Unit 9 - reading 4 - English 12

Monday, March 5th, 2007

Unit 9: TO BUILD A FIRE
(by JACK LONDON)
(COMPREHENSION)

Monday, March 5th, 2007
Map of Alaska
Yukon - described in the story
Yukon
Whip-lash
slaves
thaw = melt
twigs

a fire
Pipe
Earflaps
Mitten
heel
Wolf / howl
first

Unit 9: TO BUILD A FIRE
(by JACK LONDON)
(COMPREHENSION)

Monday, March 5th, 2007
The whole view of the extract
1/ What the man and the dog did
2/ The relationship between them
3/ What you learn from this story
summary
A/ New words
(v) slip / slip into death
(v) whine
(v) howl
(v) fail to do sth.
(v) trot
Seldom do I whine
The wolves howled in the stars
≠ succeed in doing sth.
The dog trotted up the trail to find another food- provider
summary

B/ Questions


Unit 9: TO BUILD A FIRE
(by JACK LONDON)
(COMPREHENSION)


TASK 1: CHOOSING THE CORRECT INFORMATION
Complete the sentences provided with the appropriate alternatives.


1. He stamped his feet and thrashed his arms
(a) because he was frightened
(b) because he was hungry
(c) to make himself warm
(d) to make a fire


4. Dogs inherit _____ from their ancestry.
(a) the instinct for being slaves to man
(b) the effort to communicate their apprehension to man
(c) the instinct for knowing cold
(d) the effort to go back toward fire
2. Near the roaring fire_________
(a) he smoked his pipe
(b) he thawed the ice from his clothes and had his meal
(c) the dog was sleeping
(d) the dog ran away to escape from being burnt
3. After taking his comfortable time over a smoke, the man________
(a) continued his journey
(b) took the dog back toward the fire
(c) walked outside in such fearful cold
(d) arranged the earflaps of his cap
being burnt
5. The dog followed the man _____
(a) because it wanted to be faithful to
(b) because it didn`t want to go back toward the fire
(c) because the man spoke to it gently
(d) because it was afraid of the
whip-lashes
2. Near the roaring fire_________
(a) he smoked his pipe
(b) he thawed the ice from his clothes and had his meal
(c) the dog was sleeping
(d) the dog ran away to escape from being burnt
3. After taking his comfortable time over a smoke, the man________.
(a) continued his journey
(b) took the dog back toward the fire
(c) walked outside in such fearful cold
(d) arranged the earflaps of his cap
being burnt
4. Dogs inherit ______from their ancestry.
(a) the instinct for being slaves to man
(b) the effort to communicate their apprehension to man
(c) the instinct for knowing cold
(d) the effort to go back toward fire
5. The dog followed the man _____
(a) because it wanted to be faithful to
(b) because it didn`t want to go back toward the fire
(c) because the man spoke to it gently
(d) because it was afraid of the
whip-lashes
1. He stamped his feet and thrashed his arms
(a) because he was frightened
(b) because he was hungry
(c) to make himself warm
(d) to make a fire



TASK 2: TOWARD INTERPRETATION
Work in pairs, read the text again and answer the following questions.

a. In what condition was the man in the first part of the first paragraph?
b. How did he feel in the second part of the first paragraph?
c. Did he enjoy his comfortable time over the smoke? Why?
d. Why did the dog make no effort to go back toward the fire?
e. Why was there no keen personal relationship between the man and the dog?

TASK 2: TOWARD INTERPRETATION
Work in pairs, read the text again and answer the following questions.

a. In what condition was the man in the first part of the first paragraph?

_ In the first part of the first paragraph, the man was in bad weather, a little frightened and numb with cold
b. How did he feel in the second part of the first paragraph?
_ He was reassured by the returning warm thanks to the fire.
c. Did he enjoy his comfortable time over the smoke? Why?
_ Yes. He ate his biscuits and felt warm.
d. Why did the dog make no effort to go back toward the fire?
_ Because it was afraid of the man’s whip-lashes.
e. Why was there no keen personal relationship between the man and the dog?

_ Because the dog was the slave of the man.
Task 3: Work in groups
Summary: Rearrange what the man did in correct order.
1. He continued his journey.
2. He pulled on his mittens and settled the earflaps.
3. He had a roaring fire.
4. He collected twigs for fire-wood, got out matches and proceeded to make a fire.
5. He thawed the ice from his clothes and ate his biscuits while the dog took satisfaction in the fire
6. He filled his pipe and enjoyed his comfortable time over the smoke.
7. He stood up, stamped his feet up and down, thrashing his arms.
8. The dog wanted to go back toward the fire but it followed his heels. It was afraid of the man’s whip – lashes.

Answers:
7. He stood up, stamped his feet up and down, thrashing his arms.
4. He collected twigs for fire-wood, got out matches and proceeded to make a fire.
3. He had a roaring fire.
5. He thawed the ice from his clothes and ate his biscuits while the dog took satisfaction in the fire.
6. He filled his pipe and enjoyed his comfortable time over the smoke.
2. He pulled on his mittens and settled the earflaps.
1. He continued his journey.
8. The dog wanted to go back toward the fire but it followed his heels. It was afraid of the man’s whip – lashes.
Task 4: Can you guess what would happen next?
While the man struggled against the cold, he thought that the man from the Sulphur Creek had been right and that one must not be too sure of things or too self - confident and never travel alone in such fearful weather.
The man made a fire under a tree which was put out by the snow falling from the tree. So he tried to make another in the open air. But he was too numb to hold the matches. He failed to do it. The man intended to kill the dog in order to put his hands into its body for warmth but he couldn’t move. When the man slipped into death, the dog sat facing him and whined until I smelt the death, it howled and trotted up the trail to find a new food – provider..
New words
One must not be too sure of things or too self - confident and never travel alone in such fearful weather.
What do you learn from this story?
Whole view
C/ HOMEWORK

* If you want to read the whole story, search it on the internet. (to build a fire by Jack London)
- Rewrite the answers in your notebooks.
- Prepare unit 9 - practice.