新编英语教程-6-unit-7.ppt

Unit Seven BeautyI.Words and Expressions:1.Lamely:weakly,unsatisfactorily2.Paradoxical:seemingly self-contradictory;puzzling3.seductive:attractive;charming4.Pedagogical:teaching5.Wary:careful;heedful6.on the defensive:prepared for disapproval or attack.7.Demeaning overtones:implication of humiliation 8.Vestiges:traces that have once existed but exist no more9.To the detriment of:to the harm of10.Throes:a condition of agonizing struggle or effort;upheaval11.Narcissism:excessive admiration of oneself12.Obligation:duty;social requirement that compels one to follow a certain course of action.13.Fretful:irritable;complaining14.Pass muster:be accepted as satisfactory15.Depreciation:a disparaging or a belittling act or instance16.Censure:an expression of blame or disapproval17.Preen:adorn or trim(oneself)carefully18.Interminable:endless.II.Roman Catholicism and Protestantism Roman Catholic Church is Christian church headed may be simply defined as Christians in communion with the Pope.Roman Catholicism holds that the Pope and the Bishops have in varying degrees the spiritual authority Christ assigned to his apostles.The voice of the Pope is regarded as infallible when speaking on matters of faith and morals.Protestantism is a special development within Christianity.It is distinct from Roman Catholicism in that it breaks from papal obedience.Protestantism is widely practiced in most northwestern European countries except southern Germany,Ireland,France,and Belgium.III.Pagan A pagan is one of a people or community professing a polytheistic religion,I.e.,a religion based on the belief in more than one god.Ancient Romans and Greeks were pagans.A pagan is different from a Roman Catholic and Protestant in that the latter believe in only one god.IV.Appreciating of the text1.How does the notion of beauty held by the ancient Greeks basically differ from the modern one?(paras.1-2)2.For the ancient Greeks beauty embraces both inside and outside excellence,a combination of a persons virtue and good looks.In present-day English beauty refers exclusively to the good looks of a female.2.In what sense is the word“beauty”used in the sentence“we are more wary of the enchantments of beauty”(para.2)And how do you interpret the sentence?In the overall sense of the word,i.e.,overall excellence.We are more aware(than the ancient Greeks)of the aspects“beauty”has,which we think distinguishable and should be distinguished.3.Paraphrase:1)One of Socrates main pedagogical acts was to be ugly and teach those innocent,no doubt splendid-looking disciples of his how full of paradoxes life really was.(ll.7-9,para.1)-The contrast between Socrates outward ugliness and his inner strengths served to draw the attention of his naive and handsome followers to the fact that there were many such strange contrasts in the world.2)We not only split offwith the greatest facility the“inside”(character,intellect)from the“outside”(looks);but we are actually surprised when someone who is beautiful is also intelligent,talented,good.(ll.11-14,para.2)-We tend to resist the idea that inside beauty(character,intellect)can coexist with outside beauty(looks)in one single person,and are taken aback to meet one who is beautiful both inside and outside.4.What does Sontag mean by“And beauty has continued to lose prestige”?(para.3)-It by the Pope,the bishop of Rome.Roman Catholics down from overall excellence to superficial enchantment.And it further lost prestige when the superficial enchantment it referred to became associated with the fair sex only.5.Paraphrase:Associating beauty with women has put beauty even further on the defensive,morally.-Beauty,when considered in relation to a female,involves a judgment of not only looks but also character and intellect,making itself a much more controversial issue.6.Why does Sontag think that regarding women as the beautiful sex is detriment to both the notion of beauty and that of women?(para.4)It depreciates the notion of beauty itself,and implies a sexually unfair judgment of women.7.Paraphrase:It does not take someone in the throes of advanced feminist awareness to perceive that(para5)-One does not have to be a feminist who is painfully aware of the many social biases women have to put up with to perceive that.In other words,virtually anyone can perceive that(the author just tried to show the obviousness of the phenomenon).8.What does Sontag refer to by“stereotypes”in the last sentence of para.5?And what have they to do with the“mixed reputation”beauty enjoys?-Fixed notions of the two sexes;what people generally think a man or a woman should be like.-The association of beauty with nice looks but dependence and inability,and disassociation with intellect and success give it a mixed reputation.9.Can you think of any concrete example of what Sontag calls“a flattering idealization of their sex”?(para.6)What effect does such idealization have on women?*Winners of a beauty contest,Miss America,sex symbols,Marylyn Monroe,some fashion models.*Women are encouraged to look as attractive as possible,given the models of what they should and could possibly look like.10.According to paras.6 and 7,do you think(Sontags)society is fair in its expectations of men and women with regard to their looks?-Definitely not.For women perfection is a goal;for a small imperfection is considered favorably11.What/Who has made it a womans duty to preen?If a woman succeeds in keeping herself look nice,how would she expect society in general to access her?(para.9).-Social convention.Her good looks conceal an empty mind;superficial allurement is the best asset she can claim.12.Paraphrase:If a woman does real work-and even if she has clambered up to a leading position in politics,law,medicine,business,or whatever-she is always under pressure to confess that she still works at being attractive.(ll.65-67).However successful a woman may be in her career as a politician,lawyer,doctor,businesswomen,or whatever,she unavoidably feels compelled to making an effort to look attractive.13.Do you agree with Sontag that it is dangerous to consider persons as split between what is“inside”and what is“outside”?.-It is not totally irrational to consider the“inside”and“outside”of a person separately for they do not always go together(as in the case of Socrates).However,danger arises when the two aspects are placed at opposite ends and regarded as incompatible.This will entail an erroneous notion of women.14.To get women out of the trap they are caught in,Sontag suggests that they“get some critical distance from that excellence and privilege which is beauty”(para.10).What do you think this mean?-Disassociation themselves from the notion of beauty as far as possible;de-emphasize the notion of beauty in their life.15.Paraphrase:One could hardly ask for more important evidence of the dangers of considering persons as split between what is“inside”and what is“outside”than that interminable half-comic half-tragic tale,the oppression of women.(ll.71-73)The biased attitude towards womenthe long story of which is both lamentable and laughableis the most powerful proof as to how harmful it can be to judge a person by refusing to put into consideration both inner beauty and outer beauty together.16.How do you interpret the last sentence of the essay“There should be a way of saving beauty from womenand for them”?There should be something we can do so that“beauty”will not be an exclusive superficial feature of women,(let it be shared by men,too);and women will be beautiful in the true sense of the word.