综合英语二 课文总结

综合英语二课文总结

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Lesson One: Twelve Things I wish they taught at school

Outline:

The author attended junior and senior high school in New York and New Jersey. Sometimes he think how grateful he would be today if he had learned more back then about what really matters.

List of the things that school should teach:

-Pick a difficult thing and learn it well.

While you learn a little bit about many subjects, make sure you learn a great deal about one or two.

-Don’t be afraid to ask “stupid” questions.

Many apparently naive questions are really deep questions.

-Listen carefully.

Try to understand what they are saying, what experience is behind their remarks.

-Everybody makes mistakes.

The only embarrassment is in not learning from your mistakes.

-Know your planet.

-Science and technology.

The great discoveries in modern science are also great discoveries of the human spirit.

-Don't spend your life watching TV.

-Culture

Don’t restrict to American or Western culture.

-Compassion

Our passion to understand the universe and our compassion for others jointly provide the chief hope for the human race.

Lesson Two: Icons

Outline:

Heroes and cultural icons

People today choose media icons for their “most admired” list.

Definition:

Heroes and heroines are men and women distinguished by uncommon courage, achievements, and self-sacrifice made often for the benefit of others.

Cultural icons are people who manage to transcend celebrity, who are legendary, who somehow manage to become mythic.

Being somebody

One hundred years ago, people became famous for what they had achieved. The people we most admire today are usually those who are most highly publicized by the media.

Boorstin: “The hero was distinguished by his accomplishment; the celebrity by his image or trademark. The hero created himself; the celebrity is created by the media. The hero was a big man; the celebrity is a big name.”

Heroes inspire respect; celebrities inspire envy. Except for the attention they get from the media, these people are exactly like us.

Today an appearance on a television talk show is the ultimate proof of “making it” in America.

Lesson Three: Go-go Americans

Outline:

Americans believe no one stands still. If you are not moving ahead, you are falling behind. Americans seem to be always in a hurry. For example, they elbow their way when they try to complete errands. They eat in a hurry in order to make room for others. When talking business, they will not waste time on dinners and golf course.

Americans always have strict schedule. They will have one appointment following hard on the heel of another and live according to it.

Americans produce a lot of labor-saving devices ad prefer telecommunication.

Lesson Four: Take Over, Bos’n!

Outline:

There was a shipwreck and the survivors have been floating on a lifeboat for 20 days. Snyder kept his gun aimed at others in order to keep them away from the water they craved. Snyder knew that once the water was gone they’d have nothing to look forward to but death. Jeff Barrett was the nearest one and a constant threat. He was ready to jump at the last canteen of water. Snyder was in command and he had to think of them all. Snyder couldn’t hold on anymore and the instant he fell asleep he whispered “Take Over, Bos’n.” In the end, they were rescued, and Barrett knew he couldn’t afford to think only of himself as the man in command.

Lesson Five: Are you giving your kids too much?

Outline:

The tendency to give children an overabundance of toys and clothes is quite common in American families. In far too many families not only do children come to take their parents’generosity for granted, but also the effects of this can actually be somewhat harmful to children.

Children can also be overindulged with too many privileges-for example, when parents send a child to an expensive summer camp that the parents can’t really afford.

One fairly common reason is that parents overindulge their children out of a sense of guilt.