1、大学英语精读第 1册 (5)UNIT5TEXTA miserable and merry Christmas?How could it be?A Miserable, Merry ChristmasChristmas was coming. I wanted p pony. To make sure that my parents understood, I declared that I wanted nothing else.“Nothing but a pony?“ my father asked.“Nothing,“ I said.“Not even a pair of high bo
2、ots?“That was hard. I did want boots, but I stuck to the pony. “No, not even boots.“Not candy? There ought to be something to fill your stocking with, and Santa Claus cant put a pony into a stocking.“That was true, and he couldnt lead a pony down the chimney either. But no. “All I want is a pony,“ I
3、 said. “If I cant have a pony, give me nothing, nothing.“On Christmas Eve I hung up my stocking along with my sisters.The next morning my sisters and I woke up at six. Then we raced downstairs to the fireplace. And there they were, the gifts, all sorts of wonderful things, mixed -up piles of present
4、s. Only my stocking was empty; it hung limp; not a thing in it; and under and around it -nothing. My sisters had knelt down, each by her pile of gifts; they were crying with delight, till they looked up and saw me standing there looking so miserable. They came over to me and felt my stocking: nothin
5、g.I dont remember whether I cried at that moment, but my sisters did. They ran with me back to my bed, and there we all cried till I became indignant. That helped some. I got up, dressed, and driving my sisters away, I went out alone into the stable, and there, all by myself, I wept. My mother came
6、out to me and she tried to comfort me. But I wanted no comfort. She left me and went on into the house with sharp words for my father.My sisters came to me, and I was rude, I ran away from them. I went around to the front of the house, sat down on the steps, and, the crying over, I ached. I was wron
7、ged, I was hurt. And my father must have been hurt, too, a little. I saw him looking out of the window. He was watching me or something for an hour or two, drawing back the curtain so little lest I catch him, but I was his face, and I think I can see now the anxiety upon it, the worried impatience.A
8、fter an hour or two, I caught sight of a man riding a pony down the street, a pony and a brand-new saddle; the most beautiful saddle I ever saw, and it was a boys saddle. And the pony! As he drew near, I saw that the pony was really a small horse, with a black mane and tail, and one white foot and a
9、 white star on his forehead. For such a horse as that I would have given anything.But the man came along, reading the numbers on the houses, and, as my hopes - my impossible hopes - my impossible hopes - rose, he looked at our door and passed by, he and the pony, and the saddle. Too much, I fell upo
10、n the steps and broke into tears. Suddenly I heard a voice.“Say, kid,“ it said, “do you know a boy named Lennie Steffens?“I looked up. It was the man on the pony back again.“Yes,“ I spluttered through my tears. “Thats me.“Well,“ he said, “then this is your horse. Ive been looking all over for you an
11、d your house. Why dont you put your number where it can be seen?“Get down,“ I said, running out to him. I wanted to ride.He went on saying something about “ought to have got here at seven l o clock but -“I hardly hard, I could scarcely wait. I was so happy, so thrilled. I rode off up the street. Suc
12、h a beautiful pony. And mine! After a while I turned and trotted back to the stable. There was the family, father, mother, sisters, all working for me, all happy. They had been putting in place the tools of my new business: currycomb, brush, pitchfork -everything, and there was hay in the loft.But t
13、hat Christmas, which my father had planned so carefully, was it the best or the worst I ever knew? He often asked me that; I never could answer as a boy. I think now that it was both. It covered the whole distance from broken-hearted misery to bursting happiness -too fast. A grown-up could hardly ha
14、ve stood it.NEW WORDSMiserable causing unhappiness; very unhappy 悲惨的Merry cheerful, full of lively happiness, fun, etc. 欢乐的，愉快的Pony 长统靴Candy (AmE) sweets 糖果Stocking 长（统）袜Chimney 烟囱Eve 前夕 Fireplace 壁炉Mixed-up (different things) put together 混合的，混杂的Limp soft; not stiff or firm 软的；松沓的Kneel go down or r
15、emain on the knee(s) 跪下Indignant angry at sth. Unfair 气愤的；愤慨的Stable building for keeping and feeding animals, esp. horses 马厩Weep cry 哭泣； 流泪Rude not at all polite 粗鲁的，不礼貌的Wrong treat unjustly 委屈Curtain 窗帘Lest for fear that 唯恐，以免Anxiety fear caused by uncertainty about sth. 焦虑Impatience inability to w
16、ait calmly 不耐烦，急躁PatienceBrand 商标，牌子Brand-new entirely new and unused 崭新的Saddle 马鞍Mane 马鬃Forehead that part of the face above the eyes and below the hair 前额Kid child Splutter speak quickly and confusedly (from excitement etc.)语无伦次地说Scarcely hardly, almost not 几乎不，简直不ScarceThrill excite greatly 使非常激动
17、Trot run or ride slowly, with short steps (马)小跑Currycomb a special comb used to rub and clean a horse 马梳Pitchfork 干草叉Hay dried grass 干草Loft a room over a stable, where hay is kept 草料棚Broken-hearted filled with grief; very sad 心碎的，极其伤心的Misery the state of being very unhappy, poor, ill, lonely, etc. 悲
18、惨；不幸；苦难Happiness the state of being happy 快乐；幸福Grown-up (of)an adult person 成人（的） PHRASES EXPRESSIONSMake sure act so as to make something certain 确保，查明Nothing but nothing other than; only 除了. 以外没有什么;仅仅,只不过Stick to refuse to give up or change 坚持，不放弃Hang up fix (sth.) at a high place so that it does
19、not touch the ground 挂起Or something (used when the speaker is not sure) 诸如此类Catch sight of see suddenly or for a moment 看到，发现Draw near move near 接近Break into suddenly start (to cry, laugh, etc.) 突然.起来In place in the right place 在适当的位置PROPER NAMESSanta Claus 圣诞老人Christmas Eve 圣诞前夜Lennie Steffens 伦尼。斯
20、蒂芬斯NOTES1.This text is adapted from Lincoln steffens Autobiography.2.Lincoln Steffens (1866-1936): well-known American journalist, editor and lecturer; author of The Shame of the Cities (1904), Autobiography (1931, etc.)3.There ought to be something to fill your stocking with:The modal verb “ought t
21、o “ is used to express the idea of obligation. Its negative(否定的) form is : ought not (oughtnt) to. In most cases “ought to “ can be replaced by “should“; of the two, “ought to “ is the more emphatic, e.g.Theres one thing I ought to tell you before I leave.Such things oughtnt to be done.The infinitiv
22、e phrase “to fill your stocking with“ is used attributively to modify （修饰） “Something“. An attributive infinitive often retains (保留) the preposition(介词) it requires, e.g.Id like to find someone to play chess (棋) with.Please give me a piece of paper to write on.4 . he couldnt lead a pony down the chi
23、mney either:Modern myth has it that on Christmas Eve when the children are asleep, Santa Claus comes silently down the chimney and puts presents in their stockings.5 . it hung limp:Some notional verbs (表意动词) can be followed by an adjective used as the subject complement (主语补足语) of the sentence, Here
24、 are some more examples:The sun rose red. (= The sun rose and it was red.)The moon shone pale.She used to sit silent for hours:The man was lying dead in the snow.6 And my father must have been hurt.Here “must“ implies a logical conclusion, e.g.You have worked all day; you must be tired.Your son was
25、in his twenties when I left. He must be at least fifty now.To express the past, “must“ is followed by a perfect infinitive, e.g.Mrs. Thompson looks so old. She must have been through a lot.They must have covered more than fifteen miles on that hot day.7 He was watching me or something.The phrase “or
26、 something“ means or doing something similar. It is used to express uncertainty about what one has just said, e.g.He is a carpenter or something.I think he left because he had lost his job or something.8 . he looked at our door and passed by, he and the pony, and the saddle.The words “he and the pon
27、y, and the saddle“ are parenthetically inserted into the sentence as an afterthought. Can you find any other example of the same kind in the text?9 Say: “Say“ here is an exclamation used to draw attention or open a conversation. In British English “I say“ is used instead, e.g.Say, look at those flow
28、ers.I say! Be careful! Youre hurting me!10 He went on saying something about “ought to have got here at seven oclock“.“Ought to have+ past participle“ is used to express a past obligation that was not fulfilled, e.g.She ought to have answered my letter a week ago (but she didnt)He ought to have told
29、 her about this earlier (but he didnt)11 But that Christmas, which my father had planned so carefully, was it the best or the worst I ever knew?Here “it“ refers to “that Christmas“. The sentence thus constructed(构造) reads smooth and natural. However, in a more formal style, it should read: But was t
30、hat Christmas, which my father had planned so carefully, the best or the worst I ever knew?STUDY PRACTICEWords to DrillAnxiety eve grown-up impatienceIndignant lest miserable miseryRude scarcely weep wrongReading Aloud and Memorizing1 Read the following paragraph until you learn it by heart, paying
31、special attention to sense groups and the sentence stress:The next morning / my sisters and I/ woke up at six. / Then we raced downstairs / to the fireplace. / And there they were,/ the gifts, / all sorts of wonderful things, / mixed-up piles of presents. / Only my stocking was empty; / it hung limp
32、; / not a thing in it; / and under and a round it / -nothing. / My sisters had knelt down, / each by her pile of gifts; / they were crying with de light, /till they looked up /and saw me standing there/ looking so miserable. /They came over to me / and felt my stocking: / nothing./2 Read the followi
33、ng poem:who has seem the wind:Neither I nor you:But when the leaves hang tremblingThe wind is passing through.Who has seen the wind?Neither you nor I;But when the trees bow down their headsThe wind is passing by.-Christina Rossetti (1830-1894)有谁见过风？不是我也不是你；一旦树摇叶婆娑，顿觉飘然风乍起。有谁见过风？不是你也不是我；但当林木低头时，便是一阵风
34、吹过。 - 克里斯蒂娜。 罗塞蒂Comprehension of the Text3 Answer the following questions:1.What did the boy want as a Christmas present form his parents?2.Why did his sisters become so cheerful and he so miserable after they got up that Christmas morning?3.What was the reaction of his sisters, his mother and his f
35、ather when they found him in a miserable mood?4.What did the boy see after sitting on the front steps for an hour or two?5.What made him break into tears?6.For whom was the man on the pony looking?7.Why was the man late in delivering the pony to the boy?8.How did the boy feel when he got his pony?9.
36、What made Lennie Steffens think later that that Christmas was both the best and the worst he ever knew?10.Retell the story from the point of view of the father.11.Do you think the boy a little too spoiled(宠坏了)？12.Have you ever experienced anything that first made you miserable and then very happy? I
37、f you have, tell it to the class.Vocabulary4 Find in the text the words or expressions which fit the following definitions:1. very unhappy _2. the evening or day before a special day _3. angry at something unfair _4. cry _5. impolite _6. do something unfair to _7. fear about something uncertain (不确定
38、的) _8. unwillingness to wait calmly9. see suddenly _10.hardly _5 Fill in the blanks with the words or expressions given below. Change the form where necessary.Miserable scarcely lest rude weepHang up make sure eve draw near impatienceNothing but in place indignant break into grown-up1. Their dialogu
39、e was so funny that we all _ laughter.2. The children of the Smith family are known for the _ with which they often treat their parents.3. The Great Depression (大萧条) of the 1930s was a _ period for millions of Americans.4. He looked behind him to _ that the was not being followed.5. The doctor _ his
40、 hat and coat after he came into the room6. She had changed so much that I could _ recognize her.7. People often _ at both weddings (婚礼) and funerals, though for very different reasons.8. They could do _ wait for the doctor to arrive.9. The old lady walked very slowly _ the glass vase (花瓶) slip form
41、 her hand and break.10. He felt very _ about the way he had been treated.11. When you have finished your work, put all the tools _ please.12. As the Spring Festival _ ,the housewives are getting much busier.13. Unfortunately, Jane got seriously injured (受伤) in a road accident on the _ of her wedding
42、.14. Lennies mother has told him time and again that it is _ to point at people.15. The _ watched a s the children played.6 Complete the following sentences, using the words given in brackets:1. As summer draws near, school children . for the vacation to begin. (scarcely)2. Though it may be difficul
43、t, one must always try . he or she makes. (stick to)3. Saint Valentines Day (情人节) is a time of happiness for lovers, but is often . lonely people. (misery)4. . among the workers about the future of the factory. (anxiety)5. As we drove by the bookstore, I . coming out of it. (catch sight of)6. Many p
44、eople experience real anxiety if they feel that . .(wrong)Word Building7 Give the noun form of each of the following adjectives:1.miserable _ 2.true _ 3.silent _4.angry _ 5.proud _ 6.honest _7.probable _ 8.free _ 9.anxious _fortable _ 11.impatient _ 12.safe _13.high _- 14.happy _ 15. young _8 Some c
45、ompound adjectives (复合形容词) are formed by a noun + an adjective, e.g.brand + new - brand -newair + sick - airsick (晕机的)Now form compound adjectives with the nouns and adjectives given below and then complete each of the following sentences with a proper compound adjective.Nouns adjectivesAge blindCar
46、e(忧虑) coldColor deepDuty(关税) freeGrass greenIce longKnee oldLife sickNation thinPaper whiteSea wideSkin SnowWorld1. His hair has become _ since I last met him five years ago.2. The two old men have been _ friends.3. Mrs. Smith first knew her son was _ when he thought that roses and grass were the sa
47、me color.4. What they are doing in Shenzhen has attracted (吸引) attention.5. They spent a _ summer in Qingdao doing exactly what they wanted to.6. This river is only _ in winter.7. The overseas Chinese (华侨) bought two bottles of wine in the _ shop at the airport.8. Since you tend to be _, wed better go to Ningbo by train.Structure 9 Make the italicized words emphatic (强调的) after the model:Model: I wanted boots.
