上海建桥学院大学英语制作

上海建桥学院大学英语制作

Book One

Unit Two

Friendship

Text A All the Cabbie Had Was a Letter

ContentBackground Information

Warm-up Activity

Text Organization

Sentence Study

Words and Phrases

Text Analysis

Background Information

Halloween: Halloween is celebrated annually. It is on the

night of 31 October, when people once believed that gho9sts could be seen. Now, in Britain and America, it is a time when children have parties, dress up as witches, make lanterns out of pumpkins from which the inside has been removed, and play “trick or treat”.


Trick or treat is a traditional activity at Halloween. Children dress in costumes and visit houses. At each house they say “Trick or treat”. This means that they will play a “trick” or joke on the people in the house unless they are given a “treat”, e. g. sweets or money. Most people prefer to give treats rather than having tricks played on


Warm-up Activity

Read the following quotations and give the Chinese version.Read the following quotations and give the Chinese version.

Warm-up Activity

A man dies often as he loses a friend. But we gain new life by new contacts, new life.

-------Francis Bacon Francis Bacon was a famous

British thinker, politician and empirical philosopher, and at the same time, a pioneer of experimental science.


Warm-up Activity

A faithful friend is the medicine of life.

------ William Shakespeare

(the most famous and greatest British playwright)


Warm-up Activity

A friend, as it were, a second self.

-------Cicero

(106 B. C. ---- 43 B. C.)

Cicero was a famous Roman politician, speaker and philosopher.

Text Organization

Parts : Part One Paragraphs : Paras. 1—20Main Ideas :

From a conversation with the cab drier the author learned how much he regretted failing to keep

up correspondence with his old friend Ed.

Text organization

Parts : Part Two Paragraphs : Paras. 21—35Main Ideas :

Reading the letter by himself, the author learned more about the

lifelong friendship between the driver and Old Ed.

Text organization

Parts : Part Three Paragraphs : Paras. 36Main Ideas :

The driver’s experience urged the author to reach for his pen.

Text organization

Sentence Study

Sentence study

This part comes down to two categories: the sentences This part comes down to two categories: the sentences whose structures differ from Chinese one and those whose structures differ from Chinese one and those carrying active verbs.carrying active verbs.

1.1. ……it might just as well have been family. it might just as well have been family. （（ Line 2, P 4)Line 2, P 4)【【解析解析】】If you say that you If you say that you might/may (just) as wellmight/may (just) as well do do something, you mean that you will do it although something, you mean that you will do it although you don’t have a strong desire to do it and may you don’t have a strong desire to do it and may even feel slightly reluctant about it.even feel slightly reluctant about it.

1) Anyway, you’re here; you might as well.1) Anyway, you’re here; you might as well.

2) The post office is really busy—we’ll 2) The post office is really busy—we’ll have to queue for ages to get served. We have to queue for ages to get served. We might as well go homemight as well go home

Sentence study

Sentence study

2. I’m not much of a hand at writing. 2. I’m not much of a hand at writing. （（ Line 5 and 6, para 6)Line 5 and 6, para 6)我这人就是不大会写东西。我这人就是不大会写东西。

【【解析解析】】This sentence equals to “I’m not good at writing.”This sentence equals to “I’m not good at writing.”

1). Some people may think that doing housework for others is not much of a career.

2). He is not much of a father, but he is an outstanding professor. races stick to discipline so rigidly as the Japanese one.

Sentence study

3. We were kids together, so we go way back. (para 8)3. We were kids together, so we go way back. (para 8)

【【解析解析】】This sentence means “We were kids since childhood, This sentence means “We were kids since childhood, so our friendship has existed for a very long time. so our friendship has existed for a very long time.

Sentence study

4. It had references to things that probably meant something 4. It had references to things that probably meant something to the driver,… to the driver,… （（ line 6, para 21)line 6, para 21)信里提到些事，可能对司机来说很重要。信里提到些事，可能对司机来说很重要。

Sentence study

【【解析解析】】 “ “had references to things” means “mentioned things”; had references to things” means “mentioned things”; “meant something to the driver” indicates something “meant something to the driver” indicates something important to the driver. important to the driver. e.g. What the premier said at the conference means a e.g. What the premier said at the conference means a lot to the current economic conditions. lot to the current economic conditions.

5. “Like it says there,” he answered, “about all we had to 5. “Like it says there,” he answered, “about all we had to spend in those days was time.” spend in those days was time.” （（ para 23)para 23)““ ” “就像信里写的那样，他回答说，我俩在那个时候能化” “就像信里写的那样，他回答说，我俩在那个时候能化

” “ ”的就只有时间。他摇头叹道：时间啊。” “ ”的就只有时间。他摇头叹道：时间啊。

Sentence study

【【解析解析】】 This sentence equals to: As the letter says, though we This sentence equals to: As the letter says, though we didn’t have much money we had a lot of free time in didn’t have much money we had a lot of free time in those days.those days.

6. He looked sort of sorrowful, or as if he were trying to see 6. He looked sort of sorrowful, or as if he were trying to see something in the distance. something in the distance. （（ para 35)para 35)

他神情有点悲伤，好像要看清楚远处什么东西。他神情有点悲伤，好像要看清楚远处什么东西。

Sentence study

【【解析解析】】 … …or as if he were…distance.: The subjunctive mood is or as if he were…distance.: The subjunctive mood is often used, esp. in American English, after as if when the often used, esp. in American English, after as if when the comparison is “unreal”. comparison is “unreal”. e. g. John talks as if he were a billionaire. (But he is not.)e. g. John talks as if he were a billionaire. (But he is not.)cf. It looks as if it’s going to rain. (Very like it is.)cf. It looks as if it’s going to rain. (Very like it is.)

Words and Phrases

vt. be absorbed in, be fully occupied with vt. be absorbed in, be fully occupied with

专心致志于专心致志于

1. be lost in/lose oneself in 1. be lost in/lose oneself in

e.g. e.g.

1) Henry was lost in playing computer games so he was 1) Henry was lost in playing computer games so he was unaware of my entering the room.unaware of my entering the room.

2) She was lost in her novel.2) She was lost in her novel.

3) I had lost myself in thought.3) I had lost myself in thought.

Words and Phrases

vt. form a judgment about vt. form a judgment about 估计估计 2. estimate2. estimate

e.g. e.g.

1) I estimate that the total cost for the treatment of the 1) I estimate that the total cost for the treatment of the disease will go from $5,000 to $8,000. disease will go from $5,000 to $8,000.

2) Bill’s personal riches were estimated at $368 million. 2) Bill’s personal riches were estimated at $368 million.

Words and Phrases

vt. try very hard to persuade vt. try very hard to persuade 力劝，催促力劝，催促(often used in the pattern (often used in the pattern urge sb. to do sth.urge sb. to do sth. or or

followed by a followed by a that-clausethat-clause. In the that-clause,. In the that-clause,

“ “should” or the base form of a verb is used. )should” or the base form of a verb is used. )

3. urge3. urge

e.g. e.g.

1)1) I urged my cousin to take a year off to study drawing.I urged my cousin to take a year off to study drawing.

2)2) Sir Fred urged that Britain (should) join the European Sir Fred urged that Britain (should) join the European Monetary System. Monetary System.

Words and Phrases

vt. delay vt. delay 推迟，使延期推迟，使延期 4. postpone4. postpone

e.g. e.g.

1)The couple had postponed having children to establish 1)The couple had postponed having children to establish their careers.their careers.

Words and Phrases

(of time) pass (of time) pass （时间）逝去（时间）逝去 5. go by 5. go by

e.g. e.g.

1)Her daughter was becoming more and more beautiful as 1)Her daughter was becoming more and more beautiful as the years went by.the years went by.

2) As each month goes by, the economic situation gets 2) As each month goes by, the economic situation gets better. better.

Words and Phrases

(infml)(infml) stay in or near a place, not doing very stay in or near a place, not doing very muchmuch

闲逛，徘徊闲逛，徘徊

6. hang out 6. hang out

e.g. e.g.

1)I often hang out in coffee bars while I was unemployed. 1)I often hang out in coffee bars while I was unemployed.

2)That’s the corner where all the kids hang out. 2)That’s the corner where all the kids hang out.

Words and Phrases

vt. vt. 略过，跳过略过，跳过 7. skip7. skip

e.g. e.g.

As time is limited, we will have to skip some of the exercises As time is limited, we will have to skip some of the exercises in Unit 10.” said the teacher. in Unit 10.” said the teacher.

Words and Phrases

Text Analysis

In spoken English, sentences tend to be simple and short. Some sentences are incomplete, for example:

“(Is this letter) From a child or maybe a grandchild?”

(You) Went to school together?

“Time.”

“(I have) Enjoyed talking with you.”

Spoken English sentence

Text Analysis

Spoken English words and phrases

In conversation people are liable to use words and phrases that are not usually used in written English, for example:

Sort of, kind of , you know, I think,

I guess, I take it, well, go ahead,

hang out, it’s no fun to do sth.

not much of a hand at doing sth. a couple of ,

every now and then, an awful lot.

Text Analysis

How to keep the conversation going?

For one thing, the author expresses his agreement to show that cabbie what a sympathetic listener he is, e.g.:

“Letters from home always mean a lot. At least they do with me because I’m on the road so much.”

“I don’t think any of us keep up our correspondence too well. I know I don’t.”

“Well, we should all keep in touch with old friends more than we do. But things come up and we just don’t seem to find the time.”

…

Text Analysis


For another, the author asks questions directly to get more information out of the cabbie: …

“You said ‘was’. Does that mean---?”

“Did you two work at the same place?”

“I thought your friend’s name was Ed. Why did he sign it Tom?”

Text Analysis


Sometimes, the author askes an indirect question by making guesses:

“From a child or maybe a grandchild?”

“Went to school together?”

“I take it he’s someone you’ve known quite a while?”

“You must have spent a lot of time together.”

“That must have made you feel good, didn’t it?”

Text Analysis

上海建桥学院大学英语制作

Documents

Transcript of 上海建桥学院大学英语制作