研究生英语课件Unit7

1、研究生英语课件Unit7 The Virtues of Ambition研究生英语课件Unit7Introduction to the Author Joseph Epstein(1937-), noted essayist,short story author and novelist, was born in Chicago and grew up in Rogers Park. He then attended the University of Chicago and is now a promineng member of the literature faculty at Nort

2、hwestern University. He is a teacher in the acclaimed prose, writing fiction, as well as literature classes on Henry James, Willa Cather, and Joseph Conrad. He won the 1998 harold Washington Literary Award for the most prominent man or women of letters in Chicago.研究生英语课件Unit7 Perhaps one of the clev

3、erest writers of our times, Epstein specializes in the personal or familiar essay. His insightful and penetrating observations and wry prose combine to make him one of the most enjoyable contemporary authors. He has also written short fiction, as well as a number of works of literary criticism. His

4、works: Divorced in America, 1974 Ambition,1980 Plausible Prejudices, 1985 The Middle of My Tether Family Territory研究生英语课件Unit7Introdution to the Text Is ambition good or bad? There are those who argue that ambition is often evil; that “dreams of glory” ( in the words of the author) too often result

5、in selfishness, rivalry, corruption, and a general lack of moral standards. If you are truly ambitious, then your goal whether fame, wealth, or power comes before everything else, including your family, other people, and even your own moral values. Hitler is one well-known example of the evils of am

6、bition, and one neednt look far to find other examples among both public figures and perhaps even our own acquaintances.研究生英语课件Unit7 On the other hand, examples of ambition also include people working for the good of others such as Martin Luther King and Ghandi. Epstein argues that far from being an

7、 evil, ambition is in fact a virtue and necessary for the functioning of society. He argues that ambition involves much more than just “dreams of glory” it also includes the work and discipline to make those dreams come true. Ambition, says Epstein, is critical for both great leaders and the more hu

8、mble members of the middle class. Rather than being an evil, ambition is something that brings progress and life to society.研究生英语课件Unit7The structure of the text Part 1 (para.1-3): None of this seems a sufficient cause for driving ambition under the counter. Part 2 ( para.4-5):What is the worst that

9、 can be said about ambition. Part 3 ( para.6-7): There is a heavy note of hypocrisy in this. Part 4 ( para.8-11): To discourage ambition is to discourage dreams of greatness. Part 5 ( para.12-13): How unrelievedly boring life would be.研究生英语课件Unit7Language Points Rorschach word (line 1, Para. 1) =Ror

10、schach inkblot test, which was developed in 1921 by Swiss psychiatrist Herman Rorschach (1844-1922). He believed that people reveal their personality traits and unconscious thoughts by how they interpret inkblot designs. Psychologists administer the test by showing subjects a series of ten inkblot c

11、ards, asking them to describe what they see, and questioning them about their responses. Rorschach words refer to words that have the feature of revealing a great deal about people when they define them.研究生英语课件Unit7Line 1-2, para.1 define it and you instantly reveal a great deal about yourself. If y

12、ou define ambition according to your personal understanding, you will reveal a lot about yourself, your dreams, your desires, your values, your philosophy, etc.研究生英语课件Unit7Line 2-5, para 1. Even that most neutral of works, Websters, in its Seventh New Collegiate Edition, gives itself away, defining

13、ambition first and foremost as “ an ardent desire for rank, fame, or power.” Even that most neutral of dictionaries, websters, in its seventh New Collegiate edition, shows its biased interpretation of ambition, its first definition of ambition being “ an ardent desire for rank, fame, or power.”研究生英语

14、课件Unit7 give itself away: reveal itself e.g. The swindler gave himself away when he was asked to establish his identity. She really likes him and thinks no one knows, but the look on her face when I mentioned his name gave her away.研究生英语课件Unit7Lines 5-7, para 1 Ardent immediately assumes a heat inco

15、mmensurate with good sense and stability, and rank, fame, and power have come under fairly heavy attack for at least a century. The word “ardent” immediately takes on a desire disproportionate to good sense and stability, and rank, fame, and power have been severely criticized for at least a century

16、.研究生英语课件Unit7 Be commensurate with: match sth. in size, quality, or length of time E.g. The salary will be commensurate with age, experience and position. Be commensurable to/with: can be measured by the same standard as E.g. Their achievements are not commensurable.研究生英语课件Unit7Lines 8-11, para. 1 O

17、ne can, after all, be ambitions for the public good, for the alleviation of suffering, for the enlightenment of mankind, though there are some who say that these are precisely the ambitious people most to be distrusted. Surely one can strive to be successful, rich and powerful in order to help ease

18、human suffering and enlighten mankind, but there are some who believe that those kind of ambitious people are exacly the kind not to be trusted.研究生英语课件Unit7be ambitious for sb.: want sb. to be very successfulbe ambitious for/after/of: have a strong desire forE.g. be ambitious after wealth Be ambitio

19、us for/of powerafter all: despite problem and doubt, (the facts is); in spite of any indications or expectations to the contraryE.g. Of course I admire her after all, she is a great politician.研究生英语课件Unit7Comprehension This essay is an argumentation. In the first paragraph, the writer mentions two d

20、ifferent interpretations about ambition and ambitious people. What and who are they? 1) ambition is an ardent desire for rank, fame, or power 2) ambition is incommensurate with good sense and stability 3) one can be ambitious for the public good, for the alleviation of suffering and for the enlighte

21、nment of mankind.研究生英语课件Unit7Lines 1-2, para. 2 Surely ambition is behind dreams of glory, of wealth, of love, of distinction, of accomplishment, of pleasure, of goodness. It is certain that ambition makes possible dreams of glory, of wealth, of love, of distiction, of accomplishment, of pleasure, o

22、f goodness.研究生英语课件Unit7nBehind( prep. ): in or to a position at the back (sb/sth); supportive of sb./ sth; responsible for starting or developing (sth.)nE.g. I know that behind her smile was sadness.nMarie curie was the woman behind enormous changes in the science of chemistry.nWere all behind you i

23、n this decision.nDistinction n.: quality of excellence; honor, mark of respect; classification of two or more; a clear difference between two similar thingsnE.g. He is a man of distinction in his own country.nI had the great distinction of being invited to speak at the conference.研究生英语课件Unit7Lines 2

24、-4,para. 2nWhat life does with our dreams and expectation cannot be predicted.nWhat will actually happen to our dreams and expectations during our life times cannot be guessed in advance.研究生英语课件Unit7ndo with: get on with/ have a connection withnE.g. To tell the truth, I dont know what to do with him

25、.nThe program has to do with mental illness.ndo without: get along withoutnE.g. As John isnt here, we shall have to do without him.研究生英语课件Unit7Lines 5-7, para. 2nThe unpredictability of the outcome of dreams is no reason to cease dreaming.nAlthough the outcome of dreams cannot be predicted, one shou

26、ldnt stop dreaming.研究生英语课件Unit7Lines 1-3 para. 3nTo be sure, ambition, the sheer thing unalloyed by some larger purpose than merely clambering up, is never a pretty prospect to ponder.nIt is certain that ambition, in its simplest form, if not mixed with reasons other than to just merely climb up soc

27、ially or materially, is never a pleasant and attractive thing to think about.研究生英语课件Unit7nSheer: The word sheer is used for emphasis, and the sheer thing means the simple or pure thingnE.g. The suggestion is sheer nonsense.nThe engines sheer size would make it difficult to transport.nProspect n.: li

28、kelihood; sth. one expectsnPretty prospect: pleasant and attractive things to happennE.g. Success or failure here would be crucial to his future prospects.研究生英语课件Unit7Lines 3-4, para. 3nAs drunk have done to alcohol, the single-minded have done to ambition given it a bad name.nJust as people who abu

29、se alcohol have given alcohol a bad name, so people who live on greed, have given ambition a bad name.研究生英语课件Unit7Lines 4-5, para. 3nLike a taste for alcohol, too, ambition does not always allow for easy satiation.nAs with people who enjoy a taste for alcohol, it is very difficult for ambitious peop

30、le to be satisfied; they usually want more and more. Taste here means preference.nSatiate v.: (usu. passive) provide sb. with so much of sth. that he wants no morenE.g. He drank greedily until his thirst was satiated.nThe company can hardly produce enough of these toys to satiate public demand.研究生英语

31、课件Unit7Lines 7-8, para. 3nStill, none of this seems a sufficient cause for driving ambition under the counter.nNeverthless, none of what is mentioned above is enough reason to force ambition to become secret and hidden.nunder the counter: secretly; illegallynE.g. handle business under the counternTh

32、e banned book was sold under the counter.研究生英语课件Unit7Lines 7-8, para. 4nThe ambitious individual, far from identifying himself and his fortunes with the group, wishes to rise above it.nAn ambitious person does not want to be part of the crowd, but he wishes to progress and outdistance it.nfar from:

33、not at allnE.g. The newspaper accounts are far from (being) true.nfar from eye,/far from heart.nIdentify with: equate with; associate oneself withnE.g. It is a mistake to identify art with life.nShe has always been identified with the radical left.研究生英语课件Unit7ComprehensionnWhat is the main idea of t

34、he first three paragraphs?nAlthough for a long time ambition has come under heavy attack, has been given a bad name, and can be dangerous, it is by no means a bad thing.研究生英语课件Unit7ComprehensionnIn these paragraphs, the attacks on ambition and ambitious people mainly lie in four aspects. What are th

35、ey?n1) Ambition is inconsistent with good sense and stability.n2) Most ambitious people are to be distrusted.n3) The outcome of ambitious dreams is usually unpredictable.n4) Ambition does not always allow for easy satisfaction; single minded ambitious people give ambition a bad name.研究生英语课件Unit7Line

36、s 11-14, para. 4nAmbition is, moreover, jesuitical; it can argue those possessed by it into believing that what they want for themselves is good for everyone that the satisfaction of their own desires is best for the commonweal.nAmbition is moreover, very cunning; it can persuade those who are obses

37、sed with/controlled by it to believe that what they want for themselves is also good for everyone else, that is to say, that the satisfaction of their own desires is best for the public.研究生英语课件Unit7nargue sb into: persuade sb. To do sth.nE.g. They argued him into adoption of the plan.nYou want to ar

38、gue me into agreeing your proposal?npossess vt.: control, obsessnE.g. Im absolutely dreading having to make the after-dinner speech I dont know what possessed me to agree to it.npossessed (by) adj.:obsessed withnShe is possessed by her drive to get into the best college. 研究生英语课件Unit7Lines 14-16, par

39、a. 4nThe truly ambitious believe that it is a dog-eat-dog world, and they are distinguished by wanting to be the dogs that do the eating.nThe really ambitious people believe that the world today is full of tough and maybe ruinous competition, and what makes them different is that they want to come o

40、ut on top in the competition.研究生英语课件Unit7Lines 1-4, para. 5nFrom here it is but a short hop to believe that those who have achieved the common goals of ambition money, fame, power have achieved through corruption of a greater lesser degree, mostly a greater.nFrom this point ( It is a dog-eat-dog wor

41、ld), it is very easy to believe that those who have achieved their common goals of ambition money, fame, power have usually achieved them dishonestly in a greater or lesser degree, mostly in a greater degree.研究生英语课件Unit7Lines 4-5, para. 5nThus all politicians in high places, thought to be ambitious,

42、 are understood to be, ipso facto, without moral scruples.nTherefore, all politicians in high positions , who are regarded as being ambitious, are understood to be, by the very fact (being ambitious), without thinking of moral honesty.nIpso facto: (Latin) by that very factnE.g. He was an outstanding

43、 pupil and , ipso facto, disliked by the rest of the class.n他是优秀的学生，正因为这个缘故，全班都不喜欢他。研究生英语课件Unit7Lines 5-7, para.5nHow could they have such scruples a weighty burden in a high climb and still have risen as they have?nHow could they still have risen as they have done if they had had uneasy feelings gu

44、ilt is a heavy burden in the climb to the high positions. (It is impossible for them to worry about morality, because their only purpose is to achieve their goal of ambitionmoney, fame, rank and power.)研究生英语课件Unit7ComprehensionnWhy does the writer mention politicians in high positions in para.5?nAcc

45、ording to the worst that can be said about ambitious people in para.4, one might think that any high-ranking politician must have gone against moral principles in order to climb so high. This example shows ambition thats gotten out of control and left moral scruples behind.研究生英语课件Unit7Lines 1-3, par

46、a. 6nIf ambition is to be well regarded, the rewards of ambitionwealth, distinction, control over ones destiny must be considered worthy of the sacrifices made on ambitions behalf.nIf ambition is to be well responded, the rewards of ambitionwealth, high achievement, control over ones destiny must be

47、 considered worthy of sacrifices made in the interest of ambition.研究生英语课件Unit7non someones behalf of n/ on behalf of someone: in the interest of; as the representative of spokesman for sb; for the sake ofnE.g. On behalf of the company as a whole, I would like to thank you for all your work.nUnfortun

48、ately, George cannot be with us today so I am pleased to accept this award on his behalf.研究生英语课件Unit7Lines 3-6, para. 6nIf the tradition of ambition is to have vitality, it must be widely shared; and it especially must be esteemed by people who are themselves admired, the educated not least among th

49、em.nIf the tradition of ambition is going to live and thrive, it must be widely accepted by society, in particular by the well educated and others who are respected and admired.研究生英语课件Unit7nnot least: ( usu. not the least): especiallynE.g. The presidents speeches were alarming; not the least to the

50、countrys allies.nnot the least / not in the least/ not the least bit: none at all; not at allnE.g. She didnt seem the least bit worried.研究生英语课件Unit7Lines 6-9, para. 6nThe educated not least because, nowadays more than ever before, it is they who have usurped the platforms of public discussion and wi

51、eld the power of the spoken and written word in newpapaers, in magazines, on television.nThe educated people should especially support ambition, because, nowadays more than ever before, it is the educated people that have occupied the platforms of public discussion, and have and use the power of bot

52、h the spoken and written word in differen kinds of mass communication, e.g. newpapers, magazines, TV, etc.研究生英语课件Unit7Line 13, para. 6nThere is heavy note of hypocrisy in this;n There is a situation in which some educated people, being double-faced, claim to have abandoned ambition, but in fact, hav

53、e benefited a lot from it;研究生英语课件Unit7na note of: showing someones thinking and felling by the way their voice soundsnE.g. a note of anger/ a note of jealousy . A note of anxietynHypocrisy n.: the activity of pretending to believe or feel something that you do notnE.g. She is annoyed by the hypocris

54、y of some governments which claim to support equal rights but never give women imporant government posts.研究生英语课件Unit7Lines 1-2, para. 7nCertainly people do not seem less interested in success and its accoutrements now than formerly.nCertainly people now seem as much interested in success and the com

55、forts that come with it as before.研究生英语课件Unit7Lines 2-5, para. 7nSummer homes, European travel, BMWs the locations, place names and name brands may change, but such items do not seem less in demand today than a decade or two years ago.nThe locations of summer homes may change, the destinations for t

56、ravel may be other than Europe, the taste for name brand products may not be the same, but the demand for such comforts and pleasures now is as much as a decade or two years ago.研究生英语课件Unit7Lines 5-7, para. 7nWhat has happened is that people cannot own up to their dreams ,as easily and openly as onc

57、e they could, lest they be thought pushing, acquisitive, vulgar.nWhat has happened is that people cannot admit to their desires/ambitions, as easily and openly as before, for fear that they be considered disagreeably aggressive, greedy, rude研究生英语课件Unit7nown up( to sth.): admit that you did sthnE.g.

58、The headmaster is waiting for someone to own up.nLast year my husband owned up to a secret affair with his secretary.研究生英语课件Unit7Lines 7-9, para. 7nInstead we are treated to fine pharisaical spectacles, which now more than ever seem in ample supplynWe see more hypocritical examples now than ever, fo

59、r examplentreat someone to sth.: supply sb. With sth.nE.g. I shall treat myself to a good weekend holiday.nJohn treated Linda to the theater after they first meet.ntreat n.: a special event; sth pleasantnE.g. Granny took us for tea at Lyons Conner House as a special treat.nA meal at home came as a r

60、eal treat after all the institutional food Ive been having.研究生英语课件Unit7Lines 14-16, para. 7nFor such people and many more perhaps not so egregious ,the people formulation is, “Succeed at all costs but refrain from appearing ambitious.”nFor such people(as mentioned in the previous Para.) and many oth