高英课文the Loons

1、Lesson 12 The Loons I. Background knowledge nAuthor: Margaret Laurence, one of the major contemporary Canadian writers, was born in 1926 and died of lung cancer in 1987. She was educated in Manitoba, a province in south central Canada. After marrying an engineer, she moved with her husband to Africa

2、 and lived there for a number of years. I. Background knowledge nAbout the Novel: THE LOONS is included in the 2nd section of her Norton Anthology (collection) of Short Fiction. Margaret Laurence wrote 5 separate short stories about this community. The Tonnerre family is one of the central families.

3、 I. Background knowledge nThe touching story tells of the plight of Piquette Tonnerre, a girl from a French halfbreed of Indian Family. Her people were marginalized by the white- dominating society. They were unable to exist independently in a respectable, decent and dignified way. They found it imp

4、ossible to fit into the main currents of culture and difficult to be assimilated comfortably. I. Background knowledge nAt school, Piquette felt out of place and ill at ease with the white children. When she had grown up she didnt have any chance to improve her life. In fact her situation became more

5、 and more messed up. In the end she was killed in a fire. I. Background knowledge n Her death is like the disappearance of the loons on Diamond Lake. Just as the narrators father had predicted, the loons would go away when more cottages were built at the lake with more people moving in. The loons di

6、sappeared as nature was ruined by civilization. In a similar way, Piquette and her people failed to find their position in modern society. I. Background knowledge n2. The comprehension and perception of the title: nloon: any of several large fish-eating diving birds of the northern part of the north

7、ern hemisphere that have the legs placed far back under the body and as a result have a clumsy floundering gait on land I. Background knowledge nloon: distinctive Canadian bird, the bird of the lakes nSeveral years ago, the Canadian government collected all the one- dollar paper notes and issued a o

8、ne- dollar coin with a loon engraved on it. So, one dollar is slangily called a loony. I. Background knowledge nloony: (from lunatic)(person who is) crazy or eccentric; lunatic nHe does have some pretty loony ideas. nFrom the above coincidence, one can easily perceive the underlying reason why the a

9、uthor chooses such a title for her novel. II. Detailed Study n1. pebble: small stone made smooth and round by the action of water, eg. in a stream or on the seashore n2. scrub: underdeveloped trees or shrubs noak 橡树，橡树， 栎树栎树 nscrub oak: short, stunted (short, not- fully-grown) oak tree II. Detailed

10、Study ncf: nbush: (large) low growing plant with several or many woody stems coming out from the root ntree: with a single trunk nshrub: (small) plant with woody stem, lower than a tree, completely disorganized nWith no one to keep order, the situation in the classroom was chaotic. II. Detailed Stud

11、y n14. lean-to: small building or shed with its roof resting against the side of a larger building, wall or fence nThey keep hens in a lean-to at the end of the garden. na lean-to greenhouse II. Detailed Study n15. warp: cause sth to become bent or twisted from the usual or natural shape, esp becaus

12、e of uneven shrinkage or expansion nThe damp wood began to warp. nThe hot sun had warped the cover of the book. II. Detailed Study n16. lumber: (esp Brit) unwanted pieces of furniture, etc. that are stored away or take up space n(esp US) = timber n17. coop: cage for small creature n18. tangle: (caus

13、e sth to) become twisted into a confused mass nHer hair got all tangled up in the barbed wire fence. II. Detailed Study n19. strand: a single piece or thread nMany strands are twisted together to form a rope. n20. barb: the sharp point of a fish hook, arrow, etc, with a curved shape which prevents i

14、t from being easily pulled out II. Detailed Study n21. rust: the reddish brown surface that forms on iron when attacked by water and air nrusty: covered with rust n22. Patois a dialect other than the standard illiterate or provincial speech, jargon 洋泾浜英语洋泾浜英语 II. Detailed Study n23. broken: (of a fo

15、reign language) spoken imperfectly; not fluent nspeak in broken English n(of land) having an uneven surface; rough nan area of broken, rocky ground II. Detailed Study n(of a person) weakened and exhausted by illness or misfortune nHe was broken-hearted when his wife died. nbroken home: family in whi

16、ch the parents have divorced or separated nHe comes from a broken home. II. Detailed Study n24. obscene: (of words, thoughts, books, pictures, etc) indecent, esp sexually; disgusting and offensive; likely to corrupt nobscenity: offensive, repulsive remarks, cursing, vulgarity nlaws against obscenity

17、 on the television nfour letter words: fuck, shit, bull shit II. Detailed Study n25. belong: to be suitable or advantageous, be in the right place nI dont belong in a place like this. nHe doesnt belong in the beginners class. nI refuse to go abroad: I belong here. II. Detailed Study n26. Cree: one o

18、f the Indian tribes in Canada n27. reservation: a piece of land set apart for N. American Indians ncf: resort: (a) popular holiday centre nseaside, skiing, health, etc resorts nBeidaihe is a leading north coast resort. n(b) (US) hotel or guest-house for holiday- makers II. Detailed Study n28. neithe

19、r fish, flesh nor good red herring / neither flesh, fowl, nor good salt herring: ndifficult to identify or classify; vague; ambiguous II. Detailed Study nfowl: a. domestic cock or hen nWe keep a few fowls and some goats. nb. flesh of certain types of birds, eaten for food nWe had fish for the first

20、course, followed by roast fowl and fresh vegetables. nc. any bird: the fowls of the air nwaterfowl / barnyard fowl / wildfowl II. Detailed Study nherring: Atlantic fish, usu swimming in very large shoals (鱼群）鱼群）, used for food 鲱鱼鲱鱼 n29. odd: not regular, occasional, casual, occasional, random nLife

21、would be very dull without the odd adventure now and then. n30. section hands / gang: a group of workmen keeping one section of a railway line repaired II. Detailed Study n31. relief: aid in the form of goods, coupon or money given, as by a government agency, to persons unable to support themselves

22、non relief: receiving government aid because of poverty, unemployment, etc. na relief teacher II. Detailed Study n32. with a face that seemed totally unfamiliar with laughter, would knock at the doors of the towns brick houses nThis suggests that the Tonnerres lived a very miserable life. They had n

23、ever experienced happiness in their whole life. The “brick houses” indicates the wealthy peoples home. II. Detailed Study n33. lard: pig fat made pure by melting, used in cookery n34. pail: a usu. round open vessel of metal or wood, with handles, used for carrying liquids, bucket n35. bruise: injury

24、 caused by a blow to the body or to a fruit, discolouring the skin but not breaking it nHe was covered in bruises after falling off his bicycle. II. Detailed Study n36. quarter: 25 cents ndime: 10 cents nbuck: 1 dollar, loon, loony nyard: 100 / 1000 dollars n37. brawl: noisy quarrel or fight na drun

25、ken brawl in a bar II. Detailed Study n38. howl: long loud wailing cry of a dog, wolf, etc , loud cry of a person expressing pain, scorn, amusement, etc nlet out a howl of laughter, agony, rage nhowl: v. nwolves howling in the forest nto howl in agony nsyn: bawl, moan, scream, wail, sob II. Detailed

26、 Study n39. Mountie: member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police nmount: sb (on sth) get onto or put (sb) onto a horse, etc for riding; provide (sb) with a horse for riding nHe quickly mounted (his horse) and rode away. nHe mounted the boy on the horse. nThe policemen were mounted on (ie rode) black

27、 horses. II. Detailed Study n40. cell: a small room in a prison n41. sporadic: happening or seen only occasionally or in a few places; occurring irregularly nsporadic showers nsporadic raids, gunfire, fighting nsyn: irregular, infrequent, intermittent occasional II. Detailed Study n42. negligible: t

28、oo slight or unimportant to be worth any attention, of little importance or size; not worth considering na negligible amount, error, effect nThis years deficit in foreign trade is negligible. II. Detailed Study nnegligent: not taking or showing enough care, careless nHe has been negligent in not loc

29、king the doors as he was told to. nShe was negligent in her work. nHe was negligent of his duty. II. Detailed Study n43. She existed for me only as a vaguely embarrassing presence. nAs far as I am concerned, her presence would only make other people feel ill at ease / uncomfortable. n44. hoarse: sou

30、nding or growling rough and harsh nHe shouted himself hoarse. II. Detailed Study n45. limp: walk unevenly, as when one foot or leg is hurt or stiff nThat dog must be hurt; hes limping. nThe injured footballer limped slowly off the field. ncf: shuffle: walk without lifting the feet completely clear o

31、f the ground nThe prisoners shuffled along the corridor and into their cells. II. Detailed Study ntotter: walk or move unsteadily nhobble: walk with difficulty because the feet or legs hurt nstagger: walk or move unsteadily as if about to fall (from carrying sth. heavy, being weak or drunk,etc) nstu

32、mble: strike ones foot against sth. and almost fall nflop: move or fall clumsily II. Detailed Study n46. grimy: dirty, messy, filthy ngrime: dirt, esp. in a layer on a surface n47. peculiar: odd or strange, eccentric, strange in a troubling or displeasing way na peculiar taste, smell, noise, etc na

33、peculiar feeling that one has been here before. nMy keys have disappeared; its most peculiar! nHes a bit peculiar! II. Detailed Study n48. flare: burn brightly but briefly or unsteadily nThe match flared in the darkness. nflare up: burn suddenly more intensely nThe fire flared up as I put more logs

34、on it. nreach a more violent state, suddenly become angry nRobbery has flared up again. II. Detailed Study nHe flares up at the slightest provocation. n(of an illness) recur, happen again nMy back trouble has flared up again. n49. Its under control all right nall right:(infml) certainly; beyond doub

35、t; expressing absolute certainty nThats the man I saw in the car all right. II. Detailed Study n50. the dickens: (infml euph) (used to give emphasis, esp in questions) the Devil Who / what / where the dickens is that? We had the dickens of a job finding the place. n51. take off: go away, depart nI g

36、rabbed my hat and took off for the Town Hall. II. Detailed Study n52. back: ago, into the past nsome few years back nfar back in the Middle ages n53. contagious: (of a disease) that can be spread by touch, infectious n54. distress: pain, agony, misery II. Detailed Study n55. bet: nIll bet you $5 tha

37、t theyll win the next election. nHe bet me that I couldnt do it. nI bet it rains / will rain tomorrow. nYou bet: certainly nWill you tell her? You bet. II. Detailed Study n56. for Peters sake: for Gods / goodness / Heavens / goshs / pitys, etc. sake nused as an interjection before or after a command

38、 or request, or to express irritation nFor Gods sake, stop that whining! nFor goodness sake! How can you be so stupid? II. Detailed Study n57. cross: rather angry nI was cross with him for being late. nWhat are you so cross about? nShe gave me a cross look. ncrossly: madly, angrily, irritably II. De

39、tailed Study n58. matron: woman in charge of the nurses in a hospital (now called a senior nursing officer) n59. rigid: stiff; not bending or yielding; strict; firm; unchanging nHer face was rigid with terror. nHe is a man of very rigid principles npractise rigid economy 厉行节约厉行节约 II. Detailed Study

40、n60. cameo: kmi (浮雕宝石浮雕宝石) a piece of womens ornamental jewellery consisting of a raised shape or figure on the background of a small fine flat stone of a different colour n61. mauve: mv (of) a pale purple colour nvein（静脉）静脉） nartery（动脉）动脉） nblood capillary（毛细血管）毛细血管） II. Detailed Study n62. stifle:

41、 hold back, suppress, restrain, inhibit, make unable to breathe nThe children were stifled (killed) by the smoke. nI am stifling in this close room. nShe was getting sleepy and tried to stifle a yawn. ncf: suffocate: to die as a result of not being to breathe II. Detailed Study n63. at that: additio

42、nally, besides, as well nIts an idea, and a good one at that. nI made a mistake, and a very bad mistake at that. nat that: perhaps nShe suggested we should bring the car, and its not a bad idea at that. II. Detailed Study n64. muse: reflect, ponder nOgilvies voice took on a musing note. n65. roadway

43、 n1. the part of a road that is used by traffic n2. the strip of land over which a road passes. II. Detailed Study n66. Bide-a-Wee: tolerate a little, stay with us a little while nBide: stay nWee: a little nBoonie Doon: nboonie: love, beautiful nMy Boonie lies over the Ocean nBonny: attractive, fair

44、, excellent, fine nA bonnie ship 美丽的小船美丽的小船 II. Detailed Study n67. bear: show (sth); carry visibly; display nThe document bore his signature. nThe ring bears an inscription. n68. austere: without ornament, plain nan austere style of painting nShe dressed austerely rather than smartly. II. Detailed

45、Study n69. filigree: ornamental lace-like work of gold, silver or copper ware, delicate ornamental wire work 金、金、 银、铜丝细工饰品银、铜丝细工饰品 nsilver filigree jewellery 银丝首饰银丝首饰 n70. fern 蕨类植物蕨类植物 n71. raspberry：覆盆子：覆盆子，山莓，山莓 II. Detailed Study n72. moss: very small green or yellow flowerless plant growing in

46、thick masses on damp surfaces or trees or stones nmoss-covered rocks, walls n73. fragrant: aromatic, perfumed, having a sweet or pleasant smell (esp. of flowers) ncf: flagrant II. Detailed Study n74. miniature: very small detailed painting, usu. of a person nminiature dogs nminiature bottles of bran

47、dy, etc. na miniature railway, ie a small model one on which people may ride for short distances nShe is just like her mother in miniature. II. Detailed Study n75. scarlet: bright red nShe blushed scarlet when I spat forth the obscenities. nscarlet fever: infectious / contagious disease causing scar

48、let marks on the skin nscarlet woman (dated derog) immoral woman; prostitute II. Detailed Study n76. lantern: light for use outdoors in a transparent case that protects it from the wind, etc. n77. moose: a type of large deer, with very large flat horns, that lives in the northern parts of America (a

49、nd in some northern countries of Europe, where it is called an elk) (麋鹿麋鹿) II. Detailed Study n78. antler: either of the pair of branched horns of a male deer n79. bleach: whiten n80. fissure: long deep crack in rock or earth II. Detailed Study n81. otherwise: in other or different respects; apart f

50、rom that nThe rent is high, (but) otherwise the house is fine. nDaddy still has a bit of his cold, but otherwise all are well. nHe has a brandy nose, but is otherwise a handsome fellow. II. Detailed Study n82. cone: fruit of certain evergreen trees, such as fir, pine and cedar na solid object with a

51、 round base and a point at the top na hollow or solid object shaped like this nMany children would rather eat ice cream from cones than from dishes. II. Detailed Study n83. meticulous: giving or showing great precision and care; very attentive to detail na meticulous worker, researcher, etc. nmeticu

52、lous painting and free sketch painting 工笔工笔 / 写意画写意画 n84. tote: (infml) carry nto tote a gun II. Detailed Study n85. winter: spend the winter nIt became fashionable for the rich to winter in the sun. nbirds wintering in the south n86. fell: to cut down (a tree) II. Detailed Study n87. lame: unable t

53、o walk normally because of an injury or defect n88. scuff: scrape, to make a rough mark or marks, with ones shoes, on the smooth surface of furniture, or floor, etc nThe floor was badly scuffed up where they had been dancing. II. Detailed Study n89. coarse: not fine, rough or loose in texture, vulga

54、r, crude, harsh a coarse complexion / skin coarse manners, laughter, tastes, etc II. Detailed Study n90. stamp: put (ones foot) down heavily on (the ground, etc); walk with loud heavy steps nstamping the ground to keep warm nShe stamped the soil flat round the plant. nDont stamp, youll wake everyone

55、 up. II. Detailed Study n91. bizarre: strange in appearance or effect; grotesque; eccentric n92. Unlikely it may seem: although it may seem not likely to happen, nIt is unlikely to rain. nHis condition is unlikely to improve. nIn the unlikely event of a strike, production would be badly affected. II

56、. Detailed Study nasas: (introduces adverbial clause of comparison) nYou know as much as I do. nSometimes the subject of the subordinate clause can be omitted: nHe said the situation there was not as bad as had been reported. nThe 2 houses were as clean as could be. II. Detailed Study n93. spring fr

57、om: arise or come from nHe is sprung from (springs from) royal blood: of royal ancestry nIf you ask someone where they have sprung from you are asking them where they have come from in a rather surprised way, because they have appeared unexpectedly. II. Detailed Study n94. Tecumseh, 1768-1813, chief

58、 of the Shawnee Indians; born in Ohio. A noted military leader, he planned a confederacy of tribes to resist U.S. encroachment, but the defeat of his brother, the Shawnee Prophet in 1811 ended the Indian military movement. Tecumseh then fought alongside the British against the Americans in the War o

59、f 1812. He died in the battle of the Thames. II. Detailed Study n95. Iroquois:（易洛魁人）易洛魁人） an American Indian confederacy of New York n96. Brebeuf, Jean de, Saint, 1593-1649, French Roman Catholic missionary. One of the Jesuit Martyrs of North America. A missionary to the Huron Indians, Brebeuf with

60、his colleague Gabriel Lalemant was killed by the Iroquois. 圣圣 布雷伯夫，布雷伯夫， 法国天主教耶稣会传教士。法国天主教耶稣会传教士。 II. Detailed Study n97. Emily Pauline Johnson, 1862-1913, Canadian Indian. Daughter of an Indian tribe chief and a British woman. Her poems sang high praise of the Indian tradition and were very popular