(全新版)大学英语《综合教程》第一册Unit4.ppt

（全新版）大学英语《综合教程》第一册 Unit 4  American Dream I. Cultural Notes 1. American Dream: the belief of Americans that their country offers opportunities for a good and successful life. For minorities and immigrants, the dream also includes freedom and equal rights. 2. Immigrants: Apart from Native Americans — Indians — who were living in North America when people first arrived there from Europe, all Americans have ancestors who were immigrants. In the US the word immigrant is often used with a positive meaning. People are proud to say that their ancestors were immigrants who came with very little and built a better life for themselves. Most Americans have a clear idea of what life was like for the immigrants: they left home because they were poor and thought they would have better opportunities in the US. For them the American dream was that talent and hard work could take them from log cabin to White House. Once in the US, life was not easy. Many immigrants had to work for little money in factories where conditions were hard and dangerous and lived in crowded buildings. But slowly they improved their lives and many wrote home to encourage others to come. 3. Depression days: the period of severe economic failure in most countries of the world that lasted from 1929 until World War II. It began in the US when the New York Stock Exchange fell on 29 October 1929, known as Black Tuesday. Many businesses and banks failed and millions of people lost their jobs. President Franklin D. Roosevelt improved the situation with his New Deal policy. but the Great Depression was only ended by industrial production for the war. II. Language Study 1. ... hard to comprehend his broken English: If someone talks in broken English, they speak slowly and make a lot of mistakes because they only know a little of the language. 2. turn away: refuse to help (sb.) or to allow (sb.) to enter a place Examples: 1) He’s my son after all (毕竟), I cant just turn him away when he i