上外版综合英语2 Unit 2 The virtues of growing older

1、Unit 2The Virtues of Growing OlderText comprehension Part I (Para. 1-2) Par II ( Para. 3-5) Part III (Para. 6)123Detailed reading questions1. Why do people want to hide their gray hair and delay the effects of aging? They worship youth and are afraid of growing older, so they try every means to look

2、 young.2. What does the writer mean when she says “it is un-American to say so” in Para. 2? She means these questions seem contrary to the values commonly held by most Americans. And the American people would do anything possible to delay aging.scanningPART 1Detailed reading questions3. Does the wri

3、ter deny the virtues of being young? No. the writer admits the virtues of being young, but what she really wants to talk about is the advantages of growing older, which will be discussed in the subsequent paragraphs. So the last sentence is both thematic and transitional.scanningPART 1Language point

4、s virtue (n.)1. attractive or useful quality; advantage e.g.:This seat has the virtue of being adjustable.2. moral goodness or excellence e.g.: Patience is a virtue.Derivation:Virtuous(adj.):having good moral qualities and behaviorPART 1Language points Wouldnt any person over thirty gladly sign with

5、 the devil just to be young again? (para. 2) Paraphrase: Literally, the phrase means to sign a contract with the devil, so that the devil would help you become young again in exchange for your soul. In the text the phrase is metaphorically used to mean be willing to do anything (even bad) to become

6、young again.PART 1Language points dread v.: feel great fear or anxiety about.e.g.: The little girl dreads sleeping alone.The staff in this company dread to think what will happen if the financial crisis comes.I dread that I may never see you again. 2. n.: great fear; thing that is greatly feared e.g

7、.: She has a dread of hospitals. 1. Poverty is many peoples constant dread.PART 1Language points dread Derivation:dreadful (adj.) causing great fear or suffering; shocking e.g.: a dreadful accident, disease, nightmare 2. (informal) bad, boring or annoying e.g.: What dreadful weather! PART 11. Why ar

8、e adolescents apt to be obsessed with their appearances? Because they feel anxious about what others will think. 2. Is it accurate to say that older people are totally free from uncertainty? No, because they still have important choices to make. However, they have already made the major ones, while

9、young people will meet theirs at every turn.Detailed reading questionsscanningPART 2 When young, you are apt to be obsessed with you appearance. (Para. 3) Grammar: When young=when you are young 状语从句的主语与主句的主语相同时， 从句中的be动词可以和主语一起省略。 做饭时，我听到有人在敲门。 When (I was) cooking, I heard someone knocking at the d

10、oor.Language pointsPART 2 Vocabulary: obsess (v.): If something obsesses you or if you obsess about something, you keep thinking about it and find it difficult to think about anything else. E.g.:The fear of death obsessed her throughout her old age. 她童年时一直害怕父母离异。 The fear of her parents divorce obse

11、ssed her throughout her childhood. Language pointsPART 2 Be obsessed with/by: unable to stop thinking about something; too interested in or worried about something. E.g.: Why are people so obsessed with money? 如今许多爱慕虚荣的年轻人，尽管还不富裕，但却迷上了漂亮的小汽车。 （vain, be obsessed with） Many vain young people are obses

12、sed with fancy cars despite the fact that they are not yet rich enough to afford them. Derivation: obsession (n.) obsessive (adj.)Language pointsPART 2 How could we go to school wearing loose-fitting blazers when everyone else would be wearing smartly tailored leather jackets? We would be considered

13、 freaks. (para.3) Grammar: Wearing现在分词短语作状语，表伴随。Language pointsPART 2 Vocabulary: tailor (v.) to make or prepare something following particular instructions E.g.: We should tailor our knowledge to the need of the society. Derivation: tailored (adj.) :close-fitting e.g.: a well-tailored coat Collocat

14、ion: tailor-made (adj.): made by a tailor e.g.: a tailor-made suit Language pointsPART 2 Vocabulary: Freak (n.):person considered abnormal because of his behavior, appearance, ideas, etc 2. (n.):a health/computer/controlfreak: someone who is extremely interested in a particular subject or activityLa

15、nguage pointsPART 2 Vocabulary: Freak3. (v.):have an extreme reaction to sth E.g.:My parents freaked (out) when they saw my purple hair. Collocation freak out: If someone freaks out, or if sth. freaks them out, they suddenly feel extremely surprised, upset, angry, or confused. E.g.:He freaked out wh

16、en he heard hed got the job.Language pointsPART 2 I dont deny myself a slice of pecan pie if I feel in the mood. (para. 3) Deny oneself sth：not do sth. that one enjoys doing or have sth. one desires to have, because he thinks that will be good for him. E.g.: In order to save money for his daughters

17、medical treatment, he denied himself smoking. 那位艺术家为了获得创作的灵感，在农村住了三年，放弃了生活上的许多享受。(inspiration) For artistic inspiration, the artist lived in the country/countryside for three years, where he denied himself many comforts of life.Language pointsPART 2 I dont deny myself a slice of pecan pie if I feel

18、in the mood. (para. 3) in the mood for (doing) sth/ to do sth: feeling like doing sth in no mood for (doing) sth/to do sth: not feeling like doing sth 他有/没心思开开玩笑。 Hes in the/no mood for (telling) jokes/to tell jokes.Language pointsPART 2 And women, Im embarrassed to admit, even more than men, have a

19、lways seemed to be at the mercy of fashion. (para. 3) Paraphrase: Im embarrassed to admit that it is easier for women to be completely controlled by fashion than men.Language pointsPART 2 at the mercy of: in the power of sb/sth; under the control of sb/sth 我不知道明天去崇明岛的活动能不能成行，因为这要取决于会不会下雨。(excursion)

20、 Im not sure if we can have the excursion to Chongming Island tomorrow. It is at the mercy of the weather.Language pointsPART 2 I have already made many of the critical decisions that confront those just starting out. (para. 4) rewrite the sentence into 3 sentences: I have already made many of the c

21、ritical decisions. The critical decisions confront those people. Those people just start out.Language pointsPART 2 await (vt.) (formal) If you await someone or something, you wait for them. E.g.: The committee is awaiting a decision from head office before it takes any action.2. Something that await

22、s you is going to happen or come to you in the future. E.g.: A surprise awaited us on our arrival. 我们所有的顾客将受到热烈的欢迎。1. A warm welcome awaits all our customers.Language pointsPART 2 Pursue (vt.)1. follow (sb/sth), esp in order to catch or kill; chase e.g.: The police pursued the stolen vehicle along t

23、he motorway.2. If you pursue a plan, activity or situation, you try to do it or achieve it, usually over a long period of time. e.g.: He decided to pursue a career in television. 他早年到日本学医，回国后却改变了主意，一辈子从事文学创作。 When he was young he went to Japan to learn medicine, but after he returned to China he cha

24、nged his mind and pursued a career as a writer all his life.Language pointsPART 2 Pursue (vt.) Derivation: Pursuer (n.): someone who is chasing you Pursuit (n.): action of pursuing. E.g.: the pursuit of happiness people travelling about the country in pursuit of work Language pointsPART 2 Its no won

25、der that, despite their carefree facade, they are often confused, uncertain, and troubled by all the unknowns in their future. (para. 4) (its) no wonder (that) : it is not surprising. E.g.: (Its) No wonder (that) you failed in the exam. You never worked hard. the unknown: thing, place, etc that is u

26、nknown E.g.: a journey into the unknown Language pointsPART 2 Being young means feeling happy with yourself one day and wishing you were never born the next. (para. 5) Paraphrase: Wishing you were never born the next day because you feel so miserable.Language pointsPART 2 It means trying on new selv

27、es by taking up with different crowds. (para. 5) Paraphrase: It means trying behaving differently from their usual selves by associating with different people. take up with: become friendly with (esp. sb. Undesirable) 她最近和足以做她父亲的老头好上了。这使她父母感到非常丢脸。(disgrace) Shes taken up with a man old enough to be

28、her father, which is a disgrace to her parents.Language pointsPART 2 Contrast 1. (n.) /kn.trst/ or /kn.trst/:an obvious difference between two or more thingse.g.: White walls make a contrast with the black carpet. There is a remarkable contrast between the two brothers. 2. (v.) /kntrst/ US /kntrst/

29、(1)If you contrast one thing with another, you point out or consider the differences between those things. e.g.: She contrasted the situation then with the present crisis.(2) If one thing contrasts with another, it is very different from it. E.g.: His actions contrasted sharply with his promises.Lan

30、guage pointsPART 2 Collocation In contrast (to/with sth/sb) E.g.: The company lost $13 million this year, in contrast with a profit of $15 million last year. 1978年以来，我国经济发展神速，相比之下，一些发达国家的经济反而滑坡了。 (witness) Since 1978, our economy has witnessed a rapid development; in contrast that of some developed

31、countries has declined.Language pointsPART 2 I have a surer self-identity now. Identity: your identity is who you are; the characteristics you have that distinguish you from others. Paraphrase: I am much surer about who I am, what I like, etc.Language pointsPART 2 I no longer blame my parents for my

32、 every personality quirk or keep a running score of everything they did wrong raising me up. Grammar: Raising me up现在分词作状语，表示时间，相当于状语从句when they were raising meLanguage pointsPART 2 Vocabulary: blame sb. for sth. :consider or say that sb is responsible for sth done (badly or wrongly) or not done kee

33、p score: count the number of times sth. happens Paraphrase: I no longer hold my parents to blame for my strange character and no longer constantly remind myself of all the unhappy things that my parents did to me in the process of bringing me up.Language pointsPART 21. What does “this premise” refer to? It refers to “newer is automatically better.”2. What does the author draw from her parents contentment in their sixties? The newer (younger) is not necessarily better, and she can be happier