Half a day

Naguib Mahfouz 

1. I walked alongside my father, clutching(抓住；紧握)his right hand. All my clothes were new: the black shoes, the green school uniform, and the red cap. They did not make me happy, however, as this was the day I was to be thrown into school for the first time.

2. My mother stood at the window watching our progress, and I turned towards her from time to time, hoping she would help. We walked along a street lined with gardens, and fields planted with crops, pears, and so on.

3. “Why school?" I asked my father. “What have I done?”

4. “I’m not punishing you,” he said, laughing. “School’s not a punishment. It’s a place that makes useful men out of boys. Don’t you want to be useful like your brothers?”

5. I was not convinced. I did not believe there was really any good in tearing me away from my home and throwing me into the huge, high-walled building.

6. When we arrived at the gate we could see the courtyard, vast and full of boys and girls. “Go in by yourself,” said my father, “and join them. Put a smile on your face and be a good example to others.”

7. I hesitated and clung to his hand, but he gently pushed me from him. “Be a man,” he said. “Today you truly begin life. You will find me waiting for you when it’s time to leave.”

8. I took a few steps. Then the faces of the boys and girls came into view. I did not know a single one of them, and none of them knew me. I felt I was a stranger who had lost his way. But then some boys began to glance at me in curiosity(好奇), and one of them came over and asked, “Who brought you?”

9.  “My father,” I whispered.

10. “My father’s dead,” he said simply.

11. I did not know what to say. The gate was now closed. Some of the children burst into tears. The bell rang. A lady came along.

12.“This is your new home,” said the woman. “There are mothers and fathers here, too. Everything that is enjoyable and beneficial is here. So dry your tears and face life joyfully.”

13. Well, it seemed that my misgivings(担忧,疑虑) had had no basis. From the first moments I made many friends and fell in love with many girls. I had never imagined school would have this rich variety of experiences.

14. We played all sorts of games. In the music room we sang our first songs. We also had our first introduction to language. We started learning numbers, and we were told the story of the Creator of the universe. We ate delicious food, took a little nap, and woke up to go on with friendship and love, playing and learning.

15. Our path, however, was not totally sweet and unclouded. We had to be observant(善于观察的;机警的;严格遵守的) and patient. It was not all a matter of playing and fooling around(游手好闲). Competition could bring about pain and hatred(n.憎恨,敌意) or give rise to fighting. And while the lady would sometimes smile, she would often yell and scold. Even more frequently she would resort(依靠,求助于;诉诸) to physical punishment.

16. In addition, the time for changing one’s mind was over and gone and there was no question of ever returning to the paradise(天堂,至福境地) of home. Nothing lay ahead of us but hard work, struggle, and perseverance(坚持不懈;不屈不挠). Those who were able took advantage of the opportunities for success and happiness.

17. The bell rang, announcing the passing of the day and the end of work. The children rushed toward the gate, which was opened again. I said goodbye to friends and sweethearts and passed through the gate. I looked around but found no trace of my father, who had promised to be there. I stepped aside to wait. When I had waited for a long time in vain, I decided to return home on my own. I walked a few steps, and then came to a startled(受惊吓的) halt(停止,立定). Good Lord! Where was the street lined with gardens? Where had it disappeared to? When did all these cars invade(侵入,涌入) it? And when did all these people come to rest on its surface? How did these hills of rubbish find their way to cover its sides? And where were the fields that bordered(临近,接近) it? High buildings had taken over, the street was full of children, and disturbing noises shook the air.

18. Good God! I was in a daze(发呆,发愣). My head spun(旋转). I almost went crazy. How could all this have happened in half a day, between early morning and sunset? I would find the answer at home with my father. But where was my home? I hurried towards the crossroads, because I remembered that I had to cross the street to reach our house, but the stream of cars would not let up. Terribly upset, I wondered when I would be able to cross.

19. I stood there a long time, until the young boy employed at the ironing shop on the corner came up to me.

20. He stretched out his arm and said, “Grandpa, let me take you across.”

Preview Assignment :

1.    Do you still remember the first day that you go to school? What is your feeling of your school life on the first day? Describe it.(who, feeling etc.)

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2.    What are your expectations of your school life?

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3.    What’s your dream/aims you want to realize during your three academic years? Do you have any plans?

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4.    What kind of change do you think it will bring upon your life?

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Read the story and find information about each of the following elements of the short story and complete the table below

Plot	_________________________________
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Setting	_________________________________
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Narrator	_________________________________
Writing techniques	_________________________________
Theme	What do you think?

Plot:________________________________________________

              _____________________________________

Setting        ______________________________________

              _____________________________________

Narrator:____________________________________________

Writing techniques :___________________________________

Theme:  What do you think?

 

读写结合 Half a day

Learning objectives

By the end of this section, students will be able to:

1. understand the structure of the material and the general idea of the story

2. know something about the author

3. explore the real meanings

4. associate the hidden meaning with our real life

Teaching procedure

Step 1: Lead- in activity

1.video clips

Q: Do you remember your first day of school?

Was it hard for you to leave home for the first time?

Were you disappointed when you found it was not as good as you had expected?

2.Information about the author

Step 2: Reading for structure:

Beginning: ( Para. 1-__ ) The boy’s _________ to go to school

Development: ( Para.___-___ ) The boy’s experiences at school

Ending: ( Para.___-20 )  _________ at the end of the school day

Step 3：Reading for detailed information:

Part 1: Beginning

1.    Can you find some phrases or sentences to show the boy’s unwillingness to school?

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2.    What did the father say to persuade the boy?

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Part 2: Development

The changes of the boy’s feelings:

happy, amazed    mature(成熟的)    independent, determined   sorry, sad    positive,hopeful        relieved, relaxed      scared, lost

1. I felt I was a stranger… lost his way(Para.8)

2. … I didn’t know what to say.(Para.11)

3. It seemed my misgivings had had no basis.

4. I made friends and fell in love…,I had never imagined… would have … (Para.13)

5. …played… games…sang our first songs…learning numbers… ate delicious food… (Para.14)

6. Our path…not totally sweet and unclouded… be observant and patient…competition could…(Para.15)

7. …no question of… nothing but hard work…(Para.16)

Part 3: Ending

What did “I” see when stepping out of school?

I  didn’t find my  _______  waiting for me at the gate and the________ had changed.

I  couldn’t find my ______home.

I  found myself a____________________.

Step 4: Deep understanding

1.    How was it possible for the boy to become a “grandpa” in half a day?

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2.    What does the writer want to tell us through the different descriptions of environment in Para.2 and Para.17?

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3.    What does the last sentence of the story really infer?

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