Mapping Mapping Embarkation Embarkation Navigation Navigation Destination Destination ResourcesLast man downLast man downStatements about heroesCheck the statements you agree with about heroes in Activity 1, P82. Heroes are people who: 1 show great courage when it is most neededsoldiers who surprise with their bravery 2 have the courage of their own opinionsthose who fight social ills, such as slavery 3 put the safety of other people before their ownvarious type of rescuers 4 put the interests of their country before their ownpatriots / soldiers dying for their cause 5 are not interested in being rewarded for their actions the anonymous hero who leaves the scene after rescuing others Statements about heroes6 always do their duty people who day after day, like nurses, perform a service for others 7 have personal qualities which are superior to those of most peoplegreat leaders 8 are usually just ordinary human beingsmothers, fathers, the disabled, etc. Your own definition of hero A hero is someone who selflessly endures hardship, in the short or long term, for a good cause.Five questions1 How many emergency services can you think of?Fire/ambulance/police/coastguard services. 2 What different skills do emergency workers need?Specific skills, speed, medical knowledge, decisiveness, courage, reliability. 3 Whats the main job of a firefighter?Putting out fires. 4 What else may they have to do in an emergency?Rescue people caught up in emergencies and give emergency medical aid. 5 What personal qualities are important in an emergency?Ability to take decisions, calmness, speed, efficiency, composure, perseverance, bravery, courageRichard Picciotto Chief Richard “Pitch” Picciotto, the highest-ranking firefighter to survive the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center and the collapse of the Twin Towers The author of Last Man DownHow much do you know about Picciotto? a tribute to the 343 firefighters and some 3,000 civilians that lay dead in the rubble that surrounded Richard Picciotto on 9/11 attack a heartfelt remembrance of a day of infamy (臭名昭著) and profound humanity an immediate New York Times Best Seller upon its May, 2002 release. Last Man DownInterpretingThe style of the passage is very informal. It uses the following techniques.SlangElliptical languageSimileRepetitionCataphoric referenceclickclickclickclickSlangMoreLook at the sentences from the passage and answer the questions.1 Some guys were sweating like pigs. Why?Because they felt hot and exhausted. They had been engaged in heavy physical activities.2 we all froze. What does this mean?It means we stayed completely still.3 Every possible worst-case scenario, and a few more besides. What was the firefighter imagining?He was imagining an extremely huge fire or explosion.Slang5 “Ill see you at the big one.” What is the big one, and why dont firefighters call it by its name?They minimise the fire which has just happened and imagine the ultimate fire. The expression is one common to firefighters, so they know what they are referring to.6 All of these thoughts were landing in my brain in a kind of flashpoint What are these thoughts, and how do they contrast with the situation in the north tower? What do they tell us about Picciotto?The thoughts are about Picciottos family, job, the bagels, firefighters customs, his colleagues, the things his life consists of, his values, his bravery and yet his ordinariness.Repetition Work in pairs and answer the questions. 1 How many sentences begin with I thought?Four. “I thought about my wife and kids . I thought about the job . I thought about the bagels . I thought how we firemen .” 2 What other examples of repetition can you find in the passage?Repetition of like for describing the sound of the building collapsing (Para. 3). 3 Which different things does the writer compare the noise of the falling building to by repeating like?It was like an earthquake, an amusement park thrill ride, a thousand runaway trains, a herd of wild beasts, and the thunder of a rockslide.SimileWork in pairs and answer the questions. 1 How many similes can you find in the passage?Seven; sweating like pigs; shaking like in an earthquake; like an amusement park thrill ride gone berserk; like a thousand runaway trains speeding towards me; like a herd of wild beasts; like the thunder of a rockslide . 2 Which similes are the most effective? I like the simile “like a thousand runaway trains speeding towards me”; as it really suggests the power of the forces the writer feels approaching him.Text evaluation1 Picciotto says he and his men were “just doing their job”. Do you agree?Yes, firefighters must extinguish fires and rescue victims.No, they were going beyond it by staying so long and risking their lives. 2 Do you think his book is the best possible tribute to the firefighters who died?certainly a way of remembering