Evelyn Herald

1. Unit One Fresh Start Evelyn Herald

2. Freshmen VS Seniors Walking across campus, it's easy to pick out a freshman from a senior. No offense, freshmen, but you kind of stick out like sore thumbs… Let’s have a mini test to see whether you are from a freshman to a senior! Ready? Go!

3. Are you an active participants of various student associations on campus? yes no

4. Do you always count days to go home? only become homesick occasionally?

5. Do you know which canteen sells best pork? always find the canteen dishes awful?

6. Do you prefer to sit in the front rows of the classroom? would rather sit at the back?

7. You read syllabus carefully in order to find out what classes you can cut. find out what classes you need to attend.

8. Do you memorize the course materials to get a good grade? memorize the professor’s habits to get a good grade?

9. If you see a dead fly in your dinner, what would you do? pour the dish and feel sick for the whole evening? take the fly out and go on to eat?!!!

10. Just Kidding University is full of knowledge; the freshmen bring a little in and the seniors take none away, and knowledge accumulates

11. If life were a piece of colorful drawing, college life would be one of the brightest colors. If life were a meaningful poem, college life would be one of the most beautiful words. College life is an especially important period of time.

12. What is university life like in your imagination? How about real live life now? Do you remember your first days at college? Did anything special happen then? Are you afraid of making mistakes that cause embarrassment? Tell us some of your experience. I Pre-readingQuestions

13. College life

14. College life

15. classroom

17. cafeteria

18. Basketball match Star player

19. Background information (1) • About the text and the author • The text, written by Evelyn Herald (contemporary), appeared in Nutshell magazine in 1989.

20. Background information (2) • Nutshell Magazine: Nutshell is a project, a brainchild①, a repository② of imponderables③. In fact, as a wise man said, it's “An Anthology④ of Miscellany⑤”. ①an original idea or plan attributed to a person or group ②智囊团, 知识库 ③that cannot undergo precise evaluation ④a collection/ an assortment of literary pieces ⑤a collection of various literary works

21. It’s a special connection between the internet and the feverish imaginations that act as a medium between this waking world and the land where little creatures run about waiting to be caught and labeled ‘Creative Ideas’.

22. Background information (3) Nutshell Magazine ,actually, is a monthly, web-based magazine with an email newsletter① component. Interested people sign up for the newsletter and thus they get a digest of the current month's content mailed to them. The newsletter contains short, interesting stories while the website contains greater detail for you to dive into. ①时事通讯

23. Background information (4) • The American Higher Education refers to American education on the college level. It includes four categories of institutions. They are: the university, the college (the four-year undergraduate institution), the technical training institution and the two-year community college. Some are supported by public funds and some by private funds. Many students work to pay for their college expenses.

24. A Bachelor’s degree is earned after a minimum of four years of post-secondary study (sixteen years of education). Earning a U.S. Master’s degree requires approximately two years of study beyond the Bachelor’s degree. Doctoral programs generally require from two to five years of study beyond the Master’s degree.

25. Education system in UK

26. Higher Education • Higher Education: Post-18 years Education, • Distinguished from ‘Further Education’ • University education at Degree level • Approximately 1.5m Full-time and part-time students

27. Access to Higher Education • Normal requirement for UK students • Three passes at A-level • A-level: Advanced level General Certificate of Education • Number and level varies by institution and programme of study

28. In this autobiographical essay, Evelyn Herald recounts her embarrassing moments during her first days of college. With a chronologically balanced pattern of narration, the author focuses on three incidents– sitting in the wrong class, falling down in the cafeteria and witnessing the upper-class football player having the same experience. Coupling narration with description, she gives us a detailed account of the process, the after-effect and the significant insight into herself. II Text Analysis

29. Global Reading - Structural analysis This text is a piece of narrative writing, in which the author tells about her experience during the first year at university, which at first seems to be very awkward but turns out to be on the right track at last.

30. In the text, three incidents are narrated by the author: Structural analysis the first is about her going into the wrong classroom; the second is about her falling down in the cafeteria; the last is about her witnessing the same embarrassing fall happening to someone admired by her. Despite the differences between these three incidents, they actually revolve around one theme: The growth of the author, who is able to draw lessons from the mistakes she has made and finally succeeds in adjusting herself to the college life.

31. Text Structure Para 1 Introductory paragraph Para 2-9 The author recalls a few incidents during her first days of college. Para 10-14 Concluding part Structure of the text (1)

32. What does “first-gradish” mean? Why did the author have the impression that “ everyone on campus was watching me”? What was her plan? Comprehension of the textPart 1

33. The fact was that … I was feeling just a bit first-gradish. The suffix –ish: 1. Of, relating to, or being (the people or language of a particular country or place): Swedish, English 2. Characteristic of; typical of or like a particular type of person: girlish. 3. Having the usually undesirable qualities of(usu. disapproving): childish, snobbish, foolish, bookish 4. Approximately; somewhat: greenish, reddish hair, youngish 5. Tending toward; preoccupied with: selfish.

34. Q1: Foolish, childish, bookish First-gradish: having the qualities and characteristics of a first-grade student. The first-gradish feeling is a mixture of helpless, disorientation, self-consciousness, and a lack of confidence.

35. Q2:The author, being over-sensitive. Was uneasy with her identity as a freshman. She thought a new student would attract others’ attention, as what she did or said was liable to be too naïve to be right

36. Q3： She planned to act her way through college and hoped not to make mistakes.

37. I first began to wonder what I was doing on a college campus anyway when my parents drove off, leaving me standing pitifully in a parking lot, wanting nothing more than to find my way safely to my dorm room. • Anyway: in spite of everything; in any case; anyhow • 无论如何，总之 • It doesn’t make much difference because we’re going to be late anyway. 2.Drive off: drive sb. off in a car 驾车把某人送走 The president drove off amid general shouts of joy. 3.Nothing more than: only It is nothing more than a made-up story

38. Distress: noun [U] a feeling of great worry or unhappiness; great suffering: The newspaper article caused the actor considerable distress. ◆ She was obviously in distress after the attack. verb [VN] to make sb feel very worried or unhappy: It was clear that the letter had deeply distressed her. ◆ Don't distress yourself (= don't worry).

39. distinct a. clearly seen, heard, felt, understood, etc.; noticeable Detailed reading1– distinct1 e.g. Now that the boss was no longer present, there was a distinct change in her attitude. The children have distinct memories of their grandfather in his last days. Comparison: distinct & distinctive distinct: Something that isdistinct can clearly be seen, heard, smelled, etc. e.g. There is a distinct smell of beer in this room. distinctive:A thing or quality that is clearly different from others of its kind is distinctive or distinct from. . e.g. Beer has a very distinctive smell; it’s quite distinct from the smell of wine.

40. Pa2-5 Qs Q1:Why did the author exclaim “ what confidence, what reserve, what muscles!” when she saw the football player? A1: College life was a new experience to the author. Her marvel at the real football player showed her excitement about her new life. Also, this foreshadows the later development of the essay. Part 2

41. Q2: Why is the word “ marched” used in the first sentence of pa 3? The author did not want others to notice that she was a freshman. With enough preparation the previous day, she was sure she could find the right room without asking the way or checking the map. The word “ march” is used to show her pretence of confidence.

42. Q3：Why did a cold sweat break out on the back of her neck? She found she was in the wrong class. She was supposed to attend the course of American literature, but she was sitting in the biology class by mistake.

43. Q4: Why did she remain in the wrong room? She didn’t want others to notice her ignorance.

44. Q5: How many questions are used in pa3 and pa5? Why does the author raised these questions? A5: Four questions are used here. Being a freshman, she was not familiar with life in college. She was at a loss(puzzled) as to what to do when something unexpected happened, These questions are used to show her bewilderment.

45. Square: If you square yourself, or square your shoulders, you make your back and shoulders straight (stand straight and push your shoulders back) to show you are ready or determined to do sth: Bruno squared himself to face the waiting journalists. In the direction: towards: Tom went off in the direction of the post office. • With that thought in mind, I raised my head, squared my shoulders, and set out in the direction of my dorm, glancing (and then everso discreetly) at the campus map clutched in my hand,… • Ever: You use ever in the expressions ever such and ever so to emphasize that someone or something has a particular quality, especially when you are expressing enthusiasm or gratitude. • E.g. I’m ever so grateful. /This is in ever such good condition. • Usually collocating with “so” and “such”

46. I raised my head, squared my shoulders, and set out in the direction of my dorm. • square: to set straight or at approximate right angles. 使方正，使平正，挺直 • He squared a picture on the wall. • The soldier squared his cap and went out. • 2. set out • a: to begin a journey • All villagers have set out looking for the missing child. • b: to explain (facts, reasons, etc) in order,esp. in writing • The reasons for my decision are set out in my report,

47. Clutch: to hold or grasp tightly; to try to grasp or seize. Eg: The frightened woman ~ed her bags to her breast. He ~ed at the rope we had thrown to him but could not reach it.

48. Clutch bags

49. How do you analyze this sentence? It took everything I had not to stare when I caught my first glimpse of a real live college football player. It / took / everything I had /not to stare /when I caught my first glimpse of a real live college football player.

50. It took everything I had not to stare when I caught my first glimpse of a real live college football player. 1. “It took everything I had not to stare” means it was too hard for the author (a freshman of college, esp. as a girl) or even beyond her not to stare. Or means “can’t help looking at the player adoringly” 2. glimpse: to have a quick incomplete view of I glimpsed her among the crowd just before she disappeared from sight. 3. football: not soccer in U.S., it is similar to rugby