大学英语精读第三册unit 8

1Lesson Eight “Were Only Human”ITeaching Objectives: After learning this unit, students are supposed to:1. get familiar with the rules of word formation ; 2. get familiar with some grammatical points; 3. get familiar with some proper noun;4. have a thorough understanding of the whole text: “Were Only Human”5get a list of the new words and expressions and be able to use them freely in writing and daily conversation;II. Listening and speaking activities1. Listen to the recording of the text and fill in the blanks about the main ideas of the article.2 What constitutes moral actions?III. Reading Comprehension and Language Activities1. Pre-reading discussions:1) When some people say that they are only human, what do they mean?2) Is human behavior biologically determined ( or genes-determined)?2. Background knowledge: The author Dr. Laura C. Schlessinger was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1947. she has a Ph.D. in physiology from Columbia University and a post-doctoral certification in marriage, family and child counseling from the University of Southern California, where, upon graduation, she became a faculty member and taught for five years. Dr. Laura Schlessinger is the recipient of many national awards and the author of many New York Times best-sellers, including: Parenthood by Proxy: Dont Have Them if You Wont Raise Them(2000); Ten Stupid Things Men Do to Mess up Their Lives(1994); and How Could You Do That?! The Abdication of Character, Courage and Conscience(1996), a book based on Schlessingers conversations with her radio callers. The present text is an excerpt taken from the last book listed here, with some adaptations.Every day in the United States of America: 4,219 teenagers contract sexually transmitted diseases 2,329 teenagers unintentionally become pregnant 908 teenagers who didn't intend on becoming pregnant obtain abortions 1,000 adolescents begin drinking alcohol 500 adolescents begin using illicit drugs 16,000 crimes are committed on school There are 600,000 drug addicted children in the United States. 6% of boys between 16 and 18 carry guns outside the home for "protection." While only four percent (4%) of inner-city school students report use of hard drugs, 13 percent (13%) report either dealing drugs or working for a drug dealer. 51% of graduating high school seniors admit having used illicit illicit i'lisit adj. 违法的；不正当的 drugs by the time they reach their senior year of high school3.Text analysis:The text can be divided into 4 parts:1. The first part explains altruism n. 利他；利他主义is representative of mankind in terms of moral observance.2. The second part illustrates how CHARACTER is the human source of pleasure.3. The third part describes the importance of courage for human moral development.24. The fourth part profoundly and comprehensively explains how conscience works in human morality. 4. Language points:1)Vocabulary (1). bachelor party(AmE) a party for men only, esp the night before a mans wedding.(2). vegetable: someone who can not think or move because their brain is damaged.(3). to get in the way: to prevent somebody from doing sth (4)blueprint: (technical)the pattern in every living cell, which decides how the plant, animal or person will develop and how it will look like.(5)leap of faith: a belief or trust in something intangible or incapable of being proved, e.g. It requires a leap of faith to pursue this unusual step of transplanting an animal heart into a human patient.(6)at the expense of: with some harm done to,We have been developing our economy at the expense of our environment.It is unwise to increase production at the expense of quality.(7)to come in: to be involved Everybody has a part to play, where do I come in?I dont understand. It seems to be a very practical problem. Where does social responsibility come in?2)Grammatical points and structure Be elevated(p2): achieve a more important rank or status Be elevated to the post of chancellor Emotional stress can elevate blood pressure.(to increase in amount, significance or intensity) Elevate pop singers to idols (consider it to be more important than it really is)Drive(p6): a strong need or desire ; energy and determination n. 车道driveway I thought we might go for a drive.兜风 disk drive Rescuers battling through driving snow 迎面扑来的劲雪 Chinas early intellectuals with background of oversea education played a major role in our nations drive toward democracy.(a special effort made by a group of people)Derive(p7): derive pleasure or benefit from sth or sb He is one of those happy people who derive pleasure from helping others. Defensive behavior patterns derive from our subconscious fears. (A word or feeling derives from / is derived from)Forge(p8) an alliance or relationship (create it through hard work and hope it to be lasting and strong) sth (achieve sth difficult): prisons often help inmates forge new careers. passport, banknote, document, painting, signat