Unit 4The American Dream

Warm-up Exercise

•What is the American Dream? American Dream is the belief that

everyone in the United States has the chance to achieve success and prosperity. For ordinary people, it means a happy family, an ideal job, and a nice house. For minorities and immigrants, it also includes freedom and equal rights.

Warm-up Exercise

•Let’s listen to a passage and fill in the blanks on Page 81.

An interview with Dr. Lee Hertz1.poverty; their children to succeed.2.the American government; support the

capitalist system.3.one’s head; one’s pocket

Warm-up Exercise

•In your opinion, in what ways can a person be considered as being successful?

•Group work What is the key to success?

Global ReadingParts Para(s) Main Ideas

1 1~29

2 30~33

With determination and with help from Mr. Crawford, Tony achieved his dream of having his own farm.

Tony’s career set the author thinking about why and to what extent he had been successful.

Further Questions

•Please go over Part One and find out the main events that helped Tony fulfill his American Dream?

1) one evening during the Great Depression: Tony started to work as a help at Mr.

Crawford’s house.2) summer passed into fall Tony got a job clearing snow at Mr.

Crawford’s factory.

Further Questions

3) one day: Tony asked to be trained as an apprentice,

and later learned to be a skilled worker.4) a year or two passed Tony bought a house with the help of Mr.

Crawford.5) after about two years Tony bought a farm and sent for his family

in Italy.

Further QuestionsTony’s request The author’s

feelingResults

1. “I mow your lawn.” A. Well, what do you do with such determination and hope?

I. … he had graduated as a skilled grinder. … My wife and I felt it was a satisfying end of the story.

2. “When winter come, you give me job clearing snow at the factory.”

B. I doubted whether Tony had the capacity to read blueprints and micrometers or do precision work.

II. My wife said he was very helpful whenever there were any heavy objects to lift or things to fix.

3. “I want to be ’prentice.”

C. I went into my house unhappy ... but how could I turn away a person who had come to me for help?

III. I asked the personnel department for a report. They said Tony was a very good worker.

Further Questions

•Scan the text to find out descriptions of Tony’s physical appearance.

•Para. 1 He was about five-foot-seven or eight, and

thin.•Para. 22 He seemed to stand a little straighter. He

was heavier. He had a look of confidence.•Para. 27 … neatly dressed

Further Questions

•What is the key to Tony’s success? Tony worked very hard to create his

American Dream. Besides, he was determined, self-controlled, optimistic, self-respected, honest and responsible. All these helped him become successful.

Further Questions

•Comparing Tony with the greatest industrialists, what’s their difference?

Both Tony and the greatest industrialists are successful in pursuing their American Dreams. They reached their success by working hard, and by the same values and principles. The only difference was that they had different financial achievements.

Detailed ReadingWords and Phrases

• turn away• work out• weekly• do with• determination• Personnel• capacity• skilled• for sale• call on• loan• character

• confidence• send for• hunt• abandon• property• sometime• sponsor• approach• pass away• handle• above all• balance

Detailed ReadingDifficult Sentences

• Well, what do you do with such determination and hope?

• My wife and I were delighted with what we felt was a satisfying end of the story

• From then on, it was interesting to see that any discarded odds and ends around our place — a broken screen, a bit of hardware, boards from packing — Tony would gather and take home.

• He had hunted around the edge of town until he found a small, abandoned piece of property with a house and shed.

Exercise

•Language Sense Enhancement

•Language Focus Vocabulary Comprehensive

Language Sense Enhancement Read aloud paragraphs 30 to 33 and fill in the

blanks.1) passed away2) grew in stature3) proud4) route5) values and principles6) above all7) bottom 8) tiny9) giant10)balance sheets

Language Focus• Vocabulary I1)wreck2)balance3)approaching4)handle5)discard6)Above all7)diet8)do with9)checked on

10)cleaned up 11)weekly12)principles

Language Focus•Vocabulary II1)Efforts to look for survivors were

abandoned after it had been/ was determined that all the people in the sunken ship had died.

2)I was amazed that Bob left a well-paid job to travel around the world.

3)Her request for a loan has been turned down by many a bank as her business is small and she could provide no guarantee.

Language Focus

4) She doesn’t express her thoughts with precision, so people often misunderstand her.

5) No thing will weaken our determination to modernize our country in the shortest possible time.

Language Focus

•Vocabulary III 1)for sale; hunting for; be amazed by2)become skilled; handle their; loans3)character; by calling on; he passed away

Language Focus

•Confusable Words1.1) personal 2) personnel2.1) sometime 2) Sometimes 3) some time 4) sometime

Comprehensive ExerciseCloze I Cloze II

1) sponsored2) determination3) turned away4) assumed5) capacity6) skilled7) loan8) character9) hunting10) for sale11)send for

1) save2) recent3) modest4) grow5) dream6) immigrants7) business8) engineering9) invest10)rich

Comprehensive Exercise

•Translation I1)It is reported that UN mediators have

worked out a plan which they hope will be acceptable to both sides.

2)Doris walked in the forest cautiously, afraid of being attacked by giant snakes.

3)Earthquakes, typhoons and natural disasters cannot be prevented, but action can be taken to protect life and property.

Comprehensive Exercise

4) I bought a new issue of my favorite sports magazine and hurried home, anxious to amuse myself reading it.

5) Helen lacks confidence, I’ve never known anyone so unsure of herself.

Comprehensive Exercise• Translation II After graduating from college, Tony decide to

start his own business. At the beginning, many a bank turned down his request for a loan. But he was not a bit discouraged, and continued to call on one banker after another seeking help. Impressed by his determination and optimism, one banker finally agreed to loan him the money. Now he has become a wealthy businessman. Talking about his amazing achievement, Tony says that it is important to create rather than wait for opportunities.

Review of the Text Useful Expressions Sentence Translation

Useful Expressions• 结结巴巴的英语• 大萧条时期• 上门求助• 重整业务• 夏去秋来• 人事部门• 培训工人• 徒工学校• 精密加工工作• 减薪水

• broken English• the Depression days• come to sb. for help• rebuild one’s business • Summer passes into

fall.• personnel department• train laborers• an apprentice school• precision work• take a cut in pay

Useful Expressions• 人品贷款• 没门• 人品端正• 首付• 从那以后• 零星杂物• 样子自信• 穿戴整齐• 儿时的伙伴• 最后

• loan money on character

• no sale• a man of character• down payment• from then on• odds and ends• have a look of

confidence• be neatly dressed• childhood friends• in the end

Sentences Translation

1. 我设法凑了一小笔微薄的周薪，就这样托尼每天清扫院子，有什么零活，他都干了。

I managed to work out some kind of small weekly pay, and each day Tony cleaned up the yard and took care of any little tasks.

2. He had learned to read the millionths of an inch on the micrometer and to shape the grinding wheel with an instrument set with a diamond.

他学会了在千分尺上辨识一百万分之一英寸，会用镶嵌着金刚石的工具制作砂轮。

Sentences Translation3. From then on, it was interesting to see that any

discarded odds and ends around our place — a broken screen, a bit of hardware, boards from packing — Tony would gather and take home.

从那以后，只要我家附近有什么被人扔弃的零星杂物，坏了的屏风啦，五金器具啦，包装纸板啦，托尼都要收起来拿回家，看他这个样子真是有意思。

4. He had hunted around the edge of town until he found a small, abandoned piece of property with a house and shed.

他在小镇周边到处找，终于找到一处没人要的一小块地产，有一幢房，还有间小棚。

Sentences Translation5. But, after all, the balance sheets were exactly

the same. The only difference was where you put the decimal point.

但究其实，两者的资产负债表完全一样。唯一的不同是你把小数点点在什么地方。

6. 最后，我觉得他就和美国那些最伟大的实业家一样高大、自豪。

In the end, I think he stood as tall, and as proud, as the greatest American industrialists.