I' Passages Reading

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Unit 6

• I. Passages Reading
• II. Listening
• III. Speaking
• IV. Writing

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• I. Passages Reading
• A. Unconditional Love
• B. A Life-and-death choice
• A Moral Problem

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Unconditional
LOVE
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Background Information

• No event in American history is more
  misunderstood than the Vietnam War. It was
  misreported then, and it is misremembered now.
  Richard M. Nixon, 1985
• The Vietnam War The Vietnam War was the longest
  and most unpopular war in which Americans ever
  fought. And there is no calculating the cost. The
  toll (bad effect) in suffering, sorrow, and angry
  national confusion can never be tabulated. No one
  wants ever to see America so divided again. And
  for many of the more than two million American
  veterans of the war, the wounds of Vietnam will
  never be healed.
• The hostilities in Vietnam, Laos, and
  Cambodia claimed (killed) the lives of more than
  58,000 Americans. Another 304,000 were wounded.

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Warm-up questions

• a. What would you do if your parents got sick or
  badly injured?
• b. What would you do to your parents if you
  suddenly got injured or even became disabled?

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• A story is told about a soldier who was
  finally coming home after having fought in
  Vietnam. He called his parents from San Francisco.

Change the following sentence Having finished
her homework, she logged onto the Internet to
chat online.
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• Mom and Dad, Im coming home, but Ive a
  favor to ask. I have a friend Id like to bring
  home with me.
• Sure, they replied, wed love to meet him.

n. Request v. Prefer Most students favor English.
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• Theres something Id like to disclose to you,
  the son continued, he was hurt pretty badly in
  the campaign.

to make sth. known to the public uncover expose
battle, attack
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a bomb placed under the ground

• He stepped on a landmine and lost an arm and a
  leg. He has nowhere else to go, and I want him to
  come live with us. He will feel obliged to you.

grateful e.g. We are obliged to you for dinner.
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• Im sorry to hear that, son. Maybe we can
  help him find somewhere to live.
• No, Mom and Dad, I want him to live with us.

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• Son, said the father, you dont know
  what youre asking. Someone with such injuries
  would be a terrible burden on us.

n. damages v. Some people got injured in the
explosion.
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• We have our own lives to live, and we cant let
  something like this interfere with our lives. I
  think you should just come home and forget about
  this guy. Hell find a way to live on his own.

bother disturb
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• Scarcely had the parents finished when the son
  hung up the phone. That hence, the parents heard
  nothing more from him.

therefore from then on
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• A few days later, however, they received a call
  from the police bureau in San Francisco. Their
  son had died after falling from a building, they
  were told.

an administrative unit of government (FBI)
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• The police believed he had taken his own life.
  The deeply saddened parents flew to San Francisco
  and were taken to the city hospital to identify
  the body of their son.

adj. en ? v.
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To cast the shotput.

• Casting their eyes over the body, they
  recognized him, but to their horror they also
  discovered something they didnt know, their son
  had only one arm and one leg.

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• The parents in this story are like many of us.

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vt. it adj. to do sth.

• We find it easy to love those who are
  good-looking, courteous or fun to have around,
  but we dont have mercy on people who
  inconvenience us or dont make us feel
  comfortable.

polite
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• We would rather stay away from people who
  arent as healthy, beautiful, competent or smart
  as we are.

keep distance
qualified capable
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gratefully

• Thankfully, theres someone who wont treat us
  that way. Someone who loves us with an
  unconditional love welcomes us into the forever
  family, regardless of how different we are.

in spite of
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• Theres a miracle called fraternity that lives
  in the heart.

a feeling of friendship among people
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• You dont know how it happens or when it gets
  started. But you know the special gift it always
  brings. And you realize that fraternity is the
  most precious gift!

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• Friends are a very rare gift, indeed.

Metaphor (Simile Like old wine, old friends are
best.)
He has a heart of stone.
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• They make you smile and encourage you to
  succeed. They lend an ear, they share a word of
  praise, and they always want to open their hearts
  to us.

listen to sb.
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Before these two eggs were Broken,they were
individuals, Having nothing to do with each
Other.But now,since they have Been broken ,
their yolk came out, Connecting together with
the Shape of two hearts. So we can Infer from it
that once we open Up our heart,the happiness will
arrive.
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A life-and-death choice
vitally important life-or-death

• A Moral Problem

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Warm-up questions

• a. If you were the disabled person, what would
  you think of your parents to have raised you up
  as a disabled person?
• b. What would you do if you gave birth to a
  disabled baby?

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• Most of our daily problems are not big problems.
  One day, perhaps, our car may not run, and we may
  have no transportation to school or to work.
  Another day, the electricity may go off, and we
  may have to eat cold food or give up taking the
  elevator. We may fetch the wrong paper. These are
  common, everyday problems. We usually do not have
  to make a choice that is a life-and-death choice.
  Recently the Lane family of Cleveland, Ohio, had
  to make that kind of choice.

break down
vehicles like car, bus
power off, switch off, fail
to go for and bring back e.g. Please fetch me
my glasses.
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• Bob and Susan Lane were expecting the birth of
  their second child. They were happy and excited.
  Their son Peter was born on a Sunday morning.
  However, the Lanes happiness quickly turned to
  sadness, the doctor looked at the baby and saw
  that he was not normal. Then the doctor took
  X-rays and studied them. Afterward, he said that
  the bones in Peters spinal cord were
  disconnected and that Peters back was not closed.

• to change to
• b. to go to sb./sth.
• I had to turn to the dictionary for help.

later after a happening
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• The Lanes were not prepared for this problem.
  They did not know anything about this disease, so
  the doctor explained it to them. The disease
  affects the spinal cord. The cord cannot convey
  messages from the brain to the body, so the body
  cannot work in the normal way. The doctor told
  them that there was a remedy and that he could
  operate and close Peters back. Then Peter could
  live, but he would have many problems. He would
  not have much control over his body. He would not
  be able to feed or dress himself.

Please convey my thanks to your wife.
in the manner/mode/style/fashion of
a treatment
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• He would not be able to go to the bathroom by
  himself. He would have to be confined to bed all
  his life. He probably would not be able to think
  very well. His mind would be like the mind of a
  child for many years. He would also need many
  examinations and operations. Someone would have
  to take care of him, and that would be expensive.
  It would probably cost over 300,000 to take care
  of him until he was 18. The doctor said that this
  disease was a difficult one for families. Some
  families broke up because it consumed all of
  their fortune.

to keep sth./sb. inside the limits of a
particular activity, subject, area, etc. e.g.
The thief is confined in prison.
to finish to split up
to spend He consumed much time and energy in
writing this book.
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• Then the doctor told the Lanes that they had
  another choice. They could decide not to have the
  operation on Peters back. Then Peter would
  probably die within two or three weeks.

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to bring face to face with A soldier often has
to confront danger.

• The Lane family was confronted with a very
  difficult choice. Some people told them about the
  right to die. They said that people should have
  a right to die in peace and in dignity. If a
  member of the family has to live in great pain,
  the family should let the person die. If the
  member of the family will always be unconscious,
  the family should let the person die. A person
  should not have to live like a vegetable. This
  issue is heatedly debated.

Majesty, honor

• Pass out
• b. Not aware of He was unconscious of his
  mistake.

n. point, problem, publication e.g. This passage
appeared in Issue 12. v. to make sth. known
formally e.g. China and the United States issued
a joint statement.
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be opposed or contrary to

• Other people contradict this idea. They say that
  all life is special. Maybe a doctor will find a
  way to cure a disease. They say that there is
  always hope and that we cannot decide to let
  someone die. They say that, if we take away life,
  it is murder.
• Bob and Susan Lane had to decide. They talked
  about their choice. They wanted a normal, healthy
  son. They would not have one. But could they let
  him die? Could they say no to the operation?

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II. Listening
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Listening 1. Listen to a conversation on the
text only once and then fill in the blanks
according to what youve just heard.

• Son Hello, Mom and Dad, Im coming home soon.
• Father Oh, we are very glad to hear that.
• Son But I have a (1) to ask. I
  have a friend Id like to bring home with me.
• Father Sure, wed love to meet him.
• Son Theres something you should know, he was
  hurt (2) in the fighting. He
  (3) on a landmine and lost an
  arm and a leg. He has (4) else
  to go, and I want him to come
• (5) with us.
• Father Im sorry to hear that, son. Maybe we can
  help him find
• (6) to live.
• Son No, Mom and Dad, I want him to live with us.
• Father Son, you dont know what youre asking.
  Someone with such
• (7) would be a terrible (8)
  on us. We have our own lives to live, and we
  cant let something like this (9)
  with our lives. I think you should just come home
  and (10) about this guy, hell find a
  way to live on his own.
• Son (Hanging up the phone.)

favor
pretty badly
stepped
nowhere
live
somewhere
injuries
burden
interfere
forget
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Listening 2. Listen to an English song twice
and then put the following in the correct order
according to what youve just heard.

• Love Is All Around From
  Wet Wet Wet
• (1) You give your promise to me, and I give mine
  to you
• (2) You know I love you I always will
• (3) Its written on the wind, its everywhere I
  go, oh, yes it is
• (4) So if you really love me, come on and let it
  show
• (5) I feel it in my fingers, I feel it in my
  toes
• (6) My minds made up by the way that I feel
• (7) Love is all around me and so the feeling
  grows
• (8) Cause on my love you can depend
• (9) I see your face before me, as I lay on my
  bed
• (10) Theres no beginning, therell be no end
• (11) I cannot get to thinking of all the things
  you said, oh, yes I did
• (12) I need someone beside me in everything I
  do, oh, yes I do
• (Chorus)
• (13) My minds made up by the way that I feel
• (14) Theres no beginning, therell be no end
• (15) You know I love you I always will
• (16) Its written in the wind, its where I go
• (17) So if you really love me, love me, love me

Key
(5)-(7)-(3)-(4)-(2)-(6)-(10)-(8)-(9)-(11)-(1)-(12)
-(15)-(13)-(14)-(18)-(20)-(16)-(17)-(19)
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Listening 3. Listen to a passage twice and then
answer the questions.

• (1) Why did the father punish his daughter?
• ______________________________________________
  ___
• (2) What present did the girl give her
  father?
• ______________________________
• (3) How did the girl explain the empty box to her
  father?
• ______________________________________________
  ___
• (4) What happened to the girl at last?
• ____________________________________________
• (5) What did the gold box mean to the father?
• _____________________________________________
  ____

Because the girl wasted a roll of gold wrapping
paper.
A gold box
The box was not empty and she had blown kissed
into the boxed and all were for her father.
An accident took her life.
It meant the love of his little girl who had put
it there.
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III. Speaking

• Request Response

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Useful expressions
Model conversation A Could you do me a
favor? B Sure. A You know, well have our final
English exam next week. I was wondering if you
could help me with my lessons. B Id be glad to.
What questions do you have? A You see, I was
sick for two weeks and missed several lessons. I
was wondering if you could lend me your
notebook. B With pleasure. A In case I have
difficulty reading your handwriting, could you
please give me some explanations? A Sure, no
problem. B My greatest difficulty is with
grammar. Would you mind helping me with itgt A
Not at all. Lets do it today.

• Positive response
• Well, of course. I suppose so.
• No, I dont mind in the least.
• Thats no trouble at all.
• By all means.
• With pleasure.
• Negative response
• No, Im afraid I cant.
• Im very sorry.
• Sorry, cant be helped.
• I regret I cant help you.
• Id rather not if you dont mind.

• Requesting
• Could you do me a favor?
• I was wondering if/I wish you could
• Would you mind doing?
• Do you think you could?
• Would you be do kind as to?
• Got any chance of?
• Could you possibly?

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IV. Writing

• A Letter of Sympathy

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• Basics for writing a letter of sympathy
• a. It is a kind of private letter, so the form of
  it is much alike that of other letters, which is
  made up of six parts, say the header, the
  address, the name, the body, the ending and the
  signature
• b. The address normally is on the top right
  corner in the indent style or the block one, but
  it can be omitted if the receiver is quite
  familiar with it, yet the date can never be
  ignored.
• c. Be sincere in the letter. First of all, the
  questions the receiver mentioned in the last
  letter should be answered promptly to show your
  concern about him/her. The content of the letter
  should simply go with the form of greeting and
  expressing your concern consoling encouraging
  and suggesting ending sentence .
• d. The ending often goes with such expressions as
  yours, With love, With best wishes, Your
  affectionately, Yours sincerely.

Sept. 20, 20
Dear John, I was sorry to learn that you had not
been successful in the examination. Im sending
you my sympathy, and I feel you ought not to be
unduly distressed at the result. You are still
eligible to sit again for the examination and I
am confident that this time next year, I shall be
sending a letter, not of sympathy, but of
congratulation. My kindest regards and best
wishes. Sincerely yours, David