《英美文化概况》unit 9

1、PAGE PAGE 12Unit 9 What Makes a Leader?I. Objective(See Objective of Unit Thirteen)II. Teaching Steps:Step One: Ask students to work in pairs and list chronologically Londons life experiences described in Part I.Step Two: Ask four students to report to class their findings on the Dictionary Work and

2、 Library Work respectively.Step Three: Discuss the text with the students, focusing on new words and expressions, as well as the following listed language points.Step Four: Do the comprehension exercises in the SB. Step Five: Check the answers to the questions and related exercises in Work Book.III.

3、 Background Knowledge1. Karl Max (see P66 TB)a. 1818-1883;b. German social philosopher and the chief proponent of socialism and dialectical materialism;c. Founder of the International Workingmens Association;d. Das Kapital (1867)2. Charles Robert Darwin (see P67 TB)a. 1809-1882;b. English naturalist

4、;c. On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection (1859).3. Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (see p.67 TB)a. 1844-1900b. German idealist philosopher;c. Condemned the traditional morality;Preached the superiority of the aristocrat, the morality of masters.IV. Language Points 1. frantic pursuit of

5、 knowledge (L 1)a. Meaning: If an activity is frantic, things are done hurriedly and in an energetic but disorganized way.b. Example: A busy night in the restaurant can be frantic in the kitchen.c. Derivative: frantically (adv.)2. opened the books. (L 1-2)a. Meaning: I began to read widely and earne

6、stly. 3. work outa. Meaning: If you work out a solution to a problem or mystery, you manage to find the solution by thinking or talking about it.b. Example: It took me some time to work out what was causing this.4. greater minds (L 5)a. Meaning: You can refer to someone as a particular kind of mind

7、as a way of saying that they are clever, intelligent, or imaginative.b. Example: She moved to London, meeting some of the best minds of her time.5. inasmuch as PHR-conj. (L 7) (also spelled as in as much as)a. Meaning: You use inasmuch as to introduce a statement which explains something you have ju

8、st said, and adds to it; a formal word.b. Example: We were doubly lucky inasmuch as my friend was living on the island and spoke Greek fluently.6. intellect n. (L 11)a. Meaning: An intellect is someone with the great ability to use the power of reason and the ability to think intelligently.c. Deriva

9、tive: intellectual (adj.) (n.)7. wit n. (L 11)a. Meaning: someone who has the ability to say things which are both clever and amusing at the same time b. Derivative: witty (adj.)8. strive to do (L 15)a. Meaning: to struggle hard, to make a great effort in order to gain somethingb. Example: The polit

10、ician is striving to improve his public image.9. faith n. (L 16)a. Meaning: If you have faith in something or someone, you feel confident about their ability or goodness.b. Example: People have lost faith in the British parliament.c. Derivative: faithful (adj.) faithfully (adv.)10. martyrdom n. (L 1

11、7)a. Meaning: If you describe someones behavior as martyrdom, you are critical of them because they are giving up their wishes or are suffering something unpleasant in order to help other people or in hope of receiving sympathy. In the text, this word is used in the positive sense.11. in touch with

12、sb. lose touch with (L 19)a. Meaning: If you get in touch with someone, you contact them by writing to them or telephoning them. If you are, keep, or stay in touch with them you write, phone, or visit them regularly.b. Example: The organization will be in touch with him tomorrow.12. deem v. (L 26)a.

13、 Meaning: to consider; have the opinion; a formal word; (not in progressive forms)b. Example: They have deemed that the fighting should end.13. foretaste n. (L 26)a. Meaning: If you describe an event as a foretaste of a future situation, you mean that it suggests to you what that future situation wi

14、ll be like.b. Example: This is but a foretaste of what the emerging technologies will enable us to do.14. illusion n. (L 27)a. Meaning: An illusion is a false idea or belief.b. Example: No one really has any illusions about winning the war.c. Derivative: illusionist (n.) illusory (adj.) 15. be desti

15、ned to do (L 28) a. Meaning: If someone is destined to do something, that something will definitely happen. b. Example: He feels that he was destined to become a musician. 16. retain v. (L 29) a. Meaning: To retain something means to continue to have that thing; a formal use. b. Example: He retains

16、a deep respect for the profession. 17. portal n. (L 30) a. Meaning: a large impressive doorway at the entrance to a building; a literary word 18. parlor n. (L 31) a. Meaning: a sitting room; an old-fashioned word 19. disillusionment n. (L 31) a. Meaning: Disillusionment is the disappointment that yo

17、u feel when you discover that something is not as good as you had expected or thought. b. Example: There is evidence of a general sense of disillusionment with the local government. c. Derivative: disillusion (v.) disillusioned (adj.) 20. prattle v. n. a. Meaning: (1) If you say someone prattles, yo

18、u are showing that you disapprove of them or are annoyed by them because they are talking a great deal without saying anything important; an informal word. b. Example: (1) Archie, shut up. You are prattling. (2) What a bore it was to listen to the womans prattle! 21. materialistic adj. (L 40) a. Mea

19、ning: If you describe a person or society as materialistic, you are critical of them because they attach too much importance to money and material possessions. b. Example: During the 1980s Britain became a very materialistic society. c. Derivative: materialize (v.) materialist (n.) 22. strip off (L

20、44) a. Meaning: If you strip off your clothes, you take them off. b. Example: Tem stripped off his wet clothes and stepped into the shower. 23. and read me preachments about the . (L 4546) a. Meaning: These rich ladies began to give me unwanted advice on matters of right and wrong saying that .24. f

21、are v. (L 52) a. Meaning: If you say that someone or something fares well or badly, you are referring to the degree of success they achieve in a particular situation or activity. b. Example: (1) It is unlikely that the marine industry will fare any better in February. (2) I think I fared quite well

22、in the interview. 25. be alive (to; with) (L 57, L 58) a. Meaning: (1) If you are alive to a situation or problem, you are aware of it and realize how important it is. (2) If a place is alive with something, there are a lot of people or things there and seems busy and exciting. b. Example: (1) He is

23、 alive to the dangers of the work. (2) He was alive to what he was doing. (3) The street was alive with the sounds of school children. 26. live up to (L 61) a. Meaning: If someone or something lives up to what they were expected or desired to be or do, they are as good as they were expected or desir

24、ed to be. b. Example: (1) Sales have not lived up to expectations this year. (2) Did the film live up to your expectations? 27. decadent adj. (L 61) a. Meaning: If you say that a person or society is decadent, you mean that they have low standards, especially low moral standards. b. Example: decaden

25、t western films, decadent life style c. Derivative: decadence (adj.) 28. incoherent adj. (L 65) a. Meaning: (1) If someone is incoherent, they are talking in a confused and unclear way.(2) If you say that something such as a policy is incoherent, you are criticizing the fact that it is unclear and i

26、llogical. b. Example: (1) The man was almost incoherent with fear. (2) That is a set of incoherent objectives. c. Derivative: incoherence (n.) incoherently (adv.) 29. marvel v. (L 69) a. Meaning: If you marvel at something, you express your great surprise, wonder, or admiration. b. Example: Her fell

27、ow members marveled at her seemingly infinite energy. 30. nil n. u (L 72) a. Meaning: If you say that something is nil, you mean that it does not exist at all. b. Example: The heating in winter was almost nil. 31. patron n. (L 75) a. Meaning: A patron is a person who supports and gives money to arti

28、sts, writers, or musicians. 32. blackmail n. u v. (L 75) a. Meaning: (1) Blackmail is the action of threatening to do something unpleasant to someone, such as to reveal a secret about them or to harm them, unless they do something you tell them to do. (2) The influence of someones actions by threats

29、, causing anxiety, etc. (3) If one person blackmails another person, they use blackmail against them. b. Example: (1) He accused his mother of using emotional blackmail to stop him from leaving home. (2) Dont think you can blackmail me into doing that. 33. dare (L 77) a. Meaning: (1) (a verb) If you

30、 dare to do something, you do it, which requires a lot of courage to do. If you do not dare to do something, you do not have enough courage to do it, or you do not want to do it because you fear the consequences. (2) a modal verb b. Example: (1) Most people hate Harry but they dont dare to say so. (

31、2) The yen is weakening. But Tokyo dare not raise its interest rates again. 34. antiquated adj. (L 79) a. Meaning: If you describe something as antiquated, you disapprove of it because it is very old or old-fashioned. b. Example: Many factories are so antiquated they are not worth saving. 35. gross

32、adj. (L 81) a. Meaning: (1) You use gross to describe something unpleasant or unacceptable to a very great amount, degree or intensity. If you describe someone as gross you are emphasizing that they are extremely fat and unattractive. (2) Gross means the total amount of something, including its cont

33、ainer and wrapping. b. Example: (1) I only resist things like chocolate if I feel really gross. (2) The aeroplane is said to have a gross weight of only 20,900 pounds. 36. perjure v. (L 87) a. Meaning: If someone perjures themselves in a court of law, they lie, even though they have promised to tell

34、 the truth. b. Example: She would rather perjure herself than admit to her sins. c. Derivative: perjured (adj.) perjury (n.) 37. grant v. n. (L 89) a. Meaning: (1) If someone in authority grants you something, or if something is granted to you, you are allowed to have it. (2) A grant is an amount of

35、 money that a government or other institution gives to an individual or an organization for a particular purpose. b. Example: (1) They have been granted permission to pull down the old theatre. (2) My application for a grant was rejected. 38. rebate n. (L 89) a. Meaning: A rebate is an amount of mon

36、ey which is paid to you when you have paid more tax, rent or rates than you needed to. b. Example: You can claim a rebate on your tax, because you didnt work for a full year. 39. sin n. v. (L 94) a. Meaning: (1) Sin is an action or type of behavior, which is believed to break the laws of God. (2) If

37、 you sin you do something that is believed to break the laws of God. b. Example: (1) Which of us is without sin? (2) “We have sinned against you and against our fellow men.” (prayer) 40. sicken v. a. Meaning: If something sickens you, it makes you feel disgusted. b. Example: What he saw there sicken

38、ed him. 41. hold v. (L 105) a. Meaning: Hold is used with words such as “fear”, “lights” or “mystery” to indicate someones feelings towards something, as if those feelings were a characteristic of the thing itself. b. Example: Death doesnt hold any fear for me. 42. shoulder to shoulder (L 107) a. Me

39、aning: If two people stand shoulder to shoulder, they are standing next to each other. If people work shoulder to shoulder, they work cooperatively together in order to achieve a common aim. 43. topple it over (L 109) a. Meaning: To topple a government or leader over means to cause them to lose powe

40、r; used in journalism. b. Example: The revolution toppled the regime over. 44. cleanse v. (L 111) a. Meaning: To cleanse a place, a person, or organization of something dirty, unpleasant, or evil means to make them free of it. b. Example: Garlic helps to cleanse the system and stimulate immune resistance.45. incentive n. (L 115) a. Meaning: If something is an incentive to