英语第五课

Unit 5 Romance

Text A A Valentine Story

I. Objectives

Students will be able to:

1.grasp the main idea( the nature of a heart is seen in its response to the

unattractive) and structure of the text;

2.appreciate the narrative skills demonstrated in the text (switch between tenses,

change of narrators),some rhetorical devices (simile and metaphor) and the use of informal language in conversations;

3.master the key language points and grammatical structures in the text;

4.conduct a series of reading, listening, speaking and writing activities related to

the theme of the unit.

II. Cultural Notes

Public libraries in the U.S.: Public libraries in the U.S. are free to the public. One can get a library card at the local library by filling in a form and showing the librarian a valid ID and something to prove that one lives in the neighborhood (e.g., a used and stamped envelope with one's name as the addressee, one's phone bill, gas bill, etc.). Besides borrowing books, people go to libraries to borrow video tapes, use the computers there, attend book readings by authors and other cultural events. Libraries are regarded as community centers.

III. Questions about the text:

1. A brief introduction to the Valentine’s Day

2. What is the best way to express love to your valentine?

3. Students scan the text and answer the following questions.

a)How had Blanchard and Miss Maynell come to know each other?

b)How had Blanchard and Miss Maynell got in touch with each other?

c)Why did Miss Maynell refuse to send Blanchard a photograph? How do you understand

Miss Maynell’s words in Para4? What do you think of her?

d)How would Blanchard recognize Miss Maynell at their first meeting?

e)What did the young girl look like? What was Blanchard’s response? And what did “Miss

Maynell” look like? How did Blanchard feel toward his “valentine”?

f)Why didn’t Blanchard turn away from “Miss Maynell”?

g)How come the middle-aged woman was wearing the rose?

h)What did Miss Maynell want to find out through the test? Do you like Miss Maynell’s test?

Ⅳ Main idea and text organization

The main idea (the nature of a heart is seen in its response to the unattractive): The story begins with Blanchard waiting for his love at Grand Central Station in New Y ork. By flashback we know that in a Florida library, Blanchard got to know a lady named Maynell through the notes she made in the margin of a book.

The two began to write to each other, and their feelings for each other grew with days. However, Maynell refused when Blanchard requested a photograph. Instead, she proposed to meet in New Y ork, and a red rose would be her mark. At Great Central Station, a beautiful girl walked through towards him, but it was the middle-aged lady behind the girl who was wearing a red rose. Though disappointed, Blanchard was faithful to his feelings and treated the lady with kindness. The ending of the story was a happy one. The beautiful girl he saw was Maynell. She was only testing his heart by way of this.

The structure of the text :

Opening of the story---- John Blanchard was waiting for someone at Grand

Central Station.

Explanation---- Whom he was waiting for and why. How John Blanchard had fallen in love with Miss Maynell.

Development of the story ----- Miss Maynell put Blanchard to a test. Implication---- The true nature of a heart is seen in its response to the unattractive.

It was wise of Miss Maynell to give such a test.

Do Text Organization Exercise on P143.

Ⅴ. Language study

1. straighten: (cause to ) become straight or level

e.g. Women used to use a hot iron to straighten their hair.

The professor would straighten his tie before entering the classroom.

2.make one’s way: go走出去

e.g. Early in the morning the hunter made his way into the woods.

The old man slowly rose from his seat and made his wa y to the front of the bus.

fight / push / elbow / shoulder / force / squeeze one’s way to (+n.) 冲出去，挤出去

e.g. With tears in their eyes, the solders pledged to fight their way back to their home territory.

3.He looked for the girl whose heart he knew, but whose face he didn’t, t he

girl with the rose.: he tried to find the girl who shared many of hid views, interests and feelings but who he had never met before. The girl was supposes to wear a rose at their first meeting.

4.absorb: 1) (usu. Passive) completely hold one’s attention( usu. Followed by in )

e.g. I was so absorbed in the detective story that I jumped up when someone patted

me on the back.

Totally absorbed in writing the computer software, Michael ordered take-out food when he was hungry, slept on the office floor when tired out

2) take in

e.g. I haven’t really had time to absorb everything that my teacher said in class.

The moon ha a rough surface that absorbs most of the sunlight that strikes it.

5.margin: one or both sides of a page near the edge, where there is no writing or