Unit 6
Text I
Preparing for College Lincoln Steffens
I) Pre-reading Brainstorming:
1.How did you prepare yourself for admiion to college or university? Were you opposed to such examination-oriented preparation? 2.How did the author of the text, Lincoln Steffen, prepare for college? II) Main Idea of the paage:
In the paage, basically a narrative, the author intends to tell his readers what happens in the year 1884-1885: his failure in examinations and his discovery of the right way to prepare himself for college, which he thought was a period of great adventure for him.III) Structure of the paage:
1.P.1-4 --- His failure and the cause of it; 2.P.5-12---His private tutor’s influence on him (to think and discover all by himself) 3.P.13-18---He found the best preparation for college in the stimulating Saturday night conversations among all those Oxford and Cambridge men (P16-17: what he gained from the conversations).IV) Comprehension Questions:
i.From Steffens’s description of “the elect” in para.2, what has been revealed about himself? --- He must be very different from those boys.To him study did not mean performing all the tasks aigned by the teacher without thinking and reasoning.He must be unhappy to be told to memorize what he was supposed to learn without a thorough understanding.He was motivated by a strong quest for knowledge, not by the desire to distinguish himself in terms of marks. ii.Where can you find Steffens’s critical comments on the school education he received? Was it at least in part responsible for his failure to get into university? --- Mainly in para.3&4.He was not interested in those subjects which seemed to him irrelevant to his life, and the teachers failed to interest him in those subjects.As a result, he did not do well in them.This partly accounted for his failure. iii.What is the antecedent of the pronoun “it” in the first sentence of para.6? Apart from referring to its antecedent, what cohesive function does it perform? --- \"It\" refers to the change that had come over him.\"It\" links the paragraph with the preceding one. iv.How does the man Evelyn Nixon impre you? Support your answer with information from the text.--- A well-informed Oxford scholar, a good teacher, who knew how to interest his student in what he had to learn, a creative and original man, who was not satisfied with what was known, but was more interested in the exploration and discovery of the unknown.For supporting information, refer to paras.6 to 13. v.Despite their similar background, the Englishmen who met at the Saturday night gatherings had “no common opinion on anything apparently” (para.13).By which sentence in the same paragraph is this fact restated? Why does the author seem to emphasize this point? --- \"They could not among them agree on anything but a fact.\" To emphasize the originality of these searching minds and the infinite nature of the pursuit of knowledge. vi.why does Steffens say that those wonderful Saturday nights in San Francisco were his preparations for college? --- The conversations he heard were brilliant, scholarly, and stimulating, thus greatly broadening his scope of knowledge.And the way in which the conversations were carried on was inspiring, too.(Refer to paras.14 and 15) They were much more beneficial to him than the kind of school education he had received. vii.What did Steffens gain from the conversations at the Oxford and Cambridge men? --- “Cultivated ignorance and objectivity” as explained in para.16&17.V) Key Words and Expreions:
1.driving motive (L.12) --- the incentive / encouragement that urges them on; 2.the rudiments (L.32) --- the basics, the fundamentals (The word rudiments is always in the plural form when used in this sense.)
3.metaphysics (L.36) --- the branch of philosophy that deals with abstract concepts, etc.形而上学，玄学，纯粹哲学
4.conscious culture (L.48) --- the culture (i.e.customs, arts, etc,) that is directly perceptible or known to us 5.fanatic (L.49) --- one who is very enthusiastic about a particular activity 6.personify (L.53) --- expre or represent ( a quality in human form) 7.sedentary (L.65) --- inactive; done while sitting down 8.underline (L.74) --- indicate the importance of 9.balked (L.77) --- baffled; frustrated 10.a maddening lot (L.83) --- a wild, uncontrollable group 11.righteous sects (L.91) --- morally justifiable groups of people whose religious beliefs are considered different form those of a larger group 12.relish (L.105) --- 味,味道,兴趣;开胃小菜;great enjoyment VI) Language Points in Text II (S.B.):
1.to be put off for a year --- to be delayed for a year put something offunderstand, see, or hear.Examples: That problem is just beyond me; I can\'t make it out.He muttered a complaint that nobody could make out.4.they looked dazed or indifferent --- they looked confused/ bewildered or uninterested/ unconcerned Daze is often used in the paive.To be dazed is to be made unable to think or feel clearly.Example: His answer to the question left us all dazed.indifferentnot at all.Example: Lots of people love to read science fiction.but I\'m not in the least interested.10.to be crammed for Berkeley --- to be stuffed with as much book knowledge as poible for me to pa the entrance examination of the University of California at Berkeley cram --- learn as much as poible in a short time just before the examination.Example: Learning is a long-range proce.Cramming for an examination in the last minute does one no good.11.all the poets of all the ages --- all the poets of all periods in history.Call the students\' attention to the meaning of of all the ages (不同的历史时代) here in comparison with of all ages.which means \"of different ages\" (不同的年龄) 12.romance and language sang songs to me --- I enjoyed romance and language so much that they were like songs sung to me 13.inspire --- encourage in somebody the desire and ability to take effective action by filling with eagerne, confidence.etc.Example: The Party secretary\'s words inspired us to work still harder/to greater efforts.14.It was too great and too various for me to personify with my boyish imitations and heroism --- Life was so good and so different in kind that I was not able to expre what it was like with my youthful mind and boldne.15.when I looked ...balked --- when I looked ...thwarted阻碍 / frustrated 16.With a surene which withstood reference to the books --- with such a certainty that they did not have to refer to the source of the quotation 他们在引用权威人士所述时是如此的肯定,他们不必提及引文的出处.withstand --- hold out against, stand up to, not be changed by.Examples: Buildings in this area should be able to withstand earthquakes 经得住地震.Great works of art/literary works can always withstand the test of time 17.studied minds as polished as fine tools --- great intellectual faculties great mental capacities as flawle as first-cla tools 18.those picked Englishmen --- those excellent / superior Englishmen Picked is an adjective meaning \"chosen as very suitable for a special purpose\".Example: Prizes are awarded to a picked few.
