1、Unit 8,Oxford English,Module 4 A taste of literature,Period 6,More practice Culture corner Project,Surprise endings,1,More practice,Read the story and answer the questions.,The last leaf At the top of a house Sue and Johnsy had their studio. In November, Johnsy became very ill, and was lying on her

2、bed and looking through the window at the wall of the next house. “Her only chance,” the doctor said, “is for her to want to live.” After the doctor had gone, Sue came into Johnsys room. Johnsy was looking out of the window and counting. “Six,” said Johnsy. “There goes another one. There are only fi

3、ve left now.” “Five what, dear?” “Leaves. On the ivy vine. I want to see the last one fall. Then Ill die.” “Johnsy, dear,” said Sue, “try to sleep. I must go and ask Behrman to be my model.”,/3aIvi/,/vaIn/,Old Behrman was a painter. He was past 60 and earned a little money by being a model. Sue foun

4、d Behrman and told him what Johnsy had said. Johnsy was sleeping when they went upstairs. They looked out of the window at the ivy vine. A cold rain was falling. The next morning, there stood one ivy leaf. “Its the last one,” said Johnsy. “Itll fall today, and Ill die.” At night, the wind began to b

5、low. The next morning, the leaf was still there. “Something has made that last leaf stay there. Its wrong to want to die,” said Johnsy to Sue. “Please bring me a little soup now.” A few days later, the doctor said to Sue, “Shes out of danger.” That afternoon, Sue came to the bed where Johnsy lay. “M

6、r Behrman died today,” she said. “He was wet and icy cold from being out all night. Do you know why the leaf never moved? Behrman painted it on the wall the night that the last leaf fell.”,/F:n/,/4Vp3steRz/,/3aIsi/, Where was Sue and Johnsys studio? At the top of a house. When did Johnsy become very

7、 ill? In November. What was Johnsys only chance? Her only chance was for her to want to live. What was Johnsys only hope? To see the last leaf fall. Did the last leaf fall that night? Yes, it did. Who painted the leaf on the wall? Mr Behrman. What happened to Mr Behrman at last? He died.,A Apart fro

8、m “The gifts”, perhaps the most famous of O. Henrys short stories is “The last leaf”. Read it and answer the questions below.,1 Why did Johnsy think that she was going to die? 2 What made Johnsy decide to live? 3 What did Behrman do that cost him his life?,Because she became very ill and lost hope i

9、n living.,The last leaf on the ivy vine made her decide to live.,He painted the leaf on the wall on the cold rainy night that the last leaf fell.,What do you think of Mr Behrman? If we meet with difficulty, what should we do?,Read the ending of the story again. Then, in groups, discuss the questions

10、 below.,Both “The gifts” and “The last leaf” are about people sacrificing for others. Can you think of any other similar stories? Share them with your classmates.,2,White elephants,Culture corner,Read the article and look at the picture on page 126. Then answer the questions., In which country were

11、white elephants thought to be a gift from the gods? Ancient Thailand. What did white elephants stand for? They stood for peace and wealth. White elephants could work for people, couldnt they? No, they couldnt. What would the king do if he didnt like a person? He would give him a white elephant. Why

12、did the king do so? Because taking care of a white elephant cost a lot of money. What does “a white elephant” mean today? It means something which costs us a lot of money and which we do not want or which is useless.,Have you ever received a white elephant? What was it, and what was wrong with it?,Work in groups