Unit 6

1. Unit 6 GOING WEST WARMING UP

5. Oregon

13. The Great Trek Westwards

14. They traveled the road of hardship

15. The Great Trek westwards had been turned into many different movies. (Dances with Wolves). In 1800, the United States of America was a young country that had just come into being. It consisted of the states east and south of the Great Lakes. Any of the land to the west of the Mississippi river was unexplored. In 1830, President Thomas Jefferson sent a secret message to the American congress, calling for an expedition to the Pacific Ocean.

16. The US wanted to extend its territory over the whole of the continent. In the next sixty years, four expeditions set out to explore the land. In the two decades before the Civil War, thousands of Americans moved to the west. As many as 250,000 people traveled overland to northern California, while untold thousands migrated overland to southern California by way of the various southern routes. About 43,000 people reached Oregon, and at least a similar number settled in Utah. In search of land, they

17. traveled the road of hardship to find a new home and carve out a new existence. No roads existed, and there were no villages on the way. The trip was dangerous and very difficult. Many people died either from hunger, thirst or exhaustion. Some groups got lost in the desert while some other froze to death in terrible snow storms in the mountains. In later years, many people who had made the journey wrote down their memoirs, although many were so happy to have reached the ne land, and so busy to build up a new existence that many did not do so until after many years.

18. Perseverance played a very important role in the Great Trek Westwards. At last, they succeeded in reaching their destination. What do you think of “Perseverance”? What is the relationship between failure and success? What kind of person are you? Now let’s do the self-assessment on page 46.

19. PRE-READING Discuss the following questions with your partner. • Who were the Native Americans? • Where did they live and what do • you know about their life? The Native Americans were the Indian. They lived in the vast land of West America and their life was simple and hard. They hunt for food and rode on horses.

20. 2. History counts many cases in which settlers moved into areas that belonged to other people. Can you give some examples? What happened? The English moved into New Zealand, where they found the Maori already living. Similarly, the British moved into Australia, where they found the Aboriginals already living there. In more recent history the Jewish people moved into the country that belonged to the Palestine people. In each case there were conflicts about the land.

21. 3. The new settlements in America soon became known as the Wild West. Why? There were no laws and there were no police, no jails and no courts. As a result, law and order did not exist, and anything could happen.

22. Reading comprehension Pa1. What caused the author’s father to move to the west was ____. A. what he had read in a book about California B. that the book about California described the wonderful land beyond the Rocky Mountains C. The wonderful land beyond the Rocky Mountains gave him the idea to move there.

23. Pa2. What do you know about Indian Creek? • It was in Kansas. B. It was the frontier then. C. It was the meeting place for people moving to the west.

24. Pa2. Paraphrase “We left traveling with a group of 45 wagons”. • When we set off, we had a group of 45 wagons. B. We traveled with a group of 45 wagons the moment we left. C. We started the journey with a group of 45 wagons.

25. Pa3. Tick the difficulties the author’s family ran into on their journey. • The journey was a most trying part. • There were no roads sometimes. • They lost their way when they entered the desert. • There was a lack of water or grass for the animals to eat. • The landscape was dry and barren. • The cattle became tired and weak.

26. Pa3. We could not ride the wagons and had to walk beside them because _____. • The cattle had to travel about ninety miles without water or grass • the landscape was dry and barren • the long walk through the sand was hard on the oxen • the cattle were too tired and weak to pull the wagons.

27. Pa4. Why people could not help one another in the Death Valley was that ____. • the situation was so desperate that people had to suffer heat, thirst, and starvation • in most cases, people could only try to save themselves and their animals as the situation was so desperate. • people had to abandon their wagons and hurry on to save themselves.

28. Pa5. What was in the young man’s mind was most probably that____. • the author should stay with the children because people behind would help them. • the author could not walk any further so he should stay with the children for a rest. • the author and the children were a heavy burden for the group.

29. Language points

30. Pa1. L4. 启程作横跨大陆的旅行 Set off for /on our journey across the continent Set off/out/forth for a place 出发到某地 [常用词组] set about doing sth, 开始做，着手处理 set out to do sth, 开始做某事， set forth, 提出计划，问题等

31. Pa1. L2.…we packed all our things onto a wagon… pack one's belongings, 打点行李 pack one's trunk, 装满某人的皮箱 pack the fruit in jars, 把水果装进罐里 Pa1. 3. …what to take and what to leave behind. leave…behind vt+adv 留下，遗留

32. [活学活用] To mark the 105th birthday of Comrade Zhou Enlai, an exhibition of articles ___ by the couple in their residence in Beijing opened at Zhou Enlai-and-Deng Yingchao Memorial Hall in Tianjin this Wednesday. A. to leave behind B. left behind C. leaving behind

33. Pa2. L7. …when all should be ready to start. Here “all” refers to “all the people”. [活学活用] When all ____here to accompany me, all____ well done. A. were, was B. was, were C. is, has been

34. Pa2. L7. We left traveling with a group of 45 wagons. “left traveling” means “set out on the journey” traveling 伴随情况 ing分词表示方式、伴随情况及结果，这种用法没有相当的状语从句可以代替。如： He came running back to tell us the news.他跑着回来告诉我们这个消息。(方式)

35. The child fell striking head against the door and cutting it.小孩摔了一跤，头在门上碰破了。(结果) He went out slamming the door.他走出去砰地一声把门关上。(伴随情况) She stood there waiting for the bus.她站在那儿等公共汽车。(伴随情况或方式)

36. Pa3. L4. …the most trying part. causing strain, hardship, or distress. 费劲的，难受的：使过度紧张的、劳累的或苦恼的 Pa3. L5. … we came out into the Salt Lake Valley, … ….we came out of the desert … Pa3. L9. What that was shown on the map proved to be salty ponds and not drinkable.

37. prove vi. 原来是…，结果证明是… [同义词] turn out: to be found to be, as after experience or trial: 证实：发觉是，如经历或试验之后： Scientists, on the other hand, Hawking writes, know that their job is never finished and that even the best theory can turn out to be wrong. The plan turned out (to be) a failure. It turns out that she had known him when they were children.

38. [活学活用] The method ____highly effective. • proved B. proved to be C. was proved • D. was proved to be A soft-baking sun shone above Heinz Field on Sunday for what ____an ideal day for football. A. turned out to be B. proved C. turned out D. proved to be

39. Pa3.L11. …the sand was hard on the oxen. The boss is a serious man. He is hard on everyone about work. But after work, he is a man down to the earth. 老板是个很认真的人，在工作上，他对每个 人要求都和严格，但工作外，他很平易近人。 be hard on sb. 对某人严格，苛刻。

40. 关于“牛”词汇： cattle: Any of various mammals of the genus Bos, including cows, steers, bulls, and oxen, often raised for meat and dairy products. 牛：一种牛属 哺乳动物，包括母牛、食用牛、公牛，为食用肉和奶制品而饲养的。 ox: An adult castrated bull of the genus Bos, especially B. taurus, used chiefly as a draft animal. 阉牛：指一种成年的被阉割了的牛牛属 尤指 金牛 主要被用作拉车的动物

41. An adult male bovine mammal. 公牛：成熟的雄牛 The male of certain other large animals, such as the alligator, elephant, or moose. 大的雄性动物：一些其它形体巨大的雄性动物，如鳄鱼、大象或驼鹿。 Pa3.L15. and packed the oxen with our supplies. 把生活用品都让牛驮着。 packed our supplies onto the back of the oxen.

42. Pa3. L15. Now we were on our feet with another 500 miles to go. 剩下的500英里就得靠两条腿来走了。 We had to walk another 500 miles. [相关词组] rise to one’s feet, struggle to one’s feet, get down on one’s knees, lie on one’s face, lie on one’s back, stand on one’s head, get onto one’s knees.

43. Pa4. [重要词组] 1. be accustomed to sth or doing sth = be used to sth or doing sth 2. be lined with：排成行，排列 The street was lined with people, watching the parade. People lined the street, watching the parade.

44. 3. In anxiety of sth or doing sth. 焦急，急切 [相关词组] in time of 在……时候 in need/demand of 需要，要求 in celebration of 为了庆祝…… in honor of 为了纪念……

45. Pa5. L2. I got onto my knees and started moving across the sands on all fours. 跪在地上，四肢着地，在沙地上爬行。 get onto one’s knees, 跪下 on all fours, 四肢着地(像四足动物一样行走） Pa5. L4. I knew what was in his mind. [有关mind的习惯用语]

46. make up one's mind决心；决定put sb. in mind of sb. or sth. 使想起；提醒speak one's mind 直言不讳absence of mind 心不在焉against sb.'s mind 违反某人的心愿, 没有得到某人的同意be out of one's mind 精神不正常, 发疯; 忘记bear [keep] in mind 记住, 记在心里bring [call] to one's mind想起, 回忆起lose one's mind 发狂, 精神错乱speak one's mind (out)把心里话痛痛快快地说出来, 畅所欲言

47. Pa6. L6. …we had reached the promised land! promised land： A longed-for place where complete satisfaction and happiness will be achieved.乐土, 福地, 希望之乡(来自《圣经》)

48. Pre-listening: Questions and answers: • Have you read the book Robinson Crusoe? • Do you who wrote the book? • If you were cast away on a desert island, what would you miss most? • What would the island have to look like in order to be able to support life? • What sort of tools, weapons or things could you make yourself? What not?

49. Listening Daniel Defoe’s novel Robinson Crusoe is about a man cast away on a desert island. Through his perseverance the main character survives more than 27 years on the island. Had the character not been so resourceful, clever and strong, he would long ago have died. Defoe’s novel can be read a a great example of how man has to make the best of life to survive.