4. Finally, when the phone rang, Les grabbed it. (Para. 13) 5. He flipped on the microphone and eloquently rapped … (Para. 22)
6. From that fateful beginning, Les was propelled to become an icon in broadcasting, politics, public speaking and television. (Para. 23)
Text study
Text comprehension: Questions previewing
1. Why was Les Brown placed in special education classes? (Para. 2)
Because of his overactive behavior and nonstop talking as a child, Les was placed in special education classes for the learning disabled all the way through high school.
2. What was the reaction of Les Brown’s friends when he was constantly practicing to realize his dream? (Para. 4)
His friends got bored, laughed at him and asked him to give up his dream.
3. Why did the station manager take on Les Brown to do small tasks at last? (Para.10)
Being moved by Les Brown’s persistence, the station manager finally gave in and took Les on to do small tasks — at no pay.
4. How did Les Brown learn to work the controls in the studio? (Para. 11) He learned it by himself.
5. When the DJ named Rock started to feel very sick, what did Les Brown do? (Para.12)
One afternoon at work, the DJ named Rock started to feel very sick while on the air... Les was the only person around, and he realized that Rock was coughing and losing his voice_. Les stayed close in case there was some way he might help alleviate his coworker’s distress. He also worried that the illness was sure to doom this broadcast.
6. What did Les Brown immediately do when he got his first chance? (Para. 21) He couldn’t wait to tell his mother and friends that he was about to come on the air. 7. What made Les Brown’s first show a complete success? (Para. 23) His preparation.
8. According to the passage, what important factors contributed to Les Brown’s success?
? Enduring passion to make his dream come true; ? His determination to succeed in what he pursued ;
? His desire to succeed because he wanted to make more money to support the family.
Language focus Practical phrases
1. destined to do sth. 预定；注定；（尤指）命中注定 2. serve as 被用作?；充当?；起?的作用
3. be wrapped up in sth. 把全部精力放在某事上（以至于没有时间关心别的事） 4. take sb. on 开始雇用某人
5. hang out 泡在某处；与?经常在一起 6. soak sth. up迅速吸收；轻松学会（知识 7. in anticipation of sth. 预料某事；期待某事 8. on (the) air 正在广播
Functional Patterns
1. Upon /on +n./v.-ing, sb. does sth. 用于表达“在?之后某人立即做某件事” 。
2. Sb. faithfully / tirelessly / unremittingly does sth. in anticipation of sb. / sth. (the opportunity/chance) sb. knows will come.
用于表示“某人满怀期待、不懈地/孜孜不倦地做着某事，知道某人会来/某事物（如机会）会降临”。
3. Search / try as sb. might / would, sb. was unable to do sth. / could not do sth. 用于表达“无论某人怎样努力/怎么试/怎么搜寻，仍然不能做成某事”。
Genuine collocations
1.沉浸在自己的梦里indulge one’s dream 2.面对现实focus on the real world 3.主动出击take the initiative 4.彻底的失败a complete bust
5.追求自己的目标pursue one’s goals 6.坚持自己的梦想persist in one’s dreams 7.满足每一个要求cater to one’s every need 8.汲取知识soak up knowledge 9.减轻痛苦alleviate one’s distress 10.几欲抓狂frantic with distress
Critical thinking Further discussion
1. What does the story of Les Brown suggest for young people nowadays?
Those who are well prepared are most likely to get success. Determination and preparation are two important components of the secret of success.
2. What do you think about the effects of family background upon one’s success?
Family background can have both positive and negative effects upon one’s success. Many believe a wealthy family should have positive effects on one’s personal development, while a poor family is more likely to cause negative impacts on one’s success. However, some believe if you are born into a very wealthy family, you may lack the iron will to achieve success. But if you are brought up in a poor family, you can only depend on yourself, which will strengthen your determination to pursue your dreams.
3. What should we do when we are far from our dreams?
We should judge whether the goal is accessible or not. If the goal is not accessible, we may well give it up. If the goal is accessible and we have not tried our best yet, we should work harder. 4. How can we judge whether a goal is accessible or not?
We can compare the pursuit of goals to apple picking. If the apple is above you, but still within reach, you can jump and get it. In this case, the goal is accessible. If the apple is high above you, and you can never get it no matter how hard you jump. In this case, the goal is not accessible. 5. What personal traits are important for one to succeed?
? Enthusiastic ? Ethical ? Persistent ? Self-aware
? Self-confident ? Self-disciplined ?
Thematic study
1. Comparison between the negative and the positive factors in success. Negative factors 1. A poor family;
2. Childhood persecution;
3. Poor educational background; 4. Immense obstacles and hardships; 5. Overwhelming failures; 6. Repeated misfortunes; 7. Extreme criticism; Positive factors
1. A rich/famous family;
2. Parents’ belief and support; 3. Educational opportunities; 4. Wit and wisdom;
5. Determination and courage; 6. A strong will;
7. Optimism and passion; 8. Dedication and efforts;
2. What attitude should we hold towards the negative and the positive factors to achieve success?
? Regard the negative factors as challenges and opportunities
? Try to make use of the negative factors to cultivate good qualities ? Don’t just focus your eyesight on the favorable conditions ? …
Language features analysis
1. What are the typical language features of the two texts?
Text A is an example essay, in which examples are provided to explain the statement the author makes. Its parallel sentence structures used to describe the similarities between Einstein and Edison, Churchill and Lincoln give students a good idea about how to use parallelism in writing a comparison / contrast essay.
Text B exemplifies the writing technique of narration, in which Les Brown’s struggles to become a DJ is depicted very vividly and elaborately.