1、A More Perfect Union(1)Vicky LiuVicky Liu曲师大外国语学院曲师大外国语学院曲师大外国语学院曲师大外国语学院20122012级级级级4 4班班班班Lesson 9A More Perfect Union(1)Background KnowledgeLanguagePointsText AnalysisFigures of SpeechCheck on this lessonBackground KnowledgeBarack Hussein Obama IIThe Jeremiah Wright Controversy Constitutional Con
2、vention Republican Party vs.Democratic PartyTrinity United Church of Christ Barack Hussein Obama II The 44th and current President of the United StatesThe first African American to hold the officeBarack Obama was born in Honolulu,Hawaii,United States in 1961.His father-Barack Hussein Obama Senior(19
3、361982)His mother-Stanley Ann Dunham(1942-1995)His stepfather-Lolo Soetoro His grandmother-MadelynHis grandfather-Stanley Dunham His half-sister-Maya Soetoro *He moved to Los Angeles in 1979 to attend Occidental College.*After two years,he transferred in 1981 to Columbia University in New York City,
4、where he majored in political science with a specialization in international relations and graduated with a B.A.in 1983.*Obama entered Harvard Law School in late 1988.His wife-Michelle RobinsonBorn in January 17th,1964Grew up on the South side of ChicagoStudied in Harvard Law School Harvard Law Scho
5、ol The firstfirst and tallesttallest African American First LadyImportant Language Points(Para.1-6)Patriot:one who loves and defends his or her countryExample:As a patriot,we should defend our motherland in a clear mind.Tyranny:dominance through threat of punishment and violenceExample:The tyranny i
6、n this country makes people escape away.Stain:make dirty or spottyExample:His new coat was stained by the oil.Stalemate:a situation in which no progress can be made or no advancement is possibleExample:No one can break the stalemate in the chill weather.Embed:fix or set securely or deeplyExample:I w
7、ant to embed a picture next to the article.Important Language Points(Para.1-6)Parchment:a superior paper resembling sheepskinBondage:the state of being under the control of a force or influence or abstract powerExample:Everyone want to escape from the bondage and get the democracy.Creed:formulate,se
8、tExample:We should not creed her future.Important Language Points(Para.7-18)Unyielding:(adj)if a person is unyielding,they are not easily influenced and they are unlikely to change their mind.Example:He is an unyielding manDecency:(noun)Honest,polite behavior that follows accepted moral standards an
9、d shows respect for others.Example:She is a man of decencyHue:(noun)a color;a particular shade of a color.Example:We are trying to admit persons of different ethnic and racial hue.Sear:(verb)to burn the surface of sth in a way that is sudden and powerful.Example:The heat of the sun seared her face.C
10、oalition:(noun)a government formed by two or more political parties working together.Example:Because of the high risks of military action,we should act as part of a coalition.Important Language Points(Para.7-18)Commentator:(on sth)a person who is an expert on a particular subject and talks or writes
11、 about it on television or radio,or in a newspaperExample:He was famous as a observer and commentator.Deem:verb(not usually used in the progressive tenses)to have a particular opinion about sth Example:The party was deemed a great success.Scour:(verb)scour sth(for sb/sth)to search a place or thing t
12、horoughly in order to find sb/sthExample:Rescue crews had scoured an area of 40 square miles.Polarization:the condition of having or giving polarityExample:But despite polarization,the earth will have a mixed society when the pole shift hits.divisive turn.Divisive:causing people to be spilt into gro
13、ups that disagree with or oppose each other.Example:Any policy experiments are likely to be divisive.Important Language Points(Para.7-18)Spectrum:a band of coloured lights in order of their wavelengths,as seen in a rainbow and into which light may be separatedExample:As we all know,human tissues do
14、not light up in this spectrum.Affirmative:a policy designed to redress past discrimination against women and minority groups through measures to improve their economic and educational opportunities(=positive discrimination)Example:Some critics say it is the affirmation action.Pastor:a minister in ch
15、arge of a Christian church or group,especially in some nonconformist churches Example:As a pastor I face this all the time.Incendiary:causing strong feelings or violenceExample:Such incendiary remarks could easily be dismissed as a joke.Denigrate:to criticize sb/sth unfairly;to say sb/sth does not h
16、ave any value or is not important.Example:There is nothing worse,for most children,than for their parents to denigrate each other.Important Language Points(Para.7-18)Unequivocal:expressing your opinion or intention very clearly and firmlyExample:Nuclear energy expansion has won governments unequivoc
17、al support.Nagging:continuing for a long time and difficult to cure or remove.Example:I cant bear your nagging doubts.Rabbi:a Jewish religious leader or a teacher of Jewish lawExample:She said she wants to be a rabbi when she grew up.Endemic:regularly found in a particular place or among a particula
18、r group of people and difficult to get rid ofExample:This indicates that the H5N1 virus is endemic in the area.Important Language Points(Para.7-18)Stalwart:loyal and able to be relied on even in a difficult situation.Example:Republicans are viewed as more stalwart defenders of free trade.Emanate:to
19、produce or show sth Emanate from sth:to come from sth or somewhereExample:Results that emanate from a trusted network of friends and associates certainly fit that bill.Perverse:showing deliberate determination to behave in a way that most people think is wrong,unacceptable or unreasonableExample:The
20、 perverse aspect of this paradox comes when we look at it through time and money.Radical:in favor of thorough and complete political or social changeExample:I have a more radical suggestion.Important Language Points(Para.7-18)Chronic:(especially of a disease)lasting for a long time;difficult to cure
21、 or get rid ofExample:For those with chronic depression,she said,“keep at it”Professed:used to describe a belief or a position that sb has publicly made knownExample:How you reconcile them with your professed love of freedom.Snippet:a small piece of information or newsExample:Have you get any intere
22、sting snippets for me?Sermon:a talk on a moral or religious subject,usually given by a religious leader during a serviceExample:I like giving the Sunday sermon.Caricature:a funny drawing or picture of sb that exaggerates some of their featuresExample:The indulgent,other worldly judge is an archetype
23、 of conservative caricature.Peddle:to spread an idea or story in order to get people to accept itExample:he usually peddles spiteful gossip.Important Language Points(Para.19-26)Minister:attend to the wants and needs of othersExample:I have to minister to my mother all the timeRafter n.:Rafters are t
24、he sloping pieces of wood that support a roof.Example:From the rafters of the thatched roofs hung strings of dried onions and garlic.Triumphs n.:A triumph is a great success or achievement,often one that has been gained with a lot of skill or effort.Example Finally we gained the triumphs,thats reall
25、y excitingChronicling vt.:To chronicle a series of events means to write about them or show them in broadcasts in the order in which they happened.Example That biography has chronicled the whole history of the town.Reclaim vt.:If you reclaim something that you have lost or that has been taken away f
26、rom you,you succeed in getting it back.Example You should reclaim your confidence because you deserve it.Important Language Points(Para.19-26)gang-banger.N Slang(US)a member of a street gang 黑帮混混raucous ADJ (of voices,cries,etc)harshly or hoarsely loudExample The sound of that little girl is raucous
27、.bawdy ADJ (of language,plays,etc)containing references to sex,esp.to be humorousExample Tom is a serious person and he never tells bawdy storyjarring ADJ making or causing a harsh and irritating sound Example The books tone is refreshing,although some of its passages can be jarring.Officiated act i
28、n an official capacity in a ceremony or religious ritual,such as a weddingExample Mr.Johnson officiated at Amys weddingBaptized VT When someone is baptized,water is put on their heads or they are covered with water as a sign that their sins have been forgiven and that they have become a member of th
29、e Christian church.Compare christen.Example The priest refused to baptize Tom with waterImportant Language Points(Para.19-26)Derogatory ADJ If you make a derogatory remark or comment about someone or something,you express your low opinion of them.贬低的Example He refused to withdraw derogatory remarks
30、made about his boss.Courtesy N Courtesy is politeness,respect,and consideration for others.彬彬有礼Example She called on us merely for the sake of courtesy.Disown If you disown someone or something,you say or show that you no longer want to have any connection with them or any responsibility for them;ca
31、st off(声明)与脱离关系Example:I disown the girl who is dishonest to everyone.Cringe:If you cringe at something,you feel embarrassed or disgustedExample:We often cringe at the immoral habits of the poor-educated person.Crank:a person with ideas that other people find strangeExample:Although people think he
32、is a crank,he always has some impressive idea.Demagogue:a political leader who tries to win support by using arguments based on emotion rather than reasonExample:Nominees always attack that their competitor is a demagogue to win peoples support.Important Language Points(Para.19-26)Demagogue:a politi
33、cal leader who tries to win support by using arguments based on emotion rather than reasonExample:Nominees always attack that their competitor is a demagogue to win peoples support.Aftermath:the situation that exists as a result of an important(and usually unpleasant)event,especially a war,an accide
34、nt,etc.Example:The aftermath of an explosion of a atomic bomb is disastrous.Harbor:to keep feelings or thoughts,especially negative ones,in your mind for a long timeExample:He harbors revenge to kill the murderer who causes his fathers death.Stereotype:to formed a fixed idea about a person or thing
35、which may not really be trueExample:Do not stereotype things in first sight,or it will limit your thought.Amplify:to add details to a story,statement,etc.Example:The witness tries to amplify what he saw when the accident happened.Text AnalysisORGANIZATION:Begin with the quote The task The race issue
36、 Condemnation of Wrights statementsComplexity of the race issue Appeal the black and white community to address Americans social issues-black”anger”&white“resentment”A story of a white women and a black woman a sign Conclusion:this is where perfection beginsOrganization Para.1-6Para.7-9Para.10-23Par
37、a.24-26 historical context&goalPersonal story&campaign story-to bring out the race issueAttitude to R.Ws remarks Fully aware of the complexity of race issueWork it out togetherFigures of SpeechParallel structure:for emphasis1.Of course,the answer to the slavery question was already embedded within o
38、ur Constitution a Constitution that had at its very core the ideal of equal citizenship under the law;a Constitution that promised its people liberty,and justice,and a union that could be and should be perfected over time.(Para.4)2.Did I know him to be an occasionally fierce critic of American domes
39、tic and foreign policy?Of course.Did I ever hear him make remarks that could be considered controversial while I sat in church?Yes.Did I strongly disagree with many of his political views?(Para.14)3.a view that sees white racism as endemic,and that elevates what is wrong with America above all that
40、we know is right with America;a view that sees the conflicts in the Middle East as rooted primarily in the actions of stalwart allies like Israel,instead of emanating from the perverse and hateful ideologies of radical Islam.(Para.15)Antithesis1.we may have different stories,but we hold common hopes
41、;we may not look the same and we may not have come from the same place,but we all want to move in the same direction.(Para.6)2.Ive gone to some of the best schools in America and lived in one of the worlds poorest nations.(Para.8)3.that elevates what is wrong with America above all that we know is r
42、ight with America.(Para.14)4.kindness and cruelty;the fierce intelligence and the shocking ignorance(Para.20)Alliteration1.yet words on a parchment would not be enough to deliver slaves from bondage,or provide men and women of every color and creed their full rights and obligations as citizens of th
43、e United States.(Para.5)2.the greatness and the goodness of our nation(Para.13)3.Our trials and triumphs became at once unique and universal,black and more than black;in chronicling our journey(Para.19)4.The church contains in full the kindness and cruelty,the fierce intelligence and the shocking ig
44、norance,the struggles and successes,the love and,yes,the bitterness and bias that make up the black experience in America.(Para.20)Metaphor1.original sin(Para.3)2.we saw how hungry the American people.racial (Para.10)3.But the remarks that have caused this recent firestorm werent simply controversia
45、l.(Para.15)Check on this lessonvWords1.Farmers and scholars,statesmen and patriots who had traveled across the ocean to escape tyrannytyranny and persecutionA.dictation B.president C.dictatorship D.presidency2.the answer to the slavery question was already embedembedded within our ConstitutionA.lie
46、B.implant C.find D.ensure3.I have brothers,sisters,nieces,nephews,uncles and cousins,of every race and every huehueA.race B.color C.language D.culture4.we built a powerful coalitioncoalition of African Americans and white Americans.A.weapon B.force C.alliance D.power5.that its based solely on the de
47、sire of wide-eyed liberals to purchase racial reconciliationreconciliation on the cheap.A.happiness B.coordination C.decency D.misery6.use incendiary language to express views that have the potential not only to widen the racial divide,but views that denigratedenigrate both the greatness and the goo
48、dness of our nationA.watch B.expect C.defame D.portray7.racially charged at a time when we need to come together to solve a set of monumental monumental problemsA.significant B.outstanding C.stony D.phenomenal8.a chronicchronic health care crisis and potentially devastating climate changeA.clinic B.
49、lasting C.slow D.progress9.Not once in my conversations with him have I heard him talk about any ethnic group in derogatoryderogatory termsA.disparaging B.positive C.lazy D.feminine10.and who on more than one occasion has uttered racial or ethnic stereotypes that made me cringecringe.A.step B.lean C
50、.roar D.recoilvWords1.他把网上的流传当成一个笑话,不予理睬。2.马克吐温的竞选州长是一片著名的短篇故事。3.对于遭受灾难的人们,我们应该毫无保留地帮助他们。4.考虑到他们没有经验,他们的工作成绩还是相当不错的。5.她是在华裔人占主导地位的社区里长大的。6.心情不好不能成为你对同事粗暴的理由。7.警方把这件事视作“误解”而草草了事。vTranslation参考译文1.He dismissed the story circulating on the Internet as a joke.2.Mark Twains“Running for Governor”is a famo