Unit 3

Part I  Pre-Reading Task

Script for the recording:

The song you are about to hear is all about a "Saturday Night Special". Listen and see if you can guess what a Saturday Night Special is.

Saturday Night Special

Lynyrd Skynyrd

Two feets¹ they come a-creepin' ² Like a black cat do. Ana two bodies are layin' naked, Creeper thinks lie's got nothin' to lose.

So he creeps into the house, yean, And unlocks the door, And as a man's reachin' for his trousers Snoots him full or 38 holes.

It's the Saturday Night Special, Got a barrel that's blue and cold. Ain't no good for nothing⁴ But put a man six feet in a hole.

Big Jim's keen a-drinkin' whiskey, And playin' poker on a losin' night,

1 Two feets: Normally we say two feet.

2 a-creepin: in the state of creeping, "a-", here, is a prefix meaning "in the state or process of.

3 38 refers to a 38 calibre (P S) handgun or pistol.

4 Ain't no good for nothing: a non-standard way of saying "They are good for nothing"

- 102 -        Appendix  I

And pretty soon ol' Jim starts thinkin' Somebody's been cheatin' and lyin' .

So big Jim commenced to fightin'¹,

I wouldn't tell you no lies.

big Jim done pulled his pistol,

Snot his friend right between the eyes.

It's the Saturday Night Special, Got a barrel that's blue and cold. Ain't no good for nothin' But put a man six feet in a hole.

On, that's a Saturday Night Special,

For twenty dollars you can buy yourself one, too.

Hand guns are made for till in , They ain't no good for nothin' else. And if you like to drink your whiskey You might even shoot yourself.

So why don't we dump'em people To the bottom of the sea Before some ol' fool come around here, Wanna shoot either you or me.

It's the Saturday night special

You got a barrel that's blue and cold

You ain't good for nothin'

But put a man six feet in a bole.

It's the Saturday night special

And I'd like to tell you what you could do with it

And that's the end of the song.

The unit we are going to study, like the song you have just heard, is all about the threat of crime. It starts with a burglar creeping into a house at night. The couple in the house have gone to bed as the song says. Despite creeping the burglar must have awoken the man, for he is getting up, "reachin' for his trousers", when the burglar shoots him several times, "full of holes".

1 So big Jim commenced to fightin': Normally we say "Big Jim commenced to fight or commenced fighting".

Appendix  I       - 103-

Which brings us to the "Saturday Night Special", with its "barrel blue and cold", a handgun. Despite calling it by such a familiar name, it's clear the singer has no time for the handgun. He sings of it as being good for nothing but sending people to their grave, putting a man down "six feet in a hole".

From the dangers of burglars with guns, the singer moves on to how dangerous guns can be when drinking leads to violence. We hear the story of Big Jim, the gambler. As he gets drunk, Big Jim starts to suspect he is losing at cards because others are cheating. He gets into an argument and reaches for his Saturday Night Special. He shoots his friend "right between the eyes".

Pistols in America are cheap at just twenty dollars, but the singer warns against having one. Those foolish enough to do so are not only a danger to others, but also a danger to themselves, for, as he sings, "if you like to drink your whiskey, you may even shoot yourself."

Part II Text A

Text Organization

1. 1) Doors are not left unlocked either in cities or in rural areas.

2)         Dead-bolt locks, security chains, electronic alarm systems and trip wires are widely in use.

3)         Suburban families have steel bars built in sliding glass doors.

4)    Small notices warning against burglary are commonly seen pasted on the windows of the most pleasant of homes.

5)    Access cards are required of those who work with medium to large-size companies.

6)    Airport security uses electronic X-ray equipment to guard against terrorism.

7)    Businessmen employ new machines linked up to their telephone to help determine whether the caller is telling lies or not.

8)         Suburban housewives wear rape whistles on their key chains.

2.

- 104 -        Appendix  I

vices, in varied forms, are put to use.

Part Three            Paras 16-19

By locking our fears out, we become prisoners of our own making.

Vocabulary

2) analyze

4)civilize

6)closed up

8)paste

10)sideways

12)hook up to

14)chart

2) looked back on

4) fit into

6) lies in

8) stand for

3.   1) A certain gene which is likely to make people vulnerable to asthma has been found by

researchers at the Department of Clinical Medicine in Oxford.

2)    A wardrobe with mirrored doors had to be built in so as to make their small bedroom look larger.

3)         The NBC show's opening shots feature the space shuttle Challenger blowing up in January 1986—killing all seven crew.

4)    Colds can be held at bay by increasing your intake of fruit and vegetables which are both low in calories and rich in Vitamin C.

5)    Energy difficulties are a major barrier to the country's economic growth due to the fact that imported oil has absorbed 40% of its foreign exchange / because imported oil has absorbed 40% of its foreign exchange.

4.   1) Jacob looked back on his summer holidays spent on the Big Island of Hawaii with its

beautiful landscape and tranquil atmosphere as a rare escape from the madness of urban life.

2) I was puzzled by the word "e-mail" when I came across it for the first time years ago. "What is an e-mail? What on earth does the letter 'e' here stand for?" I asked myself. Later, I got to know that e-mail is a system for communicating messages by electronic rather than physical means.

Appendix   I      - 105 -

3) Mr. Smith has, over the years, established his name as a successful used-car dealer in the minds of local people. He places regular though small advertisements in newspapers fea­turing affordable second-hand cars, vans and trucks. At the back of his premises he owns a used-car lot (停车场) which faces a deserted street.

II.  Collocation

1. away                                                     2.   inside/in

3. forward/through                                     4.   back

5. off                                                         6.   home

7. back, down                                            8.   in, out

III.  Usage

1.          Internet is not such an unusual word as it used to be.

2.          Most men do not look unattractive in them.

3.          Wealthy as she is, she is not unconcerned by her sudden unemployment.

4.    This claim is not unrealistic in view of a sharp decrease in the city's violent crimes.

5.          His poor health is not unrelated to his unhealthy way of life.

Structure

1.1) It never occurred to me to ask him what was intended by that remark. I thought he was just joking.

2)    It occurred to me that the names of their children—Rose, Lily and Daisy—were the names of flowers.

3)    When he heard her say so, it occurred to him that for convenience he also could contact the local travel agency and ask them to take care of everything.

4)    Has it never occurred to you that the problems in the Middle East are complicated and difficult to solve?

2.1) If they don't agree to work extra hours for no extra pay, chances are that they will be dismissed.

2)         Research is being carried out on the disease and progress is being made at present. Chances are that there will be a cure within the next ten years.

3)    If you are eating lots of fatty food, chances are that you'll put on several pounds in a matter of weeks.

4)    He left his office an hour ago but hasn't got home yet. Chances are that he's got stuck in a traffic jam.

- 106 -          Appendix  I

Comprehensive Exercises

I. Cloze

(A)

1. Statistics

3. era

5. on the latch

7. barriers

9. electronic

11. puzzle

(B)

1. worse / scarier

3. Yes / True

5. from

7. every

9. say

11. chances

13. when

15. Don't

2. rural

4. stood for

6. vulnerable

8. at bay

10. reflection

12. civilized

2. tougher / harder

4. barricading

6. not

8. However

10. back / at bay

12. Therefore

14. leave

16. head/brains

II. Translation

A burglary is reported every 15 seconds in the United States. Statistics show burglars en­tered more than 2 million homes last year. Actually it is almost impossible to keep a determined burglar out. All you can do is discourage him for a few minutes, thus exposing him to police patrols or those wandering around. Common sense tells us that lighting is a barrier to criminal activity. A light should be fixed in the doorway and switched on at night. Believe it or not, some people, particularly children who happen to be the last to come in, leave their doors on the latch at night. Doors of hollow core, even when locked, are vulnerable to break-ins. Thus doors of solid core or steel are much preferred as they make it difficult for the burglar to pry open. If you decide to buy an alarm device, be sure to ask for its signs and put them up on both windows and doors. Finally, a word of warning—when you travel, make sure that you have a trusted neighbor collect and keep all the deliveries of newspapers and mail until you return. This is because a collection of newspapers and mail on the front doorstep or in your mailbox is an advertisement that no one is home.

Appendix  I       - 107 -

Part III TextB

Comprehension Check

1. b

3. b 5. a

2. b 4. d 6. d

translation

(#JE Appendix III)

Language Practice

1. impact

3. draw the line at

5. circumstance

7. take the plunge

9. aggressive

11. advocated

13. departed

15. target

17. head for

19. on the line

2. inflicted

4. recommend

6. break into

8. conclude / have concluded 10. confirm

12. insure

14. in our favor

16. count on

18. Under no circumstances 20. aimed at

Part IV Theme-Related Language Learning Tasks

Model paper

Why We Are against Gun Control

Should Americans oppose gun control? Of course we should. The gun is the great equalizer. It does not matter whether you are a big tough man or a small frail woman. With a gun in your hand you stand at the same height.

What's more, it is the foundation of our nation. Without it there would be no Republic as it is,