Integrated English -3

Integrated English -3 Unit Sixteen “Take Over, Bos’n!”

Questions for general understanding • What type of writing is the text? • A narration. • What is narrated? • A confrontation on the lifeboat drifting on the sea for 20 days. • How is it organized? • In chronological order.

Pair work • Discuss with your partner • The 5 Ws of the story (when, where, who, what, why) • The text structure (How many parts can the story be divided into? What are they?)

when, where, who, what, why • When: the 21st day/night adrift (morning sun—night) • Where: a lifeboat drifting on the sea • Who: • Snyder (third officer of the wrecked Montala; narrator) • Jeff Barrett (Boatswain) • 8 sailors • What: (confrontation) Snyder kept the gun pointed at the other nine men… • Why: Snyder controlled the last pint of water that was left and the other nine men were half crazy for a few drops.

Text structure (p. 241) • 3 parts • Beginning (Para.1-2) • Development (Para. 3-23) • Ending (Para. 24-28)

Introduction /Beginning Vocabulary • stern • cover • quarters • Guts • Hold out

Vocabulary • 1. stern: • n. the rear end of a ship or boat 船尾 • Go and stand in/at the stern of the boat. • from stern to stern 从（船）头到（船）尾 • a. hard, grim, or severe in manner or character 严厉的，苛刻的 • a stern headmaster/parent/police officer • Sterner measures must be taken to combat drug trafficking (非法交易).

cover: to hold within the range of a weapon (pistol) 使在武器射程内 • quarter: One fourth of a yard; nine inches • quarters: a proper or assigned station or place, as for officers and crew on a warship. 常作 quarters 住舱区：一个适合或被配给的住所或场所，如在军舰上配给军官和船员的 • (idm 习语) at close quarters: very near 非常近的: • fighting at close quarters近战

2. guts: • (1) the internal organs of the abdomen • Oh, I have a terrible pain in the guts. It feels like food poisoning. • (2) courage or determination勇气，胆量 • Michael was well-known at college, for he had the guts to challenge any professor. • You need a lot of guts to admit your mistake in the presence of your boss. • Hate one’s guts: to hate someone with great intensity • I hate your guts for being delayed. 我非常憎恨你耽搁时间。

hold out 1. To present or proffer as something attainable. 提供，提出：提供或显示可得到的东西 2. To continue to be in supply or service; last: 继续给予或提供；持续： • Our food is holding out nicely. 我们的食物还很多 3. To continue to resist; refuse to give in: 继续反对 • The defending garrison held out for a month.防卫部队已坚守了一个月 4. To refuse to reach or satisfy an agreement. 拒绝达成或履行协议

Questions for discussion • How does the author begin the story? • Do you think Snyder could control the situation? • Why do you suppose Snyder pointed the gun at the other nine men?

1. How does the author begin the story? • He begins his narration with a confrontation between Snyder and the other nine men. Snyder was pointing a gun at these men.

2. Do you think Snyder could control the situation? • No. This was a situation of one versus nine. At present Snyder was in control because he had the gun, but considering the fact that he hadn't slept for seventy-two hours and was already half asleep, he could hardly hold on. If he should ever doze off, he would easily be on the losing side.

3. Why do you suppose Snyder pointed the gun at the other nine men? • The author does not mention it in this part. By keeping the readers in suspense, the author arouses their curiosity and entices (attracts) them to read on.

Development (Para. 3-23) • In this part, the author narrates and describes in detail the desperate situation they were in and the responsibility Snyder shouldered.

Vocabulary • doze off: to fall into a short, light sleep打盹；走神 • I dozed off in the middle of the Minister’s speech. • He dozed off during the long lecture.

3. pounce: -- to spring or fly down suddenly in order to seize something 突袭 • The falcon（猎鹰）pounced on/upon the rabbit. • Living in a highly competitive society, they pounced on/upon every opportunity available.（掌握每一次可得机会）

4. canteen: • (1) a small. usually leather container in which water or other drink is carried • There is little water left in the canteen. • (2) a place serving food and drink in a factory, an office, a school, etc.小卖部 • Students prefer to eat in the school canteen because there is a wide variety of foods on the menu, which changes every day.

5. ration: -- to limit the amount of something that each person is allowed to have定量配给 • The government had to ration the food during the war. • Coffee is rationed to two cups a day.

6. Compare: gaze, stare, gape, glare, peer, ogle • These verbs all mean to look long and intently. • Gaze refers to prolonged looking that is often indicative of wonder, fascination, awe, or admiration : 盯；凝视 • to gaze at the moon; to gaze into his eyes • To stare is to gaze fixedly; the word can indicate curiosity, boldness, insolence, or stupidity: 凝视 • The old couple stared at them in disbelief; • to stare into the distance

Gape suggests a prolonged open-mouthed look reflecting amazement, awe, or lack of intelligence: 张口结舌地看；瞠目结舌 • Tourists are gaping at the sights. • To glare is to fix another with a hard, piercing stare:怒目而视 • She glared furiously at him when he contradicted her.

To peer is to look narrowly, searchingly, and seemingly with difficulty:凝视；窥视 • He peered through his spectacles at the contract. • To ogle is to stare in an amorous （多情的；色情的）, usually impertinent (improper) manner:媚眼, 送秋波, 眉目传情 • She resented the way that the construction workers on their lunch hour ogled passing women.

Questions for discussion 1 • What was the cause of the confrontation? • What kind of man was Jeff Barrett? • Why did Snyder insist that they wait till night for the last few drops of water? • What did Snyder imagine would happen when he was asleep?

1. What was the cause of the confrontation? • After drifting on the sea for twenty days, the ten survivors of a ship wreckage were dying from thirst. The only canteen left gave them the hope to keep on. Knowing that their hope would evaporate once the last drop of water was gone, Snyder, the man in command, was pointing his gun at these thirsty men to prevent them from taking their gulp. But the other men, not realizing his well-meant will, were glaring at the water, ready to spring up at every minute, take hold of it and gulp it down.

2. What kind of man was Jeff Barrett? • A heavy, bald and violent man, Jeff Barrett was a constant threat to Snyder. He was the nearest to Snyder and he had had enough sleep.

3. Why did Snyder insist that they wait till night for the last few drops of water? • According to Snyder, the water drunk in the sun would be sweated out very fast, but if it were taken down at night, it would last longer.

4. What did Snyder imagine would happen when he was asleep? • He imagined that Barrett would grab the canteen and drink the water while the others would scream and struggle for a gulp. Everything would be in a mess.

Text comprehension II • True or False statements

Questions for discussion 2 (Describing people, surroundings, etc.) • How does the author describe the surroundings (or the situation they were in)? • How does the author describe the sailors? • How does the author describe Barrett? • How does the author describe the narrator, Snyder?

Ending (Para. 24-28) • Unexpected ending • Climax of the story

Questions for discussion • When was Snyder woken up? What for?What happened while Snyder was asleep? • What made Barrett give up his chance of drinking the water? • What kind of image was Barrett? How does the author build it up?

1. What happened while Snyder was asleep? • Barrett took over not only the gun but also the responsibility to guard against the lust of those thirsty people. He rationed the water as Snyder had planned after night had fallen.

2. What made Barrett give up his chance of drinking the water? • Barrett explained that he was given the responsibility to take others out of danger when Snyder handed him the gun and said, "Take over, bos'n." Once given the authority, he would learn to view things from a different angle.

Structural analysis: Building up an image • Through a detailed description of Jeff Barrett, the author builds up the image of a strong and dangerous man, a constant threat to the hope of the survivors on the lifeboat. Readers are surprised to find that in the end he was the very person to keep the order and protect the water when Snyder was asleep. With such a sharp contrast, the author reveals how strength and sense of responsibility could be brought out by one's position.

Text comprehension -I • B. The story is about the sense of responsibility in time of trial which is exemplified by a shipwreck. Human nature is brought into full display in the trial but it is the sense of responsibility that outshines human nature and wins the battle at the end of the story, so B is more appropriate than A. As for C, though brotherly love does exist between these sailors, it is not brought into limelight (focus of attention); rather it is the sense of responsibility that is glorified in the story.

Text comprehension -II • 1. T. Refer to Paragraphs 4 and 5. • 2. T. Refer to Paragraph 17. I took my Luger on instinct when I left the wrecked ship as if I had predicted fights for water on the lifeboat. • 3. F. Refer to Paragraph 20. Long before noon, I felt I was at the end of my tether. I felt sleep was "creeping over me," and I could not resist it any more. • 4. T. Refer to Paragraphs 25 and 26.

Text comprehension -III • 1. Refer to Paragraphs 4 and 7. They were like a pack of animals tortured by thirst and driven into half-craziness after drifting on the sea for twenty days. They were bearded, ragged, and half-naked; their tongues were swollen and their cheeks were sunken. They were ready to kill for even a few drops of water.

2. Refer to Paragraph 6. With the last drop of water gone, they would have nothing to look forward to but death, so Snyder had to protect the last canteen of water as if he was protecting the last gleam of hope.

3. Jeff Barrett was a bos'n's mate, a rough, weathered seaman who represented the animal side of human nature at the beginning of the story. He snarled and growled when Snyder refused them the last store of water and he was ready to pounce any moment when the chance of getting a drop of water came.

4. Snyder's words, "Take over, bos'n" turned Jeff from a half-mad creature into a man of responsibility because when Snyder called him "bos'n," he no longer stood for himself; he had to look after other shipmates and be responsible for their well-being. It was Snyder's words "Take over, bos'n" that aroused his sense of dignity and responsibility and turned him into a man of responsibility. • 5. Open for discussion.

Text comprehension -IV • 1. The truth was that Barrett could no longer think sensibly, for thirst had driven him insane. • 2. The lifeboat went up and down on the long, continuous waves, which was like a cradle for me. I could feel that I was falling into sleep little by little.

Structural analysis of the text • Through a detailed description of Jeff Barrett, the author builds up the image of a strong and dangerous man, a constant threat to the hope of the survivors on the lifeboat. Readers are surprised to find that in the end he was the very person to keep the order and protect the water when Snyder was asleep. With such a sharp contrast, the author reveals how strength and sense of responsibility could be brought out by one's position.

Rhetorical features of the text • 1. "A constant threat" (Paragraph 9), which serves as a sort of appositive. • 2. "The rest watched me as Barrett did, ready to spring the instant I relaxed" (Paragraph 7). The underlined part of the sentence is employed to indicate the state in which they were.

3. "The bos'n's mate was a heavy man, bald, with a scarred and brutal face" (Paragraph 9). The underlined part is a prepositional phrase which further describes the man (the subject of the sentence).

Vocabulary exercises -I • 1. at such a short distance • from a place that is so near (to the other nine men) • 2. I wasn't important • 3. coldly planning/scheming • 4. without thinking or reasoning • 5. give up reluctantly • 6. weakening

Vocabulary exercises -II • 1. gulp 2. growls • 3. clog 4. Hefting • 5. prop up 6. sunken • 7. brandishing 8. craving

Vocabulary exercises -III • 1. paralyze 2. brutalities • 3. wreckage 4. judgmental • 5. disadvantageous 6. uncountable

Vocabulary exercises -IV • 1. give in to • 2. sleep away • 3. hold out • 4. hold off/keep away • 5. keeled over • 6. take over

Vocabulary exercises -V • 1. resist • 2. have • 3. match with • 4. satisfies • 5. ignore • 6. settle

Grammar Exercises -I • 1. His second child is a girl... The youngest is twenty ... • 2. ... Do the English have one? • 3. ... but none were hurt. • 4. ... I've got some. • 5. ...I like both. • 6. ... they were not flying in tight formation as they should have been. • 7. ...but Rachel will. • 8. ... He'd better be.

Integrated English -3