Unit One Fresh Start

1. Unit One Fresh Start Evelyn Herald

2. College life

3. College life

4. classroom

7. Basketball match Star player

9. I Pre-readingQuestions • Do you remember your first days at college? Did anything special happen then? • Are you afraid of making mistakes that cause embarrassment? • Is entering an elite university the only way to success? • How do you define “defeat” and “victory”? What might ensure your success?

10. How should you take your college life? • A person should take his/her college life for an experiment. He/she should not be afraid of making mistakes bcs it is onlu through trial and error that one can find his/her real self and finding his/her real self is the ultimate purpose of college education. College allows one to make massive mistakes.

11. Discussion Qs（ writing assignment): Freshman Manual • I’m starting college at the university of Florida and I’m excited but I find myself unsure of what to expect. I have a boyfriend that will be living 5 hours away. any advice regarding keeping or dropping relationships as a freshman, difficulty of classes, eating habits, homesickness, dorm issues.

12. -the best advice for a college freshman • -college survival tips for Freshman? • Enigma • love-devotionfeeling-emotiondon't be afraid to be weakdon't be too proud to be strongjust look into your heart my friendthat will be the return to yourselfthe return to innocence

13. the return to innocence • if you want, then start to laugh • if you must, then start to cry • be yourself don't hide • just believe in destiny • don't care what people say • just follow your own way • don't give up and use the chance • to return to innocence

14. Background information (1) • About the text and the author • The text, written by Evelyn Herald (contemporary), appeared in Nutshellmagazine in 1989.

15. Background information (2) • Nutshell magazine • Nutshell is a project, a brainchild, a repository of imponderables. In fact, as a wise man said, it's "An Anthology of Miscellany". It's a special connection between the internet and the feverish imaginations that act as a medium between this waking world and the land where little creatures run about waiting to be caught and labeled 'Creative Ideas'.

16. Well, "actually", it's a monthly, web-based magazine with an email newsletter component. Interested people sign up for the newsletter and thus they get a digest of the current month's content mailed to them. The newsletter contains short, interesting stories while the website contains greater detail for you to dive into.

17. Background information( 3) • 1. Let's start from very beginning again. • 我们再从头开始吧。 • 2. Let's go back to square one. • 我们重新开始吧。 • 3. Let's go back to the drawing board. • 我们重新开始吧。 • 4. Let's start from scratch again. • 我们重新开始吧。 • 5. Let's do it all over again. • 我们重新来过吧。

18. 6. Let's make a fresh start. • 我们重新开始吧。 • 7. Let's start from zero again. • 我们再从零开始吧。 • 8. Let's get back to the starting point. • 我们回到起点吧。 • 9. I'm afraid we'll have to scrap the plan and redo it completely. • 我们恐怕得放弃这个计划然后全部重来。 • 10.Let's roll it back to the beginning. • 我们回到起点吧。

19. Fresh • be as fresh as a daisy to be full of energy and enthusiasm. It's been a long drive but give me a cup of tea and I'll soon feel fresh as a daisy. • fresh from somewhere(British, American & Australian) • to have just finished education or training in a particular school or college and not have much experience. Our course is taught by a young professor fresh out of law school.

20. be fresh out of something(American & Australian) • to have just finished or sold a supply of something, and have no more left. • Sorry, we're fresh out of bread this morning. • a breath of fresh air • someone or something that is new and different and makes everything seem more exciting. Angela's like a breath of fresh air when she comes to stay.After all the criticism, his positive comments came as a breath of fresh air.

21. get fresh • to show by your actions or words that you want to have sex with someone. If he tries to get fresh with you, tell him to keep his hands to himself. (usually + with) • get fresh with someone(American & Australian) • to talk to someone in an impolite way or behave in a way which shows you do not respect them. Don't you get fresh with me, young lady!

22. II Text Analysis • In this autobiographical essay, Evelyn Herald recounts her embarrassing moments during her first days of college. With a chronologically balanced pattern of narration, the author focuses on three incidents– sitting in the wrong class, falling down in the cafeteria and witnessing the upper-class football player having the same experience. Coupling narration with description, she gives us a detailed account of the process, the after-effect and the significant insight into herself.

23. Structure of the text (1) Text Structure • Para 1 • Introductory paragraph • Para 2-9 • The author recalls a few incidents during her first days of college. • Para 10-14 • Concluding part

24. Structure of the text (2) • Unlike an expository writing, which usually expresses the main idea in a thesis statement, in a narrative writing, the point is shown through dialogues, actions or events. The three incidents that are treated expansively in this essay are related to one another by their implicit messages- the mistakes the author made and her reaction towards the mistakes. It was in this process that the author achieved significant insight into herself.

25. Comprehension of the textPart 1 • What does “first-gradish” mean? • Why did the author have the impression that “ everyone on campus was watching me”? • What was her plan?

26. Q1: Foolish, childish • First-gradish: having the qualities and characteristics of a first-grade student. The first-gradish feeling is a mixture of helpless, disorientation, self-consciousness, and a lack of confidence.

27. Q2:The author, being over-sensitive. Was uneasy with her identity as a freshman. She thought a new student would attract others’ attention, as what she did or said was liable to be too naïve to be right

28. Q3： • She planned to act her way through college and hoped not to make mistakes.

29. Language Points in paragraph 1 distinct: clearly seen, heard, felt, understood, etc.; noticeable • Eg: Now that the boss was no longer present, there was a ~ change in her attitude. • There is a distinct possibility that she won't come. • The children have distinct memories of their grandfather in his last days.

30. cf. distinctive: Anything clearly noticed is distinct; There is a distinct smell of beer in this room. A thing or quality that is clearly different from others of its kind is distinctive or distinct from. Beer has a very distinctive smell; it’s quite distinct from the smell of wine.

31. Part 2 • Pa2-5 Qs • Q1:Why did the author exclaim “ what confidence, what reserve, what muscles!” when she saw the football player?

32. A1: College life was a new experience to the author. Her marvel at the real football player showed her excitement about her new life. Also, this foreshadows the later development of the essay.

33. Q2: Why is the word “ marched” used in the first sentence of pa 3? • The author did not want others to notice that she was a freshman. With enough preparation the previous day, she was sure she could find the right room without asking the way or checking the map. The word “ march” is used to show her pretence of confidence.

34. Q3：Why did a cold sweat break out on the back of her neck? • She found she was in the wrong class. She was supposed to attend the course of American literature, but she was sitting in the biology class by mistake.

35. Q4: Why did she remain in the wrong room? • She didn’t want others to notice her ignorance. • Q5: How many questions are used in pa3 and pa5? What does the author raised these questions?

36. A5: Four questions ate used here. Being a freshman, she was not familiar with life in college. She was at a loss as to what to do when something unexpected happened, These questions are used to show her bewilderment.

37. language points in pa3-5 • Clutch: to hold or grasp tightly; • to try to grasp or seize. • Eg: The frightened woman ~ed her bags to her breast. • He ~ed at the rope we had thrown to him but could not reach it.

38. Clutch bags

39. Reserve: self-restraint in expression; the habit of not showing one’s feelings or thoughts. • Eg: Being a man of ~, Mr. York was never popular with his colleagues. • Judy had tried every means to break through the ~ or her stepson. • Reserved: a. • The English have a reputation for being ~.

40. Whereabouts: n. approximate location; ad. about where; in , at or near what location • Eg: The orphan’s ~ is /are still unknown. • Whereabouts do you live? • She won’t tell me whereabouts she put it. • Whereabouts and Directions : 位置和方向

41. demeanor: the way you behave, which gives people an impression of your character and feelings • They dislike Mr. Smith’s arrogant demeanor. • The girl has a quiet, modest demeanor.这个女孩子的态度娴静而谦逊。He spoke in his usual calm demeanor.他讲话的态度和平长一样轻松稳定。

42. Tip off: to give an advance warning or hint to • Eg: The police was tipped off about the robbery. • Don‘t look suspicious! That will tip off the police!别显得那么紧张，那样会让警察注意你的。 • Acting on a tip off, the police arrested the drug smugglers.

43. Pa 6-7

44. slipping

47. How did the students react when she slipped and fell down? And how did the author feel about it? • They cheered and clapped. And she felt embarrassed and humiliated.

48. Flail: to wave or swing about wildly • Eg: I ~ed her arms to get here attention. • The baby ‘s feet ~ed under the quilt. • flail one's arms/ hands above one's head • Rear end: buttocks

49. maneuver • a skilful or careful movement that you make, for example in order to avoid something or go through a narrow space • room for manoeuvre/freedom of manoeuvre the possibility of changing your plans or decisions in order to achieve what you want

50. Kick off • if a meeting, event, or a football game kicks off, it starts. • The series kicked off with an interview with Brando. • if you kick off a discussion, meeting, event etc, you start it