My Personal Manager

Margaret Goff Clark

Background Warming-up questions Text appreciation Language understanding Group activities

Background Margaret Goff Clark is a productive author. She wrote stories about teenagers. Different themes:

mysteries, science fiction, human

relationship and wild animals.

Theme one: mysteries Who Stole Kathy Young?

It is about two girls who are cousins named Meg and Kathy. Meg and Kathy both live in Texas. The story is set in summer and Meg and Kathy always the tourists that come for vacation. They saw two tourists that seemed a bit weird to them but didn't really think anything of it until they began to follow them. Next Meg sees Kathy a little further down he road being shoved into a van. Meg automatically thinks it must be those two tourists that they had seen earlier. Police search parties are sent out searching for Kathy but they can't find her. Meg decides that just waiting isn't helping so she starts to search for Kathy herself with a boy named Julian. While all of this searching for Kathy is going on, Kathy herself is trying to escape.

Theme two: science fiction Barney and UFO Barney on Mars

Theme three: human relationship

This book is a historical fiction about a family helping slaves escape to Canada.

Theme four: wild animals

The Endangered Florida Panther

There is a good mix of high-interest anecdotes about the panther and the people who study and safeguard it, and of facts and photos that present basic information about the species and its ecological role. Habits and habitat are briefly discussed; history focuses on the panther's endangered status and the efforts to protect it.

The Threatened Florida Black BearIn this companion book to The Endangered Florida Panther (1993) and The Vanishing Manatee (1990, both Cobblehill), Clark gives basic historical and scientific facts interspersed with eyewitness accounts of the wildlife biologists who study and protect the animals. It is these anecdotes that create a sense of excitement and convey the tragedy of habitat loss that puts various species at risk worldwide. Full-color photographs provide information and a feeling of immediacy and awe. Solidly on the side of wildlife conservation, Clark presents a balanced picture of the bear's relationship with the environment and with humans, discussing conflicts and compromise.

Warming-up questions What is your favorite book and who is

your favorite character in juvenile literature?

What does a good story usually contain? In this text, Why doesn’t the story

directly begin from the first day I meet Carlos?

Text appreciation

In-class discussion What troubles the hero and heroine in the

story? What will it usually result in? How do they deal with it?

If you were Karen, what would you do? And if you were Carlos? What would you do to help Karen?

Do you have the similar problems? What is your way to resolve them?

Text appreciation Development of story:

Part I (para.1): suspense of the storyPart II (para. 2-par.6): the first day I met Carlos.Part III (para.7-para.8): Carlos became my personal manager.Part IV. (para.9-end): the success of us.

Language understanding annoy, irritate, bother annoy refers to mild disturbance caused by an act

that tries one's patience 使烦恼、懊恼 irritate is closely related but somewhat stronger 比

annoy 更为强烈 , 着重指一种暂时或短期的“恼怒 ; 激怒”

bother implies troublesome imposition: 指不停地“扰乱”、“麻烦” , 使人不能安宁 , 而产生烦恼的心理。

Language understanding

1. Hasn't he ______them enough with his phone calls?

2. I was ______ by his bad manners.3. Your interruptions only serve to _____the

entire staff. 4. Pardon me for _______ you with such a small

matter.

bothered

annoyed

irritate

bothering

Language understanding

cast• The fisherman cast his net into the sea.• She cast an eye in his direction.• It cast a new light on the problem.• He seemed to be cast down.• He cast his vote against the new tax law.• stake everything on the single cast of a dice 孤注一掷• This is a play with an all-star cast.

knee

beat sb. to his knees/bring sb. to his knees

( force sb. to submit)

bend one's knee before /to sb.

The water was knee-deep.

The grass was knee-high.

plead to ask earnestly; beg: 恳求；乞求

The boy pleaded for mercy.She pleaded with the officer not to give her a ticket.

to assert as defense or excuse; claim as a plea 以为…托词She pleaded ignorance of the law.

to put forward a plea of a specific nature in court, claim 抗

辩；答辩He pleaded not guilty.

argue earnestly in favor of: 为…答辩plead political prisoners

under- Beneath or below in position:

underground, undergarments, undercurrent Inferior or subordinate in rank or importance:

undergraduate, undersecretary Less in degree, rate, or quantity than normal or

proper:undersized, underdeveloped, underpaid, underdone, undernourished

know better than to do:be wise enough

not to do• She is old enough to know better than to

spend all her money on clothes.• I know better than to lend him any money.• He ran away from school. He ought to have

known better.

Language understanding

be through (with) Are you through with your work? I am through talking to her. worth

for all one is worthfor what it is worthget one's money's worthWe never know the worth of water till the well is dry. （ proverb)

laugh laughing-stock 笑柄 no laughing matter 不是小事 laugh off an embarrassing situation 一笑置之 laugh in one’s face 公开嘲笑 laugh in one's sleeve 幸灾乐祸偷偷地欣喜或高兴 He laughs best who laughs last.

Language understandinglaugh, smile, grin, chuckle, sneer, giggle

grin:smile broadly showing the teeth 露赤而笑chuckle ： to laugh quietly or to oneself 抿嘴轻笑 sneer ： to assume a scornful, contemptuous facial

expression 冷笑；讥笑giggle: to laugh with repeated short sounds 咯咯地笑

Language understanding At that moment, everybody began to laugh and sing. He grinned from ear to ear. He was chuckling to himself over what he was

reading. The inn-keeper smiled and immediately went out. James sneered at my old bicycle. He has a new one. The funny man amused the girls, so they giggled.

Language understandingbest make the best of a bad job 善处逆境 to the best of one's ability be in one’s Sunday best [clothes] hope for the best to the best of my knowledge:as far as I know

come back to earth like nothing on earth 非常罕见的 bring sb. back [down] to earth 使某人从 幻想中清醒过来 down to earth 实际的 , 不加渲染的

let loose at /in the (very) loose 在最后一刻 [ 瞬间 break /get loose 挣脱 ; 爆发 ; give (a) loose 发泄 on the loose 放纵

Language understandingbrain

brain wave beat one’s brains 费劲思考 have something on the brain 老想着某

事 rack one’s brains 绞尽脑汁

Group activities

Group discussion

How do you think Karen will choose between Reed Harrington and Carlos as her boyfriend according to story? Why do you think so? If you were Karen, which one would you choose?

Dramatize the story.

Writing

Write a story.

Pay attention to the plot and dialogue.