Unit 5 Dealing with AIDS
Pre-reading questions:
1. What kind of disease do you know AIDS is?
2. Do you know someone who has contracted AIDS? If he were you friend, would you keep your friendship with him? Words and phrases suggested:
The term—a human viral disease—the immune system—defend the boy from—vulnerable to—harmless in—fatal in—no cure—new drugs Reference:
AIDS is an acronym of the term “Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome”, which is a human viral disease that ravages the immune system, undermining the body’s ability to defend itself from infection and disease. AIDS leaves an infected person vulnerable to opportunistic infections. Such infections are harmless in healthy people, but in those whose immune systems have been greatly weakened, they can prove fatal. Although there is no cure for AIDS, new drugs are available that can prolong the life span and improve the quality of life of infected people. Main idea:
The text relates a true story—unforgettable personal experiences of the writer’s. it tells us how David, the writer’s best friend, suffered
from AIDS, what attitude the writer took towards David, and how much concern he showed to David, i.e. how he helped David deal with AIDS. Questions:
① What is the theme of the text?
The theme of the text is: Dealing with AIDS strengthens the bond of friendship and encourages emotional and mature growth. ② What is the style of the narrative text? Give reasons for your answer.
The style of the narrative text is colloquial and simple because many simple words, colloquial expressions and concise sentences are used, which are easy and smooth to read. Besides, the writer employs many simple sentences and a number of coordinate sentences. Furthermore, most of the complex sentences employed are easy to understand. Structure of the essay
This text is piece of factual narration, telling us a true and unforgettable story the writer experienced.
Part I paragraph 1, the beginning of the text, introducing the theme of the text.
Part II paragraph 2-4, mainly tells us how the author knew David was suffering from AIDS and how he reacted to such a fact.
Part III paragraph 5-7, mainly tells us that the writer kept an active and positive attitude for the sake of his friend David and showed great concern for him.
Part IV paragraph 8, the concluding part, points out the specific date that marked the end of David’s life, describes the writer’s emotions towards David’s death, and informs us how the writer keeps his friend’s memory alive.
Text Explanation bond
1) a uniting force or tie
E.g. The trade agreement strengthened the bonds between the two countries.
2) a written agreement or promise that has legal force E.g. We entered into a solemn bond with them. mature
1) fully grown or developed mentally or physically
e.g. He is not mature enough to be given too much responsibility. 2) (of thought, intentions, etc.) careful and thorough深思熟虑的；考虑周到的
E.g. After mature consideration I entered the competition. carefree
free from anxiety; having no worries or problems E.g. Little children are always carefree.
after finishing our exams we all felt happy and carefree. careful careless
I was just living life up.
I was enjoying life to my heart’s content尽兴地.
live it up: (infml) live in a lively and extravagant way 享乐: Now you've been left some money you can afford to live it up a bit. live up to sth: behave in accordance with sth 依照某事物行事; 表现出符合某事物的标准:
failed to live up to his principles, his reputation, his parents' expectations invincible:
in capable of being overcome or defeated; unconquerable E.g. The champion wrestler seemed invincible. There is no army in the world that is invincible. What does the first sentence of Paragraph 1 tell us?
It points out the significance of dealing with AIDS. In other words, it conveys the theme of the narrative text, which is also the purpose of the writer.
The last sentence of paragraph 1 is a sentence fragment. It is
actually part of the preceding sentence. Why does the author separate them from each other?
By separating them from each other, the author succeeds in accentuating the two parts of the sentence.
If a sentence is divided into two or more than two segments by means of full stops, more information units come into being. As each information unit is to be articulated in accentuated falling tone, it is naturally endowed with emphasis. …so we didn’t hang out as much.
so we did not spend a lot of time together as we had done before we got to high school.
hang out: (informal) visit a place often; spend a lot of time in a particular place
E.g. Where has he been hanging out these days? They normally hang out in the public house. So I called him and he hung up on me.
so I phoned him, but he refused to talk to me on the phone by replacing the receiver.
hang up (on sb): (infml) end a telephone conversation by replacing the receiver
E.g. Last night I called him, but as soon as he heard my voice, he hung up on me.