Mark Twain --- Mirror of America

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Mark Twain --- Mirror of America

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Title: Mark Twain --- Mirror of America

1
Lesson 9

Mark Twain --- Mirror of America

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(No Transcript)
3
Objectives of Teaching

To comprehend the whole text
To lean and master the vocabulary and expressions
To learn to paraphrase the difficult sentences
To understand the structure of the text
To appreciate the style and rhetoric of the
passage.

4
Important and difficult points

5
II. Questions for Text Understanding

1. What is a biography?
2. If you were asked to write a biography of sb.,
how are you going to arrange all the material
available. What is the general way of writing a
biography?
3. What kind of language do you expect to
encounter and why?
4. What is the author's appraisal of Mark Twain?

6
II. Questions for Text Understanding

5. Who was Mark Twain ? What had he been before
he became an author? And where did his pen name
come from?
6. Say something about the historical background
of Mark Twain's time.
7. How many stages do you think the author divide
Mark Twain's life into?

7
III. Background Information

National Geographic Magazine, with a circulation
of more than 10 million copies annually, is the
third biggest only next to TV Guide and Reader's
Digest (more than 16 million ). It is a monthly
journal run by the National Geographic Society
based in Washington DC, a non-profit scientific
and educational organization.

8
III. Background Information

A biography is, by definition, an account of
someone's life that has been written by someone
else. Or a written history of someone's life.
Generally, a biography is about sb. who enjoys
certain reputation, who has acquired certain fame
by his / her success in certain area. The
protagonist can be a positive or negative
character.

9
III. Background Information

A brief outline of Tom
Tom lives with his younger brother Sid and Aunt
Polly in St. Petersburg, a remote town on the
banks of the Mississippi river. While his brother
Sid is a model boy, Tom is quite the opposite
of his brother.

10
III. Background Information

At school he disobeys his teacher and always
busies himself with outside matters at the
lessons. Toms bosom friend is Huck Finn, a boy
deserted by his drunkard of a father and looked
upon as an outcast in the town.

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II. Background Information

But Tom has read many books and wants to make his
life just as bright as it is depicted in the
stories. He devises games in which the boys play
the role of brave outlaws and warlike Red Indians
who are the terror of the rich and the oppressors.

12
II. Background Information

One night the boys involuntarily witness the
murder of Dr. Robinson. An innocent man is
charged with the crime. But on the day of the
trial Tom fearlessly exposes the real criminal
the Indian Joe who escapes through an open window
of the courtroom.

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II. Background Information

Another night, the boys went out to dig for
hidden treasures near a deserted house three
miles from town. There they almost fall into the
hands of the murderer who accidentally finds a
box filled with gold coins.

14
II. Background Information

Shortly after the incident Tom goes to a picnic
with a party of schoolmates. Exploring a cave, he
gets lost with Becky Thatcher, the daughter of
the Judge. Tom behaves like a brave boy, calms
Beckys fears and finds the way out of the cave.

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II. Background Information

In a few days time Tom and Huck return to the
cave. They find the dead body of the murderer,
who could not have found the way out of the cave
and also the hidden treasures.

16
II. Background Information

A brief outline of Huck
Tom and Huck find the money. They each get six
thousand dollars, which they deposit with Judge
Thatcher. The Widow Douglas takes Huck for her
son and tries to civilize him.

17
II. Background Information

In the meantime, Hucks father tries to get the
money and succeeds in kidnapping the boy and
imprisons him in a lonely cabin. To free himself
from both the boring widow and the brutal father,
Huck runs away to a deserted island in the middle
of the Mississippi river.

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II. Background Information

In doing so, he makes it appear that he has been
murdered by some robbers. On the island he meets
Jim, Miss Watsons runaway slave, and the two
become close friends.

19
II. Background Information

They started down the river, come across all
sorts of people and have lots of fun and
adventures. Toward the end of the novel Jim is
caught and imprisoned at a farm, and Huck and Tom
make a spectacular but unsuccessful attempt to
rescue him.

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II. Background Information

At last it turns out that Hucks father has died
and Miss Watson has also died, but not before
setting Jim free in her will.

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III. Detailed study of the text

1. Mirror of America
A mirror reflects or reveals the truth of
something or somebody.

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III. Detailed study of the text

2. Most Americans remember Mark Twain as the
father...
Father metaphor.
Endless hyperbole.
The whole sentence parallelism.

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Mark Twain is famous to most Americans as the
creator of Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer. Huck's
sailing / travel on the river was so
light-hearted, carefree and peaceful that it made
his boyhood seem to be infinite, while Tom's
independent mind and his exciting and dangerous
activities made the summer seem everlasting.

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III. Detailed study of the text

3. idyllic i / ai a simple happy period of
life, often in the country
an idyllic setting, holiday, marriage

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4. cruise A cruise is a holiday during which you
travel on a ship and visit lots of places. When
it is used as a verb, it means to move at a
constant speed that is comfortable and unhurried.

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He was on a world cruise.
They spent the summer cruising in the Greek
islands.
The taxi cruised off down the Chang'an Avenue.
cruise missile
cruiser a large fast warship.

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5. every bit asas infml, just asas, quite
asas
He is every bit as clever as you are.
I'm every bit as sorry about it as you.

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6. cynical A cynical person believes that all
men are selfish. He sees little or no good in
anything and shows this by making unkind and
unfair remarks about people and things.

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cynic n. a person who believes that people do
not do things for good, sincere or noble reasons,
but only for their own advantage
a cynical remark, attitude, smile
They've grown rather cynical about democracy, ie
no longer believe that it is an honest system.

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7. deal, dealt to give , to give out, to
strike, to distribute
Who deals the cards next?
to deal sb. a blow

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8. obsess to worry continuously and
unnecessarily.
If sth. obsesses you or if you are obsessed with
it or by it, you keep thinking about it over a
long period of time, and find it difficult to
think about anything else.
She is obsessed by the desire to become a great
actress.

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9. frailty a weakness of character or behaviour.
One of the frailties of human nature is laziness.
That chair looks too frail to take a man's
weight.
There is only a frail chance that he will pass
the examination.

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10. tramp a person who has no home or permanent
job and very little money. A woman who is thought
to have sex with a lot of men is cursed to be a
tramp..
There's a tramp at the door begging for food.

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11. pilot a person who with special knowledge of
a particular stretch of water, esp. the entrance
of a harbour, and who is trained and specially
employed to go on board and guide ships that use
it.

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14. prospector a person who examines the land in
order to find gold, oil, etc.
15. starry full of stars in the sky, indicating
sparkling, glowing, and flashing.

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starry-eyed full of unreasonable or silly hopes.
If you are starry-eyed, you are so full of dreams
or hopes or idealistic thoughts that you do not
see how things really are.
We were all starry-eyed about visiting London.

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16. acid-tongued If sb. is acid-tongued, he
makes unkind or critical remarks.
17. range to travel without any definite plan or
destination

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18. digest
If you digest information, you think about it,
understand it, and remember it.
The report contains too much to digest at one
reading.
He reads rapidly but does not digest very much.

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adopt to take and use as one's own
The US government decided to adopt a hard line
towards terrorism.
Having no children of their own they decided to
adopt an orphan / dog.
adopt a name, a custom, an idea, a style of dress

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cf
adept (in sth) (at/in doing sth)
He's an adept in carpentry.
adapt make sth suitable for a new use,
situation, etc.
This novel has been adapted for TV from the
Russian original.
Our eyes slowly adapted to the dark.

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signal a sign, gesture, sound, etc. that conveys
a message
a signal made with a red flag
She flashed the torch as a signal.
They signaled their discontent by refusing to
vote.
This is an event signaling a change in public
opinion.

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20. navigable deep and wide enough to allow
ships to travel
21. popularity the quality of being well liked,
favoured, or admired
22. attest to show to be true, to give proof of,
to declare solemnly
Historic documents and ancient tombstones all
attest to the fact that this is a historic
battlefield.

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23. artery blood vessel that carries blood from
the heart to the rest of the body
vein any of the tubes carrying blood from all
parts of the body to the heart

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24. keel a long bar along the bottom of a boat
or ship from which the whole frame of the boat or
ship is built up.
25. raft floating platform made from large
pieces of wood, oil-drums, etc, that are tied
together. Also rubber raft.

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26. commerce the buying and selling of goods,
trade. Here commodities.
27. lumber tree trunks, logs or planks, timber

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28. delta country Delta is the 4th letter of the
Greek alphabet, which is shaped like a triangle.
Therefore anything in the shape of a delta, esp.
a deposit of sand and soil formed at the mouth of
some rivers is called a delta.

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29. molasses a thick dark to light brown syrup
that is separated from raw sugar
cf syrup a thick sticky solution of sugar and
water, often flavoured

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30. westward expansion
The massacre of the native Indians
The 1803 Louisiana Purchase from Napoleon's
France.
The 1845 Texas Annexation
Also the California Gold Rush in 1848

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31. basin
the Yellow River Basin
The basin made up 3/4 of the populated area of
the US of that time.

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32. drain to cause to become gradually dry or
empty
Boil the vegetable for 2 minutes and then drain
the water.
brain drain
33. cub the young of various types of
meat-eating wild animals, such as lion, bear

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34. cast of characters the cast of a play or a
film consists of all the people who act in it
35. cosmos the whole universe considered as an
ordered system.

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36. feud long-lasting and bitter quarrel or
dispute between two people or groups
the feud between Romeo's family and Juliet's
37. piracy robbery of ships on the high seas
pirate a robber on the high seas
copy right piracy

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38. lynch (esp. of a crowd of people) to attack
and put to death, esp. by hanging, a person
thought to be guilty of a crime without a lawful
trial
39. slum an area of a city where living
conditions are very bad and where all the houses
are overcrowded and need to be repaired.

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40. soak up to draw in by or as if by suction or
absorption
The soil soaked up a huge volume of water very
rapidly.

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he absorbed and digested the colourful language
with an astonishing good memory which seemed to
be able to record things like a phonograph /
gramophone.

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41. teem with
If a place teems with animals or people, it is
very crowded and the animals or people are moving
around a lot.
The water teems with fish and shrimps.
His mind teems with plans.

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42. humanity human beings in general
43. flotsam rubbish, wreckage such as bits of
wood, plastic, and other waste materials that is
floating on the sea, parts of a wrecked ship or
its cargo found floating in the sea

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44. hustler a person who tries to earn money or
gain an advantage from any situation they are in,
often by using dishonest or illegal method.
This market teems with hustlers.
(US sl) prostitute

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45. thug a person who is very violent and rough,
esp. a criminal , hooligan or villain
46. keen a. sharp
b. (with the 5 senses, the mind) good, strong,
quick at understanding
My hearing is not as keen as it used to be.
He has a keen brain.

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47. perception natural understanding
extra sensory perception
perceive realize, notice, see or hear sth. esp.
when it is not obvious to other people
Just as a good artist must have good perception
of colour, a good musician must have good
perception of sound.
Alcohol reduces your perception of pain.

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48. trade job, esp. one needing special skill
with the hands
I am a fisherman by trade.
They work in the cotton / tourist / shoemaking /
jewellery trade.
trade union

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49. acknowledge recognize the fact, agree to the
truth.
If you acknowledge a fact or situation, you
accept or admit that it is true or that it
exists.
This is a fact even our enemies abroad have to
acknowledge.
He is an acknowledged expert on
antique-examination.

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express thanks for sth.
His services to the country were never officially
acknowledged.
acknowledgement
We are sending you some money in acknowledgement
of your valuable help.
If you quote somebodys theory, you must send him
your acknowledgement.

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50. acquaint cause to know personally, make
familiar with,
You must acquainted yourself with your new
duties.
be acquainted with
I have heard about your friend but I am not
acquainted with him.

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make acquaintance of sb. / make sb's acquaintance
Where did you make his acquaintance?
Very pleased to have made your acquaintance.
nodding acquaintance / bowing acquaintance

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51. motley having or composed of many different
or clashing elements
a motley crowd / crew, ie a group of many
different types of people
52. band a group of people joined together for a
common purpose (derog.)

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52. succumb a. (fml) stop resisting (temptation,
illness, attack, etc)
He finally succumbed to the temptation to have
another cigarette / drink.
The city succumbed after only a short offence.
Several children have measles(??), and the others
are bound to succumb to it.

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b. to die (because of)
He succumbed to Sars.
53. epidemic the occurrence of a disease which
affects a very large number of people living in
an area and which spreads quickly to other people
an influenza epidemic
Football hooliganism is now reaching epidemic
proportions.

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54. flirt
a. If you flirt with someone, you behave as if
you are sexually attracted to them, in a not very
serious way.
Don't take her seriously, she is only flirting
with you.
She flirts with every man in the office.

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b. If you flirt with the idea of doing or having
sth. , you consider doing or having it, without
making any definite plans.
We flirted with the idea of going abroad but
decided against it.

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55. rebuff refuse unkindly and contemptuously
cf refuse
The friendly dog was rebuffed by a kick.
He refused / rebuffed the suggestion.
He can't refuse (vi.) / rebuff (vt.) if you ask
politely.

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56. broke adj. sl. complete without money,
penniless, bankrupt
57. endure continue to exist without any loss in
quality or importance
His fame will endure eternally.
enduring memories / peace
His influence was the most enduring of all.

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58. mining strike sudden discovery of mine
strike sudden discovery of oil, gold,etc.
a lucky strike fortunate discovery
58. hone n. a stone used to sharpen knives and
tools.
v. to sharpen
to hone one's wit

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59. scathing (of speech or writing) bitterly
cruel in judgement, sharp and hurtful cutting,
scornful
She could be...scathing in her criticism.
his scathing rejection of violence

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60. column a. one of two or more vertical
sections of printed material on a page
Each page of this dictionary has two columns of
text.
b. part of a newspaper or regularly dealing with
a particular subject or written by the same
writer
the fashion / financial column

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columnist journalist who regularly writes an
article commenting on politics, current events,
etc. for a newspaper or magazine
a political columnist

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61. ring familiarly in modern world accustomed to
trend setting on the West Coast
produce a familiar impression on people in modern
world. People in the modern world (people in the
settled United States, people on the East coast
and along the Mississippi River) are now used to
following the ways of doing things of the West
Coast.

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be accustomed to be in the habit of, be used to,
be familiar with
He is accustomed to working hard.
You will soon get accustomed to that kind of
thing.
He was not accustomed to LEAVE home during the
winter.

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Notice
a. Be accustomed to can be followed by a verb.
He was not accustomed to leave home during the
winter.
He is not accustomed to work under such noisy
condition.

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b. Accustomed can be used as an attribute
He sat in his accustomed chair.
her accustomed smile
his accustomed attitude of optimism
c. accustom oneself
He has to accustom himself to the cold weather.

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62. trend a general direction or course of
development, fashion, tendency
Today's trend is toward less formal clothing.
Young women are always interested in the trends
of fashion.

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If someone sets a trend, they do something that
becomes accepted or fashionable, and that is
copied by a lot of other people.
trendy very fashionable and modern
He was into jazz long before it became trendy.

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63. get up arrange or perform
If you get something up, you organize something
such as a public event, esp. with very little
preparation.
Who is going to get up the concert?
The students got up a countrywide campaign in
support of the nuclear disarmament.

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64. astound to shock with surprise
65. enterprise a plan, business, task, something
daring and difficult
66. rush through to complete (a job) hastily
We will try to rush your order through before
Saturday.

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67. dash a combination of bravery and style,
enthusiasm and courage
She conducted the orchestra with a great deal of
fire and dash.
other meanings
100-meter dash
The dash is longer than the hyphen.

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68. reck (neg. or inter. only) care or mind
They recked little of the danger.
reckless
Someone who is reckless shows a complete lack of
care about danger or about the results of their
actions.
Many young motorcyclists are very reckless.

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69. consequence result, outcome
The rise in lung cancers is a consequence of
cigarette smoking.
The consequence of the flood is still under
estimation.
Some films may have / produce bad consequences.

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cf
The results of the research are to be published
soon.
The result of the match was 1 - 0.
The consequence of the war is doubtful.(??)
The outcome of the war is doubtful. (??)

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consequence (fml) importance
Someone or sth. that is of consequence is
important or valuable.
He may be a man of consequence in his own
country, but hes nobody here.

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70. all over in every respect, thoroughly
She is her mother all over.
That sounds like my sister all over.

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It was these pioneers that brought California a
reputation.
California was made famous for organizing
surprising businesses
and developing them with great bravery and
courage, without caring cost or result.

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And California keeps this fame until now. When
she makes plans for a new surprise, the dull,
solemn, dignified people in other parts of the
States smile as usual and say Well, that's
typical of California, that's just California
style.

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71. notations a brief note jotted down, as to
remind one of something
The Duchess found the notation left by the Duke.
72. genius (pl. geniuses) exceptionally great
mental or creative ability
a man of genius
Einstein was a mathematical genius.

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73. celebrated well-known, famous
a celebrated actress, writer, pianist, etc.
Burgundy is celebrated for its fine wines.
celebrity famous person
celebrities of stage and screen

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74. slope an area of rising or falling ground
mountain slopes
the slope of a roof
The field slopes (away) to the east.
Does your handwriting slope forwards or
backwards?

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75. distinct easily heard, seen, or understood
The footprints are quite distinct they must be
fresh.
(from sth) different in kind
Although they look similar, these plants are
actually quite distinct.
Mozart's style is quite distinct from Haydn's.

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76. sort type, kind
He's the sort of person I really dislike.
What sort of paint are you using?
of a sort / of sorts (infml. derog.) of a poor
or inferior type
They served coffee of a sort.
It was a meal of sorts, but nobody enjoyed it.

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77. -logue (also) log comb. form
a. forming ns talk or speech
dialogue
monologue
b. -logist,
ideologue (ideologist) ???
Sinologue Sinologist, ???

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78. sore (of a part of the body) hurting when
touched, painful aching
a sore knee, throat, etc
My leg is still very sore.
She feels sore about not being invited to the
party.
Your financial help is sorely needed.

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79. unimpressed
If you are unimpressed by sb. or sth, you do not
think they are very good, or worth your
attention.
impress sb (with sth) have a favourable effect
on sb
We were most impressed with / by your efficiency.
????

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80. debunk (infml) to point out the truth about
(over-praised people, ideas, etc).
If you debunk an idea or belief, you show that it
is false or not important.
debunk fashionable opinions
bunk sl. nonsense
Don't talk bunk!
de to remove from
debunk to remove the nonsense

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81. revered (fml) to give great respect and
admiration to
He was a revered figure with a great national
reputation.
They revered him.

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82. version a form of sth in which certain
details are different or have been changed from
the previous forms
Did you read the short or full version of the
book?
There have been several translations of the
Bible, including the Authorized Version and the
Revised Version.

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83. innocent simple, not able to recognize evil
An innocent is a person who is inexperienced and
ignorant about the more complex, evil or
unpleasant aspects of life.
He was a financial genius but a political
innocent.
One is innocent before found guilty.

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84. earnest determined and serious, perhaps too
serious
Are you joking or in earnest?
It soon began to snow in real earnest.

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85. classic having the highest quality of the
first or highest class or rank
cf
classical being in accordance with ancient Greek
or Roman models in literature or art(??)
classical music as opposed to popular, jazz, or
folk music.

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??(??,??,??,??) The Four Books (The Great
Learning, The Doctrine of Mean, The Analects of
Confucius and Mencius)
??(??,??,??,??,??) The Five Classics (The Book
of Songs, The Book of History, The Book of
Changes, The Book of Rites, and The Spring and
Autumn Annals)

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86. shape outer form or appearance
He's a devil in human shape.
She's in good shape after months of training.
shape give a shape or form
to shape the wet clay on a potters wheel
to shape the sand into a castle

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87. mischievous eager to have fun, esp. by
playing harmless tricks
cf
naughty behaving badly disobediently
A mischievous child is often naughty but does not
do any real harm.
He was called in before the principal for his
mischievous deeds.

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88. ingenuity cleverness in arranging things
The boy showed ingenuity when solving the
difficult maths problem.

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89. puritan (usu. derog.) person who is
extremely strict in morals and who tends to
regard pleasure as sinful
90. flight (distance covered in) a journey

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91. panorama
a. a complete view of a wide stretch of land
b. continuously changing view or scene
c. a thorough representation in words or picture
This book gives a panorama of life in Shenzhen.

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92. pace speed, esp. of walking or running
She slowed down her pace so I could keep up with
her.
He gave up his job in advertising because he
couldn't stand the pace, ie found the pressure of
work too great.
Are wages keeping pace with inflation?

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93. energy-sapping
sap gradually weaken sb/sth by taking away
I was sapped by months of hospital treatment.
She's been sapped of her optimism.
Stop sapping her confidence!

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94. clamour a continuous strong demand or
complaint
The government has made a decision in defiance of
the public clamour.
The public are clamouring for a change of
government.
The baby clamoured to be fed.

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95. edge sharp cutting part of a knife
a knife with a sharp edge
renew our edges to remodel, re-sharpen our
edges, to recharge the battery

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96. haunt to visit, appearing in a strange form
The old house is said to be haunted by a headless
ghost.
A spirit haunts the castle.
The memory still haunts me.

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97. -itis disease or inflammation
bronchitis
appendicitis
hepatitis

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99. Bitterness fed on the man who
Bitterness exhausted, used up all the energy of
the man
100. pad to make more comfortable by filling
with soft material
a jacket with padded shoulders
He padded the seat of the chair with some foamed
plastics.

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101. Now the gloves came off with biting satire
the gloves are off ready for a fight
biting causing a smarting pain
a biting wind
satire ridicule or irony or sarcasm that is
used to show how foolish or wicked some people's
behaviour or ideas are.

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Now Mark Twain threw away the pretended softness
and gentleness he used to adopt and became
outspoken, bitter and sarcastic.
102. illusion the condition of seeing things
wrongly
The magician made us think he cut a woman in
half, but it was an illusion.
Perfect happiness is an illusion.

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103. vanish to disappear, go out of sight
The thin mysterious woman passenger vanished.
As soon as you put the dog-skin plaster on, your
pain will vanish.

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104. crumble be broken into very small pieces
crumble one's bread
Their marriage is crumbling.
105. lament
If you lament sth., you express your sadness,
regret or disappointment about it.
They lamented the death of their mother.
His examination results were lamentable.

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V. Structural Analysis