Unit 1 My Father’s Shadow

Para. 1 apprehension: 1) anxiety about the future, expectation of s

omething unpleasant 对未来的忧惧 e.g. We waited for their decision with a grea

t deal of apprehension. 2) the ability to apprehend or understand; u

nderstanding. 理解能力 apprehensive adj. full of fear or anxiety a

bout the future; worried 焦虑的，担心的 e.g. She was apprehensive about her

son’s safety.

Difficult Sentence• But what should have been a mission of Subject

joy (filled me with apprehension). Verb

这本应是一次愉快的旅行 ,  可我却忧心忡忡｡

Para. 1

stern: adj. serious, strict, severe 严厉的，苛刻的

e.g. The college president was a stern old Scotsman called Mr. Fraser.

sternly: adv.e.g. When she did not answer, he said sternly

and coldly, “Do you understand me?”

Paraphrasing ：…he had made particular demands on me, and though we (n. requirement) were very much alike, we’d grown very far apart.

…he had fussy demands on me and because of that we became very alienated from each other (we became very different from each other in our values and beliefs) though we looked so much alike in appearance as father and daughter.

demanding adj. too strict; requiring too much time or effort 过分要求的，苛求的

e.g. a demanding boss/teacher/parent/job/task

Questions for Para. 1Q1: How did the author feel about her trip to

Hawaii?A1: She felt pretty uncertain and worried about

what would happen, so she had more anxiety than joy.

Q2: How would you describe the relationship between the author and her father?

A2: It seems that between the author and her father there was a gap which was caused by the father’s “particular demands”. The last sentence is a clear indication that the following paragraph will be an account of some particular events about their breach.

Para. 2• hold up: to show as an example e.g. His son was held up as a model of hard work.

feminine: typical of a woman, especially in a way that is graceful or attractive女性的

  e.g. Nowadays many women rejected the old feminine roles of wife and mother.

• gregarious: a. (of a person) liking the companionship of others; not enjoying being alone; sociable 爱社交的，不喜欢孤单的  

• mingle v. to mix so as to form an individual whole, while keeping separate qualities 混合（通常不失去本身的特性）

• mingle with: be with; join; take part with 与接近；交往；往来

Translation: 如果一个国家的领袖不愿与普通人接近，那么他的领袖就当不长久。

If a leader of a country is not willing to mingle with average people, his leadership will not last long.

insistvi./vt. （常与 on/upon, that连用）主张；坚持

　 e.g. insist on the importance of being punctu

alI insist on your being there.We all insist that we should not rest until we finish the work.

adj. insistent 坚持的

follow in one’s footsteps: to follow an example set by someone in the past

效仿某人 , 步某人后尘e.g. Charles’s children will follow in his footsteps

and go to the same school.

• enroll v. to make officially a member of a group, school or course 吸收为成员，（使）入会、入学、入伍

e.g. She decided to enroll in the history course at the local evening school.

• enrollment n. Translation: 今年中国大学的总入学人数为 200万。

The total enrollment in Chinese colleges is two millions this year.

• marry into (a family or a social class): to become a member of a certain family or s

ocial class by marriage e.g. The only reason Camilla has so much m

oney is that she married into the purple. 嫁入显贵人家• clan: n. a large group of relatives, friends, o

r associates 家族；亲戚

• islands: Hawaiian Islands 夏威夷群岛

Question for Para. 2

Q: Would you please find out what particular demands the father put on the author?

A: The father expects the author to follow her mother’s model in all respects—not only in behavior, but also in the choice of companions, education, career and even marriage.

Para. 3• bullheaded: very stubborn 顽固的

• sandy: pale, brownish orange color

• clamorous: adj. noisy; making loud demands or protests 吵嚷的，大声要求的

e.g. They made clamorous demands.

clamor v. & n. e.g. The children were clamoring to go to the zoo.

Para. 4

• subsequent adj. following or happening after 随后的，继…之后的

e.g. The events I’m speaking of were subsequent to (=after) the war.

• ant. preceding

• resonate v. 1) to make a deep, clear, echoing or continuing sou

nd 回响，反响，产生共鸣 e.g. The music resonated through the streets. The hall resonated with the words of his powerful s

peech. 2) to be filled with a particular quality:

e.g. The building resonates with historic significance.

• adj. resonant 引起共鸣的 e.g. His deep and resonant voice always takes my b

reath away.• n. resonance

• disapproval n. (often used with of) having or expressing an unfavorable opinion 不赞成

e.g. My father could easily have opposed our marriage or at least expressed his disapproval.

e.g. Football managers voiced their disapproval of people who sell tickets unofficially.

• v. disapprovee.g. I’m sorry I must disapprove your action. The workers strongly disapprove of the firm’s ne

w methods on the assembly line.

• estrangement n. causing (esp. people in a family) to become unfriendly towards each other 疏远

e.g. His estrangement from his brothers and sisters made his parents quite worried.

estrange v. e.g. Steve became increasingly estranged fro

m his wife and children. His behavior estranged him from his frien

ds.

We might have gone on like that, the habit of separation hardening into permanent estrangement.

It was quite possible that the physical separation and emotional breach between us would further widen and eventually separate us forever.

– 我们本来有可能这样继续下去 , 让分离的习惯不断硬化成一种永久的隔阂｡ 

• tidal pull -- impulse

DIFFICULT SENTENCE

Questions for Para. 3-4Q1: What was the father’s attitude towards the

author’s marriage? And what was the reason?

A1: Her father obviously disapproved of her marriage, because he hoped that she would marry a man in his ethnic group on the islands so that she would settle down there.

Q2: How did the father express his disapproval?

A2: The father expressed his disapproval in silence: never to visit his daughter and never speak to her over the phone.

Para. 5• flood: to come in large numbers e.g. Tourists flooded into the city.• due 1) n. sth. that rightfully belongs or is owed to sb., es

p. sth. non-material 有权获得或拥有的东西 e.g. He accepted all the praise he received as his d

ue. She never takes more than her due. 2) adj. 该到的；欠付的；预定的 e.g. When is the paper due? It is due on Monday.

Para. 6• prodigal adj. careless and wasteful with m

oney 挥霍的，奢侈的，铺张的 e.g. Don’t be so prodigal with your parent

s’ money.• prodigal son/daughter —浪子 e.g. The prodigal son had returned home.

• breach n. an opening or hole made in a wall; a break in friendly relations 裂口，裂痕 ; 决裂

Question for Para. 6

Q: Is the author prepare for the worst?

A: Yes. She is thinking of the possibility that her father might not accept her baby.

Para. 7• a crying, hungry Timmy

Other examples:The museum owns a Van Gogh.I am going to buy a Kodak.There isn’t a single Jones in the

village.A Mrs. Johnson called this morning.

Para. 8• My father’s expression was

passive and hard to read. My father’s expression did not

reveal any emotions and it was hard for me to figure out what he was thinking about.

peer

n. A person who has equal standing with another or others, as in rank, class, or age: 同龄人，同等的人；与他人在阶级或年龄上相当的人：Children are easily influenced by their peers.

peerv.1)To look intently, searchingly, closely o

r with difficulty, gaze 凝视或眯眼看：专心地、探求地或较为费劲地看peer at someone over one’s spectacles 2)To be partially visible; show 隐退：若隐若现；显现：The moon peered from behind dark clouds. 月亮在浓云后面若隐若现

• shriek: to scream "Don't you dare do that ever again!" s

he shrieked.• alarmn. 1) 警报 fire alarm

2) 惊慌 panic This news filled me with alarm.

He jumped up in alarm.

alarmv. 1) 警告、惊吓 warn

I don’t want to alarm you, but there is a man in your garden.

2) 使惊觉、惊动 Alarmed by the noise, the birds flew away.

• unsettle v. to make sb. feel slightly nervous, worried, or upset 使不安宁，使焦急，搅乱

• e.g. The sudden changes unsettled her.

unsettling & unsettled adj.

Question for Para. 8

Q: What is the father’s initial reaction to the arrival of the author’s family? Try to pick out some phrases that indicate his reaction.

A: Phrases and words such as “passive, greeted…politely, peered cautiously, stepped back in alarm” all show that the father was uncertain as much as his daughter. That is why the author finds it hard to read his expression.

• retire v. 1) withdraw (for rest, seclusion, etc. or from

work, duties, fight, etc)• Translation: 他从那个令人羡慕的职位下来已

经两年了。 (retire; enviable) He has retired from that enviable position f

or two years. 2) go to bed tuck: to put into; to put in a safe place crib: a bed with high sides for a young child

or baby 婴儿床

Para. 10 &11

• a bottle: metonymy

• Another example: The pen (i.e. the power of words or language) is mightier than the sword (physical violence).

• fretful: anxious because of discomfort 烦躁的，焦躁的

• wail n. cry 嚎啕• gurgle: happy low sound• plump: chubby; fat• gleefully: in such a way as showing gr

eat joy and satisfaction

• tickle: v. to touch lightly with the fingers in order to make someone laugh

e.g. Many people hate having their feet tickled.

n. itchy feeling e.g. I’ve got a slight tickle in my thro

at and it’s making me cough. croon: to hum or sing softly 低声歌唱

Para. 12• spell n. 1) a period of a particular kind of activity, w

eather, illness, etc. 一阵子，一段时间 e.g. There will be spells of sunshine/sunny s

pells this afternoon. After a short spell in hospital she was soo

n back at work. 2) 咒语，魔法 e.g. The witch put a spell on princess snow-

white and only one man can break it.

It was then that I began to suspect that my f

ather had wanted to mend the breach as much as I had.

– Only at that very moment I started to realize that my father had wished to reconcile with me much as I had wanted to.

Para. 13• tension: a strained relationship

between individuals, countries, etc.e.g. The signing of this agreement will

help to reduce international tension.• uniform: adj. the same or consistent, as

from example to example or from place to place; constant

e.g. The air-conditioning system maintains a uniform temperature throughout the building.

uniformity n.e.g. Most modern housing developments

show a tedious uniformity of design.

Having claimed his hapa haole grandson, my father no longer defined our family by a uniform set of features.

– My father’s acceptance of his half-Chinese grandson showed that he had become tolerant of the ethnic differences and no longer insisted that all his family members should look alike.

    父亲接受了他混血白种的外孙 , 不再用一套统一的特征来界定自己的家族｡ 

Question for Para. 12-13

Q: What does the author mean when she says “…my father no longer defined our family by a uniform set of features”

A: She intends to tell the readers the changes in her father. Her father’s acceptance of his crossbred grandchild is a sign of his eventual acceptance of ethnic differences. Here the author seems to suggest that the biological relations between the grandfather and the grandson have prevailed.

Para. 14

• splash: to move in water so that drops of it go in all directions 飞溅

• Timmy, now a toddler, splashed in the surf with his grandfather.

此时的蒂米已经开始学步 , 同他的外祖父一道在海边的浪花里嬉闹｡

Para. 15

• So pleased… “New York family.” Note the sequence.• trail v. to follow; to follow the trail of; track

跟在后面 ; 跟踪 e.g. Susie trailed along behind her parents. The police trailed the criminal to his hidin

g-place. bouncing: healthy and active

Question for Para. 14-15

Q: What does it mean by “…trailed by a different, bouncing shadow” ？

A: It means that wherever the old Chinese man goes, his grandson follows his like a shadow. It indicates their intimate relationship.

You Are My Sunshine

• The other night dear, as I lay sleepingI dreamed I held you in my armsBut when I awoke, dear, I was mistakenSo I hung my head and I cried.

You are my sunshine, my only sunshineYou make me happy when skies are grayYou'll never know dear, how much I love youPlease don't take my sunshine away

• I'll always love you and make you happy,If you will only say the same.But if you leave me and love another,You'll regret it all some day:

You told me once, dear, you really loved meAnd no one else could come between.But now you've left me and love another;You have shattered all of my dreams.

• You are my sunshine, my only sunshineYou make me happy when skies are grayYou'll never know dear, how much I love youPlease don't take my sunshine away

Type of Literature ： NARRATION

FEATURES OF NARRATION:

– A context usually concerns who, when, where and what in brief.

– A narrative generally has a beginning, a middle, which is also called the body, that develops the story with the rising, the climax and then the falling of the event, and an ending.

– The narration can be organized in chronological order, or start from the middle or end of the story, and then go back to the beginning by using flashbacks.

STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS

• Paragraph 1 — INTRODUCTION of the event

• Paragraph 2 – 4 — FLASHBACK of the clashes

Paragraph 5- 6TRANSITION — CHANGE INATTITUDE & INNER CONFLICT

• Paragraph 7-13 — DEVELOPMENT

RISING of THE EVENT — paragraph 7 - 9CLAMAX — paragraph 10 -12FALLING of THE EVENT — paragraph 13

• Paragraph 14 -15 — ENDING

1 Animal conservationists strongly disapprove of experimenting on/upon animals.

2 Shelly walked into the museum under the stern gaze of the curator.

3 After a spell in the advertising business, Jim began to work for a large insurance firm.

4 It was estimated that 50 000 people flooded into London over the weekend for the opening of the Commonwealth Games

TranslationTranslation ：：

5 He rushed into the busy street and mingled with the crowd, hoping (that) the police would not spot him in that way.

6 He tiptoed quietly out of the room so as not to wake her up.

7 He bought the painting as a status symbol, not (out of particular interest in art) because he was particularly interested in art.

8 Jim was always disappointed that his son never followed in his footsteps and took over the farm.