New College English Book One Unit 4 The American Dream Content Background Information 1. ( ) 2. ( ) ( ) 3. ( ) --- What is the American Dream? The term was first used by James Truslow Adams in his book The Epic of America which was written in He states: "The American Dream is "that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position. The idea of the American Dream is rooted in the second sentence of the Declaration of Independence which states that "all men are created equal" Warm-up Activity Brain Storm How can we live a better and richer life? Have you ever had a dream of going abroad for better and richer life? Is American Dream an empty dream or reality? Do you agree that All men are created equal? Text Organization Paras.1-29 With determination, and with help from Mr. Crawford, Tony achieved his dream of owning his own farm. Part One Paras Tonys career set the author thinking about why and to what extent he had been successful. Part Two Text Organization In the first part, the text centers on the life story of Tony, which made up of several events helping Tony realize his American Dream. Please go through Part One and list the main events. Main Events 1. Tony worked as a help at Mr.Crawfords House. 2. Tony got a job clearing snow at Mr. Crawfords factory. 3. Tony learned to become a skilled worker. 4. Tony bought a house with Mr. Crawfords help. 5. Tony bought a farm and sent for his family in Italy. Text Analysis The story is unfolded in Time Sequence with the help of time words and phrases. They serve as transitional devices by which an author switches from one event to another. Please read through to locate each of them. One Evening The next evening The next two days Summer passed into fall The months passed Months later A year or two passed After about two years Sometime later Text Analysis He was five-foot- seven or eight, and thin.(Para.1) He seems to stand a little straighter. He was heavier. He had a look of confidence. (Para.21) Tony was neatly dressed.(Para.27) Consider the three instance where Tonys physical appearance is described. They present a/an _______ Tony. An increasingly well-to-do Sentence Study It was hard to comprehend his broken English. If someone talks in broken English, they speak slowly and make a lot of mistakes because they only know a little of the language. Sentence Study Tony took a cut in pay to become an apprentice. Tony had his pay reduced in order to be an apprentice. Sentence Study My wife and I were delighted with what we felt was a satisfying end of the story. My wife and I were delighted with what Tony had achieved, and thought that the whole thing had thus been settled. Sentence Study He grew in stature in my mind. He grew taller and greater in my mind. Sentence Study But, after all, the balance sheet were exactly the same. But after all, what Tony and the greatest industrialists achieved was exactly the same. Words and Phrases Turn away: refuse to help (sb.) or to allow (sb.) to enter a place e.g.: Hes my son after all, I cant turn him away when he is in trouble. The lecture hall was already full and many of the students were turned away. Work out: plan, solve, calculate e.g.: My mother allowed me to take the trip, but asked me to work out the total cost first. Words and Phrases Clean up: make clean and tidy e.g.: I will go shopping with you as soon as Ive cleaned up the kitchen. I hate cleaning up after a party. Turn down: refuse e.g.: He was offered the job but he turned it down because it involved too much travelling. Words and Phrases Send for: ask for the arrival of e.g.: Dont worry about your son, I have sent for the doctor. He sent for his parents to attend the graduation ceremony at Harvard. Down payment: an initial amount of money given as partial payment at the time that you buy something expensive, especially a home or car, and agree to pay the rest at a later time or over a period of time e.g.: He gave Tony the house with no down payment. Words and Phrases Call on: visit sb. for a shot time e.g.: Id like to call on my former professor while I am on business in Beijing. He wanted to call on his girlfriend after work, and then go to see a movie with her. Pass away: you can say that sb. passed away if you want to avoid using the word die because you think its too blunt e.g.: The old lady passed away peacefully in her sleep. The teenager has lived on his own since his parents passed away four years ago. Words and Phrases Above all: most important of all e.g.: John is fair, hardworking, and above all, honest. Check on: examine sth. to discover if it is true, safe, correct, etc. e.g.: Honey, can you go upstairs and check on the kids? Thank you for watching!