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Lesson Twelve

Lesson Twelve. The Kindness of Strangers. Introduction to the text. Plot : The author traveled across the States alone to find out if people were willing to help strangers. Setting : People in the United States seem to have become more and more indifferent to other people’s needs.

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Lesson Twelve

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  1. Lesson Twelve The Kindness of Strangers

  2. Introduction to the text • Plot: The author traveled across the States alone to find out if people were willing to help strangers. • Setting: People in the United States seem to have become more and more indifferent to other people’s needs. • Protagonists: “I” and the people helping “I”

  3. Theme of the story • The author of this article tries to tell people that based on his personal experience, one can still depend on the kindness of strangers in the United States.

  4. Structure of the text • Part 1 (paras. 1— 4 ) about: The reason why the author decided to start on this journey. • Part 2 (paras. 5 —7 ) about:The author’s plan for the trip. • Part 3 (paras. 8 —11 ) about: The author was treated with kindness everywhere he went. • Part 4 (paras.12 —15 ) about: The author’s experience at the Wilson’s.

  5. author • Tennessee Williams (1911—1983) • One of America’s greatest playwrights, and certainly the greatest ever from the South, Tennessee Williams wrote fiction and motion picture screenplays, but he is acclaimed primarily for his twenty-five full-length plays—nearly all of which are set in the South, but which at their best rise above regionalism to approach universal themes.

  6. States in the U.S.A

  7. Language study

  8. 1. to come upon: • to meet, find, or discover by chance or by accident • During their trip they came upon an unknown animal. • The other day, I came upon a very interesting book that deals with this issue.

  9. 2. to leave sb./sth. done: • to make sb./sth. stay in a certain state • They left the food untouched. • Never leave the door unlocked.

  10. 3. gamble: a risky matter or act; play cards or other games for money • e.g. I don’t know if I can rely on him, but I am willing to take a ~. ~ on: take the risk that sth will go well, or as one wishes, after doing sth that depends on it • e.g. They carried out the robbery on Christmas Day, ~ing on no one being in the building. • I’ll ~ on his honesty and lend him the money.

  11. gamble • He lost lots of money ~ing at poker. • He is ~ing with the passengers’ lives driving as fast as that. • Don’t ~ with your future.

  12. 4. pull • He had to pull up his car at the red light. • The policeman ordered him to pull over • She pulled in to let the truck pass.

  13. pull-VP • pull over/off: (of a vehicle) move over to one side of the road • pull in: (of a train) arrive at a station; (of vehicle) move over to one side of the road and stop • pull out: (of a train) leave a station • pull ahead: to get in front by moving faster • pull away: (of a vehicle) start to move off • pull up: (cause to) come to a stop

  14. 5. would rather … than … • I’d rather stay home than go out tomorrow. • We’d rather live a simple life with clean air, clean water and food than a life of luxuries in a heavily polluted place.

  15. 6. compassion vs. sympathy • Compassion: implies pity accompanied by an urge to help or spare • E.g. Moved by ~, I didn’t press for payment • The nurse attended to the wounded day and night with great ~. • The ~ate judge gave the young offender a light sentence.

  16. sympathy • implies such a sameness of feeling as enable one to really understand or even to share the sorrow etc. of others • E.g. He felt tremendous ~ for the war orphans. • He felt ~ for her suffering.

  17. 7. now we’re talking • a very good idea • --- I suggest we first get a hamburger and then a big ice-cream. • --- Now we are talking! Let’s go. • --- Let’s call it a day. We can’t work all day. • --- Now we are talking.

  18. 8. Tell you what. • --- I’d like to go very much. But it’s too far away. • --- Tell you what. You take my car. I’m not going anywhere today. • --- I won’t be able to come back until 7. But I have to pick up my son at 5:30. • --- Tell you what. I’ll pick up your son and bring him to my place.

  19. 9. to be scheduled to do sth.: • to be planned that sb. will do sth. or sth. will happen • The railway is scheduled to go into operation in 2005. • The sale is scheduled for tomorrow. • She is scheduled to give a speech tonight. • He had been scheduled to arrive in Beijing the next week.

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