Unit 1  Text 1   Never Say Goodbye

The text is the author's recall of the most important and unforgettable experiences that came about when he was between 10 and 12. He had learned from his grandfather the profound meaning of "Never say goodbye" and became firm and strong-willed as a child. The author wants to tell us that we should never give in to sadness，that we should always be firm and strong-willed，and that we should always remember the joyful and happy events of life as well as our cherished friendship This message is conveyed through his grandfather's narration of his own life experience. The following questions could be asked：

1）What is this narrative text concerned with?

Al: This text is concerned with the author's recall of his most important and unforgettable experiences that came about when he was a child between 10 and 12. The text tells us that the author had learned from his grandfather the profound meaning of“Never say goodbye" and became strong-willed as a child.

2）What is the message of the text?

A2: The text conveys the message that we should never give in to bitterness or sadness，that we should always be firm and strong-willed，and that we should always remember the joyful and happy events of life as well as our cherished friendship.

 

Paragraph I

Paragraph 1 introduces the background and serves as the beginning of the story. Through this paragraph we get to know something about the author and his problem. The following questions could be asked：

1）Why was the author seized with the anguish of moving from his home?

A1：Because it was the only home that the author had ever known. His whole life，brief as it was，had been spent in that big old house，gracefully touched with the laughter and tears of four generations. That was why he was feeling extremely reluctant and bitterly sad to move away from his old home.

2）What do you know about the author's home mentioned in the beginning?

A2: The author's home was a large old house，in which four generations had lived in harmony and experienced both happiness and sadness.

Language points

1．confront 

（1）be faced with and have to deal with

The actress was confronted by a large group of reporters as she left the stage door.

(2)  force to deal with or accept the truth of; bring face to face with

When the police confronted her with the evidence，she confessed she was guilty

2. anguish: very great pain and suffering，esp. of the mind

She was in anguish over her missing child.

The unspeakable anguish wrung her heart.

3. brief as it was: though it was short/brief; although it lasted a short time

4. gracefully

（1）in an attractively and effortlessly fine and smooth manner

Already in her fifties，she danced gracefully on the stage last night，attracting a large audience，who clapped their hands several times.

(2）in a way that shows willingness to behave fairly and honorably

He stepped on my left foot when we hurried into the elevator shaft, and immediately he apologize to me gracefully.

5. touched with the laughter and tears of four generations

touched with the happiness and bitterness of four generations

touch

(1)put one's hand onto sth. or sb. else

  In darkness，she felt someone touching her face.

Visitors are requested not to touch the paintings.

(2）have an effect on one's feelings；to cause one to feel pity，sympathy，etc.

His sad story so touched us that we nearly cried.

By the way，the phrase“be touched with" usually means“have a certain amount of a quality.”For example：

Her hair is touched with grey.

The boy is touched with genius.

In this sentence，however, the phrase is not exactly used in this meaning. It implies that“…the house which had seen/witnessed the joys and sorrows of the four generations of my family.”

Paragraphs 2一4

When the author was shuddering and crying on the final day on which he had to move from his old home，his grandfather came up to comfort him. When he told his grandfather that he could not bear to say goodbye to him and all his friends，his grandfather advised him not to use the word “goodbye" to friends，for it implied sadness. The following questions could be asked;

1）Why did the author shudder and shed tears when the final day came?

Al: Because he was extremely reluctant to leave and could not bear to say goodbye to his grand-father and his friends as well as to his big old house.

2）Why did his grandfather advise him not to use the word“goodbye" to friends?

A2: Because in the eyes of his grandfather the word“goodbye" seemed too final，too cold，for friends to use and it implied sadness or unhappiness，and also because his grandfather wanted him to think of joyful and happy events of life instead of feeling sad and miserable.

6. haven: a place of calm and safety

The school library is a little haven of peace and quiet.

As a tourists' haven，the small hotel is a home away from home.

7. porch:   a roofed entrance built out from a house or church；veranda

She sat in the shade on the porch.

8. shudder: shake uncontrollably for a moment, esp. from fear, cold，or dislike

She shuddered at the sight of the dead body.

I shudder to think how big the bill will be.

9. well（of liquid) flow or start to flow

Blood welled（out) from the cut.

She was so moved that tears welled（up，forth，out) in her eyes

10. rest on/upon

（1）lean on；to be supported by

The bridge rests on stone arches

The girl's head rested on her hands.

(2）(esp. of a proof, argument, etc.）be based on; be grounded on；depend on

Your argument rests on a statement that can't be proved.

We have tried everything；now it all rests on him.

11．through my tears:  with tears in my eyes；while shedding tears

through

（1）in at one side，end，or surface of something and out at the other

Water flows through this pipe.

He pushed his way through the crowd to the door.

（2）among or between the parts or members of

The monkeys swung through the trees.

I searched through my papers for the missing documents.

12.  stare

（1）look steadily for a long time，e. g. in great surprise or shock

He sat staring into space，thinking deeply.

She stared at the letter in disbelief.

(2）be very plain to see；to be obvious

The lies in the report stared out at us from every paragraph.

stare off, stare away；to move one's eyes from a point nearby to a farther place and fix them on it or look at it steadily

13. in common: having the same interests，attitudes，etc.

The boy and the girl have much in common in personality.

 

Paragraphs  5--9

The author's grandfather took him to see the huge red rosebush in the front yard. When his grandfather asked him what he saw there，he replied that he saw something soft and beautiful. His grandfather explained that it was not just the roses that were beautiful，but it was that special place in his heart that made the roses beautiful. The following two questions could be asked：

1）Why did the author's grandfather take him to see the rosebush in the front yard?

2）What did the author's grandfather mean by saying“It isn't just the roses that are beautiful，Billy. It's that special place in your heart that makes them so.”？

Al: Because the author's grandfather wanted to tell him a true story related to the rosebush and

hoped to enable him to feel with his heart how beautiful those roses were！Also because his grandfather wanted to reveal his special associations with the roses and with his saying goodbye

to his son，as well as to disclose the root cause of his advice not to say goodbye to one's relatives and friends.

A2: By saying "It isn't just the roses that are beautiful，Billy. It's that special place in your heart

that makes them so.”the author's grandfather meant：“It is not only the roses that are beautiful，Billy. Also，it is that special feeling you deeply cherish that makes them beautiful.”

14. look into:   investigate；examine the meaning or cause of

The police have received some complaints；now they are looking into them. This is a report that looks into the causes of unemployment.

15. gently:  in a manner or way that is not rough，violent，or severe

She gently brushed the baby's hair.

“Don't cry，”he said gently.

16. whisper

（1）speak or say very quietly so that only a person close by can hear

The children were whispering in the corner.

She whispered a warning to me and then disappeared.(2）（of the wind，leaves，etc.）make a soft sound

The wind was whispering in the roof.

The leaves of the trees were whispering in the wind.

17. hand in hand

（1）holding each other's hand (usually with the left hand of one in the right hand of the other)

The elderly couple are walking homeward hand in hand.

The heads of states are standing hand in hand, posing for a picture.(2）happening together and closely connected

Dirt and disease go hand in hand.

Theory and practice must go hand in hand.

18. rosebush:  a bush of roses玫瑰丛；蔷薇丛

There are very beautiful rosebushes in his garden.

The young lovers are fascinated by the rosebushes in the park.

19. conspicuously: in a way that is noticeable or easily seen；in an attractive manner

The magazine contains conspicuously attractive advertisements.

The posters on the walls around are conspicuously eye-catching.

 

Paragraphs 10-13

Paragraph 10 is a flashback. It tells us why the author's grandfather planted those roses and what the roses symbolized. Paragraph 11，though short, depicts the old man's expression of sad emotion. Paragraph 12 is also a flashback. It recounts the death of the old man's first son and his response to it. Paragraph 13 is the most important paragraph，for it conveys the message of the text. The following questions could be asked：

1）Why did the author's grandfather plant those roses?

Al: The author's grandfather put those roses into the soil the day his first son was born. It was his way of saying thank-you to God. In other words，he felt so happy and gay on the day his first son was born that he wanted to thank God for his happy fortune by planting those roses.

2）What kind of advice did the author's grandfather offer in Paragraph 13?

A2: His grandfather advised him never to give in to the sadness and the loneliness of that word goodbye. He wanted him to remember instead the joy and the happiness of those times when he first said hello to a friend. He very much wanted him to take that special hello and lock it away within him一in that place in his heart where summer is an always time. And he wanted him to reach deep within him and recall that first hello when he and his friends must part from each other.

20. before your mother was even a dream:    before your mother was born／before we thought of having a daughter

21. pick

（1）take what one likes or considers best，or most suitable from a group

The students have to pick three courses from a list of fifteen.

She has been picked to head the planning committee.

(2）gather; pull or break off（part of a plant) from a tree or plant

She picked some flowers from her garden.

He picked some roses and gave them to his girlfriend.

（3）take up or remove something separately or bit by bit using the fingers，a beak，a pointed instrument, etc.

The vultures were picking the meat from the carcass. The dog picked the bone clean.

22. hoarse:（of a voice) rough-sounding，as though the surface of the throat is rougher than usual，e. g. when the speaker has a sore throat

My voice has become hoarse since I began to have a sore throat.

When the football match was going on，we cheered for our team and we shouted and shouted until our voices went hoarse.

23. evil: a great wickedness or misfortune

We must conquer the twin evils of disease and poverty. The greed for money is the root of all evils.

24. tiny: extremely small；very small

Being a small woman，she gave birth to a tiny baby.

25. give in to:     give way；surrender; allow oneself to be beaten

The two boys fought until one gave in to the other.

Don't give in to their demands，which know no bounds.

26. lock it away within you:  fasten it firmly in your mind；imprint it on your mind；bear it in your mind and never forget it

lock:

（1）fasten with a lock

Lock the door after you. The door won't lock.

（2）put in a safe place and lock the entrance or opening

She locked her jewels in a safe.

lock away:     lock up；put in a safe place and fasten the lock

She had locked her money away before she went away on holiday，but when she returned home，she found that all her money was gone.

27.…in that place in your heart where summer is an always time… in that place in your heart where there is always sunlight and warmth.／…in that place in your heart which is al-ways filled with joy and happiness. Here，it is easy to see that“where summer is an always time" is metaphorical. And the word“always” which is always an adverb，is used as an adjective here. Maybe this reveals that the old man was not well-educated.

28. part:（to cause to) separate or be no longer together

I hope that we part as friends（＝remain friends as we part)

The war parted many men from their families.

29. I want you to reach deep within you and bring back that first hello:  I want you to get to the bottom of your heart and recall that first hello.／I want you to think deeply and recall the friendly occasions on which you met your friends and said hello to them for the first time.

30. bring back

（1）cause to return

All library books must be brought back before the end of the term.If I go with you in your car，will you be able to bring me back?

(2）obtain and return with

He brought some beautiful carpets back from Iran.

When you go to the post office，will you bring back some stamps for me?(3）cause to return to the mind

Hearing the song brings back some happy memories. Seeing her again brought all sweet memories back.

Paragraphs 14-20

These paragraphs tell us about the illness of the author's grandfather, about how the author bid farewell to his grandfather and how he responded to his grandfather's death. The last sentence of the last paragraph is especially worth paying much attention to. The following questions could be asked：

1）Why did the author's grandfather want his bed to be next to the window?

A1：He wanted his bed to be placed next to the window because he wanted to see his beloved rosebush through it and because the sight of the rosebush would remind him of the joy and happiness of life he had experienced and make him feel nice and good and happy.

2）Why was the family summoned to the old house?

A2: The family was summoned to the old house because it was decided that the oldest grand-children would be allowed to say their goodbyes to their grandfather，who was dying

3）What do you think of the parting between the author and his grandfather?

A3: The parting between the author and his grandfather was so cheerful and pleasant as if they were old friends greeting each other, which showed that his grandfather adopted an optimistic attitude towards his own death and that the author became so strong-willed as not to give into the sadness.

4）How did the author respond to his grandfather's death?

A4: When he was told that his grandfather had died，the author remained perfectly calm and composed instead of being plunged into bitter sadness. Remembering his Grandpa's words，he reached deep within him for those special feelings that had made up their friendship. Suddenly，and truly，he realized what his grandfather had meant about never saying goodbye一about refusing to give in to the sadness.

31．gravely: in a way showing great seriousness；（of manner) in a state of being serious and solemn

“The situation poses a serious threat to peace，”said the ambassador gravely.

32. beloved:（a person who is) dearly loved

It is a gift from my beloved.

His beloved wife died.

33. summon: order officially to come

The guards were summoned into the presence of the Queen.

34. when it came to my turn:  when it was my turn to say goodbye

turn：

（1）an act of turning；a single movement completely round a fixed point

Don't pull the handle；give it a turn.

Give the key a turn，and the lock will open.

(2）a point of change in time

Young people at the turn of the century must draw up a mighty blueprint.

35. note

（1）notice and remember; observe

Note the way this writer uses the present tense for dramatic effect. Please note that this bill must be paid within 10 days.

(2）remark；call attention to

The report notes with approval the government's efforts to resolve this problem

36. breathe

（1）take air, gas，etc. into the lungs and send it out again

The doctor told me to breathe in deeply and then to breathe out slowly. I will remember the day as long as I breathe.

(2）whisper; say softly

He breathed words of love into her ear.

She breathed a sigh of relief when she heard that she had passed the exam.