unit 8 unit 8 coping with an educational problem

Unit 8Unit 8

Coping with an Educational Coping with an Educational ProblemProblem

Teaching ObjectivesTeaching Objectives

Students will be able to:Understand the main idea and structure of

the textLearn the way to write a cause-and-effect

analysisGrasp the key language points and

grammatical structures in the textConduct a series of reading, listening,

speaking and writing activities concerned on the theme of the unit

Lead-in ActivitiesLead-in Activities listen to the tape recording of part 1 and answer t

he following questions

what was the riddle? (who is the person who has the same parents as

I have but is neither my brother nor my sister?) Why did the teacher ask his class this riddle? (to make his class think and see how clearly the

y think.)

Lead-in ActivitiesLead-in Activities

Read a piece of news and discuss the related questions

Report: Low grad rates in US cities (Agencies)

Updated: 2008-04-01 18:39•

WASHINGTON - Seventeen of the nation's 50 largest cities had high school graduation rates lower than 50 percent, with the lowest graduation rates reported in Detroit, Indianapolis and Cleveland, according to a report released Tuesday.


• The report, issued by America's Promise Alliance, found that about half of the students served by public school systems in the nation's largest cities receive diplomas. Students in suburban and rural public high schools were more likely to graduate than their counterparts in urban public high schools, the researchers said.

• Nationally, about 70 percent of US students graduate on time with a regular diploma and about 1.2 million students drop out annually


• "When more than 1 million students a year drop out of high school, it's more than a problem, it's a catastrophe," said former Secretary of State Colin Powell, founding chair of the alliance.

• His wife, Alma Powell, the chair of the alliance, said students need to graduate with skills that will help them in higher education and beyond. "We must invest in the whole child, and that means finding solutions that involve the family, the school and the community." The Powell's organization was beginning a national campaign to cut high school dropout rates.


discuss in small groups about the following questions:

A. How about the dropout rate in your hometown?

B. Do you know any reasons why some students drop out?

C. Is education useful? What do you think are the educational problems of Chinese young people?

D. Do you think the teenagers today have the spirits that their forefathers did?

FABLE OF THE LAZY TEENAGERFABLE OF THE LAZY TEENAGER

Benjamin Stein

ContentsContents

• About the author• Background information• Text organization• Language points• Text analysis• Useful expressions• Word study• Writing skills

About the authorAbout the author

Benjamin Jeremy Stein(born November 25, 1944) is an American writer and commentator, Emmy Award-winning actor, comedian, and game show host. He was also a lawyer,law professor, and White Housespeechwriter. In recent years hehas become an outspoken advocate for the creationist intelligent design movement.

Background informationBackground information

• U.C.L.A.: (University of California at Los Angeles) the largest of the eight branches of the University of California. It was established in 1919 and now has about 35,000 students. UCLA is known especially for its film studies.

• The Wealth of Nations: an important work of economic and social theory by Adam Smith( a Scottish philosopher and economist), published in 1776.

Background informationBackground information

• Title of the Text:Title of the Text:• Fable of the lazy teenagerFable of the lazy teenager• What is a fable?What is a fable?• fable--a traditional short story that teaches a mor

al lesson, especially a story about animals• the fable of the fox and the crow• Aesop’s Fables• Question:Question:• Do fables state the moral lessons directly or let tDo fables state the moral lessons directly or let t

he readers deduce?he readers deduce?

Text organizationText organization• Main idea of the text:Main idea of the text:• The teenagers’ idleness and ignorance will seriously

affect themselves and society in general.

• Structure of the text:Structure of the text:• Paras.1-7: Anecdote 1--The salesgirl’s ignorance

• Paras.8-9: Anecdote 2--The boy’s indifference of the ignorance

• Paras. 10-24: Fable of Kevin Hanley•

(Part One)

(Part Two)

Cause Effect

Teenagers’ intellectual laziness and ignorance

All people will be seriously affected. A modern industrial state will stop functioning.

Lack of Education Kevin 1990, his forebears (with the exception of his intellectual father, and his children lead a poor miserable life. (1835, 1928, 1945)

America is on the decline.There is no law and order in the country. (2020)

American children have no chance to receive a good education. (2020)

Businesses in America are owned by wealthy Europeans and Asians.(2050)

Cause Effect

Part OnePart One

Part TwoPart Two

Part One (Paras 1-9):Part One (Paras 1-9):

• The salesgirl’s ignorance (Paras. 1-7)

Paras. 1-5: the anecdote about the calculating

Paras. 6&7: concerns: so ignorant—and so ignorant of their ignorance

The lazy boy’s indifference about the ignorance (Paras.8&9)

Para. 8: the attitude of a boy

Para. 9: concern: his laziness will seriously affect his way of life. It will also affect the nation.

Part Two (Paras. 10-24):Part Two (Paras. 10-24): The FableThe Fable

•Kevin 1990: 17-year-old high school senior, feeling bitter.

•Kevin 1835: great-great-great-grandfather, 17, a poor illiterate peasant in County Kerry, Ireland, hope lying in his children being educated.

•Kevin 1928: great-grandfather, 17, works in a steel mill in Pittsburgh, can read and write, far better off than his forefathers.

•Kevin 1945: grandfather, fighting on Iwo Jima against Japanese, always hot, hungry and scared.

•Kevin 1966: father, goes to college and law school, lives in a fine house.

•Kevin 1990: himself, works as a cleaner in a Japanese factory.

• Kevin 2020: son, porter in a hotel for wealthy Europeans and Asians, while the whole generation forgot why there was law, so there is none.

•Kevin 2050: grandson, has no useful skills, without education, without discipline, no adequate living age, lives in slum, survives by searching through trash piles.

What does the fable intend to tell the readers?What does the fable intend to tell the readers?

•The importance of education.The importance of education.

•The result of being ignorant .The result of being ignorant .

Language pointsLanguage points

Teenager (in the title): a person between the ages of 13 and 19; an adolescent.

e.g. Teenagers are very fashion conscious. 青少年很讲究时髦。

Run out of (line 1): e.g. The petrol is running out. / We are

running out of petrol. e.g. Our time is running out. / We are run

ning out of time.


Ful: suffix a. with ns and vs forming adjs: full of; having qualities

of; liable to: 充满的 , 有…性质的 ; 有…倾向的 ;• b. with ns forming ns: amount that fills: mouthful, spoo

nful e.g. Handful: When the employer arrived, the secretary

handed him a handful of letters. ( 老板一到 , 秘书就交给他一叠信 )

End up: reach or come to a certain place, state, or action.

e.g. If you continue to steal, you’ll end up in prison. e.g. If he carries on driving like that, he’ll end up dead.


Upset (line 11): a. make sb. worry or feel unhappy e.g. The news quite upset him. Our arrangements for the weekend were upset by h

er visit. b. cause sth. become overturned, spilt. e.g. Upset a bottle of ink; upset enemy’s plan. Sum up (line 20): e.g. Last section sums up all the arguments on other si

de. e.g. Sum sb. up: I summed her up as a competent man

ager. ( 我认为 ) e.g. Summary: in summary, as a brief statement of the

main points ( 总的说来 ) In summary, the campaign has been a great success.


Compete with/against/for/to-v (line 23): to try to win something in competition with someone else.

e.g. They competed with each other in English study. The children competed against each other to reach the o

ther end of the pool. Several advertising agencies are competing to get the co

ntrast.Affect (line 26): e.g. The tax increases have affected us all. Their opinion will not affect my decision. Affecting: moving, touching ( 动人的 ) Affected: not natural, pretended, artificial.


Function (line 27): e.g. This machine has stopped functioning. (out of order) The sofa can also function as a bed. Scare (line 54): e.g. Don’t let the noise scare you, it’s only the wind.• Scare sb into/out of doing sth. e.g. They scared him into handing over the keys.• Scare sb away/off e.g. Light a fire to scare off the wolves. He scares people away by being so brash. We’ll scare her out of telling the police. • Scarecrow: figure resembling a person that is dressed in ol

d clothes and set up in a field to frighten away birds.


Security (line 56): the Security Council (peace keeping body of united nations)

• ~~forces, ~van, (esp. for transporting money) Complex (line 76): difficult to understand or explain bec

ause there are many different parts. e.g. A complex system, network, argument, theory, subje

ct. 试比较 complex 和 complicated e.g. A complicated situation, process, relationship, plot. • Complicated 具有 complex 的一切意义 , 但更强调复杂

的难以解释或理解 . 一道算试题可能非常 complex, 但未必确实 complicated 而一道 complicated 算试题一般总是complex 的 .


Befriended by (line 82): e.g. They befriended the young girl, providi

ng her with food and shelter. Adequate (line 78): e.g. His knowledge of computer was adeq

uate for the job.( 他的计算机知识足以胜任这份工作 )

I don’t feel adequate to the job. ( 我不能胜任这份工作 )


Enough, sufficient, adequate• Enough: 含有数量很多使人感到心满意足

的意思• Sufficient: (formal) 分量或数量足以满足需

要的 . The food is sufficient for a week.• Adequate: 指足够符合特定 ( 有时可指最

低 ) 的资格 , 分量 , 才能等 . 着重符合一个客观标准的 . To be healthy one must have an adequate diet.

Language pointsLanguage points Acquire (line 85): to gain sth. by one’s own abilit

y, efforts, or behavior. ( 靠自己能力 , 努力，行为获得 , 一般指通过漫长过程逐渐获得 )

e.g. Abstract art is an acquired taste. ( 抽象艺术要慢慢才会欣赏 )

After having been instructed to drive out of town, I began to acquire confidence.

Obtain: come to won or possess sth. by (buying, borrowing, taking, etc.)( 含有满足要求或达到目的的意味 )

e.g. He always manages to obtain what he wants. I obtained this ticket for you with difficulty. ( 我好

不容易为你弄到了这张票 .)


Astonish (line 88): surprise very much; amaze e.g. Her devotion to students always astonishes

us.Swear (line 90):make a serous promise about

(often followed by infinitive to or that － clause ） e.g. He swore that he would never lie. Make a living by (line 92): earn money by doin

g sth. e.g. Many farmers in this area make a good livin

g by growing flowers.


miracle (line 92): an amazing or wonderful event, esp. sth. that happens unexpectedly.

e.g. It is a miracle that no one was killed in that snowstorm.

Faculty (line 95): mental and physical abilities.

e.g. He is 90 years old but still has most of his faculties.

Expository writing:Expository writing:

a clear and detailed explanation

A typical piece of expository writing begins with a statement of opinion, then goes on to give supporting details.

Text analysis

A comparison of 3 expositions learned in this term:

How is the main topic revealed?

Unit 3. The author arrives at his main argument in the third para. after guiding the readers through reasoning in the first two paras.

Unit 6. The author starts by posing a question—Do animals have intelligence? and then gives a positive answer.

Unit 8. The author starts by an anecdote and then leads to his concern about the lazy teenagers.


How are the main bodies developed?

Unit 3 provides three solutions to the question of how to educate the public so as to form in them a positive attitude towards science.

Unit 6 provides three examples to prove that some animals have intelligence.

Unit 8 employs a fable as the main body, which functions to convey the message that education is vital to both the individual and society.


Ending of the texts

Unit 3 : The author presents a solution/conclusion—human civilization will survive if the public understand science well.

Unit 6 : The author presents a solution /conclusion—it’s comforting to know other species other than human being also have intelligence.

Unit 8 : There is not any solution provided.The text ends as the fable finishes.

Useful expressionsUseful expressions

• Run out of : 用完，用尽• A handful of : 一大把• Better-natured: 温厚和气的• A tiny slice of : 一小部分• Sum up: 总结，概括• Seriously affect his way of life: 严重影响他的生

活方式• To drive this message home to such young Ame

ricans: 为使这样的美国青年彻底认清这一点• Humble suggestion: 愚见

Useful expressionsUseful expressions

• Put him to sleep ：让他打瞌睡• Better off: 更富有，更舒服• Live in peace and security: 生活在和平安全的环

境里• Live by one’s brains instead of one’s back ：干

脑力活而不是卖苦力• Pay no attention to: 不关心• Earn an adequate living wage: 挣到足够的钱养

活自己• Catch one’s eye: 映入眼帘

Word studyWord study

• Decline

• Sum

• Jam

• search


Decline, refuse, reject:• Decline: to refuse politely. I declined her invitation to the

dinner party.• Refuse: Stronger than decline, often suggesting firmness

and sometimes even bluntness. ( 常指断然或直截了当拒绝 )

e.g. Several soldiers refused to obey the order.• Reject: more emphatic than refuse, implying an unmistak

able denial. ( 语气更重 , 常指非常肯定的口头拒绝 , 强调不愿与某人或

某时有任何关系 ) She rejected his marriage proposal. e.g. The board rejected all our ideas.


Sum: an amount of money e.g. Huge sum of money is spent on national defense. all of something e.g. I am afraid that is the pitiful sum of my knowledge o

n this subject. sum (sth/sb) up: phrasal verb

to describe or express briefly the important facts or characteristics about something or someone:

e.g. I'd just like to sum up by saying that it's been a tremendous pleasure to work with you.


• The sum of human knowledge: 人类的全部知识

• A good sum: 可观的金额• Do a rapid sum in one’s head: 敏捷的心算• Do sums: 做算术• The sum of this book: 这本书的要点• Contributions sumed into several thousand

yuan: 捐款总数达到数千元

Word studyWord studyJam: n. a kind of food e.g. strawberry jam: 草莓酱 Verb. to be unable to move e.g. The door jammed behind me and I could not get out. Verb. to stop radio signals from reaching the people who

want to receive them e.g. Foreign radio broadcasts were regularly jammed.

Traffic jam: 交通阻塞 A difficult situation: e.g. How can we get out of the jam? verb, to push something forcefully or with difficulty into so

mething else: e.g. He jammed the boxes into the back of the car.


Search verb, to look somewhere carefully in order to

find something:e.g. The police searched the woods for the missing boy.

Verb, to try to find the answer to a probleme.g. Philosophers have searched for millennia but they haven't found the meaning of life.

noun, when you try to find someone or something:e.g. After a long search, they eventually found the missing papers


• Search somewhere for sth: 在哪里搜索什么东西

• Search sb: 搜查某人的身体• Search the records of a case: 仔细查阅某

一案件的卷宗• Search sb.’s face:察看某人的脸色• Search into a matter ：调查一件事

Writing skillsWriting skills

Using cause and effect in essay writing Every day we try to figure out the causes of things and analyze or

predict effects. Cause-and-effect analysis is, therefore, an important analytical skill to develop. When writing a cause-and-effect paper, you should bear in mind the following points:

Sound Reasoning or Logic when discussing causes and effects, make sure your analysis is

logical. You must not take it for granted that event A causes event B simply because A precedes B. You must explain clearly what really brings a particular result.

Writing skillsWriting skills

Possible Shift in Order

In cause-and-effect writing, it seems convenient to state the effect first and then analyze the causes. The reverse order, however, is to be preferred when one cause leads to a number of effects.

unit 8 unit 8 coping with an educational problem

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