The husband who vanished消失的丈夫

秦虞

Step 1   感知·阅读导航

话题导入

Jim与Anne于1960年结婚，住在纽约郊区拉奇蒙特，他们虽然没有孩子但生活甜蜜。在1971年的某一个月，Jim连续遇到了几个小意外，脑部受伤，后突然失忆且失踪。之后，Anne一边外出工作维持生计，一边坚定地等待他回来。Jim失忆后阴差阳错到了费城市区，换了名字，开始了没有过去的生活。1985年，Jim又连续遇到了几个小意外，竟然恢复了记忆。恢复记忆后的Jim会回到Anne身边吗？Anne还在坚定地等待他吗？

本文改编自一篇短篇小说，全文共519词，建议用时8分钟。

阅读目标

1. 把握故事的梗概和主要情节。

2. 体会故事主人公之间恒久的爱及爱的力量。

3. 模仿故事语言风格，合理构思情节，展开读后续写，培养想象能力。

读前预热

Ⅰ. Video time

Have you ever heard the song we played just now？ Can you use one word to summarize the apparent theme and the hidden theme of the song？

Ⅱ.  Discussion

Have you ever waited for someone？ How long did you wait and how did you feel？ And what if you wait 14 years for someone？

1 The McDonnells lived in a small brick house in Larchmont， a suburb of New York City. Jim was the foreman of mail carriers at the post office. Married in 1960， he and Anne were childless.

2 On the evening of the eleventh anniversary of their marriage， carrying out the garbage， Jim McDonnell slipped on icy steps， and struck his head. A few days later， driving to work， he lost control of the car， hit a telephone pole， and banged his forehead against the windshield. The following day he fell off the stairs and banged his head. Found unconscious， he was hospitalized for three days with a cerebral concussion （腦震荡）. One day in the same month， Jim borrowed a friends station wagon and drove to Kennedy Airport to pick up Annes brother and family， unaware that the wallet containing his identification had slipped out of his pocket onto the floor of the car. After returning the car， he was never seen again.

3 For weeks， Anne walked the house wringing her hands and praying. At night， watching television， she would stare at the armchair where Jim had dozed off evenings. She often dreamed he had come home， only to wake up and find he wasnt there.

4 After Jims disappearance， to earn a living， Anne tried various kinds of jobs; in 1977， she took her current job as a nursing attendant. Anne fell into the habit of working at the hospital on holidays because it was easier if she kept busy. Through it all， she had faith that Jim would return. She kept his clothes in the closet covered to protect them from dust. His razor and can of shaving cream remained in the bathroom cabinet.

5 So what really happened to Annes husband？ During his walk home， Jim had indeed blacked out， losing all ability to remember who he was and where he lived. What happened then is unclear. The next thing he knew was that he was in downtown Philadelphia. Seeing signs advertising the services of a James Peters， a real estate broker， Jim adopted James Peters as his own name. He had no past; his only reality was the present. James Peters got a Social Security card， which could be obtained at that time without showing a birth certificate， and took a job in a health club. He also got a night?shift job at the P&P luncheonette， where he became well known for his omelets （煎蛋卷）， as well as his kindness and good humor.

6 Bernadine Golashovsky， a waitress at P&P， recalls， “My father had died and Jim apparently had no family， so after he started at P&P we adopted each other. He became my father figure， and we—my husband， Pete， our four children and I—were his family. The children loved him.”

7 In December， 1985， a woman appeared in his dream again and again. On December 22， 1985， Jim had fallen and banged his head. The next day he had fallen again， striking his head. On December 24， he awoke feeling confused， yet excited. After almost 15 years， he knew who he was！

Step 2 理解·文本解讀

Ⅰ. Story mountain

[Climax：     3    ][Resolution：     ？    ][Build?up：     2    ][Beginning：     1    ]

A. Jim banged his head several times and disappeared and then Anne started working with the faith that he would come back.

B. Jim suddenly recovered his memory.

C. Jim and Anne married and lived in Larchmont in New York City.

Ⅱ. Jims character

[Clues in the text Possible characteristics ...carrying out the garbage 1.            ...he became well known for his omelets， as well as his kindness and good humour. 2.            ...we—my husband， Pete， our four children and I—were his family. The children loved him. 3.            ]

Ⅲ. Deep reading

1. Do you think Jim loves Anne deeply？ Use evidence from the story to support your opinion.

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2. Do you think Anne loves Jim deeply？ Use evidence from the story to support your opinion.

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3. Why did nobody know Jims past？

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Step 3 运用·读写整合

Ⅰ. Predict the plots

1. What would Jim think and do after he recovered his memory？

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2. Do you think Anne is still waiting for Jim？

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3. What would happen if Jim and Anne meet each other again？

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Ⅱ. Explore the theme

What could be the possible theme of the story？

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Ⅲ. Continuation writing

请根据已给出的小说情节、语言特点及所给段落开头语，续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的小说。词数应为150左右。

Paragraph 1：

Suddenly， he became scared.

____________________________________

Paragraph 2：

Anne had just returned home from Christmas Mass， where she lit candles and prayed for Jim.

____________________________________

Step 4 提升·素养建构

Writing techniques

1. 叙述（narrative writing） VS 描写（descriptive writing）

叙述和描写是记叙文和故事中的两种常用写作方式。叙述是指将事情的经过记录下来，一般采用时间顺序或事情发展顺序。在时空转换较多，或为加快叙事节奏时，宜使用叙述。描写是把人物或景物的状态具体形象地描绘出来，往往借助感官，如听觉、视觉、嗅觉等。在需要突出某个特定场景让主人公留下深刻印象时，宜使用描写。叙述就如全景图，而描写就如近景图，故事写作中往往会将两者结合使用。在本故事中，故事原文时间跨度较大，多采用叙述;在读后续写环节展现Jim与Anne相见时的情景时，宜使用描写，让故事更具画面感和冲击力。

原文最后一段：In December， 1985， a woman appeared in his dream again and again. On December 22， 1985， Jim had fallen and banged his head. The next day he had fallen again， striking his head. On December 24， he awoke feeling confused， yet excited.

此处需快速交代Jim在一个月内的几次经历，故采用叙述。

读后续写部分的第二段，可使用描写展现Jim与Anne相见时的动人场景：Anne opened the door—there stood a man with a white beard. Immediately she recognized him. Words failed her. “Hello， Anne，” Jim said. To him， Anne looked a little older but prettier. Anne stroked his face， tears streaming down her face. Then they threw themselves into each others arms. Christmas bell was ringing， as if bringing the best wishes to this happy couple.

本段融合了多种描写方式，让读者感受到两人久别重逢后的激动和喜悦，具有较强的感染力。

2. 展示而非讲述（to show rather than to tell）

以下方式能够有效地直接或间接刻画人物，突出某个场景。

a. 感官描写

借助感官描写，如听觉、视觉、嗅觉、味觉、触觉等，能创造出身临其境之感。

b. 多维描写

刻画人物、烘托场景时可采用动作描写、语言描写、神态描写、外貌描写、心理描写等多维描写方式展现立体的人物形象或场景。

如读后续写部分第二段：Anne opened the door—there stood a man with a white beard. Immediately she recognized him. Words failed her. “Hello， Anne，” Jim said. To him， Anne looked a little older but prettier. Anne stroked his face， tears streaming down her face. Then they threw themselves into each others arms. Christmas bell was ringing， as if bringing the best wishes to this happy couple.

本段結合了动作描写、语言描写、外貌描写、心理描写、神态描写、环境描写，让读者感受到夫妻之间的深情和重逢后的喜悦。

c. 侧面描写

刻画人物时可使用一些细节或例子展现人物性格特点。本文通过侧面描写很好地体现了夫妻之间忠贞的爱。

原文中并没有直接说明Anne对Jim的爱，但我们可以从以下两个段落中深刻地感受到：

For weeks， Anne walked the house wringing her hands and praying. At night， watching television， she would stare at the armchair where Jim had dozed off evenings. She often dreamed he had come home， only to wake up and find he wasnt there.

... Through it all， she had faith that Jim would return. She kept his clothes in the closet covered to protect them from dust. His razor and can of shaving cream remained in the bathroom cabinet.

这两段通过描写Jim刚失踪不久后Anne失魂落魄的样子，以及Anne坚信Jim会回来，在家里保留着Jim的衣物，很好地表现了Anne对Jim的爱。

Jim对Anne的爱可从原文最后一段第一句“In December， 1985， a woman appeared in his dream again and again.”看出，失忆多年，妻子Anne突然出现在Jim梦里，这足以体现Anne在他心中的地位。