INSTRUCTIONS TO WORK ON THE VIDEO :

Xu Xian had just received yet another invitation to the opening ceremony of the new Jin Shan Temple. His wife, Bai Su Zhen, had warned him not to attend. Since she was in fact a benevolent white snake spirit in human form, their marriage had already weathered attacks by meddling monks. But devout Buddhist that he was, Xu Xian felt obligated to make an appearance. What they didn’t know was that these invitations had come from none other than Fa Hai– the misguided monk who had tried to separate the young lovers, almost killing Xu Xian in the process. The monk confronted Xu Xian, telling him that because he consorted with a demon, he must remain at the monastery and cleanse his soul. Xu Xian protested, but Fa Hai would not let him escape. 

At home, Bai Su Zhen was uneasy. Her husband had departed so quickly that she hadn’t been able to tell him she was pregnant with his child. And now he had been gone so long she sensed something must be wrong. She made her way to the temple, and upon encountering Fa Hai the monk threw his prayer mat, which erupted into fire and smoke. Weakened from her pregnancy, Bai Su Zhen desperately summoned a fleet of shrimp soldiers and crab generals to subdue the monk, and waves to put out the blaze. But the water also flooded the surrounding area, drowning many innocent villagers. For the first time, Bai Su Zhen had harmed humans, and she fell out of the gods’ favor. With their blessing retracted, Fa Hai attempted to trap her in his magical alms bowl. But just when all hope seemed lost, a bright glow came from within her belly, saving her from the mad monk’s magic. 

The couple fled home, grateful to the mysterious power that had saved them, and soon after, Bai Su Zhen gave birth to their son, Xu Shi Lin. Yet despite this joyous occasion, Xu Xian was uneasy. He was shaken by his wife’s accidental act of destruction, and he feared the misfortune it might bring upon their home. 

Not a month later, Fa Hai appeared at their doorstep. He offered Xu Xian an alms bowl to ensure good fortune for his newborn son. Still wary of the monk, but also remembering Bai Su Zhen’s destructive act, Xu Xian accepted the gift. But as soon as the bowl entered their home, it flew to Bai Su Zhen’s head and trapped her inside. Against the family’s wishes, Fa Hai buried the bowl beneath the Lei Feng Pagoda. And when Xu Xian begged him to release his wife, the monk sternly replied: “She will be free when the iron tree blooms.” 

Overcome with guilt, Xu Xian ran away to a monastery, leaving Shi Lin in the care of his aunt. But there was something neither of them knew. The boy was the reincarnation of Wen Qu Xing, the wisdom god, sent to the family to reward Xu Xian’s devotion. It was this power that had protected Bai Su Zhen at the temple, and as he grew, so did his wisdom. At age 19, Shi Lin went to the capital city to take the nation-wide imperial exam and obtained the highest score in all the empire. The Emperor himself bestowed Shi Lin’s prize: an ornate hat decorated with jewel-encrusted flowers. But though he returned home in glory, the fate of his parents still weighed heavy on his mind. 

Coaxing his father from exile, Shi Lin took him to visit the Lei Feng Pagoda to pay respects to his mother. Kneeling before it, he placed his jeweled prize on the iron tree as an offering. Suddenly, the ground opened and Bai Su Zhen stepped out. With her sins absolved by the tribute of a god, and a blossom on the iron tree, Shi Lin had freed his mother, and reunited his family– both mortal and divine. 

According to the video, are these statements true or false?

1. Bai Su Zhen was proud that her husband was going to the temple.
2. Fa Hai trapped Bai Su Zhen in the temple.
3. Xu Xian settle is mind at rest when his son was born.
4. Xu Xian felt a great responsability for what had happened to his wife and decide to exile in a monastery.
5. Shi Lin was not the brightest student despite his wisdom.
6. Shi Lin was concerned about the destiny of his parents.
7. Xu Xian finally finds a way to release his wife and reunite his family.

In Chinese, the expression “when the iron tree blooms” refers to something that is highly improbable to happen. Do you know any equivalent expression in English?

According to the video, are these statements true or false?

1.  F
2. F
3. F
4. T
5. F
6. T
7. F

Answer: for example “when pigs have wings” or “when pigs fly”.

Take a look at the following sentences from the text:

His wife, Bai Su Zhen, had warned him not to attend.

The monk confronted Xu Xian.

To choose between the past simple and the past perfect can sometimes be hard for students. Can you tell the difference between the usage of these two tenses?

Answer: these two tenses are both used to talk about things that happened in the past. However we use past perfect to talk about something that happened before another action in the past, which is usually expressed by the past simple. 

Exercise:

1. I _____________ the carpet when the dog came in and _____________  himself. ( just clean, shake)
2. By the time I _____________ , the concert _____________ . (arrive, finish)
3. When she _____________  the office this morning, Tom _____________ out. (ring, already go)
4. Before we _____________ Bob to the theatre, he _____________  a stage play before. (take, never see)
5. By the time we _____________ , the football match _____________ . (arrive, finish)

1. I had just cleaned the carpet when the dog came in and shook himself.
2. By the time I arrived, the concert had finished.
3. When she rang the office this morning, Tom had already gone out.
4. Before we took Bob to the theatre, he had never seen a stage play before.
5. By the time we arrived, the football match had finished.

Traduire les phrases suivantes en anglais, issues du texte, puis retrouver ces phrases dans les deux premiers paragraphes du texte en anglais:

1. Le moine fit face à Xu Xian, lui disant que parce qu'il avait pactisé avec une demon il devait rester au monastere et purifier sont âme.

.

2. Pour la premiere fois, Bau Su Zhen avait blessé des humains, est elle fut rejeté par les dieux.

Essential Grammar in use p 183-184

Unit 88  not ..... as ......

Write sentences with as .... as .

1. Athens is older than Rome.        Rome isnt' as old as athens.
2. My room is bigger than yours.    Your room isn't ......
3. You got up earlier than me.         I didn't ....
4. We played better than them.       They  .......
5. I've been here longer than you.     You ......
6. She's more nervous than him.      He ........

1. Rome isn't as old as athens.
2. Your room isn't as big as mine.  / .... as my room.
3. I didn't get up as early as you.  / ... as you did.
4. They didn't play as well as us / .... as we did.
5. You haven't been here as long as me. / ....... as I have.
6. He isn't as nervous as her. / ..... as she is.

Weathered (past and past participle of to weather) - resist to.

Meddling (adjective) - intrusive

Consorted (past and past participle of the verb to consort) - associate with (someone), typically with the disapproval of others.

Cleanse (verb) - free from sin or guilt.

Summoned (past and past participle of the verb to summon) - urgently demand (help).

Alms bowel - a begging bowl used by monks.

Wary (adjective) - feeling or showing caution about possible dangers or problems.

Bestowed (past and past participle of the verb to bestow) - confer or present (an honour, right, or gift).

Coaxing (-ing form of the verb to coax) - gently and persistently persuade (someone) to do something.

Peseshet is a doctor and a teacher. The video describes a typical day of her life.

Now it is you turn. Write a text :

- Present yourself.

- Describe your profession.

- Tell what you did to get this job.

- Describe a typical day of your life : what usually happens when you are at work?

You can book a one to one class with a teacher who will correct your writing exercise.  One to one classes can be online, with a video call, anytime of the day. 

This gives you full flexibility for your timetable.

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