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A young and successful executive was traveling down a neighborhood street, going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar（捷豹车）. He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something.
As his car passed, one child appeared, and a brick smashed into the Jag’s side door. He slammed on the brakes and spun the Jag back to the spot from where the brick had been thrown.
He jumped out of the car, grabbed some kid and pushed him up against a parked car, shouting, “What was that all about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing?” Building up a head of steam, he went on “That’s a new car and that brick you threw is gonna cost a lot of money. Why did you do it?”
“Please, mister, please, I’m sorry. I didn’t know what else to do!” pleaded the youngster.
“It’s my brother,” he said. “He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can’t lift him up.
Sobbing, the boy asked the executive, “Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He’s hurt and he’s too heavy for me.”
Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. He lifted the young man back into the wheelchair and took out his handkerchief and wiped the scrapes and cuts, checking to see that everything was going to be okay.
“Thank you, sir. And God bless you,” the grateful child said to him. The man then watched the little boy push his brother to the sidewalk toward their home.
It was a long walk back to his Jaguar... a long, slow walk. He never did repair the side door. He kept the dent to remind him not to go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention.
Life whispers in your soul and speaks to your heart. Sometimes, when you don’t have the time to listen, life throws a brick at your head.
It’s your choice: listen to the whispers of your soul or wait for the brick!
Do you sometimes ignore loved ones because your life is too fast and busy leaving them to wonder whether you really love them?
1. Read with the tape and pay attention to the pronunciation of the new words in the text.
2. Listen to what they have read as well as read the text again, and fill in the blanks.
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Time |
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Place |
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Characters (who?) |
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Plot (What happened?) |
At first,
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Then,
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At last,
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Lesson (what can be learnt?) |
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Discuss in groups and retell the story according to the chart above.
3. A story usually tells us a lesson. We can easily find the lesson in the text.
Life whispers in your soul and speaks to your heart. Sometimes, when you don’t have the time to listen, life throws a brick at your head.
It’s your choice: listen to the whispers of your soul or wait for the brick!
Do you sometimes ignore loved ones because your life is too fast and busy leaving them to wonder whether you really love them?
(1) First of all, would you discuss with your partner and translate them into Chinese.
当生命想与你的心灵窃窃私语，有时，你会没有时间去聆听……那么砖头就会落到你的头上，提醒你注意！
有两种选择摆在你面前：聆听心灵的声音或者等待砖头降临！
有时你会忽略深爱的人，那是因为你在生命的道路上行进太快，而无暇考虑是否真的爱他们。
(2) In the sentences “Sometimes, when you don’t have the time to listen, life throws a brick at your head.” and “It’s your choice: listen to the whispers of your soul or wait for the brick!” What does a “brick” refer to in your life? Please offer some examples. Discuss in your group.
4. A brick makes the executive change a lot. In the text, from the beginning to the end, the feelings of the executive change a lot. Please discuss in groups and find out:
(1) the changes of the executive’s feelings.
(2) the evidence to prove the feelings.
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Changes of the feelings |
Evidence in the text |
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At first, he might be a little proud |
young, successful, Jaguar , a bit too fast… |
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… |
… |
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… |
… |
(3) what kind of person you think the executive is.
5. Choose one of the following topics to discuss.
(1) If you were the boy who threw the brick, would you also choose to throw a brick? If so, state your reasons. If not, what would you do?
(2) If you were the executive, would you choose to help the boy and keep the dent on the car door? Why or why not?
6. There are two titles: “Cherish Every Moment” and “The Brick in Your Life”. Which one do you think is better?
7. Conclusion
When we are reading a short story, not only do we need to pay attention to the plot of the story, but we should focus more on the characters, especially on their feelings and personalities. Moreover, we should consider more about the validity(合理) of the different elements of a story, such as the time, place, characters, plot, ending, lessons as well as the language in the story, which we will discuss in the future lessons.
8. Assignment
Rewrite the story in the first person within 120 words and try to use as many new words as possible in your writing. Two versions are offered to choose.
(1) I am a boy with my brother who is sitting in a wheelchair in the neighborhood street. All of a sudden, ….
(2) As an executive, I have got promoted. In a good mood and high spirit, I was driving my Jaguar in the neighborhood street. All of a sudden, I …
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