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Unit 4 A Drink in the Passage

Unit 4 A Drink in the Passage. Teaching procedures:. Ⅰ Warm-up questions Ⅱ Background Ⅲ Word study Ⅳ General understanding of the text Ⅴ Detailed study of the text Ⅵ Questions for discussion Ⅶ Language focus Ⅷ Exercises. Ⅰ Warming-up questions.

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Unit 4 A Drink in the Passage

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  1. Unit 4 A Drink in the Passage

  2. Teaching procedures: • Ⅰ Warm-up questions • Ⅱ Background • Ⅲ Word study • Ⅳ General understanding of the text • Ⅴ Detailed study of the text • Ⅵ Questions for discussion • Ⅶ Language focus • Ⅷ Exercises

  3. Ⅰ Warming-up questions • 1. Can you say something about the picture? • 2. How do you understand racial segregation? • 3. What do you know about South Africa?

  4. Ⅱ Background information • Author Alan Paton (1903-1988) Alan Paton was born in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. He started his career by teaching  at a school in Ixopo. The dramatic career change to director of a reformatory for black youths at Diepkloof, near Johannesburg, had a profound effect on his thinking. The publication of Cry, the Beloved Country (1948) made him one of South Africa’s best known writers, and by the time he died, it had sold over 15 million copies. Following his non-racial ideals, he helped to found the South African Liberal Party and became its president.

  5. Ⅱ Background information Apartheid • South Africa was colonized by the English and Dutch in the 17th century. English domination of the Dutch descendents (known as Boers or Afrikaners) resulted in the Dutch establishing the new colonies of Orange Free State and Transvaal. The discovery of diamonds in these lands around 1900 resulted in an English invasion which sparked the Boer War. Following independence from England, an uneasy power-sharing between the two groups held sway until the 1940’s, when the Afrikaner National Party was able to gain a strong majority. • Strategists in the National Party invented apartheid as a means to cement their control over the economic and social system. Initially, aim of the apartheid was to maintain white domination while extending racial separation. Starting in the 1960s, a plan of “Grand Apartheid” was executed, emphasizing territorial separation and police repression.

  6. With the enactment of apartheid laws in 1948, racial discrimination was institutionalized. Race laws touched every aspect of social life, including a prohibition of marriage between non-whites and whites, and the sanctioning of “white-only” jobs. In 1950, the Population Registration Act required that all South Africans be racially classified into one of three categories: white, black (African), or colored (of mixed decent). The coloured category included major subgroups of Indians and Asians. Classification into these categories was based on appearance, social acceptance, and descent. Non-compliance with the race laws were dealt with harshly. All blacks were required to carry “pass books” containing fingerprints, photo and information on access to non-black areas. In 1953, the Public Safety Act and the Criminal Law Amendment Act were passed, which empowered the government to declare stringent states of emergency and increased penalties for protesting against or supporting the repeal of a law. The penalties included fines, imprisonment and whippings. In 1960, a large group of blacks in Sharpeville refused to carry their passes; the government declared a state of emergency. The emergency lasted for 156 days, leaving 69 people dead and 187 people wounded. Wielding the Public Safety Act and the Criminal Law Amendment Act, the white regime had no intention of changing the unjust laws of apartheid.

  7. The penalties imposed on political protest, even non-violent protest, were severe. During the states of emergency which continued intermittently until 1989, anyone could be detained without a hearing by a low-level police official for up to six months. Thousands of individuals died in custody, frequently after gruesome acts of torture. Those who were tried were sentenced to death, banished, or imprisoned for life, like Nelson Mandela. The apartheid policy was highly effective of achieving its goal of preferential treatment for whites.

  8. 1. abreast 2. avert 3. ceremony 4. complimentary 5. envy 6. exhibit 7. expel 8. flat 9. herald 10. lift 11. omit 12. polish 13. quarter 14.renounce 15.segregate 16. suspend Ⅲ Word Study

  9. 1. abreast • adv. ~ (of sb/sth) side by side (with sb )and facing the same way. • E.g. The police car went abreast of them and signalled them to stop. • (idm) be/keep abreast of sth: be or remain up to date or well-informed about sth • E.g. You should read newspapers to keep abreast of current affairs.

  10. adown adv. , prep. 朝下 • afresh adv. 重新;再 • anew adv. 再;重新;另 • aback adv. 向后 • abed adv. 在床上 • ablaze adv. 着火 adj. 发光的 • aboard adv. 在船上;在飞机上; 在汽车上 • abroad adv. 在国外; • afar adv. 遥远地 • afloat adv. 漂浮地 • afoot adv. 徒步地 • ahead adv. 在前地 • away adv. 在远方;离去;不在

  11. 2. avert • vt. ~ sth (from sth) [自…]转移 <目光、思想等> ,转离,移开 • e.g. She averted her eyes from the terrible sight.她把目光转离那骇人的情景 [景象] 。 • vt. prevent(sth), avoid避开,防止,避免 <打击、危险等 • e.g. He narrowly averted an accident.他勉强避免了一场事故(他险些儿在事故中遭殃)。

  12. 3. ceremony • n.[C] formal act or series of formal acts performed on a religious or public occasion典礼;仪式 • the ceremony of conferring graduation certificates • The school leaving ceremony is at 3:00. • n.[U] formal display or behaviour, formality • Help yourself without ceremony. • Don‘t stand on ceremony. • ceremonial: of, used for or involving a ceremony • ceremonious: (a)full of ceremony, very formal; • (b) elaborately performed郑重其事的;礼节过分的

  13. 4. complimentary • adj. showing that you think well of something or someonecomplimentary remarks赞美的话语 • adj. free免费赠送的 • complimentary tickets for thematch比赛赠券 • compare: complimentary; complementary • plen, plete,ple, pli,ply=to fill , full • plenary adj. 完全的;绝对的;全体出席的 • plenitude充足;富饶《-itude抽象名词字尾》 • plenty; plenteous; plentiful; ample富足的;充分的(充满于四周的)《am-=amb-=about》 • amplify放大;详述《--fy=to make》 • complete【com(together, with)+plete(fill)】 • comply应允;同意(满足对方的要求) • complement n. 补语;补充物 v. 补充;补足(补满;填满) • complimentary 【com(with)+pli(fill)+ment(n.)+ary】 • deplete《de-=away》;implement; replenish(v.); replete(adj);supplement; accomplish

  14. 5. envy • n.[U] feeling of sadness and anger because you want what another person has妒忌,羡慕 • “You are so lucky to have a brother,”said the boy with envy. • Her envy had transferred into hate. • n.[C] a person or thing that causes envy • A good dictionary is the envy of all students. • vt. feel envy of, wish for妒忌,羡慕 • · I envy you your good health.我羡慕你的健康。 • I envy you your good fortune.我羡慕你的好运气。 • do sth. out of (=through) envy出于妒忌而做某事 • feel envy at对…感到妒忌(或羡慕) • feel no envy at (=of) his achievementshave a great envy of one's wealth十分羡慕某人的财富

  15. 6. exhibit • v. show or display (sth) for the public (for pleasure, for sale, or in a competition)当中显示或展出某物 • Mr Hall exhibits in several galleries. • The gallery is exhibiting French paintings. • Many unearthed cultural relics were exhibited in the museum. • be exhibited at World Fair • exhibit before the public 向公众展出 • n. object or collection of objects displayed for the public展览品 • A priceless exhibit一件极其贵重的陈列品 • Please don’t touch the exhibits.请勿触摸展品。 • n. document, object, etc. produced as evidence in a lawcourt • exhibition n.1. 展览品,展览会; 2. 表现,显示 • an exhibition of bad manners 无礼的表现 • an exhitition of one’s knowledge 显示某人的知识 • (idm) make an exhibition of oneself当众出丑,出洋相 • an automobile exhibition汽车展览会 an exhibition match表演赛 • an exhibition of bravery表现出勇敢

  16. hab, hibit=to have • exhibit表现,展示(拿出去)《ex-=out》 exhibition • inhibit v. 抑制;禁止;防止(拿在手中→抑制)《in-=in》 • prohibit v.禁止;阻止(在前面压制)《pro-=before》 • habit; habitual; habitude; cohabit; inhabit

  17. 7. expel • vt. make someone go away from a place( esp. a country, a school, a club)驱逐,开除,赶出 • He was expelled from school for bad behaviour. • vt. force out (from the body or a container) 排除掉 • The whale expelled water from his blow hole. • expel【 ex(out)+pel(to drive)】 • Note: compel《com-=with》; dispel《dis-=apart, away》; impel《im- =in-=forward》 • propel《pro-=forward》; repel《re-=back》 • expel an invader.把侵略者赶出去 • expelled the student from college for cheating.

  18. British lift ground floor flat trousers term film cheque pavement underground AmE an elevator the first floor apartment pants semester movie check sidewalk subway 8. flat(Bre)=apartment(Ame)

  19. adj. smooth, not going up and down平的,平坦的 • Holland is flat, there are no mountains. 荷兰地势平坦,没有山。 • The floor is quite flat. (室内的)地面很平。 • People used to think that the earth was flat.人们过去常认为地球是扁平的。 • adj. stretched out in a plane surface平伸的 • The snake twisted, humped up, then became • flat. adj. tasteless,lacking interest, animation, dull · etc; • The soup is flat. 这汤没味。 • The party was rather flat.这次聚会相当乏味。 • adj. plain,frank, absolute直率的,断然的 • It is difficult to give flat answers to these questions. • adj. having lost air漏完气的 • I’ve got a flat tyre. 我的车胎没气了。 • That’s a flat lie. 那是弥天大谎。 • adv. 平直地,平躺(或趴)着· • He was lying flat on his back. 他直挺挺地仰卧着。 • He fell flat.他直挺挺地倒下。 • adv positively . 断然地· I told him flat.我断然地告诉他。 • n. 平面,平的部分a flat surface,the flat part of a thing

  20. 9. herald • n. person who made important announcements and carried messages from a ruler发布人,报导者; 使者 • n. person or thing that announces or shows that sb/sth. is coming先驱,预兆 • This balmy weather is a [the] herald of spring .((文语))is ~ to spring] 这种温和的天气是春天的预兆。 • vt. announce the approach of sth预先通知 [预告] …<in> • The song of birds heralds (in) spring.鸟儿的歌唱预报春到 [预告春天的来临] 。

  21. 10.lift • v. to move something to a highter place, to raise 提起;举起;抬起 • The baby was lifted onto the bed.孩子被抱到床上。 • The window doesn‘t lift.窗户打不开。 • The airplane lifted from the airport.飞机从机场起飞。 • v. go up and away消散 • Dense fog began to lift.浓雾开始消散了。 • The cloud has lifted and we can see the mountains.云散了,我们可以看见高山了。 • v. raise to a higher degree or condition提高,提增 • First we have to lift the level of instruction.首先我们得提高教学水平。 • John‘s high grade in the test lifted his spirits.约翰考试得了高分,这提起了他的精神 • Lift up your voice.提高你的嗓子。

  22. n. journey in another person's car; a free ride搭便车 • Can you give me a lift to the station?能让我搭个便车去火车站吗? • He gave us a lift to town in his car.他让我们搭他的便车到城里去。 • n. an elevator; an apparatus for raising or lowing persons or things from one floor or level to another电梯 • Shall we go up the stairs or take the lift?我们是走上楼呢,还是坐电梯? · • n. help帮助 • He gave me many a lift.他曾几次给我帮助。 • · I gave him a lift with his lessons.我帮助他做功课。

  23. 11. omit • vt. leave something out省略;遗漏 • Don‘t omit this paragraph when you write your report.写报告时不要删去这一节。 • We omitted the second stanza.我们略去了这首诗的第二段。 • vt. fail to do, neglect疏忽;忘记 • I omitted doing my homework.我忘记做作业了。 • Don't omit to tell him.不要忘了告诉他。 • omit the second chapter from the book略去这本书的第二章 • omit a letter in a word在一个词中漏掉一字母 • be apparently omitted from...明显地被从…省去 • n. omission • e.g. His omission from the team is rather surprising. • 队里没有他,令人惊奇。

  24. 12. polish • vt. ~ (sth)(up)(with sth)磨光<东西>,使…光亮 • polish(up) one's shoes [glasses]擦亮鞋子 [眼镜] • polish(up) furniture擦亮家具 • vt. Improving sth by correcting, making some changes or adding new material润饰,推敲; 磨练 • polish a speech润饰发言稿 • (phr.) polish sth off: finish sth quickly迅速做完某事 • vi. 发出光泽,变光滑· This floor won’t polish.这地板擦不亮。 • n.[U] 磨擦· give...a polish磨擦<东西> • n.[U] 光泽,亮光 • put a polish on... (打磨) 使…产生光泽 • take a high polish可磨得很光亮 • n.[U] 擦亮粉,光泽剂,洋漆 (varnish) :shoe ~ 鞋油 • n.[U] (态度、作法等的) 洗练; 修养; 高雅,优美

  25. 13. quarter • n. one of four equal parts of something四分之一;四等分 • · We‘ve come a quarter of the distance now.我们已经走了全程的四分之一了。 • · What's the quarter of sixteen?十六的四分之一是多少? · • n. 15 minutes一刻钟· • Yesterday, I had breakfast at a quarter past seven.昨天我七点一刻吃早饭。 · • n. one fourth of the year季(一年的四分之一) • He pays at the end of each quarter,that is at the end of March, June,September and December.他在每一季度末付款,就是三月底、六月底、九月底和十二月底。 • n. special part of a town地区;居民区 • In what quarter of the town is the school situated?这个学校在这个城市的哪个区域?

  26. n. quarters (pl.): place where you live or sleep住处;营房 • The captain sent the soldiers back to their quarters.上尉让他的士兵回营房去。 • n. one of the four points of the compass, a direction罗盘针四方位基点之一;方向 • From which quarter is the wind blowing?风从那个方向吹来? • They arrived from every quarter (all quarters)... from all directions.他们来自四面八方。 • vt. divide into four parts or quarters四等分· • Quarter a cake,please.请将蛋糕分成四等分。 • vt. provide quarters or lodgings for soldiers使士兵驻扎;使住宿 • Quarter troops on the village.使军队驻于村庄。

  27. 14.renounce • vt. agree to give up ownership or possession of (sth), esp formally(正式) 放弃,弃权; 宣誓抛弃 [断绝 (关系) ] ; 戒绝,舍弃,弃绝<习惯等> • Japan has renounced war.日本已放弃了战争。 • He renounced his rights to the inheritance.他放弃了财产继承权。 ~ sb/sth (for sth): reject or stop following renounce terrorism/drugs唾弃恐怖主义/毒品 renounce a treaty/ an agreement废弃条约、协定 renounce one’s earlier ideals背弃原先的理想 • vt. refuse to associate with断绝与…的关系 • renounce friendship绝交 • He was renounced by his father.他父亲与他断绝了关系。 • n. renouncement

  28. 15.segregate • ~ sb/ sth (from sb/sth) 1. put sb/sth in a place away from the rest; isolate将(某人/事物)隔离,分开 • e.g. segregate cholera patients 把霍乱病人隔离开 • 2. separate (esp a racial or religious group) from the rest of the community and treat them unfairly将(尤指某种族或宗教团体)与社区其他人隔开并作不公平对待 • e.g. Why should the handicapped be segregated from the able-bodied?为什么要把伤残人和身体健康的人分开?

  29. 16. suspend • V. 1. ~ sth (from sth) (fml) hang sth up • lamp suspended from the ceiling above us • A balloon suspended above the crowd悬浮在人群上方的气球 • 2. (a)prevent(sth) from being in effect for a time;stop(sth) temporarily暂不实行,使暂停 • suspend a rule 暂不实行一项规定 • (b) postpone; delay推迟,延缓 • suspend judgement暂不决断 • 3. ~ sb from sth勒令某人暂时停职 • The policeman was suspended while the complaint was being investigated. • She was suspended from school for stealing. • 她因有偷窃行为遭勒令停学处分。

  30. Ⅳ. General understanding of the text Plot of the story • a well-educated black finds himself cordially invited to split a bottle with a white man in the passage of the latter’s apartment building. Setting of the story • social setting Apartheid South Africa in 1960 • story setting in the passage Protagonists • “I”—the black sculptor • van Rensburg—a young white man

  31. Ⅳ. General understanding of the text • Theme of the story • The story tells us how racial prejudice can prevent us reaching, touching and connecting with each other. This invisible wall exists between the white and the black and hampers their free communication and full understanding. It is not just a wall imposed by apartheid laws, but a wall deeply rooted in their hearts.

  32. Ⅳ. General understanding of the text Structure • The text can be divided into twp parts: • Part I (paras.1-6): Against what background and from whom the story comes. • It serves as an introduction or prologue to the story from the perspective of the author. It tells us the time(1960s), place (Apartheid South Africa), main character ( Adward Simelane), event (Adward Simelane won the prize, but somehow refuse to get the prize personally, and what he feels about the drink). • Part II(Paras.7-76): How the story goes. • It is narrated from the perspective of Adward Simelane in the first person about his experience and feeling of being invited to a white man’s house and drinking in the latter’s passage. Both Adward Simelane and van Rensburg realized there was something invisible that hampers their communication.

  33. ⅤDetailed study of the Text 1. Questions for Comprehension • (1)What did the author mean when he said that the sculpture touched the conscience of white South Africa? • (2)How come that such an important honor was given to a black sculptor in a country of notorious racial prejudice? • (3)What would happened if Simelane had attended the ceremony personally to accept the prize? • (4)When Simelane said, “I wasn’t feeling up to it.”, did it mean that Simelane was physically unable to attend the ceremony? • (5)How do you understand Simelane’s talk about the cognac he was drinking with the author?

  34. ⅤDetailed study of the Text • 1) In the year 1960 the Union of South Africa celebrated its Golden Jubilee, and there was a nationwide sensation when the one-thousand-pound prize for the finest piece of sculpture was won by a black man, Edward Simelane. • In the year 1960, the Union of South Africa celebrated its fiftieth anniversary, and there was a great excitement throughout the country when people heard that the prize for the finest piece of sculpture was won by a black man. • Golden Jubilee: Jubilee is the celebration of a special anniversary: silver jubilee ( 25th anniversary ); golden jubilee ( 50th anniversary ) and diamond jubilee ( 60th or 75th anniversary). • nationwide: throughout the nation • Note that “-wide”is an adjective or adverb suffix meaning throughout, e.g. • worldwide; communitywide; schoolwide • Synonyms: wide; ample; broad ;expansive; extensive; roomy; spacious; • a sensation: intense public interest and excitement: e.g. • His speech produced a great sensation in the audience.

  35. compare: sensational; sensitive; sensory; sensual; sentimental; sensuous • 骇人听闻的罪行a sensational crime • 巨大的胜利a sensational victory • 肉体上的快乐sensual pleasures • 一幅引起美感的绘画a sensuous painting • 感觉神经系(统)sensory nervous system • 多愁善感的姑娘a sentimental girl

  36. 2)His work, African Mother and Child, not only excited the admiration, but touched conscience or heart or whatever it was that responded, of White South Africa. • His sculpture, African Mother and Child, not only won the admiration of the white people for its artistic merit, but also touched and moved their hearts and conscience because the work made them see the injustice of racial discrimination and black people’s yearning for a better life for their children. • excite 【ex ( out ) + cite ( to call, to urge) 】:To call forth (a reaction or emotion, for example); elicit • e.g. odd noises that excited our curiosity. • Note: excite; incite( in-=in); recite( re-=again); recital; cite; citation, etc • excite the admiration引起赞慕 • touch conscience触动良心

  37. 3)It was by an oversight that his work was accepted… • It was by careless mistake that his work was accepted, because as a black person, he was not supposed to participate the competition. • oversight: An unintentional omission or mistake. e.g. • 1.The oversight is not imputable to the person on the night shift.这个疏忽不能怪值夜班的人。 • 2.Even an oversight in the design might issue in heavy losses.设计中那怕是一点点疏忽也可能造成重大的损失。 • 3."By an oversight, I forgot to post your letter."我偶尔疏忽忘了把你的信寄出去。

  38. Compare: error; negligence; omission; slip; oversight; mistake • error mistake oversight These nouns refer to what is not in accord with truth, accuracy, or propriety. • error indicates departure from the correct path; it often implies deviation from what is morally or ethically right or proper: • mistake often implies misunderstanding or misinterpretation and is usually weaker than error in imputing blame or censure: • oversight refers to an inadvertent omission or error that results from inattention. e.g.Through a regrettable oversight I failed to send you an invitation. • negligence an accident out of negligence责任事故 e.g. negligence of dress不修边幅 Negligence was the cause of the child's illness.

  39. 4) for it was the policy of the government that all the celebrations and competitions should be strictly segregated. • segregate v.tr.1To separate or isolate from others or from a main body or group. • 2To impose the separation of (a race or class) from the rest of society. • e.g. segregate boys and [from] girls • segregate people with infectious diseases • The doctor segregated the child sick with scarlet fever. • gregat=to collect gregarious adj. 群居的;合群的 aggregate v. 合计;集合(ag-=ad-=to) • congregate v. 集合;聚集(集聚在一起)《con-=together》 • segregate v. 隔离;分离(离开群体)《se-=apart》 • egregious adj. 非常的;太过的(离开群体)《e-=ex-=out》

  40. Synonyms: isolate; insulate; seclude; segregate; sequester • The central meaning shared by these verbs is to separate from others. • a mountain village that is isolated from all other communities与所有其它的聚居区都隔断的山村; • trying to insulate(To cause to be in a detached or isolated position) herself from the chaos surrounding her; 竭力把她自己与周围的混乱隔开; • a famous actor who was secluded(To set or keep apart, as from social contact with others) from public scrutiny; 不受公众审查的名演员; • characteristics that segregate leaders from followers; 使领袖与其追随者区分开的特点; • sequestering (To remove or set apart; segregate)a jury during its deliberations.在陪审团审议时将其隔离

  41. 5)The committee of the sculpture section received a private reprimand for having been so careless as to omit the words “for whites only”from the conditions… • a private reprimand: a private criticism; a criticism that is not made public • reprimand: a sharp, angry and official rebuke(criticism) • Compare: reprimand; reprove(To voice or convey disapproval of; rebuke); rebuke(To criticize or reprove sharply; reprimand. ); admonish(To reprove gently but earnestly. ) • so careless as to omit the words“for whites only”from the conditions: so careless that they forgot to put the words “for whites only”in the conditions for entering the competition

  42. 6)a very high personage a high-ranking official; an important person • personage: a person of distinction compare: person, personage; personnel; personality • personnel department人事处[科] • public personages社会贤达 • He is fast becoming a personage.他很快成为名人。 • won the election more on personality than on capability.以人品而非能力赢得了竞选

  43. 7)“was indisputably the best” • indisputably: Beyond dispute or doubt; undeniably:无可争辩或不容置疑的;不可否认的:indisputable evidence.无可争辩的证据 • indisputably:【in(not)+dis(apart)+put(think)+able(adj.)+(l)y(adv.)】 • pute=to think • more examples: compute计算,估计(和数字一起考虑)(com-=together) • depute委托(某人)为代理(把想法置于其下---委任于人)(de-=down) • dispute争论;辩论;反抗(改变其想法)《dis-=apart》 • impute归(咎)于(认为是~的错)《im-=in》 • putative推定的;假定的;想象的 • repute认为;视为;n. 声望;名誉(再思考)《re-=again》

  44. 8)…but in certain powerful quarters, there was an outcry against any departure from the “traditional policies”of the country… • …but in certain politically influential circles, there was a strong protest against this decision as it was not in conformity with the traditional, apartheid policies of the country… • quarters: a usually unspecified group of people • information from the highest quarters.来自高层的信息 • certain powerful quarters: 某些大人物们 • outcry: a strong protest or objection • public outcry over the rise in prices. compare: decry(To condemn openly.) • departure from: a divergence from a rule or traditional practice • “traditional policies”: They refer to the racist policies which had been in effect for many years.

  45. 9) …and a threat that many white prize-winners would renounce their prizes. • note: prize-winner; man-eater; gold-winner; record-holder; • renounce: To give up (a title, for example), especially by formal announcement. • See: relinquish • nounce, nunci=to report • announce《an-=ad-=to》denounce公开指责;当众责骂(报以强硬的姿态)(de-=down ,fully); pronounce; enunciate发音;宣布;发表《e-=ex-=out》

  46. 10) However, a crisis was averted, because the sculptor was “unfortunately unable to attend the ceremony”. • A crisis was avoided because to the relief of the authorities Simelane apologized that he would not be able to attend the ceremony personally to receive the prize. • Notice that what is given here in quotes is the official announcement which was probably not true, and everybody knew it. • avert: turn away; prevent【a-=abs-=away】 • averse:厌恶的;反对的;不愿意的(回避的态度)aversion • controvert否认;反驳;辩论(面向反面)【contro-=contra-=against】 • adverse; advert; anniversary【anni-=year】versatile

  47. 11) “I wasn’t feeling up to it,”Simelane said mischievously to me. “My parents, and my wife’s parents, and our priest, decided that I wasn’t feeling up to it. And finally I decided so too.” • When Simelane said mischievously to the author that he wasn’t feeling up to it, he meant that he was going to pretend that he was sick and therefore he could not go to the ceremony, and he knew that the author would understand that it was only an excuse. The meaning became even clearer when he went on to say that his parents and others “decided”that he wasn’t feeling up to it. When they really meant of course was that he should not go to the ceremony as it was too risky.

  48. 12) “boys, I’m a sculptor, not a demonstrator.” • Majosi and Sola and the others were obviously well-known anti-apartheid activists. They wanted him to go to the ceremony for political reasons. But his response was that he was only a sculptor and he was not interested in politics. He did not want to make it a political issue. • boys: my friends

  49. 13) “This cognac is wonderful,” he said, “especially in these big glasses. It’s the first time I’ve had such a glass. it’s also the first time I’ve drunk a brandy so slowly.” • Brandy is an expensive drink that was usually consumed by well-to-do white folks in Apartheid South Africa who would use a brandy glass and sip slowly. When a black person like Simelane ever got a chance to drink brandy, he would usually use a small glass and drink it quickly for fear that he might be seen and arrested by the police for breaking the law. A brandy glass is a large one with a wide bowl and narrower top. It is this shape so that the drinker can appreciate the aroma of brandy.

  50. 14) “In Orlando you develop a throat of iron, and you just put back your head and put it down, in case the police should arrive.” • When black folks in Orlando drank brandy, frequently they had to put back their head and drink it up in one gulp in order to avoid police detection, and because brandy is a very strong drink, you gradually develop a very strong throat—like a throat of iron. • Notice that according to apartheid laws, blacks could not remain in the big cities after a certain hour at night. Orlando must be a small town where blacks live.

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