Comprehensive English（ 6 ）

Prepared by 戴俊霞Foreign languages Department, AHUT

Tel: 2400432

Course Description

• Time: 72 hours• Contents: 15 units• Aims: Full comprehension of the texts Appreciation of writing skills concerned All-round development of language skills• Requirements preview---classroom participation--- language

work

Unit One Two Words to Avoid, Two to Remember

• Background information

• Outline

• Detailed discussion

• Language work

• Manhattan

One of the five

Boroughs that

Make up N.Y.

City.

• The smallest but

the most prominent

borough

• A thriving centre

for trade

Sigmund Freud （ 1856-1939 ）• The father of psychoanalysi

s conscious mind unconscious mind (the source of our motivatio

n)• One of the greatest thinker

of the 20th century change the way we view ou

rselves (end of human-centrism) 哥白尼—达尔文—佛洛伊德

About the Text

• Narration ---writing that tells a kind of story Narrator : I ( first-person observer) People: the Old Man and I Event: a meeting with the Old Man Purpose: the power of positive thinking Organization ： chronological order（ Task: time-markers in the text ）

Outline

• Para. 1: the purpose of the writing

• Para. 2-31: the meeting

• Para. 32-33: Conclusion

Part I

• Ellipsis: principle of economy in language use

You ought to have told me instead of I you.

— Carry your bag? (‘Shall I…’)

— Would you? Thanks.

Reading maketh a full man; conference a ready man; and writing an exact man.

Part II (2-8)

• Where do they meet?• What do you know

about the Old Man?• What details tell you

they are old friend?

• On my part • for my part • Fall through• Frown on/upon sth.• Golf course• Football field• Boxing ring• Sports ground• At length

Part II (9-26)

• What does the Old Man ask “Me” to do?• What’s in common in

the three recordings?• What’s the Old Man’s

analysis of “if only”?• And “’next time”?• What’s the function

of the “rain”?--- coherent

• Let go by• Get somewhere• Use A instead of B• Substitute A for B • Substitute B with A• Replace B with /by A• Strike out• Work miracles/

wonders

• Part II (27-31)

• What does the story of getting the taxi suggest?

• Part III (32-33)

• What conclusion is drawn?

• What’s the function of this part?

Practice

• If you fail in one examination, what’s your reaction to it?

• An old woman--- two sons---selling umbrella---selling cloth shoes---always depressed---rainy days ---fine days

• Can you help her?

Unit Two: The Fine Art of Putting Things Off

• Pre-class discussion1. Key words: putting things off procrastination2. The experience of procrastination ? result: feeling of guilt/ depression/ self-doubt reason ： fear of failure/ dislike of the task unrealistic expectations and perfectionism remedy ： segment the task into small pieces reward yourself after completing one piece of it be reasonable in your expectations

The Main Idea

1. The meaning of the title The skill of procrastination is so sophistic

ated that it can be a form of art.2. What’s the author’s attitude towards procr

astination? negative ， positive or neutral?3. What message is communicated? (p. 23)4. What does the passage impress you most

?

Originality of the passage

. The conventional view on procrastination

Time and tide wait for no man.

Time is money.

Procrastination is the thief of time.

《明日歌》（文嘉）

. The author’s view

It is not necessarily a dad thing .

Creativity: the nature of writing

• Writing, at its best, is a creative response to the need or desire to communicate. Every successful writing is in some way unique

• Creativity may lie in the topic itself. But more often it lies in what is said about the topic, in how the ideas are developed, or in the writer’s choice of words.

Example

• 鸟笼

打开 鸟笼的门 让鸟飞走 把自由 还给 鸟 笼 —— 非马

Outline

• Para. 1-2: Procrastination is common in

our life.

• Para. 3-8: the manifestation of

procrastination

• Para. 9 ： Conclusion

Detailed Discussion

Para. 1-2• How does the writer begin his essay? ---He begins with the famous saying and instances

of non-compliance of some historically well-known figures.

---This effectively reminds people that procrastination is not under all circumstances a non-recommendable practice; sometimes people do have a good reason to wait before they take action.

1. Lord Chesterfield (1694-1773)

--- English statesman, orator and author.

--- His literary reputation rests upon his letters to his illegitimate son, Philip Stanhope.

--- The letters, filled with wit and worldly wisdom, were published under the title Letters to His Son (1774).

• Quotations from Chesterfield’s Letter

--- Be wiser than other people, if you can, but do not tell them so.

--- Never seem more learned than the people you are with. Wear your learning like a pocket watch and keep it hidden. Do not pull it out to count the hours, but give the time when you are asked.

--- Common sense is the best sense I know of.

2. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784)

English poet, critic., and man of letters, the literary dictator of England in the later half of the eighteenth century (the Age of Johnson)

Best known for his Dictionary of the English Language (1755).

3. Quintus Fabius Maximus ( 203 B.C.)

• Roman general whose cautious delaying tactics during the second stages of the Punics War (218-201 B.C.) gave Roman time to recover its strength and take the offensive against the invading Carthaginian army of Hannibal.

• Fabianism, a word derived from Fabius, has come to mean a gradual or cautious policy

• Punic Wars （ 64-146B.C.) Romans vs. Carthaginians• Punic: of ancient Carthage and

its people ( 古迦太基 ).• Carthage: a city established by

the Phoenicians at about 800 B.C. on the edge of a region in North Africa that is now Tunisia. It became the commericial center of the Western Mediterranean and retaineed that position until it was overthrown by Roman.

4. Moses: Hebrew liberator ,leader, lawgiver and prophet

---Exodus ( 出埃及记 )

5.Hamlet’s hesitation

--- Oedipus Complex

--- Electra Complex

6. Faust

• Faustian encounters:--- In the early 16th century, German tales of a ma

gician, Faust and the devil, Mephistophele---With the devil’s help, Faust could perform remar

kable feats. In return, after his death, Faust’ soul will be at the disposal of the devil.

--So, to encounter the devil is undesirable. Most people are unwilling to visit barbers, doctors, and dentists

• 歌德《浮士德》

Manifestation of Procrastination（ 3-8 ）

• writers--- stimulate creativity

• Military , diplomacy and law--- typical area of procrastination

• Business ,government and academe---purposeful procrastination

• People in general

Marilyn Monroe

Blenheim Palace : the birthplace of Winston Churchill

The style and the tone

1.Formal style : formal words; long or complex sentences

exhort attest to dub ungodly ruminate about echelon studded with …

2. Humorous tone: achieved through unusual combination:

marry his son’s mother churn out 3-5 pages a day creating of a great paint and creation of an entreeSerious topic --- joking supporting details (para. 4,5)

Translation Practice

• 富兰克林在他的《自传》里力劝读者要勤俭。（ exhort)• Franklin exhorted readers to be diligent and thrifty in his

Autobiography.• 谁能证明者签名无讹？（ attest to)• Who can attest to the genuineness of the signature?• 人们给他起了“小家伙”的绰号，因为救年龄而言，他看

上去长得很小。（ dub)• He is dubbed “Tiny” because he looks so small for his ag

e.• 他试图为自己拒绝接受这一劝告辩解。（ rationalize)• He tried to rationalize his refusal to take the advice.

• 他的一番话引起了我们的不满。（ incur)• His words incurred our displeasure.• 要我们在这么短时间内完成这一工作几乎是不可能的。（ virtually)• It is virtually impossible for us to finish the work within such a short ti

me.• 他反复思考这个手术可能会产生的后果。• He ruminated over the likely consequences of the operation.• 这个地区的报业很兴旺。• The newspaper business in the region is flourishing.• 掌握英语需要孜孜不倦的努力。（ assiduous)• It takes assiduous efforts to acquire a good command of English.

Organization and Development

• Coherence( 连贯）： the meaning of each sentence, of each paragraph is well connected.

• Cohesion( 衔接 ): the form of each sentence, of each paragraph is well connected.

• Cohesion contributes to coherence.

Common Cohesive Devices • Pronouns Mrs Mooney was a butcher’s daughter. She was a determined wo

men.• “the” Last year we went to Devon for a holiday. The holiday we had there

was the best we’ve had.• Conjunction --- Do you find the film exciting? ----On the contrary, I nearly fell asleep half way through it.• Lexical cohesion 有的人活着，他已经死了；有的人死了，他还活着。 put off---delay / procrastinate / drag one’s feet

Task: How are paragraphs linked with each other?

Level of Usage

• Common words

• Formal or technical words

• Informal words