12-Unit-9--The-Damned-Human-Race

1、备 课 纸任教课程：综合英语（二）年 月 日12-Unit-9-The-Damned-Human-RaceUnit 9一、授课时间：第15-16周二.授课类型：课文分析8课时；习题讲解4课 时三,授课题目：The Damned Human Race 四.授课时数：125 .教学目的和要求：通过讲授课文使大学生了解有关马克吐温 幽默讽刺的写作风格，学会用英语解释句子以达 到学以致用的目的。要求学生主动地预习课文， 课前准备练习，学会分析文章体裁和进行段落划 分。6 .教学重点和难点：一1）背景知识的传授： About the author ;2）文章的体裁分析及段落划分；3）语言点的理解：Wor

2、d study: allegiance; ascent; atrocious; avaricious; brood; conjecture; degenerate; descent; disposition; exterminate; gory; mutilation; oblige; rabid; scruple; wantonlyGrammar Focus: Study and learn how such contrast expressions as and, but, compared 2 备 课 纸任教课程：综合英语（二）年 月 日to/with, while, unlike, a

3、nd on the other hand , are used.七.教学基本内容和纲要Part One Warm - up1.1 Warm-up Questions1.2 Define the following words and phrases Part Two Background Information2.1 Have you read much of Mark Twain? Can you name some stories, novels or essays he wrote? How do you like him? What qualities in his writings

4、brought him world renown? Is this essay written in his usual humorous vein?Part Three Text Appreciation3.1 Text Analysis3.1.1 Theme of the text3.1.2 Structure of the text3.2 Writing Devices3.2.1 Contrast3.2.2 Humorous3.2.3 Satire and Parallelism3.3 Sentence ParaphrasePart Four Language Study4.1 Phra

5、ses and Expressions4.1.1 Word list:4.1.2 Phrases and expressions list:4.1.3 Word Building4.2 Grammar4.2.1 ObjectPart Five Extension5.1 Group discussion,作业，讨论题，思考题完成课后练习;多看英语报刊杂志及英语经典小说，扩大阅读量；精听与泛听相结合，逐步提高自己的听力水平；积极参加英语角等有助于提高英语口语的活动;坚持用英语写日记； 做一些专四相关练习;十.参考资料:1）杨立民主编，现代大学英语精读（4）第 二版，学生用书。北京：外语教学与研究出

6、 版社,2012。2）杨立民主编，现代大学英语精读（4）第 二版，教师用书。北京：外语教学与研究出 版社,2012。3）李观仪主编，新编英语教程（第三、四册）。 上海：上海外语教学研究出版，1999。4）黄源深，虞苏美等主编，综合英语教程 （1-4册）。北京：高等教育出版社，1998。5）高等学校英语专业英语教学大纲，北京: 外语教学研究出版社，2000。6） Judy Pearsall 主编，新牛津英语词典。 上海：上海外语教育出版社，1998。7） 丁往道、吴冰等编著，英语写作手册。北 京：外语教学与研究出版社。8）张道真，现代英语用法词典（重排本）。 北京：外语教学与研究出版社，1994

7、。8） 张道真，温志达，英语语法大全上、下 卷。北京：外语教学与研究出版社，1998。十一、课后小结Unit 9 The Damned Human RacePart One Warm - up1.1 Warm-up Questions1. Do you have any idea why Mark Twain became more and more bitter in his later years? Do you agree that it was largely due to his personal misfortunes? How would you describe this es

8、say? Serious and matter-of-fact? Scientifically detached and objective?Hilariously humorous? Bitterly satirical? Or what?2. What is the main idea of this essay? Do you think the subject of human nature still deserves our close attention today? Is Twain s condemnation of human beings in line with the

9、 Darwinian theory of evolution? How does the author come to doubt this? Is that the result of scientific experiment? Is Mark Twain serious when he says that he has done many months of painstaking and fatiguing work in the London Zoological Garden? What kind of effect do you think he hopes to achieve

10、 with this mock seriousness?3. Do you take Mark Twain s views seriously? Why do you think Twain wrote this essay? Does he have any serious purpose other than amusing his readers?1.2 Define the following words and phrases1. sport2. loose5备 课 纸任教课程：综合英语(二)年 月 日3. grace4. confined5. occasion6. prior7.

11、unhumanly8. distinction9. subject sth/sb to sth10. have not scrupled to do sth11. cheat sb out of sthPart Two Background Information11.1 About the author:Mark Twain (18351910) was born Samuel Langhorne Clements in Florida, Missouri, but lived as a child in Hannibal, Missouri, on the Mississippi Rive

12、r. He took the pen name Mark Twain from the call of the pilots on the river steamers, which indicated that the water was twelve feet deep, a safe depth for a steamer.During his early years, he worked as a riverboat pilot, newspaper reporter, printer, and gold prospector. But then he turned to writin

13、g, 8备 课 纸任教课程：综合英语(二)年 月 日and became one of the greatest of American writers.11.2 His masterpiece: Innocents Abroad 1869 The Adventures of Tom Sawyer 1876 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn 1885 Life on the Mississippi 1883 The Prince and the Pauper 188211.3 His writing style: hilariously humorous b

14、itterly satirical11.4 About the story:The author writes about ugly human traits and dispositions. In his opinion, human beings are not ascended from the lower animals but descended from the higher animals.Part Three Text Appreciation3.1 Text Analysis1. Questions for thinking:a. How does the author c

15、ontrast human beings with other animals? What specific human traits and dispositions does he condemn? How would you describe the image of human beings in the author s writing? And what arguments does the author give to support his views?b.Why does he say that man is the cruel animal? What examples d

16、oes he give to illustrate the point? Do you agree with Twain that human beings are cruel whereas tigers, wolves, and anacondas are not?3.1.2 Structure of the textI. Introduction : Topic and credibility of the author s research (paras. 1-3)A. Topic : The descent of man from the higher animals (para.

17、1)B. Credibility : The use of scientific method and authentic institution where the experiments were conducted (para. 2)C. A characteristic example of his experiments9备 课 纸任教课程：综合英语（二）年 月 日(para. 3)11. Findings about man as against higher animals (paras. 4-17)A. M an's greed (para. 4)B. Man'

18、s immorality (paras. 5-8)C M an's cruelty (para. 9)D. M an's inclination for wars (paras. 10-11)E. Man's position of enslaving and being enslaved (para. 12)F.M an s hypocrisy (paras. 13-15)G.Man's inability to learn to live together peacefully (paras. 16-17)III. Conclusion : Restatem

19、ent of the thesis (para. 18)Logic & TechniqueThe main body is arranged accordingly to the various traits and dispositions of human beings as contrasted to the higher animals. ” However, in the second half, the author begins to adopt a polemic tone. He seems to be arguing with people who believe

20、in man's superiority. Notice how Mark Twain achieves humor. He talks tongue in cheek throughout the essay, using highly exaggerated and formal words and expressions as appropriate for the academic writing he pretends the essay to be. He adopts a pompous style very different from the usual colloq

21、uial vernacular he is famous for, to ridicule those critics who say Mark Twain lacks proper education.Relevant questions:1. How is this essay organized? What devices does the author use to make the article interesting? What do you have to say about the diction of this essay? Mark Twain is generally

22、known for his skilful use of the vernacular. Would you consider this essay a good example? Is this article written in a colloquial and informal way? How would you explain his adoption of this style?2. Do you agree with Mark Twain? If you were to write in response to this essay to express some differ

23、ent opinions, what would you say?3. 1.3 Detailed Analysis of the textPart I: Main IdeaThis slightly abridged essay is organized like a paper to report results of a scientific experiment. It has a thesis statement at the beginning and a brief summing-up at the end. The main body is arranged according

24、 to the various straits and disposition of human beings as contrasted to the“ higher animals ” . However in the second part of the body the author begins to use a polemic tone. He seems to be arguing with people who believe in man ssuperiority because they can reason, have moral principles and relig

25、ion, and love their neighbors and country.Part II: Discussion1. How does the author contrast human beings with other animals? What specific human traits and dispositions does he condemn? How would you describe the image of human beings in the author s writing? And what arguments does the author give

26、 to support his views?2. Why does he say that man is the cruel animal?Conclusion of the text:It is wrong to think that Mark Twain is pessimistic or cynical. He is neither. Behind all the bitterness is a warm and human heart. Mark Twain does not really believe that human beings are incurably cruel, g

27、reedy and wicked. Otherwise he would not have bothered to write those essays. He writes about ugly human traits and dispositions precisely because he thinks human beings are capable of mending their ways if they can open their eyes to their own weaknesses and understand the conditions that give rise

28、 to them and nurture them. In otherwords, his policy is to frighten in order to enlighten.3.3 Sentence Paraphrase1. I have been studying the traits and dispositions of the “lower animals ” ,and contrasting them with the traits and dispositions of man. I find the result humiliating to me.I have been

29、studying the characteristics of the so-called lower animals in comparison with those of man. The result of this study makes me, as a man, feel terribly ashamed.traits and dispositions: characteristics; features; nature; qualities; personalitieshumiliating:making me feel ashamed;embarrassing; mortify

30、ingNotice the tongue-in-cheek way the author expresses his ideas. He makes it sound as if he were conducting and reporting on the result of a scientific investigation. In other words, he is 13备 课 纸任教课程：综合英语(二)年 月 日deliberately using a pompous style to achieve humor.2. For it obliges me to renounce m

31、y allegiance to the Darwinian theory of the Ascent of Man from the Lower Animals and to name it the Descent of Man from the Higher Animals.Because the result of my study forces me to give up (to abandon) my loyalty to (firm belief in ) Darwin ' s theory of evolution and to change the theory of t

32、he Ascent of Man from the Lower Animals to the theory of the Descent of Man from the Higher Animals.to oblige sb to do sth: to force sb to do sth; to make it necessary for sb to do sthto renounce: to abandon or give up; to reject or disownallegiance: loyalty, esp. to a nation or a cause3. That is to

33、 say, I have subjected every postulate that presented itself to the crucial test of actual experiment.In other words, I have put every theory or hypothesis there is to the decisive test of actual experiment.to subject sht/ sb to sth: to cause sb/sth to undergo or experience sth unpleasant or difficu

34、lt and often for a long time,e.g.They were subjected to very cruel tortures.The desertification subjected people living in that area to great hardships.postulate: (fml) assumption; theory; hypothesis that presented itself: that happens or exists, e.g.when the opportunity presents itself you must sei

35、ze it at once.4. It also seemed to suggest that the earl was descended from the anaconda, and had lost a good deal in the transition.It also seemed to show that the earl came from 15备 课 纸任教课程：综合英语(二)年 月 日the anaconda and had lost a lot of the anaconda ' s good qualities in the process.to be desc

36、ended from sb: to be related to sb who lived a long time ago5. I was aware that many men who have accumulated more millions of money than they can ever use have shown a rabid hunger for more, and have not scrupled to cheat the ignorant and the helpless out of their poor saving in order to partially

37、appease that appetite.I knew that many men who have more money than they can ever use have shown a mad desire to get more, and they have not hesitated to cheat poor people and their few saving in order to satisfy that desire.rabid: uncontrollable （Note: it is related to rabies, which is an acute, in

38、fectious and often fatal disease of dogs, also known as hydrophobia, transmitted by the bite of the infected animal) to have not scrupled to do sth: to have not hesitated to do sth because of trouble conscience or embarrassment from moral considerations to cheat sb out of sth: to trick or deceive sb

39、 in order to get an advantage, e.g.to cheat sb out of his money or job or land,etc Compare: to talk sb out of sth; to trick sb out of sth the ignorant and helpless: the uneducated and powerless people; the poor laboring people in generalto appease: to satisfy or relieve (hunger, thirst, desire, etc)

40、6. Cats are loose in their morals, but not consciously so. Man, in his descent from the cat, has brought the cat ' s looseness with him but had left the unconsciousness behind the saving grace which excuses the cat.Cats are immoral, but they do not know it. They just can' thelp it. Man has i

41、nherited cats looseness, but not their innocence, which is what excuses the cat for its low morals. to be loose in morals: immoral the saving grace: the redeeming quality; the quality that makes up for the generally negative characteristics.7. Indecency, vulgarity, obscenity- these are strictly conf

42、ined to man; he invented them.These are only man s problems. They are limited to man. They only happen to man8. No- Man is the Animal that Blushes. He is the only one that does it- or has occasion to.No, man is not the only animal that laughs, but it is true that man is the animal that blushes. He i

43、s the only animal that does it or has the need to. to have occasion to do sth: to have the need or 17备 课 纸任教课程：综合英语(二)年 月 日necessity to do sthNotice that Mark Twain is saying here that only man needs to blush because he consciously does bad, immoral things.9. Man- when he is King John, with a nephew

44、 to render untroublesome, he uses a red-hot iron;In the case of King John who wanted to get rid of his nephew he used a red-hot iron to torture him.King John: was the youngest son of Henry II. During his brother Richard I ' absence on the third Crusade, John himself declared king and later held

45、his brother in captivity.He was believed to have murdered his nephew Arthur I of Brittany. This and many other cruel things he did made him extremely unpopular, and finally a civil war resulted during which he died, presumably poisoned.to render sb untroublesome: to cause sb tobecome untroublesome;

46、to prevent sb from making trouble for him (King John' s throne hadbeen stolen from his nephew. Therefore he thought his nephew posed a threat to him.)10. in the first Richard ' time he shuts up a multitude of Jew Families in a tower and sets fire to it;the first Richard: Richard first, King

47、of England , otherwise known as the Lion-Hearted. to set fire to: to make sth start burning Notice that it does not mean the same as " to make/light a fire " or “to build a fire ” .11. The cat ismoderate-unhumanlymoderate, - she doesn ' dtig out its eyes,or drive splinters under its na

48、ils- man-fashion; when she is done playing with it, she makes a sudden meal of it and puts it out of its trouble. unhumanly moderate: reasonable, not so violent,not so excessive or extreme, unlike human beings( Unhumanly is not to be mixed up with inhuman. It is actually a word coined by the writer.

49、)man-fashion: like man; as man doesto be dong doing sth: to finish doing sthto make a meal of: to eat it upto put sb out of his trouble: to end sb ' s trouble12. There is not an acre of ground on the globe that is in possession of its rightful ownerNot a single piece of land is in the hands of i

50、ts original owner. Every piece of land has been stolen.Mark Twain is referring to the fact that the world has been, in the course of history, divided and re-divided countless times through war.13. Man is the only Slave. And he is the only animal who enslaves. He has always been a slave 19备 课 纸任教课程：综

51、合英语(二)年 月 日in one form or another, and has always held other slaves in bondage under him in one way or another.Mark Twain is referring to the idea that in the history of human civilization, our society has always been based on some kind of exploitation of man by man. No one is free. Everyone is a sl

52、ave of one form or another and at the same time enslaved those under him.to hold sb in bondage: to keep sb in the state of being a slave14. and in the intervals between campaigns he washes the blood off his hands andworks for “ theuniversal brotherhood of man” 一with his mouth. and when they are not

53、fighting each other, they will start talking about peace and universal brotherhood, but without any sincerity. Man, according to Mark Twain, is not only cruel and warlike, but also hypocritical.to work for with his mouthto pay lip service to ；to give empty promises to the universal brotherhood: the

54、idea that all living human beings are brothers and sisters to each other四海之内皆兄弟的思想；博爱Note that the word man= humankind ( men and women)。The world brotherhood also includes women in this sense.15. Man is the Religious Animal. He is the only Religious Animal. He is the only animal that has the True Re

55、ligion- several of them.Man claims to be the only animal capable of religious belief. Religion of course is considered here something much more important and noble than animal instincts because it emphasizes the spiritual and moral life of human beings. But Mark Twain sneers at this because the diff

56、erent religious in the world have resulted in endless religious suppressions, persecutions and wars.16. He was at it in the time of the Caesar ' s, he was at it in Mohammed s time, he was at it in the time of the inquisition, he was at it in France a couple of centuries, he was at it in England

57、in Mary' s day, he had been at it ever since he firs t saw the lightto be at sth: to be engaged in a certain activity The Caesars: in the times of Caesars, the early Christians were cruelly persecuted by the Romans.Mohammed: in Mohammed' s time, the Muslims were cruelly persecuted.Inquisitio

58、n:it means that “inquiry ”or“ investigation S|oecifically, it refers to the former tribunal in the Roman Catholic Church directed at the suppression of heresy.(Queen) Mary: in Mary' sday, the Protestants were persecuted.23备 课 纸任教课程：综合英语（二）年 月 日to see the light: to come into existence, to be born.Mary Tudor:commonly known as Bloody Mary, Queen of England.17. And so I find that we have descended and degenerated, from