上海建桥学院大学英语制作 unit one text a mr. doherty builds his dream life

Unit One

Text A Mr. Doherty Builds His Dream Life

Content Background information Background information Warming-up activity Warming-up activity Text organization Text organization Text analysisText analysis Sentence study Sentence study Words and phrases Words and phrases Exercise Exercise abstract Translation discussion listening

Background Information

Cultural Notes The Ivy League It refers to the eight long-established colleges and universities in the United States with prestigious academic and social reputations. The members of the Ivy League compete in intercollegiate athletics. Members of the Ivy League go as follows: 1) Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island; 1) Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island; 2) Columbia University in New York City; 2) Columbia University in New York City; 3) Cornell University in Ithaca, New York; 3) Cornell University in Ithaca, New York; 4) Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire; 4) Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire; 5) Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts; 5) Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts; 6) University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia; 6) University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia; 7) Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey; 7) Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey; 8) Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. 8) Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.

BR3.1.1 Click the picture to return Brown University

BR3.1.2 Click the picture to return Columbia University

BR3.1.3 Cornell University Click the picture to return

BR3.1.4 Dartmouth College Click the picture to return

BR3.1.5 Harvard University Click the picture to return

BR3.1.6 University of Pennsylvania Click the picture to return

BR3.1.7 Princeton University Click the picture to return

BR3.1.8 Yale University Click the picture to return

Cultural Notes Sports Illustrated A popular US sports magazine published each week by Time Inc, part of Time Warner. It first appeared in 1954, and is read mainly by men. The magazine also publishes the Sports Illustrated Sports Almanac ) every year. Individual Retirement Account ( ) IRA is a US government program that allows people to put part of their income into special bank accounts. No tax has to be paid on this money until they retire.

Cultural Notes Insurance Policies Factors to be taken into consideration when we choose an insurance provider mainly include: 1) the financial stability of the insurance company; 1) the financial stability of the insurance company; 2) the price of policies; and 2) the price of policies; and 3) details of coverage and service. 3) details of coverage and service. Most insurance falls into 4 categories according to what it covers: 1) Property and casualty( , 2) life, 3) health and disability, and 4) old age and unemployment

II. Cultural Notes E. B. White (1899-1985): Leading American essayist and literary stylist known for his crisp, graceful, relaxed style. White's stories ranged from satire to children's fiction. While he often wrote from the perspective of slightly ironic onlooker, he was also a sensitive spokesman for the freedom of the individual. Among his most enduring essays is Once More to the Lake. White's favorite subjects were the complexities of modern society, failures of technological progress, the pleasures of urban and rural life, war, and internationalism. White's favorite subjects were the complexities of modern society, failures of technological progress, the pleasures of urban and rural life, war, and internationalism. White was awarded the gold medal for essays and criticism of the National Institute of Arts and Letters, and a Pulitzer Prize special citation in 1978. He held honorary degrees from seven American colleges and universities and was a member of the American Academy.

Warm-up Activity

City life vs. Country life In your opinion,which is better, living in the country or living in the city? Give reasons.

City life : Advantages Higher living standard Convenient transportation Health care Better education More job opportunities entertainment Disadvantage Overpopulation Air pollution Noise Heavy traffic High crime rate Fierce competition and stress Indifference in interpersonal relationship City life

Country life Advantages Fresh air Healthy food Self-sufficiency Peaceful life More leisure time less pressure Closer personal relationship Disadvantages Remote and backward underdeveloped inconvenience in life not well-informed of the outside word hard manual labor Low income Country life

Text Analysis

The text can be divided into four parts. The paragraph numbers of each paragraph have been given to you. Now find out their main ideas

Part Division of the Text Parts Paras Main Ideas 1 2 3 1~3 4-7 8-11 The writer views his life in the country as a self-reliant and satisfying one. Life in the country is good yet sometimes very hard. After quitting his job, the writers income was reduced, but he and his family can manage to get by. 4 12-15 A tolerance for solitude and a lot of energy have made it possible for the family to enjoy their life in the country.

All through the text, the writer tells about the happiness and hardships the family have experienced in the country. Make a list of the happy moments and events as well as a list of the hardships in the following columns.

Happy Moments and Events Growing nearly all their fruits and vegetables Canoeing, picnicking, long bicycle rides, etc. Canoeing, picnicking, long bicycle rides, etc. Keeping warm inside the house in winter Writing freelance articles Earning enough money while maintaining a happy family life family life

Hardships Working hard both in winter and in summer Harsh environment and weather condition Anxious moments after the writer quit his job Cutting back on the daily expenses Solitude

Text Comprehension

Understanding the Paragraphs Para 1 Q: Where does the authors contentment come from? A: Writing and living on a farm. A: Writing and living on a farm. Para 2 Q: What is a self-reliant life like? A: (See Para. 2) Para 3 Q: Why is this kind of life satisfying? A: (See Para. 4)

Para 4 Q: How tough is the good countryside life ? A: Bad weather (30 below and 95 above), A: Bad weather (30 below and 95 above), Tough work:hauling firewood up the river on a sled, Tough work:hauling firewood up the river on a sled, cultivating corn, cultivating corn, weeding strawberries, killing chickens, retiling the back roof, making improvements on the outdoor toilet, making improvements on the outdoor toilet, spraying the orchard, spraying the orchard, painting the barn, painting the barn, planting the garden, planting the garden, cleaning the hen house. cleaning the hen house.

Para 5 Q: What does the writer do in between the chores mentioned above? A: He manages to spend 50-60 hours at the typewriter or doing reporting for the freelance articles. Q: What does his wife do meanwhile? A:His wife pursues her own demanding schedule. (See Lines 27-32)

Para 6 Q: Why is the authors first winter in the country unforgettable? A: Though buried in deep snow, they kept warm inside burning their own wood, eating their own apples and loving every minute of it. (A tough but happy life) A: Though buried in deep snow, they kept warm inside burning their own wood, eating their own apples and loving every minute of it. (A tough but happy life) Para 7 Q: What is this paragraph about? A: Their amazing harvests (wave after wave of farm produce).

Para 8 Q: What did the writer do in the second year on the farm? A: He grew even more food and managed to get through the winter on firewood from their own trees. He also thought about quitting his job and starting to freelance. Para 9 Q: What did the author do as a freelance writer? A:(See Lines 55-59)

Paras 10-11 Q:What are these two paragraphs about? A:How the family managed to cover their usual expenses and live a satisfactory life though they were making much less money in the country: --need less, buy a poor mans major medical policy (low premium), --make up the difference in income by cutting back without appreciably lowering their standard of living, --patronise cheaper local restaurants, attend opera and ballet less often, eat less meat, drink cheaper wine, see fewer movies, --combine vacations with story assignments.

Paras 12-13 Q:What are the special qualities required for life on a farm? A:--Tolerance for solitude --A lot of energy to do the work yourself Para 14 Q:What will the future be like and how will the family feel when they leave the farm? A:They may continue their stay on the farm. They may leave the farm with a mixed feeling of sorrow (for leaving the farm) and pride (at what they have accomplisheda good life and a fair profit on the sale of the place).

Para 15 Q:What do we learn from the last paragraph of the text? A:Echoing with what he says in the opening paragraph, the author restates his purpose to come to the farm. --to improve the quality of their lives; --to find contentment with life in the country.

Sentence Study

Sentence study 1. I am not in E.B. Whites class as a writer or in my neighbor's league as a farmer, but Im getting by. (L. 3) Paraphrase: As a writer, I am not as good as E.B. White; neither am I as good a farmer as my neighbor who is a member of the farmers league. Anyhow, I can manage to do well enough both as a writer and as a farmer. As a writer, I am not as good as E.B. White; neither am I as good a farmer as my neighbor who is a member of the farmers league. Anyhow, I can manage to do well enough both as a writer and as a farmer.

Sentence study and we cut enough wood to just about make it through the heating season. (L.9) 2. and we cut enough wood to just about make it through the heating season. (L.9) Paraphrase: make it --- succeed the heating season --- the cold winter With the wood they cut, their family can succeed in getting / manage to get through the cold winter.

3. There is, as the old saying goes, no rest for the wicked .. (L. 31) Paraphrase: Just as the old saying goes, there is no rest for the bad people. It means that you must continue with your work or other activity that your should be doing. Sentence study

Im not making anywhere near as much money as I did when I was employed full time, (L. 60) 4. Im not making anywhere near as much money as I did when I was employed full time, (L. 60) Paraphrase: Im not at all making as much money as I did when I worked full time,

Words and Phrases

Translate 1. My parents managed to get by on a small amount of money. 1. My parents managed to get by on a small amount of money. 2. It is a little bit difficult for the old couple to get 2. It is a little bit difficult for the old couple to get by on such a small pension. Get by: be good enough but not very good; manage to live or do things in a satisfactory way

Well leave this pie over for tomorrow. Translate He has a very small income and the rent has left him very little over. leave about: leave behind: leave out: Leave over: haveundone ;

The farmers haul vegetables to the market on a truck every morning. A crane had to be used to haul the car out of the stream. Translate Haul: 1) transport, as with a truck, cart, etc. 2) pull or drag with effort or force ,

Internet service providers should develop security improvement services for their customers Internet service providers should develop security improvement services for their customers. Translate They had carried out a great number of interior improvements to the house before they moved in. Improvement: ; ;

Peter does freelance work to supplement his income. Translate Karen supplements her regular salary by tutoring in the evening Karen supplements her regular salary by tutoring in the evening. Supplement: v. add n. sth. that is added

indoor pollution an indoor tennis court an indoor sport an outdoor theatre an outdoorsman outdoor activities Indoor: situated or used inside a building ant.: outdoor

Ill have to spray the roses with insecticide to get rid of the greenfly. Translate Vandals have sprayed graffiti on the walls. Spray: force out liquid in small drops upon (with)

After graduation Martin chose to pursue the same career as his father as a minister. Translate Pursue: v. strive to gain or accomplish

Once the last few people had left the hall, the caretakers began stacking the chairs. Translate a stack of hay books in a neat stack v. make into a pile n. a pile Stack:

She got through the entrance examination and was accepted by the college. Translate The local government has taken some measures to ensure that all the villagers will get through the winter. Get through: vt. come successfully to the end

I think, on balance, I didnt treat you unfairly Translate On balance, he will gain more than he will lose. On balance: with all things considered

The program has generated a lot of new jobs in the service industry. Translate The flowing water can be used to drive turbine, which generates electricity. . Generate: vt. produce; bring into existence

If he loses the case, Mike will have to pick up the bill for legal costs. If he loses the case, Mike will have to pick up the bill for legal costs. Translate Taxpayers will be picking up the tab for the improved public transport network. --Where did you study Greek? -- I didnt, I just sort of picked it up when I lived there. --Where did you study Greek? -- I didnt, I just sort of picked it up when I lived there. Pick up: 1) be ready to pay 2) learn by chance (

Translate play a minor part a minor operation a minor offence minor illness minor subject Minor: ant.: major

The employers make the employees pay for a large portion of their health insurance premium. Translate Although the price of cars has gone down, people find car insurance premiums have increased. People who are over sixty pay higher life insurance premiumsthan those under. People who are over sixty pay higher life insurance premiums than those under. Premium: vt. a sum of money paid regularly for an insurance policy

The essay is good aside from a couple of spelling mistakes. Translate Aside from(Except for) an occasional game of tennis, he seldom takes any exercise. Aside from: except for; in addition to

Translate The government has cut back considerably on defense spending to develop economy. . There is growing movement to cut back the governments role in agriculture and to reduce subsidies paid to the farmers. Cut back: reduce in size or amount

With the improvement of living standards, more people dine out at weekends. Translate , Today is my daughters birthday, so we are dining out. We dined on chicken, potatoes, salad and apple-pie. Dine out: eat a meal away from home (usu. in a restaurant)

1. When he was a student, Sterling often patronized the little restaurant near the school. 1. When he was a student, Sterling often patronized the little restaurant near the school. 2. Many football clubs are patronized by businesses. 2. Many football clubs are patronized by businesses. Translate , Patronize: 1. go to as a customer , 2. support or give money to

It was perfectly all right,Henry said, because the police had not suspected him of anything. Translate I suspect him to be a thief/that he is a thief. Suspect: believe to be true, likely or probable ,

I doubt whether he is honest. I suspect that he is not honest. I never doubt that he is an unselfish person. I doubt whether he is honest. I suspect that he is not honest. I never doubt that he is an unselfish person. Cf.: doubt doubt: feel unsure of sth. , suspect that , doubt whether/if ( ) that ( )

The personal or family budget is a financial plan that helps individuals to balance income and expenses. Translate make a family budget , . Budget: n.

After the Selma protest Martin Luther King continued to organize protests but not on a grand scale. Translate At first they tested their new teaching methods on a small scale. Scale: n. a relative level or degree ,

In my view students should resist the temptation of taking part-time jobs in their first two years at college. Translate Its very hard for little kids to resist the temptation of McDonalds. She resisted an urge to scream. Resist: v. keep from giving in or enjoying

They suspected that an explosive device had been left somewhere inside the building. Translate Therescuers used a special device for finding people trapped in the coalmine. The rescuers used a special device for finding people trapped in the coalmine. Device: n. a piece of equipment designed to serve a special purpose ,

The tax is likely to hit his companys profit by up to 3% in future. Translate He makes a big profit from selling waste material to textile companies. . Profit: n. an advantageous gain or return ,

When people buy houses theyre investing a lot of money. Translate My parents decided to invest their savings in stocks and bonds. Invest: v. Commit (money or capital) in order to gain a financial return

Exercises

Write an abstract for the text. Abstract Exercises Jim Doherty may not be a born farmer, but he gets by without too much trouble. Not that he has had it easy. That first hard winter he faced must have left him with the temptation to give up and go back to the city. But he managed to get through it without losing heart. Hes picked up a lot of skills. Since then and made some real improvements to his farm, though without much laborsaving machinery, aside from that old rotary cultivator. Meanwhile he had his writing to supplement what little profit he makes from the farm. They didnt move there primarily to earn money, but to improve the quality of life.

Exercises Translation Resist, primarily, patronize, dine out, profit, indoor, patronize, on balance, on a large scale

Exercises Reference There is a growing trend that quite a number of children are getting overweight. This fact can be primarily accounted for by the following two reasons. With great improvement in peoples living standard, children now have much more chances to dine out. They just cant resist the temptation of Mc Donald, KFC or Pizza hut, which have spent millions of dollars on advertising directed at kids. This in turn brings about great profits to these companies.

Children patronize these fast food outlets so often that they are inevitably getting obese. The second reason is lack of sports. Children today are extremely occupied by their studies, and some even go so far as to stay indoor all day long. Increased calorie intake and decreased exercise time leads to obesity risk in children. On balance more attention should be paid on childrens health problem, and a campaign, on a large scale, against crazy aggression of western fast food should be launched. Exercises Reference

Exercises Discussion Where to Live: Countryside or City? Advantages of city life: --convenience for people to do shopping --better educational opportunities --better educational opportunities --easy access to the entertainment --easy access to the entertainment --more chances to get jobs --more chances to get jobs Advantages of Rural Life: --less pollution --safer, cleaner, more attractive environment --safer, cleaner, more attractive environment --more peaceful life --more peaceful life --smaller expenses --smaller expenses --friendlier neighbors --friendlier neighbors --fresher foods --fresher foods

Listening Exercises Directions:

上海建桥学院大学英语制作 unit one text a mr. doherty builds his dream life

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