Unit 10. Learning Objectives By the end of this unit, you are required to grasp the author’s...

Unit 10

Learning Objectives By the end of this unit, you are required to grasp the author’s purpose of writing and

make clear the structure of the whole passage by an intensive reading of Text 1.

understand all the difficult sentences in Text 1 and be able to paraphrase them.

get a list of new words and structures and try to use them freely in conversation and writing.

get familiar with the style of Text 1:

autobiography. try to get a general understanding of the

famous literary figures mentioned in Text 1.

Text 1 How I Found My Voice Have you ever spoken to a large

audience? How did you feel? Do you think voice is important to

personal development? Suppose a friend of yours, who has

accidentally broken his leg, is going to have an operation in a few days and now he is feeling nervous. Say something to calm him down and give him some encouragement.

This autobiographical narration comprises three parts.

Part One (Paragraphs 1-2): The writer presents a striking contrast between his successful career as an actor and television announcer and his severe stutter in his early childhood.

Part Two (Paragraphs 3-22):This part mainly describes the author’s stuttering problem when he was a child and the process of how Prof. Crouch helped the boy tackle the problem by way of the forced public speaking.

Part Three (Paragraphs 23-29) : The concluding part shows various honors and successes the writer has obtained, which further emphasizes the great effect the teacher has brought about on the writer’s career as well as his whole life.

Language Work the voice-over announcer: an

announcer who makes a commentary or gives an explanation which is heard as part of a film or television program, but he himself is not actually seen.

the New Testament: the second part of the Bible, concerned with the teachings of Christ and his earliest followers

the Old Testament: the first part of the Bible, telling the history of the Jews and their beliefs

I always sat down, my face burning with shame.

I always sat down, and blushed because I felt ashamed.

More examples of absolute structure: A number of officials followed the emperor,

some to hold his robe, others to adjust his girdle, and so on. (infinitive clause)

His voice drowned by the noise, the speaker stopped in the middle of his lecture.(-ed participle clause)

He went off, gun in hand. (prepositional phrase)

The floor wet and slippery, we stayed outside. (adjective phrase)

It was traumatic moving from the warm, easy ways of catfish country to the harsh climate of the north, where people seemed so different.

We moved from the familiar and pleasant country to the north where I felt cold both in body and in heart. That was really an upsetting experience in my life.

in a nondenominational fellowship: in a close relationship without caring about the different religions

Granddad’s Irish heritage came out in his love for language; …

Granddad had a love for language, which might have been inherited from his Irish ancestors; …

come close to: become almost the same as

e.g. The language learner tries to make his speech come close to perfection.

round up: gather together animals or people, often when they do not want to be gathered together

e.g. The teacher rounded up all the students and led them to the classroom.

That awful feeling of voice being trapped got worse as I grew older.

As I grew older, I became more self-conscious of my stuttering.

savor: enjoy and appreciate something like food, or drink, or an experience, as much as one can

e.g. 1) I savored every mouthful of breakfast, reluctant to let it end.

2) He savored the words as he said it.

labor: work with difficulty, for example because one is not strong enough or clever enough

e.g. 1) He was laboring under the strain of a worsening political crisis.

2) His classmates were laboring with elementary algebra.

…I started, anger flooding me… …I started, overwhelmed with anger…

…because the lyrics’ rhythmic pattern flows by itself.

…most stutterers can sing along with the rhythm pattern which just flows by itself.

He never pushed anything at me again; he just wanted all his students to wake up.

From then on he never gave me pressure, and what he tried to do was to help students realize and tap their potential.

I…supported myself between roles by sweeping floors of off-Broadway stages.

Before acting any new role, I …supported myself by sweeping the floors of off-Broadway stages.

“Can I fly you in from Michigan to see it?”

“Can I offer you a flight to Michigan to see my acting?”

…he was still living in a world vibrant with all of the beautiful treasures had stored.

…he had stored many poems by memorizing them so he could enjoy his life with the rhythms of poetry even after he had lost his sight.

resurrect: cause something to live again after it has disappeared

e.g. A furious argument ensued in which both sides resurrected all their old differences.

Questions

What is the text mainly concerned with?

What do you learn from the author of this text?

Translation: People were flooding in from the

surrounding countryside. His performance has come close to

perfection. Mary was in a daze all the way to London. In this mountain retreat you can find the

best climate in the country. He leaned back into his seat and relaxed,

savoring the comfort.

What makes this young couple proud is that their child could recite poems from memory at the age of three.

He repeated in public what he had said in private.

A family vibrant with life and love is to be built with the joint efforts of all its members.