21世纪大学英语教程第一册06

Unit 6

Text A

Listening

First listening

Before listening to the tape, have a quick look at the following words.

insult

侮辱

bite

咬

prefer

宁愿

constructive

建设性的

rival

对手

professional

专业人员

ignore

忽视, 不理

compete

竞争

Second Listening

Listen to the tape again. Then, choose the best answer to each of the following questions.

1. The main purpose of this listening passage is to_________.

A) argue against higher salaries for athletes

B) offer solutions to current economic problems

C) complain about the lack of respect for intellectuals

D) describe changes in the English language

2. What is the meaning of the words "nerd" and "geek"?

A) They are insulting terms which are applied to smart students.

B) They are used in the U.S. to describe students from other countries.

C) A nerd is a good student and a geek is a poor student.

D) A nerd is a poor student and a geek is a good student.

3. The passage says that in nations other than the U.S.,_________.

A) hardworking students are praised

B) professors are paid better salaries

C) more respect is given to intellectuals

D) all of the above

4. The passage suggests that the words "nerd" and "geek" should_________.

A) be made illegal

B) become words of praise, rather than insults

C) be used to describe athletes instead of students

D) all of the above

Pre-reading Questions

1. Have you heard the terms, "nerd" and "geek", before? If so, explain what they refer to. If not, read the first two paragraphs and try to guess their meaning from the context. Discuss your ideas with your classmates.

2. In China, how are the most hardworking and intelligent students seen by the rest of society? Has this view changed over time? Explain.

3. Based on the introductory and concluding paragraphs, what is the author's opinion about the situation in America?

Nerds and Geeks

Leonid Fridman

There is something very wrong with the system of values in a society that has only unkind terms like nerd and geek for the intellectually curious and academically serious.

We all know what a nerd is: someone who wears thick glasses and ugly clothes; someone who knows all the answers to the chemistry or math homework but can never get a date on a Saturday night. And a geek, according to "Webster's New World Dictionary," is a street performer who shocks the public by biting off heads of live chickens. It is a revealing fact about our language and our culture that someone dedicated to pursuit of knowledge is compared to such a freak.

Even at a prestigious educational institution like Harvard, anti-intellectualism is widespread: Many students are ashamed to admit, even to their friends, how much they study.

Although most students try to keep up their grades, there is but a small group of undergraduates for whom pursuing knowledge is the most important thing during their years at Harvard. Nerds are looked down upon while athletes are made heroes of.

The same thing happens in U.S. elementary and high schools. Children who prefer to read books rather than play football, prefer to build model airplanes rather than idle away their time at parties with their classmates, become social outcasts. Because of their intelligence and refusal to conform to society's anti-intellectual values, many are deprived of a chance to learn adequate social skills and acquire good communication tools.