New English Course Reading 9 Prereading Activities Text

New English Course (Reading) 黄 贵 赵伟兴 肖 薇

9 Pre-reading Activities Text Analysis Supplementary Exercises Part A: How to Saw a Woman in Half—and “Mend” Her Again? New English Course (Book One) Writing Practice Cultural Readings

9 New English Course (Book One) Background Information Pre-reading Activities Warm-up Questions Part A: How to Saw a Woman in Half—and “Mend” Her Again?

9 words & expressions New English Course (Book One) analysis of text New Words Listening Phrases Language study Outline Part A: How to Saw a Woman in Half—and “Mend” Her Again?

New English Course (Book One) 9 Summary filling Exercises Vocabulary & structure Translation Part A: How to Saw a Woman in Half—and “Mend” Her Again?

New English Course (Book One) 9 Writing tips Writing practice Writing exercise Model essay Part A: How to Saw a Woman in Half—and “Mend” Her Again?

New English Course (Book One) 9 Reading skills Reading practice Part A: How to Saw a Woman in Half—and “Mend” Her Again?

New English Course (Book One) 9 Background Information Magic is the art of controlling events by the pretended use of supernatural forces or the art of obtaining mysterious results by tricks. This text can give you the answer how they can saw a woman and mend her again. Back Part A: How to Saw a Woman in Half—and “Mend” Her Again?

9 New English Course (Book One) Warm-up Questions 1. Have you seen or heard any magic tricks? 2. If yes, what are they? Please describe one trick. 3. Some magicians can saw a girl in half and “mend” her again. Can you imagine how they do the trick? Back Part A: How to Saw a Woman in Half—and “Mend” Her Again?

New English Course (Book One) 9 saw magic create performance glamour apparent version lid spin meantime conceal n. /vt. a. vt. n. n. a. n. n. v. n. /ad. vt. hollow thrust insert apart victim emerge stretch fastener switch withdraw dramatic Part A: How to Saw a Woman in Half—and “Mend” Her Again? a. /n. vt. ad. n. v. v. /n. n. n. /v. v. a. Back

New English Course (Book One) 9 to begin with 首先，以…开始 out of one’s sight 在某人的视线之外 in the mean time 同时 to pull …apart 将…分开 to switch on 接通（电源），开（灯）等 to cut through 切开（沿对角） to take a/one’s bow 谢幕，鞠躬 Part A: How to Saw a Woman in Half—and “Mend” Her Again? Back

9 New English Course (Book One) One of the most famous and spectacular tricks in modern magic—sawing a woman in half—was created in 1920 by the British magician P. T. Selbit. He caused a sensation in London with his dramatic performance— in which his glamorous girl assistant was placed in a wooden box and then apparently sawn in two. A few moments later she was made “whole” again. During the trick, only the girl’s head could be seen protruding from a hole at one end of the box. All she had to do was to draw her knees under her chin while the sawing took place. Part A: How to Saw a Woman in Half—and “Mend” Her Again?

9 New English Course (Book One) An American magician, Horace Goldin, introduced an improved version of the trick in New York in 1921. The girl’s head, hands and feet were clearly visible, poking through holes in the ends and sides of the box. However, he used not one girl but two. To begin with, Goldin told the first girl to lie down inside the box, which rested on a deep wooden table. Once the lid was closed and locked, Goldin spun the box and table on a turntable so that the girl’s feet were briefly out of the audience’s sight. Part A: How to Saw a Woman in Half—and “Mend” Her Again?

9 New English Course (Book One) Immediately, she pulled up her legs and placed her feet against a footrest inside the lid. In the meantime, the second girl, concealed inside the hollow tabletop, thrust her legs through two trapdoors: one in the tabletop and the other in the box. She then pushed her feet through the holes at the end of the box. When the turntable stopped, the audience was looking at the head and hands of girl No. 1 and the feet of girl No. 2. Part A: How to Saw a Woman in Half—and “Mend” Her Again?

9 New English Course (Book One) Goldin, with the help of an assistant, then cut through the center of the box with a large saw. As soon as the saw was withdrawn, two metal plates were inserted onto either side of the cut. The magician pulled the halves of the box apart—and the metal plates kept the audience from seeing inside. The “victim”, apparently cut in two, smiled and waved her hands and moved her feet. Next, Goldin pushed the box together again, removed the metal plates and opened the locks. He touched the original girl by hand she emerged from the box unharmed. Part A: How to Saw a Woman in Half—and “Mend” Her Again?

9 New English Course (Book One) The American magician Harry Blackstone developed the buzz-saw trick in 1932, using only one girl. The girl is asked to lie face down in a sleep-like state on a flat table containing a body-shaped hollow 30 in (760 mm) long, 15 in (380 mm) wide and 8 in (200 mm) deep. Under her stretchable dress she has on a thin metal framework “body”. As the magician talks to the audience, she undoes the fasteners on the framework quickly and sinks into the hollow, leaving her head, shoulders, arms, lower legs and feet in view. Part A: How to Saw a Woman in Half—and “Mend” Her Again?

9 New English Course (Book One) The magician then puts a huge piece of wood “under” the girl (in fact, it passes over her back) to prove that the saw is real. The 24 in (600 mm) buzzsaw is switched on. The table is moved below and past the whirling blade. It seems that the girl’s body is still flat on the table and is being cut in half by the saw, together with the wood. When the saw has finished cutting through the dress, framework and wood, the magician shows the sawn wood to the audience. With a snap of his fingers he awakens the girl and she gets down from the table, all in one piece, and takes her bow. Back Part A: How to Saw a Woman in Half—and “Mend” Her Again?

New English Course (Book One) 9 spectacular a. Of the nature of a spectacle; impressive or sensational. Example a spectacular display of fire works 放烟火的壮观景象。 Part A: How to Saw a Woman in Half—and “Mend” Her Again?

New English Course (Book One) 9 saw v. to cut or divide with a saw Example They sawed the wood into several pieces. 他们把木头锯成了好几块。 Part A: How to Saw a Woman in Half—and “Mend” Her Again?

New English Course (Book One) 9 saw related expressions saw blade 锯条 saw chain 锯链 saw dust 锯屑 sawmill 锯木厂 saw tooth 锯齿 a circular saw/buzz saw 圆盘锯 saw down saw into saw off saw up 锯倒 锯成 把. . . 锯掉 把. . . 锯成小块; 锯成某个样子 Part A: How to Saw a Woman in Half—and “Mend” Her Again?

9 New English Course (Book One) sensation n. the faculty to feel or perceive; physical sensibility Example Cold can cause a loss of sensation in the fingers and toes. 寒冷能使人的手指和 脚趾失去知觉。 Part A: How to Saw a Woman in Half—and “Mend” Her Again?

9 New English Course (Book One) sensation n. a state of intense public interest and excitement Example Their performance made a sensation 她们的演出引起了轰 动。 Part A: How to Saw a Woman in Half—and “Mend” Her Again?

9 dramatic adj. related to the drama Example The play is a dramatic representation of a real event. 这出话剧改编自真人真事。 Part A: How to Saw a Woman in Half—and “Mend” Her Again? New English Course (Book One)

9 New English Course (Book One) dramatic adj. firmness of purpose; resolve; a fixed intention or resolution Example Her openning words were dramatic 她的开场白十分动听。 Part A: How to Saw a Woman in Half—and “Mend” Her Again?

New English Course (Book One) 9 Sentence paraphrasing she was made “whole” again How to paraphrase this sentence? key …she became a complete person again. Part A: How to Saw a Woman in Half—and “Mend” Her Again?

New English Course (Book One) 9 Grammar Items Please change passive voice in this sentence into active voice. “…only the girl’s head could be seen protruding from a hole…” The audience could only see the girl’s head protruding from a hole… hints 分词可以在see, hear, notice, watch等动词后与一 个名词（代词）构成复合宾语，转换成被动结构时， 相当于该句的复合谓语。 Part A: How to Saw a Woman in Half—and “Mend” Her Again?

New English Course (Book One) 9 poke v 1. to push sharply out of or through an opening Example President Bush nearly poked himself in the eyes with a pen. 布什总统险些被笔戳到眼睛。 Part A: How to Saw a Woman in Half—and “Mend” Her Again?

New English Course (Book One) 9 poke v 2. to push; thrust Example A seal poked its head out of the water. 一只海豹把头探出了 水面。 Part A: How to Saw a Woman in Half—and “Mend” Her Again?

New English Course (Book One) 9 poke v 3. to pry or meddle; intrude Example He likes to poke his nose into other people’s business. 他喜欢刺探他人的事务。 Part A: How to Saw a Woman in Half—and “Mend” Her Again?

New English Course (Book One) 9 sight n field of vision Phrases out of sight catch sight of lose sight of have long/far sight short /near sight 看不到，不被看到 看见 看不见；失去联系；忘记 远视; 有远见 近视, 缺乏远见 Part A: How to Saw a Woman in Half—and “Mend” Her Again?

9 New English Course (Book One) trapdoors trapdoor 2 trapdoor 1 Part A: How to Saw a Woman in Half—and “Mend” Her Again? box tabletop

New English Course (Book One) 9 Sentence paraphrasing As soon as the saw was withdrawn, two metal plates were inserted onto either side of the cut. How to paraphrase this sentence? key Just after the saw had been taken away, the magician put two metal plates onto both sides of the cut. Part A: How to Saw a Woman in Half—and “Mend” Her Again?

9 New English Course (Book One) contain v. have or hold within itself; be capable of holding Example How much does this bottle contain? 这只杯子能装下多少？ Part A: How to Saw a Woman in Half—and “Mend” Her Again?

9 in view that can be seen; in sight Example When we stood on the hill, the small town was in full view. 当我们站在山上，整个 小镇尽收眼底。 Part A: How to Saw a Woman in Half—and “Mend” Her Again? New English Course (Book One)

9 New English Course (Book One) whirl v to revolve rapidly about a center or an axis Example The wind whirled the leaves into the air. 风把树叶刮到了空中。 Part A: How to Saw a Woman in Half—and “Mend” Her Again?

9 awaken v. to cause to wake up /to wake up Example Please awaken me at six. 请于六点叫醒我。 Part A: How to Saw a Woman in Half—and “Mend” Her Again? New English Course (Book One)

New English Course (Book One) 9 Note on Usage wake, waken和 awake, awaken 辨析 1. 只有 wake用于“保持清醒”的意义，如 waking（而 非 wakening) and sleeping 清醒和睡眠 every waking hour 每一个醒着的时刻 2. wake在与 up一同用时也比 waken更常用；并且 awake和 awaken从不出现在这种语言环境中： She woke up（很少用 wakened up；从不用 awakened up或 awoke up)。 Part A: How to Saw a Woman in Half—and “Mend” Her Again?

New English Course (Book One) 9 Outline of the text 1. The first trick of sawing a woman in half was created in 1920 by the British magician P. T. Selbit. (He used one girl in the trick. ) 2. The American magician Horace Goldin improved the trick in 1921 by using two girls. 3. Another American magician, Harry Blackstone, developed the trick in 1932 by using only one girl in the trick. Back Part A: How to Saw a Woman in Half—and “Mend” Her Again?

New English Course (Book One) 9 Summary filling Direction: The following passage is the summary of the text, put the missing words in the blanks according your understanding of the text. There are three tricks of “sawing a woman in half” _______ in 1920 by described in the text. The first trick was created the British magician P. T. Selbit. In his trick he used only one girl. While the sawing was taking place, the girl ____ drew her knees under her _______ chin so that she could not be hurt. The second trick was introduced in 1921 by one American magician Horace Goldin. He used two girls in the trick; one was seen by the audience, and the other was concealed _____ in the box. Each girl stayed separately at each end of the box when the magician was cutting in the middle. When the sawing was over, the audience Part A: How to Saw a Woman in Half—and “Mend” Her Again?

9 New English Course (Book One) was looking at the head and hands of the first girl and the feet of the second. The third trick was developed by another American magician, Harry Blackstone. He asked the one girl wear a dress-like body-shaped framework and he used to ______ lie face down on a table with a body-shaped hollow. While the cutting was going on, the girl _______ unfastenedthe framework and quickly sank her body into the hollow, leaving only her head, shoulders, arms, lower legs and feet outside to be seen by the audience. The magician, _____, cut only the framework, not the girl’s body. in fact Back Part A: How to Saw a Woman in Half—and “Mend” Her Again?

New English Course (Book One) 9 Vocabulary & structure Directions: Use the appropriate forms of the words listed to fill the blanks of the following sentences. 1. to sense, sensation, sensitive, sensible sense in waiting three hours. a. There's no ____ sensed b. The horse _____ danger and stopped. sensible to get a second opinion. c. Surely it would be _____ sensation in d. Jerry realized with alarm that he had no _____ his legs. sensitive e. Sorry I didn't realize it was such a ____issue. Part A: How to Saw a Woman in Half—and “Mend” Her Again?

9 New English Course (Book One) Vocabulary and structure 2. to wake, to waken, to awaken a. I'll ____ wake you up when it's time to leave. awoke and began to cry. . b. The child ____ wakened the sleeping child. . c. She gently _____ awaken people to the danger to the d. We must _____ environment. Back Part A: How to Saw a Woman in Half—and “Mend” Her Again?

9 New English Course (Book One) Translation 1. 美国电影《泰坦尼克》的上映在我市引起了很大轰动。 The arrival of the American film Titanic has caused a great sensation in our city. 2. 1998年微软公司退出了Windows 97的改进版本－－ Windows 98。 In 1998, Microsoft Company introduced an improved version of Windows 97—Windows 98 3. 首先，让我们谈谈如何解决本公司计算机“前年虫”的问题。 To begin with, let’s talk about how to solve the (Y 2 K) problem of “millennium bug for the computers of our company. Part A: How to Saw a Woman in Half—and “Mend” Her Again?

9 New English Course (Book One) 4. 士兵们走得太匆忙。当市民们来向他们道别时，他们已不见 了。 The soldiers left in a hurry. When the city residents came to say goodbye to them, they were already out of sight 5. 太阳从乌云后面出来。 The sun emerged form behind the dark clouds. 6. 读完那封信后，魔术师把它藏在他得帽子里。 After he had read/After reading the letter, the magician concealed in his hat. Back Part A: How to Saw a Woman in Half—and “Mend” Her Again?

9 New English Course (Book One) Writing exercise Directions: For this part you are allowed thirty minutes to write a composition on the topic: Online Chatting. You should write at least 120 words, and base your composition on the outline given in Chinese below: 1. � 在，网上聊天越来越流行。 2. 人�� 此� 度不同：有人反� 它；有人� 同。 3. “我”的看法是… Back Part A: How to Saw a Woman in Half—and “Mend” Her Again?

9 New English Course (Book One) Model essay Online Chatting（网上聊天） With the development of the Internet, online chatting is becoming increasingly popular with many people. More and more people begin to appreciate the conveniences brought by it. Obviously, different people have got different attitudes towards online chatting. Some think that it has more problems than benefits. First, people enjoying online chatting are only seeking fun. Chatting online is a waste of time, energy and money. Second, it is misleading to its users because cyberspace is actually an imaginary space where things are unreal or fictional. Part A: How to Saw a Woman in Half—and “Mend” Her Again?

9 New English Course (Book One) Some other people, however, are all in favor of online chatting. They believe that it is a new way of communication for people all over the world. People can use it to stay in contact with friends and family members. Besides, it plays an important role in helping people release their emotions and worries. In my opinion, whether online chatting is good or bad depends on the person who uses it. So long as we can keep ourselves under good control, we can make the best use of it while avoiding its bad effects. Back Part A: How to Saw a Woman in Half—and “Mend” Her Again?

9 New English Course (Book One) Reading skills Using a Dictionary (1) Now you are familiar with ways of guessing word meaning without using a dictionary. But very often you find it’s simply impossible to guess either because there are very few clues to use or because there are too many new words in a short piece of writing. When you are reading for a serious purpose, you need to know the exact meanings of key words. Obviously, a dictionary is an important tool. Every student should be able to use it efficiently. Part A: How to Saw a Woman in Half—and “Mend” Her Again?

9 New English Course (Book One) Almost every English word has more than a single meaning. A dictionary offers different meanings of a word. Take the word “spring” as an example. 1. When swallows return, spring begins. 燕子归 来时，春天就开始了。 2. The hot spring has run dry. 温泉已经干涸。 3. What an uncomfortable chair! It needs new springs. 这椅子多不舒服！该更换弹簧了。 Part A: How to Saw a Woman in Half—and “Mend” Her Again?

9 New English Course (Book One) The word “spring” in all the three sentences above is used as a noun, but its meanings are different. There seems little connection among them. This shows we must be careful in selecting word meanings. Furthermore, a great many English words belong to 2, 3, or even more word classes. Let’s look at more examples of the word “spring”. Back Part A: How to Saw a Woman in Half—and “Mend” Her Again?

9 New English Course (Book One) Reading practice How do Handwriting Expert Catch Criminals On the afternoon of July 4, 1995, Mrs. Beatrice Weinberger brought her one- month-old baby, Peter, back from an outing near their home in Westbury, Long Island, USA. She left the pram outside her house and hurried inside to get the baby a clean nappy. When she returned a few moments later, the pram was empty and a scrawled note was lying where Peter had been. Part A: How to Saw a Woman in Half—and “Mend” Her Again?

9 New English Course (Book One) The note said: "Attention. I'm in bad need of money, and couldn't get it any other way. Don't tell anyone or go to the police about this because I am watching you closely. And I will kill the baby at your first wrong move. " "Just put $2, 000 in small bills in a brown envelope, and place it next to the road lamp at the comer of Albemarle Rd. and Park St. at exactly 10 o'clock tomorrow (Thursday) morning. " Part A: How to Saw a Woman in Half—and “Mend” Her Again?

9 New English Course (Book One) "If everything goes smooth, I will bring the baby back and leave him on the same comer 'safe and happy' at exactly 12 noon. No excuse, I cannot wait! Your baby-sitter. " Despite the kidnapper's warning, Mr. and Mrs. Weinberger, with great fear and worry, contacted the police. A small parcel containing broken pieces of newspaper was placed on the comer the following, morning. But the kidnapper did not show up. He failed to keep two other Part A: How to Saw a Woman in Half—and “Mend” Her Again?

9 New English Course (Book One) "appointments" with the Weinbergers, and left a second note signed "Your baby-sitter". By then, police felt that the baby was no longer alive. The FBII was called in and the handwriting experts set to work to try to track down the kidnapper. In both notes an unusual z-shaped stroke was placed at the front of the y in words such as "money" and "baby". Starting with the New York State Police Office, the experts spent the next six weeks Part A: How to Saw a Woman in Half—and “Mend” Her Again?

9 New English Course (Book One) combing through local records at police offices, factories, hotels, clubs and schools. Altogether, more than two million signatures and handwriting samples were examined by eye and compared to the writing on the kidnapper's notes. Then, in the middle of August, the experts' hard efforts paid off. The handwriting of John Rush Blake, of Plainview, Long Island, matched that of the kidnapper's especially in the peculiar formation of the y's. Part A: How to Saw a Woman in Half—and “Mend” Her Again?

9 New English Course (Book One) Not long ago, John Blake was caught for making illegal alcohol. On being shown the handwriting samples, he broke down and confessed to the kidnapping of baby Peter. It had been a spur-of-the-moment crime, he stated, committed to ease his financial problems. He told the police he had left Peter alive and well in a nearby park on the day after the kidnapping. But when officers hurried to the place, all they found was the baby's dead body. The criminal was later Part A: How to Saw a Woman in Half—and “Mend” Her Again?

9 New English Course (Book One) put into New York's Sing Prison. Even if John Blake had tried to disguise his handwriting he probably would still have been caught. No matter how hard someone may try to disguise his handwriting characteristics or adopt those of somebody else, the "individuality" of the writer shows through. The very angle at which he or she holds a pen; the way a t is crossed an i is dotted; the height and size of capital and small letters; Part A: How to Saw a Woman in Half—and “Mend” Her Again?

9 New English Course (Book One) the amount of space between words; the use (or misuse) of punctuation marks. All these can identify a person as surely as fingerprints. In 1996 Gary Herbertson, the head of the FBI laboratory's information office, said, "Any time you try to change your handwriting, you do things that look unnatural. A forger's writing doesn't have the speed and the smoothness of natural writing. " Part A: How to Saw a Woman in Half—and “Mend” Her Again?

New English Course (Book One) 9 "You can see blunt beginnings and ends of strokes, rough curves, inappropriate breaks, and little shakings. Two letters may be the same shape, but you can tell if one is written quickly and the other is carefully drawn. " 这篇文章，你看明白 了没有哇？那么，下 页的题看你能做对多 少？ Part A: How to Saw a Woman in Half—and “Mend” Her Again?

New English Course (Book One) 9 Comprehension questions 1. What happened to Mrs. Weinberger on the afternoon of July 4, 1995? 2. On what condition did the kidnapper say that he would bring the baby back? 3. What did Mr. and Mrs. Weinberger do after reading the kidnapper’s note? Part A: How to Saw a Woman in Half—and “Mend” Her Again?

New English Course (Book One) 9 Answers to the questions 1. Her baby was kidnapped. 2. That the Weinberger give him $2000 and will not go to the police. 3. They contacted the police. Part A: How to Saw a Woman in Half—and “Mend” Her Again?

New English Course (Book One) 9 The end Thank You! Part A: How to Saw a Woman in Half—and “Mend” Her Again?