Download Comprehension Questions

Unit 7 The Chaser
By John Collier
Contents
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Pre-reading questions
Background Information
Structure Analysis of the Text
Comprehension Questions
Language Points
Grammar
Translation Exercises
Oral Work
Pre-reading Questions
1. Do you believe love can be fostered? How can
you lure one into love with you?
2. What is likely to happen when a couple no
longer love each other?
Background Information
About the Author: John Collier, a writer of various
genres, born in London in 1901 and died of a stroke
in California in 1980.
He obtained a private education, and began writing
poetry at the age of nineteen and concentrated on
writing novels and short stories during the early
1930s.
His best known as a writer of fantasy, and though
largely unpopular in his native country, holds wide
appeal among readers of fantasy. His Monkey Wife,
first published in 1930.
Works of John Collier
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His Monkey Wife (first published in 1930)
Tom's A-Cold (novel, 1933)
Defy the Foul Friend (novel, 1934)
Presenting Moonshine (short story collection, 1941)
Fancies and Goodnights (short story collection, 1951)
Pictures in the Fire (short story collection, 1958)
The John Collier Reader (short story collection, 1972)
The Best of John Collier (short story collection,
1975).
Siren（塞壬）
Siren, in Greek mythology, one of the
three
sea
nymphs,
usually
represented with the head of a woman
and the body of a bird. Daughters of
Phoreus of Achelous, the Sirens
inhabited an island surrounded by
dangerous rocks. They sang so
enchantingly that all who heard were
drawn near and shipwrecked. Jason
and the Argonauts were saved from
them by the music of Orhenus, whose
songs were lovelier. Odysseus
escaped them by having himself tied
securely to a mast and by stopping the
ears of his men. Figuratively, siren
refers to a woman regarded as
seductively beautiful.
Siren
Structure Analysis of the Text
This short story, which combines elements of horror
and love, is built almost entirely through dialogue
between a young man, Alan Austen, who is deeply in
love and wants to possess his lover entirely, and an
unnamed old man who believes in a life free of
romantic involvement. As the dialogue develops,
Austen’s attitude towards the potion changes from
skeptical and hesitant to excited and overwhelmed.
Comprehension Questions
1. What is the implied meaning of the old man’s remark.
‘Young people who need a love potion very seldom
have five thousand dollars. Otherwise they would not
need a love potion”?
What the old man means is that the young men who
fall in love one-sidedly are seldom rich enough to win
a young girls heart. If they are rich, it will be easier for
them to gain girls’ hearts, and they don’t need to buy
love potions. The old man suggests that money is an
important factor for love.
2. What are the effects of the love potion? Describe
them in detail .
The love potion has a powerful, everlasting
effect. It will make a gay girl care nothing but her
lover. She will feel jealous of him when her lover
is with other girls. She will want to be everything
to him. She will be only interested in her lover
and take every concern of his. Even if he slips a
little, she will forgive him in the end. In a word,
she will love him deeply if she drinks the love
potion.
3.Why is the love potion priced so low while the glovecleaner so high?
In this story, the author seems to stress the great gap
between the price of the love potion and the glovecleaner. The reasons maybe is that it is easy for
people to fall in love, but it is hard to keep it. So,
when he wants to get out of it, he has to pay a lot of
money to buy the glove-cleaner. Because of the
lower price of the love potion, the old man can allure
the customers to buy his other goods, including the
glove-cleaner.
4. What moral lessons can be drawn from the story?
One of the moral lessons we can draw from the
story is that love is precious. It is easy for one to
fall in love. But it is hard for him to keep it fresh.
So we must be wise and cherish love.
5. How do the speeches of the young man and the old man
differ? How does that help to build up the theme?
The young man’s speech is short and changing. At first,
he speaks in short sentences with hesitation, but later on
his speech changes into a succession of cries with
excitement. The old man’s speech is long, logical,
persuasive and stable. This sharp contrast can make the
theme of the story of the story clearer.
Language Points
peer v. to look very carefully or with difficulty, especially as
if not able to see clearly
e.g. She peered over my shoulder at the computer screen
and asked about the figures.
She peered through the mist, trying to find the right path.
He peered at me over the top of his glasses.
C.f. peep
peep v. to look at something quickly and secretly,
especially through a hole or other small openings
e.g. It’s rude to peep at other people’s work.
Strangers to the area had the feeling that they were being
peeped at from behind lace curtains.
obscure
adj. hard to understand, not clear
e.g. A speech full of obscure political jokes.
vt. make difficult to see or understand.
e.g. The clouds obscured the moon.
The report obscures the fact that taxes have already
actually risen.
make somebody’s acquaintance: to meet somebody for
the first time
e.g. He made her acquaintance at a dance.
C.f. know vs. make one’s acquaintance (make the
acquaintance of sb)
我两年前认识他的。
Wrong：I knew him two years ago.
Right：I made his acquaintance two years ago.
deal in: to buy and sell a particular product
e.g. He began to deal in the 19th century watercolours.
He’s now working for a small firm dealing in textile
products to foreign traders..
such as it is (they are): （用于对不够好的事物等表示歉
意或者贬抑）虽然质量不过如此，尽管价值不过迩迩
等
e.g. You can use my note, such as they are.
我的笔记虽然不怎么样，你可将就着用。
You can stay for the night in my flat, such as it is.
Such as it is, the raincoat will keep you out of rain.
imperceptible adj. almost impossible to see or notice
e.g. Such changes are imperceptible to even the besttrained eye.
An almost imperceptible movement of her eyelid.
perceive v. become conscious or understand
e.g. He perceived a subtle change in her manner.
They perceived that they were unwelcome and left.
We were unable to perceive where the problem lay.
apprehensive adj. worried or nervous about sth. that you
are going to do, or about the future
~ (about, for)
e.g. We’d been a little apprehensive about their visit.
She was apprehensive about her son’s safety.
apprehensively adv.
apprehension n.
e.g. we waited for their decision with a great deal of
apprehension.
potion n. a drink supposed to have magic power
oblige v.
(1) do something a favor; to fulfill the wishes of
e.g. She asked him to lend his car, and he willingly
obliged her.
I should/would be obliged if you could speak louder.
(2) to make it necessary for somebody to do something
e.g. The heavy snow obliged me to abandon the car
and continued on foot.
Eric felt obliged to resign after such an
unpleasant quarrel with the vice president.
detachment n. the state of not reacting in an emotional
way, so that you can do your job properly or make the
right decisions(超然，不偏不倚，公正)
e.g. Doctors need to have some degree of emotional
detachment.
detach v.
e.g. She detached the baby’s hand from her dress.
He detached his watch form the chain.
detached adj.
e.g. He spoke in a detached way about the danger.
A detached house is one not joined to another one.
A judge must be detached when weighing evidence.
overwhelm v.
(1) to give somebody a particular feeling very strongly.
e.g. His generosity overwhelmed us.
The family of the victim was overwhelmed by/with
grief.
(2) to make powerless by using force
e.g. Government troops overwhelmed the rebels.
Kant and Hegel have so developed idealism that it
temporarily overwhelms the realist.
overwhelming adj. very large or very great
e.g. The policy was adopted by an overwhelming
majority.
ground n. reason
e.g. On what ground do you say that is true?
There are no grounds for anxiety.
They don’t give me much ground (many grounds)
for complaints.
You have no ground for doing it.
indulge v. let oneself do or have something that you
enjoy, especially something that is considered bad for
you.(允许自己享受，尽情)
e.g. We indulged in an expensive supper after the
concert.
He occasionally indulges in the luxury of a good
cigar.
Nazi lunatics indulged in the torture of their victims
before they killed them.
indulgent adj. (溺爱的，对…放纵的)
e.g. An indulgent parent is one who too easily agrees to
let his children do what they like.
He is lucky enough to have a jolly indulgent uncle who
will indulge him with plenty of pocket money.
better off
e.g. Mr. Cooper was much better off when he got
promoted, and even could afford foreign travel.
She’ll be 50 pounds better off.
be better off with somebody/something: to be happier or
more at ease with somebody/something
e.g. You’d be better off with her as a roommate.
Grammar
Inversion
I. Inversion of predicative
So great is the heat at 10,000 feet that were it not for
an elaborate air-conditioning system, the miners
working there would be roasted.
An expensive thing it was.
Such were the historical contributions of a former
farm boy who started his career making nails and
steel hat pins.
II. Inversion of object
This conception of a hollow earth we know to be
false.
What this means in practical terms we can scarcely
imagine.
No one Colin or his family knew.
Lenny Burton he called himself.
III. Inversion of adverbial
In God We Trust.
Among the vices of age are avarice, untidiness, and
vanity, which last takes the form of a craving to be
loved or simply admired.
At the corner stood a drug store, brilliant with electric
lights.
IV. Inversion of predicate
Forget it I never shall.
Give it up you must.
Translation Exercises
1.对我来说，你绝对不是相识的人而已。 (acquaintance)
To me, you are definitely more than an acquaintance.
2.在这个地区，许多手艺工经营各种各样的手工艺品。 (deal in)
Many artisans deal in a variety of handicrafts in the region.
3.他们为这次意外的成功而感到欣喜若狂。(go into raptures)
They went into raptures over the unexpected success.
4.我感到十分惊讶的是，他用一种超然冷静的态度分析威胁着他们所有
人的危险形势。 (detachment)
Much to my surprise, he analyzed with detachment the dangerous situation
that threatened all of them.
5. 她躲在窗帘后面窥望陌生人。（peer）
She peered at the stranger from behind the curtain.
6. 假日里，他在海滩上心情享受日光浴的快乐。(indulge in)
During the holidays, he indulged in the luxury of a bath of sunshine on the
beach.
7. 听到他去世的噩耗，她不胜悲哀。(be overwhelmed)
When she learnt the news of his death, she was overwhelmed with grief.
8. 我不赞成用分期付款的方式买房子，恰恰相反，我认为，我们每一
个人都应该为不时之需存点钱。(save up)
I’m not in favor of buying a house on the installment plan; instead , I
maintain that everyone of us should save up for a rainy day.
Oral Work
What are the essential ingredients of the “love
potion,” beauty, wealth, or personality? Draw a
prescription for a friend of yours who is sick for
love. Include as many ingredients as you can
think of. Quantify the ingredients, e.g., 2 portions
of beauty plus 3 portions of charming personality.
Work in groups, then discuss as a whole class.