My Stroke of Luck

1. My Stroke of Luck Kirk Douglas

2. Topic for Discussion What is luck? Do you believe in luck? Why or not?Please explain with your personal experience. What is the most important element when facing difficulties? What�s love? Love (p38 cloze)

3. Luck phrase You're not having much luck today, are you? Owen has had no/good luck with job-hunting. I didn't get to the phone in time. Just my luck! We had the luck to find good childcare quite quickly. I couldn't believe my luck when he showed an interest in me. It was sheer luck that we were saved from drowning.

4. It was an incredible piece of luck. By a stroke of luck, she had spotted the book on a colleague's bookshelf. Often there is an element of luck in getting the right answer. It was just dumb luck that no one got hurt. if luck is on someone's side, things go well for them Potluck dinner

5. Luck Do not say that someone �has luck�. Say they are lucky. You can use 'have' with luck only when luck has something before it such as 'bad', 'good', 'much', 'any' 'a bit of' etc Luck is an uncountable noun. Do not say 'a luck'. To talk about one lucky event you can say a piece of luck, a bit of luck, or a stroke of luck

6. Love phrase a young person's romantic love for someone, which other people do not think is serious a situation in which parents who have separated from each other fight over who is going to have the children a romantic sexual relationship, usually between two people who are not married to each other

7. love bite / love child / love letter / love nest Love's Labour's Lost a humorous play by William Shakespeare in which a king and three of his friends promise to study and not become involved with women. However, they meet a princess and her friends, and fall in love with them, so that they are unable to do what they intended.

8. Love seat AE a small sofa for two people

10. What is love? Love is a feeling./ Love is an attitude./ Love is an action./ Love is a choice./ Enlarge your understanding./ Your definition of love may be too narrow./ Love is more than a good feeling or romance./ Love motivates people to sacrifice for others,/ not expecting any personal benefit./ Stop thinking selfishly./ Look for the needs of others,/ and then do your part to meet their needs./

11. Locate the source of love./ Sympathy and compassion are foundations of love/ toward those living in difficult circumstances./ Love may start as an expression of personal gratitude/ for the blessings you have received/ and your desire to share those blessings./

12. Express your love./ Find words and actions of love that are appropriate./ Learn to speak words of blessing rather than criticism./ Share your resources with a needy person./ Accept disappointment./ Not everyone will return your love./ This is not failure./ It is not your goal to make the world love you,/ but for you to love the world./

13. How Do I Love Thee? by Elizabeth Barrett Browning How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee to the depth and breadth and height My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight For the ends of Being and ideal Grace. I love thee to the level of every day's Most quiet need, by sun and candlelight. I love thee freely, as men strive for Right; 

14. I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise. I love with a passion put to use In my old grieves, and with my childhood's faith. I love thee with a love I seemed to lose With my lost saints, I love thee with the breath, Smiles, tears, of all my life! and, if God choose, I shall but love thee better after death. 

15. ????????(????�???) ???????????????: ???????????????, ???????????????, ????????,??????? ?????????,?????, ???????????????? ??????,????????,

16. ??????,????????! ??,????????????, ??,????????????? ?????,?????????, ?????,?????????? ??????,????????: ????,???????,??!

17. Kirk Douglas Notes 1

18. Spartacus

19. Text analysis The story is basically a piece of narrative writing, in which the account of the latest event is interrupted by a number of flashbacks (some earlier events and experiences). It begins with the air crash, then it goes back to what had happened before. After this the author resumes the narration of the air crash and subsequent events.

20. title My stroke of luck: a sudden occurrence of sth. Pleasant or the breaking of blood vessels in human brain ???????;?? a stroke of luck / fortune???????/?? a stroke of misfortune a stroke of lightening ?? a stroke of genius / inspiration ????/?????

21. pun: an amusing use of a word or phrase that has two meanings, or of words that have the same sound but different meanings He is not a grave man until he is a grave man. ???? ???? ????

22. ????,??????,????????.????????"Two wrongs don't make a right, two Wongs don't make a white."??????????,???????????.??????????????????????????. ?????????,????????,????????,?????? ?????????When a lawyer dies, he lies still. (lie?[?]?[??]??,?still?[??]?[??]??,??,?????????"???????,??????",??????"????,??????".

23. PUN Seven days without water makes one weak. ?????,??????(??????) On Sunday they pray for you and on Monday they prey on you. Women have a wonderful sense of right and wrong, but little sense of right and left. ?????????,?????????(??????)

24. ?????? Customer: Waiter, will the pancakes be long? ?????????? �Waiter: No, sir. Round.?,??,???? ???? A: Which is the longest word in English? ????????????? �B: Smiles, because there is a �mile� between the first letter �s� and the last letter �s�.?smiles,????????s???????s,???????(mile)?

25. There once was a very large lady in our town. She wore a dress size 16. I knew her when she was young, but she had a much smaller size. Why do you think she is now wearing a size 16? I guess she just 8 + 8 (ate and ate). I was arrested at the airport. Just because I was greeting my cousin Jack! All that I said was "Hi Jack", but very loud.

26. ???? ???????,???????????????,???????? ???,???????;???,???????? ????�R�??(1913???)????38???,?????????? ????????????:�??????,????? ????,????????????,?????????????;?????????????????????????,??????,?????????????????

27. An integrated analysis Paragraphs1-2: The author uses his recent accident �an air crash�as an introduction to the whole story. Paragraphs3-4: These two paragraphs are the first flashback in the story which describes Anne�s good judgment on previous occasions and her experiences during the Second World War.

28. Paragraphs5-7: These paragraphs tell us how the author met Anne, fell in love with her and eventually married her. This is the second flashback. Paragraphs8: After two flashbacks, the author turns back to his recovery from the crash with his wife�s meticulous care. Paragraphs9-10: These two paragraphs are also a flashback. The author recalls how his wife handled her crisis.

29. Paragraphs11-13: these three paragraphs are closely related with the previous two, because they present a picture of how Anne saved her husband, helped rebuild his confidence and kept him moving on in her own way. Paragraphs14: As is the case with most narrative writings the concluding paragraph provides an end to the event (the air crash).

30. First part Helicopter:a type of aircraft with large metal blades on top which turn around very quickly to make it fly

31. Language points Collide: To hit each other accidentally;to hit something or someone that is moving in a different direction from you E.g. The two planes collided with each other in midair. to disagree strongly with a person or group, especially on a particular subject collide with / collision n. Istanbul, where east and west collide

32. collision

34. survive: to not die in an accident or war or from an illness survive sth. survivor n. There are concerns that the refugees cannot survive the winter. ---How are you? ---Oh, surviving. to live longer than someone else, usually someone closely related to you

35. Air-crash wreckage

36. gurney

37. Second part Intuition: the ability to understand or know something because of a feeling rather than by considering the facts [= instinct] uc feminine intuition [countable] an idea about what is true in a particular situation based on a feeling rather than facts We should trust our intuitions

38. survivor�s guilt: I feel guilty as a survivor Ann has�intuition: Ann has concise sense and she can always judge correctly. When I became depressed and suicidal: suicidal: a. relating to suicide suicide: n. killing oneself The famous actor commit suicide last night.

39. Depressed 1) sad or gloomy E.g. I need something to occupy my mind. I get depressed if I have nothing to do. 2) depression n. E.g. Perfectly stable people are often plunged into depression by divorce, unemployment, or failure in their work.

40. synonym unhappy sad because of the situation you are in miserable very sad depressed sad for a long time, and feeling that your life will never get better gloomy/glum looking sad down/down in the dumps sad and without much interest in life - usually not in a serious or permanent way broken-hearted very sad because someone has ended a romantic relationship with you homesick sad because you are a long way from your home and your friends

41. depressed

42. Part 3 Questions: Why did the author feel miffed (slightly angry) in his interview with Ann? Why did the author have the thought �to hell with her�? What do you know about Las Vegas?

44. Las Vegas is a city in southeast Nevada, USA, famous for its numerous casino and speedy registration of marriage. ????�????�?????????,?????????�????�??????????! Introduction to the city 1 Introduction to the city 2

45. Douglas in love

46. star: to appear as a main performer in a film The film in which she stars is a great hit. miff: to cause to become offended or annoyed. be miffed with [at] ?...?? get [have, take] a miff ??, ??? in a miff ???

48. Eventually lastly, finally, in the end, at last 1.Use finally or eventually to say that sth?happens after a long time 2. Use eventually or in the end to say what the result or outcome of something was 3. Use at last to say that something happens after a long period of waiting or trying, when you are glad about this 4. Use lastly or finally to introduce the last point you want to make, the last action in a series of actions, or the last item in a list

49. On a temporary basis� But that took me some doing� take some doing: to be hard work on sb.�s part / on the part of sb.: someone has done sth. or feel sth. ????? to hell with somebody/something used to say that you do not care about someone or something any more: Hell-hole:a very dirty, ugly, and unpleasant place

50. Poignant???????????;????? 1)keen or strong in mental appeal E.g. It was a poignant moment. They held hands and looked into each other�s eyes for the last time. 2)Poignantly adv. E.g. His remarkable life and tragic death poignantly express the hopes and disappointments of a whole generation.

51. Poignant

52. We slipped away to Las Vegas to tie the knot. (slang. Get married) We went to Las Vegas secretly to get married.

53. Simple knots for lifetime

54. Part 4 ( pa 8) After 2 flashbacks, the author turns back to his recovery from the crash with his wife�s meticulous care. What is survivor�s anguish? It is a kind of depression in which the survivor suffers an aftermath fear of a disaster and uncertainty about what would happen t him/her in the future.

55. language points Given that I�m sometimes as an actor wrapped up in his ego. given that: considering� be wrapped up in : be packed in; be deeply interested in, be totally absorbed in, to give so much of your attention to sth. that you do not have time for anything else He doesn�t have much time for a social life, because he�s too wrapped up in his work.

56. ego the opinion that you have about yourself 1) an exaggerated sense of self-importance; conceit. ??????????;?? Richard has the biggest ego (=thinks he is very clever and important) of anyone I've ever met. 2) The self, especially as distinct from the world and other selves.??,???????????? the part of your mind with which you think and take action, according to Freudian psychology.

57. Station wagon

58. couch

59. console: v. comfort in times of sadness Susanna did her best to console her daughter by promising to buy her another doll. console a friend in grief?????????? feel sorry for oneself v. ???? console yourself that He consoled himself that he would see Kate again soon.

60. Part 5 pa 9-10 A flashback. The author recalls how his wife handled her crisis; she never gave in and always tried to help others. Consistent philosophy, instead of complaining, in face of misfortune How did Anne offer help to others?

61. surgery major/minor surgery cosmetic surgery, plastic surgery a doctor who does operations: surgeon a doctor who treats mental illnesses: psychiatrist, psychotherapist, shrink a doctor who treats people's teeth: dentist a doctor who treats animals: veterinarian someone who is training to be a doctor: medical student, intern

62. surgery

63. a malignant disease is one such as cancer, which can develop in an uncontrolled way and is likely to cause someone's death a benign tumour (=unnatural growth in the body) is not caused by cancer a lump in/to somebody's throat a feeling that you want to cry

64. Authorize To give permission for E.g. Only the Congress can authorize the President to declare war. Finance: to provide money for, to fund State pensions are financed by the contributions of those still at work.

65. ??????????????????? Last week the board of directors authorized the installation of a new computer system. ?????????????? The government finances higher education with tax money.

66. Facility:a place or building used for a particular activity or industry, or for providing a particular type of service Deplorable:very bad, unpleasant, and shocking [= appalling] The prisoners were held in deplorable conditions.

67. Part 6 pa 11-13 It presents a picture of how Anne saved her husband , helped rebuild his confidence and kept him moving on in her own way. Did Anne really kick her husband out of bed each morning? What does the author mean by � tough love�?(Pa12)

68. oxymoron ????? A rhetorical device in which incongruous ( strange, unexpected or unsuitable) or contradictory terms are combined. a deliberate combination of two words that seem to mean the opposite of each other, such as cruel kindness A deafening silence A mournful optimistic

69. wise fool:????? /honest thief:????? / living death:???? /sour-sweet days /a love-hate relationship plain beauty:????????? Great Depression, beautiful tyrant and damned saint To show mixed emotions and complicated feelings, subjective view and impression

70. Language points Beneficiary the receiver of a benefit E.g. people on high incomes will be the main beneficiaries of these changes in the tax laws Benefactor:someone who gives money for a good purpose an anonymous ~ Suffer: to experience something unpleasant, such as disease, injury, or loss, physical or mental pain

71. manicure

72. manicure a treatment for the hands that includes cutting and polishing the nails [? pedicure] a treatment for feet and toenails, to make them more comfortable or beautiful

73. Slur:to speak unclearly without separating your words or sounds correctly past tense and past participle slurred, present participle slurring Therapist:someone who has been trained to give a particular form of treatment for physical or mental illness Speech therapy:treatment that helps people who have difficulty in speaking properly

74. Endure: Vt. to be in a difficult or painful situation for a long time without complaining He can't endure being apart from me. She had to endure countless attacks on her reputation from popular newspapers.

75. Vi. to remain alive or continue to exist for a long time friendships which endure over many years The report describes how political prisoners have to endure

76. Part 7 para 14 The concluding paragraph provides an end to the event ( the air crash). The author goes beyond that by offering his general comments on Anne�s character, thus making the conclusion somewhat philosophical. Stroke: 1. a sudden occurrence of something pleasant 2. the blockage or breaking of blood vessels in human brain

77. Epiphany:a Christian holy day on January 6th that celebrates the day when the Three Kings came to see the baby Jesus A comprehension or perception of reality by means of a sudden intuitive realization

78. Inspire to influence, to give a sudden good idea E.g. The novel is obviously inspired by her experience of Christianity in her childhood. to encourage someone by making them feel confident and eager to do something I hope this success will inspire you to greater efforts to breathe in

79. Handle: to treat, to deal with The finance department handles all the accounts. The headmaster handled the situation very well. Some customers are quite difficult to handle. She can't handle it when people criticize her.