Lesson Ten
The Washwoman
I. Outline of the Text
 Part 1: (Paras. 1-4)
 The washwoman was over seventy, small and thin.
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She did every piece of laundry beautifully but
charged no more than others.
Part 2: (Paras. 5-7)
Life was hard for the old washman, but she
managed to live independently.
Part 3: (Paras. 8-18)
She persisted in washing when she was nearly
eighty. Supported by a strong will she work
beyond the limits of her power? And she worked
until she breathed her last.
Part 4: (Para. 19)
I believe the washwoman's honesty and sense of
 Ⅱ. Key Phrases & Sentences
 Our home had little contact with Gentiles
 Have contact with sb. 与某人联系
 contact(v.) sb 和某人联系
 注意和contract(n.) 合同 的区别
 small and thin as she was, possessed a strength that
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came from generations of peasant ancestors.
small and thin as she was是一个倒装句。as 在这里当尽
管讲。
例如
尽管他是一个孩子，但是他的英语讲得非常好。
Child as he is, he is good at English.
形容词也可以倒装，例如
尽管他很年轻，但是他的英语学的很好。
Young as he is, he is good at English.
 Mother would count out to her a bag of laundry
that had accumulated over several weeks.
 Count out: to count one by one 逐个数出
 Count on/upon: to depend on/upon 指望
 It must have been a walk of an hour a half.
 It must have 表示推测
 My mother had never been so pleased with any
washwoman.
 Be pleased with: to be satisfied with 非常满意
 Every piece was neatly ironed. yet she charged
no more than the others.
 charge……for sth 要价
 charge sb with sth 为某事控告某人
 She was a real find.
 but there was in her a certain pride and love of
labor with many Gentiles have been blessed.
 是一个倒装句主语是a certain pride and love of
labor with many Gentiles have been blessed
 She could have begged at the church door or
entered a home for the poor and aged.
 could have done 应该做……但是没有做
 The old woman did not want to become to a
burden , and so bore her burden.
 bore 是过去式，原形是bear
承担
 he was ashamed of his mother, the washwoman,
and never came to see her.
 Be ashamed of: to be guilty of sth. 羞耻的，内疚的
 The wedding took place in a church.
 take place 发生
 lead the "young lady" to the altar…
 "Dose it pay to make sacrifices for children? The
mother uses up her last strength, and he does not
even know the meaning of loyalty."
 make sacrifices for 为……作出牺牲
 No matter how much we heated our stove, the windows
were covered with frost.
 Cover with: 覆盖
 e.g. Cover the food with a cloth.
 cover sth. up :包上;隐瞒
 e.g. The newspapers printed the story before the
government could cover it up.
 cover for sb.: take the place of sb 代替某人工作或履行职责
 e.g. John is ill today so Jean is covering for him.
 The newspapers reported that people were dying
of the cold. Coal became dear.
 die of :死于(死因多为疾病、饥饿、寒冷等直接因素)
 die from: 死于(死因可以是直接因素，也可以来自较
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间接的原因;如：交通事故)
e.g. Her sister died of cancer.
He died from overwork.
I shall die of boredom.我厌烦极了。(修辞性夸张用
法)
dear：scare 缺乏，珍贵
 These hands spoke of the stubbornness of
mankind, or the will to work not only as one's
strength permits but beyond the limits of one's
power：
 speak of ：stand for代表
 stubbornness : firmness 意志坚定
 She had been so sick that someone called a
doctor, and the doctor had sent for a priest.
 Someone had informed the son, and he had
contributed money for a coffin and for the funeral.
 inform :tell sb formally
 send for 派某人去找……
 contribute…to : 贡献，有助于;投稿
 e.g. Various factors contribute to his downfall.
 She regularly contributes to the college magazine.
 I do not want to be a burden on anyone!" The old
woman crossed herself, and raised her eyes
toward heaven.
 a burden on sb 某人的负担
 cross (v) 生气 此处是指在胸前划十字
 The wash she had returned was her last effort on
this earth. She had been driven by an indomitable
will to return the property to its rightful owners, to
fulfill the task she had undertaken.
 she had returned was her last effort on this earth. 定
语从句，修饰wash
 fulfill 完成任务
 undertaken. 承担
 And now at last her body, which had long been
supported only by the force of honesty and duty, had
fallen.
 fall behind sb.: 落后
 fall behind with sth.: 拖欠
 fall on sb./sth.:(任务、目光)落到
 fall into sth.: 变成某种状态;养成(坏习惯)
 Her soul passed into those spheres where all holy
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souls meet, regardless of the roles they played on
this earth, in whatever tongue, of whatever religion.
pass by: 时间流逝
e.g. He understood his mother's words as time
passed by.
pass by sb./sth.: 通过,经过
e.g. I met a friend of mine when I passed by the
supermarket yesterday.
pass sth. down: 把…传给后代
e.g. The skill was passed down from father to son.
pass sth. on to sb.:传递某物
e.g. Read the note and then pass it on to other
people.
pass sth. out: to distribute分发