Book6Unit1TwoWordstoAvoidTwotoRemember.docx
《Book6Unit1TwoWordstoAvoidTwotoRemember.docx》由会员分享,可在线阅读,更多相关《Book6Unit1TwoWordstoAvoidTwotoRemember.docx(13页珍藏版)》请在冰豆网上搜索。
Book6Unit1TwoWordstoAvoidTwotoRemember
Book-6-Unit-1-Two-Words-to-Avoid--Two-to-Remember
UnitOne
TextI
Pre-readingQuestions
1.Youmayhavekeptinyourmemorysomewords,phrasesorevenwholesentencesthatareofgreatwisdomandcanserveasguidelinesinyourlife.Sharethemwithyourclassmatesanddiscusstheirvalue.
2.Thetwowordsthat,astheauthorofthetextsuggests,shouldbeavoidedare"ifonly",andthetwoberememberedare"nexttime".Canyouguess,beforeyoureadthetext,whatmessagetheauthorintendstoconveytothereaderwithsuchasuggestion?
GeneralReading
I.Judgewhichofthefollowingbeststatesthepurposeofthearticle.
A.ToexplainhowFreud'spsychotherapyworks.
B.Todemonstratethepowerofpositivethinking.
C.Tocallattentiontotheimportanceofthechoiceofwords.
Key:
B
II.Judgewhetherthefollowingstatementsaretrueorfalse.
1.Thatwintryafternoon,theauthorwasinabadmoodandhehappenedtomeetanoldfriendofhisinaFrenchrestaurantinManhattan.
2.TheOldManaskedtheauthortogotohisofficebecausehethoughtthattheofficewasabetterplacethantherestaurantfortheirtalk.
3.Thethreespeakersonthetapehadallbeenunfavorablyaffectedbywhathadhappenedtothem.
4.IntheOldMan'sopinion,itwasabadwayofthinkingalwaystoregretwhatonehaddoneorhadnotdone.
Key:
1.F2.F3.T4.T
BackgroundNotes
1.Manhattan,anislandnearthemouthoftheHudsonRiver,isaboroughofNewYorkCity,insoutheasternNewYorkState,U.S.A.Commercialandculturalheartofthecity,ManhattanisthesiteoftheMetropolitanOperaHouse,CarnegieHall,theCityCenterofMusicandDrama,andnumerousothermusicinstitutions.
2.SigmundFreud(1856–1939)isanAustrianphysicianandthefounderofpsychoanalysis.Freudexploredtheworkingsofthehumanmindanddevelopedpsychoanalysisasatherapeutictechniquetotreatneurosisormentaldisturbances.
TextStudy
Text
TwoWordstoAvoid,TwotoRemember
ArthurGordon
1Nothinginlifeismoreexcitingandrewardingthanthesuddenflashofinsightthatleavesyouachangedperson—notonlychanged,butchangedforthebetter.Suchmomentsarerare,certainly,buttheycometoallofus.Sometimesfromabook,asermon,alineofpoetry.Sometimesfromafriend...
2ThatwintryafternooninManhattan,waitinginthelittleFrenchrestaurant,Iwasfeelingfrustratedanddepressed.Becauseofseveralmiscalculationsonmypart,aprojectofconsiderableimportanceinmylifehadfallenthrough.Eventheprospectofseeingadearfriend(theOldMan,asIprivatelyandaffectionatelythoughtofhim)failedtocheermeasitusuallydid.Isattherefrowningatthecheckeredtablecloth,chewingthebittercudofhindsight.
3Hecameacrossthestreet,finally,muffledinhisancientovercoat,shapelessfelthatpulleddownoverhisbaldhead,lookingmorelikeanenergeticgnomethananeminentpsychiatrist.Hisofficeswerenearby;Iknewhehadjustlefthislastpatientoftheday.Hewascloseto80,buthestillcarriedafullcaseload,stillactedasdirectorofalargefoundation,stilllovedtoescapetothegolfcoursewheneverhecould.
4Bythetimehecameoverandsatbesideme,thewaiterhadbroughthisinvariablebottleofale.Ihadnotseenhimforseveralmonths,butheseemedasindestructibleasever."Well,youngman,"hesaidwithoutpreliminary,"what'stroublingyou?
"
5Ihadlongsinceceasedtobesurprisedathisperceptiveness.SoIproceededtotellhim,atsomelength,justwhatwasbotheringme.Withakindofmelancholypride,Itriedtobeveryhonest.Iblamednooneelseformydisappointment,onlymyself.Ianalyzedthewholething,allthebadjudgments,thefalsemoves.Iwentonforperhaps15minutes,whiletheOldMansippedhisaleinsilence.
6WhenIfinished,heputdownhisglass."Comeon,"hesaid."Let'sgobacktomyoffice."
7"Youroffice?
Didyouforgetsomething?
"
8"No,"hesaidmildly."Iwantyourreactiontosomething.That'sall."
9Achillrainwasbeginningtofalloutside,buthisofficewaswarmandcomfortableandfamiliar:
book-linedwalls,longleathercouch,signedphotographofSigmundFreud,taperecorderbythewindow.Hissecretaryhadgonehome.Wewerealone.
10TheOldMantookatapefromaflatcardboardboxandfitteditontothemachine."Onthistape,"hesaid,"arethreeshortrecordingsmadebythreepersonswhocametomeforhelp.Theyarenotidentified,ofcourse.Iwantyoutolistentotherecordingsandseeifyoucanpickoutthetwo-wordphrasethatisthecommondenominatorinallthreecases."Hesmiled."Don'tlooksopuzzled.Ihavemyreasons."
11Whattheownersofthevoicesonthetapehadincommon,itseemedtome,wasunhappiness.Themanwhospokefirstevidentlyhadsufferedsomekindofbusinesslossorfailure;heberatedhimselffornothavingworkedharder,fornothavinglookedahead.Thewomanwhospokenexthadnevermarriedbecauseofasenseofobligationtoherwidowedmother;sherecalledbitterlyallthemaritalchancesshehadletgoby.Thethirdvoicebelongedtoamotherwhoseteen-agesonwasintroublewiththepolice;sheblamedherselfendlessly.
12TheOldManswitchedoffthemachineandleanedbackinhischair."Sixtimesinthoserecordingsaphraseisusedthat'sfullofsubtlepoison.Didyouspotit?
No?
Well,perhapsthat'sbecauseyouuseditthreetimesyourselfdownintherestaurantalittlewhileago."Hepickeduptheboxthathadheldthetapeandtosseditovertome."Theretheyare,rightonthelabel.Thetwosaddestwordsinanylanguage."
13Ilookeddown.Printedneatlyinredinkwerethewords:
Ifonly.
14"You'dbeamazed,"saidtheOldMan,"ifyouknewhowmanythousandsoftimesI'vesatinthischairandlistenedtowoefulsentencesbeginningwiththosetwowords.'Ifonly,'theysaytome,'Ihaddoneitdifferently—ornotdoneitatall.IfonlyIhadn'tlostmytemper,saidthecruelthing,madethatdishonestmove,toldthatfoolishlie.IfonlyIhadbeenwiser,ormoreunselfish,ormoreself-controlled.'TheygoonandonuntilIstopthem.SometimesImakethemlistentotherecordingsyoujustheard.'Ifonly,'Isaytothem,'you'dstopsayingifonly,wemightbegintogetsomewhere!
'"
15TheOldManstretchedouthislegs."Thetroublewith'ifonly,'"hesaid,"isthatitdoesn'tchangeanything.Itkeepsthepersonfacingthewrongway—backwardinsteadofforward.Itwastestime.Intheend,ifyouletitbecomeahabit,itcanbecomearealroadblock,anexcusefornottryinganymore.
16"Nowtakeyourowncase:
yourplansdidn'tworkout.Why?
Becauseyoumadecertainmistakes.Well,that'sallright:
everyonemakesmistakes.Mistakesarewhatwelearnfrom.Butwhenyouweretellingmeaboutthem,lamentingthis,regrettingthat,youweren'treallylearningfromthem."
17"Howdoyouknow?
"Isaid,abitdefensively.
18"Because,"saidtheOldMan,"younevergotoutofthepasttense.Notoncedidyoumentionthefuture.Andinaway—behonest,now!
—youwereenjoyingit.There'saperversestreakinallofusthatmakesusliketohashoveroldmistakes.Afterall,whenyourelatethestoryofsomedisasterordisappointmentthathashappenedtoyou,you'restillthechiefcharacter,stillinthecenterofthestage."
19Ishookmyheadruefully."Well,what'stheremedy?
"
20"Shiftthefocus,"saidtheOldManpromptly."Changethekeywordsandsubstituteaphrasethatsuppliesliftinsteadofcreatingdrag."
21"Doyouhavesuchaphrasetorecommend?
"
22"Certainly.Strikeoutthewords'ifonly';substitutethephrase'nexttime.'"
23"Nexttime?
"
24"That'sright.I'veseenitworkminormiraclesrighthereinthisroom.Aslongasapatientkeepssaying'ifonly'tome,he'sintrouble.Butwhenhelooksmeintheeyeandsays'nexttime,'Iknowhe'sonhiswaytoovercominghisproblem.Itmeanshehasdecidedtoapplythelessonshehaslearnedfromhisexperience,howevergrimorpainfulitmayhavebeen.Itmeanshe'sgoingtopushasidetheroadblockofregret,moveforward,takeaction,resumeliving.Tryityourself.You'llsee."
25Myoldfriendstoppedspeaking.Outside,Icouldheartherainwhisperingagainstthewindowpane.Itriedslidingonephraseoutofmymindandreplacingitwiththeother.Itwasfanciful,ofcourse,butIcouldhearthenewwordslockintoplacewithanaudibleclick....
26TheOldManstoodupabitstiffly."Well,classdismissed.Ithasbeengoodtoseeyou,youngman.Alwaysis.Now,ifyouwillhelpmefindataxi,Iprobablyshouldbegettingonhome."
27Wecameoutofthebuildingintotherainynight.Ispottedacruisingcabandrantowardit,butanotherpedestrianwasquicker.
28"My,my,"saidtheOldManslyly."Ifonlywehadcomedowntensecondssooner,we'dhavecaughtthatcab,wouldn'twe?
"
29Ilaughedandpickedupthecue."NexttimeI'llrunfaster."
30"That'sit,"criedtheOldMan,pullinghisabsurdhatdownaroundhisears."That'sitexactly!
"
31Anothertaxislowed.Iopenedthedoorforhim.Hesmiledandwavedasitmovedaway.Ineversawhimagain.Amonthlater,hediedofasuddenheartattack,infullstride,sotospeak.
32MorethanayearhaspassedsincethatrainyafternooninManhattan.Buttothisday,wheneverIfindmyselfthinking"ifonly",Ichangeitto"nexttime".ThenIwaitforthatalmost-perceptiblementalclick.AndwhenIhearit,IthinkoftheOldMan.
33Asmallfragmentofimmortality,tobesure.Butit'sthekindhewouldhavewanted.
WordsandPhrases
1.prospectn.sth.oneexpectstohappen;apossibilityorlikelihoodofsth.happening
e.g.Ilookforwardtotheprospectofbeingavolunteer