Teaching Plan Book Two Unit 1 by Xie Jingxian Feb.2005 Book Two Unit One Section A Preview: Riddle: It does exist. But it will never return. What is it? Americans value time and save it carefully. Time is a real, precious resource to them so every minute must count. Visitors may think Americans are always in a rush and under pressure. Smiles and short conversations, and small exchanges with strangers don’t exist because Americans dislike “wasting” too much time. Americans assess others professionally rather than socially, so they start talking business immediately since they are always conscious of time. Americans work hard at saving time so they may have meetings using equipment like television screens and telephones rather than in person. Quickly solving a problem or doing a job successfully is a sign of skill. The more important the job, the more time and effort Americans will pour into it. Introductory questions: 1)How do you understand the title “time-conscious Americans”? (Time is treated as if it were something almost real. People budget it, save it, waste it, steal it, kill it, cut it, account for it; they also charge for it. They do this because time is a precious resource.) 2) Do you think that Chinese are time-conscious? Why do you think so? Background information Cultural differences: Students and teachers need to be aware that the ethnocentric attitudes of writers are precisely the way cultural conflict is encouraged. Why is understanding a culture always the others’ responsibility? Is it not possible that each culture could be made aware of different conventions? Both sides must work at rising above cultural differences and be willing to compromise…and in both cases, most likely neither side has access to cultural conventions of the other so blaming is not the answer. Educating is. Text structure Analysis One of the ways to find the structure of a reading passage is to change the text into questions and answers. For example: Mr. Wilson won the election. He appealed to the middle class to support him. This is a short text consisting of only two sentences. But if we change it into a question and answer, we can find or understand the relationship between the two sentences. Mr. Wilson won the election. Question: How did he win the election? Answer: Mr. Wilson won the election by appealing to the middle class. Therefore, we can identify the relationship between the two sentences as result and instrument/ method/ means. In our analysis of the reading passage, you will find that we are using the same method to spell out the relationship within a paragraph by placing questions between the parts. The three parts we identified by changing the text into a question-and-answer dialogue are: A general statement How do you prove your general statement?(any question you can ask about the details of the statement) Specific details to support the general statement What is the reason for what you said in the general statement? The reason for the statement New words and expressions: budget: v. Plan the spending of (time, money, etc), or provide (time, money) in the plan --Can you budget your study time carefully? --My friend budgets for buying a car. Very often this word is used as a noun to mean a plan of how to spend money, etc, during a particular time for a particular purpose. --a month’s budget --It is important to balance this year’s budget. acute: a. (of feelings or the senses) fine; sharp --Dogs have an acute sense of smell. --He is an acute observer. severe, very great --There’s an acute shortage of water.. (of an illness) coming quickly to the most severe or critical stage --acute appendicitis; an acute patient replace: take the place of sb/ sth --She replaced sugar with honey. = She substitute honey for sugar. abrupt: a. (of behavior) rough: an abrupt attitude --When I asked her about her new job, she was quite abrupt with me. c.f. rude:对别人态度粗鲁，缺乏必要的礼貌用语,称呼或温和的态度等。 abrupt:侧重指由于突然或缺乏事先考虑而表现出来的不够礼貌。 sudden and unexpected --The meeting came to an abrupt end. an abrupt change of policy an abrupt drop in oil prices brief: in brief: in a few words as possible --the news in brief --In brief, take no risks whatever. opening: -the opening ceremony-the opening words-the opening night of a new play leisure:-at leisure: be free -at one’s leisure-wait sb’s leisure assess:vt. Judge the quality, importance, or worth of access: means of approaching or entering (a place); opportunity or right to use sth or approach sb: have access to sth./ sb excess: more than the reasonable: to excess: (to an extreme degree) e.g. He drinks to excess. surroundings: n.(pl.) the things in the neighborhood of, or the conditions affecting a person or thing c.f. surrounding : adj. surroundings:以复数形式出现，指周围具体的，物质性的东西。 environment不用复数，是环境的总称，指特定的，能对人的发展产生影响的自然环境或生活的环境条件。E.g. environmental protection circumstances:常为复数形式，1)强调动作或事情发生的环境或情况,Circumstances forced us to change our plans. 2)[pl]financial position e.g.--What are his circumstances? –in easy/ poor circumstances, ie having much / not enough money (idm) in / under the circumstances: this being the case in/ under no circumstances: in no case; never probe: examine closely --The police are probing (into) trading which breaks the law. tick: --My watch doesn’t tick because it is electric. Tick away/ by: (of time) pass—Meanwhile the minutes kept ticking away. Tick sth off: put a tick beside (an item):- tick off the names of those present Tick over: (of an engine) idle:--I stopped the car but left the motor ticking over. (of activities) continue in a routine way:--Just try and keep things ticking over while I’m away. obtain:表示经过相当长的时间或经过很大的努力，获得期望已久的东西。 acquire ：通过不断的学问慢慢获取“学问”“技术”等抽象的东西。 gain: 含义较obtain进一层，表示付出更大的努力才能获得 whereas: while --He was poor, whereas his sister was very wealthy. competent: be competent for sth = be competent to do sth = be capable of doing sth.= be able to do sth. fulfill: do or perform: fulfill a duty supply or satisfy (a need, demand or requirement) --The company should be able to fulfill our requirements for product quality. Detailed study of the text. Para 1: What are the two elements that Americans save carefully? 1…no one stands still. Meaning: No one keeps motionless, everyone moves and advances. Stand: v. Keep or stay in a particular position or state. For this sense, “stand ” is followed by adjectives or adjective-like phrases. It is used as a linking verb. --The room stands idle. Still: not moving, calm, quiet --Still waters run deep.流静水深，人静心深。 This word can also be used as a verb with a related meaning. --The food stilled the baby’s cries. fall behind : become bit by bit further behind - fall behind in science- fall behind one’s competitors (with) fail to produce sth. at the proper time -fall behind with the rent --I’m falling behind with my work; I must try to catch up. result in: cause --Acting before thinking always results in failing. c.f. result from: be caused by --His illness resulted from the bad food. The other being labor This structure is: subject + -ing (or: -ed) verb. This type of adverbial clause can also be put at the beginning of the whole sentence. --Lunch finished, all the guests returned to the sitting room. This type of clause can be rewritten by adding the preposition “with” --With lunched finished, all the guests returned to the sitting room. Para 2 What is the Americans slaves to? slave to /of sth: a person who is completely influenced or dominated by sth -a slave to money, a slave to drink nothing but: only --He is nothing but a criminal. c.f. anything but: definitely not --The hotel was anything but satisfactory. 2.We budget it, save it, …account for it. Meaning: We deal with time in various ways as if time were something of real value. kill time: make time pass quickly by finding sth to do --How do you kill time? --He drove to the club to kill a couple of hours. account for: 1) give a satisfactory explanation about (how sth is used) --Jack had to account to her wife for every penny he spent. be the cause or origin of --North Sea oil accounts for a high proportion of our trade earnings. charge for: ask (an amount ) as a price --How much do you charge for repairing the bike? charge sb with sth: accuse sb of sth, esp formally in a court of law sense: --A sense of humor is a great quality for a person. a sense of sight(hearing, smell, taste, touch, duty, place, direction) be lost(or: dead) to all sense of shame 全不知羞耻 run out of: (of liquid or sth like liquid) flow out of --Many rivers run out of the Himalayas. use all one’s supplies, have no more --We have run out of gas. --I’m running out of patience. run across: find or meet by chance (esp. sb or sth pleasant) run after: run to try to catch sb; try to get the attention and company of run away: escape by running; go quickly away from a place run down: knock down and hurt run into: meet sb. by chance; encounter (difficulties, problems, etc) run over (to): drive over sb. or sth run through: read and examine quickly Hourglass: n. A glass container holding sand for measuring time, which is narrow in the middle like a figure 8 so that the sand inside can run slowly from the top half to the bottom taking exactly one hour. count: vi. Important or valuable --She ‘s the only person that really counts around here. Para 3.What is a foreigner’s first impression of the U.S.? Why do Americans make such an impression upon foreigners? Structure analysis: p. 12 elbow: vt. Push others out of the way using elbows --She elbowed her way through the crowd. race through: do sth in a hurry --He raced through his homework in order to watch the football match. 3. You will miss smiles, brief conversations, and small exchanges with strangers. Meaning: Smiles, short conversations, and small exchanges with strangers are common in daily life in your own country, but not in the United States. So if you visit this country you will feel sad because you will no longer experience or have them. Take…personally: If you take someone’s remarks personally, you are upset because you think that they are being critical about you in particular. --You mustn’t take her negative comments of your plan personally.你不应把她对你计划的批评当作对你个人的攻击。 Para 4: Why do new arrivals to the U.S. miss many social behaviors during a business call? go with: exist or take place at the same time, be found together --Responsibility goes with becoming a father. --Disease often goes with poverty. extended: lasting for a long period of time --The child has received formal education over an extended period. much less: still less: and even less likely, let alone (p. 10) --He’s too shy to ask a stranger the time, still less speak to a room full of people. --They are always short of water to drink, much less to bathe in. Para 5.How do Americans save time? Save: v. prevent or escape the waste of (money, etc) --It is prudent to save.储蓄是有远见的。 --Don’t eat all the cake now; save some for tomorrow. --Save your strength for hard work you’ll have to do later. 4.We produce a steady flow of labor-saving devices; Meaning: The things we produce for particular purposes are like a continuous river and they can help reduce the amount of effort needed;… given: prep. Taking into account --Given her interest in children, teaching should be the right career for her. --Given your hard work, you did well. -- Given that you were hard-working, you did well. Para 6.How do Americans view the impersonality of electronic communication? 5. To us the impersonality of electronic communication has little or no relation to the significance of the matter at hand. Meaning: When we communicate through electronic means, which may seem not involving human feelings, it does not mean that we regard the matter under discussion unimportant. at hand: under discussion or being considered --Your question was not related to the matter at hand. near in time or place --The great day is at hand.(= near at hand = close at hand) conduct: organize and carry out --He decided to conduct an experiment. act as the path for (electricity, heat, etc) --Wood won’t conduct electricity, but copper will. In person: by oneself --The winner will be there in person to collect the prize. settle: vt. solve settle an argument/ the case/ a bill/ an account Para 7.Why is America called a telephone country? due to: because of --The team’s success was due to her efforts. Whereas: while (p.10 ) Para 8 Is it polite to work too quickly in any country? Elapse: vi. (flm) (of time) pass --Three years have elapsed since I left college. in one’s eyes: in the opinion or judgment of someone --The expert is always right in the eyes of everybody. Worthy of: meriting --She is worthy of our praise. get sth/ sb doing: make sth/sb do sth --It is hard to get the boy laughing. --Can you get the old car going? Section B Reading skills Reading for the main ideas in paragraphs Being able to determine the main idea of a passage is one of the most useful skills you can develop. It is a skill you can apply to any kind of reading. The main idea of a passage is the thought that is present from the beginning to the end. In a well-written paragraph, most of the sentences support, describe or explain the main idea. Writers most frequently use the first sentence of a paragraph to state the main idea, as is clear from the following example taken from Reading passage A: Consequently, we work hard at the task of saving time. We produce a steady flow of labor-saving devices; we communicate rapidly through faxes, phone calls or emails rather than through personal contacts, which though pleasant, take longer-especially given our traffic-filled streets. We, therefore, save most personal visiting for after-work hours of for social weekend and gatherings. Main idea: We work hard at the task of saving time.(a topic sentence, a topic statement) However, the main idea sentence may also appear in other places: in the middle or at the end of a paragraph. Sometimes, there is no sentence in the paragraph that directly states the main idea. The main idea is simply left unstated or implied. New words desirable: worth having, doing or desiring because it is useful, necessary, or popular --It is most desirable that she ( should) leave here. --Long delays are undesirable, but sometimes are unavoidable. --Success is desirable to everyone. = Everybody is desirous of success. fascinating: interesting and able to attract --Xi ’an is a fascinating old city full of very old buildings. spite: in spite of = despite --The football match continued in spite of (= despite) the bad weather.= The football match continued, regardless of the weather. The noun “spite” used as a single word means “desire to hurt or offend another person , ill will” --I’m sure he wrote that article purely out of(or: from) spite.我断定他写那片文章完全是出于泄愤。 clash: 指金属制品等铿锵有声的撞击。 Clash (with): vi. Disagree seriously, come into argument or non-agreement state --People’s feelings sometimes clash with their judgment. Clash sometimes used as a noun. --a boundary clash between two armies c.f. crash指坠下或猛冲而砰地碰撞 crush：指压碎、碾碎，压坏。 tradition: n. Custom or belief that has existed for a long time --The British are said to enjoy tradition. -follow a tradition hostile to/ towards sb: unfriendly c.f. hospitable to/ towards: (of a person) pleased to welcome and entertain guests --I have no hostility towards anyone. distress: vt. ( usu. passive) cause great pain or suffering --The couple was distressed to find that their children had not returned. Distress: great pain, sadness, suffering --The sick man showed signs of distress. suffering caused by lack of money --a company in funding distress a state of danger or great difficulty --He expressed concern that the ship might be in distress. cope with: deal successfully or effectively with --She is not a competent driver and can’t cope with driving in heavy traffic. isolation: - a feeling of total isolation isolate …from…: --She felt entirely isolated from the world. avoid doing sth above/ beyond comprehension symptom: a sign of bad condition or existence --The lower production levels are symptom of dissatisfaction among the workers. a change in the body that shows an illness --The symptoms don’t appear until a few days later after you are infected. distinction: n. a special quality or element --Tim has the distinction of being the tallest boy in the class. be distinctive of: that distinguishes sth by making it different form others --Simple sentences are distinctive of Hemingway’s style. appreciate: understand and enjoy --You can’t fully appreciate foreign literature in translation. --Your help was greatly appreciated. =We were grateful for your help. --We really appreciate it when she offered to help. understand sth with sympathy --I appreciate your problem, but I don't think I can help you. language acquisition Notice that this noun can be countable if it is used to mean something gained --This sugar factory is one of the recent acquisitions of the company. alleviate: 减轻或缓和痛苦 --alleviate pain,-alleviate loss of jobs --We want to help alleviate their lack of food. diminish:因不断消耗，在数量方面慢慢减少，在素质或价值上的下降 reduce: 人为的使某物在数量或重量方面减少或降低 decrease：数量上的减少 furthermore: moreover Detailed study of the text 1. Culture Shock: a term meaning strong feelings of discomfort, fear, or anxiety, which people may have when they enter another culture. Usually when a person moves to live in a foreign country, he may experience a period of culture shock until he becomes familiar with the new culture. Para 1 What is the main idea of the paragraph? sound (linking verb): --Your plan sounds reasonable. --Your idea sounds like a good one. --From the way you describe him he sounds a hero. -safe and sound have …difficulty (in) doing sth: --Do you have a lot of difficulty in understanding my words? If “have difficulty” is followed directly by a noun phrase, the preposition “with” is uesd and the preposition can never be omitted. --You seem to have no difficulty with English grammar. familiar to: --They are familiar to the boys. = The boys are familiar with them. at least: not less than --Cut the grass at least once a week in summer. anyway; at any rate --You might at least answer when I ask you to accept the gift. as though: as if -The verb in the clause is very often in the subjunctive mood, though it is by no means always so. --She treats me as if I were her daughter. --He looks as if he is much better. (be) tired of: (be) impatient or have no interest in sb. or sth --If you are tired of London, you are tired of life. repression: a psychological term meaning actively preventing an unwelcome thought from conscious awareness. --The repression of your true feelings is harmful to your health. --The political repression in this country has led to worldwide protest. (common meaning) c.f. depression, the Great Depression would rather: (used to express a choice) prefer to --He would rather lose his job than make a false accounts. “would rather” is used in all persons; it can be used in different subjects, to say that one person would prefer another to do something. In this case, we generally use a past tense with a present or future meaning. --Don’t come tomorrow. I’d rather you came next weekend. -Shall I open the window? -I’d rather you didn’t. recovery: a return to a normal state --The government’s policies bit by bit led to the country’s economic recovery. getting back --she has a reasonable chance of recovery from the insurance company. go through: experience -It is impossible to go through life without trust: that is like being put in prison. Go after: try to win sth or sb Go by: judge by;(of time) pass; elapse Go in for: take part in Go into: enter; discuss; examine Go off: blow up; go bad Go on; continue; happen; manage to succeed or live in spite of not having sth Go over: look at and examine; repeat Go with: match or suit Go without: manage to succeed or live in spite of not having sth