Unit 6

Section A

Pre-reading Activities

First Listening
Having ideas about a story before you read it is an important reading skill. Please listen to a very short piece of recording.

Second Listening
Now listen to the recording for the second time and try to the best of your ability to answer the following questions.
1. Why is the woman in this story in pain?
2. Where did the wife think the strange wedding guest had come from? Why did her husband not agree with her?
3. What gift did the strange wedding guest give to the new husband and wife?
The Widow

Alone now, the widow reads considerably. She used to underline favorite passages to share with her husband. Now, in a notebook, she stores quotations like this one from Elizabeth Jolley's Cabin Fever: "I experience again the deep-felt wish to be part of a married couple, to sit by the fire in winter with the man who is my husband. So intense is this wish that if I write the word husband on a piece of paper, my eyes fill with tears."
Why are these lines so painful?
We begin with a worn wedding album. In the first picture, the bride and groom are facing, with uncertain smiles, a church filled with relatives and friends. The bride did not wear glasses that day, so everything was a blur of candlelight and faces.
They walked to the back of the church and stood at the door as their guests filed past. From colleagues and old schoolmates came cheerful good wishes clothed in friendly jokes. Some relatives, however, were not pleased. One sat in a car, crying; another stood surrounded by sympathizers offering pity. Both these women—mothers of the bride and groom-would have insisted they wanted only the best for their children but they defined "the best" as staying home to help support the family.
The last person to approach the couple was a short, elderly woman who smiled as she congratulated them — not by name but as "wife" and "husband".
"I'm Aunt Esther Gubbins," she said. "I'm here to tell you you are going to live a good life and be happy. You will work hard and love each other."
Then quickly, for such a short, portly, elderly person, she disappeared.
Soon they departed, in a borrowed car. With money loaned by the groom's brother, they could afford a honeymoon at a state-park lodge. Sitting before a great oak fire, they recalled the events of the day, especially the strange message conveyed by Aunt Esther Gubbins.
"Is she your mother's sister or your father's?" asked the wife.
"Isn't she your aunt?" the husband responded. "I never saw her before."
They wondered. Had she come to the wrong church or at the wrong time, mistaking them for another couple? Or was she just an old woman who liked weddings and scanned for announcements in church bulletins?
With the passage of time and the birth of grandchildren, their mothers accepted their marriage. One made piles of clothes for the children; the other knitted hats, sweaters and gloves.
The couple's life together was very ordinary. Peculiarly, neither ever asked "Whose job is this?" or asserted "That is not my responsibility!" Both acted to fill their needs as time and opportunity allowed.
Arriving from work, he might announce, "Wife, I am home!" And she, restraining the desire to complain about her housework, would respond, "Husband, I am glad!"
Occasionally, usually around their anniversary, they would bring up the old curiosity regarding Aunt Esther Gubbins. He would insist the elderly woman did attend their wedding accidentally. But she knew "Aunt Esther" was on some heavenly mission.
Widowed now, the wife wonders what she would save from their old home if it were to catch fire: Her mother's ring? Pictures of her husband? The $47 hidden in the sugar bowl?
No, it would be the worn, fading envelope she kept for so long. She knows exactly where it can be found: under a pile of napkins.
One evening her husband had fallen asleep while reading a spy novel. She wrote a note on the envelope and left it on his book: "Husband, I have gone next door to help Mrs. Norton with her sick children."
The next morning she saw he had written below her message: "Wife, I missed you. You thought I was asleep, but I was just resting my eyes and thinking about that peculiar woman who talked to us in church a long time ago. It has always seemed to me that she was the wrong shape for a heavenly messenger. Anyway, it's time to stop wondering whether she came from heaven or a nearby town. What matters is this: whoever she was, Aunt Esther Gubbins was right."

Words: 700
NEW WORDS

widow
n. a woman whose husband has died and who has not married again 寡妇

considerable
a. fairly large 相当的

considerably
ad. much 相当地，很多

underline
vt. 1. draw a line under 划横线
2. give added attention to, so as to show importance 强调；使突出

quotation
n. 1. a sentence drawn from literature or a piece taken from a work of art 引文；摘抄
2. the price of sth. 报价

cabin
n. a small roughly built house 小屋

▲album
n. a book for storing photos 相册

bride
n. a woman about to be married or just married 新娘

◆groom
n. a man about to be married or just married 新郎

▲blur
n. sth. whose shape is not clearly seen 模糊的影子
vt. make difficult to see clearly 使模糊

file
vi. 1. walk one behind the other 一个接一个地走
2. make a written request for a position 提出
vt. 1. put away (papers, etc.) in order 归档
2. place an exhibit among the records of a court, public office or government 提出（申请等）
n. 1. a store of papers on one subject 保存的文件
2. the furniture or box for storing papers 文件夹，文件箱
3. a line of people one behind the other 纵列

colleague
n. a fellow worker 同事

mate
n. a friend or person one works or lives with 伙伴

schoolmate
n. a friend or person one studies with 同学

cheerful
a. happy 幸福的，高兴的

surround
vt. be or go around on every side 包围

sympathize (英sympathise)
vi. (with) show feeling for another 同情

sympathizer(英sympathiser)
n. a person who offers sympathy 同情者

congratulate
vt. express good luck or pleasure at someone's success 祝贺

■portly
a. over-weight; fat 胖的

disappear
vi. go out of sight 消失

depart
vi. leave; go away 离开

loan
vt. lend 借给，贷给
n. quantity of money lent 贷款

■honeymoon
n. the holiday taken by a man and woman who have just got married 蜜月

lodge
n. a small house 小屋
vi. stay somewhere and pay rent 住宿；投宿

▲oak
n. a large broad tree with hard wood and curled leaves 橡树

recall
vt. remember 回忆，回想

convey
vt. make known; communicate; express 传达

respond
vi. (to)answer 回答；反应

scan
vt. look at closely, examine with care 仔细察看；扫描

▲bulletin
n. a short official report 公告

grand
a. 1. highest or very high in status 高级的，大的
2. splendid; good 好的，妙的

grandchild
n. a boy or girl who is the child of the stated person's son or daughter（外）孙子（孙女）

▲knit
v. make (clothes, etc.) by forming a network of threads with long needles 编织

glove
n. a covering with fingers for the hand 手套

peculiar
a. 1. strange; not usual 奇怪的
2. special 特别的

peculiarly
ad. 1. strangely 奇怪地
2. especially 特别地

▲assert
vt. declare forcefully 断言；主张

responsibility
n. duty; condition or quality of being mature and willing to do one's duty 责任；责任心

restrain
vt. prevent from doing sth.; hold back 抑制

anniversary
n. a day that is an exact number of years after sth. happened 周年（纪念日）

curiosity
n. an eager desire to know 好奇

regarding
prep.concerning; about 有关

accidental
a. happening by chance 意外的

accidentally
ad. by accident 意外地

mission
n. the action of sending or fact of being sent on some special work or service 使命，任务

fade
v. 1. (cause to) lose color or freshness （使）褪色
2. disappear bit by bit 逐渐消失

▲napkin
n. a piece of cloth or paper used at meals for protecting clothes and cleaning the lips and fingers 餐巾（纸）

▲spy
n. a person employed to find out secret information 密探，侦探；间谍
v. watch or search secretly 侦察

novel
n. a long written story 长篇小说

▲messenger
n. a person who brings a message 信使

nearby
a.& ad. near 附近

whoever
pron.1. no matter who 无论谁，不管谁
2. any person that; who 任何人
PHRASES AND EXPRESSIONS

share with
give a part of sth. to sb. else 分享

part of
one of the pieces, sections or segments that sth. is made up of 一部分，一份

fill with
(cause to) become full of 充满

define...as
state the meaning of sth. such as a word as being sth. 界定，定义为

mistake for
think wrongly that sb./sth. is sb./sth. else 误当作

fill one's need
satisfy one's need 满足需要

bring up
mention or introduce (a subject) 提起

save from
keep sth./sb. from (danger, being destroyed, etc.); make safe from danger or being destroyed 保留；抢救；免于
PROPER NAMES

Elizabeth Jolley
伊丽莎白·乔利（人名）

Esther Gubbins
埃丝特·格宾斯（人名）

Norton
诺顿（人名）
Section B
The Trashman

Saturday, April 7
Steve and I hauled trash for four solid hours continuously, except for about five minutes when we stopped to talk. My shoulder hurt wickedly each time I put another full barrel on it, and my legs occasionally trembled as I was heading to the street. But the rest of me said, "Go, trashman, go."
I could not have imaged there would be joy in this. Dump. Lift. Walk. Lift. Walk. The hours flew by.
Saturday meant most adults were at home on the route. So were school-age children. I thought this might mean more exchanges as I made the rounds today. Many people were out-doors working in their gardens or greenhouses. Most looked approachable enough. There wasn't time for lengthy talks but enough to exchange greetings that go with civilized ways.
That is where I got my shock.
I said hello in quite a few yards before the message registered that this wasn't normally done. Occasionally, I got a direct reply from someone who looked me in the eye, smiled, and asked "How are you?" or "Isn't this a nice day?" I felt human then. But most often the response was either nothing at all, or a surprised stare because I had spoken.
One woman in a housecoat was startled as I came around the corner of her house. At the sound of my greeting, she gathered her housecoat tightly about her and retreated quickly indoors. I heard the lock click. Another woman had a huge, peculiar animal in her yard. I asked what it was. She stared at me. I thought she was deaf and spoke louder. She seemed frightened as she turned coldly away.
Steve raged spontaneously about these things on the long ride to the dump.
"The way most people look at you, you'd think a trashman was a monster. Say hello and they stare at you in surprise. They don't realize we're human."
"One lady put ashes in her trashcan. I said we couldn't take them. She said, 'Who are you to say what goes? You're nothing but a trashman.' I told her,‘Listen, lady, I've got an I.Q. of 137, and I graduated near the top of my high school class. I do this for the money, not because it's the only work I can do.’"
"I want to tell them,‘Look, I am as clean as you are,' but it wouldn't help. I don't tell anyone I'm a garbageman. I say I'm a truck driver. My family knows, but my wife's folks don't. If someone comes right out and asks,‘Do you drive for a garbage company?' I say yes. I believe we're doing a service people need, like being a police officer or a fire fighter. I'm not ashamed of it, but I don't go around boasting about it either."
"A friend of my wife yelled at her kids one day when they ran out to meet a trash truck.‘Stay away from those trashmen. They're dirty.' I was angry with her.‘They're as good as we are,' I told her.‘You seem to have a lot of sympathy for them,' she said.‘Yes, I do.' But I never told her why."
I had originally planned to stay at this employment for only two days but now I'm going to continue. The exercise is great; the lifting gets easier with every load, even if my shoulder muscle is sore. I become faster and neater each day. I'm outdoors in clean air. And, contrary to what people think, I don't get dirty on the job.
I have decided, too, to keep saying hello in people's yards. It doesn't do any harm, and it still feels right. Frankly, I'm proud. I'm doing an essential task. I left this country a little cleaner than I found it this morning. Not many people can say that tonight.
John Gardner wrote that a society which praises its philosophers and looks down on its plumbers is in for trouble. "Neither its pipes nor its theories will hold water," he warns. He might have gone a step further and called for respect for both our economists and our trashmen; otherwise, they'll both leave garbage behind.

Words: 702
NEW WORDS

trash
n. (AmE) waste matter; rubbish 垃圾

trashman
n. a person who deals with rubbish 垃圾工

trashcan
n. (AmE) a can for waste matter 垃圾桶

▲haul
vt. pull with effort 拉，拖

continuous
a. unbroken; without a stop 不停的

continuously
ad. without a stop 不停地

wicked
a. 1. very severe; serious 严重的
2. morally wrong or bad; evil 坏的

wickedly
ad. badly; seriously 厉害地

barrel
n. a round wooden holding box with flat bottom 大木桶

tremble
vi. shake uncontrollably 颤抖

head
v. 1. move 移动，走
2. lead 带领

image
vt. form a mental picture; see in the mind 想象，设想
n. a copy of object(s)or event(s) ; mental picture of an object or event 图像；印象；想象

dump
vt. drop carelessly 倒，倾
n. a place for dumping waste 垃圾场

route
n. a way from one place to another 路

greenhouse
n. a glass building for growing plants 温室

■lengthy
a. very long 冗长的，过长的

civilize (英civilise)
vt. bring from a lower stage of development to a very developed stage of social organization 使文明，使开化

register
vt. 1. make known; show; record 显示，表明
2. write in a list or record 登记

response
n. 1. a reply 回答，答复
2. (to) an action done in answer 反应，响应

retreat
vi. 1. move back, especially when forced 后退
2. escape 逃离

indoor
ad. (-s) inside a building 在室内，在户内
a. which is inside a building（在）室内的，（在）户内的

deaf
a. 1. unable to hear at all or hear well 聋的
2. unwilling to hear or listen 不愿听的，装聋的

rage
vi. talk with severe anger 愤然地说
n. (sudden feeling of) radical anger 狂怒

spontaneous
a. happening in a natural way 自发的

▲spontaneously
ad. that happens in a natural way 自发地

▲monster
n. a strange, usually large and frightening animal 怪物

ash
n. matter left when something has been burned 烟灰

graduate
v. complete one's studies and receive a certificate or diploma 毕业

garbage
n. (AmE) waste matter; rubbish 垃圾

garbageman
n. a man who collects garbage 垃圾工

folk
n. one's relatives 亲戚
a. of or having to do with the common people, their beliefs, stories, customs, and the like 民间的，民俗的

boast
vi. speak too proudly of 吹嘘，吹牛
n. a statement speaking too well about oneself; stating more than actual 吹嘘，吹牛

▲yell
vi. shout 叫喊

original
a. 1. first, earliest 原先的，起初的
2. new and different 新颖的，有独创性的

originally
ad. in the beginning 最初

employment
n. 1. paid work 工作，就业
2. the act of employing 雇用；招聘

muscle
n. pieces of spring-like material in the body 肌肉

sore
a. painful especially from a wound or hard use 痛的

contrary
a. opposite 相反的

harm
n. damage; wrong or hurt 伤害vt. hurt; cause damage to 伤害

frank
a. honest 诚实的，坦白的

frankly
ad. honestly;to be honest 诚实地，坦白说

philosopher
n. a person who studies the nature of existing, what is real, morals, etc. 哲学家

◆plumber
n. a person who fits and repairs water pipes 管道工

theory
n. general laws and methods rather than practice 理论

economy
n. the economic network of a country 经济

economist
n. a person who studies economics 经济学家
PHRASES AND EXPRESSIONS

make the rounds
(also do/go the rounds)visit a number of people or places, usually in a customary order 串门拜访，四处走动

go with
match or suit (sth.) 与……相配

Who are you to say... ?
What right do you have to say...? How dare you say...? 你有什么权利说……？你竟敢说……？

boast about
(also boast of) speak too proudly of 吹牛，吹嘘

stay away from
keep away from; do not get close to 别靠近

stay at
remain behind at 保留；待在

contrary to
completely different from 与……相反

look down on/upon
have a poor opinion of (sb.), especially as being below one's social level; not approve of (sb. or sth.) 蔑视；不赞成

be in for
be unable to escape; be sure to get or have 免不了遭受

hold water
be able to be proved true or brought to actual 可证为真实；站得住脚

call for
demand (sth. or sb.) 要求
PROPER NAMES

John Gardner
约翰·加德纳（人名）
Section C

My Moving Experience

Moving is bad — in the sense of carrying furniture, equipment and hundreds of boxes out of one place and into another. This is why you hardly ever meet nomads （游牧人）anymore, even though "nomad" is a great job name. Suppose you're at a party, someone asks what you do, and you announce 'nomad'. Immediately you're talking about camels（骆驼）. And you can leave anytime. "Excuse me," you say, "but I must go now and seek water."
I prefer to stay put. Sometimes, like weekends, it takes huge control just to get out of a chair. 1. ______
Regardless, last Thursday we moved into a new house. Since I work at home, this also required moving my office; the buyers of our old house wouldn't like seeing me every day in one of their bedrooms.
My wife and I moved because as the kids kept getting bigger and bigger, the house kept getting smaller and smaller. It seemed the kids were eating the house. Moving seemed the wise thing to do even though, in the end, we decided to take the kids with us. 2. ______
In my 20s, moving was done by friends, but everyone secretly hated it. After six or seven hours of lifting chairs and chests, we'd take out our resentment on the furniture. Once we dropped a new refrigerator down a flight of stairs. 3. ______
Now I'm 47, so we hired movers. The idea of "movers" makes me nervous. A group of strong, muscular men come into your house, carry out all your possessions, and drive off in a truck. This can't be good.
I chose "Low Cost Movers", checking to make sure they had a permit and were insured（保险）. The customer service person, Julie, was helpful with this. "I'm not going to say we never have accidents or even that we rarely have accidents. What I am going to say is if you have a computer, now would be a good time to back up your files（档案）."
The week before moving, Julie called twice to confirm（确定）our 8 a.m. appointment. I'm of two minds about confirming. The people doing the confirming always appear very professional, while seeming to say you're not. Obviously Julie knew she was dealing with someone with low mental power. I didn't mind. 4. ______
8 a.m. the day of the move, the moving company calls to say they'll be an hour late. What a relief (松口气). I'm feeling totally lacking in organization（杂乱无序）, mainly because I am totally lacking in organization. It's my natural state. Having to have organization（有序）, for me, is much too confusing.
Moving has taught me I need a better filing system （系统）. I plan to have a better filing system in the new office. The old system was more of a piling system, meaning piling everything on my desk—a very good way of organization.
11 a.m. The moving company still hasn't arrived. I call Julie. She promises to have the president of the company, Max, personally call me in 10 minutes.
I'm impressed. "President" is a great job name, although, let's face it, not as great as "nomad."
I have no idea how big this moving company is. Maybe it's just a Mom and Pop operation. Maybe it's just Julie. Maybe Julie is the customer service department, the movers and now the president. It could be a long day.
11:10 a.m. The phone rings. "This is Max, president of Low Cost Moving." I check out the voice. It's not Julie. Max tells me he's upset with the delay. He's enraged at his own moving company. "I'm knocking $10 off the hourly rate," he says. 5. ______
I sympathize with the moving company: "Look," I say, "these things happen. Trucks break. Refrigerators fall down stairs. Workers develop several personalities."
3 p.m. Movers still haven't arrived. I call Max, who's more enraged than before. "This is unheard-of," he says. "I'm taking another $10 off the hourly charge."
If this keeps up, I'll be moving for free and going nowhere.
6 p.m. The movers finally arrive. I call Max. He's fit to be tied. I point out they're only 10 hours late. Max is not humored.
End of story: The move is finally over. Everything's in boxes. My office is completely without organization. I feel at home. 6. ______

Words: 700