Unit 10
The Transaction
Audiovisual Supplement
Cultural Information
Watch the video clip and answer the following questions.
1. What does Mr. Keating ask students to do?
He asks students to rip the introduction part of the
poetry text book.
2. What is the purpose of his doing so?
His intention is to develop the students’ ability of
independent thinking which is quite important in
literature study. He believes that words and ideas can
change the world.
Audiovisual Supplement
Cultural Information
Audiovisual Supplement
Cultural Information
From Dead Poets Society
Mr. Keating: Go on. Rip it out. Thank you Mr. Dalton.
Gentlemen, tell you what, don’t just tear out that page,
tear out the entire introduction. I want it gone, history.
Leave nothing of it. Rip it out. Rip! Begone J. Evans
Pritchard, Ph.D. Rip. Shred. Tear. Rip it out! I want to
hear nothing but ripping of Mr. Pritchard. We’ll perforate
it, put it on a roll. It’s not the Bible. You’re not going to
go to hell for this. Go on. Make a clean tear. I want
nothing left of it.
Cameron: We shouldn’t be doing this.
Neil: Rip! Rip! Rip!
Mr. Keating: Rip it out! Rip!
McAllister: What the hell is going on here?
Mr. Keating: I don’t hear enough rips.
Audiovisual Supplement
Cultural Information
McAllister: Mr. Keating.
Mr. Keating: Mr. McAllister.
McAllister: I’m sorry, I — I didn’t know you were here.
Mr. Keating: I am.
McAllister: Ah, so you are. Excuse me.
Mr. Keating: Keep ripping gentlemen. This is a battle, a
war. And the casualties could be your hearts and
souls. Thank you Mr. Dalton. Armies of academics
going forward, measuring poetry. No, we will not
have that here. No more of Mr. J. Evans Pritchard.
Now in my class you will learn to think for
yourselves again. You will learn to savor words
and language. No matter what anybody tells you,
words and ideas can change the world.
Audiovisual Supplement
Cultural Information
1. The Importance of Dialogue
Many philosophers and writers would like to express
their philosophic ideas through the form of dialogue. And
one important theorist making great contribution in
clarifying the function of dialogic thinking is Mikhail
Bakhtin.
Audiovisual Supplement
Cultural Information
1) Self-other relationship — “other” plays a key role in
understanding:
In order to understand, it is immensely important for
the person who understands to be located outside the
object of his or her creative understanding — in time, in
space, in culture.
— Mikhail Bakhtin (from New York Review of
Books, June 10, 1993)
Audiovisual Supplement
Cultural Information
2) Polyphony (many voices) — single voice is not the
carrier of truth:
Truth is a number of mutually addressed, albeit
contradictory and logically inconsistent statements. Truth
needs a multitude of carrying voices.
Text Analysis
Structural Analysis
The text opens with two writers answering students’
questions about how to write in dialogue, showing sharp
contrasts from various aspects. By summarizing different
methods in writing, the text later on points out that even
with diversity and differentiation, the common ground of
any writing is the same. Many renowned philosophers and
writers such as Plato and Oscar Wilde expressed their
philosophic ideas in the form of dialogue where different
aspects of truth were better presented. Through dialogue
between people on an equal footing, we get the
revelation that different, sometimes even seemingly
contradictory elements, can co-exist so harmoniously
within the range of one truth. Human beings have an
inclination to look at the world from a self-centered
Text Analysis
Structural Analysis
perspective, and it will result in an illusion far from truth.
Therefore, it is important for one to try his best to train
his mind from an early time in his life to tolerate other
people’s opinions of the world because such different
understanding of life helps one better pursue the truth.
Text Analysis
Structural Analysis
1) In terms of organization, the article clearly falls into
two main parts:
The first part (Paragraphs 1-17) is devoted to answers
given by two writers to the students’ questions.
The second part (Paragraphs 18-22) is a generalization
of the essence of writing.
2) In order to deliver the sharp differences in the answers
of the two writers in the first part, the author uses
• Short paragraphs and the repetition of “he said …” and
“Then I said …”
• The rhetorical trick of contrast
e.g. “The words just flowed. It was easy.” (Paragraph 3) vs.
“It was hard and lonely, and the words seldom just
flowed.” (Paragraph 4)
Text Analysis
Structural Analysis
• Advantage of such rhetoric technique: some knowledge of
different and even conflicting ideas helps one to gain
greater thinking power and acquire a broader vision.
3) The diversity of the writing methods in the second part is
expressed by the parallel use of “some …” and “others …”
e.g. Some people write by day, others by night. Some
people need silence, others turn on the radio.
(Paragraph 18)
4) The transition paragraph from the specific examples to
general discussion of the topic is Paragraph 17; The shift
from the diversity to the commonality shared by all
writers is realized with two words “But all” in the
beginning of Paragraph 19.
Detailed Reading
The Transaction
William Zinsser
1 About ten years ago a school in Connecticut held “a
day devoted to the arts,” and I was asked if I would come
and talk about writing as a vocation. When I arrived I found
that a second speaker had been invited — Dr. Brock (as I’ll
call him), a surgeon who had recently begun to write and
had sold some stories to national magazines. He was going
to talk about writing as an avocation. That made us a panel,
and we sat down to face a crowd of student newspaper
editors, English teachers and parents, all eager to learn the
secrets of our glamorous work.
Detailed Reading
2 Dr. Brock was dressed in a bright red jacket, looking
vaguely bohemian, as authors are supposed to look, and
the first question went to him. What was it like to be a
writer?
3 He said it was tremendous fun. Coming home from an
arduous day at the hospital, he would go straight to his
yellow pad and write his tensions away. The words just
flowed. It was easy.
4 I then said that writing wasn’t easy and it wasn’t fun.
It was hard and lonely, and the words seldom just flowed.
5 Next Dr. Brock was asked if it was important to rewrite.
“Absolutely not,” he said. “Let it all hang out, and
whatever form the sentences take will reflect the writer at
his most natural.”
Detailed Reading
6 I then said that rewriting is the essence of writing. I
pointed out that professional writers rewrite their
sentences repeatedly and then rewrite what they have
rewritten. I mentioned that E. B. White and James Thurber
rewrote their pieces eight or nine times.
7 “What do you do on days when it isn’t going well?” Dr.
Brock was asked. He said he just stopped writing and put
the work aside for a day when it would go better.
8 I then said that the professional writer must establish a
daily schedule and stick to it. I said that writing is a craft,
not an art, and that the man who runs away from his craft
because he lacks inspiration is fooling himself. He is also
going broke.
Detailed Reading
9 “What if you’re feeling depressed or unhappy?” a
student asked. “Won’t that affect your writing?”
10 Probably it will, Dr. Brock replied. Go fishing. Take a
walk.
11 Probably it won’t, I said. If your job is to write every
day, you learn to do it like any other job.
12 A student asked if we found it useful to circulate in the
literary world. Dr. Brock said that he was greatly enjoying
his new life as a man of letters, and he told several stories
of being taken to lunch by his publisher and his agent at
chic Manhattan restaurants where writers and editors
gather. I said that professional writers are solitary drudges
who seldom see other writers.
13 “Do you put symbolism in your writing?” a student
asked me.
Detailed Reading
14 “Not if I can help it,” I replied. I have an unbroken
record of missing the deeper meaning in any story, play or
movie, and as for dance and mime, I have never had even a
remote notion of what is being conveyed.
15 “I love symbols!” Dr. Brock exclaimed, and he
described with gusto the joys of weaving them through his
work.
16 So the morning went, and it was a revelation to all of
us. At the end Dr. Brock told me he was enormously
interested in my answers — it had never occurred to him
that writing could be hard. I told him I was just as
interested in his answers — it had never occurred to me
that writing could be easy. (Maybe I should take up
surgery on the side.)
Detailed Reading
17 As for the students, anyone might think we left them
bewildered. But in fact we probably gave them a broader
glimpse of the writing process than if only one of us had
talked. For of course there isn’t any “right” way to do such
intensely personal work. There are all kinds of writers and all
kinds of methods, and any method that helps people to say
what they want to say is the right method for them.
18 Some people write by day, others by night. Some people
need silence, others turn on the radio. Some write by hand,
some by typewriter or word processor, some by talking into a
tape recorder. Some people write their first draft in one long
burst and then revise; others can’t write the second
paragraph until they have fiddled endlessly with the first.
Detailed Reading
19 But all of them are vulnerable and all of them are
tense. They are driven by a compulsion to put some part
of themselves on paper, and yet they don’t just write
what comes naturally. They sit down to commit an act of
literature, and the self who emerges on paper is a far
stiffer person than the one who sat down. The problem is
to find the real man or woman behind all the tension.
20 For ultimately the product that any writer has to sell
is not the subject being written about, but who he or she
is. I often find myself reading with interest about a topic I
never thought would interest me — some unusual scientific
quest, for instance. What holds me is the enthusiasm of
the writer for his field. How was he drawn into it? What
emotional baggage did he bring along?
Detailed Reading
How did it change his life? It’s not necessary to want to
spend a year alone at Walden Pond to become deeply
involved with a writer who did.
21 This is the personal transaction that’s at the heart of
good nonfiction writing. Out of it come two of the most
important qualities that this book will go in search of:
humanity and warmth. Good writing has an aliveness that
keeps the reader reading from one paragraph to the next,
and it’s not a question of gimmicks to “personalize” the
author. It’s a question of using the English language in a way
that will achieve the greatest strength and the least clutter.
22 Can such principles be taught? Maybe not. But most of
them can be learned.
Detailed Reading
Do you think the process of the activity is within the
expectation of both the speakers and the audience?
No. Due to the differences in the background of the
two speakers, different views towards the topic of
writing are somewhat anticipated. But the fact that
their opinions should be so conflicting to each other is
a surprise to both the speakers and the audience.
Detailed Reading
What would be the possible response of the students as
suggested by the writer?
The students might have a broader glimpse of the
writing process. They would realize that there might be
totally different writers and methods of writing and
the most effective method of writing is the one that
helps the writer to say what he wants to say.
Detailed Reading
What does the writer mean when he says that all of the
writers are “vulnerable and tense”?
“Vulnerable” refers to the quality of being sensitive to
all the stimulus in life, and “tense” refers to the sharp
awareness of expressing natural feelings in an artistic
way.
Detailed Reading
1) What does the writer think is the very thing that makes
a piece of good writing?
According to the writer, it’s the existence of the
personal transaction that makes a piece of good writing.
The writer should devote genuine emotion in the
process of writing and only thus can he arouse the
expected response in his readers.
2) What does the writer mean that such principles cannot
be taught but can be learned?
What can be taught in writing is the writing skills, but
writing skills alone cannot make a great, or even a
good, piece of writing. The genuine enthusiasm for art
and sincere emotion for the world, which are essential
to good writing, can only be learned by heart and
through one’s life experiences.
Detailed Reading
Class Activity
Group discussion: Do you enjoy the process of writing?
Do you write with the flow of thought or based on
careful planning and meditation? Share your
experiences with you classmates.
Impromptu writing: Use ten minutes to write whatever
in your mind on a piece of paper and read this writing
to the class.
Detailed Reading
bohemian a.
having or denoting the qualities of a person with artistic
or literary interests who disregards conventional standards
of behavior
e.g. bohemian cafes frequented by artists, musicians,
and actors
Detailed Reading
arduous a.
involving strenuous effort, difficult and tiring
e.g. After a long, hot, and arduous journey we fell asleep
the moment our heads touched the pillows.
The experiment was far more arduous than most of us
had expected.
Antonym:
facile
Detailed Reading
circulate v.
move around a social function to talk to different people;
move continuously through a closed system or area
e.g. Rumours started to circulate among the villagers
about the cause of his death right after he died.
Derivation:
circulation (n.)
e.g. This kind of stamp is no longer in circulation.
Detailed Reading
symbolism n.
Symbolism is an artistic and poetic movement or style using
symbolic images and indirect suggestion to express mystical
ideas, emotions, and states of mind. It originated in late
19th-century France and Belgium, flourished all over Europe,
had great international impact, and influenced 20th-century
art and literature.
e.g. poetry full of religious symbolism
Derivation:
symbol (n.), symbolic (a.), symbolize (v.)
Practice:
What does this ____________
symbolize ? (symbol, symbolize)
这个符号象征着什么？
Detailed Reading
bewilder v.
cause sb. to become perplexed and confused
e.g. He was bewildered by his daughter’s reaction.
Synonym:
puzzle, perplex, confound
Detailed Reading
fiddle v.
tinker with sth. in an attempt to make minor adjustments
or improvements
e.g. She sat in the car and played the radio, fiddling
with the knobs.
Collocations:
fiddle with
e.g. Feeling nervous when facing the interviewer, she
fiddled with the strings of her purse.
fiddle about / around
e.g. Stop fiddling about and do some work.
Detailed Reading
commit v.
do sth. wrong or illegal
e.g. It was disclosed in the media that this senior official
had committed adultery with several females.
Collocations:
commit sb. / sth. to sth.: order sb. to be put in a
hospital or prison
e.g. commit a man to prison
commit sb. / oneself (to sth. / to doing sth.):
say that sb. will definitely do sth. or must do sth.
e.g. He has committed himself to support his
brother’s children.
Detailed Reading
Derivation:
commitment (n.): a promise to do sth. or to behave in
a particular way
e.g. the government's commitment to public services
Detailed Reading
Coming home from an arduous day at the hospital, he
would go straight to his yellow pad and write his
tensions away. (Paragraph 3)
Paraphrase:
After a whole day’s intense work at the hospital, he
would get rid of his tensions through writing.
Detailed Reading
“Let it all hang out, and whatever form the sentences
take will reflect the writer at his most natural.”
(Paragraph 5)
Paraphrase:
Let the writer relax completely and the sentences he
writes will show the most natural state of him.
Detailed Reading
I have an unbroken record of missing the deeper
meaning in any story, play or movie, and as for dance
and mime, I have never had even a remote notion of
what is being conveyed. (Paragraph 14)
Paraphrase:
I have nearly always failed to understand the hidden,
implicit meaning expressed in any story, play or movie,
and I do not have the slightest idea of what is being
conveyed in dance and mime.
Detailed Reading
Maybe I should take up surgery on the side.
(Paragraph 16)
Paraphrase:
Perhaps I should take up surgery as a hobby.
Detailed Reading
They sit down to commit an act of literature
(paragraph 19)
Paraphrase:
They sit down to do some literary writing.
Vocabulary
Grammar
Translation
Integrated Skills
Oral Activities
Word Derivation
Phrase Practice
Synonym / Antonym
Writing
Vocabulary
Grammar
Translation
Integrated Skills
Oral Activities
Writing
Fill in the blank in each sentence with an appropriate
phrasal verb or collocation from the text.
1) Although released from prison, Duncan has an inclination
run away from
to _________________
the police.
2) Following the election, the Democrats were demoralized,
going broke
discredited, and worst of all, ______________
.
3) Ms. Blair is expected to ____________
bring along
years of experience to the new post.
with her many
4) The cellist told us his story of being taken to concerts
and ____________
music as a child.
drawn into
Vocabulary
Grammar
Translation
Integrated Skills
Oral Activities
Writing
5) “No need to worry,” she comforted us with a smile.
hang out
“Let it all ___________
.”
Vocabulary
Grammar
Translation
Integrated Skills
Oral Activities
Writing
run away from: suddenly leave sb. / a place; escape from
sb. / a place
e.g. 他十三岁那年就离家出走了。
He ran away from home at the age of thirteen.
Vocabulary
Grammar
Translation
Integrated Skills
Oral Activities
go broke: bankrupt
e.g. 这个公司不会破产。
The firm will not go broke.
Writing
Vocabulary
Grammar
Translation
Integrated Skills
Oral Activities
Writing
bring along: make sth. happen
e.g.我们怎么能够让（人们的）态度发生改变？
How can we bring along a change in attitudes?
Vocabulary
Grammar
Translation
Integrated Skills
Oral Activities
Writing
draw into: make sb. become involved in sth., especially
when they do not want to be
e.g.
她发现自己卷入了她两个邻居之间的争论中。
She found herself drawn into a disagreement
between two of her neighbours.
Vocabulary
Grammar
Translation
Integrated Skills
Oral Activities
Writing
let it all hang out: (informal) relax and do what you like
e.g. 别担心，做你想做的吧！
Don’t worry. Let it all hang out.
Vocabulary
Grammar
Translation
Integrated Skills
Oral Activities
Writing
1) drudgery n. → drudge n.→ drudge v.
e.g. 无尽无休的﹑单调乏味的家务
the endless drudgery of housework
给那个公司打工无异于做苦力。
Working for that company, I was little more than a
drudge.
他勤苦地做一些单调的工作。
He drudges at some monotonous work.
Vocabulary
Grammar
Translation
Integrated Skills
Oral Activities
Writing
2) circulatory a. → circulation n. → circulate v.
e.g. 心脏和循环系统
the heart and circulatory system
这份报纸的日销售量约55,000份。
The newspaper has a daily circulation of 55,000.
打开窗让空气流通吧！
Open a window to allow the air to circulate!
Vocabulary
Grammar
Translation
Integrated Skills
Oral Activities
Writing
3) social a. → sociable a. → society n.
e.g. 我们这条街多数家庭都享受社会福利。
Most of the families in our road are on social
security.
她从不好交际。
She has never really been the sociable type.
社会有权要违法者受到惩罚。
Society has a right to see law-breakers punished.
Vocabulary
Grammar
Translation
Integrated Skills
Oral Activities
Writing
4) mention v. → mention n. → mentionable a.
e.g. 有人提起过我吗?
Did I hear my name mentioned?
没提到他的贡献。
There was no mention of his contribution.
我的贡献不值一提。
My contribution is not mentionable.
Vocabulary
Grammar
Translation
Integrated Skills
Oral Activities
Writing
5) resist v. → resistance n. → resistant a.
e.g. 他再也抵抗不住了。
He could resist no longer.
这种意见受到某种抵制。
The idea met with some resistance.
能抵抗抗生素的一种传染病
an infection that’s resistant to antibiotics
Vocabulary
Grammar
Translation
Integrated Skills
Oral Activities
Writing
6) intense a. → intensive a. → intensify v.
e.g. 他压力巨大。
He is under intense pressure.
他们用一周时间教速成英语课程。
They teach you English in an intensive course
lasting just a week.
她更加生气了。
Her anger intensified.
Vocabulary
Grammar
Translation
Integrated Skills
Oral Activities
Writing
7) exclaim v. → exclamation n.
e.g. 他大声说那不是事实。
He exclaimed that it was untrue.
他一阵惊叹。
He gave an exclamation of surprise.
Vocabulary
Grammar
Translation
Integrated Skills
Oral Activities
Writing
8) literature n. → literacy n. → literary a.
e.g. 18世纪英国文学
18th century English literature
发明了印刷术后文化教育才得以普及。
Mass literacy was only possible after the invention
of printing.
巴金是一位文坛巨匠。
Ba Jin is a literary giant.
Vocabulary
Grammar
Translation
Integrated Skills
Oral Activities
Writing
1) That made us a panel, and we sat down to face a crowd
of student newspaper editors, English teachers and
parents, all eager to learn the secrets of our glamorous
work.
Synonym: team, group
2) Coming home from an arduous day at the hospital, he
would go straight to his yellow pad and write his
tensions away.
Antonym: restful, easy
Vocabulary
Grammar
Translation
Integrated Skills
Oral Activities
Writing
3) “Absolutely not,” he said. “Let it all hang out, and
whatever form the sentences take will reflect the
writer at his most natural.”
Antonym:
questionably
4) I said that writing is a craft, not an art, and that the
man who runs away from his craft because he lacks
inspiration is fooling himself.
Synonym:
occupation, trade
Vocabulary
Grammar
Translation
Integrated Skills
Oral Activities
Writing
5) Dr. Brock said that he was greatly enjoying his new life
as a man of letters, and he told several stories of being
taken to lunch by his publisher and his agent at chic
Manhattan restaurants where writers and editors gather.
Synonym: stylish, fashionable
6) I said that professional writers are solitary drudges who
seldom see other writers.
Antonym: gregarious
7) They are driven by a compulsion to put some part of
themselves on paper, and yet they don’t just write what
comes naturally.
Antonym: liberty, freedom
Vocabulary
Grammar
Translation
Integrated Skills
Oral Activities
Writing
8) It’s a question of using the English language in a way
that will achieve the greatest strength and the least
clutter.
Synonym: confusion, disorder, jumble
Vocabulary
Grammar
Translation
Integrated Skills
Oral Activities
Writing
Direct Speech & Indirect Speech
Free Direct Speech & Free Indirect Speech
Inversion
Vocabulary
Grammar
Translation
Integrated Skills
Oral Activities
Writing
Direct Speech & Indirect Speech
Direct speech gives the exact words in the report, and
in writing and print uses quotation marks. A wide range of
verbs can be used to indicate the type of utterance or the
way in which something is said, such as answer, ask,
comment, cry, ejaculate, enquire / inquire, exclaim, groan,
growl, moan, murmur, mutter, note, observe, reply,
respond, retort, scream, screech, shout, shriek, smile,
whine, yell.
e.g. “What do you do on days when it isn’t going well?”
Dr. Brock was asked.
“Not if I can help it,” I replied.
Vocabulary
Grammar
Translation
Integrated Skills
Oral Activities
Writing
In indirect speech, verbs are generally “backshifted”
in tense to align them with the time of reporting, and
other changes, such as in pronouns and adverbials of time
and place, are made for the same reason.
e.g. A student asked if we found it useful to circulate in
literary world.
Vocabulary
Grammar
Translation
Integrated Skills
Oral Activities
Writing
Practice
Change the sentences from direct speech to indirect
speech and vice versa.
1. “What do you do on days when it isn’t going well?” Dr.
Brock was asked.
Dr. Brock was asked what he did on days when it
wasn’t going well.
2. A student asked if we found it useful to circulate in
literary world.
A student asked: “Do you find it useful to circulate in
literary world?”
3. “I know the answer,” Jane said.
Jane said that she knew the answer.
Vocabulary
Grammar
Translation
Integrated Skills
Oral Activities
Writing
4. Doris told Robert that he could then watch television.
Doris told Robert, “You can now watch television.”
Vocabulary
Grammar
Translation
Integrated Skills
Oral Activities
Writing
Free Direct Speech & Free Indirect Speech
Free direct speech lacks a reporting clause to show
the shift from narration to reporting; it is often used in
fiction to represent the mental reactions of characters to
what they see or experience.
e.g. Probably it will, Dr. Brock replied. Go fishing. Take a
walk.
Probably it won’t, I said. If your job is to write every
day, you learn to do it like any other job.
Free indirect speech resembles indirect speech in
shifting tenses and other references, but there is generally
no reporting clause and it retains some features of direct
speech (such as direct questions and vocatives).
Vocabulary
Grammar
Translation
Integrated Skills
Oral Activities
Writing
e.g. He said it was tremendous fun. Coming home from
an arduous day at the hospital, he would go straight
to his yellow pad and write his tensions away. The
words just flowed. It was easy.
Vocabulary
Grammar
Translation
Integrated Skills
Oral Activities
Writing
Practice
Identify the free direct speech and free indirect
speech in the following passages.
1. Oh, Mama, Ida thought, did I know you? Did you know
me? What am I afraid of? She asked herself and she
thought, I am a widow and losing my look. I am afraid
of the future.
free direct speech
2. He laid down his bundle and thought of his misfortune.
And just what pleasure had he found, since he came
into this world?
free indirect speech
Vocabulary
Grammar
Translation
Integrated Skills
Oral Activities
Writing
3. Tell him if he smokes he won’t grow. O let him! His life
isn’t such a bed of roses! Waiting outside pubs to bring
da home.
free direct speech
4. That was where he had learned what was right and
what was not. It had not been his fault that his father
had died and that the estate had been in disorder and
that he had had to make his own way. But he had, and
he had not done so badly either. But he was not a snob.
free indirect speech
Vocabulary
Grammar
Translation
Integrated Skills
Oral Activities
Writing
Inversion
When we use negative adverbials or only + adverbial at
the beginning of a sentence, the subject and verb are
inverted. The auxiliary appears before the subject.
When we put an adverbial phrase of direction or place
at the beginning of a sentence, we sometimes put an
intransitive verb in front of the subject.
e.g. She could rarely have been faced with so severe a
challenge.
→ Rarely could she have been faced with so severe a
challenge.
John is coming here.
→ Here comes John.
Vocabulary
Grammar
Translation
Integrated Skills
Oral Activities
Writing
Practice
Rewrite the following sentences, using inversion.
1. Customers’ money cannot be refunded under any
circumstances.
Under no circumstances can customers’ money be
refunded.
2. The enchanting suburb of Balham lies a few miles
further on.
A few miles further on lies the enchanting suburb of
Balham.
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3. Susan had not seen a more beautifully decorated room
anywhere.
Nowhere had Susan seen a more beautifully decorated
room.
4. You should not be absent from your seminars on any
account.
On no account should you be absent from your seminars.
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Translate the following sentences into English.
1. 这些现代主义艺术家看上去有点放浪不羁。(bohemian)
To describe someone bohemian is to say that he /
she is living in a very informal or relaxed way and
not accepting society’s rules of behaviour.
These modernist artists look vaguely bohemian.
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Practice：
放浪不羁的生活方式
a bohemian life style
他受过正统的教育，却选择过著艺术家我行我素的生活。
After a very proper upbringing, he chose to lead the
bohemian life of an artist.
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2. 他经常光顾一些以外国人为主要消费对象的时尚别致的
咖啡馆和酒吧。(chic)
If you describe something is chic, it is very
fashionable and elegant.
He is a frequent guest in some chic cafés and bars
which mainly cater to foreigners.
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Practice：
玛格丽特穿蓝色很时尚。
Margaret was looking very chic in blue.
她总是那么时尚，那么优雅。
She is always so chic, so elegant.
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3. 他的人生目标之一是将自己的职业与爱好结合起来。
(avocation)
The avocation one has is his hobby or minor
occupation.
One of his objectives in life is to unite his vocation
with his avocation.
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Practice：
他的职业是医生，副业是小说家。
He is a doctor by profession and a novelist by
avocation.
学习外语只不过是我的一项业余爱好。
Learning foreign languages is just an avocation with
me.
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4. 老年人很容易受到不诚实推销员的欺骗。(vulnerable)
When you describe someone is vulnerable, it is to
say that he / she can be easily hurt, wounded or
injured.
The elderly are vulnerable to the deceit practiced by
dishonest sales people.
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Practice：
他妻子去世后，他感到脆弱无助、意志消沉。
His wife’s death left him feeling vulnerable and
depressed.
幼小的鸟易受食肉动物伤害。
Young birds are very vulnerable to predators.
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Integrated Skills
Dictation
Cloze
Oral Activities
Writing
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Dictation
You will hear a passage read three times. At the first
reading, you should listen carefully for its general
idea. At the second reading, you are required to write
down the exact words you have just heard (with
proper punctuation). At the third reading, you should
check what you have written down.
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Dictation
College writing, also called academic writing, / is
assigned to teach you the critical thinking and writing
skills needed / to communicate in classes and in the
workplace. / To acquire and practice these skills, / you
are asked to write many different types of assignments
/ under different circumstances. / Sometimes your
teacher will assign a topic / and define the audience; /
sometimes you will be called on / to define and limit
the topic and audience yourself. / In any case, college
writing teaches you / about the series of decisions you
must make / as you forge the link between your
information and your audience.
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Writing
Fill in each blank in the passage below with ONE word
you think appropriate.
Becoming a professional writer needs no special skill or
training. Anybody from anywhere can venture into
professional writing and (1) _________
succeed in it. The most
important thing is the diligence and determination of the
(2) ________
person involved. This is essential (3) _________
because to
make something out of writing, the person has to be
convinced that success is sure. (4) Once
______ this is on
ground, all other necessary general skills would be
fact that
acquired. Another interesting thing is the (5) _____
the person learns while he writes.
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In addition, other things that (6) characterize
_____________ the
work of professional writers include ability to write in clear
and simple language, and at the same time providing a lucid
subject matter. The writer, with
explanation of the (7) _________
the chosen writing style, must be able to communicate
easily and give a pictorial description of the subject being
discussed in (8) such
_____ a way that will (9) ________
create a vivid
readers . A good
mental image in the minds of the (10) _________
professional writer must be empirical and proficient in the
use of rhetoric.
Becoming a professional writer is (11) ____
not a one-day
_____
job, but with constant practice coupled (12) with
persistence, perfection is achieved. And along with it comes
the remunerations attached.
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The word that fills the blank is a verb infinitive with the
same function of venture, and it has the collocation with
in; from the context, it can be inferred that a verb
meaning “do what you tried or wanted to do” is expected
here.
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The sentence lacks the object of the preposition of, and
judging from the meaning of the sentence, a noun
meaning “people” is expected here.
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Writing
The sentence lacks a conjunction, and the clauses before
and after this conjunction are about effect and cause,
therefore a conjunction to name the reason is needed here.
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Writing
The blank is in the beginning of the sentence, the rest
two clauses are complete and what is needed here is a
conjunction to connect the two. According to the
meaning of the whole sentence, the first clause shows
the condition, so a conjunction to lead an adverbial
clause of condition is expected here.
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The sentence lacks a noun that leads a predicative
clause, and in terms of the context, what a person can
learn while he writes? A noun with a general meaning
such as “situation, information, etc.” and so on is
expected.
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Writing
In the sentence, ability to write in clear and simple
language, and at the same time providing a lucid
explanation is used to summarized the features of the
work of a professional writer, so a verb with this
meaning is expected here.
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Writing
In a passage talking about writing, what would always be
the topic that is always discussed? If you fail to think in this
way, in the latter part of the passage, give a pictorial
description of the subject being discussed may provide the
hint because same word may be echoed in the previous
sentence.
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Writing
The blank is between in and a way and grammatically a
determiner that refers forward of the specified kind is
needed here. Actually the blank can be naturally filled
just from the feel of language.
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Grammatically speaking, a verb infinitive is needed
after will, and from the context, what can pictorial
description can do for a vivid mental image? A verb
meaning “make” is expected here.
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According to the meaning of the sentence, the image a
writer creates should be shown in the mind of the
person whose position is corresponding to that of the
writer in the writing process.
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A one-day job and with constant practice are in contrast,
therefore a negation that has the collocation with but is
expected here.
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Writing
When couple is used as a verb, a preposition is required
after it.
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Giving a Talk
Having a Discussion
Writing
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Translation
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Writing
Giving a Talk
Topic: My Favourite Writer
Structure for reference:




the name of the writer and his / her general information
what makes him / her your favourite
what features of his / her writing you admire most
one book you recommend as a representative work of his
/ hers
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Having a Discussion
Topic: What do you think are the essential qualities and
skills of a good writer?
Viewpoints for reference:
a. For a writer, to be humane and warm in heart is more
important than writing skills.
b. A good command of writing skills is essential for a
successful writer.
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Essay Writing
1. How to Write a Cause-and-effect Essay
Cause-and-effect essay: This type of essay connects the
reasons for which things happen and the consequences they
might have.
Important term — “causal chain” or “domino effect”
1) A causal chain or a domino effect is a chain formed of a
cause producing a situation and this situation producing
another situation and so on.
2) Each situation, while being the effect of a certain
happening, may also be the cause of another happening.
3) Analyze no more than three causes or effects of any
situation and devote a separate paragraph to each
point.
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Cause-and-effect essay structure
Introduction
•Introduce the topic
•Present the starting point for the argument
•Provide background information for the topic
Body
•Show the logical progression of arguments leading from
cause to effect
•Ensure that the structure remains intact
•Provide ample evidence to show the thought process
Conclusion
•Restate the key points
•Briefly review the logical process
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Sample: A Cause-and-effect Essay
EFFECTS OF WATCHING TOO MUCH TV
1
Discoveries and invention of devices are always
welcome till we, humans, find a way to abuse its benefits
and be adversely affected by it. TV, for example, was
invented with positive thoughts in mind — there would be
no national borders, education and communication would
be worldwide, etc. However, we are now trying to
overcome its physiological and psychological adverse
effects.
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2
One of the physiological effects of watching TV in
excessive amounts is eye-strain. It is true that there are
specifications for watching TV; TV should be 5 m. away
from the eye, the room should be adequately lit, TV should
be placed at the same height with our eyes, etc. However,
these do not prevent our eyes from getting tired if we
keep watching TV for a long time. Another effect is obesity,
which is widely observed in people who like watching TV
and eating snacks every day (there is even a term “TV
snacks” to refer to fast food that is suitable for eating in
front of the TV). TV is such a powerful machine that
people cannot get away from it — it is addictive.
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3
Apart from the physiological effects, TV also causes
psychological effects. One is a result of being exposed to
violence. After seeing so many violent scenes on TV, people
start considering violent actions normal and they lose their
sensitivity to their environment. Partly connected to this
effect, the interpersonal communication among people
decreases. Being insensitive to the suffering of other
people causes people to become alienated. Also, after
coming home from work people seek to relax in front of
the TV, and generally people prefer watching TV to talking
to each other. This issue is very important since lack of
interpersonal relationships mostly end in divorces.
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4
In short, inventions are meant to be beneficial for
human beings, if we know how to benefit from them. TV is
one of such inventions that need to be used for the right
purpose only — being educated and entertained for a
reasonable (according to age) period of time. We may,
then, be safe from or at least reduce the adverse
physiological and psychological effects of watching too
much TV.
Sample Analysis
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The sample is a cause-effect essay, talking about
the effect of watching too much TV. It has four paragraphs
in total, and obeys the structural format discussed in the
previous part. The first paragraph is the introduction,
saying that on the one hand, as an invention, TV is
designed to bring benefit to people; on the other hand, at
present its negative effects are more of people’s concern.
The second and the third paragraphs constitute the main
body of the article and discuss the adverse effects of TV
from the physiological and psychological aspects
respectively. They have made logical progression of
arguments leading from cause to effect of the issue. The
fourth paragraph is the conclusion and it calls for the
attention and efforts in reducing the harmful effects of
watching too much TV.
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3. Practice
Write an essay on the given topic: The Effects of Living
in a Foreign Country.
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Sample:
The Effects of Living in a Foreign Country
Living away from your own country can be an
unforgettable experience: you are exposed to a fresh new
environment and have a real taste of the foreign culture.
However, apart from satisfaction of your curiosity, it will
exert some important effects on one’s life.
The major effect, and also a very common one, is that
once you start a regular life away from home, you miss
everything. Life in a new place would not follow your
previous pattern of living and it takes some time for you to
adjust to this new pattern. This fact doesn’t mean that you
are unhappy then but that you are aware of being on your
own. Missing your family and the attention they all paid to
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you is a very usual thing to do. Little details you usually
taken for granted would weigh much on your heart then.
Therefore, it’s obvious that you have started to appreciate
everything that used to belong to you.
The second effect would be to accept another type of
society and culture into your daily life. Since you are living
in a place with different customs and traditions from yours,
you have to be able to develop yourself in unknown
conditions: making new friends, learning other points of
view, embracing different opinions and values, and seizing
every opportunity you have to go to new places. These
“first-hand” experiences will expand your horizon and
make you a more tolerant man.
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Living far from home, even for a short period of time,
can be really hard at the beginning. But it will bring about
positive effects on your life. It helps you appreciate
everything we have and learn to tolerate everything that is
different from you.
Text II
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Lead-in Questions
Text
Questions for Discussion
Text II
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Lead-in Questions
Do you think a good writer is trained or born?
If he / she is trained, what should be taught in a writing
course?
If he / she is born to be a writer, is it necessary to attend
writing courses any more?
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Some Self-Analysis
Theodore Roethke
1 I expect this course to open my eyes to story material,
to unleash my too dormant imagination, to develop that
quality utterly lacking in my nature — a sense of form. I do
not expect to acquire much technique. I expect to be able
to seize upon the significant, reject the trivial. I hope to
acquire a greater love for humanity in all its forms.
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2 I have long wondered just what my strength was as a
writer. I am often filled with tremendous enthusiasm for a
subject, yet my writing about it will seem a sorry attempt.
Above all, I possess a driving sincerity, — that prime virtue
of any creative worker. I write only what I believe to be
the absolute truth, — even if I must ruin the theme in so
doing. In this respect I feel far superior to those glib
people in my classes who often garner better grades than I
do. They are so often pitiful frauds, — artificial — insincere.
They have a line that works. They do not write from the
depths of their hearts. Nothing of theirs was ever born of
pain. Many an incoherent yet sincere piece of writing has
outlived the polished product.
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3 I write only about people and things that I know
thoroughly. Perhaps I have become a mere reporter, not a
writer. Yet I feel that this is all my present abilities permit. I
will open my eyes in my youth and store this raw, living
material. Age may bring the fire that molds experience into
artistry.
4 I have a genuine love of nature. It is not the least bit
affected, but an integral and powerful part of my life. I
know that Cooper is a fraud — that he doesn’t give a
true sense of the sublimity of American scenery. I know that
Muir and Thoreau and Burroughs speak the truth.
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5 I can sense the moods of nature almost instinctively.
Ever since I could walk, I have spent as much time as I
could in the open. A perception of nature — no matter
how delicate, how subtle, how evanescent, — remains
with me forever.
6 I am influenced too much, perhaps, by natural objects.
I seem bound by the very room I’m in. I’ve associated so
long with prosaic people that I’ve dwarfed myself
spiritually. When I get alone under an open sky where
man isn’t too evident — then I’m tremendously exalted
and a thousand vivid ideas and sweet visions flood my
consciousness.
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7 I think that I possess story material in abundance. I
have had an unusual upbringing. I was let alone, thank
God! My mother insisted upon two things, — that I strive
for perfection in whatever I did and that I always try to
be a gentleman. I played with Italians, with Russians,
Poles, and the “sissies” on Michigan Avenue. I was
carefully watched, yet allowed to follow my own
inclinations. I have seen a good deal of life that would
never have been revealed to an older person. Up to the
time I came to college then I had seen humanity in
diverse forms. Now I’m cramped and unhappy. I don’t feel
that these idiotic adolescents are worth writing about. In
the summer, I
turn animal and work for a few weeks in
a factory. Then I’m happy.
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8 My literary achievements have been insignificant. At
fourteen, I made a speech which was translated into
twenty-six languages and used as Red Cross propaganda.
When I was younger, it seemed that everything I wrote
was eminently successful. I always won a prize when I
entered an essay contest. In college, I’ve been able to get
only one “A” in four rhetoric courses. I feel this keenly. If
I can’t write, what can I do? I wonder.
9 When I was a freshman, I told Carleton Wells that I
knew I could write whether he thought so or not. On my
next theme he wrote “You can write!” How I have
cherished that praise!
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10 It is bad form to talk about grades, I know. If I don’t
get an “A” in this course, it wouldn’t be because I haven’t
tried. I’ve made a slow start. I’m going to spend Christmas
vacation writing. A “B” symbolizes defeat to me. I’ve been
beaten too often.
11 I do wish that we were allowed to keep our stories
until we felt that we had worked them into the best
possible form.
12
I do not have the divine urge to write. There seems
to be something surging within, — a profound undercurrent
of emotion. Yet there is none of that fertility of creation
which distinguishes the real writer.
13 Nevertheless, I have faith in myself. I’m either going
to be a good writer or a poor fool.
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About the author and the text: Theodore Huebner
Roethke (1908-1963) was an American poet, who
published several volumes of poetry characterized by its
rhythm and natural imagery. He was awarded the
Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1954 for his book, The
Waking. "Some Self-Analysis", a student essay, was one
of a number Roethke wrote at the University of Michigan
and was probably composed during his sophomore year,
1926-1927.
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Cooper (Paragraph 4) James Fenimore Cooper (1789-1851)
was a prolific and popular American writer of the early 19th
century. He is best remembered as a novelist who wrote
numerous sea-stories and the historical novels known as the
Leatherstocking Tales, featuring frontiersman Natty Bumppo.
Among his most famous works is the Romantic novel The
Last of the Mohicans, often regarded as his masterpiece.
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Muir (Paragraph 4) John Muir (1838-1914) was a Scottishborn American naturalist, author, and early advocate of
preservation of U.S. wilderness. His letters, essays, and
books telling of his adventures in nature, especially in
the Sierra Nevada mountain range of California, have
been read by millions and are still popular today. His
direct activism helped to save the Yosemite Valley,
Sequoia National Park and other wilderness areas. The
Sierra Club, which he founded, is now one of the most
important conservation organizations in the United
States. His writings and philosophy strongly influenced
the formation of the modern environmental movement.
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Thoreau (Paragraph 4) Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)
was an American author, poet, naturalist, tax resister,
development critic, surveyor, historian, philosopher, and
leading transcendentalist. He is best known for his book
Walden, a reflection upon simple living in natural
surroundings, and his essay, Civil Disobedience, an
argument for individual resistance to civil government in
moral opposition to an unjust state.
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Burroughs (Paragraph 4) John Burroughs (1837-1921) was
an American naturalist and essayist important in the
evolution of the U.S. conservation movement. According
to biographers at the American Memory project at the
Library of Congress, John Burroughs was the most
important practitioner after Thoreau of that especially
American literary genre, the nature essay.
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the “sissies” (Paragraph 7) Sissy (sometimes just Sis) is,
firstly, a relationship nickname formed from sister, given
to girls to indicate their role in the family, especially the
oldest female sibling. It can also be applied to girls as a
term of affection from friends who are not family
members.Because of its origins in a feminine nickname,
sissy is also a pejorative for a boy or man to indicate or
imply that he is like a sister, that is, effeminate and fails
to behave according to the traditional male gender role.
Generally, it implies a lack of the courage and stoicism
which are thought important to the male role. It might
also imply interests seen as strikingly un-masculine. This
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Memorable Quotes
pejorative may be given to anyone as an insult. Several
variations, such as “sissy boy” or “sissy baby”, exist and
any term can become pejorative or insulting if preceded
by “sissy” and applied to a boy or a man.
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turn animal (Paragraph 7) get crazy
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Many an incoherent yet sincere piece of writing has
outlived the polished product. (Paragraph 2) If a piece of
writing is a sincere expression of natural feelings and
perceptions, even though it is not very well organized, it
would have more enduring worth than another piece of
writing that may be better organized but that contains no
such warm feelings.
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he doesn’t give a true sense of the sublimity of American
scenery (Paragraph 4) Cooper has produced a false
picture of American scenery.
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I do not have the divine urge to write. (Paragraph 12) To
be divine is to possess such surpassing excellence as to
suggest inspiration by the gods, or to be able to
accomplish anything naturally and intuitively. By this
sentence, the author means that he is perhaps not a
natural writer, although he has got all necessary
emotions ready for writing. He has yet to practice until
perfection.
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1. What expectations does the author have towards the
course?
He expects to glean material for his story, have his
imagination stirred up, cultivate a sense of form,
focus on the great instead of the insignificant, and
above all, to love humanity in its forms all the more.
2. What is the author’s most obvious merits in
comparison with many other people?
The author has frenzied passion and absolute sincerity
for his writing and prefers unvarnished truth.
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3. What strengths and weaknesses does the author
possibly have?
His strengths are the choice of the subject and people
he knows thoroughly and his sincere love of nature.
His chief weakness is his being overinfluenced by
natural objects and people he has long associated
with.
4. What did his mother insist on?
His mother insisted on his constant efforts to achieve
perfection in whatever he was engaged in and to turn
himself into a gentleman.
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Fiction gives us a second chance that life denies us.
— Paul Theroux
Text II
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No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader.
— Robert Frost
Text II
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Questions for Discussion
1) Share with your classmates your unforgettable
reading experience from which you feel that your life
has been enriched.
2) Discuss with your classmates your opinion about the
relationship between the writer and the reader and
why.
Text II
Memorable Quotes
Paul Edward Theroux (1941-) is an American
travel writer and novelist, whose best
known work of travel writing is perhaps The
Great Railway Bazaar (1975). He has also
published numerous works of fiction, some
of which were made into feature films.
Text II
Memorable Quotes
Robert Lee Frost (1874-1963) was an
American poet. He is highly regarded for his
realistic depictions of rural life and his
command of American colloquial speech. A
popular and often-quoted poet, Frost was
honored frequently during his lifetime,
receiving four Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry.
Notation (type here)