1、U5,Additional lnformation for the Teachers Reference,Text Solve That Problem with Humor,Warm-up Activities,Further Reading,Speaking Skills,Additional Work,Warm-up Activities,Warm-up 1,1. How important is a sense of humour to social life? Cite examples to illustrate your idea. 2. Some people think a
2、sense of humour is innate, a quality that one is born with, while others believe it can be cultivated later in life. Which one do you believe in? How can we cultivate a sense of humour, if possible? 3. Tell a humorous story that you know to amuse the class.,1. William D. Ellis William D. Ellis is an
3、 American novelist. Seemingly part archaeologist, part anthropologist, part genealogist, and part psychologist, Ellis mined the centuries to unearth the raw material he would mold into his fiction and nonfiction books. With no instrument more elaborate than a typewriter, he managed to create popular
4、 regional histories and award-winning volumes of historical fiction that brought Ohios past to life in a manner that was not just informative and entertaining, but as vivid as an epic film.Ellis received a Pulitzer Prize nomination for his best-selling trilogy of novels: Bounty Lands (1958), Jonatha
5、n Blair:,AIFTTR1,Additional Information for the Teachers Reference,AIFTTR2,Bounty Lands Lawyer (1966), and The Brooks Legend. They reflected the reality of life on the frontier at a time when Ohio was considered “the West” and the hardships of daily existence far outweighed the pleasures.,AIFTTR3,2.
6、 Roland MichenerDaniel Roland Michener (1900 - 1991)was Governor General of Canada from 1967 to 1974. In 1967, he became the first governor general to give the Order of Canada, the nations highest civilian honor. He also awarded the first Order of Military Merit in 1972. And he encouraged all Canadi
7、ans to learn both English and French. His tenure as Canadas Governor General is often considered to be a key turning point in the history of his office. Since his retirement the Governor Generalship has moved dramatically in a less formal direction.,AIFTTR4,3. Europes Common Market,The European Econ
8、omic Community (EEC), also known as the “Common Market” in the United Kingdom, was an international organization created in 1957 to bring about economic integration between Belgium, France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands. Many nations of Western Europe banded together into various organizations
9、during the postwar years. These nations hoped to solve problems by working together more closely. The Council of Europe was formed in 1949 to link its member nations culturally, socially, and economically. The European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), organized in 1951, sought,AIFTTR5,to unify the c
10、oal, iron, and steel industries of Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and West Germany. In 1957, the six ECSC members formed the European Economic Community (EEC) which aimed at removing barriers to the movement of goods, workers, capital, and services among its members. It since e
11、nlarged to six other states and from 1967 its institutions also governed the ECSC and European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC or Euratom) under the term European Communities. When the European Union (EU) was created in 1993, the EEC was transformed into the European Community, one of the EUs three pi
12、llars, with EEC institutions continuing as those of the EU.,AIFTTR6,4. London BlitzIn the summer of 1940, Germany began an all-out air attack on Britain. London became the chief target of the attack. The Blitz, as the attack was known, lasted from September 1940 to May 1941. Night after night, Germa
13、n planes dropped tons of bombs on the built-up area. The City and the industrial East End were especially hard-hit. People took refuge in air-raid shelters and subway stations as fires raged through whole blocks of buildings.,AIFTTR7,5. George C. MarshallMarshall, George Catlett (1880-1959), an Amer
14、ican soldier and statesman, served as chief of staff of the United States Army during World War II (1939-1945). Winston Churchill acclaimed him as “organizer of victory” for his leadership of the Allied victory in World War II. He also served as secretary of state from 1947 to 1949 and as secretary
15、of defense in 1950 and 1951. Marshall was the first professional soldier to become secretary of state. In 1947, while serving in that post, he proposed the European Recovery Program, also called the Marshall Plan. Under this plan, the United States spent billions of dollars to rebuild war-torn Weste
16、rn Europe. The Marshall Plan is credited,AIFTTR8,with helping check the spread of Communism in Europe. Marshalls role in European reconstruction earned him the 1953 Nobel Peace Prize.,AIFTTR8,6. Roosevelt,Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882-1945),often referred to by his initials FDR, was the thirty-sec
17、ond President of the United States. Elected to four terms in office, he served from 1933 to 1945 and is the only U. S. president to have served more than two terms. Roosevelt led the United States through its worst depression and through its worst war. Roosevelt took office as President at the depth
18、 of the Great Depression. In his inaugural address, he called for faith in Americas future. “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself,” he declared boldly. He created the New Deal to provide relief for the unemployed, recovery of the economy, and reform of the economic and banking systems. One
19、of his most important legacies is the Social Security system.,AIFTTR9,Before Americas entry into World War II in December, 1941, Roosevelt made the United States the principal arms supplier and financier of the Allies. As the Allies neared victory, Roosevelt played a critical role in shaping the pos
20、t-war world, particularly through the Yalta Conference and the creation of the United Nations. Later, the Allies defeated Germany, Italy and Japan. People in all parts of the world admired Roosevelt for his personal courage. Although he was crippled by polio at the age of 39, he never gave up his ca
21、reer of public service.,AIFTTR10,7. World War II,World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2,was a worldwide military conflict； the amalgamation of two separate conflicts, one beginning in Asia, 1937, as the Second Sino-Japanese War and the other beginning in Europe, 1939,
22、 with Germanys invasion of Poland. This global conflict split a majority of the worlds nations into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. Regarded as the historical successor to World War I, World War II resulted in the deaths of over 70 million people, making it the deadliest co
23、nflict in human history. The conflict ended in an Allied victory. It brought about the downfall of Western,AIFTTR11,Europe as the center of world power and led to the rise of the worlds two leading superpowers the United States and Soviet Union, setting the stage for the Cold War for the next 45 yea
24、rs. The development of the atomic bomb during the war opened the nuclear age.,AIFTTR12,8. German concentration camp,The German concentration camp is a place where people are imprisoned, and in some cases killed, without legal proceedings. Many countries have imprisoned people in concentration camps
25、because of their political views, religious convictions, ethnic background, or social attitudes. The best-known camps were those operated by the Nazis during the Holocaust, a campaign of systematic murder waged against Jews and others during World War II (1939-1945). The Nazis imprisoned and killed
26、millions of people in such camps, first in Germany and later in German-occupied Europe.,Text,Solve That Problem with Humor,Notes,Introduction to the Author and the Article,Phrases and Expressions,Exercises,Main idea of the Text,MIOTT1,Main idea of the Text,In the text, William D. Ellis illustrates t
27、he soothing and bolstering power of humor through several examples. He claims humor is an effective tool that can free people from embarrassment, heated arguments, hostile confrontation and even disasters. It is suggested by the author that humor be applied in our daily life.,Introduction to the Aut
28、hor and the article,Introduction to the Author and the Article,William D. Ellis is an American novelist. Seemingly part archaeologist, part anthropologist, part genealogist, and part psychologist, Ellis mined the centuries to unearth the raw material he would mold into his fiction and nonfiction boo
29、ks. With no instrument more elaborate than a typewriter, he managed to create popular regional histories and award- winning volumes of historical fiction that brought Ohios past to life in a manner that was not just informative and entertaining, but as vivid as an epic film.Ellis received a Pulitzer
30、 Prize nomination for his best-selling trilogy of novels: Bounty Lands (1958), Jonathan Blair: Bounty Lands Lawyer (1966), and The Brooks Legend. They reflected,Introduction to the Author and the article2,the reality of life on the frontier at a time when Ohio was considered “the West” and the hards
31、hips of daily existence far outweighed the pleasures. Ellis portrays the vicissitudes of pioneer existence with unsparing attention to detail, reminding complacent mid 20th century Ohioans of the strength and courage of their forebears. His The Cuyahoga (1966) is still considered the definitive acco
32、unt of the river and its historical importance to Cleveland and northeastern Ohio.In this essay, Ellis illustrates the soothing and bolstering power of humor through several examples. He claims humor is an effective tool that can free people from embarrassment, heated arguments, hostile confrontatio
33、n and even disasters. It is suggested by the author that humor be applied in our daily life.,Part2_T1,A lot of us lose lifes tougher confrontations by mounting a frontal attack when a touch of humor might well enable us to chalk up a win. Consider the case of a young friend of mine, who hit a traffi
34、c jam en route to work shortly after receiving an ultimatum about being late on the job. Although there was a good reason for Sams chronic tardiness serious illness at home he decided that this by-now-familiar excuse wouldnt work any longer. His supervisor was probably already pacing up and down wit
35、h a dismissal speech rehearsed.,William D. Ellis,Solve That Problem with Humor,Text,Part2_T2,He was. Sam entered the office at 9:35. The place was as quiet as a locker room; everyone was hard at work. Sams supervisor approached him. Suddenly, Sam forced a grin and shoved out his hand. “How do you do
36、!” he said. “Im Sam Maynard. Im applying for a job which I understand became available just minutes ago. Does the early bird get the worm?”The room exploded in laughter. The supervisor clamped off a smile and walked back to his office. Sam Maynard had saved his job with the only tool that could win,
37、 a laugh.Humor is a most effective, yet frequently neglected, means of handling the difficult situations in our lives. It can be used for patching up differences, apologizing, saying “no,” criticizing, or getting the other fellow to do what you want without his losing,Part2_T3,face. For some jobs, i
38、ts the only tool that can succeed. It is a way to discuss subjects so sensitive that serious dialog may start a riot. For example, many believe that comedians on television are doing more today for racial and religious tolerance than are people in any other forum.Humor is often the best way to keep
39、a small misunderstanding from escalating into a big deal. Recently a neighbor of mine had a squabble with his wife as she drove him to the airport. Airborne, he felt miserable, and he knew she did, too. Two hours after she returned home, she received a long-distance phone call. “Person-to-person for
40、 Mrs. I. A. Pologize,” intoned the operator. “Thats spelled P as in.” In a twinkling, the whole day changed from grim to lovely at both ends of the wire.,Part2_T4,An English hostess with a 40quick wit was giving a formal dinner for eight distinguished guests whom she hoped to enlist in a major chari
41、ty drive. Austerity was de rigueur in England at the time, and she had drafted her children to serve the meal. She knew that anything could happen and it did, just as her son, with the studied concentration of a tightrope walker, brought in a large roast turkey. He successfully elbowed the swinging
42、dining-room door, but the backswing knocked the bird onto the dining-room floor.The boy stood rooted. Guests stared at their plates. Moving only her head, the hostess smiled at her son. “No harm, Daniel,” she said. “Just pick it up and take it back to the kitchen” she enunciated clearly so he would
43、think about what she was saying “and bring in the other one.”,Part2_T5,A wink and a one-liner instantly changed the dinner from a red-faced embarrassment to a conspiracy of fun.The power of humor to dissolve a hostile confrontation often lies in its unspoken promise: “You let me off the hook, my fri
44、end, and Ill let you off.” The trick is to assign friendly motives to your opponent, to smile just a little but not too much. Canadas Governor-General Roland Michener, master of the technique, was about to inspect a public school when he was faced with a truculent picket line of striking maintenance
45、 personnel. If he backed away from the line, he would seriously diminish his offices image; if he crossed it, he might put the government smack into a hot labor issue.,Part2_T6,While he pondered the matter, more strikers gathered across his path. Suddenly, the graying mustache on Micheners face stre
46、tched a little in Cheshirean complicity. “How very nice of you all to turn out to see me!” he boomed. “Thank you. Shall we go in?” The line parted and, by the time the pickets began to chuckle, the governor-general was striding briskly up the school steps.Next time you find yourself in an ethnically
47、 awkward situation, take a lesson from the diplomatic delegates to Europes Common Market. In the course of history nearly every member nation has been invaded or betrayed by at least one of the others, and the Markets harmony must be constantly,Part2_T7,buttressed. One method is the laugh based on n
48、ational caricatures. Recently, a new arrival at Market headquarters in Brussels introduced himself as a Minister for the Swiss Navy. Everybody laughed. The Swiss delegate retorted, “Well, why not? Italy has a Minister of Finance.”Of course, humor is often more than a laughing matter. In its more pot
49、ent guises, it has a Trojan horse nature: no one goes on guard against a gag; we let it in because it looks like a little wooden toy. Once inside, however, it can turn a city to reform, to rebellion, to resistance. Some believe, for instance, that, next to the heroic British RAF, British humor did t
50、he most to fend off a German takeover in World War . One sample will suffice: that famous story of the woman who was finally,Part2_T8,extracted from the rubble of her house during the London blitz. Asked, “Where is your husband?” she brushed brick dust off her head and arms and answered, “Fighting i
51、n Libya, the bloody coward!”When life has us in a tight corner, one of the first questions we might ask is, “Can I solve this with a laugh?” Men with giant responsibilities have frequently used this approach to giant problems often with sweeping effect. As Gen. George C. Marshall, U.S. Army Chief of Staff, labored to prepare this then-unready nation to enter World War , he met stiff opposition from his Commander-in-Chief regarding the elements that called for the most bolstering. Marshall felt that what we needed most were highly developed ground forces.,
