Unit 6 The Human TouchBefore Reading >> Background InformationI. O. HenryO. Henry (1862~1910): American writer of short stories, best known for his ironic plot twists and surprise endings-He was born on September 11, 1862 in North Carolina, where he spent his childhood. -He went to Texas in 1882 and worked at various jobs — as a teller in an Austin bank (1891~1894) and as a newspaperman for the Houston Post.-In 1898 an unexplained shortage in the Austin bank was charged to him. Although many people believed him innocent, he fled to the Honduras, but returned to be with his wife, who was fatally ill. He eventually served three years in prison, where he first started writing short stories.-Upon his release he settled in New York City and became a highly successful and prolific contributor to various magazines. Although his stories have been criticized as shallow and contrived, O. Henry did catch the color and movement of the city and evidenced a genuine sympathy for ordinary people. His approximately 300 stories are collected in Cabbages and Kings(1904, The Four Million(1906, com/read/ thefourmillion. html), The Voice of the City(1908), Options (1909), and others.-He died on June 5, 1910 in New York City at the age of forty-seven. An alcoholic, he died virtually penniless.II. What Are They Famous ForDo you know these greatest artists and their masterpiecesSteven Spielberg (1947~ ):American motion-picture director, producer and executive, who achieved great commercial success and is among the most popular filmmakers of the late 20th centuryMasterpieces: Schindler’s List, Jurassic Park, Saving Private Rayn, etc. Mozart (1756~1791):Austrian composer, the centrally important composer of the classical era, and one of the most inspired composers in the Western musical tradition Masterpieces: Symphony in G minor (G小调第40号交响曲)，Variations on “Ah, vous dirai-je, Maman” (“小星星”变奏曲)Xu Beihong (1895~1953):Modern Chinese master of Fine Arts (美术)Masterpieces: HorsesPablo Picasso (1881~1973):Spanish painter and sculptor, generally considered the greatest artist in the 20th centuryMasterpieces: The Barefoot Girl, Self-portrait, etc.Leonardo Da Vinci (1452~1519):Florentine artist, one of the great masters of High Renaissance (文艺复兴盛期), celebrated as painter, sculptor, architect, engineer and scientist Masterpieces: Mona Lisa, The Last Supper, etc.Ralph Lauren (1939~ ):American fashion designer, the founder of the clothing company called Polo. Masterpieces: clothing for men, women and children, bedding and bath luxuries, gifts and much moreWang Xizhi (303~379):Wang Xizhi is known as the Sage of Calligraphy (书法). He is remembered not only for revolutionizing the art of Chinese writing, but also for his complete devotion to this traditional Chinese art form.Masterpieces: Lan Ting Xu (the Prelude of the Orchid Pavilion), etc.William Shakespeare (1564~1616):English playwright and poet, recognized in much of the world as the greatest of all dramatistsMasterpieces: As You Like It, Othello, Macbeth, King Lear, Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Merchant of Venice, Midsummer Night’s Dream, Twelfth Night, etc.Global Reading >> Part Division of the TextA piece of narration usually consists of a number of scenes. In each scene there are different characters who interact with each other. Now put down, in the following table, the characters and major events of the seven scenes in Text A. The first oneGlobal Reading >> Questions and AnswersThe story is, as indicated by its title, built around the last ivy leaf. In other words, the last ivy leaf is the main thread that runs through the whole story. The following questions are intended to help you get a clear idea of this point. 1. What was, at first, Johnsy determined to do if the last ivy leaf should fall (=She made up her mind to die when the last leaf fell.)2. What did she decide to do when she saw the last leaf still cling to the vine after two nights’ rain and wind(=She decided not to give up her life. )3. How was it that the cold fierce wind did not blow away the last leaf(=Behrman, a k ind neighbor, who was aware of Johnsy’s state of mind, risked death to paint the last leaf and save her.)4. Why did Sue call the painted leaf Behrman’s masterpiece(=Because it was so perfect the girls both mistook it for the real thing.)Global Reading >> ScanningScan Text A and find out other clues besides “the last ivy leaf”, which help organize the story into a whole.Clue 1: the last leafClue 2: the doctor’s three visitsClue 3: soupClue 4: the Bay of NaplesClue 5: Behrman’s masterpie cethe doctor’s three visits1. Johnsy was seriously ill. (Paras. 3~8)2. Johnsy had a 50-50 chance for survival and death while Old Behrman was incurably sick. (Paras. 34~36)3. Johnsy was sure to recover. (Para. 37)soup1. Johnsy refused to take any soup when she decided to die with the fall of the last leaf. (Para. 16)2. When she was shaken alive again by that undying last leaf, one of her first desires was to drink some soup. (Para. 31)the Bay of Naples1. Before she fell ill, Johnsy had wished to paint the Bay of Naples. (Para. 5)2. Inspired by the last leaf, Johnsy again looked forward to painting it. (Para.33)Behrman’s masterpiece1. Old Behrman was a failure in art. He had always talked about a masterpiece, yet he was unable to deliver it. (Para. 18)2. “Someday I will paint a masterpiece, and we shall all go away.” (Para. 20)3. Finally, Old Behrman painted his masterpiece at the cost of his life. (Para.39)Global Reading >> Further UnderstandingI. Story TellingSuppose you are Sue, tell us in the first person a story which may cover the following points:1. How did Johnsy and you meet.2. How did she get ill.3. What did the doctor tell you about Johnsy’s illness.II. Dialogue MakingMake a dialogue between Sue and Behrman according to t he sentence “She told him of Johnsy’s fancy, and how she feared she would, indeed, light and fragile as a leaf herself, float away, when her slight hold upon the world grew weaker” in Paragraph 19.III. Discussion1. What encouraged Johnsy to regain the will to live and how2. According to you, how would Johnsy react after realizing what Mr. Behrman had done for herDetailed ReadingI. Difficult Sentences1.“Johnsy” was familiar for Joanna.Paraphrase the sentence.(=“Johnsy” was a pet name for Joanna.)2.They had met at a cafe on Eighth Street and found their tastes in art, chicorysalad and bishop sleeves so much in tune that the joint studio resulted.What are “chicory salad” and “bishop sleeves”(=The pictures show what “chicory salad” and “bishop sleeves” are.)Why did the joint studio come into being(=Because the two girls have so many things in common.)3.In November a cold, unseen stranger, whom the doctors called Pneumonia, stalkedabout the district, touching one here and there with his icy fingers. Johnsy was among his victims.What kind of rhetorical method is used here(=Personification.)What does “touching one here and there with his icy fingers” mean(=It means the illness spread quickly from one to another.)What does “victims” mean here(=T he “victims” were those who had got the illness.)4.“I will do all that science can accomplish. But whenever my patient begins tocount the carriages in her funeral procession I subtract 50 per cent from the curative power of medicines.”Translate the sentence into Chinese.(=“只要是科学能做到的，我会尽一切努力的。