新视野大学英语第三版读写教程Book1-Unit7教案设计

Unit 7

Hoping for the better

Understanding and Learning

Overview

This unit discusses the issue of ethics and etiquette, and the seriousness of the issue.

Seemingly, newspapers and TV news are telling us that some virtues are vanishing, honesty is

going out of style, especially in the academic community, and people are ruder and more

insensitive to others in many aspects. Is honesty really out of date? What rude behavior do people

have? What forms of dishonesty exist on campus? Is the phenomenon on the rise? What other

ethical and etiquette problems are there on and off campus?

Text A shows how honesty is not valued as much as before across all layers of society. There

are also different kinds of dishonest behaviors in school, for example, cheating and plagiarism.

Students should realize those acts are totally wrong and unethical and they should not do so.

Text B discusses various forms of poor etiquette and the reasons behind them. It also calls on

us to practice kindness and strive for a better, brighter world for us all.

Class activities can be designed to make students review cheating and rude behaviors on and

off campus. The teacher may ask students to reflect on whether they have ever engaged in

cheating or rude behaviors. Class discussion about bad behaviors and role-playing are

recommended.

Before reading Text A, ask students to list dishonest phenomena on campus, and comment on

the causes and consequences of each phenomenon. Second, ask students to explore the reasons

why cheating is common at college. Third, ask students to discuss some well-known scandals in

academia. Finally, let them think about what teachers and students can do respectively to improve

the situation.

Before reading Text B, students can enumerate the rude deeds that they have observed. Then

they may discuss possible causes and severe consequences for such deeds. Finally, students should

try to provide solutions to today’s etiquette problems. As suggested in the Unit project, ask

students to write short plays about rude behaviors and do a role-play.

Section A When honesty disappears

Background information

1. Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) was the 16th president of the United States from 1861 to 1865.

He led the country through the American Civil War, preserving the Union, ending slavery, and

promoting economic and financial development.

Brought up in a poor family on a farm in Kentucky, Lincoln was mostly self-educated.

Though without a formal education, his speaking skills and practice in debates won him national

recognition. He was elected the US president in 1860.

The Civil War began in April 1861when the Southern states declared to withdraw from the

Union. In 1863, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation (《解放宣言》) and the 13th

Amendment to the US Constitution that declared all slaves free men. In 1864, Lincoln was

re-elected president for a second term.

On April 14, 1865 at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., Lincoln was shot and killed by

John Wilkes Booth, who was a stage actor and strongly opposed the abolition of slavery in the

United States.

Among American heroes, Lincoln continues to have a unique appeal for his fellow

countrymen and also for people of other lands. Lincoln has been consistently regarded as one of

the greatest US presidents. The Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., was dedicated to him on

May 30, 1922.

Detailed study of the text

1. As numerous accounts of cheating, lying, and fraud crowd our newspaper pages and TV news,

it seems that honesty is a rapidly vanishing value. (Para.1)

Meaning: From our newspapers and TV news, we read countless reports about people cheating,

lying, and deceiving. Honesty as a valuable merit seems to be disappearing quickly.

★fraud: n. [C, U] the crime of deceiving people in order to gain sth. such as money or goods 欺诈；诈骗

They said that it was the temptation of money that led them to commit the fraud. 他们说正是受到金钱的诱惑他们才去行骗的。 ★crowd: vt. If people or things crowd a place, there are a lot of them there 挤满；塞满

Thanksgiving shoppers crowded the department store. 那家百货大楼里挤满了感恩节的购物者。

2. And the reports indicate that, around the globe, corruption and dishonesty are so widespread

that the health and well-being of society are at risk. (Para.1)

Meaning: And the reports show that immoral and dishonest behaviors are so common worldwide

that the world may become less healthy and less comfortable to live in.

★corruption: n. [U] dishonest, illegal, or immoral behavior, esp. from sb. with power (尤指有权势者的) 贪污，贿赂，受贿，腐败

We think all governments should serve their people and seek to end corruption. 我们认为所有的政府都应该服务于人民，并且力求消除腐败。