Unit 3 My Stroke of Luck
Lesson 1
Overview
• Background Information
• Word Study
–Visualization
–Derivation
–Expansion
–Differentiation
About the Author
Kirk Douglas, the
Jewish American actor
粗重而沙哑的
and film producer, is
known for his gravel
voice and an acting
career with he-man roles
各种各样的
as soldiers, cowboys and
assorted tough guys in
over 80 films.
Snapshot of Kirk Douglas
Birthday
University
December 9, 1916
BA, St. Lawrence University, Canton, NY (1939)
成名作
Occupation
Actor, director, producer, writer
Claim to Fame Spartacus (1960)
My Stroke of Luck (2002), Climbing the Mountain:
My Search for Meaning (1997), Last Tango in
Bibliography
影片集锦
Brooklyn (1994), Dance with the Devil (1990), etc.
Filmography
Diamonds (1999), Tough Guys (1986), Spartacus
(1960), I Walk Alone (1947), etc
Milestones
Received first Oscar nomination for Best Actor
(1949), Received honorary lifetime achievement
Oscar (1996), etc
Film Posters
A He-Man Now and
Then
Hollywood Family
Catherine Czeta Jones
Michael Douglas
The happy
Douglas family
during the
wedding
ceremony
between Michael
Douglas and
Catherine and
their third
generation in 2000.
Hollywood Family
• Kirk Douglas
has now become
one of the oldest
and most
famous and
popular
Bloggers in the
world.
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fusea
ction=user.viewprofile&friendid=171170276
A Legend
If you thought Hollywood
marriages didn't last, this
couple will demonstrate that
not all star relationships are
doomed to fail.
A Legend
In 2004, Kirk
Douglas and his
wife Anne Douglas
had a second
wedding ceremony
in Los Angeles to
celebrate their 50th
anniversary.
People witnessed their love and commitment.
It Runs in the
Family (2003)
• This is a comedydrama movie starring
three generations of
the Douglas family:
Kirk Douglas, his son
Michael Douglas, and Michael's son
Cameron Douglas, who play three
generations of a family.
Word Study
• Concept Visualized
• Word Derivation
• Word Expansion
• Word Differentiation
Helicopter
Collide
• Two cars ~d head-on.
• The President has again ~d with
Congress over his budget plans.
Wreckage 残骸
• They hauled him
clear of the ~
of the plane.
• Firemen had to
cut him free
from the ~ of the car.
Cf: debris
Gurney
wheelchair
trolley
Spine & Spinal
• An icy chill slid
up my spine.
• He had a
spinal injury in
the car crash.
Miffed 愠怒 →annoyed
• She was
slightly ~
at not being
invited.
Cf: sullen
→bad-tempered
Poignant
• I found his speech deeply ~.
~ agonies 切肤之痛
~ memories 辛酸的回忆
~ sight 悲惨的景象
~ beauty 绝顶的美丽
~ satire 尖刻的讽刺
How is “ego” used?
• That man has such an enormous ~ — I’ve
never known anyone so full of themselves!
• He has the biggest ~ of anyone I’ve ever met.
• I’m glad she got the job — she needed
something to bolster her ego.
• Winning the prize really boosted her ego.
Related Terms
• Alter ego: a side of one’s character
which is different from one’s usual
character
– Clark Kent is
Superman’s
alter ego.
Related Terms
• Split personality: a condition in which a
person has two very different ways of
behaving
– Professor Smith has a split personality.
The respectable
teacher turned out
to be a murderer.
Station wagon 旅行轿车
<BrE> estate car
Beneficiary 受益人；受惠者
• The receiver of a
benefit or advantage,
especially of money or
property
– Her husband was
the chief ~ of her
will.
<ant.> benefactor
Manicure 美甲
• manicure set
I am not going to ~ my
nails. Just save it as it is.
Epiphany 顿悟
• Epiphany（主显节）is a Christian
festival on the 6th of January which
celebrates the arrival of the wise men
who came to see Jesus Christ soon after
he was born.
• I experienced an ~, a spiritual flash that
would change the way I viewed myself.
(=a moment of sudden insight or
understanding)
Derivation
A.
instant
N. instance
A.
fatal
spinal
spine
suicidal
depression
poignant
N.
fatality
A.
fluent
diagnostic
intuitive
N.
fluency
diagnosis
epiphanic
intuition
A. surgical
N.
surgery
suicide
depressed
epiphany
poignancy
deplorable
deplorableness
Derivation
V.
collide
N.
collision
stare
V.
console
slur
N. consolation
V.
endure
stare
slur
slip
slip
authorize
authorization
N. endurance
inspire
inspiration
handle
V.
assist
manicure
handle
diagnose
N.
assistant
manicure
diagnosis
Synonyms & Antonyms
• instantly (ad.)
(syn) immediately
right away
straightaway
at once
promptly
• fluent (a.)
(anto) faltering stumbling tongue-tied
• malignant (a.)
(syn) deadly fatal
(anto) benign
lethal mortal
Synonyms & Antonyms
• temporary (a.) 
(syn) momentary short-lived
(anto) permanent
• anguish (n.)
(syn) agony pain
suffering
transient
torment
torture
• console (v.)
(syn) cheer comfort sympathize solace
(anto) afflict torment torture
Reading Worksheet
• Find out how the following pairs / groups
of words are different:
– stare vs gaze
– instantly vs constantly
– psychiatrist vs therapist
– fatal vs vital
– benefactor vs beneficiary
– insist on vs persist in
Differentiation
•
•
•
•
Stare vs. Gaze
gazing into
He sat for hours just _______
space.
stared at the bill in disbelief.
He ______
They gaped at me when I told them
about the gold I had found.
Differentiation
•
•
•
•
Instantly vs. Constantly
The driver was killed instantly
_______ in the
car crash.
The new foreign minister has been
attacked constantly
________ in the newspaper.
instant noodles
He often has some _______
as lunch when he is busy working.
Differentiation
•
•
•
•
Psychiatrist vs. Therapist
therapist teaches people
A dancing _________
dancing in order to help them get rid of
stress in life.
psychiatrist is a doctor who is
A __________
trained in the study and treatment of
mental disease.
He’s like a psychologist
___________, for he’s good
at persuading others.
Differentiation
•
•
•
•
•
Fatal vs. Vital
vital
Your support is _______
to/for the
success of my plan.
Marriage at this stage could be
fatal
________
to your career.
He was lucky that the bullet hadn’t
vital organ.
entered a ______
The fatality rate on our roads has
been increasing. (伤亡事故)
Differentiation
• Slip vs. Slide
slid
• She _________
out of the room when
no one was looking.
• Will the government take action to
sliding
support the ________
pound?
slipped by/past, I
• As the years ________
thought less about her.
Slide
• _________
the drawer out carefully.
Differentiation
• Keep apart vs. Set apart
set
• I have a little money ______
apart for
our holidays.
keeps apart
• He’s a strange boy, he ______
from all the activities in the school.
keep my work apart from my
• I like to ______
family.
set
• Two rooms were ______
apart for use
as libraries.
Theme
My wife Anne’s unyielding character and willingness to help not only makes herself live a meaningful life but also light up the lives of people around
her, especially mine.
Structure of the Text
• Part 1 (paragraph 1-2)
• Part 2 (paragraph 3-13)
• Part 3 (paragraph 14)
Success is not final, failure is not
fatal: it is the courage to continue that
counts.
Thank you!
To be continued.
Unit 3
My Stroke of Luck
Lesson 2
Contents
• Word Revision
– Spelling
– Gap filling
• Analysis of the Text
– Language points & paraphrases
– Rhetorical devices
– Memorable quotes
– Snacks
Spelling
1. _________:
authorize v. to give permission to
2. _________:
wreckage n. the remains of sth. that is
destroyed
3. _________:
epiphany n. a comprehension or perception
of reality by means of a sudden intuitive
realization
fatal
4. _______:
a. very dangerous; causing death
Spelling
console v. to give comfort to
5. ________:
(someone) in times of sadness
intuition n. the power of knowing
6. ________:
sth. without reasoning
deplorable
7. ___________:
a. very regrettable
collide
8. ________:
v. to hit each other
accidentally
Gap filling
1. If someone or something i________
inspires you to do
something new or unusual, they make you
want to do it.
fluent
2. Someone who is f________
in a particular
language, can speak the language easily and
correctly.
surgery
3. A s__________
is a surgical operation in
which a diseased organ or tissue is removed or
replaced.
Gap filling
4. Like the winter months, the current slowdown
temporary
is only t___________.
It won’t last very long.
Eventually your child will leave home to
5. E__________,
lead his / her won life as a fully independent
adult.
6. The copy I have is dubbed rather badly into
French with English s____________.
subtitles
Gap filling
• Your support is _____
vital (fatal; vital) to/for the
success of my plan.
• She slid
____ (slip; slide) out of the room when no
one was looking.
• I like to ______
keep (keep; set) my work apart
from my family.
Useful Word Parts
psyche: [C technical] In psychology, your psyche is your
mind and your deepest feelings and attitudes.
psycho-: connected with your mind
Examples:
psychic a. 精神的，心灵的
psychiatric a. 精神病学的
psychiatrist n. 精神科医生，精神病学家
psychiatry n. 精神病学
psychoanalysis n. 精神分析
psychology / psychologist
psychological a.心理(学)的
psychosis n. 精神病，精神错乱
Useful Word Parts
ego: [C] one’s sense of their own worth
Examples:
egocentric: a. 自我中心的,
egodefense: n. 自我防御
egodystonic: a. 自我失调的
egomaniac: n. 极端利己主义者
Analysis of the Text
• Language points & paraphrases
• Rhetorical devices
• Memorable quotes
Part I (para. 1—2)
Introduction to the whole
story, with an account of the
air crash the author
experienced and how his
wife reacted to the accident.
Language Points
• Stroke (title):
– He had a minor ~ in 1987, which left him partly
paralysed.
– It was a ~ of luck that I found you here. 我在这里
碰见你真是运气。
– By a ~ of (good) fortune, he won the competition.
他靠(好)运气在竞赛中获胜.
Language Points
• Better still (Italics)
– Only the possessor of a good linguistic memory, or
better still, a thick notebook, can fully realize the
truth of this statement.
只有对语言记忆力强的人或者最好有一本厚厚
的记录本的人,方能体会到这番话的正确含义。
– Better still if the nation‘s leaders echo that idea as
well.
Language Points
• Give sb. a ride (para.1):
– Chris gave him a ~ home on his private jet.
– We picked her up and gave her a ~ over to Scott's
Valley.
Expansion:
to go for a ride; to hitch a ride
to offer sb. a ride; to take/have a ride (in/on sth.)
a pleasant/smooth/bumpy/hair-raising/rough ride
Paraphrase
• We were 50 feet in the air when we collided
with a small plane flown by a flight
instructor and his young student. (para. 1)
• …a small plane piloted by a youngster who
was then learning to fly a plane under a
flight instructor’s guidance
Language Points
• In the air (para.1)
– There was a smell of burning leaves in the air.
– The story about the accident was in the air.
– We may be going swimming in the summer vacation, but
it’s still all up in the air.
Cf: On/off the air
– We shall be on the air in five minutes.
– As soon as the war started, any broadcasts with a military
theme were taken off the air.
Language Points
• Wreckage [U]
– Emergency crews are searching for people trapped
alive in the ~ of the train after the collision.
– A wreck [C] is something that has been badly
damaged, especially a car, plane, or train that has
been in an accident.
– A wreck can also refer to a ship that
has sunk.
the burning
wreckage
of a plane
an ambulance
trip to
hospital
Cedars-Sinai Medical
Center
Most
Preferred
Hospital
for All
Health
Needs
Language Points
• Another helicopter ride. Just what I need!
(para. 2)
• Note:
The two sentences are fragments used in
exclamation.
Please give the complete sentences and
explain what the writer means.
Part II (para. 3—13)
Flashbacks of earlier
events, and then back to
the narration of the air
crash and subsequent
events.
Language Points
• Survivor’s guilt (para.3):
The author felt guilty because he survived
while the others on the plane did not.
• Guilt [U]:
– She often felt swamped by ~ at having left her
children.
– feelings /sense of ~
Background: Survivor’s Guilt
Survivor’s guilt is a type of remorse felt by people
who manage to survive a tragic event involving much
loss of life, especially the lives of friends and loved
ones or other people commonly associated with the
survivor.
Sufferers often feel guilty that they and their family
get to move on with their lives, whereas other people
and their families were not as lucky. It is commonly
summed up by the phrase "I should have died with
them", "I could've done something" or even
"I should have died instead of them".
Michael Todd (1909–
1958)
• An American theatre and film
producer, best known for his
1956 production of Around the
World in 80 Days, which won
an Academy Award for Best
Picture. He is also well-known
as one of Elizabeth Taylor’s
husbands.
• On 22 March 1958, Todd's
private plane crashed near
Grants, New Mexico, killing all
four on board.
Paraphrase
• She save me again after my stroke in 1995,
when I became depressed and suicidal. (para.
3)
• After I suffered a stroke in 1995, she pulled
me through when I was overwhelmed by
low spirits and even the thought of killing
myself.
Paraphrase
• Anne’s secret is that she learns from
life, then moves on. (para.4)
• Anne’s winning tip lies in that she
can draw lessons from what she has
experienced, and then continues
with her journey of life.
Hanover,
Germany
Belgium
Paris,
France
Language Points
• Survive (para.4): v. to continue to exist, especially
in difficult circumstances
– The programme aims to help those who are struggling to ~
without jobs.
Expansion:
If you are survived by someone, they are still alive
after you have died.
If you survive on sth. (e.g. money, food,
water etc), you manage to live with only a
small amount of it.
1st Anniversary of the
Release of “Spartacus”
Language Points
• Show up (para.5):
– I’ll be very surprised if they ~ up on time.
– We waited until 10 o’clock, but he did not ~ up.
• dressing room:
a room used by a performer
or sports players for
preparing for a performance
or game
Sentence & Paraphrase
• I was miffed. Here I was, an American movie
star. I expected her to be eager for the job.
(para. 5)
• I felt annoyed and angry. I had thought the
girl should be excited about the chance of
working for a famous American movie star
just like me.
Language Points
• Basis (para.6): n. (pl bases) a particular
method/system used for doing or organizing sth.
– Working on a temporary basis for the company, I
was responsible for taking phone calls.
(=temporarily)
More expressions of the same structure:
on a seasonal / daily / monthly / annual /
regular / long-term / short-term etc basis
Language Points
• Take some doing (para.6): used for saying
that sth. will be very difficult to do
– It will take some doing to finish the report
before four o’clock.
– It took some doing, but we were eventually
able to get in touch with them.
Paraphrase
• But that took some doing on my part
too. (para.6)
• But I took great pains to persuade
Anne into accepting my job offer.
Language Points
• On one’s part (para.6)
– It was a mistake on Jones’ part.
– It was on the part of Jones to sign the contract.
• At a time (para.7)
– I’m sorry, but I’m too busy to help you now --- I
can only do one thing at a time.
– The lift can take 8 people at a time.
Tour d'Argent
• La Tour d'Argent
(The Silver Tower)
is a restaurant in
Paris France that
dates from 1582,
and said to have
been frequented by
Henri IV.
Specialty
• Pressed duck
• Inside of the
restaurant
Language Points
• Meet up (with) (para.7): to come
together with someone, either
unexpectedly or as planned (close to
“meet”)
– We usually ~ up for a quick cup of coffee
in the morning.
– I ~ up with a former classmate as I left
the office building this evening.
Paraphrase
• In 1954, when our next jobs threatened to keep us
apart for months at a time, I realized I didn’t
want to lose her and asked her to marry me. (para.
7)
• In 1954, when the jobs we were to do would
separate us for months on end, I realized
that I couldn’t live a life without Anne.
Therefore, I proposed to her.
Language Points
• Tie the knot (para.7): (infml) get married
– After dating for five years, we finally decided to tie
the knot.
– At the group wedding, 28 couples tie the knot
together.
Compare:
If you tie yourself in knots, you get very
anxious and confused.
Las Vegas
• The most populous
city in Nevada and
an internationally
renowned major
resort city for
gambling, shopping and fine dining.
• Las Vegas also has the highest number of
churches per capita of any major U.S. city.
Origin of “Tie the Knot”
There is a suggestion that this
expression derives from the nets
of knotted string which supported
beds prior to the introduction of
metal-sprung bed frames. The
theory goes that, in order to
make a marriage bed, you
need to 'tie the knot'. Bed
frames used to be sprung
with rope.
Language Points
• Given (para.8): prep. Considering
– Given good weather, our flight will reach
Shanghai tomorrow evening.
– Given that conflict is inevitable, we need to
learn how to manage it.
– Given the condition of the engine, it is a
wonder that it even starts.倘若这发动机能发
动的话，可真是不可思议。
Language Points
• be wrapped up in sth.: (infml) very
interested in sth. or someone and ignore other
people or things
--She’s so wrapped up in herself that she
seldom visits us.
--Brian is usually more wrapped up in his
work than his family.
Paraphrase
• Anne has kept me going through…, given
that I’m sometimes an actor wrapped up in
his ego. (para. 8)
• Anne has helped me go through those
hardest moments in my life, which hasn’t
always been easy for her, because I’m
sometimes too proud of myself as an actor.
Language Points
• Lie on the couch (para.8)
• A couch is a long, comfortable seat for two or
three people
• It is also a narrow bed
which patients lie on while
they are being examined
or treated by a doctor.
Language Points
• Anguish (para.8): [U fml] a feeling of
great physical or mental pain
– The rejection filled him with anguish.
survivor’s anguish: the regret and
mental pain the person who survives an
accident or difficulty experiences
Word Differentiation
• Anguish suggests a torturing often persistent
grief or dread.
• Sorrow implies sadness caused by misfortune,
affliction, or loss.
• Agony suggests pain too intense to be borne
by body or mind.
Paraphrase
• She consoled me during my survivor’s anguish,
but what she wouldn’t tolerate—and here’s the
important thing—was me feeling sorry for
myself. (para. 8)
• She was by my side and gave me comfort
when I felt great pain as a survivor in the air
crash, but she would never allow me to feel
self-pity, to which Anne attached great
importance.
Language Points
• Authorize (para.9)
– He confidentially ~d me to act for him while he
was abroad. 他信任地委托我在他出国期间代行
他的职务。
• Then and there (para.9):
– He turned down their proposal then and there.
– We wanted the director to make a decision then
and there.
Paraphrase
• He encouraged me to authorize him to
remove Anne’s breast then and there. (para.
9)
• The doctor suggested me to give him
permission to operate on Anne and remove
her breast without delay.
Language Points
• Finance (para.10): vt.
– The scheme is being ~d by the local Library
Association.
– The fund has been used largely to ~ the
construction of museums.
• facility (para.10): [C mainly Am E] an area or
building used for a particular purpose
– He works at the company’s manufacturing ~ in Los
Angeles.
Language Points
• Deplorable (para.10)
– The condition of this school is deplorable.
– He condemned the deplorable waste of the taxpayers’ money.
• Lie around (para.12)
– I spent a week in Spain, lying around on the beach.
– It’s so nice to have the time to lie around in the sun.
Paraphrase
• One day, feeling proud of my progress, I
said, ‘I think as a treat, tomorrow I’d like
to have breakfast in bed.’ (para. 12)
• One day, very satisfied with my fast
progress, I said to Anne that I would
treat myself to a breakfast in bed the
next day.
Language Points
• Treat (para.12):
– As a special ~, the children were allowed to stay
up until midnight.
– A day in the country is a real ~ for a city person.
• Mood (para.13): [C] a feeling of being
unhappy or angry
– She is in a good / bad mood.
– She refused to put up with her husband’s moods.
– He‘s in one of his moods. 他心情不好。
Word Differentiation
• Rescuer (para.12): a person who
saves someone from a dangerous
or difficult situation
<syn.> saviour
• Saver: a person who regularly
saves money through a bank or
recognized scheme
(oft in compound) fuel-saver
Part III (para. 14)
The conclusion, with
the author’s general
comments on Anne’s
character, giving the
ending of the narration a
philosophical touch.
Paraphrase
• What sets the survivors apart from the
others is the willingness to move on, and to
help others move on too. (para. 14)
• What makes the winner of life different
from the ordinary people is that they
are willing to go forward, and to help
others move on.
Language Points
• In the midst of (para.14)
– She discovered it in the midst of sorting out her
father’s things.
– The country is in the midst of an economic crisis.
• Handle (para.14)
– To tell the truth, I don't know if I can handle the
job.
Snacks: About puns 双关
• A pun is a figure of speech.
• A pun consists of a deliberate confusion of
similar words or phrases.
• A pun rely on the assumed equivalency:
– of multiple similar words (homonymy),
– of different shades of meaning of one word
(polysemy),
– of a literal meaning with a metaphor.
• A pun is employed to achieve rhetorical effect,
either humorous or serious.
Examples
• Seven days without water make one weak.
pun on homophony of “weak" and “week"
• Now is the winter of our discontent made glorious
summer by this son of York.
pun on homophony of “son" and “sun"
• My Stroke of Luck
pun on polysemy of “stroke"
• Mr. Rochester continued blind the first two years of our
union; …Literally, I was (what he often called me) the apple of
his eye.
pun on polysemy of “the apple of someone’s eye"
Rhetorical Devices
• Oxymoron: 矛盾修饰法
– tough love
– A wise fool; a successful failure; living death; true
lies
– Love-hate relationship; bitter-sweet memories;
– The mother is undergoing the joyful pain and
painful joy of childbirth.
– No light, only darkness visible.
» --- Paradise Lost by John Milton
Rhetorical Devices
• Hyperbole: 夸张
– During my recovery, she kicked me out of bed
each…
– He almost died laughing.
– For she was beautiful — her beauty made
The bright world dim, and everything beside
Seemed like the fleeting image of a shade.
~ Percy Shelley
Snacks: About autobiography
• An autobiography is a biography written by
the subject about him/herself.
• The memoir lays the emphasis more on the
people and events that the author has known or
witnessed than on the author’s developing self.
• The private diary or journal is a day-to-day
record of the events in one’s life, written for
personal use and satisfaction, with little or no
thought of publication.
Memorable Quotes
• What seems to us as bitter trials are often
blessings in disguise.
~Oscar Wilde
• Attitude is a little thing that makes a big
difference.
~Winston Churchill
• Pessimism leads to weakness, optimism to
power.
~ William James
For life or for death,
however separated,
To our wives we pledged
our word.
We held their hands;
We are to grow old together
with them.
Thank you!
(To be continued.)
Unit 3 My Stroke of Luck
Lesson 3
Overview
• Revision
• Duty Report
• Translation exercise
• Oral practice
Revision
• Spelling
• Derivation
• Gap filling
Complete the sentences
• Driving at such a high speed is really
s________.
suicidal
• His eldest son was named in his will
as the thief b___________.
beneficiary
• The song brought back the poignant
p______
memories of his unhappy childhood.
• My i________
intuition told me he wasn’t to
be trusted.
Complete the sentences.
• We watched a French film with
English s_______
subtitles in Paris.
• The picture of the girl inspired
i________ his
best music.
• The wreckage
w_______ of the plane was
spread over a five-mile area after the
air crash.
• I’ve been authorized
a_________ by the court
to repossess this property.
Complete the sentences.
collided with each
• The two planes c______
other in midair.
depressed for
• He’s been feeling d__________
several days after the holiday.
• We tried to c_______
console her when her
pet dog died.
• Students often find temporary
t_________
jobs during their summer holidays.
insist
insisted that we stay at her house instead
1. My aunt _______
of a motel.
on/upon
2. She insisted
______________telephoning
her lawyer first.
insistence on
3. We applaud the government’s ______________
tougher environmental laws.
At their mother’s_____________,
insistence
4. ____
the children
wrote thank-you notes to their aunts and uncles.
insistent
5. Harry was __________that
we shouldn’t tell
anyone else about our plan.
inspire
1. Mrs. Clinton’s confident leadership
inspired
_______her followers.
inspiration
2. Dreams are a rich source of __________for
many writers and poets.
3. Many women think that Mrs. Clinton is an
leader.
i___________female
nspirational
4. In his latest book, Mr. Douglas told an
inspiring
__________story
of love and determination.
authorize
1. She __________her
business partner
authorized
to negotiate on her behalf.
be authorized by a
2. All overtime payments must ___________
senior member of staff.
authorized
3. This is a restricted area, open to ____________
personnel only.
4. The action was taken without the ___________
authorization
of the minister.
linguistic
linguistic
1. I'm particularly interested in the _________
development of young children.
2. Linguistics
_________ is the systematic study of the
structure and development of language in
general or of particular languages.
3. A _________
linguist is a person who speaks several
languages fluently or a person who studies
linguistics.
Review of the Text
• What type of writing is the text?
• Does the author follow exactly the
chronological order?
• Can you identify the flashbacks in
the text?
• Why do you think flashback is often
adopted by writers?
Snacks: About autobiography
•
An autobiography is a biography
written by the subject about him/herself.
The memoir lays the emphasis more on the
people and events that the author has known or
witnessed than on the author’s developing self.
The private diary or journal is a day-to-day
record of the events in one’s life, written for
personal use and satisfaction, with little or no
thought of publication.
Comprehension check
• How many times did Anne save
Kirk’s life?
• How did Anne save Kirk each time?
• What can you infer about Anne’s
personality from Kirk’s description?
• What made Kirk fall in love with
Anne?
Possible Answers
• Anne is an independent and honest
lady. She can endure any hardships,
but she can’t tolerate those who are
wrapped up in sorrow for their
misfortunes.
• Similar characters:
– Jane Eyre in Jane Eyre
– Scarlett in Gone with the Wind
Comprehension check
• Where did Kirk Douglas and Anne
first meet?
• When and where did they get
married?
• How do you understand “an actor
wrapped up in his ego”?
• How did Anne help Kirk through the
hardest times?
Comprehension check
• Why did the author say “I’ve never
seen her feel sorry for herself either”?
• What kind of love does Anne believe
in?
• What is Anne’s philosophy in life?
• What epiphany did Kirk have while
writing his book My Stroke of Luck?
Explain the sentence
• Anne’s secret is that she learns
from life, then moves on. (para.4)
• Anne’s winning tip lies in that she can
draw lessons from what she has
experienced, and then continues with
her journey of life.
Explain the sentence.
• But that took some doing on my
part too. (para. 6)
But I took great pains to persuade
Anne into accepting my job offer.
I also made some efforts to adjust
myself.
Explain the sentence.
• We slipped away to Las Vegas to tie
the knot. (para.7)
We traveled secretly to
Las Vegas to get married.
Explain the sentence.
• Anne has kept me going through some of the
hardest times, which hasn’t always been easy,
given that I’m sometimes an actor wrapped up
in his ego. (para.8)
Anne kept staying together with me
during some of my most difficult
times, which hasn’t always been easy,
because I am sometimes too proud of
myself as an actor.
Explain the sentence.
• He encouraged me to authorize
him to remove Anne’s breast then
and there. (para.9)
He (the doctor) encouraged me to
give him the permission of
removing Anne’s breast at that
time and place, especially without
any delay.
Explain the sentence.
• One day, feeling proud of my
progress, I said, ‘I think as a treat,
tomorrow I’d like to have breakfast
in bed.’ (para. 12)
• One day, very satisfied with my fast
progress, I said to Anne that I would
treat myself to a breakfast in bed
the next day.
Explain the sentence.
• In the midst of writing my latest book,
My Stroke of Luck, I had an epiphany,
inspired by my wife. (para.14)
When I was writing my new
book, My Stroke of Luck, I had
an inspiration/enlightenment
which was due to the
influence of my wife.
Explain the sentence.
• What sets the survivors apart from
the others is the willingness to move
on, and help others move on too.
(para.14)
What distinguishes the survivors
(makes the survivors different) from
the others is that they are willing to
move on, and help others move on
too.
Rhetorical Device
• Did you notice any rhetorical devices
used in the text?
pun
• My Stroke of Luck
• tough love oxymoron
• During my recovery, she kicked me
out of bed each… hyperbole
Students’ Duty Report
• Paris
• Ulysses
• Freudian Theories
Location
of Paris
Tourist Attractions
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Eiffel Tower 埃菲尔铁塔
The Louvre罗浮宫
Notre Dame Cathedral巴黎圣母院
les Champs Elysees 香榭丽舍
l’Arc de Triomple 凯旋门
Seine River 塞纳河
Sacre Coeur and Montmartre蒙马
特圣心堂
Notre Dame de Paris
• Our Lady of
Paris (in French)
• A Gothic
cathedral church
• Built between
1163-1257
les Champs Elysees & Arc of Triumph
Sigmund Freud
• Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)
an Austrian physician and
neurologist
the “father” of psychoanalysis, a new
school of psychology embodying
revolutionary and controversial view
of human behaviour
Important Freudian
Conception
• The Unconscious
Freud divided
human
personality into
three functional
parts — Id, Ego
and Superego.
The Unconscious
According to Freud, many slips that people
make in their daily life, the things they mishear
and the strange misunderstandings are not
mistakes at all; they are the workings of the
unconscious mind.
Many of our experiences,
especially our childhood
experiences, are unforgotten and
buried in the unconscious. They
continue to influence our
behaviour.
In Freudian Psychology
• Id: the one of the three parts of the mind that is
completely unconscious, but has needs and
desires
• Ego: the one of the three parts of the mind that
connects a person to the outside world,
because it can think and act; conscious self
• Superego: the moral self or conscience; the
one of the three parts of the mind that is partly
conscious and that rewards and punishes us
by our feelings of guilt or rightness, according
to our respect for the rules of society
Oedipus Complex
This is a Freudian term originating from
a Greek tragedy, in which King Oedipus
killed his father and married his mother.
According to Freud’s psychosexual
development theory, children are born
with powerful sexual urges. From 3 to 5,
they become especially aware of the
differences between themselves and
members of the opposite sex.
Oedipus Complex
In this period, a child becomes a rival
for the affection of the parent of the
opposite sex. The boy wants to win his
mother for himself, so he tends to be
hostile to his father. The girl does exactly
the opposite. However, neither the parent
nor their children are aware of this. It is an
unconscious process.
James Joyce (1882-1941)
An Irish writer, perhaps
the most important fiction
writer in the 20th century
His works are characterized by experiment with
language, symbolism and
such narrative techniques as
interior monologue and stream of
consciousness.
James Joyce’s Works
1. Dubliners (1914)
a collection of 15 short stories
2. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young
Man (1916) an autographical novel
3. Ulysses (1922)
his masterpiece, a modern man’s
voyage and adventures in life
4. Finnegans Wake (1939)
Ulysses vs. Odyssey
James Joyce
Homer
Ulysses
Odyssey
allusion
Trojan war
Translation Practice
• Stare
• The children ~d like fish. 眼睛瞪得像鱼儿似的
• The error ~d from the page.
书页上这个错误很扎眼
• He ~d the boy into silence/out of
countenance. 盯得不敢吭声了/局促不安
• The answer has been ~ing us in the face
all along! 答案其实一目了然！
Translation Practice
• Intuition
• By ~ he sensed what was wrong.
• Men are often regarded as less intuitive
than women.
• Those ~s are quite correct. Trust your ~.
• 女性的直觉告诉她他并不快乐。
• Her feminine ~ told her that he was not
happy.
Translation Practice
•
•
•
•
•
Authorize
I ~d my bank to pay her $3000.
老师同意那个女孩休息一天。
The teacher ~d the girl to take a day off.
The spokesman has been ~d to issue the
following statement. 发言人被授权发表以下声明。
• The dictionary ~s two spellings for this word.
• 这部词典认可/认为这个单词有两种拼写。
• The city council has ~d a housing project
recently. 最近市政府批准了一项住房项目。
Translation Practice
• Beneficiary
• This suburb has been the accidental ~ of
a large restoration program. 意外受益者
• 农民将成为这项税费改革最大的受益者。
• Farmers will be the biggest ~ies of the tax
reform.
• 长三角地区的企业将成为世博会的受益者。
• The enterprises in the Yangtze Delta will be
the ~ies of the Expo.
Translation Practice
• Finance
• The campaign was ~d mainly through voluntary
contribution.这项活动的经费主要是通过自愿捐助筹集的。
• Though he had inherited some money, he found
it hard to ~ himself for three years.
• 但仍然感到要靠这些钱维持三年的生活是困难的
• The central government has ~d the automobile
industry to help it through difficult times.
• 学校的修缮将由教育部出资。
The repairs to the school…
Translation Practice
•
•
•
•
Believe in
Do you ~ in the natural goodness of man?
你相信人性本善吗？
My father firmly ~s in doing morning
exercises every day. 坚信每天锻炼对身体有
• He ~d in the policy of益an eye for an eye
in his life. 生活中他信奉以眼还眼的政策。
• Gradually, since her divorce, she’s
beginning to ~ in herself again.
Translation Practice
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Go through
Has the nail gone through (the board)? 穿透
The piano won’t ~ through the narrow entrance.
The telephone call quickly went through.
You will have ~ through a severe test.
你得经受一次严峻的考验
We went through the scene three times during
the rehearsals. 这场戏我们反复练习了三次
• That book has gone through three printings this
year alone. 仅仅今年就重印了三
次
Translation Practice
• Go through
• The thief went through all the drawers.
• 小偷翻遍了所有的抽屉。
• The amendment has gone through Parliament.
修正案得到了议会的通过。
• She went through the degree ceremony without
getting too nervous. 参加学位授予仪式
• He went through all the money his father gave
him. 他把父亲留给他的钱都花光了。
Differentiation
bump vs collide
• Bump is used primarily of physical matters and then
implies a forceful knocking or running against sth. / sb.,
typically with thudding impact.
--He bumped his foot on the stove.
Bump may also suggest encountering an obstacle or
difficulty.
--The builder bumped up against the problem of
shoring up the wall.
Differentiation
bump vs collide
• Collide denotes a more or less direct running
together or against with a definite and often
destructive force or shock
Collide may indicate a forceful direct
disagreement or opposition as well.
--The tanker sank after it collided with
the freighter
Differentiation
bear vs endure
• Both terms can denote “to put up with sth. trying or
painful”.
• Bear usually suggests more the power to sustain what
is distressing or hurtful without flinching or breaking.
--The writer was forced to bear one personal
tragedy after another.
--He couldn’t bear to see the cat in pain.
Differentiation
bear vs endure
• Endure basically implies meeting trials
and difficulties, especially prolonged ones,
with patience and continued firm resolution.
--to endure years of rejection and
neglect
--His father, who suffered a stroke in
1961 which rendered him speechless,
endured the agony in silence.
Differentiation
comfort vs console
• Both terms can mean to give or offer help in relieving
suffering or sorrow
• Comfort suggests the lessening of misery or grief by
cheer, strength, encouragement or inspiration with
hope.
--a message intended to comfort the grieving
family
--to comfort him for his misfortunes
Differentiation
comfort vs console
• Console emphasizes the alleviating of grief or the
mitigating of the sense of loss.
Console suggests less positive relief but implies a
moderation of the sense of loss or disappointment.
--to console someone on the death of a parent
--to console herself by remembering the good
times
Insert an appropriate
word
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
a _______
cloud of smoke
a _______
of soap
cake
a _______
blanket of snow
a _______
of chocolate
bar
coat
a _______
of paint
cut
a _______
of pork
drop
a _______
of water
Insert an appropriate
word
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
a _______
sheet of skin
a _______
of coal
lump
ear
a(n) _______
of wheat
flash of sword
a _______
head
a _______
of cabbage
flash
a _______
of wit
blade of electric fan
a _______
a _______
lump of mosquito bite
C-E Translation
1. 作为一名外交官，他应该能巧妙地处理各
种意外情况。(handle)
• As a diplomat, he should handle all unexpected
situations skillfully.
2. 我觉得那一点我们已经谈得够多了，谈点
别的吧。 (move on)
• I think we’ve talked enough about that. Let’s
move on.
C-E Translation
3. 人喝醉了说话就含糊不清。(slur)
• When a man is drunk, his speech is slurred.
4. 我一刻也忍受不了她那没完没了的抱怨了。
(endure)
• I can’t endure her endless complaint a moment
longer.
C-E Translation
5. 他聊以自慰的是幸亏事情没有变得更糟。
（console)
• He consoled himself with the thought that it
might have been worse.
6. 她悄悄溜走未被人看见。(slip)
• She slipped away without being seen.
Topic for Discussion
• If love is a cake, what do you think it
is made up of? What, in your
opinion, would be its
ingredients? What
would be its “flour”,
“sugar”, “egg”, or
“cream”? Why?
Dictation
Love means that I know the person I love. / I'm aware of / the
many sides of the other person / not just the beautiful side / but
also the limitations. / I have an awareness / of the other's feelings
and thoughts. / I can see the other person / on a deeper level.
Love means / that I care about the welfare / of the person I love.
/ If I care about you, /I'm concerned about your growth, / and I
hope you will become / all that you can become. /
Love means trusting the person I love. / If I love you, / I trust
that you will accept my caring and my love / and that you won't
deliberately hurt me. / I trust that you will find me lovable / and
that you won't abandon me. / If we trust each other, / we are
willing to be open to each other / and reveal our true selves.
Structure of the text
Re-read the text for a couple of minutes and work out
a map for the order of narration.
For your reference:
chronological account (description of the air crash)
flashback (his wife's intuition judgment on previous occasions)
flashback (their romance and marriage)
chronological account (the author's recovery from the air crash)
flashback (his wife's surgery)
flashback (his wife's method to make people move on)
chronological account (the author's concluding comments).
Few things in the world are more powerful
than a positive push. A smile. A word of
optimism and hope. And you can do it when
things are tough.
Thank you!