Unit 7 The sampler

Unit 7 The sampler

Friends almost never drop in to visit on Christmas Day, since it’s a family holiday and no one really wants to be interrupted by someone coming to wish them a Merry Christmas. But maybe nearby relatives will be invited to come over in the evening to see the children’s presents and to snack on left-over Christmas Dinner.

Old People in the West Most people retire from work between the ages of 60 — 65. This has two main consequences, one economic and the other psychological.

Economically: Although retired people receive a pension from the government or from their past employers, it is often significantly less than they earned when they were working. Unless people have managed to save money during their years at work, their standard of living may decline dramatically when they retire.

Psychologically: Old people in Western countries are generally considered useless, a burden on their families and on the public purse. They are hardly held in respect. On the other hand, most of them used to focusing on work, simply do not know how to relax or pursue other interest now that they have time to do so. They feel they “should” be working and contributing, because work was where they were respected and their skills recognized. As retired people, their self-confidence is diminished. The longer they are away from the work place, the keener grows a sense of being superfluous. Free Samples Stores use free samples as a “come-on” in competing for

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Unit 7 The sampler

customers. If a store provides free samples of products, it’s likely that more people will shop there.

Samples, usually of new foods and drinks, are given with the understanding that if you like them, you will buy them. It is not socially acceptable to continue to sample the same product time and time again without making a purchase.

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Unit 7 The sampler

Review Free talk Dictation

◆Topic-related Prediction

The text is entitled The Sampler. Before you read the story, think about the answers to the following questions.

1.When, where and what kinds of products can people go to sample?

2.What kinds of people might take advantage of sampling? 3.Why would they do that?

◆Discussion

Sometimes, good intention alone cannot make the others willing to accept your help. Instead, it may make you and the others feel embarrassed. Have you got this experience before? Please share it with your classmates.

★ Global Reading

1. Part Division of the Text Part1 (1-14): The introduction of background of the story and

the theme — Some people took advantage of free sampling.

Part2(15-29): An example: the description of how the old man sampled the pudding.

Part3( 30-57): Climax: I wanted to help the old man but that hurt his dignity and I was embarrassed too.

2. Scanning

Directions: Scan for the exact meanings of pronouns.

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Unit 7 The sampler

“Now there?s one old gentleman, for instance,” she told me, “he comes here almost every week and samples each one of the puddings, though he never buys anything, and I suspect he never will. I remember him from the last year and the year before that too. Well, let him come if he wants it, and welcome to it . And what’s more, I hope there are a lot more stores where he can go and get his share. He looks as if he needed it all right, and I suppose they can afford it .” he: the old man it: his coming and sampling the puddings / his sampling his: the old man’s share of the privilege it: to sample the puddings they: In the West, the pronoun “they” and “them” are often

used to refer to a group of people opposed to “we” and “us”. For the common people, the word “they” often refers to bosses or the government with a slight overtone of hostility.

it: his sampling without buying the puddings

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