大学英语Book2Unit6.doc

Unit 6 Less is more Section A Door closer, are you? Background information 1 Xiang Yu Xiang Yu (232 BC-202 BC) was a prominent military leader and political figure during the late Qin Dynasty. In 207 BC, Xiang Yu led the Chu rebel forces to victory at the Battle of Julu（巨鹿之战）against the Qin armies. After the fall of the Qin Dynasty, Xiang Yu proclaimed himself “Hegemon-King of Western Chu”（西楚霸王） and ruled a vast area of land covering parts of present-day Shanxi, Henan, Hubei, Hunan and Jiangsu. He engaged Liu Bang, the founding emperor of the Han Dynasty, in a long struggle for power, known as the Chu-Han Contention（楚汉之争）that concluded with his eventual defeat and suicide at the bank of the Wu River. 2 the Battle of Julu The battle was fought in Julu (in present-day Xingtai, Hebei, 现今的河北邢台) primarily between forces of the Qin Dynasty and the insurgent（谋叛的）state of Chu. The Battle of Julu marked the decline of Qin’s military power. In 207 BC, Xiang Yu’s army advanced towards Julu and successfully crossed the Zhang River（漳河）, which separated them from Julu, to attack the Qin forces. After crossing the Zhang River, Xiang Yu ordered his men to sink all their boats and break their cooking pots, leaving only a three-day supply of food for each soldier. He warned them that there was no way to retreat; the only thing they could do to survive was to advance and fight. Xiang Yu’s boat burning strategy gave his men no choice but to do forward to fight with skill and passion. After nine long fierce battles, the Qin army was finally defeated. The battle of Julu was of crucial importance in overthrowing the Qin Dynasty, and it has been known as the battle of “Smashing the Cauldrons and Sinking the Boats”（破釜沉舟）. This idiom is now used to indicate one’s firm determination to achieve one’s goal at any cost. 3 behavioral economics Beh