Unit 14

LEARNING OBJECTIVESBy the end of this unit, you are supposed

to     grasp the author’s purpose of writing and make clear the structure of the whole passage.  comprehend and paraphrase the useful or important expressions/sentences.     learn the new words and structures, and use them freely in conversation and writing.     have a good understanding of the true relationship between parents and children.

Text I Father ForgetsTopics for pre-reading discussion

   What kind of father do you have? And what relationship between your father and you?    How do you think parents should treat their children?

HighlightsIn this text, the writer, narrating in the chronological order, tries to elucidate that love is the essence between parents and children.He in the story has come to his son’s bedside making confession. He is feeling remorse for his rudeness toward his son. As he has been measuring his child by the yardstick of his own years, he has always been unhappy with his son and formed a habit of complaining, of finding fault, of reprimanding. But his son never fails to show sincere love for him, which has made him feel much guilty. Now he realizes that the full joy of parenthood lies in mutual respect and love between them and their child.

The passage can be divided into three parts.

Part One: (Paragraphs 1) this is the introductory part of the whole text: an affectionate father filled with remorse comes to his son who is in sound sleep and is ready to make a confession.

Part Two: (Paragraphs 2-8) in this part, the father recalls his harsh and inappropriate behavior towards his son.

Part Three: (Para. 9-15): in the last part, the father, with his deep regrets and self-examination, made a confession of his own selfishness and also a resolution to be a real daddy.

LANGUAGE POINTS1.      crumple: to become full of irregular foldse.g.: He crumpled the paper (up) into a ball.(fig.: collapse) Her resistance to the proposal has crumpled.   Compare “crumble”: be broken or rubbed into very small pieces, and (fig.) gradually deteriorate or come to an end   e.g.: The great empire began to crumble.2.      stifling: causing a feeling of repression, uneasye.g.: It is stifling in the classroom with all its restrictive rules.

3.      remorse: a strong feeling of guilt and regrete.g.: He was filled with remorse for having refused to visit his dying father.4.      cross (with sb.) (about sth.)e.g.: I was cross with him for being so late. 5.      take sb. to task for/about/over sth.: criticizee.g.: He has been taken to task for his habitual lack of punctuality.6.      find fault with sb./sth.: look for and discover mistakee.g.: I have no fault to find with your work.

7.      gulp: swallow greedily or rapidly8.      make for sb./sth.a. move in the direction of  e.g.: It’s getting late; we’d better turn and make for home.b. help to make sth. possible  e.g.: Constant arguing doesn’t make for a happy marriage.9.      humiliate: to cause to feel ashamed or to lose one’s facee.g.: It was so humiliating to be corrected by the teacher in front of so many schoolmates.

10.      snap: speak or say in a sharp (usu. angry) voicee.g.: He never speaks calmly – just snaps all the time.11.      tempestuous: stormy; very strong and passionatee.g.: For decades, the Hollywood couple’s tempestuous relationship made the headline.12.      wither: to become or cause to become reducede.g.: Their hopes gradually withered away.13.   reprimand ab. For sth.: to express strong official disapproval ofe.g.: The military court ordered him to be reprimanded for failing to do his duty.

14.     paraphrase: “I was measuring you by the yardstick of my own years.” (para.9)15.      yardstick: standarde.g.: Is profit the only yardstick of success?16.    spontaneous: happening as a result of natural feelings or causese.g.: Her successful jump brought a spontaneous cheer from the crowd.17.     atone: to make repaymente.g.: He tried to atone for his rudeness by sending her some flowers.18.     resolve: resolution; a firm decisione.g.: He made a resolve to give up smoking and drinking.

19.      chum up (with sb.): become friendly to sb.e.g.: She’s chummed up with the boy in the next room.20.  paraphrase: “I will bite my tongue when impatient words come.” (para.12)21.      weary: very tirede.g.: You must be weary after so long a trip by train.22.      shrine: holly placee.g.: He built a chapel as a shrine to the memory of his dead wife.

QUESTIONS1 ． What is the tone of the father throughout the passage?2 ．What made the father so repent?3 ． Why is the father so cross with his son? 4 ． Question open for discussion: compare  Chinese  parents  with  western parents in their child-rearing styles.

MAIN IDEAS 0F TEXT IIAs a letter from father to son, this text gives us many helpful suggestions for our initiation in the great society of the world:1.      One should possess the art of pleasing: do as you would be done by, i.e., observe carefully what pleases you in others, and probably the same thing in you will please others;2.      Banish the egotism out of your conversation: never think of entertaining people with your own personal concerns or private affairs;

As a letter from father to son, this text gives us many helpful suggestions for our initiation in the great society of the world:1.      One should possess the art of pleasing: do as you would be done by, i.e., observe carefully what pleases you in others, and probably the same thing in you will please others;2.      Banish the egotism out of your conversation: never think of entertaining people with your own personal concerns or private affairs;

As a letter from father to son, this text gives us many helpful suggestions for our initiation in the great society of the world:1.      One should possess the art of pleasing: do as you would be done by, i.e., observe carefully what pleases you in others, and probably the same thing in you will please others;2.      Banish the egotism out of your conversation: never think of entertaining people with your own personal concerns or private affairs;

3.      Remember there is a local property to be observed in all companies: what is extremely proper in one company may be, and often is, highly improper in another;4.      Try to discover every man and woman’s prevailing vanity by observing his or her favorite topic of conversation;5.      Little attentions are very pleasant. So observe the little habits, the likings, the antipathies and the tastes of those whom you would win favor from.

Paraphrase the following sentences from the text II

1.It can hardly be reduced to rules; and your own good sense and observation will teach you more of it than I can. (para.1)2.Remember that there is a local property to be observed in all companies. (para.3)3.You will easily discover every man’s prevailing vanity by observing his favorite topic of conversation. (para.5)

4.It was his favorite and frequent subject of conversation, which proved to those who had any penetration that it was his prevailing weakness, and they applied to it with success. (para.5)5.Women have, in general, but one object. Which is their beauty; upon which scarce any flattery is too gross for them to swallow. (para.6)

6.But there is no living in the world without a complaisant indulgence for people’s weaknesses, and innocent, though ridiculous vanities. (para.7)7.Such attention to such trifles flatters self-love much more than greater things, as it makes people think themselves almost the only objects of your thoughts and care. (para.8)

Question for considerationWhat  is  your  personal  understanding of all these “necessary arcanums”?

＝ > (for open discussion)