Unit 3 Why Do We Believe That the Earth Is Round?

Warming up

Global reading

Text analysis

New words

Exercise & Assignment

Teaching PlanTeaching Plan

Proverbs & Sayings

Warming up

1. How did people think of the shape of the earth in history?

flat, oval, sphere, pear-shaped

2. What do you think is the shape of the earth?

3. Most of your knowledge, where is it from?

4. Everything in books worth believing? Question the book knowledge or not?

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Global reading

Read the text quickly and summarize the main idea of the text.

Ours is a credulous age because much of our knowledge not resting on reasoning or on experiment, but on authority. Here Orwell expresses a healthy concern for the burden the ordinary newspaper-reading citizen carries. Overloaded with information and misinformation, the average man cannot adequately process and digest what he receives, He is apt to accept what he hears or reads as true without submitting it to factual verification or the test of reason.

Why Do We Believe That the Earth Is Round? George Orwell

Somewhere or other — I think it is in the preface to Saint Joan — Bernard Shaw remarks that we are more gullible and superstitious today than we were in the Middle Ages, and as an example of modern credulity he cites the widespread belief that the earth is round. The average man, says Shaw, can advance not a single reason for thinking that the earth is round. He merely swallows this theory because there is something about it that appeals to the twentieth-century mentality.

As for the Flat Earth theory, I believe I could refute it. If you stand by the seashore on a clear day, you can see the masts and funnels of invisible ships passing along the horizon. This phenomenon can only be explained by assuming that the earth’s surface is curved. But it does not follow that the earth is spherical.

Now, Shaw is exaggerating, but there is something in what he says, and the question is worth following up, for the sake of the light it throws on modern knowledge. Just why do we believe that the earth is round? I am not speaking of the few thousand astronomers, geographers and so forth who could give ocular proof, or have a theoretical knowledge of the proof, but of the ordinary newspaper-reading citizen, such as you or me.

Against the Oval Earth man, the first card I can play is the analogy of the sun and moon. The Oval Earth man promptly answers that I don’t know, by my own observation, that those bodies are spherical. I only know that they are round, and they may perfectly well be flat discs. I have no answer to that one. Besides, he goes on, what reason have I for thinking that the earth must be the same shape as the sun and moon? I can’t answer that one either.

Imagine another theory called the Oval Earth theory, which claims that the earth is shaped like an egg. What can I say against it?

My second card is the earth’s shadow: when cast on the moon during eclipses, it appears to be the shadow of a round object. But how do I know, demands the Oval Earth man, that eclipses of the moon are caused by the shadow of the earth? The answer is that I don’t know, but have taken this piece of information blindly from newspaper articles and science booklets.

Defeated in the minor exchanges, I now play my queen of trumps: the opinion of the experts. The Astronomer Royal, who ought to know, tells me that the earth is round. The Oval Earth man covers the queen with his king. Have I tested the Astronomer Royal’s statement, and would I even know a way of testing it? Here I bring out my ace. Yes, I do know one test. The astronomers can foretell eclipses, and this suggests that their opinions about the solar system are pretty sound. I am, to my delight, justified in accepting their say-so about the shape of the earth.

If the Oval Earth man answers — what I believe is true — that the ancient Egyptians, who thought the sun goes round the earth, could also predict eclipses, then bang goes my ace. I have only one card left: navigation. People can sail ships round the world, and reach the places they aim at, by calculations which assume that the earth is spherical. I believe that finishes the Oval Earth man, though even then he may possibly have some kind of counter.

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It will be seen that my reasons for thinking that the earth is round are rather precarious ones. Yet this is an exceptionally elementary piece of information. On most other questions I should have to fall back on the expert much earlier, and would be less able to test his pronouncements. And much the greater part of our knowledge is at this level. It does not rest on reasoning or on experiment, but on authority. And how can it be otherwise, when the range of knowledge is so vast that the expert himself is an ignoramus as soon as he strays away from his own specialty? Most people, if asked to prove that the earth is round, would not even bother to produce the rather weak arguments I have outlined above. They would start off by saying that “everyone knows” the earth to be round, and if pressed further, would become angry. In a way Shaw is right. This is a credulous age, and the burden of knowledge which we now have to carry is partly responsible.

Text analysis structure analysis

Part 1 Paras.1-2 Shaw’s remark on modern credulity.

Part 2 Paras.3-7 The author tries to prove the Round Earth Belief.

Part 3 Para.8 Much of our knowledge rests on authority not on reasons or on experiment.

What genre...?

Narrative Descriptive Expository Argumentative

1.Analogy2.Cause & Effect3.Chart4.Citation5.Classification6.Comparison7.Definition8.Description9.Enumeration10.Exemplificatio

n

Background information1) About the author: George Orwell(1903 - 1950)a) British novelist and essayistb) stresses the importance of truth and objectivity, and the need to be willing to question the trustworthiness of those from whom we take our opinions and beliefs 2) George Bernard Shaw(1865 - 1950)a) Irish playwright, critic and novelistb) the greatest British dramatist since Shakespeare, the greatest satirist since Swiftc) awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1925

a) the Round Earth Theory:

Greek philosopher : Pythagoras, Plato and Aristotle

In 1521, Portuguese navigator Magellan

b) the Flat Earth Theory:

the Middle Ages clergymen

3) Four theories about the earth’s shape

c) the Oval Earth Theory:

slightly flattened at the poles and has an

outward swelling at the equator and the

North Pole somewhat pear-shaped

Questions and Answers

1. Does the author think that his reasons for thinking that the earth is round are well-grounded?

No, he thinks they are rather precarious.

2. Do you think the author’s conclusion is correct? Why? (open-ended)

Yes. Because a man’s knowledge consists of two parts, one coming from direct experience and the other coming from indirect experience. All genuine knowledge originates in direct experience. But one cannot have direct experience of everything, nor is he able to test everything; as a matter of fact, most of our knowledge comes from indirect experience.

Sentence structure

Para.2 There is something in what he says : there is

some truth in what he says

something : a thing or a person of importance

--- He thinks he is something. 他自以为了不起 .

something in / to: some truth or value in

--- There is something ( some truth, some point ) in /

to what you say ； I’ll take your advice. 

Para.6 Defeated in the minor exchange, … : 过去分词短语作状语，表示原因，相当于 Since I was defeated in the two less

important rounds of debate, …

Para.3 But it does not follow that ...

Para.6 I am, to my delight, justified

in ...

Para.8 and if pressed further, would

become angry.

See details in VI Structure 1-3

New words and expressions

Ex. VI 1 在句型 it does not follow that… 中 , it是形式主语，真正的主语 that引导的主语从句Ex. VI 2 所给的是省略了主语的条件状语从句，造句时应注意主从句的主语必须一致Ex. VI 3 ＂ to one’s + 感情词＂是一个固定句型，表示＂使某人感到．．．的是．．．“adv. + to one’s + 感情词To one’s + adj. + 感情词

hints

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New words and expressions

1. preface (to): introduction; forewordNote: preface 之后的 to 是介词，表示所属关系，相当于 for / of.

又如 introduction, index, answer, reply, response, key, solution, entrance, note, match

等后均接介词 to.

2. gullible: credulous 【记忆法】 gull vt. 欺骗 n. 鸥 , 笨人　

　　　　　 gullibility 易受欺骗

3.  superstitious: believing in superstition• Tom is very superstitious and believes the number 13 brings bad luck.

4.  cite: give or mention as an example (esp. by quoting from a book to support an argument, etc.)

• The lawyer cited a previous case to support his argument.

5. advance vt.: put or bring forward• She is too shy to advance her opinion at the meeting. advanced adj. 【考点】 in advance • We were told to pay the rent in advance.

6. appeal vi.【考点】 appeal to sb.: attract, move the feeling of• The idea of studying abroad appeals to many

young people.Cf. appeal for sth. 呼吁，强烈要求帮助，支持等

plead for 向人求情或替某人求情以求宽恕或同意请求等call for 指一般的要求

• As a result of the radio ____ for help for the earthquake victims, over a million pounds has been raised.a. begging b. pleading

• c. appealing d. calling

7. mentality mental moral physical

8. exaggerate: overstate vt.• People don’t believe what he says because he is always exaggerating.

exaggeration n.

9. sake n. 【考点】 for the sake of: because of...• I’ll help you for your sister’s sake.

10. citizen ：一般指有某种国籍的公民 inhabitant ：指某一地方的常住居民 resident ：除指居民外 , 还可指侨民 , 住外使节等 civil ：市民的，民用的• She is a British citizen, but lives in India.• senior citizen = old people

11. refute: prove (sb.) to be mistaken or (a statement) to be untrue• How would you refute the theory that the earth is flat?

12. invisible invisible exports/imports: 无形输入／输出 invisible ink: 隐形墨水

13. horizon horizontal【考点】 on / below the horizon• The sun had already sunk below the horizon.• Suddenly the sailors saw a ship far away on the horizon.

14. phenomenon (pl. phenomena)• The booklet gives scientific explanations to many natural phenomena.

broaden the horizon

15. Oval

round

square

rectangular

triangular

rhomboid

polygon

16. ignoramus n. ignorant adj.【考点 】 be ignorant of/about: not aware• You are not ignorant of the reasons for her behavior.Ignorance n.【考点 】 be in ignorance of : be in want of knowledge 不知道• We are in complete ignorance of his plans.

17. outline 1)n. 2) vt. give a short account or description•At the press conference the President outlined his peace plan for the Middle East.

out- :outflow n. 流出 out-group n. 外集团 outlook 眺望处　 outgrow vt. 生长速度超过 outmatch vt. 胜过

18. throw / shed light on: make clear, explain

•Have the police been able to throw any light on the mystery of the stolen jewels yet?警察能弄清珠宝被盗的真相吗？

19. and so forth: and so on (used at the end of a list to indicate that there are other items that you could mention in addition to what you have already mentioned)• He can talk for hours about realism, naturalism, romanticism and so forth.

20. as for : with regard to, concerning (used at the beginningbeginning of a sentence in order to introduce a topic or point that is different from what has just been said although it is related to it.)• As for you, I never want to see you here again. as to : (used not only at the beginningbeginning but the endend of a sentence)• As to your brother, I’ll deal with him later.• We were at a loss as to what to do next.

21. may well (not) : be very likely (not) to 　表示“很可能”，用来修饰现在和将来的可能性，但不能表达选择 may as well 表达某种无可奈何的“选择”和“委婉的• You may well think so, but may well not say so.• You might as well go home with me now.

22. bring out: cause to appear; come out together with 使出现 ; 带…出来•This warm weather will bring out all the blossom on the fruit trees.这暖和的天气会使果树的花盛开。

23. fall back on: turn to for help, use, when all else has failed• He is a man to fall back on in an emergency.

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Exercises – Vocabulary Activities1. 1) cited 2) as for 3) exaggerate 4) Statements 5) preface 6) justified 7) horizon 8) authority 9) follow up 10) advanced 11) and so forth 12) threw light on/shed light on 13) pressing 14) burden2.

1) refuted 2) swallowed 3) predict 4) outlined 5) proof 6) For the sake of 7) advanced 8) cited 9) In a way 10) cast 11) promptly 12) appealed to

3.1) rested on 2) fall back on 3) appeal to 4) followed 5) up 6) was straying from 7) aimed at 8) bring out

4.1) If the door was not opened by force, it follows that the burglar had a key .2) Children tend to be credulous because they have not had much experience in the real world.3) The information the police had just obtained threw light on the mystery of the stolen antiques. 4) The three-month military training may well work a change in his living habits. 5) If this is the case, he is fully justified in blaming her.

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Assignment

• Vocabulary memorization in Unit 3

• Read fluently the whole text with Para.1 & 7 learnt by heart

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Proverbs & Sayings

1. All great truths begin as blasphemies.

一切伟大的真理开始都是离经叛道之言。

2. A single fact is worth a shipload of arguments.

事实胜于雄辩。

所有的人都是无知的，只是对不同的科目无知而已。 —— 美国幽默作家 W•罗杰斯

Everybody is ignorant, only on different subjects.

Will Rogers, American humorist

Knowledge is a treasure, but practice is the key to it.

Thomas Fuller, British churchman

知识是一座宝库，而实践是开启宝库的钥匙。—— 英国教士 T•富勒

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Thank you!Thank you!