Unit 2 Little House in the Big Woods

1、Little House in the Big WoodsBy Laura Ingalls Wilder Laura Ingalls Wilder lived in America 146 years ago. Lauras family were pioneers and shehad many adventures as they travelled through woods, over prairies（大草原） and across rivers in their covered wagon（篷车）.About Laura Ingalls Wildern Laura Ingalls

2、Wilder was born in Pepin, Wisconsin, in February 1867. She was the second of four daughters born to Caroline (Quiner) and Charles Philip Ingalls. Wilders early life was spent constantly moving from place to place. Her father called himself a pioneer man and dreamed of going west to explore and settl

3、e on unknown territory. They travelled through thick woods, over barren prairies, through the swollen Mississippi, and over icy waters all in their covered wagon. They moved from Missouri, to Kansas, to Wisconsin, to Minnesota, to Iowa and finally settled in De Smet, South Dakota, where her father c

4、laimed a homestead. Background Knowledge50 stars: 50 states13 stripes: 13 colonies(Feb. 7, 1867 Feb. 10, 1957) Little House in the Big Woods (1932) Farmer Boy (1933) Little House on the Prairie (1935) On the Banks of Plum Creek (1937) By the Shores of Silver Lake (1939) The Long Winter (1940) Little

5、 Town on the Prairie (1941) These Happy Golden Years (1943) On the Way Home (1962) The First Four Years (1971) The Road Back (2006) the Little House seriesAbout the storynLauras daughter Rose grew up listening to her mothers stories of those pioneer days. She urged her mother to write them down so t

6、hat other children could enjoy them as well. So in the 1930s and 40s, Laura recorded her memories of those days of long ago in a childrens series known as the Little House books which includesnLittle House in the Big Wood (1932)Farmer Boy (1933)Little House on the Prairie (1935)On the Banks of Plum

7、Creek (1937)By the Shores of Silver Lake (1939)The Long Winter (1940)Little Town on the Prairie (1941)Those Happy Golden Years (1943)n大森林里的小木屋世界儿童文学经典名著、全球童书最高荣誉纽伯瑞大奖作品。畅销全球近80年，被翻译成40多种文字出版，已被拍成了系列电视剧、TV动画和多部电影。美国图书馆协会、美国童书书商协会推荐的少年儿童必读书。 Our Little House in the Big Woods Wisconsin威斯康星州A log houseC

8、ultural background notes1.Westward Movement in America Westward movement in America carried settlers across America, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. The westward movement began in the early 1600s with European settlements along the Atlantic Coast of North America. It continued until th

9、e late 1800s. By that time, the western frontiers of the United States had been conquered. An abundance of land and other natural resources lured Americas pioneers westward. Fur traders, cattle ranchers（大牧场主）, farmers, and miners led the push to the west. Merchants and other business people followed

10、. Cultural background notesn These hard-working men and women faced great dangers, endured severe hardships, and suffered loneliness and boredom in the hope of making a better life for themselves and their children. Some of them looked to the west for wealth or adventure. Others sought to improve th

11、eir social position or increase their political power. n The pioneers struggled westward across hills, mountains, and prairies on foot and on horseback. Some floated through the Erie Canal on barges（驳船） or traveled down rivers on flatboats and steamboats. Others crossed the rugged wilderness in cove

12、red wagons. For many pioneers, the Cumberland Gap, the Oregon Trail, and other roads west became paths to opportunity.(1) Patterns of migration. For almost 300 years, the westward movement influenced American history. However, the westward flow of people was not constant. Migration halted when India

13、n hostilities or wars with other nations made the frontiers unsafe. But once peace was restored, pioneers resumed their westward march. People also tended to migrate during prosperous times, when money was available. During periods of depression, migration often slowed to a trickle. Sometimes, as in

14、 the case of the Great Plains, technology spurred settlement. The invention of barbed wire（带刺的铁丝网） and improvements in the windmill（风车） and in farm machinery helped open the Great Plains to settlers. 2.Results of Westward Movement 2. Results of Westward Movement n(2) The frontier influence. The fron

15、tier was more than a place on a map. It was an experience that shaped many American institutions and ideas. The frontier environment presented challenges that produced creative solutions. For example, frontier settlements were much less complex than the established communities of the East. As a resu

16、lt, pioneers set up simple forms of government that met frontier needs. Similarly, the elaborate social customs of the East ngave way to the simpler pleasures of barn dances and corn husking contests. The frontier experience promoted democracy. Established leaders rarely migrated from the East, and

17、so the frontier brought a wide range of people into government. Class lines also blurred in frontier societies. It became difficult to distinguish a permanent upper or lower class because anyone might strike it rich or suffer a setback. The frontiers abundant resources were equally available to all.

18、 The frontier experience also encouraged the development of certain American characteristics. Frontiers were isolated places, and so pioneers had to make many items they might otherwise have traded for or bought. 2.Results of Westward Movement nThey built their own houses and barns and produced thei

19、r own food. They made their own candles, clothing, furniture, pots, tools, and other necessities. As jacks of all trades, pioneers became inventive and self-reliant. In addition, frontiers offered opportunities for success to those who worked hard. As a result, pioneers tended to be optimistic about

20、 the future and concerned with material wealth. Boastfulness and self-confidence emerged as frontier traits as well. nUnfortunately, the pioneers also became extremely wasteful because they lived among such plentiful natural resources. Pioneers cut down vast areas of forests, lost large amounts of g

21、old and other minerals in careless mining operations, and exhausted the soil. 2. Results of Westward Movement The continual pursuit of a better life made Americans more restless than their European ancestors. The French historian Alexis de Tocqueville remarked that in America a man builds a house to

22、 spend his old age, and he sells it before the roof is on. . . . He brings a field into tillage and leaves other men to gather the crops; he embraces a profession and gives it up; he settles in a place, which he soon afterwards leaves to carry his changeable longings elsewhere. As people moved from

23、place to place, they lost their attachment to a specific region. They began to identify more with the nation as a whole and to see themselves as Americans. In that way, the westward movement promoted nationalism. Many historians believe that such frontier traits as nationalism, inventiveness, and op

24、timism survive in the American character today. .l1776年美国独立时，只据有大西洋沿岸地区，面积约40万平方英里。而它的西部，是65倍于当时美国本土的“处女地”。l1784、1785和1787年制定的三个土地法，是美国开发西部的纲领： 一,宣布西部土地国有化 二,决定将公地向自由移民开放 三,规定在西部建立的新州必须采取共和制，并不得实行强迫劳动。 西部的开发在美国国内引起了大规模的移民运动。成千上万独立农民得以在如此广阔的土地上不受任何封建残余束缚地自由发展，并以自由土地开发为中心形成农业、矿业、城镇和铁路全面开发的格局，构成了美国西部开发

25、的经典时期. 节选自人民日报Class-reading What happened?nHerfamilymembersnWhydidhermotherslapabear?nHowdidtheygetsugarinthewoods?nstrap:nv.用带捆扎n.带子；皮带；nsnugglenvt.&vi.依偎；舒适地蜷伏；紧靠；拥抱QuestionsnWhere did the family live?nWhat did the father do one morning?nCan you describe the surroundings of the little house?nW

26、hat did Ma do when her husband didnt come back one night?nAfter they saw the bear, what did Ma and Laura do?nWhat did they see in the barnyard?nWhat did they think of the bear?nWere they safe in the end?nWhat did the father bring back?nRead the passage and underline the words unfamiliar to you, or t

27、he sentences you can not understand. After reading, finish Ex A and B, on page 20 and 21. nTry to tell us the main idea of this passage. Readthepassagen.Thewoodsweredark,buttherewasagraylightonthesnowypath,andintheskytherewereafewfaintstars.n森林里已经暗下来。铺满白雪的小路隐隐泛着灰色的光，夜空中悬挂着几颗暗淡的星星。nItssideswereoftin,

28、withplacescutinthemforthecandle-lighttoshinethrough.灯笼壁是用锡皮做的, 上面有一些豁口，以便烛光透出来。The preposition of here means made from. e.g. The dress is of silk. The crown is of gold.nThesunsankoutofsight,thewoodsgrewdark,andhedidnotcome.Mastartedsupperandsetthetable,buthedidnotcome.Itwastimetodothechores,andstill

29、hehadnotcome. 太阳已经不见了, 森林也渐渐暗了下来, 爸爸没有回来。妈妈准备好晚餐, 摆好了桌子, 爸爸还是没有回来。到了平时干杂活的时间, 他依然没有回来Note that the sentence he did not come has been repeated three times in this short paragraph. The repetition stresses the anxiety with which the children are waiting for Pas coming back. Ma was worried, but Pa said that by starting before sun-up and walking very fast all day he could get home again before dark.nn（妈妈很担心。但爸爸说，如果日出前就出发，并且快些走，他可以在天黑前赶回来。）Sun-upisanAmericanexpressionforsunrise.NotethatsometimesAmericanEnglishandBritishEnglishhavedifferentwordsforthesamething. Pa sa