Lesson SixLesson Six

The Monsters Are Due The Monsters Are Due on Maple Streeton Maple Street

Book 1

创作单位 : 长江大学外国语学院

Part I: Background Information

Part II : Text Analysis

Part III: Language Study

Part IV: Text Appreciation

part Ⅴ: Group Task—Discussion

partⅥ: Drama Performance

Book 1Book 1

Lesson 6 The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street

ContentsContents

Part I: Background Information

• Science fiction----usually describes imaginary future developments in science, such as “Round the World in 80 Days” by Jules Verne. But unlike those traditional ones, today's’ science fiction often tries to give a moral message. Therefore, it is more “fiction” than “science”. The present text is a good example.

Part I: Background Information

• ETs----extraterrestrial beings, who are out to destroy us human beings on earth (earthlings or earth people).

• Warming up Questions:• Do you believe there are Ets in outer space?• Do you believe the story of UFO? Why or why not?

Part I: Background Information

• Monster----an imaginary of legendary creature, such as a centaur or Harpy, that combines parts from various animal or human forms.

• Question:• In this text, what does: ‘monster” refer

to?

Part I: Background Information

• About the Author• Rod Serling (1924--) is one of the leading televisi

on playwrights today in the US. This little play, adapted from Tomorrow Scholastic Literature Anthology is a kind of science fiction. The author obviously is not just telling us an interesting story. He has something else to tell us. And it is important for us to understand his message.

Part II. Text AnalysisPart II. Text Analysis

☺ Structure analysis

☺ Main idea

☺ Discussion & questions based on the understanding of the text.

Structure Analysis• Part 1 (Para. 1)----It briefly introduces where &

when the story happens

• Part 2 (para2—29): People are surprised about the light flying overhead

• Part 3 (para.30-56): Tommy tells people it is about monsters from outer space

• Part 4 (Para.57-78): People are suspicious of Goodman, one of their neighbor

Structure Analysis

• A short 2-act play

• ☺ Setting & background• ☺ Characters & their relations• ☺ The plot & dramatic conflict—what

is happening• ☺ Climax----how the drama leads to

the climax or how the dramatic conflict is resolved

Main Idea & Message

• Summarize the play with the help of the following questions:

• 1. When & where did the event take place?

• 2. What happened one night?• 3. what we people’s first reactions?• 4. What was the effect of Tommy’s

words?• 5. What is the message of the story?

Discussion & questions based on the understanding of the text.

• Read the second time for a better understanding

• Read aloud the paragraph 86—72.

• Answer the following questions on students book page135.&p140

• Ask each other questions on the text.

Part III Language StudyPart III Language Study

1. Words and Phrases1. Words and Phrases

2. Sentence Paraphrase2. Sentence Paraphrase

Sentence ParaphraseSentence Paraphrase

• a Good Humor man– a man who sells Good Humor products or w

orks for Good Humor company

• to be due: to be expected to happen or arrive at a particular time– The train is due in 25 minutes.– The meeting is due to start at 10 o’clock.

Sentence ParaphraseSentence Paraphrase

• Another man waters his lawn.– (n. v.)

• The workers are landing goods from a ship.

• She slowly backed the car into the garage.• Before we move in we have to paper the

room first.• Would you please book a ticket for me?

Sentence ParaphraseSentence Paraphrase

• A flash of light plays on his face, …– If light plays on something, it shines on it and

moves about on it.

• …the man…stands there speechless.– The sun was burning hot.– He was lying there, fast asleep.– Three months later, she came back home, penni

less.

Sentence ParaphraseSentence Paraphrase

• We will get this all straightened out.– straighten out: to settle a difficult situation by dealing

with the things that cause problems or confusion.

• We still need to straighten out a few things before we sign the contract.

• It will take a while before the two countries can straighten out their difference.

Sentence ParaphraseSentence Paraphrase

• Whatever gave you that idea? (emphatic)– What on earth gave you that idea?

• A policeman came? Whatever did he want?

• It can’t be done? Whatever do you mean?

• Why, there is no telling the sort of stuff it can do.– Why: interjection: His son is so young. Why, he is not

yet six.• It is impossible to know what has happened or what will

happen next

Sentence ParaphraseSentence Paraphrase

• The general impression holds that..– Most people believe that…– hold: formal

• a practical joke:– a trick that is intended to give somebody a surpr

ise or shock and make other people laugh

Sentence ParaphraseSentence Paraphrase

• I just don’t understand it .. Any more than any of you do!

– I don’t earn any more than you do. Why do I have to pay more?

– I don’t like him any more than you do.

Word Formation

• Awful adj. Awfulness n. Awe v. n. • Comic adj. Comic n.• Concern n. Concern v. concerned, concerning adj.• Conscious adj. consciousness n.• Crash n. Crash v.• Criminal n. criminal adj. crime n.• Desperate adj. Desperation n.• Exchange v. exchange n. exchangeable adj.• Gossip v. gossip n. • Impression n. impress v. impressive adj.• Lighten v. lightening n.• Menace v. menacing adj. menace n.

Word Formation

• Optimistic adj. optimize v. optimism n.• Persistently adv. Persistent adj. persist v. persistence n.• Precisely adv. Precise adj. precision n.• Reluctant adj. reluctance n. reluct v.• Residential adj. reside v. residence n. resident n.• Sense n. sense v. Sensitive, sensible,

sensual, sensory adj.• Space n. Spatial adj.• Weird adj. weirdness n. • Whirl v. whirl n.

Word Study

– consciousness, conscience • a movement aimed at raising the general public's consciousnes

s of social injustice.• His conscience troubled him after he took the money.

• crash, gossip, whirl– The cars crashed into each other.– The car hit the tree with a crash.– Gossiping and lying go together.– You shouldn’t listen to gossip.– The earth whirls on its axis. 地球绕轴自转。– My brain whirled. 我的头眩晕

Word Study

• residential, resident, residence, reside– Their residential building is located next to the

park.– The real resides in the people. – He has a residence in the country.– City residents complain that migrant workers h

ave threatened to take already scarce urban jobs.– the resident population adj. 现住人口

Word Study

• concern v.– to have to do with or relate to: 涉及与…有关或相关：

• an article that concerns the plight of homeless people.– to be of interest or importance to: 关心有兴趣的或有重要性的：

• This problem concerns all of us. 这个问题攸关我们全部人– to engage the attention of; involve: 参与集中注意力于…；卷入：

• We concerned ourselves with accomplishing the task at hand.– to cause anxiety or uneasiness in: 使担忧引起焦躁或不安：

• The firm's weak financial posture is starting to concern its stockholders.

• concern n.– The managing director's only concern was how to improve the qua

lity of their products.

Word Study

• He sensed that his proposals were unwelcome.• A sense of humour is a great asset for a person.

( 喻 )

• in a sense 在某一方面；就某种意义来说– make sense 有 意义；意思清楚；有道理– make sense of 理解；懂；明白– There is no sense in … 是没道理的

Word Study

• sense ： sensible, sensory, sensitive, sensual– If you are _____, you will say nothing to your b

oss.– She is _____ to what people think of her.– Some religions condemn ____ pleasure as evil.– There is something wrong with his _____ nervo

us system.

phrasesphrases

• Lean against sth. Cut through a place• A couple of make sense• Check with sb. Go off (said of power)• Play on one’s face (said of light) get sth. Straightened out• Fill up gas turn on/off the switch• Be out of sth. In a tone• Screw in a bulb get down off a stool• Come by be at the wheel• Kneel down turn over (said of an engine)• Shut off start up back away• Whirl around demand for • be conscious of cut in• Make up a story hear of get the same deal• Prepare for sth. Be caught in the middle of sth.

Part IV Text Part IV Text AppreciationAppreciation

• LanguageLanguage

• Special features of oral EnglishSpecial features of oral English

LanguageLanguage

• This play is good for learning spoken English. Students should pay particular attention to the pronunciation & intonation.

Special features of oral EnglishSpecial features of oral English

• Contractions

• Ellipse

• Colloquial expressions

Text AppreciationText Appreciation

• Title: – Literal meaning of Monsters: alien/ETs (extr

aterrestrial beings)– Implied meaning: monsters actually live in o

ur own hearts. • Three fatal human weaknesses:

– Our deep suspicion and distrust of one another,

– Our eagerness to find a scapegoat, – Our readiness to turn into a mob.

Group Task—DiscussionGroup Task—Discussion

• Why did people on Maple Street start to blame each other for something they did not understand? What kind of human weakness did the story reveal?

• How do you think the story will continue in Act 1? How do you think it will end?

Drama PerformanceDrama Performance

• Act out the scene in Act 1.