Wisdom of Bear Wood Michael Welzenbach

• Background information

• Warming up exercises

• Useful words and expressions

• Language points

----Wood of Berkshire

The theme of this story is summed up at the

very end. It is about "a wisdom tutored by nature

itself, about the seen and unseen, about things that

change and things that are changeless, and about

the fact that no matter how seemingly different

two souls may be, they possess the potential for

that most precious, rare thing-an enduring and

rewarding friendship."

The story is not very subtle, nor is it particularly

dramatic, but it is nevertheless beautiful. It is

beautiful not just became it contains some

beautiful descriptions of the Wood, but became it

is about a beautiful friendship.

What is interesting is the fact that this is a

friendship between two souls who are" seemingly

different, in every way: one is an American boy of

twelve; and the other is an old English woman.

They become friends because first of al1,they are

both lonely: the boy is lonely because he is in a

foreign country with his father, the woman is

lonely because she has just lost her dear husband.

But their friendship has another important bond,

that is, their common interest in nature and

knowledge.

One might also mention the shortbread the woman

keeps supping for the boy, which he loves. But the real

reason for their friendship is the old woman's selfless

interest in the boy. It is often said that true love is in the

giving and not in the taking-So is friendship-The woman

not only gives the boy good food to eat, she also gives him

a new vision of the beautiful nature, the key to the

treasury of human knowledge, and above al1,her care

and love. Does she get anything in return? Yes. Through

giving, she can not help receiving. Although totally unaw

are, the boy has given the woman great consolation too.

Towards the end of the story, the author express

es the idea that true friendship is both rare and

precious. In this world, there are many things you

can see and there are many things you can't see,

and friendship is what you don't see, unlike your

worldly belongings, because it exists deep in your

heart. In this world there are also things that

change and things that do not change, and true

friendship does not change. It is enduring and

rewarding.

It might be a good idea to use this opportunity to

organize a discussion on friendship, the essence of

true friendship and its main ingredients.

Please do it with your classmates.

1) to go overseas to go to the foreign countries 去国外 -As a Prime Minister, he has a lot of opportunities to go overseas. 作为首相 , 他有很多出国的机会。

2) every few years

sth. will happen regularly after a few years 每隔几年– They come to visit China every few years. 他

们每隔几年访问一次中国。

3) to be used to sth./doing sth.

to have learned to accept sth ; to be accustomed to sth( 对某事物 ) 已适应 ;已习惯– After three weeks she had got used

to the extreme heat 三个星期以后她就适应酷热的环境了。

4) to wrench yourself away from

to twist and pull yourself away(or free)from 痛苦地离别或分开– It’s really difficult to wrench yourself away fr

om your beloved relatives. 与你挚爱的亲人痛苦的别离实在很难。

5 ） to verge against

to be close to ; to be at the edge or border of 靠近…边缘 ; 构成…的边沿– -This narrow strip verges against the road. 这

条狭长的地带构成了公路的边沿。

6) to rocket off into

to go off like rockets into 像火箭一样飞进

-The birds rocketed off into the woods when people earn 有人来时 , 鸟儿们迅速飞进了树林。

7) to keep to oneself

to live a very quiet and private life and not do many things involving other people 独居– -Nobody knows much about him; he keeps

himself (very much)to himself. 谁都不太了解他 , 因为他很少与人来往。

8) to give sb. Permission to do sth.

to allow sb. to do sth. 允许某人做某事– -She has already given me permission to leave

她已经准许我离开了。

9) to roam about

to walk or travel without any definite aim or destination 漫无目的地走动漫步

-He used to roam about the streets for hours on end. 他过去常逛大街 , 一逛就是几个小时。

10) to creep into

to move slowly, quietly or stealthily into 悄悄溜进– -The cat crept into her room- 那只猫悄悄地

溜进了她的房间。

11) to warn sb. Do sth.

To advise sb.to do sth 建议或劝告某人做某事– -She warned them to be careful. 她告诉他们

务必小心。

12) to run into

to meet sb. by chance 偶然遇见某人– -Guess who I ran into today. 你猜我今天碰

见谁了。

13) to catch one’s breath

to stop breathing for a moment (because of fear, shock, etc.)( 因恐惧、震惊等 ) 一时停止呼吸 ; 屏息– -He caught his breath in surprise. 他惊奇得

屏住了呼吸。

14) to put sb. at ease

to make sb. feel relaxed 使某人感到舒适、不拘束等– -He had been dreading their meeting but her

warm welcome soon put him at his 四比他对彼此相见 一直忐忑不安 , 可是她的热情相迎使他很快就无拘无束了。

15) to be on one's way

to be in the process of going or coming 在来与去的行进中 ; 在路上– -I’ll buy some bread on my way home. 我要

在回家的路上买些面包。

16) to point toward

to aim or direct sth. 用手指着某物 -He is pointing a telescope toward the moon. 他

正用望远镜对着月亮。

17) to be about to do sth.

to intend to do sth. immediately; to be on the point of doing sth 将 ; 正要 – -As I was about to say when you interrupted

me. 我正要说的时候 , 你插嘴了。

18) to care to do sth.

to be willing or agree to do sth ; to wish or like to do sth 愿意或同意做某事 ; 希望或喜欢做某事– -Would you care to go for a walk? 你愿意散

散步吗 ?

19) to want sb. against sth. /doing sth.

to put sb. on his guard against sth. 让某人警惕或提防某人做某事– The doctor warned us against overtiring the

patient- 医生让我们注意病人不可过度操劳。

20) set off

to begin (a journey, race,etc. 〉开始 ( 旅行、赛跑等〉– -What time are you planning to set off

tomorrow? 你打算明天几点钟启程 ?

21) to pass away

(euph.)to die 死– -His mother passed away last year- 他母亲去

年去世了。

22) a dozen of

a lot of 很多– -She has a dozen of friends. 她的朋友多极了。

23) to glance at

to take a quick look at 瞥一眼 p 看一下– -She glanced shyly at him and then lowered

her eyes- 她羞怯地偷看了他一下 , 随即垂下眼帘。

24) to ask(sb.)about sth/sb.

to request information (about sth/sb.)(from sb. ) 问 : 询问– -Ask (him) about the ring you lost-he my have

found it. 问问 ( 他 ) 你丢的戒指——也许他捡到了。

25) to go by

(of time)to pass ; to elapse ( 指时间 ) 过去对消逝– -As time goes by my memory seems to get

worse. 随着时间的流逝 , 我的记忆力似乎越来越差。

26) to promise to do sth.

to assure that one will do sth 许诺 ; 答应做某事– -"Do you promise faithfully to pay me

back?"" 你能切实保证把钱还给我吗 ?"

– -"Yes, I promise." 是的 , 我保证。

27) look forward to sth./doing sth.

to anticipate sth with pleasure 欣然期待某事物– -We're SO much looking forward to seeing

you again. 我们非常盼望再见到你。

28) brim over (with sth.)

to overflow 溢出 ;洋、溢– to brim over with excitement, happiness, joy,

etc. 洋溢着兴奋、幸福、欢乐等

29) to be inclined to do sth.

to want to behave in a particular way 有某种倾向 s 很有可能做某事– The car is inclined to stall when it's cold outsi

de. 也这辆汽车天冷时爱熄火。

30) to eye sth./sb.

to observe or watch narrowly, often in suspicion, jealousy, or in longing, etc. 仔细地看着– The policeman eyed me in suspicion. I think

he thought I was drunk 警察怀疑地看着我。我想他 是觉得我喝多了。

31) in time

sooner or later; eventually 迟早 ;最后– -You'll learn how to do it in time. 你早晚能学会做这件事的。

32) to fill up with

to become or make completely full 充满 ; 填满– The gutter has filled up with mud. 沟槽里都

是泥。

33) odds and ends

small articles; bits and pieces of various sorts, usu. without much value 零星杂物 ;琐碎物品– He's moved most of his stuff; there are just a

few odds and ends left. 他把大部分东西都搬走了 , 只留下一些零星杂物。

1) Loving nature, however, I was most delighted by the endless patchwork of farms and woodland that surrounded our house (Para 2) Loving,… :However,as (because ) I loved

nature ... A patchwork of farms (field):farms that

look like small pieces of cloth of different colors when seen from far above 农田拼缀而成的图案

2) In the deep woods that verged against our backfence, a network of paths led almost everywhere, and pheasants rocketed off into the laurels ahead as you walked. (Para 2) a network of: a system of lines, wires road

s etc. that cross each other and are connected to each other 一种网络

... and pheasants rocketed off :…and pheasants went off like rockets

3)keeping to myself was my way of not forming attachment that I would only have to abandon the next time we moved.(Para 3)

I did not try to make many friends because in that way I did not have to give up my friendship the next time I had to move.

To keep to oneself: to live a very quiet and private life and not do many things involving other people 独 居

4) I started hiking there ..., up a long, sloping hill to almost impenetrable stand of trees called Bear Wood(Para 4)

impenetrable stand of trees: trees growing so thick that they are impossible to go through or enter into 一片无法通过的树丛

stand; trees growing in a given area 个体植物群丛

5) My own breathing rang in my ears , and the slightest stirring of any woodland creature echoed through this private paradise.(Para 4)

I could even hear my own breathing, and even the lightest movement of any bird or animal in the wood can be heard throughout this paradise.

6) “yes, they are away," she said, "But then, gamekeepers have been shooting them ever since they got here. They are introduced, you know, not native."(Para 11)

wary:careful,cautious,watchful,suspicious,alert

to be introduced: to be brought into this place from somewhere else for the first time 引进

7) Anybody who knew this sort of stuff was definitely cool -even if she was trespassing my special place (Para 12)

cool: This informal word is hard to define nowadays. It is loosely used to mean attractive, fashionable, relaxed, etc. in a way people esp. young people admire.

8) ...extending her fine hand(Para 15)

-offering to shake hands with the boy-– "Fine,,here means small and attractively

shaped, looking rather delicate. Remember the woman is old and weak

9) Familiarity sometimes makes people physically invisible, for you find yourself talking to the heart-to the essence, as it were, rather than to the face. (Para 26)

When people get to know each other really well, sometimes they don’t notice physical changes. The boy didn't see that his friend, the old lady, was getting weaker and weaker because all the time he was talking to her heart, rather to her face.

Essence: the most important quality of sth; the thing that makes sth what it is .Notice that "to talk to sb.'s essence" is not a common expression, but the author can't think of a better word, that's why he says "as it were", which is used to describe sth in a way that is not quite accurate.

10) My mother was regarding me with a strong gentleness (Para 29 )

My mother was looking at me with a strange gentleness because she wanted to break the sad news gently so that I would not take it too hard.

11) I could tell she was having difficulty.(Para 30 )

I could see that she was having difficulty finding a suitable way to break the news.

12) It is a wisdom tutored by nature itself, about the seen and the unseen, about things that change and things that are changeless, and about the fact that no matter how seemingly two souls, may be, they process the potential for that most precious, rare thing--an enduring and rewarding friendship.(Para 37)

– I learn a lot of knowledge, taught by nature itself, about the things I can see -- the birds, insects, trees,and flowers,and the things I cannot see -- ideas, scientific laws and principles.I also learn a lot about the things that change, including life itself, as well as the things that are changeless like friendship, love and many basic values.

Happy Everyday!

^_^