1、The Gift of the Magi by O.HenryIn the history of American Literature,O.Henry is one of the most celebrated writers.His endings are quite unexpected for the readers.But no matter how surprising the endings are,theyre still reasonable.Another important feature of his writing style is the combination o
2、f tragedy and comedy,i.e.,the tearful smile.O.Henry(1862-1910)The title of the story refers to the Magi,the three wise men who brought precious gifts to Jesus at his birth and thus invented the tradition of Christmas gifts.The Gift of the MagiStory 1(P34):Below is a story about how Della prepared a
3、gift for her husband Jim during the Christmas season.Find the sentences that use future in the past Make a summary of the story.Since Della and Jim had difficulty in making ends meet,Della made a decision to sell her beautiful hair to buy a perfect gift for her husband on Christmas Day.Exploring the
4、 rulesWe use future in the past to describe an action(1)_ from the perspective of some point(2)_.in the futurein the pastPresentFuture in the pastPastFuture过去将来时表示在过去将来时表示在过去某个时过去某个时间间看看将要发生的动作或存在的状态将要发生的动作或存在的状态。即即:过去将来时是过去将来时是“立足过去立足过去,着眼未着眼未来来”的一种时态。的一种时态。Exploring the rulesFill in the blanks on
5、page 34.We form future in the past in statements by using(3)_,was/were to,(4)_ or was/were about to with the base form of a verb.would dowas/were going towould dowas/were to dowas/were going to dowas/were about to do would/should do:表示过去某一时间后将会发生的动作或存在的状态 The next day would be Christmas.was/were goi
6、ng to do 表示过去计划做某事She was not going to do anything that evening.过去语境下有迹象表明某事会发生I thought it was going to rain.was/were to do过去计划要做I felt nervous because I was soon to go abroad for the first time.过去某一行为的目的Holding the book festival was to arouse students interest to read.was/were about to do(when)=wa
7、s/were on the point of(when)正要（就）I was about to go to bed when I heard a knock on the door.was/were doinggo,come,leave,take off等少数表位移的动词可用过去进行时表示过去将要发生的情况。Simon hurried into the carriage.The train was leaving in a few minutes.Applying the rules1.Complete the conversations on page 35 with the correct
8、 expressions in the brackets.Paul:I(a)_(visited/was about to visit)the museum with my friends last weekend.What about you?Emily:I(b)_(saw/was going to see)a documentary film about the Spring Festival with Joanna on Saturday,but she didnt feel well.So I just stayed at home.visitedwas going to see App
9、lying the rules1.Complete the conversations on page 35 with the correct expressions in the brackets.Alex:We(a)_(are going to hand in/were going to hand in)our report on festivals around the world next Monday.Colin:Yes,but I(b)_(wasnt to start/havent started)it yet.Alex:You told me you(c)_(would work
10、 on/worked on)it all day yesterday.Colin:Oh,I(d)_(was about to start/would start)when my cousin(e)_(would come/came)over.are going to hand inhavent startedwould work onwas about to startcameStory 2(P35):Below is a story about how Jim prepared a gift for Della.Complete the story with the correct verb
11、s in the box below,using future in the past.Some verbs can be used more than once.Jim was shopping for a gift for his wife Della.The next day(1)_ Christmas.With an income of twenty dollars per week,life was hard for the couple,but Jim wanted to buy a perfect gift for Della.He thought of the beautifu
12、l set of combs on show in one of the shop windows on Broadway.Della had wanted those combs for so long.Tomorrow,Jim decided,he(2)_ Dellas dream come true.Complete the story about Jims gift for Della with the correct verbs in the box on page 35,using future in the past.would bewas going to make/would
13、 makeJim looked at the gold watch that had been his fathers and his grandfathers.He and Della owned two things which they were both very proud of.One was Jims gold watch,and the other was Dellas beautiful hair.Jim already knew what he had to do:he(3)_ his watch.That afternoon,Jim sold the watch,went
14、 to the shop for the combs and returned home with a package in his pocket.He was sure that they(4)_ the most wonderful gift for Della.Jim was excited about what she(5)_ when she saw her gift the next day.would sell/was going to sellwould be/were going to bewas going to think/would think Reread the t
15、wo stories about Della and Jim and think about the following questions.1.For a perfect Christmas gift,what did the couple do for each other?2.Why did they do that?3.Did the couple make a wise decision in sacrificing their most precious possessions?This title implies the precious Christmas gifts give
16、n by wise men.The message is that the value of a gift is in the giver,rather than the gift itself.The most valuable things we have are not the material things but love.Why does O.Henry choose such a title?m_(win)that ticket,Rose,was the best thing that ever happened to me it brought me to you.And Im
17、 thankful for that,Rose.Im thankful.You must do me this honor.You must promise me youll survive.That you wont give up,no matter what happens,no matter how hopeless.Promise me now,Rose,and never let go of that promise.Winning Read the sample and pay attention to future in the past.Della arrived home
18、and admired Jims watch chain.She could not wait to see how Jim would react when he saw it the next morning.What was she going to say about her hair,though?She had to think of something.Just then,Jim opened the front door.“Oh!”said Della in surprise,trying to hide the chain.“I didnt think you were go
19、ing to be back so soon.I was about to take a shower.”She tried to get away to the bathroom.Read the sample and pay attention to future in the past.“Whats that?”asked Jim.He came closer.“My word!And what on earth have you done to your hair?”“I was going to wait until tomorrow to give this to you,but
20、youve seen it now,”Della said.“I sold my hair to buy you a new chain for your watch.”Jim looked at her with a loving smile,but there was also sadness in his eyes.“Whats wrong?”asked Della.Read the sample and pay attention to future in the past.“I thought I would surprise you for Christmas too,”said
21、Jim.“So I sold my watch to get you these.”He held out the combs.Della was speechless.She smiled back at Jim,and they held each other for a long time.Although their gifts had not worked out as planned,they were to be together happily for Christmas,and that was all that mattered.Recommendation:Other s
22、hort stories of O.HenryDear 侯晨曦侯晨曦:Congratulations!For your vivid descriptions,you are awarded The O.Henry Award!March 20th,2021Dear 唐硕唐硕:Congratulations!For the beautiful language structures in your writing,you are awarded The O.Henry Award!March 20th,2021Dear 谢钰瑶谢钰瑶:Congratulations!For the sweet ending of the story,you are awarded The O.Henry Award!March 20th,2021Dear 徐一鸣徐一鸣:Congratulations!You are awarded The O.Henry Award!March 23rd,2021
