Unit 6 Being Creative

Text A

The Creative Personality

Unit Six Text A: 1. Teaching Aims and Requirements 2. Teaching Focus 3.Cultual Background 4. Text organization 5. Abstract of the Text 6. Text A study 7. Summary of Text A

1.Teaching Aims and RequirementsA.Grasp the main idea and structure

of the text.B. Master the key language points an

d grammatical structure in the text.C. Conduct a series of reading, listeni

ng, speaking and writing activities related to the theme if the unit.

2. Teaching Focus1. 介词 + 关系代词简单介词 + 关系代词

　　知识归纳：用于此结构的关系代词指人时只能用 whom, 指物时只能用 which ；介词选择的依据主要是根据从句中的动词、形容词、名词与介词的固定搭配而定；或者以先行词与从句中的动词关系及所表达的含义而定；或者以先行词在定语从句中的作用和含义而定，并且含有介词的短语动词不能拆开，介词仍然放在动词之后。

复杂介词 + 关系代词 知识归纳： 用于此结构的关系代词有 which,

whom, whose 。常用于该结构的复杂介词有： as a result of, at the back of, because of, by means of, for want of, in front of, in case of, on account of 等。

简单介词 + 关系代词 + 名词 　　知识归纳：用于此结构的关系代词有 which,

whose 。介词的选择取决于关系代词后的名词及整个句子的含义。

the+ 名词 +of+ 关系代词

　　知识归纳：用于此结构的关系代词只有 which 。该结构表示所有关系 , 口语中常用“ whose + 名词”代替。非正式文体中可以用“ of which the + 名词”。

表示部分的词语＋ of ＋关系代词

　　知识归纳：此时，指人的关系代词只能是 whom, 指物的关系代词只能是 which 。表示部分的词语常见的有：不定代词 all, both, none, neither, either, some, any, 数词 ( 含基数词，序数词，分数和百分数 ) ；数词 + 名词；the + 最高级 / 比较级，以及表示数目或数量的词语 many, most, few, several, enough, half a, a quarter 。

3. Cultural Background Roger Von Oech: president of Creative Think, a Ca

lifornia-based consulting firm. He is author of the best-selling books A Whack on the Side of the Head: How You Can Be More Creative and A Kick in the Seat of the Pants.

IBM(international Business Machines): the world's largest computer company, based in the US, which produces both hardware and software,especially for business users.

Albert Szent-Gyorgyi(1893-1986): Hungarian-born American biochemist. He was the first to isolate vitamin C. He won the 1937 Nobel Prize for discoveries relationg to bioligical combuston.

4.Text organizationPart Paragraphs Main idea

1 1 What makes the personalities of creative people different from others can be generalized with one word — “complexity”.

2 2-15 The author tells us eight traits that are often found in creative people.

5. Abstract of the Text In this passage, the author describes some contr

adictory traits found in creative people, such as smart yet naive at the same time, imaginative but deep-rooted in reality, tend to be extroverted and introvoted. From the description of these dialectically integrated personalities, the author shows that complexity is the feature of creative people's personality.

在这篇文章中，作者描述富有创意的人身上具备极其矛盾的几对性格，如：既聪明又天真，既有丰富的想象力又具有根深蒂固的现实感，往往是既外向又内向。通过对这些有机结合、辩证统一的性格特征的描写，作者指出富有创意的人的性格具有复杂性。

6. Text A study devote: v. use all or most of your time, effort, etc. in order t

o do sth. or help sb. e.g. ： He devoted his energies to writing films. She devoted herself to her business.

multitude: n. a very large number of people or things

e.g. ： I had never seen such a multitude of stars before.

These systems are capable of performing a multitude of different tasks.

integrate: v. if two or more things integrate, or if you integrate them, they combine or work together in a way that makes sth. more effective

e.g.: Colorful illustrations are integrated into the text.

Many schools are now integrating computer science into the curriculum.

external: adj. relating to the outside of sth. or of a person’s bo

dy; relating to your environment or situation, rather than to your own qualities, ideas, etc.

e.g.: They did it in response to external pressures. External causes become operative through intern

al causes.

recharge one’s batteries: (informal) rest or relax in order to get back your e

nergy e.g.: I’m going to spend a week in the mountain

s to recharge my batteries.

trial: n. a process of testing to find out whether sth. works effectively and is safe

e.g.: The new drug is undergoing clinical trials. The security system will be reviewed after a thre

e-month trial period.

(go) hand in hand: if two things go hand in hand, they are closely co

nnected e.g.: Wealth and power go hand in hand in most s

ocieties. They say that genius often goes hand in hand wit

h madness.

insight: n. a sudden clear understanding of sth. or part of sth., especially a complicated situation or idea

e.g.: The article gives us a real insight into the causes of the present economic crisis.

The research provides new insights into the way we process language.

superior: adj. 1) of very good quality e.g.: This handbag is made of superior leather. 2) better, more powerful, more effective, etc. tha

n a similar person or thing, especially one that you are competing against

e.g.: This western restaurant is superior to the one we went to last week.

correlate: v. if two or more facts, ideas, etc. correlate or if you correlate them, they are closely connected to each other or one causes the other

e.g.: Poverty and poor housing correlate with a shorter life expectancy.

They are trying to find out if these behavior patterns correlate with particular changes in diet.

alternate: v. if two things alternate, or if you alternate them, t

hey happen one after the other in a repeated pattern

e.g.: His moods alternated between happiness and gloom.

Work alternated with sleep.

distinguish: v. recognize and understand the difference betwee

n two or more things or people e.g.: Small children can’t distinguish between ri

ght and wrong. Can you distinguish the different musical instrum

ents being played now?

CF: distinguish, discriminate distinguish: 普通用词，指有能力辨别或实际观察到的区 别，强调

辨别所需的技巧。 discriminate: 语气强，指从非常相似的事物中辨出差异，尤其强调把好坏区分开来。

1. Can you _______________ good books from bad ones? 2. I can ________________ my roommates by their footstep

s. 3. The twins are so alike it’s difficult to ________________

one from the other.

distinguish

distinguish

discriminate

regard: n. (formal) attention or consideration that is shown

towards sb. or sth. e.g.: The present administration has demonstrat

ed little regard for environmental issues. She has no regard for other people’s feelings.

nerve: n. courage and confidence in a dangerous, difficult, or f

rightening situation e.g.: It must have taken a lot of nerve to risk so much

money on one product. CF: nerve, bravery, & courage nerve: 强调指在面临危险或在困难的情况下具有冷静、

清醒的头脑和坚定无畏的勇气。 bravery: 指在危险中表现出的勇气和信心或在逆境中仍

能坚持下去的毅力。 courage: 普通用词。指面对危险或困难时的勇气和敢

于奋斗的进取心。

innovation: n. the introduction of new ideas or methods e.g.: We must encourage innovation if the compa

ny is to remain competitive. The innovation of air travel during this century ha

s made the world seem smaller. Many people feel bewildered by the speed of tec

hnological innovation.

credibility: n. the quality of deserving to be believed and truste

d e.g.: There are serious questions about the credib

ility of these reports. The predictions of economic recovery have lost a

ll credibility.

expose: v. put sb. in a situation where they are not protecte

d from sth. dangerous or unpleasant e.g.: The report revealed that workers had been e

xposed to high levels of radiation. They consider it almost a crime to expose childre

n to violence and sex on TV.

threshold n. the level at which sth. starts to happen or have a

n effect e.g.: Eighty percent of the vote was the threshold

for approval of the plan. She has a very low threshold of pain.

be at / in / to the forefront (of sth.): be in a leading position in an important activity t

hat is trying to achieve sth. or develop new ideas e.g.: The company has always been at the forefro

nt of science and technology. Prison conditions have been pushed to the forefr

ont of public debate.

vicious: adj. very unkind in a way that is intended to hurt s

b.’s feelings or make their character seem bad e.g.: He gave the dog a vicious blow with his stick.

She was shocked by the vicious tone in his voice.

devastating: adj. badly damaging or destroying sth. e.g.: It will be a devastating blow for the town if t

he factory closes. Acid rain has a devastating effect on the forest.

expertise: n. special skills or knowledge in a particular subject

that you learn by experience or training e.g.: She displayed considerable expertise in kee

ping the horse under control. His business expertise will be of great help to us.

for the sake of sb. / sth., for sb.’s / sth.’s sake: in order to help, improve, or please sb. or sth. e.g.: He moved to the seaside for the sake of his h

ealth. I hope he’s told the truth for his own sake.

strive: v. make a great effort to achieve sth. e.g.: We must continue to strive for greater efficie

ncy. CF: strive, attempt, try & endeavor strive: 和 endeavor 一样，表示付出巨大努力，但 strive 强

调过程的劳累与紧张，而不强调努力的结果。 attempt: 较正式用词，强调已经开始，且希望完成，但不一

定能达到预期的结果。 try: 普通用词，可与 attempt 换用，但强调努力或尝试，后跟

不定式表示努力或争取；后跟动名词表示尝试。 endeavor: 正式用词，指尽最大努力、认真地克服困难去做某

事。

7. Summary of the text They contain contradictory extremes; instead of

being an “individual”, each of them is a “multitude”.

Paraphrase the sentence: Creative people have many different personalitie

s. Instead of possessing the personality traits that are normally found only in different people, they possess these different traits all in themselves, as if each of them were made up of many individuals.

When necessary, they can focus it like a laser beam; when not, creative types immediately recharge their batteries.

Paraphrase the sentence: Creative people have the extraordinary ability to

concentrate their energy on their work if necessary; however, when such concentration is unnecessary, they will stop working and relax, refreshing themselves for future tasks.

This is not a biorhythm inherited with their genes; it was learned by trial and error as a strategy for achieving their goals.

Translate the sentence into Chinese: 这不是得自遗传基因的生物节奏；而是为达到目标而

通过反复尝试掌握的一种策略。

As Howard Gardner reveals in his study of the major creative geniuses of the 20th century, a certain immaturity, both emotional and mental, can go hand in hand with deepest insights.

Paraphrase this part of the sentence “…a certain immaturity, both emotional and mental, can go hand in hand with deepest insights.”

Creative people can be very intelligent and insightful; meanwhile they may be immature both emotionally and mentally in a certain way. That is to say, they may be very intelligent and yet at the same time be childish and naive sometimes.

…either preferring to be in the thick of crowds or sitting on the sidelines and observing the passing show.

Paraphrase this part of the sentence. Creative people either choose to be in the

company of many people or to stand outside the crowd and watch what others do.

These individuals stand “on the shoulders of giants”.

Where does the phrase stand “on the shoulders of giants” come from?

It quotes from Newton’s words “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”

Inventors have a low threshold of pain.

What does a low threshold of pain mean? It means the inability to suffer a lot of pain.

Eminence invites criticism and often vicious attacks.

1. What does invite mean here? It means “encourage something bad to

happen, especially without intending to”. 2. Translate the sentence into Chinese. 卓越会招致批评，甚至往往是恶毒的攻击。

For the first time I had money and open doors everywhere.

1. How do you understand “open doors” in this sentence?

“Open doors” refer to opportunities in the author’s life.

2. What can be inferred from this sentence? With the publication of Roots, the author

achieved great success and became well-known. He was no longer the poor young man he used to be.

And I said to myself, The things in this bag are part of my roots, too. I can’t ever forget that.

Why did the author say the things in this bag were part of his roots, too?

Because the things reminded him of his past before he achieved success. Although he became a famous writer, he thought he should remember the time when he was striving for success.

But only one reminds me of the courage and persistence it takes to stay the course in the Shadowland.

1. What does the “one” refer to in this sentence?

It refers to the clear plastic case in which the two sardine cans and 18 cents were kept.

2. Translate the sentence into Chinese. 但只有一样东西会提醒我，在梦想的阴影里坚持自己

的方向需要怎样的勇气和毅力。