CONTEMPORARY College English (Book 2) 创 作 单 位：辽东学院外语学院 本单元作者：齐家媛 The Man in the Water by Roger Rosenblatt Lesson 6

The Man in the Water by Roger Rosenblatt Lesson 6 Part One: Background Information Part Two: Text Appreciation Part Three: Text in DetailsBackground InformationText AppreciationText in Details Contents

Background Information 1. Roger RosenblattRoger Rosenblatt 2. Presidential MonumentsPresidential Monuments 3. The Potomac RiverThe Potomac River Home

1. Roger Rosenblatt Professor of English Professor of Writing AB, New York University Ph.D, Harvard University Roger Rosenblatt is a journalist, author, playwright and professor. As an essayist for Time magazine, he has won two George Polk Awards, and awards from the Overseas Press Club and the American Bar Association, among others. He is the author of six books. Home

2. Presidential Monuments 1 Washington Monument In recognition of his leadership in the cause of American independence, Washington earned the title "Father of his Country". With this monument, the citizens of the United States show their enduring gratitude and respect for the first president in the United States.

Home 2. Presidential Monuments 2 Jefferson Memorial Thomas Jefferson — political philosopher, architect, musician, book collector, horticulturist （园艺学家）, scientist, diplomat, inventor, and third President of the United States, also author of the Declaration of American Independence, and Father of the University of Virginia.

Home 2. Presidential Monuments 3 Lincoln Memorial The Lincoln Memorial is a tribute to President Abraham Lincoln and the nation he fought to preserve during the Civil War ( ). The Lincoln Memorial was built to resemble a Greek temple. It has 36 Doric columns, one for each state at the time of Lincoln’s death. A sculpture by Daniel Chester French of a seated Lincoln is in the center of the memorial chamber.

Home 3. The Potomac River Simpson, famous American football player and actor, was charged with murdering his former wife and her boy friend and eventually declared innocent. The jury spent three hours deliberating the case that had produced 150 witnesses over 133 days and had cost $15 million to try.

Home Text Appreciation Theme of the text A Song: Hero

Theme of the text Heroism: Heroism of course has been admired. But this man’s heroism was unusual. People usually expect revolutionaries to die martyrs; true believers to be willing to die for their faith; people ready to lay down their lives in performing their duty; even people to show courage in their attempt to win power, influence, money or to save their loved ones. But the man in the water did not fit any of these descriptions. The man in the water did not have to give his rings to others; he did not even know these people. He was extraordinary precisely because he was ordinary. He showed what everyone of us could do. The display of his heroism was a song to the beautiful human character. This is true heroism. Home

Text In Details

Text in Details 1. As disasters go, this one was terrible, but not unique, certainly not among the worst U.S. air crashes in record. Air crashes usually involve a heavy loss of lives. Compared with other air crashed, this one was not the worst. This air crash was remembered for a different reason. as disasters go: compared with the average disaster of this type More examples of the use of “as something goes”: As writers go, Oscar Wilde was not the most talented. But he was among the most popular. As businessmen go he is considered pretty honest. Home

2. There was the unusual element of the bridge, of course, and the fact that the plane hi tit at a moment of high traffic. One thing that was unusual about this disaster was that the plane hit the bridge. “Element” here means “factor”. high traffic: heavy traffic; heavy flow of vehicles along the road

3. Washington, the city of form and rules, turned chaotic by a blast of real winter and a single slap of metal on metal. the city of form and rules: See Note 2 in Notes to the Text turned chaotic: became chaotic; was thrown into a terrible confusion a blast of real winter: a sudden strong really cold wind The word “blast” could also refer to a sudden explosion or a sudden very loud noise, e.g. The human-bomb exploded and more than 20 people were killed in the terrible blast. The music came in full blast from the next door, and I had to call the police to stop it. slap: a quick blow with something flat as in “a slap across the face”. Her of course it is used figuratively.

4. And there was the aesthetic clash as well – blue-and- green Air Florida, … sunk down among gray chunks of ice in a black river.. When the air crash occurred, it was not just a clash (a loud sound make by two objects) of metal against the bridge, but also a clash between colors: the blue-green color of the plane and the gray and black color of the ice and river. the aesthetic clash: the combination of different colors which look very bad (“aesthetic”: something connected with the study of beauty) Air Florida: The Florida Airline. Also: Air France, Air Japan (JAL) chunk: a fairly large amount of, e.g. a chunk of meat; a chunk of rice

5. Still, there was nothing very special in any or it, except death, which, while always special, does not necessarily bring millions to tears or to attention. while always special: although (it is) always special, e.g. Money, while desirable and useful, can corrupt. Their life, while rich and comfortable, somehow lacks meaning. not necessarily: possibly but not certainly, e.g. New things are not necessarily better. Teachers do not necessarily know more than students sometimes. bring millions to tears to or attention: make millions cry or attract millions of people’s attention

6. Why, then, the shock here? Why was there such a shock here? Notice the structure of this kind of elliptical sentence, e.g. Five o’clock? Why so early? To go to Afghanistan? Why me? If so many businesses can’t compete with other countries, why WTO then?

7. Here, after all, were two forms of nature in collision: the elements and human character. the element: the bad weather the two forms of nature: the bad weather and the human character. Both are forms of natural power. collision: clash; two people or vehicles or ideas hitting each other while moving directly toward each other Note: Do not mix it up with the word “coalition”.