Unit 8
Arrivals and departures
Active reading 1
The armchair traveller
1. Leading-in
2. Language Points
3. Guided Writing
4. Presentation and Exercises
Lead-in
Background Information
Marcel Pagnol (1895–1974) was a
popular French writer of novels and
plays. He directed films for cinema
and TV as well. His work centres on
human dramas and comedies in
Provence. He also wrote lyrical and
humorous memoirs of his family and
life in the south of France.
Two of his most successful novels, which were also
made into films, are Jean de Florette (恋恋山城) and
Manon des Sources (甘泉玛侬). He was the first film
director to be elected to the Académie Française (法兰西
文学院).
Pablo Picasso (1881–1973) was a Spanish painter and
sculptor, considered by many as the greatest artist and
innovator of styles and techniques in 20th-century art. He
painted over 20,000 works. He lived for a time in Paris.
Among his most famous works are the proto-Cubist Les
Demoiselles d’Avignon (亚维浓姑娘) (1907) and
Guernica (格尔尼卡) (1937), his depiction of the German
bombing of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War.
Paul Cezanne (1839–1906) was a French
painter, known as one of the greatest postimpressionists. His works and ideas informed
many 20th-century artists. He lived for years
at Aix-en-Provence in the south of France.
Among his most famous works are Mont
Sainte Victoire (圣维克多山) and Still Life
with Apples and Oranges (静物苹果篮子).
Mont Sainte Victoire
Still Life with Apples and Oranges
Vincent Van Gogh (1853–1890)
was a Dutch painter, influenced by
impressionists, but he had his own
unique style. Some of his bestknown works were painted at Arles
in the south of France during one of
his most creative periods. Among
his most famous works is
Sunflowers or Vase with Fifteen
Sunflowers (向日葵).
Graham Greene (1904–1991) was a
prolific English writer of novels,
short stories, plays and film scripts.
His works often deal with moral
issues, with adventure and suspense.
He lived for long periods in Nice, in
the south of France. Among his most
famous works are The Third Man (第
三个人) and The Power and the
Glory (权力与荣耀).
Ernest Hemingway (1899–1961) was a
US novelist and short story writer, who
was awarded the Nobel Prize for
Literature in 1954. His work is noted for
the masculinity of his writing and a
succinct, clear, apparently simple style.
He worked for some years as a journalist
in Paris. Among his most famous works
are The Old Man and the Sea (老人与海)
and A Farewell to Arms (永别了，武器).
Emile Zola (1840–1902) was one
of the most prominent French
novelists of the late 19th century
and also a journalist. He carried out
detailed research and observation
for many novels, aiming to show the
lives of ordinary people working in
factories and mines. Among his
most famous works is Nana (娜娜).
Roger Vadim (1928–2000) was a
French actor, film director and
journalist, who launched the career
of Brigitte Bardot (碧姬 · 芭铎) in
the film And God Created Woman.
The scene of Bardot dancing
barefoot on a table remains one of
the most erotic scenes in French
cinema. He was married to her for
five years as one of his five
marriages.
Brigitte Bardot (1934– ) is a
French fashion model and film star
of the 1950s and 1960s, known
internationally as simply “BB”.
She escaped from her family with
Roger Vadim to the fashionable
port of St Tropez, in the south of
France. Their marriage was the
first of her four marriages. She
later became a leading figure
advocating animal welfare.
Tropezien beaches are located along the coast in the Baie
de Pampelonne in southern France. Pampelonne offers a
collection of beaches along its five-kilometre shore. Each
beach is around thirty metres wide with its own beach hut
and private or public tanning area.
Many of the beaches offer
windsurfing, sailing and canoeing
equipment for rent, while others
offer motorized water sports, such
as power boats, jet bikes and water
skiing. Some of the private beaches
are naturist beaches.
The Cannes Film Festival (戛纳电影节 ) founded in 1946,
is one of the world’s oldest, most influential and prestigious
film festivals alongside Venice and Berlin. The private
festival is held annually (usually in the month of May) at
the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès, in the resort town of
Cannes, in the south of France. The most prestigious award
given out at Cannes is the Palme d’Or (“Golden Palm”) for
the best film.
Language points
• Sentence Study
• Word Study
Sentence Study
His lifestyle was modest and his financial circumstances
allowed him to spend his days in an old and comfortable
armchair, wearing a dressing gown and reading great
works of literature. (Para 2)
What does the sentence mean?
The sentence means that George was not very poor,
but certainly not rich. His income made it possible
for him to read literature all day (he didn’t need to
work).
And when he arrived, he would have to find a hotel,
sleep in an unfamiliar bed, and look for the sights,
sounds and smells which his dreams had already been
so effective in describing to him. (Para 8)
What does the sentence mean?
Before travelling to the south of France, George
had been reading about it, vividly imagining and
dreaming about what it would be like. He thought
he already knew what it was like, so he questioned
whether it was worth the trouble of the journey.
… as a stranger, he would never experience the warmth
and colours of his mind. (Para 9)
What does the sentence mean?
Strangers and visitors might find it dificult to
experience fully the local sights and culture, but
George thought he had already done so in his
imagination (of course, this is questionable).
Translate the sentence into Chinese.
作为一个陌生人，他永远也不可能体验到他想象中的
融融暖意和缤纷色彩。
Perhaps the Provence of Pagnol, like elsewhere in the
world, might be the reality. (Para 9)
What does the sentence mean?
This raises the interesting question of the nature
of reality: Is it what we imagine from reading
novels (perhaps like Pagnol’s novels about a rural
life) or is it what we might actually see as visitors
or tourists (a quick snapshot of current life)?
George concluded that it was not worthwhile to
travel. It was too much trouble because he had
already seen the places in his imagination through
reading.
Word Study
cynical
adj. believing the worst of human nature and motives
For examples:
1. She is getting more cynical about life.
2. Since her divorce, she’s become very cynical about man.
3. A person who is cynical about the good intentions of
strangers, rarely talks to anyone on train journeys.
pessimistic
adj. expecting the worst in this worst of all possible worlds
Write down the word according to its definition.
the habit of thinking that whatever
happens will be bad
a person who expects the worst
pessimism
pessimist
1. He was feeling pessimistic about the future.
2. The man who is a pessimist before forty-eight knows too
much; the man who is an optimist after forty-eight knows
too little.
instinct
n. natural tendency to behave in a certain way without
reasoning or training 本能；天性
Complete the sentences with appropriate prepositions.
by instinct.
1. Birds learn to fly _____
for always doing and
2. He seems to have an instinct _____
saying the right thing.
on instinct and threw
3. When I saw the flames I acted ______
a blanket over them.
with life and beauty.
4. The picture is instinct ______
imagination
n. the act of imagining or the ability to imagine
Complete the sentences with the words in the box.
imagination imaginative imaginable imaginary imagine
imagination
The little boy’s story shows plenty of ______________.
imagine George cooking the dinner?
Can you __________
imaginary
All the events described in this story are ___________.
imaginative writer.
Scott was an ____________
imaginable getting here in time.
We had the greatest difficulty __________
realization
n. 1) (an experience of) understanding and believing
2) the becoming real (of a hope or plan)
Translate the sentences.
1. 我突然意识到可能再也见不着她了。
I was struck by the sudden realization that I would
probably never see her again.
2. 他很高兴他的希望实现了。
The realization of his hopes made him very happy.
nuisance
n. a person, animal, action, or thing that annoys or
causes trouble讨厌的东西；讨厌的人
Translate the sentences.
1. The noise was so loud that it was a nuisance to the
neighbors.
声音大得让邻居讨厌。
2. 真讨厌！我忘了带入场券了。
What a nuisance! I’ve forgotten my ticket.
by choice
with intention 自愿地
Translate the sentences.
1.He has grown interested in nursery education first by force
of circumstance but later by choice.
开始由于形势所迫，但后来出于自己的选择，他逐渐对
幼儿教育感兴趣起来。
2.她是自愿帮助她的朋友的。
She helped her friend by choice.
in comparison with / to
comparing 与……相比
Translate the sentences.
1.和其他学生相比，麦克更加勤勉一些。
In comparison with other students, Mike is more diligent.
2.伦敦最高的房屋同纽约的摩天大厦比较起来，仍然很小。
The tallest buildings in London are small in comparison
with the skyscrapers of New York.
Guided Writing
Look at the following sentences. Underline the words
which introduce examples.
1. For example, before you go, look out for news and
current events about the area you’re planning to visit.
2. Respect local customs and traditions, such as wearing the
right clothes or being careful about taking photos.
3. Your belongings, like cameras, wristwatches or jewellery,
may create a barrier between you and the local people.
4.... you may be using valuable resources, for instance,
water, wood and food, which may already be under
pressure.
Home
Find other sentences which use the same words and
expressions.
1. Take home everything you brought, such as packaging,
paper and litter.
2. Don’t take home anything you didn’t bring and which may
have an impact on the environment, such as plants or
souvenirs made from animal products.
3. Support the local economy. For example, eat local food
and use local transport, restaurants, markets and guides.
4. There’s lots more you can do, for instance, you can stay in
touch with the people and the places you visited, and
share your experiences with people back home and read
up about what you’ve learnt.
Home
Assignment
Write a short passage about a place you know and what
you should do to be a responsible visitor there.
Describe where it is.
Lashihai Watershed is situated along …
Say why it’s a good place to visit.
It has been established as a nature reserve by …
Give examples of what you can do to be a responsible
tourist there.
There are many attractions on offer, such as
birdwatching and …
Home
Presentation and Exercises
Thank you!