Unit 4: Text A

1. 21st Century College English: Book 1 Unit 4: Text A The Washwoman

2. Unit 4: Text A • Lead-in Activities • Text Organization • Reading & Writing Skills • Language Points • Guided Practice • Assignment

3. Lead-in Activities Questions for Discussion • Do your grandparents live with your parents? • What’s the possible advantages and disadvantages of elders living together with their children’s families? • Think of a person you know who continues to work hard in his / her old age. Describe this person to others. What is he / she like? What does he / she do? Why do you think he / she still work?

4. Para. 1-4 Para. 5 Para. 6-14 Text Organization The Structure of Text A Washwoman and her job Mother and son Sense of responsibility

5. This part introduces the washwoman to readers by giving a brief description of her and shows readers the difference between her and other Jewish women at her Text Organization I. Washwoman and her job

6. From this paragraph, we can see how the washwoman was treated by his rich son and how kind, caring and loving she was to her son as a mother. Text Organization II. Mother and son

7. Some episodes briefly but accurately tells readers how responsible the washwoman was although her health was declining as time passed by. Text Organization III. Sense of responsibility

8. Reading & Writing Skills 1) Reading skill learning: Ss learn to get the needed information such as physical appearance by skimming the descriptive words and understand and generalize a person's personalities and qualities through some stores and life episodes 2) Writing skill learning Ss learn to write about a person by giving a description of what he or she looks like and telling some stories that shows what kind person he or she is.

9. Intensive Study The Washwoman by Isaac Bashevis Singer 1She was a small woman, old and wrinkled. When she started washing for us, she was already past seventy. Most Jewish women of her age were sickly and weak. All the old women in our street had bent backs and leaned on sticks when they walked. But this washwoman, small and thin as she was, possessed a strength that came from generations of peasant forebears. Mother would count out to her a bundle of laundry that had accumulated over several weeks. She would then lift the bundle, put it on her narrow shoulders, and carry it the long way home.

10. Intensive Study 2She would bring the laundry back about two weeks later. My mother had never been so pleased with any washwoman. Yet she charged no more than the others. She was a real find. Mother always had her money ready, because it was too far for the old woman to come a second time.

11. Intensive Study 3Laundering was not easy in those days. The old woman had no running water where she lived but had to bring in the water from a pump. And the drying! It could not be done outside because thieves would steal the laundry. So it had to be carried up to the attic and hung on clotheslines. Only God knows what the old woman had to endure each time she did a wash!

12. Intensive Study 4She could have begged at the church door or entered a home for the penniless and aged. But there was in her a certain pride and love of labor with which many members of the labor force have been blessed. The old woman did not want to become a burden, and so she bore her burden.

13. Intensive Study 5The woman had a son who was rich. He was ashamed of his mother, and never came to see her. Nor did he ever give her money. The old woman told this without bitterness. When the son got married, the wedding took place in a church. The son had not invited the old mother to his wedding, but she went to the church anyway and waited at the steps to see her son lead the bride to the altar.

14. Intensive Study 6One day the washwoman, now nearly eighty years old, came to our house. A good deal of laundry had accumulated during the past weeks. Mother gave her a pot of tea to warm herself, as well as some bread. The old woman sat on a kitchen chair trembling and shaking, and warmed her hands against the teapot. Her fingernails were strangely white. These hands spoke of the stubbornness of mankind, of the will to work not only as one’s strength permits but beyond the limits of one’s power. It was sad to watch the old woman stagger out with the big bundle and disappear.

15. Intensive Study 7Usually the woman brought back the wash after two or, at the most, three weeks. But three weeks passed, then four and five, and nothing was heard of the old woman. 8 For us the washwoman’s absence was a catastrophe. We needed the laundry. We did not even know the woman’s address. It seemed certain that she had collapsed, died. Mother declared she had had a premonition that we would never see our things again. We mourned, both for the laundry and for the old woman who had grown close to us through the years she had served us so faithfully.

16. Intensive Study 9More than two months passed. One evening, while Mother was sitting near the lamp mending a shirt, the door opened and a small puff of steam, followed by a huge bundle, entered. Under the bundle tottered the old woman, her face as white as a linen sheet. Mother uttered a half-choked cry, as though a corpse had entered the room. I ran toward the old woman and helped her unload her bundle. She was even thinner now, more bent. She could not utter a clear word, but mumbled something with her sunken mouth and pale lips.

17. Intensive Study 10After the old woman had recovered somewhat, she told us that she had been ill, very ill. In fact, she had been so sick that someone had called a doctor, and the doctor had sent for a priest. Someone had informed the son, and he had contributed money for a coffin. But God had not yet wanted to take this poor soul to Himself. She began to feel better, she became well, and as soon as she was able to stand on her feet once more, she resumed her washing. Not just ours, but the wash of several other families too.

18. Intensive Study 11“I could not rest easy in my bed because of the wash,” the old woman explained. “The wash would not let me die.” 12 “With the help of God you will live to be a hundred and twenty,” said my mother.

19. Intensive Study 13“God forbid! What good would such a long life be? The work becomes harder and harder … my strength is leaving me … I do not want to be a burden on any one!” The old woman muttered, crossed herself, and raised her eyes toward heaven. After getting paid, she left, promising to return in a few weeks for a new load of wash.

20. Intensive Study 14But she never came back. The wash she had returned was her last effort on this earth. She had been driven by a strong will to return the property to its owners, to fulfill the task she had undertaken.

21. Isaac Bashevis Singer Isaac Bashevis Singer (1904- 1991) was an American short-story writer and novelist who wrote in Yiddish. Born in Poland, he came to the USA in 1935. He became a journalist at the New York Jewish Daily Forward, which also published his fiction. Singer is most famous for his short stories, which deal most with the heritage, faith, and daily lives of Polish Jews, particularly in the Warsaw Ghetto (犹太人区). He was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1978. Text-related information

22. Key words, phrases & usages small and thin as she was — although this washwoman was small and thin Translate 尽管他很强壮，他还是不能把那块石头举起来。 • e.g. • Young as he is, he knows some family secrets. • Much as I like you, I don’t want to marry you. Key Strong as he is, he can not lift that stone. More to learn

23. Key words, phrases & usages as Usage:In formal style, as can be used to introduce a clause, with a special word order, to mean “although”, and the construction suggests a very emphatic contrast. • e.g. • Black and blind and poor as Stevie was, he had a happy childhood. • Tall as he was, he was by no means a good basketball player.

24. Key words, phrases & usages find n. — someone or something good or valuable that is found Paraphrase She was a real find. — We were lucky to have found such an unusually good washwoman. • e.g. • This actor was the theatrical find of the year. • This rare edition of Dreams in the Red Mansions was a great find I made in an old bookstore.

25. Comprehension Exercises Paraphrase — And to think that she also had to dry the clothes, which was no easy job for her either. Translate into Chinese: And the drying! 还有晾衣服的活儿！

26. Key words, phrases & usages Only God knows — it’s impossible to say… • e.g. • God knows where they have gone! • The rain will stop God knows when. Translate 只有上帝知道她这些年是怎么过的。 Key Only God knows how she spent all these years.

27. Key words, phrases & usages … could have done something Usage:This pattern usually expresses regret, dissatisfaction, or reproach on the part of the speaker for something that the subject was unable or neglected to do. • e.g. • We could have paid more attention to the pollution from cars earlier. • You could have finished this assignment during the weekend.

28. Key words, phrases & usages be blessed with — be lucky enough to have • e.g. • He is blessed with a good ear for language; he speaks the three fluently. Translate 我的胃口很好，可是视力却不行。 Key I have always been blessed with a good appetite, but not with a good sight.

29. Key words, phrases & usages speak of — give proof or evidence of • e.g. • The woman never mentioned the tragic death of her child, but her eyes spoke of suffering. • Everything in the room speaks of the graceful taste of its owner. Paraphrase These hands spoke of the stubbornness of mankind, of the will to work not only as one’s strength permits but beyond the limits of one’s power. — The trembling hands of the washwoman showed one aspect of human nature, that is, the determination to work even beyond what one should be physically capable of.

30. Key words, phrases & usages rest v. — (used as a link verb in this context) be; remain Translate 我们永远不要因自己所取得的成绩而自满。 • e.g. • You can rest assured that nothing of this nature will happen again. • It is 11 a.m. now. How can you rest easy in your bed? Key Never shall we rest easy with the honors we have won.

31. Comprehension Exercises God forbid! — may it never happen (expressing the hope that something will not happen) Usage: the expression is used alone as an answer to a question, a suggestion, etc. Translate into Chinese: God forbid! 但愿上帝别这样！

32. Key words, phrases & usages What good …/ What’s the good of …? — What is the use or purpose of (something or doing something) • e.g. • What good will it do to fuss over such a small thing? • What’s the good of doing it again and making the same mistakes?

33. Key words, phrases & usages drive v. — push something with force; motivate • e.g. • The play Othello is about how a man driven by suspicion and jealousy kills his innocent wife. • He was driven to steal by extreme hunger.

34. Guided Practice • Vocabulary • Translation • Structure Writing

35. Vocabulary 《读写教程 I》:Ex. IV, p. 98

36. Vocabulary IV. Fill in the blanks with the words given below. Change the form where necessary. possess utter mourn collapse property somewhat inform tremble wrinkled endure recover drive stagger contribute accumulate fulfill 1. If you undertake this task, you must be ready to _____ hardship. endure 2. While Mr. Johnson was away on vacation, a lot of letters _____ on his desk. accumulated

37. Vocabulary IV. Fill in the blanks with the words given below. Change the form where necessary. possess utter mourn collapse property somewhat inform tremble wrinkled endure recover drive stagger contribute accumulate fulfill 3. I was _____ disappointed with the meal. It was not bad, but not as good as I had expected it to be. somewhat 4. Part of a police officer’s job is to protect public _____. property

38. Vocabulary IV. Fill in the blanks with the words given below. Change the form where necessary. possess utter mourn collapse property somewhat inform tremble wrinkled endure recover drive stagger contribute accumulate fulfill 5. Have you _____ your parents of your plan for the winter vacation? informed 6. The woman was forty, but looked fifty. Her cheeks were sunken and her skin was _____ and yellow. wrinkled

39. Vocabulary IV. Fill in the blanks with the words given below. Change the form where necessary. possess utter mourn collapse property somewhat inform tremble wrinkled endure recover drive stagger contribute accumulate fulfill 7. Nearly _____ under the pain, the wounded soldier staggered across the road. collapsing 8. Al the theaters and cinemas were closed, as a sign of _____ for the dead president. mourning

40. Vocabulary IV. Fill in the blanks with the words given below. Change the form where necessary. possess utter mourn collapse property somewhat inform tremble wrinkled endure recover drive stagger contribute accumulate fulfill 9. His classmates have _____ a total of 12,400 yuan for the student who had a major operation last week. contributed 10. With a history of over 100 years, the little town _____ a unique glamour (魅力). possesses

41. Vocabulary IV. Fill in the blanks with the words given below. Change the form where necessary. possess utter mourn collapse property somewhat inform tremble wrinkled endure recover drive stagger contribute accumulate fulfill 11. Now that he is quite _____ from his illness, he has decided to resume his college education this fall. recovered 12. Mary’s voice _____ with anger as she told us about her husband’s shamelessness. trembled

42. Vocabulary IV. Fill in the blanks with the words given below. Change the form where necessary. possess utter mourn collapse property somewhat inform tremble wrinkled endure recover drive stagger contribute accumulate fulfill 13. To _____ his dream of becoming a professional athlete, Tom kept training for three years. fulfill 14. Though Dr. Brown was exhausted, a sense of responsibility _____ him back to the hospital to see if his patients were all right. drove

43. Vocabulary IV. Fill in the blanks with the words given below. Change the form where necessary. possess utter mourn collapse property somewhat inform tremble wrinkled endure recover drive stagger contribute accumulate fulfill 15. She happened to look out of the kitchen window and saw a man _____ around like a drunk. stagger 16. The wounded soldier _____ a cry of pain as the nurse tried to clean and bandage his wound. uttered

44. Translation 《读写教程 I》:Ex. XIII, p. 104

45. Translation 1. 虽然祖母体弱多病，她却承担起了家里的所有家务。 as sickly and weakly has taken on Sickly and weak as Grandma is, she has taken on all the housework in the family.

46. Translation 2. 唱片公司从未对任何歌手这样满意过。对他们来说, 史蒂威 ·旺达 确实是个难得的人才。 be pleased with a real find The recording company had never been so pleased with any singer. For them, Stevie Wonder was a real find.

47. Translation 3. 他们住的地方没有自来水，也没有煤气和电这类生活上的便利设备。 nor conveniences of life They had no running water where they lived. Nor did they have any conveniences of life such as gas and electricity.

48. Translation 4. 六年过去了，接着七年、八年过去了， 那位法国艺术家仍杳无音信。 看来他肯定已离开这个国家去了唯有上帝知道的什么地方。 nothing was heard of only God knows where Six years passed, then seven and eight, and nothing was heard of that French artist. It seemed certain that he had left the country for only God knows where.

49. Translation 5. 那年夏天他病得很厉害，但秋天他刚感到好些了，便又重新开始写作，并在两个月内完成了他的最后一部小说。 feel better resumed his writing He was very ill that summer, but as soon as he felt better in the fall, he resumed his writing and finished his last novel in two months.

50. Translation 6. 在坚强意志的推动下，亚历克斯终于完成了他所承担的任务。 driven by fulfilled the task Driven by a strong will, Alex finally fulfilled the task he had undertaken.