,.,15. practically: esp. spoken almost. e.g. The hall was practica

41、lly empty. Practically all my friends are from China. 16. Went to school together?: The subject is omitted. The complete sentence is like this: You went to school together? In colloquial English a declarative sentence with a rising tone may serves as a question.,.,17.neighborhood: a small area of a

42、town, or the people who live there. e.g. You are going to wake up the whole neighborhood with that noise. I grew up in a quiet neighborhood of Boston. Other usages: Are there any hotels in the neighborhood? (in the area around) Im hoping to buy one for something in the neighborhood of $500. (either

43、a little more or a little less than a particular number or amount; approximately) 18. kind of (esp. AmE) / sort of (esp. BrE): infml (a) slightly or in some ways. e.g. Im kind of glad I didnt win. (b) used when you are explaining something and want to avoid giving the details. e.g. I kind of made it

44、 look like the post office had lost his letter.,.,19. lose touch (with): to not speak to, write to, or see someone for a long time, so that you do not know how they are. e.g. Ive lost touch with all my old school friends. When youre living abroad its so easy to lose touch with whats happening home.

45、20. a couple of: a small number of things. e.g. I dont know why I feel so bad, I only had a couple of drinks.,.,21. But I realized that old Ed was still on his mind when he spoke again, almost more to himself than to me.: But I realized that the taxi driver was still thinking of old Ed when he spoke

46、 again. It seemed that he spoke more to himself than to me. on ones mind: if someone is on your mind, you keep thinking about it and worrying about it. e.g. You look worried, Sarah. Is there something on your mind? Will Jim losing his job and her mother being sick, Michelle has had a lot on her mind

47、 lately.,.,22. keep / stay in touch (with sb. / sth.): to speak or write to someone when you can no longer see them as often as you used to; to have the latest information, knowledge, and understanding about a subject. e.g. Our neighbors are moving away but I hope that well still keep in touch with

48、each other. Through the media we are able to keep in touch with events on the other side of the world as they happens,.,23. come up: to appear; to happen. e.g. A lot of new questions came up at the meeting. A vacancy has come up in the accounts department. Dont you have a birthday coming up soon? So

49、rry I cant go with you - something has suddenly come up. Other usages: Why dont you come up to New York for the weekend? (to travel north or towards an important place such as a big city) Come up to the front of the room so everyone can see you. (to move near someone or something) The sun was coming

50、 up by the time I finished the essay. (to rise) Look, the daffodils are coming up. (to begin to be seen above the ground) She had come up in the world since her days on the flower stall. (to become richer or more successful in society),.,24. shrug: to raise and then lower your shoulders in order to

51、show that you do not know something or do not care about something. e.g. We cant just shrug these objections off. 25. urge: to strongly advise someone to do something; to strongly suggest that something should be done. e.g. Brown urged her to reconsider her decision. The UN has urged restraint in th

52、e current crisis. I urge that you read this report carefully. This course of action was urged on / upon us by all parties. Other usages: Daniel urged the horses forward with a whip. (to make move) Urged on by the crowd, the Italian team scored two more goals. (to encourage),.,26. mean to do sth.: es

53、p. spoken, to intend to do something or intend that someone else should do something. e.g. Ive been meaning to phone you all week. I didnt mean to interrupt your meal. Oh no! I never meant her to read these comments. 27. some time: a period of time. e.g. The cheering went on for quite some time. I h

54、adnt seen my family for some time. c.f. sometime: at some time; at a time in the future or in the past. e.g. Well take a vacation sometime in September. Our house was built sometime around 1900.,.,28. postpone: to change an event, action etc to a later time or date. e.g.Were postponing our holiday u

55、ntil we have some more money. Gail and Jim have decided to postpone having a family for a while. 29. Halloween: Halloween is on the night of 31 October, when people once believed that ghosts could be seen. Now, it is a time when children have partied, dress up as witches, make lanterns out of pumpki

56、ns, and play “trick or treat”. Trick or treat is a traditional activity at Halloween. Children dress in costumes and visit houses. At each house they say “Trick or treat”. This means that they will play a “trick”, or joke, on the people in the house unless they are given a “treat”, e.g. sweets or mo

57、ney. Most people prefer to give treats rather than having tricks played on them.,.,30. have reference to: to mention. reference: (a) something you say or write that mentions another person or thing. e.g. Winston made no reference to what had happened. (b) the act of looking at something for informat

58、ion. e.g. Use this dictionary for easy reference. Keep their price lost on file for future reference. Other usages: With reference to your recent advertisement, I am writing to require further details. (fml used to say what you are writing or talking about) We will need references from your former e

59、mployers. (a person who provides information about your character and abilities) a list of references at the end of the article (sources of information),.,31. “ Like it says there,” “about all we had to spend in those days was time.”: “As the letter says there,” “though we didnt have much money we had a l