The True Height

I. Background InformationII. Questions & AnswersIII. Language PointsIV. Quiz

Table of Contents

I. Background Information

Sports play an important part in American life.Professional baseball and football games attractlarge crowds, and many people watch games ontelevision. Although many parents complainabout their children being couch potatoes(people who spend a lot of time watchingtelevision), there are sports for all ages. Collegestudents are usually also required to takephysical education classes to complete theirstudies.

Sports

Olympic Symbol and Flag

"Citius, altius, fortius" is a Latin phrase meaning

"Swifter, Higher, Stronger", which Baron de Coubertin borrowed from Father Henri Martin Dideon of Paris.

The Olympics Motto 

Big & Important Events

National Junior Olympic Games USA

                                                                                                                

     

II. Comprehension Questions

1. Why is the text entitled True Height?

Because the young man had to overcome two types of obstacles, one was the cross-bar high up in front of him, the other is the the tension he suffered

2. What is the special trouble for Michael Stone?

The man was blind. He was a disabled young guy.

3. Why do people like to watch pole vaulting?

It is a sports event with the combination of strength and grace. It changes horizontal force into vertical force.

4. What was the character of the Father?

He was a hard-core realist, who believe in hard work and sweat.

5. What is the character of the Mother?

She was flexible concerning the training of the boy.

6. What happened to Michael Stone

after the National Junior Olympics? He had a different life I suppose.

7. What can we learn from Michael’s story?

Hardship and confidence.

III. Vocabulary

Word Completion:

1. p______ strong feeling, esp. of love

2. d____ small, particular fact or item

3. n________ very many

4. v___ too pleased with one’s own

abilities/looks

assionetail

umerous ain

5. feeling of worry or fear --- anxiety

6.unable to hear at all or to hear well --- deaf

7. Imagination --- fantasy

8. the most important part --- core

9. come or happen again --- recur

1. Sweat n. & v.

1) drop of liquid through skin when one is hot…

Sweat was running from his forehead.

2) produce sweat

The long climb made us sweat.

He was sweating heavily after working so hard.

2. Grace n. 1) quality of being smooth & elegant, in movement or structure

She lost the election by a mere 20 votes.

How can you expect her to work out such a complicated math problem? She is a mere child.

Mere words won’t help. 光说无济于事

3. Mere: adj. nothing more than

The story is a fantasy.

He lives in a world of fantasy.

Having watched so many animated cartoons, some children can’t tell fantasy from reality.

4. Fantasy n. imagination, esp. when it has no connection at all with reality

The poet expressed his burning passion for the woman he loved.

She had never before loved anyone with such passion.

Phrase: have a passion for: have a strong interest in sth., and like it very much .

He has a passion for ice cream.

5. Passion: strong feeling, esp. of love

Go into detail (s): explain sth. thoroughly ( 详细说明 )

Can you give me a rough idea of what happened, without going into detail?In detail: fully or thoroughly （详细地）

As for the pay increase, we haven’t yet had a chance to discuss it in detail.

6.

1) Come or happen again.

The themes of love recurred in many of his books.

2) (of ideas, events, etc.) come back

My first meeting with her often recurs to my memory.

Thoughts of home and family recurred to the lonely traveler.

7. Recur v.

“Take this medicine and go to bed early. If the headache ________, you should come for an X-ray examination.” said the doctor.

A. happens B. recurs C. recovers D. repeats

B

Pattern: recur to sb./ sth.

1) (of ideas, opinions, etc.) with those of his wife.

The judges didn’t coincide in opinion.

2) Happen at the same time.

The art exhibition coincide with the 50th anniversary of his grandpa’s death.

8. Coincide v. 巧合

The core of the problem is their objection to educational reform.

Remove the cores, and bake the apples for 40 minutes.

(the hard central part of a fruit such as an apple)

Hard-core: having an extreme way of life or an extreme belief that is very unlikely to change.

a hard-core criminal 死不悔改的罪犯

9. Core n. the most important part

He works on alternate days.This is a week of alternate rain & sunshine.She wears a shirt with alternate stripes of blueand white.

10. Alternate adj. happening by turns, every other or second

Massage is used to relax muscles.

The best strategy for avoiding stress is to learn to relax.

Music will help to relax you.

get relaxed

relaxation n.

11. Relax v. make or become less tense, worried or nervous

It is vain to resist.

In vain --- unsuccessful

All the police's efforts to find him were in vain.

12. vain a. (of / about)

empty

vain

bare

hollow

empty

empty, bare, hollow, vain

13. be ashamed of: feel foolish or uncomfortable because of sth

You should be ashamed of your behavior.

He was ashamed of asking such a simple question.

他为问了这样简单的问题而感到难为情．

.

14. Startle v. give sudden shock / surprise to sb.

You startled me I didn’t hear you come in.She was startled to see him looking so ill.

In order to finish the job in times, we have to work with greater intensity.

Looking at her with intensity, the man said, “Would you please marry me?”

The mayor didn’t realize the intensity of people’s feelings on the housing issue.

15. Intensity: the state of beingintense ( 强烈 , 剧烈 , 紧张 )

intensity noun [U]The explosion was of such intensity that it was heard five miles away.

intense adj.1 extreme and forceful or (of a feeling) very strong:intense cold/heat/hatredan intense flavour/colourHe suddenly felt an intense pain in his back.

2 Intense people are very serious, and usually have strong emotions or opinions:an intense young man

16. Tense a. feeling worried or nervousThe two countries began to discuss their tense relations.There was a tense moment before we heard the news.

Tensions between India and Pakistan have risen since the December 13 attack on the Indian parliament.

Smiling and laughing has been shown to relieve tension and stress.

你能适应大城市的紧张生活吗？

Can you adapt yourself to the tension of life in a big city?

17. Tension n. worry or nervousness ( 紧张 , 不安 )

He went on the journey along with his two friends.

他把钞票连同找回的零钱和发票一起有放进抽屉．

She placed the bank notes, along with the change and receipts, back in the drawer. 　

18. Along with: together with ( 连同 )

He stretched out a hand and lifted the glass to her lips.

The sea stretched out as far as I could see.

19. Stretch out: spread out, straighten to full length ( 伸展 )

Emily’s voice brought him back to earth.

You had better bring yourself back to earth for an hour and cook us

some dinner.

20. bring (sb.) back to earth: cause (sb.) to stop daydreaming, cause (sb.) to return to reality ( 使回到现实中 )

In his mind’s eye, she is still a shy girl.

In my mind’s eye, I can still see the house where I was born .

she was writing her next piece in her mind’s eye . 她在构思下一部作品 .

21. In one’s mind’s eye: in one’s imagination, in one’s memory

His teachers congratulated him on winning the first prize in the speech contest.

他被提升为总经理 , 我们应当写信祝贺他 .My son has been promoted to CEO. We must writ

e to congratulate him.

pattern: congratulate sb. on sth.Congratulation (n.)

22. Congratulate: tell (sb.) that one is pleased about his good fortune or achievements.

23. Media n. means of mass communication, e.g. TV, radio, newspaper

Much of what children learn comes directly from the mass media.

They are wondering whether bias in the news media contributed to the candidate’s defeat.

A. exercise B. have the desired effect

C. do an activity that needs physical or mental effort.

D. cause to move gradually or with difficulty into another position.

E. calculate F. operate

1. If you want something, work for it.

2. He worked out every other day with weightlifting.

3. He began shaking the tension. It wasn’t working.

4. The stranger worked his way through the crowd.

5. The new machine worked on electricity .

6. Can you work out how much money it will need?

CABD

F

E

24.work out

back

Main Idea• Dreaming and hard work helped

Michael Stone on his way to success.

Title True Height• 1) the new bar heights that Michael

cleared one after another.• 2) the tremendous obstacles Michael

had overcome in attaining his goal.

• Narration with a flashback• A story is usually narrated in the simple

past tense. When a past event is recalled, the past perfect tense will be used as a signal. Afterwards the flashback is also narrated in the simple past tense.

• Flashback from line 12 to line 35.

Structure of the Text

flashback

flashback