新编英语教程 6 Unit 6 教案

Unit Six

TEXT I

DULL WORK

Eric Hoffer

Objectives: To catch the central idea of each paragraph.

To discuss that eventful life kills rather than stimulates a man’s instinct for creation./all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

Pre-class work:

Find out more about the figures mentioned in the text than those provided in the notes: Amos, Socrates, Omar, Jesus Christ, Albert Einstein, Niccolo Machiavelli, Immanuel Kant, John Keats, Sophocles, John Milton, Benvenuto Cellini.

Pre-reading Questions:

1. Do you think you can achieve much if you live a plain, ordinary life?

2. Does monotonous, routine work dull one’s mind?

In-reading Comprehension

Para. 1

1. There seems to be general assumption that brilliant people cannot stand routine; that they need a varied, exciting life in order to do their best.

to do their best: to achieve their potential creativeness; to best exercise their talent (comp. 3-1)

It is generally believed that a colorless life can freeze a creative mind, and only a colorful life can inspire a man to creative work.

2. Tell about this para. in your own words.

There is an assumption that brilliant people cannot stand routine life, and they need a colorful life; while dull people are suited for dull work. The present-day young are more brilliant than the young of the past because they are better educated. Therefore they prefer a colorful life to a dull, routine one.

3. What is the purpose of this para.?

This is an introductory para. to put forward an assumption (successful men - colorful life; unsuccessful - dull, routine life) so as to raise a question: Is the assumption right or wrong?

Para. 2

1. What is the ‘opposite’ that H says is ‘nearer the truth’? What is the purpose of this para.? (comp. 3-2)

As it goes in the 1st sentence, the successful men do not crave for (= long for) colorful life. The contrary is also true (反过来说): people who achieve much are often those content with the routine, uneventful life they live, or, the successful men are satisfied with the routine/uneventful/colorless life they are leading.

This is the central idea of this para. and H supports it by citing examples of some well-reputed men who led a colorless routine life.

2. Identify those great figures mentioned in this para. and say something about them.

Amos the sheepherder: a minor prophet in the Old Testament 阿摩斯，旧约中１２个小先知中的第三名

Socrates the stonemason: Greek philosopher well known for his sophistry Socrates of Athens, who flurished in the last half of the 5th century, was the 1st of the great trio of ancient Greeks - Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle - who laid the philosophical foundations of Western culture.

He was born in or about 470 BC. His father Sophroniscus was a sculptor, mother a midwife, 3 sons, one an infant. There were 2 counts in the accusation: ‘corruption of the young’ and ‘neglect of the gods whom the city worships and the practice of religious novelties.’ An escape was planned by his freind Crito, but S refused to hear of it, on the grounds that the verdict, though contrary to the fact, was that of a legitimate court and must therefore be obeyed. The story of his last day, with his drinking of the hemlock, has been perfectly told in the Phaedo of Plato.

Though a good fighting man, his outward appearance was grotesque. Stout and not tall with prominent eyes, snub nose, broad nostrils, and wide