UNIT1TimeConsciousAmericans参考模板范本.doc

1、UNIT 1 Time Conscious AmericansDiscussion:a. Americans have a saying “Time is money.” How do you understand it? Time is a precious resource. Time can bring profits. If we make good use of time and work efficiently, we may expect good results and big profits. On the contrary, if we work with tardines

2、s, well waste our precious time and gain less than we should gain. Therefore, time is really money and saving time is just like saving money. As individuals, we should treasure our limited time and let every minute count.b. In America, theres another saying about time: “We are slaves to nothing but

3、the clock.” How do you understand this saying?American culture is a time-conscious culture and people value time highly. Time is treated as if it were something almost real. Many people have a rather acute(敏感的)sense of the shortness of each life time. Time is always ticking（滴答响）in their inner ear. A

4、s a result, sometimes people just feel helpless in front of time. They are under control of time and are slaves to the clock. c. Time Across Cultures Your friends are having a dinner party at 8 p.m. You arrive 20 minutes late. Are they upset?That may depend on where you live. In Germany, your tardin

5、ess would probably be considered an offense. In Mexico, however, your friends might be surprised that you showed up so early.Some culture place a high value on being punctual. Others have a more relaxed attitude toward time. In Mexico, arriving late to a dinner party is expected. Hosts usually plan

6、for their guests to arrive late. People in Japan and Germany are extremely time conscious. In these countries, its best to arrive right on time to meetings and social engagements. Arriving even five minutes late may insult your host.Being punctual is usually important in North America, Northern Euro

7、pe and some other parts of the world. In business situations especially, you should always be on time. Americans have a popular saying “Time is money.” From this saying we can see that Americans place a strong emphasis on time. Time-conscious societies usually expect results. Getting a job done on t

8、ime is a high priority.Warm-up: How to Manage the Following situations 1. an appointmentDr. Tom McDivern from NY is practicing medicine in a rural area in Saudi Arabia. His opening day was booked fully a week ago. But half an hour passed, neither of his first two patients arrived. Why?Americans tend

9、 to be punctual. To the Arabians, half an hour or forty minutes late is acceptable.2. home visitOn your way home, it occurred to you that your American friend Mary had invited you to visit her when you were free. Then you dropped in on her house. But when you knocked at the door Mary felt surprised.

10、 Why?In China, its OK to visit friends without calling ahead of time. While in the U.S. its impolite to do so.3. to a partyYour American friend invited you to her party tonight at 7:30. When are you supposed to get there? Why?A. Before 7:00, to help her to prepare. B. 510 late, not to be the first g

11、uest. (u.s)C. After 8:00, Im the VIP.D. 510 earlier, its a polite way to show my respect for her.In China, close friends tend to arrive A，but acquaintances tend to arrive D4. being invited to dinnerYour American friend invited you to her house for dinner at :30. When are you supposed to get there?A.

12、 Right on time. (u.s) B. Be fashionably late.C. Half an hour late. D. About 510 earlier. (China)5. an interviewDuring an interview, the American boss asks about your idea on salary as a secretary, which answer will be good for you?a. Any sum of money is OK for me.b. At least $2500, Im the best.c. $1

13、,000 a month. I can make it.e. Oh, money is not important to me. I dont come here simply for money.In America, a persons success is based on how much money he makes. And Americans are not afraid of showing their confidence. To most Chinese, itd be the responsibility of the company to decide the sala

14、ry according to the employees performance.THIS MAY BE DUE TO CULTURAL DIFFERENCESBackground Information:American culture1. Individualism (个人主义)Most Americans see themselves first as individuals and then as a member of a community, family or other groups. Some people from other countries view this as

15、 being “selfish”. Others view it as freedom from constraints (约束).2. Equality (平等) and Informality (不拘礼节)Most Americans treat each other in informal ways, even in the presence of great differences in age or social standing. Some see this as a “lack of respect”. Others see it as a healthy lack of con

16、cern for social ritual (礼仪).3.Time ConsciousnessMost Americans place a strong emphasis on being on time. They tend to organize time by means of schedules.4. Keeping Appointments and DatesIt is considered impolite and extremely inconsiderate (考虑不周的) to fail to keep an appointment or date without givi

17、ng prior notice to the other person. If you do not plan to meet the person, then you should decline the invitation.5. FriendshipsFriendships are often less intense and shorter than those among people from many cultures. Americans often seem very friendly at first, even when you first meet them. This

18、 friendliness does not usually mean that the American is looking for a deeper relationship.Text analysis:What does the writer want to tell us? Americans are time conscious.How does he support his idea? By giving specific details, then telling the reasons.Para.1What are the two things Americans try t

19、o save? Time and labor.Para.2-7The ways Americans save time include:1. They treat time seriously.2. They do everything in a hurry.3. They start talking business quickly.4. They use modern devices to communicate with each other efficiently.Para.8Conclusion: different ideasTo successfully solve a prob

20、lem and to fulfill a job with speed is taken by Americans as a sign of skillfulness or being competent.Paraphrase1. Americans believe no one stands still. If you are not moving ahead, you are falling behind.In Americans opinion, no one keeps motionless. Everyone moves and advances. If you are not mo

21、ving ahead, you will become further behind.i.e: In the race of human life, you will never win any place if you are always satisfied with what you are and stand still.在人生的竞赛中，如果你总是安于现状、停滞不前，你永远也不会成为胜者。The leaders opinion had fell behind. 那个领导的观点已经落伍了。2. This attitude results in a nation of people com

22、mitted to researching, experimenting and exploring. (L2)As a result of this attitude, Americans tend to devote their time and energy to researching, experimenting and mit sb./sth. to (doing) mit oneself to sthdevote to (doing) sth.Decide your choice and tell whyEverybody _ on earth is pulled downwar

23、ds by the earth. A. located B. locatingThe gardens _ with beautiful flowers sparkled in the heavy dew. A. crowding B. crowdedHe didnt wish it _ .A. mentioned B. mentioning3. to be slaves to (L. 5) 受支配A man of strong will feels in control of his own life while a man of weak will feels himself to be a

24、 slave to his fate.意志坚强的人主宰自己的人生，而意志薄弱者甘愿受命运摆布。4. to have a rather acute sense of (L.7) 深深感到Having gone through many years of hardship in the same boat, the old couple have a rather acute sense of the true love in their life. 风雨同舟几十年，这对老夫妇深感人生中爱情的珍贵。5. the pace of life (L.13) 生活的节奏As long as we make

25、 unceasing efforts to learn new things and move ahead, we will keep up with the pace of the times.只要不断学习新东西，勇于进取，我们就能跟上时代的步伐。6. To take sth. personally (L18) 认为某事是针对某人的When the boss makes general and negative comments, dont take it personally.当老板进行泛泛的批评时，不要对号入座。7. beyond a certain appropriate point

26、(L.20) 不得当地，不得体地Love adds health to the growth of children, but the love beyond a certain appropriate point will make them spoiled or even ruined.爱有助于孩子健康成长，但溺爱会宠坏，甚至毁了孩子。8. Theyll miss the ritual interaction that goes with a welcoming cup of tea or coffee that may be a convention in their own count

27、ry. (L23)Theyll be sad because theyll not have the usual exchanges that go with a welcoming cup of tea or coffee. These exchanges may be a common and regular practice on similar occasions in their own country.9.to go with (L.23) 伴随，配合Happiness doesnt always go with money. More often than not, it goe

28、s hand in hand with a positive outlook as life.幸福未必总是与金钱相伴，而常常与积极的人生观相伴。10. In the U.S., however, its taken as a sign of skillfulness or being competent to solve a problem, or fulfill a job successfully, with speed. (L51)In the U.S., however, if you can solve a problem or do a job quickly, you will

29、be considered as a person having skill or ability.11.to give added weight to sth (L51) 重视With the global environment worsening, many countries are giving increasing weight to the protection of nature.随着全球环境的恶化，许多国家越来越重视对自然的保护。12. to take sth. as a sign of (L.52)把看作一种标志Some teenagers take smoking as

30、a sign of being mature and manly, but actually smoking is a potential killer.一些青年人把吸烟看作是成熟和具有男人气概的标志，但吸烟实际上是个潜在杀手。13. to poure 向投入资金、精力和注意力She poured all her love and energy into the education of these mountainous children.她把自己全部的爱和精力都倾注到对这群山村孩子们的教育上。Translation:We are slaves to nothing but the cloc

31、k. (L5) 只有时间才能支配我们。However, people are meeting increasingly on television screens, conducting teleconferences to settle problems not only in this country but alsoby satelliteinternationally. (L40)然而现在人们越来越多的是在电视屏幕上见面，开电信会议不仅能解决本国的问题，而且还能通过卫星解决国与国之间的问题。Culture ShockThe term, culture shock, was introd

32、uced for the first time in 1958 to describe the anxiety produced when a person moves to a completely new environment. This term expresses the lack of direction, the feeling of not knowing what to do or how to do things in a new environment, and not knowing what is appropriate or inappropriate. The f

33、eeling of culture shock generally sets in after the first few weeks of coming to a new place.We can describe culture shock as the physical and emotional discomfort one suffers when coming to live in another country or a place different from the place of origin. Often, the way that we lived before is

34、 not accepted as or considered as normal in the new place. Everything is different, for example, not speaking the language, not knowing how to use banking machines, not knowing how to use the telephone and so forth.The symptoms of cultural shock can appear at different times. Although, one can experience real pain from culture shock; it is also an opportunity for redefining ones life objectives. It is a great opportunity for leaning and acquiring new perspectives. Culture shock can make one develop a better understanding of oneself and stimulate personal creativity.5 / 5