Unit 2
The Teddy Stoddard Story
Teddy Stoddard’s Story
Structure Analysis
• Part Ⅰ (para1-5)
Mrs. Thompson’s general impression about
Teddy from her observation.
• Part Ⅱ (para 6-8)
Shows us Teddy’s records.
• Part Ⅲ (para 9- 12)
The turning point, describe how Teddy’s
Christmas present moved the teacher.
• Part Ⅳ (para13-14)
Mrs. Thompson’s special care and
encouragement to Teddy.
• Part Ⅴ (para15-20)
Presents 5 successive notes by Teddy at
important stages of his study and life.
Part 1— General Impression
• Q1: What lie does Mrs. Thompson tell her
students?
• A: Mrs Thompson promises to love them all the
same, and treat them all alike, but as is proved
later, it is not true. She does not like Teddy at
first, but she soon gives particular care and
attention to him.
• Q2: Why did Mrs. Thompson take delight in
marking Teddy’s papers?
• A: Because what Teddy had written on his papers
was invariably wrong and the only things Mrs
Thompson needed to write were X’s and an F, for
Mrs. Thompson this easiness was a kind of
delight.
Language points
• 1. You never can tell what type of
impact you may make on another’s
life by your actions or lack of actions:
• ① you never can tell/ you can never
tell: you can never know or be certain.
e.g. Who knows what will happen
to Peter and me in the future– you
can never tell.
• ② impact: (n.): influence, effect
•
have an impact/effect on sb.
e.g. The anti-smoking campaign had
made quite an impact on young
people.
•
(v.) influence
e.g. Falling export rates have
impacted on the country’s economy
quite considerably.
• ③ Lack (n.) shortage
• lack of : absence or less than enough
of
e.g. Lack of sleep had made him
irritable (易怒的, 急躁的).
e.g. The building was never finished
because of a lack of money.
• (vt.) to not have or to not have enough
of sth.
e.g. He lacks common sense.
e.g. Their actions lack consistency;
they say one thing and do other.
• 2. Consider this fact in your venture through
life.:
• ① consider (v.): to give attention to
e.g. You should consider the time factor when
planning the whole project.
• ② venture (n.) : an activity or undertaking involving
risk or uncertainty
e.g. A commercial venture
e.g. The two companies have embarked on a joint
venture to produce cars in America.
• (v.) to risk going somewhere or doing sth. that
might be dangerous or unpleasant.
e.g. Nothing ventured , nothing gained.
• 3. Jean Thompson stood in front of
her fifth-grade class on the very first
day of school in the fall and told the
children a lie:
• tell a lie: to deliberately say sth. that
is not true
e.g. Whenever she told a lie, she felt
guilty afterwards.
e.g. I knew that he was telling a lie
when he said loved me more than
anyone else in the world.
• 4 . Like most teachers, she looked at
her pupils and said she loved them all
the same. That she would treat them
all alike.
• ① all the same : having no difference
e.g. I do not care whether we go or
not—it is all the same to me.
• ② like
• a) prep. in the same way or manners, as
e.g. He looks like his brother.
• b) adj. similar to
e.g. The twins are as like as two peas in
a pod(豆荚).
• c) v. to enjoy or approve of sth.
e.g. I like your new hairstyle.
• ③ alike adv.& adj. similar ;like each
other
• 5. … slumped in his seat on the third
row, was a little boy named Teddy
Stoddard:
• slump v. to sit or fall heavily and
suddenly
e.g. She slumped into the chair
exhausted.
• slumped a. in low spirit 消沉
e.g. He sat slumped over his desk,
starting vacantly at the keyboard.
• 6 …that his clothes were unkempt and that
he constantly needed a bath
• ① unkempt: a untidy; not cared for
e.g. He always looks unkempt, as if he’s
only just got out of bed.
• ② constantly: all the time, or very often
constant: adj. constancy: n. 不屈不挠
e.g. She was constantly trying to impress
her boss.
e.g. The general public is constantly
exposed to radiation.
• Translation: 他唧唧歪歪地骂个不停，终于引发了
这场悲剧。
•
7. it got to the point during the first
few months that she would actually take
delight in marking his papers…
• ① to the point:
• a) to a certain extent
e.g. It was so confusing that eventually it
got to the point where no one knew what
was going on.
• b) relevant and appropriate 正确的；适当的
e.g. Her comments on my work were very apt
(切题的), and to the point.
• c) the/most important thing
e.g. Please get to the point.
• ② take delight/pleasure in sth./doing
sth: to get great pleasure from (doing
sth.)以…为乐
e.g. I took great delight in watching
him making a fool of himself.
•
•
•
•
take
take
take
take
pride in…: 为…自豪
pains to do…: 尽心，耐心
pity on…: 同情
refugee in…: 避难于，求助于…
Paraphrasing
• During the first few months her
dislike for Teddy had developed to
such an extent that it was a kind of
delight for Mrs. T to write X’s and F
at the top of his papers because
what Teddy had written in his paper
was invariably wrong.
Part Two— Teddy’s Records
• Q1: What was Mrs. Thompson’s reaction when
she read Teddy’s file? Why?
• A: Mrs. T was somewhat surprised, because
Teddy had been so different from what he was.
Then she realized that she had the duty to do sth.
about it.
• Q2: From the teachers’ comments, what changes
could be noticed in Teddy?
• A: The three teachers’ comments on Teddy present a
picture of Teddy’s gradual change: “.. He is a joy to
be around”, “… his home life will soon affect him”,
“Teddy is withdrawn …He is tardy and could
become a problem”
Language points
• 1. be required to: to be demanded to, to have to
do sth.
e.g. All the students are required to attend at least
90% of the lecture.
e.g. People do not realized that they are required to
declare their earnings.
• requirement n.
e.g. fulfil the requirements
• 2. put off: to move to a later date; to delay
e.g. The rehearsal has been put off until next
Tuesday because the director is not very well tonight.
• 3. be in for: to be about to have sth. unpleasant
要遭到
e.g. We are in for some trouble if we don’t finish it
quickly.
e.g. It’s pretty stormy! I think we are in for a rough
flight.
• 4. inquisitive: always wanting to find out the details
about things and people （人或其行为）好奇的，好追
根究底的
• e.g. Journalists have to be inquisitive , fearless and
determined.
e.g. As One of the best students in the class, she has an
inquisitive mind as well as a hardworking spirit.
• inquisitive (likely to inquire)
inquisitiveness n.
• inquiring (wanting to inquire) inquisition (n.)
• cf. acquisitive (likely to acquire),
•
exquisite (delicate, subtle)
• 5. manners (pl.): way of behaving with reference to
polite standards 礼貌
Translation:嘴里吃着东西说话是不礼貌的。
It’s bad manners to talk with a full mouth.
• 6. joy: a cause of great pleasure
e.g. My students are a great joy to me.
e.g. It’s a great joy for me to teach a class of students
like you.
• 7. be hard on
• ① be hard on sb : to treat sb. severely
e.g. Don’t be too hard on him– he’s new to the job.
• ② be hard on sth: to tend to damage sth quickly, esp.
a piece of clothing 容易穿坏(衣物)
e.g. I’m very hard on shoes.
• 8. take steps: to take action, to do what is necessary
设法，采取措施
e.g. Managers must take steps to ensure that
everyone understands the new regulations.
e.g. We have taken steps to prevent such unpleasant
things from taking place again.
• 9. withdraw: to (cause to ) not to take part in
e.g. I withdrew from the contest two days before it took place
because I was too nervous.
• withdrawn: adj. not friendly or sociable; aloof; detached.
离群的 emotionally unresponsive and introverted. 感情上
反应冷淡且冷漠的；性格内向的
• withdrawal: n.
• e.g. We were shocked at their withdrawal from the talks.
Part Three— Turning Point
• Q1: Did Mrs. T immediately begin to do sth. for Teddy?
Why?
• A: No, Mrs. T did not take any actions immediately, because
Christmas was around the corner and she was quite busy
before the holiday.
• Q2: How did the children in the class think of Teddy’s
present?
• A: They began to laugh when their teacher opened the
present, because they thought the present was ugly and
worthless.
• Q3: Why did Mrs. T put on the bracelet and dab
some perfume on her wrist?
• A: Because she knew that other kids’ laughter could
hurt Teddy, and wanted to show that she liked
Teddy’s presents.
• Q4: Why did Mrs. T cry?
• A: Because she was deeply touched by Teddy’s
words and the way he uttered them, which made her
realized how desperately the boy needed love and
care his mother used to give him.
Language points
• focus on: to direct one’s attention to, to concentrate on
e.g. The conference will focus on the issue of population
control.
• take pains: to make a great effort or take great care
尽力，耐心
e.g. Mary took great pains with her English lesson and
got high marks.
• pains (pl.): great care or effort
e.g. No pains , no gains.
• stifle v.
• (1) to prevent from happening 抑制，阻止，压制
• e.g. She stifled a yawn as the boss read out the sales
figures.
• (2) to (cause to) be unable to breathe comfortably,
esp. because of heat and lack of fresh air （使）感
到窒息，（使）透不过气来
• e.g. I’m stifled in here; open a window, someone!
• exclaim v. to cry out or speak suddenly and loudly
惊叫，呼喊，大声说
• e.g. “Oh, no!” exclaimed Bill in terror. “The house
is on fire!”
• exclamation n. 呼喊，惊叫，感叹语
• e.g. “Good heavens!” is an exclamation of surprise.
• exclamation mark: 感叹号
Part Four —Special care and encouragement
• Q1: What change did Mrs. T make in her
teaching?
• A: She stopped teaching school subjects in a
mechanical way. Instead, she treated the students as
human beings, and gave special attention to those
needed more care, love and encouragement,
especially Teddy.
• Q2: Why would Mrs. T remember that cologne on
days when there was an important test?
• A: On days when there was an important test, Mrs. T
would remember the cologne, because she knew that
it had a particular significance to Teddy. It reminded
him of his mother.
• Q3: The bright sand inquisitive Teddy seemed to
come back, and eventually he turned out to be
one of the smartest children in the class.
• A: What was the remarkable change in Teddy’s
study after Mrs. T had changed her attitude towards
him?
Language points
• quit: to stop
e.g. Suddenly she quit talking, turning her face to the
pillow and went to sleep.
e.g. I’ve quit my job.
• quit (quitted & quit; quitting)
Paraphrasing
• On that very day, she quit teaching reading, writing
and speaking. Instead, she began to teach children.
• Starting from that very day, she stopped
regarding her pupils as mere “objects” of her
instruction in reading, writing and speaking.
Instead, she treated them as human beings and
gave them more care and encouragement.
• come alive: to become active 活跃起来
e.g. After the operation, his mind came alive.
• the more… , the faster..
e.g. The harder you study, the higher marks you will
achieve.
• vow: v. to promise solemnly
e.g. Ben vowed to avenge his mother’s death.
e.g. The guerrillas vowed that they would overthrow
the government.
• n. solemn promise
e.g. She took a vow never to lend money to anyone
again.
Part 5 —Successive Notes
• Q1: What were the occasions on which Teddy
send his notes or letters to Mrs. Thompson?
• A: Teddy sent three notes or letters on the following
three occasions respectively: when he was to leave
the primary school, when he finished high school
and when he graduated from college.
• Q2: What was the consistent message in all the notes or
letters?
• A: In all the notes or letters Teddy assured and reassured Mrs. T
that she was his favorite teacher all the time.
• Q3: What made Teddy’s last two letters different and
special?
• A: The fourth letter carried Teddy’s full name and his newly earned
title M.D. Note that Teddy is the shortened form for Theodore.
When one’s name goes along with his title, his/her full name
should be used.
In his fifth letter Teddy invited Mrs. Thompson to attend his
wedding and sit in the pew for the groom’ mother.
Language points
• while: although
e.g. While she is a likeable girl, she can be
very difficult to work with.
e.g. While I understand that you’re busy at
the moment, I really think you ought to see
these notes.
• assure v. (1) to declare positively, to tell sb. that sth.
is definitely true 向…保证，使确信，使有信心
• e.g. Her mother assured her that everything would
be alright.
e.g. The document is genuine, I can assure you.
• (2) to make (sth.) certain to happen or be gained;
ensure 确保
• e.g. The excellent reviews given to the film have
assured its success.
e.g. Her success as an actress was now assured.
wonder: 1) used to introduce a request
e.g. I wonder whether you would be so
kind as to send me an application form.
• 2) think about or ask oneself about
sth
e.g. He wondered whether he
would be able to find the hotel
again.
e.g. I wonder what she is doing
tonight.
• bet: to state confidently (what will happen)
• 1) I bet : I am certain
e.g. The builders want to finish the job by Friday. I
bet they won’t.
e.g. I bet Tom has a hangover (宿醉) this morning–
you should have seen how much he was drinking
last night.
• 2) you bet: certainly
• --Are you coming to the party?– You bet.
• The point of changing self-image
is not to develop an image of
ourselves that is not real. To try to
become something we really aren’t
is just as wrong as living the
unrealistic, inferior image we may
have. The aim is to find the “real”
self, to bring our mental images of
ourselves in line with our true
potential. However, it is generally
accepted among psychologists
that most of us fail to do justice to
ourselves. We’re usually better
• It is important to have realistic
expectations of ourselves. Some
of our dissatisfaction might come
from expecting too much of
ourselves. If we demand
constant perfection in everything
we do, we can be disappointed.
Our poor self-concept will
continue. If our goal is to reach
perfection, we are doomed from
• 1. 他承认他的失败是因为缺乏信心。(lack
of)
He admitted that his failure was
caused by his lack of confidence.
• 2. 要求来访者一到就签名。(require)
Visitors are required to sign their
names on arrival.
• 3. 我们已经邀请他们来参加聚会，但因为孩
子病了，只好改期。(put off)
We’ve invited them to the party,
but we’ll have to put it off because the
baby’s sick.
• 4. 我们必须采取措施帮助那些受伤者的家庭。
(take steps)
We must take steps to help the
families of those who were
hurt/injured(the wounded).
• 5. 老师花了很大力气，确保我们每个人都理
解课文的内容。(take pains)
The teacher took great pains to make
sure that we all understood the text.
• 6. 今天我们集中讨论无家可归者的问题。
(focus on)
Today we’re going to focus on the
issue of the homeless people.
• 7. 不知道您能否赏光，参加我们的年终联欢
会。(wonder)
We wondered whether you would be
so kind as to attend our end-of-the-year
party.
• 8. 他向妈妈保证一切都好。(assure)
He
assured
his
mother
everything was all right.
that
Translation Exercises
• 没有两个人的想法是一样的. (alike)
No two people think alike.
• 华尔街金融滑坡引起世界股票市场的连锁反
应。 (slump)
The slump on Wall Street set up a chain reaction
in stock markets around the world.
• 当前的经济滑坡预示着一次大的衰退即将来
临。(slump)
The current economic slump is an earnest of the
major recession to come.
Translation Exercises
• 苏珊今天早上闷闷不乐，因为昨晚没睡好。
(sullen)
Susan is sullen in the morning because she didn’t
sleep well last night.
• 只有我们现在采取措施来解决这个问题，我
们才能防止不久的将来会面临的水患。(take
steps)
Only if we take steps to deal with this problem
now can we prevent a real water problem in the
near future.
Translation Exercises
• 他由于近视过深而无法把视力焦点对准在该
物体上。(focus on)
He was too shortsighted to focus on the object.
• 我的照相机上的调焦装置有毛病(focus).
The focus on my camera isn't working properly.
Translation Exercises
• Flattery is like cologne water, to be smelt of, not
swallowed.
恭维话好比古龙水（科隆香水），是为了闻，而
非为吞的东西
• 所有士兵都发誓效忠他们的指挥官。(vow)
All the men took a vow of loyalty to their leader.
• 这个手镯是纯金的吗？(bracelet)
Is this bracelet genuine gold?
Grammatical items (1)
Pay attention to the ways to express past future.
• Was/were going to+ 不定式 表示的过去将来时间的动
作或事态，也可能是没有实现的。
Last Sunday we were going to go for a picnic but it rained.
I was going to finish my article last night but my friend
arrived so I didn’t have time.
• 也表示最近的过去将来时间
I felt that something terrible was about to happen.
Grammatical items (2)
• Was/were to +不定式， 表示按计划、安排将
要发生的过去将来的动作。
As I was to leave the next day, I went to bed early
on Thursday evening.
I was to leave off the next day.
Grammatical items (3)
• Would +do 表示过去将来时间，这种用法多
见于宾语从句。
• He said he would call me at six.
• We hoped they would have got the crops in by
the end of the week.