The Greatest invention By Lord Dunsanny
Jan 16, 2016
The Greatest invention
By Lord Dunsanny
Text Text AppreciatioAppreciationn
Text Analysis
1. General Analysis
2. Structure of the Text
3. Further Discussion
Genre of the story
Plot of the story
Setting of the story
Protagonists of the story
Theme of the story
Text AnalysisText Analysis
General Analysis
Genre:
Plot:
Setting:
Protagonists:
Text AnalysisText Analysis
modern fable
the development of the conflict between ascientist driven by his scientific curiosityand the government which wants to forcethe scientist to serve their political purpose
Caribbean area
the man in the Ministry of Warfare
& the scientist
Fable
A fable is a succinct( 言简意赅的 )story, in prose or verse, that
features animals, mythical creatures, plants, inanimate objects, or
forces of nature which
are anthropomorphized (given human qualities), and that illustrates
a moral lesson (a “moral”), which may at the end be expressed
explicitly in a pithy(精辟的) maxim(格言) .
Modern fable
FableFable
Features:
fabled characters of more modern archetypes
using familiar characters in an unfamiliar setting
introduce people’s characters in modern life
updated message with contemporary circumstance and plot line
Text AnalysisText Analysis
Through the story, the author makes us think about the purpose of science and the driving force of scientific development.
Theme:
Part 1 (Paras. 1— ):
Part 2 (Paras. ):
Part 3 (Para. ):
Text AnalysisText Analysis
Structure of the Text
4
5—44
45
the story itself
the concluding paragraph
Why did Jorkens tell the story?
Sentence Sentence Paraphrase Paraphrase 11
I was tired of looking at the tropical sea, so I
went ashore and walked into a tavern to see if
they had any decent wines in that country.
(Para. 5)
to go to the shoreacceptable, good enough
Word BuildingWord Building
ashore (para. 5)ashore (para. 5)
prefix
a-: in a particular condition or way
Examples:
They were walking They were walking abreastabreast..
He was standing a few steps He was standing a few steps apartapart from them. from them.
She left the door She left the door ajarajar..
Many of those visitors came from Many of those visitors came from afarafar..
Sentence Sentence Paraphrase Paraphrase 22
When the bottle had been uncorked and the wine poured out, like liquid tropical sunlight, I watched it go down under that black mustache. (Para. 5)
Simile:It suggests that the wine was pretty strong, like hot liquid sunlight.
omission of “had been”
The wine had been poured out.
go to 3
The bottle was opened and the wine was poured out. The man with black mustache drank it up although it was pretty strong, like hot liquid sunlight.
un-: +v. to show an
opposite
undress
unbutton
uncover
untie
unwrap
unmask
unpack
脱衣服
解开纽扣
揭开盖子,揭露
解开
打开包裹脱去面具解开包裹
uncork (para. 5)uncork (para. 5)
prefix
Word BuildingWord Building
A question: what will you do after drinking lots of wine?
• Sleeping?
• Becoming talkative and telling secrets which will not be told when clear-minded, or sth made-up, or boasting?
• Fuzzy-minded and doing things which hurt others like beating others, drunk-driving & creating collisions
Sentence Sentence Paraphrase Paraphrase 33
“ And we had a scientist who, as I have since seen proved, had no rival west of the Atlantic.” (Para. 6)
And we had the very best scientist in Latin American countries as I have seen him proved without rival.
to be the very best
relative pronoun as the object of “seen”
More examples
a matter of sth/ doing sth: an issue concerning…
• Personally I can’t stand rock music, but I suppose it’s all a matter of opinion
used to say that people have different opinions about a subject
• It’s only a matter of time before somebody gets hurt sth. will happen eventually Anyone can get his/her Mr/Miss Right. It’s just a matter of
being in the right place at the right time. to tell that you only have to do a particular thing, or do
something in a particular way in order to succeed• a matter of life and death• a matter of taste/cost/price/luck…
外交部 Ministry of Foreign Affairs 民政部 Ministry of Civil Affairs
国防部 Ministry of National Defense 司法部 Ministry of Justice
商务部 Ministry of Commerce 财政部 Ministry of Finance
教育部 Ministry of Education 人事部 Ministry of Personnel
科学技术部 Ministry of Science and Technology 劳动和社会保障部 Ministry of Labor and Social Security
公安部 Ministry of Public Security 国土资源部 Ministry of Land and Resources
国家安全部 Ministry of State Security 住建部 Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development
监察部 Ministry of Supervision 铁道部 Ministry of Railways
文化部 Ministry of Culture 交通部 Ministry of Communications
卫生部 Ministry of Health 信息产业部 Ministry of Information Industry
农业部 Ministry of Agriculture 水利部 Ministry of Water Resources
Do you know the other ministries?
Word StudyWord Study7. Figure (Para 11)
n. a. shape b. person c. number d. character
e. an amount of money
You have to watch our diet if you want to keep your figure.
keeping unemployment figure down
both a political and a religious figure
to play the figure of a judge
an estimated figure of $200 million
a
b
d
c
Select the proper meaning
of “figure” in each sentence.
e
Word StudyWord Study5. charge
v. a. to rush in or as if in an attack b. to ask in payment c. to declare officially and openly
d. to load The hotel charged me $50 for a room for
the night.
Suddenly the wild animal charged at us.
He was charged with murder and betrayal.
The soldiers charged their guns and
prepared to fire.
b
c
d
a
Select the proper
meaning of “charge” in
each sentence.
Word StudyWord Study5. charge
n. a. an attack in which soldiers, wild animals etc rush with great force against sb
b. (c/u) the amount of money you have to pay for goods or services
c. control d. an official statement made by the police
saying that sb is guilty of a crime
your order will be delivered free of charge.
cavalry charges
I’ve been put in charge of the preparation.
The charge against her is arson.
b
c
d
a
Select the proper
meaning of “charge” in
each sentence.
Word StudyWord Study
8. glory
n. great honor; praise
Examples:
return with glory
in one’s glory
glorify oneself
a glorious death
凯旋 得意之时自夸 光荣的牺牲
Word formation
v. glorifya. glorious
Word StudyWord Study
2. aspiration
Word formation
v. aspire
n. a strong desire to have or achieve sth.
Examples:
When I was 12 I had aspirations to play professional football.
He had no political aspirations.
aspire
• Vi
• To desire and work towards achieving sth. important 追求,渴望,有志于
+to/after +to do sth
it was clear that … aspired to the leadership of Class …
Nowadays people all aspire to make good money.
a. soothing
adv. soothingly
Word StudyWord Study12. soothe
v. a. to make someone feel calmer and less anxious, upset or angry b. to make a pain less severe
Examples:
She soothed the child who was afraid.
I bought some lozenges(润喉糖 ) to soothe my
throat.
Word formation
Sentence Sentence Paraphrase Paraphrase 77
But what if we know how to let loose a plague
capable of destroying whole nations? (Para. 16)
to let sb. or sth. free
What would happen if we know how to release a plague that can destroy whole nations?
adjective phrase as modifier
More examples
Word StudyWord Study10. plague
n. a. any disease causing death and spreading quickly to a large number of people
b. sth. that annoys youv. to cause trouble to sb.; to annoy sb.
Examples:A great many people have been swept away by the plague.That child is a plague of her life.The little boy plagued his father by begging over and over to go to the zoo.
Sentence Sentence Paraphrase Paraphrase 77
1. I think he is a man suitable for the job.
2. Soldiers normally timid don’t fight well.
3. A man so difficult to please must be hard to
work with.
Sentence Sentence Paraphrase Paraphrase 88
“ We knew that we had marvelous powers
within our grasp, if only Carasierra could be
kept at his work.” (Para. 18)
If we could keep Carasierra at his work, we
would be able to attain great power. go to 9
to force someone to continue to do sth.
to be able to achieve or attain sth.
Sentence Sentence Paraphrase Paraphrase 99
“ Always spurred on by a fierce ambition. His
very life was devoted to making inventions.”
(Para. 20)
He was always driven by a strong ambition. He had given his whole life to making inventions.
to urge sb. to try harderused to
emphasize a noun
Word StudyWord Study13. spur
v. a. to encourage a horse to go fasterb. to incite or stimulate
n. a fact or event that makes you try harder to do sth.
Do sth on the spur of the moment: to do sth suddenly, without thinking about it before you do it:
Examples:The rider spurred on to his destination. It’s unlikely that harsh criticism will spur the students on to greater effortsLower housing price will spur the apartment sales.On the spur of the moment she picked up the phone and told her affection towards him.
Word StudyWord Study
a. very strong; done with very strong feelings and energy
6. fierce
fierce emotions
fierce attack
fierce competition
fierce anger
fierce look
fierce tempest
强烈的感情猛烈的进攻激烈的竞争极度愤怒面目狰狞狂风暴雨
Word StudyWord Study
(c/u). a sudden good idea about what you should do or say 灵感
6. inspiration
We haven’t started the preparation for the
Red May project, we’re still waiting for
aspiration
Word formation
inspire
to give sb the idea for a story, painting,
poem ect.
The romance was inspired by a chance
meeting with an old couple.
Word StudyWord Study1. appeal
v. a. to make a serious request for help, money, information b. to be attractive or interesting c. to make formal request to a court
Chinese
恳求,呼吁;有吸引力;上诉
Word formation
n. appeal
Examples:
She appealed to the kidnappers to release her son.
Does the idea of working abroad appeal to you?
If you are not satisfied, you can appeal.
• N.1(C) an urgent request for sth important 恳求,呼吁 appeal for : the UN’s appeal for a ceasefire appeal to sb to do sth: an appeal to parents to supervise
their children make/launch an appeal 2)(U) a quality that makes you like sb or sth, be interested in
them 感染力,吸引力 Pirates of Caribbean has great appeal for young audiences. sex appeal: the quality of being sexually attractive性感 3) (C,U) a formal request to a court or sb in authority上诉,申
诉 : an appeal to a higher court
Word StudyWord Study
appeal n.
Chinese
恳求,呼吁;吸引力;
上诉, 申诉
Examples:
appeal for aid
an appeal to parents to supervise their children
The film has great appeal for young audience.
an appeal to the European court of Human Rights
Sentence Sentence Paraphrase Paraphrase 1010“ But nothing would turn him from his project.
The splendor of his new inspiration gripped him, and he was like a man drugged.” (Para. 23)
Nothing could divert his attention from his work. The impressive beauty of his new idea interested him greatly and he was like a man who had taken drug
to divert his attention from
his project
Sentence Sentence Paraphrase Paraphrase 1111
“ We were so nearly one of the Great Powers
but for a fancy that came to this man’s mind.”
(Para. 24)
If a fancy had not gripped this man, we would
have become one of the Great Powers.
if not for
Sentence Sentence Paraphrase Paraphrase 1212
“ … he fell then to silent brooding, gazing, as it seemed, into the past at the grip that his country had lost on the Caribbean, perhaps on the world.” (Para. 45)
He fell then to silent thinking. He looked
intently into the past when his country had lost
the power on the Carribbean, even the world.
Word StudyWord Study
4. brood
v. to keep thinking for a long time about sth. that makes you very angry or worried
Examples:
She sat there brooding on whether life
is worth living.
Don’t brood over lost opportunities.
Just as physicists worry about the
nature of matter, historians brood
about the study of man’s past.
What if a bird broods…
Chinese
沉思;念念不忘,计较;思考
Extension
• 1. a discussion: is the government official a terrorist? Why or why not?
• terrorism refers to those violent acts which are intended to create fear (terror), are done for a religious, political or ideological goal, deliberately target or disregard the safety of civilians, and are committed by non-government agencies.
• For a government, it’s called hegemonism
2. see the video and decide whether the man is a terrorist?
Words & expressions in the video
• Cross my heart and hope to die(在胸口划十字 )答应要做某事;发誓所说属实
• Install: 安装• Safeguard:安保措施• Apprehend:逮捕• State-of-the-art:尖端的
Quiz 1Quiz 1
alter thoughtful
brood beg
appeal change
dominate disease
idle think
plague control
considerate at leisure
Match the synonyms in
the two columns.
Quiz 2Quiz 2
1. There were some ______ flowers on the table.
a. artificial b. unnatural
c. false d. unreal
2. People were surprised to find that he had the
ability to _____ everything he was involved in.
a. precede b. dominate
c. effect d. instruct
a b
3. When people become unemployed, it is ____
which is often worse than lack of wages.
a. diligence b. poverty
c. idleness d. inability
4. Although the two players are ______ in the
tennis court, they are really good friends.
a. partners b. enemies
c. rivals d. companions
Quiz 2Quiz 2
c c
Quiz 2Quiz 2
d a
5. By _____ computation, he estimated that the
repairs on the house would cost him a
thousand dollars.
a. coarse b. rude
c. crude d. rough
6. He was _____ enough to understand my
questions from the gestures I made.
a. intelligent b. efficient
c. proficient d. diligent
7. A well-written composition ____ good choice
of words and clear organization among other
things.
a. calls on b. calls for
c. calls up d. calls off
8. Craig assured his boss that he would ____ all
his energies in doing this new job.
a. call on b. call for
c. call up d. call off
Quiz 2Quiz 2
b a
Quiz 2Quiz 2
b a
9. ______ the speech contest I would have
gone to the dance party last Sunday.
a. In spite of b. But for
c. Because of d. As for
10. I’m sure he is up to the job _____ he would
give his mind to it.
a. if only b. in case
c. until d. unless
11. Being somewhat short-sighted, she had the habit of _____ at people.
a. glancing b. peering c. gazing d. scanning
12. In spite of the wide range of reading material specially written or ______ for language learning purpose, there is yet no comprehensive systematic program for the reading skills.
a. adapted b. acknowledged c. assembled d. appointed
Quiz 2 Quiz 2
b a
Quiz 2Quiz 2
a c
13. ______, the little girl can help her mother
with some housework.
a. Young as she is b. Young as is she
c. As she is young d. As is she young
14. ______ is known to the world, Mark Twain is
a great American writer.
a. That b. Which
c. As d. It
Quiz 2Quiz 2
b
15. American will never again have as a nation
the spirit of adventure ______ before the
West was settled.
a. as it was b. as it did
c. like it did d. like it was
17. He built a telescope ________ which he could
study the skies.
a. on b. in
c. from d. through
18. The desk ________ which Jack is leaning is
John’s.
a. of b. for
c. against d. on
Quiz 2Quiz 2
d c
1. The ship got ______ on a rock. (shore)
2. Mr. Spears did not ______ to obtaining a
better position in life. (aspiration)
3. The right hand is ________ in most people.
(dominate)
4. A sword rusts in _______. (idle)
Quiz 3Quiz 3
ashore
aspire
dominant
idleness
Fill in the blanks with the proper
form of the given words.
5. A brave leader is an _________ to his followers.
(inspire)
6. There is keen _____ for these appointments.
(rival)
7. He’s very unhappy about her promotion; he
seems to feel that his own job is _________.
(threat)
Quiz 3Quiz 3
inspiration
rivalry
Fill in the blanks with the proper
form of the given words.
threatened