Unit 3 Stevie Wonder Sunshine in the Shadow

Unit 3 Stevie Wonder Sunshine in the Shadow
Unit 3 Stevie Wonder Sunshine in the Shadow

Text A

Listening

First Listening

Before listening to the following tape, have a quick look at the words below.

amaze 使惊羡drum 鼓harmonica 口琴rock and roll music 摇滚乐porch 门廊audition 试唱hit 轰动一时的人album 集锦密纹唱片influential 有影响的encounter 遭到charts 排行榜

Second Listening

Now listen to the tape again. Then choose the best answer to each of the following question.

1.The main purpose of the listening passage is .

A to give an overview if Stevie Wonder’s life and caree

B to analyze different types of music popular albums

C to discuss different types of music in the U.S.

D to discuss the status of blind people in the U.S.

2.Stevie’s career as a pop musician can be described as

A a long struggle to gain fame

B a great success from a young age on

C a long but unremarkable career

D early popularity that didn’t last

3.Which of the following problems did Stevie’s NOT have to overcome?

A Being born poor and blind

B An unhappy childhood

C A serious car accident

D Both A and B

Pre—reading Questions

1.Do you know who Stevie Wonder is? What do you know about him and his

accomplishments?

2.Besides Stevie Wonder, what other people with physical disabilities do you

know about who have achieved fame and success ? Describe who they are and what they have done?

Stevie Wonder:

Sunshine in the Shadow

When Stevie Morris was born, on May 13, 1950, the doctors shook their heads and told the mother that her son was born blind and likely would always be that way. She broke into tears.

Blind and black and poor -- what kind of a life could this new infant have? In her wildest dreams, Mrs. Morris could never have imagined that her new baby would become a famous musician called Stevie Wonder. At the time, all she could do was pray — and worry.

Stevie himself didn’t worry at all. Life was too full. He was brought up among church-going people whose faith helped them bear the poverty. He loved music and would pound spoons or forks on any surface that faintly resembled a drum.

He even ran and played with sighted children. ―I didn’t realize I was blind until I was about four,‖ he says. That might sound strange. To a small child just learning about the world, it wasn’t strange at all. Stevie heard and smelled and touched. As far as he knew, that was all anyone could do. That was life.

When Stevie’s mother got tired of her tables being used for drums, she bought him a toy set. He played so hard that he had actually worn the toy out within a few weeks. Other toys sets followed; then an uncle added a toy harmonica, and Stevie learned to play it so quickly that everyone was amazed.

Stevie taught himself to play the piano as quickly as he had once learned the harmonica. With friends, he began playing rock and roll music. They performed on the front porch of Stevie’s apartment building, drawi ng crowds of neighbors to watch and listen and clap time to the beat.

―I loved that beat,‖ Stevie says. He not only loved the beat he was very good at making it.

Ronnie White, of the Miracles singing group, heard Stevie and promptly took him down to his recording company, Motown Records.

―Give him an audition,‖ Ronnie said. They did. All the top people at Motown got together to hear a little blind boy who wasn’t even ten years old yet. At first, they were being nice. Poor kid. They didn’t want to hurt his feelings.

Then they heard Stevie sing and play, and nobody said ―poor kid‖ anymore. They were too busy congratulating themselves on finding a youngster who could be the musical talent of the decade. ―He’s a wonder boy,‖ somebody said as they watched little Stevie dart from one instrument to the next, playing each one with ease.

―Wonder,‖ somebody said, ―Little Stevie Wonder‖.

The new name stuck and Stevie Morris became Little Stevie Wonder. He had his first hit when he was twelve years old. It was called ―Fingertips‖ and it was a smash.

Over the following years, Little Stevie Wonder became one of the top recording artists at Motown, producing one hit after another. But as he grew into adulthood, Stevie began to get tired of the way the Motown company controlled all aspects of his career. He wanted to write and produce his own songs, but the Motown company

thought it was unwise to change a winning formula. When he turned 21, Stevie finally got his freedom. Against Motown’s wishes he started exploring: he made records that combined gospel, rock and roll, and jazz and which used African and Latin American rhythms. To the record company’s surprise, Stevie’s new albums such as ―Music of My Mind‖ and ―Inner visions‖ were even more popular than his early ones. Stevi e Wonder had become a mature man and an independent musical artist.

Just after this success, however, tragedy struck. In August of 1973, Stevie was involved in a serious car accident. For nearly a week he lay in a coma, unable to speak or walk. ―We don’t know when he’ll be out of danger,‖ the doctor said. Everyone waited and prayed. Suddenly, it didn’t matter that Stevie was a musical genius or that he had conquered blindness and poverty. All he had left was his faith and strong will.

That turned out to be enough. Stevie fought back from the shadow of death as he had once fought out from the shadow of blindness. He went on to give more performances, make more hit records.

The car accident changed Stevie by making him reevaluate his goal in life. He still loved to make music, but he also started to pay more attention to the world outside. He worked to create a national holiday to honor the civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He recorded songs urging racial harmony and raised money to end world hunger. Recently, Stevie was honored by South African president Nelson Mandela for his work against that country’s system of racial apartheid.

Stevie Wonder has faith and fame, wealth and love. He has not only conquered his own darkness, but through his music and his social activities he has been able to bring sunshine to the shadow of other lives.

New words

1. sunshine ['s?n?ain] n. 阳光

2. infant ['inf?nt] n . 婴儿

3 pray [prei] vi. 祈祷

4 spoon [spu:n] n. 匙,

5 faintly ['feintli] ad. 微弱地

6 resemble [ri'zembl ]vt .类似

7 drum [dr?m] n. 鼓

8 sighted ['saitid] a. 看得见的.

9 harmonica [hɑ:'m?nik?] n. 口琴

10 amaze [?'meiz] vt. 使惊奇

11 p orch [p?:t?] n. 门廊

12apartment [?'pɑ:tm?nt] n. 公寓

13 clap [kl?p] vi. 拍手

14 miracle ['mir?kl] n .奇迹

15 promptly ['pr?mptli] ad. 及时地

16 audition [?:'di??n] n. 面试

17 kid [kid] n. 小孩

18 congratulate [k?n'gr?tjuleit] vt. 祝贺

19 youngster ['j??st?] n. 年轻人

20 talent ['t?l?nt] n.天才

21 decade ['dekeid] n.十年

22 dart [dɑ:t] n.猛冲

23 instrument ['instrum?nt] n.仪器

24 ease [i:z] n.容易

25 fingertip ['fi?g?.tip] n.指.

26 smash [sm??] v.粉碎

27 adulthood ['?d?lthud] n.成年

28 aspect ['?spekt] n.方面

29 career [k?'ri?] n.生涯

30 formula ['f?:mjul?] n.公式

31 explore [iks'pl?:] v.勘探

32 gospel ['g?sp?l] n.福音音乐

33 jazz ['d??z] n.爵士乐

34 rhythm ['rie?m] n.韵律

35 album ['?lb?m] n.集锦密纹唱片

36 independent [.indi'pend?nt] a.独立的

37 tragedy ['tr?d?idi] n.惨事

38 involve [in'v?lv] vt.使陷入

39 coma ['k?um?] n.昏迷

40 musical ['mju:zikl] a.音乐的

41 genius ['d?i:ni?s] n.天才

42 conquer ['k??k?] vt.征服

43 performance [p?'f?:m?ns] n.表演

44 reevaluate ['ri:i'v?ljueit] vt.重新评价

45 goal [g?ul] n.目的

46 hunger ['h??g?] n.饥饿

47 urge [?:d?] vt.力劝

48 racial ['rei??l] a.种族的

49 harmony ['hɑ:m?ni] n.和睦

50 system ['sist?m] n. 系统

51 apartheid [?'pɑ:theit] n. 南非种族隔离

52 fame [feim] n. 名声

53 activity [?k'tiviti] n. 活动Phrases and Expressions

1. break into 突然(哭、笑、唱)起来

2. bring up 抚养

3. as far as 就……

4. get tired of 厌倦

5. wear out 把…..用坏

6. congratulate oneself on/ that 因…..而暗自庆幸

7. with ease 容易地

8. grow into 成长为

Exercises

Reading Aloud

i.Read the following paragraphs until you have learned them by heart. Then,

translate them into Chinese.

Blind and black and poor—what kind of life could this new infant have? In her wildest dreams, Mrs. Morris could never have imagined that her new baby would become a famous musician called Stevie Wonder. At the time, all she could do was pray—and worry.

Stevie himself didn’t worry at all. Life was too full. He was brought up among church—going people whose faith helped them bear the poverty. He loved music and would pound spoons or forks on any surface that faintly resembled a drum.

Comprehension of the Text

ii.Answer the following questions.

1.What was the difference between the way Stevie’s mother responded to his

blindness and the way Stevie did?

2.What musical instruments did Stevie learn to play?

3.Where was the first place where Stevie performed?

4.How did Stevie get his nickname?

5.What conflict did Stevie have with Motown Records?

6.How different were the records Stevie made after turning 21?

7.What major difficulty did Stevie encounter in 1973?

8.How has Stevie’s life been different since the car accident?

Responding to the text

iii.Discuss the following questions in your group or with your class.

1.What does the title of the story, ―Sunshine in the Shadow‖ mean?How do

you like the seemingly self-contradictory title?

2.What do you think of Stevie and his accomplishments?

Vocabulary

iv.Fill in the following blanks with the words or expressions given below.

Change the forms where necessary.

wear out bear racial mature

draw conquer break into pay attention to

aspect perform as far as get tired of

1. The films he directed two decades ago still _____ large audiences today.

2. Of all the sorrow s she had to _____, none was so great as her son’s being

born blind.

3. He didn’t throw away the stockings until they were so _____ that they

couldn’t be mended anymore.

4. He finally _____ sitting in the office all day and longed for a more active

life.

5. He had a vision (幻想) of a society in which the members of

different races could live together in _____ harmony.

6. He _____ so little _____ what he was doing that he cut his face while

shaving.

7. Although he’s only 16 he has very _____ ideas about l ife.

8. He told such a funny story that everybody _____ laughter.

9. The concert at which the classical pianist _____ was a great success.

10. Although he made a great deal of money, he could never _____ his

feelings of worthlessness.

11. W e must consider all _____ of the plan before deciding.

12. _____ I know, it is not necessary to buy tickets in advance. They should

be available at the door.

v.Replace the underlined parts in the following sentences with words or expressions from the text that best keep each senten ce’s original meaning.

1. Having grown up in a church-going family, Bill is friendly, polite and

willing to help anyone in need.

2. As soon as he turned into a side road, he started to run.

3. The teacher was very much surprised to find that the laziest student in her

class had received a grade of 100 on an important test.

4. Mr. Johnson had made up his mind to go to Africa with the medical team.

His wife could do nothing but help him to pack up.

5. The twin brothers are like each other not only in appearance but also in

character.

6. Bob was intelligent and capable of passing his exam without difficulty.

7. The boy has overcome his fear of failure and is making great progress in

his studies.

8. She never buys cheap shoes for her son as they become useless very

quickly.

9. The job proved to be harder than we had thought.

10. To everyone’s surprise, Jane has become a beautiful young woman.

11. Her death at the age of 21 was a very sad event for the family.

12. When she found her child was running a high fever, she immediately

took him to hospital.

Word Building

vi.The suffix –ous can be added to nouns to form adjectives with the meaning having much, full of or causing, e.g. ,

famous =having much fame dangerous= causing danger The suffix –al can also be added to nouns to form adjectives with the meaning of, e.g. ,

musical=of music natural=of nature

Now form adjectives by adding –ous or –al to the nouns given below and then fill in the blanks in the following sentences with some of them. Make changes in spelling where necessary.

condition culture courage education industry nation humor joy medicine mountain murder person nerve logic poison victory space tradition

1. For such a famous, wealthy man, his life was surprisingly simple

and ordinary.

2. The school uses a combination of modern and methods for

teaching reading.

3. Mark Twain was one of American’s greatest writers. Computers

―think‖ in a much more logical way than human beings.

4. It was of her to challenge the managing director’s decision.

5. Can you tell the difference between mushrooms and edible

varieties?

6.Many teachers believe that reducing the size of classes will improve

standards.

7. The team was loudly cheered by their fans.

vii.The suffix –ness can be added to adjectives to form nouns with the meaning the quality or condition of being, e.g.

blindness = the condition of being blind

kindness = the quality of being kind

Add –ness to the adjectives given below and then fill in the blanks in the following sentence with some of them. Change the forms where necessary.

.correct ill prepared dark lazy friendly careless great cold eager nervous warm-hearted

1. With a big roar, the motorcycle disappeared into the .

2. The slightest when driving can result in a serious accident.

3. You have to conquer your if you want to become a good speaker.

4. They have made sure that everything is in a state of .

5. Remember, if your daughter shows any signs of , you must take

her to the doctor promptly.

6. Jack’s hands were tr embling with as he opened the letter from

his girlfriend.

Close

X. Fill in each of the blanks with an appropriate word.

Stevie Wonder’s life had been filled _____ challenges. However, he has

_____ each one by finding joy even in a life with a great deal of pain.

_____ he was born poor and _____, Stevie had a wonderful _____ because

he played with all of the sighted children. When young Stevie

discovered music, he _____ his family with his talent. Soon his _____ and

the world learned how gifted a musician he was. As a man, Stevie had to

_____ for the right to make music his own way. When he did make his

own _____, they were very popular. Stevie had trusted his own _____

enough to become a mature musical artist.

After a serious car _____, Stevie didn’t just survive. He became famous

not _____ for his music, but also for his public mindedness. He sang

_____ serious problems and the need for people everywhere to get _____.

The life of Stevie Wonder shows the importance of having a positive

_____ and trusting your own abilities.

Translation

viii.Translation the following sentences into English

1.据我所知,他们必须做的只是来见一见他们想抚养的孩子,并

填写一份表格。

2.随着他对世事的了解越来越多,他终于厌倦了对名利的追求。

3.小女孩的歌声给老人带来了欢乐,帮助他忍受住种种生活的

艰辛。

4.人们纷纷前来向他们祝贺又一座黄浦江大桥的胜利建成。

5.这个十岁的男孩小提琴拉得如此娴熟,在场的人都惊叹不已。

6.车祸之后,史蒂威重新评价了自己的人生目标,决定更多地注意

外部世界。

7.母亲即使做梦也没想到她的儿子会成为一名世界著名的钢琴家。

8.当听到他们的老师已摆脱了死亡的阴影时,学生们都大声欢呼.

Reading Analysis

When writing, it is often mire effective to show the reader what

you mean, by giving specific examples and concrete details, than

it is to tell them what you mean. For example, nowhere in Text A

do the authors tell you that Stevie Wonder was very

musically—talented as a child Instead, the text makes this

important point by giving specific examples of how Stevie’s

musical talent was expressed. Instead of telling you he was

musically talented, they are showing you this.

ix.Now reread paragraphs 3,5 and 6 and find four or five details showing that Stevie was musically—talented as a child. The first has been done for you as an example.

1.H e would pond spoons and forks on any surface that faintly

resembled a drum.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Structured Writing

x.Write a passage of no less than 100 words, showing that a person (your brother or sister, one of your classmates or friends, or yourself) is talented in a certain sport (basketball, football, tennis ...) or subject (math, physics, biology, history, Chinese, English ...).

Reading Supporting Skill III

Identifying Supporting Details

Good writes do not simply tell you what they mean. Once they

introduce a main idea (discussed in Unit Two), they will then

support it with examples, facts, statistics reasons, and experiences

of their own or of others. All of these are known as supporting

details. Without them, a writer’s ideas would remain abstract,

vague, and therefore unconvincing. The ability to identify the

supporting details a writer provides—and to evaluate how

convincing they are – is another important reading comprehension

skill.

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