Unit 8 Fourteen Steps Hal Manwaring

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An Integrated English Course Book 2
Shi Xiuhua 84724483 Shixiuhuadalian_at_163.com
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Unit 8Fourteen StepsHal Manwaring
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Teaching Points

• Pre-reading Questions
• Structural Analysis
• Language Points
• Useful Words and Phrases
• Text-based Discussion
• Text-based Exercises

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Pre-reading Questions

• Can an invalid lead a happy and successful life?
  Please explain.
• 2. How would you show your appreciation if
  somebody helps you when you are in trouble?

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Main Idea of Fourteen Steps

• Hal Manwaring was a crippled man who needed a
• crutch to get around. One dark rainy night, as he
  
• was driving home, a tire blew on his car and
  forced
• him off the road. Noticing a light on in a nearby
  
• house, he thumped slowly along the shoulder to
• see if someone there could help him. He was
• feeling sorry for himself that a crippled man
  should
• be so inconvenienced.

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• when a little girl opened the door of the house.
  He
• called out that he had a flat tire and couldnt
• change it because of his handicap. The little
  girl
• went back in the house and soon emerged with an
• old man who, with the little girls help, changed
  the
• tire in the pouring rain. Hal offered to pay the
  old
• man, but was refused. Nevertheless Hal held out a
  
• 20 bill, but the old man didnt make any move to
  
• take it. The little girl came closer to the
  window
• and whispered, he cant see. Grandpa is blind,
• she said.

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• Hal said he was overcome with horror
• as the situation played over and over in
• his mind driving home. He had used his
• crutch as an excuse and the old man
• never gave a moments concern that he
• was blind.

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Structural Analysis

• The text is composed of four parts
• Part I (Paragraph 1-2)about the authors first
  life
• Part II (Paragraph 3-5)about the authors
  second life
• Part III (Paragraph 6-8)about the incident that
  gave the author his third life
• Part IV (Paragraph 9-10) the authors reflection
  on the help he got from the flat tire incident.

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• Paragraphs 1-2
• The two paragraphs are about the authors first
  life which could be further divided into two
  phases the first phase was a hard struggle to
  make a living because of the early death of his
  father and the support for his paralyzed mother,
  and the second phase was a pleasant dream,
  because the author had everything that a happy
  life can offer.

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• Paragraphs 3-5
• The author depicts his life afflicted by the
  disease, especially the difficulty in climbing
  the 14 steps. However, what the author attempts
  to convey is not so much a picture of his
  struggles against the disease as his painful
  climbing of the 14 steps. Instead of boasting his
  strength and courage as one might expect, the
  author confides to us his frustration and
  disillusionment.

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• Paragraph 6-8
• The three paragraphs narrates firstly in
  paragraph 6 how he got a flat tire on one stormy
  night and desperate for some help. Then in
  paragraph 7 the author describes in details how a
  little girl and an old man managed to help
  replace the tire in the darkness of the gusty
  wind and slashing rain and his psychological
  movements while he was waiting for the work to be
  done. His offer of money to pay for the favor and
  the old mans decline were briefed in Paragraph 8.

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• Paragraph 9-10
• The two paragraphs are the authors reflection
  on the incident and his own life philosophy, from
  which he discovered the true value of life in
  helping others. The realization that the man who
  had helped him did it as a favor and was blind
  came as a value shock to him. From then on he
  stopped being a person who overflowed with
  self-pity and indifference but one whos willing
  to help others, though just in his small way.

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Language Points

• a cat has nine lives (Paragraph 1) an English
  proverb which indicates that cats are very tough.
  They seem able to survive accidents and
  hardships.
• God knows how hes still alive. He must have
• nine lives like a cat.
• San Carlos (Paragraph 2) a city in the US.

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• 3. the enormity of the situation swept all over
  me (Paragraph 6) the seriousness and
  helplessness of the situation gripped me.
• 4. In the next fewI had never felt before
• (Paragraph 9) In the next few seemingly
  never-ending seconds I was never so overwhelmed
  by such shame and horror.

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• 5. all things whateverso to them(Paragraph
  10) originally taken from the Bible which is
  interpreted as do to other people whatever you
  would like them to do to you. The converse part
  of the saying is do not do to other people
  whatever you wouldnt like them to do to you.

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Words and Phrases
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• 1. be inclined to to be likely or tend to
• Middle-class victims are more inclined to
  contact the police.
• I dont feel inclined to talk to him.
• 2. care for to look after
• He is very good at caring for sick old people.
• Caring for a nervous injured bird requires a
  lot of patience.

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• 3. afflict to cause severe suffering or pain
• The old man was afflicted with blindness.
• Pollution might be one of the major problems
  currently afflicting Third World countries.
• 4. with the aid of with the help of
• The bacteria can only be seen with the aid of a
  high-power microscope.

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• 5. install to set up
• The cost of installing a computer system can be
  justified in terms of greater efficiency.
• All gas stations have now installed pumps for
  leaded petrol.
• to a degree partly
• To a degree this course of action was forced
  upon her.

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• utterly completely
• Without UN help it would have been utterly
  impossible to arrange the conference.
• We utterly reject the philosophy of compulsory
  wage control.

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• disillusioned disappointed
• Disillusioned by his teams performance, the
  manager resigned.
• Impossibly high expectations of the new regime
  have left many voters disillusioned.

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• hold on to to keep ones grip on not to let go
  of
• Hold on to your ticketyou might need it on the
  return journey.
• 10. lead up to to come before and result in
• The book describes the trial and the events
  leading up to it in great detail.

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• 11. steer to control
• She has steered the company away from financial
  ruin.
• 12. jerk to pull suddenly and quickly
• He jerked the string and the light came on.

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• 13. swerve to turn suddenly to one side
• The driver swerved sharply to avoid hitting a
  dog.
• Next, the pitcher threw a curved ball, which
  swerved away from me as I lunged forward to hit
  it.

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• 14 .sweep to move quickly and smoothly
• A wave of panic swept over her.
• A new dance craze swept the country.
• 15. bundle to quickly push something or someone
  into something
• He had been bundled into the back of a
  Volkswagen by three masked men.
• There had just been time to bundle his
  bloodstained jacket and gloves into the washing
  machine.
• .

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• 16. slacken to become slower or less active
• The train slackened speed as we approached the
  station.
• we slackened our pace as we reached the village.
• 17 jack up to lift with a jack
• Why dont you jack it up and well have a look
  at the suspension?

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• 18 frail weak and poor in health
• A frail old woman with a walking stick came
  slowly down to the gate to meet us.
• His frail arm could barely hold his arm.
• 19. penetrate to enter or pass (into or through)
• Light cannot penetrate a brick wall.
• Our eyes could not penetrate the darkness.

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• 20. overflow with to be very full of
• Kerry handed me a glass overflowing with wine,
  trying not to let it spill on the carpet.
• Mother Teresa was respected by the people
  because she had a heart overflowing with love.

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• 21. indifference not caring about
• Though thoroughly apprehensive, he put on a show
  of indifference.
• All our requests for government help have been
  met with complete indifference.

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Text-based Discussion

• As we know, according to the author he has three
  lives, through each of which he has different
  life experiences physically and mentally. Now
  work in pairs and discuss how he differs in each
  of the three phases according to the information
  given in the table. Find as many words as
  possible that illustrate the differences. When
  you finish in ten minutes you are going to report
  to the class by both writing your words on the
  board and presenting orally.

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Changing Attitude
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Text-based Translation Exercises

• English into Chinese
• 1) I became afflicted with a slowly progressive
• disease of the motor nerves, affecting first
• my right arm and leg, then my other side.
• I managed to keep my health and optimism, to a
  degree, because of fourteen steps.
• Those steps were a gauge of life. They were my
  yardstick.

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• 2. Chinese into English
• ???????????????????????(a man of)?
• ???????,????????(disillusion, frustrate)?
• ??????????????????(dismiss)?
• ??????????? ?(slacken)?

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• You might think that here walked a man of
  courage and strength.
• As I became older, I became more disillusioned
  and frustrated.
• The though that a passing motorist might stop was
  dismissed at once.
• The rain seemed to be slackening a bit now.

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Yang Yangs Presentation
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Oral Work

• Work in groups of four and discuss the following
• issue
• Why do you think some handicapped people have
  negative attitudes towards life? How should we
  help them?