Unit 6 The Diary of the Unknown Soldier
Text comprehension
I. B.
II. 1. T; 2. F; 3. F; 4. T; 5. F.
III.
1. becau he felt that all of them had been somewhat fooled. They were totally unprepared for the cruelty of the war and the immensity of its killing power. “They all came here with an air of conf今夜注定无眠idence and eagerness, ready to win,” but what awaited them was “a one-way ticket to death.”
2. He wrote his first entry when his regiment was in London to protect the city from Nazi’s air raids; his cond one when his group of soldiers had journeyed to a small European town untouched by warfare; and the last one when their cret location was discovered by Nazi troops and he faced approaching death.
3. It was his wish to come home alive to e his family. This is mentioned in all the three entries: “I must go on living this nightmare, if not for mylf or my country, then for my family back home. I want my children to have a father.” “… wondering yet again if I would ever e my I would give anything to e them, even if it was for five minutes!” “I wish, with all my soul, that I could be home now… I am thinking of my daughters’ faces… I will always remember their faces…”
4. He would tell them that tho soldiers died bravely in an effort to save their countries from turmoil and make the children feel that their fathers made a difference.
5. He felt disgusted at the cruelty of the war, questioned the judgment of human beings who started the war and felt enraged at killing innocent lives and destroying whole countries.
IV.
1. Although my stories about their fathers’ death might not relieve their sadness, they will enable the children to e the extraordinary significance of their fathers’ contribution.
2. I suddenly recalled a saying I once heard that made me very painful, “We can’t afford to fight even one war.”
Structural analysis of the text
Diary writing follows the flow of the writer’s thoughts. It is usually “structured” by the author’s free associations.
1. What do the three entries of the diary have in common
Two thematic topics in common, the horrible scenes of the war and the writer’s strong love for, and emotional attachment to his family.
2. How are the particular situations related to the common thematic topics
Firstly, the writer describes his thought and fear under German air raids, which led him to speculate about the difficulties and problems of his family.
Secondly, the writer describes his reflections on the justification of wars. The sight of a teenage girl and the grim condition in a small European town made him recall his dear daughters and family.
Thirdly, it was dated on Christmas Eve and about the approaching death. The writer’s only wish was that someone could return the diary to his family.
Section Four Consolidation Activities
Part One. Vocabulary
I. Phra
1. no more than = only 只是，仅仅
2. strikes a painful note in my head = make北齐高洋s me feel painful
3. more blood has been shed = Further casualties have been caud
4. word has it that … = it is said that
5. with an air of = appearing full of, radiating 带着……的样子，带着……的神情
II.
1. running;
2. tucked;
3. inspected;
4. taken precautions;
5. with an air of;
梦见自己怀孕了
6. adventurous;
7. enraged;
8. panicked.
III. Fill in the blanks with the appropriate forms of the given words.
1. The collar of his jacket had been stiffened (stiff) with an extra layer of cloth.
2. An interpreter’s job is such a responsible one that he can’t afford any errors (err).
3. Opening my letter was an inexcusable invasion (invade) of privacy.
4. Don’t rely on the information she gave you — it’s pure assumption (assume) on her part.
5. He protested his innocence (innocent) loudly as they dragged him off to prison.
6. This is a really tough assignment 梓里(assign) and I believe you’re the only person who can handle it.
7. The force of the explosion (explode) had broken all the windows of the hous in the vicinity of the vehicle.
8. The police have issued a description (describe) of the two men who were en running away from the scene of the crime.
1. stiff a. 僵直的；生硬的，拘谨的
stiffen v. 使……坚硬
stiffness n. 僵硬；硬度
. 他因为害怕而身体发僵。
His body stiffened in fear.
丹巴客栈2. err v. 犯错，做错
error n. 错误，误差；过失
. 她错在对他撒谎。
She erred in lying to him.
3. invade v. 侵略；侵害
柳林风声作者简介invader n. 侵略者
invasion n. 侵入，侵略
. 这个城市涌进了大量的农民。
The town was invaded by farmers.
入侵者把村镇变为废墟。
山海经凶兽The invaders laid towns and villages in ruins.
4. assume v王安国. 假定，设想；承担；认为
assuming conj. 假定，假如
assumption n. 假定，设想
