高級語課堂演示版課件

1、 Unit 4 Blackmail by Arthur Hailey Background InformationArthur Hailey: the author of a number of bestselling novels. Born in Luton, England, in 1920, he was educated in English schools until age fourteen. After a brief career as an office boy, he joined the British Royal Air Force in 1939 and serve

2、d through World War II, rising through the ranks to become a pilot and flight lieutenantIn 1949 Hailey immigrated to Canada, where he was successively a real estate salesman, business paper editor and a sales and advertising executive .He became, and still is a Canadian citizen. He makes his home at

3、 Lyford Cay in the Bahamas. In 1956 Arthur Hailey scored his first writing success with a TV drama, Flight into Danger, which later became a motion picture and a novel, Runway Zero-Eight (1958). Background Information His WorksThe sensational Hailey bestsellers include:The Final Diagnosis (1959), In

4、 High Places (1962),Hotel (1966),Airport (1968), Wheels (1971), The Moneychangers (1975).Though a Canadian himself, he set the scene of most of his works in the United States. Each of his books deals with one particular field of society. This is made clear by the titles of his books. It is this pecu

5、liarity of his that is value to those who are eager to learn about contemporary American society.Background Information About the Novel The St. Gregory Hotel is the largest in New Orleans, Louisiana. For 4 days from Monday evening to Friday, the hotel goes through a succession of dramatic events. Wi

6、th the hotels mortgage due by the weekend and with no chance of getting further renewal, the owner, Warren Trent, reluctantly makes up his mind to sell his hotel to a chain hotel owner, Curtis OKeefe. Peter McDermott, the assistant general manager, has to tackle several other knotty problems: handli

7、ng an attempted rape which has occurred in one of the hotels rooms; catching a professional thief operating in the hotel; pacifying a whole convention of several hundred dentists to putting up a member of the convention-a black doctor. Then there is the Duke of Croydon. About the Novel The Duke is a

8、n internationally famous statesman and the newly-appointed British ambassador to Washington. He and his wife occupy the best suite in St. Gergory. On Monday evening while driving back with his wife from a gambling house, the Duke and the Duchess, however, drive away. The hit-and-run becomes top sens

9、ational news in New Orleans. About the Novel About the Novel The hotels chief house detective Ogilvie notices the battered car when it comes back. Instead of reporting this to the police, he goes to see the Duke and the Duchess. He promises to keep quiet about what he knows and asks for a large sum

10、of money in return for the favour. About the novel HotelTHE DUKE, NOW TOTALLY AT A LOSS AS TO HOW TO ACT, HIDES BEHIND THE SKIRT OF HER WIFE. THE DUCHESS UNDERSTANDS THAT TO GET THEMSELVES OUT OF THIS MESS, THE CAR HAS TO BE DRIVEN OUT OF THE SOUTH WHERE PEOPLE ARE ALERTED ABOUT THE HIT-AND-RUN. SO

11、SHE OFFERS TO PAY OGILVIE MORE THAN HE HAS ASKED ON CONDITION THAT HE DRIVES THE CAR TO CHICAGO UP IN THE NORTH. THE GREEDY DETECTIVE AGREES. AT ONE OCLOCK THURSDAY MORNING OGILVIE GETS THE CAR OUT OF THE GARAGE. He is seen leaving by one person only, by Peter McDermott, the assistant general manage

12、r. Though it strikes him as odd, Peter does not link this up with the hit-and-run until late that afternoon when he witnesses the funeral of the two victims of the accident. . He contacts police headquarters right away. By this time, Ogilvie has crossed Louisiana and Mississippi, driving by night an

13、d concealing the car by day. He thinks that everything is going smoothly, little knowing that he is already being followed by the Highway patrol cruisers. In Tennessee, he is caught and sent back to New Orleans.At first the Duchess tries to deny everything, but doesnt succeed in convincing the polic

14、e. The Duke then decides to go over to police headquarters before they come for him, wishing to save the little shreds of decency left in him. He takes an elevator to go down. This elevator which has been out of order for some time and badly in need of repair breaks down. As it goes down, one set of

15、 clamps holds and the other fails. The elevator car twists, buckles and splits open, throwing the Duke nine floors down to the cement ground. He dies instantly. However, the novel ends with a pleasant surprise. A sick, old eccentric man staying in the hotel turns out to be an extremely wealthy man f

16、rom Montreal, Canada. Earlier, he fell seriously ill and was saved by Peter and his girl friend. To show his gratitude and repay their kindness, he buys the hotel from its former owner and makes Peter the new executive vice-president, with complete authority to run the hotel as he thinks fit.Introdu

17、ction to the Passage 1. Type of literature: a piece of narration -character, action, conflicts, climax and denouement 2. Main idea 3. Organization: -introduction -development -climax -conclusion Setting:The story happened in a hotel named St. Gregory in New Orleans, Louisiana which is in the south o

18、f USThe structure of the textPart 1 : pars 1-21. Both parties are equally strong in power.Part 2: pars 22-47. The power of Duchess is gradual declining, until she has completely collapsed, while the power of Ogilvie is increasingly strengthened and then plays a dominating role in their conversation.

19、 Part 3: Pars 48-74. The conversation goes friendly, like a talk between friends rather than rivals. Ogilvie still plays a dominating role. Although Duchess is under the control of Ogilvie, she is ready to counterattack when it is possible.Part 4: Pars 75- 109. By making full use of Ogivlies greed,

20、Duchess seizes the opportunity to turn the defeat into victory (反敗為勝)Part 1A. Appreciation-Characterization: Ogilvie: Appearance: piggy eyes (small, narrow eyes lost in the mass of flesh) Gross jowled face (gross: big, fat, jowl: the fleshy, hanging part under the lower jaw) Obese body/ Thick, flesh

21、y fingers/Speaks in falsetto (an artificial way of singing or speaking, in which the voice is placed in a register much higher than that of the natural voice) Bulbous countenancePersonality: cunning, sophisticated, professional detectiveUngrammatical sentences and slangse.g. “ pretty neat set-up you

22、 folks got.”: Neat : nice, set-up: arrangement of furniture. e.g. “ like that car of yours. The one you keep here in the hotel. Jaguar, aint it?” e.g. f you want it the other way, just say so. e.g. sos: so as so thatcolloquialism and slang wordse.g. pretty neat set-up you folks got. Neat is slangy,

23、meaning nice, fine e.g. “ I told you cut it out!” e.g. Dont play games, lady. This is for real. Slang unscrupulous, greedye.g. he lit the fresh cigar. “ now were getting somewhere.”Get somewhere : make progress.e.g. “ but I come to you first”(to show his cunning ,greedy ,ill nature, take the advanta

24、ge of others misfortune, ,)Duchesstactful1). the Duke and Duchess were excessively frayed when the muted buzzer of the outer door eventually sounded.2). (paragraph 2) the Duchess dispatched her maid, and instructed the male secretary to go out for a walk. It indicates that she is well-prepared for t

25、he coming of intruder.3). “ in what conceivable way does my concern you?” to make sure of her puzzle , whether Ogilvie mentions the car purposely or occasionally.well-educated , a woman of strong character, firm In contrast with Ogilvie, the Duchess always speaks with good grammar, and formal dictio

26、n.e.g. 1). the Duchess looked pointed at the half-burned cigarlook pointed at: directly and sharply at the cigar. The Duchess tries to intimidate him with her superior social position.2). “would you kindly put that out.” - a period instead of a question mark, indicating it is an order rather than a

27、request.1). “would you kindly put that out.” - a period instead of a question mark, indicating it is an order rather than a request.2). seated herself in a straight-backed chair. Ogilvie remained standing.She sits and he stands. It shows their different social status, sitting on a straight-backed ch

28、air indicates her superiority. 3) The Dutchess of Croydonthree centuries of inbred arrogance behind her-did not yield easily.Duchess: imperious, dominating4). springing to her feet, her face wrathful “You unspeakable blackguard! How dare you!”hearing this , she cant stay calm but lose her temper.Wha

29、t can we infer about the Duke from his emission?He is a simple-minded man.Duke: (according to the novel: famous statesman, newly-appointed British ambassador to Washington), fond of gambling, liquor and women, coward, weak-minded, submissive to his wifee.g “Aah!”: an emission from the Duke.His wife

30、shot him a swift warning glance.Shot him: look at him sharply. It indicates that she plays a dominant role in the family.The function of cigar Pay attention to an important tool, a symbolthe cigar (read all sentences referring to the cigar)A series of acts with cigar:e.g. He came in with a cigar. Kn

31、ocked off its ash, flipped the butt, fell on the carpet . waved the cigar in front of her.Notes: Lord 對有侯、 伯、 子、 男世襲爵位貴族的尊稱The Lords 英國上議院A cigar for him is a tool to humiliate the Duchess rather than the cigar itself DuchessOgilvieWould you kindly put that out. A wave of cigar accompanied himHer li

32、ps tightened Taking the time, butt fell on the carpetWrinkled her nose, no comment Leisurely puffing a cloud of cigar smoke He paused to puff again This cigar bothering youPart 2 A. Appreciation: (After the evidence is shown, the relative strength of the two sides changes)Duchesss side: struggling(掙

33、扎), yet is declining in power. 1 wearily, in a gesture of surrender, the Duchess of Croydon sank back into her chair. (a sign of declination of her power)2 clasping her hands to conceal their trembling: she is unyielding.3. his eyes sardonically on the Duchess as if challenging her objection. But be

34、yond wrinkling her nose in distaste, she made no comment. Sign of decreasing of her power, and sign of increasing of his power.4. The Duchess interrupted. “Then you dont know! You dont know anything for sure! ”It seems to Duchess that everything mentioned is based on Ogilvies presupposition, because

35、 he hasnt provided any valuable evidence for the crime.Conclusion: she is unyielding and firm lady. She hasnt given up yet. She will grasp any opportunity to fight back.5.the Duchess breathed. “Go on.”: she gradually turns to be obedient.Ogielvies side: growing gradually strong, and then taking the

36、dominating positionthe house detective took his time, leisurely puffing a cloud of blue cigar smoke:(The description of his smoking act. Leisurely puffing: he gets a bit tired of the first round of verbal attack.) 2. grinning, at the Duchess : (Ogilvie speaks the details very slowly: he is enjoying

37、the moment of humiliating the Duchess.). The discussion about the evidenceheadlight trimming ; headlight glass; the blood. Question one: which evidence is the most important?Answer: the blood , which is the fatal evidence of killing.Question twoHow does Ogilvie arrange the three evidences in his wor

38、ds?Answer: he first mentions headlight , then the glass, finally the blood. Ogilvie has waited for mentioning about blood for so long, which is the trump card (王牌)of the evidences，and which is the reason why he dares to humiliate again and again however, When he mentions the last fatal evidence, ins

39、tead of saying “ there is very important evidence ,that is blood” , , He actually slides to the topic mentioning about the blood very casually, “even without the brush trace an the blood, oh yeahI .”. but the effect of such calm words is a death blow to the Duchess. “oh my God!,” a hand to her face,

40、 the Duchess turned away. And such effect is what indeed Ogilvie wants. Ogilvie knows clearly, in front of the arrogant firm lady, harsh and tough words mean nothing. He deliberately chooses the casual way to mention the deadly evidence, which achieves the strong impact on the Duchess. Conclusion: h

41、e is a sophisticated man.“ oh ,my God!” a hand to her face, the Duchess turned away.She completely surrendersThe end of round two: Ogilvie wins. Duchess surrenders temporarily.Part three:A. Unlike the situations in the previous two parts, the conversation tends to become friendly, and it goes on in

42、a somewhat casual way. Ogilvie and Duchess are more like friends than rivals. It seems they are discussing and try to work out a solution to a problem together. e.g. Duchess - balancing- - OgilvieHer husband asked, “What do you propose to do?”pp.48I was hoping”, Ogilvie said, “that you folks could s

43、uggest something.”“I understand,” the Duchess of the Croydon said.”You want money, dont you? You came her to blackmail us.”“ All I come for was to help you people out of the trouble. But I got to live.”“ Youd accept money to keep silent about what you know?“I reckon I might.”The end of round three:

44、the conversation is with less gun-powder and more friendly:Part fourAppreciationBy making full use of Ogivlies greed, Duchess seizes the opportunity to turn the defeat into victory (反敗為勝).After the deal is made:Duchess Take the complete control of the situation, Powerful, demanding -off-balance- Ogi

45、lvie - submissive, obedientDetailed study 1. blackmail: the obtaining of money or advancement by threatening to make known unpleasant facts about a person or groupDetailed studyCroydon: The name of a manor supposed to belong the DukeDuke / Duchessmarquis(marquess)/ marchionesscount / countessviscoun

46、t / viscountessbaron / baronessDetailed study2. suite: a set or rooms. A suite in a hotel is usually expensive. The suite the Croydons are staying in is St. Gregory Hotels largest and most elaborate, called the Presidential Suite. Detailed study3. cryptic: hidden, secret, mysterious4. excessively fr

47、ayedexcessive: derog. too much, too great, too largeExcessive rainfall washes out valuable minerals from the soil.Detailed studyIf you sell the article at that price, the profit will be excessive.excessive profit Detailed studyfray: a. to cause rope, cloth etc. to become thin or worn by rubbing, so

48、that loose threads developfrayed button holesHis shirt is frayed at the neck / elbows.Detailed studyb. to cause a persons temper, nerves, etc. to become worn outHis nerves were frayed by the noises in the street. Detailed study5. eventually: in the end, especially after a lot of delays, problems, or

49、 argument.All men will eventually die.Detailed study6. dispatch: (fml.) to send away / off with promptness for a particular reason or in order to carry out a particular taskThe cruiser despatched boats to rescue the survivors.Detailed study7. errand: a short journey made to get sth. or to carry a me

50、ssageI have no time to run errands for you!Ive got a few errands to do in town.Detailed study8. terrier: any of several types of small active dogs, originally used for hunting (for pictures, see Longman)*image 1* 狗圖Detailed studywolfdog 狼狗, hound 獵狗, Pekinese 京吧, pug-dog 獅子狗, bull dog 牛頭犬 etc.Detail

51、ed study9. tension: (Here) anxiety, nervousness, worry The doctor said that tension made her ill.an untrusting or possibly dangerous relationshipInternational tension should be reduced when this agreement is signed. Detailed study10. accompany: to go or come together withLightning usually accompanie

52、s thunder.Ill be very glad to accompany you to the church.Detailed study11. pointedly: directly, in a noticeable and often unfriendly way, 12. offensive: causing unpleasant or hurting feelingsto have an offensive manner / languageDetailed studyoffensive: (n) attackspring offensive, counter offensive

53、offend: to hurt the feelings ofHis words offended me. Detailed study13. piggy eyes: small eyes lost in the mess of flesh.piggy: dirty, greedyYou are a pig (dirty, greedy, ill-mannered)Ive made a pig of myself.Detailed study14. sardonically: disdainfully, showing a feeling of being too good or import

54、ant to consider a matter or person seriously, scornfully, cynicallyDetailed study15. gross: unpleasantly fat, vulgar, not refinedgross weight / net weight16. jowl: the lower part of the side of the face, esp. loose skin and flesh near the lower jaw.Detailed study17. gaze: steady fixed look18. appoin

55、t: to provide with complete and elegant furnishings or equipmentwell / badly / luxuriously appointed roomDetailed study19. encompass: to surround on all sides, to form a circle about, encloseThe enemy encompassed the city.cf: compass: an instrument for showing directiona pair of compassesDetailed st

56、udy20. set-up: the arrangement of furniture21. flip: to send sth. spinning, often into the air by striking with a light quick blow.Detailed study22. butt: large thick or bottom end of sth.(slang) the part of the body on which a person sits.23. dcor: the decorative furnishing and arranging of a room,

57、 house or stageDetailed study24. appreciative: showing admiration, pleasant, understandingan appreciative audienceappreciate: v.Id appreciate it if you would turn the radio down.Detailed study25. chuckle: laugh inwardly or quietly, quiet laugh with close mouth26. incongruous falsetto voice:incongruo

58、us: not harmonious, absurd, inappropriateDetailed studyRed and green are generally considered in incongruous colours.a modern building that looks incongruous in that old fashioned villagefalsetto: unnaturally high voice by a man, esp. in singingDetailed study27. emission: the act of sending out heat

59、, light, smell, sound, etc.the emission of light from the sun, of heat from a fire28. apparently: easily seen or understo（）od, obviouslyDetailed study29. disgusting: strong feeling of dislike caused by an unpleasant sight, sound or smell, or by bad behaviour, highly distastefulWhat a disgusting smel

60、l / behaviour.Detailed study30. ridiculous: silly, absurd31. blandness: gentle or polite in manner or talkDetailed study32. adversary: a person or group to whom one is opposed, opponent or enemy.This word implies active hostilityDo as adversaries do, strike mightily, but eat and drink as friends.cf: