Unit 6

1. Unit 6 • They had met at a cafe on Eighth Street and found their tastes in art, chicory salad and bishop sleeves so much in tune that the joint studio resulted. • In November a cold, unseen stranger, whom the doctors called Pneumonia, stalked about the district, touching one here and there with his icy fingers.

2. Put the following sentences into Chinese: • I will do all that science can accomplish. But whenever my patient begins to count the carriagess in her funeral procession I subtract 50 per cent from the curative power of medicines. • He drank gin to excess, and still talked of his coming masterpiece. For the rest he was a fierce little old man, who mocked terribly at softness in any one, and who regarded himself as guard dog to the two young artists in the studio above.

3. Put the following sentences into Chinese: • After the beating rain and fierce wind that had endured through the night, there yet stood out against the brick wall one ivy leaf.

4. Translation Translate the following passage into English, using the words and phrases given below: bare cling to fancy here and there in tune look the part masterpiece persistent to excess stand out 我们到处都能看到“抢眼”的青年艺术家。他们要么一年四季穿着破旧的牛在裤；要么大冬天也打赤脚；要么饮酒过度；要么就是抱着创作一部杰作的幻想，实际上并不作任何创作的事。其实，他们中的很多人只不过是为了看上去像名艺术家，或为了同其他艺术家“保持一致”才这么做的。他们忘了，只有通过不懈的努力才能获得成功。

5. Here and there we see artists who stand out from other people. They may be in worn-out jeans all year round, or walk barefoot even in winter, or drink to excess, or cling to the fancy of creating a masterpiece without actually doing any creative work. In fact, many of them act like this just to look the part, or to be “in tune with” other artists. They have forgotten that only through persistent effort can one achieve success.

6. O. Henry (1862-1910) - pseudonym of William Sydney Porter

7. If his life were a short story, who'd ever believe it?

8. O. Henry Museum

9. The last leaf

10. The setting is Greenwich Village, New York, 1905. The lively opening scene introduces the audience to Johnsy, a painter, and her new roommate Sue, a promising sculptor. The two women share an apartment and artist's studio. As time passes, a strong friendship grows out of their passion for art and the youthful hopes and dreams they share with each other. Mr. Behrman, their elderly neighbor and unsuccessful artist, is first a source of amusement to the two friends.

11. Now, let’s examine our text within this framework: 1. Plot. 2. Principal characters. 3. Setting. 4. Theme.

12. Plot • The story is, as indicated by its title, built around the last ivy leaf. In other words, the last ivy leaf is the main thread that runs through the whole story. If you are aware of this, you will find it easier to understand the organization of the text. The following questions are intended to help you get a clear idea of this point.

13. 1. What was, at first, Johnsy determined to do if the last ivy leaf should fall? 2. What did she decide to do when she saw the last leaf still cling to the vine after two nights’ rain and wind? She made up her mind to die when the last leaf fell. She decided not to give up her life.

14. 3. How was it that the cold fierce wind did not blow away the last leaf? 4. Why did Sue call the painted leaf Behrman’s masterpiece? Behrman, a kind neighbor, who was aware of Johnsy’s state of mind, risked death to paint the last leaf and save her. Because it was so perfect the girls both mistook it for the real thing.

15. In paras 18-19, we learn that Old Behrman was a failure career case. He had always talked abut a masterpiece, yet he was unable to deliver it. In para 20, there went he again: “Some day I will paint a masterpiece, and we shall all go away.” Finally, he painted his masterpiece at the cost of his life.

17. General Understanding of the Text The story revolves around the last ivy leaf . “The last leaf” is the most important of all the clues which help organize the story into one. Besides “the last leaf”, there are other clues that thread together the events in the story: A.The doctor’s three visits. From the doctor we learn the gravity of Johnsy’s and Mr. Behrman’s illness (“she has a one chance in ten”, then an “even chance”, and then “she’s out of danger”. For Mr. Behrman’s illness, see Para. 26)

18. General Understanding of the Text B. The Soup. Johnsy refused to take any soup offered to her when she had decided to die with the fall of the last ivy leaf. But when she was encouraged by the last ivy leaf that would not give in to the weather and her will to live returned, she asked for some soup. C. The Bay of Naples. Before Johnsy fell ill, she had wanted to paint the Bay of Naples (L16) . When she inspired by the last undying ivy leaf she again hoped to paint the Bay of Naples (L105).

19. General Understanding of the Text D. Mr. Behrman’s Masterpiece. (Paras. 18-20; Para. 39) Mr. Behrman was a failure in art and for forty years he had always been about to paint a masterpiece. He had always talked of his coming masterpiece. He believed that some day he would paint a masterpiece. And being a kind man, Old Behrman finally he painted his masterpiece on the wall and saved the life of Johnsy at the expense of his own.

20. Theme Friendship Sacrifice love

21. “The Last Leaf,” is a story of passion, hope and personal sacrifice.

22. Language Points in tune: harmonious(ly) (often followed by with ) the opposite: out of tune e.g. His ideas are in tune with the times. smell of (L63): have the smell of --He does not brush his teeth after meals. His breath always smells of garlic or fish.

23. add • subtract • multiply • divide • Add eight and ten • Subtract four from eleven • Multiply five by three • Divide twenty by five

24. Exercise bare v.s. empty In the heat of the sun, the children played on the lawn ________ to the waist. The millionaire’s daughter left her parents’ because she didn't want to lead a(n) ________ and meaningless life. You’d better not count on his help. He is always making ________ promises. The top of the hill was _______, but the slopes were covered with trees. bare empty empty bare

25. fancy:1) imagination, esp. in a free and undirected form; sth. imagined; unfounded opinion or belief • The forecasts in his book were not wild fancies. • I think the story is a mixture of fact and fancy. 2) a liking formed without the support of reason. • I have taken a fancy to that silly hat. • I have a fancy for bicycling. 热衷于

26. 3) adj. • fancy portrait 以十分昂贵的价格出售 • fancy dress 特级鲜果 • fancy goods 花花点子 • fancy diving 想像的肖像画 • fancy fair 花样跳水 • sell at a fancy price 花哨的小商品 • fancy fresh fruits 化装舞会服饰 • fancy idea 小商品市场

27. to excess: to an extreme degree e.g. His father never smoked or drank to excess. Don’t carry your anger to excess. an excess of 过分的热情/愤怒/情感/热心等 an excess of enthusiasm / anger/ emotion/ zeal, etc.

28. fierce: 1) violent and angry e.g. A fierce dog barked at him. It was estimated that the fierce storm killed at least several hundred people and left more than one million without homes. 2) intense; strong 激烈竞争 fierce competition

29. studio: a work room for a painter, photographer, etc. a photographic a movie/film a television a music studio(s)

30. In a Painting studio a drawing board easel canvas palette paints/colours

31. canvas & easel

32. chicory

33. Bishop sleeve

36. bedclothes

37. Beard, moustache, whisker

40. Translation 感到与环境格格不入 Feel out of tune with one’s surroundings 据说有鬼魂在这座城堡出没. Ghosts are said to stalk the castle. 新王妃在婚礼上还挺是那么回事. At her wedding the new princess certainly looked the part.

41. 参观的人成千上万,把台阶踩得不像样子了。 The steps have been worn away by the feet of thousands of visitors. 在微风中飘动的窗帘 curtains fluttering in the breeze

42. I’ll not be gone a minute. (L.53) 我去去就来.

43. 一、"主""宾"换位译 • 所谓主宾换位译是指在翻译时将英语句子中的主语和宾语换一下位置，使其主语译成汉语句子中的宾语，宾语或介词宾语译成汉语句子中的主语。能够换位译的英语句子虽然不是很多，它主要取决于英语句子中的谓语动词，如 fail，happen，occur，desert，deny，appeal，come等，但由这些动词构成的句子却都是地地道道的英语常用句。例如：

44. His heart failed him．（他失去了勇气。） • Such a chance denied me．（我没有得到这样一个机会。） • If anything should happen to the machine， please let us know．（如果机器出了什么毛病，请通知我们。） • At the most crucial moment，his self-confidence deserted him．（在最关键的时刻，他失去了信心。）

45. The word finally came to me．（我终于记起了那个词。） • Good works appeal to everyone．（人人都喜爱好的作品。） • Suddenly a good idea occurred to me．（突然我想到了一个好主意。） • Something has gone wrong with the computer．

46. 二、"前""后"反向译 • 前后反向译这种方法主要用在before作连词引导的一些状语从句当中，或用在一些诸如It was not ／won't be long before．．．等固定句型当中。在这些句子中，为了使译文更符合汉语的表达习惯，有时往往不是将before译成"在......之前"，而是将其译成"后"，"以后"或"在......之后"。例如： • Look before you leap．（三思而后行。）

47. I knocked several times before an elderly lady answered the door．（我敲了几次门以后一位老妇人才来开门。） • New ideas sometimes have to wait for years before they are fully accepted．（有时候，新思想等待多年以后才能被人们完全接受。） • It was not long before everyone came to like him．（不久之后人人都开始喜欢起他来了。）

48. It won't be long before we work out some plans to promote our sales．（用不了多久以后我们就会拿出促销计划。） • It will be three years before we can meet again． • It was almost two weeks before they tracked down the facts they needed．（几乎两个星期之后他们才找到所需要的论据。）

49. 2．在It is ／has ／had．．．since句型中（从反面表达） • It is two months since Bill has smoked a cigar．（比尔已经有两个月不吸烟了。） • It had been six or seven hours since I had had anything to eat and drink．（我没吃没喝已经六、七个小时了。）

50. 3．在too．．．to句型中（从反面表达） • This book is too difficult for me to read．（这本书太难，我看不懂。） • Instances are too numerous to list．（例子多得举不胜举。）