word

As an English reader, this book is intended to help English learners master the English language and increase their knowledge through the use of English. This volume is designed especially for those college students who are non-native speakers of English but who have reached the advanced level of English.

As the title of this book suggests, this reader is like a tasty tonic. It is not only “delicious” but also “nutritious” as a spiritual food. It claims to be tasty because, as you can easily see, the part called “The Text” in each unit of this book is rich in literary zest, as it is a composition with delightful humor and wit in its artful selection and arrangement of words.

This reader claims to be tonic as well because, as you can also see from “The Content” of each unit, the book provides a vast variety of “general knowledge” essential to the “health” of learning. Moreover, through the part called “The Expression” in each unit, the book provides an abundance of particular knowledge about the English language regarding its words, idioms, grammar, syntax, etc.

Practice makes perfect. The saying is especially true for a language learner. In each unit of this reader, therefore, there is a part called “The Classwork.” It contains model sentences for oral drills and test-questions for exercises. All of them are meant for repeated practice in class.

Reading is connected to writing. To write well one needs to read well first. Reading can be divided into intensive reading and extensive reading. The text in each unit of this book is meant for intensive reading in class and outside of class. The explanations about the content and expression of each unit are meant for extensive reading in class. The part called “Homework” is meant for extensive reading outside of class before the student writes a report related to the content and expression of the unit. It is hoped that the text can arouse the student’s interest in doing further research and writing good reports.

This English reader can be best used as a textbook for an English reading course. With its 16 units, it may be good for a weekly two or three-hour class extending over a semester of 18 weeks or a weekly two-hour class extending over two semesters totaling 36 weeks. All the 16 texts in the 16 units are taken from a program called “Today’s Tonic” (今日補品), which is part of [每日一字句] in {懂更懂學習英文網站} (DGD English-Learning Website. http://dgdel.nchu.edu.tw). You can find Chinese translations of the texts and some notes for them there. There you can also hear the texts read by some native speakers.

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Unit 1

The Text (from Tn-38, Today’s Tonic)

A Gondola Lift

A gondola lift is sure to lift you high.

But it is not a long narrow boat in the sky.

You ride instead in a cable car

That can send you up and far.

The car is propelled from above by cables of steel,

And each cable is driven by a bullwheel,

Which to an engine or a motor is connected

That is installed in a terminal station erected.

The Maokong Gondola is a gondola lift transportation system in Taipei.

It runs to and fro between Taipei Zoo and Maokong almost every day.

The Sun Moon Lake Gondola has cable cars in colors red, yellow and blue,

Which represent the sun, the moon, and the lake that welcome you.

The Content

1. The text of this unit is a rhymed verse about a gondola lift. What is a gondola lift? Is it a vehicle? Is it a kind of aircraft or watercraft? Is it a long narrow boat moving on water or a cable car moving in the air? What is it called in Chinese?

2. People in Venice used to use the gondola as a chief means of transportation. Their traditional gondola is a flat-bottomed rowing boat. It is like a punt, but it is propelled by an oar rather than by a pole. Today, Venetians still use the gondola as a ferryboat over the Grand Canal. They also use it in rowing races (“regattas”) held among gondoliers. Now, does the gondola of a gondola lift transportation system also have a flat bottom? Is it propelled by an oar or a pole? Does it transport passengers like a ferryboat by regular journeys between the two same places? Is it ever used in races?

3. What are the structural/ integral parts of a gondola lift transportation system? Do they include cable cars, cables of steel, bullwheels, engines or motors, and terminal stations? What else must they include? Must they include detachable or fixed grips? What else may they include? May they include intermediate supporting towers?

4. A bullwheel is a large wheel on which a rope or a cable turns. It is either a drive bullwheel serving as “the prime mover” to drive or haul the rope/ cable, or a return bullwheel serving to take back the rope/ cable. The wheel may be pulled by bulls, of course, for its turning, but its turning is nowadays effected usually by engines or motors. Now, does a gondola lift transportation system need to have bullwheels serving as both drive bullwheels and return bullwheels? Does it use bulls or engines/ motors to drive or haul the cables?

5. A gondola lift is not only a means of transportation (for conveying people and/ or cargo) but also a means of tourism (for sightseeing). In fact, the two gondola systems mentioned in this verse serve chiefly the purpose of tourism, as they carry chiefly tourists, not ordinary passengers. Between what two places does the Maokong Gondola shuttle back and forth? On what day of the week does it usually not run (for the sake of periodic maintenance)? In case of a thunderstorm or an earthquake, does it usually cease to run?

6. In what three colors are the cable cars of the Sun Moon Lake Gondola System painted? What do they represent? Do you like the idea of painting the cars in those three colors? Does the idea help promote tourism in a way?

7. Is the gondola lift as described in this verse a ski lift that carries people to the top of a slope so that they can ski down? Is it a chairlift that carries people (including miners and skiers) up and down a mountain?

The Expression

1. A “gondola” can refer to a long, narrow, flat-bottomed boat as used by Venetians. It can also refer to a cable car or a ski lift that people sit in. It can even refer to the part (sometimes called the “wicker basket” or “capsule”) fixed to a hot-air balloon or an airship for people to travel in. Now, what does the word “gondola” refer to in this verse?

2. In Britain, a “lift” is what Americans call an “elevator.” Now, is a gondola lift similar to an elevator in any way? Is it also a machine, for instance, to carry people up or down between different levels or heights?

3. In British English, if you “give somebody a lift,” you give them what Americans call a “ride.” Now, does a gondola lift give people a ride?

4. A “cable” is long like a thread, string, cord, or rope. Actually, it is a strong, thick, metal rope, now often made of wire strands. It can be a heavy steel chain attached to a ship’s anchor or used to make a suspension bridge. A “cable” is also a thick (copper) wire, now often covered with plastic and used to carry electricity or electronic signals. Today’s cable TV broadcasts on cable (or on satellite and cable). Does a cable car hang from a strong, metal rope made of wire strands or from a thick wire covered with plastic?

5. To “propel” is to push or drive forward. A ship can move on, and a plane can fly on, with propellers, which propel the craft by the backward thrust of water or air. A jet aircraft is propelled by jet engines, which are devices for jet propulsion, that is, for thrust produced by passing a jet of air backward. Is a cable car propelled by propellers, by jets of air, or by moving cables?

6. An “engine” is a machine with moving parts that uses a fuel to produce motion. It sometimes refers particularly to a locomotive. A steam engine is now often replaced by a petrol/ diesel engine or a jet engine. A “motor” is anything that produces or imparts motion. It can be the part of a machine that makes it work or move. It can also mean an engine. In Britain, it can refer to a car. Is the bullwheel of a gondola lift system most often connected to a fueled engine or an electric motor? By the way, what is a fire engine? What is a search engine?

7. We erect houses and install pieces of equipment in them. We erect a statue, a bridge, a memorial, a tent, a fence, or a barrier; we install a security camera, a smoke alarm, a phone line, a heating system, or a virus checker. Erection and installation both take time and need money. Debts, however, can be paid in (monthly or yearly) installments. Now, do people erect or elect a terminal station (for a railroad system or a gondola system)? Do they erect or install there a bullwheel connected to an engine or a motor?

Classwork

A. Orally drill the students with the following:

1. A gondola lift or a cable car can lift you high. You will highly enjoy riding in it.

2. The car is propelled from above, not from below. You can watch it from within and from without.

3. Each gondola lift or cable car is propelled by cables. Each cable is driven by bullwheels. Each bullwheel is connected to an engine or a motor. Each engine or motor is installed in a terminal station. Each station is erected for passengers or tourists.

4. It runs to and fro between A and B. It shuttles back and forth between the two cities. It moves backwards and forwards like a shuttle.

5. The gondola system has cars in colors red, yellow, and blue. It has cars in red, yellow, and blue colors. It has cars which are red, yellow, and blue (in color). It has cars painted in red, yellow, and blue. But they are cars red, yellow or blue in color, that is, they are red cars, yellow cars, or blue cars. They are not cars each painted in red, yellow, and blue altogether.

B. Ask the students to choose the correct answer to each question below:

1. A gondola lift is sure to lift you (a. high b. highly). The submarine can sink (a. deep b. deeply).

2. You do not ride in a long narrow boat; you ride (a. in spite b. instead) in a cable car.

3. The car is propelled from above by (a. cables of steel b. cable of steels).

4. And each cable is (a. drived b. driven) by a bullwheel.

5. The bullwheel is connected (a. to b. at) an engine or a motor.

6. The bullwheel with an electric motor is (a. erected b. installed) in a terminal station.

7. The Maokong Gondola is short for the gondola (a. car b. lift) transportation system that connects Maokong and Taipei Zoo.

8. It runs to and (a. fro b. from) between Taipei Zoo and Maokong almost every day.

9. The three colors represent (a. sun, moon, b. the sun, the moon,) and the lake that welcome you.

10. The gondola lift is a type of aerial lift used as a (a. mean B. means) of transportation and tourism.

Homework

Use a search engine (say, Google or Yahoo) to find further information about a gondola lift and write a report about the various types of the gondola lift system. Or, find further information about the Maokong Gondola or the Sun Moon Lake Gondola and write a report about either gondola system.

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Unit 2

The Text (from Tn-5, Today’s Tonic)

The Globe and the Fist

A geography teacher clenched his left hand, held it up, showed it to the class, and said: “You see, the globe is round like the clenched fist. The Earth’s surface is divided into five zones just as a hand has five fingers. The five zones, however, are latitudinal divisions instead of longitudinal divisions. The Torrid Zone, or the part of the middle finger, is bounded by the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. The two Temperate or Variable Zones, equivalent to the parts of the forefinger and the ring finger, are bounded by the Tropics and the Polar Circles. And the two Frigid Zones, represented by the thumb and the little finger, are the parts lying between the Polar Circles and the Poles which we call the Arctic and the Antarctic. Now, do I make myself clear?” The class was silent. After a short while, however, a rigid student stood up and said timidly on purpose: “Sir, I’m sort of puzzled. Am I living in one of my fingers? Does a fist have latitudes and longitudes? Is the middle finger always torrid and the little finger always frigid? And what shall I call the thumb, the Arctic or the Antarctic?” The teacher was struck dumb by these questions. He opened his left hand and felt it seemingly frigid and fervid by turns.

The Content

1. The text of this unit is a joke about a student’s response to a teacher’s explanation of the five zones of the globe by comparing it to the five fingers that form a fist. Do you think the student was purposely criticizing the comparative explanation or simply asking ignorant questions?

2. English speakers have two concepts of the hand fingers. Many think that a hand has four fingers (excluding the thumb) while others think that it has five fingers (including the thumb). According to the four-finger concept, the first finger is the forefinger (also called the index finger, the pointer finger, or the trigger finger), though it is the second digit of a hand, the thumb being the first digit. The middle finger (also called the long finger or the tall finger), however, is usually considered the third finger of the hand, not the second, as it is the third digit. The ring finger is the finger next to the middle finger, and it is confusingly considered either the third or fourth finger. The little finger, then, is the fourth or fifth finger, according to the four-finger or five-finger concept. Now, if you ask an English speaker, “Which one is your second finger?” what may he or she refer to? What is the geography teacher’s concept in this joke, a four-finger concept or a five-finger concept? By the way, what is the gesture in Western culture if someone extends the middle finger (called “flipping the bird”) to someone else? Is it a gesture of respect or disrespect, of cordial welcome or obscene offense?

3. The earth is indeed divided into five main latitude regions: the North Frigid Zone (lying north of the Arctic Circle), the North Temperate Zone (between the Arctic Circle and the Tropic of Cancer), the Torrid Zone (between the Tropical Circles), the South Temperate Zone (between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Antarctic Circle), and the South Frigid Zone (south of the Antarctic Circle). Now, in what zone is the Equator located? Is the Torrid Zone (also known as the Tropic) the hottest part of the Earth? Are the Frigid Zones the coldest parts of the Earth? Are the Temperate Zones mild in climate (ranging from warm to cool)?

4. Cancer is a north constellation between Gemini (The Twins) and Leo (The Lion), supposedly outlining a crab. It is taken for the fourth sign of the zodiac, which the sun enters about June 22. Capricorn is a south constellation between Sagittarius (The Archer) and Aquarius (The Water Bearer), supposedly outlining a goat. It is taken for the tenth sign of the zodiac, which the sun enters about December 22. A “tropic” is an imaginary line around the Earth on either side of the Equator. The Tropic of Cancer (or the Northern tropic) is north of the Equator, and the Tropic of Capricorn (or the Southern tropic) is south of it. Now, which goes across Taiwan, the Tropic of Cancer or the Tropic of Capricorn?

5. Latitude is an angle ranging from 0° at the Equator to 90° at the North or South Pole, used to measure the distance of a point on the Earth’s surface from the Equator (the imaginary line that divides the Earth into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres). The Tropic of Cancer is about 23.5° N, and the Tropic of Capricorn is about 23.5° S. Longitude is an angle ranging from 0° at the Prime Meridian (an imaginary line from the top of the Earth to the bottom, which is conventionally said to pass through Greenwich, England) to +180° (eastward) and -180° (westward), used to measure the distance of a point on the Earth’s surface from the Meridian. Do you know in what latitudes and longitudes Taiwan is located? Is it in the Northern Hemisphere and in the Eastern Hemisphere?

The Expression

1. A “globe” is quite different from a “glove.” The word “globe” denotes a ball-shaped object. A globe (of the world) standing on the floor or the desk is a ball-shaped object with a map of the world on it. When we say “the globe,” we often refer to the world or the earth. It is said that there are over 7 billion people living on the globe now. It is also said that 70% of the globe’s surface is water. The Globe was a theater built in London at Shakespeare’s time, and “Shakespeare’s Globe” is a modern reconstruction of the theater, opened in 1997. A globefish is a puffer that can puff itself into a globular form as a defensive measure. A globe-trotter is someone that spends a lot of time traveling to different parts of the world. Today, we face the trend of globalization. The world is becoming a global village, mainly due to electronic communications, especially the Internet. Global warming, however, is our common problem, as higher and higher levels of carbon dioxide and other gases are accumulated in the atmosphere. Now, do you have a globe in your house? Are you a globe-trotter? Have you ever been to Shakespeare’s Globe? Have you ever seen a globefish? Do you know the world is globalizing every day? Are you concerned about global warming?

2. When you bend your fingers in towards the palm, you then have your “fist.” When your fist clenches or when you clench your fist, you curl up your fingers tightly in such a manner. One may clench one’s fist to hold something, to make an angry gesture, or to hit someone. Some tyrannical rulers have taken an iron fist policy in dealing with mobs or riots. When people make or lose money, hand over fist, they make or lose it very quickly. Now, do you know how to clench your fist? Did the geography teacher clench his fist to hit the students? Have you ever seen anyone take an iron fist policy? Do you make money, hand over fist?

3. A ‘zone” is an area or region that has a typical or important feature, considered as separate or distinct from others. A place may lie in a coastal zone or an earthquake zone. A mountain-climber may need to pass a danger zone. Warring countries may have a combat zone or war zone. A government may want to set up a free-trade zone. There are no-parking zones, traffic-free zones, or pedestrian zones in cities, and there are smoke-free or alcohol-free zones in public places. A building may need a loading or unloading zone. A postal code or zip code is a series of letters and/or digits used to indicate postal zones. Now, according to what is the globe divided into five main geographical zones, its climate or its culture?

4. An English word often has different meanings. “Latitude,” for instance, may also mean freedom that one has to use one’s method or judgment in doing something, in addition to meaning the distance from the Equator. Sometimes, differences in lexical meaning are recognized by seeing whether or not the initial letter of the word is capitalized. The capitalized “Cancer,” for instance, refers to a constellation, while the non-capitalized “cancer” refers to a disease. Likewise, the “Poles” refer to the Arctic and the Antarctic, while the “poles” may refer to some long thin sticks. Both “the Earth” and “the earth,” however, refer to the planet we live on, and both “the Equator” and “the equator” refer to the same imaginary geographical line. Now, are we given enough latitude to decide on whether to write “the Tropic of Cancer” or “the tropic of cancer,” “the Globe” or “the globe,” and “the Torrid Zone” or “the torrid zone”?

5. It is interesting to note that many English adjectives end in “-id.” In this unit we have seen such words as torrid, frigid, rigid, timid, and fervid. Others not in this unit include candid, humid, liquid, placid, rapid, rancid, splendid, stupid, tepid and torpid. Note, however, that while many of these words take “-or” (or the British spelling “-our”) for their noun forms (candor, fervor, liquor, rancor, rigor, splendor, torpor), others take “-idity” (frigidity, placidity, rapidity, rigidity, tepidity, timidity). Note, too, that both humor and humidity (with different meanings) are the noun forms of humid, just as both stupor and stupidity (with different meanings) are the noun forms of stupid, and both humid and humorous (with different meanings) are the adjective forms of humor, just as both rigid and rigorous (with different meanings) are the adjective forms of rigor and both rancid and rancorous (with different meanings) are the adjective forms of rancor. Now, do you have the fervor to study the meanings of all these words? Are you humorous or rancorous, rigid or candid, in character? Do you like tepid bathwater or tepid beer? Are you too timid to taste rancid food? Do you show placidity or rapidity in crossing a danger zone? Do you prefer to live in a torrid zone or a frigid zone? Is it splendid to fall into a state of torpor?

Classwork

A. Orally drill the students with the following:

1. The five zones are latitudinal divisions, not longitudinal divisions. They are latitudinal divisions instead of longitudinal divisions. They are latitudinal divisions rather than longitudinal divisions.

2. A, or B, is bounded by x and y. A, equivalent to B, is bounded by x and y. A, represented by B, is bounded by x and y.

3. A and B, or C and D, lie between x and y. A and B, equivalent to C and D, lie between x and y. A and B, represented by C and D, lie between x and y.

4. I’m sort of puzzled. He’s sort of stupid. She sort of pushed the door open with vigor. It sort of made the flavor even better. I’m kind of rigid if you ask me. She’s kind of cute, if not pretty. They kind of led us into stupor. It kind of gave us a candid answer.

5. The teacher was struck dumb by these questions. The students will be struck blind by this comparison. The news struck her dead. Your complaint will only strike him deaf.

6. He felt his hand frigid and fervid by turns. He found the room empty and humid at once.

B. Ask the students to choose the correct answer to each question below:

1. A (a. geography b. geographical) teacher clenched his left hand.

2. The globe is round like a (a. clenching b. clenched) fist.

3. The Earth’s surface is divided into five zones just (1. as 2. like) a hand has five fingers.

4. He was bound by ropes and sent to barn (a. bound b. bounded) on three sides by the sea.

5. Now, do I make myself (a. clear b. clearly)?

6. After a short (a. when b. while), a rigid student stood up.

7. He said timidly (a. for b. to c. on d. with) purpose.

8. Does a fist have (a. latitudes and longitudes b. latitude and longitude)?

9. What shall I call the thumb, (a. Arctic or Antarctic b. the Arctic or the Antarctic)?

10. In turn, he felt it seemingly frigid and fervid by (a. turn b. turns).

Homework

Use a search engine (say, Google or Yahoo) to find further information about the globe’s geographical zones and write a report about them. Or, find further information about the zodiac and its twelve signs and write a report about them.

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Unit 3

The Text (from Tn-44, Today’s Tonic)

Two vs. One

I have two eyes to see, and two thighs to sit.

But I have only one head to think fit.

I have two shoulders to bear burdens, and two ears to hear.

But I have only one mouth to drink beer.

I have two palms to pray, and two thumbs to show praise.

But I have only one heart to feel your sudden craze.

I have two wrists to wear watches, and two lips to kiss.

But I have only one bosom to keep all my bliss.

I have two elbows to nudge, and two brows to knit.

But I have only one neck to risk for any benefit.

Yes, I have two cheeks, two hands, two feet, two legs, two heels, and two soles;

But I have only one face, one back, one belly, one bottom, and one body to play their roles.

Now, I have some questions to pose.

Why should I have two nostrils but only one nose?

What might be God’s idea

In letting me have two lungs but only one trachea?

Isn’t it a regrettable blunder

To have two kidneys but only one bladder?

The Content

1. The text of this unit is a verse about the numbers (two and one) and the functions/ faculties of the various parts/organs of the human body and about the puzzlement arising from the difference between two and one as the numbers of the parts/ organs.

2. The parts/organs mentioned in this verse are eyes, thighs, head, shoulders, ears, mouth, palms, thumbs, heart, wrists, lips, bosom, elbows, brows, neck, cheeks, hands, feet, legs, heels, soles, face, back, belly, bottom, body, nostrils, nose, lungs, trachea, kidneys, and bladder. This list, however, has not exhausted the bodily parts/organs. To enumerate more, we can mention these:

Paired Parts/Organs:

Temples, brows/eyebrows, eyelids, eyelashes, (top and bottom rows of) teeth, upper limbs, arms, forearms, (the shoulder) blades, armpits, breasts, nipples, hips, buttocks, lower limbs, knees, shins, calves, ankles. ovaries, testes.

Single Parts/Organs:

Forehead/brow, jaw, chin, tongue, throat, nape, spine/ backbone, chest, abdomen/ belly, navel, waist, groin, brain, stomach/ belly, liver, pancreas, spleen, gall bladder, small intestine, large intestine, uterus/ womb, anus, penis, vagina.

3. The human body is an organism. It consists of a group of systems. The systems of the human body include the circulatory, digestive, endocrine, immune, lymphatic, muscular, nervous, reproductive, respiratory, skeletal, and urinary systems. Each system contains a group of organs (made up of tissues, which in turn are made up of cells) that have specific faculties or functions and work together to perform a certain task. Now, what systems do the brain, the blood vessels, the eyes, the ears, the tongue, the stomach, the lungs, the legs, the bladder, the womb, the skin, the muscles, the ribs, the saliva glands, the thyroid gland, and the genitals respectively belong to?

4. Human beings are said to have both physical and spiritual faculties, which are inherent capabilities or acquired abilities stored as powers in the body or in the mind/ soul. With various faculties people then perform various functions in life. We have, for instance, the faculties of speaking, eating, drinking, seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching, feeling, and thinking, and we have the faculties of understanding, memory, reason, concentration, persistence, and faith as well. With such faculties and others we then perform such functions (do such things) as speaking English, eating breakfast, feeling someone’s pulse, writing a novel, preaching a sermon, and believing in God. Now, does one need the faculties of strength and of persistence to bear burdens? When one performs the function of praise, does one give the gesture of “thumbs up” or “thumbs down”?

5. Judging from the tone of this verse, what is the speaker’s attitude towards having the number of one instead of two for certain bodily parts/organs of ours? Does he feel sorry all the way for the fact? Is he just inquisitive in his puzzlement?

The Expression

1. In English, it is usual to say sentences like these:

a. I think it important/ necessary to get enough exercise every day.

b. They thought it foolish/ unwise to avoid meeting people.

c. We will think it improper/ illegal to go beyond the bounds.

However, it is also usual to say sentences like these:

a. You must wait until they think fit/ good to help you.

b. They came when they thought right/ proper to stay here.

c. He will not see fit/ good to apologize for his behavior.

Note that “think fit/ good/ right/ proper” and “see fit/ good” are the only few phrases that do not take “it” for their grammatical object when they are followed by infinitive phrases (to + verb) as the real object.

2. In English, certain verbs often appear together with certain nouns. Examples from the text of this unit are: bear burdens, wear watches, knit one’s brows (eyebrows), risk one’s neck, play roles, and pose questions. Note that it is also idiomatic to say shoulder/carry the burden, wear make-up/long hair, raise one’s brows, mop one’s brow, crease/ furrow/ wrinkle one’s brow, risk one’s life, play a part, and raise/ask questions. Note, by the way, that one’s brow is one’s forehead, and one’s brows are one’s eyebrows.

3. In English, to nudge is to give a little push to someone or something by using a part of one’s body, especially one’s elbow. If your friend is sitting beside you and you want to call his attention to a certain sight, what may you do? May you nudge him in the ribs or in the hips and point at the sight?

4. Many English idioms are formed with nouns denoting parts of the body. What are meant by the italicized idioms in the sentences below?

a. He cannot take his eyes off the pretty lady when he is supposed to keep an eye on the child.

b. Don’t just grin from ear to ear. You must lend an ear to what she is saying.

c. You may blow your nose here, but you must not poke your nose into my affairs.

d. It is on everyone’s lips that she only paid lip service to her bosom friend’s project.

e. Poor men like me can only live from hand to mouth while rich guys watch with folded arms.

f. Although they are always pulling your leg, they do not want you to lose face.

5. A “blunder” is a stupid, careless or embarrassing mistake. To take “heartburn” for a heart disease like “heartache” is a blunder. Using “to pee” and “to poo-poo” to refer to a grown-up’s urinating (taking a piss or leak) and defecating (making a bowel movement) is also a blunder. One may make a terrible blunder and, as a result, may blunder away one’s great fortune or good chance. When people blunder into an exaggeration or blunder out a secret, however, they may be making a tactical blunder in order to achieve a certain purpose. Have you ever made any purposeful blunder? Is it a blunder to bring a blunt pencil in the pocket or to blunt the blade (of a knife) by scraping it on the rocks?

Classwork

A. Orally drill the students with the following:

1. They think it necessary to erect a power plant here, but I do not think fit to erect it right away. They think it important to install a computer here, but I do not see fit to do so.

2. The mouth, the tongue, the teeth, and the gullet as well as the belly and the bowels play different, crucial roles in the digestive system. The nose, the trachea, the bronchi, the lungs, and the diaphragm play different, crucial parts in the respiratory system.

3. When you mop your brow, you wipe the sweat from your forehead. When you knit your brows or eyebrows, you frown because you are angry or worried.

4. The question he posed was: “Do you think it fashionable to wear long hair?” The question she raised was: “Do you see fit to risk your neck in shouldering such a burden?”

5. What might be God’s idea in letting me have two lungs but only one trachea?

Isn’t it a blunder to have two kidneys but only one bladder?

B. Ask the students to choose the correct answer to each question below.

1. I have two eyes to see and two (a. sights b. thighs) to sit, but I have only one head to think fit.

2. I have two shoulders to (a. bear b. bare) burdens and two ears to hear, but I have only one mouth to drink beer.

3. I have two palms to pray and two thumbs to show praise, but I have only one heart to feel your sudden (a. craze b. crazy).

4. I have two wrists to wear watches and two lips to kiss, but I have only one (a. blossom b. bosom) to keep all my bliss.

5. I have two elbows to (a. nudge b. grudge) and two brows to knit, but I have only one neck to risk for any benefit.

6. I have two heels and two soles, but I have only one belly and one bottom to play their (a. rolls b. roles).

7. Now, I have this question to pose: “Why (a. would b. should) I have two nostrils but only one nose?”

8. What might be God’s idea in letting me (a. have b. to have) two lungs but only one trachea?

9. Isn’t it a (a. regretable b. regrettable) blunder to have two kidneys but only one bladder?

10. The human body is an (a. orgasm b. organism) consisting of many systems, each of which contains a group of organs.

Homework

Use a search engine (say, Google or Yahoo) to find further information about a particular system of the body (say, the circulatory system or the immune system) and write a report about it. Or, find further information about a particular organ of the body (say, the brain or the heart) and write a report about it.

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Unit 4

The Text (from Tn-25, Today’s Tonic)

Ruby and Sapphire

A ruby is red in color. A ruby-colored lace can be as red as a rouged face. But a ruddy face is healthily red, not wealthily made. Julia was all decked out in her Sunday best, wearing rubies and with rouge on her cheeks and lips and a red bonnet on her head. Yet, with wealth rather than health was her redness fed. That was why her face looked precious, not gracious. No wonder some maids cut her dead when they saw her red.

A sapphire is not red like fire. It looks blue, as the sea and the sky do. It is a sapless stone, but it sells well as a gem or jewel to be worn and shown. Whenever Sarah feels sad or blue, she will wear a sapphire brooch. Yet, her sappy friends will broach no subject of the blues since they do not know her strength is already sapped and they only see her sapphire as a token of sap and fire.

The Content

1. The text of this unit is about two precious stones, ruby and sapphire, and two particular wearers of the stones, Julia and Sarah. The text suggests that Julia was wealthy but not well-beloved for all her adornment while Sarah is not well-understood despite her use of the blue-colored sapphire to hint at her sad mood. There are “stories” and even criticism going with description of the precious stones and depiction of the characters. Is this text interesting for this mingling of critical stories with description of things and depiction of characters?

2. Precious stones are gemstones or gems. They are special pieces of mineral cut and polished to make jewelry for people to wear as adornments or ornaments. They include diamond, ruby, sapphire, and emerald. Some organic (non-mineral) materials such as amber and jet are regarded as precious stones as well. Gemstones are often characterized in terms of hardness, luster, cleavage, fracture, dispersion, refractive index, and specific gravity. They are usually weighed by the carat. They are considered “precious” mainly for their color and brilliancy in addition to rarity. Turquoise, for instance, is an opaque gemstone particularly prized for its blue-to-green hue, while diamonds are valued for their brilliancy (internal luster). Do you have any precious stones in the list of your personal belongings?

3. Ruby and sapphire are both varieties of the mineral corundum. Chromium impurities in corundum make rubies (from pink to blood-red in color) and impurities from other elements (iron, titanium, copper, magnesium, etc.) make sapphires of different colors (blue, yellow, orange, and greenish). Color, clarity, cut, and carat are among the factors to determine the premium a ruby or sapphire can command. In a jewelry (spelled “jewellery” in British English) store, you can buy rings, bracelets, necklaces, etc., made of valuable metal such as gold or platinum, which may be further decorated with jewels (precious stones such as rubies or sapphires). What do you prefer to have for your rings, bracelets and necklaces, rubies or sapphires?

4. When something or somebody is decked out for a special occasion, they are decorated with something or they wear something to make them more beautiful or attractive. A lady is often decked out in her best clothes for her Sunday activity (e.g., a church service). In getting herself decked out, the lady will make herself up by putting on her face such make-up as powder or lipstick, in addition to dressing herself up by putting on certain clothing (e.g., a particular dress plus certain headwear and footwear) that can make her look smarter. Did you ever deck yourself out in such a way?

5. Many care substances called cosmetics (or colloquially called make-up) are used (mostly on the hair and/or the skin) to enhance the appearance or the odor of the human body (besides protecting the skin). They include powders, creams, lotions, perfumes, lipsticks, hair sprays, eye make-up, nail polish, bath oils, and a host of other products (including baby products). Rouge (an old-fashioned word) is a red powder or cream used (mostly by women) to add color to the cheeks and/or lips. Do you often use rouge for your complexion? What other cosmetics have you often used? Are you familiar with names of the major cosmetics firms?

The Expression

1. Note that “ruby-colored” and “rouged” both function grammatically as adjectives (i.e., as modifiers of nouns), but while “rouged” is the past participle of the verb “to rouge” (meaning “to put on rouge”), “ruby-colored” is a construction of “adjective-noun + ed,” which is an often-found construction in English. Besides “ruby-colored” or “red-colored,” other examples of this construction include: a three-legged chair, a sure-footed approach, the green-eyed monster, some absent-minded students, two tender-hearted women, a slender-figured lady, a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, a broad-brimmed hat, and a hard-edged documentary. What is the one example you can think out in addition to all these?

2. In the sentence “Julia was all decked out in her Sunday best, wearing rubies and with rouge on her cheeks and lips and a red bonnet on her head,” there is the syntactic construction of “subject + verb, + v-ing phrase” combined with the construction of “subject + verb, + with + noun + prepositional phrase.” The same syntactic construction is found in: “He came back happily, singing all the way and with a stick in his hand.” Now, do you find the same construction in “You must step in immediately, raising your head and with a look of confidence in your face”?

3. The sentence “With wealth rather than health was her redness fed” is the inverted sentence of “Her redness was fed with wealth rather than health.” Likewise, “In the Northern rather than Southern Hemisphere is Taiwan located” is inverted from “Taiwan is located in the Northern rather than Southern Hemisphere.” Now, what can be the inverted sentence of “The gondola lift transportation system is constructed for tourists rather than passengers”?

4. The sentence “No wonder some maids cut her dead” is the simple way of saying “It is no wonder that some maids cut her dead.” It is also equal to saying “No wonder that some maids cut her dead.” “No wonder” can be replaced by “small wonder” or “little wonder.” Thus, we can say “No wonder/ Small wonder/ Little wonder she often wears red” or “It is no wonder/ small wonder/ little wonder (that) she often wears red.” Now, what is the simple way of saying “It’s small wonder that her face looks precious, not gracious”?

5. We say “It sells well as a gem or jewel” instead of “It is sold well as a gem or jewel.” Likewise, we say “The book reads easily as a story” instead of “The book is read easily as a story.” Now, do we say “The door opens easily” or “The door is opened easily” when we mean “it can be opened easily because of its inherent quality”?

6. “To cut someone dead” is a colloquial phrase meaning “to pretend not to see or recognize someone.” We cut a friend or acquaintance dead often because we want to avoid falling into an awkward situation. Now, why did some maids cut Julia dead when they saw her red? Was it because of envy?

7. The word “sap” refers to the vital juice (i.e., the watery or sticky substance) in plants and trees. It thus can mean the “vigor, energy, or vitality” of any organism. To be “sappy” is to be “full of sap” and to be “sapless” is to be “without any sap.” In American English, however, a foolish person is sometimes referred to as a sap, and a sappy person or thing is foolish in quality. As a verb, to “sap” means to “drain of sap” and to “make someone feel weak.” Heat can sap one’s energy or strength, and failure can sap one’s will to fight on. Now, in what sense do you think Sarah’s friends are sappy, “full of vigor” or “foolish” or both? When they see Sarah’s sapphire as a token of sap and fire, what do they think the sapphire stands for, “vigor and energy” or “foolishness and passion”?

8. To feel blue is to feel sad or depressed. “The blues” refers to the feeling of sadness and loss. It also refers to the type of music with a slow tempo and a strong rhythm, developed by black musicians in the South of the U.S.A. In Taiwan, the Blues refer to adherents of the Blue Camp (the Nationalist Party) while the Greens refer to adherents of the Green Camp (the Democratic Progressive Party). Now, what do the Reds refer to? Do they refer to the Communists? When you have the blues, do you feel like blues music?

9. A “token” is a piece of paper or a card with which you can exchange for goods of a particular value. It is also a small, round, flat piece of metal or plastic used instead of money in some machines. In many contexts, it refers as well to anything used or done to show something (e.g., a feeling of gratitude). A boy, for instance, may send flowers to a girl as a token of love. Now, do you expect your friend to send you a gem or jewel as a token of appreciating your help?

Classwork

A. Orally drill the students with the following:

1. A ruby-colored lace can be as red as a rouged face. But a ruddy face is healthily red, not wealthily made.

2. Julia was all decked out in her Sunday best, wearing rubies and with rouge on her cheeks and lips and a red bonnet on her head.

3. With wealth rather than health was her redness fed. No wonder some maids cut her dead.

4. It is a sapless stone, but it sells well as a gem or jewel to be worn and shown.

5. Her sappy friends will broach no subject of the blues since they only see her sapphire as a token of sap and fire.

B. Ask the students to choose the correct answer to each question below.

1. A ruby is red (a. in b. of) color and precious in value.

2. A (a. ruby-color b. ruby-colored) lace can be as red as a rouged face.

3. A ruddy face is healthily red, not (a. wealthy b. wealthily) made.

4. Julia was all decked (a. up b. out) in her Sunday best, (a. with b. by) a red bonnet on her head.

5. Yet, (a. in b. with) wealth rather than health was her redness fed.

6. No wonder some maids cut her (a. dead b. led) when they saw her red.

7. A sapphire looks blue, as the sea and the sky (a. are b. do).

8. It is a sapless stone, but it (a. sells well b. is sold well) as a gem or jewel to be worn and (a. showed b. shown).

9. Whenever Sarah feels sad or blue, she will wear a sapphire (a. brooch b. broach).

10. Yet, her sappy friends will (a. brooch b. broach) no subject of the blues.

11. They do not know her strength is already (a. tapped b. sapped).

12. They only see her sapphire (a. for b. as) a token of sap and fire.

Homework

Use a search engine (say, Google or Yahoo) to find further information about one of the four precious stones (diamond, ruby, sapphire, and emerald) and write a report about it. Or, find further information about the cosmetics industry of a particular country (say, France or Japan) and write a report about it.

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Unit 5

The Text (from Tn-40, Today’s Tonic)

Luna’s Face

My wife Luna’s face has cyclical changes.

She has as many faces as the moon has phases.

Sometimes her face is as bright as the full moon.

Sometimes it hides away just like the dark moon,

Or, as they say, the new moon or old moon invisible.

Sometimes it has more brightness than darkness,

Looking as if it were a gibbous moon.

Sometimes it appears like a crescent moon,

With so much dark and just a little light in it.

But most times it seems to be a half moon

When she is in her first or last quarter of mood.

You can hardly tell whether she is sad or glad

Unless it’s obvious that she’s lunatic or mad.

Anyway, I am used to her facial changes,

And I know all her waxing and waning phases.

So long as she orbits me, and we orbit our son,

The son can make in her all those moody faces,

Just as the sun can make for us all the lunar phases.

Except for odd eclipses, I will not complain

About any risings of her dark malaise.

The Content

1. The text of this unit is a husband’s poetic description of his wife Luna’s cyclical changes in mood and facial expression. The husband compares his wife’s faces to the moon’s phases and thinks that he and his wife and their son are like the earth, the moon and the sun. Now, can one really have as many faces as the moon has phases? Is the relationship among father, mother, and son truly like the relationship among the earth, the moon, and the sun?

2. Besides being a female’s name, Luna is the goddess of the moon in Roman mythology, connected to Sol (the god of the sun) and identified with Selene in Greek mythology. In Roman mythology, however, Diana (identified with the Greek Artemis) is also considered the goddess of the moon (besides being the goddess of hunting). In Greek mythology, Hecate (who is later regarded as the goddess of sorcery and witchcraft) is said to be the goddess of the moon, the earth, and the underground realm of the dead at once. Furthermore, as goddess of the moon, Artemis or Diana has the epithet of Cynthia because Cynthus is the birthplace of Apollo and Artemis, and she also has the epithet of Phoebe, which is connected with Phoebus, or Apollo, god of the sun. Anyway, Luna is just one Western name among many others used to refer to the moon or goddess of the moon. Do you prefer to call her Luna?

3. It is said that the observable universe contains probably more than 170 billion galaxies and each galaxy consists of a huge number of stars and other objects or matters. The Milky Way is such a galaxy. It contains our Solar System, which consists of one star (the Sun), eight planets (together with their satellites or moons), and other non-stellar objects. The eight planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Pluto is now regarded as one of the “trans-Neptunian objects,” though it used to be classified as the ninth planet. The Moon is the only natural satellite of the Earth, and it is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System. As the Earth, along with other planets, orbits the Sun, the Moon orbits the Earth. The Earth rotates in revolving (on its own axis) around the Sun. Likewise, the Moon rotates synchronically with the Earth in revolving around the Earth. Now, do you think it suitable to compare a wife to a satellite/moon moving in a circle with her husband as the center? Is the son like the Sun in being the center of a system (the family system) and the source of light (happiness) in the system?

4. A lunar phase or a phase of the moon is the result of looking from the Earth at the illuminated (sunlit) portion of the Moon. Eight phases are recognized and given names, thus:

New moon/ dark moon: no portion of the Moon is visible

Waxing crescent moon: 1-49% of the Moon is visible

First quarter moon: 50% is visible

Waxing gibbous moon: 51-99% visible

Full moon: The Moon is fully (100%) visible

Waning gibbous moon: 51-99% visible

Third (last) quarter moon: 50% visible

Waning crescent moon: 1-49% visible

Have you ever looked at the sky after sunset or before sunrise and seen a crescent moon, a half moon, a gibbous moon, and a full moon?

5. An eclipse is a short period during which part or all of the Sun or the Moon is dark and invisible from the Earth. It is a natural, though not often-seen, phenomenon. A solar eclipse or an eclipse of the sun occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth, blocks the Sun, and fully or partly obscures the disk of the Sun. It occurs only at the phase of a new moon. It can last for only a few minutes at any given place on earth. A lunar eclipse or an eclipse of the moon occurs when the Sun, the Earth, and the Moon are aligned, with the Moon passing behind the Earth and coming into the Earth’s umbra (shadow). It occurs only at the night of a full moon. It can last for a few hours at a given place on earth. Have you ever seen a solar eclipse and a lunar eclipse?

The Expression

1. People often compare things by using similes or metaphors. In a simile, the comparison is made by the use of some word or phrase, such as like, as, resembles, similar to, seems (to be), appears (to be), as if, and than. In a metaphor, the comparison is implied, rather than clearly expressed with such words or phrases. Now, re-read the text. What are the sentences that have similes? Does the statement “I know all her waxing and waning phases” contains a metaphor (in implying that she waxes and wanes like the moon)? Does the statement “she orbits me and we orbit our son” also contains a metaphor (in implying that she is like the moon and their son is like the sun while the speaker is like the earth)?

2. A “cycle” is a series of events or processes that happen again and again in the same order or at the same times. In many parts of the world, people can see the cycle of four seasons in addition to the cycle of day and night. Cyclical changes are changes that involve a cycle of events or processes. The moon’s phases are cyclical changes, and so are the year’s four seasons. Something may just occur periodically, not cyclically (e.g., a room is cleaned periodically). It takes two or more things to form a cycle and occur cyclically (e.g., an electric current can be turned on and then off cyclically, and the green, yellow and red traffic lights are seen cyclically). Now, do a woman’s faces really change cyclically like the moon’s phases?

3. A “phase” is not just a period. It is a particular period or a stage in the process of somebody’s or something’s development. A writer’s career may have several phases, and so may the world’s civilization. Now, can a woman’s mood be divided into eight (waxing and waning) phases like the moon’s appearance?

4. It is believed that Luna (the Moon) has not only the “tidal force” to cause the ebb and flow of the ocean water but also the power to affect the psychic state of humans and animals on earth. A “lunatic” is therefore a person who behaves in an extreme or dangerous way like a mad person. When one is “lunatic,” one is foolishly dangerous and may be mentally ill. So, a lunatic asylum is what we call a psychiatric hospital nowadays. Now, do you think it lunatic to compare a woman’s facial changes to the moon’s phases?

5. While a “malady” is a disease or illness, “malaise” is a state in which one feels slightly ill but unable to say what exactly is wrong. While a “malady” is also a serious problem within a society or organization, “malaise” is also a situation in which a society or organization does not operate satisfactorily and seems to have no quick, easy way out. Now, is a headache a symptom of malaise or is it a malady? Is juvenile delinquency a sign of social malaise or is it a social malady?

Classwork

A. Orally drill the students with the following:

1. Sometimes it has more brightness than darkness, looking as if it were a gibbous moon.

2. Sometimes it appears like a crescent moon, with so much dark and just a little light in it.

3. You can hardly tell whether she is sad or glad unless it’s obvious that she’s lunatic or mad.

4. The son can make in her all those moody faces, just as the sun can make for us all the lunar phases.

5. Except for odd eclipses, I will not complain about any risings of her dark malaise.

B. Ask the students to choose the correct answer to each question below.

1. (a. My wife Luna’s b. My wife’s Luna’s) face has cyclical changes.

2. She has as (a. much b. many) faces as the moon has phases.

3. Sometimes it hides away just (a. like b. as) the dark moon, or, (a. like b. as) they say, the new moon or old moon invisible.

4. Sometimes it has more brightness than darkness, looking as if it (a. is b. were) a gibbous moon.

5. Sometimes it appears like a crescent moon, with so much dark and just (a. little b. a little) light in it.

6. But most (a. time b. times) it seems to be a half moon when she is in her first or last quarter of mood.

7. You can hardly tell (a. if b. whether) she is sad or glad unless it’s obvious that she’s lunatic or mad.

8. (a. Any way b. Anyway), I am used to her facial changes, and I know all her waxing and waning phases.

9. So (a. far b. long) as she orbits me, and we orbit our son, the son can make in her all those moody faces.

10. (a. Except b. Except for) odd eclipses, I will not complain about any risings of her dark malaise.

Homework

Use a search engine (say, Google or Yahoo) to find further information about the lunar phases and write a report about it. Or, find further information about the solar or lunar eclipse and write a report about it.

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Unit 6

The Text (from Tn-50, Today’s Tonic)

From Lava to Larva

Below is a snatch of overheard conversation between an entomologist and a geologist:

E: What, for you, is the most miraculous moment in your field?

G: For me? It’s the moment when a volcano erupts, when lava bursts out of the earth’s crust and flames and flares as it flows.

E: That scene is indeed miraculous. But unfortunately your lava is not a larva. It flows with flame and flares only to ruin life.

G: If my lava ruins life, your larvae also damage trees and crops, don’t they?

E: Some species do. But many species are just agents for pollination of some plants. In fact, some butterflies’ caterpillars eat harmful insects.

G: Really? Then would that the volcano were a pupa! Would that a butterfly would emerge from it, instead of a vast bulk of lava!

E: God grant it! It would complete a marvelous and miraculous life cycle, from embryo through larva and pupa to imago.

G: But what a shame! The imagines brought by imagination are not true imagoes. Lava does not truly crawl like a larva, nor does it wrap itself up in a pupa, chrysalis, cocoon, or whatever you call it.

E: All true! There is no metamorphosis of life in your field.

G: There is metamorphosis for life, though. But it takes a very long time. Hundreds of years, perhaps, after our lava devastates a ground, the ground will develop into such a lavish garden that your larvae will crawl on leaves of trees growing lavishly in it.

The Content

1. The text of this unit is said to be a snatch of overheard conversation between an entomologist and a geologist. In this snatch, the geologist talks about “lava” (molten rock) while the entomologist talks about the “larva” (an insect that has developed from the egg but has not changed into its adult form). Their conversation concerns the miraculous events of volcanic eruption and insect metamorphosis, and the two events are connected to each other in the end.

2. A volcano “erupts” (bursts out or throws forth) because of the decompression or compression of gas within magma (liquid rock inside the Earth), or because of the superheating of steam via contact with magma. A volcanic eruption can be explosive (with gas-driven explosions) or effusive (with outpouring of lava only) or both. During an eruption, gases, ash, and lava, along with other substances, are burst out or thrown forth from a crater (volcanic vent) or sent out from a rift zone. A volcanic eruption may cause a series of earthquakes. Now, is volcanic eruption a miraculous event? Have you ever seen a volcanic eruption in real life or in a film? According to your observation, does lava burst out of the earth’s crust and does it flame and flare as it flows?

3. Metamorphosis or transformation is an event often related as happening to a mythological figure (e.g., Zeus changing himself into a swan in order to rape Leda, and Daphne the huntress turned into a laurel to escape from Apollo’s endless long pursuit). As a biological process, metamorphosis occurs in many species of animals, among them insects and amphibians. An insect may undergo a partial or incomplete metamorphosis; it may also undergo a complete metamorphosis. A complete metamorphosis passes through a complete life cycle, from embryo (the insect in an egg) through larva (the young insect as a worm or caterpillar) and pupa/chrysalis (the still-developing insect in a hard shell) to imago (the insect as an adult). Now, does a butterfly undergo a complete metamorphosis? Is a silkworm the caterpillar or the larva phase of a silk-moth? Does it undergo a pupa phase by enclosing itself in a cocoon?

4. Pollination is the process of transferring pollen (the powder-like male sex cells) from a stamen (the pollen-bearing organ, the male part) to the pistil (the female part) of a flower. It can be biotic or abiotic (mediated with or without the involvement of other organisms). Pollination by wind is abiotic. Pollination by insects, birds, bats, and humans is biotic. Bees, wasps, ants, beetles, moths, butterflies, and flies are insects most often acting as pollinators, as they are most often attracted to flowers with colored petals and a strong scent. Now, is it true that larvae or caterpillars can become agents for pollination of some plants?

5. Volcanic eruptions create various terrains with such landform types as lava flows, volcanic peaks, calderas (broad craterlike basins), and volcanic necks. When lava cools down, it becomes rock. After a long time of erosion, the rock (along with the volcanic ash) will become soil for vegetation. So, is it right to say that volcanic eruptions cause geological metamorphosis for life? Is it an exaggeration to say that hundreds of years after lava devastates a ground, the ground will develop into a lavish garden for larvae to crawl on leaves of trees growing lavishly in it?

The Expression

1. To “snatch” is to take something away quickly. In England, a snatch squad is a group of policemen that go quickly into a crowd to catch people causing trouble. What is a bag-snatcher, then? Is he a quick robber of bags? A “snatch” is a short or small piece of something. You can hear or overhear a few snatches of people’s conversation. You can also sleep in snatches or enjoy a few snatches of sleep. Now, is a snatch of a song often hard to appreciate if you are unfamiliar with the song’s tune and verse?

2. To “flame” is to produce (a) flame. A “flame” is a hot bright stream of burning gas coming from something burning. A building may be set in fire and flames. A car may overturn and burst into flames. One can extinguish flames with a fire extinguisher or smother flames with cloth. Now, when you fan the flames of hatred, do you increase or decrease the hatred? If Jane is your old flame, what is she? Did you love or hate her before?

3. To “flare” is to produce a flare. A “flare” is a bright flame that burns for a short time. A candle often flares before it flickers and goes out. Flares are used as signals on ships. Now, when people’s tempers flare (up), do they exchange harsh words or sweet words? When you stick out your tongue and flare your nostrils, do your nostrils become wider or narrower, and are you happy or angry?

4. A volcano may erupt; a riot may erupt, too. A person may erupt with fury; a room may erupt in/into laughter. If spots erupt on your skin, they appear there suddenly. A rash (e.g., a nettle rash, a nappy rash, or a heat rash) is an area of small red spots which erupt on one’s skin, caused perhaps by illness or allergy to something. Have you ever had a rash? Will you be worried when you see small red spots erupt on you skin?

5. A “crop” is a plant grown for food, usually in a large quantity on a farm. Wheat, barley, rye, oats, sorghum, rice, potatoes, and yams are all crops. Now, are grapes a kind of crop or just a kind of fruit?

6. “Would that/ O that + clause in the subjunctive mood” is a way of expressing wishes. “God + root form verb” is another way. Examples are: “Would that money grew on trees!” “O that I was a bird!” “God save the Queen!” “God bless you!” Now, reread the text of this unit and find out the sentences that express wishes in these ways.

7. Many English nouns are countable nouns while many others are uncountable or both C and U. Three words in this text can serve as examples. “Larva” is countable (“it is not a larva”) while “lava” is uncountable (“lava bursts out”). “Flame” is both C and U, so we can say both “It flows with flame” and “It flows with flames.” Countable nouns are either singular or plural in form. The plural forms of many “loan words” are irregular since they are not pluralized with the addition of “(e)s.” In this text, there are some irregular plurals, including larva/ larvae, pupa/ pupae, species/ species and metamorphosis/ metamorphoses. The word “imago” is very special since it takes either “imagines” or “imagoes” for its plural form. Now, what are the plural forms of “embryo,” “volcano,” and “chrysalis”? Are they embryos, volcanoes, and chrysalises? What do you know are the other words ending in “-o” that take “-oes,” rather than “-os” for their plural forms? Are no, Negro, hero, potato, tomato, tornado, and torpedo among them?

Classwork

A. Orally drill the students with the following:

1. It’s the moment when a volcano erupts. It’s the moment when lava bursts out of the earth’s crust. It’s the moment when lava flames and flares as it flows.

2. Would that the volcano were a pupa! Would that a butterfly would emerge from it, instead of a vast bulk of lava!

3. It would complete a marvelous and miraculous life cycle, from embryo through larva and pupa to imago.

4. Lava does not truly crawl like a larva, nor does it wrap itself up in a pupa, chrysalis, cocoon, or whatever you call it.

5. The ground will develop into such a lavish garden that your larvae will crawl on leaves of trees growing lavishly in it.

B. Ask the students to choose the correct answer to each question below.

1. Below is a (a. snitch b. snatch) of overheard conversation between an entomologist and a geologist.

2. It’s the moment when a volcano erupts, (a. when b. that) lava bursts out of the earth’s crust.

3. If my lava ruins life, your larvae also damage trees and crops, (a. doesn’t it b. don’t they)?

4. Many species are just (a. agent b. agents) for pollination of some plants.

5. Really? Then would that the volcano (a. is b. were) a pupa!

6. (a. Would b. Wish) that a butterfly would emerge from it, instead of a vast bulk of lava!

7. God (a. grants b. grant) it!

8. It would complete a marvelous and miraculous life cycle, from embryo (a. thorough b. through) larva and pupa to imago.

9. The (a. imagines b. imaginings) brought by imagination are not true imagoes.

10. Lava does not truly crawl like a larva, nor (a. it does b. does it) wrap itself up in a pupa.

11. There is metamorphosis for life, (a. though b. through).

12. The ground will develop into (a. a such b. such a) lavish garden that your larvae will crawl on leaves of trees growing lavishly in it.

Homework

Use a search engine (say, Google or Yahoo) to find further information about volcanic eruption and write a report about it. Or, find further information about the metamorphosis of an insect (say, the butterfly or the silk-moth) or that of an amphibian (say, the frog) and write a report about it.

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Unit 7

The Text (from Tn-20, Today’s Tonic)

A Peasant and a Pheasant

A peasant was pleased to have caught a pheasant.

He sent it as a present to a cool sergeant,

Thinking it would be a bribe nice and pleasant.

But the sergeant took it for something different,

For evidence against the law intransigent.

So, in court, the peasant became a defendant.

“It’s evident,” he said, “I didn’t catch the pheasant.

It just came to me to ask for an agent

To protect it from any harm present.

And when I decided to send it to the sergeant,

I thought the duty was on him incumbent.”

The pleasant argument seemed to be cogent.

So, the peasant was declared innocent,

For one who was not of the law ignorant,

But of how to protect himself quite cognizant.

The Content

1. The text of this unit is a verse anecdote about a peasant. The peasant caught a pheasant and sent it as a present to bribe a sergeant. The sergeant, however, took the present or bribe for evidence that the peasant had acted against the wildlife protection law. When the peasant was brought to court, he pleaded not guilty and argued humorously. As a result, he was declared innocent and thought cognizant of how to protect himself. Is this anecdote interesting?

2. “Wildlife” refers to animals, birds, and plants that live in natural conditions. It used to refer particularly to non-domesticated vertebrates (including mammals, fishes, birds, reptiles, and amphibians), but it now includes non-domesticated plants and organisms. Wildlife can be found in all ecosystems: plains or plateaus, deserts or rain forests, grasslands or wetlands, cliffs or valleys, the arctic tundra or even a well-developed urban cite. Everywhere, human activities have brought harm to wildlife and even brought some of its species to the border of distinction. No wonder that worldwide conservation societies have been organized and many people have been working as wildlife caretakers. Today, in most countries, people can conveniently watch wildlife only in wildlife parks, and wildlife protection laws are enacted and enforced with an effort. Now, is the pheasant a species of wildlife under protection in Taiwan? How about the woodcock in Europe and the woodchuck in North America?

3. The law is a system of rules within a country, region, or community. It is legislated, enacted, and then enforced. To obey the law is a citizen’s duty; to act against the law is to be illegal, and to break the law is to do something illegal. In a democratic country, no one is above the law; everyone must work within the law. There are various kinds of law and various terms for them. A student of law usually studies not just a particular law but some specific laws. He may study the international law, constitutional law, administrative law, criminal law, civil law, contract law, property law, labor law, etc. The law he studies may be an “act” (a law passed by a country’s government), a “bill” (a proposal for a new law), or a set of “regulations” (rules to control the way things are done, such as fire/traffic/building/environmental/safety regulations). Now, what is Taiwan’s wildlife protection law called in English? Is it “Wildlife Conservation Act of Taiwan”? By the way, what do you think of the title “Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Protection of Wildlife”? Is it not better to change the title to “Wildlife Protection Act of the People’s Republic of China”?

4. To bribe a government official, or to commit bribery, is a crime. To take or receive bribes is an act of corruption on the part of the government official. One may be charged with, or accused of, bribery or corruption, then tried, and then jailed if found guilty and given a sentence of imprisonment. One may also be jailed on charges of arson, murder, robbery, theft, treason, fraud, perjury, embezzlement, instigation, neglect of duty, etc. The verdict for a civil suit, however, may not result in imprisonment. If one is sued for libel or damage, for instance, it may just end in paying a sum of recompense or damages. If one is charged with speeding or tax evasion, one may have to pay a fine. Now, is it a criminal case or a civil case to act against the wildlife protection law of a country? If the peasant in the anecdote was found guilty, would he probably be jailed or fined?

5. In a law court or a court of law, the plaintiff or the complainant is the person that brings a legal case against (i.e., charges/ accuses/ sues) someone else. The defendant is the person against whom the case is brought (i.e., the person who is charged, accused, or sued). In many countries, the prosecutor is an official or a lawyer that tries to prove in a trial that the accused is guilty, besides, like the plaintiff, bringing charges against the defendant. The case is judged by a judge or some judges together, or by the jury (usually a group of 12 people). Witnesses as well as lawyers, barristers, or solicitors may also appear in the court. Now, what was the sergeant in the anecdote, a plaintiff or a defendant? Was there a prosecutor in the court?

The Expression

1. A “peasant” is a poor farm worker or owner, mainly in poor farming countries. He may just be a “farmhand” employed to work on a farm or even a “serf” bound to work on his master’s land. He is not a rich “farmer” or “rancher” owning and managing a large farm or ranch. Now, are the farm workers in Taiwan mostly peasants or farmers/ ranchers?

2. A “sergeant” is a military officer of middle or low rank in the army, air force, or marines. A “sergeant” is also a police officer of middle rank, below a captain or an inspector. If the sergeant in the anecdote was put in charge of wildlife conservation, was he most probably a military officer or a police officer?

3. The word “nice” is often used to emphasize a particular quality that the speaker likes. Notice, however, the difference (with or without and) in phrasal construction as shown in the examples below:

a. I’d like to paint it in a nice dark color. They always wear nice brilliant diamonds. Yes, you are a nice pious Christian.

b. This room is nice and warm; that room is nice and clean. Stir the coffee until it’s nice and creamy. He sat nice and comfortably on the sofa.

Sometimes, the “nice” or “nice and” in this usage is said to have the sense of “very.” If it is so, what is meant by “a bribe nice and pleasant”? Does it mean “a very pleasant bribe”?

4. To be “intransigent” is to be obstinate in refusing to change one’s ideas or attitude. Very often, a plaintiff may be intransigent in a lawsuit, and so may a prosecutor in a trial. Now, can the law be described as intransigent?

5. The phrase “the law intransigent” is equal to “the law which is intransigent.” Likewise, “the harm present” is equal to “the harm which is present.” However, while “the law intransigent” is not very different in meaning from “the intransigent law,” the phrase “the harm present” is quite different in meaning from “the present harm.” “The harm present” means “the harm existing in a certain place or at a certain event” while “the present harm” means “the harm existing at the present time, i.e., existing now.” So, what is meant by the sentence “Not all the present women are like the women present here”?

6. A “court” is a place where trials take place and legal cases are decided. It is also an area where some sports (badminton, basketball, squash, tennis, etc.) are played. To be “in court” is to be in a court of law for a legal case. To be “on court” is to be on a sports court for a game. When you “go to court,” you take legal action against someone. When visitors “go to the court,” they go to see the place. Now, which statement is correct, “the peasant was taken to court” or “the peasant was taken to the court”?

7. An “incumbent” is someone who is currently in office, i.e., holds an official position at the present time. As we know, incumbents are often reelected. But an incumbent cannot just lie or rest incumbent (i.e. with his weight on something else). His duty is always incumbent on/upon him. It is always incumbent on/upon him to do something according to his position. Now, what did the peasant think was the duty incumbent on the sergeant? Was it incumbent on the sergeant to protect the pheasant?

8. To be “cogent” is to be reasonable and sensible. A cogent argument is strong and convincing. To cozen is to cheat or defraud. It is easy to cozen one’s cousin with a cogent argument. Now, did the peasant succeed in cozening the court with a cogent argument?

9. To be “ignorant” of something is to be unaware of, or not to know, something. To be “cognizant” of something is to be aware of, or to know, something. Now, do you agree that the peasant was not ignorant of the law (of protecting wildlife) but cognizant of how to protect himself?

Classwork

A. Orally drill the students with the following:

1. A peasant was pleased to have caught a pheasant. He was even more pleased to have cozened the court.

2. He sent it as a present to a cool sergeant, thinking it would be a bribe nice and pleasant. He sent it as present to a cool bride, thinking it would be a nice pleasant bribe.

3. But the sergeant took it for something different, for evidence against the law intransigent. But the sergeant took it for something low, for evidence against the intransigent law.

4. To protect the bird from any harm present is the duty on him incumbent. It is incumbent on him to protect the bird from any harm present.

5. The peasant was declared innocent, not for one ignorant of the law but for one cognizant of how to protect himself.

B. Ask the students to choose the correct answer to each question below.

1. A peasant was pleased to (a. be b. have) caught a pheasant.

2. He sent it as a present to a cool sergeant, (a. thought b. thinking it would be a bribe nice and pleasant.

3. But the sergeant took it for something different, for (a. evidence b. evidences) against the law intransigent.

4. So, in (a. court b. the court), the peasant became a defendant.

5. “It’s (a. evidence b. evident),” he said, “I didn’t catch the pheasant.”

6. It just came to me to ask for an agent to protect it (a. for b. from) any harm present.

7. When I decided to send it to the sergeant, I thought the duty was (a. in b. on) him incumbent.

8. The pleasant argument seemed to be (a. cozen b. cogent).

9. The peasant was declared innocent, (a. for b. on) one who was not ignorant of the law.

10. He was regarded as one who was quite cognizant (a. to b. of) how to protect himself.

Homework

Use a search engine (say, Google or Yahoo) to find further information about wildlife protection/ conservation in a country (say, Taiwan, China, or America) and write a report about it. Or, find further information about the legal system of a country (say, Taiwan, China, or America) and write a report about it.

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Unit 8

The Text (from Tn-41, Today’s Tonic)

A Funny Fan

It may be fun to put on a mat instead of a hat. But it is funny if a cat is chased by a rat. Recently I saw a funny fan. The fan was not a flat thing for you to wave in your hand, but a fat being often found in our land. He was in fact just a lad. But he pursued every fad like mad. It happened that King Cat had become a popular singer, and running after the King had become a fad. Our fat lad naturally became fanatic like others. Wherever the King hid, he would go and seek. Wherever the King appeared, he would shout and cheer. Once, he even crept nearer and nearer until he was only a few feet behind the King. Then, suddenly he stood up, held out his arms, and tried to hug the King. But a bodyguard intervened, and he heard someone yell: “Away, Fat Rat!” He was then sent away indeed like a feared rat. He did not know, however, that it was funny, rather than fun, to be a fan like that.

The Content

1. The text of this unit is an imagined anecdote about a funny fan. He liked King Cat, a popular singer (alluding to Elvis Presley), fanatically pursued him, and tried to get close to him and hug him, but he was sent away like a feared rat. This anecdote is accompanied by implied criticism on the pursuit of fads and the manners of fans engaged in the pursuit. Is this imagined critical anecdote interesting?

2. A fad is something very popular or fashionable for only a short time. It may be an activity or a topic of interest. Since it cannot remain popular for a long time, people may become bored with it before long. Eating Portuguese egg tarts, for instance, was a passing fad in Taiwan. Environmental concern, however, may not be a passing fad. A fashion (i.e., a style of dress) often becomes a fad. Wearing miniskirts, for instance, was once a fad with girls all over the world. Nowadays, running after a certain movie or singing star is a fad with lads and lasses, seen even more frequently than wearing a certain style of dress or hair. As fashion-designers try to make fads of clothing, star-agents try to make fads of the stars with their movies or songs. Have you ever seen lads and lasses running after a star as a fad in Taiwan?

3. Elvis Aaron Presley (1935-1977) was nicknamed “The Hillbilly Cat” and “The King of Rock and Roll,” and sometimes simply called “the King.” Perhaps owing to the nicknames, he has been referred to by Chinese as “the Cat King.” Anyway, the name “King Cat” in this text is an allusion to Presley for sure, rather than to the long-running, much-acclaimed series of mini-comics called “King Cat Comics.” As the King of Rock and Roll, Presley had a great multitude of fans indeed. Rock and roll was in fact quite a fad in the West as a genre of popular music. It originated and evolved in the United States during the 1940s-1950s, combining such genres as blues, jump blues, jazz, gospel music, country music, and Western swing. Later, in the 1960s, rock and roll was developed in Britain into a sort of beat music by fusing rock and roll with doo-wop, skiffle and R&B (rhythm and blues). The Beatles, a famous British rock band, soon “invaded” and “conquered” America with their rock or beat music. Today, the fad of rock and roll or beat music has faded in a way, but its influence is still felt everywhere in the world. Do you know Presley? Do you like his music? Do you know the Beatles? Do you like their music?

4. Popular music is music that has wide appeal, in contrast to art music or classical/ traditional music, which only appeals to some limited audiences. It has become the most important part of today’s music industry. The term “popular music” is sometimes interchangeable with “pop music.” In effect, however, popular music refers to all music that widely appeals to popular tastes, while pop music is just a genre of popular music originating from rock and roll. Pop music is eclectic, as it often borrows elements from many styles or genres. Pure pop music often uses electric guitars, drums, and bass (guitars) for instrumentation. A pop song is often short-to-medium in length. It often has a melodic tune and a verse-chorus structure, and it often contains a catchy hook (a particularly appealing riff, passage, or phrase to catch the ear of the listener). Now, is “I Will Always Love You” a pop song? Does it have the characteristics mentioned above? What do you think is the pop song people like best in Taiwan?

5. A bodyguard is a close protection officer or a security agent trained to protect a person or some persons from danger. The protected persons are usually very wealthy or politically very important figures such as business tycoons or leaders of nations. A good bodyguard will try everyway to protect the VIP from all sorts of danger, such as assassination, assault, harassment, homicide, kidnapping, losses of confidential information, theft, threats, and other criminal offences. In fact, a billionaire or a head of state may have several bodyguards or a team of bodyguards, which are from an agency or from the security forces or the police forces of the state. Military units such as the Royal Guards in royal countries and the Republican/ Presidential Guards in republican countries also serve as bodyguard agencies. Nowadays, there are bodyguard services in developed countries. A famous star may not have a Royal or Presidential Guard, but he or she may have a team of bodyguards from an agency. Now, is there a Presidential Guard in Taiwan? Who do you know is the singing, movie, or sports star that is often accompanied by a team of bodyguards?

The Expression

1. A “mat” is a small flat piece of cloth, plastic, wood, etc., put on a table to protect it or a small piece of thick rough cloth put on a floor for decoration or to protect it. Like a rug, a straw mat may be laid on a floor. A place mat (sometimes together with a place card) is put on a table before a meal for a person to put plates or bowls on. A table usually needs a set of place mats (and place cards). Now, when you put on a mat instead of a hat for fun, what kind of mat may it be, a mat for the floor or for the table?

2. “Fun” is an uncountable noun, meaning “enjoyment” and referring to something enjoyable or somebody that you enjoy spending time with. People may have (great/ good/ a lot of/ lots of/ a bit of) fun doing something. Doing something may be (great/ good/ full of/ no) fun. One may do something for fun/for the fun of it, not for any important or serious purpose/ reason. Something may sound like fun. And one may make fun of/ poke fun at somebody. “Funny” is an adjective, meaning “laughable” or “unusually strange.” When you say “What’s so funny about my fair?” you want to know why people laugh at your hair. When you say “It’s funny how she dotes on her child” you feel the way she dotes on her child is very strange. Now, what is meant by “a fun day”? And what is meant by “a funny day”? Is the lad’s pursuing a star, as described in the text, “a fun thing” or “a funny thing” to do?

3. A “fan” may refer to a flat object you hold in your hand and move backwards and forwards to cool something or part of you. It may also refer to an electric fan, which is a machine with blades that turn and move the air to make the room feel less hot. When used to refer to a person, a fan is someone who is interested in and fond of something or somebody very much and often too much. One can be a football/ tennis fan or a pop/ film fan. And one can be a big fan of Madonna or Lady Gaga. Is the lad in this text a fan of King Cat?

4. To “intervene” is to “come between” as an influencing force to change, modify, settle, hinder, or stop something. When protesters block traffic, people will expect the police to intervene. One may intervene in a dispute/ suit as a third party to protect one’s own interests. “Intervention” is the noun form of “intervene.” We generally do not like government intervention, but a timely government intervention in a certain economic situation is often expected. By the way, a “convention” is an assembly, an occasion for members or delegates to “convene,” i.e., to come together for meetings. Now, judging from the account in the text, did the bodyguard intervene because he felt the lad might bring danger? Did the lad come to King Cat’s concert or convention?

5. A “rat” is a large “mouse.” While a mouse may refer to a quiet person who prefers to be unnoticed, a rat often refers to someone disliked or feared because they may cheat or betray people. (In American English, however, a baby that has just started to crawl is humorously called a “rug rat.”) We take pity on a person who is as poor as a church mouse, but we take offence at people who leave us like rats deserting a sinking ship. Today, when we want to do things on a computer screen, we “click on the mouse” which is put on “the mouse mat.” If you “smell a rat” in using your computer, you suspect that somebody may have done something crafty to it in order to cause you trouble. Now, what was the lad called in the text, “Fat Rat” or “Fat Mouse”? By the way, do you like someone to rat on you? Do you like Mickey Mouse or Rangy Rat? As the official mascot of the Disney World, does Mickey Mouse have fun? Is it funny? Are you a fan of it?

Classwork

A. Orally drill the students with the following:

1. It may be fun to put on a mat instead of a hat. But it is funny if a cat is chased by a rat.

2. The fan was not a flat thing for you to wave in your hand, but a fat being often found in our land.

3. It happened that King Cat had become a popular singer, and running after the King had become a fad.

4. Wherever the King hid, he would go and seek. Wherever the King appeared, he would shout and cheer.

5. He did not know, however, that it was funny, rather than fun, to be a fan like that.

B. Ask the students to choose the correct answer to each question below.

1. It may be fun to put on a mat (a. instead b. instead of) a hat.

2. The fan was not a flat thing for you to wave in your hand, but a fat (a. being b. beings) often found in our land.

3. He was in fact just a lad. But he pursued every fad like (a. mad b. madness).

4. It happened that King Cat had become a popular singer, and running after the King (a. has b. had) become a fad.

5. Our fat lad was his fan. He naturally became (a. frantic b. fanatic) like others.

6. Wherever the King (a. was hid b. hid), he would go and seek.

7. (a. Wherever b. No matter wherever) the King appeared, he would shout and cheer.

8. Once, he even crept (a. near and near b. nearer and nearer) until he was only a few feet behind the King.

9. Then, suddenly he stood up, held out his arms, and tried to (a. hag b. hug) the King.

10. But a bodyguard intervened, and he heard someone (a. yell b. to yell): “Away, Fat Rat!”

11. He was then sent away indeed like a (a. fear b. feared) rat.

12. He did not know, however, that it was funny, rather (a. then b. than) fun, to be a fan like that.

Homework

Use a search engine (say, Google or Yahoo) to find further information about rock and roll as popular music of the world and write a report about it. Or, find further information about bodyguard services in a nation (say, England or America) and write a report about it.

回目錄

Unit 9

The Text (from Tn-31, Today’s Tonic)

Fret, Fuss, and Fume

She said a press conference would be a threat and she would rather have a tête-á-tête. She was then seen walking in the wet and talking to someone she met. But now she has left in a jet, and this is all the news release we can get:

I’m Lady Antoinette.

I’m not Mrs. Gates yet.

I’ve often entered his gates, I presume,

And come near to being his pet.

But now I fret and fume,

Fret, fuss, and fume, I regret.

I fret because I am in debt.

I fuss because you’ve mussed my net.

I fume because she has assumed the whole set.

I fret, fuss, and fume because, you bet,

I lack the pelf to pay my debt,

Lack her hair-style to cast a net,

And lack a name to claim any asset.

The Content

1. The text of this unit is a news report about a woman who calls herself “Lady Antoinette.” The news report contains a news release from the lady. According to the report, the lady said that a press conference would be a threat (maybe to herself or Gates or another woman) and she would rather have a tête-á-tête (maybe with Gates or another woman or a lawyer). She was then seen walking in the wet (weather) and talking to someone she met. But now she has left in a jet (plane) and left only a news release for the media or the press. In the release the lady says that she is not yet Mrs. Gates (Gates is perhaps a billionaire like Bill Gates) though she presumes she has often entered his gates and she has almost become his “pet.” But now she regrets (with grievances) that she is fretting, fussing, and fuming now because she is in debt, because the media (“you”) have mussed her net, and because another woman (“she”) has taken/assumed the whole set (of Gates’ assets/belongings); or, put it another way, she has no money/pelf to pay her debt, has no hair-style like another woman’s to cast a net, and has no name to claim any asset from Gates. What do you think of this report and this news release?

2. Journalism is an important facet of modern society. It is an industry using public/mass media to disseminate “news” in written, audio, or visual form so that factual, ongoing events of public interest or concern may be widely known. The public/mass media used for journalism used to be such print media as newspapers and magazines (called “the press”). Later, radio together with television added the audio-visual dimension to the media. Today, the computer and the Internet have brought an even greater change in journalism. As more and more people “consume” news on computers, smart-phones, and other electronic devices, news dissemination and news coverage are no longer limited to the few specialists called journalists (including newspapermen or pressmen, reporters, correspondents and even paparazzi). In this digital era, everyone can be a reporter, correspondent, or paparazzo in a way. Ordinary citizens carrying their smart-phones equipped with video cameras can collect/cover news everywhere and transmit it anytime. Now, what do you think the news report of this unit is from? Is it most probably from a newspaper, a magazine, a tabloid, a TV company, or a user of the Facebook Report?

3. A press conference is a meeting called/held by someone (usually a famous or important person), who becomes the newsmaker through the conference, in which pressmen are invited to ask questions and receive answers. As today’s (public/mass) media are not limited to “the press,” the term “press conference” is practically changed to “news conference.” In a news conference, workers for TV as well as those for newspapers and magazines can come and ask questions. In a joint press/news conference, two or more talking sides will jointly introduce their talks, accept questions, and give answers. In an ordinary news conference, the newsmaker may make a statement as an introduction first, and then accept questions and give answers. In some news conferences, however, the newsmakers only make statements and then leave (without accepting questions). The statements made in such “conferences” are no other than “news releases.” Now, did Lady Antoinette hold a news conference but only give a news release without accepting questions from journalists?

4. A news release (or press release/media release) is a written or recorded statement about a matter of public interest or concern. It is sent to the media to release the information (i.e., make the information available) as news to the public. It is usually mailed, faxed, or e-mailed to editors of newspapers, magazines, radio stations, or television networks. A government official may purposely make a news release, and so may a company manager. Nowadays, a movie or singing star may also choose to make a news release if that can help improve his/her public image or solve his/her present problem. Very often a person beset by scandal will choose to make a news release as well. Now, is Lady Antoinette probably beset by a scandal connected to Gates and another woman? Did she just intend to clarify her affair with Gates through the news release?

5. The Antoinette in this news report is definitely not Marie Antoinette (1755-1793), Queen of France, who was considered profligate and promiscuous and was executed in October1793, eight months after her husband King Louis XVI, for treason to the principles of the French Revolution. She is definitely not Princess Antoinette of Monaco (1920-2011) or any other Antoinette in history, either. But she does represent the type of lady who may have a chance to associate herself with the wealthy nobility. Gates in this news report is surely not Bill Gates (1955- ), one of the world’s best-known business magnates, the former chief executive and current chairman of Microsoft, the largest software company of the world. He obviously represents a wealthy magnate, however. Now, can you imagine an Antoinette associated with a Gates in a way as suggested or implied in the text of this unit?

The Expression

1. To “fret” is to worry continuously. To “fuss” is to behave in a way that shows you are nervous or anxious about something unimportant. To “fume” is to show you are impatient and angry about something. To “fret and fume” or to “fret, fuss, and fume” is a set expression used to mean that someone is in a state of being worried, anxious, and angry. Now, does Antoinette truly fret, fuss, and fume? What does she fret about? What does she fuss about/over? And what does she fume over?

2. To “presume” is to think or suppose that something is true because it is likely, although you are not certain about it. To presume to do something is to act as though you have the right to do it when you do not. To presume on/upon something is to expect more than you can get from something. The noun form of “presume” is “presumption” and its adjective form is either “presumptive” (meaning “believed to be true”) or “presumptuous” (meaning “showing too much confidence and not enough respect”). Now, does Antoinette presume that she has often entered Gates’ gates? Does she presume to claim anything from Gates? Does she presume on Gates’ good nature? Is it a presumption that another woman is getting the better of Antoinette in dealing with Gates? Is it presumptuous of Antoinette to make a news release concerning her affair with Gates?

3. To “assume” is to believe or think that something is true though you have no proof and it may not be true. To assume a position/role is to officially start it. To assume power is to take power. To assume something is to begin to have it. An assumed name is an alias, that is, a different name one uses instead of one’s real name. The noun form of “assume” is “assumption.” The word “assuming” is often used as a conjunction, meaning “if.” Now, does Antoinette fume because another woman has assumed the whole set of Gates’ assets? Can we assume (or make the assumption) that Antoinette is very jealous of that woman? Assuming (that) another woman has married Gates, will Antoinette retaliate?

4. To “muss” is to make messy or disarrange. It is to make a mess of something, and that is to make a disorderly mass of things. A net can be a mosquito net, a fishnet (fishing net), a hairnet, or anything with material made of string or rope woven into a pattern with spaces in it, as that used for playing tennis/football or for catching butterflies/birds. Today, the Net refers to the Internet, which is an international computer network, i.e., a computer system that allows people in different parts of the world to exchange information through computers or other electronic devices. Now, when Antoinette fusses because the mass media have mussed her net, what kind of net is her net? Is it a hairnet or, metaphorically, a net she has cast to catch Gates? By the way, do the mass media indeed often muss a woman’s net to catch a man or vice versa by publicizing certain things?

5. “Pelf” is ill-gotten gains or money/wealth regarded with contempt. An “asset” is a major benefit. “Assets” are all the things, including money and property, that a person or company owns. To “claim” is to say that something is true or something is yours or to ask for something as a right. One can claim credit, victory, or political asylum. One can also claim on one’s insurance for damage to furniture. Arriving passengers will claim their checked-in baggage at the baggage claim area in airport terminals. Now, can Antoinette claim that she has come near to being Gates’ pet? Is it right for her to claim pelf from Gates? Does she need a name to claim any asset from him?

Classwork

A. Orally drill the students with the following:

1. She said a press conference would be a threat and she would rather have a tête-á-tête.

2. She was then seen walking in the wet and talking to someone she met.

3. I’ve often entered his gates, I presume, and come near to being his pet.

4. I fret because I am in debt. I fuss because you’ve mussed my net. I fume because she has assumed the whole set.

5. I fret, fuss, and fume because, you bet, I lack the pelf to pay my debt, lack her hair-style to cast a net, and lack a name to claim any asset.

B. Ask the students to choose the correct answer to each question below.

1. She said a press conference would be a threat and she would (a. rather b. better) have a tête-á-tête.

2. She was then seen walking in (a. wet b. the wet) and talking to someone she met.

3. But now she has left (a. by b. in) a jet, and this is all the news release we can get.

4. I am Lady Antoinette. I am not Mrs. Gates (a. already b. yet).

5. I have often entered his gates, I presume, and come near to (a. be b. being) his pet.

6. But now I fret and fume; I fret, fuss, and fume, (a. I presume b. I regret).

7. I fret because I am (a. in b. on) debt. I fuss because you’ve (a. massed b. mussed) my net.

8. I fume because she has (a. assumed b. presumed) the whole set.

9. I fret, fuss, and fume because, (a. I b. you) bet, I lack the pelf to pay my debt.

10. I lack her hair-style to cast a net, and lack a name to (a. claim b. acclaim) any asset.

Homework

Use a search engine (say, Google or Yahoo) to find further information about journalism in a country (say, Taiwan or America) and write a report about it. Or, find further information about Marie Antoinette or Bill Gates and write a report about her or him

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Unit 10

The Text (from Tn-48, Today’s Tonic)

A Wizard and a Witch

A drunkard decided to walk home from a beer bust. On his way a blizzard came suddenly. It brought him a sudden hazard. He no longer recognized the road leading to his lodging. As he went windward on, he felt as if he were a wingless buzzard lost in a stormy sky. “Wizard!” he yelled with pain at the blizzard. Then, he threatened: “Think no small beer of me. I’d turn you into a lizard before you turn me into a buzzard.”

A few minutes later, the drunkard was still struggling on his way home. Then a car approached and stopped by him. The lady-driver pressed a button and a window clicked open. She shouted in a high pitch of tone, “You want to hitch, don’t you?” But the “wingless buzzard” had become “brainless.” He thought her to be a witch and refused her kindness with an insult: “Are you a bitch in time?” The lady was so infuriated that she switched gears and sped away at once, saying, “A stitch in time saves none!”

The Content

1. The text of this unit is a joke about a drunkard. When he was coming home blind drunk from a beer bust, he imagined that the blizzard was a wizard coming to turn him into a wingless buzzard. When a lady-driver offered to pick him up as a hitchhiker, he thought her to be a witch, refused her kindness, and insultingly took her for a bitch. The lady then sped away, saying, “A stitch in time saves none!” Is this joke plausible?

2. Weather is for the majority of people the first daily concern, as one’s daily activity is often affected by the day-to-day state of the atmosphere in terms of temperature (measured by the scale of Celsius or Fahrenheit), wind, clouds, and precipitation (the fall of any form of water to earth, including rain, snow, hail, sleet, and mist). After learning the weather conditions from weather forecasts, one can have enough time to prepare everything, say, for a period of foggy or stormy weather or against a cold wave or a heat wave. The weather conditions (cold or hot, clear or cloudy, wet or dry, calm or stormy) of an area change with the changeable atmospheric pressure created by temperature and moisture. Winds or air currents go from a high pressure area to a low pressure area. A gust is a sudden strong wind. A storm/rainstorm is a very bad weather, with heavy rain, very strong winds, and often thunder and lightning. A squall is a storm that happens suddenly, especially at sea. The storm in a desert area may be a sandstorm with a mass of swirling sand. In a cold area the storm may be a snowstorm with a very heavy fall of snow. A blizzard is a violent snowstorm. A tempest is a severe rainstorm (in literary usage). In some parts of the world, a tempest is called a hurricane or a typhoon. Now, what sort of bad weather did the drunkard meet on his way home?

3. In primitive societies and in high cultural societies as well, witchcraft or witchery (the use of magical faculties) is a common practice for religious, medicinal, and divinatory purposes. Traditionally, a witch is supposed to be a sorceress, that is, a woman supposedly having supernatural power by a compact with the Devil (Satan, Mephistopheles, Lucifer, or Belial) or evil spirits (demons, fiends, ghouls, ogres, harpies, vampires, etc.). It is believed that a witch always dresses in black, can fly on a broomstick, practices black magic, and is allergic to water. A wizard or warlock is the male counterpart of a witch. “Witchcraft,” in fact, can mean both witchery and wizardry, and a “witch doctor” can be either male or female. Both wizards and witches are considered supernatural beings that may wander everywhere or haunt certain places and do unthinkably horrible things to people. In Christian and Islamic societies, therefore, witches are generally feared, occasionally hunted, and often persecuted. Joan of Arc, for instance, was condemned and executed as a witch. Now, is the lady-driver in the joke truly a witch?

4. A beer bust is a large (usually boisterous) gathering for clubs, organizations, college students, etc., at which beer is the sole or main beverage and is consumed in large quantities. It is a cultural feature in some Western countries. Another cultural feature of the West is hitchhiking. It is the practice of traveling by asking other people to take you in their car, usually by standing at a roadside and holding out your thumb or a sign. Now, have you ever attended a beer bust? Have you ever hitched a ride to any place?

5. A proverb is a short popular saying that expresses some commonplace truth or useful thought. It may reflect a people’s wisdom as well as its way of thinking. “Desires are nourished by delays.” “Hunger is the best sauce.” “Man proposes; God disposes.” “Time is the great healer.” “Variety is the spice of life.” These are some English proverbs that we often hear. In the joke of this unit, the proverb “A stitch in time saves nine” is altered to “A stitch in time saves none.” The original proverb refers to the practice of mending a small tear in cloth with “a stitch in time” before the tear becomes a larger one that may require nine more stitches. In the present joke, when the lady-driver changed the proverb to “A stitch in time saves none,” she was suggesting that she came to the drunkard just like a (surgeon’s) stitch in time (to save him) but it ended in saving no one. Isn’t it witty and humorous of her to make such an alteration?

The Expression

1. A “tippler” is someone who regularly drinks alcohol. A “drunkard” is someone who frequently drinks too much alcohol. A tippler can easily become a drunkard. Drinks such as wine and beer are not strong liquor (alcoholic drinks), but drinking too much wine or beer can make people drunk as well. Now, do you believe the drunkard in this joke had drunk too much beer at the beer bust?

2. A “hazard” is something that could be dangerous and could cause damage or accidents. We need protection from fire/ radiation/ traffic hazards. Pollution is a major hazard to health (a major health hazard). A “hazard light” is a light on a car that flashes on and off to warn other drivers that there may be danger. To “hazard” is to make a guess/suggestion about something or to risk something/ endanger somebody. You may hazard a guess but you should not hazard your guests in playing a practical joke. The adjective form of “hazard” is “hazardous.” Note that “hazard” is a countable noun while “danger” is both countable and uncountable. Note, too, that “haphazard” is an adjective meaning “done without careful planning or organization.” Now, is it a hazard to drink too much alcohol? Did the drunkard hazard his life in walking home when a blizzard came? Which is more hazardous, to go hitchhiking alone or to pick up drunken hitchhikers?

3. A “buzzard” is a type of hawk in British English, but it is a vulture in American English. In informal spoken English, an unpleasant or mean person may be called a buzzard. A “lizard” is a reptile with short legs and a long tail. As a slang word, a “lizard” or a “lounge lizard” is a man who idles about in the lounges of hotels and bars (in search of women who would support him). Now, what may be the connotation in saying “I’d turn you into a lizard before you turn me into a buzzard”?

4. In informal (British) English, “small beer” refers to someone or something that is not important or worth talking about. To “think (no) small beer of …” is a set expression. If you think small beer of your friend, you belittle/slight him. If you think no small beer of yourself, you are self-conceited (very proud of yourself). Now, after drinking a lot of beer, was the drunkard in a nice position to ask others to “think no small beer” of him?

5. A “bitch” is a female dog. The word is offensively used to call a woman. In informal English, the word can also be a verb meaning “to complain” and a noun meaning “a complaint.” The phrase “son of a bitch” is a very rude phrase used to insult someone one is angry with or used as an interjection to show that one is rather annoyed by something. Now, what was the drunkard bitching about? What was his bitch on his way home? Did she really meet a bitch later? Did the lady-driver cry “Son of a bitch!” when she was infuriated?

6. “Gear” or a “gear” is the part of a machine or vehicle that controls the rate at which the energy being used is converted into motion. Gears usually consist of moving wheels and levers which fit together. A “gear” also denotes the range of speed or power that a vehicle has when a particular gear is used. In driving a car/truck, the driver has to change gear/gears again and again as it starts/stops and speeds up/slows down. To “switch gears” is no other than to “shift gears” or “change gears.” A car usually has 4-6 gears. Low gears (1^st and 2^nd gears) are used on hills. A fast-running car is usually in a high gear (4th, 5th, or 6^th gear). Now, in order to have her car start and speed away, in which way did the lady-driver have to change/switch/shift gears, from a low gear to a high gear or vice versa?

Classwork

A. Orally drill the students with the following:

1. On his way a blizzard came suddenly. It brought him a sudden hazard.

2. As he went windward on, he felt as if he were a wingless buzzard lost in a stormy sky.

3. Think no small beer of me. I’d turn you into a lizard before you turn me into a buzzard.

4. He thought her to be a witch and refused her kindness with an insult.

5. The lady was so infuriated that she switched gears and sped away at once.

B. Ask the students to choose the correct answer to each question below.

1. A drunkard decided to walk home from a beer (a. bust b. burst).

2. On his way a blizzard came suddenly and it brought him a sudden (a. hazard b. haphazard).

3. He no longer recognized the road (a. led b. leading) to his lodging.

4. As he went windward on, he felt as if he (a. is b. were) a wingless buzzard lost in a stormy sky.

5. “Wizard!” he yelled with pain (a. at b. on) the blizzard.

6. Think no small beer (a. to b. of) me. I’d turn you into a lizard (a. before b. behind) you turn me into a buzzard.

7. While he was still struggling on his way home, a car approached and stopped (a. to b. by) him.

8. The lady-driver pressed a button and a window (a. cricketed b. clicked) open.

9. She shouted in a high (a. bitch b. pitch) of tone, “You want to hitch, don’t you?”

10. The “wingless buzzard” had become “(a. headless b. brainless).” He thought her (a. was b. to be) a witch and refused her kindness with an insult.

11. The lady was so infuriated that she (a. switched b. witched) gears and (a. sped b. speed) away at once.

12. He asked, “Are you a bitch in time?” She said, “(a. An itch b. A stitch) in time saves none.”

Homework

Use a search engine (say, Google or Yahoo) to find further information about witchcraft in a country (say, Taiwan or America) and write a report about it. Or, find further information about the weather forecasts in a country (say, Taiwan or Japan) and write a report about them.

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Unit 11

The Text (from Tn-33, Today’s Tonic)

A Finn and a Jinn

A Finn loved his kith and kin.

But he loved more his dear gin.

Once he went down to his old bin

To take the spirits he had put in.

Suddenly there came an eerie jinn

Seemingly out of the ancient bin.

To the Finn the jinn tipped up its fin

And said: “We’re next of kin or near of kin.

We’re forever in a merry pin.

We’ll go hand in hand through thick and thin,

And with our common spirit we’ll win.”

The Finn was shocked by the jinn,

Wondering what act he had to begin.

Yet, already the jinn had brought a tin

Out of the bin that stored the Finn’s gin,

And, continuing to wag its chin,

Offered to share the thin’ canned within.

It then said, “I really don’t care a pin

If I’ve made you a sort of din.”

“Believe me,” it added, “it’s never a sin

To quaff ale, beer, rum, or gin.”

The Content

1. The text of this unit is a verse story about a Finn and his experience involving a jinni. The Finn went down to his old bin to take the “spirits” (strong alcoholic drinks) he had put in it. Suddenly an eerie jinni appeared there seemingly out of the ancient (old) bin. It talked to the Finn for a while, telling him, among other things, that they are next or near of kin, that they will go hand in hand through thick and thin, and that it is never a sin to quaff ale, beer, rum, or gin. Is this story eerie? Might it come from the Finn’s reverie?

2. In Muslim legend, a “jinni” or “genie” is a spirit below the level of angels and devils, often capable of assuming human or animal form and influencing human affairs. The “jinn” (plural form of “jinni” but popularly regarded as a singular with “jinns” as its plural) or the “genies” are frequently mentioned in the Quran and other Islamic texts. They are said to be one of the three sapient creations of God, the other two being humans and angels. Like human beings, however, they can be good or evil and have free will. In “Aladdin,” a Middle Eastern folktale collected in The Arabian Nights (The Book of One Thousand and One Nights), Aladdin is a young man befriended by two jinn/genies: the jinni/genie of the (magic) ring and the jinni/genie of the (magic) lamp. Now, is the jinni/genie (called “jinn” for rhyming) in the verse story a spirit of this type? Is it probably good or evil?

3. Alcoholic beverages are drinks containing ethanol (i.e., ethyl alcohol). They are usually divided into three general classes (for the sake of taxation or regulation of production): beers, wines, and spirits. Beer is an alcoholic, fermented beverage made from grain, especially malted barley or wheat, usually flavored with hops. The process of making beer from malt and hops by steeping, boiling, and fermenting is called “brewing.” Wine is made from fermented juice of grapes or other fruits. Wines vary in color (red, white, rose, etc.) and sugar content (sweet, dry, sec, etc.). They may be effervescent (sparkling) or non-effervescent (still). They are sometimes strengthened/ fortified with additional alcohol. Fruit wines are often named after the fruits used: apple wine, pear wine, pomegranate wine, etc. Spirit or liquor is a distilled, alcoholic beverage. The ethanol it contains is produced by distilling the ethanol coming from fermented grain, fruit, or vegetables. Beer, wine, and cider are not distilled beverages. Such spirits or liquors as brandy, gin, rum, tequila, vodka, and whiskey are distilled beverages. Lager is a kind of light-colored beer. Ale is a kind of dark-colored beer without bubbles. Sherry is a strong wine often drunk before a meal. Vermouth is a strong white wine often mixed with other alcoholic drinks. Martini is a cocktail made of gin or vodka and dry vermouth, usually served with a green olive or lemon twist. Champagne is a kind of sparkling wine often drunk to celebrate special occasions. Now, to which general class does the Chinese baijiu (including gaoliang) belong? Is it beer or wine or spirit/liquor?

The Expression

1. Notice the variations in form of nouns used to refer to nations and their people as shown below:

Iceland/Icelander, Norway/Norwegian, Sweden/Swede, Denmark/Dane, Britain/Briton, England/Englishman (Englishwoman), Scotland/Scot, Wales/Welshman (Welshwoman), Ireland/Irishman (Irishwoman), France/Frenchman (Frenchwoman), Germany/German, Austria/Austrian, Poland/Pole, Czechoslovakia/Czech, Russia/Russian, Holland/Dutch, Belgium/Belgian, Spain/Spaniard, Italy/Italian, Greece/Greek, Turkey/Turk, Israel/Israeli, Iraq/Iraqi, Iran/Iranian, Egypt/Egyptian, Sudan/Sudanese, Algeria/Algerian, South Africa/ South African, Congo/Congolese, India/Indian, Burma/Burmese, Thailand/Thai, Malaysia/Malay, Singapore/Singaporean, Indonesia/Indonesian, Vietnam/Vietnamese, Philippines/Filipino, Korea/Korean, Japan/Japanese, Canada/Canadian, Mexico/Mexican, Cuba/Cuban, Brazil/Brazilian, Chile (Chili)/ Chilean, Argentina/Argentine, Paraguay/Paraguayan, Australia/Australian, New Zealand/New Zealander.

Now, is someone from Finland called a Finn or a Finlander?

2. “Kith and kin” is an old-fashioned idiom, meaning one’s “friends and relatives.” English has many idioms like this: with two words having the same initial letters, joined by “and.” Other examples are: To treat one’s friends and foes all alike, to see an empire wax and wane (like the moon), to stand by a friend in weal and woe, to be beaten black and blue by a gang of thugs, to be attracted by the sights and sounds of a place, to know the beasts and birds of a region, and to study the Flora and Fauna of a land. Now, reread the text and find another example in it. Is it “through thick and thin”? Will you go hand in hand through thick and thin with your husband or wife?

3. The word “spirit” has many meanings. Your spirit is the part of you that is connected with your character, behavior, and feelings. The spirit sometimes means the non-physical part of a person that is believed to remain in the world even after he dies. A spirit often refers to a ghost or supernatural being. Spirit can mean the courage or determination that helps people survive in difficult times. When you play with spirit, you play with liveliness or energy. If you do something in a spirit of compromise, you do it with an attitude of compromise. If you are somewhere in spirit, you are not really there but you feel as though you were there. To lift your spirits is to lift your feelings at a particular time (when you are in low spirits). As said above, spirits are also strong alcoholic drinks such as whiskey and gin. Now, when the Finn went down to his old bin to take the spirits he had put in, did he mean to take his strong alcoholic drinks? But did a spirit (a ghost-like being) appear to him? When the genie said “with our common spirit we’ll win,” what was meant by “our common spirit”?

4. A “fin” is a flat part sticking out of the body of a fish that helps the fish swim and keep its balance. It is also the flat part of an airplane, rocket, or bomb which sticks out and helps control its movement. To “tip up” something is to move it into a sloping position (with one end or side higher than the other). To “tip up one’s fin” is a humorous expression used to describe the act of “raising one’s hand” (to shake hands with someone else). Now, does the sentence “To the Finn the jinn tipped up its fin” suggest that the jinni was shaped like a fish in having fins instead of hands, or simply mean that the genie raised its hand towards the Finn (in order to shake hands with him)?

5. A “pin” a small thin piece of metal with a sharp point, used for holding cloth, paper, etc., in place. It can refer particularly to a brooch or a badge. An electrical plug usually has two or three pins (a two-pin or three-pin plug). In ten-pin bowling, the ten pins are the ten bottle-shaped clubs of wood, or wood coasted with plastic. In the phrase “in a merry pin,” however, the word “pin” has nothing to do with a pin for needlework, a brooch, a plug, or a bowling pin. It simply means “in a merry mood.” In the phrase “not to care a pin,” then, does the word “pin” mean “a small insignificant thing like a pin”? Does it mean the same as “not to care a fig”?

6. To “wag” is to cause something to move rapidly and repeatedly back and forth, or from side to side, or up and down. A dog will wag its tail. A person may wag his finger or head. Now, in describing the genie as “continuing to wag its chin,” what is the act of “wagging its chin”? Is it an act of “keeping on eating” or “keeping on talking/chatting”?

7. Some English speakers often mispronounce the ending “-ing” as they often pronounce it as “-in.” Thus, they say mornin’ instead of morning. That is why in MacDonald’s ad we hear and see “I’m lovin’ it.” Now, is it based on the same habit of pronunciation to describe the contents of a tin can as the thin’ (i.e., the thing) canned within? By the way, does the tin-can probably contain thin beer or thin ale, instead of strong wine or liquor?

Classwork

A. Orally drill the students with the following:

1. Suddenly there came an eerie jinni seemingly out of the ancient bin.

2. To the Finn the jinn tipped up its fin and said, “We’re next of kin or near of kin.”

3. We’ll go hand in hand through thick and thin, and with our common spirit we’ll win.

4. The Finn was shocked by the jinni, wondering what act he had to begin.

5. I really don’t care a pin if I’ve made you a sort of din.

B. Ask the students to choose the correct answer to each question below.

1. A Finn loved his (a. kit b. kith) and kin.

2. But he loved (a. better b. more) his dear gin.

3. One he went down to his old (a. bin b. pin) to take the spirits he had put in.

4. Suddenly there came an (a. eerie b. airy) spirit seemingly out of the ancient bin.

5. To the Finn the jinn (a. tipped b. dipped) up its fin and said, “We’re (a. next b. nest) of kin or near of kin.”

6. We’re forever in a merry (a. bin b. pin).

7. We’ll go hand in hand through thick and (a. tin b. thin).

8. The Finn was shocked by the jinni, (a. wondered b. wondering) what act he had to begin.

9. Already the jinn had brought a (a. tin b. pin) out of the bin that stored the Finn’s (a. din b. gin).

10. And, continuing to wag its (a. gin b. chin), it offered to share the thin’ stored within.

11. I really don’t care a (a. bin b. pin) if I’ve made you a sort of (a. din b. tin).

12. It’s never a sin to (a. quaff b. quiff) beer, ale, rum, or gin.

Homework

Use a search engine (say, Google or Yahoo) to find further information about jinn/genies in the Middle East folklore and write a report about them. Or, find further information about alcoholic beverages in a country (say, Taiwan or Japan) and write a report about them.

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Unit 12

The Text (from Tn-43, Today’s Tonic)

A Gormandizer

Gorman is not a goat. He has no horns to gore you. He is just a raven-like man. He often eats ravenously. He is also a wolfish man. He can wolf down a big pizza in two minutes. Sometimes we call him a greedy pig. He never misses making a pig of himself at the table. Once we found him in an all-you-can-eat restaurant. There he confessed he was not a gourmet but a gourmand or gormandizer. He not only gorged himself on each of his chosen dishes—clam or crab, lobster or oyster, salmon or sturgeon, turkey or duck, chicken or dove, mutton or pork—but also pigged out on sardines and salads. As a glutton, he glutted himself with both cold entrées and hot entrées. He swallowed beef and swilled beer. He cared for all cuisines that catered to the customers. He liked casseroles, fondues, and curries equally. He really wanted to eat and drink his fill there. But after eating cheeses, ice-creams, fruits, cakes, pies and pastries and drinking juices, cokes and punch, together with other food and beverages, Gorman demanded to have strong drink. He said, “I must have vodka in addition to soda. If you cannot serve whiskey, you should at least provide brandy.” On hearing this gourmand’s demand, the chef cried out, “Good man, can’t you stop goring us!”

The Content

1. The text of this unit is a character sketch, and Gorman is the character (i.e., a particular type of person) sketched (i.e., given a short account or described with only a few details). Basically, he is described as a very big eater, a gormandizer that eats or devours like a glutton and is said to “gore” the all-you-can-eat restaurant. Is this sketch interesting?

2. A restaurant is a business establishment that prepares and serves meals (including food and drink) to customers. Usually restaurant meals are served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food-delivery services. Restaurants have many types. They differ in the food (e.g., steak, seafood, or vegetarian restaurants). They differ in the cuisine (e.g., Chinese, French, Italian, Japanese, Indian, Korean, or Thai restaurants). And they also differ in the style of offering and other things (e.g., buffet, sushi, tapas, yam cha, fast food, or all-you-can-eat restaurants). Restaurants can be integral parts of hotels. A restaurant has its proprietor (called a “restaurateur”), its chefs (professional cooks) and its waiters/waitresses. A high-class restaurant may have a host/hostess or even a maitre d’hôtel to welcome customers and seat them, a sommelier (wine steward), and some busboys. A cafeteria is a restaurant where food, variously priced, is displayed on counters and patrons serve themselves, since there is no waiting staff table service. A café is a place that serves simple meals and snacks together with drinks. In European cities, there are street cafes or pavement (sidewalk) cafes (with chairs and tables on the pavements outside the cafés). Now, are McDonald’s, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and Pizza Hut names of fast food restaurants or cafes?

3. An “all-you-can-eat restaurant” is a kind of buffet restaurant, where plates containing fixed portions of food are placed on tables or counters in a public area for diners, who pay a fixed fee and can help themselves to as much food as they wish to eat in a single meal. It often provides drinks, coffee, and tea as well for customers. The food often includes cold entrées (such as spiced cold chicken, cold macaroni and tuna salad, and cold noodles with peanut sauce) and hot entrées (such as lobster stuffed beef tenderloin, chicken curry crepes, and salmon with a creamy dill sauce) in addition to fruits and cakes. Now, do McDonald’s, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and Pizza Hut belong to all-you-can-eat restaurants? Is a dim sum buffet usually an all-you-can-eat buffet?

4. Cuisine is culinary art, that is, the art of cooking food. It often refers to the characteristic style of cooking practices or traditions of a particular country or region. Climate, economic conditions, and religious food laws are the major factors that shape the cuisine of a culture. Both global and regional cuisines depend very much on the availability of foodstuffs. Staple foods (rice, wheat, corn/maize, rye, mutton, pork, beef, fish, etc.) and other stuffs for cooking (animal fats, olive or coconut oil, etc.) or for seasoning (salt, pepper, spices, etc.) greatly influence cuisines. The methods of cooking (baking, barbequing, basting, boiling, deep frying, grilling, roasting, shallow frying, steaming, stewing, etc.) are also influential. Now, what do you think are special about Taiwanese cuisine?

5. A casserole is an earthenware or glass baking dish or bowl, usually with a cover, in which food can be cooked and then served. It also refers to the food baked and served in such a dish or bowl. Usually casseroles contain rice, potatoes, or macaroni with meat or fish and vegetables. Fondue was originally a Swiss national dish, in which melted cheese was served in a pot over a stove and eaten by dipping forks with bread into the cheese. Now it refers to any dish that is eaten by dipping food stuff into a communal pot of hot liquid (e.g., soup-like water, chocolate, or oil). In some countries (e.g. India), curry powder is prepared from turmeric and various spices and herbs, and it is used as a seasoning in cooking. Today, a curry is a kind of stew (with meat such as beef, pork, chicken, mutton, and fish, and other stuffs) prepared with curry. Now, have you ever eaten any casserole, fondue, and curry in Taiwan? Which do you prefer, casseroles, fondues, or curries?

The Expression

1. A “glutton” is a person who greedily eats too much. A “gourmand” is a glutton who has a hearty liking for good food and drink and a tendency to indulge in them to excess. A “gormandizer” is a person who eats or devours like a glutton. Gluttons, gourmands, and gormandizers are often big eaters. A “gourmet,” however, is not a big eater. He or she is a connoisseur in eating and drinking, that is, an excellent judge of fine foods and drinks. A gourmet is like an “epicure” in having a highly refined taste for fine foods and drinks, but may be unlike an epicure in not taking great delight in indulging it. He or she may be just a “gastronome,” who has and enjoys a discriminating taste for foods and drinks. Now, is Gorman in the text a gormandizer or a gourmet?

2. In Western culture, a person greedy in eating is often compared to a raven, a wolf, and a pig. A “ravenous” person is a voracious person, who is greedily or wildly hungry and eager to eat. A “wolfish” person is a rapacious person, who is graspingly greedy and eager to plunder. And a “piggish” person is gluttonous or filthy like a pig. In the text, therefore, Gorman is said to “eat ravenously,” to be able to “wolf down a big pizza in two minutes,” and never to miss “making a pig of himself at the table.” Now, vultures or buzzards are often associated with greedy eating, too. But is it proper to compare a person greedy in eating to a vulture or buzzard? Do people feed on carcasses like vultures or buzzards?

3. To “gorge (oneself) on something,” to “pig out on something,” and to “glut oneself with something” are idioms often used to describe one’s greedy act of eating lots of something. To “swallow” something is to make a movement in the throat and send it from the mouth down to the stomach. An unpleasant piece of news is often said to be “a bitter pill to swallow.” To “swill” is to drink a large amount of something (especially liquor) enthusiastically. Now, does a swallow need to swallow its food? Will it swill beer? Will it gorge itself on, or glut itself with, insects?

4. A menu or a bill of fare at a restaurant or café is a list of the meals and drinks from which customers can choose what they want to eat and drink. It is often offered by waiters/waitresses, who may suggest special dishes (e.g. those unique in texture and taste / flavor or low on calories) to the customers at their request. A dish is a shallow, concave container, with a wide uncovered top, of porcelain, earthenware, glass, plastic, etc. Food can be cooked in dishes, and often from dishes is food served and eaten. Owing to this fact, perhaps, a “dish” also refers to a particular kind of food that is served (in a dish). A restaurant or café may be popular for a special dish (a “specialty”) or for its delicious dishes. Names of dishes on a menu often suggest the foodstuff/ ingredient, and sometimes the cooking method/ style as well. For example, “Twice Cooked Pork” is a Chinese dish, and “Hochepot” (“four meats stewed with vegetables”) is a French dish. Now, what dish do you often order at a restaurant? Have you ever ordered a shrimp cocktail?

5. To “eat/drink one’s fill” is to keep (on) eating/ drinking till one is full and no longer wants to eat/drink. To “weep/sleep one’s fill” is to keep (on) weeping/ sleeping till one no longer wants to weep/sleep. To “take one’s fill of rest” is to take so much rest that one no longer wants to take any more rest. To “have one’s fill of travel” is to have so much travel that one no longer wants to have any more travel. Now, what is meant by “you can smoke your fill in this smoking area”? And what is meant by “you can have your fill of taunting before I get sour”?

6. “On/Upon doing something” often means “immediately after doing something” while “in doing something” means “in the course of doing something.” So, we may say: “In visiting the land, the sightseers were full of expectations. On seeing the landscape, they all became extraordinarily joyous.” Now, what is meant by “On hearing this gourmand’s demand, the chef cried out, ‘Good man!’” Does it mean that the chef cried out “Good man!” as soon as he heard this gourmand’s demand?

7. To stop doing something is to stop the act of doing something. To stop to do something is to stop an action in order to do something. So, to “stop talking” is to talk no more, and to “stop to talk” is to stop (moving or doing something) for a talk. Now, what did the chef cry out, “Good man, can’t you stop goring us!” or “Good man, can’t you stop to gore us!”?

Classwork

A. Orally drill the students with the following:

1. He can wolf down a big pizza in two minutes. He never misses making a pig of himself at the table.

2. He not only gorged himself on each of his chosen dishes but also pigged out on sardines and salads.

3. As a glutton, he glutted himself with both cold entrées and hot entrées. He swallowed beef and swilled beer.

4. He cared for all cuisines that catered to the customers. He really wanted to eat and drink his fill there.

5. On hearing this gourmand’s demand, the chef cried out, “Good man, can’t you stop goring us!”

B. Ask the students to choose the correct answer to each question below.

1. Gorman is not a goat. He has no horns to (a. gore b. gout) you.

2. He is just a raven-like man. He often eats (a. raven-like b. ravenously).

3. He is also a wolfish man. He can wolf (a. down b. out) a big pizza in two minutes.

4. Sometimes we call him a greedy pig. He never misses (a. to make b. making) a pig of himself at the table.

5. Once we found him in an all-you-can-eat restaurant. There he confessed he was not a gourmet (a. but a gourmand b. but gourmand) or gormandizer.

6. He liked each dish: (a. cram b. clam) or crab, lobster or oyster, salmon or sturgeon, turkey or duck, chicken or dove, (a. mutter b. mutton) or pork.

7. He not only gorged himself on each of his chosen dishes but also pigged (a. out b. down) on sardines and salads.

8. As a glutton, he (a. glutted b. glutted himself) with both cold entrées and hot entrées.

9. He swallowed beef and (a. swelled b. swilled) beer.

10. He cared for all cuisines that catered (a. for b. to) the customers.

11. He liked casseroles, fondues, and curries (a. equal b. equally).

12. He really wanted to eat and drink his (a. full b. fill) there.

13. After eating cheeses, ice-creams, fruits, cakes, pies and pastries and (a. drink b. drinking) juices, cokes and punch, together with other food and beverages, Gorman demanded (a. to have b. having) strong drink.

14. He said, “I must have vodka in addition to soda. If you cannot serve whiskey, you should (a. at last b. at least) provide brandy.”

15. On hearing this gourmand’s demand, the chef cried out, “(a. A good man b. Good man), can’t you stop goring us!”

Homework

Use a search engine (say, Google or Yahoo) to find further information about the types of restaurants and write a report on the topic. Or, find further information about the cuisine and typical menu of a country (say, China or France) and write a report on the topic.

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Unit 13

The Text (from Tn-53, Today’s Tonic)

Urania

My name’s Urania. I remember a poet—is he the one that patters about paradise, or the one that fusses about the fall of Adam ’n’ Eve? Anyway, the poet calls me “heavenly born.” But, sorry to say, I was not born in heaven. I’m from Utah, in fact. And I like our Salt Lake City. I even like some saucy ’n’ salty gals there. I remember I had a classmate—she used to tease me. She’d say, for instance, “Hey, U, you’re the Muse—the Muse of Astronomy. But how come—how come you can’t tell Pluto from Jupiter?”

Let me tell you frankly. I’m not a muse. I do muse a lot, though. I don’t mind any saucy ’n’ salty remarks like that. But I’ll surely mind if you don’t know I’m truly as pretty as Aphrodite. Don’t you know? Aphrodite is Venus, and Venus is very pretty when nude. These days I’ve often mused and I know I have no brother called Uranium. But the naked truth is: I’m also radioactive, and I can cause a chain reaction, too, like U. I believe I can give off radiant rays as well—to ruin the race of those rakes—when my heart ’n’ garb splits apart. That means: I can be a new clear weapon—when I’m nude ’n’ clear—like a deer.

The Content

1. The text of this unit is a written version of Urania’s spoken self-introduction made to an unspecified audience. From the self-introduction we know that Urania is from Utah and she likes its capital, Salt Lake City, where a classmate of hers (one of the saucy and salty girls there) used to tease her by playing on her name. The self-introduction also lets us know that she has the habit of musing and she thinks herself as pretty as Aphrodite or Venus, believing (as her name suggests) that she is radioactive like Uranium and so able to cause a chain reaction and give off radiant rays to ruin the race of those rakes (who have sexual relationships with many women). She says that she can do so when her heart together with her garb splits apart from herself, that is, when she becomes a new-clear (nuclear) weapon in being nude and clear like a deer (dear). This self-introduction shows that she is humorous and is also fond of cracking jokes by playing on her own name. Don’t you think so?

2. “Urania” is a female name. The name is occasionally used as a byname for Aphrodite (the goddess of love and beauty), and the Greek goddess Aphrodite is identified with the Roman goddess Venus. In Greek mythology, Urania is one of the Nine Muses, being the Muse of Astronomy. In astronomy, Pluto is the outermost, and Jupiter is the largest, planet of the solar system. In the invocation of Paradise Lost, Book 7, Milton calls Urania “heavenly born,” and Paradise Lost is an epic about the fall of Adam and Eve and their consequent expulsion from Paradise (Eden). The name “Urania” can be associated with the word “Uranium,” can’t it? But is “Uranium” a male name, in addition to being the name of a chemical element?

3. Uranium is a very hard, heavy, silvery, moderately malleable, metallic chemical element. It is found only in combination, chiefly in pitchblende. It is radioactive and is important in work on atomic energy, especially in the isotope, uranium 235, which can undergo continuous fission (a train reaction), and in the more plentiful isotope, uranium 238, from which plutonium is produced. The symbol for uranium is U, which sounds like “you” when pronounced. The fission (train reaction) of heavy isotopes (e.g. ²³⁵U and ²³⁸U) will release vast quantities of nuclear energy. A nuclear-power plant has its way of controlling the release of nuclear energy in the process of fission while an atomic bomb just lets the energy be released at a moment. Do you have any knowledge of uranium and its use in releasing energy?

4. A nuclear weapon is an explosive device using nuclear reactions to obtain its destructive force. Nuclear reactions are of two types: fission and fusion. Nuclear fission is a process in which the nucleus of an atom splits into smaller parts. Nuclear fusion is a process in which two or more atomic nuclei join somehow to form a new type of atomic nucleus. Fission and fusion both produce vast quantities of nuclear energy, which nuclear weapons turn into their destructive force. A nuclear weapon uses either fission or a combination of fission with fusion to derive its nuclear energy. The so-called ‘atomic bomb” is a fission bomb. The so-called “hydrogen bomb” or “H-bomb” is a thermonuclear weapon, that is, a weapon using the heat generated by a fission bomb to bring about a nuclear fusion so that a far vaster quantity of nuclear energy may be produced for its destructive purpose. The two atomic bombs (code-named “Little Boy” and “Fat Man”) used to attack Hiroshima and Nagasaki were a uranium fission bomb and a plutonium fission bomb. Now, to your knowledge, has any H-bomb been used to attack any country?

5. Radiation is a process in which energetic particles (in the form of rays of light, heat, etc.) or energetic waves travel through a vacuum or a medium. Radiation has two types: ionizing radiation and non-ionizing radiation. Of the two types, the former is often harmful to human health and the latter is usually not harmful. The word “radiation” commonly refers to ionizing radiation, which involves the ionization of atoms in ordinary chemical matter. The radiant rays such as x-rays, gamma rays, and cosmic rays are rays of ionizing radiation. Unlike them, ordinary light, infrared (light), and most electromagnetic waves (e.g. radio waves and microwaves) are capable of only non-ionizing radiation while ultraviolet (light) is mostly non-ionizing but it can damage human skins. When an atomic bomb explodes, it will give off harmful alpha, beta, and gamma (radiant) rays, which are particles capable of ionizing radiation. Radioactive materials (containing radioactive elements such as uranium) will spontaneously emit alpha, beta, and gamma rays in its process of radioactivity or radioactive decay (also known as nuclear decay). Radioactive wastes are wastes containing radioactive material, such as those from nuclear power generation or from the application of nuclear technology in medicine. Since they emit radiant rays, they are hazardous to most forms of life and the environment. Now, in the text of this unit, when Urania says that she is also radioactive and she can cause a chain reaction like U and give off radiant rays, does she mean she is a radioactive waste? Does she only metaphorically suggest that she is like a nuclear weapon, and that she can radiate love (instead of light), cause a chain reaction of love among people (like “you” beautiful girls) and give off radiant rays of love to harm others (especially the rakes)?

The Expression

1. To “patter” is to make a patter, i.e., a series of quick, light taps. Rain is often heard to patter against windows or on leaves. A person’s feet are often heard to patter along a corridor or over a terrace. To “patter” is also to speak or mumble rapidly or glibly. Salesmen, comedians, and magicians are often heard to patter, and you can regard their patter as no more than idle, meaningless chatter. When Urania refers to the poet Milton as “the one that patters about paradise,” does she mean satirically that Milton walks here and there in paradise or that he speaks or mumbles about paradise?

2. To “fuss” or to “make a fuss” is to bustle about or bother/ worry unnecessarily over trifles. If someone worries that he may break a plate or platter (not break a law), he is fussing or making a fuss about the plate or platter. Now, when Urania refers to Milton as “the one that fusses about the fall of Adam ’n’ Eve,” does she mean ironically that the fall of Adam and Eve is just a trifle for Milton to fuss about?

3. To be salty is to have salt or taste of salt. A salty person/thing is sharp, piquant, and witty while maybe coarse or earthy at the same time. To be saucy is not to have sauce or taste of sauce, but to be rude or impudent, or to be pert or sprightly. Now, can a girl be saucy and salty at the same time? Can a remark be saucy and salty, too?

4. A “gal” is not a gale. It is the colloquial word for a girl. A “muse” is not a musician. A “muse” is the spirit that is thought to inspire a poet or an artist. A “muse” can also refer to a poet. In Western mythology there are Nine Muses (Calliope, Clio, Euterpe, Melpomene, Terpsicore, Erato, Polyhymnia, Thalia, and Urania), who are the nine goddesses presiding over literature and the arts and sciences. To “muse” is to meditate, that is, to think deeply and at length. Now, is Urania in the text a gal or a muse? Does she often muse?

5. Both “naked” and “nude” mean “completely unclothed or bare.” But “naked” is to be without clothing in a setting that may be sexually embarrassing while “nude” is to be without clothing in a setting that may be comfortable and not sexually embarrassing. An unclothed woman would be naked while an unclothed statue of Venus would be a nude. Painters may paint or draw someone in the nude. You may sleep in the nude if it suits you. A film may have a nude scene. A person may be stripped naked by a robber. One may see things with the naked eye (i.e., without the aid of a telescope or microscope). The naked truth is the plain, stark truth. Now, what is meant by “nude and clear like a deer”? Does it mean “unclothed and easily seen like a deer or a dear (girl)”?

6. As used in the text of this unit, “My name’s,” “I’m,” “I’ve,” “you’re,” “she’d,” “don’t,” and “can’t” are shortened, colloquial forms of “My name is,” “I am,” “I have,” “you are,” “she would,” “do not,” and “cannot.” Likewise, “Adam ’n’ Eve,” “saucy ’n’ salty,” “heart ’n’ garb,” and “nude ’n’ clear” are supposedly Urania’s colloquial speech for “Adam and Eve,” “saucy and salty,” “heart and garb,” and “nude and clear.” In fact, colloquial speech like these is already often heard in such phrases as “sugar ’n’ spice,” “chicks ’n’ chips,” “rock ’n’ roll,” “fish ’n’ chips,” and “a country ’n’ western song.” Now, can you think out any other phrases like these?

7. While the word “garment” is a countable noun referring to a piece of clothing or any article of clothing, and it is used especially in talking about the manufacture and sale of clothes (e.g. to pay for a waterproof outer garment), the word “garb” is an uncountable noun often used together with a possessive noun or pronoun and/or an adjective, meaning “a particular type of clothing” characteristic of an occupation, profession, or rank. We can say, for instance, “The soldier was seen in his military (not civilian) garb.” In the text, Urania’s “heart and garb” refers to her heart combined with her garb. When her heart and garb as a united whole splits (not split) apart from herself, she may become nude and have no heart to work.

Classwork

A. Orally drill the students with the following:

1. Is he the one that patters about paradise, or the one that fusses about the fall of Adam ’n’ Eve?

2. She’d say, for instance, “Hey, U, you’re the Muse—the Muse of Astronomy. But how come—how come you can’t tell Pluto from Jupiter?”

3. I’m not a muse. I do muse a lot, though.

4. I’ll surely mind if you don’t know I’m truly as pretty as Aphrodite.

5. I believe I can give off radiant rays as well—to ruin the race of those rakes—when my heart ’n’ garb splits apart.

6. That means: I can be a new clear weapon—when I’m nude ’n’ clear—like a deer.

B. Ask the students to choose the correct answer to each question below.

1. Is he the one that (a. platters b. patters) about paradise, or the one that (a. fuses b. fusses) about the fall of Adam ’n’ Eve?

2. Anyway, the poet calls me “(a. heaven b. heavenly) born.” But, sorry to (a. say b. speak), I was not born in heaven.

3. I’m from Utah, in fact. And I like our (a. Salt b. Salty) Lake City. I even like some saucy ’n’ salty (a. gals b. gales) there.

4. I remember I had a classmate—she (a. was used to b. used to) tease me.

5. She’d say, for instance, “(a. Hay b. Hey), U, you’re the Muse—the Muse of Astronomy.”

6. But how (a. come b. comes) you can’t (a. tell b. tear) Pluto from Jupiter?

7. Let me tell you (a. flankly b. frankly). I’m not a muse. I do muse a lot, (a. though b. although).

8. I don’t mind (a. a b. any) saucy ’n’ salty remarks like that. But I’ll surely mind (a. if b. that) you don’t know I’m truly as pretty as Aphrodite.

9. Don’t you know? Aphrodite is Venus, and Venus is very pretty (a. in b. when nude).

10. (a. On these b. These) days I’ve often mused and I know I have no brother called Uranium.

11. But the (a. nude b. naked) truth is: I’m also radioactive, and I can (a. cause b. course) a chain reaction, too, like U.

12. I believe I can give (a. of b. off) radiant rays as well—to ruin the race of those (a. racks b. rakes)—when my heart ’n’ (a. garb b. guard) splits apart.

Homework

Use a search engine (say, Google or Yahoo) to find further information about “Urania as a mythological figure” or “uranium as a radioactive element” and write a report on the topic. Or, find further information about “nuclear power stations” or “nuclear weapons” of a country (say, U.S.A. or France) and write a report on the topic.

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Unit 14

The Text (from Tn-47, Today’s Tonic)

Break, Broke, Broken

It is only natural that a boy’s voice should break when into a man he is about to turn.

It is also natural for a girl’s voice to break when a man’s love she is unable to earn.

It is better to break the spaghetti in half before you put it into the boiling water.

It is better, too, to break the ice for all if there is a cold relationship to alter.

What a glory to break a record and what a relief to break a deadlock!

But how hard it is to break the habit of keeping the old stock!

And how sad it is to have one’s morning spirit broken at six o’clock!

When the day broke, the news broke, too. We were told that Jack broke his back riding a wild horse. And we were told that Jill then broke her ties with him. We cannot say that the news has broken our hearts, but it has certainly broken our concentration. At breakfast, we kept thinking who, Jack or Jill, had broken loose first, and thinking whether or not they have truly broken free of their marriage. Now, it is ten o’clock. We have broken our “fast,” indeed. We know they may have broken even with each other, but they might have broken our social code at the same time.

The Content

1. The text of this unit is a series of general truths plus some comments on a heard story. Each of the general truths except the last one involves the use of “break” (to hear a boy’s or a girl’s voice break, to break the spaghetti or the ice, to break a record or a deadlock, and to break a habit). The story and the comments involve the use of “broke” and “broken” (the day broke, the news broke, Jack broke his back, Jill broke her ties with Jack, the news has broken not our hearts but our concentration, we kept thinking who had broken loose first and whether or not they have truly broken free of their marriage, we have broken our fast, they have broken even with each other, and they might have broken our social code). A general truth also involves the use of “broken” (How sad it is to have one’s morning spirit broken at six o’clock!). What do you think of the truths and the comments?

2. A boy’s voice usually breaks (i.e., becomes deeper and sounds like a man’s) at the age of 14 through 16, when he is about to become a man. Someone’s voice (including a girl’s) will break (i.e., changes its sound or becomes hesitant) when they are sad or afraid.

3. Spaghetti is a type of pasta, looking like long pieces of string. Like spaghetti, noodles are long, thin, strips of pasta. Both spaghetti and noodles are often broken in half or into more than two pieces before they are cooked in water. Macaroni (a kind of pasta in the shape of short hollow tubes) and jiaozi (dumplings, i.e., small lumps of dough stuffed with meat and/or vegetables) are not broken into pieces for cooking.

4. People often use an ice-breaker (a large ship) to break the ice as it sails through frozen waters so that a passage may be created for other ships. In a social situation when some people’s relationship is cold or “frozen,” something said or done may serve, like an ice-breaker, to break the ice (i.e., make the people feel less shy, nervous, or strained) so that a new “warmer” relationship may begin among them. Sometimes a social situation may “be at / come to a deadlock” or “reach / end in deadlock” (i.e., a standstill, stalemate, or impasse) because no parties or forces involved in the situation will give in or change their position. In such a situation, something said or done may also serve to break the deadlock and help them come to an agreement.

5. A man may be fond of riding a wild horse and may fall from horseback and break his own back. To “ride a wild horse” may suggest the situation of a man having a sexual affair, or a husband having an extramarital affair, with a “wild” person (either a man or a woman) that may easily bring as much harm to himself as to break his back (i.e., backbone or spine). The Jack in this text may allude to the Jack in Ang Lee’s 2005 film, Brokeback Mountain (originally a short story by Annie Proulx), in which Jack has a “wild” homosexual affair with Ennis. Have you watched the movie and known its story?

6. A “fast” is a period of time during which one eats no food or very little food, often for religious reasons. To “fast” is to abstain from all or certain foods, as in observing a holy day. To “break one’s fast” is to eat food for the first time after fasting, or to eat for the first time in the day since a person is considered to have been “fasting” in sleeping during the nighttime. Have you ever fasted for any reason? How do you fast?

7. The word “code” denotes a system of words, numbers, or signs used for sending secret messages. To put a message into code is to encode it, and to translate it back from code is to decode it. “Code” also denotes a set of rules about how people should behave or how something should be done. A country has its penal/ criminal code. Every society has its code of conduct/ practice. In a Muslim society, for instance, Muslims are to pray five times each day, they are not to eat pork, and they are obliged to observe a month of fasting called Ramadan (the ninth month of the Islamic calendar) by fasting every day from dawn until sunset. In a Catholic society, marriage is considered a sacrament; divorce, therefore, is considered to be against its social code. Since the speaker in the text of this unit doubts if Jack and Jill have truly broken free of their marriage, and thinks that they might have broken “our social code,” is it implied that the speaker and the couple are probably Catholics?

The Expression

1. Read the sentences below:

a. It is only natural that a boy’s voice (should) break when he is about to turn into a man. (It is only natural for a boy’s voice to break …)

b. It is fitting and proper that you (should) decline his offer to fly you to New York. (It is fitting and proper for you to decline …)

c. It is important/ crucial that she (should) know the truth before making any decision. (It is important/crucial for her to know …)

d. It is imperative/ obligatory that this code of conduct (should) be observed strictly. (It is imperative/obligatory for this code of conduct to be …)

e. I suggest/propose that we (should) leave tomorrow.

f. They gave orders/ demanded that the report (should) be made public.

In sentences like these, the statements in the “that-clauses” represent opinions, suggestions, requests, commands, etc. In such sentences, the construction “should + v” is often found in the that-clauses, and the “should” can be omitted.

Note that the construction of “It is … that-clause” can be replaced by the constructions of “It is … for … to ….” Now, what is the sentence with a that-clause which is replaced by “It is also natural for a girl’s voice to break when a man’s love she is unable to earn”?

2. To “alter” is to make different in details but not in substance. Hence, to make small changes to a piece of clothing for a better fit is to alter it. The noun form of “alter” is “alteration.” An editor is entitled to make minor alterations to the texts to be published. To remodel a house may need a radical alteration of it. Now, can we alter an altar? What can we notice in someone’s behavior, an altercation or an alternation or an alteration?

3. The word “stock” has a number of meanings. The “stock” of a shop is its goods. The “stock” on a farm is its livestock (such as cows and pigs). To buy or sell “stocks” is to buy or sell shares of a company. When you add chicken stock to a soup, you add water with chicken ingredients to it. If you come from German stock, you have German ancestors. Now, what is meant by “keeping the old stock”? Does it mean “keeping the old trunk of a tree” or “keeping the old things stored for future need” if it is someone’s habit?

4. Read the sentences below:

a. It is sad to have one’s morning spirit broken at six o’clock. It is sad to let one’s morning spirit be broken at six o’clock.

b. Yesterday I had my hair cut and the wall painted. Yesterday I let my hair be cut and the wall be painted.

c. It is time to have the flat remodeled and the rooms refurnished. It is time to let the flat be remodeled and the rooms be refurnished.

Note that the construction “to have + object + v-en” is near in sense to “to let + object + be v-en.” Note also that “I had my hair cut” is different in sense from “I cut my hair.” Now, do you “shine your shoes” or “have your shoes shined” at a station if someone does the shining for you?

5. “Jack broke his back riding a wild horse.” = “Jack broke his back when/ in riding a wild horse.” Likewise, we can either say “Jill met two friends coming home” or “Jill met two friends when/ in coming home.”

6. As a noun, the word “tie” also has a number of meanings. It can refer to a long narrow piece of cloth that a man wears around his neck, or a piece of string or wire used for fastening something. It can mean something that connects, binds, or joins (such as a business tie, or ties of affection), or something that limits, confines, or restricts (such as legal ties). It can also denote an equality of scores, votes, achievement, etc. in a contest (“finish/ end/ result in a tie”). Now, if Jill broke her ties with Jack, what no longer existed? Her relations with him?

7. To keep thinking = to keep on thinking. To break loose/ free is to escape from someone who is trying to hold you, or to escape from an unpleasant person or situation that controls your life. The speaker of this text said that they kept (on) thinking who, Jack or Jill, had broken loose first, and whether or not the two have truly broken free of their marriage. Does this statement imply that Jack and Jill had an unhappy marriage life and they both wanted to escape from the control of their marriage?

8. If you think it is likely/ possible that they have divorced, you say, “They may have divorced.” If you think the probability is not high although it is possible, you say, “They might have divorced.” In fact, “might have v-en” is often used to express a possibility contrary to a fact that occurred in the past. For example, when a husband came home late, his wife may say, “I thought you might have had an accident,” while she knows he did not have any accident. Sometimes, “might have v-en” is even used to express reproach or regret. For example, the above-mentioned wife may also say, “You might have come back earlier” (a mild reproach for not coming back earlier) and the husband may answer, “Yes, and I might have called you beforehand” (a regret for not calling her beforehand). Now, the speaker of this text says, “They may have broken even with each other, but they might have broken our social code at the same time.” By using “may” and “might” for the two statements respectively, what does the speaker reveal? Does he reveal that he thinks it likely that they have “broken even with each other” (i.e., become mutually equal, without owing anything to each other), but he is not very sure that they “have broken our social code at the same time”? Does he also express regret (and reproach as well) for the possibility of their having “broken our social code at the same time”?

Classwork

A. Orally drill the students with the following:

1. It is only natural that a boy’s voice should break when into a man he is about to turn. It is also natural for a girl’s voice to break when a man’s love she is unable to earn.

2. What a glory to break a record and what a relief to break a deadlock! But how hard it is to break the habit of keeping the old stock!

3. How sad it is to have one’s morning spirit broken at six o’clock! We were told that Jack broke his back riding a wild horse.

4. We kept thinking who, Jack or Jill, had broken loose first, and thinking whether or not they have truly broken free of their marriage.

5. They may have broken even with each other, but they might have broken our social code at the same time.

B. Ask the students to choose the correct answer to each question below.

1. It is only natural that a boy’s voice (a. break b. broke) when he is about to turn into a man.

2. It is also natural (a. that b. for) a girl’s voice to break when she is unable to earn a man’s love.

3. It is better to break the spaghetti in (a. half b. halves) before you put it into the boiling water.

4. It is better, too, to break the (a. snow b. ice) for all people if there is a cold relationship to alter.

5. What a glory to break a record and what a relief to break a (a. dead duck b. deadlock)!

6. How hard it is to break the habit of keeping the old (a. stock b. stuck)!

7. How sad it is to have one’s morning spirit (a. breaks b. broken) at six o’clock!

8. When the day broke, the news (a. broke b. was broken), too.

9. We were told that Jack broke his back (a. ride b. riding) a wild horse, and Jill broke her (a. ties b. lies) with him.

10. We cannot say that the news (a. has b. had) broken our hearts, but it has certainly broken our (a. concentration b. contribution).

11. At breakfast, we kept thinking who, Jack or Jill, (a. has b. had) broken loose first, and thinking whether or not they have truly broken free (a. of b. off) their marriage.

12. We know they may have broken (a. ever b. even) with each other, but they might have broken our social (a. code b. cord) at the same time.

Homework

Use a search engine (say, Google or Yahoo) to find further information about Brokeback Mountain as a short story or as a movie and write a report on it. Or, find further information about fasting as a social code in a country (say, Saudi Arabia or India) and write a report on it.

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Unit 15

The Text (from Tn-52, Today’s Tonic)

No Sage, No Cage

Once, a sophist joined a group of talkers who were from different walks of life. They included a handicraftsman, a printer, and an herbalist. When their talk drifted to the topic of evil, the sophist said: “Just as there will be no shadow if there is no light, so there will be no evil if there is no good. I have often said ‘no sage, no cage’ because—”

Before the sophist could explain his adage, the handicraftsman cut in: “I don’t understand. I’m a good cage-maker, you know. But no cage of mine is ever made of sage.” Then, the printer grasped the opportunity and cut in, too: “In fact, no cage is ever made by a sage. If you ask me, I’d say ‘no sage, no page.’ You know, many sages’ sayings are printed on pages.” Next to the two interrupters, the herbalist also cut in, as if to vie for attention: “I’d prefer saying ‘no sage, no wage.’ You know, I’m an herbalist. I often earn my wages by gathering sages.”

　　After these interruptions, the sophist did not go on to tell the reason why there will be no cages for prisoners if there are no sages. He raged, instead: “Now, I must say ‘no page, no rage.’ When all pages talk like sages, even a true sage will talk in rage.”

The Content

1. The text of this unit is a story about four sayings or adages created by three talkers. A sophist began with “no sage, no cage,” but he was interrupted by the others before he could explain it. His adage was misunderstood by the handicraftsman, and it was successively replaced by the printer’s “no sage, no page” and the herbalist’s “no sage, no wage.” Finally the sophist furiously said, “No page, no rage.” Is ambiguity of words (of sage, cage, and page) involved in the sayings?

2. Today, any learned man practicing clever but specious reasoning may be called a sophist. In ancient Greece, however, a sophist was any of a particular group of itinerant teachers of rhetoric, politics, philosophy, etc., some of whom were notorious for their sophism, that is, clever and plausible but fallacious or specious arguments. They often charged high fees for their instructions (usually to young statesmen and nobility). Protagoras is generally considered the first Western sophist. Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and Xenophon were philosophers noted for their attack on sophism and the practice of charging money for education. In Aristophanes’ comedy (The Clouds), however, Socrates is ridiculed as a representative sophist or hairsplitting wordsmith. Now, was the sophist in the text of this unit trying to do clever but specious reasoning? Did he teach sophism for money?

3. A sage is a very wise man, especially an elderly man widely respected for his wisdom, experience, and judgment. In the West, the Stoics regarded the sage as the truly wise man and the only happy man, as he is completely unaffected by his life circumstances and his happiness is based entirely on his virtue. It is said that there were seven sages in ancient Greece, who advised people, among other things, to “know thyself,” “keep everything in moderation,” “know which opportunities to choose,” and “not to desire the impossible.” In ancient China, Confucius was thought to be a great sage, whose sayings were put down by his followers in The Analects or Lunyu, one of the Four Books which embody the philosophical thought of Confucianism. Now, are there any similarities between a Stoic sage and a Confucian sage?

4. Zhuangzi or Zhuang Zhou was another ancient Chinese sage (in the Warring States period). He was a skeptical philosopher with the tinge of a sophist. In his work, The Zhuangzi, he boldly says, “If the race of sages does not die out, there will be no end of bandits” (聖人不死，大盜不止). In his opinion, as sages keep creating or devising good things (including good ideas) for the world, it will encourage people to rise up as robbers to steal the good things. Now, is the adage “no sage, no cage” seemingly modeled on Zhuangzi’s saying?

5. Every culture has its accumulated set of popular sayings, which are adages, aphorisms, epigrams, maxims, proverbs, or saws. Such sayings often become clichés or platitudes. They may serve as mottos. Although their creators are usually unknown, some of their authors or collectors have been identified. La Rochefoucauld, for instance, is a famous French author of maxims, and John Heywood is a famous English collector of proverbs. All types of sayings reflect a people’s wisdom as well as its way of thinking. Below are some pithy expressions of wisdom or truth (of different origins), no matter whether you choose to call them sayings or any other names.

A hungry man is an angry man. (English)

All things grow with time, except grief. (Yiddish)

An ox remains an ox, even if driven to Vienna. (Hungarian)

Be ware of a silent dog and still water. (German)

Darkness reigns at the foot of the lighthouse. (Japanese)

Don’t imitate the fly before you have wings. (French)

Even a small thorn causes festering. (Irish)

He who rides a tiger is afraid to dismount. (Chinese)

In a calm sea every man is a pilot. (Spanish)

A son is a son till he gets him a wife,

But a daughter is a daughter the rest of your life. (Of unknown origin)

The Expression

1. Different people do different things. They have different jobs, employments, or occupations. What chiefly engages one’s time, (i.e., one’s occupation) is one’s trade, profession, or business. It is also one’s calling or one’s vocation. People from all walks of life are people from all kinds of occupations. It is true that “two of a trade seldom agree.” But is it not also true that different walks of life are separated seemingly by mountains (隔行如隔山)?

2. People of different occupations are called differently. Some are called businessmen; some, craftsmen. Some are called publishers; some, printers. Some are called scientists; some, herbalists. Some are called physicians; some, technicians. Some are called engineers; some, auctioneers. Some are called sculptors; some, warriors or soldiers. In fact, to be a beggar is, they say, a trade no less profitable than to be a lawyer, while to be a robber is a profession no less noble than a politician. Now, did the sophist look down on the handicraftsman, the printer and the herbalist?

3. Talking of occupations, do you know that as a person rather than one side of a book leaf, a “page” was formerly a boy training for knighthood, who attended a knight, while a “page” now is either a boy attendant serving a person of high rank (as in court) or a youth in uniform running errands or carrying messages (as in a hotel)? Are pages often as wise as sages?

4. The word “cage” can refer to a box or enclosed structure made of wires, bars, etc., for confining birds or animals; or to a fenced-in area as for confining prisoners of war. In fact, it formerly referred to a jail. But it now sometimes refers to the openwork structure or frame (the car) of an elevator, to the basket for a basketball game, to the partially enclosed backstop (the “batting cage”) used for baseball players to practice batting, and to the network frame (the goal) of hockey. Now, what is a cage in the sophist’s mind? What is it in the handicraftsman’s mind?

5. The word “sage” can be an adjective or a noun. As an adjective, it means “wise, discerning, judicious, etc.” As a noun, it can refer to a wise person or a kind of plant. As a kind of plant, it belongs to the mint family. Sages are cultivated for ornament (such as the scarlet sage) or for flavoring or for seasoning meats, cheeses, etc. (such as the garden sage). Now, do herbalists gather sages mainly for flavoring and seasoning?

6. The “h” in the word “herbalist” can be pronounced or omitted in pronouncing the word. Hence, “an herbalist” instead of “a herbalist.” Likewise, we may hear “an historical account” instead of “a historical account.” Now, is it likely to hear “an heretical statement” instead of “a heretical statement”?

7. The word “wage” is often used in its plural form “wages” to mean money paid an employee, usually on an hourly, daily, weekly, or piecework basis, whereas the word “salary” denotes fixed compensation usually paid at longer intervals (e.g., semi-monthly, monthly, or yearly) to clerical or professional workers. Now, do doctors usually draw salaries or earn wages? Are teachers mostly salary-men/ salary-women or wage-earners?

Classwork

A. Orally drill the students with the following:

1. Once, a sophist joined a group of talkers who were from different walks of life.

2. Just as there will be no shadow if there is no light, so there will be no evil if there is no good.

3. No cage of mine is ever made of sage. In fact, no cage is ever made by a sage.

4. Next to the two interrupters, the herbalist also cut in, as if to vie for attention.

5. The sophist did not go on to tell the reason why there will be no cages for prisoners if there are no sages.

6. When all pages talk like sages, even a true sage will talk in rage.

B. Ask the students to choose the correct answer to each question below.

1. They (a. included b. contained) a handicraftsman, a printer, and an herbalist.

2. When their talk (a. drifted b. drafted) to the topic of evil, the sophist said, “No sage, no cage.”

3. Before the sophist could explain his adage, the handicraftsman cut (a. up b. in”) and said, “I don’t understand.”

4. Then, the printer (a. grasped b. gripped) the opportunity and cut in, too.

5. If you ask me, (a. I say b. I’d say) “no sage, no page.”

6. You know, many (a. sage’s b. sages’ ) sayings are printed on pages.

7. I’d prefer (a. say b. saying) “no sage, no wage.” You know, I’m an herbalist. I often earn my (a. wage b. wages) by gathering (a. sage b. sages).

8. No cage of mine is ever made of (a. sage b. a sage).

9. In fact, no cage is ever made by (a. sage b. a sage).

10. Just as there will be no shadow if there is no light, (a. so b. as) there will be no evil if there is no good.

11. A sophist joined a group of people who were from different (a. talks b. walks) of life.

12. (a. Next to b. Next) the two interrupters, the herbalist also cut in, as if to vie (a. to b. for) attention.

13. The sophist did not go on (a. telling b. to tell) the reason (a. which b. why) there will be no cages for prisoners if there are no sages.

14. When all pages talk like sages, (a. even b. ever) a true sage will talk in (a. rage b. rages).

15. He raged, (a. in spite b. instead), saying, “Now, I must say ‘no page, no rage.’”

Homework

Use a search engine (say, Google or Yahoo) to find information about the occupation of a sophist in ancient Greece or the life of Confucius or Zhuangzi as a sage in China, and write a report on the topic. Or, find a collection of sayings (no matter whether they are adages, aphorisms, epigrams, maxims, proverbs, or saws), pick out some of them, and write a report by commenting on how they are interestingly wise sayings.

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Unit 16

The Text (from Tn-54, Today’s Tonic)

The Aftermath of a Marriage

I am Gill. My Jack and I used to be two parallel lines. These two lines crossed, however, when the idea of marriage crossed our minds. We thought wedlock would make a right angle for us to form part of a square life. At first, after our marriage, we did become the x and y axes in our life circle, using my vertical thinking and his horizon of expectation as two scales to measure the height and length of everything. And we did become the crucial axes as well of our family machine, which ran smoothly for some years. Later, however, there came a time when we became two axes held in two horrible hands, cutting each other during morning and evening rows. That situation developed till, to my dismay, I found our two lines had become two sides of a triangle and the arch Joan was the third line or side that made the eternal triangle. The hate of it is: that Joan of Arch is always the longest hypotenuse side of our right-angled triangle, my Jack being the adjacent side and me being the poor opposite side. Now, I have forgotten all those trigonometric functions and I hate all those sines, cosines, tangents, and cotangents that tangled my love and my life. After I took my math course, this is indeed my first time to prove definitely that in a right-angled triangle the right angle equals the two acute angles, and this might be my last time, too, to realize deplorably that the aftermath of a marriage can be a triangular failure, as it ends in separation of two sides and disappearance of the right angle.

The Content

1. The text of this unit is Gill’s reflection upon her marital life with Jack. She reflected upon it in terms of math. She thought Jack and she were at first like two parallel lines. The two lines, however, crossed in their marriage and made a right angle for a square life. They then became the x and y axes in their life circle, but after some years they became two sides of a triangle with Joan as the third added side. The three sides had their complicated trigonometric relations (sines, cosines, tangents, cotangents, etc.). They proved that in a right-angled triangle the right angle equals the other two acute angles. And she found that her marriage was a triangular failure: its aftermath was separation of two sides and disappearance of the right angle. Is it interesting to make a reflection on one’s marital life in mathematical terms like this?

2. In mathematics, two parallel lines are defined as two lines keeping the same distance apart along their whole length; hence, by definition they can never cross. In real life, two persons may be parallel (i.e., similar) in character to each other, but they may be like two parallel lines in that they can neither meet nor cross each other. Now, what is implied in Gill’s description that Jack and she used to be two parallel lines, which crossed when the idea of marriage crossed their minds? Does it imply that Jack and Gill might never meet each other, but they did meet each other when the idea of marriage “crossed” (i.e., appeared briefly in) their minds?

3. In geometry, a right angle is defined as an angle of 90 degrees (formed by two straight lines). A triangle is a shape with three angles, one of which may be, and may not be, an obtuse angle or a right angle. In a right-angled triangle the right angle equals the two acute angles. A square is a shape with four sides ( formed by four straight lines) of equal length and four right angles. A rectangle is a shape formed by two pairs of parallel lines (or of opposite sides) of equal length and four right angles, but the two pairs are mutually different in length. A rhombus is a shape with four sides formed by four straight lines of equal length and four angles, none of which is 90 degrees. A lozenge is a thin rhombus with acute angles of 45 degrees, often referred to as a diamond. But its definition is not strictly fixed. Now, what is implied in Gill’s idea that wedlock would make “a right angle” to form part of “a square life”? Does it imply that marriage would make “a correct direction” for them to lead, partially at least, “a just or well-adjusted life”? If so, are the two phrases “a right angle” and “a square life” used metaphorically? Furthermore, what is implied in Gill’s realization that in a right-angled triangle the right angle equals the two acute angles? Does it imply that in a triangular relationship involving a right family, the right relations between man and wife may result in the two “acute” (serious and sensitive) relations as those between Gill and Joan and between Joan and Jack?

4. In mathematics, an axis often refers to one of the two fixed lines (called the x or horizontal axis and the y or vertical axis) used for showing measurements or finding the position of points on a graph. When Gill thought that Jack and she became “the x and y axes” in their “life circle,” and they used her “vertical thinking” and his “horizon of expectation” as two scales to measure the height and length of everything, did she have the idea of a graph in mind? If yes, is it implied that their “life circle” was seemingly divided by her y axis and his x axis, which were “her vertical thinking” (i.e., her upright and straight thinking) and “his horizon of expectation” (i.e., the limit to or range of his expectation)? Did they certainly, in a sense, use the two axes together as two scales to measure the “height and length” of everything (i.e., to measure to what high degree they could achieve anything and how long they could keep the achievement)?

5. In trigonometry, the three sides of a right-angled triangle are named the hypotenuse side (the side opposite the right angle), the opposite side (the side opposite to the acute angle we are interested in), and the adjacent side (the side opposite to the other acute angle). The sine/ cosine, tangent/ cotangent, and secant/ cosecant of an angle are the ratios as follows:

a. Sine (sin): the ratio of the length of the opposite side to the length of the hypotenuse.

b. Cosine (cos): the ratio of the length of the adjacent side to the length of the hypotenuse.

c. Tangent (tan): the ratio of the length of the opposite side to the length of the adjacent.

d. Cotangent (cot): the ratio of the length of the adjacent side to the length of the opposite.

e. Secant (sec): the ratio of the length of the hypotenuse side to the length of the adjacent.

f. Cosecant (csc): the ratio of the length of the hypotenuse side to the length of the opposite.

Gill thought that Joan was the longest hypotenuse side, Jack was the adjacent side and she was the poor opposite side. Does this thought imply that Joan was the longest to have Jack’s love, Jack was adjacent (next or near) to Joan, and Gill was the poor wife of Jack and the opposite of Joan? Gill also thought that all those trigonometric functions (sines, cosines, tangents, cotangents, etc.) had tangled her love and life. Does this thought imply that the complicated side-to-side relations between Gill and Jack, between Joan and Jack, and between Gill and Joan had tangled her love and life?

6. Joan of Arch alludes to Joan of Arc, who was a mythical heroine of France, known as the Maid of Orleans, during the Hundred Years’ War. While still a young girl, Joan of Arc claimed to have visions from God, assumed military leadership, lifted the English siege of Orleans in 1492, and crowned the French Dauphin Charles VII. Shortly afterward, she was captured, put on trial, and burned at the stake for heresy. Later, she was pronounced innocent and declared a martyr by an inquisition court. In 1920, she was canonized as a Roman Catholic saint. Is this Joan of Arc a sharp contrast to the Joan of Arch described in Gill’s reflection as an arch (i.e., pert) woman and an arch (i.e., principal) demon that became the third side of their eternal triangle?

7. One’s marital status can be single, married, separated, or divorced. Is separation between husband and wife similar to separation of the adjacent side from the opposite side in that it will result in the disappearance of “the right angle” (suggesting the right aspect or outlook)? Does divorce (a formal separation) have the same result?

The Expression

1. “Gill” is a female name. It is a variant spelling of “Jill.” Since “Jack” and “Gill/ Jill” are very common male and female names, they are often used to suggest common boys and girls and sometimes spelled “jack” and “jill” (e.g., in “Every jack has his jill.”). By giving the names “Jack” and “Gill” to the couple in the story, does the author suggest that this is a common story of common men and women? By the way, please note that if “gill” is pronounced /gil/, it means “one of the organs on the sides of fish through which they breathe” or “a wooded ravine/glen; a narrow stream/brook”; if it is pronounced /jil/, it means “a liquid measure, equal to 1/4 pint” or “a girl/woman or a sweetheart.”

2. The word “axes” can be the plural form of “axis” or “ax/axe.” In the former case, the “-es” is pronounced /i:z/ (with the long “e” sound); in the latter case, it is pronounced /iz/ (with the short “i” sound). Thus, “axes” can mean “central lines/parts or the vertical and horizontal lines on a graph” (in the former case). or “tools used for chopping” (in the latter case). Is it interesting to see that Jack and Gill were at first two axes in the former sense (plural form of “axis), but they at last became two axes in the latter sense (plural form of “ax” or “axe”)?

3. The word “row” as a noun also means differently with different pronunciations. When its “-ow” is pronounced like the “-ow” in “low,” it means “a straight line (of people or things) or an act of rowing (a boat).” When its “-ow” is pronounced like the “-ow” in “cow,” it means “a noisy quarrel or squabble.” Now, when Gill said that Jack and she “became two axes held in two horrible hands, cutting each other during morning and evening rows,” did she mean “straight lines or acts of boat-rowing” or “noisy quarrels” by the word “rows”?

4. Read the following sentences:

a. To his surprise, Gill said that she wanted to divorce Jack.

b. To the joy of the whole class, the teacher decided not to give them a quiz.

c. Much to our disappointment, Joan cannot come to the party.

d. To the great relief of our society, the police have arrested the robbers.

In sentences like these, the construction of “to + a noun indicating a mood” is used to express the idea of “what makes/made the mood is/was: …” So, by saying “to my dismay, I found our two lines had become two sides of a triangle,” did Gill mean that what dismayed her was the fact that she found their two lines had become two sides of a triangle?

5. As an expression “the eternal triangle” is used to refer to an emotional relationship involving love and jealousy between two men and one woman or between two women and one man. Is the relationship among Jack, Gill, and Joan that of an “eternal triangle”? Is such a triangular relationship eternal in the sense that it is to be seen for ever and ever?

6. Compare the two sentences:

a. Having risen from his seat, the lecturer began to speak.

b. The lecturer having begun to speak, the audience listened intently.

Both sentences involve the use of a participial phrase, but in the first sentence there is only one subject (“the lecturer” is the subject of “having risen from his seat” in sense and that of “began to speak” in syntax), whereas in the second sentence there are two subjects (with “the lecturer” as the subject of “having begun to speak” and “the audience” as the subject of “listened intently”). Participial phrases in sentences like sentence b are called “absolute phrases.” Thus, the absolute phrase in the sentence “Jill sat beneath the tree, her elbow resting on her knee” is the phrase “her elbow resting on her knee.” Now, in “Joan of Arch is always the longest hypotenuse side of our right-angled triangle, my Jack being the adjacent side and me being the poor opposite side,” there are two absolute phrases. What are they? Does “my Jack being …” mean the same as “and my Jack is …”? And does “me being …” mean the same as “and I am …”? By the way, please note that the “me” is here used instead of “I” quite like the “me” in “it’s me” (instead of “it’s I”).

7. The word “aftermath” is a synonym of “result,” “consequence,” or “outcome.” But it is usually used to refer to a bad result, unpleasant consequence, or harmful outcome. Is it proper, then, for Gill to talk about the “aftermath of a marriage” (which was in fact her marriage with Jack)? By the way, what was the aftermath of Gill’s studying math? Did she tend to think of matters in terms of math after studying math?

8. The word “hate” can mean “a strong feeling of dislike” or “a person or thing hated.” Similarly, the word “love” can mean “a strong feeling of liking” or “a person or thing loved.” Now, does “the hate of it” mean “its strong feeling of dislike” or “the thing hated about it”? Does “they entangled my love and my life” mean “they entangled my passionate feeling and my life” or “they entangled the one I love and my life” or both?

Classwork

A. Orally drill the students with the following:

1. We thought wedlock would make a right angle for us to form part of a square life.

2. At first, we did become the x and y axes in our life circle, using my vertical thinking and his horizon of expectation as two scales.

3. Later, however, there came a time when we became two axes held in two horrible hands, cutting each other during morning and evening rows.

4. That situation developed till, to my dismay, I found our two lines had become two sides of a triangle.

5. The hate of it is: that Joan of Arch is always the longest hypotenuse side, my Jack being the adjacent side and me being the poor opposite side.

6. After I took my math course, this is indeed my first time to prove definitely that in a right-angled triangle the right angle equals the two acute angles.

7. This might be my last time, too, to realize deplorably that the aftermath of a marriage can be a triangular failure, as it ends in separation of two sides and disappearance of the right angle.

B. Ask the students to choose the correct answer to each question below.

1. My Jack and I used to (a. be b. being) two parallel lines.

2. These two lines crossed, however, when the idea of marriage (a. closed b. crossed) our minds.

3. We thought wedlock would make a right angle for us to form (a. part b. a part) of a square life.

4. After our marriage, we did become the x and y (a. axis b. axes) in our life circle, using my vertical thinking and his (a. horizon b. horizontal) of expectation as two (a. scopes b. scales) to measure the height and length of everything.

5. And we did become the crucial axes (a. so b. as) well of our family machine, which (a. run b. ran) smoothly for some years.

6. Later, however, there came a time (a. which b. when) we became two axes (a. hold b. held) in two horrible hands, cutting each other during morning and evening (a. row b. rows).

7. That situation developed till, (a. to b. for) my dismay, I found our two lines had become two sides of a triangle and (a. arch Joan b. the arch Joan) was the third line or side that made the eternal triangle.

8. The arch Joan was the third line or side that made the (a. eternal b. universal) triangle.

9. The (a. hatred b. hate) of it is: that Joan of Arch is always the longest hypotenuse side of our (a. right-angle b. right-angled) triangle, my Jack (a. is b. being) the adjacent side and me being the poor opposite side.

10. Now, I have forgotten all (a. that b. those) trigonometric functions and I hate all those sines, cosines, tangents, and cotangents (a. that b. those) tangled my love and my life.

11. After I (a. chose b. took) my math course, this is indeed my first time to prove definitely that in a right-angled triangle the right angle (a. equals b. is equal) the two acute angles.

12. This might be my last time, too, to realize (a. deplorable B. deplorably) that the aftermath of a marriage can be (a. triangular b. a triangular) failure, (a. so b. as) it ends in separation of (a. two b. the two) sides and disappearance of (a. right b. the right) angle.

Homework

Use a search engine (say, Google or Yahoo) to find further information about the application of trigonometric functions to practical life and write a report on it. Or, find a story with the eternal triangle as its plot and write a report on it.

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