1、Unit 13 Western Culture,Objectives,You will be able to 1. Grasp the main idea of the text: What does the author want to tell us in the text? 2. Understand the structure of the text: How does he organize his idea? 3. Master the key language points and grammatical structure. Learn to express your idea
2、 in English by using the vocabulary, expressions and sentence patterns youve learnt in text. 4. Understand the theme of the unit (show business, media) and conduct a series of reading, listening, speaking and writing actives related to it 5. Learn to write a summary. 6. Learn the translation skills虚
3、实对译,Preview,Read the text carefully, and mark where you have any question. Answer the six questions of text comprehension (page 274). Write the answers on your textbook. Analyze the structure of the text and give the main ideas of each part (page 274). Prepare pre-reading tasks. (on your textbook),D
4、o you like watching TV? What kind of program do you like? Does TV make any difference to your life and if it does, what is it? What roles do you think show business play wholly speaking, in peoples daily life, and in the development of economy?,Lead-in questions,Are you obsessed withTV?,新闻节目 news pr
5、ogram 纪录片 documentary 体育赛事 sports event 娱乐节目 entertainment program 综艺节目 variety show 谈话节目/脱口秀 talk show 选秀节目/真人秀 reality show 相亲节目 dating show 电视剧 TV series 电影 movie 动漫 cartoon 电视广告 TV advertisement,If there were no TV, I wouldnt be near-sighted. If there were no TV, I might not get interested in En
6、glish.若与现在事实相反，虚拟语气的条件从句的谓语用过去式(be通常用were)，主句谓语用“should (would, could, might)+动词原形”。If there were no TV, I should/would/could/might If there were no TV, I should/would/could/might not,In daily life, the show business playa positive role: relax you, make you laugh, you can follow the latest trend of
7、fashion and thoughta negative role: a waste of time as you cant learn much from it, distract you from serious issues,The Washington D.C.-based Motion Picture Association of America美国电影协会, or MPAA, recently hosted a conference on The Business of Show Business, which was designed to raise awareness in
8、 Washington about the contributions the film industry makes to the national economy. According to California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, the film industry is a giant engine of economic growth, employing more than 750,000 people and boasting a surplus balance of trade with every single country in
9、 the world.,Economic, social and culture effectgood side: promote the economic development, create employment opportunities, create spiritual enjoyment, contribute to national culture formationbad side: distract people from serious issues, misguide audience, have a bad influence on social climate, p
10、ursuing fun becomes some peoples life goalHow does show business change American culture?,Neil Postman(March 8, 1931 - October 5, 2003) an American author, media theorist and cultural critic, who is best known by the general public for his 1985 book about television, Amusing Ourselves to Death. Post
11、man was a humanist, who believed that new technology could never substitute for human values.,Background information,Amusing Ourselves to DeathPostmans best known book, published in 1985, a historical narrative which deplores the decline of the communication medium as television images have replaced
12、 the written word. Postman argues that television confounds serious issues with entertainment, demeaning and undermining political discourse by making it less about ideas and more about image. He also argues that television is not an effective way of providing education, as it provides only top-down
13、 information transfer, rather than the interaction that he believes is necessary to maximize learning.,Background information,He draws on the ideas of media theorist Marshall McLuhan to argue that different media are appropriate for different kinds of knowledge, and describes how oral, literate, and
14、 televisual cultures value and transfer information in different ways. He states that 19th century America was the pinnacle of rational argument, an Age of Reason, in which the dominant communication medium was the printed word. During this period, complicated arguments could be transmitted without
15、oversimplification. Amusing Ourselves to Death was translated into eight languages and sold 200,000 copies worldwide. This passage is an excerpt from the book.,Background information,What is Show Business?,Background information,Show Business:sometimes shortened to show biz, is a term for all aspect
16、s of entertainment from the business side (including managers, agents, producers and distributors) to the creative element (including artists, performers, writers and musicians). The term was in common usage throughout the 20th century.,Background information,What does the text mainly talk about?Thi
17、s text has mainly discussed TVs impact on American culture.,Text structure,Whats the text structure? Part 1: ( ): introduction： to introduce the argument and the authors idea about it. Part 2: ( ): illustration of the topic Part 3: ( ): conclusion: America is becoming a culture of show business.,Tex
18、t structure,para.1 to para. 2,para.3 to para. 11,para.12,Part 1Part 2Part 3,Text structure,Para. 2 introducing the authors idea on the relationship between TV and literacyTV_literate culture.,Para.1 introducing the topic of the text by an_ on the relationship between_and_.,Para.3 giving the four que
19、stions part 2 will elaborate and illustrate on the topic.,Para.4-5 illustrating the first question _,Para 6-7 illustrating the second question_,Para 8-10 illustrating the third question_,Para.11 illustrating the fourth question_,Para. 12 _,ironic story,TV,literacy,attacks rather than supports,what i
20、s television?,what kinds of conversations does it permit?,what are the intellectual tendencies it encourages?,what sort of culture dose it produce?,America is becoming a culture of show business,Part One A story (para. 1)what happened? Why this story? Authors idea on the topic(para.2)whats his idea?
21、,Detail reading,1. Neil Postman began the article with a story. Can you retell the story in your own words? 2. What is “rearview mirror” thinking? Can you give an example to illustrate it? 3. Why does the author say that the hope that television can be used to support the literate tradition represen
22、ts what Marshall McLuhan used to call the “rearview mirror” thinking? Does Postman agree with Mcluhan?,Detail reading,Words and Expressions,quixotic kwikstikDon Quixote kihuti 堂吉诃德If you describe someones ideas or plans as quixotic, you mean that they are imaginative or hopeful but unrealistic.,4. “
23、After a whiff of panicwhich he was to be tested.”(line3 para. 1) Find out the basic components (subject, predicate, object) and adjunctive components (attribute, adverbial) of this sentence, and then translate it. 5. Translate the sentence “Such a hope represents a powerful candle”. (line2, para.2)
24、6. “To make such a mistake in the matter at hand is to misconstrue entirely how television redefines the meaning of public discourse.” Find out the predicate of this sentence, and then translate it.,Detail reading,Because the “the rearview thinking” believes that a new medium (TV) is merely an exten
25、sion or amplification of an old one (book). But the author does not agree with this thinking, because he thinks that television does not extend or amplify literate culture. It attacks it.,After a whiff of panic, he was able to restore both his equanimity and his chances for a satisfactory grade by t
26、urning on the television set, turning off the sound, and with his back to the set, using its light to read important passages on which he was to be tested.Although this is the longest sentence in part 1, it is a simple sentence. Can you analyze the structure and find its basic components?,Detail rea
27、ding,Basic components Hewas able to restore both his equanimity his chances for a satisfactory gradeAdjunctive components After a whiff of panic by turning on the television set turning off the sound, and with his back to the set, using its light to read important passages on which he was to be test
28、ed.,Detail reading,Subject,compound predicate,object,adverbial of manner,adverbial of time,After a whiff of panic, he was able to restore both his equanimity and his chances for a satisfactory grade by turning on the television set, turning off the sound, and with his back to the set, using its ligh
29、t to read important passages on which he was to be tested. 片刻惊慌之后，他恢复了平静，也为取得满意的成绩赢得了可能性。他打开电视，关掉声音，背对着电视机，借助电视机微弱的光线复习第二天要测试的材料。,Detail reading,Such a hope represents exactly what Marshall McLuhan used to call “rearview mirror” thinking: the assumption that a new medium is merely an extension or am
30、plification of an older one; that an automobile, for example, is only a fast horse, or an electric light, a powerful candle. The difficult point in this sentence is that it contains many fragments. If we reorganize it, youll find it much easier to understand. Still pay attention to its basic structu
31、re.,Detail reading,Such a hope (subject) represents (predicate) exactly what Marshall McLuhan used to call “rearview mirror” thinking (object clause): the assumption that a new medium is merely an extension or amplification of an older one; the assumption that an automobile is only a fast horse, or
32、an electric light is only a powerful candle. “;” connects two parallel sentences which elaborate “rearview mirror” thinkingthe first sentence is an explanation and the second one gives examples.,Detail reading,Such a hope represents exactly what Marshall McLuhan used to call “rearview mirror” thinki
33、ng: the assumption that a new medium is merely an extension or amplification of an older one; that an automobile, for example, is only a fast horse, or an electric light, a powerful candle. 这种幻想被马歇尔麦克卢汉称为“后视镜”思维：认为新鲜事物只是旧事物的延伸或扩大；比如汽车，只是一匹快马；电灯，只是一盏明亮的蜡烛。,Detail reading,To make such a mistake in the
34、 matter at hand is to misconstrue entirely how television redefines the meaning of public discourse. The difficult point here is that there are too many verbs, but only one is the predicate. Can you find it?Two infinitives (to make, to misconstrue) act as subject and predicative, and the only predic
35、ate is “is”.,Detail reading,To make such a mistake in the matter at hand is to misconstrue entirely how television redefines the meaning of public discourse. 以这种思维看待电视机，完全误解了电视是如何重新界定公共话语的意义。,Detail reading,solitary(a) alone, without companions过着独居的生活 lead a solitary life(b) fond of being alone; use
36、d to being alone喜欢离群索居的人 a solitary kind of personDistinguishalone, lonely, solitaryAlone emphasizes being apart from others but does not necessarily imply unhappiness. Lonely often connotes painful awareness of being alone Solitary stresses physical isolation that is self-imposed,Words and Expressi
37、ons,whiff (a) faint smell or puff of air or smoke闻到一股香水味儿catch a whiff of perfume, of cigar smoke吸一点儿新鲜空气have a whiff of fresh air有点危险/丑事/怀疑a whiff (ie a trace or hint) of danger, scandal, suspicion (b) Small amount breathed in他吸了几口雪茄，烟斗He took a few whiffs, ie of a cigar, pipe, etc.,Words and Expre
38、ssions,equanimitya formal wordequanimity is a calm state of mind and attitude to life, so that you never lose your temper or became upset她在长期的苦难中心情一直都很平静。She maintained her equanimity throughout her long ordeal.,Words and Expressions,illuminate vt. (a) provide sth. with light用泛光灯照亮球场illuminate the f
39、ootball pitch with floodlights(b) make sth. clear, help to explain解释书中难懂的段落illuminate a difficult passage in a book Illuminating adj. particularly revealing or helpful很有启发的谈话illuminating talk illumination n. illuminating or being illuminated; (source of) light,Words and expressions,amplification amp
40、lify(a) increase (sth.) in size or strength增大声音，电流，信号amplify the sound, electric current, signal(b) add details to (a story, ect); make fuller我们得请你对你的说法作进一步的说明.We must ask you to amplify your statement. amplifierdevice for amplifying (especially sounds or radio signals) 放大器， （尤指）扩音器，扩大器，扬声器,Words an
41、d Expressions,misconstrue construe interpret; make sense of misconstrue interpret in the wrong way What the prefix “mis-” means? Can you give us more examples？,Words and Expressions,mis bad, inappropriate: misbehave, mismanagement, wrong: misspelling, misjudge lack, opposite: mischance, mistrust,Wor
42、ds and Expressions,Part Two What is TV? (para. 4-5) 1. What is TV? The author doesnt give us a direct definition of television but an analogy (类比). Can you follow the authors thinking and find out the analogy? You can use a diagram to illustrate their relations.The key words: technology, medium, bra
43、in, mind,Detail reading,“We must understand as a first point that we are not talking about television as a technology but television as a medium.” Therefore, TV in this text refers not to the machine the TV set, but to the use, the social and intellectual environment TV creates.,Detail reading,Under
44、 certain condition, technology can become a medium. What is the condition?,medium,(machine),physical apparatus,brain,technology,mind,use,(what this machine create),apparatus n. (a)the tools or other pieces of equipment that are needed for a particular activity or task. 实验室设备laboratory apparatus(b) c
45、omplex structure of an organization 整个政府机构the whole apparatus of government(c) system of bodily organs呼吸器官,Words and expressions,the respiratory apparatus,insinuate(a) sth. (to sb.) suggest sth. (to sb.) unpleasantly and indirectly; used showing disapprovalAre you insinuating that I am a liar?你绕来绕去是
46、否暗指我撒谎？(b) sth./oneself into sth. Place sth./oneself smoothly and stealthily into sth; used showing disapprovalinsinuate oneself into sbs favor巧妙地逐渐取得某人的宠信,Words and Expressions,inherent (in sb/sth) existing as a natural or permanent feature or quality of sb/sth天生对外国人的不信任an inherent distrust of fore
47、igners设计本身存在的弱点an inherent weakness in a design,Words and Expressions,predisposition to/towards sth. to do sth. 喜欢挑人毛病的癖性易患风湿的的体质 predispose (a) sb. to/toward sth. influence sb. (in a specific way) in advance他早年所受的教养是他热衷于冒险活动。His early training disposed him to a life of adventure. (b) (esp. passive)
48、 sb. to sth. cause sb. to be liable to sth.因气候潮湿，居民易患风湿病。The inhabitants are predisposed to rheumatism by the damp climate.,Words and Expressions,a predisposition to criticize others,a predisposition towards rheumatism,Whats kinds of conversations does it permit? (para.6-7) 1. What kind of medium is
49、 television in many other places in the word? 2. What kind of medium is television in America? 3. What consequence will these differences bring about?,Detail reading,Many places in the world: TV only permits minimum conversations or conversation between the government and its people.In America: TV permits free conversations.Therefore, American television is a very influential medium, and its program is in demand and loved.,
