34 Last words
一、请根据两个提示句进行故事续写,150词左右。
What I remember most vividly when stepping into Dad’s hospital room was the evidence of my own senses. The bright green walls meant to be relaxing and the noise of the machines helping my father to breathewere all a scream of desperation.
I took a deep swallow and said quietly, “Hi Dad.” He turned his face toward me, and what greeted me was a man who looked decades older than the last time I had seen him. “Hi, honey,” he breathed with difficulty.
The instant our eyes met, he had submitted to what was coming. When I looked into my father’s eyes, now clouded over with pain, I knew that he would never leave that bed again. And since I was boarding a plane in six hours, this would be the last time I would get to gaze at those eyes.
He wasn’t strong enough for small talk. I simply held his hand and let the quiet tears fall. I don’t know if he saw them or not. Finally, when it was time to go, I got up all my courage, set aside my fears and said determinedly, “I love you, Dad.”
Those words had never been said in my family. My father never said them to me, and until then, I never said them to him. In fact, I’m sure I never heard them spoken in our strict, Irish-Catholic household. But my fear of rejection was outweighed (超过) by my knowledge that this was my last chance. And so I said it.
But he couldn’t give it back. His once dancing eyes, now muddy and confused, looked away. “I’m tired,” is all he said. “Maybe you better go.”
Three days later, I sat with my nine siblings (兄弟姐妹) planning my father’s funeral. We had never been an expressive family, but at this moment we alternated(交替)between tension and relief, laughter and tears. However, my father’s death was hardest on my youngest sister Caroline, just a sophomore(二年级生)in high school.
While we kept looking back on “Dad stories”, she just sat there. _________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________ Her words hit me. Why hadn’t father said the same words to me _________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________
二、原版品读
Last words
What I remember most vividly when stepping into Dad’s hospital room was the assault on the senses. The bright green walls were meant to be soothing, but to me they screamed of the desperation of the inmates. The noise of the machines helping my father to breathe sounded like the hissing snake of death.
I took a deep swallow to quell the nausea. “Hi Dad,” I said quietly. He turned his face toward me, and what greeted me was a man who looked decades older than the last time I had seen him. “Hi, honey,” he wheezed.
The instant our eyes met, I knew that he had surrendered to what was coming. When I looked into my father’s eyes, now clouded over with pain, I knew that he would never leave that bed again. I would never again feel the grip of his hand, never again hear the lilt of his voice.
He wasn’t strong enough for small talk. I simply held his hand and let the quiet tears fall. I don’t know if he saw them or not. Finally, when it was time to go, I summoned all my courage. I set aside my fears. I resolutely said, “I love you, Dad.”
Those words had never been said in my family. My father never said them to me, and until then, I never said them to him. In fact, I’m sure I never heard them uttered in our strict, Irish-Catholic household. But my fear of rejection was outweighed by my knowledge that this was my last chance. And so I said it.
But he couldn’t give it back. His once dancing eyes, now muddy and confused, looked away. “I’m tired,” is all he said. “Maybe you better go.”
Three days later, I sat with my nine siblings planning my father’s funeral. We alternated between tension and relief, laughter and tears. We had never been an expressive family, but there was a tangible sense of being tired of the restraint. His death was hardest on my youngest sister, just a sophomore in high school. As we shared “Dad stories” back and forth, she was unusually quiet, but finally in an almost embarrassed way said, “I saw Dad right before he died. He took my hand, looked at me, and said ‘I love you, Caroline.’”
Her words hit me like a blunt force instrument. He loved her. Why hadn’t he said it to me Finding out that just a day after I left him he told my sister, his youngest daughter, that he loved her, was a blow.
It was easy to hide the reason for my tears — after all, we’d just lost our father — who would begrudge a child her grief But no one knew the true source of my sorrow.
I’ll always wish that I had that moment with my father over again. I wish I had said, “It’s okay, Dad — you can say it.” What I do have is the moment with my sister. Dad found the courage and strength, on his deathbed, to say “I love you.” I believe at least some of that courage and strength came from me. And I am grateful that at the time when he was most vulnerable, I gave him something of substance. Something that would help him to let go, and help my 15-year-old sister to let go as well.
So Dad, I wish you could have said it to me. But thanks for saying it to Caroline. And, by the way — I do love you. And I know you love me, too.
I. Words for understanding
单词 音标 词性释义 单词 音标 词性释义
vividly ['v v dli] adv.生动地 utter [ t (r)] vt.说;讲
assault [ s lt] n.冲击 outweigh [a t we ] vt.超过
soothing [ su ] adj.减轻(痛苦)的 rejection [r d ek n] n. 拒绝
scream [skri m] vi.尖声大叫 sibling [ s bl ] n.兄弟姐妹
desperation [ desp re n] n. 绝望 tension [ ten n] n. 绷紧
inmate [ nme t] n.同院病人 relief [r li f] n. 宽慰
hissing [h s] v.发嘶嘶声 alternate [' lt ne t] vi.(使)交替
swallow ['sw l ] n. 咽 tangible [ t nd bl] adj.可感知的
wheeze [wi z] 呼哧呼哧地说 restraint [r stre nt] n.抑制, 克制
surrender [s rend ] vi.投降 sophomore [ s f m (r)] n.(高中)二年级学生
cloud [kla d] vi.露出(痛苦)神色 hit [h t] vt.侵袭
grip [gr p] n.紧握; 紧抓 blunt [bl nt] adj. 钝的; 不锋利的
lilt [l lt] n.抑扬顿挫 begrudge [b gr d ] vt.对……感到不满
summon [ s m n] vt.鼓起 grateful [ ɡre tf l] adj. 感激的
resolutely [ rez lu tl ] adv.坚定地 vulnerable [ v ln r bl] adj.脆弱的
短语 释义 短语 释义
set aside 暂不考虑 back and forth 来回地
let go 放手
III. Read to appreciate: Fill in the blanks according to Chinese translations
The instant our eyes , I knew that he had to what was coming. (Action)
我们的目光一相遇,我就知道他已经向即将到来的事情投降了。
2. I simplyheld his hand and let the quiet tears . (Action)
我只是握着他的手,默默流泪。
3. Finally, when it was time to go, I all my courage. (Action)
最后,到了该走的时候,我鼓起所有的勇气。
4. He turned his face toward me, and what ______________ me was a man who looked decades older than the last time I had seen him. (Appearance)
他把脸转向我。于是,一个看上去比我上次见到他时老了几十岁的人映入我的眼帘。
When I looked into my father’s eyes, now ___________ ___________, I knew that he would never leave that bed again. (Appearance)
父亲的眼睛现在被痛苦笼罩着。当我看着它们时,我知道他再也不会离开那张床了。
His once eyes, now and, looked away. (Appearance)
他那双曾经跳动的眼睛,现在变得浑浊而困惑,看向了别处。
But my fear of ____________ was by my knowledge that this was my last chance. (Emotion)
但我知道这是我最后的机会,这超过了我对被拒绝的恐惧。
We alternated between and , and . (Emotion)
我们时而紧张,时而放松;时而欢笑,时而流泪。
Finding out that just a day after I left him he told my sister, his youngest daughter, that he loved her, wasa . (Emotion)
就在我离开他的第二天,他告诉我妹妹 ─ 他最小的女儿,他爱她,这对我是个打击。
The noise of the machines helping my father to breathesounded like the snake of death.
帮助父亲呼吸的机器发出的声音听起来就像死亡之蛇发出的嘶嘶声。(Metaphor)
Her words me like a blunt force instrument. (Metaphor)
她的话像钝器一样击中了我。
IV. Language in use
Application of the key words: Fill in the blanks according to the Chinese sentences
1. 随着轮胎发出的刺耳的声音,救护车冲过街角。
The ambulance raced round the corner with its tyres ________.
她抑制住自己的失望,说:“没关系”。
She ________ her disappointment, saying, "That’s OK, it doesn’t matter."
一提到她死去的丈夫,她的脸色就阴沉下来。
At the mention of her dead husband, her face ________ over.
长时间的等待实在无聊,我们靠打扑克来解闷儿。
We played cards to ________ the boredom of the long wait.
母狮子不理会最小的幼师,任由它死去。The lioness ________ the smallest cub, which died.
她把玻璃杯扔向屋子的另一头,砸在墙上。She threw her glass across the room and it ________ the wall.
“放开我的手,你弄疼我了!”__________ ___________ of my hand, you’re hurting me!
他们跟着她,没有说一句怨言They followed her without ________ a single word of protest.
这本书唤起我童年的记忆。The book ________ up memories of my childhood.
Imitation of the scenes:
请描写“我”向临终父亲表白爱意的场景。
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Key:
一、读后续写
While we kept looking back on “Dad stories”, she just sat there. Seemingly confused by how this could have happened, she lowered her head and bit her lips, unusually quiet. Recalling the very moment staying with father before his deathbed, I sighed deeply, expressing my feeling that father had never loved me. At this time Caroline was not so quiet that she rose to her feet, saying in an embarrassed voice, “I saw Dad right before he died. He took my hand, looked at me, and said ‘I love you, Caroline.’”
Her words hit me. Why hadn’t father said the same words to me It was no doubt a blow to me, but after collecting myself, I believed the risk I took in the hospital had worked the way unexpected and helped him find the courage to say what he wanted to say — though his audience was my sister, not me. I am still grateful that when he was most vulnerable, I was there, helping him let go. By the way ─ I do love you, my Dad! And I know you love me, too. (160words)
二、原作品读
III.
1.Met; had surrendered ; 2. fall; 3. summoned; 4.what greeted me; looked decades older; 6. now clouded with pain; 7. dancing eyes; muddy and confused; 8. my fear of rejection was outweighed; 9. tension and relief; laughter and tears; 10. a blow; 11. the hissing snake of death; 12. hit; like a blunt force instrument.
IV.
1. Screaming 2. swallowed; 3. clouded; 4. relieve; 5. rejected; 6. hit; 7. let go; 8. uttering; 9. summoned
“ You’d better prepare for the worst.” The doctor’s words hit me like a blunt force instrument. The noise of the machines helping my father to breathe sounded like the hissing snake of death. When I looked into my father’s eyes, now clouded over with pain, I summoned all my courage and resolutely said, “I love you, Dad.”