BTLEW Lesson 6—The Man in the Water The Man in the Water Roger Rosenblatt Lesson Six

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Lesson 6—The Man in the Water

The Man in the WaterThe Man in the Water

Roger Rosenblatt

Lesson Six

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Part One: Warm-up

Part Two: Background InformationPart

Three: Text Appreciation (Key Points)

Part Four: Language Study (Difficult Points)

Part Five: Resource Extension

Lesson Six

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Part onePart one Warm-up Warm-up

I. Appreciation of a Song "Hero"

II. Moments After the Crash

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Hero There’s a hero if you look inside your heart You don’t have to be afraid of what you are There’s an answer if you reach into your soul And the sorrow that you know will melt away

I. Appreciation of a Song "Hero"I. Appreciation of a Song "Hero"

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It’s a long road when you face the world alone

No one reaches out a hand for you to hold

You can find love

if you search within yourself

And the emptiness you felt will disappear

And then a hero comes along

With the strength to carry on

And you cast your fears aside

I. Appreciation of a I. Appreciation of a SongSong "Hero" "Hero"

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Lord knows dreams are hard to follow But don’t let anyone tear them away Hold on there will be tomorrow In time you’ll find the way

And then a hero comes along

I. Appreciation of a Song "Hero"I. Appreciation of a Song "Hero"

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• Victims of Abu Dhabi car pile-up recall horrific moments after the crash

• Victims of car pile-up on Abu Dhabi-Dubai highway urge motorists to be more careful on highway

II.Moments After the Crash


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I. Author

II. The Air Crash

III. Washington, D.C.

IV. Presidential Monument

V. Potomac River

VI. Ralph Waldo Emerson

Part two Background InformationBackground Information


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Roger Rosenblatt is a

journalist, author,

playwright and professor.

As an essayist for Time

magazine, he has won two

George Polk Awards

I.I. AuthorAuthor


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On Jan. 13, 1982 one of the worst snowstorms in the history

of Washington, D.C. hit the city.

Just about everything closed

down—the government, businesses,

schools, the airports. By about

noon, the skies cleared and

Washington’s National Airport

reopened for business.

II.II. The Air CrashThe Air Crash


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III.III. Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.


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III.III. Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C.


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IV. Presidential MonumentIV. Presidential 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 of

the United States.

Washington Monument


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Jefferson Memorial

Thomas Jefferson—

political philosopher,

architect, musician,

book collector,

scientist,

horticulturist (园艺学家 ), diplomat, inventor,

and third President of

the United States, also

author of the

Declaration of American

Independence, and Father

of the University of

Virginia



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Lincoln Memorial

The Lincoln Memorial is a tribute to

President Abraham Lincoln and the

nation he fought to preserve during

the Civil War (1861-1865). 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.



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V. Potomac RiverV. Potomac River

The Potomac River is often referred to as the “Nation’s River”, because it flows through the nation’s capital, where the magnificent monuments of the Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln memorials are reflected in its waters. It is one of the most beautiful and bountiful rivers on the East Coast and is known for its historic, scenic and recreational significance. It begins as a small spring at the Fairfax Stone in West Virginia, and winds its way through the mountains and valleys of Appalachia, past battlefields and old manufacturing towns.


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VI. Ralph Waldo EmersonVI. Ralph Waldo Emerson Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803—1882)

is one of the most famous American essayists, poets and philosophers. Known as a transcendentalist, his main themes are individualism, independent thinking, self-reliance, idealism and the worship of nature. His works include Nature, Self-reliance, American Scholar, Overload and many other essays and poems.


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VI. Ralph Waldo EmersonVI. Ralph Waldo Emerson

Transcendentalism:

a philosophy/doctrine

that knowledge may be

obtained by a study of

the mental processes,

apart from experience.

先验哲学：认为不必依赖经验仅研究心智活动即可获得知识的学说。

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Part threePart three Text Appreciation Text Appreciation

I. Text Analysis

1. Theme

2. Structure

3. Further Discussion

I. Writing Device

Parallelism

II. Sentence Paraphrase

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I.I. Text AnalysisText Analysis

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 at that critical moment.

Theme

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Part 1 (Paras. 1—3):

Part 2 (Paras. 4—9):


Structure

The terrible air crash in Washington, D.C. that brought people to tears and to attention and the possible reasons for the national sensation.It’s the ordinary man in the water who performed the extraordinary and stunning deeds that created the emotional impact and the enduring wonder.

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Question: Who are the heroes in the story?

Two police rescuers and, a young passerby and the man in the water.

Further Discussion

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Question: Who is the greatest hero?

Why?

The man in the water.Ordinary as

he was, he could rise to challenge

when the test came. He displayed

courage and noble character in human

nature at its best.

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Question: In the author’s view, do

people feel proud or sad about the

disaster? Why?

They feel proud because man defeated the indifferent natural

forces.

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Question: What is referred to as

one of man’s natural powers

according to the passage?

Sacrificing his life for the

life of others’.

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Question: The fight between the man

in the water and the natural forces

ended up with the death of the man.

Why does the author say he is not a

loser?


He was the best we can do to fight

against the indifferent natural

forces.

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How could the man in the water give a

lifeline to those who watched him? What

does the “lifeline” here symbolize?

What does the greatness of the anonymous

man actually lie in?

What do you think are the strongest human

powers endowed with by nature?

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What was unusual about the air crash?

Why does the author refer to the aesthetic aspect of the clash?

What are the things the author mentions to be worth noticing?

What does the author mean when he says the human nature was groping and struggling?

Why does the author say that the man went unidentified gave him a universal character?


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III.III. Sentence Paraphrase 1Sentence Paraphrase 1

strong, sudden movement of wind

With a sharp and loud noise, Washington, the neatly well-designed city of order was thrown into a terrible confusion.

apposition phrase

a sharp, loud and forceful strike of the plane and the bridge, stressing what met the ear

Washington, the city of form and rules, turned chaotic by a blast of real winter and a single slap of metal on metal. (Para. 1)

disordered state of unformed things

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II.II. Writing DeviceWriting Device

parallelism:

the use of identical or equivalent syntactic

constructions in corresponding clauses

There was the unusual element of the bridge…

Then, too there was the location of the

event…

And there was the aesthetic crash as well…

Still, there was nothing very special, except

death…

(Para. 1)

Parallelism

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III.III. Sentence Paraphrase 3Sentence Paraphrase 3Last Wednesday the elements, indifferent as ever, brought down Flight 90. And on that same afternoon human nature—groping and struggling—rose to the occasion. (Para. 2)

Last Wednesday, the bad weather, unconcerned about the consequences it might bring about as always, made Flight 90 fall down. On that same afternoon, human nature, groping for the flotation rings and struggling in the icy water, came to prove its greatness displayed in an unexpected tragedy.

made the plane fall down

unconcern about the consequences as always

was able to deal with an unexpected problem, a difficult task

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III.III. Sentence Paraphrase 2Sentence Paraphrase 2And there was the aesthetic clash as

well—blue and green Air Florida, the

name of a flying garden, sunk down

among gray chunks of ice in a black

river. (Para. 1)apposition

The clash was also a clash of colours, a horrible eye-catching scene.

combination of colours which gave an artistic effect on the horrible scene, stressing what met the eye

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Of the four acknowledged heroes of the

event, three are able to account for

their behavior. (Para. 3)

Only three out of these four heroes

lived to tell people what they

actually had done and how they had

rescued the five survivors.

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On television, side by side, they

described their courage as all in

the line of duty. (Para. 3)

as part of one’s duty

It’s their duty to be courageous

enough to rescue people in the

water.

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III.III. Sentence Paraphrase 6Sentence Paraphrase 6Skutnik added that “somebody had to go into the water”, delivering every hero’s line that is no less admirable for being repeated. (Para. 3)

Skutnik gave a remark that has been said before by many people in similar situations, but it is still admirable.

making every hero’s remark

equally

as a result of

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But the person most responsible for the

emotional impact of the disaster is the

one known first as “the man in the

water”. (Para. 4)

being the cause for

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His selfishness was one reason the

story held national attention; his

anonymity another. (Para. 4)

Parallel structure

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III.III. Sentence Paraphrase 9Sentence Paraphrase 9For a while he was Everyman, and thus proof (as if one needed it) that no one is ordinary. (Para. 4)

Everyman, the name of a 15th-century English moral play about death and fate of man’s soul, generally regarded as the best moral playThe anonymous man really represents the best of human nature. What he did was not the act of a supernatural being, but the act of an ordinary person.

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III.III. Sentence Paraphrase 10Sentence Paraphrase 10He was there, in the essential, classic circumstance. (Para. 7)

most important

traditional or long established

What happened that day was a typical situation in which natural forces and man fought against each other. And when elements begin to show their power, you always find man who will fight back. He is always there. We can always expect to find such a hero.

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So the age-old battle began again in

the Potomac. For as long as man could

last, they went at each other, nature

and man. (Para. 7)

foughtthe traditional idea that human civilization is a record of man’s gradual conquest of nature

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… the one making no distinctions of good

and evil, acting on no principles,

offering no lifelines; the other acting

wholly on distinctions, principles and,

perhaps, on faith. (Para. 7)Man, on the other hand, has his moral standards of what is right and wrong. He must behave according to the moral principles and beliefs.

Nature has no moral standards. It works on no human principles. It cares nothing about the individual life of man.

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III.III. Sentence Paraphrase 13Sentence Paraphrase 13In reality, we believe the opposite, and it

takes the act of the man in the water to

remind us of our true feelings in this

matter. (Para. 8)Actually, the death of the man did not mean

that human beings had lost the battle. In a

moral sense, man had tremendous power.

Therefore, what happened to this man in the

water should fill us with pride rather than

sadness.

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The man in the water set himself against an

immovable, impersonal enemy; he fought it

with kindness; and he held it to a standoff.

He was the best we can do. (Para. 9)

nature, which is indifferent and cannot be persuaded to change its attitude towards mana situation in which neither side in a

battle can gain an advantage

to make sb. start to fight with


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I. Word Study

II. Phrases and Expressions

III. Word Building

IV. Grammar

Part fourPart four Language StudyLanguage Study


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I.I. Word StudyWord StudyWord list:

1. represent

2. elements

3. grope

4. acknowledge

5. cling

6. commitment

7. identify

8. harsh

9. desperate

10. distinction

11. challenge

12. standoff


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I.I. Word StudyWord Study1. represent

v. to stand for; to symbolize;

to serve as an example of

Examples:

The bald eagle represents the United

States.

The museum had several paintings

representing the artist's early style.

representationrepresentative

Word formation


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I.I. Word StudyWord Study

3. grope

v. to reach or search about

uncertainly; to

feel one’s way

Examples:

groped for the telephone

grope for an answer

fumble

Synonym


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2. elements

n. the forces that constitute the

weather,

especially severe or inclement

weather

Example:

The outside paint has been damaged

by the elements.


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4. acknowledge

v. to admit the existence, reality, or truth of,

recognize

Example:

He acknowledged that the purchase had

been a mistake.

Word formation

acknowledgement


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v. a. to hold fast or adhere to sth., as by grasping, sticking, embracing b. to remain close; to resist separation c. to remain emotionally attached; to hold onExamples:

• He clung to the rope to keep from falling.

• These fabrics cling to the body.

• We clung together in the storm.

• Clinging to outdated customs.

5. cling

adherestickhold

Synonyms


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I.I. Word StudyWord Study6. commitment n. the state of being bound emotionally or intellectually to a course of action or to another person or personsExamples:

a deep commitment to liberal policies a profound commitment to the family

Commit: v. commit a crime

• They were committed to follow orders. He was too young to commit fully to marriage. The patient was committed to the hospital.

commitment to

Usage


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v. to recognize or be able to nameExamples:

Even the small baby can identify her mother by her voice.

The police officer identified himself and asked for our help.identical: a. exactly the same; very similaridentity: n. the qualities that make sth. or sb. different from others

The tests are identical to those carried out last year.

identity crisis

7. identify

identicalidentificationidentity unidentified

Word formation


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I.I. Word StudyWord Study8. harsh

a. a. disagreeable to the senses, especially to the sense of hearing b. extremely, unnecessarily severe; unpleasant, unkind; stern

Examples:

“There is no alternative,” he said in a harsh

voice.

The child has a harsh upbringing life.

The punishment is rather harsh for such a

minor offence.

huskycoarse bittercruelseveresternstrict

Synonyms


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Examples:

They are living in desperate poverty.

desperate for recognition

He felt a desperate urge to tell the truth.


9. desperate

a. a. having lost all hope; despairing b. suffering or driven by great need or distress c. extremely intense


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I.I. Word StudyWord Study10. distinction

n. a. difference b. an honour in recognition of excellence

Examples:

He said he would draw/make on distinction(s)

between terrorism and murder.

She has the distinction of being one of the few

people to have an honorary degree conferred

on by the university this year.

distinctdistinctiveIndistinct

Word formation


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I.I. Word StudyWord Study11. challenge

n. v. a. to question, to dispute b. to call to engage in a contest, fight, or

competition c. to summon to action, effort, or use; to stimulate

confrontdefydisputedoubtquestion

Synonyms

Examples:

The book challenges established beliefs.

He challenged me to a game of chess.

The problem challenges the imagination.


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12. standoff

n. a situation in which neither side can gain an advantagea. (informal) disapproving slightly unfriendly

Example:

The State Department was warning that this

could lead to another diplomatic standoff.


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List:

1. as sth. goes

2. to be sure

3. bring… to tears

4. bring down

5. rise to the challenge

6. in the line of duty

7. owe… to

8. on behalf of

9. let go of

10. set oneself against

II.II. Phrases and ExpressionsPhrases and Expressions


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Examples:

As disasters go, this one was horrible, but not

unique, certainly not among the worst U.S. air

crashes on record.

As businessmen go, he is pretty honest.

1. as sth. goes


compared with the average disasters of this

type


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indeed, certainly

Example:

To be sure, most people are law abiding,

but crime remains a problem.

必须承认，绝大部分的人是遵纪守法的，但违法活动依然是个问题。

2. to be sure



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3. bring… to tears

to make sb. cry

Example:

The happy news brought all of the people

in the room to tears.


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v. a. to cause to fall or collapse

b. to reduce the rate, level, or amount

Examples:

Strong wind brought down the power lines

across the region.

Our principal responsibility is to bring

down the level of unemployment.

4. bring down


“ bring” phrases


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II.II. Phrases and ExpressionsPhrases and Expressionscf.

Major spending is required to bring about

substantial improvements in housing. (to

make sth. happen)

The various departments have not yet

brought forward their spending plans. (to

present, produce)

If they can bring off he deal, they will be

able to retire. (to succeed in doing sth.

difficult)


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to deal successfully with a problem or a

situation that is especially difficult

Example:

It’s not an easy task, but I’m sure John will

rise to the challenge.

5. rise to the challenge



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while working

Example:

The police officer was killed in the line of duty.

6. in the line of duty



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as the agent of; on the part of

Examples:

A solicitor issued a statement on behalf of the family.

He intervened with the immigration service on his behalf.

8. on behalf of



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to be indebted or obliged for Example:

She owes her good health to diet and

exercise.

7. owe… to



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to stop holding sb. or sth.

Example:

She refused to let go of her bag and kicked

her attackers several times.

9. let go of



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to cause people or groups to fight each other although they were in a friendly relationship beforeExample:

It is a bitter industrial dispute that had set workers against workers.

set sth. against sth.: to compare one thing with

another

• This season’s results have been

disappointing set against last year’s.

10. set oneself against



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III.III. Word BuildingWord Building

List:

1. Prefix—sur-

2. Root—vit/viv

3. Suffix— -ly


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sur-=super: over; above; upon; additional

surface

surmount

surcharge

surrender

surname

surfeit

surtax

表面爬上，增长额外费投降，放弃外号饮食过度附加税

survivesurviveprefix



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III.III. Word BuildingWord Buildingsurvive survive root vi: live, life

vivid

vital

vitamin

vivisect

viable

revive

vivacity

vitalize

devitalize

revivify

生动的有生机的维生素活体解剖能养活的使苏醒活泼激发使衰弱使复活


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a. n.+-ly

Examples:

manly (= having the quality of a man)

nightly (= every night)

Suffix— -ly

More Examples



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friend home cost mother

scholar

week year month day hour

Suffix— -ly


friendly homely costly motherly scholarly weekly yearly monthly daily hourly


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IV.IV. GrammarGrammar

Appositive clauseAppositive clause

A construction in which a noun clause is placed with A construction in which a noun clause is placed with

another as an explanatory equivalent, both having another as an explanatory equivalent, both having

the same syntactic relation to the other elements in the same syntactic relation to the other elements in

the sentencethe sentence

Examples

There was the unusual element of the bridge, of course, and the fact that the plane hit it at a moment of high traffic. (Para. 1)


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Find out the difference between an appositive clause

and other relative clauses

The fact that he went unidentified gave him a universal character. (Para. 4)

Skutnik added that “somebody had to go in the water”, delivering every hero’s line that is no less admirable for being repeated.

Compare: appositive clause and other relative clause



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For a while he was Everyman, and thus proof

that no man is ordinary. (Para. 4)

Since it was he who lost the fight we ought to

come to again to the conclusion that people are

powerless in the world. (Para. 8)


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Part fivePart five Resource Resource Extension Extension

• Quiz

• Writing

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I. Quiz I. Quiz

List

1. Quiz 1

2. Quiz 2

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I. Quiz 1I. Quiz 1

1. His long service with the company was ____

with a present.

a. admitted b. acknowledged

c. attributed d. accepted

2. Teaching students of threshold level is hard

work but the effort is very ____.

a. precious b. rewarding

c. worth d. challenging

b b

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3. Among all the changes resulting from the ____ entry of women into the workforce, the transformation that has occurred in the women themselves is not the least important.

a. massive b. quantitative c. surplus d. tragic

4. Whether their football team will win is a matter of ____ to me.

a. indifference b. discrimination c. deviation d. interests

II. Quiz 1II. Quiz 1

a a

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5. The plane ____, its bombs exploding as it hit

the ground.

a. collided b. crushed

c. plunged d. crashed

6. The morning news says a school bus ____ with

a train at the junction and a group of

policemen were sent there immediately.

a. stumbled b. collided

c. crashed d. struck

I. Quiz 1I. Quiz 1

b d

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7. Today the public is much concerned about the way ____. a. nature is being ruined b. which nature is ruined c. on which to ruin nature d. of nature to be ruined

8. These surveys indicate that many crimes go ____ by the police, mainly because not all victims report them. a. to be unrecorded b. unrecorded c. to have been unrecorded d. unrecording

I. Quiz 1I. Quiz 1

a b

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I. Quiz 2I. Quiz 2

1. The chair may be _______ but it’s not that

comfortable.

2. One of the central questions in ________ is

whether beauty is in the eye of the beholder,

or whether there is something within an object

itself which makes it beautiful.

3. We will take your tooth out under _________.

aesthetic, anaesthetic/anesthetic

aesthetic

aesthetics

anaesthetic

Fill in the blanks with the proper words in the column.

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I. Quiz 2I. Quiz 2

1. Their swords ______.

2. The two armies ______ outside the town.

3. I ______ with him at the meeting.

4. Their car _______ into a guardrail.

5. A gust of wind swept the bed off the roof and

sent it ______ into the courtyard below.

crash, clash

clashed

clashed

clashed

crashed

crashing

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I. Quiz 2I. Quiz 2

1. He has the _____ to swim like a fish.

2. He has the ________ of solving practical problems.

3. The theater has a seating _______ of 300 people.

4. The book is within the reading _______ of young

readers.

ability, capability, capacity

ability

capability

capacity

capacity

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1. There is a ______ smell of cigarettes every time

he comes into the room.

2. In the evening, we were treated to a __________

performance by this very fine actor.

3. Jerusalem has a ________ Middle East flavor.

4. On the beach the British were ____________ from

the Spanish by their paleness and general lack

of clothes senses.

I. Quiz 2I. Quiz 2distinct, distinctive, distinguished, distinguishable

distinct

distinguished

distinctive

distinguishable

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II. WritingII. Writing

1. Write your own narration of the air

crash.

2. Write a comment on the man in

the water.

Documents

BTLEW Lesson 6—The Man in the Water The Man in the Water Roger Rosenblatt Lesson Six