Two Letters from London 1. Background Knowledge Background Knowledge 2. Text Analysis Text Analysis...

Two Letters from London

1. Background Knowledge

2. Text Analysis

3. Exercises

4. Questions for Discussion

Background Knowledge

1. London: London, capital of Great Britain in the southeast of England, is one of the largest cities in the world. It is divided into many administrative units, the largest of which is Greater London and the City of London is the heart of this unit. The City of London takes up a very small area, about one square mile, lying north of the Thames near London Bridge. This area is the business centre of the country.

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London is the national centre of government, trade, commerce, shipping, finance and industry; it is also one of the cultural centres of the world.

London is a historic city with many beautiful buildings. The Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace and St. Paul’s Cathedral are major tourist attractions. The city is also famous for its art galleries and museums. Among these are the British Museum, which comprises the British National Museum of Antiquities and Ethnography and the British National Library, the National Gallery which contains Britain’s best-known collection of pictures, and the National Portrait Gallery.

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2. Blue jeans: Blue jeans are trousers made of strong blue cotton cloth, worn for work and informally by men, women, and children. Blue jeans are also called Cowboy jeans because cowboys liked to wear such trousers.

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Levi Strauss, a German immigrant, was the inventor of blue jeans. When he went West, where he hoped to find gold and become rich, he brought with him some canvas, a kind of strong cloth. He used this cloth to make canvas pants, which soon became very popular among the miners. When he ran out of canvas, he asked his relatives in New York to send him more. Instead, they sent him the wrong cloth. This kind of cloth came from Genes. Levi changed the spelling of Genes to jeans, dyed the cloth blue, and called his new pants blue jeans.

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3. Ernest Hemingway: Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961), spokesman for the “Lost Generation”, was an influential US novelist and short-story writer. His simple and direct style of writing has been widely imitated by many other writers, and his stories of courage in the face of death are reread by each new generation.

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The Sun Also Rises, his first major novel, was published in 1926, and met with great success. A Farewell to Arms (1929) and For Whom the Bell Tolls (1940) were based on his own experiences in WWI and the Spanish Civil War respectively and added greatly to his reputation as a writer. In 1952, Hemingway published his last successful novel, The Old Man and the Sea. In 1954, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. Throughout his life, Hemingway wrote many short stories. The Snows of Kilimanjaro and The killers are probably the best known.

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Hemingway was a man of many contradictions. He was extremely generous and extremely selfish. He loved life, yet he continually pondered death. His life was bold and courageous, yet his courage deserted him in the end. Increasingly ill and depressed, he committed suicide in 1961.

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Exercises

1. True/False Questions

2. Multiple-choice Questions

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True/False Questions

1. Bob and Jessica were on a business-and-pleasure trip to London.

2. They both liked London because they could speak English at a bar or a restaurant.

3. Bob didn’t understand why the English businessmen did not talk business over lunch.

4. All the time Bob was thinking of blue jeans market in England and nothing else.

Answer


1. Bob and Jessica were on a business-and-pleasure trip to London. (T)

2. They both liked London because they could speak English at a bar or a restaurant.



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2. They both liked London because they could speak English at a bar or a restaurant. (F)



Answer




3. Bob didn’t understand why the English businessmen did not talk business over lunch. (T)


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3. Bob didn’t understand why the English businessmen did not talk business over lunch. (T)

4. All the time Bob was thinking of blue jeans market in England and nothing else. (T)

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5. Jessica went up to town and did shopping the whole day.

6. Jessica had a plan to take Bob on a tour of the city of London the next day.

7. Bob would agree to go with her.

8. Bob is a good businessman. London is attractive to him not as a cultural city but as a big market for blue jeans.

Answer


5. Jessica went up to town and did shopping the whole day. (F)

6. Jessica had a plan to take Bob on a tour of the city of London the next day.



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6. Jessica had a plan to take Bob on a tour of the city of London the next day. (T)



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7. Bob would agree to go with her. (F)


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7. Bob would agree to go with her. (F)

8. Bob is a good businessman. London is attractive to him not as a

cultural city but as a big market for blue jeans. (T)

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9. Bob can speak three languages: English, French and Italian.

10.Bob thought Hemingway might be a businessman in blue jeans like him. This shows he is quite ignorant.

11.Jessica thought London was a dull place, unlike Rome or Paris. The only thing she could do there was going shopping.

Answer


9. Bob can speak three languages: English, French and Italian. (F)

10.Bob thought Hemingway might be a businessman in blue jeans like him. This shows he is quite ignorant.


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10.Bob thought Hemingway might be a businessman in blue jeans like him. This shows he is quite ignorant. (T)


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10.Bob thought Hemingway might be a businessman in blue jeans like him. This shows he is quite ignorant. (T)

11.Jessica thought London was a dull place, unlike Rome or Paris. The only thing she could do there was going shopping. (F)

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12. The Thames River was once called “liquid history” because it had witnessed so many invasions.

13. As husband and wife, Bob and Jessica have the same interests and tastes.

Answer


12. The Thames River was once called “liquid history” because it had witnessed so many invasions. (T)

13. As husband and wife, Bob and Jessica have the same interests and tastes.

Answer


12. The Thames River was once called “liquid history” because it had witnessed so many invasions. (T)

13. As husband and wife, Bob and Jessica have the same interests and tastes. (F)

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Multiple-choice Questions

1. Bob liked London because .

A) Mr. Needle was there

B) it was a historical city

C) he enjoyed its food

D) he thought he would make it a big market for jeans

Answer


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1. Bob liked London because D .

A) Mr. Needle was there

B) it was a historical city

C) he enjoyed its food

D) he thought he would make it a big market for jeans


2. Judging from his letter, Bob is the kind of person who .

A) likes to use foreign languages when ordering dinner

B) feels at ease with strangers

C) thinks of making money most of the time

D) enjoys going to the world’s cultural capitals

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2. Judging from his letter, Bob is the kind of person who C .

A) likes to use foreign languages when ordering dinner

B) feels at ease with strangers

C) thinks of making money most of the time

D) enjoys going to the world’s cultural capitals


3. Jessica liked London because .

A) there were dozens of shopping centres in London

B) it was the second largest city in the world

C) it was a cultural city with a long history

D) the Thames ran through the centre of the city

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3. Jessica liked London because C .

A) there were dozens of shopping centres in London

B) it was the second largest city in the world

C) it was a cultural city with a long history

D) the Thames ran through the centre of the city


4. Judging from her letter, on a rainy, cold day, Jessica would feel .

A) unhappy about having to stay indoors

B) quite bored and would probably sleep all day

C) very happy to sit at home reading a good book

D) eager to go out and buy clothes

Answer


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4. Judging from her letter, on a rainy, cold day, Jessica would feel C .

A) unhappy about having to stay indoors

B) quite bored and would probably sleep all day

C) very happy to sit at home reading a good book

D) eager to go out and buy clothes


5. The expression “buy up the town” means

to .

A) buy everything possible

B) buy something one needs downtown

C) buy a few dresses, hats, etc., that one really doesn’t need

D) buy the whole cityAnswer


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5. The expression “buy up the town” means

to A .

A) buy everything possible

B) buy something one needs downtown

C) buy a few dresses, hats, etc., that one really doesn’t need

D) buy the whole city


6. In the long history of England, the Thames River was noted for .

A) its beautiful scenery

B) its geographical position

C) the big population of London

D) the dozens of invading armies which had crossed over it

Answer


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6. In the long history of England, the Thames River was noted for D .

A) its beautiful scenery

B) its geographical position

C) the big population of London

D) the dozens of invading armies which had crossed over it


7. If Bob and Jessica had lunch together, which of the following topics do you think they would talk about for a while?

A) The blue jeans market.

B) The writers of the Bloomsbury group.

C) Their impressions of London.

D) The joy of using foreign languages.Answer


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7. If Bob and Jessica had lunch together, which of the following topics do you think they would talk about for a while? (C)

A) The blue jeans market.

B) The writers of the Bloomsbury group.

C) Their impressions of London.

D) The joy of using foreign languages.

Questions for Discussion

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1. Can people with completely different tastes and interests be good friends or even couples?

2. Do you think Bob and Jessica will live happily for ever?

Two Letters from London A person’s letters often tell the reader a lot about his or her character. Read the following two letters and see if you can find anything about the different characters of the husband and his wife.

Text Analysis

April 14, 1980

Hotel Diplomat

London, England

Lee Simmons

President, Cowboy Jeans, Inc.

329 River Plaza

Atlanta, Georgia

U.S.A.

Text Analysis

Dear Lee,

London is great, Lee, it’s just great. Rome and Paris were fine places, but I knew as soon as we landed in London that this is the finest of the three. Nobody wears blue jeans here! Lee, I think London will prove to be a very big market for Cowboy Jeans. I’m sure of it!

Text Analysis

It sure is nice to be in London. It’s also nice to hear English again. When you speak a foreign language you can only say what you can say. But when you speak your own language, you can say what you want to. That’s why I like the English restaurants. When I order a piece of meat, I know just what I’ll be getting.

Let me get back to business. I think you were very smart to pick Mr. Needle as our sales representative here. I didn’t like him very much at first. Why, I kept wondering, does he wear suits instead of blue jeans? But I’ve changed my mind about him. He knows the clothes business from top to bottom. Yesterday he proved it.

Text Analysis

While Jessica went shopping, Mr. Needle and I toured all the big department stores. You once told me that you should know your buyers not just as buyers, but as people. Well. Henry Needle knows them all. He talked for almost half an hour with one buyer about his wife’s health. Then with another he talked for almost as long. You will see the results in my sales report, which I plan to write tomorrow. We got two very big orders as a result of all that talking.

Text Analysis

At one in the afternoon, Mr. Needle took me to his club for lunch. We ate with a few other men around a large table. I was very interested in what kind of business these men were in. But nobody talked business! What a waste of time! We Americans do a lot of business over lunch. But people are different here, I suppose. They prefer to tell stories and talk about the news.

Text Analysis

The man who sat next to me was a complete fool. First he told me a long story about a conversation he had almost twenty years ago with, as he put it, “that American of yours, Ernest Hemingway.” When he finished he asked me what I thought of Hemingway.

Well, I wanted to laugh in his face. I don’t know anyone by this name. Why would this man think I did?

Text Analysis

So I told the Englishman that our country is very big, and that I don’t know everyone in it. But, I added, someday I may meet this man. Is he also in the blue jeans business, I asked?

Well, I think the Englishman felt a little foolish. He just said no, and then got up and left the table!

Text Analysis

Right now I’m sitting in our hotel room. Jessica should return soon. Yesterday she didn’t buy anything, but I think she will today. She’s been out shopping for almost eight hours. I hope she doesn’t buy up the town.

Text Analysis

Mr. Needle says hello. He said he still remembers the night he took you to the theater. He invited us to come to the theater with him tonight, but I told him we couldn’t. Jessica will be too tired, I’m sure. But also, I want to get a good night’s sleep. I want to spend all day tomorrow writing my report.

I can’t wait to get back to Atlanta!

Sincerely yours,

Bob Gill

Text Analysis

Dear Cynthia,

Oh, to be in London

Now that April’s there,

Robert Browning, that great English poet, knew what he was talking about! London in the spring is really very beautiful, Cynthia. The trees are in bloom and the sky is sunny. Of course in Atlanta the trees are also in bloom and the sun shines brightly. But Atlanta doesn’t have London’s museums, or its theaters, or its two thousand year history.

Text Analysis

There are only two small things which I don’t like about London. First of all, everyone speaks English here. I had so much fun in Rome and in Paris. There I could speak in foreign languages. In restaurants and museums I often asked people the meaning of words. I made a lot of friends that way. But here everybody can understand me. I don’t have any reason to start up a conversation with a stranger. And speaking of restaurants — that’s the other problem with London. The food here is no good at all! I haven’t had one good meal in the three days we’ve been here.

Text Analysis

Since you asked me to write to you about everything I learn on this trip, here is what I’ve learned about London.

London’s population of eleven million makes it the second largest city in the world. It is bigger than New York but not as big as Tokyo. London is twice the size of New York. It has an area of 620 square miles!

Text Analysis

The Thames River runs right through the center of the city. Someone once called the Thames “liquid history.” It’s a very good name. Dozens of armies have crossed it over the past few thousand years. One of the first was the army of Julius Caesar two thousand years ago. After it came the armies of the Angles, the Jutes, the Saxons, the Danes, the Vikings, and the French. And most recently — Mr. And Mrs. Gill!

Text Analysis

So far I have had time to visit only one neighborhood. It is called Bloomsbury. You wouldn’t believe how many famous writers and poets have lived in Bloomsbury. In fact there is a group of writers known as the Bloomsbury Group. It got its name because so many of them lived here. Virginia Woolf was one of them. I know how much you like her novels.

Another writer who lived in Bloomsbury was our own American poet, T.S. Eliot. Have you ever wondered why Eliot left America to live in London? When you come to Bloomsbury, you will understand.

Text Analysis

Bloomsbury is more than just the home of great artists. It is also the home of great art. Both the National Gallery and the British Museum are here. The National Gallery has many rooms filled with great paintings of the Italian Renaissance. The painting I like the most is the Birth of Christ by Piero della Francesca. At the British Museum I stood for a full hour looking at the Rosetta Stone.

Text Analysis

Baker Street is also part of Bloomsbury. Do you remember who once lived on Baker Street? (When I asked Bob this question, he answered, “A man who baked bread, right?”) Sherlock Holmes, of course. I won’t have time to find his address. Maybe you will when you come! Bob has been working very hard, but tomorrow I am going to take him on a tour of the city. Since it will be Sunday, I think we’ll start at Hyde Park Corner. You know what happens there, don’t you? That’s where people can get up and say anything they want. I’m told it’s fun to go there, at least once.

Text Analysis

In fact, I hope that Bob has finished the work he had to do. I also hope that he will have Monday free. Then I can take him to a few of the museums. We have so little time here. I don’t think I will even get near a store! But, as Sam Johnson said, “When you tire of London, you tire of life!”

Well, I should mail this letter and go upstairs to our hotel room. I still haven’t told Bob all the plans I have for tonight and tomorrow. I’m sure he will agree to everything. He has already told me that he loves London.

Text Analysis

Stay well, Cynthia. I’ll write to you again before I come home. Don’t forget to water my garden!

Love,

JessicaFrom Travel, ed., Theodore Gross, New York, 1981.

Approximately 1430 words.

Text Analysis

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sale []n. 销售=the exchange of goods or services for an amount of money or its equivalent; the act of sellinge.g. This year's sales promotions haven't been very successful.今年的推销不十分成功。

Words to Know

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suit []n. 套装=a set of matching outer garments, especially one consisting of a coat with trousers or a skirte.g. I’d like to buy a man's suit.我想买一套男子衣服。

Words to Know

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order [] n. 定货=a commission or an instruction to buy, sell, or supply somethinge.g. Our order will not arrive until next week.我们的订货下周才会到。

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club [] n. 俱乐部=a group of people organized for a common purpose, especially a group that meets regularlye.g. Jack joined the radio enthusiasts club.杰克加入了无线电爱好者俱乐部。

Words to Know

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prefer [] vt. 更喜欢；宁愿= to choose or be in the habit of choosing as more desirable or as having more valuee.g. Which of these two dresses do you prefer? 这两套衣服你喜欢哪一套？

Words to Know

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poet [] n. 诗人= a writer of poemse.g. He is a romantic poet.他是位浪漫主义诗人。

Words to Know

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bloom [] n. 开花=floweringe.g. The gardens are all in bloom.春色满园。

Words to Know

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liquid [] adj. 流动的；液体的= of or being a liquide.g. Now the patient can only eat liquid food.现在这个病人只能吃流质食物。

Words to Know

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dozens [] n. 许多；几时=an indefinite, large numbere.g. There were dozens of people there. 那里有许多人。

Words to Know

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novel [] n. （长篇）小说=a long storye.g. Dickens wrote many novels. 狄更斯写了许多小说。

Words to Know

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gallery [] n. 美术馆=a building, an institution, or a room for the exhibition of artistic work e.g. He likes going to the art gallery in his spare time.他空闲时愿意去美术画廊。

Words to Know

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renaissance [] n. 文艺复兴时期=the period of the humanistic revival of classical art, architecture, literature, roughly the 14th through the 16th century, marking the transition from medieval to modern timese.g. Da Vinci is a famous painter of the Renaissance.达芬奇是文艺复兴时期著名的画家。

Words to Know

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mail []vt. 邮寄=send letters, parcels, etc. by poste.g. He mailed a letter for me.他为我寄了一封信。

Words to Know

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great: very enjoyable, splendid, unusually good

Words to Know

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sure: (colloq. esp. U.S.A.) certainly

Words to Know

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for almost as long: for almost as long as with the first buyer

Phrases and Expressions

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over lunch: while having lunch


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Ernest Hemingway ([]) (1898-1961): an influential US novelist and short story writer whose style was widely emulated ( 仿效 )


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to laugh in his face: 当面嘲笑他


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felt a little foolish: felt a little embarrassed


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Mr. Needle says hello: Mr. Needle sends his greetings to you.


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Robert Browning ([]) (1812-1889): a famous English poet of the 19th century. The two lines at the beginning of the second letter are in imitation of his poem “Home — Thoughts, from Abroad”.


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The Thames ([]) River: 泰晤士河


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Julius Caesar ([]) (100—44 B.C.): Roman statesman, general and historian


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the Angles ([]), the Jutes([]), the Saxons ([]): the three ancient Germanic tribes which invaded Britain in the 5th century after the downfall of the Roman Empire


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the Danes ([]): one of the Scandinavian invaders of England in the 9th and 10th centuries 斯堪的纳维亚地区的丹麦人


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the Vikings ([]): any of the Scandinavian sea robbers who raided the coasts of Europe, the British Isles, Iceland and Greenland in the period from the 8th century to the 10th century 北欧海盗


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Bloomsbury ([]): a district in London. In the late 19th century, it became the main intellectual and cultural centre of London, and in the 20th century between the world wars it was the centre for a number of writers and other intellectuals known as the “Bloomsbury Group”, whose principal figures included Virginia Woolf.

Words to Know

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Virginia Woolf ([]) (1882-1941):English novelist and critic


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T.S. Eliot ([]) (1888-1965): major 20th century English poet and critic


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Piero della Francesca ([]) (1420-1492): Italian painter


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Rosetta ([]) Stone: 罗塞达碑（ 1799 年在尼罗河口的罗塞达城发现的埃及古碑，上刻埃及象形文，俗体文和希腊三种文字）


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Sherlock Holmes: the main character in many stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) 福尔摩斯


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Sam (Samuel) Johnson (1709-1784): English man of letters, poet, critic, and essayist.


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at first 当初e.g. At first it was very hot, but then it got cooler. 一开始天挺热，但后来变凉了。


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from top to bottom 彻底地e.g. I am disappointed with him from top to bottom.我彻底地对他失望了。


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as a result of 由于e.g. He has to quit as a result of his poor health.

他由于健康原因不得不辞职。


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first of all 首先，第一e.g. First of all, we have to make a good plan.首先，我们要制定一个很好的计划。


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so far 迄今为止e.g. So far, China has only taken part in one World Cup.迄今为止，中国只参加了一届世界杯。


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at least 至少e.g. He's going away for at least a week. 他起码一星期出去一次。


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Why, I kept wondering, does he wear suits instead of blue jeans.我对他为什么穿套装而不穿牛仔服总感到纳闷。

Sentence Explanation

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He knows the clothes business form top to bottom.他对服装这个行业算是精通到家了。


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You once told me that you should know your buyers ont just as buyers, but as people.你曾对我说过不要把你的买主只当买主来对待，要把他们作为人去了解。


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We got two very big orders as a result of all that talking.这些谈话使我们成交了两笔大买卖。


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Bloomsbury is more than just the home of great artists. It is also the home of great art.布卢姆斯伯里不只是艺术大师聚居的地方，它也是伟大艺术的故乡。more than表示“不仅仅是”、“非但……尤其是”、“何止……简直”等意思：e.g. Work is more than a necessity for most human beings; it is the focus of their life, the source of their identity and creativity.对大多数人而言，工作不仅仅是必须做的事情，而且是生活的焦点，是个性和创造性的源泉。


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“When you tire of London, you tire of life!”厌弃伦敦就是厌弃生活。


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When you speak a foreign language you can only say what you can say. But when you speak your own language, you can say what you want to.在讲外语时，你只能讲出你会说的事情；而在讲母语时，你能畅所欲言。


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I was very interested in what kind of business these men were in. But nobody talked business! What a waste of time!我感兴趣的是他们所从事的生意。但竟然没有人谈生意！这简直是浪费时间！


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Well, I wanted to laugh in his face. I don’t know anyone by this name.我真想当面嘲笑他一番，我并不认识叫这个名字的人。


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I can’t wait to get back to Atlanta!我恨不得马上回到亚特兰大！


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The Thames River runs right through the center of the city. Someone once called the Thames “liquid history”.泰晤士河正好流过市中心，因此有人称之为“流动的历史”。


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How to write a letter in English?

Questions

Reference Answer

How to write a letter in English?

the heading; the salutation; the body of the letter; the close

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What kind of person is Bob?

Questions

Reference Answer

What kind of person is Bob?

Bob is a good salesman but quite ignorant in some areas.

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What kind of person is Jessica?

Questions

Reference Answer

What kind of person is Jessica?

Jessica is knowledgeable. She loves art and literature.

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What kind of letters are these two, business letters or personal letters?

Questions

Reference Answer

What kind of letters are these two, business letters or personal letters?

Personal letters.

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What is the tone and style of these two letters?

Questions

Reference Answer

What is the tone and style of these two letters? The tone is casual and the style is direct and clear.

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Two Letters from London 1. Background Knowledge Background Knowledge 2. Text Analysis Text Analysis...

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