Unit 12

Learning objective After learning this unit, you are suppose to: 1.grasp the main idea of Text 1and make clear the structure of the whole passage 2. have a good command of the new words and expressions and make full use of them in the oral communication and writing. 3. know some different attitudes toward work and leisure between China and western countries.

Teaching Procedures Pre-reading Questions Text I. When Lightning Struck Passage Structure analysis Main idea of the passage Language points sentence studies vocabulary studies Text II. Dad Had Lost Any Purpose of Life

Text 1 Time to Take It Easy Workers of the world

I. Pre-reading Questions Before you read this passage, you can think about the following questions 1. What is the Chinese’s attitude towards work and relaxation? What is our attitude to time? 2. Which opinion do you hold, live to work or work to live? 3. Which is more important, money or time?

III. Structural analysis This text can be divided into five parts Part 1(Paragraph 1-2) The two paragraphs draw a picture of sharp contrast between busy Americans (and Britons) and easy-going continental Europeans.

Part 2 (paragraph 3-4) This part explain one of the main differences between busy Britons and Americans and easygoing Europeans, which lies in their “work ethnic” or “attitude to work”. work ethic moral beliefs about how one should work. Part 3 (paragraph5-8) In this part, the author indicates the need to re- examine the American attitude to work, and explore the cause underlying the American attitude to work.

Part 4 (paragraph9-12) In this part, the author introduce Oliver James’view about time, which different from what is deep- rooted in Anglo-American culture. Part 5 (paragraph13-14) The last two paragraphs are the conclusion in which the author raises a paradoxical problem in a jocular way and, by quoting Professor Gini’s words,bdefines the true significance of “being lazy”.

ii. Text analysis 1.“…to think about the issue”(Paragraph5)--- the issue refers to “one of the big arguments within the European Union” in the proceeding paragraph. 2.“unstructured time”(P7)--- unorganized time, time spent without proper planning. “dead time”, “downtime” : Both expressions indicate a period of time in which there is nothing to do. 3.Here is a question for you: How do Americans view time?

4. “…the citizens of the richest are no more likely to say they are happier than those…”(P9) the citizens of the richest nations are no more likely than those from the poorest nations to say that they are happy. 5. “People should work to live, not live to work”- -- In other words, work is not the sole purpose of life. We work because we need to keep ourselves alive, but work is not the most important thing, let alone the only thing, in life.

iii. Language work 1. take it easy: to rest; to become more relaxed E.g: It was wise to take it easy and go along comfortably. 2. shut down: to stop operation, esp. for a long period of time; to close down E.g: The company has threatened to shut down the mine if the strike is not resolved.

3. on average: usually; in most cases E.g: Women are still paid less than men–-- earning on average about three quarters of men’s pay. 4. like it or not: no matter whether you like it or not E.g: Like it or not, the Internet is becoming an indispensable part of our life. 5. ill at ease: nervous; worried E.g: She was a bit ill at ease when she first met her boyfriend’s parent.

6. make a comparison: to compare two or more situations, ideas, etc., to show difference. E.g: He tried to make a comparison between religion and superstition. 7. meet one’s needs: to satisfy one’s needs E.g: In many part of the world, there is not enough food to meet everyone’s needs.

8. get through (1) to succeed in making someone understand what one is trying to tell him. E.g: The message finally got through to them. (2) to succeed in contacting someone on the telephone E.g: I was not able to get through to New York this morning. (3) to manage to live through a difficult time E.g: I can’t imagine how the woman and her three children got through the war.

9. work at: to study, write to be engaged in doing something E.g: I am working at a short story these days. I want to work at perfecting my composition before I hand it in.

10. carry on: to continue Carry on reading! 继续读！ We must carry on till success in spite of the extremely difficult conditions. 尽管条件极端困难, 我们必须坚持下去, 直到成功。 carry on with （与） … 调情；与 … 有暧昧关系 carry out 实现；完成；实行 carry out one's plan 实行自己的计划 I have carried out my work. 我已经完成了我的工作。 carry through 帮（某人）渡过难关； 使（某人）保 持勇气 His courage will carry him through. 他的勇气会帮他渡过难关。

IV. Some questions for after- reading 1.what does Professor Gini mean by saying “the gentle art of doing ‘nothing’ ”? 2. How do American people feel about their hard work? 3. What can you learn from this text?

Give your own ideas after reading the following materials “We are slaves to nothing but the clock,” it has been said. Time is treated as if it were something almost real. We budget it, save it, waste it, steal it, kill it, cut it, account for it; we also charge for it. It is a precious resource. Many people have a rather acute sense of the shortness pf each lifetime. Once the sands have run out of a person’s hourglass, they cannot be replaced. We want every minute to count.

Text 2 Less Work Is the Secret to a Richer Life Questions for open discussions 1. What is your definition of success? 2. What do you think is the key to success? Is laziness a luxury or a necessity? 3. Do you agree that there is an element of truth to doing things in a “lazy way”?