Lesson Eight A Lesson in Living

By Maya Angelou

A. Answer the following questions on the text :

1. Did Mrs. Flowers know what had happened to Marguerite ?

2. Why and how did Mrs.Flowers try to make Marguerite talk ?

3. How did Mrs. Flowers give Marguerite her lesson in living ?

4. What did she mean when Mrs. Flowers told Marguerite to be always intolerant of ignorance but understanding of illiteracy ?

5. Was Marguerite a good student in the school ? What was her problem in class ?

6. Was Marguerite born a quiet girl ? Why was she so quiet ?

7. Why did Mrs. Flowers take special care of Marguerite ?

8. How was Mrs. Flowers a source of enlightenment to Marguerite ?

9. What was the image of Mrs. Flowers in the child’s mind ?

10. Were the blacks and whites equal in the town of Stamps ?

Key A

1. Yes, she did .

2. Because Mrs. Flowers heard the teachers had trouble getting Marguerite to talk in class . She invited her to her home , made cookies for her and read her favourite book to her and then asked questions to her .

3. Mrs. Flowers gave Marguerite her lesson in living by inviting her to her home and having a little chat with her .

4. She could not stand those who wouldn’t study , but she could understand those who didn’t have a chance to study . She also encouraged Marguerite to learn in every possible way .

5. Yes, she was . But she seldom talked in class .

6. No , she wasn’t . Because something unfortunate happened to her when she was eight .

7. Because Mrs. Flowers knew what had happened to her and wanted to change her life .

8. From what Mrs. Flowers had done to her , she knew she was liked , which made a great difference .

9. Mrs. Flowers was the measure of what a human being can be in the child’s mind .

10. No, they were not .

B. Translate the following into Chinese :

1. Her skin was a rich black that would have peeled like a plum if snagged .

2. Another Negro woman of her health and age would have been expected to carry the paper sacks home in one hand.

3. Mrs. Flowers walked in front swinging her arms and picking her way over the stones .

4. Words mean more than what is set down on paper.

5. It takes the human voice to infuse words with the shades of deeper meaning .

6. She suggested that I try to make a sentence sound in as many different ways as possible .

7. It occurred to me that she expected a response .

8. That in those homely sayings was couched the collective wisdom of generations .

1. 她的皮肤黝黑,如果被尖锐的东西弄破, 就会像李子皮一样剥落下来.

2. 如果是另一位与她健康状况/年龄相仿的黑人妇女, 就会自己把装好东西的纸袋拿回家去.

3. 弗劳尔斯夫人走在前边, 摆动双臂, 小心地躲开石头.

4. 词的含义不止写在纸上的那些.

5. 人的声音可以赋予它们更加深刻的含义.

6. 她建议我尽量用不同的方法大声朗读同一个句子.

7. 在我看来她期待我的回答.

8. 她说这些质朴无华的话语表达了一代又一代人的集体智慧.