Unit 4

1. Unit 4 American Dream

2. 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

3. 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.

4. 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..

5. 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.

6. 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

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. 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?

12. 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)

13. 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)

14. Part Four Language Points • 1.turn away v.拒绝帮助；不让…进入 • turn away a beggar/a salesman

15. Turn away 上页 下页

16. 2.assume v.1)假设；认为 • His wallet was missing and he assumed that one of his roommates stole it. • 2)担任；承当 • assume a difficult task/a leading role

17. 3.work out v.制定出；解决；算出 • I prefer to work out a word puzzle when I feel tired from studying, which makes me refreshed.

18. Work out 上页 下页

19. 4.clean up v.打扫；清洗 • The teacher scolded the students for making 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.

20. 6.determination n.决心；决定 • It is determination that helped him obtain that decent job he had been longing for.

21. 7.capacity n.能力，才能 • have the capacity for/to do 能做。。。 • The young girl has the capacity for learning/to become an excellent actress. • Housewives who do not go out to work often feel they are not working to their full capacity.

22. Capacity 2 上页 下页

23. Capacity 3 上页 下页

24. 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.

25. 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

26. 10.reluctant a.勉强的；不愿意的 • In the midnight the telephone suddenly rang 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 find themselves reluctant to discard anything even when it is of no use to them.

27. 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 they were entering the bank. • He is a very tall man, easy to spot in a crowd.

28. 13.amaze v.使惊愕，使诧异 • All the people present were amazed at the excellent performances given by the disabled children.

29. 14.diet n.1)日常饮食 • Now an increasing number of people are aware 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 diet to lose weight.

30. 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 many years ago now wants to have him back.

31. 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.

32. 17.amuse v.逗乐；给…提供娱乐 • an amusing joke/an amused expression on a boy’s face • We were greatly amused to hear about him being fooled by one of his classmate on April Fool’s Day.

33. 18.approach v.接近；靠近 • Some students felt hungry when it approached 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 problems/designing an information system

34. 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.

35. 20.route n.路线，路程 • What is the shortest route from Beijing to Guangzhou? • The apartment they are going to buy is on the bus route.

36. 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 create up to 90 jobs in the small town.

37. 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?

38. 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

39. Text B Ben Carson:Man of Miracles • Part I Keywords Exercises • Part IIComprehension Questions • Part III Text Structure

40. Part Two ComprehensionQuestions • 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?

41. (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

42. Thank You!