The shepherd Andreas（北师大版模块六文学阅读）
2010-12-14 20:48阅读：
The shepherd Andreas
Background
There is a
long tradition of travel writing in English. It dates back to the
14th century with Sir John Mandevill’s travels.
This was an extraordinary mixture of fact and fantasy that even
described strange creatures and two-headed men. Richard Hakluyt is
well-known for his descriptions of the voyages made by English
merchants and explorers in the 16th and early
17th centuries.
In the
18th century, travel literature started to become
popular as great novelists described their trips around Europe. In
the following century, classic travel literature included
descriptions of travels in West Africa, South America and the
Amazon.
Among great
travel writers of the 20th century were: Robert Byron
who journeyed across Central Asia, Freya Stark who traveled widely
in Arab countries; Bruce Chatwin whose travel books are a mixture
of anthropology, philosophy and fiction. Famous contemporary travel
writers include V. S Naipaul, Paul Theroux and Bill
Bryson.
Travel
writing now is not only more popular than ever but is no longer
regarded as an unimportant genre of literature. Good travel
literature combines observations with imagination and can explore
the depths of the human condition. As the Spanish proverb says, “
He, who would bring home the wealth of the Indies, must carry the
wealth of the Indies with him.”
Reading and Listening
Before you
start
l
Read the background
notes and answer these questions.
1.
Which of the travel writers
mentioned would you most like to read?
Why?
2.
Which of the writers listed
mixed fact and fiction?
3.
When did travel literature
first became popular?
4.
What, as the proverb says,
makes a good travel writer?
2
Read
and listen to the story. Order there events.
a). The wrier gave he shepherd a cup of
tea.
b). The shepherd started to talk
louder.
c). The shepherd got a bit angry because the writer
couldn’t understand.
d). The writer went outside with her cup of
tea.
e). The shepherd tried to show that he wanted a cup of
tea.
f). The writer asked the shepherd
questions.
g). The shepherd used his cane to dismount from his
donkey.
h). The shepherd started laughing a
lot.
i). The shepherd and hid donkey came into
view.
3
Read the story again
and answer these questions.
1.
Why did the writer spill
her tea?
2.
Why did the shepherd use
the cane to dismount?
3.
What did the writer like
most about the islanders?
4.
How did the shepherd
finally explain what he wanted?
5.
How does the writer think
one learns a language?
6.
Why did the shepherd laugh
so much?
4
Match the
objects with the writer’s descriptions of them
(a-e)
a laugh, the sea, the land, a sound, the
sky
a). like wide blue hands
b). bearish
c). lassoing the entire island
d). the curved and plummeting body
e). rumbles
Speaking
Work in pairs. Which of these things would you like to do?
Why?
Visit a Greek island, meet some islanders, live abroad for
a while a travel book, learn another language (besides English ),
know more words in English.
The sleek black donkey is called Marcos, and the old man
who rides him is called Andreas. They appear early one morning
while I am sitting outside, my back against the wall of the
spitaki, a cup of tea cradled in my hands. The gate is on the other
side of the house, out of immediate view. I hear hooves knock
against the stones that mark the threshold of the gate. To give me
warning, the old man shouts some unintelligible greeting that
scares me out of my wits. spill tea on my lap.
'Kaleemera,' he says gruffly, with a cautious smile.
'Kaleemera,' I return the greeting and reach for my dictionary He
pulls his cane from its resting place in the ropes of the saddle,
maneuvers Marcos to a stone, where he aims the cane, then slides
off the donkey's back. His lower left leg and foot are deformed;
the foot fits into a black boot cut open to accommodate its
dimensions. How to
