Maheegun My Brother

Maheegun My BrotherMaheegun My Brother

Eric Acland

Lesson Two

Part One: Warm-up

Part Two: Background InformationPart Three:

Text Appreciation (Key Points)

Part Four: Language Study (Difficult Points)

Part Five: Resource Extension

Lesson Two

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Lesson 2 Maheegun My Brother

Part One Part One Warm-upWarm-up

I. Easter Day

II. Question

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I. Easter Day

1. Origin of Easter Day

2. Some Symbols of Easter Day

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I. Easter Day

Easter is a religious festival celebrating

the resurrection of Christ observed on the

first Sunday after the Spring Equinox .

1. Origin of Easter Day

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Lesson 2 – Maheegun My friend

1) Easter Bunny

2) Easter Egg

3) Easter Egg Games

4) Easter & Lily

2. Some Symbols of Easter Day

I. Easter Day

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• The Easter bunnies have become the most favorite Easter symbol. It's universal in its appeal. And, most important of all, it relates to Easter historically.

• Also the hare and eggs have something to do with the Anglo-Saxon spring goddess Eostre. Possibly, this is because both of them were regarded to be emblems of fertility.

I. Easter Day

1) Easter Bunny

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• As with today, children hunt colored eggs

and place them in Easter baskets along

with the modern version of real Easter

eggs—those made of plastic or chocolate

candy.

• The Armenians would decorate hollow

eggs with pictures of Christ, the Virgin

Mary, and other religious designs.

I. Easter Day

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• As with the Easter bunny and the holiday itself, the Easter egg predates ( 先于 ) the Christian holiday of Easter. The exchange of eggs in the springtime is a custom that was centuries old when Easter was first celebrated by Christians.

• From the earliest times, the egg was a symbol of rebirth in most cultures. Eggs were often wrapped in gold leaf or, if you were a peasant, colored brightly by boiling them with the leaves or petals of certain flowers.

I. Easter Day2) Easter Egg

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Easter egg hunts can be part of a

community's celebration of the holiday. The

eggs are hidden in public places and the

children of the community are invited to find

the eggs.

The rules of an Easter egg roll are to see who

can roll an egg the greatest distance or can

make the roll without breaking it, usually

down a grassy hillside or slope.

I. Easter Day

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• The lovely white trumpet lily, main flower

of the Easter floral arrangements, has

been enjoying a great favor in being

included as a principal item for church

decoration for quite some time. It is a

perfect gift of nature to beautify our

Easter.

I. Easter Day

4) Easter & Lily

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On Easter morning the children of the house join in a search to locate the eggs that the Easter bunny has hidden while they were asleep. The searching might continue throughout the house with the older children helping the youngest. Sometimes prizes of candy are awaiting the child finding the most eggs.

3) Easter Egg Games

I. Easter Day

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• But its acceptance in America, as such,

dates back around the 1800s. It came in

with the rise in the Easter observances by

the Protestants in America. And, strange,

it took some more time to find a

widespread acceptance.

I. Easter Day

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How do human being and animals live in harmony wi

th each other? ● environment ● affection ● respect ...

II. Question

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I. Wolf and Man

II. Wolf Phrases

Part Two Part Two Background InformationBackground Information

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In Egypt, the wolf was worshipped at Lycopolis—“the City of the Wolves”.

In Greece, the god Apollo was a wolf-god. A bronze wolf guarded his altar in the temple of Delphi.

Mars/Ares had a wolf for his emblem and was sometimes known to change into a wolf by donning a wolf-skin.

I. Wolf and ManMany ancient cultures held the wolf in high regard.

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The Norse god Odin was also a wolf-god.

He also resided over eagles and bears. Also

in Norse myth, the great wolf, Fenrir, was

a giant who took upon the permanent

shape of a wolf soon after birth.

Many Christian saints were associated with

wolves. The Slavs called St. Peter “the

wolves shepherd”.

In the traditions of Eastern Europe, St.

George was accompanied by wolves

wherever he went.

I. Wolf and Man

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St. Francis of Assisi made a pact with

the fearsome wolf of Gubbio, and the

townspeople observed this agreement by

feeding the wolf for the rest of his life.

In Roman mythology, the god Mars considered the wolf a sacred animal, and the founders of Rome were raised by a wolf. Eastern Europeans often viewed wolves as protectors of the harvest.

I. Wolf and Man

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I. Wolf and ManThe wolf is now extinct in Ireland, the United Kingdom, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Hungary.

It is endangered in Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Italy, Poland, Portugal and Spain.

Only in Alaska, Canada and Russia, has the wolf found its last stronghold.

Thus the tale of the wolf is indeed tinged with blood—but it is less the blood of Man than of the wolf itself.

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I. Wolf and Man

Things changed however, and the wolf became

a devourer of livestock and supposedly also a

devourer of people, especially children.

Native Americans also held the wolf in high

regard and believed that wolves carry some

characteristics that humans should also find

important, such as strong family structure

and teaching the young.

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cry wolf

a lone wolf

wolf in sheep's clothing

have/hold a wolf by the

ears

have a wolf in the

stomach

II. Wolf Phrases

喊叫“狼来了”，发假警报

独居单干的人

披着羊皮的狼

骑虎难下，进退两难

饿到极点

Guess the Chinese translation of following wolf phrases:

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keep the wolf from the

door

see a wolf

ugly enough to tree a

wolf

wake a sleeping wolf

set the wolf to keep the

sheep

II. Wolf Phrases

免于饥饿，勉强度日

说不出话来，目瞪口呆丑陋已极，不中用到极点

自找麻烦引狼入室

Guess the Chinese translation of following wolf phrases:


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Part ThreePart Three TextText AppreciationAppreciation

I. Text Analysis

1. Theme of the Story

2. Structure of the Text

3. Further Discussion

II. Writing Devices

1. Language Style

2. Simile, Metaphor & Personification

III. Sentence Paraphrase


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I. Text AnalysisI. Text Analysis

The story depicts the ideal relationship between humans and wild animals—they are fellow creatures on earth, and therefore should treat each other like brothers.

Theme of the Story


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Part 1 (Paras. ) :

Part 2 (Paras. ) :


The introduction.

The happy days the boy and Maheegun had together in the short period of less than a year, and how Maheegun returned to the wild where he belonged.

1—3

Structure of the Text

4—17


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Part 3 (Paras. ) :

Part 4 (Paras. ) :


Structure of the Text

18—40 The reunion of the two when the boy’s life was endangered by two hungry wolves.

The brothers returned to the place where they each belonged—the boy to his warm home, the wolf to his kind in the wild.

41—44


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1. How do you think Maheegun came to be abandoned?

2. Why did the boy say that the year he was 14, he was the happiest boy on earth? What did they do together?

3. What happened one day that convinced the boy’s grandpa that the time had come to say goodbye to Maheegun?

4. How did Maheegun return to his kind?

Further Discussion


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Describe the snow storm that got the boy lost in the forest, using the following key words and expressions:

snowshoes/to dim/flakes of snow/to drift/to thicken/to stumble into/to move in a circle/to be filled (covered/smother) with snow/to make a blanket of/white stillness/fierce whiteness/to storm for days/biting cold (bitterly cold/freezing)

Further Discussion


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We hunted the grasshoppers that leaped

about like little rockets.

For the next two years I was as busy as a

squirrel storing nuts for the winter.

Gone was the puppy-wool coat. In its place

was a handsome black mantle.

The whole world thrilled to that wild cry.

II. Writing DevicesII. Writing Devices

Simile, Metaphor & Personification


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II. Writing DevicesII. Writing Devices

Gone was the puppy-wool coat. In its place was a handsome black mantle. (Para. 6)

In sailed Mrs. Yesno, wild anger, who demanded... (Para. 8)

On the top was the clear outline of a great wolf sitting still. (Para. 11)

There, about 50 feet away, crouched my two attackers… (Para. 33)

There stood a giant black wolf. (Para. 33)

InversionInversion can make

the description more vivid.

Language Style


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III. Sentence Paraphrase III. Sentence Paraphrase 11

Not that we didn’t have our troubles. (Para. 5)

When I say the year I got Maheegun was the happiest year of my life, I don’t mean that Maheegun never caused troubles.

although it is not true that…e.g. She loved music but seldom went to concerts—not that she couldn’t afford to.


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Maheegun would poke his head around the corner, waiting for things to quiet down. (Para. 5)

would + v.: a past habit

(At such times) he would move and stay somewhere out of Grandma’s sight, and wait until her anger died down.



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And in the fall, after the first snow our games took us to the nearest meadows in search of field mice. (Para. 6)


When it was getting cold, and there were no more grasshoppers, we had to go the nearest meadow to hunt field mice.

to make sb./sth. go from one level, or situation to another, e.g. His job as a UN official took him to over sixty countries.


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On top was the clear outline of a great wolf sitting still, ears pointed, alert, listening. (Para. 11)

Absolute construction that describes the state the wolf was in sitting

on the rock.

The clear figure of a big wolf was sitting without moving on the top of the rock. His ears were raised and he seemed to be listening to something.



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Everything in the snow-covered wildness seemed to be aroused/stirred by the passionate cry of Maheegun.


to feel excited at sth.

The whole white world thrilled to that wild cry. (Para. 14)


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“He will take her for life, hunt for her, protect her. This is the way the Creator planned life. No man can change it.” (Para. 16)

Cultural Note: According to the first part of the Bible, God created the world and everything in it in six days, and on the seventh day God rested. When God made human beings, he made a man called Adam out of the earth, and then made a woman called Eve out of Adam’s ribs (one of the curved bones that surround your chest). God assigned different roles to Adam and Eve—the first man and woman, Adam’s role being to take care of Eve, provide for her and protect her, and also to guide her. God created living creatures in the same way.


all ones’ lifeGod


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It all served to fog my mind with pleasure so that I forgot my Grandpa’s repeated warnings, and one night left Maheegun unchained. (Para. 8)

to have a particular effect or result, e.g. The blanket could serve to keep the rain out for a while.


Figurative, to confuse or hide

Objective complement


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There was only one thing to do. Camp for the night and hope that by morning the storm would have blown itself out. (Para. 25)

I knew that it was dangerous to move on in the blinding snow, and that the only thing to do was to stay where I was and get some sleep during the night and hope that I would find the snowstorm had stopped the next morning.


Subjunctive mood is used here because the storm didn’t stop the next day.


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The light of another day still saw no end to the storm. I began to get confused. I couldn’t recall whether it had been storming for three or four days. (Para. 26)

to be the time when/the place where an event happens; to witness

When the first gray light of another day came, the storm was going on. I found myself unable to think clearly. I couldn’t tell whether the snowstorm had continued into its third or fourth day.


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The cold and loss of blood were taking their toll. (Para. 36)


As I had lost a lot of blood, and it was extremely cold, I was sick and weak.

to have a bad effect on sb./sth. over a long period of

time


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It was quite some time before my eyes came into focus enough to see my grandfather sitting by my bed. (Para. 41)

It took quite some time for my eyes to adjust themselves to be able to see clearly my grandfather sitting by my bed.



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P art Four P art Four Language StudyLanguage Study

I. Word Study

II. Phrases and Expressions

III. Word Building

IV. Grammar


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I. Word StudyI. Word StudyWord list:

1. alert

2. chase

3. crouch

4. detain

5. pace

6. poke

7. smother

8. thrill

9. toll

10. whimper

11. start

12. sail

13. serve

14. see


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1. alert

v. to notify of approaching danger or action;

to warn

a. vigilantly attentive; watchful

n. a signal that warns of attack or danger

I. Word StudyI. Word Study


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Examples:

The doctor alerted me to the dangers of

smoking.

The radio alerted the citizens to prepare for

the hurricane.

an alert bank guard

One should not run about aimlessly during an

alert.



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2. chase

v. a. to put to flight; to drive away

b. to follow rapidly in order to catch or

overtake; to pursue

c. to seek the favor or company of

persistently

Examples:

to chase the dogs away

to chase the thief

to chase girls

n. chase


Word formation


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3. crouch

v. to stoop, especially with the knees bent

n. crouch


Word formation

Examples:

They crouched over the grate with a

flashlight, searching for the lost gem.

She crouched by the fire to get warm.


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4. detainv. a. to keep from proceeding; to delay or

retard b. to keep in custody or temporary

confinement

Examples:

I was detained by an unexpected caller that morning.

The disruptive students were detained after school until their parents had been notified.

n. detainer

n. detainee

n. detainment


Word formation


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Examples:

The fence is only ten paces from the house.

The work progressed at a slow pace.

He paced the room.

to pace out a distance of 100 yards



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5. pace


n. a. a step made in walking; a stride

b. the rate of speed at which a person, an

animal, or a group walks or runsV. a. to walk or stride back and forth across

b. to measure by counting the number of

steps needed to cover a distance


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v. to push; to thrust

Example:

A seal poked its head out of the water.

6. poke

poke fun at… 取笑


Phrase


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v. a. to suffocate (another) b. to conceal, suppress, or hide c. to lavish a surfeit of a given emotion on (someone)

Examples:The killer smothered the victim with a pillow.We tried to smother our laughter.Grandparents tend to smother grand-children with affection.

7. smother



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8. thrill

v. to cause to feel a sudden intense sensation; to excite greatly

n. a quivering or trembling caused by sudden excitement or emotion

Examples:

Stories of adventure thrilled him.

It gave me a thrill to know I had passed the examination.

a. thrilling


Word formation


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v. a. to charge a fee for using (a structure,

such as a bridge)

b. to sound (a large bell) slowly at regular

intervals

n. a. the act of tolling

b. a fixed charge or tax for a privilege,

especially for passage across a bridge

or along a road

c. a charge for a service, such as a long-

distance telephone call

9. toll



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Examples:

They were tolled more than necessary.

The church bell tolled the hour.

The cold and loss of blood were taking their

toll.



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10. whimper

v. to cry or sob with soft intermittent sounds; to whine

Example:

The little dog whimpered when I tried to bath it.

howl

rumble

snarl

whimper

狼、狗、狐狸的嚎叫，常指夜间嗥叫隆隆的响声露齿而吠，嗥叫动物的悲嗥声，唔咽



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11. start

v. to move suddenly or involuntarilyn. a startled reaction or movement

Examples:

The child started at the loud noise.

to start at the mere rustle of leaves in the

wind

He sat up with a start.



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12. sail

v. a. (of a woman) to walk elegantly and gracefully b. to move swiftly, smoothly, or effortlessly

Examples:

The duchess sailed into the room.

He sailed through the examination.



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13. serve

Examples:to serve teaHe has served four terms in Congress.The woman served her country for five years in the navy.Now the examination score serves as the only criterion for a student’s academic performance.

v. a. to prepare and offer (food) b. to spend or complete (time) c. to fight or undergo military service for d. to be of service or use; to function



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14. see

v. to be the time when/the place where an event happens; to witness


Examples:

The light of another day still saw no end

to the storm.

The 20th century saw many changes.

The house saw many important meetings

in the country’s history.


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II. Phrases and ExpressionsII. Phrases and Expressions

List:

1. with a start

2. for the best

3. only to…

4. blow itself out

5. work one’s way

6. take one’s toll on

7. come into focus


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1. with a start

to move one’s body quickly and suddenly

because one is surprised, afraid, etc.

Example:

But something caused me to wake up

with a start.

一惊地



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2. for the best

best for the long run though sth. appears bad or unpleasant

Examples:

His parents didn’t want him to work in London, but they knew it was perhaps for the best.

They had to sell their car, but since they are both without a job, it’s probably for the best.

长远看是有好处的



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结果只是used to mention sth. that happens immediately afterwards, esp. sth. that causes surprise, disappointment, etc.

Examples:

He went to see her only to find the door was locked.

He returned after the war, only to be told that his wife had left him.

I tried to travel west but only to hit the creek again.

3. only to…



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cf. only too: very

… but I knew only too well there should

have been no creek there.

I shall be only too pleased to do my best in

that line of work.



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4. blow itself out 消退

(of a storm) to lose force or cease entirely

Example:

The weather forecast says that the storm

will soon blow itself out and move out to

sea.



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squeeze one’ s way 挤 ( 出去 ), 冲 ( 出去 )

plough one’ s way 艰难费力地前进 , 开拓前进

work one’ s way 挤出一条路 ; 排除困难 , 艰

辛前进

worm one’ s way (through) 慢慢前进



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5. work one’ s way艰难行走

to move with great difficulty

edge one’ s way 挤过去

elbow one’ s way 挤着向前走

feel one’ s way 摸索着向前走

fight one’ s way 奋斗着前进 , 打开一条出路

find one’ s way 设法到达

shoulder one’ s way 挤 ( 出去 ), 冲 ( 出去 )



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6. take one’s toll on…

to have a bad effect on sb./sth.

Examples:

Years of hard work and anxiety have

taken their toll on his health.

The destruction of the World Trade Center

in New York is taking its toll on US

airlines.

夺去 , 使遭受打击



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7. come into focus

If your eyes, a camera, a telescope or

other instruments come or comes into

focus, the edges of what you see are

clear and sharp.

Example:

Before you shoot a photograph, you should adjust the camera so that it comes into focus.

轮廓清晰



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III. Word BuildingIII. Word Building

1. Compound adjectives

2. Words used both as verbs and nouns


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moon-flooded cabin

snow-filled creek bed

blood-soaked bandage

thunder-struck crowd

sun-tanned arms

wind-driven generator

cloud-capped tower

撒满月色的小屋

被白雪覆盖的河床

浸透血的绷带

惊愕的群众

被太阳晒黑的胳膊

风力发电机

高耸入云的塔

1. Compound adjectives: n.+ -ed



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2. Words used both as verbs and nouns

Night fell quickly.

a bar serving whiskey that had been watered

You should not have risked the confrontation

with the government.

The storm hit without warning.

Observe how these words

are used both as verbs and

nouns.



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The surgeon bandaged up his injured head.

Waste of food is wicked.

All his efforts were wasted.

I wanted to raise a question to the chairman but

in a moment I lost my nerve.

The boss gave him a raise.

“The town’s big shots were… wolfing down the

buffet.”

Observe how these words

are used both as verbs and

nouns.



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IV. GrammarIV. Grammar

InfinitiveInfinitive

Grammatical function:

subject

object

attributive modifier

adverbial of purpose

adverbial of result


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I tried to tell myself it was all for the best,

but it was hard to lose my brother.

Infinitive as subject



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My grandfather finally agreed to let me

keep him.

Infinitive as object



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Ah, that was the true joy of life, the ability

to love!

Infinitive as attributive modifier



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They lifted a rock only to drop it on their

own feet.

Infinitive as adverbial of

result



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He put the covers over his head to silence

his quick breathing.

Infinitive as adverbial of

purpose



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Part FivePart Five Resource Resource ExtensionExtension

I. Quiz 1

II. Quiz 2


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I. Quiz 1I. Quiz 1

D D

1. Many people complain of the rapid ____ of

modern life.

A. rate B. speed

C. growth D. pace

2. It is a common theme in many fictional

stories that the world may one day be taken

____ by insects.

A. to B. apart

C. in D. over


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A B

3. A sparrow is very ____ in its movement.

A. alert B. restless

C. numb D. mischievous

4. I was ____ by a flat tire on my way home.

A. contained B. detained

C. maintained D. attained

I. Quiz 1I. Quiz 1


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5. ____, he does get irritated with her sometimes. A. As he likes her much

B. Much despite he likes her

C. Though much he like her

D. Much as he likes her

6. The professor can hardly find sufficient grounds

____ his argument in favor of the

new theory.

A. which to base on B. to base on which

C. on which to base D. which to be based on

I. Quiz 1I. Quiz 1

D C


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7. ___at conveying her underlying message through topical plots and contemporary characters that by 1940 her book had sold some three million copies.

A. So successful, Grace Lee B. So successful was Grace Lee C. Grace Lee, so successful D. Because Grace Lee was so successful

8. ___ people in Scotland and Wales to be called English. A. It offends B. There offends C. They offends D. Offends

I. Quiz 1I. Quiz 1

B A


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A C

9. A hundred and thirty dollars ___ for that fur coat. A. is a reasonable price B. are a reasonable price C. are not a reasonable price D. is a too reasonable price

10. Essentially, a theory is an abstract, symbolic representation of ____ reality.

A. what it is conceived B. that is conceived

C. what is conceived to be D. that is being conceived of

I. Quiz 1I. Quiz 1


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11. The director of this organization must know

____.

A. money management, selling, and able to

satisfy the stockholders

B. how to mange money, selling his product,

and be able to satisfy stockholders

C. how to manage money, sell his product,

and satisfy the stockholders

D. money management, selling, the idea of

being able to satisfy the stockholders

I. Quiz 1I. Quiz 1

C


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12. To relieve the pain, ______.

A. the medicine prescribed by the doctor

was taken by the man

B. the doctor gave the man the medicine he

prescribed

C. the man took the medicine prescribed by

the doctor for him to take

D. the man took the medicine that was

prescribed by the doctor

I. Quiz 1I. Quiz 1

D


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13. The U.S. Congress is the ____ of the British

Parliament.

A. copy B. contrary

C. counterpart D. simulation

14. China is now experiencing the ____ age of

its reform.

A. crucial B. credulous

C. crude D. credible

I. Quiz 1I. Quiz 1

C A


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15. He didn’t have the time today to go into it

____ , but he gave us an idea about the plan.

A. at the full B. at length

C. at last D. at least

16. The worker was given a bonus for regular

____ this year.

A. attendant B. attendance

C. abundance D. alliance

I. Quiz 1I. Quiz 1

B B


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I. Quiz 1I. Quiz 1

D D

17. It is well known that knowledge is the ____ condition for expansion of mind.

A. incompatible B. incredible C. indefinite D. indispensable

18. Topics for composition should be ____ to the experience and interests of the students.

A. concerned B. dependent C. connecting D. relevant


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19. Another question asked was, was it all ____

the trouble and money that went into it if at

the end of the day the patient died?

A. worthy B. worth

C. worth of D. worthwhile

20. The main road through Littlebury was blocked

for three hours today after an accident ____

two lorries.

A. involving B. including

C. combining D. containing

I. Quiz 1I. Quiz 1

B A


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Fill in the blanks with the proper form of the

given words.

1. One _______ comes on the neck of another.

(mischievous)

2. The child was too _____ with fear to cry out.

(numb)

3. The grandparents _________ the child with

affection. (smother)

mischief

numb

smothered

II. Quiz 2II. Quiz 2


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4. They tried to _______ the flames with a

damp blanket. (smother)

5. _______ news (thrill)

6. He is _______ to the work and can’t come to

attend the celebration. (chain)

7. The lion _____ the floor of its cage. (pace)

smother

chained

paced

II. Quiz 2II. Quiz 2

thrilling

Fill in the blanks with the proper form of the

given words.

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Maheegun My Brother