Unit 7 The Chaser

John Collier

Pre-reading activitiesPre-reading activities

Detailed readingDetailed reading

Post-reading activitiesPost-reading activities

Global readingGlobal reading

Watch the video clip and answer the following questions.

1. Why does the man choose to propose to his girlfriend in the Starlight room?

2. Why does the woman say no to his proposal?

It is because the Starlight room is a romantic and magic place to propose.

It is because she feels he is not ready for marriage.

It has been three years since our first date. Time has really gone by fast.Yep.And over the past few weeks, I have been doing some thinking, mainly thinking about the human condition. A lot of life comes down to making sacrifices and deciding which direction is my life gonna go. Could you please leave? Thank you very much.Are you OK?Yeah.OK?

Man:

Woman: Man:

Woman: Man: Woman:

From The Bachelor

A lot of life comes down to deciding what am I willing to sacrifice because obviously if you choose one path in life, well, you know, you can’t choose the other. That’s kind of where I found myself lately, ever since we, you and I, in our relationship, en, have reached that place.That place.The upshot is “you win.” “You win”? Was that a proposal?“You win” was just the last part of it. The whole thing was a proposal. The “you win” had a context. Aren’t you even gonna look at it?But, first, can we just, can we retrace the mental steps that led to “you win”? Like when you say you and I have reached that place. What place?

Man:

Woman: Man: Woman: Man:

Woman:

You know what I mean. Shit or get off the pot?Did you really just say “shit or get off the pot”? Right here in the starlight room? What is a big deal?Why can’t you just say “fish or cut bait”?Because we always say “shit or get off the pot.” Everybody says “shit or get off the pot.”Not in the Starlight Room!What is it with the Starlight Room?Magic, Jimmy. Romance. You know, the whole reason why you come up here to propose. You see the lights in the city. You have a wonderful meal. You listen to beautiful music. And it casts this romantic spell. When you say “shit or get off the pot”, all the magic just suddenly disappears. Now all you have left is bowel trouble.

Man: Woman:

Man: Woman: Man:

Woman: Man: Woman:

I am sorry. I didn’t think you’d get so upset over a figure of speech.It’s not the words, Jimmy. It’s the whole approach. God, it’s as if you deliberately …What? What?You don’t want to marry me, do you?I just proposed to you. Yeah, but the way that you proposed, you weren’t asking me to marry you. You were asking me to say no.Just put it on. All right? Please.If you don’t want to marry me, Jimmy, I don’t want to be married to a guy who doesn’t want to get married.

Man:

Woman:

Man: Woman: Man: Woman:

Man: Woman:

ring and a formalized asking of a question such as “Will

you marry me?” • Often the proposal is a surprise. • In many Western cultures, the tradition has been

for the man to propose to the woman.

• The proposal of marriage is an event where one person in a relationship asks for the other’s hand in marriage.

• If accepted, it marks the initiation of engagement.

• It often has a ritual quality, sometimes involving the

1. Proposal of Marriage

presentation of an engagement

Cultural Information

2. Engagement

• An engagement is a promise to marry, and also the period of time between proposal and marriage — which may be lengthy or trivial.

• During this period, a couple is said to be affianced, betrothed, engaged to be married, or simply engaged.

• Future brides and grooms are oftenor fiancés respectively (from the French word “fiancé”).

referred to as fiancée

• The duration of the courtship varies vastly.

Cultural Information

Cultural Information

• Long engagements were once common in formal arranged marriages.

• In 2007, the average engagement time in the United States was 17 months, but the figure around the world varies greatly depending on culture and customs.

Warm-up discussion• If you fall in love with someone, but

unfortunately, you cannot get any responses from him or her, what would you do with your one-sided love?

• Do you believe love can be fostered? How can you lure one into love with you?

• What is love? What is marriage? And how do you think of “Marriage is the tomb of love”?

What is love ? • One day, Plato asked his teacher, “What is love? How can I

find it?” • His teacher answered, “There is a vast wheat field in front.

Walk forward without turning back, and pick only one stalk. If you find the most magnificent stalk, then you have found love.” Plato walked forward, and before long, he returned with empty hands, having picked nothing.

• His teacher asked, ”Why did you not pick any stalk?” Plato answered, ”Because I could only pick once, and yet I could not turn back. I did find the most magnificent stalk, but did not know if there were any better ones ahead, so I did not pick it. As I walked further, the stalks that I saw were not as good as the earlier one, so I did not pick any in the end. His teacher then said, “And that is LOVE.”

What is Marriage?

• On another day, Plato asked his teacher, “What is marriage? How can I find it?”

• His teacher answered, ”There is a thriving forest in front. Walk forward without turning back, and chop down only one tree. If you find the tallest tree, then you have found marriage.” Plato walked forward, and before long, he returned with a tree. The tree was not thriving, and it was not tall either. It was only an ordinary tree.

• His teacher asked, “Why did you chop down such an ordinary tree?” Plato answered, “Because of my previous experience. I walked halfway through the forest. This time, I saw this tree, and I felt that it was not bad, so I chopped it down and brought it back. I did not want to miss the opportunity.” His teacher then said, ”And that is Marriage.”

Love and Marriage

• So Love is the most beautiful thing to happen to a person, its an opportunity but you don't realize its worth when you have it but only when its gone like the field of stalks. Marriage like the tree you chopped, it's a compromise; you pick the first best thing you see and learn to live a happy life with it.

Love and Marriage

• Love at first sight is easy to understand; it’s when two people have been looking at each other for a lifetime that it becomes a miracle. ---- Amy Bloom

• Marriage is that relation between man and woman in which the independence is equal, the dependence mutual, and the obligation reciprocal. —— Louis K. Anspacher

• It is not a lack of love, but a lack of friendship that makes unhappy marriages. —— Friedrich Nietzsche

Background Information

• John Henry Noyes Collier (3 May 1901 – 6 April 1980) was a British-born author and screenplay writer best known for his short stories, many of which appeared in The New Yorker from the 1930s to the 1950s.

• He was famous for numerous fantasies he had written in his lifetime.

• “The Chaser” was originally published in The New YorkerThe New Yorker in 1940.

• His stories may be broadly classified as fantasies, but are really special.

They feature an acerbic([ə‘sə:bik] 尖刻的 ) wit and are usually ironic or dark in tone.

About the Author

Background Information

•The tale of love potion

• (medieval legends) the nephew of King Mark of Cornwall who fell in love with his uncle's bride (Iseult) after they mistakenly drank a love potion that left them eternally in love with each other.

• 爱情灵药A liquid dose, especially one of medicinal, magic, or poisonous content.饮用量：一液体剂量，尤指药用的、有魔力的或有毒性的饮剂

Background Information

SirenThe sirens, in Greek mythology, were three dangerous sea nymphs, usually represented with the head of a woman and the body of a fish. Daughters of the river god Achelous.

Siren• The Sirens inhabited an island surrounded by cliffs

and rocks. They sang so enchantingly that all the sailors who heard were drawn near and shipwrecked. Legend has it that Odysseus escaped them by having himself tied securely to a mast and by stopping the ears of his men.

• The sirens in Greek mythology are sometimes portrayed in later folklore as mermaid-like. Figuratively (adv. 比喻地 , 象征性地 ), siren refers to a woman regarded as seductively (adv.

诱惑地 , 勾引地 ) beautiful.

Global Reading

• Setting

• Characters

• Plot

• Clue (how characters and/or incidents are linked)

• Theme (purpose of writing)

Five essential parts of a Story

• Characters Characters • Major charactersMajor characters

Alan Austen; An old man • Minor characters: Minor characters: (Diana)• Place Place

a tiny room • Plot Plot

The old man is trying to sell his mixture.

Alan got to know about the love potion and bought it.

The structure of the text

Structural analysis

In this part, the protagonist, Alan Austen, has been introduced.

The old man is trying to sell his mixture.

This part is mainly developed through the dialogue between the old man and Alan Austen. . Austen got to know about the love potion and in the end bought it.

Para.1-- 2

Para.3--11

Para.12--45

Plot

• (Prelude)

• Beginning

• Development

• Climax

• Ending

• (Epilogue)

Plot

Para. 1-2

Para. 3-11

Para. 12-37

Para. 38-45

prelude: Austen’s arrival at the old man’s for a love potion.

Beginning: The old man is trying to sell his mixture.

Development: The wonderful effects of the love potion is disclosed little by little through the dialogue.

Climax and Ending: Austen bought the love potion and the old man reminded him of the life-cleaner.

Detailed Reading

• Language Points

• Detailed Text Analysis

Language Points

• creaky 咯吱作响 嘎吱声（松动的门铰链及木地板）• common mimetic words: • Babble ：潺潺声，叽叽喳喳。 • click ：轻微的尖声，咔嗒声。 The click of a

switch; He saluted with a click of his heels.• Crack ： 爆裂声，劈啪声。 A crack of pistol shot.• Crash ： 撞击声，破裂声，坠落声。 The crash of

dishes being dropped.• Flop ：扑通一声。 Fall flop into the water.• Gurgle ：汩汩声，婴儿咯咯的笑声。 The water

gurgled as it ran down the plug-hole.

• Hoot ：猫头鹰的叫声，汽笛、喇叭的声响。 The driver hooted at the sheep in the road.

• Hum ：昆虫的营营声 , 嗡嗡声；人犹豫时的嗯嗯声。 The hum of the bees.

• hush ：让安静的声音• Jingle ：硬币、钥匙等金属的叮当声；• jangle ：刺耳的声音（多金属声） The fire-alarm

kept jangling.• Murmur ：低沉、持续而不清的声音，隔壁的人语

声。 The distant murmur of the sea .

peer & peeppeep: look at sth. quickly and secretly, esp.

through a hole or other small opening

peer v. look very carefully or hard, especially as if not able to see clearly

e.g.She sat next to me, peering through the windscreen.

Detailed Reading

e.g. His door was ajar and she couldn’t resist peeping in.

Comparison:

Detailed Reading

make sb’s acquaintancemeet sb. for the first time

e.g.That evening he made the acquaintance of a young actress.

laxatives and teething mixturesLaxatives (or purgatives) are foods, compounds, or drugs taken to induce bowel movements, most often taken to treat constipation.

Teething mixture is a preparation which consists of a syrup designed to cure the teething pain.

Detailed Reading

• such as it is (they are): • （用于对不够好的事物等表示歉意或者贬抑）虽然质

量不过如此，尽管价值不过迩迩等• e.g. You can use my note, such as they are. （我

的笔记虽然不怎么样，你可将就着用。）• You can stay for the night in my flat, such as it is.• Such as it is, the raincoat will keep you out of rain.

Detailed Reading

I think nothing I sell has effects which could be precisely described as ordinary.

Paraphrase:

I think everything I sell could be well deemed as extraordinary.

Detailed Reading

Derivation:

perceive (v.), perception (n.), perceptible (a.), imperceptible (a.), imperceptibly (ad.)

imperceptible a.that cannot be noticed or felt because so small, slight or gradual

e.g.an imperceptible change in temperatureMartha’s hesitation was almost imperceptible.

autopsy n.the examination of a dead body to determine the cause of death

e.g. Since the family opposed an autopsy, the death was officially listed as drowning.

They carried out/performed an autopsy.

Detailed Reading

Synonym:

post-mortem

apprehensively ad.full of anxiety about the future

e.g.They looked at each other apprehensively.

Detailed Reading

Derivation:apprehensive (a.), apprehension (n.)apprehend (v.)

Detailed Reading

Practice:

每次儿子骑摩托车出门，她都会担心儿子的安全问题。

She was apprehensive about/for her son’s safety every time he went out on his motorcycle.

学生们正在焦急地等待着他们的期末考试成绩。

Students are waiting with apprehension for their final examination results.

Detailed Reading

oblige v. 1. do sb. a favor; fulfill the wishes of

e.g.She asked him to lend her his car, and he willingly obliged (her).I should/would be obliged if you could speak louder.Much obliged. 多谢。

e.g. The heavy snow obliged me to abandon the car and continued on foot.Eric felt obliged to resign after such an unpleasant quarrel with the vice president.

2. make it necessary for sb. to do sth.

Detailed Reading

It is only when one is in a position to oblige that one can afford to be so confidential.

Paraphrase:

Just because I am able to do you a favour / sell you the love potion, I feel safe telling you so much about my other medicines.

Detailed Reading

Their effects are permanent, and extend far beyond the mere casual impulse.

Paraphrase:

They have much more everlasting effects than only the momentary impulse.

detachment n.the state of not reacting or being involved in sth. in an emotional way 客观 ; 超然

e.g.She studied the blood with detachment.She has an air of detachment as if nothing that happens around her could ever touch her.

Detailed Reading

Derivation:

detach (v.), detached (a.)例：这帮助他们从自己的问题中超脱出来，变得更加客观。It helps them detach themselves from their problems and become more objective.

As the pianist suddenly fell ill the day before the concert, we had to find someone to substitute for him.

Detailed Reading

substitute v. put sth. or sb. in place of another

substitute A for B = replace B with A

substitute for: replace

e.g. They were expected to substitute violence for dialogue.The doctor advised him to substitute low-fat cheese for butter.

Comparison:

e.g.

If dairy milk disagrees with your stomach,

soya milk could be a good substitute.

e.g.

Detailed Reading

substitute n.sb. or sth. that takes the place of another

Detailed Reading

“ For indifference,” said the old man, “they substitute devotion. For scorn, adoration.”

Paraphrase: “ They, the love potions,” said the old man, “will help change the girl’s attitude towards you. She will no longer hold you in contempt. Instead, She will begin to give you her deep-felt love and care.”

Detailed Reading

Isabel’s giddy young sister-in-lawe.g.

giddy a. not serious; too interested in amusement

Detailed Reading

They stared with rapture at the new opera house.Smith was in / went into raptures at / about the news.

e.g.

rapture n.great joy and delight

Derivation:

rapturous (a.), rapturously (ad.)

Detailed Reading

Heavy curtains at the windows cut out draughts.

e.g.

draught n.a current of air blowing through a room

Detailed Reading

The family of the victim was overwhelmed by / with grief.The need to talk to someone, anyone, overwhelmed me.

e.g.

overwhelm v.1. give sb. a particular feeling very strongly

2. make powerless by using force

Government troops overwhelmed the rebels.The attacker overwhelmed the young man by squeezing his throat.

e.g.

Detailed Reading

overwhelming (a.): very large or very great

e.g. The overwhelming majority of small businesses go broke within the first twelve months.

Derivation:

a fervent desire to winThere is a growing sense of national fervency in the state.

Detailed Reading

It is a cause for which we have campaigned fervently these past four years.We fervently believe in the peaceful reunification of the motherland.

e.g.

fervently ad.with deep sincere feelings

fervent (a.), fervency (n.)

e.g.

Derivation:

Detailed Reading

She will never give you the least, the very least, grounds for uneasiness.

Paraphrase:

You will never find any reason on her part to feel uneasy or worried.

Detailed Reading

a phial of bloode.g.

phial n.a small bottle, especially for liquid medicines

• indulge: let oneself do or have something that you enjoy, especially something that is considered bad for you.( 允许自己享受，尽情 )

• e.g. We indulged in an expensive supper after the concert.

• He occasionally indulges in the luxury of a good cigar.

• adj. indulgent ( 溺爱的，对…放纵的 ) • e.g. An indulgent parent is one who too easily

agrees to let his children do what they like.

better off: having more money than one used to have or more money than most other people

e.g. Mr. Cooper was much better off when he got promoted, and even could afford foreign travel.

I think you would be better off if you moved back to your mother’s house for a while.

• 他手头比过去宽多了。 • He's much better off than before. • “worse off than some, better off than many; / to fall

short of the best, but be better than the worst" • 比上不足，比下有余be well off

Detailed Text Analysis

What does the clinic look like?

• dark and creaky stairs

• the dim landing

• (name) obscurely written on one of the doors

• a tiny room

• no furniture but a plain kitchen table, a rocking chair and an ordinary chair

• the dirty, buff-colored walls

• a couple of shelves

• (in all) perhaps a dozen bottles and jars

• Compare it with the pharmacy we normally see and tell the differences. What kind of information is intended by the author?

Characterization

• Study the dialogue carefully, and tell the difference between the words of the two major characters.

• Read the dialogue with different roles.

• How does that help build up the theme?

Alan Austen

• What is the image of Austen in Para. 1-3?• “as nervous as a kitten”• “peered about for a long time”• “pushed open the door, as he had been told to do”• “without a word, handed him the card he had been given.”

• Comment: Austen is depicted as a timid, skeptical and hesitant character. If he had been not told to, he wouldn’t have the courage to enter the room. A sense of apprehension is created.

Austen’s Manner of Speaking

• Para. 8: “very much horrified”

• Para. 12: “apprehensively”

• Para. 20: “attempting a look of scientific detachment”

• Para. 26: “in a rapture”

• Para. 34: “overwhelmed with joy”

• Para. 36: “fervently”

• Para. 42: “watching him fill it”

• Comment: through the vivid description of Austen’s manner of speaking, the author clearly presents before the audience the mental process from skepticism and hesitation to overwhelming joy and eager belief. We see how Austen is persuaded into believing the old man.

Austen’s Words (Questions)

• What are the characteristics of Austen’s words? Illustrate your answer with facts from the story.

• Austen tends to employ sentences that are short, stuttering and incomplete. This impresses the audience with his apprehension, hesitation and horror.

• Why does Austen want to buy the love potion so eagerly?

• Because he was driven by the overpowering desire to win the love of Diana.

• What is Austen’s understanding of love?

• Austen was filled with illusions and unrealistic expectations of love.

• To him, love meant the entire possession of the lover. When the old man talked about the magic effect of the love potion and described the expectant possessive of love, Austen cried “That is love”, which suggests that he was overwhelmed with joy.

The Old Man

• How did the old man greet Austen?

• From the old man’s greetings “Sit down, Mr. Austen”, readers are given the impression that the old man was expecting Austen’s arrival.

The Old Man’s Manner of Speaking

• long & logical• persuading & stable• sophisticated & experienced• profound & philosophical• highly planned & well developed• satirical & cynical

• What kind of person do you think he is?

• wise and sophisticated

• Why do you think the old man told Austen about the life-cleaner before selling the love potion?

• The experienced old man had encountered many young men who had been in the grip of romantic desire before, but who eventually got tired of the possessive love they had experienced.

• He knew for sure that Austen’s possessive love wouldn’t last long. It would eventually bore and anger him. He expected that when his enthusiastic passion changed into hatred, Austen would come to him again, because he had already seen those disillusioned customers return to buy the “chaser” so that they could be free from the women for whom they had previously bought the love potion.

• What is implied in the following sentences said by the old man?

• Para. 9: Lives need cleaning sometimes.

• Para. 13: Young people who need a love potion very seldom have five thousand dollars. Otherwise they would not need a love potion.

The Ending

• What’s the function of the surprising ending of the old man’s speech of farewell?

• The wise old man had a good understanding of men like Austen: They were filled with illusions about love but once in the possession of this love, they were most likely to be tormented to such a degree that they would like to buy the life-cleaner.

• The cynical tone of the old man gives what he said a double meaning.

The Clue

• The love potion and “the life-cleaner”

• What are the effects of the love potion? Describe them in detail.

• The love potion has a powerful, everlasting effect… (para.23-37)

• Why is love potion priced so low at only 1 dollar while the glove-cleaner so high?

• The author seems to imply by the great gap between the prices of the love potion and the glove-cleaner that love is far from being precious.

• It is easy for a young man to fall in love, yet hard for him to stick to it. That’s why he has to pay a large amount to get himself out of it.

• The other reason for the low price of the love potion may be that by doing so, the old man can attract more customers to his primary commodity, the glove-cleaner.

The Title

• Why is “The Chaser”, instead of “The Love Potion”, chosen as the title of the story?

• The title of this short story is somehow a pun. “A chaser” can be a person that pursues someone like in “a woman chaser”. In addition, it can refer to a weaker alcoholic drink taken after a strong one. A whisky, like the potion, intoxicates. A beer chaser, like the “life cleaner”, mollifies the harshness of the spirits. The potion and the poison go together like a strong alcoholic drink and a chaser.

The Theme

• Love, however fiery and fierce at the beginning, may probably end up in death.

• Anything precious, including love, is most likely to have an end. A person can easily fall in love and get married, but what awaits him/her could be endless remorse (regret), and a wish that it might end as soon as possible. So one should be wise to keep their eyes open when they are in love though love is said to be blind, and cherish love.

The Use of Satire

• The existence of a love potion

• The need of a glove-cleaner (chaser)

• The price gap between the love potion and chaser

A Satire on Marriage

• Married men live longer than single men, but married men are a lot more willing to die.

Post Reading Activities

• Post-reading question• The continued part of “The Chaser”• Role-play• Exercises

Do you want the love potion?What is Love?

The Continued Part of The Chaser

Ten years later, the same tiny room, the same old man sitting in the same rocking chair, but the emotion of Alan seems quite different.

“Sit down, Mr. Austen”, said the old man, “I am glad to meet you again. Do you enjoy the effects of the mixture?”

“Well… that is OK, I mean… it is really sufficient.” sitting on the chair uneasily, “But, er…”

“Everything here is sufficient actually, not only the love potion but also the glove-cleaner, or the life-cleaner, if you’d like to call it like this.” interrupted the old man.

“Yeah, of course they do,” said Alan, “but er…do you…I mean have you got any method to get rid of the effects?” asked Alan quite embarrassedly.

“My dear sir,” replied the old man, “the effects of the mixtures here are permanent.”

“So, you mean you don’t?” with some sweats on his forehead, “No, it can’t be true! You’ve must got something… something to cancel it!” flapped the table without control.

“Well, well, well,” said the old man, holding Alan to sit back “you don’t have to be so worried, Mr. Austen.” “You can find whatever you want here, although some of them are little expensive, like the life-cleaner. It is five thousand dollars, never a penny less, many people still try to save up for it to get their goals.”

“Yeah, of course they do,” said Alan, “but er…do you…I mean have you got any method to get rid of the effects?” asked Alan quite embarrassedly.

“My dear sir,” replied the old man, “the effects of the mixtures here are permanent.”

“So, you mean you don’t?” with some sweats on his forehead, “No, it can’t be true! You’ve must got something… something to cancel it!” flapped the table without control.

“Well, well, well,” said the old man, holding Alan to sit back “you don’t have to be so worried, Mr. Austen.” “You can find whatever you want here, although some of them are little expensive, like the life-cleaner. It is five thousand dollars, never a penny less, many people still try to save up for it to get their goals.”

“You see, everything here is sufficient, and I’m sure you can find what you need to help you.” shaking a bottle gently, a bottle which is quite familiar.

“you mean the life cleaner?” widen his eyes ,“No! No! No! I will never kill her! She is Diana.” shooking his head desperately.

“yes, my dear sir, she is Diana, if you really think so.” Put the bottle down and returned to his newspaper.

Recalling all the things happened these ten years, Alan’s eyes focus on the bottle again. “maybe, you are right.” murmured Alan, “She is not Diana! She stole my dearest Diana!” Alan lost control of himself and become devilish. “I will kill her, the siren! No body will know it, right? ”

“Yes, of course. It is colourless, tastless and imperceptible to any known method of autopsy.” but as I told you before, it is a little dear, but I am sure it is not a problem for you, my dear sir.”

“it is not a case if the siren can be punished!” said Alan undoubtedly and hand over a check with 5000 dollars.

“OK, my dearest sir, it is yours now.” the old man handed over the bottle after he filled it and smiled with wrinkles all over his face.

Grabbed it over, Alan went out of the room. “Good luck, young man.” Said the old man in a low

voice

Role-Play

• Main characters: – Alan Austen– Diana– An old man

• Supporting roles: (entirely up to you)• Requirements:

– Before meeting the old man (imagination+ creativity)

– Meeting the old man (text, any adaptation is welcome)

– After buying the love potion (imagination+ creativity)

– Ten years later (imagination+ creativity)

Exercises

Paraphrase• 1. It is only when one is in the position to oblige that

one can afford to be so confidential.• “Just because I am able to do you a favor/sell you

the love potion, I feel safe telling you so much about my other medicines.”

• 2. “For indifference,” said the old man, “they substitute devotion. For scorn, adoration.”

• “They, the love potions,” said the old man, “will help change the girl’s attitude towards you. She will no longer hold you in contempt. Instead, she will begin to give you her deep-felt love and care.”

• “The love potions,” said the old man, “can put great care in the place of indifference, and put deep felt love in the place of contempt.”

I. Explain the underlined part in your own words

• 1. Alan Austen, as nervous as a kitten, went up certain dark and creaky stairs in the neighborhoold of Pell Street.

• feeling very much worried and afraid• 2. I think nothing I sell has effects which could be

precisely described as ordinary.• everything I sell could be well deemed as

extraordinary• 3. Here is a liquid as colourless as water, almost

tasteless, quite imperceptible in coffee, wine or any other beverage.

• difficult to notice

• 4. Their effects are permanent, and extend far beyond the mere casual impulse.

• much more lasting than the momentary impulse• 5. “She will actually be jealous?” cried Alan in a

rapture.• with enthusiasm

Word Derivation• 1) obscure a. → obscurity n. → obscurely ad.• e.g. 她来自中国一个偏僻的小山村。• She came from an obscure Chinese mountain

village.• 他二十多岁时成名，之后就一直默默无闻。• He was briefly famous in his twenties but then sank

into obscurity.• 总统的声明言辞晦涩。• The president’s statement was obscurely worded.

• 2) acquaintance n. → acquainted a. → acquaintanceship n.

• e.g. 我是在新年聚会上第一次认识他的。• It was at the New Year party that I first made his

acquaintance.• “你认识那个穿黑衣服的人吗？”“不，我们不认识

。”• “Do you know the man in black?” “No, I’m afraid

we’re not acquainted.”• 我们的交往仅限于工作关系。• Ours was a strictly professional acquaintanceship.

• 3) perceive v. → perceptible a. → perception n. → perceptive a.

• e.g. 人们往往认为女性杂志很肤浅。• Women’s magazines are often perceived to be

superficial.• 去年一年工作标准方面有了显著的提高。• The past year has seen a perceptible improvement

in working standards.• 这些照片会影响到人们对战争的看法。• These photographs will affect people’s perceptions

of war.• 他是一位富有洞察力的批评家。• He is a perceptive critic.

• 4) apprehensive a. → apprehension n. → apprehend v.

• e.g. 我邀请了许多人来参加这次聚会，但是又有些担心最后没人会来。

• I’ve invited a lot of people to the party, but I’m a bit apprehensive that no one will come.

• 在开始从事一份新的工作之前，通常都会感到一些焦虑。

• It’s normal to feel a little apprehension before starting a new job

• 我们往往并没有真正了解有关变化的性质。• We often fail to apprehend the real nature of

change.

• 5) indifference n. → indifferent a. → indifferently ad.

• e.g. 许多母语是英语的人并不关心语法。• Many native speakers of English show indifference

to grammatical points.• 他发现班上的孩子们都毫无兴趣，想要教这样一个班

很难。• He found it very hard teaching a class full of

indifferent teenagers.• 马克对我淡然一笑，即匆匆离去。• Mark smiled at me briefly, indifferently, and hurried

away.

• 6) rapture n. → rapt a. → rapturous a.• e.g. 首相的支持者们对她的演讲反应热烈。• The prime minister’s supporters greeted her speech

with rapture.• 她坐着读书时表情全神贯注。• She sat with a rapt expression reading her book.• 队伍受到了热烈的欢迎。• The team received a rapturous welcome.

• 7) overwhelm v. → overwhelming a. → overwhelmingly ad.

• e.g. 政府军已经成功镇压了叛乱者并控制住了首都的局势。

• Government troops have overwhelmed the rebels and seized control of the capital.

• 她感到一种难以抑制的冲动，想要将刚刚发生的事情告诉什么人。

• She felt an overwhelming urge to tell someone about what had just happened.

• 我们队在昨天的比赛中完败给了对手。• Our team were overwhelmingly defeated in

yesterday’s game.

• 8) oblige v. → obliging n. • Ant. disoblige v. →disobliging a.• e.g. 我们需要一个向导，他也很乐意帮忙。• We needed a guide and he was only too happy to

oblige.• 他找到了一位热心的医生，为他提供了所需的药品。• He found an obliging doctor who gave him the

drugs he needed.• 她一向和同事们关系不和，还经常对他们出言不善。• She never got on with her colleagues, and often

made disobliging remarks about them.

Grammar• 1)   Fronting • In English, the first element in a declarative

sentence is usually the subject, but if we want to emphasize another element, we can put it first instead. We can put the object, the complement, the predicate verb at the initial position. Fronting is common in parallel structures.

• They have promised to finish the work, and [finish it] they will. (predicate verb)

• [His face] not many admired, while [his character] still fewer could praise. (object)

• [A professor] he was, but in name only. (complement)

II. Emphasize the underlined part• 1. Mary likes music; she doesn’t like sports.• Music Mary likes; sports she doesn’t.• 2. You will growl, and you must go. (predicate verb)• Growl you will, and go you must.• 3. They have promised to finish the work, and they

will finish it.• They have promised to finish the work, and finish it

they will. • 4. Not many admired his face, while still fewer

could praise his character.• His face not many admired, while his character still

fewer could praise.

• 5. He was a professor, but in name only.• A professor he was, but in name only.• 6. He might have agreed under pressure; he would

never agree willingly.• He might have agreed under pressure; willingly he

would never.• 7. We have already discussed this question at some

length.• This question we have already discussed at some

length.• 8. Mike has talent; Mike hasn’t capital.• Talent Mike has; capital Mike has not.

Grammar• 2) Postponement• We can postpone the object in SVOO, SVOC, SVOA

clause patterns in order to follow the principle of end weight. (S=subject; V=verb; O=object; C=complement; A=adjunct)

• They pronounced guilty [every one of the accused]. (SVOC)

• Send the parcel to [my father] not to [my mother]. (SVOO)

• I saw on my way home yesterday [a man with a scar across his face trying to escape with a bag he had snatched from a lady]. (SVOA)

III. Improve the following sentences by changing the word order

• 1. They pronounced every one of the accused guilty.• They pronounced guilty every one of the accused.• 2. He had called the man on whose judgment he now had to

rely an idiot.• He had called an idiot the man on whose judgment he now

had to rely.• 3. We cannot set a whole system of rules devised by

Congress itself totally aside.• We cannot set totally aside a whole system of rules devised

by Congress itself.• 4. The problem of what contribution the public should make

then arose.• The problem then arose of what contribution the public

should make.

• 5. He gave the sergeant who occupied the trench opposite the parcel.

• He gave the parcel to the sergeant who occupied the trench opposite.

• 6. Send my father, not my mother the parcel.• Send the parcel to my father, not to my mother.• 7. I saw a man with a scar across his face trying to

escape with a bag he had snatched from a lady on my way home yesterday.

• I saw on my way home yesterday a man with a scar across his face trying to escape with a bag he had snatched from a lady.

• 8. To produce a fairly short one-volume introduction to semantics which might serve the needs of students in several disciplines and might be of interest to the general reader was my intention.

• It was my intention to produce a fairly short one-volume introduction to semantics which might serve the needs of students in several disciplines and might be of interest to the general reader.

• 3) as … as & not as / so… as• If you want to say that a thing or person has much of a quality

as something or someone else, you can use a structure based on the word “as” in front of an adjective / adverb. Usually this adjective / adverb is then followed by a phrase or clause which also begins with “as”.

• The negative form of “as … as” is “not as … as” or “not so … as”. But so may not be used (1) after the contracted form such as isn’t, don’t, (2) when there are other lexical items in between the negative word and as…as construction. However, when adverbs with negative meanings, such as not nearly, not quite, are used directly before the comparative construction, so is usually acceptable.

• For example:• John isn’t as tall as his father. • John is not as / so tall as his father.• Michael does not swim as well as Paul.• Michael does not swim nearly as / so well as Paul.

IV. Covert the following positive statements and general questions into negative statements.

• 1. I have seen someone as happy as Mary.• I have never seen anyone as/so happy as Mary.• 2. John is as tall as his father.• John isn’t as tall as his father. / John is not as/so tall

as his father.• 3. Michael swims as well as Paul.• Michael does not swim as well as Paul.• 4. Michael swims nearly as well as Paul.• Michael does not swim nearly as/so well as Paul.• 5. He is as wise as he is witty.• He is not as/so wise as he is witty.

• 6. Is there anything quite as satisfying as undergoing a difficult process and after long hard work discovering the true nature of that process?

• There is nothing quite as/so satisfying as undergoing a difficult process and after long hard work discovering the true nature of that process.

• 7. The gap between the sides is as wide as it was.• The gap between the sides is not as/so wide as it

was. / The gap between the sides isn’t as wide as it was.

• 8. Is it quite as straightforward a problem as it might at first seem?

• It’s not quite as/so straightforward a problem as it might at first seem.

English-to-Chinese Translation• 1. “My dear sir,” replied the old man, “my stock in trade is not

very large – I don’t deal in laxatives and teething mixtures – but such as it is, it is varied. I think nothing I sell has effects which could be precisely described as ordinary.”

• “我亲爱的先生，”老人回答说，“我的货物存量并不多——我不卖泻药和牙痛药——虽然存量不多，品种却不少，我想我卖的货没有一样可以说是寻常的。”

• 2. “Call it a glove-cleaner if you like,” said the old man indifferently. “Maybe it will clean gloves. I have never tried. One might call it a life-cleaner. Lives need cleaning sometimes.”

• “你若愿意，可以叫它手套清洁剂，”老人淡漠地说，“或许它会把手套洗干净。我从来没有试过。也可以叫它生活清洁剂。生活有时是需要清洗的。”

• 3. “Oh, dear, no,” said the old man. “It would be no good charging that sort of price for a love potion, for example. Young people who need a love potion very seldom have five thousand dollars. Otherwise, they would not need a love potion.”

• “哦，亲爱的，不，”老人说，“比如，爱情魔液要卖那样高的价是不行的。需要爱情魔液的年轻人很少能有五千美元，否则他们就不需要爱情魔液了。”

• 4. “For indifference,” said the old man, “they substitute devotion. For scorn, adoration. Give one tiny measure of this to the young lady – its flavor is imperceptible in orange juice, soup, or cocktails – and however gay and giddy she is, she will change altogether. She will want nothing but solitude and you.”

• “这种魔药能以全身心的爱来替代冷漠，”老人说，“能以崇拜来替代轻视。给那位年轻的女士喝上哪怕就那么一点点——它的味道在橘子汁、汤或鸡尾酒中是感觉不到的——不管她怎样放浪和轻浮，她会彻底地改变。她只想独处或者与你呆在一起。”

Chinese-to-English Translation

• 1. 对我来说，你绝不只是相识的人而已。（ acquaintance)• To me, you are definitely more than an acquaintance.• 2. 这个地区的许多手艺人经营各种各样的手工艺品。• Many artisans deal in a variety of handicrafts in the region.• 3.  他们为这次意外的成功而感到欣喜若狂。 (go into

raptures)• They went into raptures over the unexpected success.• 4. 我感到十分惊讶，他用一种超然冷静的态度分析着威胁他们所有人的危险形势。 (detachment)

• Much to my surprise, he analyzed with detachment the dangerous situation that threatened all of them.

• 5. 她躲在窗帘后面窥望那陌生人。 (peer)• She peered at the stranger from behind the curtain.• 6. 假日里，他在海滩上尽情享受日光浴的快乐。 (indulge in)• During the holidays, he indulged in the luxury of a bath of

sunshine on the beach.• 7. 听到他去世的噩耗，她不胜悲哀。 (be overwhelmed)• When she learnt the news of his death, she was

overwhelmed with grief.• 8. 我不赞成用分期付款的方式买房子，我倒认为，我们每一

个人都应该储蓄以备不时之需。 (save up)• I’m not in favor of buying a house on the installment plan;

instead , I maintain that everyone of us should save up for a rainy day / for unexpected needs.

Translation

• 一个年轻人神情紧张而又犹豫，他推开门，走进一间宽敞的房间。一个老人坐在摇椅上，读着一本厚厚的羊皮纸制成的书，一本看上去像荷马的《奥德赛》一类飞经典作品。

• 老人没抬头，用手指示意年轻人在他旁边的椅子上坐下。老人说：“奥斯汀先生，很高兴与你相识。”

• “ 我想问你是不是卖，呃，一种有着特殊效果的混合物。”年轻人问道。“我亲爱的先生，事实上，我这里卖的任何东西都是不寻常的，虽然我物品的库存相当有限。”

Translation

• “但是你……”年轻人有点迫不及待。“这是一种像水一样无色液体，化在咖啡里、茶里、葡萄酒里或者其他饮料里是看不出来的，”老人打断他的话，“但它被起名为万能清洁液，它能够清洁一切东西，从手套到生活。我相信生活有时是需要清洗的。”

• “恐怕那不是我所需要的东西，”年轻人说。“这没关系，我仍然想让你知道它的价格。小小的一勺，当然这也足够了，我收费不下于6000美金，一点也不能少。”

Translation

• 年轻人心里充满着担忧，但是老人继续说：“然而钥匙卖爱情魔液也收这么多的钱是不合实际的，甚至是残酷的。年轻人喜欢爱情魔液，但是情况往往是这样的，他们，我指的是那些需要爱情魔液的人，他们不够富裕，这么高的价格他们是买不起的，所以啊，它的定价低得令人难以置信。”

• 这时年轻人的脸上露出了微笑。“这个爱情魔液有……”“它有着不同寻常的效果，”老人说。他似乎能读懂年轻人的心思。“效果是持久的，姑娘喝了这爱情魔液，将把你看成她生活中唯一的兴趣。”

Translation

• 年轻人离开了屋子，心里洋溢着幸福感。他太幼稚了，不知道他以及和他相似的年轻人将很有可能用自己的钱来造就一个富翁，因为他或许会在将来不断地造访老人，来买其他价格昂贵、效果不同寻常的混合物。