Unit11TheAstoundingCreator

1、Unit 11 An Astounding CreatorNatureGroup members: 李彤，陳雅婷，羅淑瓊OUTLINE The author Background knowledge Organization Analysis of each paragraph (1-6)Jean Craighead George(July 2, 1919 May 15, 2012)An American journalist, writer of over 100 books for children and young adults.Family: She was raised in a

2、family of naturalists. She married John Lothur George in 1944, and they divorced in 1963. And now she was the mother of three and a grandmother.Life: writing and natureExperience: George graduated in 1940 from Pennsylvania State University. In the 1940s she was a member of the White House Press Corp

3、s and a reporter for The Washington Post. From 1969 to 1982 she was a writer and editor at Readers Digest.Published WorksBooks(1959) Newbery Medal runner-up (1990) A Sequel (1972) Annual Newbery Medal from the American Library Association (2009)(2000)Published Works inMagazinesNational GeographicNat

4、ional WildlifeJean Craighead George and Wild AnimalsShe used to bring owls, robins, mink, sea gulls 173 wild animals into their home and backyard. Jean herself was a force of nature; with her booming voice and her strong ideas about life and politics; a much-loved writer whose work was among the mos

5、t influential in the last century; a lifelong and powerful presence in the publishing industry whose impact cannot be measured solely by the millions of books she sold all over the world, Jeans agent Ginger Knowltonhttp:/ Astounding Creator NatureAdj. -so surprising that it is difficult to believe;

6、unbelievableN. 1. A person who has made or invented a particular thing- 2. (the Creator) God 造物主Why nature is the creator?Why is nature astounding?Organization & DevelopmentPara. 1: Catch readers attention by arousing a question Para.2-17: illustration about animals adaptation to various environment

7、Para. 2-5: land animalsPara 6: deep-sea fishPara 7: the ocean bottomPara 8: soundPara 9: foodPara 10: the need to catch preyPara 11: the need to defend oneselfPara 12-14: the need to ward off hostilityPara 15-17: losses as well as additions accounted for by adaptationPara. 18: “If any adaptation is

8、possible, nature has tried it.”P(pán)aragraph OneLanguage Point:co-inhabitants: creatures or residents living together in this world. 同居者co-: together; partner; to the same degreenounverbwith a hyphenco-workerco-educationco-existwithout a hyphencoordinationcooperateParagraph One Creatures in a nightmare?

9、 No, they are very much with us as co-inhabitants of this earth. 噩夢(mèng)中的生物嗎？不，作為這片土地的同居者，它們很多時(shí)候都跟我們?cè)谝黄稹urpose: to catch readers attention by listing some unbelievable creatures, arousing a question and making an answer immediately.Paragraph TwoLanguage Points:fashion vt. to make or shape sth., especia

10、lly with your hands （手工）制作，使成形，塑造 A (from/out of B) / B (into A)e.g. She fashioned a pot from a clay. She fashioned the clay into a pot.Author begins to illustrate how animals are created to fit the land. Paragraph Twoevolve vt. (biology) to develop gradually over many generations from a simple form

11、 to a more complicated one 進(jìn)化 (from sth.)e.g. The dolphin has evolved a highly developed jaw.adapt vt.to change sth. in order to make it suitable for a new use or situation. 使適合；使適應(yīng)（新情況）SYN: modify sth. (for sth.) e.g. These styles can be adapted to suit individual tastes.Paragraph Twoniche /ni: / o

12、r / nit/ n.C (biology) the conditions in which a type of living thing can live successfully 生態(tài)位 find ones niche 找到合適的職位、位置、地方等f(wàn)it the niche: find the proper place to be in hammering and fitting: referring to what Nature does to various creatures 鬼斧神工circle the sun with us: live with us on the earth

13、which goes around the sunParagraph Two自然將大多動(dòng)物塑造成適應(yīng)不同陸地環(huán)境的模樣駝鹿于沼澤，松鼠于樹(shù)林，駱駝?dòng)谏衬?，青蛙于蓮葉。給自然一個(gè)環(huán)境或者條件，她會(huì)進(jìn)化出一種生物，把腳安在這兒，眼睛安在那兒，直到這生物找到棲身的地方。然而，就這樣的鬼斧神工之下，一些十分不可思議的生物正與我們一起，在地球上繞著太陽(yáng)轉(zhuǎn)。Paragraph ThreeMarine- a state in the northeast of the U.S.A.sleek /slik/ adj.- smooth and glossy (hair, fur, etc.) 光滑而有光澤的vt.

14、- to make hair or fur smooth and shiny (by putting water or oil on it) 使平滑光亮sleekness (n.) mother horned grebe 母角鸊母角鸊(p)鷉鷉(t)角鸊鷉主要棲息在開(kāi)闊的平原上的湖泊、江河、水塘、水庫(kù)和沼澤地等環(huán)境中。食物是各種魚(yú)類、蛙類、蝌蚪等，也吃水生昆蟲(chóng)、甲殼類動(dòng)物和軟體動(dòng)物等水生無(wú)脊椎動(dòng)物。Paragraph Threeherd-vt. to bring sb./sth. in a large group, especially roughly 使聚集在一起; to make anim

15、als move together in a group放牧bobbing-moving up and down when floating on the water （在水面上）上下起伏pickerelweed 眼子菜眼子菜 binoculars 雙筒望遠(yuǎn)鏡雙筒望遠(yuǎn)鏡gaping mouthParagraph Threepoke n. to quickly push your fingers, a stick etc. into sth. give/make sth./sb. a poke 戳某物（人）一下IDM: have a poke around 仔細(xì)尋覓；打探 take a poke

16、 at sb. 嘲弄；奚落Finally she worked a dozen or so down her own throat; then, sailing low on the water, she vanished contentedly among the plants.最后她吞了大約一打的羽毛到她的喉嚨里；然后貼著（縮著脖子）游在水面上，心滿意足地消失在草叢里。Paragraph FourUSFWS is an agency of federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior which is dedic

17、ated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats. The mission of the agency is working with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people.“Responsibilities: enforcing federal wildlife laws, protectin

18、g endangered species, managing migratory birds, restoring nationally significant fisheries, conserving and restoring wildlife habitat, etc.wikipediaUnited States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)美國(guó)魚(yú)類和野生動(dòng)物局Paragraph Four“Because nature find a use for everything.”use (n.) the action or fact of using s

19、th.使用；用 -a purpose for which sth. can be used 用途find a use for sth. 為找到用途；設(shè)法利用“因?yàn)榇笞匀荒馨l(fā)掘萬(wàn)物的用途?！保ㄈf(wàn)物皆有所用。）strainer: a tool with lots of small holes in it, that is used for separating solids from liquids 過(guò)濾器intestine 腸Paragraph Five koala 考拉熊考拉熊 eucalyptus 桉樹(shù)桉樹(shù) teddy bear 泰迪熊: a soft toy in the shape of

20、 a bearsupplement (vt.) to add sth., especially to what you earn or eat, in order to increase it to an acceptable level 補(bǔ)充；增加 sth. by/ with sth.supplementation (n.)Paragraph FiveThe moisture in the leaves is just right for the koala, making it the only land animal that doesnt need water to supplemen

21、t its food.樹(shù)葉中的水分恰好滿足了考拉熊，使之成為唯一不需要在食物之外再補(bǔ)充水的陸地動(dòng)物。Paragraph 6 to 12 By 陳雅婷prey on/upon sth. to hunt and kill another animal for foodprey n. an animal, a bird, etc. that is hunted, killed and eaten by anotherswirl v.to move around quickly in a circledwarf v. to make sth. seem small or unimportant com

22、pared with something elseP. 6 7 the description of angler fishtapped away tape tap - to hit sb/sth quickly and lightlytap (away) (at sth) shrew n.a small animal like a mouse with a long noseP. 8The ear of the American bullfrog is covered by a thin skin to keep water out and still maintain a streamli

23、ned body.Sound has shaped the bodies of many beasts.bullfrograbbitgrasshopperbill n.the hard pointed or curved outer part of a birds mouthneatly ad.preciselyvulnerable a. (to sb./sth.) weak and easily hurt physically and emotionallyP. 9Sometimes food will determine an animals appearance. (by the exa

24、mple of the woodcock)elusive a.difficult to findstaggering a. (rather informal)so great, shocking, or surprising that it is difficult to believe (SYN: astounding)thread n.P. 10The need to catch elusive prey had evolved some staggering biological tricks.An anemones tentacles contain thousands of tiny

25、 capsules. Inside each is a coiled, thread-like “spear” filled with venom(毒液).preposterous a. (formal)completely unreasonable, especially in a way that is shocking or annoying (SYN: outrageous)be endowed with (formal)to naturally have a particular feature, quality, etc.P. 11Nature seems to have gone

26、 all out in creating preposterous gadgets for self-defense.ward sb./sth. off to protect or defend yourself against danger, illness, attack, etc.take off (informal)to leave a place, especially in a hurryP. 12Lizards are professionals in the art of warding off attack.A hawk upon attacking this fellow,

27、 anticipates that he will run in the direction of the lifted head and makes allowance for the movement.P. 12Lizards are professionals in the art of warding off attack.A hawk will anticipate the lizard running in the direction of the lifted head and will take that into consideration before attacking

28、it.Paraphrase:Paragraph 13 to 18 By 羅淑瓊The Organization Of The Last Five ParagraphsPara 13: If something make good use of nature, it canPara 14: Some creature can always master the environment.Para 15: Nature occasionally takes things away from those creatures dont need them. Para 16: Some of nature

29、s inventions got out of hand.Para17: The most dumbfounding creation- the horned toad.Para18: Nature has tried every possible adaptation.Paragraph 13 Launched, the man-of-war can blow away from enemies or approach food by putting its sail up and down. When severely threatened, it forces the gas out o

30、f the float and submerges. the float- referring to the “purple bag”用的時(shí)候，通過(guò)讓它的帆上下擺動(dòng)僧帽水母可以迅速逃離其敵人或者向食物靠近。當(dāng)遇到嚴(yán)重的威脅的時(shí)候，它就會(huì)放出浮囊的氣體，然后下潛。僧帽水母Paragraph 14Given this situation, it was almost certain that some fish would evolve a way to beat it ;and so there is a lungfish.某些魚(yú)就會(huì)進(jìn)化出一種方法來(lái)克服上述的不利情況。所以就出現(xiàn)了一種肺魚(yú)。Pa