Unit 1Symbols of Culture

Exploring

1. McDonald’s is the world’s leading fast food service retailer. So far, it has more than 30,000 restaurants in 119 countries serving 46 million customers each day.

2. Nowadays, not only McDonald’s but also some other fast food restaurants are getting more and more popular. Why is it so?

Section A

Background informationThe first McDonald’s restaurant was a drive-in venture

opened by Richard "Dick" McDonald (February 16, 1909 - July 14, 1998) and Maurice "Mac" McDonald (died in 1971) in 1940 which only sold hamburgers and French fries.

In 1954, Ray Kroc, partnered with the brothers, and within a few years turned their small restaurant into a huge franchise （特许经营企业） that would later become the McDonald's Corporation.

New McDonald’s

Although Kroc turned McDonald's into a global giant, its guiding principles remained largely unchanged from those the McDonald brothers had devised in 1948.

The world’s largest McDonald’s is in Vinita, Oklahoma.

Section A

Language points: Words 1. French fries = fries 炸薯条 2. southern a. 南方的 south n. 南方 3. golden （ referring to color ）金色的 gold （ referring to quality ）金质的

　 4. danger n. 危险 dangerous a. 危险的 5. destroy: 毁坏 damage: 损坏

6. location n. 位置 locate vt. 位于 7. drive-thru: drive through 8. afford: v. （通常与 can, be able to 连用）买得起、担负得起、负 得起（时间、精力、金钱） 9. amount n. 数量 vi. （ amount to ）达到 10. hamburger n. 汉堡包 Expressions 1. tear down 拆毁 2. in danger of 　处于危险之中 3. agree with 　意见一致，同意 4. line of thinking/thought 　思路、想法

5. afford to do 　花得起 6. close down （使）停业 7. have nothing to do with 　　　与…毫无关系 8. make sense 　有道理 9. stop…from 　阻止 10. even so 　尽管如此 11. take away 　带走；拿走；拆毁

Section B Before reading the text, get familiar with these words and questions.Words: theme n. 主题 purchase n. & vt. 购买 capital n. 首都 rush v. （使）急速行进，（使）猛冲 provide 提供 uniformity n. 一致，相同 opinion n. 意见 sub-adult a. 未成年的

by-product 　副产品 oppose v. 反对　（ oppose to ） folklore n. 民俗 crime n. 罪行，犯罪 treatment 　对待，待遇 murder n. & vt. 谋杀 basic a. 基本的 positive a. 肯定的，积极的 value n. 用处，实用性；价值 critical 　 a. 吹毛求疵的，批评的

Expressions: rush out: 赶紧出去 make a trip/trips to: 　旅游 anything but: 　根本不 more than a little: 　非常 of the worst kind: 　最糟糕的 at work: 　在起作用 be opposed to: 　反对 in detail: 　详细地 sort of: 　有一点 play out: 　演出 long before: 　早在…以前 be quick to do something: 很快做（某事）

Difficult points: The company deepened its claim on American culture: The company increased its influence

on America. The world of Disney is becoming

anything but small. The influence of Disney is becoming

far from small. At the end of this road lies cultural

uniformity of the worst kind. If people continue doing so, the world’s

culture will lose its varieties.

Questions1. What rare thing did the Walt Disney Company do last autumn?2. In what ways are people influenced by Disney?3. According to Professor Bloom, what will happen if people continue to be influenced by Disney in such a way?4. According to the text, what’s wrong with Disney films?5. What is the main idea of the text?

Practical Writing

Invitation letters

Sample 1

Sample 2

Sample 3

Writing Suggestions

Though there are different forms of an invitation, there are common things of them. When you write an invitation, please notice the following points.

1. Who invites? 2. Who is invited? 3. To what occasion? 3. Date 4. Time 5. Place

Finish this invitation card based on the information given below in Chinese.

谨定于 1 月 18 日（星期五）晚 7 时在建国路 120号 402 室举行晚宴。恭请张先生和夫人光临。

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　孙志伟Mr. Sun Zhiwei

Requests the pleasure of___________________________’s

company at ____________on __________, the _____ of _____

at _______o’clock _______at _______________________