英语泛读第三版第二册第四单元unit 4

Unit 4 The Lady on Pemberton Streetby Albert DiBartolomeo

Outline Preview Questions Background Information Structure & Vocabulary

Preview Questions What kind person is Mable Howard? Do you think Mable is respectable? Have you ever met someone like her? What can we learn from the story?

Background Information Albert DiBartolomeo is the author of the novels The Vespers Tapes 《晚祷磁带》 and Fool’s Gold, as well as short stories, essays, commentaries and memoirs published in Reader’s Digest, Salon, Philadelphia magazine, the Philadelphia Inquirer, and American Woodworker.

He has taught creative writing at the University of Pennsylvania and currently teaches at Drexel University in Philadelphia. DiBartolomeo was a professional woodworker for 10 years, and still practices the craft in his spare time.

The Lady on Pemberton Street is picked from Reader's Digest (1998). It is one of the famous short stories of Albert DiBartolomeo. It mainly talks about Mable Howard. She is a block captain of a street in Philadelphia, PA. Her efforts to keep her block clean has significantly helped make the street a safe and nice place to live in. Moreover, she has inspired her neighbors to keep their block clean and combat forces of disorder.

Structure Part I – Getting acquainted with Mable Part II – The clean sweep of the street by Mable Part III–The repair of the Alley gate by the writer Part IV – The block cleaning by all neighbors living on Pemberton Street Part V – The debt

Vocabulary

acquaintance & acquaint v. make familiar with get acquainted with litter: trash, garbage litter bin decay: Noun 1. the process of gradually becoming inferior 2. a gradual decrease synonym: decline 3. the organic phenomenon of rotting synonym: decomposition

Verb fall into decay or ruin ;undergo decay or decomposition; disorder dis 1. 相当not,其意为“不”,如：dissimilar 不相似的 2. 相当于absence of,其意为“缺乏”,如： disinterest 不感兴趣的 3. 相当于opposite of,其意为“相反”,如： disfavor 不喜欢，失宠 4. 相当于undo或do the opposite of,其意为 “取消，反对”,如：disarrange 扰乱

5. 相当于deprive of,其意为“剥夺”, 如：disfranchise 剥夺公民权 6. 相当于remove,意为“除去”,如： disbud 摘去某植物的嫩芽 7. 相当于free from,意为“免除，分 离”,如：disintoxicate 戒毒 8. 相当于used as an intensive,用于强 调语气，如：disannul 取消，废除

enchanting: charming,attractive, intoxicant block – (esp. U.S.A) area of buildings bounded by four streets 街区(四条街道当中的区域) means: money; wealth; resources within one’s means 在经济能力之内 live within one’s means – base one’s expenditure upon one’s income 量入为出地生

活 live beyond one's means 过着超过自已收 入的生活

a row house: one of a series of identical houses situated side by side and joined by common walls (美)联立成排的房屋,联房,排房,有时后 面有小巷可通后院；也叫 terraced house handy – skillful in using one's hands 手巧 的

Mobility is one of the typical American personality. America is often compared to be a country on automobile. The desire to start a new life in a new place is noticeable throughout the nation. The Americans are adventurous, they like to try sth. new. Nearly half Americans change residences every year.

Handy―Americans like to be handy at all things. They want to be jack-of-all-trades( 万能 先生；对许多事都懂一点的人；博艺而不精 的工人). Nearly everyone knows how to use tools, make simple repairs to plumbing(水管 设施) or electrical fixtures, refinish furniture or paint a wall. Far from being thought a disgrace if he performs these “menial”(适合 仆人做的) tasks, a man is thought ridiculous if he does not know how to perform them.

dilapidated – (of things) broken and old 残破 的; in a state of disrepair 失修的; falling to pieces 倒塌的 expose: to put sb. in a harmful situation expose sb. to sth.使置身于危险之中 vacant:not occupied rap: knock reedy – shrill 尖声的

sinew – tendon 腱,肌肉 prey – an animal hunted or caught for food; quarry 捕获物，猎物 coordinate – harmonize on the side – as a secondary occupation 兼职 luscious – delicious pleasantry – a polite social utterance; a civility 礼仪；客套