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Unit 7
Section A
Pre-reading Activities
First Listening
Having ideas about a story before you read it is an important reading skill. Please listen to a very short piece of recording.
Second Listening
Now listen to the recording for the second time and try to the best of your ability to answer the following questions.
1. How many things did the thieves steal from the man? What were they?
2. What saved the man's life?
3. What is the raging river?
Face to Face with Guns
Like most city folks, I'm cautious. I scan the street and pathways for anything— or anyone — unusual before pulling into the garage. That night was no exception. But, as I walked out of the garage, KFC chicken in hand, a portly, unshaven young man in a stocking cap and dark nylon jacket emerged from the shrub by the parking pad and put his pistol between my eyes.
"Give it up, mother —," he threatened. "Give it up."
"Hey," I said, "just take it." As I spoke, I set the KFC box on the planter beside the pathway, contriving as I did so to toss my house keys into a bush.
"Where's your money? Where's your money?" he barked. Everything he said during our encounter was repeated; instinctively, I did the same.
"It's in my wallet. It's in my wallet," I said.
He moved behind me, put his gun on my neck and began to search my trousers' pockets.
"Where's your wallet?" he asked.
"It's in my back pocket."
"Where's the rest of your money?"
"I don't have any more money."
"Where's your watch?"
"Here," I replied, extending my left arm sideways.
Just then, his partner appeared. Slight and shorter, he held an enlarged blue steel pistol. His dark eyes shone like polished glass; his arms and legs moved unexpectedly, as if attached to unseen wires.
His voice snapped, "Stop looking at us. Stop looking at us."
He wasn't stupid. I've seen enough criminal trials to know victims of armed attacks are seldom able to identify their offenders because their attention focuses on the guns, rather than on their users. I consciously noted details of their faces.
"I'm not looking at you," I lied as the big one ripped the watch from my wrist.
"Get down. Get down," the thin one ordered. He grabbed my glasses and tossed them onto the lawn.
By then, I was flat on my face on the pathway, its dirt against my forehead. The big one's gun dug into the back of my head, the thin one's pistol into my left temple.
I thought, "I am going to die. This is going to kill Leslie. Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner."
"What's this?" the big one asked.
I rolled my head to the right.
"It's KFC chicken," I said.
"We'll take it," the big one snapped.
And, suddenly — wallet, watch and chicken in hand — their footsteps faded down the darkened street.
I turned to see their shadows get into a car and speed away.
I had been spared, but by what? Mercy? A short attention span? Hunger?
"How peculiar," I thought, "to have your life saved by fried chicken. I saw eternity; they saw food."
I got to my feet, found the keys, entered and called 911. The operator took a description of the robbers and sent a police car. I poured a stiff drink and, soon, two uniformed officers of the LAPD arrived. They took a report and admitted the "important thing" was nobody was hurt.
"But," one officer said on leaving, "taking your chicken, that's rough."
Later, an officer telephoned for additional details. He said the pair's methods suggested they might be the same men who had committed a number of robberies in the area over the past few months. He asked me to come to the station and look through mug shots.
So, last Monday I looked through album-sized books of pictures mostly of young men — an amazing number of them actually children.
Turning those pages and studying their photographs is like flowing on a sad current that, like Blake's Thames, seems to "mark in every face, marks of weakness, marks of woe."
Together, these young men are a kind of river — one that is out of control, eating at the foundations of things we hold dear: our freedom to move about; the fruits of labor; our own lives and those of people we value. Some day, we will have to face this river and seek the depths of its discontent.
Presently, all we can do is look at mug shots and stick our fingers in the dam.
Words: 687
NEW WORDS
cautious
a. taking great care to escape possible danger 十分小心的，谨慎的
unusual
a. not expected or usual 异乎寻常的，不平常的
exception
n. a person or thing that is not included 除外，例外；除外的人或事
shave
v. remove hair from the face or another part of the body with a razor 剃胡须，剃去……上的毛发
unshaven
a. not recently shaved 未剃须的，未修面的，有短髭的
stocking
n. (usu.pl.) 长（统）袜，袜子
stocking cap 圆锥形绒线帽，针织帽
nylon
a. & n. 耐纶（制的），尼龙的；耐纶织品，尼龙织品
▲shrub
n. a small bush 灌木
pad
n. 1.（停车的）地方，（简易机场的）飞机起落段
2. 垫，衬垫
▲pistol
n. a small gun that one holds in one hand 手枪
▲contrive
v. manage to do or make something although there are difficulties 设法做到
▲toss
vt. throw into or through the air 扔，抛，掷
bark
v. 1. speak to someone in a loud voice with an angry or aggressive tone 厉声地说，咆哮
2. (used about dogs) make a loud, short noise or noises （狗）吠，叫
instinct
n. natural habit of behaving in a particular way, without thinking and without having been taught 本能，天性
instinctively
ad. （出于）本能地，（出于）天性地
▲wallet
n. a small case made of cloth, animal skin or plastic, etc. carried in the pocket and used for holding paper money, personal papers, etc. 皮夹子
trousers
n. （尤指男子穿的）长裤，西（装）裤
sideway(s)
ad. to or towards one side （斜）向一边（或一侧），向旁边
slight
a. 1. thin and light 瘦小的
2. small; not great; not very bad 少量的；轻微的；不严重的
enlarge
vt. make sth. larger 扩大，扩展，使增大
polish
v. 1. make sth. smooth and shiny by rubbing 擦，擦光，擦亮
2. improve 使完美，改进
unexpected
a. not expected; sudden 没有料到的，突如其来的
unexpectedly
ad. in a way that is not expected 没有料到地，突如其来地
attach
vt. tie or join sth. to sth. else 系，贴；连接
criminal
a. against law 犯罪的，犯法的，刑事的
n. a person who is at fault in a crime 罪犯
victim
n. a person who suffers harm or death as a result of someone else's action or a natural terrible event, etc.受害者，牺牲者
offend
v. 1. break a law, etc. 违法，违犯
2. make someone feel upset or angry 冒犯，触怒
offender
n. a person who offends against the law 犯法的人，犯规的人
user
n. a person who uses particular goods, machines or services 使用者，用户
detail
n. (often pl.)a small part or piece 细节，详情
▲rip
vt. remove sth. with speed and violence, using one's hands; tear 猛力扯掉，移去或去除
wrist
n. the part of one's arm at the joint between hand and forearm 腕，腕关节
lawn
n. an area of grass in a garden or park that is regularly cut 草坪，草地
dirt
n. matter that is not clean, such as dust or wet earth 污物，烂泥，灰尘
forehead
n. the part of the face above the eyebrows 额，前额
temple
n. either of the flat parts of one's head at the side of the forehead 太阳穴
lord
n. (in the Christian faith) God or Jesus Christ 上帝，耶稣基督
mercy
n. kindness to sb. 慈悲，怜悯，仁慈
sin
n. wrong; a wicked act, especially one that breaks a religious law （违背道德规范的）罪；罪恶；（违犯宗教戒律的）罪孽
vi. do wrong to commit a sin 违反教规，违犯戒律，犯罪
sinner
n. a person who sins （宗教、道德上的）罪人
footstep
n. the sound made by walking 脚步（声）
span
n. the full time for which anything lasts 一段时间，持续时间
fry
vt. cook in hot oil or fat 油煎，油炒
eternal
a. without end; lasting for ever 永恒的，永久的，不断的
▲eternity
n. 1. the state or time after death 不朽，来世
2. time without end 永恒，无穷
operator
n. 1. someone who connects telephone calls 电话接线员，机务员，话务员
2. someone who works a machine 操作员，技工
rob
vt. steal from a person, place, etc. 抢劫
robber
n. a person who steals from a person, place, etc. 抢劫者；强盗，盗贼
robbery
n. the crime of stealing from a person, place, etc. 抢劫罪，抢劫（案）
stiffa. 1. (used about alcoholic drink) strong （酒）浓的，烈性的
2. Very firm; not easily bent or folded; rigid 僵硬的，挺的，不易弯曲的
additional
a. extra 额外的，另外的
current
n. a continuous flowing movement of water, air, etc.（水、空气等的）流，潮流
a. from or about the present time 现时的，当前的
■woe
n. [U] great sadness 哀愁
foundation
n. 1. the idea, law, or fact on which sth. is based 基础，基本原理，根据
2. an organization established with money so that it may continue into the future 基金会 3. the act of founding sth. 建立，设立
presently
ad. 1. now 现在，目前
2. soon 不久，一会儿
dam
n. a wall built across a river to hold back the water and form a lake behind it 坝，堤
PHRASES AND EXPRESSIONS
face to face (with)
1. close to and looking at someone or something 面对面的／地
2. no escape from sth. and haveing to deal with it 无法逃避，只能去处理
pull into
arrive and stop; move to (one side)（车）停靠；驶向（一旁等）
as if
with the appearance of; apparently 好像
attach to
fix sth. to sth. else; join to 系在……上；连接到……上
rather than
instead of; less likely 而不
have mercy on someone
show kindness to an enemy, sinner, one who does wrong, etc. 可怜某人
get to one's feet
stand up 站起来
look through
look quickly in; examine or study carefully 浏览；仔细检查
be out of control
be impossible to deal with or guide 失去控制
eat (away) at
damage or destroy bit by bit 逐渐毁掉，侵蚀
PROPER NAMES
KFC
Kentucky Fried Chicken 肯德基炸鸡连锁店
Leslie
莱斯利（人名）
LAPD
the Los Angeles Police Department 洛杉矶警察局
Blake
布莱克（1757-1827，英国诗人和版画家）
Thames
(the~ ) 英国英格兰南部泰晤士河（流经牛津、伦敦等）
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