unit2 why mygreat uncle gave up the ministry 综合英语教程3

Unit 2 why my great uncle gave up the ministry

Teaching Objectives Topic

Describing people and their behaviour Grammar points

Expand a sentence with infinitive to- structure and the structure for (doing) something expressing \Vocabulary

jolly, beloved, concern, clumsy, inadvertently, panic (v.), devastated, bring oneself to do something, resolve to, retire, knock over, grope, in search for, retrace one's steps, smudge, crisp, mount, fixture, rip...from, clutch, topple, rise to one’s feet, demolish, reverence Writing

Describing people

P1 Listening and speaking Activities Brainstorming Expressions

1. Expressions for describing general impressions of a person:

Positive expressions: polite, smart, cute, nice, a good leader, well-educated, gentle, charming, wise man polite optimistic hospitable generous creative integrated upright Capable quick-witted graceful

Negative expressions: clumsy, forgetful, rude, careless, stupid, a follower, (somebody) having more age than experience, clumsy （somebody） have more age than wise guy (自作聪明的人) coarse （粗鲁） underhand (阴险的) sneaky (卑劣的) dishonorable deceitful Violent gossiper like the devil evil devilish (如恶魔般的) devious (不坦率、不光明正大的)

Neutral expressions: funny, strange, peculiar, sensitive, forgetful

When used in a neutral way, the word means that someone’s behavior is laughable; but the expression can be slightly negative when it means that someone’s behavior is strange, abnormal, as in the saying: funny ha-ha or funny peculiar? This saying is used when someone says somebody is funny.

2. Expressions for describing someone's emotional changes:

Changes for the better: calm, cool, cheer up, feel better, be sympathetic with cheerful Tranquil peaceful free from anxiety/worry unruffled （镇定，平静）

Changes for the worse: get panicky, feel nervous, have butterflies in the stomach, get irritated / angry, become anxious, wear / have a questioning expression, be horrified, feel guilty, be embarrassed

2. Expressions for describing someone's emotional changes:

Changes for the better: calm, cool, cheer up, feel better, be sympathetic with

Changes for the worse: get panicky, feel nervous, have butterflies in the stomach, get irritated / angry, become anxious, wear / have a questioning expression, be horrified, feel guilty, be embarrassed

3. Expressions of behaviour:

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Silly behaviour: play the fool (e.g. to make people laugh), make a fool of oneself (unintentional), be up to no good / mischief, mess / fool around (wasting one's time, behaving foolishly), behave badly, get into trouble

Good behaviour: be good / be as good as gold (of children, behaving very well), set a good example, turn over a new leaf, behave oneself Neutral behaviour: behave, conduct oneself 4. Expressions for social positions or titles:

headmaster, doctor, nurse, director, supervisor, head of department (HOD), chairman / chairwoman, professor, coach, president teacher supervisor composer pilot airhostess hairdresser singer

5. Expressions for commenting on personalities:

can't stand, (can't) put up with, It takes all sorts (to make a world). (世界上什么样的人都有。) To err is human, to forgive is divine. (someone's silly behaviour) 人孰无过，宽恕为上。 (someone’s silly behavior) almost bring down the house （博得满堂喝彩/引起哄堂大笑） arouse hilarious laughter （令人捧腹） be disgusted at/with

p2 Why My Great-uncle Gave Up the Ministry

ministry ['ministri]

1. (政府的)部；部办公楼2[常作 M-](全体)部长(或阁员)；内阁 3部长(全体内阁、阁员)

的任期 3 (全体)牧师 4牧师职责(或职位、任期)；宗教人物一生的工作5 帮助ministry of education 教育部ministry of finance 财政部ministry of agriculture 农业部ministry of commerce 商业部foreign ministry 外交部；外务省 pre-reading task

1. Have you ever been haunted by a guilty conscience for something you accidentally did? 2. What do you think is the best policy if you have unintentionally committed a folly? The reason(s) why the narrator's great uncle gave up the ministry

The kindly and gentle minister decided to retire from the ministry because his clumsiness brought about two accidents which made him suffer from a guilty conscience. Main Idea

My great uncle Alden Bentley used to be a full-time Baptist minister. He was beloved and considered as a wonderful, jolly, gentle man despite his large size. However, his terrible clumsiness, seemingly his only real fault, led him to give up his profession. During a pastoral call a woman, this clumsy young minister inadvertently sat on and killed her pet dog, but he was too panicky to tell her the truth. Five years later, he revisited the woman, intending to confess his guilt. Unfortunately, his clumsiness left a horrible mess of the guest room he slept in. At last, he unburdened himself. Before long, he retired from ministry and turned to teaching in a private preparatory school.

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Text Organization

Sad but true tale concerns my great-uncle Tale 1 Tale 2 Killed a dog inadvertently Smudged the guestroom, demolished a candelabra Retired from the ministry and

The first paragraph gives a general description of the narrator’s great-uncle and his accidental killing of a small dog because of his clumsiness. give an account of how his clumsiness led to a terrible mess in the guest room during his visit to the lady. describe how the narrator’s great-uncle damaged a beautiful candelabra when he rushed downstairs.

The 2 -3 paragraphs The 4th -6th paragraphs The last paragraph ndrdtells the great-uncle retired from the ministry and became a teacher of philosophy.

[summary]

The first paragraph is a general description of the narrator's great-uncle and his accidental killing of a small dog because of his clumsiness.

The third paragraph is an account of how his clumsiness led to a terrible mess in the guest room during his visit to the lady.

The fourth paragraph describes how the narrator's great-uncle damaged a beautiful candelabra when he rushed downstairs

Why did the Baptist minister say to the woman “Twinkie had a Christian burial”?

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During his visit, the Baptist minister meant to tell the woman what had happened to Twinkie. He was conscience-stricken for having kept her in the dark for almost five years. Now, he resolved to clear his conscience by telling the truth. He also hoped that he would be redeemed by faithfully performing his duty of guiding the soul of the dog to heaven. Para 1

1. concern: v. 1）to be relevant or important to 2）to affect, worry 3）to relate, be about

He doesn't bother about things that don't concern him. She was concerned about the growth of her children.

[idioms] be concerned in sth.: to have some connection with or responsibility for sth. concern oneself (in / about / with ): to interest oneself in sth., be busy with sth. He was concerned in the crime.

There's no need to concern yourself with this matter; we're dealing with it. jolly: a. joyful, merry, jovial (of person or thing) pleasant, delightful I prefer a jolly companion to a dull man. What jolly weather we have today!

[idioms] a jolly dog (slang): a joyful person

Jolly Roger: pirate's black flag, usu. with skull and cross-bones beloved: a. much loved n. much loved person This well-beloved novel sells up to five edition. Nobody would neglect his beloved.

2. Baptist minister: A Baptist minister is a clergyman of a Christian denomination that believes in baptism.

Baptism: a religious ceremony, in which a person is sprinkled with or immersed in water as a sign that he / she has become spiritually pure and his / her sins have been washed away. The person thus becomes a member of this Christian church.

3. kindly: a. kind, kind hearted; ( of climate ) pleasant ad. in a kind or friendly way

The students were watching her with kindly interest. Kindly take your hands off my knee. Would you kindly close the window?

clumsy: a. awkward in movement or shape ; tactless; difficult to handle or use She stumbled clumsily, as though drunk, and sat down. John's efforts at reconciliation were clumsy and naive. How clumsy of me to step on your foot.

4. As a young minister, he was paying a pastoral call one day on a woman in Dillon, South Carolina, when he inadvertently sat on her Chihuahua, Twinkie, and killed it.

[paraphrase] He was visiting a woman in Dillon, South Carolina as a minister. When he sat down, he unintentionally sat on the woman's small dog and unfortunately killed it. A pastoral visit is part of duties or activities in the Christian churches.

Chihuahua: Chihuahua is a breed of small round-headed dogs originally raised in the Chihuahua area in northern Mexico.

Twinkie: Twinkie is the dog's name.

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