Unit 6

A VALENTINE STORY

Text A

ContentBackground information

Warming-up activity

Text organization

Text analysis

Sentence study

Words and phrases

Background Information

St. Valentine’s Story

Valentine was a priest living in Rome during the third century. At that time, Rome was ruled by an emperor named Claudius. He wanted to have a big army and expected men to volunteer to join. However many men just did not want to fight in wars. They did not want to leave their wives and families. This made Claudius very angry. He thought that if men were not married, they would not mind joining the army. So Claudius banned marriage even engagement from his empire.

But Valentine would keep on performing marriage ceremonies secretly. He was caught by the soldiers at a wedding, and was thrown into prison and beheaded( 斩…之首 ). Valentine fell in love with the daughter of his jailer when he was in prison. Before he was taken to his death on February 14, 269 A.D., he signed a farewell message to her, “Love from your Valentine.” That note started the custom of exchanging love messages on Valentine’s Day.

Warm-up Activity

Love happens before you know it.

We fall in love with

each other at first sight.

Love means we enjoy

sharing one glass of cola.

If someone appears in your

dream everyday, he or she

is your love.

Love is the sweet feeling

of being with you.

love is blind and unreasonable.

What does love mean?

What contributes more to a long and happy marriage, money or love?

Group A:

-- I think being in love is the most important factor. If you don’t love each other, you won’t have a long and happy marriage even if you have a lot of money. I don’t think it is love when you are together only because of physical attraction. Similar sense of humor, similar interests and being able to talk to each other are not enough to make a happy marriage. They are only enough to make good friends. --With love, the couple will trust and confide in one another; they will respect and value each other; they will express feelings to each other.

Group B:

--I believe that abilities to go through times together are most important. Being in love is too abstract. You know you are in love today, but who knows what will happen tomorrow. Life without money will become quite weak and fragile. --I’d like to say something about money. I am not saying that money is the most important factor but I think it is at least a very vital part of marriage. Life is realistic to a great extent. We need money to improve the quality of our life. I don’t think we can live a happy life when we have to face financial problems everyday. And in that case a marriage will be in great danger.

Text Organization

Parts Division of the Text

Parts Lines Main Ideas

1 1~3 John Blanchard was expecting someone at Grand Central Station.

2 4~32 How John Blanchard had fallen in love with Miss Maynell.

3 33~65 Miss Maynell put Blanchard to a test.

4 66~69 It was wise of Miss Maynell to give such a test.

Text Analysis

• a young woman

• her figure long and slim…a small, provocative

smile curved her lips.

• Her golden hair lay back in curls from her delicate

ears.

• Her eyes were blue as flowers.

• Her lips and chin had a gentle firmness.

• a woman well past 40

• more than a little overweight her thick-ankled feet thrust into low-heeled shoes.

• She had graying hair pinned up under a worn hat.

• Her grey eyes had a warm and kindly glow.

• Her pale, round face was gentle and sensible.

Sharp Contrast: (in a dilemma ） 43 ，45 ， 43 ， 52 ， 51

一位年轻的姑娘。

身材颀长纤细…双唇绽开撩人的微笑。

一头卷曲的金发披在秀美的耳后。

眼睛碧蓝，如花似玉。

双唇和下颌线条柔和 ,却柔中见刚。

早已大大超过四十的妇女。

体态臃肿 ... 粗圆的脚踝上套着一双低跟鞋。

灰白头发用卡子向上别，头上戴顶旧帽子。

苍白的圆脸显得温柔理智。

灰色的眼睛透出热情与善良。

in her pale green suit she was like springtime come alive

她身穿浅绿色套装，犹如春天一般生机盎然。

Response•I started toward her, entirely forgetting to notice that she was not wearing a rose. L38

•Almost uncontrollably I made one step closer to her. L41

•I felt as though I was split in two, so keen was my desire to follow her, and yet so deep was my longing for the woman whose spirit had truly companioned me and upheld my own. L47

•I squared my shoulders and saluted and held out the book to the woman, even though while I spoke I felt choked by the bitterness of my disappointment. (metaphor) L58

Ending •The woman's face broadened into a smile. "I don't know what this is about, son," she answered, "but the young lady in the green suit who just went by, she begged me to wear this rose on my coat. And she said if you were to ask me out to dinner, I should go and tell you that she is waiting for you in the big restaurant across the street. She said it wassome kind of test!"

Comment• What did Miss Maynell want to find out through the test?

The true nature of a heart.

• How do you understand Houssaye’s remark “Tell me whom you love, and I will tell you who you are”?

I can judge you by the person you love.

物以类聚，人以群分

QUESTIONS

• What was the letter compared to?

• He requested a photograph, but was refused. What was the reason?

supposebeautiful…would be haunted…had been doing;plain…would fear…were doing;

Sentence Study

1.Each letter was a seed falling on a fertile heart. A romance was budding.

【解析及翻译】【解析及翻译】 该句是个比喻，作者把他和并未谋面的女主该句是个比喻，作者把他和并未谋面的女主人公之间的书信比做播撒爱情的种子（人公之间的书信比做播撒爱情的种子（ seed)seed) ，，句中的句中的 fertilefertile 和和 buddingbudding 是这个比喻的延伸。是这个比喻的延伸。

每一封信就像落在肥沃土地上的种子，浪漫每一封信就像落在肥沃土地上的种子，浪漫之花含苞待放。之花含苞待放。

2. A young woman was coming toward me, her figure long and slim.

【解析及翻译】【解析及翻译】该句当中 her figure long and slim 是独立主格结构，做状语，进一步补充上一句的内容。

一位年轻的姑娘向我走来，她身材颀长纤细。

3. She was more than a little overweight, her thick-ankled feet thrust into low-heeled shoes.

【解析及翻译】【解析及翻译】 A. A. thick-ankled 和 low-heeled 都是复合形容词。构词方式： Adj.-N-ed, 如： kind-hearted 热心肠的， short-haired 短发的， absent-minded 心不在焉的。 B. 后半句是独立主格结构，其中 thrust 是过去分词。 她体态臃肿，她体态臃肿，关节很粗，关节很粗，脚塞在一双平跟鞋里。脚塞在一双平跟鞋里。

4. A woman well past 40, she had graying hair pinned up under a worn hat.

【解析及翻译】【解析及翻译】该句当中 a woman well past 40 是独立主格结构，做状语，进一步补充上一句的内容。 well 为副词，意为“很，大大地，远远地”

她是一名年过四十的女性，灰白的头发用卡子向上别着，头上带着一顶旧帽子。

Words and Phrases

1. en 1. en

• en: suffix (in adj.) to make or becomebroaden, widen, blacken, saddenbroadened into a smile 绽开了笑容 broaden one’s mind broaden one’s horizons

(in n.) made of; looking likewooden, golden

• en: prefix to cause to beenlarge, enable, enrich

put into the thing or condition mentioned 赋予 , 使处于…状态

encourage, endanger

2. locate

find the exact position of The mechanic located the fault immediately. 机械师立即找到了出故障的地方。Rescue planes are trying to locate the missing sailors. 救援飞机正在努力查明失踪水手的下落。

to put or build sth in a particular place 把…安置在；坐落Where is the new factory to be located? A radio transmitter is best located at an isolated place far from cities. P147(3)

3. correspond

exchange letters regularly 通信Have you been corresponding with him?

be in agreement, harmony, or conformity 与…一致，相符我向你保证，我将言行一致。I assure you my actions will correspond with my words.

be similar or equivalent in character, quantity, origin, structure, or function 相当的，相似的

The American Congress corresponds to the British Parliament. 美国国会相当于英国议会。

4. sustain

• support emotionally 支撑，支持--Only the hope that the rescuers were getting nearer sustained the trapped miner. P147(9)

• suffer; undergo 经受，遭受--sustain losses--The aircrew sustained severe injuries when the plane crashed.• keep alive 维持（生命等），供养--sustain a family 赡养家庭• maintain, keep going 保持，维持下去--Europe’s earlier industrial growth was sustained by the availability of key resources: abundant and cheap labor, coal, iron ore, etc. 欧洲早些时期的工业能够持续增长是因为当时有可供利用的关键资源，如：丰富儿廉价的劳动力，煤，铁矿等 .2003 ， 6

5.5. delicate

fine; very carefully made 精美的，雅致的delicate ears

Soft or tender when touched 柔软的，娇嫩的delicate flowers/fingers

Easily injured or damaged 易碎的，脆弱的delicate vase

Showing or needing much skill or careful treatment 微妙的，棘手的

delicate problem

6. keen

strong, deepa keen interest

interested; eagerbe keen to do/be keen on, about

quick to understand 敏捷的，敏锐的

It is common knowledge that dogs have a keen sense of smell. P147 No.15

7. insight

insight into sth: ability to see into the true nature of sth. 洞察力；深刻的了解

a person of insight 有洞察力的人a book full of insights 很有真知灼见的书

8. take off

of an aircraft, etc. to leave the ground and begin to fly ；The plane took off an hour late.

(informal) to leave a place, especially in a hurry;匆匆离去，匆忙离开When he saw me coming he took off in the opposite direction.

of an idea, a product, etc. to become successful or popular very quickly or suddenly突然大受欢迎，迅速流行

The new magazine has really taken off.Her singing career took off after her TV appearance.

take

take …for granted

take over

take up

take on

take in

认为理所当然

接收，接管

开始从事，着手处理；占用

呈现； 承担

接收；吸收； 领会；欺骗

Collocation

take care take care oftake charge take hold oftake notice oftake placetake for granted

小心照料取得控制或指挥权抓住，握住注意到 发生；出现料想…是正确的，想当然；

9. in response to

in answer to 对…作出的回答，回应，反应Joy Warren was grateful to the five rescuers for saving her three children from the sinking car in response to her cry for help. P148 (2)

Collocation: make no response respond to / response toreact to / reaction to