About Pearl S. Buck

1. About Pearl S. Buck A friend of Chinese people A Literature Nobel Prize Laureate

2. I should not be truly myself if I did not, in my own wholly unofficial way, speak also of the people of China, whose life has for so many years been my life also, whose life, indeed, must always be a part of my life. The minds of my own country and of China, my foster country, are alike in many ways, but above all, alike in our common love of freedom.

3. …… And today more than ever, this is true, now when China's whole being is engaged in the greatest of all struggles, the struggle for freedom. I have never admired China more than I do now, when I see her uniting as she has never before, against the enemy who threatens her freedom. With this determination for freedom, which is in so profound a sense the essential quality in her nature, I know that she is unconquerable. Freedom - it is today more than ever the most precious human possession. ……

4. Birthday: June 26, 1892 Parents: Absalom & Caroline Sydenstricker (Southern Presbyterian missionaries, stationed in China ) Came to China: 3 months old Period of stay in China: 40 years Residential area: Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province

5. Pearl and her family • 1st husband: John Lossing Buck, a Cornell graduate • Carol (first child): Profoundly retarded • Janice: adopted child • 1st Marriage: unhappy but last 18 years • 2nd husband: Richard Walsh, a publisher

6. Pearl’s life in 1920s • In 1921, her mother died. • In 1927, Nanking incident broke out which made her suffer a lot. She spent a terrified day in hiding, and was rescued by the American gunboat.The Bucks sailed to Japan for a year.

7. Pearl’s works: • East wind, West Wind • The Good Earth • Dragon Seed • The Big Wave • Satan Never Sleeps • Etc.

8. “----for her rich and truly epic descriptions of peasant life in China and for her biographical masterpieces" Pearl and Her Prizes • Pulitzer Prize and Howells Medal for The Good Earth • Nobel Prize in Literature 1938 for The Good Earth

9. Pearl’s Special Contributions • In 1942, Pearl and Richard founded the East and West Association, dedicated to cultural exchange and understanding between Asia and the West. • In 1949, outraged that existing adoption services considered Asian and mixed-race children unadoptable, Pearl established Welcome House, the first international, inter-racial adoption agency; in the nearly five decades of its work, Welcome House has assisted in the placement of over five thousand children. • In 1964, to provide support for Amerasian children who were not eligible for adoption, Pearl also established the Pearl S. Buck Foundation, which provides sponsorship funding for thousands of children in half-a-dozen Asian countries.

10. In 1973, Pearl died at Green Hills Farm, at the age of eighty.

11. Tell us a Bible story! Next Time!

12. Tell us next time! Do you know how to decorate for Christmas?

13. We Wish You A Merry Christmas We wish you a Merry Christmas,We wish you a Merry Christmas,We wish you a Merry Christmas,And a Happy New Year. Good tidings to you,And all of your kin,Good tidings for Christmas,And a Happy New Year. We all know that Santa's coming,We all know that Santa's coming,We all know that Santa's coming,And soon will be here. Good tidings to you,And all of your kin,Good tidings for Christmas,And a Happy New Year. We wish you a Merry Christmas,We wish you a Merry Christmas,We wish you a Merry Christmas,And a Happy New Year. Listen to more songs: Jingle BellsHoly Night

14. Now you have 10 minutes to read “Christmas Day in the Morning”. After reading, briefly retell the story.

15. Figurative Speeches • a direct comparison between two unlike elements • “as, as…..so, like” • As cold water to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country. • as cunning as a fox, as poor as a church’s mouse • The world is like a stage.

16. An indirect comparison. It implies the likeness between things without the use of like or as. Life is a highway. The world is a stage.

17. Exercise: • For secrets are edged tools,and must be kept from children and fools. • No man is an island, entire of itself. • IF poetry comes not as naturally as leaves to a tree, it had better not come at all. • His friend has become a thorn in his side. • A dance is a measured pace, as a verse is a measured speech. • Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.

18. Alliteration the same consonant sound is repeated at intervals in the initial position She sells sea-shells on the seashore. Wild Mushrooms: Mysterious-Menacing- Magnificent Predictably the winter will be snowy, sleety and slushy. Weak and weary

19. Euphemism • The substitution of a mild or indirect word or phrase for a blunter or harsher one • ugly: plain-looking; homely-looking • die: to pass away, to depart, to go to sleep(heaven) • fat: Plump, stout, chubby, weight catcher • toilet habits, etc.: to urinate or to defecate • to go to the bathroom • to do one’s business • to answer nature’s call

20. Discussion • What is the writing technique here? • What is the theme of this text? • “Love alone could awaken love.” how do you understand the sentence? And “Love is like measles. Everyone has to go through it.”; “Love is blind.” • 3. Do you agree that only love can awaken love? What is the essence of true love? Give your reasons. • 4. Is love the solution to all the problems in the world today? Comment.

21. Game: Use your body language to express the following phrases: dash into the room, steal into the room, to burst into the room, to sneak into the room, to tiptoe into the room, to sail into the room, to break into the room, to dance out of the room, to stagger out of the room, to fly out of the room, to crawl out of the room, to slip out of the room, to creep downstairs, to make her way towards the door, to bow her way out of the room, to shoulder her way through the crowd, to worm his way into the organization, to beg her way back home, to inch his way up the mountain

22. Sentence understanding • Strange how the habits of his youth clung to him still!(P.1) • It was strange how up to that moment he had continued doing things the way he had always done them from boyhood.

23. Sentence understanding • He slipped back in time, as he did so easily nowadays. • He had recently got into the habit of recalling things in the past /of reminiscing/ of letting his thoughts go back to the old days.

24. Sentence understanding • He had never thought of it before, taking for granted the tie of their blood. • He had never thought of the fact that his father loved him because he took the relationship of father and son as a matter of course. He had never given this another thought.

25. Sentence understanding • …there would be no more loitering in the mornings and having to be called again. • …he would never loiter in the morning and need no longer to be called again and again. • to loiter: to move or go about business slowly and with many stops

26. Sentence understanding • … stumbling blind with sleep and pulled on his clothes. • When he got up, it was still very dark and he was still very sleepy. He could hardly open his eyes and could not see or think clearly, so he walked or moved unsteadily and blindly.

27. Sentence understanding • Then Jesus had been born in a barn,… bring their Christmas gifts. • Bible: • …And when they had come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him; and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts: gold and frankincense, and myrrh…

28. Sentence understanding …he got up and crept downstairs, careful of the creaky boards… He had to be careful so that the boards would not make any noise and wake up his father, thus spoiling his plan.

29. Bar: [often passive] v. 1.to close with a barto bar the door2.to make … safe by putting metal bats across it.The windows are barred.3.to stop going in a certain directionHe stood in the door and barred my way.n. barrister, the profession of lawyerbehind the bar; go to the bar bolt v. to close the door with a bolt 闩门， 栓住

30. Burst: • His heart was bursting with love. • (to be filled ) to the breaking point (with a substance or usually pleasant things) The bag is bursting with potatoes. He is bursting with health. The hall was bursting with people. The barns were bursting with grain. • cling to sth/an idea/the hope • His mother’s last words clung to his memory. • The wet clothes clung to his body. • The child clung onto its mother.

31. contain v.   • 1.hold, have within…The bottle contains 2 glasses of beer.2.to hold back , keep under controlto contain one’s anger / check, curb, control

32. creep: • to move slowly and quietly with the body close to the ground (usu. stealthily)a creeping plant creep on all fours The hours crept by. We took off our shoes and crept cautiously along the passage. crawl: to move slowly with the body close to the ground/floor, or on the hands and knees crawl about on all fours They crawled into their beds to get warm. She crawled across the pool in record time.

33. Grant • 1.to give what is wanted/requested准许，授予They were granting a holiday for their achievement2.to admit to the truth of sth.I had to grant him the reasonableness of his argument.Loiter: to move on /about with frequent stops • loiter the whole afternoon • loiter along the street • loiter over a job • You should not loiter your time away.

34. Reckon: 认为，猜想，估计(infml) She is reckoned to be a great actor.Seal: a statement officially signed and sealed A sealed envelop / bottle

35. Stumble: vi. • The tired old man stumbled along. • She stumbled on the stairs and fell forward to the bottom. • While in the country, she stumbled upon some fine antiques. • The officials stumbled repeatedly in carrying out the new program. • She stumbled at/over the long word. • ( to stop or make a mistake when you are reading to people or speaking ~over/at/through<stutter, stammer>)

36. Shimmer: to shine with a soft trembling light 闪烁，发出柔和的微光The water shimmered in the moonlight.Beam: 1.of the sun or other shining objects to send out light (and heat)The sun beamed through the cloud.2.to smile brightly and happilyThe new father beamed with pleasure when he saw the baby for the first time.Glimmer: to give a very fait unsteady light闪烁不定的微光The faint light glimmered at the end of the passage.gleam:1.to give out a bright lightThe furniture gleamed after being polished.2.(of a felling) to be expressed with a sudden light in the eyes Amusement gleamed in his eyes.

37. Hurt [vi. Vt.] • 1.to cause a person/creature to feel pain of any kind Does your arm still hurt you?2.[vt. Vi.] to cause someone to suffer in the mind /feel offendedWhat he said hurt her very much.Ache1.vi. To have /suffer a continuous pain, esp. in the bodyI ache all over.2.vi. To ache for / to see sb.pain [usu. Formal or old use]1.to cause to feel painMy foot isn’t paining me any more.It pains me to have to disobey you, but I must.2.vi. To give a sensation of painMy arm isn’t paining now.

38. get by: 1.to continue one’s way of life度日，过生活，糊口You can’t get by on such a small income.2.be good enough but not very good, be accepted凑合，差强人意Your work will get by, but try to improve it.

39. 。 • Get off: 1.to leave work 2.to stop riding a horse or bicycle下车，下马3.to start a journey, leave动身，出发4.[vt, vi, (with)] (to cause to) escape punishment 获释， 不被处罚The man went to prison but the two boys get off with a warning

40. Get on: to become late/older Time is getting on. Grandfather is getting on for 80.Get over: 1.to return to one’s usual state of health, happiness. After a bad experience 痊愈，恢复，淡忘to get over an illnessShe can’t get over the man she was going to marry, he disappeared so unexpectedly.To get over a shock2.to find a way to deal with, overcome越过，克服get over the difficulty3.reach the end of (usually sth unpleasant) 完成to get the operation over

41. get through1.to reach sb. by telephoneI called you but could not get through.2.(with) to finish3.to cause to pass, come successfully to the end of …通过考试，熬过， 考试（及格），使（人）成功to get through an exam/the winterto get sb through an exam

42. take to: 1.to like2.to begin as a practice, habit, etc沉湎于He took to drugs after losing his eyesight in a boxing game.

43. Slip v.1) to slide unintentionally2)to go somewhere or carry out an action quickly so that you are not noticed • Time is slipping away. • The patient’s energy is slipping away. • Your work has been slipping back recently, you must make more effort. • Never let a good chance to slip by! • He slipped in unnoticed. • Mary couldn’t bear the party, so she slipped off while no one was looking. • I didn’t mean to tell you his name, it just slipped out. • She gave them a peek and slipped out of the room.n. a slip of paper a slip of the tongue/pen