Unit 0 Text A Wisdom of Bear Wood Text B Baby Birds
Contemporary College English Text A Wisdom of Bear Wood Michael Welzenbach When I was 12 years old,my family moved to England,the fourth major move in my short life.My father's govemment job demanded that he go overseas every few years,so I was used to wrenching myself away from friends. We rented an 18th-century farmhouse in Berkshire.Nearby were ancient castles and churches.Loving nature,however,I was most delighted by the endless patchwork of farms and woodland that surrounded our house.In the deep woods that verged against our back fence,a network of paths led almost everywhere,and pheasants rocketed off into the dense laurels ahead as you walked. Ispent most of my time roaming the woods and fields aone,playing Robin Hood,daydreaming. collecting bugs and bird-watching.It was heaven for a boy-but a lonely heaven.Keeping to myself was my way of not forming attachments that I would only have to abandon the next time we moved.But one day I became attached through no design of my own 142
Unit 6 We had been in England about six months when old farmer Crawford gave me permission to roam about his immense property.I started hiking there every weekend,up a long, sloping hill to an almost impenetrable stand of trees called Bear Wood.It was my secret fortress,almost a holy place,I thought.Slipping through a barbed-wire fence,I'd leave the bright sun and the twitter and rustle of insects and animals outside and creep into another world-a vaulted cathedral,with tree trunks for pillars and years'accumulation of long brown needles for a softly carpeted floor.My own breathing rang in my ears,and the slightest stirring of any woodland creature echoed through this private paradise. s One spring afternoon I wandered near where I thought I'd glimpsed a pond the week before.I proceeded quietly,careful not to alarm a bird that might loudly warn other creatures to hide. 6 Perhaps this is why the frail old lady I nearly ran into was as startled as I was.She caught her breath,instinctively touching her throat with her hand.Then,recovering quickly,she gave a welcoming smile that instantly put me at ease.A pair of powerful-looking binoculars dangled from her neck."Hello,young man,"she said."Are you American or Canadian?" 1 American,I explained in a rush,and I lived over the hill,and I was just seeing if there was a pond,and farmer Crawford had said it was okay,and anyhow,I was on my way home,so good-bye. 8 As I started to turn,the woman smiled and asked,"Did you see the little owl from the wood over there today?"She pointed toward the edge of the wood. She knew about the owls?I was amazed. 10 "No,"I replied,"but I've seen them before.Never close though.They always see me first." The woman laughed."Yes,they're wary,"she said."But then,gamekeepers have beer shooting them ever since they got here.They're introduced,you know,not native." 2 "They're not?"I asked,fascinated.Anybody who knew this sort of stuff was definitely cool-even if she was trespassing in my special place. 1 "Oh,no!"she answered,laughing again."At home I have books on birds that explain all about them.In fact,"she said suddenly,"I was about to go back for tea and jam tart.Would you care to join me?" 1I had been warned against going off with strangers,but somehow I sensed the old woman was harmless."Sure,"I said. ns"I'm Mrs.Robertson-Glasgow,"she introduced herself,extending her fine hand 143
Contemporary College English 16"Michael,"I said,taking it clumsily in my own. 17 We set off.And as we walked,she told me how she and her husband had moved to Berkshire after he'd retired as a college professor about ten years earlier."He passed away last year,"she said,looking suddenly wistful."So now I'm alone,and I have all this time to walk the fields.” 1s Soon I saw a small brick cottage that glowed pinkly in the westering sun.Mrs.Robertson- Glasgow opened the door and invited me in.I gazed about in silent admiration at the bookshelves,glass-fronted cases containing figures of ivory and carved stone,cabinets full of fossils,trays of pinned butterflies and,best of all,a dozen or so stuffed birds-including a glass-eyed eagle owl. "Wow!"was all I could say. 20 "Does your mother expect you home at a particular time?"she asked as she ran the water for tea. 21"No,"I lied.Then,glancing at the clock,I added,"Well,maybe by five."That gave me almost an hour,not nearly enough time to ask about every single object in the room.But between mouthfuls of tea and jam tart I learned all sorts of things from Mrs.Robertson- Glasgow. 2 The hour went by much too swiftly.Mrs.Robertson-Glasgow had to practically push me out the door.But she sent me home with two large tomes,one full of beautiful illustrations of birds,and one of butterflies and other insects.I promised to return them the next weekend if she didn't mind my coming by.She smiled and said she'd look forward to that. 23 I had made the best friend in the world. 24 When I returned the books,she lent me more.Soon I began to see her almost every weekend,and my well of knowledge about natural history began to brim over.At school I eamned the nickname"Profand some respect from my fellow students.Even the school bully brought me a dead bird he had found,or probably shot,to identify. During the summer I spent blissfully long days with my friend.I discovered she made the finest shortbread in the world.We would explore Bear Wood,munching happily and discussing the books she had lent me.In the afternoons we would return to the cottage,and she would talk about her husband-what a fine man he'd been.Once or twice she seemed about to cry and left the room quickly to make more tea.But she always came back smiling a6 As time passed,I did not notice that she was growing frailer and less inclined to laugh. Familiarity sometimes makes people physically invisible,for you find yourself talking to 144
Unit 6 the heart-to the essence,as it were,rather than to the face.I suspected,of course,that she was lonely;I did not know she was ill. 7 Back at school,I began to grow quickly.I played soccer and made a good friend.But I still stopped by the cottage on weekends,and there was always fresh shortbread. One morning when I went downstairs to the kitchen,there was a familiar-looking biscuit tin on the table.Ieyed it as I went to the refrigerator 2s My mother was regarding me with a strange gentleness."Son,"she began,painfully.And from the tone of her voice I knew everything instantly. She rested her hand on the biscuit tin."Mr.Crawford brought these this morning."She paused,and I could tell she was having difficulty."Mrs.Robertson-Glasgow left them for you.” I stared out the window,tears stinging my eyes. 32 "I'm sorry,Michael,but she died yesterday,"she went on."She was very old and very ill, and it was time." My mother put her arm about my shoulder."You made her very happy,because she was lonely,”she said.“You were lucky to be such a good friend for her.” 4 Wordlessly,I took the tin to my room and set it on my bed.Then,hurrying downstairs,I burst through the front door and ran to the woods 3s I wandered for a long time,until my eyes had dried and I could see clearly again.It was spring-almost exactly a year since I'd met the old woman in Bear Wood.I looked around me and realized how much I now knew.About birds,insects,plants and trees,thanks to her help.And then I remembered that back in my bedroom I had a tin of the best shortbread in the world,and I should go and eat it like I always did on weekends at Mrs.Robertson- Glasgow's cottage In time,that old round tin filled up with dried leaves,fossils and bits of colorful stone,and countless other odds and ends.I still have it. 37 But I have much more,the legacy of that long-ago encounter in Bear Wood.It is a wisdom tutored by nature itself,about the seen and the unseen,about things that change and things that are changeless,and about the fact that no matter how seemingly different two souls may be,they possess the potential for that most precious,rare thing-an enduring and rewarding friendship.(1,453 words) 145
Contemporary College English Notes on the Text 1.About the author Michael Welzenbach(1954-2001)was an art critic as well as a poet and a novelist.He wrote some of the most stimulating criticism of art and music for the Washington Post. 2.Berkshire(para.2) The name of a county lying along the Thames River in southern England.Notice that"shire" is the old usage of"county"and appears in many names of places in England. 3.Robin Hood(para.3)罗宾汉 This was the name of a legendary English outlaw of the 12th century,hero of many ballads, who robbed the rich to give to the poor.Robin Hood lived and presided over his band of followers in Sherwood Forest.He was believed to be a perfect model of courage,generosity and justice,as well as of skill in archery. The stories about Robin Hood and his"merry men"are similar in their popularity to th stories of the 108 famous outlaws in the Chinese classic novel Water Margin(《水浒传》). 4.Bear Wood(para.4) This is the name of a wood,where,presumably,there are or used to be bears. Notice the word“bear"here does not mean“忍受”.This refers to that large animal“熊 These two words are called homonyms,which mean words that happen to have the same sound and often the same spelling but differ in meaning and are put in dictionaries as separate entries.More examples: ie躺 mine我的lead领导finc好的found找到ball球bit一点 lie说谎mine矿 lead铅fine罚款found建立ba舞会bit咬（过去时） 5.In the deep woods that ve ed against our back fence.a network of paths led se laurels ahead as you walked.(para.2) Notice the use of the word"against"when it means"close to." Notice also the use of"rocket off"in which the word"rocket"is no longer used as a noun but is used as a verb.Although this kind of conversion has been discussed before it is still worth our special attention. 6.d. runks for og带品ad Notice the metaphorical use of“vaulted cathedral,.”"needles,”“carpeted floor'”and many others in the text
Unit 6 The"is often used before an adiective to form a plural noun when you are referring to people of a particular type or a particular country.More examples: the rich:the poor,the unemployed;the oppressed;the British;the Japanese Glossary abandon/a'baendan/ to leave a person,a thing or place,esp.because it is impossible to stay with the person or stay at the place accumulation n.the state of getting more and more of sth.over a period of /a,kju:mju'leifan/ time attached/'taetJt/ adi.a strong feeling of affection for sb./sth. attachment/a'tatfmant/ n.having a strong feeling of affection for sb./sth.;form 感情 barbed-wire ad.of wire having a barb or barbs带刺铁丝的 /'ba:bd'wara(r)/ binoculars n.an instrument,like two small telescopes fixed together,that /br'npkjula(r)z/ makes objects that are far away seem nearer when you look through it双筒望远镜 blissful/blisful/ adv extremely happy brim/brim/ v.(of a cup,container,etc.)to be so full of a liquid that it flows over the edge;~over溢出 bug/bAg/ n.(esp.AmE)any small insect carve/ka:v/ v.to write sth.on a surface by cutting it;-d stone castle/'ka:sl/ n.ancient古城保 cathedral/k'0i:drol/ n.the main church of a district under the care of a Bishop (=a priest of high rank) clumsily /'klAmz adv.of lacking physical coordination,skill,or grace;awkwardly 笨拙地 dangle/'daengl/ v.to hang or swing freely;-from one3neck在.脖子上挂着 definitely /'definitl/ adv.a way of emphasizing sth.that is true and that there is no doubt about it dense/dens/ adj.containing a lot of people,things,plants,etc.with little space between them茂密的，浓密的 147
Contemporary College English ease/i:z n.the state of feeling relaxed or comfortable;put sb.at 使感到自在 echo/'ekau/ v.to repeat(a sound)by the reflection of sound waves from a surface发出回声，起反响，起共鸣 familiarity /fo,mil'aerit/ n.the state of knowing sb.or sth.well fascinated/'faesineitid/ adj.very interested fellow/'felau/ adj.used to describe sb.who is the same as you in some way; ~students同学 fortress/'fo:tris/ n.a building or place that has been strengthened and protected from attack fossil/'fosal/ n.the remains of an animal or plant which have become hard and tumed into rock frail /freil/ adj.physically weak and thin front/frAnt/ v.to serve as a front for装饰的正面，glass-~ed case以玻璃 罩面的书柜 gamekeeper n.a person whose job is to take care of the wild animals on a piece /'geimki:pa(r)/ of private land猎场看守人 glimpse/glimps/ v.to see sb./sth.for a moment,but not very clearly glow/glau/ v to shine wit油a soft color;~pink发出粉红色的光 hike/hark/ v.to go for a long walk in the country holy /"hault/ ad.important in a religious sense神圣的 identify/ar'dentifal/ v to recognize sb./sth.and be able to say who or what they are illustration/,la'streifan/ n.a drawing or picture in a book,magazine,etc.,esp.one that explains sth. immense/I'mens/ adj.extremely large insect/'insekt/ n.any small creature with six legs and a body divided into three parts instinctively/'stktrvl/ adv by instinct invisible/in'vizabl/ adi.cannot be seen ivory /'arvar/ n.a hard yellowish-white substance like bone that forms the long teeth of elephants and some other animals;figures of 雄刻的人物 impenetrable adj.impossible to be entered,passed through or seen through /im'penitrabl/ 难以渗透的 inclined/in'klaind/ ad.tending to do sth.;less~to laugh不喜欢笑，不想笑 laurel/loral/ n.a bush with dark smooth shiny leaves that remain on the bush and stay green through the year月柱树 148
Unit 6 legacy/'legasi/ n.a situation that exists now because of events,actions that took place in the past贵留的东西.遗 major/'meid3(r)/ adj.large or important munch/mAntf/ v.to eat sth.steadily and noisily,esp.sth.crispy network/'netw3:k/ n.a complicated system of roads,lines,tubes,nerves,etc.that cross each other:a of paths交织的小路 nickname/'nikneim/ n.an informal,often humorous,name for a person odds and ends n.(infiml)small items that are not valuable or are not part of a /'pdzaend,andz/ larger set零星物件 overseas/'auva'si:z/ adv toor in a foreign country;go~出 patchwork/'paetfw3:k/ n.a thing that is made up of many different pieces or parts 的图案或其他物件 pheasant/'fezont/ n.a large bird with a long tail,the male of which is brightly colored野鸡 pillar/'prl(r)/ n.a large stone,metal or wooden post that is used to support a bridge,the roof of a building potential/pau'tenfal/ n.the possibility of sth.happening潜在的 practically/'praektikal/ adv.almost,very nearly private/'prarvit/ adj.opposite of public,enjoyed only by a particular person ora group,not for everyone;~paradise辟静的天地 proceed/prau'si:d/ v.to move or travel in a particular direction property /'propotI/ n.land and the buildings on it房地产 regarding/'ga:di/ prep.concering sb./sth rewarding/rr'wo:din/ adj.worth doing;that makes you happy because you think it useful or important;~friendship使人受益匪浅的友谊 roam /raum/ v.to walk or travel around an area without any definite aim or direction:~the woods林间散步 rocket/'rokit/ v.to move very fast;~of突然飞出去 rustle /'rAsl/ v.to make sounds like leaves or paper moving or rubbing together发出树叶的沙沙声 seemingly/'si:minli/ adv.in a way that appears to be true but may in fact not be; ~different貌似不同 shortbread/'fo:tbred/ n.(BrE,also shortcake)a rich crispy biscuit/cookie made with flour,.sugar and a lot of butter黄油甜酥饼干 soccer/spka(r n.(AmE)football soul /saul/ n.a person's inner character containing true thoughts and feelings sting/stm/ v.(stung,stung)to hurt or make sth.hurt with a sudden sharp pain for a short time;:~one's eyes刺眼 149
Contemporary College English surround/sa'raund/ v.to be around sth./sb.on every side suspect/sa'spekt/ v.to think that sth.is probably true tart/ta:t/ n.an open pie filled with sweet food such as fruit;jam~果源 tome/taum/ n.(fml)a large heavy book,esp.one dealing with a serious topic trespass/'trespas/ vto enter land or a building that you do not have the permission or the right to trunk/trAnk/ n.the thick main stem of a tree tutor/tiu:ta(r)/ y to teach twitter/'twita(r)/ n.a series of short high sounds that birds make vaulted/'vo:Itrd/ adj.made in the shape of an arch or a series of arches;having a ceiling or roof of this shape拱形的 verge/v3:d3/ vto be very close toa place wary/'weari/ adj.careful when dealing with sb./sth.because you think that there may be a danger or problem well/wel/ n.a deep hole in the ground from which people obtain water; ~of knowledge知识的源泉 wistful/wrstfol/ adj.thinking sadly about sth.that you would like to have,esp. sth.in the past that you can no longer have woodland/'wudland/ n.an area of land that is covered with trees wow /wau/ n.(infml)exclamation used to express great surprise or admiration wrench/rentJ/ v.to pull or twist suddenly and violently Preview Listen to the recording of the text and then answer the following questions. 1.Where did the boy Michael come from?How did he get to England? 2.Did he make many friends there?Why did he like to keep to himself? 3.What did he like to do to amuse himself?Why did Bear Wood become his favorite place?What attracted him to the wood? 4.How did he meet Mrs.Robertson Glasgow?What did he learn about this woman? 5.Why did the boy begin to like the old woman quickly?Was it the jam tarts she made? 150