AnIntegratedEnglishCourseBook4.ppt

An Integrated English Course Book 4 Unit Fourteen Text I The Idiocy of Urban Life Pre-reading questions: Where do you prefer to live, in the city or in the country? Why? Do you think the urban life is idiotic or stupid? Why or why not? What does the author mean by “the idiocy of urban life”? Text Structure What type of writing is the text? Narration, exposition or argumentation? What’s the thesis? How many parts can the text be divided into? What’s the main idea of each part? (p. 218) Argumentation; 3 parts Part I (Paragraphs 1-2): introduction-- the author presents the thesis of his argument: aggressively individualistic and atomized urban life today goes against both the purpose of the city and the human nature, and thus is foolish . Part II (Paragraphs 3-9) -- the author provides evidences for the idiocy of urban life. Part III (Paragraph 10) -- the author reiterates his point. Part I (Paragraphs 1-2) Q: What animal is mentioned in this part? For what purpose? In this part, the author contrasts human beings with rats in terms of their urban lives. It starts with a description of a civil urban life at night, when rats are active in the city. Then it is contrasted with the urban life of human beings. Finally the writer presents the thesis of his argument: aggressively individualistic and atomized urban life today goes against both the purpose of the city and the human nature, and thus is foolish. Language work 1. civil:市民的，公民的polite and formal礼貌的，文明的； His manner was civil, though not particularly friendly. He’d been careful to be civil to everyone. lone -- adj [attrib 作定语] :without companions; solitary 1. 孤单的,无伴的 In that cloudy sky only one lone star could be seen. 在那多云的天上,只能看到孤零零的一颗星星。 a lone figure trudging through the snow 在雪地里独自跋涉的人. 2. 寂寞的 She lived a lone life after her daughters death.她在女儿死后过着孤寂的生活。 3. (idm 习语) a lone wolf: person who prefers to be, work, etc alone 好孤独自处﹑ 独自工作等的人. loner n (infml 口) person who avoids the company of