综合英语4 The_Idiocy_of_Urban_Life

1、The Idiocy of Urban Life Henry FairliePre-reading questions:n1. Have you ever lived in the country ? If yes, how do you feel about the differences between country life and city life? If no, do you wish to live in the country for some time?n2. How do you understand the new word “urbanization”? What m

2、ight be the result of this trend? Talk about the above two questionsCity LifeFuture City Lifen1. Traffic in the futureFuture City Life2. Buildings in the futureCountry LifeCountry LifeA brief comparisonExternal worldInternal worldcitiesBustling,noisy, competitive, far from nature; caged, limited liv

3、ing room, air pollution, enjoy lots of conveniences of modern lifeQuiet, Indifference, lack of contact, more psychological problemscountrysideQuiet, leisurely,a part of nature, much living room, fresh and clean air, not able to enjoy much modern convenience, Warm relationship, frequent contact with

4、eath other Urbanization VS SuburbanizationnUrbanization (or urbanisation) is the physical growth of urban areas as a result of rural migration and even suburban concentration into cities, particularly the very large ones.Urbanization is closely linked to modernization, industrialization, and the soc

5、iological process of rationalizationnSuburbanization is the growth of areas on the fringes of cities. Many residents of metropolitan regions work within the central urban area, and choose to live in satellite communities called suburbs and commute to work via automobile or mass transit. Others have

6、taken advantage of technological advances to work from their homes.Suburbanization Sprawling Freeway in Ontario with a suburbanized industry area in the background. Note the far distances from office buildings compared to a downtown. Many office buildings in suburban industry areas are set up on lar

7、ge irrigated campus.It encourages low-density in the city and auto-dependent development.SuburbanizationView of housing development near farm in Richfield, Minnesota, 19543. What is urbanization?The titlenThe Idiocy of Urban Lifestupidity, follyIs the urban life stupid?The Idiocy of Urban Life : the

8、 pretense of city dwellers when they try to live outside the city boundaries. : city work is much less meaningful than farming. : city dwellers live and work in an unreal environment. : the damage done by the office work to city dwellers physical conditions. Para 3-4Para 5-6Para 7Para 8-9Structure o

9、f the text:nPart I : Para _ -_ Introduction, where the thesis of the argument is presented (What is it?)nPart II: para _ -_ The author provides evidences for the idiocy of urban life. nPart III: para _-_ The author reiterates his point.Part I : Para 1-2Questions:1. What is urban life like at night?

10、(quiet and orderly)2. What does the author think of the human urban life? (Compared with the gregarious life of rats, human life in the city is individualistic (they may be next-door neighbors but they know very little about each other ) and competitive, and thus idiotic.)Part I : Para 1-22.What is

11、the purpose of mentioning rats as true city dwellers? (Paragraph 1) (For the purpose of contrasting rats with human beings. In a sense, both rats and human beings are city dwellers, but there are differences between them in terms of life in the city. As natural inhabitants of the city, rats are soci

12、al creatures and lead a stable urban life. By contrast, most human dwellers do not enjoy urban life but try to live outside the city boundaries; and they live an individualistic and atomized rather than gregarious life. Therefore, relatively speaking, rats are true city dwellers.)Language points:nci

13、vil: 1. of or relating to the citizens of a country 公民的; 民间的; 国内的: civil disorders群众性滋事 civil strife （=conflict) 内乱. 2. polite and formal -His manners was civil, though not particularly friendly. nduring an insomniac night: during a sleepless night transferred epithet: 移位 （to modify something inanim

14、ate) e.g. He threw a reassuring arm round my shoulder. (=He threw an arm round my shoulder to reassure me ) I hate these purposeless (=idling) days. (=I have these days which I have passed by idling.) They sat their in thoughtful silence. (=They sat their and they were both in silence and meditation

15、.) Then there was a long thoughtful silence all around me. (=All around me there came a long silence which brought people into deep thought.) rat race: fierce competition The rat race is a term often used to describe excessive work. In general terms, if one works too much, one is in the rat race. It

16、 implies that many people see work as an endless pursuit with little reward or purpose. -I really want to get out of the rat race. 我真的想要远离这种你争我夺的生活。 -They longed to escape from the rat race and move to the countryside. 他们渴望能够摆脱无情的竞争搬到乡下去。Language points:Part I : Para 1-2Para 1Para 2human life:lone f

17、ootsteps, come out of silence busy working rat life:come out, sleek,well-groomed,combed urbane Rats are social creatures.(gregarious) Cities are not social places.(individualistic, atomized, competitive)Part II: Para 3-9Questions: (Para 3-4)n1. What is the evidence that city dwellers try to simulate

18、 rural life?n2. What is it that attracts city dwellers to the country? Can their dream come true? Why? (solitude)Part II: Para 3-9Question:(Para 3-4) 3. What idiocy is there in the city dwellers trying to live outside the city boundaries? (Paragraph 3) (The idiocy of the practice lies in the pretenc

19、e of the city dwellers. For one thing, they disdain rural life on the one hand, and on the other hand they try to simulate it by creating large or small patches of greenery around their suburb, exurb or rururb residences. For another, while they intend to live a rural life by going to the country, t

20、hey have in fact spoiled the natural features of the rural areas and created urban surroundings where they have settled down. As a result their purpose fails in the end.)hardware and dry goods stores:A hardware store (AmE) is a shop selling tools and equipment that are used in the house and gardens.

21、Dry goods store (AmE) sells clothes, thread, and other things. Part II: Para 3-9Part II: Para 3-9Questions: (Para 5-6) Why does the author call the city dwellers journey to work “the first idiocy of his day”? (Paragraph 6) (The authors saying so reflects his attitude towards office work in the city.

22、 Unlike farming which is part of rural home life, joyless work in the city is separated, both physically and emotionally, from home life and consequently causes unnecessary frenzy. The workers going to and returning from work wastes a lot of time and thus is pointless, yet the worker “not only accep

23、ts but seeks” it. Hence the idiocy of “the journey to work”.)Part II: Para 3-9nParagraph 7 unreal working environmentendanger their lives make them have no knowledge of the seasons Part II: Para 3-9Questions: (Para 8-9) How do you understand the sentence “The city dweller reels from unreality to unr

24、eality through each day”? (Paragraph 8) (The quoted statement describes in what environment the city dweller lives and works. With the windows that never open, the modern office, artificially cooled in summer and heated in winter, alienates the worker from the true natural world. The home surroundin

25、gs are no better. They provide the dweller with no true sense of the seasons either. In general, the city dweller is removed from nature and submerged in a man-made environment every day.)Part II: Para 3-9Questions: (Para 8-9) What accounts for the fact that “Americans are the most round-shouldered

26、people in the world”? (Paragraph 9) (This phenomenon is caused by the demerits of office work. Compared with physical labor in rural life, office work in the city needs very little physical exertion, but it requires long-time sitting with the same posture every day. Even the after-work exercises can

27、not compensate for the damage done to the physical constitution of the worker during work hours. This accounts for the round-shoulderedness of Americans.)Thesis of the argument:nAggressively individualistic and atomized urban life today goes against both the purpose of the city and the human nature.

28、nCities embody both the best and worst aspects of civilization. On the one hand, the diversity of peoples and activities encourages innovation and creativity, which in turn create opportunities that attract more people. On the other, problems of overcrowdedness, crime, poverty, and pollution are wor

29、sening. Cities, therefore, have come to reflect the hopes and fears of the modern world. Backn8. frenzy: uncontrolled and excited behavior or emotion, which is sometimes violent 极度激动的状态; 极度狂乱的活动或行为: in a frenzy of zeal, enthusiasm, hate, etc 疯狂的激情、热情、仇恨等 The speaker worked the crowd up into a (state

30、 of) frenzy. 演讲者煽动起群众疯狂的情绪.n9. reel: v. 1) sth in/out 在卷轴等上缠绕（某物); 从卷轴等上抽出（某物）The angler reeled the trout in slowly. 钓鱼的人慢慢地收绕钓丝钓起鳟鱼. 2) reel sth off :say or repeat sth rapidly without pause or apparent effort 一口气说或重复某事: reel off a poem, list of names, set of instructions 一口气背出/说出 3) move unsteadily

31、 or sway; stagger 摇摇晃晃地移动; 摇摆; 蹒跚: I reeled round in a daze. 我头昏眼花走不稳 4) (fig 比喻) (of the mind or head) be or become dizzy or confused; be in a whirl （指心智或头脑）眩晕, 迷乱, 发昏: The very idea sets my head reeling. 就是那念头把我弄得晕头转向 .n10. exert: v. 1) sth (on sb/sth) bring (a quality, skill, pressure, etc) into

32、use; apply sth 用（某特质、技巧、压力等）; 应用（某物）: He exerted all his influence to make them accept his plan. 他用尽一切影响力使他们接受他的计划. * Her husband exerted a lot of pressure on her to succeed. 她丈夫殷切期望她能成功, 给了她很大的压力. 2) no passive 不用于被动语态 oneself make an effort 努力; 尽力: Youll have to exert yourself more if you want to

33、pass your exam. 你若想考试及格, 就必须更加努力. * He doesnt have to exert himself on my behalf. 他不必为我费那么大力气.Differences between country life and city life In country life:nBlue sky with white cloudsnGreen mountains & valleys or gorgesnClear rivers & springs or brooksnGolden crops & red sunsetnPeace &a

34、mp; tranquility In city life:nGrey sky with tall buildings called skyscrapersnBusy streets vibrant with vehicles, esp. in rush hours nEnviornmental deteriorationnExcellent public facilitiesnFlourishing enterprises & businessesBackn4. congregate: come together in a crowd 集合; 聚集: A crowd quickly c

35、ongregated round the speaker. gather: 1) come or bring sb /sth together in one place 聚集; 集合; 召集; 搜集: A crowd soon gathered . 2) collect (plants, fruit, etc) from a wide area 搜集, 采集 gather flowersn5.accumulate: 1)堆积, 累积; 积蓄 accumulate money for 为了存钱 2)积, 积聚, 堆积; 储蓄 Snow accumulated to a depth of five feet. 雪已积到五尺深。Language points:n5. lunacy: 1) unsoundness of mind; insanity; madness 精神错乱; 精神失常; 疯狂. 2) very foolish behavior 极愚蠢的行为: Its sheer lunacy driving in this weather. 天气这么坏还开车, 简直是疯了. 3) C usu pl 通常作复数 mad or foolish act 疯狂的或愚蠢的