Book Three 上海建桥学院大学英语制作 1

Unit Seven Making a Living

Text A Life of a Salesman

Content Background Information Warm-up Activity Text Organization Sentence Study Words and Phrases Abstract

Background Information

Background Information Life of a Salesman Betrayed by a crippled body that leaves him in continual pain, betrayed by a changing world that no longer needs him, Bill Porter each day trudges his door-to-door sales territory, set on making his way in the world Sunday, November 19, 1995 The portrait of Bill Porter

Background Information About the Author Tom Hallman Jr. is a senior reporter specializing in features at The Oregonian. He joined the paper in 1980 and covered the police beat for a decade, longer than any reporter since the 1950s. While covering cops, Hallman began writing feature stories -- at first off the beat, then the stories of everyday people. He was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in beat reporting in 1995 and in feature writing in 1999. He has won the Ernie Pyle Award for human-interest writing, the ASNE Distinguished Writing Award for nondeadline writing (twice), the feature-writing award from the Society of Professional Journalists and the Livingston Award for Young Journalists. return

Warm-up Activity

Quotations I don’t like work — no man does — but I like what is in the work — the chance to find yourself. Every calling is great when greatly pursued. Joseph Conrad Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.

Quotations Booker T. Washington Work keeps at bay three great evils: boredom, vice, and need. No race can prosper till it learns that there is as much dignity in tilling a field as in writing a poem. Voltaire Booker T. Washington

Warm-up Activity Work in groups to discuss some questions What criterion is a must for a salesman? Do you think you can be a salesman? Would you rather have a low-paid job that is interesting or a well-paid job that is boring?

Warm-up Activity Ten Tips Selling in China Know the market. Use Hong Kong as your base to enter China. Learn about Chinese culture. Leverage an existing relationship. Assist your family of companies. Take care of the people who make introductions. Bend the rules while sticking your neck out. Slow your pace. Be courteous. Create desirability.

Warm-up Activity Summary of the discussion Satisfying low-paid job: you will feel happy when you are working as the old saying goes, interest is most important teacher maybe the job is low paying now but if you work hard with your interest, you will be promoted one day. Boring well-paid job: You will have the necessary money to do the interesting stuffs that you want to do. Besides, you will feel better because you do not need to worry about money all the time. return

Text organization

Text Structure Part I: 5:45am Part II: 7:45am Part III: since 5:45 Scan the text to see how many parts it has? Part I: 5:45am Part II: 7:45am Part III: since 5:45 Part VI: after 7 pm A book about Bill Porter

Preparation for the day’s work Text organization Structure of the text Parts Paras Time of the Day Bill’s Activities I 1-7 Early morning Preparation for the day’s work II 8-25 Mid-morning On his way to work III 26-62 Day Door-to-door selling VI 63-84 evening Paper work

Sentence Study

Sentence Study (L6) But his dead mother’s challenge echoes in his soul. So, too, do the voices of those who believed him stupid, incapable of living independently. (L14) And his enemies—a crippled body that betrays him and a changing world that no longer needs him—are gaining on him. 【解析】 1. 此处倒装是为了避免句子头重脚轻; 2.此句含两个定语从句（斜体部分), 从作者的选词来看，Bill Porter 有两个敌人，一个自己残疾的身体，另一个是不再需要自己身体的身外世界，真可谓“欲渡黄河冰塞川，将登太行雪满山”。

Sentence Study Example The room echoed with the sound of music. 房间里音乐回荡。 The theme “war and peace” echoes throughout the novel. “战争与和平”这个主题不断地在这部小说中重复。

Sentence Study (L32) His mother explained how the delivery had been difficult, how the doctor had used an instrument that crushed a section of his brain and caused cerebral palsy, a disorder of the nervous system that affects his speech, hands and walk. 【解析】 斜体部分是定语从句，分别修饰instrument和the nervous system；“a disorder…”是“cerebral palsy”的同位语， 对他补充说明。 本句的动词时态从一般现在时转为过去时，因为句子表现的内容是发生在过去，此时又在主人公的脑海里出现了。这种写作风格近似于文学家常说的“意识流”。

Sentence Study (L46) With her encouragement, he applied for a job with the Fuller Brush CO. only to be turned down. 【解析与翻译】 句尾的不定式表示结果，之所以用不定时，取决于要表达的内容，也取决于only； 在她的鼓励下，他向福勒牙刷公司申请了一份工作，结果却遭到拒绝。

Sentence Study Example I waited the whole morning, only to be told to come to the next day. He ran all the way to the station, only to see the train leaving the platform. return

Sentence Study (L54）It took Porter four false starts before he found the courage to ring the first doorbell. 【解析】 (see P240 structure 1) 波特踌躇四次都没敢敲门，第五次才鼓起勇气按了第一户人家的门铃。

Sentence Study (L132） He’s a weary man who knows his days—no matter what his intentions—are numbered. 【解析与示例】 注意该句的语序，no matter句有省略，意思为“不管什么/无论 不管发生什么事，晚上我们在这儿碰面。 We’ll meet here tonight， no matter what takes place.

Words and Phrases

Words and Phrases linger: vi. 1 spend a long time doing sth. 2 stay for a long time, esp. because one does not want to leave 我的女儿以前吃饭时总是花很多时间。 My daughter used to linger long over her meal. 没时间磨蹭了，记者招待会几分钟后开始。 There will be no time to linger—the press conference will begin in a few minutes. Translation

Words and Phrases Tilt：V. (cause to) move into a sloping position（使）倾斜n.倾斜 树向南倾斜。 The tree tilts to the south. 比萨斜塔由于它显著的倾斜而著名。 The Leaning Tower of Pisa is renowned for its marked tilt. Translation

Words and Phrases Gain on: come closer to, esp. a rival or sth. Pursued 逼近 在整个比赛中，他一直都在逼近对手，但只在最后才超过他们。 He was gaining on his opponents throughout the race, but only overtook them at the very end. 快点，他们快赶上我们了！ Hurry up – they are gaining on us! Exercise

Words and Phrases betray: V. 出卖，背叛，说明 他被指控在战争期间出卖祖国。 He was accused of betraying his country during the war. 她的脸色说明她很紧张. Her face betrayed her nervousness. 叛徒: betrayer. betray 的名词: betrayal Translation Word

Words and Phrases commission: n. 佣金，委员会 (同 committee)，代理(权)，授权的事情或任务 彼得从他卖出的每一台机器中得到10%的佣金。 Peter gets 10% commission on every machine he sells. commission agent 代理人， 经纪人 commission house 证券经纪公司［交易所］ commission merchant 代销商 Translation Phrase

Words and Phrases tremble：shake from cold, fear, weakness, etc.颤抖 他兴奋得声音发抖。 His voice trembled with excitement. shake; tremble; shiver: 动词,都有“震动,颤动”之意 ◆ shake: 是最普通的用语, 既可指人,也可指物.用于人时,一般指由于激动,寒冷,惧怕等引起的全身或局部的颤动. e.g. His hands shook a little as she wrote. 他写字时手有些发抖. ◆tremble: 指人体由于盛怒,恐惧,寒冷或疲劳而引起的无法克制的轻微而迅速的抖动. e.g. Her voice trembled with anger. 她的声音因愤怒而颤抖. ◆ shiver: 主要指由于恐惧,寒冷引起的肌肉的短暂,迅速的颤抖. e.g. She came into the house，snow-covered and shivering. 她走进房间,满身是雪,冷得发抖. Translation CF

Words and Phrases lean：1). v. (cause to) be in a sloping position; bend (使)倾斜,屈身(lean – leaned – leaned / lean – leant – leant) 2）adj. producing little of value; containing little or no fat:瘦的,无脂肪的;贫乏的,贫瘠的; 收益差的 (See: P237exercise3/4) 他把自行车斜靠着墙。 He leaned his bike against the wall. 我们喜欢吃又瘦又嫩的肉。We like to eat very lean and tender meat. ◆lean on /upon sb 依赖,依靠 ◆lean toward/towards/to偏向,倾向于 他们现在偏向我们: They are now leaning to our position. Translation Phrase

Words and Phrases Apply for: v. make a formal request for申请 我申请了五份工作后，才得到这份工作。 I applied for five jobs before I was offered this one. ◆apply to A for sth. 向A(某人/单位)申请某物 apply to the consul for a visa 向领事申请签证 ◆apply to 适用于… apply a theory to practice 把理论应用于实践 apply a plaster to a wound 给伤口贴上膏药 ◆apply one's mind to 专心于... Translation Phrase return

Abstract

Abstract Write an abstract for the text with the key words given. cripple commission useless limitation representative dignity retail disability territory profit limb apply for

Life of a Salesman Sample Bill Porter is a 65-year-old Portlander with cerebral palsy. He speaks with great difficulty and is a cripple with one of his limbs useless. When he was a young man, the state considered him unemployable and suggested he collect disability payments. He refused. Eventually he applied for a job in Watkins to work as a sales representative. He works on straight commission and gets no paid holiday. For several yeas he was Watkins’ top retail salesman and made much profit for the company. For more than 40 years he's earned a living selling Watkins products door-to-door in a territory. Bill Porter do rise above his limitation and gain dignity as a human being.

Abstract Chinese: 年已65岁的比尔·波特是一位患有脑瘫的波特兰老人。他不仅讲话困难，而且因一条腿无用而跛足。年轻时，政府考虑到他失业，建议他领取残废救济金。他拒绝了。最终他在Watkins找到一份销售代表的工作，只拿佣金，并且假日无工资。连续几年，他的销售业绩在Watkins名列前茅，为公司取得很大的利润。就这样，40多年以来，他靠在他建立的推销区里上门销售Watkins产品独立谋生。的确，他战胜了自身的局限，赢得了做人的尊严。

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