Unit Three

Out of Step

The Author: Billy Bryson (1951--) ●a best-selling American author of humorous books on travel,  as well as books on the English language and science. Born in America, he was a resident of Britain for most of his adult life before returning to America in 1995. In 2003 Bryson moved back to Britain, living in the old rectory of Wramplingham, Norfolk, and served as chancellor of Durham University from 2005 through 2011.

Background Information

New England New Hampshire Dartmouth College Main Street Residential Neighborhood Rosey Jekes Café Cappuccino Nugget theatre Murphy’s on the Green Give a ride

NEW ENGLAND New England is a region in the northeastern

corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut.

HISTORY OF NEW ENGLAND

New England is one of the most historic and culturally rich regions of the USA. 

The region was one of the earliest English settlements in the “New World” following the arrival of the Pilgrim Fathers, who set sail from England aboard the Mayflower in 1620 in search of religious freedom. 

They and their descendants are called Yankees.

The region was the scene of the first Industrial Revolution in the United States.

New England (and Virginia) led the way to the American Revolution, By the 1840s it was the center of the U.S. anti-slavery movement, and was the leading force in American literature and higher education.

Dartmouth College: one of the best art colleges in the world.

Located on the Connecticut River and surrounded by the White Mountains, it offers the most beautiful natural scenery in the Ivy League.

Main Street In small towns in the United States, the

street where most of the stores are is often called Main Street. ( 美国小城镇的 ) 主街

Residential neighborhood 居民区

curb N-COUNT The curb is the raised edge

of a sidewalk which separates it from the road.

路边

pull up 1. PHRASAL VERB When a vehicle or

driver pulls up, the vehicle slows down and stops.

慢慢停下 例： The cab pulled up and the driver

jumped out. 出租车慢慢停了下来，司机跳下了车。

NEW HAMPSHIRE 新罕布什尔州的格言是：“不自由，毋宁死”。 Live free or die.

Do you need/want a ride? Give someone a ride

HITCHHIKING

小说主人公及其伙伴沿途搭车或开车， 几次横越美国大陆，最终到了墨西哥。

On The Road is based on the travels of Kerouac and his friends across America. It is considered a defining work of the postwar Beat Generation with its protagonists living life against a backdrop of jazz, poetry, and drug use.

什么是搭车？ 搭便车是在路上乘陌生人的顺路的车来完成一段的路程。 路程可能只是几公里也可能是几百公里，看车主一起顺路

多远。搭车一般是不付钱的。

欧美的搭车文化 搭车自从汽车的诞生到 60 、 70 年代的欧美是非常

普遍的一种交通方式。同时当代著名的小说《在路上》描写的几个年轻人横跨北美的故事也给无数的欧美人心中流下了很深的印象 - 对他们来说搭车有着浓浓的自由浪漫的精神。

至今在欧美每年有数万人都用搭车做成他们的交通方式。对他们来说搭车还是一种自由探险的旅行方式。

A TYPICAL HITCHHIKING GESTURE

WARM-UP

1. Which nation is said to be a nation on the wheel?

2. Cars are entering ordinary Chinese families. If you have a car, when do you prefer to walk, and when to drive? Do you think Cars will be as predominant in China as they are in the United States. Why or Why not?

3. If you / your parents won 200,000RMB in lottery, will you suggest buying a car, why or why not?

4. In modern society, it seems that people are losing some traditional ways of living, what are they?

What information can you learn from the title?

out of fashion no longer walk

TEXT ANALYSIS

“Out of Step” is an exposition that presents the absurdity of the Americans’ dependence on cars. The Americans, being so accustomed to using cars, have almost forgotten the existence of their legs. Wherever they go, they go in their cars. As a result, pedestrian facilities are neglected in city planning or rejected by the inhabitants.

After living in England for 20 years, my wife and I decided to move back to the United States. We wanted to live in a town small enough that we could walk to the business district, and settled on Hanover, N.H., a typical New England town — pleasant, sedate and compact. It has a broad central green surrounded by the venerable buildings of Dartmouth College, an old-fashioned Main Street and leafy residential neighborhoods. It is, in short, an agreeable, easy place to go about one’s business on foot, and yet as far as I can tell, virtually no one does.

Bill BrysonOut of Step

Detailed Reading

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2

Nearly every day, I walk to the post office or library or bookstore, and sometimes, if I am feeling particularly debonair, I stop at Rosey Jekes Café for a cappuccino. Occasionally, in the evenings, my wife and I stroll up to the Nugget Theatre for a movie or to Murphy’s on the Green for a beer, I wouldn’t dream of going to any of these places by car. People have gotten used to my eccentric behavior, but in the early days acquaintances would often pull up to the curb and ask if I wanted a ride. “I’m going your way,” they would insist when I politely declined. “Really, it’s no bother.”

Detailed Reading

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4

“Honestly, I enjoy walking.” “Well, if you’re sure,” they would say and depart reluctantly, even guiltily, as if leaving the scene of an accident without giving their name. In the United States we have become so habituated to using the car for everything that it doesn’t occur to us to unfurl our legs and see what those lower limbs can do. We have reached an age where college students expect to drive between classes, where parents will drive three blocks to pick up their children from a friend’s house, where the letter carrier takes his van up and down every driveway on a street.

Detailed Reading

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7

We will go through the most extraordinary contortions to save ourselves from walking. Sometimes it’s almost ludicrous. The other day I was waiting to bring home one of my children from a piano lesson when a car stopped outside a post office, and a man about my age popped out and dashed inside. He was in the post office for about three or four minutes, and then came out, got in the car and drove exactly 16 feet (I had nothing better to do, so I paced it off) to the general store next door.

Detailed Reading

8

Detailed Reading

And the thing is, this man looked really fit. I’m sure he jogs extravagant distances and plays squash and does all kinds of healthful things, but I am just as sure that he drives to each of these undertakings. An acquaintance of ours was complaining the other day about the difficulty of finding a place to park outside the local gymnasium. She goes there several times a week to walk on a treadmill. The gymnasium is, at most, a six-minute walk from her front door.

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10

Detailed Reading

I asked her why she didn’t walk to the gym and do six minutes less on the treadmill. She looked at me as if I were tragically simple-minded and said, “But I have a program for the treadmill. It records my distance and speed and calorie burn rate, and I can adjust it for degree of difficulty.” I confess it had not occurred to me how thoughtlessly deficient nature is in this regard.

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13

Detailed Reading

According to a concerned and faintly horrified 1997 editorial in the Boston Globe, the United States spent less than one percent of its transportation budget on facilities for pedestrians. Actually, I’m surprised it was that much. Go to almost any suburb developed in the last 30 years, and you will not find a sidewalk anywhere. Often you won’t find a single pedestrian crossing. I had this brought home to me one summer when we were driving across Maine and stopped for coffee in one of those endless zones of shopping malls, motels, gas stations and fast-food places. I noticed there was a bookstore across the street, so I decided to skip coffee and head over.

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15

Detailed Reading

Although the bookshop was no more than 70 or 80 feet away, I discovered that there was no way to cross on foot without dodging over six lanes of swiftly moving traffic. In the end, I had to get in our car and drive across. At the time, it seemed ridiculous and exasperating, but afterward I realized that I was possibly the only person ever to have entertained the notion of negotiating that intersection on foot.

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17

Detailed Reading

The fact is, we not only don’t walk anywhere anymore in this country, we won’t walk anywhere, and woe to anyone who tries to make us, as the city of Laconia, N.H., discovered. In the early 1970s, Laconia spent millions on a comprehensive urban renewal project, which included building a pedestrian mall to make shopping more pleasant. Esthetically it was a triumph — urban planners came from all over to coo and take photos — but commercially it was a disaster. Forced to walk one whole block from a parking garage, shoppers abandoned downtown Laconia for suburban malls.

18

Detailed Reading

In 1994 Laconia dug up its pretty paving blocks, took away the tubs of geraniums and decorative trees, and brought back the cars. Now people can park right in front of the stores again, and downtown Laconia thrives anew. And if that isn’t sad. I don’t know what is.

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20

TEXT UNDERSTANDING 1.How do people in the small town take the

author's habit of walking around for his business?

odd slightly guilty if not giving him a ride

2. Why do the people consider his preference for walking at times a bit eccentric?

3. To what extent have the American people come to depend on cars?

4. What is the problem with the urban planning of American cities? What does that have to do with the dependence of the American people on cars?

5. What do you think makes the author sad at the end of the passage?

6. Did the author write out any solution to the problem that American people rely too much on cars?

No Sound the siren

TEXT COMPREHENSION Decide which best states the author’s

purpose of writing.

A. Pointing out the fact that Americans walk too little today.

B. Introducing an alternative to car-driving as a means of transport for an average American.

C. Complaining about inconvenience traffic conditions for pedestrians in America.

STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS Part I (para.1—6) Introduction of the idea with an anecdote.

Part II (para.7—13) Presentation of the fact that the Americans

are habituated to using cars for everything.

Part III (para.14—20) Explanation of the fact that pedestrian

facilities are neglected or discarded.

PART I (PARA.1—6)

What kind of town is it?

What is considered the author’s “eccentric behavior”?

How do people in the small town take the author’s habit of walking around for his business?

Why would drivers “depart reluctantly, even guiltily” when their offer was declined?

sedate a. quiet especially in a way that lacks excitement 宁静的

a sedate country town The fight against a nuclear power station site

has transformed a normally sedate town into a battlefield.

calm, serious and formal 庄重的，严肃的，不苟言笑的

She is a sedate old lady; she is caring but never talks much.

compact(a):small and easy to carry a compact camera using a small amount of space The kitchen was compact but well equipped. antonym:

venerable venerable things or people deserve respect

because they are old, important, wise etc 值得敬重的，受敬佩的

a venerable scholar the venerable ruins of the abbey Respectable; respectful; respective

debonair fashionable and confident,carefree(usu of

men) He strolled about, looking very debonair in

his elegant new suit.

cappuccino ； a type of coffee made with hot frothy milk

and sometimes with chocolate powder on the top

Cappuccino 此字的历史 圣芳济教会 (Capuchin) 的修士都穿著褐色道袍，

头戴一顶尖尖帽子，圣芳济教会传到意大利时，当地人觉得修士服饰很特殊，就给他们取个Cappuccino 的名字，此字的意大利文是指僧侣所穿宽松长袍和小尖帽，源自意大利文 " 头巾 " 即 Cappuccio 。

然而，老意爱喝咖啡，发觉浓缩咖啡、牛奶和奶泡混合后，颜色就像是修士所穿的深褐色道袍，于是灵机一动，就给牛奶加咖啡又有尖尖奶泡的饮料，取名为卡布奇诺 (Cappuccino) 。直到一九九 0 年以后，才成为世人耳熟能详的咖啡饮料。应该可以这么说 Cappuccino 咖啡这个字，源自圣芳济教会 (Capuchin) 和意大利文头巾(Cappucio).

eccentric(adj) of people/behavior unusual, peculiar, not conven

tional an eccentric lady The old gentleman, who lived alone all his

life, was said to have some eccentric habits. Most people considered him a harmless eccentric. eccentricity(n) eccentricity of style, clothing, manners One of his eccentricities is sleeping under the bed

instead of on it. eccentrically

stroll to walk somewhere in a slow relaxed way

curb prevent sth from getting out of control 防止 ..

失控；约束 curb one's feelings/anger curb spending place/put a curb on...

Poor nutrition can curb a child’s development both physically and mentally.

There will be curbs on drunk-driving from next month.

PARAPHRASE

1) a pleasant, sedate and compact town2) a leafy residential neighborhood3) I wouldn’t dream of going to any of these

places by car.4) People have gotten used to my eccentric

behavior.5) They would depart reluctantly, even guiltily

as if leaving the scene of an accident without giving their name.

PART II (PARA.7—13)

What is the main idea of the part?

How important is the car to average Americans?

How does the author support this idea in this part?

para7 habituate:

By the end of the school term, the students had been habituated / accustomed / used to rising at five o’clock.

Para 8 Contortion 1 [countable] a twisted position or movement

that looks surprising or strange: I could not force my body into the contortions

required by classical ballet. facial contortions 2 [uncountable] when something is twisted so

that it does not have its normal shape: involuntary muscle contortion 3 [countable] something difficult you have to

do in order to achieve something: He went through a series of amazing

contortions to get Karen a work permit.

Contort implies violent change that produces unnatural or grotesque effects:

a face contorted with rage; Twist applies to distortion of form or

meaning: a mouth twisted with pain. He accused me of twisting his words to

mean what I wanted them to. The reporter distorted the facts.

Deform refers to change that disfigures and often implies the loss of desirable qualities such as beauty:

Great erosion deformed the landscape. Warp can refer to a turning or twisting from a flat

or straight form. It also can imply the bending or turning of something from a true course or direction:

floorboards that had warped over the years.

PARA 9

The thing is …:

What matters … ; What is important is …

e.g. The thing is not to interrupt him while he’s talking. 

要紧的是 … …

extravagant: She's very ____ — she spends all her money on

clothes. (frugal, economical, thrifty,extravagant)

I had a frugal meal of bread and cheese last night.

They lived a very frugal existence, avoiding all luxuries.

As far as oil energy is concerned, we cannot be too frugal.

Her mother is a thrifty housewife. Mr. Thompson is so thrifty that he is able to

save more than half of his weekly salary. Only very thrifty children manage to fill up a

money-box. She is an economical housekeeper and feeds

her family cheaply.

She has been longing for a luxurious life. She's got very extravagant tastes.

Para 10 acquaintance a speaking acquaintance He is not a friend of mine, only an

acquaintance. I am not acquainted with chemical terms. make the acquaintance of sb 结识某人

Para 11-13 confess ； Les confessions She confessed to her husband that she had sold

her wedding ring. He confessed to sleeping/having slept through

most of the film. [+ (that)] I have to confess (that) when I first

met Ian I didn't think he was very bright. I found it all very confusing, I must confess. confess one's sins

deficient: A diet deficient in vitamin D may cause the

disease rickets. • not good enough His theory is deficient in several respects. Pregnant women often suffer from iron

deficiency.

proficient:skilled and experienced a proficient swimmer She's proficient in two languages. It takes a couple of years of regular driving

before you become proficient at it. proficiency: It said in the job ad they wanted proficiency in

at least two languages.

In this regard:

PARAPHRASE

1) …become so habituated to using the car … that it doesn’t occur to us to unfurl our legs and see what those lower limbs can do.

2) We will go through the most extraordinary contortions to …

3) And the thing is, this man looked really fit.4) jogs extravagant distance5) She looked at me as if I were tragically

simple-minded. 6) … and I can adjust it for degree of difficulty7) I confess it had never occurred to me how

thoughtlessly deficient nature is in this regard.

PART III (PARA.14—20)

Why did the author say “Actually, I’m surprised it was that much”?

Why did Laconia change its downtown pedestrian mall to one with parking lots?

Bring/drive sth home to sb: to make sb realize sth

The editorial brought home to me that the government did spend some money on the pedestrian facilities though very little.

The professor drove home to the students that they have to finish the writing assignment by Friday.

pedestrian Skip skip lunch skip school/class skip the first chapter skip a year/grade Skipping rope/jump rope I suggest we skip over the details and get to the

point.

ridiculous(adj) What a ridiculous suggestion! That's ridiculous ! That fat woman looked ridiculous in her tight

golden dress. Do I look ridiculous in this hat? He has become an object of ridicule.(n) Those who ridicule others will be punished in

return.(v)

exasperating: annoying; displeasing It's so exasperating when he won't listen to a

word that i say. exasperated: annoyed He's become increasingly exasperated with

the situation.

entertain an idea/hope/thought etc to consider an idea etc, or allow yourself to

think that something might happen or be true:

She could never entertain the idea of living in the country.

PARAPHRASE

1) According to a concerned and faintly horrified 1997 editorial …

2) Actually, I’m surprised it was that much.

3) I had this brought home to me one summer when …

4) … I realized that I was possibly the only person ever to have entertained the notion of negotiating that intersection on foot.

5) … woe to anyone who tries to make us …

I was possibly the only person ever to have entertained the notion of negotiating that intersection on foot. (p.17)

I was very probably the only person who had ever attempted to cross that intersection on foot.

DISCUSSION What is the tone of the author in the passage?

How does the author achieve this effect? self-debasement in a humorous manner e.g… satire on people’s ridiculous contradiction in

acts. e.g…

How did the author develop his ideas? by means of examples the man he observed outside the post office his conversation with an acquaintance of his

who would drive him to the gym his own effort to walk across the street the commercial failure of the pedestian mall in

Laconia

WRITING TECHNIQUE IN PARA7.8 Topic examples

DISCUSSION

Should private cars be encouraged in China?

RECOMMENDED READINGS AND MOVIES

On the Road The disappeared year( 我睡了 81 个人的

沙发 ) 记述了 24 岁的台湾女生连美恩，穿着最破

的大衣，借无数人家里的沙发作为落脚点，在欧洲流浪 14 个月的经历，即所谓当沙发客（ couchsurfing ）在欧洲游玩的见闻点滴。

1. My friend likes to ____ around the flea market on the chance of picking up something of value.

2. I have some ____ with English, but I do not know it well.

He has a large circle of ____s. 3. a ____ camera; a ____ car.

4. The fight against a nuclear power station site has transformed a normally _____town into a battlefield.

5. The old gentleman, who lived alone all his life, was said to have some ____ habits.

6. A man of ____ age a ___ church

这所大学是世界上历史最悠久的高等学府之一。

1.The university is one of the most venerable institutions of higher education in the world.

如果一个人缺乏实践经验，仅凭课堂里学的东西是难以成功的。

1. If one is deficient in practical experience, he can hardly make himself a success with only what he has acquired in class.

我火冒三丈，这篇专题文章本周内必须写完，但老是被打断。

1. _____________for i had to finish writing the monograph by the end of this week.

1. I felt exasperated by constant interruptions, for i had to finish writing the monograph by the end of this week.

他认为用旧文体来写一个当代的主题是滑稽可笑的。

_____________to write about a contemporary topic in an ancient style.

1.He feels that it is ludicrous to write about a contemporary topic in an ancient style.

上海的外滩在上世界七八十年代是年轻情侣喜欢来的谈情说爱之地。

5.The Bund in Shanghai _________.6.The Bund in Shanghai was a place

where young couples liked to come to coo in the 70’s and the 80’s of the last century.

作为 10 来岁的孩子，他女儿算是非常恬静的，因为她喜欢读书胜于嬉戏。

5.His daughter is very sedate for a girl of about ten, for she likes reading more than playing.

当第一抹阳光洒向大地的时候，这对情人手拉手，在乡村道路上散步。

5. __________ when the sun in its first splendor steeped the earth.

6.The couple strolled hand-in-hand along the country road when the sun in its first splendor steeped the earth.

这个诗人在世时被普遍认为是一个怪癖的浪漫天才。5.The poet was commonly considered as

an eccentric romantic genius when alive.