objectives the discus thrower - jpkc.bwgl.cnjpkc.bwgl.cn/geng/teabook4/courseware_u9_ib4.pdf · the...

1

The Discus The Discus ThrowerThrower

U9-B4

制作人：张少林

OBJECTIVES

•• Learning 127 new words and expressions;Learning 127 new words and expressions;•• Grasping the main idea and structure of the Grasping the main idea and structure of the

texts and understand difficult language texts and understand difficult language points; points;

•• Discussing life and deathDiscussing life and death•• Reading, writing, and grammar and Reading, writing, and grammar and

vocabulary trainingvocabulary training

U9-B4

Memorable quotesPre-reading questionsBackground informationWatch & Discuss

Warming up

Monologues and dialogues

Rhetoric Features

Topics for discussionListening

Speaking & Listening

Text comprehensionStructure and topicsNew wordsSentence analysis

Text Analysis

Attitude towards financial or health problems

Writing

Reading Text II; Finishing exercises

After-class tasks

Procedures U9-B4

Memorable quotesPre-reading questionsBackground informationWatch & Discuss

Memorable Quotes• It hath been

often said, that it is not death, buy dying, which is terrible.

—Henry Fielding

• To die: — to sleep:• No more; and, by a

sleep to say we end• The heart-ache and the

thousand natural shocks

• That flesh is heir to, ‘tis a consummation

• Devoutly to be wished.— Shakespoeare

I. Warming up- Memorable quotes U9-B4

• 1. What do you think this text is about?

I. Warming up _ Pre-reading questions U9-B4

2

• 2. How do you think a dying man will most probably behave?

Words and phrases suggested:Painful; agony; struggle; wish to live longer; memorize; the will; wish to be together with the family

I. Warming up _ Pre-reading questions U9-B4

• A dying man will probably feel painful. He may struggle to sustain his life or to overcome his agony he may wish to live longer. He may be very peaceful if he is satisfied with his lifetime or remember his life from childhood till present. He may call some events that impressed him deeply he may also deliver his will. Certainly a dying man would like to be together with his family, with those closest and dearest to him.

For your referenceI. Warming up _ Pre-reading questions U9-B4

• Richard Selzer (1928- )• The author, a professor of

Yale Medical School and he writes short stories and essays which portray with sympathy but without sentimentality the dramatic, sometimes agonizing, experiences of practicing surgeons.

I. Warming up _ Background U9-B4

• This text is a narration of what happened to a patient in a hospital.

Introduction

A Fast Memorization of

New Words And

Expressions

• to observe sb from a stance• to take a moderate stance• to assemble evidence• to assemble in the hall• a public assembly• a furtive act• to be furtive in one’s

manner• to be deeply tanned• close-cropped white hair• to repose in a grave• to lack repose• to use vile language

• 从某位置观察某人

• 采取温和的姿态

• 汇集证据

• 在学校礼堂集合

• 公共集会

• 偷偷摸摸的行为

• 样子鬼鬼祟祟

• （皮肤）晒得黝黑

• 剪短的白发

• 长眠(休息)于墓中

• 心浮气躁

• 使用污秽的言语

New words and expressions in the context U9_1.1, B4

3

• a snowbound cottage• the bonsai plants• to prune branches• to prune the speech down. • the dwarfed facsimile of sth• facsimile equipment • to acknowledge sb’s letter• to acknowledge one’s

mistakes• to make a grateful

acknowledgement for • to send an acknowledgement

of receipt

• 大雪封锁的村舍

• 盆景植物

• 修剪树枝

• 将演讲删掉一些

• 某物的小复制品

• 传真机

• 确认收到…的信

• 承认自己的错误

• 对… 表示衷心的

感谢

• 寄出收到收据的

通知/回执


• private caches of food• kickshaws of the sickroom• to fall upon the bed

awkwardly• in an awkward position• to unwrap the bandages• to apply a bandage to…• to cut away the black scabs• to resemble forceps• to strongly resemble his

father• get-well cards

• 私下储藏的食物

• 病房的精美菜肴

• 笨拙地倒在床上

• 处境尴尬

• 解开绷带

• 用绷带包扎

• 切除黑痂

• 形状象钳子/镊子

• 酷似他的父亲

• 祝康复的卡片


• a shard of white bone• to be solid and inert• the stars that shoot athwart

the night• scrambled eggs• to scramble for power and

wealth• to heft sth up and down• to carry a lot of heft• to be accused as accomplice• an oatmeal porridge• to break one’s thigh• thigh boots

• 白色的骨头碎片

• 敦实而迟钝

• 斜穿过夜空的星星

• 炒鸡蛋

• 争权夺利

• 举起掂量重量

• 很有势力

• 被控为同谋

• 燕麦粥

• 摔断大腿(骨)

• 长靴


• a dignified face• to dignify sb with a title• the deceased father• a probe into price fixing• to probe a wound• to redress the stumps• to redress damage• to redress abuses• to wash the wounds with

disinfectant• to disinfect a wound• (doctor) to make his

rounds

• 有尊严的面孔

• 授于某人荣誉称号

• 先父

• 对价格稳定的调查

• 探查伤口

• 包好残肢

• 赔偿损失

• 革除弊端

• 用消毒液清洗伤口

• 为伤口消毒

• (医生)巡视


• monologues of the doctor• to be more considerate• glazed tiles• glazed doughnuts• to stock the nightstand with• to take a clipboard• to prop up a roof• to commence the operation• a nurse's aide• a consummation devoutly

to be wished• to embrace an attitude• to change the inevitable

• 医生的独白

• 更加考虑周到

• 硫璃瓦

• 油光光的炸面包圈

• 在床头柜里放些…

• 带一个写字夹板

• 撑住屋顶

• 开始手术

• 护士的助手

• 被虔诚希望得到的

圆满结局

• 拥有一种态度

• 改变必然发生之事


• to urinate a lot• to do a urine test• a water bucket• soggy clothes• to feel lethargic• to test for diabetes• to be sky high• to get dehydrated• a kidney transplant• to have insulin injections• high fibre carbohydrate• to cut down on fats

• 小便多

• 做尿检

• 水桶

• 湿透的衣服

• 觉得昏昏欲睡

• 检验是否患糖尿病

• 非常高

• 脱水了

• 肾脏移植

• 注射胰岛素

• 高纤维碳水化合物

• 减少脂肪(摄入)


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• abdominal discomfort• blurred vision• to suffer from insomnia• to provoke nausea• recurrent boils• shortness of breath• sore, dry tongue • sore throat• to get sore over/about…• to begin to vomit• to be bothered with

constipation

• 腹部不适

• 视力模糊

• 患失眠症

• 引起反胃

• 反复长的疖子

• 呼吸短促

• 舌头干痛

• 喉咙痛

• 因某事而脑火

• 开始呕吐

• 被便秘烦扰


• position of a standing person• gather together• secretive• to make brown by exposure

to the sun• cut every short• extremely unpleasant• lie dead• covered in snow• trim by cutting branches• an exact copy

• stance• assemble• furtive• tan• close-cropped• vile• repose• snowbound• prune• facsimile


• a crust discharged from a healing wound

• a pair of pincers or tweezers• a small broken piece• a chemical liquid that destroys

bacteria• sluggish in action• across• make jumbled or muddled• lift in order to test its weight• the store of goods in a hiding

place

• scab

• forceps• shard• disinfectant

• inert• athwart• scramble• heft• cache

II. Text learning _New words and expressions in the context U9.6, B4

• a person who helps another commit a crime

• dead

• accomplice

• deceased

II. Text learning _New words and expressions in the context U9.7, B4

• to sort out defective tools• to sort out apples• to ignite the tank• to spin out of the flames• a pickup truck• blood vessels• scorched eyelids and nostrils• puffy lips• life–sustaining fluids• a distinguished geologist• to tear out I. V. tubes• to dislodge scorched skin

• 挑出有缺陷的工具

• 把苹果分等级

• 把油罐点燃

• 旋转以离开火焰

• 敞蓬小货车

• 血管

• 烧焦的眼睑和鼻孔

• 肿胀的嘴唇

• 维持生命的液体

• 杰出的地质学家

• 扯掉静脉注射管

• 除去烧焦的皮肤


• to scrub the wounds• the Intensive Care Unit• a portable generator• to ventilate the rooms• to blink acknowledgement• to make a grateful

acknowledgement• to wiggle one’s foot• down clothes• patches of scar tissue• to crust one’s forehead• to slice off healthy tissue• slice a loaf of bread

• 擦洗伤口

• 重症监护室

• 便携式发电机

• 给房间通风

• 眨眼表示确认

• 表示衷心的感谢

• 摆动脚

• 羽绒服

• 成块的疤痕组织

• 在额头上结成硬皮

• 将健康组织切下来

• 把一条面包切成薄

片


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• to graft onto her arms• to be released from the hospital• scores of operations• to walk two score miles• to show one’s mettle• a relentless workout schedule• a therapy session• a round of applause• the fragile skin• to hold back tears• to be splattered with blood• sb’s split knuckles• crimson stain

• 移植到手臂上

• 出院

• 许多手术

• 走四十英里

• 显示勇气

• 无情的锻炼计划

• 一个疗程

• 一阵掌声

• 脆弱的皮肤

• 忍住眼泪

• 溅上血渍

• 裂开的指关节

• 深红色的污渍


• Part 1: Paragraph 1

• Part 2: Paragraphs 2-13

• Part 3: Paragraphs 14-15

Structure of the text

II. Text learning _ Structure of the text U9-B4

• This text is a piece of narration. It can be divided into three parts.

• The first part, i.e. Paragraph 1, serves as an introduction to the background of the story.

• The second part, which consists of Paragraphs 2-13, presents the author's meeting with the particular patient dubbed the discus thrower, his conflict with the head nurse and a detailed portrayal of how the patient "throws the discus".

• The third part, i.e. Paragraphs 14-15, tells of the patient's death.

II. Text learning _ Structure of the text U9-B4

Does the doctor feel guilty of spying on his patients? Why or why not? (Para. 1)

1. No, he doesn't. Instead, he finds the activity justifiable. For one thing, he thinks the activity is well-meant, i.e. he wants to collect more pathological evidence in order to give the patients more effective treatment. For another, his activity is not spying in the true sense, for the act is far from furtive.

II. Text learning _ Text comprehension U9-B4

How would you account for the possessions in Room 542? (Para. 4)

• The fact that there are no get-well cards, no small, private caches of food and day-old flowers shows that he has been abandoned by his family and friends.


Why does the patient ask for shoes time and again? (Paras. 7 and 13)

• As a blind man, he is restrained in activity. Now without legs he is completely confined to bed. Like a caged bird, he longs for freedom and dreams of going back to his career. Thus it is understandable why he repeatedly asks for shoes.


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Why does the patient throw his plate?(Para.9)

• This is the way he expresses his wrath with the unfair fate. He is deprived of sight and now his legs. Deserted by society, he is left with very little. Indignant as he is, he can avenge himself upon nobody. What he can do is only to crash his plate against the wall to vent his anger and despair.


• Moreover, he would rather die in a stroke like the plate than linger in agony. But he wishes to die a dignified death and takes going fasting as the best way. The discus throwing strengthens his resolve. The sound of the scrambled eggs dropping to the floor brings him the hope of being liberated in the other world.


What kind of laughter does the patient give? (Para.11)

• It is a unique laughter as is indicated in Paragraph 11. It comes both from the pleasure after revenge by crashing the plate and the hope to extricate himself from his agony by means of an abrupt death like the plate. Since freedom in this material world is impossible to him, he wishes to have it in the other world.


Let’s listen to and read Part 1 of the text

(Para.1)

Part 1

II. Text learning _ Part 1 U9-B4

In this paragraph the narrator tells about one of his unique habits and justifies himself for it. The headline for the part is: Spying on Patients: a Habit of Mine.


Main Idea of Part 1What is unique about the narrator as a doctor?

As a doctor he spies on his patients.

Why does the narrator say "it is not all that furtive an act”?

Because he wants to justify his action: he does not actually spy but rather observes his patients.


7

What does the narrator mean by asking the question "Ought not a doctor ... assemble evidence ?"

The quoted sentence is not a real question. The narrator poses this pseudo-question to argue that he believes a doctor is entitled to spy on his patients for the sake of medical treatment.


furtive a.attempting to avoid notice or attention; secretive

Examples

That man’s behaviour looks very suspicious. He is pretending to sleep, but now and then he steals a furtive glance at the passers-by.

那个人的行动非常可疑,他在假装睡觉,可是双不时地偷看过往的行人。

There was something furtive about his behaviour and I immediately felt suspicious.


…, that he might the more fully assemble evidence? (L.1, Para.1)


…, that he might gather evidence more fully than without spying?

The structure "the more fully" is the elliptical form of "all the more fully".

• e.g.• She was waiting for the spring. She felt so

much the younger for it.• I walked around for two hours yesterday, and

the doctor said I was none the worse for it.• I know there's danger ahead, but I'm all the

more set on driving forward.


In English the structure "all / so much / none + the + the comparative degree of adjectives or adverbs" is used without "than ... " following it to express emphasis. Sometimes all can be omitted.

Oh, it is not all that furtive an act. (L.3, Para.1)


Oh, it is an act that is not all so furtive.

Part 2


(Paras.2-13)


8

This part talks about the narrator's contact with "the discus thrower". The miserable condition of the patient is described and the reason for his discus throwing is implied.


Main Idea of Part 2• 4. Why does the man seem deeply tanned?• 5. Why does the narrator compare the patient

to a bonsai?• 6. Why is the patient's ward empty of all

possessions? • 7. When the doctor asks how he feels, he

responds with a question "Feel?" What does this show?

• 8. What does the patient mean when he says "Yes, down"?

• 9. Why does the man ask for a pair of shoes?• 10. Why is the head nurse waiting for the

doctor?


• 11. What is the head nurse's attitude toward the patient?

• 12. What is the doctor's attitude?• 13. Why do the eyes of the head nurse

narrow?• 14. Why does the patient lift the cover and

probe the eggs before throwing the plate? • 15. Why does he laugh?• 16. Why does the narrator say the laughter

could cure cancer?• 17. Does it mean that the patient cannot

recognize the doctor's voice when he asks, "Who are you?”


Why does the man seem deeply tanned? (L.1, Para.2)

His skin is brown not because of the suntan but because of his approaching death, i.e. he was in the last stage of his life.


Why does the narrator compare the patient to a bonsai? (L.7, Para.2)

A bonsai is an ornamental tree or shrub grown in a pot and artificially prevented from reaching its normal size. The patient resembles a bonsai in several ways. His confinement caused by blindness is like the restricted growth domain of a bonsai: the domain permitted by a pot. He is legless in the way the roots and branches of the miniature tree are pruned.


Why is the patient's ward empty of all possessions? (Para. 4)

Because there is none of the usual possessions like get-well cards, private caches of food, flowers, and so on, which shows that he is forsaken by his friends and family. As stated in the following part, he is intolerable. And there aren't possessions such as shoes, either, for he is legless and blind, and thus is confined to bed.


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When the doctor asks how he feels, he responds with a question "Feel?" What does this show? (L.10, Para.5)

This shows he is numb in emotion. His plight throws him into despair and he hopes for nothing, waiting for death. This is also confirmed by the fact that he wants to know nothing but time.


What does the patient mean when he says "Yes, down"? (L.11, Para.5)

This is his response to the doctor‘s remark, “Down you go. ” What the doctor means is that the man is going down with the bed, yet the patient means that he is going down towards death.


Why does the man ask for a pair of shoes? (L.5, Para.7)

The man knows he is legless and has no need for a pair of shoes. Yet he still asks for a pair of shoes when the doctor offers him help. This shows that at "the bottom of his heart the man aspires after freedom: only a pair of shoes can give him freedom.


Why is the head nurse waiting for the doctor? (L.7, Para.7)

Because she is waiting for the doctor to suggest measures to deal with the patient, who throws the food plate against the wall every time it is brought to him.

What is the head nurse's attitude toward the patient? (L.12, Para.7)

Irritated by his behavior, she is impatient and disgusted with him.


What is the doctor's attitude? (Last line of Para.7)

The doctor does not agree to take immediate measures. He wants first to make sure of the fact described by the nurse.

Why do the eyes of the head nurse narrow? (L.3, Para.11)

Because she frowns on the patient's behavior.


Why does the patient lift the cover and probe the eggs before throwing the plate? (L.2, Para.9)

This seems to show that what is important to him is not the crack of the plate against the wall. Otherwise he would have thrown the plate with the lid, or thrown the lid before the plate. What he is interested in seems to be the scrambled eggs. This is confirmed by the fact that he orders the scrambled eggs every day and that it is after hearing the wet sound of the scrambled eggs that he starts to laugh.


10

Why does he laugh? (L.1, Para.11)

For one thing, the laughter suggests his vision of hope of his ultimate emancipation. He laughs when he hears the small wet sound of the scrambled eggs. Probably the scrambled eggs are his favorite food. Yet he is determined not to eat them because he feels hopeless in this world. He wants to put an end to his life but he desires to die a dignified death.


Thus going fasting may be the best way. The discus throwing just strengthens his resolve. In the sound of the scrambled eggs dropping to the floor he visions in his mind the hope of being liberated in the other world. For another, his laughter is also a sign of defiance of the unfair fate and the unfriendly hospital workers.


Why does the narrator say the laughter could cure cancer? (L.2 Para.11)

Because every time the man throws the plate he feels a triumph over his ego that urges him to eat and live. His laughter is joyous from the bottom of his heart and expresses a sense of completerelease, and therefore it could give a promising future to him if he were a patient of cancer.


Does it mean that the patient cannot recognize the doctor's voice when he asks, "Who are you?” (Last line of Para. 13)

It does not mean that the man cannot recognize the doctor's voice, for the doctor is not new to him. His question only shows that he distrusts the doctor: he does not believe that the doctor can help him anyway. It is, rather, a signal of dismissal.


prop up v.support

Examples他坚持着自己的计划,虽然已经没有任何支持他的力量了.

He sticked to his plan, though there was nothing left to prop him up.

The government did not intend to prop up declining industry.

政府无意扶持不景气的企业。


accomplice n. (cl. accessory n.)one who aids or abets a lawbreaker in a criminal act,

either as a principal or an accessory.

Examples他被控为同谋。

He was accused as accomplice.

Under interrogation, she gave the name of her accomplice.

在讯问下她说出了同犯的名字。


11

inert a.lacking the ability or strength to move

Examples 他对惰性气体做试验。

He experimented on inert gases.

The Honorable Mrs. Jamieson was fat and inert, and very much at the mercy of her old servants.


• Propped on pillows, he cups his right thigh in both hands. (L.1,Para.2)


Leaning on the pillows, he holds his right thigh with his hands curved like a dish.

prop v. to support by placing something beneath or againste.g.You can‘t always expect your colleagues to prop you up. She propped her bicycle against the wall.

His stumps, unweighted by legs and feet, rise in the air, presenting themselves. (L.1, Para.6)


His legless parts, which was not made heavier by legs and feet, ascend in the air so that people around him can see his leftover upper body.

It is rusted, rather, in the last stage of containing the vile repose within. (L.3, Para.2)


Rather, his skin gets dark brown because he was approaching the last stage of his life, that is, he was dying.The "vile repose" metaphorically means "death".

And the blue eyes are frosted, looking inward like the windows of a snowbound cottage. (L.4, Para. 2)


And (under scrutiny) the blue eyes are not clear but covered with a gray frost-like layer, without looking outside at the external world like the windows of a snow-surrounded cottage.

Part 3


(Paras.14-15)

II. Text learning_ Part 3 U9-B4

12

This part tells about how the man is found dead and what secrets the doctor discovers about him.


Main Idea of Part 3How is the man found dead?

He is found dead accidentally by the head nurse, who reports it to the doctor.

What death is it?

It can be said that the patient died a dignified death.


How did he die?

The man starved himself to death as is suggested at the end of the text by the doctor's attention to the repeatedly washed place where the scrambled eggs dropped to the floor.


dignified v.having or showing a composed or serious manner that is

worthy of respect

Examples 选举中落选的候选人发表了有尊严的演讲，祝贺他的对手。

The defeated candidate in the election gave a dignified speech in which he congratulated his rival.

He has maintained a dignified silence about the rumours.


Rhetoric Features

of Discourse • In this text, there are both monologues

of the doctor and dialogues between the patient and the health workers.

• You are required to look at these parts again to see who is more responsible and considerate, the doctor “I”, or the medical aide.

III. Rhetorical features of the text U9-B4

Rhetorical features of the text

13

• First look at the questions the doctor asks himself

• Ought not a doctor to observe his patients by any means and from any stance, that he might the more fully assemble evidence ? (Para. 1 )

• Is he mute as well as blind? (Para. 3 )

• What is he thinking behind those lids that do not blink? Is he remembering a time when he was whole? Does he dream of feet? Or when his body was not a rotting log? (Para. 6)


• Now look at the questions asked by the doctor in his dialogue with the patient.

• "How are you ?" ( Para. 5 )

• "How do you feel?" (Para. 5)

• "Anything more 1 can do for you?" (Para. 7)


All these questions help to prove that the doctor is very patient with responsible for, and considerate to his patient.

• "I've got to feed you."

• "Oh, yes I do after the way you just did,"


By contrast, the medical aide is impatient and sounds dominating, which can be seen in the way she talks with the patient in Paragraph 13:

This implies that "you are not allowed to eat it yourself."

This means "it is your fault so you can't argue with me any more."

• "Here's the oatmeal. Open."


This is not an expected answer to the request of the patient but a refusal plus a command.

Attitude towards financial or health problems

• Suppose you are in a difficult condition because, for example, you have financial problems or health problem. Write a composition about 250 words on your attitude you will take.

• In the first part, state your problem. • In the second part, tell the reader what

attitude you will take towards this problem. • In the last past, imagine what will have if you

take a entirely different attitude.

IV. Writing U9-B4

Writing Directions

14

My Attitude Toward Failure

• It's still quite difficult for me to accept my testing score in my second attempt for the Certificate of Advanced English Interpreter. It's even not a bit higher than my last one, which means to me that my one-month practice has turned out to be totally futile. I needed the certificate to prove my English proficiency and to get myself more career opportunities. But I failed to get it. What adds to my depression is the news that one of my former classmates has passed the test in her first trial.

IV. Writing U9-B4

• The day after I learned the result, I told myself that fact is fact. I began to be reasonable. On the one hand, I should admit that I was not well prepared for the second test even though I wanted to. I had been distracted by other things such as buying clothes, watching movies, and going out with friends, etc. This is the main reason why I failed twice. On the other, my poor testing skills partially account for my failures. Having realized the reasons, I began to restore my mind and ambition. The two failures have reminded me of my personal defects: I had not been persistent in one goal. I now have completely regained a positive attitude towards my next trial: I will try to be more concentrated on this goal rather than be distracted by other things.

IV. Writing U9-B4

• I am happy for my reasonable attitude toward the frustration that I have faced. This I consider a positive one. If I had not been reasonable, I would probably have blamed my failures on irrelevant things, such as my time-consuming job, the rigid test system, or even bad weather. But these are not true. Yes, my job as a teacher of English is time-consuming, but I can still manage to find time to study. Yes, the test system is rigid, but without a rigid standard, how can there be a fair test? The weather certainly has little relevance to my test result. By complaining rather than reasoning, I would probably have made no improvement in my personalities. The result would be yet another failure, or even total loss of hope of life.

IV. Writing U9-B4

Speaking and

Listening

• Topic for discussion:• Doctor-patient conflict is a common

phenomenon in china. Can you offer some suggestions on how to solve this problem?

V. Speaking and Listening U9-B4

Oral activities Listening comprehension

• Listen to “Medicine Matters” and do the excises on Pp 142-144.

V. Speaking and Listening U9-B4

15

Free from Debt Trouble

Collection of Sayings

• Do the dictation exercises.

VI. After-class tasks U9-B4

• Read Text II and write a summary.

• Remember new words in Unit 10.

• Finish all the exercises in Unit 9.

objectives the discus thrower - jpkc.bwgl.cnjpkc.bwgl.cn/geng/teabook4/courseware_u9_ib4.pdf · the...

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