Unit 3 :The Road to Success

About the Author About the AuthorAbout the AuthorAbout the Author Warm-up Questions Warm-up QuestionsWarm-up QuestionsWarm-up Questions Structure Analysis Structure AnalysisStructure AnalysisStructure Analysis Intensive Study Intensive StudyIntensive StudyIntensive Study After-reading After-readingAfter-reading

Pre-reading Activities: Pre-reading Activities: Background Information

TimeEvent 1921 He was born in Ithaca, New York He entered the U.S. Coast Guard and began his writing career He retired from the military and became a full-time writer. 1965He published his first major book The Autobiography of Malcolm X.

Pre-reading Activities: Pre-reading Activities: Background Information TimeEvent 1976 He published the complete version of roots Roots won the National Book Award and a special Pulitzer Prize 1992He died in Seattle

Watch the following movie clips, and then answer questions. 1.What kind of people do you think is successful ？ 2. What is the biggest success you have achieved? What has led to this success?

3. How do you evaluate success? (or what is success to you?)

4. Do you think there are only two kinds of people, winners or losers? Why or why not?

Failure is the mother of success Failure is often a stepping stone towards success.

Structure Analysis Part One (para.1-2) The author explains the difference between “being a writer” and “writing”. Part Two (para.3-18) The author tells about his struggle to stick to his dream of writing and his final success. Part Three (19-22) The author owes his success to his courage and persistence in pursuing his dream of writing.

Unit 3 It is perhaps human nature to be drawn towards fame and wealth. Yet, as Alex Haley points out through his own experience, in order to become successful, one must learn to struggle in the Shadowland of dreams — a deep forest that can swallow up those who swing and hesitate. Only the determined stand a chance of making it.swallow up swing

Detailed Study The Shadowland of Dreams by Alex Haley Many a young person tells me he wants to be a writer. I always encourage such people, but I also explain that there’s a difference between “being a writer” and writing. In most cases these individuals are dreaming of wealth and fame, not the long hours alone at the type-writer. “You’ve got to want to write,” I say to them, “not want to be a writer.”

The reality is that writing is a lonely, private and poor-paying affair. For every writer kissed by fortune, there are thousands more whose longing is never rewarded. Even those who succeed often know long periods of neglect and poverty. I did.For every writer kissed by fortune, there are thousands more whose longing is never rewardedneglect

Detailed Study When I left a 20-year career in the Coast Guard to become a freelance writer, I had no prospects at all. What I did have was a friend with whom I’d grown up in Henning, Tennessee. George found me my home — a cleaned-out storage room in the Greenwich Village apartment building where he worked as superintendent. It didn’t even matter that it was cold and had no bathroom. Immediately I bought a used manual typewriterprospects and felt like a genuine writer.genuine

After a year or so, however, I still hadn’t received a break and began to doubt myself. It was so hard to sell a story that I barely made enough to eat. But I knew I wanted to write. I had dreamed about it for years. I wasn’t going to be one of those people who die wondering, “What if?” I would keep putting my dream to the test — even though it meant living with uncertainty and fear of failure. This is the Shadowland of hope, and anyone with a dreamThis is the Shadowland of hope, and anyone with a dream must learn to live there must learn to live there.

Detailed Study Then one day I got a call that changed my life. It wasn’t an agent or editor offering a big contract. It was the opposite, a kind of siren call tempting me to give up my dream. On the phone was an old acquaintance from the Coast Guard, now stationed in San Francisco. He had once lent me a few bucks and liked to egg me about it. “When am I going to get the $15, Alex?” he teased. contract temptstationHe had once lent me a few bucks and liked to egg me about it.

“Next time I make a sale.” “I have a better idea,” he said. “We need a new public-information assistant out here, and we’re paying $ 6,000 a year. If you want it, you can have it.” Six thousand a year! That was real money in I could get a nice apartment, a used car, pay off debts and maybe save a little something. What’s more, I could write on the side.

Detailed Study As the dollars were dancing in my head, something cleared my senses. From deep inside a bull-headed resolution welled up. I had dreamed of being a writer — full time. And that’s what I was going to be. “Thanks, but no,” I heard myself saying. “I’m going to stick it out and write.”well Afterward, as I paced around my little room, I started to feel like a fool. Reaching into my cupboard — an orange crate nailed to the wall — I pulled out all that was there: two cans of sardines. Plunging my hands in my pockets, I came up with 18 cents. I took the cans and coins and jammed them into a crumpled paper bag. Plung There Alex, I said to myself. There’s everything you’ve made of yourself so far. I’m not sure I ever felt so low. I wish I could say things started getting better right away. But they didn’t. Thank goodness I had George to help me over the rough spots.

Detailed Study Through him I met other struggling artists, like Joe Delaney, a veteran painter from Knoxville, Tennessee. Often Joe lacked food money, so he’d visit a neighborhood butcher who would give him big bones with small pieces of meat, and a grocer who would hand him some withered vegetables. That’s all Joe needed to make his favorite soup. Another Village neighbor was a handsome young singer who ran a struggling restaurant. Rumor had it that if a customer ordered steak, the singer would dash to a supermarket across the street to buy one. His name was Harry Belafonte. People like Delaney and Belafonte became role models for me. I learned that you had to make sacrifices and live creatively to keep working at your dreams. That’s what living in the Shadowland is all about.

Detailed Study As I absorbed the lesson, I gradually began to sell my articles. I was writing about what many people were talking about then: civil rights, black Americans and Africa. Soon, like birds flying south, my thoughts were drawn back to my childhood. In the silence of my room, I heard the voices of Grandma, Cousin Georgia, Aunt Plus, Aunt Liz and Aunt Till as they told stories about our family and slavery. These were stories that black Americans had tended to avoid before, and so I mostly kept them to myself. But one day at lunch with editors of Reader’s Digest, I told these stories of my grandmother and aunts and cousins. I said that I had a dream to trace my family’s history to the first African brought to these shores in chains. I left that lunch with a contract that would help support my research and writing for nine years.

Detailed Study It was a long, slow climb out of the shadows. Yet in 1970, 17 years after I left the Coast Guard, Roots was published. Instantly I had the kind of fame and success that few writers ever experienced. The shadows had turned into dazzling limelight. For the first time I had money and open doors everywhere. The phone rang all the time with new friends and new deals. I packed up and moved to Los Angeles, where I could help in the making of the Roots TV mini-series. It was a confusing, exciting time, and in a sense, I was blinded by the light of my success. Then one day, while unpacking, I came across a box filled with things I had owned years before in the Village. Inside was a brown paper bag.

Detailed Study I opened it, and there were two corroded sardine cans, a nickel, a dime and three pennies. Suddenly the past came flooding in like a tide. I could picture myself once again huddled over the typewriter in that cold, bleak, one-room apartment. And I said to myself, The things in this bag are part of my roots, too. I can’t ever forget that. I sent them out to be framed. I keep that clear plastic case where I can see it every day. I can see it now above my office desk in Knoxville, along with the Pulitzer Prize, a portrait of nine Emmys awarded to the TV production of Roots, and the Spingarn medal — the NAACP’s highest honor. I’d be hard pressed to say which means the most to me. But only one reminds me of the courage and persistence it takes to stay the course in the Shadowland.stay the course It’s a lesson anyone with a dream should learn.

swallow up 1.[T] If something large swallows (up) another thing, it makes it disappear or stop existing separately by making it part of itself An increasing amount of the countryside is being swallowed (up) by the town. Many small businesses have been swallowed (up) by large companies. 2.[T] to use or take away a large part of something valuable Taxes have swallowed up nearly half of my pay increase.

Swing verb. (swung, swung) move sideways 1. [I or T] to move easily and without interruption backwards and forwards or from one side to the other, especially from a fixed point, or to cause something or someone to do this. He walked briskly along the path swinging his rolled-up umbrella. The door swung open. 2. [I] to change His mood swings between elation and despair.

For every writer kissed by fortune, there are thousands more whose longing is never rewarded. 1. How do you understand “every writer kissed by fortune”? It means the writer who can achieve success. 2. Translate the sentence into Chinese. 幸运之神会眷顾一些作家，但数以千计的人心中 的渴望永远无法满足。

This is the Shadowland of hope, and anyone with a dream must learn to live there. 1. What is “the Shadowland of hope” like? It is a state of poverty, neglect, and fear of failure. 2. In the phrase “anyone with a dream”, what kind of dream is it? It is the dream to achieve success.

He had once lent me a few bucks and liked to egg me about it. 1. “Buck” is a rather informal word. What is its formal counterpart? It is “dollar”. 2. How do you understand the expression “egg me about it”? It is a slangy expression, meaning “annoyingly remind me of it”.

From deep inside a bull-headed resolution welled up. 1. What is the author’s “bull-headed resolution”? His resolution to become a full-time writer. 2. What kind of person do you know about the author from this sentence? He is a very determined person, sticking to his dream.

There Alex, I said to myself. There’s everything you’ve made of yourself so far. I’m not sure I ever felt so low. 1. What has the author made of himself so far? Two cans of sardines and 18 cents. 2. Translate the sentences into Chinese. 我对自己说，看吧，亚历克斯，这 就是你的全部家当了。我觉得前所 未有的沮丧。

For the first time I had money and open doors everywhere. 1. How do you understand “open doors” in this sentence? “Open doors” refer to the opportunities in the author’s life. 2. What can be inferred from this sentence? With the publication of Roots, the author achieved great success and became well-known. He was no longer the poor young man he used to be.

But only one reminds me of the courage and persistence it takes to stay the course in the Shadowland. 1. What does the “one” refer to in this sentence? It refers to the clear plastic case in which the two sardine cans and 18 cents were kept. 2. Translate the sentence into Chinese. 但只有一样东西会提醒我，在梦想的 阴影里坚持自己的方向需要怎样的勇 气和毅力。

reward: 1. n. 1) sth. that you get because you have done sth. good or helpful or have worked hard He received a medal in reward for his bravery. 2) money that is offered to people for helping the police to solve a crime or catch a criminal A $1000 reward has been offered for the return of the stolen painting. 2. v. give sth. to sb. because they have done sth. good or helpful or have worked for it Is this how you reward me for my help? She rewarded him with a smile.

CF: reward, award & honor reward award honor 这三个词都是名词，都有 “ 奖赏 ” 、 “ 奖励 ” 之意。 意为 “ 报答 ” 、 “ 奖赏 ” 、 “ 酬金 ” ，侧重指因为付出而应得 的报酬，如对做好事或者努力工作的报答，也可以指对帮助寻 回物品或缉拿犯人等而给予的酬金。例如： 比较正式庄重，指由于某方面出色成就、卓越贡献而正式给予 的褒奖，可指精神奖励或物质的奖励。一般指官方给予的奖励。 例如： 比较常用，可用于正式或非正式场合，表示尊敬或敬意。有时 可指显示荣誉的东西，如奖品、勋章、称号等。例如： The rewards of study cannot always be measured in money. He received awards from the government for his great contribution to scientific studies. The visiting president was given the honor of a twenty-one gun salute.

neglect: 1. n. failure to look after sth. or sb., or the condition of not being looked after; failure to pay proper attention to sth. He lost his job because of neglect of duty. 2. v. 1) pay too little attention to sth. neglect their warnings 2) not do sth. He neglected to write and say “Thank you.”

CF: neglect, ignore & forget neglect ignore forget 这三个词都是动词，都有 “ 忘记 ” 、 “ 忽略 ” 、 “ 遗漏 ” 之意。 为普通用语，指对职责、义务或应做的事等没有给予足够或适 当的注意。这种忘记可能是有意的，也可能为无意的。 指 “ 疏忽 ” 、 “ 不顾 ” ，强调对某人或某物故意不理会，有时 还带有固执地拒绝的意味。 指没有记住某事，其原因可能是该事情不重要或是较复杂，也 可指有意或无意地遗忘。 Many of these ideas have been neglected by modern historians. You can’t ignore the fact that many criminals never go to prison. I’m sorry, I’ve forgotten your name.

genuine: adj. 1) sth. genuine is really what it seems to be a genuine pearl (leather; gold; diamond; article; signature; love) 2) sb. who is genuine is honest and friendly and you feel you can trust him She seems genuine, but can I trust her? CF: real, true & genuine real true genuine 这三个词都是形容词，都有 “ 真的 ” 、 “ 真正的 ” 之意。 普通用语，指真实的，强调真实性。 强调客观事实与实际情况相符合。 指真实性是有据可查的，而且一般指物品的真伪。

contract: n. an official agreement between two or more people, stating what each will do You shouldn’t make a contract until you have studied its provisions carefully. Collocations: exchange contracts sign a contract break a contract

tempt: v. 1) try to persuade sb. to do sth. by making it seem attractive The new program is designed to tempt young people into studying engineering. 2) make sb. want to have or do sth., even though they know they really should not I’m tempted to take a day off. Patterns: be tempted to do sth. tempt sb. to do sth. / into doing sth. The offer of a free car stereo tempted her into buying a new car.

CF: attract, draw & tempt attract draw temp t 这三个词都是动词，都有 “ 吸引 ” 之意。 表示被无形的力量 “ 吸引 ” ，同时还有 “ 引起 …… 的兴趣或注 意力 ” 之意。 意思跟 attract 相近，不同的是 draw 更强调被 “ 有形 ” 的力量 或东西所 “ 吸引 ” 。 表示劝诱某人做坏事或蠢事，并含有勾引之意。 Directions: Fill in the blanks with the three words above. Change the form where necessary. 1 He tried to _______ me to cheat in the exam. 2. Like _______ like. 3. Nothing could _____ him to do such a foolish thing. 4. Street accidents _____ crowds. 5. The more he reads the book, the more he is ____to it. 6. He shouted to_____ attention. Key: 1 tempt 2 attracts 3 tempt 4 draw 5 drawn 6 attract

station: v. send sb. in the military to a particular place for a period of time as part of their military duty; (formal) move to a particular place and stand or sit there, especially in order to be able to do sth. quickly, or to cause sb. to do this Their regiment is stationed in Cyprus. The detective stationed himself among the bushes. stationary stationery

well: v. if a liquid wells or wells up, it comes to the surface of sth. and starts to flow out; if a feeling wells or wells up in you, you start to feel it strongly Anger welled up within me. I felt tears well up in my eyes.

plunge: v. 1) push sth. firmly and deeply into sth. else He plunged his hand into cold water. 2) move, fall, or be thrown suddenly forwards or downwards; if a price, rate, etc. plunges, it suddenly decreases by a large amount The disabled aircraft plunged to the ground and burst into flames. Share prices plunged as a result of the gloomy economic forecast.

CF: immerse, dip & plunge immerse dip plunge 这三个词都是动词，都有 “ 浸 ” 、 “ 浸入 ” 之意。 是正式用语，指把某物完全浸入液体中，也可以指专心于某事。 例如： 是常用词，把某物放入液体中，然后再马上从液体中提出。其 特点是小心谨慎或带有试探性。例如： 指投入水中，行为方式既快又猛烈，但未必入水很深，也 有 “ 插入，陷入 ” 之意。例如： Immerse your foot in ice cold water to reduce the swelling. She dipped a toe in the water to see how cold it was. The boys plunged into the pool together.

stay the course: (informal) finish sth. in spite of difficulties 1. 虽然他很累，他还是坚持跑完了全程 Although he was very tired, he stayed the course and finished the race. 2. She always stays the course and never gives up in spite of the difficulties and risks she has encountered.

[C or U] the possibility that something good might happen in the future Is there any prospect of the weather improving? [+ that] There's not much prospect that this war will be over soon. There's every prospect of success. prospects the possibility of being successful, especially at work She's hoping the course will improve her career prospects. Prospects of/for (= Opportunities for) employment remain bleak for most people in the area. prospect noun ( POSSIBILITY )

stay the course: (informal) finish sth. in spite of difficulties 1. 虽然他很累，他还是坚持跑完了全程 Although he was very tired, he stayed the course and finished the race. 2. She always stays the course and never gives up in spite of the difficulties and risks she has encountered.

stay the course: (informal) finish sth. in spite of difficulties 1. 虽然他很累，他还是坚持跑完了全程 Although he was very tired, he stayed the course and finished the race. 2. She always stays the course and never gives up in spite of the difficulties and risks she has encountered.

stay the course: (informal) finish sth. in spite of difficulties 1. 虽然他很累，他还是坚持跑完了全程 Although he was very tired, he stayed the course and finished the race. 2. She always stays the course and never gives up in spite of the difficulties and risks she has encountered.

stay the course: (informal) finish sth. in spite of difficulties 1. 虽然他很累，他还是坚持跑完了全程 Although he was very tired, he stayed the course and finished the race. 2. She always stays the course and never gives up in spite of the difficulties and risks she has encountered.

After reading Useful expressions Useful expressionsUseful expressionsUseful expressions Group discussionGroup discussionGroup discussionGroup discussion Proverbs and quotations Proverbs and quotationsProverbs and quotationsProverbs and quotations

After reading-- After reading-- Useful Expressions 1. 有 …… 的希望 2. 在多数情况下 3. 满足某人心中的渴望 4. 长期无人问津 5. 假如 6. 诱使某人做某事 7. 还清债务 8. 作为兼职 9. 上涌；涌出 10. 提出，拿出；想出（计划、答复等） 11. 把 …… 塞进 12. 到目前为止 13. 马上 stand a chance of reward one’s longing long periods of neglect what if tempt sb. to do sth. pay off debts on the side well up come up with jam … into … so far right away in most cases

After reading-- After reading-- Useful Expressions 15. 楷模 16. 作出牺牲 17. 品味教训 18. 公民权利 19. 保守秘密 20. 把 …… 上溯到 …… 21. 收拾行李 22. 在某种意义上；在一定程度上 23. 遇见，碰上；发现 14. 开一家生意清淡的餐馆 24. （大量地）涌来 25. 处境艰难，做某事有困难 26. 坚持到底 role model make sacrifices absorb the lesson civil rights keep to oneself trace … to … pack up in a / one sense come across run a struggling restaurant flood in be (hard) pressed to do sth. stay the course

After reading—group discussion Form groups of three or four students. Each student is required to tell others the successful person he / she admires most and summarize the characteristics that lead to the person’s success. The following words and expressions are for your reference. smart good opportunities competence diligence perseverance dream being optimistic sb.’s help talent independent outgoing warm-hearted …

After reading– After reading– quotations and proverbs 1. Self-trust is the first secret of success. 2. Success belongs to the persevering. 3. Confidence in yourself is the first step on the road to success. 4. The most glorious moment in your life are not the so called days of success, but rather those days when out of dejection and despair you feel rise in you a challenge to life, and the promise of future accomplishment. — Gustave Flaubert, French writer 自信是成功的第一秘诀。 坚持就是胜利。 自信是走向成功的第一步。 你的一生中，最为辉煌的时刻并不是功成名就的那些天，而是从悲叹与 绝望中产生对人生的挑战和对未来辉煌的期盼的那些日子。 —— 法国作家 G 福楼拜