Wisdom of Bear Wood Michael Welzenbach

1
Wisdom of Bear Wood
Michael Welzenbach

• Background information
• Warming up exercises
• Useful words and expressions
• Language points

2
----Wood of Berkshire
3
The theme of this story is summed up at the
very end. It is about "a wisdom tutored by nature
itself, about the seen and unseen, about things
that change and things that are changeless, and
about the fact that no matter how seemingly
different two souls may be, they possess the
potential for that most precious, rare thing-an
enduring and rewarding friendship."
4
The story is not very subtle, nor is it
particularly dramatic, but it is nevertheless
beautiful. It is beautiful not just became it
contains some beautiful descriptions of the Wood,
but became it is about a beautiful friendship.
5
What is interesting is the fact that this is
a friendship between two souls who are" seemingly
different, in every way one is an American boy
of twelve and the other is an old English woman.
They become friends because first of al1,they are
both lonely the boy is lonely because he is in a
foreign country with his father, the woman is
lonely because she has just lost her dear
husband. But their friendship has another
important bond, that is, their common interest in
nature and knowledge.
6
One might also mention the shortbread the
woman keeps supping for the boy, which he loves.
But the real reason for their friendship is the
old woman's selfless interest in the boy. It is
often said that true love is in the giving and
not in the taking-So is friendship-The woman not
only gives the boy good food to eat, she also
gives him a new vision of the beautiful nature,
the key to the treasury of human knowledge, and
above al1,her care and love. Does she get
anything in return? Yes. Through giving, she can
not help receiving. Although totally unaware, the
boy has given the woman great consolation too.
7
Towards the end of the story, the author
expresses the idea that true friendship is both
rare and precious. In this world, there are many
things you can see and there are many things you
can't see, and friendship is what you don't see,
unlike your worldly belongings, because it exists
deep in your heart. In this world there are also
things that change and things that do not change,
and true friendship does not change. It is
enduring and rewarding.
8
It might be a good idea to use this
opportunity to organize a discussion on
friendship, the essence of true friendship and
its main ingredients. Please do it with your
classmates.
9
1) to go overseas to go to the foreign
countries ??? -As a Prime Minister, he has a
lot of opportunities to go overseas.
????,??????????
10
2) every few years

• sth. will happen regularly after a few years ????
• They come to visit China every few years.
  ?????????????

11
3) to be used to sth./doing sth.

• to have learned to accept sth to be accustomed
  to sth( ????)??????
• After three weeks she had got used to the extreme
  heat ?????????????????

12
4) to wrench yourself away from

• to twist and pull yourself away(or free)from
  ????????
• Its really difficult to wrench yourself away
  from your beloved relatives.?????????????????

13
5)to verge against

• to be close to to be at the edge or border of
  ?????????
• -This narrow strip verges against the road.
  ????????????????

14
6) to rocket off into

• to go off like rockets into ???????
• -The birds rocketed off into the woods when
  people earn ???? , ???????????

15
7) to keep to oneself

• to live a very quiet and private life and not do
  many things involving other people ??
• -Nobody knows much about him he keeps himself
  (very much)to himself.??????? , ??????????

16
8) to give sb. Permission to do sth.

• to allow sb. to do sth. ???????
• -She has already given me permission to leave
  ??????????

17
9) to roam about

• to walk or travel without any definite aim or
  destination ?????????
• -He used to roam about the streets for hours on
  end. ??????? , ?????????

18
10) to creep into

• to move slowly, quietly or stealthily into ????
• -The cat crept into her room- ??????????????

19
11) to warn sb. Do sth.

• To advise sb.to do sth ??????????
• -She warned them to be careful. ??????????

20
12) to run into

• to meet sb. by chance ??????
• -Guess who I ran into today. ??????????

21
13) to catch ones breath

• to stop breathing for a moment (because of fear,
  shock, etc.)( ???????)????????
• -He caught his breath in surprise. ??????????

22
14) to put sb. at ease

• to make sb. feel relaxed ????????????
• -He had been dreading their meeting but her warm
  welcome soon put him at his ????????
  ??????,???????????????????

23
15) to be on one's way

• to be in the process of going or coming
  ???????????
• -Ill buy some bread on my way home. ?????????????

24
16) to point toward

• to aim or direct sth. ??????
• -He is pointing a telescope toward the moon.
  ???????????

25
17) to be about to do sth.

• to intend to do sth. immediately to be on the
  point of doing sth???
• -As I was about to say when you interrupted me.
  ??????? , ?????

26
18) to care to do sth.

• to be willing or agree to do sth to wish or
  like to do sth ???????? ????????
• -Would you care to go for a walk? ??????? ?

27
19) to want sb. against sth. /doing sth.

• to put sb. on his guard against sth.
  ?????????????
• The doctor warned us against overtiring the
  patient- ????????????????

28
20) set off

• to begin (a journey, race,etc. gt?? ( ??????gt
• -What time are you planning to set off tomorrow?
  ?????????? ?

29
21) to pass away

• (euph.)to die ?
• -His mother passed away last year- ?????????

30
22) a dozen of

• a lot of ??
• -She has a dozen of friends. ????????

31
23) to glance at

• to take a quick look at ??? p ???
• -She glanced shyly at him and then lowered her
  eyes- ?????????? , ???????

32
24) to ask(sb.)about sth/sb.

• to request information (about sth/sb.)(from sb.
  )? ??
• -Ask (him) about the ring you lost-he my have
  found it. ??(?)????????????

33
25) to go by

• (of time)to pass to elapse ( ??? ) ?????
• -As time goes by my memory seems to get worse.
  ??????? , ????????????

34
26) to promise to do sth.

• to assure that one will do sth ?? ?????
• -"Do you promise faithfully to pay me back?""
  ???????????? ?"
• -"Yes, I promise."?? , ????

35
27) look forward to sth./doing sth.

• to anticipate sth with pleasure ???????
• -We're SO much looking forward to seeing you
  again. ???????????

36
28) brim over (with sth.)

• to overflow ?????
• to brim over with excitement, happiness, joy,
  etc. ????????????

37
29) to be inclined to do sth.

• to want to behave in a particular way ????? s
  ???????
• The car is inclined to stall when it's cold
  outside. ????????????

38
30) to eye sth./sb.

• to observe or watch narrowly, often in suspicion,
  jealousy, or in longing, etc. ?????
• The policeman eyed me in suspicion. I think he
  thought I was drunk ???????????? ????????

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31) in time

• sooner or later eventually ????
• -You'll learn how to do it in time. ????????????

40
32) to fill up with

• to become or make completely full ?? ??
• The gutter has filled up with mud. ???????

41
33) odds and ends

• small articles bits and pieces of various sorts,
  usu. without much value ????????
• He's moved most of his stuff there are just a
  few odds and ends left. ??????????? , ??????????

42
1) Loving nature, however, I was most delighted
by the endless patchwork of farms and woodland
that surrounded our house (Para 2)

• Loving, However,as (because ) I loved nature
  ...
• A patchwork of farms (field)farms that look like
  small pieces of cloth of different colors when
  seen from far above ?????????

43
2) In the deep woods that verged against our
backfence, a network of paths led almost
everywhere, and pheasants rocketed off into the
laurels ahead as you walked. (Para 2)

• a network of a system of lines, wires roads etc.
  that cross each other and are connected to each
  other ????
• ... and pheasants rocketed off and pheasants
  went off like rockets

44
3)keeping to myself was my way of not forming
attachment that I would only have to abandon the
next time we moved.(Para 3)

• I did not try to make many friends because in
  that way I did not have to give up my friendship
  the next time I had to move.
• To keep to oneself to live a very quiet and
  private life and not do many things involving
  other people ? ?

45
4) I started hiking there ..., up a long, sloping
hill to almost impenetrable stand of trees called
Bear Wood(Para 4)

• impenetrable stand of trees trees growing so
  thick that they are impossible to go through or
  enter into ?????????
• stand trees growing in a given area ??????

46
5) My own breathing rang in my ears , and the
slightest stirring of any woodland creature
echoed through this private paradise.(Para 4)

• I could even hear my own breathing, and even the
  lightest movement of any bird or animal in the
  wood can be heard throughout this paradise.

47
6) yes, they are away," she said, "But then,
gamekeepers have been shooting them ever since
they got here. They are introduced, you know, not
native."(Para 11)

• warycareful,cautious,watchful,suspicious,alert
• to be introduced to be brought into this place
  from somewhere else for the first time ??

48
7) Anybody who knew this sort of stuff was
definitely cool -even if she was trespassing my
special place (Para 12)

• cool This informal word is hard to define
  nowadays. It is loosely used to mean attractive,
  fashionable, relaxed, etc. in a way people esp.
  young people admire.

49
8) ...extending her fine hand(Para 15)

• -offering to shake hands with the boy-
• "Fine,,here means small and attractively shaped,
  looking rather delicate. Remember the woman is
  old and weak

50
9) Familiarity sometimes makes people physically
invisible, for you find yourself talking to the
heart-to the essence, as it were, rather than to
the face. (Para 26)
51

• When people get to know each other really well,
  sometimes they dont notice physical changes. The
  boy didn't see that his friend, the old lady, was
  getting weaker and weaker because all the time he
  was talking to her heart, rather to her face.

52

• Essence the most important quality of sth the
  thing that makes sth what it is .Notice that "to
  talk to sb.'s essence" is not a common
  expression, but the author can't think of a
  better word, that's why he says "as it were",
  which is used to describe sth in a way that is
  not quite accurate.

53
10) My mother was regarding me with a strong
gentleness (Para 29 )

• My mother was looking at me with a strange
  gentleness because she wanted to break the sad
  news gently so that I would not take it too hard.

54
11) I could tell she was having difficulty.(Para
30 )

• I could see that she was having difficulty
  finding a suitable way to break the news.

55
12) It is a wisdom tutored by nature itself,
about the seen and the unseen, about things that
change and things that are changeless, and about
the fact that no matter how seemingly two souls,
may be, they process the potential for that most
precious, rare thing--an enduring and rewarding
friendship.(Para 37)
56

• I learn a lot of knowledge, taught by nature
  itself, about the things I can see -- the birds,
  insects, trees,and flowers,and the things I
  cannot see -- ideas, scientific laws and
  principles.I also learn a lot about the things
  that change, including life itself, as well as
  the things that are changeless like friendship,
  love and many basic values.