1、Unit 4Text 1:Preparing for CollegeLead-in1.How did you prepare yourself for admission to college?Were you opposed to such examination-oriented preparation?How are your learning method of college studies different from that of high school studies?Homer8th century B.C.the Greek epic poet to whom are a
2、ttributed to the Iliad and the Odyssey,the great epic poetry of all time.The Iliad,the tale of the siege of Troy(an ancient city in Asia Minor),is an epic poem in twenty-four books.The Odyssey is an epic poem which records the adventures of Odysseus or Ulysses,a Greek leader in the Trojan War,a lege
3、ndary war waged anywhere from the 11th to the 14th century B.C.It is also in twenty-four books.The Greeks believed that the greatest of these story-tellers was a blind man named Homer,and that he sang ten epic poems about the Trojan War,of which only two survived.As a group,these poems told the enti
4、re history of the Trojan War;each poem,however,only covered a small part of that history.Many classicists believe that the two surviving Homeric epics(probably the only Homeric epics)were in fact composed by several individuals;in the absence of any evidence to the contrary,most classicists accept t
5、he overall Greek idea of a single author.Dante Alighieri1265-1321Italian poet whose reputation rests chiefly on The Divine Comedy,an epic poem that describes his spiritual journey through Hell and Purgatory,escorted by Virgil,and through Heaven,guided by his lifelong idealized love,Beatrice.the way
6、of an individual soul from sin to purification.Caius Julius Caesar100-44 B.C.Roman general,statesman,and historianinvaded Britain(55),crushed the army of his political enemy Pompey(48),pursued other enemies to Egypt,where he installed Cleopatra as queen(47),returned to Rome,and was given a mandate b
7、y the people to rule as dictator for life(45).On March 15 of 44B.C.he was murdered by a group of republicans led by Cassius and Brutus,who feared he intended to establish a monarchy ruled by himself.Robert Owen1771-1858the sixth of seven children.His father was an ironmonger who also served as local
8、 postmaster;his mother came from one of the prosperous farming families of Newtown.At the age of ten he was sent to seek his fortune in London with his eldest brother British socialist reformer and founder of cooperative communities.strove against social disorders brought about by the Industrial Rev
9、olution and urged Parliament to enact laws that would alleviate the bad working conditions in British factories.assisted the trade union movement.discouraged the hiring of children.established a cooperative society for the purchase and sale of commodities,and organized cooperative communities to cre
10、ate a better environment.Toriesmembers or supporters of the Conservative Party in Great Britain.The term Tory was first used to name a member of a political party in Great Britain from the late 17th century to about 1832 that favored the authority of the king over Parliament and the preservation of
11、the existing social and political order.It was succeeded by the Conservative party in 1832.Liberalspeople of liberal principles or views,or members of the Liberal Party in Great Britain.Liberals favor progress or reform,as in political or religious affairs.Roman Catholica member of the Roman Catholi
12、c Church,the part of the Christian Church which acknowledges the Pope as its head.Catholicism differs from Protestantism in the importance it grants to tradition,ritual,and the authority of the Pope.Protestanta member of the Protestant Church,which is any of the Christian churches that are separate
13、from the Roman Catholic Church.The Protestants reject the authority of the Pope or papacy.They find authority in the text of the Bible.The authorJoseph Lincoln Steffens(1866 1936):U.S.newspaper reporter or journalist and freelance writerHis“muckraking（揭发黑幕；揭发丑闻）（揭发黑幕；揭发丑闻）”articles and books(exposes
14、 of public and private corruption)aroused the American public during the early years of the 20th century.born in San Francisco,California,on 6th April,1866.The son of a wealthy businessman studied in France and Germany before graduating from the University of California,where he developed radical po
15、litical views.In 1892 Steffens became a reporter on the New York Evening Post.One of Steffens major investigations involved exposing local government corruption.A collection of Steffens articles appeared in the book The Shame of the Cities(1904).This was followed by an investigation into state polit
16、icians,The Struggle for Self-Government(1906).His autobiography(1931)contains not only personal reminiscences but also valuable information on the leftist movements of his era.This text is the excerpt taken from his most famous book Autobiography.In the text,Steffens makes an important revelation ab
17、out learning,a fundamental discovery that every individual must make if he is to be successful in the world of ideasOrganization and developmentpart1.(Para.14):His failure and the cause of it;part2.(Para.5-12):His private tutor,Mr.Nixon,exerted great influence on him,he encouraged his pupil to think
18、 and discover all by himselfpart3.(para1315):He found the best preparations for college in the stimulating Saturday night conversations among all those Oxford and Cambridge menAnalysis of the textcharacterization About Steffen,the narrator About Steffens parentsAbout Evelyn Nixon About Nixon friends
19、 characterization1)About Steffen,the narrator What happened to him when he sat for the entrance examination?Why did he fail?What kind of student would you describe Steffen?Not“made for”the examinations 不是“考试型”的学生Not“made for”standardization of education Whats typical of Steffens learning habit?Learn
20、ing what he is interested inLearning what he thinks is relevant to himIn contrast with Steffen,what kind of students are the“elect”as defined by Steffen?Able to do well,to memorize/recite what they are asked to;“quiz kids”Learning to win honour,to compete with others,Learning for the sake of learnin
21、g,lacking intellectual curiosity About Steffens parentsWhats special about the way they brought up Steffen?liberal-minded What did they do after Steffens failure in examination?sending him to a best private schoolfinding him a tutor giving him enough freedomAbout Evelyn Nixon How much do we know abo
22、ut Nixon s background?An Englishman Oxford graduate(double-first)with distinction Coming to San Francisco for health reason(lung-trouble)Teaching Greek,Latin/English at school/private tutor to Steffen How would you describe Nixon as a teacher?in terms of his teaching approacheliciting/method of elic
23、itationstimulating students interest/curiosity encouraging students to solve problems by their ownin terms of personalityopen and liberal-mindedAbout Nixon friendslearned scholars(precise,accurate,innovative,creative)integrated upright scholars(with cultivating/conflicting minds,respecting truth but
24、 truth only,appreciating the good and the beautiful)gentlemen in true sense(with different religious belief,different political allegiance,but courteous and respectful to each other)critical,open-minded and with immense intellectual curiosity(to explore the unknown,to seek truth in the universe)Comp
25、rehension questionsFrom Steffenss description of“the elect”in Paragraph 2,what has been revealed about himself?Why was it wrong for him?The text begins with his failure to get into university.What caused his failure?What is the antecedent of the pronoun“it”in the first sentence of Paragraph 6?How do
26、es the man Evelyn Nixon impress you？Support your answer with information from the text.The teacher has turned out to have formed a change over me.How has he achieved this?Despite their similar background,the Englishmen who met at the Saturday night gatherings had“no common opinion on anything appare
27、ntly”(Paragraph 13).By which sentence in the same paragraph is this fact restated?Why does the author seem to emphasize this point?Why does Steffens say that those wonderful Saturday nights in San Francisco were his preparations for college?Group discussionWhat would you do to reform the existing ed
28、ucation system if you were one of the leaders of our countrys Education Ministry?Language pointsParagraph 1 to be put off for a year:to be delayed or postponed for a year put sth.off:delay doing sth.E.g.:Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.I was not of them:I was not like them;I was no
29、t of their kind.Paragraph 2For the most part:in most cases;mostly so far as I could make out:so far as I could understand/see make out:understand,see,or hear e.g.:That problem is just beyond me;I cant make it out.He muttered a complaint that nobody could make out.Paragraph 2they looked dazed or indi
30、fferent:they looked confused/bewildered or uninterested/unconcerned daze is often used in the passive.to be dazed is to be made unable to think or feel clearly.E.g.:His answer to the question left us all dazed.Paragraph 2indifferent:not interested in,not caring about E.g.:We should not be indifferen
31、t to the low achievers/underachievers in school.Paragraph 2foreign to me:unfamiliar and strange to me;unknown to me;not within my experience.This is the formal use of the word foreign.E.g.:His concept of education is entirely foreign to us.Paragraph 3in ones reach/within ones reach beyond ones reach
32、/out of ones reach reach:the range of power,influence,ability or capacitybear on:be relevant to;have some connection with;relate to E.g.:Did what he said bear on your problem?Thes are matters that bear on the welfare of the community.for keeps(infml):for ever,permanently,for good E.g.:Can I have it
33、for keeps or do you want it back?“Can I have one of those cute mementos”“Sure.This one is yours,for keeps.”Paragraph 4appeal to sb./sth:please;attract;interest e.g.:His plan of spending our winter vacation in an orphanage to coach the children there in English appealed to all of us.Now the Beijing o
34、pera does not appeal to young people.Paragraph 4appeal has different meanings in different contexts.E.g.:The Municipal Government appealed to(requested)the residents to save water last summer.The defendant defied the verdict(the official decision made by a jury in a court of law)and appealed to the
35、higher courtby dent(dint)of:by means ofe.g.:They overfulfilled their task by dent of hard work.Paragraph 4The barest:the most basic the rudiments:the most basic/essential knowledge;the basics;the fundamentals(The word rudiments is always in the plural form when used in this sense.)e.g.:the rudiments
36、 of grammar the rudiments of physics the rudiments of a plan the rudiments of civilization When I knocked at the college gates,I was prepared for a college education in some branches;my mind was hungry enough for the answers to some profound questions to have made me work and develop myself,especial
37、ly on lines which I know now had no ready answers,only more and ever more questions When I got ready to enter college,I was expecting a college education in some definite fields.I was very eager to know the answers to some questions difficult to understand,and that has made me work and improve mysel
38、f;especially in areas of study where there were no prompt answers,but there were endless questions.Paragraph 4metaphysics:the branch of philosophy that deals with abstract concepts,etc.I was not in the least curious about Greek :I wasnt eager to learn Greek at allnot in the least:not at allE.g.:Lots
39、 of people love to read science fiction,but Im not in the least interested.Paragraph 5to be crammed for Berkeley:to be stuffed with as much book knowledge as possible for me to pass the entrance examination of the University of California at Berkeley cram:learn as much as possible in a short time ju
40、st before the examinationE.g.:Learning is a long-range process,and cramming for an examination in the last minute does one no good.The teacher is alawys cramming the students.retain:(law)to employ(a lawyer)to act for one,by paying in advance e.g.:retain sb.as ones legal counselretain ones rooms for
41、the holidays a retaining feeall the poets of all the ages:all the poets of all periods in history compare:of all the ages of all ages the Iron age the modern age Paragraph 5ecstasy:(a state of)very strong feeling,especially of joy and happiness in ecstasies E.g.:in an ecstasy of delight in an ecstas
42、y of grief go into ecstasy when meditating Paragraph 6conscious culture:the cultures(i.e.,customs,arts,social institutions,and achievements of a particular people or social group or nation)that is directly perceptible or known to us Fanatic(fan):one who is very enthusiastic about a particular activi
43、tyParagraph 6romance and language sang songs to me:I enjoyed romance and language so much that they were like songs sung to me.Paragraph 6inspire:encourage in somebody the desire and ability to take effective action by filling with eagerness,confidence,etc.E.g.:The Party secretarys words inspired us
44、 to work still harder/to greater efforts.Paragraph 6When he read or recited Greek verse the Greeks came to life;romance and language sang songs to me,and I was inspired to be like him,not a hero nor even a poet,but a Greek scholar,and thus an instrument on which beautiful words might play.When he re
45、ad or recited Greek poetry,it seemed that what was described in the verse became alive;both the romantic ideas and the poetical lines sounded like beautiful music,and I,just like him,was motivated to be neither a hero in poetry nor a poet who created poetry,but only a student of Greek culture and po
46、etry,in such a way that I would be able to interpret Greek poetry.Paragraph 6It was too great and too various for me to personify with my boyish imitations and heroism.Life was so good and so different in kind that I was not able to express what it was like with my youthful mind and boldnessParagrap
47、h 6personify:express or represent(a quality in human form);be a(perfect)example Paragraph 8sedentary:inactive;done while sitting down Paragraph 11underline:indicate the importance of，emphasize when I looked balked:when I looked thwarted/frustrated balk:stop or intentionally get in the way of balked:
48、here)baffled;frustratedParagraph 12“Go to,boy.The world is yours.Nothing is done,nothing is known.The greatest poem isnt written,the best railroad isnt built yet,the perfect state hasnt been thought of.Everything remains to be done-right,everything.”Paragraph 12“Come on,boy.The world belongs to you
49、you are expected to do creative thinking and to act creatively for the world.There is still a lot to be accomplished,and a lot to be found out.No poem written can be called the greatest and no railroad built can be the best.The perfect state has yet to be conceived.Everything has yet to be done.”Pa
50、ragraph 13a maddening lot:a wild,uncontrollable group righteous sects:morally justifiable groups of people whose religious beliefs are considered different from those of a larger group Paragraph 13righteous:(of a person or his behavior)(doing what is)morally good and just clinch:(in the sport of box
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