I Have a Dream

I am happy to join you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.

In a sense we have come to our nation’s capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the “inalienable right of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check which has come back marked “insufficient funds.”

But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.

Now is the time to make real the promise of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God’s children.

I say to you today, my friends, that is in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment I still have dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.”

I have dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day down in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.

I have dream that one day “every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low; the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.”

This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day when all of God’s children will be able to sing with a new meaning:

My country, ‘tis of thee,
Sweet land of liberty,
Of thee I sing.
Land where my father died,
Land of the pilgrims’ pride,
From every mountainside
Let freedom ring!

And if America is to be great nation this must become true.

When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in words of the old Negro spiritual:

Free at last! Free at last!
Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!

(an excerpt from “I have a Dream” by Martin Luther King)

Vocabulary:
· promissory adj. 許諾的、保證的
· inalienable adj.不可剝奪的、密不可分的
· sacred adj.神聖的
· desolate adj.荒涼的
· creed n.[C] 信念、理念
· swelter vi. 熱得難受
· oppression n.[U] 壓迫
· exalt vt. 提高；讚揚
· crooked adj. 彎曲的
· discord n.[C,U] 不和諧的聲音；不協調
· spiritual n.[C] 黑人靈歌；adj. 心靈的、精神上的
· vault n.[C] 金庫、保險庫
· sunlit adj. 陽光照耀的
· quicksand n.[C,U]流沙
· oasis n.[C] 綠洲
· hew vt. 砍、劈
· jangle vi. 發出刺耳的聲響
· pilgrim n.[C] 朝聖者(此處指早期來到美洲的英國清教徒)
· hamlet n.[C] 小村落
· Jew n.[C] 猶太人
· Gentile n.[C] 非猶太人
· Protestant n.[C] 清教徒
· fall heir to 成為….繼承人
· rise up (against sb./sth.) 起義、反叛
· live out 實踐、身體力行
· (up)on demand 一經要求

A Bad Day

(1)
I overslept and missed my train,
slipped on the sidewalk
in the pouring rain,
sprained my ankle,
skinned my knees,
broken my glasses,
lost my keys,
got stuck in the elevator,
it wouldn’t go,
kicked it twice and stubbed my toe,
bought a pen that didn’t write,
took it back and had a fight,
went home angry,
locked the door,
crawled into bed,
couldn’t take any more.

(2)
The bread was stale,
it was four days old.
The milk was sour.
The coffee was cold.
The butter was rancil.
The steak was tough.
The service was dreadful.
The waiter was rough.
My bill was huge.
His tip was small.
I’m sorry I went to that place at all.

(from Jazz Chauts, by Carolyn Graham)

Adding Some Color to Your Life

Look at the world around you. How many colors do you see? The blue of the sky. The green of the trees. The red bricks and white tiles of the buildings. The colors of your clothes, your books, your food. Color is everywhere around us. It plays an important role in our lives.
Each color, for example, has a special meaning. However, sometimes these meanings are different in different cultures. In China, for example yellow is the color of the emperor, but in the West, when people see yellow baby chickens or yellow flowers, they often think of spring. For the Chinese, the color red suggests the wish for good things to happen. It is also the color for Chinese New Year and other celebrations. For Americans, red means love. It is the color for Valentine’s Day, but red and green together are Christmas colors. The Chinese wear white at funerals, but for most Western people, white is for weddings. They would never wear white to a funeral, only black.
Colors can also affect the way we feel and act. In recent years, some researchers have developed theories about the effects of color on our lives. Some of them believe that we can even use color to change our feelings or attitudes.
According to these researchers, for example, light blue can make people feel more patient and loving. If the members of your family are always fighting, you might try adding some of this color to your home. You could paint the walls light blue, for instance. Red, on the other hand, is a color full of energy. If you are always tired, perhaps you could buy yourself a bunch of red roses. If you feel sad or afraid, try wearing something orange. This is the color of courage. Yellow is a color that can help you study better. It represents thinking. So if your mind feels lazy, you might try putting some yellow decorations around your desk.
Of course, these ideas about color are just theories. Some people may take them seriously, and some may think they are meaningless. Others may enjoy trying them out just for fun. Why don’t you give them a try? Whether they work for you or not, at least they will make your life more colorful.
(from Far East English Reader vol.1)

Summery:
Color is everywhere around us and plays an important role in our lives. In different cultures, each color usually has a different meaning. In recent years, researchers claim different color has different effects on our lives.
Color:
Red, pink, orange, yellow, green, white, navyblue, purple, brown, black, gray, beige, indigo, blue.
Idioms and phrased:
1. play a(n) … role:
2. think of:
3. on the other hand

Gifts of Love

One dollar of eighty-seven cents. That was all. Della had been saving for months, one or two pennies at a time, but there was only one dollar and eighty-seven cents. And the next day would be Christmas.

She sat down and cried. She had spent many happy hours planning a nice Christmas present for Jim, her dear husband, but there was not enough money to buy even a cheap necktie.

Della stopped crying and stood up. She turned and stood before the mirror. She pulled her down and let it fall.

Now, Jim and Della had little money, but they had two things that were like treasures. One was Jim’s gold watch, which had been his grandfather’s. The other was Della’s beautiful long hair. It looked like shining waves of water.

Della pinned her hair back up, then rushed out the door and walked quickly down the street. She stopped before a sign that read, “Beautiful Salon.” She ran inside.

“Will you buy my hair?” she asked. She unpinned it and let it fall down again.
“Twenty dollars,” the owner said, looking at the hair carefully.
“Give it to me quickly,” said Della.

For the next two hours, she looked in all the stores for Jim’s present. She found it at last: a fine gold watch chain.

Della returned home, then sat down and waited for her husband. “I hope Jim will think I ‘m still pretty,” she said to herself.

Soon, the door open and Jim stepped in. When he saw Della, he looked shocked. He stared at her, with a strange look on his face. Della jumped. He stared at her, with a strange look on his face. Della jumped up. “Jim, darling, don’t look at me that way. I sold my hair because I wanted so much to give you a Christmas present. Don’t you love me just at much anyhow?”

“Don’t make any mistake about me Della,” he said. “Your short hair doesn’t make me love you less. But if you open this package, you will see why I was so surprised.”

Her fingers tore open the paper. She gave a cry of joy --- but it quickly changed into tears. There lay the set of combs that Della had wanted for so long. They were beautiful, with jewels on the edges, and just the right color for her hair. But now she had no hair to wear them in.

She held the combs tightly and looked up. Her eyes were red, but she smiled and said, “My hair grows very fast, Jim.”

Then Della quickly gave Jim his present. “Isn’t it lovely? I looked all over town for it. Give me your watch. I want to see how it looks!”
But Jim just sat down on the coach, put his hands behind his head, and smiled. “Della,” he said, “let’s put our presents away. They’re too nice to use right now. I sold my watch to get the money to buy your combs. And now I guess it’s time for us to have our dinner.”

(adapted from “The Gift of the Magi” by O. Herry)

Making Telephone Calls

Communicating in English on the phone can be difficult. But it will be easier if you become familiar with some common expressions. Also, remember that most Westerners follow certain rules of politeness when talking on the phone. The following are some guidelines for American telephone manners.
1. When you call someone, introduce yourself first. Even if you know the person, don’t expect him or her to recognize your voice.
2. After introducing yourself, you might ask, “Are you busy right now?” If it is a business call, you can say, “Is this a convenient time to call?”
3. If the person is busy, you can say, “What time should I call back?”
4. When you answer the phone at home, you can simply say “Hello.” At an office, you should identify the name of your company. For example: “Formosa Plastics, may I help you?”
5. If you dial a wrong number, it is not polite to say, “What number is this?” Instead, you can say, “I’m sorry. Is this 2595-2345?”
6. When you want to end a phone conversation, you can say, “Thanks for calling” or “It’s been nice talking to you.” To be more direct, you can say, “I’m sorry. I have to go now.”
(From Far East English Reader)
Dialogeues:
1. A student in Taiwan is calling a school in the United States.
Operator: University of Oregon.
Student: Could I have the Language Training Center, please?
Operator: One moment, please.
Secretary: Language Center. May I help you?
Student: Hello, I’m calling from Taiwan. I’d like to get some information about your program.
Secretary: Just a minute. I’ll connect you with Ms. Barnes.

2. A man calls the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) AIT has a recorded phone message.
Recording: This is the American Institute in Taiwan. If you know the extension you want, please dial it now. If you need other information or want to speak to an operator, dial 0.
Operator: AIT. May I help you?
Caller: Could I have the visa office, please?
Operator: One moment.
3. Hua-ming makes a personal call to his friend Steve.
Steve: Hello.
Hua-ming: Hello, is Steve there?
Steve: Speaking.
Hua-ming: Hi, Steve. This is Hua-ming.
Steve: Hua-ming! How’ve you been? I haven’t heard from you for ages!
Hua-ming: I’ve been great. How have you been?

4. Mei-ling calls her classmate Ruth, who has an answering machine.
Recording: you have reach 2333-6633. We can’t answer the phone right now. Please leave your name and number after the tone.
Mei-Ling: Hi, Ruth, this is Mei-ling. Please call me back when you get home. My number is 2264-8878.

5. Amy calls her classmate Peter, but she dials the wrong number.
Answerer: Hello.
Amy: Hello, could I speak to Peter?
Answerer: I’m sorry, there’s no one here by that name.
Amy: Oh? Is this 2718-3357?
Answerer: No, it’s not. I’m afraid you have the wrong number.
Amy: Sorry!

Idioms and Phrases:
1. Even if: in spite of the fact that.
Even if you can do it by yourself, you’d better discuss it with us first.
2. Hear from: to receive a letter or telephone call from.

3. For ages: for a long time.

We haven’t seen each other for ages.

Plastic Money

Here is a situation that has happened to many people: You invite a friend to lunch, and after finishing the meal, you realize you did not bring enough money. What should you do? Turn to your friend and ask to borrow some? How embarrassing! Excuse yourself and rush down the street to the nearest bank? How impractical!
So what can you do to get out of this situation? It’s easy. Just take out your credit card and say, “ Charge it.” How convenient!
In fact, the conveniences of using “plastic money” are many. For one thing, you don’t have to carry a large amount of cash, which can easily be lost or stolen. This is especially important if you are traveling. Of course, a credit card can also be lost or stolen, but if it is, you just call the credit card company. After that, if anyone uses your card, you won’t have to pay the bill.
Credit cards are also useful for making large purchases. For example, if you want to buy a computer, but you don’t have enough cash, you can charge it and then pay off the bill over several months. Having a credit card is also an advantage if you want to order goods through the mail. To do so, you just give your credit card number to the mail-order company.
To enjoy the advantages of a credit card, however, requires responsibility. Often, when people first get credit cards, they go crazy. They buy everything they see; they take their friends out to eat; they live it up. When the statement comes at the end of the month, they suddenly realize they don’t have enough money to pay!
So, remember, it is easy to get a credit card --- even many students have them. But it is also easy to have it taken away! In this way, maybe a credit card is just like money: “Easy come, easy go!”

The Blind Men and the Elephant

Long ago in India there lived five blind men. Even though they were blind, they knew much about the world, because they use their hand to touch things. So they would spend their days discussing all that they knew.
One day they were discussing elephants. It was difficult, because they had never touched one. They had never even been near one. They knew only that elephants were very big.
Finally they decided to go and find one. If each of them could feel a real elephant, they would all know what this huge animal was like.
They ask a friend to take them to an elephant. Then each of them placed his hands on the animal and began to feel it.
The first blind man touched the side of the elephant. “It is like a great wall,” he declared.
“No,” said the second blind man, who was grabbing the elephant’s tail. “It is like a long, thick rope.”
“No, no,” said the third, who was holding onto an ear. “ An elephant is like a large fan.”
“it is something like a pillar,” argued the fourth blind man, who was feeling the leg.
“you are all wrong,” said the fifth man, as he ran his hands along the elephant’s trunk. “ It is shaped like a snake.”
Each of the blind mean was sure that he was right. They began to argue, and soon the argument became fierce.
Finally, their friend realized what was going on. He laughed and said, “There is nothing to argue about. You are all right. The elephant is all these things: a wall, a rope, a fan, a pillar, and a snake.”
The Blind men stopped arguing and turned toward their friend. They were confused. After all, each of them had touched the animal for himself.
“But each of you has touched only one part of the elephant,” their friend said. “Be patient. Don’t judge too quickly. Wait until you have touched the whole animal, and then decide what it is like.”

MORAL: Don’t jump to conclusions or you will be like a blind man feeling an elephant.


VOCABULARY:
Fierce adj. strong and often angry

Halloween

Halloween, which falls on October 31, is one of the most unusual and fun holidays in the United States. It is also one of the scariest! It is associated with ghosts, skeletons, witches, and other scary things.

The reason that Halloween is filled with scary images goes back more than 2,000 years. In ancient Britain an Ireland, October 31 was the last day of the year. It was the end of the growing season and the beginning of the winter, a time of darkness and death. People believed that on this day ghost returned to the earth, it became a festival for the God of the Dead. In order to scare the ghosts away, people built huge fires and wore costumes made of animal skins.

Many of the original Halloween traditions have developed today into fun activities for children. The most popular one is “trick or treat.” On Halloween night, children dress up in costumes and go to visit their neighbors. When someone answers the door, the children cry out, “Trick or treat!” The people at each house then give candy or fruit or sometimes a few coins.

Another popular Halloween activity is to visit a “haunted house.” Usually you have to buy a ticket to get in. As you go from room to room, you meet one scary thing after another. Monsters and witches might jump out at you in the dark. You might hear screams and cries from behind, as if someone is being killed. Or you might suddenly feel a spider web in your face. It’s best not to go alone!

Many people also like to make jack-o’-lanterns on Halloween. A jack-0’-lantern is a pumpkin that is hollowed out and has a face carved on it. It is put in a window or outside a house, a candle is placed inside so that the face lights up. This tradition comes from an old Irish story about a man named jack who was very stingy. He was so stingy that he could not enter heaven when he died. But he also could not enter hell, because he had once played a trick on the devil. All he could do was walk the earth as a ghost, carrying a lantern.

(from Far East English Reader for Seniou High School Vol.1 Ch.4)


Summary:

1.Halloween is one of the most unusual and fun holiday in United states.

2.The origin of Halloween goes back more than 2,000 years.

3.Many of the original Halloween traditions have developed into fun activities for children, like “treat or trick”.

4.Visiting “haunted house” is another popular Halloween activity.
Jack-o’-lanterns is another Halloween tradition.

Idioms and Phrases:

1. dress up

2. play a trick on sb.

3. light up

4. stop…from…

5. be associated with


Grammar Focus:

1. …so that…:
A candle is place inside the pumpkin so that the face lights up.

2. …so adj/adv. that…:
She was so beautiful that every boy in the room kept looking at her.