Unit7 Reading 4 The Struggle to Be an All American Girl Comprehension Questions: 1) What does “struggle” in the title tell you? “a strenuous effort in the face of difficulty” or “something that is difficult to do or achieve” 2) What Chinese food(s) is listed in this passage? What are some of other things typical of Chinese culture? spring rolls (egg rolls) Chinese, mothballs, kowtow, ideographs, moc but, Chinatown, chop suey, Chinese medicine, Chinese New Year 1

Unit7 Reading 4 3) Did she win “the struggle to be an All American girl”? Did she feel happy about that? Has there been any change in her attitude towards her heritage culture? Yes. She became an American girl. “At last, I was one of you; I wasn’t one of them. (para. 13)” Who were “you”? Who were “them”?) 2

Unit7 Reading 4 Sentence highlights 1) No amount of kicking, screaming, or pleading could dissuade my mother, who was solidly determined to have us learn the language of our heritage. (2) solidly: firmly; without a break or opening 2) My only memory of him is that he swayed on his heels like a palm tree, and he always clasped his impatient twitching hands behind his back. (3) Can you show the class what “swaying on one’s heels” and “clasp one’s impatient twitching hands behind his back” mean? 3

Unit7 Reading 4 3) The room smelled like Chinese medicine, an imported faraway mustiness. Like ancient mothballs or dirty closets. I hated that smell. I favored crisp new scents. Like the soft French perfume that my American teacher wore in public school. (4) 4) With the entrance of the teacher, the best student would tap a bell and everyone would get up, kowtow, and chant, “Sing san ho,” the phonetic for “How are you, teacher?” (5) kowtow: bow 4

Unit7 Reading 4 5) More times than not, I had tried to disassociate myself from the nagging loud voice that followed me whenever I wandered in the nearby American supermarket outside Chinatown. (7) Chinatown: a neighborhood or section of a city that is inhabited chiefly by Chinese people. ( 唐人街 ) More times than not: more often than not, more likely than not, at least half of the time 6) Her Chinese rhythmless, patternless. It was quick, it was loud, it was unbeautiful. It was not like the quiet, lilting romance of French or the gentle refinement of the American South. Chinese sounded pedestrian. Public. (7) pedestrian: flat, boring 5

Unit7 Reading 4 7) He was especially hard on my mother, criticizing her, often cruelly, for her pidgin speech – smatterings of Chinese scattered like chop suey in her conversation. (9) chop suey: meat or fish stir-fried with vegetables (e.g. celery, onions, peppers or bean sprouts) seasoned with ginger and garlic and soy sauce; served with rice; created in the United States and frequently served in Chinese restaurants there ( 炒杂烩菜 ) 6

Unit7 Reading Chop Suey 7

Unit7 Reading 4 8 ） … I finally was granted a cultural divorce. (11) 9) I thought myself as multicultural. I preferred tacos to egg rolls; I enjoyed Cinco de Mayo more than Chinese New Year. (12) Cinco de Mayo: May 5, observed by Mexicans and people of Mexican descent in commemoration of the 1862 defeat of French troops at the Battle of Puebla. （墨西哥五月节） 8

Unit7 Reading taco 9

Unit7 Reading spring rolls 10

Unit7 Reading spring rolls 11

Unit7 Reading 4 Wrap-up Phrases & Expressions coat of paint (1); sneak out (2); Chinese school (2); Wire fence (1) ； a Chinese school (1) ； Sneak out (2) ； Be solidly determined to do (2); Clasp one’s hand behind his back (3); Recognize … as … (3); Be in big trouble (3); Wear perfume (4); Multiplication table (6); 12

Unit7 Reading 4 Dissociate … from … (7) associate … with … ; Nod at someone (8); Keep up with (8); leave out (9); Trip over something(9); Blame something on somebody (9); It’s all your fault. (9); Set a good/bad example (9); Cultural divorce (11); Cinco de Mayo (12); taco (12) Egg roll (12) 13

Unit7 Reading 4 activities after 5p.m. every day classroomWhat to learn How the language sounds? Foods and holidays Chinese go to Chinese school. The principal a child killer like Chinese medicine, an imported mustiness, like ancient mothballs or dirty closets. exercise in politeness; copy ideographs in lines rhythmless, patternless, quick, loud, unbeautiful, pedestrian, public Egg rolls; Chinese New Year American or else play with friends, hunt ghosts or animal bones crisp new scents; the soft French perfume Multiplication tables, satellites of Mars, reports on “Little women” and “Black Beauty” ( French) quiet lilting romance (English in Am. South) gentle, refined tacos; Cinco de Mayo 14 Complete the following wrap-up chart:

Unit7 Reading 4 Keys to “Check your vocabulary A” (page 164) 1) Forcibly, she walked us the seven long, hilly blocks from our home to school, depositing our defiant tearful faces before the stern principal. key: put us before … though we were unwilling and crying 2) More times than not, I had tried to disassociate myself from the nagging loud voice that followed me whenever I wandered in the nearby American supermarket outside Chinatown. (7) key: try to avoid being connected to my annoying loud grandmother 15

Unit7 Reading 4 3) He was especially hard on my mother, criticizing her, often cruelly, for her pidgin speech – smatterings of Chinese scattered like chop suey in her conversation. (9) key: substandard English, which was mixed with English 4). When he tripped over his own tongue, he’d blame it on her. (9) key: made a mistake in English 16

Unit7 Reading 4 17

Unit8 Reading 4 18

Unit8 Reading 4 19