Passage 3 The Giver L800

I. Warm Up

1.1 Vocabulary

Vocabulary　Definition

release [rɪˈliːs]

v. 放开；解放

to let go; to dismiss

nurture [ˈnɜːrtʃər]

n. 营养物；养育

the person who takes care of （someone or something that is growing or developing） by providing food, protection, a place to live, etc.

wobbly [ˈwɑbli]

adj. 摇晃的；摇摆不定的

marked by or given to small uncontrollable bodily movements

committee [kəˈmɪti]

n. 委员会

a body of persons delegated to consider, investigate, take action on, or report on some matter

govern [ˈɡʌvərn]

v. 统治；支配

to control, direct, or strongly influence the actions and conduct of

citizen [ˈsɪtɪzn]

n. 公民；市民

an inhabitant of a city or town

shiver [ˈʃɪvər]

v. 颤抖；哆嗦

to undergo trembling

fidget [ˈfɪdʒɪt]

vi. 坐立不安；烦躁；担忧

to move or act restlessly or nervously

suspense [səˈspens]

n. 担心；挂虑

mental uncertainty

assignment [əˈsaɪnmənt]

n. （分派的）任务；指派

a specified task or amount of work assigned or undertaken as if assigned by authority

confess [kənˈfes]

v. 坦白；承认

to tell or make known （as something wrong or damaging to oneself）

draw [drɔː]

v. 拉；拖

to exert an attractive force

applaud [əˈplɔːd]

v. 赞赏；鼓掌；喝彩

to express approval especially by clapping the hands

thrill [θrɪl]

v. 使兴奋；使紧张

to cause to experience a sudden sharp feeling of excitement

private [ˈpraɪvət]

adj. 私人的；私有的

not known or intended to be known publicly

imaginary [ɪˈmædʒɪneri]

adj. 虚幻的；想象的

existing only in imagination

affectionate [əˈfekʃənət]

adj. 深情的；充满爱的

having affection or warm regard

sort through

整理；分类

to look at things and put them in a particular order especially while searching for something

1.2 Passage Introduction

Background Information

洛伊丝·劳里（Lois Lowry），美国作家，1937年出生于夏威夷，她擅长创作儿童小说、短篇故事，也撰写评论和专业论文。她在1990年发表的《数星星》（Number the Stars）和1994年发表的《记忆传授人》（The Giver）获得了纽伯瑞金牌奖（Newbery Medal）。

The Giver是一部乌托邦/反乌托邦小说（utopian/dystopian novel）。整个故事发生在一个未来世界。在这里，一切事情都在控制之中。人们安居乐业，衣食无忧，也没有战争或痛苦。大家所要做的事情早在一开始就被规定好了，没有改变的可能。孩子们都在统一模式中长大。当12岁的乔纳思成为新任的“记忆传授人”之后，却陡然发现支撑这个社会的不过是谎言，于是他决定要改变一切。

2014年，由这本小说改编而成的电影上映，获得了美国人民选择奖最受欢迎剧情类电影的提名（People’s Choice Award nomination for Favorite Dramatic Movie）。

乌托邦/反乌托邦小说探索的是社会和政治体系结构。乌托邦小说建立在作者空想的社会之上，这个社会被描绘得完美无缺，使读者无限向往。而反乌托邦小说描述的空想社会在表面上高度发达、和平宁静，但内在却充斥着各种无法控制的弊病，刻画出令人绝望的未来。很多小说是乌托邦和反乌托邦的混合体，这种题材在推理小说和科幻小说中比较常见。

Significance of the Writer’s Works

Lowry 在作品中探索了各种复杂的问题，比如种族、绝症和谋杀等。同时，她还挑战了质疑权威这种争议性的话题，这一点在The Giver中体现得淋漓尽致。Lois Lowry的作品毁誉参半。虽然一些书评认为Lowry缺乏原创性，但The Giver还是成为了美国和加拿大众多学校阅读清单上的必读书目。

1.3. Reading Skills

1.3.1 Skimming

Read the opening paragraph and the last paragraph. Find out what the passage was mainly about, who the main characters were, and when it took place.

1.3.2 Find the Keywords

“When I was an Eleven,” his father said now, “as you are, Jonas, I was very impatient, waiting for the Ceremony of Twelve. It’s a long two days. I remember that I enjoyed the Ones, as I always do, but that I didn’t pay much attention to the other ceremonies, except for my sister’s. She became a Nine that year, and got her bicycle. I’d been teaching her to ride mine, even though technically I wasn’t supposed to.”

Jonas laughed. It was one of the few rules that was not taken very seriously and was almost always broken. The children all received their bicycles at Nine; they were not allowed to ride bicycles before then. But almost always, the older brothers and sisters had secretly taught the younger ones. Jonas had been thinking already about teaching Lily.

There was talk about changing the rule and giving the bicycles at an earlier age. A committee was studying the idea. When something went to a committee for study, the people always joked about it. They said that the committee members would become Elders by the time the rule change was made.

Rules were very hard to change. Sometimes, if it was a very important rule—unlike the one governing the age for bicycles—it would have to go, eventually, to The Receiver for a decision. The Receiver was the most important Elder. Jonas had never even seen him that he knew of; someone in a position of such importance lived and worked alone. But the committee would never bother The Receiver with a question about bicycles; they would simply fret and argue about it themselves for years, until the citizens forgot that it had ever gone to them for study.

His father continued. “So I watched and cheered when my sister, Katya, became a Nine and removed her hair ribbons and got her bicycle,” Father went on. “Then I didn’t pay much attention to the Tens and Elevens. And finally, at the end of the second day, which seemed to go on forever, it was my turn. It was the Ceremony of Twelve.”

Jonas shivered. He pictured his father, who must have been a shy and quiet boy, for he was a shy and quiet man, seated with his group, waiting to be called to the stage. The Ceremony of Twelve was the last of the Ceremonies. The most important.

“I remember how proud my parents looked—and my sister, too; even though she wanted to be out riding the bicycle publicly, she stopped fidgeting and was very still and attentive when my turn came.

“But to be honest, Jonas,” his father said, “for me there was not the element of suspense that there is with your Ceremony. Because I was already fairly certain of what my Assignment was to be.”

Jonas was surprised. There was no way, really, to know in advance. It was a secret selection, made by the leaders of the community, the Committee of Elders, who took the responsibility so seriously that there were never even any jokes made about Assignments.

His mother seemed surprised, too. “How could you have known?” she asked.

His father smiled his gentle smile. “Well, it was clear to me—and my parents later confessed that it had been obvious to them, too—what my aptitude was. I had always loved the new children more than anything. When my friends in my age group were holding bicycle races, or building toy vehicles or bridges with their construction sets, or—”

“All the things I do with my friends,” Jonas pointed out, and his mother nodded in agreement.

“I always participated, of course, because as children we must experience all of those things. And I studied hard in school, as you do, Jonas. But again and again, during free time, I found myself drawn to the new children. I spent almost all of my volunteer hours helping in the Nurturing Center. Of course the Elders knew that, from their observation.”

Jonas nodded. During the past year he had been aware of the increasing level of observation. In school, at recreation time, and during volunteer hours, he had noticed the Elders watching him and the other Elevens. He had seen them taking notes. He knew, too, that the Elders were meeting for long hours with all of the instructors that he and the other Elevens had had during their years of school.

“So I expected it, and I was pleased, but not at all surprised, when my Assignment was announced as Nurturer,” Father explained.

“Did everyone applaud, even though they weren’t surprised?” Jonas asked.

“Oh, of course. They were happy for me, that my Assignment was what I wanted most. I felt very fortunate.” His father smiled.

“Were any of the Elevens disappointed, your year?” Jonas asked. Unlike his father, he had no idea what his Assignment would be. But he knew that some would disappoint him. Though he respected his father’s work, Nurturer would not be his wish. And he didn’t envy Laborers at all.

His father thought. “No, I don’t think so. Of course the Elders are so careful in their observations and selections.”

“My friend Yoshiko was surprised by her selection as Doctor,” Father said, “but she was thrilled. And let’s see, there was Andrei—I remember that when we were boys he never wanted to do physical things. He spent all the recreation time he could with his construction set, and his volunteer hours were always on building sites. The Elders knew that, of course. Andrei was given the Assignment of Engineer and he was delighted.”

“Andrei later designed the bridge that crosses the river to the west of town,” Jonas’s mother said. “It wasn’t there when we were children.”

“There are very rarely disappointments, Jonas. I don’t think you need to worry about that,” his father reassured him.

Lily appeared, wearing her nightclothes, in the doorway. She gave an impatient sigh. “This is certainly a very long private conversation,” she said. “And there are certain people waiting for their comfort object.”

“Lily,” her mother said fondly, “you’re very close to being an Eight, and when you’re an Eight, your comfort object will be taken away. It will be recycled to the younger children. You should be starting to go off to sleep without it.”

But her father had already gone to the shelf and taken down the stuffed elephant which was kept there. Many of the comfort objects, like Lily’s, were soft, stuffed, imaginary creatures. Jonas’s had been called a bear.

“Here you are, Lily-billy,” he said. “I’ll come help you remove your hair ribbons.”

Jonas and his mother rolled their eyes, yet they watched affectionately as Lily and her father headed to her sleeping-room with the stuffed elephant that had been given to her as her comfort object when she was born. His mother moved to her big desk and opened her briefcase; her work never seemed to end, even when she was at home in the evening. Jonas went to his own desk and began to sort through his school papers for the evening’s assignment. But his mind was still on December and the coming Ceremony.

Though he had been reassured by the talk with his parents, he hadn’t the slightest idea what Assignment the Elders would be selecting for his future, or how he might feel about it when the day came.

II. Text Structure

Fill in the blank based on the context.

III. Character Analysis

Jonas

He is a 12-year-old boy and he is the main character of this fiction. He doubts the correctness of the decisions made by the Elders and wants to live a life he really loves.

Question 1: Why Jonas doubts the decisions made by the Elders?

Father

He is the man who raises Jonas and Lily up, though not their biological father. He is a Nurturer in this Community. He is obedient to rules and patient with others. He loves children and believes the decisions made by the Elders are right.

Question 2: What does the father think of his Assignment decided by the Elders?

Mother

She is the woman who raised Jonas and Lily up, though not their biological mother. She is an officer in the Law and Justice Department. It seems that she becomes a tool, a kind of machine in this Community, as she never stops working.

Question 3: What can you infer from the sentence “His mother moved to her big desk and opened her briefcase; her work never seemed to end, even when she was at home in the evening”? （line 116-118）

IV. Theme

Discuss the theme of the story.

Keywords:

The Ceremony of Twelve　　　Assignment　　　Rule

V. Rhetorical Analysis

Though Jonas had only become a Five the year that they acquired Lily and learned her name, he remembered the excitement, the conversations at home... He remembered climbing the steps to the stage with his parents...

He remembered his mother taking the new child, his sister, into her arms...

He remembered his father’s look of delight, and that his father had whispered, “She’s one of my favorites. I was hoping for her to be the one.”

修辞 parallelism

分析 此处不断重复的排比结构（he remembered）体现了Jonas在乎这个按他人的意愿组成的无血缘关系的家庭，体现了他对家人和家庭的深爱。

翻译 在Lily拥有了名字，被指定成为家庭一员的时候，Jonas只有5岁，但他仍记得那种兴奋的感觉，记得发生在家里的对话，记得自己爬上台，跟父母站在一起……

他记得母亲把那个新生儿，他的妹妹，抱在怀里……

他记得父亲满面欢喜，记得父亲低声说：“她是我最喜欢的孩子之一，我一直希望她成为家里的一员。”

VI. Language and Style

6.1 Language Analysis

Read the sample exercise, complete the language analysis and translate the following sentences.

Sample

I remember how proud my parents looked—and my sister, too.

语法标签 破折号

分析 此处表示强调父亲的妹妹对父亲的关心（联系下文）。

翻译 我记得父母看上去是多么的骄傲——我的妹妹也和他们一样。

1. Well, it was clear to me—and my parents later confessed that it had been obvious to them, too—what my aptitude was.

2. When my friends in my age group were holding bicycle races, or building toy vehicles or bridges with their construction sets, or—

3. And let’s see, there was Andrei—I remember that when we were boys he never wanted to do physical exercise.

6.2 Style and Tone

Please choose the best answer to fill in the blanks below.

The story is told in 　1　 . Lois Lowry’s style is like a journalist. Her tone is 　2　, which is indicated by her choice of words and sentence structures. In the story, the utopian community is built on strict and specific rules emphasizing sameness and orderliness. However, it is 　3　 that the rules are hard to change because of the years-long discussion in the committee.

1. A. first person perspective

B. third person omniscient perspective

C. third person limited perspective

2. A. simple and straightforward

B. formal and serious

C. extravagant but sincere

3. A. ironic

B. sympathetic

C. indifferent

VII. Exercises

7.1 Vocabulary

Fill in the Blanks

Choose one of the following words to complete the sentences below. Use each word only once. Be sure to pay close attention to the context clues provided.

1. So, if we are going to ______ or regulate human behavior, we have to begin by regulating opinion.

2. I can remember the ______ of not knowing what I would get on Christmas morning.

3. If you take away all of the hype and ______ , the launch was actually pretty boring.

4. My brother, though of few words, had been thoughtful and ______ since his childhood.

5. He put his arm around Caroline’s shoulders and ______ her close to him.

6. They will not ______ any more details.

7. He ______ in the cold.

8. It struck me as too high a privacy price to pay for an/a ______ sentencing.

Multiple Choice

Use the context clues from each sentence below, choose the best definition for the underlined word, and choose the appropriate answer.

9. She stopped fidgeting and was very still and attentive when my turn came.

A. twisting

B. disquieting

C. moving relentlessly

10. But again and again, during free time, I found myself drawn to the new children.

A. painted

B. pulled

C. attracted

11. Did everyone applaud, even though they weren’t surprised?

A. permitted

B. clapped their hands

C. praised

7.2 Text Comprehension

True or False

Indicate whether each statement is true or false by writing T or F in the blank provided.

1. ______ Jonas had totally been reassured by the conversation with his parents.

2. ______ The rule had been decided by all citizens in the society.

3. ______ Jonas’ father was a Nurturer.

4. ______ The comfort objects had been kept by the kids.

5. ______ The Elders had told the father what his Assignment was before his Ceremony of Twelve.

Short Answers

Read the passage and answer the questions below.

6. What is the function of the “comfort objects” mentioned in the passage?

7. What can you infer about the Ceremony of Twelve from the passage?

8. Make some inferences about the Receiver mentioned in the passage （status, importance, works, role in the society, etc.）.