Unit 8 The Monster

 I Pre-reading Qs I Pre-reading Qs  II Text Analysis  III After reading  IV Exercises

I Introduction  ard%20Wagner  Richard Wagner  (person) by Beltane (3.9 mon) (print) ? 1 C!Mon Jan at 6:17:35 Composer; born May 22nd 1813 in Leipzig; died February 13th 1883 in ViennapersonBeltaneprint? Composer1813Leipzig1883Vienna

 As a young composer, Wagner's ambitions overreached his finances and he ended up in serious financial peril. He only survived this and was able to continue thanks to generous patrons and encouragement from other musicians. In particular, Franz Liszt was a big supporter.financepatronsFranz Liszt

 A sympathizer of the Democratic cause in France in the mid 19th cenutry, Wagner spent many years outside of his native country of Germany travelling Europe; his political associations made both his professional life and returning to Germany difficult.DemocraticGermanyEurope

 The propagation of Richard Wagner's music in the 21st century is nothing short of amazing, considering its humble beginnings. Wagner and his compositions were thrown out of almost every major city in central Europe. He himself was a womanizer, a gambler, a drunk, and a debtor. Egotistical, manipulative, and almost inconceivably ruthless, Wagner's success story would be impossible to believe, were it not for his relentless dedication to his art, and his startlingly original take on classical music that resonates even today.

 Monster  a. An imaginary or legendary creature, such as a centaur or Harpy, that combines parts from various animal or human forms. b. A creature having a strange or frightening appearance.

 Pathology A fetus or an infant that is grotesquely abnormal and usually not viable.  A very large animal, plant, or object.  One who inspires horror or disgust:

 adj.  Informal Extremely large; monstrous: a monster hit at the box office; ate a monster steak.

 The Gila monster and the closely related Mexican beaded lizard are the only known venomous lizards in the world. These heavy bodied lizards are easily distinguished from nonvenomous species by the bead-like surface and yellow or coral colored pattern of their skin. They are described as shy and retiring reptiles, not prone to attacking humans unless they are significantly agitated.  Arizona laws protect these fascinating animals from being captured or held in any manner.

 These large reptiles have a well-deserved reputation for clamping down on a victim with their teeth and not letting go. Most serious bites occur when the Gila monster's lower jaws secure a firm hold on the victim that lasts for several minutes.  The bite is described as extremely painful, although initial pain is generally confined to the area of the bite. Victims may also experience localized swelling, nausea, vomiting, high blood pressure, weakness, faintness, excessive perspiration, chills and fever.

 What to do if bitten If you are bitten, it is important to remove the lizard as soon as possible. One of the more practical ways to do this is to pry open the lizard's mouth with a strong stick--but be sure to allow the lizard a solid foothold on the ground while you are trying to pry it off.  The brittle teeth of the gila monster may remain imbedded in the wound and must be removed by a medical professional.  First aid in the field may include  irrigating the wound with plenty of water  immobilizing the affected limb at heart level,  reassuring the patient.

 Call Most patients with a Gila monster bite who call the poison center are referred to a medical facility.  There, the wound should be carefully explored for broken teeth. It is important to ensure that tetanus immunization is up-to-date and that the patient is observed for signs and symptoms of infection.  There is no antivenom available for treatment of Gila monster bite.  Want to see more? View a short video clip of a Gila monster

treach/poison/coralsnake.php  Arizona Coral Snake  The Arizona coral snake is a small snake with a characteristic pattern of black, yellow and red rings that encircle its body. This pattern distinguishes it from many look-alike nonvenomous snakes. The Arizona coral snake averages less than 2 feet.  It is a shy animal, rarely responsible for significant bites. There has never been a death attributed to the Arizona species.

 The size of the snake and immobility of its fangs make bites unlikely. Nonetheless, this snake should not be handled. A bite will cause tiny puncture wounds, minimal pain and swelling. Symptoms are often delayed. Complaints of drowsiness, apprehension, giddiness, nausea, vomiting and salivation can appear 1 to 7 hours after the bite.  First aid measures are of little value. You should withhold food, drink or medication. Do not delay--take the victim to a medical facility.

Scorpions  Like bees and spiders, scorpions are arthropods. Only one of the 30 species of scorpions found in Arizona is regarded as life-threatening: the Bark Scorpion (Centruroides exilicauda). It may be distinguished from other less toxic species by its more slender tail segments and pincers. Reaching only an inch and a half at maturity, it is a comparatively small scorpion. It is also the best climber of the scorpion species.  Scorpions are relatively inactive during the daylight hours. The majority of stings reported to the poison center occur at night during the warm summer months.

 Signs & Symptoms: Scorpion stings can cause immediate local pain with minimal swelling. Numbness and tingling are frequently reported. The injured area may be very sensitive to touch, pressure, heat and cold.  Small children are at highest risk of severe reactions. They can show jerky body and wild eye movements. 

 First Aid: The majority of stings occurring in healthy young adults may be managed at home with basic first aid measures and follow-up.  First aid should include  cleaning the site with soap and water  cool compress

 elevating the affected limb to approximately heart level  aspirin or Tylenol as needed for minor discomfort  Stings occurring in children or any patient experiencing severe symptoms should be seen at a medical facility immediately.  Call if a child under 5 has been bitten or if an older patient is experiencing more than minor discomfort.

II Text Analysis  Para1-9 This part gives an account of the peculiar features of a monster in his appearance and personality.

 Para10 The paragraph serves as a transitional part, which clarifies who this monster really is.  Para The part justifies all the peculiar behaviors of the monster. Richard Wagner, as “one of the world’s greatest dramatist…a great thinker…one of the most stupendous musical geniuses”, has every reason to be a monster.

III language work

sickly  Prone to sickness.  Of, caused by, or associated with sickness: a sickly pallor.  Conducive to sickness: a sickly climate.  Causing nausea; nauseating.  Lacking vigor or strength; feeble or weak: a sickly handshake.

 Delusions of grandeur: a false belief in oneself as a person with great beauty, power, or intelligence, etc.  In relation to himself: concerning, with regard to  To hear him talk, he was … He was often heard to boast of being a genius with a combined quality of Shakespeare, the greatest dramatist, Beethoven, the greatest composer and Plato, the greatest philosopher.

 He had a mania for being in the right. he has an extremely strong desire of being right.  The slightest hint of disagreement was and how trivial point, was enough to set him off on a harangue that might last for hours. If anyone disagreed with him, no matter how small the sign of disagreement was and how trivial the point was, he would make a lengthy speech for hours to prove himself right.

 Volubility: the characteristic of always being ready to produce a continuation of words, or being talkative.  For the sake of: 1) For the good of advantage of 2) For the purpose of

 Out of sorts: in a bad temper; feeling unwell or annoyed  Sink into suicidal gloom: fall into a gloomy state which makes one wish to kill himself  Darkly: in a vaguely threatening or menacing manner  Grief-stricken: overcome with, characterized by, or resulting from great sorrow

 He was convinced that the world owed him a living. he firmly believed that the world had to support him for a living.  He wrote begging letters by the score, sometimes groveling without shame, at others loftily offering his intended benefactor the privilege of contributing … He wrote large numbers of letters to his patron begging shamelessly for money, but in a manner that it seemed to be an honor for the patron to be offered the chance to provide his support to him.

 Nerves: nervous agitation caused by fear, anxiety, or stress: an attack of nerves.  get on (someone's) nerves  To irritate or exasperate.  strain every nerve  To make every effort.

Agony:  The suffering of intense physical or mental pain.  The struggle that precedes death.  A sudden or intense emotion: an agony of doubt.  A violent, intense struggle.

delusion  be under a delusion  labour under a delusion  delusion 通常用于表示 “ 荒谬的见解 ” 或被别 人所 “ 迷惑 ” ，有时包含着 “ 神经错乱 ” ，或者 “ 没有区别真假的能力 ” ；  illusion 很少表示神经紊乱，也不表示没有 区别真假的能力，而表示 “ 由于视觉、感觉 的歪曲所造成的错觉 ” ，也可能是 “ 感情的因 素所致的错觉 ” 。

 如： The worst thing about the do-it-yourself game is that sometimes husbands live the delusion that they can do anything even when they have been repeatedly proved wrong.  有时丈夫们持有一种谬见，即使事实屡次证明他们的想法是错误的，他们还 是认为自己什么都会干。  Even he still lives under the illusion that country life is somehow superior to town life.  甚至此人仍抱着幻觉，不知何故，农村生活就是优越于城市。  He cherished the illusion that everybody admires him.  他喜欢以为大家都羡慕他。

 Eccentric:  One that deviates markedly from an established norm, especially a person of odd or unconventional behavior.

Conceit A favorable and especially unduly high opinion of one's own abilities or worth  No one admires a man who is full of conceit.  He is wise in his own conceit.  be full of conceit  be out of conceit with sb.  对某事厌倦； 嫌弃某人［某事物］  in one's own conceit  take the conceit out of sb.  打消某人的傲气

mania  He has a mania for (driving) fast cars.  She has a mania for ponies.  Strictly, mania is a kind of madness which makes people violent.  严格地说, 狂热是一种使人极端性的精神病。

 collecting mania  【心理】收集狂  dancing mania  【心理】舞蹈狂  persecution mania  被迫害妄想症 ( 一种精神病 )  religious mania  【心理】宗教狂  mania for dancing  跳舞迷  mania for winning cups and medals  锦标主义  mania of raising chickens  养鸡热

 Vegetarianism is the practice of not eating meat, including beef, poultry, fish, or their by-products, with or without the use of dairy products or eggs.

 The Healthy Vegetarian  How and Why  Vegetarianism is a groing trend right now with more and more people choosing it as their diet. Why? Everyone has their own different reasons, but all share in the many benefits. Vegetarianism makes sense to a lot of people. It entails more than just "eating like a rabbit", it is a healthy way of life. Contrary to popular opinion, iron and protien can be found in foods other than meat and dairy products! Vegetarians eat much more than lettuce, actually their diet is most likely more rounded than a non-vegetarian/meat lover.

Rave: talk wildly and inherently  to rave about one's misfortunes  大声嚷叫自己倒霉

Callous cold hard heartless insensitive unfeeling  callous skin on the heel  He is callous to rebuke.  His behavior on that occasion was extremely callous.

shudder  He shuddered when he saw the dead animal.  Shudder at the sight of…

grovel  The dog grovelled before his master when he saw the whip. He grovelled at the feet of conqueror.  他向征服者屈膝。

 grovel in the dust [dirt]  匍匐在地 ; 摇尾乞怜 ; 以享受卑劣的事物为乐  grovel at the feet of one's conqueror  向征服者屈膝

lofty  藐视  lofty contempt [disdain]  说大话  speak in a lofty strain

dumb  dumb as an oyster  dumb as an ox  dumb as a fish  as dumb as an oyster  as dumb as an ox  strike sb. dumb