1、 Section A The humanities: Out of date? 授課題目： CollegeThe Ladder to Success? 授課時(shí)間：第_周 第_周 授課類型：理論課 授課時(shí)數(shù)：4 教學(xué)目的： After finishing this unit, students will be able to: 1. To talk about the significance of humanities; 2. Get deeper insights into the text; 3. Make creative use of words, phrases and senten

2、ce patterns; 4. To master the essay writing skill: focus on an advantagedisadvantage; 5. To read with the skill “reading for major details”. 教學(xué)重點(diǎn)和難點(diǎn)： 1. To further understand the text; 2. To apply the words, phrases and sentence patterns; 3. To read with the skill “reading for major details”; 4. To

3、write an essay with the skill “focus on an advantagedisadvantage”. 教學(xué)方法和手段： Various kinds of teaching methods are used: 1. Teaching in class. Explain the profound theoretical knowledge in class; 2. Case study. Provide case study during teaching, and make the students to discuss about the case 3. Bil

4、ingual and full English teaching; 4. Applying modern multimedia teaching technologies; 5. Taking advantage of abundant network teaching resources. 1 教學(xué)內(nèi)容和過(guò)程： Section A The humanities: Out of date? Step One Warming-up Activities 30 minutes I. Lead-in: Discuss the following questions: 1.How do you thi

5、nk of your current major? If you were given a second chance to choose your major, what would you select and why? If I were given a second chance to choose my major, I would choose / I think being a is accounting, computer science, psychology, civil engineering, philosophy, medical technology popular

6、, interesting, enjoyable, promising, practical, meaningful, beneficial, well-paid 2. What liberal arts / humanities courses do you learn in college? Do you think they are necessary for your education? I learn Chinese, English, philosophy, psychology, history in college. I think they are an essential

7、 part of the college education and benefit me a lot. ? gain more insight in life and society ? better understand and predict human behavior ? realize different interpretations of life and history ? understand the past which has created the present ? be aware of cultural and religious differences II.

8、 Cultural background 1. What are the humanities? The humanities are a group of academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative. Therefore, they are distinguished from the approaches of natural sciences. The humanities, called

9、 social sciences, include history, anthropology, communication studies, cultural studies, law, linguistics, etc. 2. Why are the humanities important? Through exploration of the humanities, students learn how to think creatively 2 and critically, to reason, and to ask questions. Because these skills

10、allow students to gain new insights into everything from poetry and paintings to business models and politics, humanistic subjects have been at the heart of a liberal arts education. Today, humanistic knowledge continues to provide the ideal foundation for exploring and understanding the human exper

11、ience. Step Two Text Study 80 minutes I. Interactive reading of the text 1. Reading comprehension 1) Why do many students calculate they cant major in English or history? 2) Why does the author say that a college education is more and more seen as a means for economic betterment rather than a means

12、for human betterment? 3) How do you understand “These days, labs are more vivid and compelling than libraries” (Para. 3)? 4) Why does the author say that the inner aspect of our being has captured our imagination from the very beginning? 5) According to the author, what are the advantages of studyin

13、g the humanities? 6) What are “well-rounded human beings” (Para. 10) according to the author? 2. Structure of the text Part 1 (Para, 1-5) Introduction To improve their future chances of finding a job, college students are now moving away from the humanities and taking accounting or some “hard-skill”

14、 courses. The humanities will continue to be in bad shape due to the economic downturn. Nevertheless, the humanities can bring true value to peoples lives, and the basis of study of the humanities is formed by the inner power that has driven human beings to either greatness or destruction. Part 2 (P

15、ara. 6-9) Body: Why the humanities? This part presents the authors argument to stand up for the true value that the humanities bring to peoples lives. Part 3 (Para 10) Concluding part The humanities help to create human beings with insight and understanding of the passions, hopes and dreams common t

16、o all humanity. The humanities will never be out of 3 date. They are as useful and relevant in our modern age as they have alwaysbeen. 3. Summary of the Text Retell the text according to the following tips. 1(Part I) When the job market worsens, many students calculate . Probably, the humanities wil

17、l continue . Once , the humanities now 2(Part II) Here, please allow me to that the humanities add to peoples lives. Studying the humanities improves Most importantly, studying the humanities invests us with , thereby Perhaps the best argument in favor of the humanities is In fact, increasingly is s

18、een as the ideal in 3(Part III) In summary, the humanities help to create , teach us to and It makes sense to , our outstanding and remarkable II. Language Focus Words and expressions 1. when the going gets tough: when the situation becomes difficult When the going gets tough, women can get as tough

19、 as men.當(dāng)形勢(shì)變得嚴(yán)峻時(shí)，女人可以變得跟男人一樣堅(jiān)強(qiáng)。 2. calculate: vt. 1)make a judgment about what is likely to happen using the available information 估計(jì)，預(yù)測(cè)，推測(cè) It is difficult to calculate the long-term effects of these changes in the law. 這些法律上的變化帶來(lái)的長(zhǎng)期影響是難以預(yù)測(cè)的。 2)find out how much sth. will cost, how long sth. Will ta

20、ke計(jì)算，核算 Let me calculate the cost of the journey. 讓我計(jì)算一下旅途的用費(fèi)。 3. boost：increase or improve sth. to make it more successful 促進(jìn)，推動(dòng)，使興旺 These changes will help to boost share prices. 這些變化將有助于提高股票價(jià)格。 4. prospectn. sth. that is possible or likely to happen in the future, or the possibility itself 可能的事情，

21、前景 The prospect for East Asias economic development is promising. 東亞經(jīng)濟(jì)發(fā)展的前景是光明的。 5. persist 1）continue to exist 繼續(xù)存在，持續(xù) If the bad weather persists, the farmers will suffer great losses this year. 如果惡劣天 4 氣持續(xù)，農(nóng)民今年將遭遇巨大的損失。 2）continue to do sth., although this is difficult, or other people oppose it

22、堅(jiān)持，執(zhí)意 Students must persist in their efforts if they wish to do well. 學(xué)生如果想取得好成績(jī)就必須堅(jiān)持努力。 persist, insist 1 persist可用于表示“繼續(xù)存在；持續(xù)”,尤其用于不好的事情，而insist沒(méi)有此意。 Contact your doctor if the cough persists.如果咳嗽持續(xù)，請(qǐng)聯(lián)系您的醫(yī)生。 2 persist和 insist容易混淆主要是當(dāng)兩者均表示“堅(jiān)持”時(shí)。 persist用于表示“堅(jiān)持” 時(shí)，表示“堅(jiān)持反復(fù)做同一件事”，后接介詞 in，多用于褒義，指“堅(jiān)持繼續(xù)做

23、某事”，有時(shí)用于貶義，指“不聽勸告；頑固堅(jiān)持”。 Her mother tried to persuade her to go to bed early, but she persisted in working until the small hours.她的母親勸她早點(diǎn)睡，但她仍堅(jiān)持工作到凌晨。 insist用于表示“堅(jiān)持”時(shí)，表示“堅(jiān)持做某件事（尤指麻煩或令人討厭的事）”，后接介詞 on。 She insisted on washing her hair just when I wanted to have a bath.當(dāng)我想泡個(gè)澡時(shí)，她 還在那洗頭。 3 insist還可用于表示“對(duì)

24、意見(jiàn)、主張等的堅(jiān)持”。insist用于此意時(shí)，后可接介詞on，也可以接 that引導(dǎo)的從句（是否用虛擬語(yǔ)氣，視情況而定，即看從句內(nèi)容是否為事實(shí)），而persist 無(wú)此意。 The doctor insisted that she (should) take the medicine, but she insisted that she was not ill.醫(yī)生堅(jiān)持讓她服此藥，但她堅(jiān)持自己沒(méi)病。 6. succession： 一連串，一系列 After graduation, he took a succession of low-paid jobs. In succession: 持續(xù)發(fā)

25、生地，接連發(fā)生地 She is an accomplished athlete and won the championship four times in succession. 7. liberal: a. 1) arts 文科 The liberal arts are college or university subjects such as history, languages and literature but not sciences. 文科是學(xué)院或大學(xué)的如歷史、語(yǔ)言和文學(xué)之類的學(xué)習(xí)科目， 5 而不是理科學(xué)科。 2）心胸開朗的，開明的 She is known to have

26、liberal views on divorce. 人們知道她對(duì)離婚持有開明的觀點(diǎn)。 8. compel: vt. force sb. To do sth, As a school boy, he was compelled to wear shorts even in winter. 當(dāng)他還是一個(gè)在校的小男孩時(shí)，即使在冬天他也被迫穿短褲。 compelling：interesting or exciting enough to keep your attention completely 有吸引力的 Steven Jobs life makes a compelling story. 9.

27、speculate: v. consider or discuss why sth. has happened 思索，推測(cè) Archeologists speculate that people first reached the islands over 1,000 years ago. 考古學(xué)家們推測(cè)人類第一次到達(dá)這些島嶼是在一千多年前。 speculate about/on: 猜測(cè)，推測(cè) It is too early to speculate about the relationship between Mary and George. 現(xiàn)在推測(cè)瑪麗和喬治的關(guān)系，還為時(shí)過(guò)早。 10.

28、fertile：a. 1) able to produce good ideas or results 富有成果的，富有想象力的 A poet must have a fertile imagination. 詩(shī)人必須有豐富的想象力。 2）able to produce good crops or plants 肥沃的，富饒的 Fertile soil helps Canada rank among the worlds leading wheat producers. 肥沃的土壤幫助加拿大躋身世界主要小麥生產(chǎn)國(guó)。 11. elegant：a. 1) very intelligent yet

29、simple 巧妙的，簡(jiǎn)潔的 the document impressed me with its elegant simplicity. 該文件給我留下了精辟簡(jiǎn)明的深刻印象。 2）beautiful, attractive and graceful 優(yōu)美的，高雅的 Patricia looked beautiful and elegant as always. 帕特里夏看上去總是那么美麗優(yōu)雅。 12. undertake： vt. (undertook, undertaken) agree to be responsible for a job or project and do it承擔(dān)，

30、著手做 6 Dr. Johnson undertook the task of writing a comprehensive English dictionary. 約翰遜博士著手寫一本詳盡的英語(yǔ)詞典。 13. liable：(be to do sth.) likely to do sth. in a particular way because of a fault or tendency 可能（易于）做某事 Many parts of the country are liable to suffer from flooding. 該國(guó)的許多地方易遭水災(zāi)。 14. reservoir：n.

31、C 1) a large quantity of sth. that can be used 積蓄；儲(chǔ)備 Colleges are a reservoir of talents for companies. 大學(xué)是企業(yè)的人才庫(kù)。 2）an artificial or natural lake where water is stored so that it can be supplied to the houses in an area （人造的）水庫(kù)；（天然）蓄水湖 If it rains heavily, the reservoir will overflow. 如果下大雨，水庫(kù)里的水就會(huì)

32、溢出來(lái)。 15. in the company of: in sbs company; with sb. 和某人在一起 She caught sight of her grandson, in the company of three other boys of similar age, going into the narrow alley which led to the railway. 她看見(jiàn)她的孫子與其他三個(gè)年齡相仿的男孩一起，進(jìn)入了那條通向鐵路的狹窄小巷。 16. outstanding：a. extremely good or impressive 杰出的；出眾的；顯著的 His

33、 performance in charitable activities was outstanding. 在公益活動(dòng)方面，他的表現(xiàn)非常出色。 Difficult sentences: 1. The data show that as students have increasingly shouldered the ever-rising cost of tuition, they have defected from the study of the humanities and toward applied science and “hard” skills that they bet

34、 will lead to employment. (Para. 2) Meaning: The facts and information show that as students have spent increasingly more money on tuition, they have turned away from studying the humanities to some practical courses that they believe will enable them to get a job more easily. 2. In other words, a c

35、ollege education is more and more seen as a means for economic 7 betterment rather than a means for human betterment. (Para. 2) Meaning: In other words, a college education is more considered as a method to improve students future economic status rather than improve human nature or behavior. Meaning

36、 beyond words: The quality of a college education is increasingly questionable because the trend among many colleges is to become more like a business and less like an academic setting. 3. Once the dominant pillars of university life, the humanities now play little roles when students take their col

37、lege tours. These days, labs are more vivid and compelling than libraries. (Para. 3) Meaning: The humanities that once dominated university life now play a trivial role when students have their college visits; nowadays, labs are more eye-catching and fascinating than libraries. Meaning beyond words:

38、 Libraries were once the only place where students spent much time reading materials, doing research and writing papers. However, as more students are taking science courses, labs where students do scientific experiments play a more important role for learning than traditional libraries. Note: A “co

39、llege tour” is a series of campus visits to a number of colleges or universities by a prospective student. College tours may be taken individually or by school groups and educational programs as a way for a large number of people to visit several schools over a short period of time. In addition, man

40、y colleges now offer virtual tours on the Internet. 4. Historians, architects, authors, philosophers and artists have captured the words, images and meanings of this inner struggle in the form of story, music, myth, painting, architecture, sculpture, landscape and traditions. (Para.5) Meaning: Our h

41、istorians, architects, authors, philosophers and artists have successfully caught the words, images and meanings of this mysterious inner force by way of story, music, myth, painting, architecture, sculpture, landscape and traditions. 5. Most importantly, studying the humanities invests us with grea

42、t insight and self-awareness, thereby releasing our creative energy and talent in a positive and constructive manner. (Para. 7) 8 Meaning: The most important advantage for us to study the humanities is that it enables us to become more analytical and self-aware; therefore, our creativeness and talen

43、t are brought out in a positive and constructive way. 6. Famous people who studied the humanities make a long list indeed. Its easy to see that the humanities can prepare us for many different careers and jobs we can undertake, whether medicine, business, science or entertainment.(Para. 8) Meaning:

44、It is true that famous people who studied the humanities can make up a long list. Obviously, the humanities enable us to engage in many different careers and jobs, no matter whether they are medicine, business, science or entertainment. Note: “Whether medicine, business, science or entertainment” is

45、 an elliptical clause. It can be understood as “Whether they are medicine, business, science or entertainment”. In an elliptical clause some words are left out. Because its within a context, it is usually clear what is missing. As a rule, elliptical sentences consist of two clauses, one containing t

46、he grammar elements the other has left out. For example: 1) Jessica had five dollars while Monica (had) one. 杰西卡有五美元，而莫妮卡只有一美元。 (The verb had is dropped from the second clause, but the meaning is still clear.) 2) Leave quickly when (you are) ready.準(zhǔn)備好就趕緊離開吧。 (In the sentence, you are is understood though omitted.) 7. If we study only mathematics, its likely we will be a candidate on