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An Integrated English Course An Integrated English Course Book 2Book 2

Unit Seven

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Learning ObjectivesLearning Objectives

By the end of this unit, you are supposed to

understand the main idea, structure of the text and the author’s writing style

master the key language points and grammatical structures in the text

hold a debate about “growing older”

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Teaching ProcedureTeaching Procedure

Pre-reading QuestionsText I. The Virtues of Growing Older● Passage● Structure analysis● Main idea of the passage● Language points ● sentence studies ● vocabulary studies

Text II. Closing the Gap

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Pre-readingPre-reading

1. What, in your opinion, are the advantages and disadvantages of growing older?

2. What do you think are the virtues of being young?

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Text I. Text I. The Virtues of Growing The Virtues of Growing Older Older

Our society worships youth, Advertisements convince us to buy Grecian Formula and Oil of Olay so we can hide the gray in our hair. Middle-aged folks work out in gyms and jog down the streets, trying to delay the effects of age.

Wouldn’t any person over thirty gladly sign with the devil just to be young again? Isn’t aging an experience to be dreaded? Perhaps it is un-American to say so, but I believe the answer is “No”. being young is often pleasant, but being older has distinct advantages..

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When young, you are apt to be obsessed with your appearance. When my brother Dave and I were teens, we worked feverishly to perfect the bodies we had. Dave lifted weights, took megadoses of vitamins, and drank a half-dozen of milk shakes a day in order to turn his wiry adolescent frame into some muscular ideal. And as a teenager, I dieted constantly. No matter what I weighed, though, I was broad, my waist too big. When Dave and I were young, we begged and pleaded for the “right” clothes. If our parents didn’t get them for us, we felt our world would fall apart. How could we go to school wearing loose-fitting school blazers when everyone else would be wearing smartly tailored leather jackets? We would be considered freaks. I often wonder how my parents, and parents in general, manage to tolerate their children during the adolescent years.

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Now, however, Dave and I are beyond such adolescent agonies. My rounded figure seems fine, and I don’t deny myself a slice of pecan pie if I feel in the mood. Dave still works out, but he has actually become fond of his tall, lanky frame. The two of us enjoy wearing fashionable clothes, but we are no longer slaves to style. And women, I’m embarrassed to admit, even more than men, have always seemed to be at the mercy of fashion. Now my clothes are attractive yet easy to wear. We no longer feel anxious about what others will think. As long as we feel good about how we look, we are happy.

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Being older is preferable to being younger in another way. Obviously, I still have important choices to make about my life, but I have already made many of the critical decisions that confront those just starting out. I chose the man I wanted to marry. I decided to have children. I elected to return to college to complete my education. But when you are young, major decisions await you at every turn. “What college should I attend? What career should I pursue? Should I have children?” these are just a few of the issues facing young people. It’s no wonder that, despite their carefree façade, they are often confused, uncertain, and troubled by all the unknowns in their future.

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But the greatest benefit of being forty is knowing who I am. The most unsettling aspect of youth is the uncertainty you feel about your values, goals, and dreams. Being young means wondering what is worth working for. Being young means feeling happy with yourself one day and wishing you were never born the next. It means trying on new selves by taking up with different crowds. It means resenting your parents and their way of lift one minute and then feeling you will never be as good or as accomplished as they are.

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By way of contrast, forty is sanity. I have a surer self-identity now. I don’t laugh at jokes that I don’t think are funny. I can make a speech in front of a town meeting or complain in a store because I am no longer terrified that people will laugh at me; I am no longer anxious that everyone must like me. I no longer blame my parents for my every personality quirk or keep a running score of everything they did wrong raising me. Lift has taught me that I , not they, am responsible for who I am. We are all human beings --- neither saints nor devils.

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Moat Americans blindly accept the idea that newer is automatically better. But a human life contradicts this premise. There is a great deal of happiness to be found as we grow older. My own parents, now in their sixties, recently told me that they are happier now than they have ever been. They would not want to be my age. Did this surprise me? At first, yes. Then it gladdened me. Their contentment holds out great promise for me as I move into the next ---perhaps even better---phase of my life.

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Structural analysisStructural analysis

The text can be divided into three parts.

Part One: (Paragraphs 1,2) The writer airs her own view about

growing older.

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Part Two: (Paragraphs 3-5)

The three paragraphs is the main body of the essay in which the writer illustrates a number of distinct advantages of growing older with examples.

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Part Three: (Para. 6): The writer winds up her discussion with a reference to her parents’ contentment in this para.

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Main Idea of the passage

In the text, the writer mentions three aspects to show distinct advantages of growing older, i.e. less concern of one’s appearance, less uncertainty about the unknowns in the future and self-identity. She hopes to pint out some of the “distinct advantages” and “a great deal of happiness to be found” in the process of aging.

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Language pointsLanguage points

Aging: the process of growing old

E.g. Our society is full of negative attitudes towards aging and old people.

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Dread: to feel great fear or anxiety about

E.g. I’ve got an interview with the bank manager tomorrow --- I’m dreading it.

He always dreaded asking them for their rent because he knew it would end in an argument.

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Distinct: noticeable; unmistakable.E.g. There is a distinct possibility that

she’ll be appointed manager of the company.

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Be obsessed with: to have an unreasonably strong and continuous interest in particular things or persons

E.g. She became obsessed in her old age with what to do with her immense wealth.

Perfect: to make something perfectE.g. Graham has decided to live in Paris

for a couple of years to perfect his French.

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Turn into : to change completely and become something else

E.g. It’s difficult to believe that this little brown thing will eventually turn into a beautiful butterfly.

What used to be a quiet village has gradually turned into a busy holiday resort.

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Diet: to eat less in order to lose weight E.g. She dieted, went on exercise program

mes but still she didn’t attain that perfect figure she was looking for.

diet n. Exercise and a well-balanced diet keeps you

fit and healthy. During their training, soldiers learn how to s

urvive on a diet of fruit, nuts and animals they have killed and cooked themselves.

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Be satisfied with: feeling pleased because you have what you want or because things have happened in the way that you hoped

E.g. 80% of respondents said they were “fairly satisfied” or “very satisfied” with the government.

satisfy v E.g. A compromise was eventually reached

between the factory and the water company, yet even this failed to satisfy environmentalists.

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Plead: to begE.g. The wife of one of the

hostages appeared on TV last night to plead for her husband’s life.

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Tolerate: to suffer without complaining

E.g. For years we’ve had to tolerate appalling working conditions and low-quality outdated equipment.

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Beyond: outside the range or limit of

E.g. Understanding this article is beyond my capability.

The fruit is beyond my reach.

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Agony: extreme mental or physical pain or suffering

E.g. He lay in agony until the doctor arrived.

with renewed fighting for control of the capital, there seems to be no end to their agony.

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Deny oneself: not to allow oneself to have something that one normally ahs

E.g. He denied himself all small pleasures and luxuries in his effort to live a holy life.

Stop denying yourself! Relax and have a good time.

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Preferable: more desirable or suitable

E.g. For young offenders, probation is usually preferable to prison as a form of punishment.

Wouldn’t it be preferable to take our vacation in the spring?

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Critical: extremely important; crucial

E.g. These accusations came at a critical phase in the negotiations.

Sometimes she wishes she could give it all up and go to live a carefree life in the country, without any responsibilities to drag her down.

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Unknown: an unknown person or thing

E.g. Starting a new relationship with someone is always a journey into the unknown,.

In 1492 Columbus and his group of tiny ships set off into the unknown.

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Benefit: anything that brings help, advantage or profit

E.g. Think of the benefits our health care plan has to offer.

Beneficial a.

These changes in the education system are beneficial to both teachers and students.

Tax cuts would have a beneficial effect on the economy.

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Worth: deserving

E.g. The book is really worth reading if you are going to take the English exam.

It may be worth putting an advertisement in the local paper.

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Sanity: the condition of being mentally healthy

E.g. Your visits were the only thing that preserved my sanity.

His story was so extraordinary that we began to doubt his sanity.

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Make a speech : to speak formally to a group of listeners

E.g. The Prime Minister made a rousing speech about national unity at a well-attended public meeting in Birmingham.

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Quirk: a strange or unusual habit or part of someone’s character

E.g. She always went for three minutes’ walk at exactly 10:45 and the robber took advantage of this little quirk.

Children often have these little quirks which they overcome in later life.

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Contradict: to be opposite in nature to

E.g. The account of events given by the witness contradicted the version of the accused.

The results of his experiments seemed to contradict the laws of physics.

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Text II. Text II. Closing the GapClosing the Gap

Until late this century, we spent time with people of all generations. Now many baby boomers may not have much contact with old folks until they’re relatively old themselves.

That’s because we group people by age. We put our three-year-olds in day-care centers, our 13-year-olds in schools and sports activities, and our 80-year-olds in senior-citizen homes. Why?

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We segregate the old for many reasons: prejudice, ignorance, a lack of good alternatives. Younger people sometimes avoid the old to evade fears of aging and dying. Death is easier to bear in the abstract. It’s much harder to watch someone we love fade before our eyes. Sometimes it’s so hard that we stay away from the people who need us most.

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But there are problems with the age-segregation experiment. Ten 14-year-olds grouped together will form a Lord of the Flies culture --- competitive and mean. But ten people aged two to 80 grouped together will fall into a natural age hierarchy that nurtures and teaches them all. For our own mental and social health, we need to reconnect the age groups.Fortunately, some of us have found our way to the old. And we have discovered that they often save the young.

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A reporter moved her family into a block filled with old people. At first her children were disappointed. But the reporter baked banana bread for the neighbors and had her children deliver it and visit. Soon the children had many new friends, with whom they shared food, stories and projects. “My children have never been less lonely,” the reporter said.The young, in turn, save the old. Once I was in a rest room when a visitor showed up with a baby. She was immediately surrounded. People who hadn’t got out of bed in a week were suddenly ringing for a wheelchair. Even those who had seemed comatose woke up to watch the child. Babies have an amazing power to comfort and heal.

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Grandparents are a special case. They give grandchildren a feeling of security and continuity. As my husband put it, “My grandparents gave me a deep sense that things would turn out right in the end.” Grandchildren speak of attention they don’t get from hurried parents. “My parents were always telling me to hurry up, and my grandparents told me to slow down, ” one friend said. A teacher told me she can tell which kids have relationships with grandparents: they are quieter, calmer, more trusting.

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There was an artist I’ll call Mauve who sought truth far from home in ashrams and workshops. Just as Mauve was leaving for Europe one summer, her grandmother fell ill, and the family asked Mauve to care for her. She protested, but there was no one else. Mauve moved in with her grandmother for six months--- handling her medical needs, cooking for her and bathing her--- until she died. For the first time in Mauve’s life, her concern for another person because as great as her concern for herself. The experience changed her life more than her therapy and gurus.

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My life is richer, too, because of the time that I’ve spent with my elders. Over the past three years I’ve interviewed my five aunts, listened to family stories, looked at photos and eater home-cooker meals. As a result I better understand my own parents and hour history. I’ve also learned the art of aging. I’ve come away feeling more accepting, more grateful. And I have witnessed the incredible calculus of old age: as more is taken there is more love for what remains. To learn from the old, we must love them --- not just in the abstract but in the flesh --- beside us in our homes, businesses and churches. We must work together to build the kinds of communities that allow us to care for one another.

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Main idea of Text 2Main idea of Text 2

The author has strong interests in studying how American culture affects the mental health of its people. The author also tries to recover the contact between the youth and the old folks.

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Topics for discussion:Topics for discussion:

Do you believe in the reconnection of age groups? Explain your opinion.

Do you think senior-citizen homes are a good place for the aged? Why/ Why not?

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Words and Expressions for Text IWorkship n. to show great admirationconvince v. to cause (someone )to believeGrecian Formula n. 一种保健品Oil of Olay n. 玉兰油 Work out to exercise to improve physical fitnessgym n. a hall with equipment for physical exerciseJog v. to run slowly for exerciseAging n. the process of growing oldBe obsessed with to have an unreasonably strong and contin

uous interest in particular things or personsBack to the text

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teens n. the period of one’s life between and including the ages of 13 and 19

feverishly ad. excitedlymegadose n. （维生素等的不正常）大剂量 milk shake n. a drink of milk and usu. Ice cream shaken up and tastin

g of fruit, etc.wiry a. rather thin, but with strong musclesadolescent a. relating to or characteristic of the process of developing

form a child into an adult.muscular a. of musclesideal n. a perfect example of what something should be likethought ad. howeverLoose-fitting a. loose, especially in order to be comfortable

Back to the text

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School blazer: a jacket with the special sign of a school on it

Tailor v. to make by cutting and sewing clothing, esp. to fit a particular person

Freak n. a person with strange ideas, habits or appearance

Tolerate v. to suffer without complaining

Agony n. extreme mental or physical pain or suffering

Pecan pie 山核桃馅饼

Lanky a. Ungrac4efully tall and thin

Slave n. a person who is under the control of another person or thing

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Critical a. extremely important; crucial

Pursue v. to carry on

Take up with to become friendly with

Accomplished a. Skilled

Sanity n. The condition of being mentally healthy

Automatically ad. Without conscious thought, esp. As a habit

Premise n. A statement or idea on which reasoning is based ( 逻辑的前提 )

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Notes for Text IIAbout the author ： Mary Pipher is a clinical psychol

ogist and an adjunct clinical professor at the University of Nebraska. Her special area of interest is how American culture affects the mental health of its people. She travels around the country, sharing her ideas with community groups, schools and healthcare professionals. Her articulate and energetic delivery creates enthusiasm in a way that unites her audiences.

… Back to the text

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A Lord of the Flies culture --- competitive and mean : Lord of the Flies (1954) is the first novel of William Gerald Golding (1911-1993), a prominent English writer, an essayist and poet, and winner of the 1983 Nobel Prize for Literature. The book introduces one of the recurrent themes of his fiction --- the conflict between humanity’s innate band of young children who make a striking transition form civilized to barbaric. The Lord of the Flies commands a pessimistic outlook that seems to show that man is inherently tied to society and without it, we would likely return to savagery.

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My children have never been less lonely: My children have never enjoyed so much company of the people in the neighborhood.Rest room: a room or rooms in a public building equipped with toilets, washbowls, and sometimes couches and the like.And I have witnessed the incredible calculus of old age: I have seen with my own eyes how old age is calculated, which is unbelievable

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… as more is taken, there is more for what remains: … as the greater part is spent, more love there is for the rest of it. In other words, the older one is, the more love there is for the remaining part of his life.