Unit 8 Section A Reports on Britain Under the Bombs Background information Text structure analysis...

Unit 8 Section A

Reports on Britain Under the Bombs

Background informationText structure analysisSummary of the passageGrammar & Language pointsDifficult sentences & translationWriting skills After-reading discussion

New Horizon College English §Book 2

World War II :

World War II, also called the Second World War, was a conflict that involved virtually every part of the world during the years 1939-1945. The principal parties were the Axis powers( 轴心国 ) — Germany, Italy, and Japan — and the Allies( 同盟国 ) — France, Great Britain, the United States, the Soviet Union and China. The war was in many respects a continuation of the conflicts left unsettled by World War I. The 40-50 million deaths in World War II make it the bloodiest conflict as well as the largest war in history.

I. Background Information

Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) : Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) made media h

istory beginning in the late 1920s. William Paley put money into the Columbia Broadcasting System, which was then a small, struggling radio network, in 1928. In 1974 it adopted the name CBS, Inc. In 1995 CBS, Inc. was bought by the Westinghouse Electric Corporation, which changed the name in 1997 to the CBS Corporation. The main offices are in New York City.


Home Guard

Home Guard is usually a military organization of citizens with limited military training for emergency service, usually for local defense. During World War II the Home Guard was established in the U.K.

Check out the web site at http://www.home-guard.org.uk for more detailed information about Home Guard in the U.K.


Marshal Goering Marshal Goering was born in Bavaria. Trained for an army care

er, Goering received his assignment in 1912 and served with distinction during World War I. Later, Goering met Adolf Hitler and joined the small National Socialist German Workers’ (Nazi) Party in 1922. Since then, Goering worked tirelessly as Hitler’s most loyal supporter. He was Reich official for air fighters and head of the newly developed Luftwaffe (German air force). He had, at one time, been responsible for the Gestapo and the concentration camps. Goering was the most popular of the Nazi leaders, not only with the German people but also with the representatives and agents of foreign powers. But he was shamed when the Luftwaffe failed to win the battle of Britain or prevent the Allied bombing of Germany. After Hitler’s suicide, he surrendered himself to the Americans. He was sentenced to be hanged, but instead he drank some poison and died in his prison room at Nurnberg the night he was given his death sentence.


Royal Air Force (RAF)

Royal Air Force (RAF) is the youngest of the three British armed services, charged with the air defense of the United Kingdom and fulfillment of international defense commitments. At the beginning of World War II in September 1939, the first-line strength of the RAF in the United Kingdom was about 2,000 airplanes. The RAF fighter pilots, however, distinguished themselves during the Battle of Britain in the early stages of the war against the many more German Luftwaffe.


The Allied Nations

The Allied Nations: The main countries involved in World War II were the Axis powers — Germany, Italy, and Japan — and the Allies (the Allied Nations) — France, Great Britain, the United States, the Soviet Union and China. The war ended with the victory being won by the allied nations in 1945. For more information about the Axis and the Allies, check out the web sites listed in Entry 1 of this Section.


How is the text organized? The passage is broadly put into four parts: Part I (Paras. 1-2) : A general introduction to Murrow & his reports

By narrating the time, place and character, the writer leads the reader to his main topic—reports on London’s battle for survival under German bombs; and then he states his attitude toward the battle through the description of the reporter’s voice.

II. Text Analysis

Part II (Paras. 3-9): How the battle raged and London endured

To impress the reader, the writer adopts the devices of both comparison and contrast and deduction to show how bitter and fierce the battle was, on the one hand, and how great and unique London was, on the other.

Part III (Paras. 10-13): What made Murrow’s voice sound heroic By narrating in detail how the Londoners embodie

d their resolution to win the battle in their different duties, the writer shows to readers why Murrow’s voice sounded heroic.

Part IV (Paras. 14-15): Murrow’s projection of the eventual victory By quoting directly from Murrow’s report, the aut

hor makes clear his statement that any political system that best provides for the defense and decency of the ordinary people will win.

What is the main idea of the text?

Through the medium of Murrow’s deep and steady voice, the writer reports about what happened to London under the waves of Nazi bombers. According to Hitler’s logic, it seemed impossible for any city to endure under such heavy raids, for he had dealt effectively with Rotterdam and Warsaw as he did with London. But London, with her people pulling together and putting up a stiff resistance, endured and continued to be there.

III. Summary

survival: survival: (L2)

1) state of continuing to live or exist 2) a person , thing , custom, belief, etc. that has survived

from a earlier time

Many small companies are struggling for survival due to strong competition.

因为竞争激烈，很多小公司在努力求生存。

the survival of the fittest 适者生存

IV. Grammar & Language Points

The survival of beliefs from generation to generation shows the strength of oral communication. 人们的信仰得以一代一代传承下来说明了口头传播的巨大

作用。

In the small village, the survival rate from the earthquake is very low.

这次地震中生存下来的人比例很低。

slight: (L4) (L4)

small, not considerable; not serious or important

Henry drank a little too much that night. Waking up next morning, he felt a slight headache.

那晚 Henry 有点儿喝多了，第二天早上醒来时他觉得头有点儿痛。

Don’t be so serious. It’s just a slight problem. 别那么认真。这只不过是个小小的问题。


endureendure ：： (L9) bear (pain, suffering, etc) patently or for a long time 忍

受 remain alive or in existence, esp. in spite of difficulties; l

ast, continue to exist

These traditions have endured throughout the years. 这些传统千百年来没间断过 .

Though spoken by only a small number of people, this language endured and survived.

虽然只有少数人使用这种语言 , 它却被保存了下来 .


cast a dark shadow over ：： (L11)1) put, cause or direct (a look, thought, feeling or opini

on)2) throw with force

The setting sun cast long shadows across the garden.

夕阳在花园里投下了一条长长的阴影。

So far the police examination has not cast any light on her disappearance.

警方调查迄今尚未对她的失踪提供任何线索。


To cast aside one’s doubts打消疑虑

The fishermen cast their nets into the sea.渔民在海上撒网。

surrender ：： (L17)

1) give up or give in to the power( esp. of an enemy), as a sign of defeat2) give sth to sb.else because one has been forced to do so

or because it is necessary to do so. He surrendered voluntarily to the police. 他主动向警方投降。

The police ordered them surrender their weapons. 警方命令他们放下武器。


搭配 :

surrender one’s privileges 放弃特权

surrender a fortress 放弃要塞

surrender to 投降 , 屈服

…German bombers hammered the city with bombs in broad daylight: (L26) =… attacked the city severely with bombs …hammer: v. & n. 1) hit or beat sth with a hammer 2) 榔头，锤子

Hammer the nail into the wall with a hammer. 把钉子钉进墙里。

to hammer something into somebody 竭力告诫；力劝；努力说服某人


in broad daylight: 光天化日之下 (L27) If we say a crime is commited in broad daylight, we ar

e actually expressing our surprise that it’s done during the day when everyone can see it rather than at night.

People were shocked that the latest murder happened in broad daylight.

最近一次谋杀案是在光天化日之下发生的，人们都为此感到震惊。


historic & historicalhistoric & historical:: (L27)

1) important in or having influence on history 在历史上重要的，有历史影响的2) historical 历史的，历史上的 A historic event/ spot/ speech 历史上著名的事件 / 地点 / 演说

辨析 : historical: 历史上的 . 强调 “有历史真实性 , 非虚构的”

historical events and people 历史事件和人物 historical study: 历史研究 Historical novel/play: 历史小说、历史剧（内容与历史上的人物、事件有关）


agonyagony ：： a state or a feeling of extreme pain or suffering (L32)

In an agony of suspense and fear, the criminal waited for the verdict.

在极度悬念和痛苦之下，那个罪犯等待着判决。

I was in an agony of doubt before I got the message. 在接到消息之前，我疑虑不安，十分痛苦。


搭配 : alleviate agony 减缓痛苦experience agony 经受痛苦stand/ endure agony 忍受痛苦suffer the agony of 受…的折磨mental agony 精神折磨untold agony 难以言表的痛苦

on the air ：： broadcasting on radio or TVbroadcasting on radio or TV (L42)IV. Grammar & Language Points

The programme comes on the air every day. 这个节目每天都播送。

The news will be on the air tonight 这个新闻今晚将要广播。

The ball game is on the air now. 电视台现在正在播放球赛。

比较：on the air: 开始广播或电视转播off the air: 停止广播 This message didn’t come to me until the program went off the air.节目结束后我才接到消息。

in the air: 在空中 The music lingered in the air.

put on airs: 摆架子 She put on airs after marrying a millionaire.

她嫁给一个百万富翁后就学会了装腔作势。余音缭绕。

watch for: (L47)

1) watch carefully; pay attention to We must watch for fires.

They kept watching for the thieves at the railway station.

他们在火车站时刻注意警戒着小偷。我们一定要当心火灾。


2) look for; expect and wait for You had better wait and watch for a better chance. 你还是等一下，找个更好的机会。 Watch the newspaper for the advertisement.

留意报上的广告。

flock: n. & v. (L40)n. a group of (birds, people etc.) 一群 / 一伙

A flock of sheep blocked the road. 一群羊挡住了路。

Customers in flocks were waiting for the store to open. 成群的顾客正在商店门口等着商店开门营业。

There is a black sheep in every flock.

[谚 ] 人多必有败类。


v. gather, move, come or go together in great numbers

People flock in from all quarters. 人们从四面八方涌来 .

Birds of a feather flock together. 鸟以群分 , 物以类聚。

mark down: write down (Para 9)

Just a moment. Let me mark down your name and address 。

If you saw a traffic accident, make sure to mark down the licence of the car.

如果你看到交通事故 , 务必记下汽车的牌照号码。等一下，让我把你的姓名和地址记下来。


Support a General Idea with Details IV. Writing—Structure Writing

A Paragraph

General statement + details

Normally, a writer presents his statements and supports it with specific details.

Practice 1: Use specific details to support a general statement.A general statement : Brain drain becomes a big problem for the country. Specific details: _________________________________ _______________________________________________

____.

Practice 2:

A general statement : War is bloody

Specific details: __________________________________

________________________________________________

____

_____________________________.

Unit 8 Section A Reports on Britain Under the Bombs Background information Text structure analysis...

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