Unit 4
A View of Mountains
Unit 4
Part Ⅰ
Part Ⅱ
Part Ⅲ
Part Ⅳ
Pre-reading activities
Text A
Text B
Post-reading activities
Pre-reading
activities
 The
atomic
bomb
exploded
over
Hiroshima
City on
August 6,
1945.

The city of
Hiroshima was
reduced to
sheets. The
then Hiroshima
Prefectural
Building for
Promotion of
Industry has
been preserved
as the "Atomic
Bombed Dome".
 About
70,000
people were killed
by the intensive
blast and radiation
of the plutonium
bomb which
exploded over
Nagasaki City,
August 9, 1945.
 A person
who
sat on the
step
evaporated,
only leaving
the shadow.
 Japanese
kid after
the Bomb
(Na
gasaki Japan 1945)
 The
thermic rays. The
imprint of clothes upon
the skin.
 Two
brothers were
looking about for their
parents. The face of
the younger boy was
stained with shriveled
blood

(Nagasaki - Japan 1945)
 A burnt
Japanese
woman.
(Nagasaki - Japan 1945)
 Statue
at the
Peace Park,
NagasakiCity
Text
Ⅰ
A View of Mountains
 Pre-reading
questions:
 1. What do you think is the greatest threat to
the existence of mankind?
 2. Why are we so concerned about nuclear
weapons?
Structure
In the text author talks about two things: what we
see in Yamahata’s pictures of the Nagasaki
destroyed half a century ago, and what we should
do about the nuclear peril existing today?
 There are two sentences from the text which can
make most clear the author’s opinion about the
two things mentioned above:
 1. at the end of the first paragraph
 2.in the middle of the last paragraph “performing
that… the generations now alive.”

Structure
 The
argumentative essay comprised three
parts.
 Part Ⅰ (Para 1)
 Part Ⅱ (Para 2-3)
 Part Ⅲ (Para 4)
Part Ⅰ (Para 1)
 The writer puts forward his thesis: a view of
mountains in the background suggests the real
extent to which the city was destroyed by the
atomic bombing.
 Part Ⅱ (Para 2-3)
 The author argues that the bombing of Nagasaki is
more representative of the nuclear peril
threatening the world than that of Hiroshima and
that we need to take actions to dispel nuclear
threat from the Earth.
 Part Ⅲ (Para 4) He restates his main idea, we
should not just worry about the nuclear peril but
take actions to eliminate it to create a sager world.

Part Ⅰ (Para 1)
 In
paragraph 1 the writer describes what
Yamahata’s pictures display: the effects of a
nuclear weapon on human beings. And then
he presents the main point of his argument:
the true measure lies not in the wreckage
but in the gone city, and this is where the
significance of a view of mountains in the
background of one of the pictures lies.
Part Ⅰ (Para 1)
 dispatch:
vt. send off to a destination 分派，
派遣
 e.g. Parcels of food were dispatched to him
by American friends.
 Chinese government was preparing to
dispatch 4000 liberation army men to Hong
Kong.
Part Ⅰ (Para 1)
“ The hundred or so pictures he took the next day
constitute the fullest photographic record of
nuclear destruction in existence.”
 or so: about
 constitute: vt. compose, form

e.g. Nitrogen (氮)constitutes 78% of the earth’s
atmosphere

In existence 存在，现有
 e.g. The elephant is the largest land animal in
existence.

Part Ⅰ (Para 1)
Chinese version: 第二天他拍摄了上百张照片，
这些现存的照片，最全面地记录了原子弹的
摧毁力。
Part Ⅰ (Para 1)
“it was therefore left to Yamahata to record,
methodically--- and, as it happens, with a great
and simple artistry– the effects…”
 The responsibility was therefore placed on
Yamaha’s shoulders to record the effects
systematically and timely with a great and simple
artistry.
 methodically：adv. systematically 有系统地，有方
法地
 artistry: the creative skill of an artist, writer, actor or
musician 艺术之性质

Part Ⅰ (Para 1)
 Chinese
version
 因此，重任就落在雅玛哈塔身上，他要系统
地用艺术家杰出的简单的技法来记录和武器
使用几小时后对人类的伤害。
Part Ⅰ (Para 1)
 char:
v. make or become black by burning烧
焦 e.g. Halve the peppers and char the
skins under a hot grill.
Part Ⅰ (Para 1)

They have been burned by light – technically speaking, by
the “thermal pulse”- and their bodies are often branded
with the patterns of their clothes, whose colors absorb light
in different degrees.

Technically speaking: 从技术角度来说
thermal means relating to or caused by heat or by
changes in temperature. adj.热的, 热量的
thermal pulse：热脉
brand: v. label or mark with or as if with a brandv.
打火印 烙印
e.g. they branded the cattle one by one.
The US administration recently branded him as a war
criminal.






Part Ⅰ (Para 1)
whole sentence:
 Technically speaking, they have been burned by
thermal pulse. And because the different colors of
the patterns of their clothes absorb light in different
degrees, their bodies are marked with the patterns
of their clothes.
 从技术上来说--- 热脉冲烧着的，因为衣服的颜色不
同，吸收光的程度不同，致使身体上烙着不同的衣
服的图案。

Part Ⅰ (Para 1)
1. A heap of things is a pile of them, especially a
pile arranged in a rather untidy way. 堆

...a heap of bricks...
 2. Heaps of something or a heap of something is
a large quantity of it. (INFORMAL)大量

You have heaps of time...

I got in a heap of trouble.

Part Ⅰ (Para 1)
over v. 挂在...上,
 ledge: a narrow horizontal surface projecting
from a wall etc.壁架：一种水平的凸出物，
在墙上形成一个狭窄的搁板
 ditch n. 沟, 沟渠, 壕沟
 hang
Part Ⅰ (Para 1)
 “ A third
shows a girl who has somehow
survived unwounded standing in the open
mouth of a bomb shelter and smiling an
unearthly smile, shocking us with the sight
of ordinary life, which otherwise seems to
have been left behind for good in the scenes
we are witnessing.”
Part Ⅰ (Para 1)
somehow: adv. In a way not specified, understood,
or known ,以某种方式；以某种不特定，不理解或
不知道的方式
 bomb shelter : 防空洞
 unearthly: adj. frightening, ghostly, mysterious,
supernatural, 非尘世的，神秘的,怪异的
 e.g. The unearthly screams from the building
woke up the people
 for good: permanently, finally 永久地
 e.g. He says that he’s leaving the country for
good.
 witness: see, hear, or know by personal presence
and perception

Part Ⅰ (Para 1)

Whole sentence: The third photo is a girl who does
not die and does not get hurt. How she survived
we do not know. She stands in the open mouth of
a bomb shelter and she smiles queerly. Her smile
shocks us and reminds us of a peaceful and
ordinary life in the place here she stands if without
such an atomic bomb.

第三张照片是一个女孩，不知怎的幸存下来，没有
受伤，站在防空洞入口，露出怪异的微笑，让人感
到震惊，如果没有投放原子弹，在我们看到可怕场
景的地方，人们能过着幸福的生活。
Part Ⅰ (Para 1)
 “stretching
into the distance on all sides are
fields of rubble dotted with fires , and, in the
back ground , a view of mountains. ”
 dot: cover or sprinkle with or as if with dots.
点缀用或似用点布满。
 E.g. We have offices dotted all over the
region. 这个地区到处都是办公室。
Part Ⅰ (Para 1)
 “That
absence , even more than wreckage,
contains the heart of the matter.”
that vanished city rather than its remains
represents the true measure of the event.
Part Ⅱ (Para 2-3)

in this part, the writer first claims that the
bombing of Nagasaki is the fitter symbol of
the nuclear danger menacing the world;
then he argues that we should not just
apprehend the nuclear peril but try to dispel
it from the earth. For this purpose, he
maintains that picture taking is not enough
and action is called for.
Part Ⅱ (Para 2-3)
 Why
is the meaning of Yamahata’s pictures
universal? (from fifth line in Para 2 )
 Because they express an apprehension of
the nuclear peril that hangs over us. What
happened to Nagasaki could happen to any
other city in the world.
Part Ⅱ (Para 2-3)
 In
a flash: instantly, at once
 e.g. Her hair turned into white in a flash
because of worry.
 “in the photographs, Nagasaki comes into its
own”
 In the photographs, Nagasaki regains its
own status. 在照片中，长崎恢复了它本来的
地位。
Part Ⅱ (Para 2-3)
“Nagasaki has always been in the shadow of
Hiroshima, as if the human imagination had
stumbled to exhaustion in the wreckage of the first
ruined city without reaching even the outskirts of
the second.”
 Nagasaki is less known than Hiroshima, as if the
human imagination had been exhausted and
stopped at the wreckage of the first ruined city and
failed to reach even the outskirts of Nagasaki.

Part Ⅱ (Para 2-3)
in the shadow of : 在…… 阴影下
 e.g. They have lived in the shadow of war
for about 20 years.
 stumble: walk or go unsteadily
 exhaustion: n. the state of being exhausted;
extreme fatigue


Part Ⅱ (Para 2-3)
“yet the bombing of Nagasaki is in certain respects
the fitter symbol of the nuclear danger that still
hangs over us. ”
 In certain respective, the bombing of Nagasaki
properly represents the nuclear danger that
threatens us.
 In certain respects: with regard to some aspects.
在某些方面
 hang over: threaten, menace
 e.g. An economic crisis was hanging over the
capitalist world.

With the court case hanging over us, we
couldn’t enjoy our vocation.

Part Ⅱ (Para 2-3)
 Do
you agree with the author when he says
the bombing of Nagasaki is the fitter symbol
of the nuclear peril? Why or why not?
Part Ⅱ (Para 2-3)
“The predictable, open-ended character of the
series is suggested by the fact that the second
bomb originally was to be dropped on the city of
Kokura, which was spared Nagasaki’s fate only
because bad weather protected it from view.”
 The second bomb was originally planned to be
dropped on Kokura instead of Ngasaki. But
because of its bad weather which made the city
out of sight from the sky, American authority
changed their plan to drop the bomb on Nagasaki,
which indicated the unpredictability and openended character of the nuclear war.

Part Ⅱ (Para 2-3)
 unpredictable:
adj. difficult to foretell or
foresee
 open-ended: adj. Not restrained by definite
limits, restrictions, or structure; allowing for
or adaptable to change 无限制的，没有明
确限度、规或框架限制的，可以随意更改的。
 e.g. Film-makers like open-ended scenario
because they provide possibility to produce
sequels .
Part Ⅱ (Para 2-3)
 spare:
v. refrain from harming, punishing or
killing 饶恕，赦免，不伤害
 e.g. It will spare him embarrassment if you
speak to him about it in private.
 Spare us the suspense and tell us who won
the first prize.
Part Ⅱ (Para 2-3)
not so much A as B: 与其说A不如说B
 e.g. He is not so much a film star as an
artist.
 In tact: entire, unimpaired 完整无缺的，尚
未被人碰过的。
 e.g. He lived on the interest and kept his
capital intact.
 Despite his misfortunes, his faith and
optimism remained intact.

Part Ⅱ (Para 2-3)
 “Yamahata’s
picture afford a glimpse of the
end of the world”
 Yamahata’s pictures show us a part of the
end of the world.
 雅玛哈塔的照片展示了世界末日的一隅。
Part Ⅱ (Para 2-3)
 “Yet
in our day, when the challenge is not
just to apprehend the nuclear peril but to
seize a God-given opportunity to dispel it
once and for all, we seem to need, in
addition, some other picture to counterpoise
against ruined Nagasaki ”
Part Ⅱ (Para 2-3)
apprehend: v. expect with anxiety, suspicion, or
dear 忧虑，恐惧
 e.g. Do you apprehend any difficulty?

apprehend a hot summer
 peril: n. serious or immediate danger

I never felt that my life was in peril.
 dispel: cause to vanish 驱散，驱逐，使消散。
 e.g. I’d like to start the speech by dispelling a few
rumors that have been spreading recently.

Part Ⅱ (Para 2-3)
once and for all: now and for the last or only
time 这是最后一次或唯一的一次，只此一次，
绝不在重复，断然。
 E.g. Stop calling me once and for all.

Part Ⅱ (Para 2-3)
The whole sentence:
 But one day, when the challenge is not just to
expect that there is possible danger from nuclear
but to seize a God-given opportunity to drive the
danger away now and for the last time, we seem
to need some other picture apart from the pictures
of Nagasaki to inspire in us a hope of life to
counterbalance the sense of doom suggested by
the ruined Nagasaki.
 但是今日，挑战不在于知道和武器的危险，而在于
抓住上帝赋予的机会永远消除核武器的威胁，而且，
我们需要更多的照片激起我们对生活的希望，来抗
衡毁灭的长崎所带给我们世界末日的感觉。

Part Ⅱ (Para 2-3)
 Continuation:
n. the act or an instance of
continuing; the process of being continued.
n.继续
Part Ⅱ (Para 2-3)
 What
should we do in addition to
apprehending the nuclear peril?
 What do we need to meet the more
important challenge of eliminating nuclear
weaponry?
Part Ⅲ Para 4
 In
this part the writer calls on us to take the
responsibility of creating a safer world for
new generations.
Part Ⅲ Para 4
“Now, they can come into existence only if,
through an act of faith and collective will, we
ensure their right to exist.”
 Now, they can exist only if, through an act of faith
and collective will, we guarantee a safe living
environment for them.
 现在，只有通过信任和集体意志我们才能保证他们
存在的权利，他们才可以存在。
 ensure: make sth certain to happen
 E.g. The role of the police is to ensure that the law
is obeyed.

Part Ⅲ Para 4
 What
should we do to ensure a safer world
for the future generations?
Text B
Questions for discussion；
 1. Why is the world situation uncertain and
unpredictable?
 2. How many points does the speaker maintain for
nuclear disarmament? Repeat two or three of
these points.
 3. What does the speaker talk about in
Paragraphs 22-25?
 4. Why is the multilateral approach necessary to
nuclear disarmament?

Text B
 1.
It is uncertain and unpredictable because
military confrontation caused by disputes
over territory, recourses, religion and
interest continues and non-traditional
security threats characterized by terrorism
and proliferation of weapons of mass
destruction have become more salient.
Text B
 2.
The speaker proposed nine measures for
nuclear disarmament. Refer to Paragraphs
9-17.
 3. In paragraphs 22-25, the speaker talks
about the concrete and practical measures
taken by China in recent years to build up
confidence between China and its
neighboring countries.
Text B
 4.
The multilateral approach is necessary
because more than one country possess
nuclear weapons and these weapons
cannot be reduced and destroyed without
willing cooperation between the nuclear
sates, especially the nuclear powers like the
United States.
Post-reading activities
Translation
 1. 他们的牛都打上了字母C的烙印。 （be branded
with）
 Their cattle were branded with the letter C.
 2. 本赛季Brooks真正发挥了一个得分手（goal
scorer）的作用。 （come into one’s own）
 In this season Brooks has really come into his own
as a goal scorer.

Post-reading activities
 3.一场经济危机正在威胁着那个国家。
（hang over）
 An economic crisis is hanging over that
country.
 4. 他是真正发号施令的人物，但他总是躲在
幕后。（in the background）
 He is the man who really gives the order, but
he always remains in the background.
Post-reading activities
 5.派出信使后，我们所能做的就只有等待了。
（dispatch）
 After dispatching the messenger, what is left
for us to do is nothing but to wait.
 6. 你只要一叫，他马上就到。（in a flash）
 You just have to call and he’s here in a flash.
Post-reading activities
7.他们在战争的阴霾下整整生活了17年。 （in the
shadow of ）
 They have lived in the shadow of war for totally
seventeen years.
 8.这些是现存的最后7头东北虎，如果人类不加以保
护的话，这一种群的老虎将濒临灭亡。 （in
existence）
 These are the last seven Northeast Tigers in
existence. If human beings failed to protect them,
the tigers of this species would face extinction.

Post-reading activities
 Oral
activities
 Suppose a certain country is believed to
posses weapons of mass destruction. Do
you think another country can make a war
on that country and overthrow its
government without the authorization of the
United Nations?
Post-reading activities
Writing Practice
 In the world today danger does not only come
from nuclear threat but also from chemical and
biological weapons. Write a 250-word composition
on what measures should be taken to dispel all
these perils from the earth. In the first part, make a
general statement about the danger in which the
whole world lives. In the second part. Talk about
what has been done to stop the danger from
spreading. And in the last part, say something
about what else we can do to remove the danger
altogether.
