Unit one Love

Reading questions

Work in groups to answer the following questions I.what do you think about Erich Fromm s view on motherly love and fatherly love? Sample Motherly love by its very nature is unconditional. Mother loves the newborn infant because it is her child, not because

the child has fulfilled any specific condition, or lived up to any expectation. Fatherly love is conditional love. Its principle is I love you because you fulfill my expectations, because you do your duty, because you are like me"

II. Can you tell the difference between them according to your personal experiences? sample. It is true that motherly love is unconditional. I believe what I ve got from my mother is the deepest love I ve ever received. When I was at home, mother took good care of me and did what she could to meet my needs. For example, she remembered all

my birthdays and bought nice birthday gifts for me, but she never celebrated hers. At home she woke me up in the morning after she had prepared breakfast. Sometimes she even combed my hair while I was having breakfast so that I could get to school on time. She treated my classmates kindly when they were with me. I know

that s because they were my good friends. Now I m away from home, she calls me every two or three days asking about my college life and what she can do for me. It seems that my live is much more important than hers. As for fatherly love, I m not sure if his love is conditional, but it s different from

mother s love. Father also loves me very much. He pays more attention to my education and what I m going to be in future. He doesn t care much about my daily life, but asks me to keep him informed of my study and progress. During my last year in high school, he was usually patient with me. He encouraged me when I

wasn t doing well at school and helped me when I had difficulties. Father must have been a math wizard in his school days. He seemed to know all the solution to my math problems and could point out my weaknesses. Following his instructions, I began to feel interested in math myself.

Text structure

I. Introduction (para.1-4) The father s physical condition and how he managed to get to work.

II. Part two (para.5-7) The son s comment on the father s personality.

III. Part three (para.8-11) The father s attempt to experience things directly or indirectly.

IV. Part four (para.12-13) The father s influence on his son.

text Study

More than I realized, Dad has helped me keep my balance. (Subtitle) more than I realized: beyond my realization more than + +can/could … expect/imagine/believe … more than

Example: After hard construction work, the beauty of the city is more than words can describe.

1.When I was growing up, I was embarrassed to be seen with my father. (line 1) This can be paraphrased as I was embarrassed when other people saw me together with my father.

2. He was severely crippled and very short.. (line 2) Here cripple means disabled. The root word disable can always be used in passive voice, meaning to make a person unable to use his body properly. Example: He was disabled in the war. He lost his left arm.

3. If he ever noticed or was bothered, he never let on. (line 4) The phrase let on means reveal. Example: He never let on about his family s past.

4. It was difficult to coordinate our steps ---his halting, mine impatient. (line 5) Here his halting, mine impatient means his steps being halting, my steps being impatient.

5. He went to work sick, and despite nasty weather.. (line 8) Sick : adj., Sick here carries the meaning unhealthy, morbid condition Example: she has a sick (morbid) fascination with work.

6. and would make it to the office even if others could not. (line 10) Make it here means arrive in time. This phrase is a very formal way to say someone succeed in one s career. example: He s never really made it as an actor.

7. my sisters or I would pull him through the streets of Brooklyn, N.Y., (line 13) There are 5 boroughs or districts in N.Y.: Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island. Central Park and Harlem are located in Manhattan. Brooklyn is located just across the river from Manhattan.

8....that the warmer tunnel air kept ice-free. (line 18) Here -free is used to form adjs and adv, meaning without, or free from. More expressions: duty-free, rent- free, trouble-free, salt-free, carefree.

9...the subway station was the basement of his office building, (line 19) Basement is completely or partly below street level. Cellar is the underground room without windows and used for storing goods.

10. I marvel at how much courage it must have taken for a grow man to … (line 22) Marvel at sth (fml) means to be very surprised and often admiring. Example: I marveled at the maturity of such a young child.

11. … for a grown man to subject himself to such indignity and stress. (line 23) Subject sb/sth to sth means cause sb/sth to experience or undergo sth. Example: she was repeatedly subjected to torture.

12. Now that I am older, (line 29) now … (that) … means because of the fact (that) … Example: Now that you mention it, I do remember the incident.

13. when I came home on leave, he saw to it that I visited his office. (line 45) See to it that: make sure or check that sth is done. to it Example: See to it that you are ready on time.

14. He has been gone many years now,(line49) Here gone means dead. In English there are many ways to say that someone is dead: go west, pass away. They are called euphemism, instead of saying something more accurate or direct.

Words and phases

1. adjust (sth/oneself): become or make suited to new condition; adapt. Prep. to is often added to the back. Example: The body quickly adjusts (itself) to changes in temperature. Freshmen have difficulty in adjusting to college life.

adjust, fit suit adjust to fit (vt./vi.) suit (vt./vi.) fit ; suit (to match or make appropriate)

Her skirt fits her. Her skirt suits her.

fit in (with) His thought to take part in next months English speaking competition fits in with mine.

suit for/to That new product was not suited for/to the customers needs.

2. baseball: it is a game popular in the USA, in which two teams of nine players try to get points by hitting a ball and running around four bases.

3. coordinate: make various things work effectively as a whole. Noun form is coordination. Example: Dancers need coordination. We need a computer to coordinate our work.

4. envious means jealous. But jealous is considered to be a more unpleasant feeling than envious. Usage: I am envious. I am full of envy. I envy her.

5. halting is a adj. It s root word is halt which can be used as a noun and verb. Usage: call a halt to sth. halt! Who goes there?

6. t tt to keep ones balance: to keep steady, remain upright Example: You should keep the balance of your study.

7. i ii in frustration: ( in relief; in surprise; in astonishment; in horror; in fun; etc.