Book 1 Unit 2

Book 1 Unit 2

Listen to the recording two or three times and then think over the following questions: 1. Have you ever heard of Dionne Warwick? Have you happened to hear her sing? 2. What does a fair weather friend mean?

3. What does Dionne Warwick think friends are for?

4. Does the song give you any idea of what the stories in this unit will be about?

Just what are friends for? To have fun with, of course, to share in the good times. Yet most people would say that a real friend is more than just a fair weather friend. A fair weather friend? A fair weather friend is someone who's happy to stay with you when things are going well but leaves as soon as trouble arrives, while a good friend, a true friend, is one who'll stand by you when you find yourself in difficulties. That's certainly what the American pop singer Dionne Warwick thinks. As she tells her friend ... you can always count on me, For sure, that's what friends are for, For good times, and bad times, I'll be on your side forevermore.

But she sings it better than I can say it. So let's listen to her as she sings her song That's What Friends Are For.

That's What Friends Are For Dionne Warwick

And I never thought I'd feel this way And as far as I'm concerned I'm glad I got the chance to say That I do believe I love you And if I should ever go away, Well, then close your eyes and try, To feel the way we do today, And then if you can remember, Keep smiling, keep shining,

Knowing you can always count on me, For sure, that's what friends are for, For good times, and bad times, I'll be on your side forevermore, That's what friends are for. Well, you came and opened me And now there's so much more I see And so by the way, I thank you And then for the times we're apart, Well, then close your eyes and know These words are coming from my heart And then if you can remember,

Keep smiling, keep shining,

Knowing you can always count on me, For sure, that's what friends are for, In good times, and bad times, I'll be on your side forevermore, That's what friends are for, Keep smiling, keep shining,

Knowing you can always count on me, For sure that's what friends are for, For good times, and bad times, I'll be on your side forevermore, That's what friends are for, Keep smiling, keep shining,

Knowing you can always count on me, For sure, that's what friends are for. For good times, and for bad times, I'll be on your side forevermore, That's what friends are for.

Text A

How do you feel when old friends are far away? Do you make an effort to keep in touch? Sometimes it is easy to put off writing a letter,

thinking that there will be plenty of time tomorrow. But then sometimes, as this story shows, we leave it too late. Perhaps reading it will make you want to reach for your pen.

老朋友天各一方，你心有何感？你是否努力保持联系？有时候写信的事很容易会一拖再拖，总以为明天有的是时间。然而，正如这则故事所表明的，有时我们拖得太晚了。也许读一读这个故事会让你提起笔来。

All the Cabbie Had Was a Letter Foster Furcolo

1 He must have been completely lost in something he was reading because I had to tap on the windshield to get his attention. 出租车司机拥有的就剩一封信 福斯特·弗克洛

他准是完全沉浸在所读的东西里了，因为我不得不敲挡风玻璃来引起他的注

意。

2 \ nodded, then said apologetically as I settled into the back seat, \ sorry, but I was reading a letter.\ something.

他总算抬头看我了。“你出车吗？”我问道。他点点头，当我坐进后座时，他抱歉地说：“对不起，我在读一封信。”听上去他像是得了感冒什么的。

3 \ “我不着急，”我对他说，“你接着把信读完吧。”

4 He shook his head. \ almost know it by heart.\ 他摇了摇头。“我已经读了好几遍了。我想我都能背出来了。”

5 \ me because I'm on the road so much.\ years old, I guessed: \ “家书抵万金啊，”我说。“至少对我来说是这样，因为我老是在外旅行。”我估量他有六七十岁了，便猜测说：“是孩子还是孙子写来的？”

6 \ think of it, it might just as well have been family. Old Ed was my oldest friend. In fact, we used to call each other 'Old Friend' ─ when we'd meet, that is. I'm not much of a hand at writing.\

“不是家里人，”他回答说。“不过，”他接着说，“想起来，也可以算是一家人了。埃德老伙计是我最老的朋友了。实际上，过去我俩总是以‘老朋友’相称的 —— 就是说，当我俩相见时。我这人就是不大会写东西。”

7 \

said. \ while?\

“我看大家写信都不那么勤快，”我说，“我自己笔头就很懒。我看，你认识他挺久了吧？”

8 \

“差不多认识了一辈子了。我俩小时候就一起玩，所以我俩的友谊确实很长了。”

9 \ “一起上的学？”

10 \ fact, through both grade and high school.\

“都一起上到高中呢。事实上，我俩从小学到高中都在一个班里。”

11 \ said.

“保持这么长久友谊的人可真不多见啊，”我说。

12 \ twice a year over the past 25 or 30 years because I moved away from the old neighborhood and you kind of lose touch even though you never forget. He was a great guy.\ “其实呢，”司机接着说，“近25到30年来，我跟他一年只见一两次面，因为我从原来住的老街坊搬了出来，联系自然就少了，虽说你一直放在心上。他在的时候可真是个大好人。”

13 \─?\ “你刚才说他‘在的时候’。你是说 ——？”

14 He nodded. \ 他点了点头。“前两个星期过世啦。”

15 \─ and losing a real old one is even tougher.\ “真遗憾，”我说，“失去朋友真不是个滋味，失去个真正的老朋友更让人受不了。”

16 He didn't reply to that, and we rode on in silence for a few

minutes. But I realized that Old Ed was still on his mind when he spoke again, almost more to himself than to me: \ Yes,\ 他开着车，没有接话儿。

我们沉默了几分钟。可我知道他还在想着老埃德。他又开口时，与其说是跟我说话，还不如说是自言自语：“我真该一直保持联系。真的，”他重复道，“我真该一直保持联系。”

17 \ than we do. But things come up and we just don't seem to find the time.\ “是啊，”我表示赞同，“我们都该与老朋友保持更多的联系。不过总是有事情冒出来，好像就是抽不出空来。”

18 He shrugged. \ mentioned in the letter.\ 他耸了耸肩。“我们过去总能抽出空来，”他说。“信里还提到呢。”他把信递给我，“你看看吧。”

19 \ personal.\

“谢谢你，”我说，“不过我不想读你的信。这纯属私事。”

20 The driver shrugged. \ Go ahead,\

司机耸一耸肩。“老埃德人都死了。没什么私事不私事了。念吧，”他催促说。

21 The letter was written in pencil. It began with the greeting \ Friend,\ write for some time, but I've always postponed it. It then went on to say that he often thought about the good times they had had together when they both lived in the same neighborhood. It had references to things that probably meant something to the driver, such as the time Tim Shea broke the window, the Halloween that we tied Old Mr. Parker's gate, and when Mrs. Culver used to keep us after school.

信是用铅笔写的。称呼写着“老朋友”，而开头第一句话让我想到自己。“早就想写信了，可就是一拖再拖。”

信里接着写道，他常常回想从前两人住在一个街坊时的快乐时光。信里提到些事，可能对司机很重要，比如“那次蒂姆·谢打破窗子，那年万圣节前夕，我们把老帕克先生的大门拴了起来，还有卡尔弗太太老是在放学后把咱俩留下训斥的那阵子”。

22 \ “你们俩准是在一起度过了不少时光，”我对他说。

23 \ those days was time.\ “就跟信里写的那样，”他回答说，“我俩在那个时候能花的只有时间。”他摇头叹道：“时间啊。”

24 I thought the next paragraph of the letter was a little sad: I began the letter with \ years ─ old friends. And there aren't many of us left.

信里接下来的那段我觉得有点凄凉：“信的开头我写着‘老朋友’，因为这么多年来，我们这对老朋友渐渐都老了。我们这些人当中留下的也不多了。”

25 \ of us left, that's absolutely right. Every time I go to a class reunion, for example, there are fewer and fewer still around.\

“你要知道，”我对他说，“信里说我们这些人当中留下的不多了，说得一点不错。比如说，每次我去参加老同学聚会，来的人总是越来越少。”

26 \ “时间不饶人啊，”司机说。

27 \ “你们俩以前在一起工作吗？”我问他。

28 \ then, when we were married, we used to go to each other's house every now and then. But for the last 20 or 30 years it's been mostly just Christmas cards. Of course there'd be always a note we'd each add to the cards ─ usually some news about our families, you know, what the kids were doing, who moved where, a new grandchild, things like that ─ but never a real letter or anything like that.\

“不，不过没成家时我俩总在一起闲荡。后来，两人都成了家，就不时相互串门。可最近这二三十年来，主要就是寄寄圣诞卡了。当然，我俩都总在卡上写几句

—— 通常是关于各自家里的情况，不是吗，孩子们在干些什么，谁搬到哪儿，添了个小孙子，都是这类事 ——

可一直都没正儿八经地写过信什么的。”

29 \ over the years has meant an awful lot to me, more than I can say because I'm not good at saying things like that.\ agreement. \

“这一处写得好，”我说，“这里写道：‘你多年的友谊对我非常重要，远比我能说出来的重要得多，因为我不擅长说这样的话。’”我颔首称是。“这话准让你听着开心，是吧？”

30 The driver said something that I couldn't understand because he seemed to be all choked up, so I continued: \ letter like that from my oldest friend.\ 司机说了句什么，可我没听明白，因为他似乎哽噎得厉害。于是我接着说：“我也真想收到这样一封老朋友的来信。”

31 We were getting close to our destination so I skipped to the last paragraph. So I thought you'd like to know that I was thinking of you. And it was signed, Your Old Friend, Tom.

我们快到目的地了，于是我跳到最后一段。“因此我想你一定想知道我惦记着你。”信末署名： “老朋友汤姆”。

32 I handed back the letter as we stopped at my hotel. \ with you,\ signed Tom?

我们在我的旅店前停下，我把信递了回去。“很高兴能和你聊聊，”我将衣箱从车上提下时说。汤姆？信的署名是汤姆？

33 \ Tom?\

“我记得你朋友叫埃德，”我说，“为什么他署名汤姆呢？”

34 \ letter I wrote to him before I knew he'd died. So I never mailed it.\ “这封信不是汤姆写给我的，”他解释说，“我是汤姆。这是我在得知他去世前写给他的信。所以我一直没寄出。”

35 He looked sort of sorrowful, or as if he were trying to see something in the distance. \ 他神情有点悲伤，似乎想看清远处什么东西。“我想我真该早些写这封信。”

36 When I got to my hotel room I didn't unpack right away. First I had to write a letter ─ and mail it.

我进了旅馆房间之后，没有马上打开箱包。首先我得写封信 —— 而且要寄出去。

Text B

If I don't make it, my friend will die out there, Bill McIntosh, the

old hunter, told himself over and over.

如果我不能挺住的话，我的朋友就会死在那里，老猎手比尔·麦金托什一次又一次地告诫自己。

Never Let a Friend Down Jim Hutchison

1 \ 59-year-old Royce Wedding as they drank beer at the Eureka Hotel in the

Australian town of Rainbow. Royce shook his head. \ off the weeds on one of our fields.\ 决不抛弃朋友 吉姆·赫奇森

“下午去看足球赛吗？”比尔·麦金托什问59岁的罗伊斯·韦丁。他们两人正在澳大利亚的虹镇尤里卡饭店喝啤酒。罗伊斯摇摇头。“我答应我妈给我家的一块地烧荒。”

2 Bill, who was thin but strong, looking far less than his 79 years, peered outside at the heat. A light breeze was blowing from the north, making conditions perfect for the burn. But Bill felt uneasy about Royce doing the job alone. The farmer had a bad leg and walked with great difficulty.

比尔瘦削而结实，79岁，但看上去远没有那么老。他望着外面的炎热空气。一阵轻风自北向南吹，这条件最适宜烧荒了。不过比尔对罗伊斯独自干这活不放心。这个农夫有条腿不好，行走很费劲。

3 The pair had been best of friends for 30 years, ever since the days when they traveled together from farm to farm in search of work. Now, living alone 12 miles east of town, Bill scraped a living hunting foxes and rabbits. Once a fortnight he went to town to buy supplies and catch up with Royce, who helped run the Wedding family's farm. \ hand,\

两人曾一起从一个农场走到另一个农场寻些活儿干，迄今已是30年的好朋友了。如

今比尔独自一人住在镇东12英里处，靠打狐狸和野兔勉强过活。他两个星期一次前来小镇购物，会会帮着经管自家的农场的罗伊斯。“我帮你一把，”比尔说。

4 The pair set off in Royce's car. Soon they were bumping over a sandy track to the weed-choked 120-acre field. \ of this stuff,\ 50-foot chain. Soaking the tire with gasoline, Bill put a match to it and jumped in the car.

两人坐着罗伊斯的车动身了。没多一会儿他们就颠簸在一条沙土路上，朝一块面积120公顷、杂草丛生的田地开去。“火是除去这玩意儿的惟一办法，”比尔说。他们用根50英尺长的链条把一个旧轮胎绑在牵引杆上。比尔在轮胎上浇透汽油，划根火柴一点，便跳进车里。

5 Driving slowly from the southern edge of the field, they worked their way upwind, leaving a line of burning weeds in their wake. Half way up the field, and without warning, the car pitched violently forward, plowing into a hidden bank of sand.

两人从农田的南边缓缓开车逆风而行，所过之处留下一条燃着的草带。开到地当中，车猛地朝前一颠，没等察觉，就陷进了一个被草遮着的沙堆。

6 The breeze suddenly swung around to their backs and began to gather strength. Fanned to white heat, the fire line suddenly burst into a wall of flame, heading directly toward them. \ said.

微风突然转向，朝两人身后吹来，而且越吹越强。火仗风势，烧得炽热，一条火带顿时就变成一道火墙，直扑两人而来。“咱们快离开这儿！”罗伊斯说道。

7 Desperately he tried to back the car out of the sand bank. But the wheels only spun deeper in the soft sand.

他拼命想把车倒出沙堆。可车轮在软沙里越转陷得越深。

8 Suddenly the fire was on them. Bill pushed open his door only to find himself flung through the air as, with a roar, the gasoline tank exploded and the car leapt three feet off the ground. When it crashed back down

Royce found himself pinned against the steering wheel, unable to move. The

1 Tho'=Though

2 Sunny and Blue: my days have been filled with sunshine and blue skies, i.e. my life has been happy. 3 blessing n. 幸事

Read the following quotations. Learn them by heart if you can. You might need to look up new words in a dictionary.

A man dies often as he loses a friend. But we gain new life by new contacts, new friends. --Francis Bacon

A faithful friend is the medicine of life. --William Shakespeare

True friendship foresees the needs of others rather than proclaims its own. --Andre Maurois

A friend is, as it were, a second self. --Cicero

Read the following humorous dialog for fun. (Jake and Henry are friends.)

--Hello. --Hello.

--That you , Jake! --Yeah, this is Jake.

--It doesn't sound like Jake.

--Well, this is Jake speaking all right. --Are you sure this is Jake? --Sure this is Jake.

--Well, listen, Jake.This is Henry. Lend me fifty dollars. --All right, I'll tell him when he comes in.

Writing

Group Discussion

As mentioned above, Text A centers on the letter the taxi driver wrote to his friend Ed. However, only part of the letter is revealed in the story. Now, in small groups, do the following:

1. find out and write down all the sentences from the letter;

2. brainstorm (共同出主意) in what way you can complete the letter.

Essay Writing

Based on your discussion, each group is to reconstruct the letter to Ed in the name of the taxi driver. There is a model paper for your reference.

Before putting pen to paper, read the advice on writing skills in the following box, as this may be of some help to you. Model paper

Old Friend,

I've been meaning to write for some time, but I've always postponed it. You know what I'm like, always putting things off till tomorrow. And writing was never my strong point. But looking out the window just now at the kids playing outside reminded me of when we were their age. All sorts of memories came flooding back, like the time Tim Shea broke the window, the Halloween that we tied Old Mr. Parker's gate, and when Mrs. Culver used to keep us after school. What a great time we spent hanging out together. Come to think of it, time was just about all we did have to spend in those days.

But time flies. I began the letter with \years -- old friends. And there aren't many of us left. Which makes those who are all the more precious. You in particular. Your friendship over the years has meant an awful lot to me, more than I can say because I'm not good at saying things like that.

Anyway, we've been out of touch for far too long. So I thought you'd like to know that I was thinking of you. We really must try to get together soon. Why not come to visit? You know you're always welcome.

Your Old Friend,

Tom

PS If you see Tim Shea remind him he never did replace that ball of mine he broke the window with!

(245 words)

Writing Strategy

How to write a personal letter (1)

There are two types of letters: business letters and personal letters. A business letter usually consists of six parts: the heading, the inside address, the salutation(客气称呼), the body, the complimentary(表敬意的) close, and the signature (签名). Personal letters need not cover all these parts. The heading and inside address are usually omitted. As to the other parts, you should consider the following points:

the salutation: The writer usually uses the first or whatever name he or she usually calls the recipient

face to face, such as John, Mary, Old Friend.

the complimentary close: A personal letter is often ended with: \with love,\ etc.

the signature: Sign the name the recipient uses to address the writer.

In addition, if after finishing the letter, the writer wants to add something, he/ she should write a postscript after the signature and put P.S. or PS in front of it. This part is called the postscript. Follow-up Work

You can improve your writing by checking your own work. You will also find it helpful to have your classmates evaluate your work. So do the following after writing:

1. Go through your letter carefully and then answer the questions on the checklist below. Put down yes or no.

2. Exchange letters and checklists with another group and check each other's work. Write yes or no answers on another group's checklist.

Checklist

Classmate's Answers Yes Questions 1. Is the letter written in the name of the driver? 2. Does it cover all the parts necessary in a personal letter? My Answers Yes YesYes 3. Are the details relevant to the main idea of the text? YesYes 4. Is the salutation proper? YesYes 5. Is the complimentary close appropriate(得体)? YesYes 6. Are there any mistakes in spelling? YesYes 7. Are there any mistakes in grammar? YesYes Rewrite your letter with the help of the above answers. Then turn in your work to your teacher.

Writing

Suppose you are an American and an advocate of the civil-rights movement in the U.S. You are now invited to speak for about five minutes to a group of overseas students about the movement. Your speech should cover the following points:

1. When were the first black people brought to America? How were they treated in the new land? 2. How did black Americans live in the U.S. after slavery ended? 3. What gave rise to the civil-rights movement? Who was its leader? 4. What has the civil-rights movement helped to bring about?

5. Why is it believed that much remains to be done before black Americans enjoy full equality? To prepare your speech you are advised to go to, before class, the school library or use the virtual library on the Internet to collect some more data in addition to what you have learned from this unit, and write a draft for your speech. Then, in class, deliver it to a small group of four or five. When each in turn finishes his/her speech, every group picks out one of the speakers as representative to join in the class speech contest. When the representatives make their speeches, the audience will act as judges and decide on the winner.

Review your draft and develop it into a speech script. There is a model paper for your reference. Model paper

The Civil-Rights Movement in the U.S.

Black Africans were first brought as slaves to what was to become the United States in the seventeenth century. Slavery was strongest in the South, where large plantations grew cotton, tobacco, and other crops. Towards the end of the eighteenth century, a growing demand for cotton led to an increase in the demand for slaves in the region. Slavery was less profitable in the North, however, and much of the opposition to slavery came from the northern states. The tension between the North and the South over the issue of slavery led to the Civil War in 1861.

With the victory of the North, slavery was abolished. Discrimination, however, did not end. Black Americans were treated as second class citizens, especially in the South. Dissatisfaction with unfair

treatment eventually led to the civil rights protests of the 1950s and 1960s that brought about government action aimed at reducing discrimination.

As a result, African Americans have come a long way in the last fifty years, but they still find

themselves at a disadvantage in comparison with Americans of European descent. Only 17 per cent of the black population are able to finish higher education, in contrast to 28 per cent of whites. Incomes for the average white family were just over $44,000 in 1999. For an average black family, however, the figure was in the region of $25,000.Not one of the chief executive officers of the top 500 companies is black. Anyway, the civil-rights movement in the U.S. still has a long way to go.

Before putting pen to paper, read the following advice on writing skills, as this may be of some help to you.

Writing Strategy

Using Library Resources

You will by now be used to using brainstorming to generate information on topics you write about. However, in writing about complex and serious issues, you cannot expect to generate all the ideas by

brainstorming, which focus on what you already know. Suppose you want to write about the impact of the civil-rights movement in America. You may already have some ideas on this issue. By brainstorming, you can develop a general framework. However, that is not sufficient for you to write a paper on such a serious and complex topic. You will find it necessary to do some library research on the issue.

A college library usually has the following basic sources which help you locate the information you need:

General References

General references include dictionaries, encyclopedias, and atlases. They can give you a basic understanding of a topic. Index, Catalogs

They give information on what has been written and published about a subject. Abstracts

Abstracts not only list subject headings, but also summarize key information in a highly condensed form.

Bibliographies

A bibliography -- a list of publications on a subject -- gives you an overview of what has been published on a given subject.

Follow the research guides provided by each library and you should be able to find the necessary information for your essay.

You can improve your writing by checking your own work. You will also find it helpful to have a classmate evaluate your work. So do the following after writing:

1. Go through your script carefully and then answer the questions on the checklist below. Put down yes or no.

2. Exchange scripts and checklists with a partner and check each other’s work. Write yes or no answers on your partner’s checklist.

Checklist

Classmate's Answers Yes Questions 1. Is the history of the civil rights movement briefly yet clearly presented? 2. Are there enough facts or data to support the author's views? My Answers Yes YesYes 3. Do you think the writer did enough library research? YesYes 4. Are there any mistakes in spelling? YesYes 5. Are there any mistakes in grammar? YesYes Rewrite your script with the help of the above answers. Then turn in your work to your teacher.

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