Lesson OneTextA HalfaDayI.Objectives1. Through detailed explanation of the text, students are expected to get the message of the text-time is precious.2. Students should have a perfect mastery of linguistic essentials such as word and phrase usage.3. To make sure the students grasp the basic facts and the logic of argument.4.To make the students realize the difference in style.II.Content1.Discussion: If you had only half a day left to live,what would you most want to do? List the topfive things you would do and giveus your reasons.2.Brief Introductionto TextA3.DetailedDiscussionofTextA4. Make students grasp elliptical questions & rhetorical questions; inverted sentences;"with"absolutestructure5.Makesurethestudentsgraspthefollowingusefulphrasesandexpressions:tothrowsb into/out of aplace;tobelinedwithsth;tomakesb./sth.out ofsb./ sth.; to tear sb.away from a place; to cling to sth.; to sort people intoranks;tofool around;bring about sth.;to giverisetosth.III.Key and Difficult Points,TeachingMethods1.KeyPoints1)TextAppreciation2)Elliptical questions&rhetorical questions;inverted sentences;"with"absolutestructure.3) Word-building: prefix.2.FocusTryto improvethe students'writing skills; make sure they can use thefollowing sentencestructures:1)ellipticalquestions&rhetoricalquestions2)inverted sentences3)"with"absolute structure3.Teaching Methods:lectures,discussion,presentationIV.DiscussionDo you agreethat life beginsfromyourfirst day at school?Why orwhy not?V.DetaileddiscussionofthetextBackground1.Aboutthe authorNaguibMahfouzwasthefirstArabtowintheNobelprizeforliterature,in1988.Hehasbeendescribedas"aDickensoftheCairocafes"and"theBalzacofEgypt"He is now the author of no fewer than 30 novels, more than 100 short stories, and more than 200articles.Half of hisnovels have been made intofilms whichhave circulated throughout the Arabic-speakingworld.2. His worksThe Cairo Trilogy in1957madehimfamous throughout theArab world asa depicter of traditionalurban life.Each book inthe trilogywas named aftera suburbof Cairo.Palace Walk (thefirstbook);PalaceofDesire (the secondbook);SugarStreet (thethirdbook)The picture of the world as it emerges from the bulk of Mahfouz's work is very gloomy indeed,though not completely disappointing.It shows thatthe author's social utopia is farfrom beingrealized.Mahfouz seems to conceive of time as aforce of oppression.His novels have consistently showntimeasthebringerofchange,andchangeasaverypainfulprocess,andveryoftentimeisnotcontent until ithasdealthisheroesthefinal blow of death.Tosumup,inMahfouz'sdarkdescriptionoftheworldthereareonlytwobrightspots.Theseconsistofman'scontinuingstruggleforequalityontheonehandandthepromiseofscientificprogressonthe other; meanwhile, life is a tragedy.TextAnalysisPlot: a little boy's first time to go to schoolSetting: on the wayto school, at school on the way homeProtagonists: ""-the boy in the story
Lesson One Text A Half a Day Ⅰ. Objectives 1. Through detailed explanation of the text, students are expected to get the message of the text— time is precious. 2. Students should have a perfect mastery of linguistic essentials such as word and phrase usage. 3. To make sure the students grasp the basic facts and the logic of argument. 4. To make the students realize the difference in style. Ⅱ.Content 1. Discussion: If you had only half a day left to live, what would you most want to do? List the top five things you would do and give us your reasons. 2. Brief Introduction to Text A 3. Detailed Discussion of Text A 4. Make students grasp elliptical questions & rhetorical questions; inverted sentences; "with" absolute structure. 5. Make sure the students grasp the following useful phrases and expressions: to throw sb into/ out of a place; to be lined with sth; to make sb./ sth. out of sb./ sth.; to tear sb. away from a place; to cling to sth.; to sort people into ranks; to fool around; bring about sth.; to give rise to sth. Ⅲ. Key and Difficult Points, Teaching Methods 1. Key Points 1) Text Appreciation. 2) Elliptical questions & rhetorical questions; inverted sentences; "with" absolute structure. 3) Word-building: prefix. 2. Focus Try to improve the students’ writing skills; make sure they can use the following sentence structures: 1) elliptical questions & rhetorical questions 2) inverted sentences 3) "with" absolute structure 3. Teaching Methods: lectures, discussion, presentation IV. Discussion Do you agree that life begins from your first day at school? Why or why not? V.Detailed discussion of the text Background 1. About the author Naguib Mahfouz was the first Arab to win the Nobel prize for literature, in 1988. He has been described as "a Dickens of the Cairo cafés" and "the Balzac of Egypt". He is now the author of no fewer than 30 novels, more than 100 short stories, and more than 200 articles. Half of his novels have been made into films which have circulated throughout the Arabicspeaking world. 2. His works The Cairo Trilogy in 1957 made him famous throughout the Arab world as a depicter of traditional urban life. Each book in the trilogy was named after a suburb of Cairo. Palace Walk (the first book); Palace of Desire (the second book); Sugar Street (the third book). The picture of the world as it emerges from the bulk of Mahfouz’s work is very gloomy indeed, though not completely disappointing. It shows that the author’s social utopia is far from being realized. Mahfouz seems to conceive of time as a force of oppression. His novels have consistently shown time as the bringer of change, and change as a very painful process, and very often time is not content until it has dealt his heroes the final blow of death. To sum up, in Mahfouz’s dark description of the world there are only two bright spots. These consist of man's continuing struggle for equality on the one hand and the promise of scientific progress on the other; meanwhile, life is a tragedy. Text Analysis Plot: a little boy’s first time to go to school Setting: on the way to school, at school on the way home Protagonists: "I" –the boy in the story
Writingtechniques:gotoWritingdevicesThemeofthe story:Everything is changing!1.All myclothesarenew.2.Schoolmakes useful men out ofboys.3. My misgivings had had no basis.4. Our path was not totally sweet and unclouded.5. The iady would sometimes smile, but yell and scold often.6.Thestreetslinedwiththegardensdisappeared.7. I turned out to be a grandpa.Change is everywhere, from my clothes,tomy opinions,tomy lifeand finallyto my appearance.Not only I but aiso the ladyand the society are changing,too.StructureofthetextPart 1 (paras.1-7) about:The boy's misgivings about schoolPart 2 (paras. 8-16) about:How the boy felt about school.Part 3 (paras. 17-20)about:Walking out of the school, he found time had changed everything.PhrasesandExpressions1.throw sb.into/out of a place:to force sb.to enter/leave a placeExamples:They'llthrowmeout (ofschool)ifIfailthreeexams.Nick got thrown out of college in the second year fortaking drugs.Anyonewhoopposestheregimeisliabletobethrownintojail/prison2.make (a useful man) out of a boy: to make a boy become usefulExamples:ThearmymadeamanofhimThefourbrothersallmadeasuccessoftheirlives.He said the Government were frightened of nothing. The real trouble was that we were making amountainoutofamolehill（小题大做）。3. There is no good to be had in doing sth.= It is no good/use doing sth.Examples:There is no good to be had in buying a boat when you don't have enough spare time to use it.Idon'tseethereisanygoodtobehad indownsizingthecompany.it is no (not much) goodit is no (not any, hardly any, little) useitisuselessit is not the slightest useit is worth (worthwhile)there is no (good,use)Example:There is no good denying that women are playing an important role in the world today4.cling to:to hold tightly;not release one'sgrip onExamplesThelittlechildclungtohismotherforcomfortSomeofthevictimsofthefireclimbedoutofthebuilding,clungtothewindowledgesforaminuteor two and then dropped to their death a hundred feet below.Cf.clingtothebelief固守信念clingtothehope抱着一线希望clingtoone's ownview坚持己见clingtothehabit固守着某种习惯clingtoone'spossessions坚守财产不肯放弃5.burst into: to begin, suddenly and/or violently, to cry, laugh, sing, etc.Example:AuntAnnabel,whohasbeennervousandjumpylately,suddenlyburstintotearsAsthecomicgotintohisstride,theaudienceburstintohootsoflaughteraguffaw.哄堂大笑Theaircraft crashed intothehillsideandburst intoflames.突然起火
Writing techniques: go to Writing devices Theme of the story: Everything is changing! 1. All my clothes are new. 2. School makes useful men out of boys. 3. My misgivings had had no basis. 4. Our path was not totally sweet and unclouded. 5. The lady would sometimes smile, but yell and scold often. 6. The streets lined with the gardens disappeared. 7. I turned out to be a grandpa. Change is everywhere, from my clothes, to my opinions, to my life and finally to my appearance. Not only I but also the lady and the society are changing, too. Structure of the text Part 1 (paras.1-7) about:The boy’s misgivings about school Part 2 (paras. 8-16) about:How the boy felt about school. Part 3 (paras. 17-20 ) about:Walking out of the school, he found time had changed everything. Phrases and Expressions 1.throw sb. into/out of a place: to force sb. to enter/leave a place Examples: They’ll throw me out (of school) if I fail three exams. Nick got thrown out of college in the second year for taking drugs. Anyone who opposes the regime is liable to be thrown into jail/prison. 2.make (a useful man) out of a boy: to make a boy become useful Examples: The army made a man of him. The four brothers all made a success of their lives. He said the Government were frightened of nothing. The real trouble was that we were making a mountain out of a molehill (小题大做). 3. There is no good to be had in doing sth.= It is no good/use doing sth. Examples: There is no good to be had in buying a boat when you don’t have enough spare time to use it. I don’t see there is any good to be had in downsizing the company. it is no (not much) good it is no (not any, hardly any, little) use it is useless it is not the slightest use it is worth (worthwhile) there is no (good, use) Example: There is no good denying that women are playing an important role in the world today. 4.cling to: to hold tightly; not release one’s grip on Examples: The little child clung to his mother for comfort. Some of the victims of the fire climbed out of the building, clung to the window ledges for a minute or two and then dropped to their death a hundred feet below. Cf. cling to the belief固守信念 cling to the hope抱着一线希望 cling to one’s own view坚持己见 cling to the habit固守着某种习惯 cling to one’s possessions坚守财产不肯放弃 5.burst into: to begin, suddenly and/or violently, to cry, laugh, sing, etc. Example: Aunt Annabel, who has been nervous and jumpy lately, suddenly burst into tears. As the comic got into his stride, the audience burst into hoots of laughter/a guffaw. 哄堂大笑 The aircraft crashed into the hillside and burst into flames. 突然起火
Theorchardsseemedtohaveburstintoblossomovernight.竞相开放Theentirehallburstintothunderouscheers/applause.发出雷鸣般的欢呼/掌声Everyoneonthebusburstintosongaswegotclosertohome.突然唱起歌来As they left the club the revelers broke into song/loud curses.I mentioned the incident later to a tailor friend and he burst out laughing/crying.6.amatterof:asubject/situationthatinvolvessth.Examples:Learning is a matter of seeing much, suffering much and studying much.The King's mental state was becoming a matter of concern.PersonallyIcan'tstandrockmusic,butIsupposeit'sallamatterofopinion.I can'tsaywhichwineisbest-it'samatterofpersonal taste.7.fool around/about: to waste time behaving in a silly wayExamples:He spent the whole afternoon just fooling around.Stop fooling around otherwise you'll never amount to anything.He noticed a strange-looking person hanging about the bus stop.闲逛;闲荡I hung around the station foran hour but henever showed up.等候The children lingered on at the zoo until the closing time. 逗留8.bringabout:tomakesth.happenExamples:Computers havebrought about manychanges in workplace.Ioffered to act as mediator and try to bring about a reconciliation between thetwo parties.That unpopular measure finally brought about the downfall of the government.bringdown打倒；击落；降低bringforth使产生bringforward提出；使涌现出；显示bringon引起，导致；使发展（或前进）bringout使（意义等）明白表示出来bringoff使成功；完成bringin收（庄稼）等；引来，引进（风尚等）bringhometo sb.使某人深切地感到（或清楚地认识到)9.give rise to: to be the reason why sth. esp. sth.bad or unpleasant happensExamples:Two phenomena aregiving rise to world-wide concern-mass unemployment and mass migrationintocitiesMostpeopleargued thatpovertyhad given risetothecrimes inthetown.10.resortto:tomakeuseof;toturntosth.(esp.sth.bad)asasolutionExamples:There is no right to resort to violence when you don't get your way.Terrorists resorted tobombing city centers asameans of achievingtheirpoliticalaims.Differences and disputes should be resolved through dialogue and negotiation rather than byresorting toforceorterroristactions.11. take advantage of: to use a particular situation to do or get what you wantExamples:I took advantage of the weather to paint the shed.Don't lend them the car-they're taking advantage of you!Forcertain types of workwoodhas/gains/wins advantagesoverplastic.胜过;优于Newtaxregulationshadgiven themanadvantageovertheircommercial rivals.给某人优势Youhavetheadvantageofme.较某人有利；比某人强Candidateswithcomputerskillswillbeatanadvantage.处于优势Dotakemoreexercise.Itistoyouradvantage..对某人有利；有利于某人12.in vain:withoutthe desired resultExamples:ItriedinvaintogetSuetocomewithusDon't let your time go by in vain
The orchards seemed to have burst into blossom overnight. 竟相开放 The entire hall burst into thunderous cheers/applause. 发出雷鸣般的欢呼/掌声 Everyone on the bus burst into song as we got closer to home. 突然唱起歌来 As they left the club the revelers broke into song/loud curses. I mentioned the incident later to a tailor friend and he burst out laughing/crying. 6.a matter of: a subject/situation that involves sth. Examples: Learning is a matter of seeing much, suffering much and studying much. The King’s mental state was becoming a matter of concern. Personally I can’t stand rock music, but I suppose it’s all a matter of opinion. I can’t say which wine is best—it’s a matter of personal taste. 7.fool around/about: to waste time behaving in a silly way Examples: He spent the whole afternoon just fooling around. Stop fooling around otherwise you’ll never amount to anything. He noticed a strange-looking person hanging about the bus stop. 闲逛；闲荡 I hung around the station for an hour but he never showed up. 等候 The children lingered on at the zoo until the closing time. 逗留 8.bring about: to make sth. happen Examples: Computers have brought about many changes in workplace. I offered to act as mediator and try to bring about a reconciliation between the two parties. That unpopular measure finally brought about the downfall of the government. bring down打倒； 击落；降低 bring forth使产生 bring forward提出；使涌现出；显示 bring on引起，导致；使发展（或前进） bring out使（意义等）明白表示出来 bring off使成功；完成 bring in收（庄稼）等；引来，引进（风尚等） bring home to sb. 使某人深切地感到（或清楚地认识到） 9.give rise to: to be the reason why sth. esp. sth. bad or unpleasant happens Examples: Two phenomena are giving rise to world-wide concern—mass unemployment and mass migration into cities. Most people argued that poverty had given rise to the crimes in the town. 10.resort to: to make use of ; to turn to sth. (esp. sth. bad) as a solution Examples: There is no right to resort to violence when you don’t get your way. Terrorists resorted to bombing city centers as a means of achieving their political aims. Differences and disputes should be resolved through dialogue and negotiation rather than by resorting to force or terrorist actions. 11. take advantage of: to use a particular situation to do or get what you want Examples: I took advantage of the weather to paint the shed. Don’t lend them the car—they’re taking advantage of you! For certain types of work wood has/ gains/wins advantages over plastic. 胜过; 优于 New tax regulations had given them an advantage over their commercial rivals. 给某人优势 You have the advantage of me. 较某人有利; 比某 人强 Candidates with computer skills will be at an advantage. 处于优势 Do take more exercise. It is to your advantage.对某人有利; 有利于某人 12. in vain: without the desired result Examples: I tried in vain to get Sue to come with us. Don’t let your time go by in vain
Invaindidhetrytoconvincethejuryofhisinnocence.13. find one's way to: to arrive or get to a placeExamples:After being lost for two days, the little dog finally found its way back to its owner's house.Because of the dense fog, the traveler couldn't find his way to his camp.makeone'swayto/towardsthedoor艰难地向门走去bowherwayoutoftheroom边翰边退出房间pushherwayoutofthehall挤出大厅shoulderherwaythroughthecrowd推操着挤出人群wormhiswayintotheorganization混入组织begherwaybackhome一路乞讨回家inchone'swayupthemountain一步一步挪上山14.showoffa.to attract attentiontob.to try to impress peopleand make them admire yourabilities,achievements orpossessionExamplesIt was said that Mrs.Perkinsonlywentto church toshowoff her new clothes.She was always at any function or gathering where her accomplishments could be shown off.Pay no attention to Susanshe's just showing off.15. let up a. to stop or become less strong or seriousb.toslacken one's effortsExamples:When will the rain let up?Keep plodding away at your task, no matter how difficult it is; don't let up on it.SentenceParaphrase1. I walked alongsidemyfather, clutching his right hand. (1)clutchinghisrighthand:presentparticipleasadverbial modifier2.They did notmakeme happy, however,as this was thedayI was to be thrown into school for thefirst time. (1)But my new clothes did not bring any happiness to me, because it was the day I was forced to goto school forthefirsttime.1.The momentI saw him, I recognized hewas the criminal the police were looking for.2.TheyearIwasborn,myfatherwasworkingtowardsaPhDdegree.3. The day Hans Christian Andersen returned to his hometown, almost all the people turned out togreet him.3.Mymother stoodatthe window watching our progress,andIturnedtowards herfromtimetotime, hoping she would help. (2)watching...hoping...present participlephrase,actingas adverbial of accompanying circumstancesMymother stood at the window watching our slowand difficult movement towards the school,and llookedbackatherfreguently,hopingshewouldstopmyfathertakingmetoschool4.We walked along a street lined with gardens, and fields planted with crops, pears, and datepalms. (2)lined...planted...past participle phrase used here to modify"a street" and"fields" respectively. It canberegardedasarelativeclausecutshort.Wewalkedalong a street,onbothsides ofwhichtherearegardens and fields wherecrops,pearsanddatepalmsareplanted5."Why school?" I asked my father."What have I done?" (3)elliptical questionrhetoricalquestionWhy do I have to go to school? I don't think I've done anything wrong to be punished like this1.Father:We'll go to Tianjin this weekend.Daughter:What for?(Whythisweekend?WhyTianjin?)2. Hi!-Morning!Gottroubles?-Surehave
In vain did he try to convince the jury of his innocence. 13. find one’s way to: to arrive or get to a place Examples: After being lost for two days, the little dog finally found its way back to its owner’s house. Because of the dense fog, the traveler couldn’t find his way to his camp. make one’s way to/towards the door艰难地向门走去 bow her way out of the room边鞠躬边退出房间 push her way out of the hall挤出大厅 shoulder her way through the crowd推搡着挤出人群 worm his way into the organization混入组织 beg her way back home一路乞讨回家 inch one’s way up the mountain一步一步挪上山 14.show off a. to attract attention to b. to try to impress people and make them admire your abilities, achievements or possession Examples: It was said that Mrs. Perkins only went to church to show off her new clothes. She was always at any function or gathering where her accomplishments could be shown off. Pay no attention to Susan—she’s just showing off. 15. let up a. to stop or become less strong or serious b. to slacken one’s efforts Examples: When will the rain let up? Keep plodding away at your task, no matter how difficult it is; don’t let up on it. Sentence Paraphrase 1. I walked alongside my father, clutching his right hand. (1) clutching his right hand: present participle as adverbial modifier 2.They did not make me happy, however, as this was the day I was to be thrown into school for the first time. (1) But my new clothes did not bring any happiness to me, because it was the day I was forced to go to school for the first time. 1. The moment I saw him, I recognized he was the criminal the police were looking for. 2. The year I was born, my father was working towards a PhD degree. 3. The day Hans Christian Andersen returned to his hometown, almost all the people turned out to greet him. 3.My mother stood at the window watching our progress, and I turned towards her from time to time, hoping she would help. (2) watching.hoping.present participle phrase, acting as adverbial of accompanying circumstances My mother stood at the window watching our slow and difficult movement towards the school, and I looked back at her frequently, hoping she would stop my father taking me to school. 4.We walked along a street lined with gardens, and fields planted with crops, pears, and date palms. (2) lined.planted.past participle phrase used here to modify "a street" and "fields" respectively. It can be regarded as a relative clause cut short. We walked along a street, on both sides of which there are gardens and fields where crops, pears and date palms are planted. 5. "Why school?" I asked my father. "What have I done?" (3) elliptical question rhetorical question Why do I have to go to school? I don’t think I’ve done anything wrong to be punished like this. 1.Father: We’ll go to Tianjin this weekend. Daughter: What for? (Why this weekend?/Why Tianjin?) 2. — Hi! — Morning! — Got troubles? — Sure have
Lostafriend?-No,justtired.Lesson Two Going HomeI.Objectives1. Through detailed explanation of the text, students are expected to grasp the general idea of theauthorforgivenessisthenatureoftruelove2.The students should havea perfect mastery of linguistic essentials suchas word and phraseusage.3.Tomake sure the students grasp the basic facts and the logic of argument.4.Tomakethestudentsrealizethedifferenceinstyle.Il.Content1.BriefIntroductiontotheauthorandwritingbackground2.Brief IntroductiontoTextA3.Detailed DiscussionoftheTextA4. Make the students grasp present continuous tense and past continuous tense using as futuretenseandthepasttenseofmodal verbs5.Make sure the students graspthe following useful phrases and expressions:to be (un)aware of; to pull into a place; deep into the night; run away from sb.; to engage sb. in sth.;toforget about sb./sth.;to tie sth.To some place; to be caught up in sth.; tofortify oneself againststh.;tobeoutofsomeplace;intriumph/exaltation;torisefromone'sseatIl.KeyandDifficultPoints,TeachingMethods1.Key Points1)TextAppreciation.2) Make the students grasp present continuous tense and past continuous tense using as futuretenseand thepasttenseofmodalverbs.2. FocusTryto improvethe students'writingskills;makesuretheycangrasppresent continuoustenseandpast continuous tense using as future tense and the past tense of modal verbs.3.TeachingMethods:lecturesIV.DiscussionDoes Vingo strike you as a terrible criminal? Can you imagine how and why he got four years inprison?Tryandmake upa storythatfinallyledtowhatthetextdescribedV.BackgroundInformationAbouttheauthorPeteHamill(彼得.哈米尔)wasborn inBrooklyn,N.Y.in1935.He is theoldestof sevenchildrenofIrishimmigrantsfromBelfast（贝尔法斯特/英国港市），NorthernIrelandandattendedCatholicschoolsasachild.Heleftschoolat16toworkintheBrooklynNavyYard(海军工厂)asaworker,and then went on to the United States Navy.While serving in the Navy,he completed his highschooleducation.Then,usingtheeducationalbenefitsoftheG.I.BillofRights(权利和自由法案)，he attended Mexico CityCollege in1956-1957,studyingpaintingand writing.Forseveralyears,heworkedasagraphicdesigner(.美术设计员),whilestudyingatPrattInstitute.Then in 1960,he went to work as a reporterfor the New York Post.Along career in journalismfollowed. He has been a columnist for the New York Post, the Daily News, and New York Newsday,andhas wonmany journalistic awards.As ajournalist,hehas coveredwars inVietnam(.越南)Nicaragua(尼加拉瓜)，Lebanon(黎巴嫩)andNorthernIreland.Hehasalsocoveredmurders，crime,thepolice,alongwiththegreatdomesticdisturbancesofthe1960s.Hisworkhasalsobeenpublishedinallthemajormagazines,includingNewYork,theNewYorkTimesMagazine.Sincethe1950s,hehashadacontinuinginterestinMexico,livingthereforextendedperiods,visitingeveryyear.Forsixmonthsin1986,heservedaseditoroftheMexicoCityNews.Hehasone additional distinction: he has been editor-in-chief of both the New York Post and the New YorkDailyNews.Atthesametime,Hamillhaspursuedacareerasafictionwriter,producing8novelsand2collectionsofshort stories.His1997novel,SnowinAugust,wason theNewYork Timesbestsellerlist for four months, and has been published in more than a dozen foreign editions. His memoir(回忆录),ADrinkingLife,wasonthesameNewYorkTimeslistfor13weeks.Hehaspublished2
— Lost a friend? — No, just tired. Lesson Two Going Home Ⅰ. Objectives 1. Through detailed explanation of the text, students are expected to grasp the general idea of the author—forgiveness is the nature of true love. 2. The students should have a perfect mastery of linguistic essentials such as word and phrase usage. 3. To make sure the students grasp the basic facts and the logic of argument. 4. To make the students realize the difference in style. II. Content 1. Brief Introduction to the author and writing background 2. Brief Introduction to Text A 3. Detailed Discussion of the Text A 4. Make the students grasp present continuous tense and past continuous tense using as future tense and the past tense of modal verbs. 5. Make sure the students grasp the following useful phrases and expressions: to be (un)aware of; to pull into a place; deep into the night; run away from sb.; to engage sb. in sth.; to forget about sb./sth.; to tie sth. To some place; to be caught up in sth.; to fortify oneself against sth.; to be out of some place; in triumph/ exaltation; to rise from one’s seat Ⅲ. Key and Difficult Points, Teaching Methods 1. Key Points 1) Text Appreciation. 2) Make the students grasp present continuous tense and past continuous tense using as future tense and the past tense of modal verbs. 2. Focus Try to improve the students’ writing skills; make sure they can grasp present continuous tense and past continuous tense using as future tense and the past tense of modal verbs. 3. Teaching Methods: lectures IV. Discussion Does Vingo strike you as a terrible criminal? Can you imagine how and why he got four years in prison? Try and make up a story that finally led to what the text described. V.Background Information About the author Pete Hamill(彼得.哈米尔)was born in Brooklyn, N. Y. in 1935. He is the oldest of seven children of Irish immigrants from Belfast(贝尔法斯特/英国港市), Northern Ireland and attended Catholic schools as a child. He left school at 16 to work in the Brooklyn Navy Yard (海军工厂)as a worker, and then went on to the United States Navy. While serving in the Navy, he completed his high school education. Then, using the educational benefits of the G.I. Bill of Rights(权利和自由法案), he attended Mexico City College in 1956-1957, studying painting and writing. For several years, he worked as a graphic designer(.美术设计员), while studying at Pratt Institute. Then in 1960, he went to work as a reporter for the New York Post. A long career in journalism followed. He has been a columnist for the New York Post, the Daily News, and New York Newsday, and has won many journalistic awards. As a journalist, he has covered wars in Vietnam(.越南), Nicaragua(尼加拉瓜), Lebanon(黎巴嫩) and Northern Ireland. He has also covered murders, crime, the police, along with the great domestic disturbances of the 1960s. His work has also been published in all the major magazines, including New York, the New York Times Magazine. Since the 1950s, he has had a continuing interest in Mexico, living there for extended periods, visiting every year. For six months in 1986, he served as editor of the Mexico City News. He has one additional distinction: he has been editor-in-chief of both the New York Post and the New York Daily News. At the same time, Hamill has pursued a career as a fiction writer, producing 8 novels and 2 collections of short stories. His 1997 novel, Snow in August, was on the New York Times bestseller list for four months, and has been published in more than a dozen foreign editions. His memoir(回 忆录), A Drinking Life, was on the same New York Times list for 13 weeks. He has published 2