新标准大学英语综合教程4unit2.docx
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新标准大学英语综合教程4unit2
Unit2
Activereading
(1)
Danger!
Booksmaychangeyourlife
Culturepoints
LewisCarroll(1832–1898)isthepen-nameofCharlesDodgson.Hewasapriest,amathematicianwho
taughtatOxfordUniversity,aphotographer,humoristandwriterofchildren’sliterature.Alice’sAdventures
inWonderland(1865)wasimmediatelysuccessful,amasterpiecewhichrevolutionizedchildren’sliterature,
givingcoherenceandlogicthroughwitandhumourtounlikelyorimpossibleepisodesinwhichimaginary
creaturesembodyrecognizablehumancharacteristics.HeisalsoknownforThroughtheLookingGlassand
whatAlicefoundthere(1871)andnonsensepoems,suchasTheHuntingoftheSnark(1876).
WilliamCowper(1731–1800):
anotableEnglishpoet,writerofhymnsandletter-writer.Hewrotegentle,
pious,directpoemsabouteverydayrurallifeandscenesofthecountrysidewhichhavebeenseenas
forerunnersoftheRomanticmovement:
ColeridgecalledCowper“thebestmodernpoet”.Hetranslated
Homer’sGreekepics.TheOdysseyandTheIliadintoEnglish.Anotherexampleofhisverseswhichhave
becomecommonsayingsis“Godmovesinmysteriousways,Hiswonderstoperform…”
JohnSteinbeck(1902–1968):
AmericannovelistwhowasawardedtheNobelPrizeforLiteraturein1962.
TheGrapesofWrath(1939)isawell-known,longtragicnovelaboutanAmericanfamilyoffarmerswhoare
drivenofftheirlandinOklahomabysoilerosioninthefamous“dustbowl”era.TheyfleetoCaliforniato
whattheyhopewillbeabetterlife.ThebookwonthePulitzerPrizeandwasmadeintoafilmin1940.Other
well-knownnovelsincludeOfMiceandMen(1937),CanneryRow(1945),ThePearl(1947),EastofEden
(1952)andanaccountofapersonalrediscoveryofAmerica,TravelswithCharlie(1962).
JohnIrving(1942–):
AmericannovelistandscreenwriterwhotaughtEnglishatcollegeandwasawrestling
coach.TheFourthHand(2001)isacomic-satiricalnovelaboutaTVjournalist,Wallington,whosehandis
seenbymillionsofviewerstobebittenoffbyacircuslion.Asurgeongiveshimahandtransplant(athird
hand)butthewifeofthedeaddonorwantstovisitherhusband’shandandhaveachildbyWallington,who
feelswherehisoriginalhandusedtobe(thefourthhand).
AudreyNiffenegger(1963–):
Americancollegeprofessorwhoteacheswritingtovisualartistsandshows
studentshowtomakebooksbyhand.Herfirstnovel,TheTimeTraveller’sWife(2003)–filmedin2009–isa
sciencefictionandromancebestselleraboutamanwhotravelsuncontrollablyintimetohisownhistoryand
visitshiswifeinherchildhood,youthandoldage.Hiswifeneedstocopewithhisabsencesanddangerous
lifewhilehetravels.Thestoryisametaphorfordistanceandmiscommunicationinfailedrelationships.
PaulTorday(1946–):
aBritishbusinessmanwhoworkedforacompanythatrepairedship’senginesfor
manyyears.SalmonFishingintheYemen(2007)washisfirstnovel.Itisapoliticalsatireandcomedyabout
adullcivilservantwhobecomesinvolvedinaplantopopulatethedesertwithScottishsalmon.Politicians
managethemediato“spin”thisasaplantheysupportinordertodivertattentionfromproblemsinthe
MiddleEast.Therearethemesofcynicismandbelief,andEast-Westcultureclashes.
AleksandrSolzhenitsyn(1918–2008):
aRussianwriterwhowasimprisonedinSovietlabourcampsin
1945;aftereightyears,hewasexiledtoKazakhstanandnotfreeduntil1956,whenhebecameateacher.
In1970hewasawardedtheNobelPrizeforLiteraturebutnotreceiveituntil1974.HewenttoGermany,
SwitzerlandandtheUSA,returningtoRussiain1994.Hisbestknownnovelswerebasedonhisexperiences
asaprisonerandinclude:
OneDayintheLifeofIvanDenisovich(1962),CancerWard(1968),TheGulag
Archipelago(1974–1978).HislaterworkswereaboutRussianhistoryandidentity.
GrahamGreene(1904–1991):
aBritishnovelist,short-storywriter,playwright,travelwriterandessayist.
Hewroteanumberofthrillers(hecalledthem‘entertainments’)whichdramatizeanambiguousmoral
dilemma,oftenrevealingguilt,treachery,failureandathemeofpursuit.Greenewasalsoafilmcriticand
allofthesenovelshavebeenmadeintofilms:
BrightonRock(1938),ThePowerandtheGlory(1940),
TheHeartoftheMatter(1948),TheThirdMan(1950),TheQuietAmerican(1955),andOurManin
Havana(1958).
E.M.Forster(1879–1970):
aBritishnovelistandwriterofshortstoriesandessays.Helivedatdifferent
periodsinItaly,EgyptandIndiaandtaughtatCambridgeUniversity.HisbestknownnovelsincludeARoom
withaView(1908),Howard’sEnd(1910),APassagetoIndia(1924)whichhaveallbeenmadeintofilms.
Hiswritingaboutreadingandwritingincludesabookoflectures,AspectsoftheNovel(1927).
ThomasMerton(1915–1968):
anAmericanCatholicwriter,whowasaTrappistmonkinKentucky.He
wroteover70books,includingmanyessaysaboutBuddhismandatranslationintoEnglishoftheChinese
classic,ChuangTse.HehadagreatdealtosayaboutthemeetingofEasternandWesternculturesandwrote
manyletterstowriters,poets,scholarsandthinkers.HereadalotinEnglish,Latin,FrenchandSpanishand
saidhealwayshadatleastthreebookswhichhewasreadingatanyonetime.
WilliamBlake(1757–1827):
aBritishpoet,artistandmystic,whoreadwidelyinEnglish,French,Italian,
Latin,GreekandHebrew.HemademanyengravingstoillustratetheworkofsuchwritersasVirgil,Dante
andChaucer,aswellashisownpoems.Hestressedthatimaginationwasmoreimportantthanrationalism
andthematerialismofthe18thcenturyandcriticizedtheeffectsoftheindustrialrevolutioninEngland,but
hisworkwaslargelydisregardedbyhispeers.HeisbestknownforhispoetryinSongsofInnocence(1787)
andSongsofExperience(1794).Hisbeliefintheonenessofallcreatedthingsisshowninhismuch-quoted
verse,“Toseetheworldinagrainofsand/Andaheaveninaflower,/Holdinfinityinthepalmofyour
hand/Andeternityinanhour.”
CliftonFadiman(1904–1999):
anAmericanwriter,radioandTVbroadcasterandeditorofanthologies.For
over50yearshewasaneditorandjudgefortheBook-of-the-MonthClub.In1960hewroteapopularguide
togreatbooksforAmericanreaders,TheLifetimeReadingPlan,whichdiscusses133authorsandtheirmajor
work:
the1997editionincludes9authorsfromChina.
J.K.Rowling(1965–):
BritishwriterofthesevenHarryPotterfantasybooks.ShestudiedFrenchand
ClassicsatExeterUniversity,beforeteachingEnglishinPortugalandtrainingtoteachFrenchinScotland.
ThemainideaaboutaschoolforwizardsandtheorphanHarryPottercameonadelayedtrainjourney
fromManchestertoLondonin1990.ShebegantowriteassoonasshereachedLondon.TwelvepublishersrejectedthefirstbookbeforeBloomsbury,asmallLondonpublisher,agreedtopublishit.Laterbookshave
repeatedlybrokenallthesalesrecords(ashavesomeofthefilms).SheisoneoftherichestwomenintheUK
andanotablesupporterofmanycharities.
Languagepoints
1Variety’stheveryspiceoflife,/Thatgivesitallitsflavour…(Para2)
Spicesaremadefromplantsandaddedtofoodtogiveititsparticularflavourortaste.TheEnglishproverb
“Varietyisthespiceoflife”(theproverbcomesfromCowper’spoem)thereforemeansthatvarietygives
lifeextravalueandallowsyoutoappreciatelifeinparticularways.
2Welearntolookbeyondourimmediatesurroundingstothehorizonandalandscapefarawayfrom
home.(Para3)
Thismeansthatthroughreadingwelearntolookbeyondourimmediateexperienceorfamiliar
environmenttothingsbeyondourimmediateexperience,ietocompletelydifferentthingsthatwecan
imagineandexperiencethroughbooks.
3Whenabaseballplayerhitsahomerunhehitstheballsohardandsofarhe’sabletorunroundthe
fourbasesofthediamond,andscorepointsnotonlyforhimselfbutfortheotherrunnersalready
onabase.(Para9)
IntheAmericangameofbaseball,thefieldofgrassisdiamond-shapedandhasfourbases(specificpoints
markedaroundthediamond),roundwhichplayersmustruntoscorepoints.Oneteambats(ieteam
memberstaketurnstohittheballandrunroundthebases)andthemembersoftheotherteamthrow(pitch)
theballand,whenitishasbeenhit,trytocatchitorgetitquicklytooneofthefourbases.Ifabatting
playercanhittheballhardenough,hecanrunroundallfourbasesbeforetheotherteamcangettheball
andthusscoremaximumpoints–withahomerun.Inthepassage,areallygoodbookisahomerun.
3Choosethebestanswertothequestions.
1WhyarewelikeAliceinwonderlandwhenwereadabook?
(a)Because,likeAlice,weoftenhaveaccidents.
(b)Becausereadingmakesusfeelyoungagain.
(c)Becausereadingopensthedoortonewexperiences.
(d)Becausebooksleadusintoadreamworld.
2Accordingtothewriter,whatistheadvantageofreadingoverreallife?
(a)Thereismorevarietyinbooksthaninreallife.
(b)Wecanexperiencevarietyanddifferencewithoutgoingoutofthehouse.
(c)Thepeoplewemeetinabookaremoreinterestingthanrealpeople.
(d)It’shardertomakesenseofreallifethanabook.
3WhatdothesevennovelslistedinParagraph4haveincommon?
(a)Theirtitlesstimulateimagination.
(b)TheyrepresentthebestwritingbyBritishandAmericannovelists.
(c)Theyhavebecomeclassics.
(d)Youcanfindalloftheminanylocallibrary.
4Atwhatmomentinourlivesdobooksbecomeimportant?
(a)Assoonaswestartreading.
(b)Whenwestartbuyingbookstofillourshelvesathome.
(c)Whenwestartlisteningtobedtime