Unit 6 Unit 6

We’ve Been HitWe’ve Been Hit

Pre-reading ActivitiesPre-reading Activities

•1. background information: 911 Attack

(1) The World Trade Center and its fall --- see note 1 in the textbook.

                                 

Before Attack After Attack

                                                                                                              

                                                                                                                                          

• (2) The attackers -- Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda

• Al Qaeda was founded in 1988 by Osama bin Laden to consolidate the international network he established during the Afghan war. Its goals were the advancement of Islamic revolutions throughout the Muslim world and repelling foreign intervention in the Middle East.

• It committed its most devastating attack on September 11, 2001, when 19 Al Qaeda operatives hijacked four passenger planes and drove two into the Twin Towers in New York City and one into the Pentagon; a fourth plane crashed in rural Pennsylvania. Nearly 3,000 people were killed in the attack.

Osama bin LadenOsama bin Laden

• For more information about Al Qaeda and bin Laden, visit http://www.adl.org/terrorism/profiles/al_qaeda.asp

• (3) Bigger picture --- Terrorism• Questions: what is terrorism? List some of the terror

ist organizations you know.• Terrorism has become one of the most unsettling a

nd devastating factor in the world today. Countries and regions like Pakistan, Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq, Afghanistan, Colombia, Somalia, etc. are considered hotbed for terrorism, or as the Americans call them, “havens for terrorism”.

• Generally denounced terrorist organizations include Al Qaeda, the Taliban, Hamas, etc.

• For more information about terrorism, visit http://www.cfr.org/issue/135/terrorism.html

• Divide the story into 4 parts. What does each part tell us?

• Part 1: para. 1 • The pride of WTC before the attack.• Part 2: para. 2-9• Mayblum’s experience during the attack.• Part 3: para. 10-30• Hong and Ramos mission during the attack.• Part 4: para. 31-34• After the attack; wives mourning over lost husbands.

Structural analysisStructural analysis

Part I (para1)Part I (para1)• With the building in flames, one man needed

help. Another man refused to leave him.:

When the building was on fire, one man needed help. Another man stayed with him.

• 1) with 可引导独立主格结构 Translation: 他手上拿了一本书， 离开了房间。 With a book in his hand, he left the room.

• flame• in flames: on fire

Translation: 那房子在熊熊大火之中了。 The house was in flames.• burst into flames

e.g. The firewood burst into flames.

柴烧起来了。

• scoff vi. ( 常与 at 连用 ): laugh at scoff at sb. [sth.] 嘲弄某人 [ 某事 ] scoff at difficulties 藐视困难

• e.g. I came to the meeting to scoff but the speaker persuaded me.

• Syn. Jeer, taunt, sneer

• sway 1) move from side to side e.g. The trees swayed in the wind. 2) influence or control sth. e.g. He is easily swayed by other people.

• illusion n. 幻觉 ; 幻影 ; 错觉 • 对某事不存幻想 be under no illusions about sth. have no illusions about sth. hold no illusions about sth.• e.g. The mirrors all round the walls give an illusion of g

reater space.• Translation: 他对赢得比赛不抱任何幻想。 He had no illusions about winning the race.• cf. delusion ( 错觉 ); • disillusion ( 醒悟 ), disillusionment ( 幻灭，觉醒 )• Translation: 越长大，就越接近最终的幻灭。 The older you grow, the closer you are to the ultimate

disillusionment.

Part II (Para 2- 9)• rumble • 1) ( n.) a deep, long, rolling sound 隆隆声 e.g. Please excuse my stomach rumbling– I

haven’t eaten anything all day.

• 2) ( vi. ) 发出隆隆声（常与 along, by, through 连用）隆隆地前进 e.g. The truck rumbled through the street.

• devastating (adj. ): completely destructive e.g. The US launched its most

devastating attack of the entire war.

• glance at : to look quickly or briefly at e.g. I saw them glance at each other as

if they knew something I didn’t.

• careen: to lean to one side, as a ship sailing in the wind. 倾斜 , 倾

• cast v.

• (1) to receive form or shape in a mold.（与 in, into 连用）铸造；铸成

• e.g. That island has been cast into a hell after the tsunami.

• (2) to throw 扔• e.g. No one would like to be cast into

such a terrible place.

Phrases:

• cast out: 扔出；驱逐• cast away: ( 使 ) 失事，漂流• Many of the prisoners have been cast __

_ of the country and became refugees.

• Common sayings: A stone’s cast; The last cast

• purgatory (n.): a place or condition of great suffering 炼狱 , 暂时受苦的地方

• pl. purgatories

• e.g. Angelina has a very thin sharp voice; it’s purgatory to have to listen to her sing.

• . …was a matter of …: what matters was … e.g. Don’t worry, the practice won’t go unr

ewarded. It is just a matter of time.

Translation: 各种社会理论都有其自身的价值，这只不过是个人理念不同。

All social theories have certain merits in their own rights. It is just a matter of different opinions.

• ultimate: adj. 最后的；最终的 ; 根本的；极大的• the ultimate objective 最终目标• the ultimate truth 绝对真理

• dilemma : n. 进退两难之境；困境；进退维谷• be in a dilemma 左右为难 e.g. The doctor was in a dilemma as to whether to tel

l the patient the truth about his condition or not.• place/ put sb. in a dilemma 使某人处于进退两难的境地• get out of dilemma 走出困境

• confusion n. : the state of great disorder

• in a state of mental confusion 精神错乱• fall into confusion 陷入混乱状态

• last vi.1) 继续；持续 e.g Can you last out? 你能坚持吗 ?

e.g. The hot weather lasted until the end of September.

2) 足够；维持 e.g. The water will last 5 days.

vt. 1) 够用 , 使得以维持 ; 安然度过 , 经得起

e.g. This bike will last me a lifetime.

• rip: to tear apart The wind ripped the sail.

风撕破了船帆。 When Paul was climbing over the fence, he

ripped his trousers on a nail.

• rip into pieces : tear into pieces

• rip off 敲诈 They ripped us off at that hotel.

• off and on (on and off) adv. in an intermittent manner; not regularly 断断续续地 ; 偶尔地 ; 不规则地 ; 时而

• e.g. They sent letters to each other off and on.

• Paraphrase: Sparks bit at Mayblum’s ankles as he raced for the stairs.

Sparks hurt Mayblum’s ankles when he rushed towards the stairs.

• flight:

① a set of steps or stairs, usually between two floors of a building

climb four flights of stairs 上四段楼梯 ② escape , running away or avoiding sth

e.g. The burglars took flight when the alarm sounded.

③ flying

e.g. Certain birds spend most of the day in flight.

• transfer lobby: a hall, or waiting room that is used to transfer the passengers

• reassuring (a.): 令人欣慰的 e.g. It’s reassuring to know that the children

are being looked after.

• wade in or wade into: to plunge into, begin, or attack resolutely and energetically 精力充沛地做决然并充满精力地投入、开始或攻击

• e.g. They waded into the task and forgot their disagreement with each other.

• Panicked adj.• panic vi & vt. （常与 into 连用）使恐 慌；

使惊慌 The banks were panicked into selling

dollars. 银行惊恐地抛售美元。The crowd panicked at the sound of the

guns. 枪炮声使群众惊慌失措。

• descent n. the act or process of going down 降下 , 降落

• e.g.The spectators watched the descent of the balloon.

• descend: v.

• cf. ascend (rise); condescend (屈尊，降低身份 )

e.g. I cannot bear his condescending manner.

Part III (Para10- 30)Part III (Para10- 30)

• descent n. the act or process of going down• descend: vi. & vt. go down e.g. The sun descended behind the hills.• descendant n. 子孙 , 后裔 , 后代

• contract (v. ) to make or become shorter or narrower or smaller 使变狭；收缩；

Translation:金属遇冷收缩。 Metal contracts as it cools. (n.) 合同 , 契约 , 婚约 sign a contract 签订合同

• guinea pig (n.)

1) 豚鼠，天竺鼠 e.g. Guinea pigs are very docile(温顺

的 ) pets.

2) 供作实验的人或物 e.g. He was used as a guinea pig for the

new drug.

So far, so good.:

Up to now, everything was OK.

• so far: until now

e.g. Only one of the escaped prisoners has been captured so far.

• last bank of elevators

bank (n.) row 一系列；一排，一束 a bank of lights 一排灯

• The rumbles of the collapsing …sap last gasps of energy.

• The tremendous sound of the collapse of the south Tower destroyed the man’s last hope of climbing down the remaining stairs, and this took away his remaining energy.

• collapse: (break into pieces and ) to fall down or fall suddenly

The bridge collapsed under the weight of the train.

• sap: v. to gradually weaken or destroy a person’s strength or power.

The criticism sapped his determination.

gasp :

• 1) n. a short intake or catching of the breath.

短促地、剧烈地吸气或屏气• at one’s last gasp 奄奄一息 ;垂死挣扎 e.g. The old man was at his last gasp.

• 2) v.喘息； 透不过气来 e.g. I gasped for breath as I reached the

summit.

• persuade

persuade sb. to do sth.

persuade sb. into doing sth.

• persuasion (n.) 说服 , 说服力• persuasive (a.) 有说服力的，易使人信服的： a persuasive argument. 令人信服的论据

Part IV (Para 31- 34)Part IV (Para 31- 34)• convince ( -vinced; -vincing) e.g. His wife convinced him that he should

quit smoking. sb. is convinced that Translation:我相信总会有办法的 . I’m convinced that there is a way out.• missing adj. 不见的 , 缺少的 e.g. The mother looked for her missing boy

desperately.

• Piece by piece, she developed a picture of his escape.:

Little by little, how he escaped was outlined in her mind.

• develop1) to cause to grow or change into a more

advanced form With hard work, she developed into a great

writer.2) v.显影；冲洗 develop a photo 冲洗照片

• meet up with sb: to come across I met up with an old friend in the street the

other day.

• But as hard as she tried… the picture began to fade on the 36th floor.

• But no matter how hard she tired , no matter how many questions she asked, she failed to figure out what happened after her husband arrived at the 36th floor.

• fade

1) 枯萎；褪色；失去光泽 These flowers have faded; you need to buy som

e fresh ones.

Daylight fades when the sun sets.

2)渐渐消失 All memory of the past has faded.

ParaphraseParaphrase

• Thousands of people in the WTC were thrown, all of a sudden, into a condition of extremely terrible suffering that morning. Mayblum was one of them.

• The road appears/seems to get narrower when/if/as you look into distance, but this is/ it’s an illusion.

• The recent drought in Africa has had a devastating effect on its rural population.

• He delivered/gave copies of the report to all those present at the meeting, urging them to read it and digest its contents.

• During the meal/ dinner, he kept glancing at the door, obviously expecting someone to walk in.

• The party was in complete confusion after its election defeat/ it lost the defeat.

• I had worked for/in the company off and on for two years before I went abroad.

• The family would have arrived on time, but they met up with a flat tire.

• It was my first visit to New York, but I managed to find my way to the small firm.

• 2. Questions for comprehension:

• (1) Who is the real hero in the story, Mayblum, Hong, or Ramos?

• (2) What can you infer from the 33rd paragraph?

• (3) What does the last sentence tell us?

• (3) What is the writer trying to say to the readers with the story?

• With hope of finding more survivors of Turkey’s devastating earthquake now all gone, the Turkish authorities are turning their attention to caring for those who have survived.

• A full-scale relief effort in the area hit by the earthquake is finally beginning after days of confusion. Turkish and foreign volunteers have been joined by soldiers and the police, and heavy equipment sent by nearby cities and by private companies has been moved to almost every victimized town.

• The Minister of Housing estimated that 60,000 buildings had been either destroyed or seriously damaged in the quake. Within a few days, many of the homeless would be moved out of the fields and tents where they were now living. 42 countries and 38 international organizations have sent aid to Turkey. The World Bank has sent $ 200 million for housing construction.