21st Century College English: Book 1
Unit 4: Text A
The Washwoman
Unit 4: Text A
• Lead-in Activities
• Text Organization
• Reading & Writing Skills
• Language Points
• Guided Practice
• Assignment
Lead-in Activities
Questions for Discussion
• Do your grandparents live with your parents?
• What’s the possible advantages and disadvantages of
elders living together with their children’s families?
• Think of a person you know who continues to work
hard in his / her old age. Describe this person to
others. What is he / she like? What does he / she do?
Why do you think he / she still work?
Text Organization
The Structure of Text A
Washwoman and her job
Mother and son
Sense of responsibility
Para. 1-4
Para. 5
Para. 6-14
Text Organization
I. Washwoman and her job
This part introduces the washwoman to readers
by giving a brief description of her and shows
readers the difference between her and other
Jewish women at her
Text Organization
II. Mother and son
From this paragraph, we can see how the
washwoman was treated by his rich son and how
kind, caring and loving she was to her son as a
mother.
Text Organization
III. Sense of responsibility
Some episodes briefly but accurately tells readers
how responsible the washwoman was although
her health was declining as time passed by.
Reading & Writing Skills
1) Reading skill learning:
Ss learn to get the needed information such as physical
appearance by skimming the descriptive words and understand
and generalize a person's personalities and qualities through
some stores and life episodes
2) Writing skill learning
Ss learn to write about a person by giving a description of
what he or she looks like and telling some stories that shows
what kind person he or she is.
Intensive Study
The Washwoman
by Isaac Bashevis Singer
1 She was a small woman, old and wrinkled. When she
started washing for us, she was already past seventy. Most
Jewish women of her age were sickly and weak. All the old
women in our street had bent backs and leaned on sticks
when they walked. But this washwoman, small and thin as she
was, possessed a strength that came from generations of
peasant forebears. Mother would count out to her a bundle of
laundry that had accumulated over several weeks. She would
then lift the bundle, put it on her narrow shoulders, and carry
it the long way home.
Intensive Study
2
She would bring the laundry back about two weeks later.
My mother had never been so pleased with any washwoman.
Yet she charged no more than the others. She was a real find.
Mother always had her money ready, because it was too far
for the old woman to come a second time.
Intensive Study
3
Laundering was not easy in those days. The old woman
had no running water where she lived but had to bring in the
water from a pump. And the drying! It could not be done
outside because thieves would steal the laundry. So it had to
be carried up to the attic and hung on clotheslines. Only God
knows what the old woman had to endure each time she did
a wash!
Intensive Study
4
She could have begged at the church door or entered a
home for the penniless and aged. But there was in her a
certain pride and love of labor with which many members of
the labor force have been blessed. The old woman did not
want to become a burden, and so she bore her burden.
Intensive Study
5
The woman had a son who was rich. He was ashamed of
his mother, and never came to see her. Nor did he ever give
her money. The old woman told this without bitterness. When
the son got married, the wedding took place in a church. The
son had not invited the old mother to his wedding, but she
went to the church anyway and waited at the steps to see her
son lead the bride to the altar.
Intensive Study
6
One day the washwoman, now nearly eighty years old,
came to our house. A good deal of laundry had accumulated
during the past weeks. Mother gave her a pot of tea to warm
herself, as well as some bread. The old woman sat on a kitchen
chair trembling and shaking, and warmed her hands against
the teapot. Her fingernails were strangely white. These hands
spoke of the stubbornness of mankind, of the will to work not
only as one’s strength permits but beyond the limits of one’s
power. It was sad to watch the old woman stagger out with the
big bundle and disappear.
Intensive Study
7
Usually the woman brought back the wash after two or, at
the most, three weeks. But three weeks passed, then four and
five, and nothing was heard of the old woman.
8
For us the washwoman’s absence was a catastrophe. We
needed the laundry. We did not even know the woman’s
address. It seemed certain that she had collapsed, died.
Mother declared she had had a premonition that we would
never see our things again. We mourned, both for the laundry
and for the old woman who had grown close to us through the
years she had served us so faithfully.
Intensive Study
9
More than two months passed. One evening, while Mother
was sitting near the lamp mending a shirt, the door opened
and a small puff of steam, followed by a huge bundle, entered.
Under the bundle tottered the old woman, her face as white as
a linen sheet. Mother uttered a half-choked cry, as though a
corpse had entered the room. I ran toward the old woman and
helped her unload her bundle. She was even thinner now, more
bent. She could not utter a clear word, but mumbled
something with her sunken mouth and pale lips.
Intensive Study
10 After the old woman had recovered somewhat, she told us
that she had been ill, very ill. In fact, she had been so sick that
someone had called a doctor, and the doctor had sent for a
priest. Someone had informed the son, and he had contributed
money for a coffin. But God had not yet wanted to take this
poor soul to Himself. She began to feel better, she became well,
and as soon as she was able to stand on her feet once more, she
resumed her washing. Not just ours, but the wash of several
other families too.
Intensive Study
11 “I could not rest easy in my bed because of the wash,” the
old woman explained. “The wash would not let me die.”
12 “With the help of God you will live to be a hundred and
twenty,” said my mother.
Intensive Study
13 “God forbid! What good would such a long life be? The
work becomes harder and harder … my strength is leaving
me … I do not want to be a burden on any one!” The old
woman muttered, crossed herself, and raised her eyes toward
heaven. After getting paid, she left, promising to return in a
few weeks for a new load of wash.
Intensive Study
14 But she never came back. The wash she had returned was
her last effort on this earth. She had been driven by a strong
will to return the property to its owners, to fulfill the task she
had undertaken.
Text-related information
Isaac Bashevis Singer
Isaac Bashevis Singer (19041991) was an American short-story
writer and novelist who wrote in
Yiddish. Born in Poland, he came
to the USA in 1935. He became a journalist at the New
York Jewish Daily Forward, which also published his
fiction. Singer is most famous for his short stories, which
deal most with the heritage, faith, and daily lives of
Polish Jews, particularly in the Warsaw Ghetto (犹太人区).
He was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1978.
Key words, phrases & usages
small and thin as she was
— although this washwoman was small and thin
Translate
e.g.
• 尽管他很强壮，他还是不能把那块石头举起来。
Young as he is, he knows some family secrets.
•Key
Much as I like you, I don’t want to marry you.
Strong as he is, he can not lift that stone.
More to learn
Key words, phrases & usages
as
Usage: In formal style, as can be used to introduce a
clause, with a special word order, to mean “although”,
and the construction suggests a very emphatic contrast.
e.g.
•
Black and blind and poor as Stevie was, he had a happy
childhood.
•
Tall as he was, he was by no means a good basketball
player.
Key words, phrases & usages
find
n.
— someone or something good or valuable that is found
Paraphrase
e.g.
She
real was
find.the theatrical find of the year.
• was
Thisaactor
—
to of
have
foundinsuch
an unusually
gooda
• We
Thiswere
rarelucky
edition
Dreams
the Red
Mansions was
washwoman.
great find I made in an old bookstore.
Comprehension Exercises
Paraphrase
— And to think that she also had to dry the clothes,
which was no easy job for her either.
Translate into Chinese:
And the drying!
还有晾衣服的活儿！
Key words, phrases & usages
Only God knows
— it’s impossible to say…
e.g.
Translate
• God
knows where they have gone!
只有上帝知道她这些年是怎么过的。
Key
• The rain will stop God knows when.
Only God knows how she spent all these years.
Key words, phrases & usages
… could have done something
Usage: This pattern usually expresses regret,
dissatisfaction, or reproach on the part of the
speaker for something that the subject was
unable or neglected to do.
e.g.
•
We could have paid more attention to the pollution
from cars earlier.
•
You could have finished this assignment during the
weekend.
Key words, phrases & usages
be blessed with
— be lucky enough to have
e.g.
Translate
• 我的胃口很好，可是视力却不行。
He is blessed with a good ear for language; he speaks
the three fluently.
Key
I have always been blessed with a good appetite, but
not with a good sight.
Key words, phrases & usages
speak of
— give proof or evidence of
e.g.
Paraphrase
These hands spoke of the stubbornness of mankind,
•of the
Thewill
woman
never
mentioned
thestrength
tragic death
of but
her
to work
not only
as one’s
permits
child,
butlimits
her eyes
spoke
of suffering.
beyond
the
of one’s
power.
—
trembling
hands
the washwoman
showed
• The
Everything
in the
roomofspeaks
of the graceful
taste one
of
aspect of human nature, that is, the determination to
its owner.
work even beyond what one should be physically
capable of.
Key words, phrases & usages
rest v.
— (used as a link verb in this context) be; remain
Translate
e.g.
我们永远不要因自己所取得的成绩而自满。
• You can rest assured that nothing of this nature will
Keyhappen again.
•
Never
we rest
withrest
theeasy
honors
webed?
have
It is 11 shall
a.m. now.
Howeasy
can you
in your
won.
Comprehension Exercises
God forbid!
— may it never happen (expressing the hope that
something will not happen)
Usage: the expression is used alone as an answer to a
question, a suggestion, etc.
Translate into Chinese:
God forbid!
但愿上帝别这样！
Key words, phrases & usages
What good …/ What’s the good of …?
— What is the use or purpose of (something or doing
something)
e.g.
•
What good will it do to fuss over such a small thing?
•
What’s the good of doing it again and making the same
mistakes?
Key words, phrases & usages
drive
v.
— push something with force; motivate
e.g.
•
The play Othello is about how a man driven by
suspicion and jealousy kills his innocent wife.
•
He was driven to steal by extreme hunger.
Guided Practice
•
Vocabulary
•
Translation
•
Structure Writing
Vocabulary
《读写教程 I》: Ex. IV, p. 98
Vocabulary
IV. Fill in the blanks with the words given below. Change the form
where necessary.
possess
inform
stagger
utter
mourn
collapse property somewhat
tremble wrinkled endure recover drive
contribute
accumulate
fulfill
1. If you undertake this task, you must be ready to _____
hardship.
 endure
2. While Mr. Johnson was away on vacation, a lot of letters
_____ on his desk.
 accumulated
Vocabulary
IV. Fill in the blanks with the words given below. Change the form
where necessary.
possess
inform
stagger
utter
mourn
collapse property somewhat
tremble wrinkled endure recover drive
contribute
accumulate
fulfill
3. I was _____ disappointed with the meal. It was not bad,
but not as good as I had expected it to be.
 somewhat
4. Part of a police officer’s job is to protect public _____.
 property
Vocabulary
IV. Fill in the blanks with the words given below. Change the form
where necessary.
possess
inform
stagger
utter
mourn
collapse property somewhat
tremble wrinkled endure recover drive
contribute
accumulate
fulfill
5. Have you _____ your parents of your plan for the winter
vacation?
 informed
6. The woman was forty, but looked fifty. Her cheeks were
sunken and her skin was _____ and yellow.
 wrinkled
Vocabulary
IV. Fill in the blanks with the words given below. Change the form
where necessary.
possess
inform
stagger
utter
mourn
collapse property somewhat
tremble wrinkled endure recover drive
contribute
accumulate
fulfill
7. Nearly _____ under the pain, the wounded soldier
staggered across the road.
 collapsing
8. Al the theaters and cinemas were closed, as a sign of
_____ for the dead president.
 mourning
Vocabulary
IV. Fill in the blanks with the words given below. Change the form
where necessary.
possess
inform
stagger
utter
mourn
collapse property somewhat
tremble wrinkled endure recover drive
contribute
accumulate
fulfill
9. His classmates have _____ a total of 12,400 yuan for the
student who had a major operation last week.
 contributed
10. With a history of over 100 years, the little town _____ a
unique glamour (魅力).
 possesses
Vocabulary
IV. Fill in the blanks with the words given below. Change the form
where necessary.
possess
inform
stagger
utter
mourn
collapse property somewhat
tremble wrinkled endure recover drive
contribute
accumulate
fulfill
11. Now that he is quite _____ from his illness, he has
decided to resume his college education this fall.
 recovered
12. Mary’s voice _____ with anger as she told us about her
husband’s shamelessness.
 trembled
Vocabulary
IV. Fill in the blanks with the words given below. Change the form
where necessary.
possess
inform
stagger
utter
mourn
collapse property somewhat
tremble wrinkled endure recover drive
contribute
accumulate
fulfill
13. To _____ his dream of becoming a professional athlete,
Tom kept training for three years.
 fulfill
14. Though Dr. Brown was exhausted, a sense of
responsibility _____ him back to the hospital to see if
his patients were all right.
 drove
Vocabulary
IV. Fill in the blanks with the words given below. Change the form
where necessary.
possess
inform
stagger
utter
mourn
collapse property somewhat
tremble wrinkled endure recover drive
contribute
accumulate
fulfill
15. She happened to look out of the kitchen window and
saw a man _____ around like a drunk.
 stagger
16. The wounded soldier _____ a cry of pain as the nurse
tried to clean and bandage his wound.
 uttered
Translation
《读写教程 I》: Ex. XIII, p. 104
Translation
1. 虽然祖母体弱多病，她却承担起了家里的所有家务。
as
sickly and weakly
has taken on
Sickly and weak as Grandma is, she has taken on
all the housework in the family.
Translation
2. 唱片公司从未对任何歌手这样满意过。对他们来说, 史
蒂威 ·
旺达 确实是个难得的人才。
a real find
be pleased with
The recording company had never been so pleased
with any singer. For them, Stevie Wonder was a real
find.
Translation
3. 他们住的地方没有自来水，也没有煤气和电这类生活上
的便利设备。
nor
conveniences of life
They had no running water where they lived. Nor
did they have any conveniences of life such as gas
and electricity.
Translation
4. 六年过去了，接着七年、八年过去了， 那位法国艺术家
仍杳无音信。 看来他肯定已离开这个国家去了唯有上帝
知道的什么地方。
nothing was heard of
only God knows where
Six years passed, then seven and eight, and nothing
was heard of that French artist. It seemed certain
that he had left the country for only God knows
where.
Translation
5. 那年夏天他病得很厉害，但秋天他刚感到好些了，便又
重新开始写作，并在两个月内完成了他的最后一部小说。
feel better
resumed his writing
He was very ill that summer, but as soon as he felt
better in the fall, he resumed his writing and finished
his last novel in two months.
Translation
6. 在坚强意志的推动下，亚历克斯终于完成了他所承担的
任务。
driven by
fulfilled the task
Driven by a strong will, Alex finally fulfilled the task
he had undertaken.
Translation
7. 在医生和护士们的帮助下，那位病人恢复得很快，几星
期后便再一次站了起来。
in a few weeks
stand on his feet
With the help of the doctor and the nurses, the
patient recovered quickly and in a few weeks was
able to stand on his feet once more.
Translation
8. 望着老人那张满是皱纹的脸真是叫人难过，因为它说明
了老人一辈子所经历的一切。
wrinkled face
spoke of
It was really sad to watch the old man’s wrinkled
face, which spoke of all that he had borne/endured
in his life.
Structured Writing
《读写教程 I》: Ex. XV, p. 105
Structured Writing
Write a paragraph in which you describe an old
person who is important in your life. The person could
be a parent or a relative, a teacher, etc. Write your
paragraph by first giving a brief description of what he
or she looks like. Then tell a short story that shows
what kind of person he or she is.
Structured Writing
Factors to consider about
1. Who I want to describe?
e.g. My grandfather.
2. How to describe his appearance?
e.g. tall, strong arms, powerful shoulders, soft
white hair, a smile on his face
3. Why I want to tell the story?
e.g. To show how kind my grandfather is.
Structured Writing
Sample Essay
My grandfather is a tall, strong man. He has strong arms and
powerful shoulders as he worked for many years in a steel factory.
When I was a little kid, I used to climb on him and hang from his
arms. My grandfather is very kind to me. He has soft white hair and
there is always a smile on his face which lets you know how friendly
he is.
Once, when I was about 8 years old, I scared my grandmother by
hiding from her. When Grandfather found me, he did not seem angry,
nor did he punish me. He spent hours telling me how wrong I was to
scare my grandmother the way I had. Then he gave me a hug and
then let me go out to play. Young as I was, I learned from my
grandfather how important it is to be caring.
Structured Writing
Please change your writing with the classmate sitting
beside you and revise his writing, such as correcting
spelling mistakes, eliminating redundancy, and
considering sentence types.
Let’s do it!
Assignment
1. Revision of Text A:
•
Structure
Ex. X
p. 102
•
Cloze
Ex. XII
p. 103
•
Translation Ex. XIII
p. 104
2. Preview of Text B:
•
Guessing Meaning from Context
p. 113