Transcript The Richer, the Poorer

Lesson 12
Confession of a Miseducated Man
Teaching Procedures

About the Author

About the Text

Word Study

The Structure of the Text

Detailed Discussion of the Text
I.
Author
Norman Cousins (1915—1990)
Careers:
 writer
 editor
 citizen diplomat
 promoter of holistic healing
 unflagging optimist
Lifelong Concerns:
 war and peace
 world governance
 justice
 human freedom
 the human impact on the
environment
 health and wholeness
1.


the Author’s Central Idea
To prepare ourselves for this new world, we
must all be re-educated so that we will be able
to understand that there are more similarities
than differences among people.
The differences are superficial and in
significant whereas the similarities are
essential and fundamental.
About the Text
Life is a rare occurrence, and human existence
even more so. Therefore we should have the
greatest respect for all humanity.
However different people may be in little details,
they are united in their humanness, in their basic
human faculties and gifts.
They are also united in their needs, because
today none of the most important problems we
are faced with can be solved without global
cooperation.
Structure of the Text
The old education focusing on
Part 1 (Paras. 1— 7 ): nations’ differences should give way
to the new one emphasizing the
similarities.
We should respect all human beings
Part 2 (Paras. 8):
because human life is such a rare
occurrence.
Part 3 (Paras. 9):
However different peoples may be, they
are united in their humanness, in their
basic human faculties and gifts.
Part 4 (Paras10-11 ) They are also united in their needs.
Words Study











1. by-pass
v.
1）. go around to avoid;
by-pass a difficulty, problem, etc.
eg. We managed to bypass the shopping centre by taking
side-streets.
2）. Ignore(a rule, procedure,etc) or fail to
consult (sb) to act quickly
eg. He bypassed his colleagues on the board and went
ahead with the deal.
3）n. Road by which traffic can go round a
city, busy area, etc in stead of through it
eg. If we take the bypass we’ll avoid the town center.
2. combine v.

1) (cause things to) join or mix together to
form a whole
~ with sth; ~ A with B; ~ A and B.
eg. Circumstances have combined to ruin our plans
for a holiday.
2. )Two or more things at the same time or
have
two or more different qualities as a
characteristic
~ A with B; ~ A and B.
eg. combine business with pleasure

3.comprehension n.

1). exercise aimed at improving or testing one’s
understanding of a language
eg. listening comprehension

2.) (power of) understanding
eg. A problem above/beyond one’s ~
comprehend v.
1. understand fully
eg. I cannot comprehend now you could have been so
stupid.
4. Some vocabulary concerned:









Galaxy
星系
Solar system 太阳系
Milky Way
银河
Star
恒星
Planet
行星
Satellite
卫星
Comet
彗星
Meteor
流星雨
Horoscope
星座




5. a bird’s-eye view of the world:
a very general view of the world, a view
that lacks depth and subtlety
6. be surprised at sth.
Eg. Be surprised at the news/ the high
price, etc.






7.put: to say or to express
eg: Can you put it in simple English?
To put it bluntly, I think this company is
bankrupt.
8.give way to:
to give its place to sth. better; to be replaced
by
eg: The traditional extended family has now
given way to the nuclear family.



9. what counts: what is important
eg: I know what I say here does not count.
These empty promises don’t count. We
need action.
10.citizen-ship





-ship
1) a particular position, condition or state: A
year’s membership costs $35. / a long friendship
2) a particular art or skill: her fine musicianship /
a work of great scholarship
3) all the people in a particular group: a
magazine with a readership of 9000
4) used to form particular titles for people: your
ladyship
11.communicate





1) exchange information: ~ by e-mail / ~ with each
other using sign language
2) express: She unintentionally ~d her anxiety to her
son.
3) understand: Jack and I just are not ~ing anymore.
4) pass (a disease) from one to another: Doctors are
doing research into how the virus is ~d.
Communication, communicative, communicable
12.understand, comprehend, appreciate: to have
a clear or complete idea of



understand: may stress the fact of having
attained a mental grasp of sth: ~ the
instructions
comprehend: stresses the mental process of
arriving at a result
appreciate: implies a just estimation of a
thing’s value and is often used in reference to
what is likely to be misjudged
13.confession



1) a formal statement that you have done sth
embarrassing, wrong or illegal: a ~ of murder /
At 3 a.m. Jake broke down and made a full ~.
2) a private statement to a priest or to God
about the bad things that you have done: Rita
goes to ~ at least once a month
C.f. confess to (doing) sth: Edwards ~ed to
being a spy for the KGB.
14. precarious






1) a ~ situation or state is likely to become
very dangerous
E.g. a ~ peace
Levin is in a ~ state of health.
2) likely to fall or likely to cause sb to fall
E.g. We had to cross a ~ rope bridge.
syn. dangerous, hazardous, perilous, risky
15. preference





E.g. Do you have any ~ as to what kind of pizza
we should order?
Shawn has a ~ for athletic women.
have no strong / particular ~ =not prefer one
thing more than anything else
give / show ~ to sb: treat sb more favorably
than you treat other people
If you choose one thing in ~ to another, you
choose it because you think it is better: I like
paying with credit cards in ~ to cash.
16. propaganda




false or partly false information used by a
government or political party to make people
agree with them
E.g. Neo-Nazi ~
a ~ movie
a ~ campaign: an organized plan to spread ~
17. reference





In / with ~ to our agents, we have complete
confidence in their honesty. (used to say what
you are writing or talking about)
Microfilm copies will be kept for future ~. (so
that they can be looked at in the future)
Oddly the ad made no ~ to the product being
sold.
~ point: a fact, idea, event, etc. that helps you
understand or make a judgment about a
situation
a letter of ~
18.solar





~ year
~ cell
~ eclipse
~ system
Cf. lunar, terrestrial, extraterrestrial (ET)
Text Analysis
1.
It turned out that my ability to get along with other
peoples depended not so much upon my
comprehension of the uniqueness of their way of life
as my comprehension of the things we had in
common. (Para. 5)
The fact that, I could adjust myself well to other
nations was not because of my understanding of the
differences between us but because of my
understanding of the similarities we shared.
2. But to stop there was like clearing the ground
without any idea of what was to be built on it.
(Para. 5)

If we only respect differences but pay no
attention to similarities, it will be
aimless/unconstructive.
3. It was the mark of a rounded man to be well
traveled. (Para. 6)
someone who has received a well-rounded
education (通才教育), not one-sided, but
complete and varied.
4. … the universe itself does not hold life
cheaply. Life is a rare occurrence… (Para. 8)
The earth is the only place where life can be found,
so the universe seems to favor life more/ take life
seriously. And the respect of life is the very basis
on which we must build the future world
community.
5. Leadership on this higher level does not
require mountains of gold or thundering
propaganda. (Para. 11)
Leadership on the spiritual/moral level is not
based on money or propaganda.