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Unit 5 Fourteen Steps

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contents

• Pre-reading Activities• Language Points• Structural Analysis• Detailed Reading

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Introduction

$$The disabled

★ The blind

★ The deaf★ The deaf-mute

★ The mental retardation

★ paralytic ★ The cripple

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• Do you think these disabled people can still live a happy and rewarding life?

$$Disabled sports

★ Paralympic Games 残奥会

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I am quite often asked: How do you feel about having ALS? The answer is, not a lot. I try to lead as normal a life as possible, and not think about my condition, or regret the things it prevents me from doing, which are not that many. — Stephen Hawking

$$Help the disabled

• Being disabled is not a matter of personal choice. One does not choose to be born or to end up disabled. It is a condition or way of being that one cannot change. We are all able minded people, born healthy, talented and yet we tend to look down upon people who are any less perfect than us.

• Here are simple tips on how to help those who are disabled.

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• Do not make them feel bad by teasing them.

• Treat them the way you would treat any other normal human being.

• Treat disabled people with respect.

• Be around to help in little ways.

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• The incident triggered the author’s reflection on his selfishness and indifference, which came to him as enlightenment about the “value of life”

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Language Points

$$afflict vt. [often passive]

cause severe suffering or pain

e.g.He was afflicted with cancer. 他患了癌症。She was afflicted with conscience. 她受良心责备。The poor old man was afflicted with diabetes.

那可怜的老人受到糖尿病的折磨。 Famine and war still afflict mankind. 饥荒与战争依旧给人类带来痛苦。

Collocation:

be afflicted with

Derivation:

afflictive a.affliction n.

About 40% of the country's population is afflicted with the disease.

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1. 我对那些受苦受难的人们充满同情。

2. 这种病女人比男人更容易患上。

Translation:

I have great sympathy for people in affliction. __________________________________________________________

It is an illness which afflicts women more than men._________________________________________________________

$$dismiss

• ~ sb/sth (as sth) to decide that sb/sth is not important and not worth thinking or talking about Vegetarians are no longer dismissed as cranks.

He dismissed the opinion polls as worthless. • ~ sth (from sth) to put thoughts or feelings out of

your mind: • Dismissing her fears, she climbed higher. • He dismissed her from his mind. ~ sb (from sth) to officially remove sb from their job:

She claims she was unfairly dismissed from her post.

$$driveway

$$enormity n.

• the ~ of sth (of a problem, etc.) the very great size, effect, etc. of sth; the fact of sth being very serious: 巨大；暴行；极恶

• the enormity of a task / problem / decision

• He talked for some time with Bundy, and his questions reflected the enormity of his doubts.  

他同 Bundy 谈了一会儿，他提出的问题反映出他有很大的怀疑。

• The full enormity of the crime has not yet been revealed.

$$ frustrated a. 

[not before noun] ~ (at / with sth) feeling annoyed and impatient because you cannot do or achieve what you want:

• It's very easy to get frustrated in this job.

• They felt frustrated at the lack of progress.

• His apathy just made her even more frustrated.

[only before noun] unable to be successful in a particular career: a frustrated artist

$$fumble vi. move the fingers in an attempt to do sth. awkwardly

e.g. She fumbled about in her handbag for a pen.

她在手提袋中搜寻钢笔。

They fumbled around / about (= moved awkwardly) in the dark, trying to find their way out of the cinema.

$$gauge

[often in compounds] an instrument for measuring the amount or level of sth:

a fuel / petrol / temperature gauge

[usually sing.] ~ (of sth) (written) a fact or an event that can be used to estimate or judge sth:

Tomorrow's game against Arsenal will be a good gauge of their promotion chances.

$$• hobble vi. to walk with difficulty, especially because your legs or feet hurt:

The old man hobbled across the road. 我在下公共汽车时脚受了伤 , 只好一拐一拐地走回

家。 I hurt my foot while getting off the bus, and had to

hobble home.

$$install vt. ① set up ； to fix equipment or furniture into position so that it can be used:

e.g. To minimize the risk of burglary, install a good alarm system. 安装可靠的报警设备，以降低被盗的风险。The workers are installing a heating system. 工人们正在安装供暖系统。

Derivation: installation n.

② ~ sb (as sth) to put sb in a new position of authority, often with an official ceremony: He was installed as President last May.

$$interval: a period of time between two events

• The interval between major earthquakes might be 200 years.

• He knocked on the door and after a brief interval it was opened.

• at ( ...) intervals

with time between: • Buses to the city leave at regular intervals.• The runners started at 5-minute intervals.

• with spaces between: • Flaming torches were positioned at intervals along the

terrace.

$$Jack-handle

$$jack up

1. 用千斤顶托起 ; 顶起They jacked up a car.

2. 提高Maybe they are going to jack up the price of oi

他们可能会抬高石油价格。

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• The old bus started with a jerk.• He jerked his head back.• She jerked out the knife that was stuck in the

wood.• 她把戳在木头里的刀猛地拔了出来。

Jerk, v.( 使 ) 猝然一动，猛拉 n. 急推 ( 拉，扭 )

$$ overflow: sth to be so full that the contents go over the sides:

• ~(with sth)

[VN] Plates overflowed with party food.

• The bath is overflowing

(figurative) Her heart overflowed with love.

[VN] The river overflowed its banks.

(of a place) to have too many people in it:

The streets were overflowing with the crowds.

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He writes with penetration.

他写的文章尖锐深刻。What is your idea toward globalization and cultural penetration?

你对全球化和文化渗透有什么想法？

penetrate vt. enter, pass (into or through)

Amazingly, the bullet did not penetrate his brain.

In most jellyfish, these stinging cells are so small that they can’t penetrate human skin.

Derivation:

penetration n. a movement into or through something or someone; insight

e.g.

Detailed reading1– penetrate

e.g.

$$Split-level house

$$slacken vt. become slower or less active

e.g.The train slackened speed as it approached the station.

火车快到站时减慢了速度。

We slackened our pace as we reached the village.

$$tilt: slope

• [usually +adv./prep.] to move, or make sth move, into a position with one side or end higher than the other:

• Suddenly the boat tilted to one side • The seat tilts forward, when you press this

lever.

$$whatsoever: ad. 任何 ( 否定句中加强语气 )

• The police found no suspicious document whatsoever.  

• 警察未发现任何可怀疑的文件。• I see no objection whatsoever.  

• 我没有任何异议。

$$yardstick( of/against/for sth): a standard used for judging how good or successful sth is:

• She was a yardstick against which I could measure my achievements.

她是一个我可以用来衡量我的成就的准绳。 • Exam results are not the only yardstick of

school performance.

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Structural Analysis

$$Structural analysis

Paragraphs

Main idea

1-2 It depicts the author’s first phase of life in which he began to enjoy everything pleasant: excellent health, a good job, a nice house, a happy family and lovely daughters.

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Paragraphs

Main idea

3-5

6-8

9-10

The author describes his second life. Because of his disease, he became miserable and frustrated.

The author’s third life began with the trouble of his car on the stormy night and he described the blind man’s magnanimous, selfless help.

The author reflected on the incident and his life philosophy, from which he discovered the true value of life.

Structural analysis

$$Main idea

It is hard to imagine that a blind old man should be willing and able to for someone else on a night. This happened to the author, a man who was afflicted by a progressive disease and who took others’ for granted. Up to that day, the author had lived in , as he was becoming increasingly feeble. He struggled to every day only to hold on to his sanity, his wife, his home and his job.

fix a car _________ darkstormy

______

________ crippled_________

help_____

disillusionment, self-pity, indifference andselfishness

_______________________________________________

____________

climb the fourteen steps ___________________________

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After he met the blind old man, it suddenly dawned on him that even a person was capable of performing for his fellow beings, and that was where lies.

handicapped______________

an act of love _______________

the value of life _________________

Main idea

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Detailed Reading

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• environment-friendly materials

• human-friendly design

• health-friendly diet

• eco-friendly agriculture

• family-friendly entertainment

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• more or less 40 pages• There are 30 or so questions• two hours or thereabouts• some four miles• 50ish• catch forty winks == a nap

$$be inclined to: to be likely or tend to

• E.g. I am inclined to agree with the latter . I am more inclined to work in a big city where I can

be exposed to both good opportunities and severe competitions

• incline to/towards sth. I incline to the view that peace can be achieved.

$$paralyze: to make unable to move or act:

• The electricity failure paralyzed the train service.• 电力中断使得列车无法运行。

• A stroke paralyzed half his face.

•  Meanwhile, 91.8 percent of Hunan's power transmission lines paralyzed by the snow storm have been restored.

同时，在湖南，由于雪灾而瘫痪的电力运输线路有 91.8% 已恢复正常。

paralytic paralysis paralysis of both legs

The strike caused total paralysis in the city.

$$with the aid of with the help of

The bacteria can only be seen with the aid of a high-power microscope.

这个孩子在国际救援队的帮助下得救了。

The child was saved and brought back to life with the aid of an international rescue team.

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• Q. What does the author mean by “I managed to keep my health and optimism, to a degree, because of 14 steps”?

In a way, the daily exercise of climbing the steps helped to keep the author’s health (physical capability), which in turn made him optimistic so that he could continue living.

$$disillusioned (by / with sb/sth) disappointed, 幻想破灭了的 , 大失所望的 , 醒悟了的

• Disillusioned by his team’s performance, the manager/coach resigned.

• I soon became disillusioned with the job.

• I feel utterly disillusioned by his refusal to take any action.

• Her book is the testimony of a disillusioned woman.

$$hold on to keep one’s grip on; not let go of

e.g. He tried hard to be in his superior’s good graces in order to hold on to his job.

他想方设法讨上司的欢心，以保住自己的饭碗。

My father said that if we believe something was true, we should hold on to it.   父亲说如果我们相信某事是真的，就应该坚持。

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Q. Why does the author call these steps “14 miserable steps”?

Because the fact that everything in his life (his home, his job, his wife and his sanity) seemed to totally depend on these 14 steps made him miserable.

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这是一个梦想破灭、痛苦失望的残疾人，他蹒跚着，正是因为有了这条从车库通向后门的可怕的 14 级台阶，他才能保持理智、陪伴妻子、维护家庭、坚持工作。

Here hobbled a bitterly disillusioned cripple, a man who held on to his sanity and his wife and his home and his job because of 14 miserable steps leading up to the back door from his garage.

Paraphrase: Painfully and bitterly, a disabled man hobbled around here. Owing to the 14 miserable steps leading up to the back door from his garage, the man could keep up to his sanity and his wife and his home and his job.

Translation:

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1. your umbrella so that it won’t be blown away.

2. She was anxious to enlighten me about the events that the dispute.

3. All the other teachers are thoroughly with their colleagues.

Hold on to____________

with the aid of

hold on to

disillusion

lead up tohobble

led up to__________

disillusioned______________

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4. Some of the runners could only manage to over the finishing line.

5. the searching dog, the rescue team has rescued many people’s lives in the earthquake.

with the aid of

hold on to

disillusion

lead up tohobble

hobble_______

With the aid of_________________

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• the less-traveled roads

the roads that usually have little traffic

• the steering wheel jerked in my hand

the steering wheel became uncontrollable because of a sudden and unsteady movement

• the rain-slick shoulder of the road

the road shoulder made slippery by the heavy rain

$$swerve vi. (especially of a vehicle) to change direction suddenly, especially in order to avoid hitting sb/sth:

e.g. The car swerved to the right.

She swerved sharply to avoid a cyclist.

I will never swerve from my declared policy on this matter.

我决不背离我已经宣布的在这个问题上的政策。Synonym:

turn, change

$$instant  

adjective [usually before noun] happening immediately:

She took an instant dislike to me. [only before noun] (of food) that can be made quickly and easily, usually by adding hot water: instant coffee

• noun [usually sing.] a very short period of time; a moment: I'll be back in an instant. For an instant I was relieved, nobody had raised any ◆objection.

• a particular point in time: At that (very) instant, the door opened. I recognized her the instant (that) (= as soon as) I ◆saw her. Come here this instant (= immediately)!◆

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• You see the lightning it happens, but you hear the thunder later.

A. the instant B. for an instant C. on the instant D. in an instant

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Why did the author dismiss the thought at once that any passing motorist would offer help at the moment?

Because he knew that he would not stop if he were a passing driver in that situation.

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1. Was there any hint that indicates something unusual about the man?

There were some indications: first, they were working awfully slow; second, the little girl obviously handed to the man something (the jack-handle) the man was unable to find.

2. How did the author feel when the man and the little girl were working in the storm?

The author first felt sorry that he sat in the car dry and comfortable, while they were working in the heavy rain. But his uneasiness was soon relieved by the thought that he would pay them.

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1. In the budget the chancellor is bound to the price of cigarettes.

2. in heavy clothes, the pedestrians walked hurriedly against the piercing cold wind.

3. When no one answered the door, she through the window to see if anyone was there.

jack up________

at regular intervals

interval

jack up

bundle up

peer

Bundled up____________

peered________

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4. We see each other — usually about once a month.

5. There’s often a long between an author completing a book and it appearing in the shops.

at regular intervals_____________________

at regular intervals

interval

jack up

bundle up

peer

interval_________

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1. Why did the old man refuse to accept the author’s payment?

Because the old man took it for granted that offering free help to disabled people is what everyone should do, especially when they are in trouble. He believed that the author would have done the same for others.

2. When did the author realize that the old man was blind?

The author did not realize it until the little girl explained to him “Grandpa can’t see it.”

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How did the author react to the girl’s words?

On hearing the little girl’s words, the author was stunned for a few seconds, full of shame and horror, because as a handicapped man, he had taken others’ help for granted and had never expected that a blind man would work on the dark stormy night for him out of pure warm-heartedness. This contrasts his own selfishness and indifference to the needs of others before the incident.

$$ “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.”

Translation:

因此，无论你希望别人为你做什么，你都应先为别人做。因为这就是规则和先知。

Paraphrase:

Therefore, do to other people whatever you would like them to do to you: because this is the regulation and principle.

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• In no country Britain, it has been said, can one experience four seasons in the course of a single day.

A. other than B. more than C. better than D. rather than

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• 1. 他也许并不完美，但我完全相信他对我们祖国的忠诚。

• He might not be perfect, but I am utterly convinced of his loyalty to our country.

• 2. 我出国留学已经二十年了，在这期间中国发生了翻天覆地的变化。

It is 20 years since I went to study abroad. During this interval earthshaking changes have taken place in China.

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• 该从句的谓语动词是瞬间性动词时，从句正常翻译；

• 而如果该从句的谓语动词是延续性动词作，从句必须作否定翻译。

• 如： It is two hours since he left the classroom.

自从他离开教室以来，已经两个小时了。 It is three years since he worked there.

自从他不在那儿工作以来，已经三年了。

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• 3. 她对汤姆出席与否根本无所谓。• Tom’s presence or absence was a matter of

total indifference to him.• 4. 人们用出席会议人数的增加来衡量它的

成功度。 The increase in attendance at the conference

was used as a gauge of its success.