阅读专题训练之美文篇（一）
Learning aims:
Tap your potential of reading a long and difficulty essay;
Review or accumulate some useful expressions, especially those related to your writing;
Thinking before reading: How to read a long and difficulty passage in reading comprehension?
Part 1-----Reading comprehension (within 8 minutes!)
All of us have read thrilling stories in which the hero had only a limited and specified time to live.
Sometimes it was as long as a year, sometimes as short as 24 hours. But always we were interested in
discovering just how the doomed hero chose to spend his last days or his last hours. I speak, of course, of free men who have a choice, not condemned criminals whose sphere of activities is strictly
delimited.
Such stories set us thinking, wondering what we should do under similar circumstances. what
events, what experiences, what associations should we crowd into those last hours as mortal beings,
what regrets?
Sometimes I have thought it would be an excellent rule to live each day as if we should die
tomorrow. Such an attitude would emphasize sharply the values of life. We should live each day with
gentleness, vigor and a keenness of appreciation which are often lost when time stretches before us in
the constant panorama of more days and months and years to come. There are those, of course, who
would adopt the Epicurean motto of “Eat, drink, and be merry”. But most people would be chastened
by the certainty of impending death.
In stories the doomed hero is usually saved at the last minute by some stroke of fortune, but almost
always his sense of values is changed. He becomes more appreciative of the meaning of life and its
permanent spiritual values. It has often been noted that those who live, or have lived, in the shadow
of death bring a mellow sweetness to everything they do.
Most of us, however, take life for granted. We know that one day we must die, but usually we
picture that day as far in the future. When we are in buoyant health, death is all but unimaginable.
We seldom think of it. The days stretch out in an endless vista. So we go about our petty tasks, hardly
aware of our listless attitude toward life.
The same lethargy, I am afraid, characterizes the use of all our faculties and senses. Only the deaf
appreciate hearing, only the blind realize the manifold blessings that lie in sight. Particularly does this
observation apply to those who have lost sight and hearing in adult life. But those who have never
suffered impairment of sight or hearing seldom make the fullest use of these blessed faculties. Their
eyes and ears take in all sights and sounds hazily, without concentration and with little appreciation.
It is the same old story of not being grateful for what we have until we lose it, of not being conscious
of health until we are ill.
I have often thought it would be a blessing if each human being were stricken blind and deaf for
a few days at some time during his early adult life. Darkness would make him more appreciative of sight; silence would teach him the joys of sound.
Choose the best answer according to the passage:
1. The main idea that the author tries to show is that_______.
A. people who live in the shadow of death are more appreciative of the meaning of life.
B. most of us regard health as something quite usual and ordinary while we are healthy.
C. people should value and take advantage of what they have
D. people should be taught how to use their sight and hearing.
2. The underlined word “doomed” in the first paragraph probably means ___________.
A. fated B. happy C. lucky D. blessing
3. Why does the author mention health in the last sentence of paragraph 6?
A. Because it is one of the “faculties and senses”, like sight and hearing.
B. Because it illustrates her point about “not being grateful for what we have until we lost it.”
C. Because it is the subject of an old story which she has in mind.
D. Because health is important for our sight and hearing.
4. Which of the following would be a “blessing”(para.7), if they struck us for a few days?
A. Blindness and deafness. B. Sight and hearing
C. Darkness and silence. D. Light and sound
Part 2-----Reading accumulation:
Ⅰ. Useful expressions:
1.被判刑的罪犯 _______________________ 6.改变某人的价值观__________________________
2.发人深思 ___________________________ 7.生活在死亡的阴影中________________________
3.在类似的情况下______________________ 8.将那一天当成是遥远的未来__________________
___________________________________ __________________________________________
4.将… 塞进、挤进_____________________ 9.延伸，延续_______________________________
5.鲜明地强调生活的价值________________ 10.将生命当成理所当然的事__________________
Ⅱ. Language focus:
1. (1) All of us have read thrilling stories in which the hero had only a limited and specified time
to live. (para 1) _______________________________________________________________.
(2) The directions specify how the medicine is to be used. ________________________________.
(3) The contract specifies red bricks for the roof. _______________________________________.
Conclude the meaning of “specify”___________________________________________________;
Can you think of more words following the structure of “specify”：
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. Particularly does the observation apply to those who have lost sight and hearing in adult life.(para6)
(1) 护士将药涂抹在伤口上了。______________________________________________________
(2) 这项新技术已经被运用到了农业生产。____________________________________________
(3) 这些校规适用于每个学生。______________________________________________________
(4) 他决定向微软公司申请秘书职位。________________________________________________
(5) 他正致力于学法语。____________________________________________________________
3. When we are in buoyant health, death is all but unimaginable. (para 5)________________________
点击高考1:
-What do you think of the performance today?
-Great! ______ but a musical genius could perform so successfully. (07江西卷)
A. All B. None C. Anybody D. Nothing
Conclude the meaning of “all but, none but, nothing but, anything but”:
(1) The room was all but empty. ______________________________________________________
(2) The party was all but over when we arrived.__________________________________________
(3) None but the lonely heart can know my sorrow._______________________________________
(4) Nothing but a miracle can save her life.______________________________________________
(5) He is particular about food, and he eats nothing but steak.________________________________
(6) He is anything but clever, for he can work out none of maths problems._____________________
Ⅲ. Language appreciation:
1. We should live each day with gentleness, vigor and a keenness of appreciation which are often lost
when time stretches before us in the constant panorama of more days and months and years
to come. (para 3)
(长句分析) _________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
2. It has often been noted that those who live, or have lived, in the shadow of death bring a mellow
sweetness to everything they do. (para 4)
(Translate)__________________________________________________________________________
(模仿造句)_________________________________________________________________________
3. Most of us, however, take life for granted. We know that one day we must die, but usually we
picture that day as far in the future. When we are in buoyant health, death is all but unimaginable.
We seldom think of it. The days stretch out in an endless vista. So we go about our petty tasks,
hardly aware of our listless attitude toward life. (Para 6)
(Read, taste and recite) _______________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
Ⅳ. More assignment for self-study:
1. Sometimes I have thought it would be an excellent rule to live each day as if we should die
tomorrow. (para3)
点击高考2:
(1) There _____ be any difficulty about passing the road test since you have practiced a lot in the driving school. (上海卷05年27题)
A. mustn’t B. shan’t C. shouldn’t D. needn’t
(2) _______fired, your health care and other benefits will not be immediately cut off. (湖北卷)
A. Would you be B. Should you be C. Could you be D. Might you be
(3) ----- My cat’s really fat.
----- You ____________ have given her so much food. (浙江卷)
A. wouldn’t B. couldn’t C. shouldn’t D. mustn’t
(4) What do you mean, there are only ten tickets? There ____ be twelve.
A. should B. would C. will D. shall (江苏卷09年25题)
2. He becomes more appreciative of the meaning of life and its permanent spiritual values.
Fill in the blanks with “appreciate, appreciation, appreciative”.
(1) Only the deaf _________________ hearing.
(2) She was deeply ____________________ of your help.
(3) As he grew older, his _______________________ of art grew.
(4) We should live each day with gentleness, vigor and a keenness of ___________________.
(5) I ______________ it when people are enthusiastic about everyday life.
3. But those who have never suffered impairment of sight or hearing seldom make the fullest use
of these blessed faculties(机能).
Learn to use the words “bless, blessed, blessing” by completing the following sentences.
(1) May God _________ you and you shall be ________________ with happiness.
(2) I have often thought it would be a ____________ if each human being were stricken blind
and deaf for a few days at some time during his early adult life.
(3) Please accept my ________________ upon your marriage.
(4) _____________with a strong healthy body, he is always free from illness.
4. Translation.
(1) 大多数人认为我们目前所拥有的一切是理所当然的。
___________________________________________________________________________________
(2) 愿上帝保佑这个国家永远繁荣昌盛。
___________________________________________________________________________________
(3) 健康和财富是每个人一生的追求，而你很幸运的同时拥有这两方面！
___________________________________________________________________________________
(4) 我们把班主任描述为精力充沛的人, 她竟然会病倒！(至少3种表达！)
___________________________________________________________________________________
(5) 她的音乐才能无人赏识。
___________________________________________________________________________________
(6) 我很欣赏你救人于水火的高尚品质。
___________________________________________________________________________________
5. Paragraph writing (about 40 words)
----以“假如我只有三天光明”为题，运用或模仿本节课所学的相关表达即兴创作一段小演讲！
Should I have three days to see, I would …______________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
我们都读过震撼人心的故事，故事中的主人公只能再活一段很有限的时光，有时长达一年，有时却短至一日。但我们总是想要知道，注定要离世人的会选择如何度过自己最后的时光。当然，我说的是那些有选择权利的自由人，而不是那些活动范围受到严格限定的死囚。
这样的故事让我们思考，在类似的处境下，我们该做些什么？作为终有一死的人，在临终前的几个小时内我们应该做什么事，经历些什么或做哪些联想？回忆往昔，什么使我们开心快乐？什么又使我们悔恨不已？
有时我想，把每天都当作生命中的最后一天来边，也不失为一个极好的生活法则。这种态度会使人格外重视生命的价值。我们每天都应该以优雅的姿态，充沛的精力，抱着感恩之心来生活。但当时间以无休止的日，月和年在我们面前流逝时，我们却常常没有了这种子感觉。当然，也有人奉行“吃，喝，享受”的享乐主义信条，但绝大多数人还是会受到即将到来的死亡的惩罚。
在故事中，将死的主人公通常都在最后一刻因突降的幸运而获救，但他的价值观通常都会改变，他变得更加理解生命的意义及其永恒的精神价值。我们常常注意到，那些生活在或曾经生活在死亡阴影下的人无论做什么都会感到幸福。
然而，我们中的大多数人都把生命看成是理所当然的。我们知道有一天我们必将面对死亡，但总认为那一天还在遥远的将来。当我们身强体健之时，死亡简直不可想象，我们很少考虑到它。日子多得好像没有尽头。因此我们一味忙于琐事，几乎意识不到我们对待生活的冷漠态度。
我担心同样的冷漠也存在于我们对自己官能和意识的运用上。只有聋子才理解听力的重要，只有盲人才明白视觉的可贵，这尤其适用于那些成年后才失去视力或听力之苦的人很少充分利用这些宝贵的能力。他们的眼睛和耳朵模糊地感受着周围的景物与声音，心不在焉，也无所感激。这正好我们只有在失去后才懂得珍惜一样，我们只有在生病后才意识到健康的可贵。
我经常想，如果每个人在年轻的时候都有几天失时失聪，也不失为一件幸事。黑暗将使他更加感激光明，寂静将告诉他声音的美妙。