现代大学英语精读第二版Unit 6

1、The Green BananaDonald BechelderVocabulary Exercise Translation1.当我们到达目的地时，我们发现这块地上已经没有任何建筑，只有一些石头散落在地上。没有人能认出这是一段可以追溯到千年以前的城墙。 When we reached our destination, we found nothing standing on the ground except some rocks scattered here and there. Nobody would be able to recognize it as part of the cit

2、y wall a thousand years ago.2.今天，多数人看问题都有了新的角度，他们不再认为主要是国内生产总值（GDP）标志一个国家的幸福了。GDP: Gross Domestic Products标志：标志：mark, symbolize, represent, showToday, most people have got a new perspective. They no longer accept the view that mainly GDP marks the happiness of a nation.3.让我们同意对方可以有不同意见吧。我们起码在一点上意见是一

3、致的，我们同意不采取暴力，我们同意我们的分歧必须和平解决。Lets agree to disagree. We at least agree on one thing: We agree not to use force. We agree that we must settle our disputes peacefully. 4.桂林向来被我们称为最美的地方，我以前怀疑这种说法。现在我完全同意他们了。一切都美极了，尤其是那些千姿百态的石峰。Guilin has always been regarded by our people as the most beautiful place in

4、 our country. I used to have my doubts, but now I totally agree with them. Everything is so beautiful, especially the rock formations in all those different shapes.5.我可以向你保证，她是一个非常随和的人。我从来没有见过她发脾气。I can assure you. She is a very agreeable person. I have never seen her lose her temper.6. 一位亲眼看见那个妇女被汽

5、车轧过的年轻人同意出庭凭证。我很欣赏他的勇气。A young man who saw the woman run over by the car has agreed to appear in court as witness. I admire his courage.7. 大学教育应该设法保证我们的大学生有进行批判性思维的能力。College education should see to it that our students are able to do critical thinking.8. 你们在预习功课的时候，一定要尽量试试，看你是否能提出重要的问题来，是否能作出有意义的评论

6、。While you are preparing your lessons, you must try your best to see if you can raise some significant questions and give meaningful comments/criticisms.9. 在对这个问题进行仔细思考以后，我认识到，我们必须确保我们的学生不但能谋生，还能懂得怎样生活。Upon careful reflections on this issue, Ive come to realize that we must make sure that our studen

7、ts not only can make a living, but also know how to live.10. 有一次我修好了一个漏气的自行车胎，爸爸拍拍我的肩膀，逗我说我是家里的天才，有当机械师的潜力。他的话引起了全家人的大笑。Once I fixed my bike tire/tyre which was leaking. My Dad patted me on the shoulder and teased me saying that I am the family genius and have the potential of a good mechanic. What

8、he said set the whole family laughing.Vocabulary RevisionMatch the words with their correct meanings in the text. 1. assure2. encounter3. spout4. occasion5. potentiala.the possibility that sth. will have a positive effectb.to send out with great force; gushc.to tell sb. that sth. is sure to happend.

9、a special or particular timee.to meet sb. or experience sth. WBTRWarming upRetellingRetell the first 4 paragraphs referring to the following points:What happened to the authors old jeep in Brazil? How did the villagers help repair it?What did the author learn about the center of the world (the rock)

10、? How did he feel toward it?What are the two learning moments of the author? What did he learn?Whats the use of the green banana in the text? What does it symbolize?WBTRWarming upBackgroundCulture TipsThe Green BananaUnit 6GenreAuthorBWTRBackgroundBWTRSource of the text: Beyond Experience: An Experi

11、ential Approach to Cross-cultural Education Bechelders view on cross-cultural educationAuthorBackgroundAuthorBWTRThe goals of education:a. “to open up possibilities for discovery”b. “to expand learning and the chance for mutual acceptance and recognition” c. to offer students a cross-cultural perspe

12、ctive: from ones own immediate center of the world to the center of someone elses worldBackgroundGenreA Short Story Plot: “My” experience in a small Brazilian village and what “I” concluded. Setting: a small village in the central area of Brazil Protagonists: an American traveler (“I”), several Braz

13、ilian people Theme of the story: What do you think?BWTRBackgroundEthnocentrismBWTRWhat is ethnocentrism? Ethnic refers to cultural heritage, andcentrism refers to the central starting point or the tendency of people to put their own group at the center. ethnocentrism basically refers to judging othe

14、r groups from ones own cultural point of view, or misinterpreting other cultures because one uses the concepts of his own culture. It is the belief that one particular race or nationality of people is superior to all others.Culture TipsBackgroundEthnocentrismBWTRWhy are people ethnocentric? Limited

15、life experience: People will never be able to experience every life situation of everyone around the world, so assumptions about life have to be based on existing limited experience. It is normal to assume things and interpret new experience and others behavior on the basis of ones own experience. L

16、ack of cross-cultural awarenessCulture TipsBackgroundMulticulturalismBWTRDefinition: a situation in which all the different cultural or racial groups in a society have equal rights and opportunities, and none is ignored or regarded as unimportant.Culture TipsDetailedAnalysisStructureThemeUnit 6Text

17、AnalysisTWBRThe Green BananaText AnalysisTheme We should respect all civilizations in the world. Wisdoms are to be discovered with an open mind to other cultures.TWBRText AnalysisStructureTWBR1Paras. 1-4The story of “the green banana” as the object fixing the radiator.2Paras. 5-8What the author lear

18、ned: Every culture has its hidden treasure and should be respected.Text AnalysisDetailed AnalysisPart I: Main Idea1. When and where did the story happen? 2. What happened to the authors jeep when he was driving through beautiful countryside in Brazil? 3. What did the huge rock look like? And what di

19、d the man tell the author about the rock? 4. How did the author react to what the man said about the rock? 5. Do you think the author fully understood and accepted what the man said about the rock then? Why/why not?6. How did the man fix the radiator?7. What did the local mechanic tell him?Text Anal

20、ysisDetailed Analysis Although it might have happened anywhere, my encounter with the green banana started on a steep mountain road in the central area of Brazil. (para. 1)What does the “although-clause” imply?Paraphrasing: He could have his first experience with a foreign treasure anywhere outside

21、of his home. It just HAPPENED to be in Brazil. It implies that every foreign culture has some treasures which remain unknown to outsiders. Part I: Sentence ParaphraseText AnalysisDetailed AnalysisWhat is a radiator?A device, usually a container filled with water, which sends out heat, often as part

22、of a heating or cooling system.Text AnalysisDetailed AnalysisPrefix over- : too muchMore examples: over-lighted, overdressed, overeat, oversleep, overkill, overload, overcharge, overvalueMore collocations:Over-heated economy, and over-heated room, over-heated discussion, etc.Fine: very thin or in ve

23、ry small pieces or drops eg: fine hair, thread, sand, etcStream of hot water: continuous flow of hot waterMore examples: stream of cars, stream of traffic, stream of visitors, etcSend sb doing sth: to cause sb to do sth; to cause sth to happeneg: The movie sent many people crying. The icy road sent

24、many people slipping and falling. The news sent the companys shares dropping by 3%.To assure sb that: to tell sb that sth is sure to happen or is definitely trueMore examples: I can assure you that he will be all right.The mechanic assured me that the car would be good for another five years.Though:

25、 adv. Despite the fact thateg: We went to the same high school; we were not close friends though.Note: the difference between “although” and “though” is that the former is always used as a conjunction, whereas the latter can also be used as an adverb, and can be placed at the end of a sentence or cl

26、ause.Super Loaf in Rio: until the 19th century, Household sugar usually took the form of a Loaf, oblong and rounded at the top. Here it refers to a mountain, which looks like a sugar loaf. Text AnalysisDetailed AnalysisHe, in turn, inspected me carefully, as if to make sure I grasped the significanc

27、e of his statement. (para. 3)Paraphrasing: Then he examined me with great caution in the way of ensuring whether I understood the importance of his words.(he wanted) to make sureas a resultPart I: Sentence Paraphrasean elliptical adverbial clause of mannerText AnalysisDetailed AnalysisThe occasion c

28、alled for some show of recognition on my part. (para. 3 )Call for: need or requireOn ones part/on the part of sb: by or from sbeg: The project calls for hard work on everyones part. It was a good effort on the part of all the students. Paraphrasing: The situation then needed me to say something to s

29、how my approval for what he said. (I sensed the need to say something to show my approval for what he said to be polite.)Part I: Sentence Paraphrasetrying to show some interest even though I did not quite agree with him.If not: used to introduce an even stronger alternative to what has just been sai

30、deg: The rescue team saved hundreds of lives if not thousands.The little boy runs as fast as his elder brother if not faster.Text AnalysisDetailed AnalysisPart I: Words & ExpressionsWordsPhrasesSentence PatternGrammarencounterstrainleakscatterassuremarkgraspoccasionconsist ofsend sb running for sthw

31、ork out in turncall foron my partan armful ofcut sth in half/into halvesin casein case (should) do/didmain verb (past continuous/past perfect tense) + when + time clauseverbs with two objects“so” and result clauseText AnalysisDetailed AnalysisPart I: ExerciseTranslate the required parts in the follo

32、wing sentences.1.Im sure that_(情况最后会变得对我们有利). 2.Everybody knows that_(当前的情况需要立即采取行动). 3.Too many arguments _(会影响婚姻关系). 4.Be quiet_(免得吵醒了孩子).5.大学教育的成功不在于它有多高大的楼，而在于它有什么样的教育理念和什么样的学者。 College education does not consist in how tall the buildings are in the college, but in that what kind of educational

33、beliefs it maintains and what kind of scholars it has. things would work out well for us in the endthe present situation calls for immediate actionmay strain marriage relationsin case you (should) wake the babyText AnalysisDetailed AnalysisPart II: Main Idea1. What does it mean by each of the “time”

34、s in para.5? Do they mean the same thing? 2. What are the two learning moments? 3. What is the center of the world in the authors eyes? Why? 4. What is your center of the world? Explain why. 5. How can we experience a second center?Text AnalysisDetailed Analysis Further Questions:1.What can you lear

35、n about American education from the first sentence of para.5?2.How do you understand the second sentence of para.7?Text AnalysisDetailed AnalysisPart II: Sentence Paraphrase As a product of American education, I had never paid the slightest attention to the green banana, except to regard it as a fru

36、it whose time had not yet come. (para. 5) Paraphrasing: As someone educated in the United States, I naturally had never paid any attention to the green banana, except to take it as a fruit which was not yet ripe or which was not yet ready to be picked and eaten.Question: what is the authors tone?He

37、is being humorous and self-mocking. Text AnalysisDetailed AnalysisIt was my own time that had come, all in relation to it. (para. 5) Paraphrasing: It was me who had come to know the green bananas, and everything connected with it.Question: what does the author imply?He implies that every civilizatio

38、n has its special geniuses (here symbolized by the green banana), which have existed for many years. But they will not come to your notice and benefit you until and unless you are ready to go out and meet/experience them.Part II: Sentence ParaphraseText AnalysisDetailed AnalysisI had at first doubte

39、d their claim, as I knew for a fact that the center was located somewhere else in New England. (para. 6)Question: Why? The author obviously was born and brought up in New England. Therefore he had always regarded it as the center of the world.Part II: Sentence ParaphraseText AnalysisDetailed Analysi

40、sThe cultures of the world are full of unexpected green bananas with special value and meaning. (para. 8) Question: What can we learn from the sentence? The green bananas have become a symbol of hidden treasures from every culture. For proper understanding of a piece of writing, it is often importan

41、t to notice such symbolic language and to know what the symbols stand for.Part II: Sentence ParaphraseText AnalysisDetailed AnalysisPart II: Words & ExpressionsWordsPhrasesSentence PatternGrammarreflectpotentialclaimlocatebreakthroughmeet ones needknow for a facttend to do sthreach back toin relatio

42、n todawn on sbin a certain sensefor agesall alongso + adj/adv +that +result clauseThe to-infinitive as subject, object, complement, adverbial, attribute.Text AnalysisDetailed AnalysisPart II: ExerciseTranslate the required parts in the following sentences.1._（工会领袖一直说）that they will win but it turned out to be a big failure. 2._（我想起来了）that I had seen him before.