book ii unit 9. contents text one pre-reading i. warm-up questions ii. background information...

ContentsContents

Text OnePre-reading I. Warm-up questions II. Background informationWhile-reading I. Structural analysis II. Comprehension questions III. Language points IV. Difficult sentencesPost-reading I. Grammatical items II. Translation exercises III. Oral activities IV. Writing practice

Text Two I. Questions for comprehension II. Language points

海南大学外国语学院基础英语教研室

Text I--- Focus On Global Warming Text I--- Focus On Global Warming

Pre-readingI. Warm-up question

1. Do you think we can buy happiness with money? Why or why not?

2. Everybody seems to be pursuing some kind of happiness. What kind of happiness are you after, material or spiritual? Why?


II. Background information II. Background information

1. About the author John Anthony Ciardir was born in 1916 in Boston, MA,

the child of Italian immigrants. He attended Bates College and Tufts University and received his MA from the University of Michigan in 1939. he is the author of more than 40 volumes of poetry published from the 1940s through the 1990s. He also made an acclaimed translation of Dantes’s Divine Comedy, was a regular commentator on National Public Radio, and served as editor of Saturday Review for many years. He began his career teaching English at the University of Kansas City, and later taught at Harvard University, and Rutgers University. In 1961, he quit teaching and devoted himself to his own literary endeavors. Ciardi died in 1986.


2. Movie

The Pursuit of Happiness (2006)

director: Gabriele Muccino


I. Structural analysisAs the title suggests, this essay attempts to answer the

question ‘What is Happiness?’. The whole passage naturally falls into four parts.

Part I (Para.1-2): The author points out that when we are not sure what happiness is, we tend to be misled by the idea that we can buy our way to it.

Part II (Para.3-7): The author offers a number of examples to show how this misconception of happiness gives rise to the “happiness-market” in a highly commercialized society (the United States).

While-reading


Part III (Para.8-9): The author suggests striking a balance between what Thoreau called the low levels and the high levels.

Part III (Para.10): The author gives his understanding of happiness, in the light of the Founding Fathers’ belief that it is “in the idea of becoming”.


II. Comprehension questionsII. Comprehension questions

1. What does the author mean when he says “The right to pursue happiness is issued to Americans with their birth certificates”?

---Here the author alludes to the well-known statement in the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” The sentence means that everyone is born with the right to pursue happiness.


2. What do the quoted expressions from Swift mean? ---Both expressions “the possession of being well

deceived” and “a fool among knaves” are used by Swift to describe a conception of happiness, i.e., a state of being deceived. The word “possession” here means “a state of being completely under the influence of an idea or emotion” and in this particular expression “the state of being deceived.” “A fool among knaves” refers to a person who is easily deceived without realizing it.


3. Why does the author say, “It is, of course, un-American to think in terms of fools and knaves”?

---Because most Americans take it for granted that pursuing happiness, or buying their way to it is in accordance with American national character.


4. How is the car dealers’ words on the banner “You Auto Buy Now” related with patriotism in Paragraph 3?

---The word “auto” is homophonous to “ought to,” so the advertisement on the banner can be read as “You Ought to Buy Now,” implying that your act of purchasing a car is an act of patriotism.


5. Why does the author use the words “poetry” and “dream” to describe the advertisements in women’s magazines?

---The author intends to tell the reader that these advertisements present a perfect yet illusionary image which would ultimately create people’s desires. Implicitly, the author suggests that what money can buy is purely a dream of happiness.


6. Why does the author need to say “because I am Western,” “torture to almost any Western man”?

---Because Western people are supposed to be quite rational and matter-of-fact. The catatonic happiness the holy man in India believes in is totally incredible and unacceptable to a Westerner.


7.How does the author differentiate the Founding Fathers’ notion of happiness from the misconception about it?

---The author explains that the inherent right the Founding Fathers declared for us is not happiness, but the pursuit of happiness, and happiness is in the pursuit itself.


III. Language pointsIII. Language points

pursue vt.: try to achieve something

--- He urges all sides in the conflict to pursue peace.

Derivation: pursuit n.

Collocation:

in the pursuit of

--- She showed steadiness and courage in the pursuit of her aims.


issue vt.: to provide sb. with the things they need for a particular action

Collocation: issue sth. (to sb.) 将某物发给、供给或分配给某人使用

patriotism n.: strong feelings of love, respect, and duty towards your country

---Chinese people demonstrated great patriotism in combating the earthquake that struck Sichuan Province in May 2008.


release vt.

a. to allow something to be shown in public or to be available for use

b. If a company releases a film or musical recording, it allows the film to be shown in cinemas, or makes the musical recording available for the public to buy


Derivation:

release n.

Collocation:

be on / in general release

press release （政府机构、政党等发布的）新闻稿


devout a.: (usually before a noun) very religious --- His father is a devout Buddhist. Antonym: pious, dedicated

discipline a. n. the ability to control your own behavior --- Their attention wandered and they lacked discipline to

learn. b. vt. train sb. / sth. to be obedient, self-controlled, skillful,

etc. --- The military schools usually discipline students strictly.


put sth. in; put sth. into sth. / doing sth. : to spend a lot of time or effort doing something

--- We’ve put a lot of time and effort into making the house look nice.

我们花了很多时间和精力把房子装饰漂亮。


partial a.: not complete; biased

--- This only provides a partial explanation of what

happened.

Collocation:

partial towards sb. / sth. 偏心，偏袒 partial to sb. / sth. 偏爱


declare vt.: announce officially that sth. is true or happening

Collocation:

declare war on / against sb.

underline vt.: emphasize sth. or state that it is important

--- In the manager’s speech he underlined several points.

Synonym:

highlight, emphasize, stress


foresee vt.: to know that sth. is going to happen before it actually happens

---No one had foreseen the Great Depression of the thirties.

Derivation:

foreseeable a.

--- The increased demand for organic produce was not foreseeable ten years ago.

Synonym:

anticipate, forecast, foretell, forebode


cardinal a.: very important

--- The cardinal spirit in this book is tolerance and love.


It may be we are issued a hunting license but offered no game.

---It may be we are given the right of pursuing happiness but we don’t know where it is, because maybe there is no happiness as such at all. Note “game” originally refers to a wild animal or bird hunted for sport. Here it is a metaphor for what is being pursued, i.e. happiness. It is roughly equivalent to “false goals” at the end of this paragraph.


IV. Difficult sentences

It is, of course, un-American to think in terms of fools and knaves.

---As Swift was not American, his idea of happiness with regard to “fools and knaves” is certainly different from its an American interpretation. The following two sentences tell us what the author thinks is Americans’ idea of happiness.


Jonathan Swift seemed to think so when he attacked the idea of happiness as “the possession of being well-deceived,”

---Jonathan Swift seemed to share this view when he criticized this idea of happiness as the state of being completely controlled by deception…


To think of happiness as acquisitive and competitive will do to set the materialistic extreme.

---To think of happiness as acquisitive and competitive will suitably be considered the materialistic extreme of the idea “happiness.” Note here “materialistic extreme” is used in opposition to “spiritual extreme” in this paragraph.


I. Grammatical Items• Non-finite clauses and verbless clauses

Post-readingPost-reading


A non-finite clause is a clause with a non-finite verb phrase as predicator. A verbless clause is a clause without any form of verb element. Non-finite clauses include infinitive clauses, -ing participle clauses, and -ed participle clauses. Both non-finite clauses and verbless clauses can be used with an adverbial meaning, giving information about time, cause, condition, purpose, result, concession as well as accompanying circumstances.


---When sleeping, I never hear a thing.

---Once published, the book caused a remarkable stir.

---He opened his lips as if to say something.

---Whatever the reason, his cordiality has won him a friend.

---When in Rome, do as the Romans do.


Exercises: Replace the underlined parts in the following sentences with non-finite clauses or verbless clauses.

1. Once you are over the pass, you will see the town below you.

2. I was wondering whether I should go upstairs or follow Mr. Maxim to the library.

3. It is an illness that can result in total blindness if it is left untreated.

4. Before he entered, Holmes made an examination of the room.


5. His hands, which are numb from the cold, could not stretch out properly.

6. Because I didn’t want to go out that night, I made an excuse.

7. He left early so that he wouldn’t miss the train.

8. James relaxed, he was pleased with his day’s work.


II. Translation exercises 1935 年 10 月，中国红军历尽艰苦和牺牲，最后终于

到达了陕北。 (make one’s way to) ---In October 1935, the Chinese Red Army, having

endured through all hardships and sacrifices, finally made their way to the north of Shaanxi province.

在经济危机中，政府发表了一个声明，号召人们尽可能购买当地产品。 (call upon)

---In the economic crisis, the government released a statement, calling upon the people to buy the local products as many as possible.


世界各国政治家们正在尽一切努力利用原子能，恢复人类安全的自然环境。 (harness)

The statesmen in various countries are trying to harness nuclear energy and restore a safe environment for the human race.

他没有听见门铃声，因为他正在聚精会神地工作（ rapt ）

He didn’t hear the doorbell because he was rapt in his work.


这个国家经常发生暴乱，一方面是国为广泛的赤贫现象，另一方面则因为人民对腐败政府固有的不信任。(inherent)

This country suffers from frequent riots because of widespread extreme poverty, as well as people’s inherent distrust of the corrupt government. .

这位经济学家在作关于当前经济形势的报告时，在 PPT上用了许多具体的数字来强调这场危机的严重性。(underline)

In his lecture on the current economic situation, the economist used a lot of figures on the PPT to underline the seriousness of the crisis.


他笑着回答说：“不用谢，我做这件事不光是为了你，也是为了我自己。” (as much as)

He answered with a smile, “Not at all. I did this as much for you as for myself.”

评价一个人，并不看他说了什么，而看他为自己的国家和人民做了些什么。 (measure )

A man is measured not by what he says, but by what he does for his country and people.


II. Oral activitiesII. Oral activities

Discuss with one of your classmates on the following topics.

1. Describe to your classmates at least one of such moments or events and proceed to present what happiness means to you.


Ideas for reference:

— Happiness means one can enjoy every day with good health.

— Happiness means you have someone to love and you are loved by someone.

— Happiness lies in the joy of achievement.


2. In this essay two kinds of happiness are discussed, i.e. materialistic and spiritual, such as the kind represented typically by the advertisements and by the holy man of India respectively. Now divide yourselves into two groups, each in favor of one of these two concepts of happiness, and argue for the stand you take.


III. Writing practiceIII. Writing practice

Based on your understanding and experience, write a 250-word composition on the topic:

What is Happiness?

海南大学外国语学院基础英语研室海南大学外国语学院基础英语教研室

Text II---Text II--- The Art of UnhappinessThe Art of Unhappiness

Lead-in questions

1. What do you think are the relationships between happiness and sadness?

2. What factors might influence one’s definition of happiness?


II. Questions for comprehension

1. Do you agree that “art became skeptical of happiness because modern times have seen such misery” (Paragraph 4)? Why or why not?

2. Give examples to illustrate “The things that bring the greatest joy carry the greatest potential for loss and disappointment” (Paragraph 9).


3. What is the theme of the essay?

--- The theme of this essay is: Modern art, which expresses much of our unhappiness or dissatisfaction with our life today has grown out of our materialistic or commercial culture, because it helps explain why there is still widespread unhappiness in our society despite our material success.


II. Language points

memento mori: remember that you will die, that everything

ends, and that happiness comes not in denying this but in

living with it. It’s a message even more bitter than a clove

cigarette, yet, somehow, a breath of fresh air.

the odd hours: Artists don’t work the usual 8-hour day from 9 to 5; they have the freedom to choose their own time to work.


… it is a good bet that …: … it is very likely that …

The rise of anti-happy art almost exactly tracks the emergence of mass media, and with it, a commercial culture in which happiness is not just an ideal but an ideology.: Anti-happy art emerged with the rise of mass media as well as a commercial culture in which happiness is not just what seems best to pursue, but a belief or value system.


What we forget — what our economy depends on us forgetting …: In the second noun clause, the gerundial phrase “us forgetting” is the object of the preposition “on.”

sans pain: a prepositional phrase in French meaning “without pain”


Good Bye!

book ii unit 9. contents text one pre-reading i. warm-up questions ii. background information...

Documents

pursuit of happiness

kind of happiness

misconception of happiness

understanding of happiness

gabriele muccino slide

comprehension questions

tufts university

harvard university