现代大学英语精读四课件PPT,why historians disagree

1、,why historians disagree,the present text is based on the introduction to a book entitled conflict and consensus(意见等的一致） in modern american history edited by allen f. davis and harold d. woodman, professors at temple university and purdue university respectively, who also wrote the introduction.,aut

2、hors,woodrow wilson,woodrow wilson (1856-1924), americas 28th president(1913-1921), was a professor of law, the president of princeton university, and the governor of new jersey before he was elected to the white house.,zimmerman note,the zimmerman note was a communiqu（公报）authored by german foreign

3、secretary arthur zimmerman and intercepted by american intelligence. the note had been designed to entice （诱使）mexico into declaring war against the united states should the u.s. declare war on germany. as a reward, mexico would then receive arizona, new mexico, and texas after the war.,full text： on

4、 the first of february we intend to begin submarine warfare unrestricted. in spite of this, it is our intention to endeavor to keep neutral the united states of america. if this attempt is not successful, we propose an alliance on the following basis with mexico: that we shall make war together and

5、together make peace. we shall give general financial support, and it is understood that mexico is to reconquer the lost territory in new mexico, texas, and arizona. the details are left to you for settlement.,zimmerman note,you are instructed to inform the president of mexico of the above in the gre

6、atest confidence as soon as it is certain that there will be an outbreak of war with the united states and suggest that the president of mexico, on his own initiative, should communicate with japan suggesting adherence at once to this plan; at the same time, offer to mediate（斡旋） between germany and

7、japan.,please call to the attention of the president of mexico that the employment of ruthless submarine warfare now promises to compel （迫使）england to make peace in a few months. zimmerman (sent january 19, 1917),immerse v.,a. to put sth. under the surface of a liquid 使浸入 b. to involve oneself deepl

8、y (in sth.) 使专心于,he immersed the knife in boiling water. immerse the cloth in the dye for 20 minutes. i walked into the study and found mr. johnson immersed in his writing, as usual. when alfred inherited his fathers estate, he immersed himself in pleasure.,a sea of (people of things): a very large

9、number of the immense square was a sea of flowers and happy faces. by way of: through,a. through, by route of, via b. as a means of; as a type of; serving as,by way of,examples: you can get this information by way of the internet. he sent her some flowers by way of an apology.,fat: 1. 肥沃的 fat land 肥

10、沃的土地 a fat country 富裕的国家 2. 有利可图的 a fat contract (bargain) 有利可图的合同（交易） 3. thick and well-filled 厚的、大量的、内容充实的 make a fat profit 获得暴利 pay a fat price 付出很大的代价 a fat job 肥缺 4. nearly nonexistent 不多、少 a fat chance （not likely) you know a fat lot about it. 你一点儿也不懂。,fat: overweight , heavy, plump, chubby,

11、stout（壮实的） obese (过分肥胖的） thin: slim, slender, bony,most students are usually introduced to the study of history by way of a fat textbook and become quickly immersed in a vast sea of names, dates, events and statistics.,most students usually come to have their first experience of the study of history

12、 through the reading of a thick history textbook and soon are overwhelmed by a large number of names, dates, events and statistics.,thick,(metaphor) a great number of,simply: only; nothing but it is simply a matter of time. bring together: collect on (upon) (fml.): directly after (and often as a res

13、ult of) on hearing the news, she burst into tears. disagree: i strongly disagree with the last speaker. bill and i often disagree, but we are good friends.,sharply: clearly and definitely his aggressive behavior contrasted sharply with the mild manner of his brother.,state of affairs: a situation 情形

14、、情况 there is not much we can do in the present state of affairs. this is a very unpleasant state of affairs.,their common-sense reaction to this state of affairs is to conclude that one historian is right while the other is wrong.,when a person is faced with this kind of situation, the normal, pract

15、ical response will be that one historian is right whereas the other is wrong.,“whereas or and”, implying a contrast,their response based on common sense,presumably,adv. used to say that you think something is probably true 据推测、大概可能,a. presumable n. presumption v. presume,presumably theres a good rea

16、son for her absence, as she doesnt usually stay away from work.,word formations,contend,v. a. to struggle, to be in rivalry 争夺、竞争 b. to argue, to assert 争辩说,i know the charms of my rival are too powerful for me to contend with. three armed groups are contending for power. some astronomers contend th

17、at the universe may be younger than previously thought. contending historians: historians who are fighting or debating,more or less: almost; to an undetermined degree 1. 或多或少 they were more or less willing to help. 他们多少愿意帮忙。 2. 几乎、大约 the work is more or less finished. 。 差不多完成了,looking at sth. from a

18、 certain angle examples: the novel is written from a childs perspective. we have to look at everything from an international perspective. if you look at things from a feminist perspective they are, in fact, not equal. from a feminist/christian/global perspective from different points of view, angles

19、, theoretical stance, approaches, perspective (they all mean similarly.),from a perspective,cut-and-dried: already settled and unlikely to be changed 1. 事先安排好的、常规的、例行的； a cut-and-dried meeting 例会 2. 无生气的，呆板的 his speech was cut-and-dried because he had nothing new to say. a cut-and-dried matter: an o

20、rdinary matter,this position is hardly satisfying.,this is not a happy solution or happy situation. students expect to be given clear-cut answers, either yes or no. but now they have to shop around (到处寻找）for the proper answer. the answer becomes a personal choice. this makes them feel very uncomfort

21、able.,situation or state; status,cannot help but do,lee could not help but agree with her. i couldnt help but notice the bruise she had under her eye.,similar expression,cant help doing cannot but do,used to say that someone is unable to change their behavior or feelings, or to prevent themselves fr

22、om doing something 不得不、不会不、情不自禁做某事,diametrically: completely different 在直径方面；正好、完全、截然 the two ideas are diametrically opposed. this is diametrically opposite to what i said. diametric opinions 截然相反的观点 to be in diametric contradiction,denote: to refer to 意思是；是。的征兆,为。的名称 the word heart denotes an orga

23、n that pumps blood. in a broad / narrow / general sense 从广义 、狭义、一般意义上说,restricted,a. a. small or limited in size, area, or amount,examples: its difficult trying to work in such a restricted space. the sale of alcohol is restricted to people over the age of 18. there is restricted access to this info

24、rmation (=only certain people can have it).,v. restrict n. restriction a. restrictive,word formations,b. limited or controlled, especially by laws or rules,history may be defined as that which that which: something that or what,therefore the historian can only approximate history at best. no one can

25、 ever claim to have concluded the quest. (para. 5),go to 5,to come close to,therefore the best the historian can do is to get as near as possible to the historical truth. but no one can ever boast that he/she has completed this search. it goes on for ever.,taking the most hopeful view,search; pursui

26、t,approximate: adj. an approximate number an approximate figure v. to come near in amount, nature, etc. your story only approximates to the real facts. your account of what happened approximates the truth, but there are several small errors.,taking the most hopeful view examples: this is, at best, o

27、nly a temporary solution. 这充其量也不过是个权宜之计。 his answers were at best evasive, at worst very misleading.,at best,持最乐观的看法；充其量,at its/his/their best in the best condition,the garden is at its best in april. he was at his best yesterday evening and kept us all amused. every year, when the peach blossoms ar

28、e at their best, a festival is held at the beijing botanical garden.,处于最佳状态；处于巅峰状态；在全盛期中,quest,n. a long search for something that is difficult to find 寻求、探求,the quest for truth at their roots, these quests originated out of human inquisitiveness. world leaders are now united in their quest for peac

29、e. foreign powers had long penetrated the area in quest of wealth or influence, or to counter the lusts of their adversaries.,if historians cannot know everythingavailable to them: 如果说历史学家不可能了解一切是因为有的事件没有没记录下来，那么同样也可以说，他们对可供利用的记录材料也没有充分利用。,deem: consider to piece together: to form a whole from vario

30、us parts 把零碎的部分拼合成整体,sometimes this appears to be easy, requiring very little sophistication and subtlety.,sometimes this appears to be easy, demanding no special training or profound knowledge or the ability to understand very complex issues and fine distinctions. 不需要专门的训练、高深的知识以及理解复杂事件和细微差别的能力,pre

31、sent participle phrases functioning as cause,fine distinctions细微之处、细心,complexities老练、富于经验, crude schemes crude ore a crude shelter crude remarks crude manners crude ideas crude oil/sugar,a,a,c,c,a,b,b,crude a.,a. not finished properly; badly worked out 粗略的 b. (of materials) in a natural state, not r

32、efined or manufactured天然的 c. not having grace, taste or refinement 粗鲁的,the choice as to which fact to use is based on a theoryadmittedly, in this case a rather crude theory, but a theory nonetheless.,the choice concerning which fact to use is based on a theory. i am willing to concede that the theor

33、y used here is unrefined, yet it is still a theory.,with regard to; concerning,we all admit 不可否认,(fml)nevertheless; however,contemplate,v. a. to have in view as a purpose, intention 思考、盘算 contemplate ones future contemplate what to do.,consider think about/of toy with the idea of,word formations,she

34、 stood contemplating her figure in the mirror. he contemplated her with a faint smile.,b. to look at (with the eyes, or in the mind)注视,contemplative n. contemplation,word formations,it would go something like this: national leaders contemplating war are more likely to be influenced by belligerent ac

35、ts against countries than by their unhappiness with their haberdashers.,pondering over the problem of war; considering going to war with anther country,war acts, acts of war 战争行为,unhappiness with their hat makers or hat shops; unhappiness about personal trivial things,under study: being studied unde

36、r: in the process of the issue under discussion a road under repair under (consideration / review / observation / construction / attack,at work: doing job or a particular activity; operating 在工作，在劳动 he had been at work on a book. 忙着写一本书 in the event of: if sth. happens; in case sth. should happen in

37、 the event of rain, the party will be held indoors. it offers vital financial cover in the event of you being permanently disabled in an accident.,i was shocked when i read of his death.,read of,“read” phrases,读到，阅悉,to find out information from books, newspapers etc,cf. read sb. a lesson/lecture rea

38、d through/over read sb.s mind/thoughts read between the lines,cf. 训斥某人 从头到尾细读一遍 看出某人的心思 体会字里行间的言外之意,whereby: by means of this, in accordance with this 凭借这个，借此 there is a way whereby he can be saved. 有一个可以使他得救的方法。,concern: (about / over / with ) the recent rise in crime is a matter of considerable pu

39、blic concern. they are expressing their deep concern about the worsening environment. to ones disadvantage :对。不利 her height could be to her disadvantage if she wants to be a dancer. thereby: by that means; by doing or saying that 由此、因此、从而,v. a. to appear or come out from somewhere b. (of facts, idea

40、s) to appear;to become known c. to come out of a difficult experience 出现、（问题等）发生；（从困苦等中）露头,emerge,the moon emerged from behind the clouds. new evidence has emerged to contradict earlier claims. local government has recently emerged as a major issue. she emerged from the divorce a stronger person.,ba

41、lance of power: it is a popular theory among western political scientists that peace will be preserved if nations power is well balanced, that is, no country is too powerful or too weak-if any country is too powerful it will not be able to resist the temptation to take advantage of other countries;

42、and if any country is too weak, it is bound to invite foreign aggression. so to maintain world peace, the best we can do is to achieve a balance of power.,what then are historians to make of these facts? how then will historians understand or look at these fact? to make of sth.: to regard as the nat

43、ure or meaning of sth. 对待、处理、解释、理解 we dont know what to make of his behavior. they are eager to see what a country with a backward economy can make of the opportunity.,in that: because men differ from brutes in that they can think and speak.,examples: these figures do not take into account the chang

44、es in the rate of inflation.,take into account/take account of sth.,“account” phrases,take into consideration,cf. open an account settle ones account give an account of account for on ones account on this/that account take no account of,cf. 开户头 结清欠帐，（喻）报复 描述，叙述 解释；说明；占百分比 为一己的目的和利益 为了这个/那个缘故 对某事物不予考

45、虑,to develop as a result of something else,stem from,his headaches stemmed from vision problems. it also tries to say that womens problems stem from either their sexuality or the family. much of the friction stemmed from a debate about which technology to use.,to become involved in sth. because you

46、are interested in it or because it worries you 担心、牵挂；使忙于。,concern oneself with,he loved his wife, and concerned himself with her needs and desires. for several weeks i did not concern myself with any thought of the future. our countrys leaders must concern themselves with environmental protection.,s

47、imilarly a third group of historians might maintain that the various items on the list should not be given equal weight.,similarly a third group of historians might argue that the various points put on the list should not considered equally important.,for the same reason,to consider sth. equally imp

48、ortant,to continue to have the view,maintain: to repeatedly say 坚持、断言、主张 give weight to: to consider sth. important we should give due weight to the environment protection.,disproportionate: too much or too little in relation to sth. else 不成比例的、不相称的 a disproportionate number of fatal accidents take

49、place at night.,in the examples given, historians disagree because they begin from different premises.,in the examples we have given above, we can see that historians disagree because they begin from different assumptions.,a proposition upon which an argument is based or from which a conclusion is d

50、rawn 前提、（作为先决条件的）假定,neither statement can be faulted on the grounds that it is inaccurate.,you cannot find fault with either statement and say it is not accurate. (neither statement can be criticized on the grounds that it is inaccurate.),noun clause serving as an appositive of “grounds”,reasons or

51、justifications,to be criticized; to be considered wrong,fault: 挑剔、指责、批评 you cannot fault his sincerity. 他的真诚无可指责。 fault the government for failing to take timely actions. ground: 理由、根据 he has good grounds for what he thinks. 他的想法有充分的根据。 on the grounds that: 以。为理由，根据。 因为， 由于 he was awarded compensati

52、on on the grounds that the doctor had been negligent. 由于医生玩忽职守，他得到了赔偿。,probe:探究、调查; 用尖物刺穿 before freud, poets had probed the unconscious and irrational aspects of human behavior. reporters began probing for more information. probe for answers / reasons / ways to dosth. probe into sb.s misconduct the

53、 mystery of sbs speech,ultimate: 1. being or happening at the end of a process, etc. an ultimate result 最终结果 2. greatest the ultimate boundaries of human knowledge 3. basic the ultimate responsibility 主要责任 the ultimate principle 基本原则,trace: 追溯、跟踪 trace a river to its source the rumor was traces back

54、 to a journalist.,to completely get rid of something that is unnecessary or unwanted 排除、消除 b. to defeat a team or person in a competition, so that they no longer take part in it 淘汰 c. to kill someone in order to prevent them from causing trouble 消灭,eliminate v.,get rid of abolish do away with eradic

55、ate root out,the credit card eliminates the need for cash or cheques. our team was eliminated in the first round. the dictator eliminated anyone who might be a threat to him.,we can if our knowledge could give us a perfect model that completely explained human behavior. unfortunately no such model h

56、as ever existed. 如果我们的知识水平能够给我们提供一种毋容置疑的有效模式，对人类行为作出全面解释，我们就能消除所有分歧。,if the state of our knowledge were such that it provided us with a model of unquestioned validity that completely explained human behavior, we can.,a model that is always effective; a foolproof model,a variation of the pattern “so

57、that”,more examples,1. the conditions were such that many young people wanted to leave the place. 2. the force of the explosion was such that windows were blown out. 3. the situation was such that political observers found it difficult to predict. 局势如此，连政治观察家们也觉得难以预测。,but since we do not have such a

58、 complete and foolproof explanation, disagreements are destined to remain. (para. 13),go to 14,to be bound to do sth.; to be predetermined or preordained to do sth.,always effective; completely dependable; infallible,but since we do not have such a complete and infallible explanation, disagreement a

59、re bound to exist.,we were destined never to meet again. she was not destined to be a great painter but she had the confidence and luck to be a successful one. at first their predictions seemed destined to come true.,be destined to,seeming certain to happen at some time in the future 注定会,sentence paraphrase 14,when students realize that “truth” is but an elusive yet intriguing goal in a never-ending quest. (para. 13),the end of sentence paraphrase.,a goal that is