1、高级英语高级英语 第3版 第二册第二册 第十三课第十三课Lesson 13:The Mansion:A Subprime Parable 豪宅：一个关于次贷危机的故事豪宅：一个关于次贷危机的故事Teaching objectives1)To acquaint students with the historical background of the text.2)To enable students to appreciate the style of Michele Lewiss writing.3)To acquaint students with the Subprime Mortga
2、ge CrisisParable（寓言）（寓言）refers to an example;a usually short fictitious story that illustrates a moral attitude or a religious principle.In this essay,the parable refers to the authors own real experience about renting a big mansion.This true story is used as an example to illustrate the Americans d
3、ream of living in larger houses than they can afford,which,according to the author,was the real cause of the subprime mortgage crisis in the late 2000s in the United States.Michael LewisA best-selling author,Lewis has been widely praised by criticsMichael Monroe Lewis(1960)is an American non-fiction
4、 author and financial journalist.His bestselling books include The Big Short:Inside the Doomsday Machine,Liars Poker,The New New Thing,Moneyball:The Art of Winning an Unfair Game,The Blind Side:Evolution of a Game,Panic,Home Game:An Accidental Guide to Fatherhood and Boomerang.He has been a contribu
5、ting editor to Vanity Fair since 2009.Dan Ackman of Forbes said that Lewis had a special talent:He can walk into an area already mined by hundreds of writers and find gems there all along but somehow missed by his predecessors.次级抵押贷款（次级抵押贷款（subprime mortgage loan,即即“次级按揭贷款次级按揭贷款”）Subprime:having or
6、being an interest rate that is higher than a prime rate（最优惠贷款利率）and is extended especially to low-income borrowers.次级抵押次级抵押贷款贷款是指一些贷款机构向是指一些贷款机构向信用信用程度较差和收入不程度较差和收入不高的借款人提供的贷款。在前几年美国住房市场高度繁荣高的借款人提供的贷款。在前几年美国住房市场高度繁荣时，次级抵押贷款市场迅速发展。但随着美国住房市场大时，次级抵押贷款市场迅速发展。但随着美国住房市场大幅降温，加上利率上升，很多次级抵押贷款市场的借款人幅降温，加上利率上升
7、很多次级抵押贷款市场的借款人无法按期偿还借款，导致一些放贷机构遭受严重损失甚至无法按期偿还借款，导致一些放贷机构遭受严重损失甚至破产。美国次级抵押贷款危机引发了投资者对美国整个金破产。美国次级抵押贷款危机引发了投资者对美国整个金融市场健康状况和经济增长前景的担忧，导致近来股市出融市场健康状况和经济增长前景的担忧，导致近来股市出现剧烈震荡。现剧烈震荡。Subprime Mortgage Crisis-DiagramHousing MarketCauses of Housing BubbleExcessHousingInventoryInabilityToRefinanceMortgageMor
8、tgageDelinquencyAnd ForeclosureNegativeEffects on EconomyHome building declinesDownward pressure on consumption as household wealth declinesHousingPriceDeclineHousing bubble burstsHousehold wealth declinesPoor lending and borrowing decisionsFinancial MarketDownward pressure on business investmentRis
9、k of increasing unemploymentStock market declines further reduce household wealthNegativeEffects onEconomyLiquidityCrunch（不足）（不足）forBusinessesBankFailuresBank CapitalLevelsDepletedBankLossesLoss on mortgages retainedLoss on mortgage-backed securities(MBS)High bank debt levels(leverage杠杆效率)Washington
10、 MutualWachoviaLehman BrothersHarder to get loansHigher interest rates for loansMortgage Cash Flow DeclinesHousing bubble startedto balloon and when it burst.Excessive use of credit and debt leverage Easy credit encouraged weaker borrowers toassume mortgagesFED lowered interest rates sharply since20
11、00Subprime Mortgage CrisisTheme of the TextThis story focuses on the real cause of the Subprime Mortgage Crisis in America.Contrary to general views,the author believes the crisis was triggered by a deep cultural predisposition(倾 向)that leads to the Americans fascination with bigger and bigger house
12、s which tend to label the big property owners successful.Therefore,instead of placing blame on Wall Street firms,he concludes the American people themselves are the culprits behind the economic crisis.Part I:paras 1-20 Questions1.Why did the author move to New Orleans?2.Say something about the mansi
13、on?What is the general impression of the mansion?3.What doe“middle class”imply according to the author?4.What are the differences between middle class and upper-class?5.How do the family react on the first day of moving?Paraphrase Part I:Para.1-22(Para.1)The move would uproot my wife and three child
14、ren from Californian Uproot:to remove or force from home or native land,to displace from a country or a traditional habitat.迁离迁离 The writer describes the move in an exaggerated or humorous way.Apparently his family had a comfortable home in California,and so moving into a new environment would creat
15、e inconvenience to his family,hence the word“uproot”.the result is a forest of For Sale signs and an army of workersdistances As a result,lots of houses were put up for sale but very few people want to buy houses,and so a large group of workers had to travel long distances back and forth between hom
16、e and work place.Forest:Something resembling a forest,especially in profusion and lushness.Army:a great multitude.Commute:to travel back and forth regularly.(Para.2)I called her and threw myself on her mercyThrow oneself at ones mercy:to beg someone to help you;to put yourself wholly in the power of
17、 someone.Humorous tone:I had to rely on her completely since I had no information in this respect.Shes suggested it to Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.the French Quarter.The agent had recommended the house to the famous Hollywood star couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie,but they didnt buy it.Instead th
18、ey bought a less conspicuously grand house.The implication is that even the wealthy film stars had bought the house was too expensive.Modest:unpretentious;limited in size.Film stars Brad Pitt&Angelina Jolie.(Para.6)：Upper middle class is a sneaky designation,however.However,the upper middle class is
19、 a sly name.Sneaky:doing things in a secret,dishonest,unfair wayDesignation:(formal)a name or title.Well-off Vs.richWell-off:having more money than many other people 富裕的Rich:having a lot of money or valuable possessions 有钱的Para7.A man struggling to hold on to the illusion widening Simile,comparing a
20、 man of the upper middle class to a character in a cartoon about an earthquake.A man trying desperately to hold on to the false idea that he is upper middle class,namely,between middle class and upper class,is just like a character in a cartoon earthquake:fissure.(para.1022)describes their first day
21、 of moving into the house.The present tense makes the narration more vivid.The Beverly Hillbillies:（豪门新人类），an American popular sitcom made in 1993.Hyundai Sonata:现代索塔纳，a car made by Hyundai Motor Company(the Republic of Korea),which manufactures and markets mid-sized cars globally.This sentence pres
22、ents a rather funny and incongruous picture(a grand house did not match with a rented dirty,inexpensive car)in a humorous way.Part II paras 23-29 Questions 1.What was the predicament of the Garcias?2.What does the author think of the Americans lust?3.What,according to the author,is the current bind
23、of the Americans?4.Why did the author say that the mansion wanted them out?What went wrong?Ratings agencies:Rating agencies assess the financial strength of companies and governmental entities,both domestic and foreign,particularly their ability to meet the interest and principal payments on their b
24、onds and other debt.评级机构Predisposition:a tendency to behave in a particular way or suffer from a particular illness.Crack:an illegal drug that some people take for pleasure 强效可卡因Addict:someone who is unable to stop taking drugs.Grand:informal,a thousand pounds or dollars.A stretch:something not with
25、in their easy reach.Eviction:the act or process of forcing someone to leave a house or land legally 驱逐Predicament:a difficult or unpleasant situation in which you do not know what to do,or in which you have to make a difficult choice.困境default:to fail to pay money you owe at the right time 违约，拖欠（Par
26、a.28)some versions of this drama has become a social norm:pattern.As of this spring,one in eleven mortgages was with past due or in foreclosure.From this spring,one in eleven mortgagers was behind payment date,or the house on mortgage had to be taken away because they had failed to pay back the mone
27、y they had borrowed to buy the house.Foreclosure:the legal procedure for satisfying claims against a mortgagor in default who has not redeemed the mortgage.取消抵押人赎回抵押品的权利Facilitate:make something easier to do.Part II paras 30-60 QuestionsWhat problems do the authors family have in the new mansion?Exp
28、lain in detail.What are childrens reactions to the mansion?What lessons should the children learn according to the author?(para.42)(para.30)I could have fit every stitch of clothing I owned,three times over.There is enough space for me to put in three times the number of all the clothes I had.(Para.
29、32)The mansion required a new approach to human communications.The mansion required a new way of communication between people.The writer is describing an ordinary aspect of daily life in a rather formal manner to achieve a humorous effect.A trek up the Himalayan staircases quickly became analysis.Be
30、fore I decided to climb the long staircases to look for someone,I had to think carefully if it was the best way or worth the effort.(para.33)People stumbled into other peoples spaces and terrified them.intrusion on privacy.It seemed the more space there was in the house,the less privacy they enjoyed
31、para.35)when I let it slip to my mother what Id be paying pancreatic cancer.Let sth.Slip:to say something without meaning to,when you had wanted it to be a secret.Ante:an amount of money paid in advance to insure an individuals share in a joint business venture.预付款项(para.38)we could fork over 100
32、grand on a whimFork over:(especially American English)to give money to someone or something,to spend money on somethingWhim:a sudden feeling that you would like to do or have something,exp.When there is no important or good reason(Para.39).We are Cuban peasants in late 1959 who have just movedrevolu
33、tion.Metaphor,comparing themselves to poor Cuban peasants in late 1959 who have just moved into a Havana mansion very soon after their master had runBlurt out:utter impulsively(para.42)Theres a moment in the life of every American child when it dawns on him or her that the divvying up of material sp
34、oils is neither arbitrary nor a matter of personal choiceDawn upon:to realize it for the first time.Divvy up:to share something between several peopleSpoils:things that someone gets by being successful.Arbitrary:decided or arranged without any reason or plan,often unfairly.Theres a moment in the lif
35、e of every American child when they realize it for the first time that the way wealth is shared is not random;people are not rich or poor with no reason.Neither can people choose the level of their wealth.Money is a tool people use to put themselves in a social hierarchy.(para.43)a nation of financi
36、al imposters,poisedImpostor:someone who pretends to be someone else in order to trick people.冒名顶替者We Americans tend to assume false identities for the purpose of deception(by buying houses that make us seem richer than we are)Para.45.Instead,I turn my attention to survival.Instead of educating my ch
37、ildren,I turn my attention to figure out how to continue to live in the mansion.The implication is the problems are getting so serious that they threaten our presence there.Part IV paras 61-62 QuestionsWhat does the last question show in para.62?What is the aftermath of living in the mansion?(Para.6
38、1)And so we fled back to where wed come from:the upper middle class.The word“fled”is used figuratively,meaning we were defeated and running away from danger.By leaving the mansion,we stopped pretending to be upper class but returned to the upper middle class where we belonged.(Para.62):Quinn asked,“
39、is it so small?”For Quinn,the bedroom was smaller than the ones they had in the mansion in New Orleans.This nave question suggests that the grownups pretending to be richer than they are can have a bad influence on the children.The essay ends with a childs nave question,which is unexpected but logic
40、al.Hearst Castle 赫斯特城堡曾是美国报业巨头曾是美国报业巨头William Randolph HearstWilliam Randolph Hearst家族的私人城堡。家族的私人城堡。William Randolph HearstWilliam Randolph Hearst的父亲的父亲GorrgGorrg Hearst Hearst在在18651865年买下了年买下了San San SomionSomion附近的一块从太平洋海滨到圣塔露西压山脉（附近的一块从太平洋海滨到圣塔露西压山脉（Santa Lucia Santa Lucia RangeRange）的方圆）的方圆1012
41、1012平方公里的土地，平方公里的土地，并它作为为家族野营度假的地并它作为为家族野营度假的地方。方。19191919年，赫斯特邀请了加州大学伯克利分校毕业的市政工程师，年，赫斯特邀请了加州大学伯克利分校毕业的市政工程师，女建筑师女建筑师Julia MorganJulia Morgan设计和负责建造。整个城堡，包括其附属建筑设计和负责建造。整个城堡，包括其附属建筑和庭园，从和庭园，从19191919年开始直到年开始直到19471947年才全部完工。年才全部完工。赫斯特城堡坐落在海拔赫斯特城堡坐落在海拔490490米的山梁顶部，采用了文艺复兴，米的山梁顶部，采用了文艺复兴，巴洛克，和西班牙殖民复兴
42、建筑风格，由一座主城堡，巴洛克，和西班牙殖民复兴建筑风格，由一座主城堡，3 3座客房，和庭座客房，和庭院组成，总建筑面积院组成，总建筑面积83008300平方米，庭院面积平方米，庭院面积0.50.5平方公里。城堡庄园公平方公里。城堡庄园公有有5656间卧室，间卧室，6161间浴室，间浴室，1919个起居室，个起居室，4141座壁炉，室外和室内游泳池座壁炉，室外和室内游泳池各一个，还有电影院，网球场，酒窑。城堡有自己的供水系统，发电各一个，还有电影院，网球场，酒窑。城堡有自己的供水系统，发电厂，果园，庄园内还放养了牛羊，从非洲引来的斑马等等。加上飞机厂，果园，庄园内还放养了牛羊，从非洲引来的斑马
43、等等。加上飞机场和上山的公路设施，整座城堡自成一体，自给自足。场和上山的公路设施，整座城堡自成一体，自给自足。Stylistic FeaturesThe story is told in a rather light and informal style with a touch of humor.Mainly a piece of narration,but other writings modes are also employed such as exposition,argumentation and description.To make the story vivid,many details and figures of speech are used,such as metaphor,simile,hyperbole,personification.
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