Unit 4:
The Washwoman
I. Teaching Objectives
1. Understand that dedication and a sense of duty can bring dignity to even the humblest work.
2.Grasp the key words, phrases and sentence structure.
3.Master the skills of writing and reading in this unit.
1) learning to discribe a person's physical appearance.
2) Learning to the themetic ideas from the common facts and stories.
II. Teaching Content
1. Lead-in activities
2. Text Organization
3. Skill learning in writing and reading
4. Language points ( key words, phrases and difficult sentences)
5. Grammar Focus (subjunctive mood with if-clause, ”if” as the formal subject for an infinitive
clause.)
6. Guided Practice (exercises, oral practice and group work)
III. Teaching Process
1. Warm-up Activity
1). Discussion
Do your grandparents live with your parents?
What’t 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. Decribe this
person to others. What is he / she like? What does he / she do? Why do you think he / she still
work?
2). Presenting the text by summing up the discussion.
This story is about an old, small and wrinkled woman. She didn’t want to become the burden on
anyone even his son, supporting herself with washing. With her ill health, she finished her last
task with her strong sense of responsibility and then died. Through the describtion of her old
life, the author showed us her valuable qualities--- a sense of dignity and a sense of duty.
3). Background Information
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. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1978.
2. Text Organization
Part I Para.1-4 This part introduces the washwoman to readers by giving a brief discription
of her and shows readers the difference between her and other Jewish women at her age.
The difference is that she took in the hard laundering work and don't want to be a burden
to anyone.
Part II Para.5 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.
Part III Para. 6-the end Some episodes briefly but accurately tells readers how responsible the
washwoman was although her health was declining as time passed by.
3. Reading skill and writing skill learning.
1) Reading skill learning:
Ss learn to get the needed information such as physical appearance by skimming the
discriptive 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 discription of what he or she looks like and
telling some stories that shows what kind person he or she is.
4.Language Points.
1). possess para. 1 v. A）own; have sth. as one’s belongings B） have sth.
as a quality C）occupy（the mind）
；dominate
eg. They ~ three cars.
~ patience / courage
She was suddenly ~ed by / with fear.
possessor n. owner; person who possesses sth.
possession n. A）possessing; ownership B）
（often pl.）sth possessed; property
eg. He is in lawful ~ of a shotgun.
He lost all his ~s in the fire.
The rare stamp in in the ~ of an unknown collector.
I’ve had ~ of this house for 7 years.
possessive adj.
eg. He has a ~ nature.
[C]
be possessed of sth.
possess political power
possess one’s temper
possess one’s soul in patience
come into the possession of sth.
gain / get / take possession of sth.
be in possession of sth. be in the possession of
2). accumulate para. 2 v. gradually get or gather together an increasing number or quantity of
sth.
eg. He ~d a large fortune.
Dust ~d on the table.
accumulation n. collection; material, etc. accumulated
accumulator n. （GB）storage battery
[C] accumulate a huge mass of data
accumulate experience
the accumulation of money/useful knowledge
an accumulation of books/evidence/rubbish
charge/discharge an accumulator
[Compare] heap amass pile
heap 是 make a pile of 的意思，比 pile 的高度更高，常与 up 连用。在用作积累财富
的意思时，heap up 和 amass 的意思相同。heap up riches = amass wealth
amass 是 pile up 或 heap together 的意思，和 accumulate 的意思相同，但常有夸大的
含义，是比 accumulate 更迅速，更大量的积累，多用于积聚金钱、资源、
知识等
pile 是 heap up 或 stack 的意思，主要是以一定的方式，把同类的东西，尤其是扁平
的东西，比较整齐的堆放起来，常与 up 连用
accumulate 是 heap up or pile up by degrees （逐渐积累）的意思。使用范围比较广，
如积聚水、雪、财富、积累利息、知识、悲哀、困难、恩德、罪恶、弊病等。
[O] scatter
3). charge para. 3 v. A）ask as a price B）accuse sb. of sth. esp. formally in a court of law
C）
（cause to）take in the correct amount of electricity D）make a record of（as a debt）
记帐 E）give as a task or duty; give into one’s care
[C] charge sb. with sth.
charge（sb.）money for sth.
charge sth. to/up to one’s account
bring a charge（of sth.）against sb.
lay sth. to one’s charge
in/under the charge of sb.
put sb./be in charge of
take charge of
put sb./be in one’s charge
give sb. in charge
[Compare] fee fare（n.） accuse（v.）
charge 和 price 或 cost 的意思相近，指应付的费用或索取的代价。
fee 是指付给律师、医生、私人教师，或其他脑力劳动者的报酬，以及交纳公共团
体（public bodies）
，学校，图书馆，俱乐部的费用。
fare 指乘坐车、船的费用。
charge 和 accuse 都有“指责”或“控告”的意思，都是 say that a person has done wrong
的意思。
accuse 多用于一般情况，指责对方的问题不一定很严重，但也有时用作法律上的控
告。
charge 指比较严重的情况，多用于法律上指控较严重的错误或罪行，但有时也用于
一般情况。
4). endure Para. 4 v. A) suffer, undergo pain, hardship, etc. B) bear; put up with C) last;
continue in existence
eg. We ~d many hardships during the war.
The old ship ~d rough voyage.
Can you ~ that noise?
I can’t ~ to see / ~ seeing you so discouraged.
You have to learn to ~.
enduring adj. lasting eg. ~ peace ~ fame
enduringly adv. endurable adj. that can be ~d; bearable
endurance n. ability to endure
eg. The patient showed remarkable powers of ~.
He came to the end of his ~.
[C] endure to do / doing sth
endure patiently / quietly
endure tremendous losses
beyond / past endurance
[Compare] bear 是常用词，含义较广，通常表示忍受一种沉重、困难的事情，但侧重于忍
受的能力，不太强调其态度。
endure 强调默默地、无怨地忍受(suffer without complaining),但不屈服 (remain
firm)。Endure 多用于否定句，常和 can, could, be able to 连用。
stand 常用于口语中
tolerate 主要指容忍和自己愿望相反的事。人之所以能 tolerate，常常是由于不
太关心某事，或是为了求得安宁，平静。
put up with 容忍，迁就，在口语中表示 bear.
5). bear para. 6 v. carry, have; show, support, sustain,endure; tolerate; put up with, ~
(against/towards), have in the heart or mind, give birth to , be fit for
eg. The sweet smell of roses was born on the wind.
John was once bitten by a dog, and he ~s the scars to this day.
The ice on the lake will not ~ your weight.
Who will ~ the responsibility/expense?
I can’t ~ living alone. = I can’t ~ to live alone.
He bore no malice against you. = He bore you no malice.
Plants that ~ flowers
That apple tree ~s well. 那棵苹果树结实累累。
That story doesn’t ~ repeating. 。
Will this suit ~ washing?
bearable adj. that can be endured
6). stagger para. 8 v. walk or move unsteadily (from weakness, a heavy burden, drunkenness,
etc.), cause to walk or move unsteadily; (of news, etc.) shock deeply; cause worry or
confusion to
eg. The old man ~ ed to his feet.
The high fever has been ~ing her.
Nothing can never ~ my belief.
I ~ed at his horrible idea.
They were ~ed at/by the truth.
7). collapse v. fall down or inwards suddenly and break into pieces, fall down（and usu become
unconscious）because of illness, tiredness, weakness, etc.; fail suddenly or completely,
break down
eg. The roof ~d under the weight of snow.
The heavy blood ~d the bridge.
Our project ~d because of shortage of funds.
This table ~s, so I can store it easily.
collapsible adj.
[C] collapse from exhaustion
suffer a nervous collapse
nearly collapse under the pain the collapse of the plan/hope
8). faithful para. 9 adj. keeping faith; loyal and true (to sb, to a cause, to a promise, etc.); true to
the facts; accurate
eg. He is ~ to his principles.
The article gave a ~ account of what had happened.
faith n. ~ (in sb/sth), trust, strong belief; unquestioning confidence, belief in divine truth without
proof; religion; promise, engagement; loyalty, sincerity
eg. He has blind ~ in what she says.
I lose ~ in God.
[Proverb] ~ can move mountains.信仰之力可移山；精诚所至，金石为开
faithfully adv.
faithless adj.
[C] be faithful to
have faith in/place one’s faith in
lose faith in
promise/keep/break one’s faith with
give/plege one’s faith to
in bad faith 存心欺诈地
in good faith
abiding/enduring/steadfast/strong/unshakable faith
9). utter para. 10 v. A) make (a sound or sounds) with the mouth B) put (false money, etc.) into
circulation adj. complete; total
eg. He is an ~ stranger to me.
I couldn’t ~ a word.
utterly adv. completely
utterance n.
10). unload v. remove (a load) from sth.
eg. Would you help me ~ my car?
[C] unload a cart/ship
unload a gun
unload surplus goods
unload goods from a truck
[S] discharge
11). recover v. (from) return to the usual state of health, strength, ability, etc.; get back (sth. lost
etc.); get back the use of
eg. We haven’t ~ed from the shock.
We soon recovered our losses.
recoverable adj.
recovery n.
eg. The boy made a quick ~ from his cold.
[C] recover consciousness
recover one’s sight/hearing
recover from one’s illness
recover lost territory
make a quick recovery
recover one’s appetite/strength
[S] restore get better
[O] worsen take a turn for the worse
12). inform v. A) ~ sb (of sth)/(that), give knowledge to B) ~ against/on sb, (legal) bring
evidence or an accusation against him (to the police)
eg. I ~ed her mother of her safe arrival.
We were ~ed that a big fire had broken out in the next town.
The thief ~ed on his accomplice.
informant n. person who gives information; (ling) native speaker of a language who helps
foreign scholar who is making an analysis of it.
informer n. person who ~s 2, esp against a criminal of fugitive. informative adj. giving
information; instructive
informed adj.
[C] be well/badly informed
inform sb of sth
inforn on/against
collect/gather information cover up information
leak information
13). contribute v. give one’s share of（money, help, advice, etc.）to help a joint cause （to a
common cause, for a purpose）; help to cause sth.
eg. He ~d a lot of good ideas to the discussion.
A proper amount of exercise ~s to good health.
I often ~d essays to the school paper.
contributor n. person who contributes（money, etc.）
contribution n. act of contributing ; sth. contributed
eg. I give a ten-dollar ~ to the church every Sunday.
He made great ~s to a space development program.
contributory adj. helping to bring about
14). resume para. 13 vt. begin again or continue sth. after stopping for a time
n. summary, abstract, curriculum
eg. We ~d our journey after a short rest.
He ~d his former position with the company.
resumption n. resuming; instance of this
[C] resume a gift
resume one’s seat
resume liberty
resume one’s work
resume the thread of one’s discourse
15). load para. 14 n. that which is (to be) carried or supported, esp if heavy; (fig) weight of care,
responsibility, etc ;
v. ~ sth into/on to sth/sb; ~ sth/sb (with sth); ~ sb/sth down (with sth), put a load in
or on; put a cartridge or shell into (a gun) or a length of film into (a camera); weight
with lead; add extra weight to
eg. He climbed the hill with a heavy ~ on his shoulders.
Her recovery took a ~ off my mind.
My work ~ is more than forty hours a week.
The truck was ~ed with bananas.
Finish ~ing (up) by noon.
The table was ~ed with dishes.
loaded adj. (sl) having much money
[C] take a load off one’s mind
16). fulfil vt. perform or complete a task, duty, etc; do what is required (by conditions, etc)
eg. ~ your duty/promise.
He failed to ~ their hopes.
fulfilment n.
[C] fulfil requirements fulfil oneself
fulfil one’s duties/a command/an obligation/one’s expectation/hopes
17). undertake vt. make oneself responsible for; agree (to do sth.); start (a piece of work)
affirm; promise
eg. He undertook the difficult task willingly.
I will ~ the responsibility for you.
He undertook a new experiment.
He undertook to finish the work by Monday.
[C] undertake a major effort
undertake detailed and comprehensive investigations
18). But this washwoman, small and thin as she was, possessed a strength that came from
generations of peasant forebears.
Paraphrase-----Although this washwoman was small and thin, she has a strength passed
down to her by her peasant ancestors.
19). She was a real find.
Paraphrase--------We were lucky to have found such an unusually good washwoman.
20). And the drying!
Paraphrase--------And to think that she also had to dry the clothes, which was no easy job for
her either.
21). 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.
Paraphrase--------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.
Useful Phrases in Unit 4
lean on
倚靠在…
(work/books/knowledge) accumulate
（工作/书/知识）积累
be pleased with
对…满意
a real find
有价值的人或物
be blessed with
有幸拥有
become a burden for sb.
成为某人的累赘
bear the burden
肩负重担
be ashamed of
以…为耻，为…感到惭愧和内疚
speak of
表明，暗示出
beyond the limits/ability of
超过限制/能力
hear of
听到或知道…的音信或情况
mourn for
为丧失…而感到悲痛或痛心
contribute money/effort to
为…捐助或贡献
stand on one’s feet
站起来，站立
resume sth./doing sth.
重新开始做某事
rest easy
what good is/what’s the good of
with the help of
be driven by
fulfill the task
undertake a task
like nothing better than to do/doing sth.
behind the wheel
have sth. on one’s mind
pay the debt
be good for it
put …on credit
be filled with pride/pleasure
be of immense value/use/help
open a door to
earn sb. respect/reputation/fame
keep one’s word
do wrong
have a stake in
out of habit/curiosity/hatred
be thought of as
propel sb. to do sth.
give sb. the motivation to do sth.
a sense of shame
the reverse side of the coin
out of wedlock
attribute … to
be committed to
sustain civilization/belief
think twice about sth./doing sth.
pass on
to this day
pave the way for
build sb. up
reach an unprecedented level
grumble about
rip into
make a national name
disabled people
call sb. up
bring up sth.
if any
alert sb. to sth.
turn against
安心
有何用处；…有何好处
在…的帮助下
为…所驱使
完成这工作
承担一项工作或任务
最喜欢干的莫过于…
驾驶汽车
压在心头而致牵肠挂肚
还债
有偿还（借款）的能力
赊帐购买
充满自豪/喜悦
巨大的价值/用处/帮助
（口）给…以机会；导致
赢得尊敬/名声
遵守诺言
犯罪；违法；犯过错
在…中有股份，与…有利害关系
出于习惯/好奇/仇恨
被认为是…
促使某人做某事
给某人干事的动力
一种羞耻感
事情的另一方面
在婚姻之外
认为是…所有；把…归因于
对…承担义务责任
支撑文明/信仰
认真考虑后再决定做某事
传给（后代）
直到现在
为…铺路；为…做好准备
使某人渐渐出名
达到一个史无前例的程度
抱怨
猛攻，猛击；猛烈抨击
在全国出名或成名
残疾人
给某人打电话
提出某事（供讨论或引起注意）
即便有
提醒某人注意某事
转而反对
5. Grammar Focus
1) as 的用法
A) as 相当于 when; while 表示“当…之时”
eg. I saw him as he was getting off the bus.
B)(expressing reason) since; seeing that 表示理由，因为；既然
eg. As he wasn’t ready in time, we went without him.
C) in comparisons of equality, in the patterns: as + adj./adv. + as; not as/so + adj./adv. + as 用
于平 级比较
eg. It isn’t as/so big as you think it is.
D)introducing a concessive clause, usu. replaceable by a construction with although 引导让 步
状语从句，通常与 although 起首的从句通用
eg. Much as I like you, I will not marry you.
Try as he would, he could not lift the rock.
E)introducing adverbial clauses of manner: in the way in which 引导表示状态的状语从句
eg. Do as I do.
Leave it as it is.
F)introducing a complement of manner: like 引导表示状态的补语 如；象；似
eg. Why is he dressed as a woman?
G)used to avoid repetition in the predicate 用以避免谓语部分的重复
eg. Harry is unusually tall, as are his brothers.
H)in the capacity or character of 作为…（某种身份）
；当做；视为
eg. He was respected both as a judge and as a man.
I)introducing a non-defining relative clause 引导非限定性定语从句
eg. To shut your eyes to facts, as many of you do, is foolish.
2). could have done
A). could have done 用来表示本来可以做但没有做或没能做成的事，表示遗憾或不满。
eg. If I had known the address, I could have found out the house.
B).should have done 指本来应该做但没有做的事，含有责备的意思。
eg. You should have finished this assignment during the weekend.
6. Guided Exercises
1) Ask the class to have a brief discussion on the following questions:
A) What kinds of problems confront old people?
B) What can the younger generation do to help them solve these problems?
2)Sum up the wash woman's personlity.
3)Ask Ss to do Ex. IV one by one in class.
7. After-class Assignment
1)Do Ex. VI, IX. and XII on the text book.
2)Do Translation Ex. on Ss' exercise book.
Text B
Language Points
A Good Name
1)At 16, I liked nothing better than getting behind the wheel of our family pickup, but this time
there was something on my mind. Para. 1
I liked nothing better than----I liked … most
there was somthing on my mind-----there was something to worry about
在 16 岁的年头上，我最喜欢的事儿，莫过于坐在咱家那辆家用小卡车的方向盘后面了，
不过这回我却上了心事。
2) I had seen my friends ask for credit and then be rudely asked whether they were "good for it".
Para. 2
credit— a system of buying goods or services when they are wanted and paying for them
later.
hire purchase
the installment plan
—a system of payment for goods by which one pays small sums of money regularly after
receiving the goods (usually paying more than the original price)分期付款销售法
3) Whether they were “good for it.” Para. 2
Paraphrase-----Whether they could be trusted to pay the money back.
4) Cash was short. Para. 3
Paraphrase---We didn’t have enough money.
5) Those three words had opened a door to an adult’s respect and trust. Para. 6
Paraphrase---- James Williams’ son had gained the farmer’s respect and trust for me.
Translate:这几个字打开了通向成年人尊敬与信任的大门。
6) We children … could enjoy that good name, unearned, unless and until we did something to
lose it. Para. 8
Paraphrase----We children were free to benefit from the respect for our family which had
been earned by my parents. However, we might lose this respect if we ever did anything
unworthy.
7) We had a stake in one another — and in ourselves. Para. 8
Paraphrase----Every member of our family had a shared interest in the good name of the
whole family.
8) If pride in a good name keeps families and neighborhoods straight, a sense of shame is the
reverse side of that coin. Para. 11
Paraphrase---- If pride in good name encourages families and neighborhoods to behave
well, people would feel ashamed when they do something indecent.
Translate: 如果说，对好名声的自豪感能使家庭及邻里保持正直，那么，羞耻感也能从
相反的方面起到同样的作用。