unit-2-the-fine-art-of-putting-things-offPPT優(yōu)秀課件

1、1Unit 2 The fine art of putting things off2 Discussion If you are going to submit your English composition by the end of next week, will you start writing it right now or wait until the night before the deadline? Does it make you comfortable to do so?3 1. Procrastination is the thief of time is a ve

2、ry well-known proverb that reminds us that we should Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today, which is yet another proverb. Have you been taught to do things promptly? Do you believe in these two proverbs and act accordingly? 2. There are people who like to do things promptly and also peop

3、le who are prone to postpone whatever they are supposed to do. To which category do you think you yourself belong? What do you think are the advantages of being a do-it-nower or a postponer?4Do-it-nowers vs. postponerNot in orderKeep everything in order4Keep irregular hours; behind the scheduleKeep

4、regular hours; punctual3Delay until the deadline and find excuses for delayDo something long before the deadline2Without careful plan; in a hurryPlan sth. carefully in advance1postponerDo-it-nowers5What are the pros and cons of procrastination?Become indecisiveAvoid making hasty decisions6Increased

5、feelings of overwhelmGet more useful information7Fall behind or lose your competitive edgeMakes room for creativity5Negative impact on relationshipCool down your anger8Put you in an awkward and passive situationProblems may end up getting solved4Drain your mental energyPut off unpleasant tasks in fa

6、vor of more enjoyable things 3Miss an opportunityCreate time for something else that is more important2Decreased self-confidenceReduce stress/pressure/anxiety1NegativePositive6Text Structure: Argumentation Thesis: Procrastination is not altogether a bad practice I. Presenting the topic(1-2) 1. Four

7、examples of procrastination 2. Classification of human beings into two categories II. Elaboration (3-7) 3. In the literary/artistic field: inspiring, reviving, stimulating 4. In the military, diplomatic and law field: time to reflect; strategies 5. In the business field: avoid making hasty and costl

8、y decision 6. In the administrative field: avoid hasty decisions 7. In the academic field: a common practice7 III. Explanation (8) 1) Unwilling to confront something they dread 2) An unconscious way of sorting the important from the trivial IV. Conclusion (9) 1) Many decisions may be improved if pos

9、tponed 2) Time is not meant to be devoured but to be consumed delicately and without haste8 Coherence The central issue of Demarests essay is the notion of procrastination, which runs through the whole piece of writing and contributes, to a great extent, to its coherence. Coherence and Cohesion Whil

10、e coherence is basically a matter of meaning, grammatical and lexical devices, known as cohesion, are also used to enable the reader to feel more clearly the coherence of writing.9 Cohesive Devices An important cohesive device used in English is reference, which means the use of such words as demons

11、trative pronouns, personal pronouns, and the definite article to refer, in most cases, to what has been mentioned earlier or sometimes to what is going to be mentioned later. Apart from reference, conjunction, i.e. the use of the so-called transitional words and phrases, and lexical cohesion, i.e. t

12、herepetition of a word in exactly its original form or in its synonym, or the use of related words such as its antonyms are also common types of cohesion in English.10 Locations of Cohesion Cohesion is often found between sentences to make them hang together. But it can also be used between paragrap

13、hs to weave them more closely into one piece. More Examples from the Text The use of the word yet at the beginning of para. 3 indicates that in this paragraph the reader will find something contrary to what he has read about in the preceding one. (Para. 2 illustrates the trouble procrastination may

14、incur while para. 3 tells the reader that delay can often inspire and revive a creative soul.) At the beginning of para. 4, the word cunctator is repeated, its first occurrence being in para.1. 11 Para. 5 begins with the parody of the proverb Where there is a will, there is a way. The word will in t

15、he parody repeats the word will in the last sentence of para. 4, though used in a different sense. His point at the beginning of para. 6 refers to what Manderbach says in the preceding paragraphs. The use of the word also in the first sentence of para. 7 refers to a similar situation mentioned previ

16、ously.12 Library Work 1. Philip Dormer Stanhope , 4th Earl (伯爵)of Chesterfield , (1694 - 1773), English statesman, orator and author. His literary reputation rest upon his letters to his illegitimate son, Philip Stanhope, who was born in Holland in 1732. The letters, filled with wit and worldly wisd

17、om, were published under the title Letters to His Son (1774)13 Library Work 2. Samuel Johnson, (1709 1784), English poet, critic, and man of letters, the literary dictator of England in the latter half of the eighteenth century and one of the most famous personalities of his time. He is best known f

18、or his Dictionary of the English Language (1755), which is in some respects an innovation in lexicography. He had the strongest influence of any of his contemporaries on the literary thought and style of the latter part of the eighteenth century.14 3. Quintus Fabius Maximus Cunctator (ca. 280203 B.C

19、.), Roman general whose cautious delaying tactics during the early stages of the Second Punic War (218201 B.C.) gave Rome time to recover its strength and take the offensive against the invading Carthaginian army of Hannibal (247163 B.C.), who swore eternal enmity to Rome.15The Story of Moses Hidden

20、 in a Basket When Moses was born the Hebrews were slaves in Egypt. Pharaoh was afraid of them because he thought they might take over his country. He ordered that all Hebrew baby boys be killed at birth so that they would not grow up and fight against him. To save Moses his mother made a plan. She h

21、id him in a basket by the side of the River Nile.16Moses is Rescued Moses sister Miriam watched over him until Pharaohs daughter came to the river to wash. She found Moses in his basket. Miriam told her she knew a woman who could be a nurse for the baby. It was his mother. Pharaohs daughter took him

22、 back to live with her as though he were her son. 17God Speaks to Moses Moses grew up as an Egyptian prince, but he never forgot he was a Hebrew. One day Moses lost his temper and killed an Egyptian who had beaten a Hebrew slave to death. He had to run away to another land. God spoke to him from a b

23、urning bush and told him he must go back and free the Hebrews from slavery. 18The Ten Plagues Moses went to Pharaoh to ask him to set the Hebrews free. Pharaoh did not want to lose his slaves. He would not let them go, because they worked on his grand buildings. Awful things began to happen in Egypt

24、. There were ten plagues. Before each one, Moses had warned Pharaoh what would happen. Moses told him the disasters had been sent by God. 19The Hebrews are Freed The last plague was the worst. The eldest son in every Egyptian family, including Pharaohs, died. God had warned Moses to mark the doorpos

25、ts of all Hebrew houses so that Hebrew boys would be safe. Pharaoh was so upset by losing his son that he said the Hebrews could leave Egypt. 20A Change of Mind The Hebrews knew they must leave Egypt quickly. They needed food to take with them. There was no time to let the bread rise before it was c

26、ooked. They had to take the dough as it was. Pharaoh changed his mind again and sent his army after them to bring them back. 21Moses Parts the Sea The army chased the Hebrews to the banks of the Red Sea. They would have been trapped but a miracle happened. God told Moses to lift up his rod and as he

27、 did so the waters parted to make a dry path. They were able to make their escape. 22The Hebrews are Saved When all the Hebrews were safely at the other shore, Moses lifted up his rod again and the waters of the sea closed on Pharaohs army who had been chasing them. God had saved the Hebrews. The pa

28、th disappeared 23God Leads the Way Even though the Hebrews were free, they were still in the desert. They wanted to find a land called Canaan which God had promised them. The journey was long and they soon ran out of food. They were very hungry and blamed Moses for taking them out of Egypt. Moses to

29、ld them that God would give them food.Hungry in the Desert 24Food and Water God told Moses, I will give the people food. The next day the ground was covered with a white food which tasted like honey. Moses called this food manna. God also sent flocks of birds called quails that they cooked and ate.

30、When their water ran out, God told Moses to strike a rock with his rod. As he did so water rushed out and they all had enough to drink.Water in the Desert 25Mount Sinai After three months of travelling the Hebrews came to the foot of Mount Sinai. God called Moses to meet him on the mountain. As he c

31、limbed there was thunder and lightning. When he was up the mountain God gave Moses ten laws which told the people how to live.Thunder and Lightning 26The Ten Commandments These Ten Commandments were written on two tablets of stone. Moses stayed so long on the mountain that the people waiting at the

32、foot of the mountain grew angry. They decided to make another God for themselves. It was a golden calf.The Ten Commandments 27The Ten Commandments When Moses returned he was shocked to see the people dancing and worshipping the golden calf. He broke the tablets God had given him and destroyed the go

33、lden calf. God forgave his people for worshipping the statue and told Moses to cut two more tablets of stone. The Golden Calf 28Gods Laws Moses took the stone tablets up the mountain and God gave him the Ten Commandments again. When he came down all the people listened to Moses as he told them what

34、God had said. Moses promised God that the Hebrews would keep all of the Commandments.2930 exhort v. (formal) urge or advise strongly e.g. The professor exhorted his students to be more creative in their research. Netizens are exhorted to be cautious in making friends online.31 the elegant earl never

35、 got around to marrying his sons mother This implies that Lord Chesterfields son was an illegitimate child. Earl is a rank of a nobleman, and Lord is his title. The ranks for noblemen in the UK are Duke, Marquis, Earl, Viscount and Baron, in the order of descending status. get around to doing sth. f

36、ind time to do sth. What with his work and study, he never got around to visiting the new Museum.32 attest to be proof of; demonstrate His versatility as a journalist attests to his wide learning and rich life experience. the most well-intentioned men have been postponers ever Lord Chesterfield is s

37、aid to be one of the most well-intentioned men, yet he also postponed.33 That the elegant earl attests to the fact that even the most well-intentioned men have been postponers ever. The well-admired earl was never able to find time to marry his sons mother as he had meant to, and he would often even

38、 let people like Dr. Johnson wait for a long while before coming out to meet them, which well proves that even those most respected and admired figures are good postponers. 譯文： 這位優(yōu)雅的伯爵從來沒有娶成他兒子的母親，而且有一個壞習(xí)慣，就是讓約翰遜博士這樣的大人物在前廳等上幾個小時把腳晾涼。這一點(diǎn)證明了即使是用意最好的人也曾經(jīng)拖延過。34 dub v. give (sb.) an unofficial name or n

39、ickname The child is chubby and cheerful, so we dubbed him Ah-fu. Dub also means “provide (a film) with a soundtrack in a different language from the original” 錄音 With a general improvement in their English proficiency, more and more young people prefer to watch a movie in the original instead of on

40、e dubbed in Chinese.35 plead v. (formal) to give as an excuse for an action Whenever he failed to do his work, he pleaded lack of time. Plead has different meanings in different contexts. The most commonly used meaning is to ask earnestly and in a begging way. The child pleaded with his parents to l

41、et him watch TV at supper time. She pleaded for more time to finish her work.36 rationalize attempt to explain or justify ones action with plausible reasons, even if they are not true or appropriate e.g. Dont rationalize your incompetence by finding fault with the method. It is difficult to rational

42、ize the behavior of teenagers at a certain stage of their development.37 Hamlet, of course, raised procrastination to an art form. According to an old Germanic legend, young Prince Hamlet of Denmark sees a ghost who tells him that his father the king was murdered by Claudius, Hamlets uncle, who now

43、holds the throne and marries his mother. The ghost makes Hamlet swear to avenge the murder. Hamlets melancholy and questioning nature and his uncertainty about the ghosts story prevent him from taking immediate action. Shakespeare, the great English dramatist, transformed the tale into a drama of gr

44、eat psychological and philosophical depth in about 1,600.38 1. How does Demarest begin his essay? Is it an effective beginning? (para. 1) He begins with the famous saying of Chesterfields and instances of some historically well-known figures. Yes. This effectively reminds people that procrastination

45、 is not under all circumstances a non-recommendable practice; sometimes people do have a good reason to wait before they take action.39 There are those who prepare their income taxes in February In the U.S. federal income tax is collected by the Internal Revenue Service and most states also have add

46、itional income tax. A tax year is counted from 1 January to 31 December and one is required to file federal income tax returns by 15 April and deadlines for filing state income tax differ such as 1 May in Virginia. So those who prepare their income taxes in February are well ahead of the deadlines.

47、Here it serves as an example of the do-it-nowers.40 the apocalyptic voice of Diners threatens doom from Denver a menacing order from Denver, the head office of the Diners credit card, that forebodes catastrophe. Diners refers to the Diners Club, Inc., U.S.A. It was this club that introduced, in 1950

48、, the first universal credit-card which could be used at a variety of establishments.41 Faustian encounters According to legend, Faust was a wandering scholar in Germany. He was known for his magic deeds. After Fausts death, people began to tell more and more of his magic deeds. Goethe (17491832), t

49、he great German poet, dramatist, and novelist, turned the legend into a dramatic poem. In Goethes Faust (17901831), the hero had many encounters with Mephistopheles, the devil.42 Why does Demarest refer to visits to the barber, the dentist, and the doctor as Faustian encounters (para. 2)? Faustian e

50、ncounters refer to Fausts encounters with the devil Mephistopheles. Naturally they are undesirable. Most people are unwilling to visit barbers, doctors, and dentists.43 Yet for all the trouble procrastination may incur, delay can often inspire and revive a creative soul. It is true that delay causes

51、 problems, but, in many cases, it helps stimulate the creativity in a person.44 incur v. become subject to (sth. unpleasant) as a result of ones own action The company incurred a heavy loss due to mismanagement. Such an ambitious project would surely incur remarkable expenses.45 (Bridget) Jean (Coll

52、ins) Kerr (19232003) U.S. humorist and dramatist. Kerr is said to be one of the funniest women writers of her generation. She had honorary L.H.D. (Doctor of Humanities) degrees from Northwestern and Fordham Universities. Her publications include: Jenny Kissed Me (1949), Mary, Mary (1963), and Please

53、 Dont Eat the Daisies (1957).46 Jean Kerr, author of many successful novels and plays, says that she reads every soup-can and jam-jar label in her kitchen before settling down to her typewriter. 譯文： 吉恩克爾寫過很多成功的小說和劇本。她說，在坐到打字機(jī)之前，她要把廚房里的每個湯罐和每個果醬瓶上的標(biāo)簽都讀一遍。47 the art of postponement had been virtually

54、a monopoly of the military (Hurry up and wait), diplomacy and the law the practice of putting things off had almost been exclusively done by the military, etc. The implied meaning is that the military commanders, the diplomats, and the lawyers are almost the worst delayers.48 ruminate v. (formal) th

55、ink deeply and carefully He ruminated over/on the situation before he made the final decision. She ruminated for a long time before she expressed her opinion.49 Singapore Sling Sling here refers to an alcoholic drink which is usually made of whiskey, brandy, or especially gin, with water, sugar and

56、sometimes bitters. Singapore Sling is a sling in which cherry brandy is added to the usual gin base.50 Blessedly It means fortunately. The nattering Telex would have facilitated the supply of weapons and dispatch of troops, depriving the proconsul of the excuse to delay action.51 Telex an internatio

57、nal system of telegraphy with printed messages transmitted and received by teleprinters using the public telecommunications network. The word is a blend of teleprinter and exchange.52 counterpart n. a person or thing that does the same job or has the same purpose as another in a different system e.g

58、. The U.S. counterpart of the House of Commons in Britain is the House of Representatives. The university president is meeting his counterparts from various parts of the world.53 the worlds most addicted postponers the worlds worst postponers who just could not free themselves from postponing Addict

59、ed (adj.) literally means dependent on sth. (usually a drug) and unable to stop having it. He is addicted to cocaine/heroin.54 Beverly Hills city in southern California, completely surrounded by the city of Los Angeles55 The number of attorneys who die without a will is amazing. It is a usual practi

60、ce for people to make a will, an official statement of the way they wish their property to be shared out after their death before they die. And it is generally the attorneys or lawyers who administer the wills. But attorneys themselves postpone making their own wills.56 Even where there is no will,