Unit 4

American Dream

Text A Tony Trivisonno’s American Dream

Part I Background Information Part II Pre-questions Part III Comprehension Questions Part IV Language Points Part V Post-questions Part VI Text Structure Part VII Translation

Part One Background Information Material Wealth and

Hard Work A very important reason

why immigrants have traditionally come to the United States is to have a better life—that is, to raise their standard of living. For the vast majority of the immigrants who came here, it was probably the most compelling reason for their homeland.

Because of the very rich natural resources, the United States appeared to be a “land of plenty” where millions could come to seek their fortunes. Of course, most immigrants did not “get rich overnight,” and many of them suffered terribly, but the majority of them were eventually able to improve upon their former standard of living..

Even if they were not to achieve the economic success they wanted, they could be fairly certain that their children would have the opportunity for a better life. The phrase “going from rags to riches” became a slogan （口号） for the great American dream.

Because of the vast riches of the North American continent, the dream came true for many of the immigrants. They achieved material success; they became a value to the American people

American people placed a high value on material possession. Probably the main reason is that material wealth is the most widely accepted measure of social status in the United States.

Because Americans rejected the European system of society, they had to find a substitute for judging social status. The quality and quantity of an individual’s material possessions became the accepted measure of success and social status.

Americans pay a price, however, for their material wealth: hard work. The North American continent was rich in natural resources when the first settlers arrived, but all these resources were underdeveloped. Only by hard work could these natural resources be turned into material possessions and a comfortable standard of living.

Hard work has been both necessary and rewarding for most Americans throughout their history. Because of this, they have come to see material possessions as the natural reward for their hard work. In some ways, material possessions are seen not only as apparent evidence of people’s work, but also of their abilities.

Part Two Pre-questions 1. What is American Dream in your

opinion? 2. What is the reason why there is

American Dream rather than Russian Dream or Korean Dream?

3. What is your personal dream? How are you going to make your dream come true?

Part Three Comprehension questions 1. What can we know about Tony

from “I mow your lawn”, which appears three times in the text?(Para.1-10)

2. How did Tony thank the author for his help?(Para.10-21)

3. Find out the indirect statements showing Tony is a good worker.(Para.10-29)

4.Find out the changes in Tony’s appearance as he grew more successful.(Para.1-29)

5. Provide at least five words which best describe Tony’s character?(Para.31-33)

Part Four Language Points

1.turn away v. 拒绝帮助；不让…进入 turn away a beggar/a salesman

Turn away

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2.assume v.1) 假设；认为 His wallet was missing and he assume

d that one of his roommates stole it. 2) 担任；承当 assume a difficult task/a leading role

3.work out v. 制定出；解决；算出 I prefer to work out a word puzzle whe

n I feel tired from studying, which makes me refreshed.

Work out

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4.clean up v. 打扫；清洗 The teacher scolded the students for makin

g a mess of the classroom and asked them to clean it up.

5.do with v. 处理；对待（常用于和 what 连用的问句中）

My younger sister bought another handbag, and I wonder what she is going to do with the old ones.

6.determination n. 决心；决定 It is determination that helped him ob

tain that decent job he had been longing for.

7.capacity n. 能力，才能 have the capacity for/to do 能做。。。 The young girl has the capacity for lea

rning/to become an excellent actress. Housewives who do not go out to wor

k often feel they are not working to their full capacity.

Capacity 2

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Capacity 3

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8.turn down v.1) 拒绝；摒斥（提议、建议等）

Law should be made to prevent disabled young people from being turned down by colleges and universities.

2) 转小或扭小（煤气、音响等） Would you please turn down the TV a little?

You know I am writing a term paper.

9.instrument n. 工具，器械，仪器 musical/lab instruments [ 辩 ]instrument/equipment/apparatus instrument 通常指比较精密的器具、器械 equipment 指为了进行研究、旅行、战争

等所需要的装备 apparatus 一般仅指仪器、成套的工具

10.reluctant a. 勉强的；不愿意的 In the midnight the telephone suddenly ran

g like a thunder, Jordan was wakened and very reluctant to answer it.

11.discard v. （正式）抛弃，丢弃 People who once lived a poor life usually fin

d themselves reluctant to discard anything even when it is of no use to them.

12.spot n. 地点；斑点 make on- the-spot observations/records v. （从很多人或物中）察出；认出；看见（某

人或某物） The thieves were spotted by the police as th

ey were entering the bank. He is a very tall man, easy to spot in a crow

d.

13.amaze v. 使惊愕，使诧异 All the people present were amazed a

t the excellent performances given by the disabled children.

14.diet n.1) 日常饮食 Now an increasing number of people are aw

are that a balanced diet and regular exercise are both good for health.

2) 某人（因医疗的理由等）被限制食用的食物 a low-fat diet 低脂肪饮食 The doctor advised the fat girl to go on a die

t to lose weight.

15.abandon v. （完全或永久地）抛弃，放弃

abandon a love son/a worn coat The man who abandoned his son man

y years ago now wants to have him back.

16.sponsor v. 为…作保证人；主办，发起

a government-sponsored research project

The football game was said to have been sponsored by a famous shirt factory.

17.amuse v. 逗乐；给…提供娱乐 an amusing joke/an amused expressi

on on a boy’s face We were greatly amused to hear abou

t him being fooled by one of his classmate on April Fool’s Day.

18.approach v. 接近；靠近 Some students felt hungry when it approac

hed lunchtime. The people got very excited as the train was

approaching Los Angeles. n. 方法，方式 adopt a new approach to the existing probl

ems/designing an information system

19.handle v. 管理，处理；操纵 handle a machine/motorcar/children Only an experienced pilot can handle

a plane in critical situations. It is a difficult situation, but everyone

believes that he is able to handle it very well.

20.route n. 路线，路程 What is the shortest route from Beijin

g to Guangzhou? The apartment they are going to buy i

s on the bus route.

21.create v. 创造，创作（尤其是新东西）

create a piece of music 创作以首乐曲 God created the world. It is said that the new project will crea

te up to 90 jobs in the small town.

Part Five Post-questions

1.If you were Tony, with no money and poor English, but in hope of a better life, what would you do?

2.In many people’s eyes, Tony’s dream is too small to mention, why is it chosen here to illustrate （阐述） American Dream?

3.After reading Tony’s story, what is your understanding of success?

Tony worked as a help at Mr. Crawford’s house

Tony got a job clearing snow at Mr. Crawford’s factory

Tony became a skilled worker through learning

Tony bought a house with the help of Mr. Crawford

Tony bought a farm and sent for his family in Italy

Similarities between the fulfillment of Tony’s and American industrialists’ American dream

Differences between the fulfillment of Tony’s and American industrialists’ American dream

Text B Ben Carson:Man of Miracles

Part I Keywords Exercises Part II Comprehension

Questions Part III Text Structure

Part Two Comprehension Questions 1.Why was the delicate brain-

separation operation Ben Carson once performed talked about in great detail?

2.Was the dream of being a successful surgeon sought or created by Ben Carson?

 

(Para.1-3)A surprising beginning of Ben Carson’s speech to a graduating class

(Para.4-18)Stories of Ben Carson’s road to success

(Para.19-23)Further encouragement to the class

Part Three Text Structure

Thank You!