21世纪大学实用英语综合教程 第二册 Unit 7

教案
教学内容与组织安排
1st period Text A (Global Reading)
2nd period Text A (Detailed Reading)
3rd period Grammar Review
4 th period Practical Writing
5th period Text B
6th period Improve Your Reading Skills
1st period Text A (Global Reading)
Tell your classmates what you would do in the following situations and then read Text A to find what answers the author gives.
2nd period Text A (Detailed Reading)
Questions for understanding of deatails
1) What does the author think Mary should do?
Mary should say what she thinks directly to Harry.
2) Why should people be honest according to the author?
Because honesty makes things simple. / Because honesty is the easiest solution.
3) Instead of being honest when they make mistakes what do people do?
People try to create stories and excuses.
4) What will happen to you if you are honest with people?
You will benefit in the end.
5) What is strange about the author’s friend who came to see him recently?
He wouldn’t tell the author he wanted work though he couldn’t even pay his rent.
6)It is really not that complicated… Why complicate life?
By asking for it.
7) How do you show respect both to others and to yourself?
Be honest with others.
Sentence Analysis
➢其实这事并不那么复杂……为什么要把生活复杂化呢？
句中complicated是形容词，complicate是动词。

问句是一句省略句，补充完整是：Why should we complicate life?
➢Another alternative… “Harry, I’ve been agonizing over what to say to you. I even asked my friend about how to tell you this —you see, I think you’re a nice guy but I don’t want to date you.”
还有一种选择…… “哈里，我一直在发愁不知该怎么对你说。

我甚至问过我的朋友该怎么把这话告诉你——你知道，我认为你这人相当不错，但我不想和你约会。

”
another alternative 后面补充完整是：another alternative to what you say。

this 的同位语是破折号后面的一句话。

date是动词，意为“与…约会”。

➢It’s not that humanity will love you more if you don’t tell lies, but that honesty, with tact, is the easiest solution.
这倒不是因为如果你不撒谎，人们就会更爱你，而是因为诚实，再带点技巧，是最容易的解决方法。

It’s not that… but that… 意思为“这并不是（因为）…而是（因为）…”。

➢You could go to great lengths to create stories and excuses…
你可以绞尽脑汁编造谎言和借口……
在这里，create stories意为“编造谎言”，stories意为“谎言” 。

➢It is no fun telling you this but your proposals are now at the city dump!
告诉你这件事绝非趣事，但现在你的提案已在城市垃圾场里了!
➢Isn’t it strange? It refers to the strange behavior of the author’s friend. it 指后面一句（The man wouldn’t even tell me that he needed work. Meanwhile, he couldn’t pay his rent.）的内容。

➢they know where you stand: 他们了解你的立场
➢I figured he was on a social visit. 我猜他就是来看看我。

on a social visit 意为“社交性访问”。

➢Had he said, “I lost my job and I need some work,” I could have helped him. Isn’t it strange? The man wouldn’t even tell me that he needed work. Meanwh ile, he couldn’t pay his rent.
如果他说：“我丢了工作，我需要工作，”我本可以帮他。

这不奇怪吗？他甚至不肯告诉我他需要工作，而那时他连房租都付不起。

句中Had he said等于If he had said。

In the literary style, the structures “were I/you/he etc., should I/you/he/etc. and had I/you/he/etc.” are used instead of “if I/you/he /etc. were, if I/you/he/etc. should and if I/you/he/etc. had.”
在较正式的文体里，were I/you/he etc., should I/you/he/etc.和had I/you/he/etc.可以替代if I/you/he /etc. were, if I/you/he/etc. should和if I/you/he/etc. had。

e.g. Were she my daughter, I could suggest several steps I consider good to take.
Had I realized what you intended, I would not have wasted my time trying to explain matters to you.
Should you change your mind, let us know.
➢What do you say? = Do you like it? Do you agree to my suggestion?
你喜欢吗？你同意我的建议吗？
➢Also, if you don’t know something, be honest about it.
还有，如果某件事你不知道，就诚实地说不知道。

also在这里是修饰整个句子的副词，放在句首，后用逗号，表示增加一个相关事实。

Words and Expressions
➢pay off: (of a risky policy, course of action, etc.) bring good result; prove successful, rewarding, or worthwhile; work（冒险的政策、做法等）带来好结果；取得成功；值得；行得通
e.g. Her hard work paid off when she got a big raise.
Their more careful method paid off in the end.
➢take sb. out: take sb. somewhere for exercise or recreation 带某人出去消遣、娱乐
e.g. Her mother took her out for the day.
My boyfriend took me out to a fancy restaurant for lunch.
➢have sth./nothing/etc. in common: have some/no/etc. interests, beliefs, etc. that are equally shared 有一些/ 毫无共同之处；有一些/ 没有共同的兴趣、信念等
e.g. He has nothing in common with his wife; for example, he likes to stay at home and she likes to go out and enjoy hersel
f.
Jane and I have much in common. = I have much in common with Jane.
➢common: ual or familiar; happening or found often and in many places;
shared by, belonging to or done by two or more people 普通的；通常的；公有的；共同（做）的
e.g. Cats are common pets in England.
It is quite common for him to talk in his sleep.
➢agonise/agonize: vi. suffer great anxiety or worry intensely 极度忧虑（或担心）e.g. She agonized for days about whether she should take the job.
Stop agonizing over something you can do nothing about.
➢complicated: adj. (of a machine, thought, action etc) very difficult to understand 复杂的
e.g. The rules are very complicated and I doubt if many people can understand them.
It all sounds very complicated.
➢alternative: n. choice of two or more possibilities; one of two or more possibilities 两者（或多者）择一，取舍，抉择；供选择的东西
e.g. We have two alternatives.
His idea seemed to offer a possible alternative to surgery.
➢date: v. meet regularly with sb. of the opposite sex 约会
e.g. Mary is dating Mark.
I don’t like the idea of my daughter dating when she’s so young.
➢humanity: n. human beings collectively; the human race; people ［总称］人；人类；人们
e.g. The deaths of so many people in the war was described as a crime against humanity.
Humanity was threatened by another world war.
➢tact: n. skill at not offending people or at gaining goodwill by saying or doing the right thing （处事、言谈等的）圆通，乖巧，机敏；外交手腕
e.g. Helping people who have marriage problems requires a great deal of tact and patience.
I wish you’d used a little more tact when you told her about her cat dying.
➢solution: n. answer to a problem, question, difficulty, etc.（问题、疑难等的）解答；答案；解决办法
e.g. They have worked out a quick solution for dealing with the problem.
They were seeki ng a solution to the city’s traffic problem.
➢Let’s say: let’s suppose; for example 让我们假定；比如说
e.g. Let’s say the journey takes three hours, that means you’ll arrive at 2 o’clock.
Take any Chinese poet, let’s say Li Bai, and study the way he describes emot ions. ➢instead of: in the place of; in substitution for; rather than 代替；而不是
e.g. Since he’s ill, I’m going instead of him.
Instead of stopping when the policeman shouted, he ran away.
➢go to great lengths (to do sth.): (be prepared to) do everything one can (to achieve sth.)（为达到目的）不遗余力，竭尽全力；不顾一切
e.g. He went to great lengths to get a photo of the queen.
Now take good care of this book; I went to great lengths to get a copy for you.
length: n. measurement or extent from end to end 长，长度
e.g. The table is at least twelve feet in length.
He measured the length and width of the table.
These fish can reach a length of over two metres.
➢create stories: 编造谎言。

stories意为“谎言”。

e.g. The boy says he lives in a big house with a swimming pool, but I think he’s telling stories.
➢idiot /5IdI[t/: n. very foolish person; fool 白痴；傻瓜，笨蛋，糊涂虫
e.g. Some idiot left the tap running in the bathroom and there’s water everywhere.
You stupid idiot —that’s a month’s work you’ve lost!
➢fun: n. amusement, enjoyment; that which causes amusement or merriment 娱乐，快乐；有趣的人（或物）
e.g. I don’t see any fun of learning to play the piano.
Our English teacher is great fun and we all like her.
➢proposal: n. act of suggesting or putting forward; thing that is suggested 提议；建议
e.g. The government brought forward a new set of proposals on human rights.
e.g. I welcome the proposal concerning the use of the land.
➢dump : n. place where rubbish may be unloaded and left; rubbish-heap 垃圾场；
垃圾堆
e.g. take waste to the dump
➢trash n. rubbish; garbage; things that one throws away 废物；垃圾
➢admire : vt. regard with respect, warm approval, delight, etc. 钦佩；赞赏；羡慕e.g. You have to admire their courage.
I couldn’t help but admire his determination.
➢where you stand: what is your attitude 你的立场
➢give it to sb. straight: tell sb. sth. (usu. sth. unpleasant or critical) in a completely frank way 对某人直言不讳
e.g. To give it to you straight, I don’t think she’s the right person for the job.
I gave it to him straight —I said “Look, I’ve got a boyfriend already and I’m not interested, all right?!”
➢hang around: stay near in an idle way; remain idling in a place 闲呆着；在某处闲荡
e.g. The bus was late so I had to hang around the bus station for a whole hour.
“So what are you doing here? ” “Me, nothing —I’m just hanging around.”
➢on a social visit: 社交性的访问
social: a. of or in society; of or designed for companionship and recreation 社会的；社交的，交际的
e.g. I had such a good social life when I was at college.
Most British schools organize social events for the students.
➢Isn’t it strange? It refers to the strange behavior of the author’s friend. it 指后面一句（The man wouldn’t even tell me that he needed work. Meanwhile, he couldn’t pay his rent.）的内容。

➢meanwhile /5mi:n(h)waIl/: ad. in the time between two events; at the same time 其间；与此同时
e.g. She hid under the table —meanwhile, the sound of boots on the stairs was coming nearer.
The party is on Tuesday; meanwhile I have to shop and cook.
➢rent /rent/: n. regular payment made for the use of sth., e.g. a house, land 租金；
房租；地租
e.g. How much do you pay in rent every month?
He couldn’t afford the rent by himself.
➢fellow: n.［infml］man or boy; chap ［口］男人；男孩；小伙子；家伙
➢hassle : vt. harass; annoy; bother（不断）打扰；使烦恼；烦扰
e.g. She’ll hassle me until I agree to write the letter for her.
He hassled me so much that I decided not to see him for a while.
➢fascinating: a. having great attraction or charm 有极大吸引力的；look / sound fascinating
e.g. What was fascinating to me was the way the animal moves.
➢charm: n.power of pleasing, fascinating or attracting people; attractiveness;
pleasing or attracting feature or quality 魅力；引人喜爱的特征；迷人的特征e.g. His natural charm made him very popular.
a woman of great charm
The idea of being a farmer has lost its charm for me by this time.
➢charming: a. having or showing charm; delightful 迷人的；妩媚的，可爱的；
令人高兴的
e.g. She looked small and gentle and altogether charming.
They had a charming little cottage by the river.
➢exasperating: a. extremely annoying 使人恼怒的；激怒人的
e.g. exasperating delays
Time after time, he refused to help; it’s so exasperating.
➢in a nutshell: (express sth.) very simply, directly and in a few words only 简明扼要地（说），概括地（说）；简而言之
e.g. “Is he coming with us?” “In a nutshell, no.”
Well, to put it in a nutshell, we’re going to have to start again.
➢nut /nQt/: n.fruit consisting of a hard shell with a kernel inside it that can be eaten 坚果
➢shell /Fel/: n. hard outer covering of eggs, of nut kernels, of some seeds and fruits, and of animals such as oysters, snails, crabs and tortoises（蛋、坚果、种子、果实以及牡蛎、蜗牛、蟹、龟等的）壳
➢nutshell /5nQtFel/: n. hard covering around the kernel of a nut 坚果外壳
➢tactful : a. having or showing tact 圆通的，乖巧的，机敏的
e.g. She’s very tactful when she deals with students and their problems.
It would be tactful not to ask her about her exam.
➢tell it like it is: ［sl, infml］be honest; tell the truth说实话；实话实说
➢colleague: n. person with whom one works, esp. in a profession or business 同事
3rd period Grammar Review
非真实性条件句(The Subjunctive Mood)
虚拟语气是一种动词形式，表示说话人的愿望、假设、怀疑、猜测、建议等。

虚拟语气所表示的含义不是客观存在的事实。

在非真实性条件句中，假设的条件与事实相反，或实现的可能性很小，或讲话人主观上对此表示怀疑，谓语动词使用虚拟语气。

4 th period Practical Writing
Personal Letters (2)
These days, increased access to the telephone and e-mail has resulted in people writing fewer letters, but people still enjoy receiving and reading letters.
Informal Style
Knowledge of appropriate styles of language is an important social skill and one that teachers can help students develop. If you are writing a quick note to a friend, you do not need to worry too much about using the correct format or to include your address. Given below, however, is the layout for a personal (love) letter.
1735 Stanton Ave.
Richmond, V A 22045
May 15, 2004
My Dear Cheryl,
Loving you is so easy.
There are so many reasons why I love you…
The little things you do, the simple gestures you make, the feelings and thoughts that you share with me. I adore the way you look, the way you move, and your infectious smile.
There are so many things to love about you!
Do you know I love it when you daydream and you think no one is watching?
Do you know I love the way your eyes sparkle when you tell a funny story?
Do you know that I love the shape of your ears?
I could go on and on.
It’s important to me that you know that I love you — and how much I love you.
So whatever it is that you are doing, thinking or saying, as you go about your day — know that I am there with you, loving you.
Much Love,
Nathan
Friendly letters do not have to be as formal or serious as business letters, since normally they will be written to people you know. It is still a good idea to keep your audience in mind, however —don’t use slang if you are writing to your professors or bosses, or too many formal expressions if you are writing to a close friend.
For example:
Dear Fudge,
Hey, how is it going in Florida? Hope you’re having great weather. You wouldn’t believe the snowy winter we’ve had! Yuk! I miss going to the park in the afternoon.
So, what’s new with you? Are you going to try out for any spring sports?
What new games did you get for your birthday? Hope you enjoyed the gift we sent you. Can’t wait until we come down to visit you at spring break. Let’s go to Universal Studios again.
Catch you later,
Scooter
Dear Uncle Adam,
Thanks very much for the CD voucher you sent me for my birthday. I bought the soundtrack from “Titanic” with it, for I really loved the movie.
We’ve got a week-long study break in June, and Mum said I might get more work done if I came down and stayed with you. She doesn’t want all my mates to keep ringing me up and asking me out. Could I come down on Saturday (the 8th) and stay for the week?
You don’t need to pick me up from the bus station. I’ll get a taxi. If that’s cool with you, give me a buzz this weekend and I’ll tell Mum she can relax.
See you soon (I hope).
Luv,
Teri
5th period Text B
Questions About Paragraphs
1) Why did the woodcutter always whistle happily?
Because he believed he could earn enough to raise his children.
2) How was the woodcutter working one day?
He had been / was working very hard.
3) What happened to the axe when the man tripped over a root?
The axe slid down the bank and into the river.
4) Who came to help him?
The water fairy of the river.
5) What did the water fairy do after she understood his trouble?
She sank into the river to pick up his axe for him.
6) What did the woodcutter say when he saw the silver and gold axes?
He told the water fairy the axes were not his.
7) What was the woodcutter’s reward?
His old axe as well as the silver and gold axes.
8) Why did the water fairy reward him?
Because he told her the truth.
Language Points
➢woodman: n. person who lives in the woods, as a hunter, woodcutter, etc. 林区人；伐木人；樵夫
➢retell: vt. tell (a story, etc.) again, in a different way or in a different language再讲，重述；以不同方式（或语言）复述
➢ e.g. retell the text
German fairy stories retold in English
➢out:ad.“Out” is used to emphasize the distance that so meone or something is from a town or city.out 用来强调远离城镇的地方。

➢ e.g. I don’t want to live any further out.
She lives out in a village, ten miles away.
➢silent: a. making little or no sound 寂静的；无声的
e.g. the silent desert
the old silent movie
➢sparkle: vi. shine brightly with flashes of light 闪耀；闪烁
e.g. The sunlight sparkled on the surface of the water.
Her eyes sparkled as she laughed.
➢trudge: vi. walk slowly or with difficulty because one is tired, etc. 步履艰难地走；疲累（或费力）地走
e.g. trudging slowly back to the office
To get home from the station we had to trudge one and a half kilometers over rough roads.
➢whistle: v.吹口哨
e.g. He was whistling a familiar tune.
I could hear her whistling to herself in the kitchen.
He whistled to his dog to come back.
➢as long as: on condition that; provided that 只要，如果
e.g. As long as she’s in control there will always be problems.
We were perfectly warm as long as the sun was shining.
I can come as long as I can leave at 4:30 p.m.
➢bread: 在这里，bread不取本意，而是指一家人的生计。

e.g. He earned his bread as a top banker in the city.
Gardening is my bread and butter at the moment.
➢poem: n. piece of creative writing in verse 诗
➢fable: n. short story, often with animals as characters, that conveys a moral 寓言➢woodcutter: n. person who cuts down trees as an occupation 伐木人；樵夫
➢Fontaine让·德·拉封丹（1621—1695，法国寓言诗人。

以《寓言诗》12卷闻名于世）
Aesop伊索（公元前6世纪古希腊寓言作家，善讲寓言故事，经后人汇编成现在流传的《伊索寓言》）
➢chip: n. thin piece cut or broken off from wood, stone, glass, etc. （木、石、玻璃等上削或碰下的）屑皮；碎片
e.g. Wood chips flew everywhere.
potato chips
➢woodchopper: n. person who chops wood, esp. one who fells trees 伐木者；砍柴人，樵夫
➢ringing: Here “ringing” is used to describe the sound of chopping. The ringing axe actually means the sound of the axe chopping. 在本句中，ringing axe指斧头砍伐发出响声。

➢echo
1.n. reflection and repetition of a sound from a wall or inside an enclosed space 回声
e.g. The bat instinctively compares the sound of its cry with the sound of the returning echo.
The echo slowly died away.
2. vi. (of sounds) be repeated as an echo; (of places) repeat a sound（声音）回响；（地方）发出回声，产生回响
e.g. The sound echoed through the tall empty house.
Their voices echoed back across the water.
➢you might have thought… 人们会以为……Here “you” means people in general. 在这里，you 泛指“人们”。

e.g. You learn from experience.
You meet a lot of people through work.
➢dozen: n. set of twelve（一）打，十二个
e.g. I’ll have a dozen eggs.
eggs sold by the dozen
➢at work: working or engaged in work 在工作；在干活，在劳动
e.g. She wasn’t at work today.
She’s hard at work on another book.
➢by and by: before long; after a while 不久；过一会儿
e.g. He’s not ready yet, but don’t worry, he’ll be here by and by.
By and by we arrived at a large building on a corner.
➢awhile: ad. for a short time 一会儿；片刻
e.g. He waited awhile.
I’d like to rest awhile before we contin ue walking.
➢trip over: catch one’s foot on (and fall) 被…绊了一下；被…绊倒
e.g. She tripped over the edge of the carpet.
Don’t leave toys on stairs where someone could trip and fall.
➢slide: (slid /slId/) v.(cause sth. to) move smoothly along an even, polished or slippery surface （使某物）滑动；（使）滑行
e.g. Tears slid slowly down his pale cheeks.
The drawers slide in and out easily.
She slid the kid into the car seat.
Workers slid boxes across the floor.
➢forest: n. large area of land thickly covered with trees, bushes, etc. 森林
➢axe: n.tool with a handle and a heavy metal blade used for chopping wood, cutting down trees, etc. 斧；斧子
➢gaze: vi.look long and steadily or fixedly (at sb./ sth.), usu. in surprise or
admiration 盯着看；凝视
e.g. She sat gazing out of the window.
She gazed admiringly up at him.
➢fairy: n.small imaginary being with magical powers 仙子；小精灵
➢stream: n.small river or large brook 小河；溪流
➢surface: n. outside of an object; top of a body of liquid 表面；水面
e.g. the glassy surface of the water
The ring slowly sank beneath the surface of the swimming pool.
On the surface his words were funny, but I sensed a lot of anger behind them.
➢sorrow: n. feeling of sadness or distress caused esp. by loss, disappointment or regret; grief; particular cause for this feeling; misfortune 悲伤，悲痛，悲哀，伤心；悲伤的原因；伤心事，不幸的事
e.g. I felt no sorrow for her.
hide one’s sorrow
To his great sorrow he could not remember his mother.
his sorrow at having to leave the school
tears of sorrow
a time of sorrow
➢at once: without delay; immediately 立刻；马上
e.g. Grace, whose mind is always free from care, fell asleep at once.
Come here at once.
➢sink: (sank, sunk) vi. go down under the surface of a liquid or soft substance 下沉；沉没
e.g.We watched the boat sink beneath the waves.
Our feet sank deep into the soft sand as we walked.
➢beneath: prep. in or to a lower position than; under 在…下方；在…下面；往…
下方，往…下面
e.g. the wet grass beneath her feet
She quickly hid the book beneath the cushions.
Beneath that calm appearance of hers is a lot of anger.
➢reappear: vi. appear again (after being absent or not visible) 再出现
e.g. That couple left the neighborhood, then reappeared a year later.
The problems keep reappearing.
➢be made of:由…制成
e.g. The earrings are made of gold.
➢steel: n. strong hard alloy of iron and carbon, much used for making vehicles, tools, knives, machinery, etc. 钢
➢shake: (shook /FJk /, shaken /5FeIk[n/) vt. cause (sb./sth.) to move from side to side or up and down 摇，摇动
shake one’s head: turn one’s head from side to side as a way of indicating “no”, or to express doubt, sorrow, disapproval, etc. 摇头（表示否定、怀疑、悲伤、不赞成等）e.g. When I asked my dad if I could borrow his car, he just shook his head.
Joanna shook her head at her son’s bad behaviour.
➢silver: n. chemical element, a shiny white precious metal used for ornaments,
jewelry, coins, utensils, etc. 银，白银
➢missing: a. that cannot be found or that is not in its usual place; lost 找不到的；
缺掉的，缺少的；失踪的
e.g. a book with some pages missing
Three buttons were missing from his shirt.
Four children were missing from class today.
Notes on the Text
➢Once upon a time, out in the green, silent woods near a rushing river that foamed and sparkled as it hurried along, there lived a poor woodcutter who worked hard to make a living for his family.
从前，在远离城市的一座寂静的绿色树林里，在一条水流湍急、泛着白沫、闪着银光的河边，住着一位贫穷的樵夫，他为了全家人的生计而努力地工作着。

Once upon a time常用于童话开头。

out用来强调远离城镇的地方。

➢He always whistled happily as he went, because he was thinking that as long as he had his health and his axe, he could earn enough to buy all the bread his family needed.
他总是一边走一边开心地吹口哨，因为他想只要自己身体健康，斧子不出问题，他就能挣到足够的钱养家糊口。

bread 在这里指一家人的生计。

➢The chips flew fast at every stroke, and the sound of the ringing axe echoed through the forest so clearly you might have thought a dozen woodchoppers were at work that day.
斧头落处，木屑四溅。

清脆的砍伐声在森林中四处回荡，人们还以为那天有十几个樵夫在干活呢。

ringing axe指斧头砍伐发出响声。

后半句是一个so… that…结构，即so clearly that you…, 这里that被省略了。

➢He leaned his axe against the tree and turned to sit down, but he tripped over an old root, and before he could catch it, his axe slid down the bank and into the river!
他把斧头靠在树旁，转身想要坐下，可他被一个老树根绊倒了。

他还没来得及抓住，斧头就滑下岸，掉进了河里。

➢Just as he finished speaking, up from the lake rose a beautiful lady.
他话音刚落，湖面就出现了一位美丽的女子。

The main clause is in an inverted order. The normal word order would be:… a beautiful lady rose up from the lake. Another sentence in para.12 shares the same inverted structure: “Up she rose.” —“She rose up.”
这是倒装句，正常语序是：…a beautiful lady rose up from the lake。

第12段中的一句“Up she rose.”也是倒装句。

➢“It is yours,” said the water fairy, “and so are these ot her two now. They are gifts from the river, because you have told the truth.”
“这是你的，”水仙子说，“那两把现在也是你的了。

它们是这条河送给你的礼物，因为你说了实话。

”
Neither, nor或so 用于倒装句句首，表示“与前面提到的（人、事、物）相同”。

e..g.“My mother’s ill this week.” “So’s my sister.”
“I can’t speak French.” “Nor can I.”
“My son never eats onions.” “Neither does mine.”
6th period Improve Your Reading Skills
Basic Reading Skills
Understanding Paragraph Development (4)
描写也是段落展开的一种方法，作者通过词语把自己对人物和事物的印象呈现在读者面前，使读者对其要表达的主题有更深刻的理解。

我们在阅读描写段落时，不妨问自己一下：“What impression of s omething or someone does the writer want to leave us readers?” 比如本书第5单元课文B中的第2段：
The inside of Pete Richard’s store was even more cluttered than his show window. Behind the counter stood Pete himself, a man not more than thirty but with hair already turning gray.
作者在描写the inside of Pete Richard’s store时，用了more cluttered than his show window；在描写Pete时，作者写道：a man not more than thirty but with hair already turning gray。

这样，寥寥几笔就使得读者获得了对这家小店及店主的印象。

再比如，在第6单元课文A的第6段中：
I stopped. The soft little voice was coming through a half-opened door. I pushed the door open and saw a young boy, about five years old, lying in his dad’s arms, hooked up to more medical equipment than I had ever seen. Mom was on the other side, along with Grandma, Grandpa and a nurse tending to the equipment.
作者描写了自己当时所看到的一个男孩的情景：about five years old, lying in his dad’s arms, hooked up to more medical equipment than I had ever seen。