新视野大学英语第三册4讲稿.doc

Unit 4
Section A Five Famous Symbols of American Culture
Ⅰ. Abstract
In this article, the author listed five famous symbols of American culture. Each symbol is parallel to another or there is a matching relationship between the symbols. The five symbols are put together to support the central topic of this article: Five Famous Symbols of American Culture. The article is naturally divided into five parts corresponding to each of the symbols. The author used five subtitles to lead each part, during which he introduced the origin, time, purpose and ways of creation of each symbol. After reading the whole article, the readers may have a clear understanding of “the Statue of Liberty”, “Barbie Dolls”, “American Gothic”, “the Buffalo Nickel” and “Uncle Sam”.

Ⅱ. Structure
1. Paras.1-4: The Statue of Liberty .
2. Paras.5-10: Barbie Dolls.
3. Paras.11-14: American Gothic .
4. Paras.15-18:The Buffalo Nickel .
5. Paras.19-22: Uncle Sam .

Ⅲ. Background Information
1. The Statue of Liberty
The idea of creating the Statue of Liberty began in France at a dinner party hosted by Edouard Rene Lefebvre Laboulaye, a scholar. Laboulaye and Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi, a sculptor, began to discuss the idea of presenting the United States with a monument to memorialize independence and human liberty.
Bartholdi sailed from France to New York on June 8, 1871, to propose the building of the statue to honor the friendship between France and the United States. As the ship pulled into New York Harbor, Bartholdi spotted the perfect location, Liberty Island.
During his trip to the United States, he met with US President Ulysses S. Grant; Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, an American poet; Horace Greeley, a New York editor and politician; and others. Bartholdi traveled across the United States carrying a sketch of the statue and a small model. Everyone was receptive, but financial backing was difficult to find.
2. Barbie dolls
It was the late 1950s when Ruth Handler noticed her daughter playing with paper dolls and imagining them in grown-up roles. Since most dolls at the time were baby dolls, Ruth envisioned one that would inspire little girls to think about what they wanted to be when they grew up. Ruth created a teenage fashion model doll named Barbie (after her daughter), and the rest is history.
Barbie has been an integral part of the lives of millions of young girls. Her timeless appeal has resulted in a dedicated legion of fans that love to collect her.
3. Mattel Toy Company
Mattel is the worldwide leader in the design, manufacture, and marketing of toy products. The company's core brands include Barbie, Hot Wheels, Matchbox, Fisher-Price, and American Girl. With headquarters in El Segundo, California, Mattel has offices and facilities in 36 countries and sells its products in more than 150 nations throughout the world.
4. American Gothic
Grant Wood came to Eldon in the late 1920's with fellow artist and Eldon native, John Sharp. He was inspired by the contrast of the modest little one-and-one-half- story frame house with its (as he described it) “pretentious” Gothic style windows. There is one in each gable end. He sketched the house on the back of an envelope and used it as the backdrop in his world-renowned 1930's painting American Gothic. His sister, Nan, and his dentist, Dr. B. H. McKeeby, posed as the sour-faced couple. Wood intended the couple to represent a typical small town resident and his daughter, but most interpret them as man and wife. Since completion, Grant Wood's 1930 painting American Gothic has become a critically acclaimed work that continues to enjoy enormous popularity. It also has become an American icon and is the model for a countless number of commercial art parodies, such as posters, cards, and souvenirs. The painting hangs in the Art Institute of Chicago.
5. Buffalo nickel
In 1911 sculptor James Earl Fraser began designing the “Buffalo” nickel. Fraser said the portrait on the “head's” side was a composite of three American Indians—Iron Tail, Big Tree and Two Moons. Fraser had the opportunity to study and photograph them when they stopped off in New York on their way to Washington to visit President Theodore Roosevelt. By borrowing features from each individual, Fraser was able to sketch the “ideal” portrait for the nickel.
The model for the “tail's” side of the coin was none other than Black Diamond, the most contrary animal in New York's Bronx Zoo. He was born of stock donated by the Barnum and Bailey circus. In his prime, his coat was unusually dark, and he weighed more than 1500 pounds.
Fraser stood for hours, trying to catch his form and mood in clay. But Black Diamond stubbornly refused to show his side view, and faced the artist most of the time. Only by bribing a zoo attendant to distract the animal was Fraser finally able to capture the likeness he wanted.
President William Howard Taft approved the art work, and the first “Buffalo” nickels were produced in February of 1913. Two Moons died in 1917, and Iron Tail and Big Tree in the 1920s. In the 1960s, a second Big Tree appeared at coin shows and claimed to be the Native American on the nickel. Although he claimed to have celebrated his 100th birthday in 1962, later records indicated he was actually only 87.
6. James Earle Fraser
Fraser was born in Minnesota in 1876, but grew up on a ranch in South Dakota. His first art instructor was a town whittler. Later, Fraser studied art in Chicago and Paris and established a studio in Westport, Connecticut. He was only 17 when he completed the first modeling of “The End of the Trail”. The statue portrays a weary native American riding an equally forlorn horse. At an exhibition in Paris in 1898, “The End of the Trail” won a $1,000 cash prize. Despite the pressure of other projects, Fraser worked on “The End of the Trail” off and on throughout his career. Today a large version of the statue is in the Cowboy Hall of Fame and Western History Center in Oklahoma City, which also has Fraser's sketches for the “tail's” side of the Buffalo nickel.
When the Buffalo nickel finally made its debut in 1913, a coin collector's magazine hailed it as a true work of art, powerfully modelled. Many critics agreed, and in 1951 the American Academy of Arts and Letters presented Fraser with a gold medal honoring a lifetime of distinguished achievement. On October 11, 1953, James Earle Fraser died.
9. Uncle Sam
Historians aren't completely certain how the character “Uncle Sam” was created, or who (if anyone) he was named after.
The prevailing theory is that Uncle Sam was named after Samuel Wilson. Wilson was born in Arlington, Mass., on September 13, 1766. His childhood home was in Mason, New Hampshire. In 1789, he and his brother Ebenezer walked to Troy, New York.
During the War of 1812, Wilson was in the business of slaughtering and packing meat. He provided large shipments of meat to the US Army, in barrels that were stamped with the initials “US”. Supposedly, someone who saw the “US” stamp suggested — perhaps as a joke — that the initials stood for “Uncle Sam” Wilson. The suggestion that the meat shipments came from “Uncle Sam” led to the idea that Uncle Sam symbolized the federal government. Samuel Wilson died in 1854. His grave is in the Oakwood Cemetery in Troy.
The single most famous portrait of Uncle Sam is the “I WANT YOU” Army recruiting poster from World War I. The poster was painted by James Montgomery Flagg in 1916-1917.

Ⅳ. Language Points
1. alliance : n.联盟, 联合
[搭配] an alliance against 抵御……的联盟
an alliance between ……之间的同盟
an alliance with 与……的联盟

2. fame : n.名声, 名望, 传说, <古>传闻
[派生词]　adj : famous : famous for 因……
famous as 以……
[搭配] to achieve (win) fame 成名
to seek fame 追逐名望
at the height of one’s fame 处于某人声望的鼎盛时期，最走红的时期

3. stretch : vt/vi
[辨析] enlarge / expand / extend / stretch / swell
enlarge : “扩大，扩展”指体积，范围的扩大，结果是某物的尺寸及容量比以前大。
eg. This photo is too small , please enlarge it for me . “放大”
expand : “扩大”，指事物受内力或外力影响， 向各个方向扩大，即体积变大。其反义词 contract （收缩）
eg. Metals expand when heated . 金属受热会膨胀。
extend : 延长，延伸，可以指空间或时间上的延长。还可指范围上的增大。
反义词：shorten .
eg. extend a road 把道路延长
extend one’s stay 多呆几天
stretch : 伸长，展开。指把事物由短变长，由窄变宽紧紧伸展。
还可以表示延伸，与extend 同义。
eg. Please stretch the rope tightly . 请把绳子拉紧。
swell : “肿胀，上涨”指超过事物原来正常的范围，也指人的情绪高涨。
eg. The river is swelling 河水上涨了。
4. reputation : n.
[搭配] to acquire a reputation 获得声誉
to have (enjoy) a reputation 享有名声
a reputation as 有名望的
a reputation for 以……闻名
by reputation 以声望
[辨析] fame / glory / honor / reputation：
fame : “名誉，名声”含义广但最不明确，多指因某种原因而享受赞誉。不明显表明某人的名声范围及有此名声的理由。多指好名声，有时也可以指坏名声。
glory : “荣誉”指因辉煌成就而受到热情称赞或得到极大荣誉。常指一个国家，民族或某一时期的荣誉或辉煌成就。
honor : “荣誉”指一定范围内的声望或因成就而受到尊重或崇敬。
reputation : “名声，名誉”常表明某人或某地的著名特性，并表明名望的范围，尤其有令人信服的理由。可以是好或坏名声。

5. save sb./ sth from:
eg. No one can save you from danger except yourself .
除了你自己之外，没人能救你。

6. go against:
eg. If the evidence goes against you , you will be charged .
如果证据对你不利，你将被起诉。

7. work on sth.:
=have sth. as the subject of thought or effort
e.g. Is tom still working on the new book that he promised?
work at 从事 work away 继续干
work in 插进 work in with 与……合拍
work off 卖掉 work out 设计出
work over 彻底检查 work up 逐步建立
work with 对……起作用

8. be in love with:
e.g. she is desperately in love with that boy.

9. go ahead:
=continue or advance =move in front of
e.g. in spite of the chairman’s illness, the meeting will go ahead as planned.
go after 追逐 go back on/upon 违背诺言
go by 过去 go in for 从事
go over 复习，仔细检查 go through 经历，遭受
go up 上升，上涨 go down 沉没

10. for sale:
=intended to be sold
e.g. all the pictures in the gallery are for sale.
on sale 减价销售 a big sale 大减价
a special sale 特价

11. come up with:
e.g. he could not come up with an appropriate answer just at the time.

12. go against:
=be opposite to, be not in favor of , act against
e.g. stealing goes against my principles.

13. turn down:
=to lessen the strength, force, loudness etc. of (a radio, etc.)
=to refuse (a request, person etc.)
e.g. please turn the television down a bit.
turn around/round 转变 turn away 回绝
turn back 折回 turn in 接通
turn off 关掉 turn on 打开
turn out 结果是 turn over 翻转
turn to 求助于 turn up 开大
14. show up:
=be conspicuous, easily visible
=put in an appearance
e.g. the old woman’s wrinkles showed up in the strong light.
show off 炫耀 show one’s face 出席
steal the show 出风头 Good show! 好极了
15. take off:
=make a start in jumping =get rid of cancel
=of plane leave the ground and rise =leave
e.g. the government took off a tax.

16. have …in common with:
=share
e.g. they have nothing in common with one another.

17. take up:
=use up ,consume or occupy
e.g. the extra duties took up most of my time.
take away 取走 take back 送还
take care of 照顾 take charge 看管
take down 拿下 take from 减少
take in 接受 take on 呈现
take pains 尽力 take part in 参与
take turns 轮流 take for granted 认为，当然
take to 开始 take place 发生
take over 接收 take off 拿掉

18. hang up:
e.g. i don’t want to be the one who hangs up first.
hang about 闲逛
hang on 坚持
hang out 居住

19. lay out:
=spread sth. out ready for use or to be seen easily
e.g. this house is laid out sensibly.

20. feel like:
=of person be in the mood for
e.g. I felt like a bird.
feel after 探询 feel equal up to 能胜任
feel one’s way 试探 it feels like 就好像……

Ⅴ. Discrimination
1. 辨析universal, common, general, ordinary和usual
都表示“普通的，一般的”。
universal强调普遍性，含“全然没有任何例外”之意。
例如：This is a universal rule.
common主要指“平凡的，常见的”，含“没有任何特别”之意。
例如：This is quite a common occurrence.
general主要指“一般，普通”，但并不排除个别例外。
例如：Generally speaking, young people have better memories than the old.
ordinary与common意思相近，指“不足为奇”。
例如：Ordinary men and women can also work miracles.
usual强调“习惯性的，符合规章制度的或一贯如此的”。
例如：He paid the usual fee.

2. 辨析contract, agreement, bargain, compact, convention和treaty
均有“协议，和约”之意。
contract指正式的、书面的合同，具有法律效力，它常常用来规定某项工作必须在规定时间内完成且达到规定的标准，有时也用来指人与人之间具有约束力和法律效力的契约。
例如：a contract to deliver military supplies to the government
agreement意为“协议”，常指当事人之间所达成的理解、谅解，其中包括当事人之间互相达成的非正式文件。
例如：They came to an agreement to share the fortune equally if business was done.
bargain特指买卖或交易契约，也可用来指如果一人答应做一件事作为交换的话，某人愿意做某事。
例如：They made a bargain that if one cooks, the other will wash up.
compact指建立在当事人搁放互相信任和尊重的基础上达成的书面或非书面的、严肃的、有诚意的契约
例如：The seven nations made a compact to regulate tariffs.
convention指国际公约，尤指处理某件事物的公约，它没有treaty（条约）正式，但比treaty更具体，常常是好几个国家就他们所共同关心的问题达成的公约。
例如：The various countries all agreed to sign the convention.
treaty指国与国之间正式的，当事国签订并批准的条约，它通常是通过外交谈判而达成，并依据国际法为准则。
例如：A peace treaty was signed by all nations involved in the conflict.

Ⅵ. Sentence Explanation
1. That same year Bartholdi had assembled the statue's right arm and torch, and displayed them in Philadelphia.
Meaning: In the same year when he got married, Bartholdi had put the statue's right arm and torch together, and then showed them in Philadelphia.
同年，巴托尔迪组装完神像的右臂和火炬，并将它们陈列在费城。
2. He needed someone whose face represented suffering yet strength, someone more severe than beautiful.
Meaning: He needed someone whose face showed that she had suffered a lot but remained strong, someone who looked more plain than attractive.
他需要这样的一个女人：脸带沧桑却不失坚定，严肃之色多于艳丽。 他选择了自己的母亲。
3. Before all the different types of Barbie dolls for sale now, there was just a single Barbie.
Meaning: The sentence implies that the existence of Barbie, who was a real person, came before all kinds of Barbie dolls on the market.
在现今各式各样的芭比娃娃出售之前，原只有一种芭比娃娃。
4. Mattel refashioned the doll into a decent, all-American — although with an exaggerated breast size — version and named it after Barbara, who was then a teenager.
Meaning: Mattel Toy Company changed the doll into a model that was respectable, purely American, yet with big breasts, and named the new-born doll after Barbara, who was just a teenager at that time.
Please note that "decent, all-American" modifies the word "version".
马特尔公司将这个娃娃作了一番改造，变成了体面而地道的美国货，尽管胸围有些夸张。它名从当时10多岁的少女芭芭拉。
5. Now more than sixty years old, Barbara — who declines interviews but is said to have loved the doll — may be the most famous unknown figure on the planet.
Meaning: Barbara, who is now more than sixty years old and who refuses interviews but is said to have loved the doll, is probably the most famous person in the world with her real name being unknown.
如今芭芭拉已有60多岁了，她拒绝接受采访，但据说非常喜欢芭