unit 11 Real Truth About Lies

1、Unit 11 n The real truth about lies Pre-reading questions n1. Do you lie? n2. Do you think it unavoidable to lie? n3. Do you feel sorry about lying? nWHY do you lie? nHow would you feel if somebody lied to you for your own good? nWords and phrases suggested: nWell-intended nBe blinded by nSweet nSob

2、er mind nObjective view nReason for 4. Is there a Santa Claus? nEight-year-old Virginia OHanlon wrote a letter to the editor of New Yorks Sun, and the quick response was printed as an unsigned editorial Sept. 21, 1897. nThe work of veteran newsman Francis Pharcellus Church has since become historys

3、most reprinted newspaper editorial, appearing in part or whole in dozens of languages in books, movies, and other editorials, and on posters and stamps. nDo you think the author was telling a lie to Virginia? nWhy did the author say there is a Santa Claus? nWhat do you get from this editorial? Role

4、play nWould you lie in a job interview? Role-play an interview for a tutoring post. Two students interviewed together and the third student is the interviewer. For the interviewee, decide how you will impress and convince the interviewer that you are a better choice. For the interviewer, decide whic

5、h applicant you would like to employ and who is more trustworthy. After the role play, decide among yourselves if anyone has told a lie, consciously or unconsciously, and whether it helps you to secure the job. Structural Analysis nThe text is of journalist style. nPart I: para. 1-6 nIntroducing the

6、 topic by 2 surveys nPart II: para. 7-11 nThe reasons for being so familiar to tell white lies. nPart III: para. 12-15 nThe consequences of telling white lies. nPart IV: para. 16-18 nWhether lies should be avoided. Part I nProfess v. n1. To affirm openly; declare or claim nShe professed no innocence

7、. nMany women in America profess that they are unhappy with their status of second-class citizens. n2. To claim skill in or knowledge of: 执为业 nprofess medicine. 行医 nProfessor n. nProfession n. nEarth-shattering nOf the greatest importance to the world. nE.g. After years of hard work, they finally ma

8、de an earth-shattering discovery. nThe new invention is of earth-shattering importance. nWord-building: n.+ v-ing nEpoch-making nPeace-loving nTime-consuming nSelf-sacrificing Feign: to pretend to have or be; to put on a false air of nE.g. The hunter had to feign death when he suddenly found out tha

9、t a bear was coming toward him. n She feigned to be ill in order not to do the exercises. nThe writer feigns many a myth. nHamlet feigned madness when he was hesitating what to do. Spare others feelings nTo avoid doing something that would upset somebody e.g. We carefully avoided mentioning Cathys b

10、reak-up with David to spare her feelings. - spare sbs blushes -to avoid doing something that would embarrass someone - spare sbs the details - to avoid telling all the details to sb since that might be unpleasant or annoying - spare sb trouble difficulty pain etc - to prevent someone from having to

11、experience something diff cult or unpleasant e.g. they did what they could to spare him any pain. Preoccupation: the state of being preoccupied; absorption of the attention or intellect. nE.g. He always takes his preoccupation with the educational cause. nMoney was their chief preoccupation. nBecaus

12、e of his preoccupation with his books, he did not realize we were already back. nSuch preoccupation with your work is not healthy. Might that , too, be a lie? nParaphrase: Is it possible to consider that a lie? nMight: possibility n“May”, when used to mean “possibility”, is normally not used in a qu

13、estion. Prevarication - the attempt to hide the truth by not answering questions directly n:支吾, 搪塞, 推诿 nWhen we questioned the authorities on the subject, we were met by prevarication. nPrevarication is one of the techniques this business man likes to employ. profession nA form of employment, esp. o

14、ne that is possible only for an educated person and that is respected in society as honorable. nE.g. According to the report, forty percent of the lawyers entering the profession are women. nHe is a lawyer by profession. n The doctor is respected by his professions. n。 nmake it a profession to do st

15、h. n从事.职业 nbusiness,commerce,trade,profession, noccupation n business 常用语, 常指“生意”、“行业”, 表 示“为图利而做的工作, 如: ndo business with many countries ncommerce 多指“商品交易” ninternational commerce n trade指“买卖或货物交换”,也指“行业” “手工业”, nWar affects trade. nprofession 指“需受过特殊教育和训练的脑力劳 动者的职业”, 如: He is a doctor by professio

16、n. noccupation 指训练有素的“某人经常从事的工 作, 但它不强调某人此时此地是否仍作此工作或 者领工资, 如: He has no fixed occupation. Shape or spin the truth nTo modify the truth nTelling the truth with a favorable emphasis or slant nSpin: To tell, especially imaginatively: n to spin tales for the children. n Part II n.Paraphrase: What a tan

17、gled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive. n When we tell a fib, very likely we will have to tell more lies to cover up the lie we have told. One lies will lead to more lies. Then we will get ourselves entangled with the troublesome situation we create. ubiquitous nSeeming to be everywher

18、e nE.g. We are now confronted with ubiquitous spread of English. nThe struggle between opposites is ubiquitous. nUbiquity n. invariably n: always nAll things invariably divide into two. nIts invariably wet when I take my holidays. n Blurt out nTo say something suddenly and without thinking, usually

19、because one is nervous or excited. nE.g. Peter blurted out the news before he considered the consequence. nJohn blurted out that he dreamed of becoming a computer programmer. nOn the impulse of the moment, he blurted out the secret. tangled nComplicated or made up of many confusing parts. nE.g. Afte

20、r listening to his speech I thought his ideas and opinions were so tangled that I could not vote for him. n tangled affair nbe in a tangle n纠缠不清, 陷于混乱之中 ntangle over n对.发生争论 Part III nWhat is the grave consequence of telling lies? nTo cause people to be distrustful of each other, thus leading to the

21、 collapse of the whole society. slippery slop nA course of action which can easily lead to something unacceptable, wrong, or disastrous Wear down nTo reduce or become weaker until useless n磨损, 使衰弱, 疲惫不堪 nE.g. Heavy traffic and variable weather can wear down the surface of the road. nYour back tyres

22、are badly worn down; you should fir new ones. warp nTo turn or twist (wood, for example) out of shape. nE.g. Left in the garage where it was damp, the wooden frame had warped. nThe door must be warped. It wont close properly. nYou should get rid of any prejudice, resist temptations and let nothing w

23、arp your judgment. paraphrase nPsychological barriers wear down; the ability to make more distinctions can coarsen; the liars perception of his chances of being caught may warp. ncoarsen: to make or become coarse (not fine in texture); become proliferation nA rapid increase in the amount or number o

24、f something nOver the past two years, we have witnessed the proliferation of TV channels. ncell proliferation n细胞增殖 nhorizontal proliferation n横向扩散 nnuclear proliferation n核扩散 paraphrase nOnce they have become common enough, even the small untruths that are not meant to hurt encourage a certain cyni

25、cism and loss of trust. nCynicism: the belief that people always act selfishly. n愤世嫉俗,讥诮嘲讽,玩世不恭 nWhen it becomes common enough to tell small lies, even the small unharmful ones will induce doubt and distrust. Part IV nBe avoided at all costs nMust not be allowed to happen under any circumstances. pa

26、raphrase nThe most understandable and forgivable lies are an exchange of what ethicists refer to as the principle of trust for the principle of caring. nThose lies that are most understandable and acceptable are based on what moralists call the principle of love and care rather than that of trust. a

27、ssociate nSomebody whom you work or do business with, a partner or colleague nE.g. He is not a friend, but a business associate. nV. 1. to join as a partner, ally, or friend; combine. nDont associate with dishonest boys. n2. To connect in the mind or imagination: nWhat do you associate with such a h

28、eavy snow? nN. association Undermine nTo gradually make sb. or sth. less strong or effective nE.g. she jealously wanted to undermine our friendship. nLate hours can undermine ones health. Rule of thumb nA rough method of calculation, based on practical experience. nE.g. I never do anything when I am

29、 cooking - I just do it by rule of thumb. nAs a rule of thumb, a cup of filter coffee contains about 89mg caffeine. nunder sb.s thumb n受他人的压制 nall thumbs: clumsy. n 笨拙的 nthumbs down / up n 反对 / 赞同 confound nTo confuse or surprise people, causing them to be unable to explain or deal with a situation. nThe bad election results confounded the p