Unit 6 The Last Leaf

1. Unit 6The Last Leaf GO Quit

2. Intensive Reading Text Organization and Genre Language Focus BACK Practice in : match work; Appreciation & Extension

3. Text Organization and Genre • Scenes in the story • A story is composed of scenes. Normally a change of character indicates a change in scene. In each scene there are different characters who interact with each other. So accordingly the article “The Last Leaf” is divided into seven scenes. BACK

4. Scenes Paragraphs Characters Event • 1 Paras 1-2 Sue, Johnsy Johnsy caught pneumonia • 2 Paras 3-8 Doctor, Sue The doctor told Sue that Johnsy needed a strong will to live on. • 3 Paras 9-17 Johnsy, Sue Johnsy decided that she would die when the last ivy leaf fell • 4 Paras 18-21 Behrman, Sue Sue told Behrman about Johnsy’s fancy. • 5 Paras 22-33 Sue, Johnsy As Johnsy was encouraged by the last leaf that wouldn’t give in to the weather, her will to live returned. • 6 Paras 34-37 Doctor, Sue The doctor told Sue that Johnsy would recover, but Behrman caught pneumonia himself and his case was hopeless. • 7 Paras 38-39 Sue, Johnsy Sue told Johnsy that Behrman had performeda kind deed without any thought of himself. BACK

5. The story is, as indicated by its title, built around the last leaf. In other words, the last ivy leaf is the main thread that runs through the whole story. And if we look closely enough, we can find some other “threads” as well: a.The doctor’three time visit to the patient • b. the soup • c. Johnsy’s wish to paint the Bay of Naples • d. Behrman’s wish to paint his masterpiece • . Being aware of this feature, we may find it easier to understand the organization of the text. BACK

6. Language Focus and Special Difficulties • 1.studio:n. a room where a painter, photographer, or designer works • e.g. She was in her studio, painting on a large canvas. • b. a room where radio or television programs are recorded, CDs are produced, or films are made • e.g. She’s happier performing live than in a recording studio. • c. a film-making or recording companies BACK

7. e.g. She wrote to Paramount Studio and asked if they would audition her. • d. a small flat • e.g. I live with my sister in a studio flat. • 2. in tune: harmoniously (often followed by with; the opposite: out of tune) • e.g. His ideas are in tune with the times. • The price of gold coins fluctuates in tune with that of commodities. • Her character is quite out of tune with her beautiful looks. • b. at the right musical level • e.g.1)He was not singing in tune. • 2)The piano is out of tune. BACK

8. 3.joint:adj. shared by or belonging to two or more people e.g. She and Frank have never got around to opening a joint account. To attract foreign capital, China issued new economic regulations giving preferential treatment to joint ventures. n. a. part of your body such as knee where two bones meet and are able to move together e.g. My joints ache if I play sports. Collocation: out of joint 脱臼

9. Stalk: (of an evil force) move through (a place) in a threatening way; move quietly and cautiously in order to get near e.g. When night falls, danger stalks the streets of the city. Polar bears prefer to hunt seals on land or ice but may stalk them from under water. The criminal stalked his victims like a hunter after a deer. BACK

10. here and there: in various places e.g. During the summer vacation he will do a bit of teaching here and there. Toys were scattered here and there on the floor. 翻译:这地区土地贫瘠, 只是间或有一小块肥沃的地方.

11. scarcely: not quite; almost not e.g. I can scarcely remember when I last ate home-baked bread. The couple has scarcely participated in any social activities since the baby was born.

12. subtract: take (a number, quantity) away from e.g. When total taxes are subtracted from personal income, the remainder is called disposable income.

13. merry: happy; cheerful; bright and gay e.g. From the other room, we could hear the merry sound of laughter and glasses clinking.

14. backward: with the back or end first e.g. The helicopter could travel forward, backward, or sideways. Radar tests indicated Venus was actually rotating backward, compared to our planet.

15. bare: a. without clothing e.g. 1)She had bare arms and a bare neck. 2)She was wearing only a thin robe, and her feet were bare. b. without covering or decoration There's no carpet in the room, just bare floorboards.

16. I would like bare wooden floors throughout the house. • c. without leaves on a tree or a branch • d. without plants growing on the ground • e.g. That’s the most bare, bleak, barren and inhospitable island I have ever seen. • f. the most basic and important • e.g. Newspaper reporters were given nothing but the bare facts. • bare hands 赤手空拳 bare-faced 无耻的 • bare foot 赤脚的 bare-headed 光着头的, 不戴帽子的 BACK

17. dreary: dull; gloomy; causing low spirits e.g. She had spent a dreary day in the dormitory writing the term paper.

18. hear of: be told about or have knowledge of e.g. Three weeks passed, and nothing was heard of the missing boy.

19. nonsense: foolish talk, ideas, behavior e.g. I think the report is nonsense and nothing but a waste of paper. Currently, the Web contains everything from nonsense to up-to-the-minute news about the US presidency or US stock quotes from Wall Street.

20. do with: a. have a connection with Pattern: have something/nothing/anything to do with e.g.1)What he does at home has nothing to do with his teacher. 2)Don’t have anything to do with those silly people. b. cause oneself to spend time doing打发时间 e.g.1)Tell me what you did with yourselves on Sundays? 2)The children didn’t know what to do with themselves for joy.孩子们高兴的无法控制自己. c. (with can or could) expressing a need or wish e.g.1)You look as if you could do with a good night’s sleep. 翻译：我需要一杯茶

21. turn loose: a. free something or somebody e.g. Someone turned the lion loose from its cage, and it has been wandering all over the town, terrifying people. 翻译：如果周围有小孩，不要放开你的狗。 b. give somebody freedom to act as he wishes e.g. Many of the students would rather be turned loose to discover things of interest to themselves than have to study subjects decided for them.

22. look the part: have an appearance for a particular job, role, position e.g.1)I think he must be a musician-- he just looks the part. masterpiece: a piece of work, esp, art, which is the best of its type or the best a person has done e.g. The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn is considered Mark Twain’s masterpiece.

23. to excess: to an extreme degree e.g. 1)Red meat, very high in fat and calories, is harmful to health if eaten to excess. 翻译：他父亲从来不过度吸烟，喝酒。

24. for the rest: as regards other matters e.g.1)The working conditions in my new job are excellent, but for the rest, I am not impressed. 2)Make sure that the work is completed on time ; for the rest, I am not much concerned.

25. fierce: adj. a. angry, violent and cruel e.g. I’ve got a fierce dog to guard the house. b. intense or strong e.g. 1)Because there is so much unemployment, the competition for jobs is very fierce. 2) The climbers were trapped by a fierce storm which went on for days. 3) He inspires fierce loyalty in his friends. fiercely: adv. e.g. 1)He has been ambitious and fiercely competitive. BACK

26. mock: ridicule; make fun of (mock at sb./sth.) Don’t mock at him just because he keeps falling off his bike. She made fun of him by mocking his limp.

27. fancy:vt. a.imagine • e.g.1)I can’t fancy his doing such a thing. • b. (colloquial) have a liking for • e.g.1)What do you fancy for your dinner? • 2)I fancy something sweet to eat. • c.fml. think (without being certain, or without enough reason) • e.g.1)I fancy that I have met her before. • 2)Don’t fancy that you can succeed without hard work. BACK

28. d.exclamatory style, expressing surprise or disapproval • e.g. 1)Fancy that!真想不到! • 2)Fancy meeting you here! • 4)Fancy her saying such unkind things about you! BACK

29. n. a. an image, opinion, or idea imagined • e.g.1)I think he will come, but it’s only a fancy of mine. • 2)Did I really hear someone come in or was it only a fancy? 3) I think the story is a mixture of fact and fancy. • adj. a. special, unusual, or elaborate, brightly colored • e.g. fancy ideas; fancy cakes; fancy dress; fancy goods; fancy bread • The dress is too fancy for me. • b. very expensive or of very high quality • e.g. fancy prices; a fancy private school BACK

30. stream: move in a continuous flow, pour out e.g. Sweat was streaming down his face. The workers came streaming out of the gates, all heading for home at the end of the shift.

31. persistent: continuing; occurring again and again e.g. Neither high prices nor high wages could explain the persistent depression and mass unemployment. During the summer months, persistent, heavy rainfall caused the Mississippi river to overflow.

32. mingle: mix (followed by with) e.g. The singer’s style mingles jazz and country music. Many traditions have mingled to form modern American Christmas celebrations and folklore.

33. stand out: be easily seen above or among others, to be noticeable e.g. To make the figures stand out, paint these in a lighter colour. 翻译：我不喜欢在众人里显得突出。

34. wear away: a. ( of time) pass gradually e.g.1)They didn’t reach an agreement. Instead they wore the afternoon away in arguing. 翻译：日子在流逝，而我们仍然找不到解决问题的办法。 b. to become thin or damaged by constant use or rubbing e.g.1)Water can wear away rock after a long time, even though the rock is harder. 2)The pattern on the handle has been completely worn away. BACK

35. Collocation: wear out 穿破 wear down 磨损 cling to: hold tight to, refuse to let go e.g.1)The child is clinging to his mother’s legs. 2)She clung tightly to her few remaining possessions. BACK

36. acute: adj. a. (of mind or sense) sharp, sensitive, working very well • e.g. 1)In the dark my sense of hearing becomes so acute. • 2)Dogs have an acute sense of smell. • b. severe, very great • e.g. 1)The labour shortage is becoming acute. • 2)The company is said to be suffering from acute financial difficulties. • c. (of disease) coming quickly to the dangerous condition • e.g. His disease is not acute but chronic. BACK

37. wet through: be wet all over e.g.1)Their house was flooded; the carpet was wet through and the furniture was ruined. 翻译：妈妈浑身湿淋淋的回到家。 Flutter: (cause to) move about in a quick, irregular way e.g. The ugly duckling fluttered into the milk-pan, and splashed the milk about the room. Birds sang and fluttered in the trees and bushes. BACK

38. In November a cold… touching here and there with his icy fingers. Johnsy was among his victims: in this sentence, rhetorical method ‘Personification’ is used. And the part ‘touching here and there with his icy fingers’ means the disease spread quickly from one to another. The ‘victims’ refers to those who had been infected the disease. BACK

39. Appreciation of Highlights • 1. Theyfoundtheir tastes in art, chicory salad and bishop sleeves so much in tune that the joint studio resulted. • 2. Has she anything on her mind worth thinking about twice…. • 3. She marched into Johnsy’s room with her drawing board, whistling a merry tune. • 4. The cold breath of autumn had blown away its leaves, leaving it almost bare. • 5. I want to turn loose my hold on everything, and go sailing down and down, just like one of those poor, tired leaves. BACK

40. 6. In the corner was a blank canvas on an easel that had been waiting there for twenty-five years to receive the first line of the masterpiece. • 7. … she feared she would, indeed, light and fragile, as a leaf herself, float away, when her slight hold upon the world grew weaker. • 8. After the beating rain and fierce wind that had endured through the night, there yet stood out against the brick wall one ivy leaf. BACK

41. Extension of Highlights • 1.Sue found Behrman smelling strongly of gin in his dimly lighted studio below. • 2.She found Johnsy with dull, wide-open eyes staring at the drawn green shade. • 3. He was found on the morning of the first day in his room downstairs helpless with pain. • e.g. (1) I found him trembling with fear. • (2) They found her walking alone and depressed on the beach. • (3) He found himself unable to complete all the work alone within three hours. • (4) At my age I would find it hard to get another job. • (5) I have never found my diet a problem. BACK

42. Supplementary Exercises • Match each word in Colum A with the corresponding letter in Colum B. • A B • scarcely a. sever • merry b. violent • cling c. mix • fancy d. happy • fierce e. weak • fragile f. gloomy • dreary g. tired • weary h. illusion • mingle i. hold • acute j. hardly BACK