1、Unit 1 Text A Time-Conscious Americans,Class 3-4,New Horizon College English,Text A: Key Sentences (2) Translation (For reference) Text Structure Analysis Related Cultural Background,Outlines of the Class,Para 6: s1, s2, s4 Para 7: S4 Para 8: s2, S3, S4, S5,Text A: Key Sentences (2),To us the impers
2、onality of electronic communication has little or no relation to the significance of the matter at hand.,Meaning: To us, the lack of personal feelings of electronic communication has little or no relation to the importance of the matter we are discussing.,Para 6: s1,In some countries no major busine
3、ss is conducted without eye contact, requiring face-to-face conversation.,Meaning: In some countries, important business must be carried out with eye contact, and through face-to-face conversation.,Para 6: s2,However, people are meeting increasingly on television screens, conducting “teleconferences
4、“ to settle problems.,Meaning: However, people are meeting more and more through television, holding teleconferences to solve problems.,Para 6: s4,This is due partly to the fact that the telephone service is superb here, whereas the postal service is less efficient.,Meaning: This is partly because o
5、f the fact that the telephone service is excellent here, but by contrast the postal service is not so good.,Para 7: S4,Unless a certain amount of time is allowed to elapse, it seems in their eyes as if the task being considered were insignificant, not worthy of proper respect.,Meaning: If they dont
6、spend some time dealing with a certain task, it will give the impression, in their opinion, that the task being considered is not important or not properly respected.,Para 8: s2,Assignments are, consequently, given added weight by the passage of time.,Meaning: As a result, people think that assignme
7、nts are gaining additional importance with the passing of time. The word “weight“ here is used as an uncountable noun metaphorically to mean “importance“. More examples: an idea of great weight 一个很重要的观点 Dont worry about what he thinks; his opinion doesnt carry much weight. 别担心他怎么想，他的意见没有多少影响。,Para 8
8、: S3,In the US, however, it is taken as a sign of skillfulness or being competent to solve a problem, or fulfill a job successfully, with speed.,Meaning: In the US, however, if you can solve a problem or do a job quickly, you will be considered a person having skills or ability.,Para 8: S4,Usually,
9、the more important a task is, the more capital, energy, and attention will be poured into it in order to “get it moving“.,Meaning: Usually, if a job is more important, people will put in more money, effort, and attention in order to get it done.,Para 8: S5,Paragraph 1 Paragraph 2 Paragraph 3 Paragra
10、ph 4 Paragraph 5 Paragraph 6 Paragraph 7 Paragraph 8,Translation,美国人认为没有人能停止不前。 如果你不求进取，你就会落伍。 这种态度造就了一个投身于研究、实验和探索的民族。 时间是美国人注意节约的两个要素之一，另一要素是劳力。,Paragraph 1,人们一直说：“只有时间才能支配我们。” 人们似乎把时间当作一个差不多是实实在在的东西来对待。 我们安排时间、节约时间、浪费时间、挤抢时间、消磨时间、缩减时间、对时间的利用作出解释；我们还要因付出时间而收取费用。 时间是一种宝贵的资源，许多人都深感人生的短暂。 时光一去不复返。 我们
11、应当让每一分钟都过得有意义。,Paragraph 2,外国人对美国的第一印象很可能是：每个人都匆匆忙忙常常处于压力之下。 城里人看上去总是在匆匆地赶往他们要去的地方，在商店里他们焦躁不安地指望店员能马上来为他们服务，或者为了赶快买完东西，用肘来推搡他人。 白天吃饭时人们也都匆匆忙忙，这部分地反映出这个国家的生活节奏。人们认为工作时间是宝贵的。,Paragraph 3,在公共用餐场所，人们都等着别人尽快吃完，以便他们也能及时用餐， 你还会发现司机开车很鲁莽，人们推搡着在你身边过去。 你会怀念微笑、简短的交谈以及与陌生人的随意闲聊。 不要觉得这是针对你个人的， 这是因为人们都非常珍惜时间，而且也不
12、喜欢他人“浪费”时间到不恰当的地步。,许多刚到美国的人会怀念诸如商务拜访等场合开始时的寒暄。 他们也会怀念那种一边喝茶或喝咖啡一边进行的礼节性交流，这也许是他们自己国家的一种习俗。 他们也许还会怀念在饭店或咖啡馆里谈生意时的那种轻松悠闲的交谈。,Paragraph 4,一般说来，美国人是不会在如此轻松的环境里通过长时间的闲聊来评价他们的客人的，更不用说会在增进相互间信任的过程中带他们出去吃饭，或带他们去打高尔夫球。 既然我们通常是通过工作而不是社交来评估和了解他人，我们就开门见山地谈正事。 因此，时间老是在我们心中滴滴答答地响着。,因此，我们千方百计地节约时间。 我们发明了一系列节省劳力的装置
13、； 我们通过发传真、打电话或发电子邮件与他人迅速地进行交流，而不是通过直接接触。虽然面对面接触令人愉快，但却要花更多的时间，尤其是在马路上交通拥挤的时候。 因此，我们把大多数个人拜访安排在下班以后的时间里或周末的社交聚会上。,Paragraph 5,就我们而言，电子交流的缺乏人情味与我们手头上事情的重要性之间很少有或完全没有关系。 在有些国家，如果没有目光接触，就做不成大生意，这需要面对面的交谈。 在美国，最后协议通常也需要本人签字。 然而现在人们越来越多地在电视屏幕上见面，开远程会议不仅能解决本国的问题，而且还能通过卫星解决国际问题。,Paragraph 6,美国无疑是一个电话王国。 几乎每
14、个人都在用电话做生意、与朋友聊天、安排或取消社交约会、表达谢意、购物和获得各种信息。 电话不但能免去走路之劳，而且还能节约大量时间。 其部分原因在于这样一个事实：美国的电话服务是一流的，而邮政服务的效率则差一些。,Paragraph 7,有些初来美国的人来自文化背景不同的其他国家，在他们的国家，人们认为工作太快是一种失礼。 在他们看来，如果不花一定时间来处理某件事的话，那么这件事就好像是无足轻重的，不值得给予适当的重视。 因此，人们觉得用的时间长会增加所做事情的重要性。,Paragraph 8,但在美国，能迅速而又成功地解决问题或完成工作则被视为是有水平、有能力的标志。 通常情况下，工作越重要
15、，投入的资金、精力和注意力就越多，其目的是“使工作开展起来”。,Text Structure Analysis,Para 1: : Time is one of the two elements that Americans save carefully, the other being labor.,Para 2: Time is a precious resource for Americans. The reasons: Many people have a rather acute sense of the shortness of each lifetime. Once the sa
16、nds have run out of a persons hourglass, they cannot be replaced. We want every minute to count.,General Statement,Para 3: Details about how Americans are in a rush often under pressure of time. The reasons: People value time highly, and they resent someone else “wasting“ it beyond a certain appropr
17、iate point.,Para 4: In business life, Americans start talking business very quickly instead of taking time on leisurely business chats in a restaurant or coffee house, assessing and developing a sense of trust in their business partners in relaxed surroundings. Reasons: Time is, therefore, always ti
18、cking in their inner ear.,Para 5: They produce a flow of labor-saving devices such as faxes, phone calls, or emails to save time.,Para 6: Americans believe the impersonality of electronic communication has no relation to the significance of the matter at hand. Americans are meeting on television scr
19、eens, etc. to settle problems both at home and abroad.,Para 7: Almost every American uses the telephone to do everything such as business, chats with friends, shopping, obtaining all kinds of information, etc. Reasons: Telephones save endless amounts of time.,How do Americans treat time?,Para 8: Peo
20、ple of different cultures believe that it is impolite to work too quickly and that assignments are, consequently, given added weight by the passage of time. Americans believe that it is a sign of skillfulness or being competent to solve a problem, or fulfill a job successfully, with speed. More capi
21、tal, etc. are poured into some important tasks to get them moving.,Different concepts of time roots from cultural differences:,Simplified Structure,English-speaking countries: Punctuality in working occasions 15 lateness in social occasions Late minute rush of the host Hats Fever,Related Cultural Ba
22、ckground,On the Royal Ascot Race,the Royal Ascot Races,Romance means surprise and irregularity Holly holiday Eiffel Tower,French-speaking countries (Belgium, Luxembourg, Monaco),German-speaking countries: (Switzerland, Austria) Watch and Machine,Latin areas (Spanish, Italian, Greek, French) Spain, Latino-AmericaExpect the appointed being late for 2-4 hours.One Hundred Years of Solitude by Marquez,Brazil Carnival,Finish exercises after the text on the textbook Finish half of Unit 1 on exercise book,Homework,See You!,
