现代大学英语精读3Lesson4WisdomofBearWood讲解.doc

Lesson Four Wisdom of Bear Wood

Background Information

I. Author

Michael Welzenbach (1954—2001) was an art critic as well as a poet and novelist. He wrote some of the most stimulating criticisms of art and music for the Washington Post.

II. Robin Hood

Robin Hood is a legendary hero of a series of English ballads, some of which date from at least the 14th century. He was a rebel, and many of the most striking episodes in the tales about him show him and his companions robbing and killing representatives of authority and giving the gains to the poor. Their most frequent enemy was the Sheriff of Nottingham, a local agent of the central government. Others included wealthy ecclesiastical landowners

Robin treated women, the poor, and people of humble status with courtesy. A good deal of the impetus against authority stems from the restriction of hunting rights. The early ballads, especially, reveal the cruelty that was an inescapable part of medieval life.

The authentic Robin Hood ballads were the poetic expression of popular aspirations in the north of England during a turbulent era of baronial rebellions and agrarian discontent, which culminated in the peasants’ Revolt of 1381. Robin Hood was a people’s hero as King Arthur was a noble’s.

III. Berkshire

Situated in the heart of southern England, the County of Berkshire, also known as "Royal Berkshire" is home to several well-known towns and cities, such as Windsor, where the famous royal retreat Windsor Castle can be found. Another royal connection is the Town of Ascot, famous for its very popular annual horse racing festival— "Royal Ascot". Berkshire also boasts many picturesque villages with views across the River Thames absolutely stunning.

IV. Rural Life in Britain

Cottages: Picturesque cottages are most people’s idea of the typical country building. Cottages dating from the late 16th century are generally the earliest to survive.

All manner of materials were used to build England’s country cottages: stone, slate, wood, flint, clay, cob, thatch, boulders and pebbles, and turf. Whatever material was used, traditionally this would have reflected what was locally available.

Whilst colorful flowers, always important to the cottage dweller, were haphazard in their planting, vegetables were grown in ordered rows. Edibles were grown, not only for the cottagers’ own table but also to be sold as a means of supplementing their income. The garden was not solely inhabited by plants, for the keeping of bees, and sometimes pigs, which was once a common sight in the cottage garden. The cottage garden provided the opportunity for the annual village show to develop, with every keen gardener hoping his produce would scoop the top prize.

Part One: Introduction to the Text

1. The story is about a friendship between two souls who are “seemingly different” in every way: one is an American boy of twelve; and the other is an old English woman.

2. The story is not very subtle, nor is it particularly dramatic, but it is nevertheless beautiful. It is beautiful not just because it contains some beautiful descriptions of the Wood, but because it is about a beautiful friendship.

Part Two Detailed Discussion of the Text
1. The Structure of the Text

It can be divided into three big parts:

The first part describes the loneliness of the boy and his roaming in the woods.

The second part describes the boy’s encounter with the old lady.

The last part describes the death of the old lady and the boy’s nostalgia for her.

2. Detailed Discussion of the text
1) The theme of the story is summed up at the very end. It is about “ a wisdom tutored by nature itself, about the seen and the unseen, about things that change and things that are changeless, and about the fact that no matter how seemingly different two souls may be, they possess the potential for that most precious, rare thing---an enduring and rewarding friendship.”

2) The story is not very subtle, nor is it particularly dramatic, but it is nevertheless beautiful. It is beautiful not just because it contains some beautiful descriptions of the Wood, but because it is about a beautiful friendship.

3) What is interesting is the fact that this is a friendship between two souls who are “seemingly different” in every way: one is an American boy of twelve,; and the other is an old English woman.

4) Why can they become good friends?

A: They are both lonely: the boy is lonely because he is in a foreign country with his father, the woman is lonely because she has just lost her dear husband.

B: They have the common interest in nature and knowledge.

C: The shortbread the woman keeps supplying for the boy is also one of the reasons.

D: The real reason for their friendship is the old woman’s selfless interest in the boy. It is often said that true love is in the giving and not in the taking. So is friendship. The woman not only gives the boy good food to eat, she also gives him a new vision of the beautiful nature, the key to the treasury of human knowledge, and above all, her care, concern, love and affection. Does she get anything in return? Yes. Through giving, she cannot help receiving. Although totally unaware, the boy has given the woman great consolation too. He is the real good companion of the woman. He brings great happiness and consolation to the woman. That is what she really needs in her deep heart.

5) In this world, there are many things you can see and there are many things you can’t see, and friendship is what you can’t see, unlike your worldly belongings, because it exists deep in your heart. In this world there are also things that change and things that do not change, and true friendship does not change. It is rare and precious. It is enduring and rewarding.

Part Three Vocabulary — the usage of suspect, regard, earn, incline and identify
1.suspect
(1) to think that sth is probably true or likely, esp. sth bad
(2) to think that someone is probably guilty
(3) to doubt the truth of sth

2.regard
(1) to look at attentively; to observe closely
(2) to consider or look upon in a particular way
(3) to have great affection or admiration for

give one’s regards to somebody

in this regard

with regard to

as regards

regardless of

3.earn
(1) to receive a certain amount of money for the work you do
(2) to get sth you deserve

4.incline
(1) to think that a particular belief or opinion is most likely to be right

to be inclined to do

5.identify
(1) to recognize and correctly name someone or sth, or to discover
the nature and origin of the thing

identity (n.)

identification (n.)

identical (adj.)

Part Four Grammar Focus
1. Ways of expressing adverbial

2. Ways of expressing apposition

3. Prepositions

Part Five More work on the Text.
1. Oral Work;

2. Vocabulary Exercises;

3. Grammar Exercises;

4. Written Work (Topic): Friendship

1. Why did Bear Wood become the boy’s favorite? What was so special about it?

2. Why did the boy remember so fondly his days in the Bear Wood? What did he mean when he talked about wisdom as a legacy?

3. What are the “seen and unseen”; “things that change and things that are changeless”?

4. What do you learn from their friendship?

Text Appreciation

I. Text Analysis

Plot of the story

Setting of the story

Protagonists of the story

Writing techniques of thestory

Theme of the story

Have you got the key elements in the story?

Plot: the cultivation of friendshipbetween a boy and an old lady

Setting: Bear wood

Protagonists: "I" and Mrs. Robertson-Glasgow

Writing techniques: go to Writing Devices

Theme of the story: go to the next page

Theme of the Story

True friendship is both rare and precious. It exists deep in heart and does not change. It is enduring and rewarding.

The theme is summed up at the very end.

Structure of the Text

Part 1 (paras. 1─ 4 ) about:

The lonely boy found his pleasure in Bear Wood.

Part 2 (paras. 5-23 ) about:

The boy met Mrs. Robertson-Glasgow in the Bear Wood and they became best friends.

Part 3 (paras.24-27 ) about:

Mrs. Robertson-Glasgow became sick and dead while their friendship flourished more than ever before.

Part 4 (paras. 28-37) about:

The revelation of true love.

1. Friendship Between Two Souls

Differences
old

English

woman

lost her husband

12

American

boy

separated from friends

Similarities

1. lonely

2. common interest—nature and knowledge

3. true love—giving not taking

4. others…

(Scan the text and list out the related information.)

2. Beauties vs. Beauties

1). Beauties that lie in the Wood :

a vaulted cathedral

…

2). Beauties that lie in the friendship

giving but no taking

…

3. When I was 12 years old, my family moved to England, the fourth major move in my short life. (In Para. 1)

Question: What does the author intend to emphasize, using this sentence as the opening?

The author intends to impress the readers that the boy disliked moving very much. The comparison formed between "12" and "4" is impressive.

4. Question: What can you learn from the first 3 sentences of Paragraph 2?

From the "Background information" we’ve already got a good idea that in Berkshire there are lots of historic interests, including some famous ancient castles. For little boys, ancient castles usually mean brave explorations and endless pursuit of mysterious treasures. The boy, however, had no taste for these kinds of things. Instead, he just loved nature. Maybe besides this reason, he was also trying to avoid any involvement with other boys.

5. Question: In the beginning of the story, what did Bear Wood mean to the little boy?

• heaven—but a lonely heaven (Was he really happy about the situation?)

• a secret fortress (What to defend? Did it form attachments or loneliness?)

• almost a holy place (Why holy?)

• a private paradise (Who was going to intrude into it?)

6. Question: What is the implication of Paragraph 7?

Following the 6 short sentences connected by 5 "ands" and 1 "so", the readers can feel, in a vivid way, the boy is not at ease and is eager to leave.

7. Question: The owls are "introduced", "not native". What is indicated here?

In fact, neither the old lady nor the little boy is native in Berkshire. The only common thing is that they can share nature peacefully and happily with the introduced animals.

8. Question: Compare the two sentences.

"… she was growing frailer and less inclined to laugh."

"I began to grow quickly. I played soccer and made a good friend."

With time passing, the old lady was dying; at the meantime, with the inspiration of the friendship, the boy was developing into a confident and open-minded boy and no longer afraid of having new friends.

9. I suspected, of course, that she was lonely; I did not know she was ill.( In Para. 26)

Question: What is the implication here?

The old lady was so kind to the boy. She was so involved in furthering the communication with the boy that he even failed to notice how ill she was. Of course, because she was quite open to him, he could understand her loneliness

10. Question: Why does the image of "the biscuit tin" reoccur so many times in the last part of the story?

Such an image entails a lot:

• the finest shortbread in the world made by the old lady;

• the everlasting friendship between them;

• the kindness best shown by the boy’s favorite snacks even before her death;

• the odds and ends kept to remind how much the boy had learned from the old lady—not only knowledge about nature, but also about lively life and rewarding friendship.

Further Discussion About the Story

How did the boy come to live in England?

How did he like the frequent moves?

What did he usually do to amuse himself?

Why did Bear Wood become his favorite?

How did the boy come to meet Mrs. Robertson-Glasgow?

How did they become friends?

Why did they enjoy each other’s company so much?

What did the boy discover about the elderly woman?

Can you imagine what kind of life she had had?

How did the boy suddenly lose his dear friend?

Why did the boy remember so fondly his days in the Bear Wood?

Retell the story in your own words.

III. Sentence Paraphrase

Sentence Paraphrase 1

When I was 12 years old, my family moved to England, the fourth major move in my short life. (1)

When I was 12 years old, my family moved to England, which was the fourth major move in my short life.

the fourth major move in my short life:

noun phrase

as a condensed non-restrictive relative clause

1).Lottie grinned, a real wide open grin.

2).His father was laughing, a queer sobbing sort of a laugh.
Sentence Paraphrase 2

My father’s government job demanded that he go overseas every few years, so I was used to wrenching myself away from friends. (1)

demanded that he go overseas:

subjunctive mood ,not "went" or "goes"

wrenching myself away from friends:

twisting and pulling myself violently away from friends

1. In the past men generally preferred that their wives _______ in the home.

A. worked B. would work

C. work D. were working

2. Jean Wagner’s most enduring contribution to the study of Afro-American poetry is his insistence that it ______ in a religious as well as worldly frame of reference.

A. is to be analyzed

B. had been analyzed

C. be analyzed

D. should have been analyzed

C C

Sentence Paraphrase 3

Loving nature, however, I was most delighted by the endless patchwork of farms and woodland that surrounded our house. (2)

Loving nature: present participle phrase, showing the reason

Patchwork of farms: farms that look like small pieces of cloth of different colors when seen from far above

However, as (because) I loved nature, I was really very happy to enjoy the endless pieces of farms and woods around our house.

More examples

1).Being a few minutes late, he was dismissed.

2).Having been criticized, he made up his mind to improve his work thoroughly.

Sentence Paraphrase 4

In the deep woods that verged against our back fence, a netw