Unit 13 The Light of Depression
Pre—reading Activities
I. Pre—reading questions
Why do more and more people em to suffer from psychological problems nowadays even though they are enjoying a much better—off material life？
. Cultural information
1。 Quotes
W。 M. Thackeray： Dare and the world always yields. If it beats you sometimes， dare it again and again and it will succumb.
2。 Depression
Some people say that depression feels like a black curtain of despair coming down over the
ir lives。 Many people feel like they have no energy and can't concentrate. Others feel irritable all the time for no apparent reason。
Most people who have gone through one episode of depression will, sooner or later， have another one。 The symptoms vary from person to person, but if you feel ”down" for more than two weeks, and the feelings are interfering with your daily life, you may be clinically depresd.许愿卡
The common symptoms including：
＊poor concentration and memory
*withdrawal from social situations and activities
踏歌西行
红旗轿车＊an inability to experience pleasure in activities that were formerly enjoyed
＊preoccupied with thoughts and feelings of worthlessness, helplessness, lf-hatred， etc。
＊thoughts of death or suicide, etc。
Learning to recognize the early triggers or symptoms and working with your doctor will help to keep the depression from worning. There are many forms of treatment that can help you cope with depression, including medications, psychotherapy or counling.
Global Reading
I. Main idea
What is the story narrated in the text about？
This narrative essay narrates and describes an unusual and unforgettable pha of the writer’s life， during which she experienced deep depression, voluntarily received clinical treatment, conquered the illness in the end， and benefited a great deal from the experiences associated with her suffering。
II. Structural analysis
1. How are the events of the essay arranged?
The narration mostly follows a chronological order， but a few flashbacks are inrted in Paragraph 3 and 6.
2。 Work out the structure of the text by completing the table。
Paragraph(s） | Main idea |
1—3 | It provides the background of the story， telling us about the writer and her family and her problem. |
立体相机4—10 | The writer related her experiences with deep depression， including her attitude and reactions to it， focusing on her positive attitude and how she got better and finally recovered. |
11 | It describes the writer’s mood and feeling on a moon—lit, starry night， and stress that her deep depression had been worth it， for suffering had painted color into her life, and that she was thankful。 |
| |
Detailed Reading
Text I The Light of Depression
Paragraphs 1-3
Questions表示骄傲的成语
1. The writer stress at the very beginning that when her sister was suffering from juvenile diabetes, her father cried bitterly for the first time。 When do you think her father cried for the cond time？ (Paragraph 2)
It is not difficult to infer that the writer’s father cried for the cond time when the writer was diagnod with clinical depression。
其字成语2. Would you describe the writer’s personality as a child before she was ized with depression？ (Paragraph 3)
As a child, the writer had a great passion for life and enjoyed being alive. The simplest o
防范招聘诈骗最重要的是f pleasures brought her great joy. She ldom demonstrated a melancholic personality. Any reason for celebration would find her in great excitement。
Paragraphs 4—10
Questions：
休息的图片
1。 Why was the day the writer checked into the hospital considered to be one of the hardest days of her mother’s life?(Paragraph 4）
Leaving her daughter behind at the hospital， the author's mother was ized with extreme sadness， feeling heart-broken. She wondered why her daughter was experiencing so much pain and couldn’t get over it this time.
2。 What is the main idea of Paragraph 6？ Illustrate or exemplify it. （Paragraph 6）
Paragraph 6 proves how deep the writer's depression had been before she was admitted into the hospital. While driving home from work before she was ill， she wished
that she weren’t alive. When she arrived home, she had hoped to sleep and escape life becau it hurt to breathe。
3。 Which part in Paragraph 9 is a ntence fragment？ Why is it parated from the previous ntence? (Paragraph 9)
”Lives I would have once felt pity for or wanted to distance mylf from" is a ntence fragment. It is parated from the foregoing ntence for emphasis.
