Unit 13The Poets and the

Housewife

P I Listening and Speaking Activities

Part II Reading Comprehension and Language Activities

Part III Extended Activities

Part II Reading Comprehension Part II Reading Comprehension and Language Activitiesand Language Activities

• Pre-reading Task

• Text

• Comprehension work

• Language work (A,B,C)

• Pre-reading Task

Part II Reading Comprehension Part II Reading Comprehension and Language Activitiesand Language Activities

•What is the common picture of a poet

in people’s minds?

•Can you think of any differences in

personality between a poet and a housewife?

The Poets and the Housewife

by Martin Armstrong Once upon a time, on a summer’s day, two poets, having shut up shop, went out into the country to collect copy, for their stock of this commodity was exhausted.

And they were careful to dress themselves carelessly: one put on a black collar and black-and-white checked trousers, and the other a cravat of raging scarlet, ＂ for ＂ they thought (though they did not did not say so) ＂ we must dress the part ＂ .And their hats were wide and reckless and the hair beneath their hats was like the thatch upon a broad-eaved barn.

And as they journeyed, poking about with their walking sticks after the precious substance lf their quest, there gathered over heir heads a devil lf a storm.

And at the proper moment the storm burst and the rain came down and the poets left off seeking for copy and huddled under a hawthorn tree.And they appeared as two proud exotic birds, lighted down from the Lord knows where.

And there was a lodge near the hawthorn tree, and the lodgekeeper’s wife looked out and, seeing the two, she exclaimed: ＂ Lord. look what the wet brings out! ＂ And the rain increased fearfully.

Turn to p. 237, and listen to the text.Turn to p. 237, and listen to the text. Turn to p. 237, and listen to the text.Turn to p. 237, and listen to the text.

And after a while she looked out again and the poets were changed, for their bloom was impaired, the rain had clotted their hair, and the scarlet cravat lf the one had became crimson from saturation. And rain dripped from all their extremities.

And the lodgekeeper’s wife was grieved for them and called out: ＂ Young men, will you not come in? Why play the heron who stands lugubrious with his feet in cold water when it is open to you to become as sparrows twittering with gladness beneath the eaves? ＂

But they bowed politely and replied: ＂ Thanks awfully ma’am, but we are poets and we like it ＂ .

And the lodgekeeper’s wife sneered at them, remarking: ＂ They have certainly had a drop too much. ＂ But they ,smiling deprecatingly upon her, responded: Madam, you are pleased to be dry. ＂＂ And you, ＂ quoth she, ＂ are pleased to be wet ＂． And she slammed-to the window, casting up her eyes and inquiring rhetorically, ＂ Did you ever? ＂ and ＂ What next? ＂

And the rain came down like hell, leaping a foot high and sousing all things.

The Poets and the Housewife

by Martin Armstrong

And after another while, the lodgekeeper’s wife looked out again, and the two had gathered closer about the trunk of the hawthorn-tree, and they were as two old crows, for their shoulders were up and their beaks were down and they were unbelievably dishevelled.

And she shouted to them again, for she was a charitable woman, saying: ＂ Omiserable gentlemen, in the name of civilization and common-sense, come inside. ＂

But they dared not turn their faces to her, lest the water should run down their necks; so, revolving themselves all of a piece, they replied: ＂ Renewed thanks, ma’am, but we are very well, for we are acquiring copy . ＂ And they cowered under the deluge with great earnestness of purpose.

But the lodgekeeper’s wife did not understand the word copy so that she was amazed beyond measure and the power of comment was taken from her.

And the storm, having stormed itself out, abated; and the place was bathed in delicious smells lf breathing leaves, and the warm sweetness of hawthorn perfumed the air.

The Poets and the Housewife

by Martin Armstrong

And the lodgekeeper’s wife looked out from the window a fourth and last time, and the poets were in the act of departure. And the tragedy of their appearance was beyond all comparing. For the scarlet of the cravat if one had run down into the bosom of his shirt, so that he was, as it were, a robin-redbreast. And both were soaked to the uttermost.

And when those poets returned home, the one found that he had lost a shirt and the other that he had gained a cold. Therefore the one went out and bought a new shirt at seven and six and dear at that, and the other got himself a shilling bottle of Ammoniated Quinine which was tolerably cheap considering.

And the one wrote an ode called Midsummer Storm for which he obtained five guineas, so that (deducting fourpence for stamps and seven and six for the shirt) his net profit was four pounds seventeen and twopence.

But the other could only manage a one-guinea sonnet called Rain Among Leaves. so that (deducting fourpence for stamps and a shilling for the quinine) his net profit was nineteen and eightpence.

The Poets and the Housewife

by Martin Armstrong

Thus the two acquired great store of copy (more, indeed, than they

bargained for) and the sum of five pounds sixteen shilling and tenpence

thrown in.

But the wife of the lodgekeeper knew nothing of all this, so that she

still believes like many another ill-informed person, that poets are nothing

more than unpractical dreamers.

The Poets and the Housewife

by Martin Armstrong

Comprehension work Comprehension work (Questions for discussion )(Questions for discussion )

1.1. Can you pick out any words and expressions in Can you pick out any words and expressions in

the first paragraph that are suggestive of business the first paragraph that are suggestive of business

practices? Why are they used in the first practices? Why are they used in the first

paragraph?paragraph?

2.2. What was the housewife’s reaction and what did What was the housewife’s reaction and what did

she do when she saw the two poets in the rain?she do when she saw the two poets in the rain?

3.3. How did the poets respond to the housewife’s How did the poets respond to the housewife’s

repeated urges?repeated urges?

4.4. What did the housewife think of the What did the housewife think of the

poets’ behaviour and their turning down poets’ behaviour and their turning down

of her offers?of her offers?

5.5. What is the moral of the fable? What makes you What is the moral of the fable? What makes you

come to this conclusion?come to this conclusion?

Comprehension work Comprehension work (Questions for discussion )(Questions for discussion )

Language pointsNew Words and phrases in the Text: Teaching Method First Explain the meaning of each word, then give an example of usage.

1. Grieve v. (1) feel very sad especially because sb. has died

e.g. She is still grieving for her dead husband. She grieved the death of her husband.

(2) make sb. feel sad e.g. Their lack of interest in study grieved me. It grieved him that he could do nothing to help her.

2． Charitable adj. (1) connected with charity

e.g. charitable institution /foundation

charitable donation

Her later years were devoted to charitable work.

(2) kind, tolerant

e.g. charitable lady

Be charitable, he is just a child.

3. Abate v. To reduce in amount, degree ； lessen. e.g. The ship sailed when the storm abated.

The medicine abated his pain.

4. Soak v. (1) put sth in liquid

Soak sth in sth

e.g. She soaked the dirty clothes in water.

If you soak the coat before you wash it , the stains should

be removed.

(2) make sth/sb. completely wet e.g. The rain has soaked into the ground.

A sudden shower soaked the audience.

n. e.g. Give the shirt a good soak before you wash it .

Soaked adj.

be soaked to the skin (=be soaked through) be soaked to the bone

Language work ( A,p.241 )Language work ( A,p.241 )A• 1.About the poets’ preparation before they set out for the count

ry:____ To shut up shop

• 2.The unuttered reason for the poets’ dressing themselves carefully:____

To dress the part

• 3.About the original colour of the cravat:____ Scarlet

• 4 .About the colour of the cravat in the rain:____ Crimson

• 5. About the change in the poets’ fine and fresh appearance in the rain:____

Impaired

Language work ( A,p.241 )Language work ( A,p.241 )A• 6. About the poets’ hair in the rain:____ Clotted

• 7. About the poets’ posture when they sheltered themselves under the tree:____

Huddled

• 8. About the cause of the change in the colour of the cravat:____

Saturation

• 9. About the manner in which the poets smiled at the housewife:____

Deprecatingly

• 10. About the poets’ appearance when it rained like hell:_____ Dishevelled

Language work ( A,p.241 )Language work ( A,p.241 )A• 11. About the housewife’s personality:___ Charitable

• 12. About the act that betrayed the poets’ true feelings in the rainstorm after they declined the housewife’s second invitation:____

Cowered

• 13. About the storm that at last came to an end:____ Abated

• 14. About the tragedy of the poets’ appearance as they left:____

Beyond all comparing

15. About the housewife and other people’s ignorance:_ Ill-informed

Language work ( B,p.241 )Language work ( B,p.241 )B• 1.All our family members treasure that good name, which

forces us children to act like good people____

all of a piece

• 2.When air-raid warnings were sounded, thousands of people____ their work and streamed into special air-raid shelters.

Left off

• 3.To travel by jet plane, which used to ____ by some people as a ridiculous idea, is now an everyday phenomenon.

Be sneered

• 4. The benefit you can get from a good name is___

Beyond measure

Language work ( B,p.241 )Language work ( B,p.241 )B

• 5. The natural resources of this country have been stretched____ because of overpopulation.

To the utmost

• 6. With great patience the antique dealer spent days and nights____ for a real rarity of art amongst piles of assorted junk.

Poking about

• 7.The ancient ruins___ silver moonlight, revealing to people their glorious past.

Were bathed in

• 8. Some people think that superstition is___ a sort of self-deception that offers no solution to practical problems.

Nothing more than

Dictation

• I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight ,and the glory of the Lord shall be released, and flesh shall see it together…

• This is our hope. This is the faith with which I returnI return to the South. with this faith we will be able to work together to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

Translation• 1.他们平时五点下班，但今天不得不加班了。（ leave of

f)

• 2.这座城市里的博物馆和美术馆都对公众免费开放。 (be open to)

• 3.老是被他们讥笑，真窝囊。（ sneer at)

They usually leave off work at 5 o’clock, but today theyhave to work overtime.

All the museums and art galleries in the city are open to the public for free/free of charge.

It’s very discouraging to be sneered at by them all the time .

Translation• 4.她最近感到有点疲乏，医生要她休息几天。（ run dow

n) She has been a little run down lately and the do

ctor has advised her to take a short holiday.

• 5.今天，整个城市沐浴在一片欢乐的海洋里 (bathe in) The whole city is bathed in a sea of joy today.

• 6.外面一片漆黑，天空好象被黑幕遮住了似的。（ as it were)

It’s very dark outside ,and the sky is covered, as it were,with a black curtain.

Translation

• 7.我昨天以托马斯的名义电话预定了两张电影票。（ in the name of)

I booked two film tickets by phone yesterday in the name of Thomas.