1、Unit 4 American Dream,Tony Trivisonnos American DreamFrederick C. Crawford,Unit 4 American Dream,Culture Notes,American Dream: the belief of Americans that their country offers opportunities for a good and successful life. For minorities and immigrants, the dream also includes freedom and equal righ
2、ts. Depression days: the period of severe economic failure in most countries of the world that lasted from 1929 until World War II. It began in the US when the New York Stock Exchange fell on 29 October 1929, known as Black Tuesday. Many business and banks failed and millions of people lost their jo
3、bs. President Franklin D. Roosevelt improved the situation with his New Deal policy,but the Great Depression was only ended by industrial production for the war.,Culture Notes,Immigrants: Apart from “Native Americans”- Indians- who were living in North America when people first arrived there from Eu
4、rope, all Americans have ancestors who were immigrants. In the US the word immigrant is often used with a positive meaning. People are proud to say that their ancestors were immigrants who came with very little and built a better life for themselves. Most Americans have a clear idea of what life was
5、 like for the immigrants: they left home because they were poor and thought they would have better opportunities in the US. For them the American dream was that talent and hard work could take them from log cabin to White House . Once in the US, life was not easy. Many immigrants had to work for lit
6、tle money in factories where conditions were hard and dangers and lived in crowed buildings. But slowly they improved their lives and many wrote home to encourage others to come.,Text Analysis,This text, like Text A in unit 1, employs time words and phrases in narration. Time words serve as transiti
7、onal devices by which an author switches from one event to another. The latter event may take place either before or after the former, which allows an author freedom in narration. For example, Text A in Unit 1 thus becomes a piece of narration interspersed with flashbacks(插叙). For another example, t
8、he author of this text is able to keep his narration concise by simply recounting Tonys steps toward success, since the time phrases make it unnecessary to squeeze in too many details about how he succeeded during each step. However, we are not saying that details are unimportant. Those details vita
9、l to the story development are carefully inserted into the text. For example, why is Tonys faulty English sentence “I mow your lawn” repeated four times? Thats because it shows Tonys determination in finding a job, and his optimistic view that people would help a man who needed a job.,Besides, does
10、the author himself ever make a statement claiming Tony to be a good worker? No. he makes you infer from other peoples compliments( e.g., “my wife said he was very helpful”; the personnel department “said Tony was a very good worker”; “I got a report that he had graduated as a skilled grinder”; when
11、Tony died, people found “the farm green with vegetables, the little house livable and homey. There were a tractor and a good car in the yard. The children were educated and working, and Tony didnt owe a cent.”)Or consider the three instances where Tonys physical appearance is described. They present
12、 an increasingly well-to-do Tony. Or, have you noticed that Tony had remained standing when he talked to Mr. Crawford until in Line 65 “ We sat down and talked”? Tonys social status improved enough to allow him to sit down with Mr. Crawford,Language points,Turn away Work out Helpful Do with Personne
13、l Capacity Turn down For sale Wreck Call on Loan Discard,Confidence Amaze Diet Hunt Abandon Sponsor Amuse Pass away Handle create,Exercises,1.One morning I found him _ in the driveway. a. stood b. stand c. standing d. to stand,2. I told Tony that I couldnt _ a gardener. a. fire b. afford c. charge d
14、. pay,3. How could I _ a person who had come to me for help? a. turn to b. turn over c. turn up d. turn away,4. What do you do _ such determination and hope? a. about b. with c. away with d. to,5. On the edge of town, he had found a house _. a. for sale b. on sale c. to sale d. sold,6. My wife and I
15、 were _ with what we felt was a _end of the story.a. delighted, satisfied b. delighted, satisfyingc. delighting, satisfied d. delighting, satisfying,7. He had a look of _ . a. confidence b. confidential c. confine d. confident,8. He found a small _ piece of land with a house and shed. a. abashed b.
16、absorbed c. abandoned d. abstract,9. _ later, Tony arrived on a Sunday afternoon, neatly dressed. a. Sometimes b. Some time c. Some times d. Sometime,10. Then, during the war, a message came from my company. Tony had _ _. a. passed on b. passed to c. passed by d. passed away,1.c 2. b 3. d 4. b 5. a
17、6. b 7. a 8. c 9. d 10. d,turn away,1. To send away; dismiss;把打发走；解雇：turned away the salesperson. 2. To repel:驱逐：The poor location of the condominium turned away many prospective buyers.公寓房偏僻的位置赶跑了许多很有希望的买主. 3.To avert; deflect:挡开；使转向：turned away all criticism.,Work out,1. 算出（总数）to work out a sum 算出
18、总数 2. 带来好结果；有预期的结果Things will work themselves out. 事情会有好结果的。 3. 运动；锻炼to work out daily with sparring partner 每天和拳击陪练员练习 4.（矿山）开采完，采尽,help adj.,有用的；有帮助的；有益的The helpful boy carried my bags for me. 这个挺顶用的男孩帮我搬运提包。Youve been very helpful.你(给我们)帮了很多忙。helpfully adv.helpfulness n.,Do with,1.（前面与could, can连
19、用）需要I could do with a cup of tea. 我来杯茶就行。 2. 有关系*have sth. to do with *have nothing to do with 3. 对待,处理deal with(used in questions with what)What do you do with such rude boys?What are we going to do with the huge rock lying in the middle of the road?,personnel,1. 全体人员, 职员, 班底(与复数动词连用)engineering an
20、d technical personnel工程技术人员All personnel in this company are entitled to medical insurance. 2. 人事(部门) personnel department人事处科personnel director人事主任 personnel manager人事经理*常用于修饰另一个名词：personnel problems 个人问题,Capacity,词源同 capable -ties 1. 容量；生产量 That bowl has a capacity of two pints.两品脱 2. 能力；接受力capaci
21、ty for /capacity of / capacity to do.的能力a mind of great capacity 理解力极强的头脑 3. 地位；身份；资格I have come in the capacity of a legal adviser. 我是以法律顾问的身份来的。,turn down,1) To diminish the speed, volume, intensity, or flow of:降低，减弱调低速度、音量、强度或流量：Turn down the radio, please. 2) To reject or refuse, as a person, ad
22、vice, or a suggestion:拒绝拒绝某人、建议或忠告：We politely turned down the invitation. 3)To fold or be capable of folding down:翻下折转或能够被翻下： turn a collar down; a collar that turns down. 翻下衣领；能翻下的衣领,for sale 待售，出售,Not for Sale 非卖品 That house is for sale. 那座房子待售。on sale 出售，上市,Wreck,n.1) (船只等)失事, 遭难 the ship wreck
23、船事故2) 失事的船(飞机等的)残骸; (漂到岸上的)失事船中的货物3) 遭到严重 破坏的建筑物车辆, 健康极度受损的人动物 vt.1) 使(船, 火车等)失事, 使遭难2) 拆毁(建筑物等)3) 破坏; 损害No one can wreck the friendship between us.4) 摧残(身体健康等) The accident wrecked his health. vi. (船只等)失事; 遭受破坏, 毁灭,call on,1) 拜访 Ill call on him tomorrow. 明天我去拜访他。 2)号召；呼吁 3)邀请,loan,n. 1)借出的东西 “The d
24、ictionary is a loan, not a gift.“2) 贷款；借出的钱 I asked the bank for a loan. Does the loan carry any interest? 这笔贷款是否带利息?3)借出；贷 vt . 借出；借给； 借贷 The bank loaned me some money. He loaned me $100. He loaned his collection to the gallery.收藏 美术馆 The artist loaned her pictures to the museum.,discard,v. 放弃, 丢弃,
25、 抛弃 discard ones wife discard old beliefs discard prejudices discard the dross and select the essential去粗取精 n. 抛弃, 丢弃; 被抛弃的人物 废品(物), 废料 the discards of society被社会所抛弃的人,confidence,n. 1)信任；信赖 He has won her confidence; she trusts him.2)自信；相信；信心 She has a lot of confidences. Its a tragedy that one lack
26、s confidence in himself. We have full confidence that we shall succeed. 我们完全有把握取得成功。3) 秘密；私事；私房话 exchange confidences互谈心事,amaze,vt使惊奇；使吃惊 Her knowledge amazes me. I was amazed by the news of Georges sudden death.听到乔治突然去逝的消息,我感到惊愕。 n. 惊愕 He stood in amaze at the sight. amazed adj.吃惊的, 惊异的 be amazed a
27、t (by)对.大为惊奇 be amazed to see/ hear/ find 看到听到, 发现.感到吃惊,amaze astonish surprise 都含有“使.惊异” 的意思,而且它们都是一般以事物或他人作主语, 以本人作宾语; 以本人作主语时用被动形式。 amaze强调“使惊异, 困惑”间或还有“惊叹, 佩服”的意思, 是意义很强的词, 如: We were amazed at the ingenuity with which they solved their difficulties.他们在解决困难中所表现的智慧使我们惊叹佩服。 astonish表示“使人大吃一惊”、“几乎无
28、法使人相信”, 但没有“惊叹”的意思, 如: I was astonished at his rudeness.他的粗野使 我大吃一惊。 surprise语气较上述两词弱, 只表示“出乎意外地惊异”, 如: We were surprised at finding the house empty.我们惊讶地发现房子是空的。,diet,n. 1)饮食；食物 2)特种饮食；保健食谱 a low calorie diet低热量饮食 to go on a diet 节食；吃限定食物 He began his diet a week ago. People who are on a diet mustn
29、t have chocolate. vt, vi节食；吃限定食物 The doctor has dieted the patient strictly. 医生严格规定病人的饮食。 “No sugar in my coffee, please; Im dieting.“ “请不要给我的咖啡放糖,我在节食。“,hunt,vt, vi 1)打猎，狩猎 2)骑马猎狐；追捕 3)（与after, for连用）搜索；追寻 I hunted for my book everywhere. Weve been hunting for the lost boy all over. Wolves hunt in
30、packs.狼是成群猎食的。 n. 1)狩猎，打猎 2)猎狐；猎狐的人 3)追寻；搜索 Our hunt for a cheaper but larger house is at last at an end. 我们想寻找一幢便宜些但要大些的房子的事终于有了结果。 a member of the hunt打猎队中的一员 rainbow hunt痴心妄想, 追求不可得的事物 treasure hunt寻宝(一种儿童游戏),abandon,vt 1)抛弃；舍弃；离弃 abandon ones home 离弃家园He abandoned his wife and went away with all
31、 their money. 他抛弃了妻子还带走了两人所有的钱。2)放弃；停止做（某事） They abandoned the game because of rain. 3)放纵；放任 He abandoned himself to despair. 他自暴自弃。 n. 放肆；放纵 They shouted in gay abandon. 他们放肆地大声喊叫。,Sponsor,n.发起人, 主办者, 保证人, 主办人 vt.发起, 主办; 为做保证人;赞助The exhibition was sponsored by the Society of Culture.这个展览会是由文化学会主办的。
32、The football team is sponsored by Coco-cola company, so the players wear the letters Coco-cola on the shirts.,amuse,1)使欢乐；逗笑 His story amuses me. 他的故事使我发笑。 We were all amused at his foolish behavior. 我们对他那愚蠢的行为都感到好笑。 2)娱乐； 消遣 She amused herself by reading detective stories. 她读侦探小说消遣。 The children am
33、used themselves by playing hide-and-seek games.孩子们玩捉迷藏游戏取乐。,Pass away,去世 ( You can say that sb. passed away if you want to avoid using the word die because you think it too blunt.) The old lady passed away peacefully in her sleep. The teenager has lived on his own since his parents passed away four
34、years ago.,Handle,1)处理；应付；控制(manage, control) Ms Hawkins handles the companys accounts. 霍金斯女士管理公司的账目。 I cant handle children. 我管不住孩子们。 She handled a difficult argument skillfully. 她巧妙地应付了一场艰难的辩论。 2)操作 He learnt how to handle an axe. 他学会了怎样使斧头。 This motorcar handles well.这摩托车很好驾驶。,create,1)创造；创作；创建 M
35、an creates himself.人类创造了自己。 create a poem; 创作一首诗； create a role.塑造一个角色 Weve created a beautiful new house from an old ruin. 我们把旧破屋重建成一栋美丽的新房子。 2)造成, 引起, 产生 Its bound to create trouble sooner or later. 迟早注定要引起麻烦的。 That remark created a stir.发言引起了一阵骚动,broken English,If someone talks in broken English,
36、 they speak slowly and make a lot of mistakes because they only know a little of the language.,assume,= suppose He was with an elderly man whom we assumed to be his grandfather. assumption,see that,= make sure that See that the lights are turned off before you leave the office. I promise to see that
37、 the job is done on time.,Text organization,Part one paras 1-29 With determination,and with help from Mr.Crawford, Tony achieved his dream of owning his farm. Part Two paras 30-33 Tonys career set the author thinking about why and to what extent he had been successful.,Main event : 1.Tony worked as
38、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.,Points for discussion,What is the authors interpretation of the American Dream as illustrated in the story of Tony? Do you think integrity, determination and hard work can take everyone from log cabin to white House? Why or why not? What do you think is the essence of the American Dream?,Thank you! Good luck!,By River,
