Unit 2 ValuesTeaching Objective:1. Understand the main idea (despite his wealth, Sam Walton remains down-home anddevoted to his team)2. Pay attention to the indirect description in portraying a person.Preview TasksLet students surf the Net or read some books in order to find out some information about Sam Walton and Wal-mart and answer the following question.1. Who is Sam Walton? What is Wal-Mart? （See background knowledge）Let students read text A beforehand and try to find the answers to the following questions:2. What made the waiter disappointed?(Para1, 3:the contrast between the waiter’s imagination and the reality about the richest man in America)3. Find some examples to prove that Sam Walton didn't want any special treatment. (Para5-10: Drove his 1979 pickup for many years; Waited in line to buy something in local Wal-mart store; Let his employees address him the first name; Went to the church every Sunday and washed dishes sometime; Used the same barber for 19 years and fetched the money by himself when he forget taking money with him.)4. What was Sam's main concern as founder of Wal-Mart? (Para15)The real story in his mind is the success achieved by the 100, 00 people who make up the Wal-Mart team. His real concern is his store.5. What did he think are the main reasons for his success? (Para16, 19, 21)The reason for his success is his people and the way they're treated and the way they feel about their company.Introductory words:We all are looking forward to success and the realization of our dreams. As for some people, to become a millionaire is their lifelong goal. Therefore, they select the America, the most powerful country in the whole world nowadays as their destination, because it is said to be the fairy land to get whatever you want. But does success only mean the possession of a large amount of money or high position? In this unit, we will discuss the value of life and the true meaning of being rich.First period (90 minutes)I. As we have given assignments of the background knowledge in preview tasks, so first of all, we give students the chance to stand up to tell what they have already known about Sam Walton and Wal-Mart.II. Then the teacher can make a supplement. In this way, students can gradually learn how to learn by themselves and how to collect information with the help of the Internet and library.Background Knowledge1.Sam Walton:Born: 29 March 1918Birthplace: Kingfisher, OklahomaDied: 6 April 1992 (died of multiple myeloma)Best Known As: Founder of discount retailer Wal-MartSam Walton, with his brother Bud Walton, founded Wal-Mart, the chain of discount variety stores that in the 1990s became the world's largest retailer.Sam Walton went into the retail business in 1945. His store was a franchisee of the Butler Brothers, which consisted of two chains. Sam store was going to be a variety store and with the assistance of the Butler Brothers, his store led in sales and profits in the six-state region. Sam made this possible by properly stocking all the shelves with a wide range of goods with very low prices, keeping his store centrally located so it was easily accessible to many customers, stayed open later than most stores especially during Christmas seasons, and experimented with discount merchandising ( buying straight from the wholesaler which enable him to lower his price per item and then was able to sell a greater quantity of goods, and thereby increasing his sales volume and profits). All these were ideas were new to businesses but Sam caught on fast and was able to use them to his advantage. To keep his stores running in tip top shape Sam was always trying to find new ideas to improve business. The next new thing he found was a concept known as self-service.By the time Wal-Mart first opened in 1962 he owned a chain of 15 variety stores in Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. Walton's savvy marketing skills and attention to detail led to Wal-Mart's expansion throughout the United States.By 1990 Wal-Mart was the nation's top retailer in terms of sales, and Walton was one of the richest men in the world. After his death in 1992 the company continued to expand, including online commerce and stores around the world. By 2001 there were more than 4,500 Wal-Mart stores worldwide.Famous quotations from Sam Walton:--High expectations are the key to everything.--There is only one boss—the customer. And he can fire everybody in the company from the chairman on down, simply by spending his money somewhere else.--There's a lot more business out there in small town America than I ever dreamed of. --We let folks know we're interested in them and that they're vital to us. Cause they are.--I had to pick myself up and get on with it, do it all over again, only even better this time.--"We're all working together; that's the secret. And we'll lower the cost of living for everyone, not just in America, but we'll give the world an opportunity to see what it's like to save and have a better lifestyle, a better life for all. We're proud of what we've accomplished; we've just begun."2. Wal-Mart:Wal-Mart Stores, founded by Sam Walton in 1962, is the largest retail chain in the U.S. Its first shop was opened near Rogers, Arkansas and had grown to more than 1,100 stores by mid-1988, with around 600,000 Americans working for it. The prices are low and value and customer service are high every day. So the customers do not have to wait for a sale to realize savings.3. Dime store:It is also called 5 & 10, five-and-dime, ten-cent store. It offers a wide assortmentof inexpensive items, formerly costing five or lower cents, hence it gets the name.4. Forbes:It is an American business magazine, noted for its lists of the top celebrities in business, such as Top 100 Celebrities, 400 Richest Americans, World Richest People, World's Most Powerful Women, etc.In the latest list, the top ten richest Americans are 1. William H. Gates, 2. Warren E. Buffett, 3.Paul G. Allen, 4. Michael Dell, 5. Lawrence Ellison, 6. Christy Walton, 7. Jim C. Walton,8. S. Robson Walton, 9. Alice L. Walton, 10. Helen R. Walton.After Sam Walton' death, his legacy was inherited by his wife and children. Therefore, we can see that the Walton families are all here.III. Group Discussion1. Do you want to be a rich man?--Yes/No.2. Supposed you were a billionaire, what kind of life would you like?--I would buy a huge house with a swimming pool and a basketball playground.--I would buy several cars for different usages, e.g. a BMW to drive to work, a sport car to travel, etc. Also I want a yacht/boat to enjoy a voyage.--I would like to run a book shop not for profits but for sharing the good ones with others.--I would travel around the whole world. No work and all play is my ideal life. ...3. How can you earn so much money?-- By running a company.-- By buying lottery or stock shares.-- By making PC programmers.-- By foreign trade....4.If you are a boss, how can you make your employees work whole-heartedly and passionately?-- Firstly, I respect them though they work for me. Secondly, I would ask them for advice because they make the products or directly communicate with the customers. Then I would praise the excellent ones and reward them in order to stimulate them to work even harder than before.5. What kind of characteristics/merits do you badly need to rise from nothing?--honesty, ambition, courage, perseverance, persistence, thoughtfulness, creativity, eagerness for success, kindness to the employees, the ability of foretelling the trend and future...IV. Structure AnalysisBeforehand we have given them the questions. Through answering these questions, we can get the general idea of the text and the main structure.Part I: Para 1-4 The waiter was disappointed to find that the richest man inAmerica led so simple a life.Part II. Para 5-13 Being friendly, easy-going and never flashy, Walton carries onlike plain folks and never wants any special treatment.Part III. Para14-22 With the Wal-Mart team in mind, Walton devotes himselfheart and soul to making the business a great success.1. Main idea: see the appendix.2. There are many contrasts in this article. Look at the title. The richest man should be very special, sometimes even strange. Usually the rich men have some unique habits or have some privileges. But Sam is down home and very ordinary. What's more, in the first part, the waiter was looking forward to seeing a huge mansion but only to be disappointed by the completely common house. With these vivid contrasts, it is more impressive that Sam behave in a folksy way.3. The author describes Sam Walton in an indirect way. He doesn't tell us what kind of life Sam live or what kind of person he is or how he manages the stores. Instead, the author employs several examples and let us finds out the facts with our own eyes. Then we would accept it with no doubt. Otherwise, it is hard to believe that such a rich man would behave in the folksy way.V. Detailed Learning of the TextPart One ---- Through the eye of a waiter, we can see Sam’s down home way of life. Step One: ask Ss to browse the part and answer to following questions.1) How did the waiter recognize Sam's house? Is it easy to tell it from others'?-- He stopped at the mailbox marked "Sam & Helen Walton", which indicated that their house was not special at all.2) What disappointed him?-- What he saw was totally unexpected.Imagined--mansion, Rolls-Royce, dogs with diamond collar, servants everywhere Reality-- worn furniture, old pickup truck, muddy bird dog, spot no servantsThe author didn't directly tell us how down home Sam was. Because no matter how hard he tried, people wouldn't believe that the richest man would live such a simple life. Smart as he was, the author told us the truth through the eyes of a waiter. We find our Sam's folksy way by ourselves.Step Two: Language points learningWheel (v.) -- driveRemote -- far away in space or time; far from the cityChain -- a number of shops under the same ownership or managementVI. Assignment: 1. preview next parts and get familiar with new works and phrases.2. Find out the examples the author gave in order to show characters of Sam Walton.Second Period (90 minutes)I. Review: without look the book, let Ss summarize in their own words what thewaiter imagined the life of the richest American would be and what is thereality.II. Detailed Learning of the TextPart Two -- With 3 examples, his character can vividly be shown here.Step One: Group DiscussionIn the preview work, the students have the assignment of prove his folksy way withthe examples. Give them 2 minutes to discuss with the classmates. Then retell it in their own words.Suggested answer:Examples 1:Although he is very rich, his Ford pickup is really out of date. He behaves in the folksy way. When the shooting season comes, he even waits in line at the local Wal-Mart, though actually he is the boss. What's more, Sam even commands his employees to address him Mr. Sam instead of Mr. President.Example 2:No matter how busy he is on Saturday night, Sam goes to the church every Sunday. He doesn't have a set place. He sits at the place wherever he finds a seat. Once after the church supper, the couple even went to wash the dishes.Example 3:Sam has used the same barber for 19 years. Every time Sam waits for him even though the barber opens at 7 a.m. He talks with the barber cheerfully and never throws his weight around. One time Sam forgot taking his wallet, he even went back home to fetch it.Step Two: Detail Analysis1. What can you infer from these examples? What kind of person do you think he is?-- He is friendly, cheerful, and free of self-importance, a fine neighbor who does his best to blend in, never flashy, never throwing his weight round. That is said by all the people, which means it is the truth and his real personality. After one example, the author tells us people's impression on Sam, which turns out to be a more effective way. If he tells us in the very beginning, we may doubt it. But it becomes very convincing after the description of his actual actions. Followed by other two examples, the comment is just proved again that Sam is really down home.2. Does the employees feel comfortable to address their boss by his first name?-- No. At first, they had to struggle to do so. But gradually they accept his folksy way. Few think of his money. They treat him as a colleague and friend.3. Generally speaking, the rich people hire others to clean the house off and on. If they are rich enough, they have the servants to do all the housework. This couple are rich more than enough to do so, but they don't regard themselves as special ones. They are just common people as anybody else in the church. Every one is equal.4. Nowadays, many people want to become famous. In order to achieve their goals, they try every means no matter how indecent it is. Sometimes, one even spread his own scandal if only it can make himself known to others whether it is famous or notorious. Newspaper is the effective way to spread news. Sam owns a newspaper. It really can help him to introduce himself to the Americans in the least. But he doesn't do so. He puts the Forbes list at the bottom of the second page. We know that the important news is generally in the first page to attract reader's attention. The inside news is likely to be ignored, not to speak of the ones at the bottom. Sam doesn't want people to focus on himself. He just wants to live in his own folksy way and be himself.5. Once he forgot his wallet when he went to the barber. It was acceptable to pay next time or not to pay at all as they had known each other for 19 years. But he insisted to go back home to get it. He didn't want any special treatment. With these examples, we can say that Sam is really strange. He doesn't behave like a billionaire at all and even is the same as the common people.Step Three: Language points learning1. get away with -- do sth. without being caught or punishedlocal -- of a certain area, esp. the place near we liveby all accounts -- according to what everyone saysblend in -- mix harmoniouslyreserve -- keep for a special use; bookbury -- to put in a grave; to hide or cover2. come the shooting season -- when the shooting season comesOnly in America can a billionaire carry on like plain folks and get away with it.(inverted sentence)-- A billionaire can behave like the common people and not be caught or criticized only in America.3. Inversion:To explain this grammar explicitly is really laborious. So I'd like to give them some examples to illustrate it.1. Full inversion: 1) 介词短语开头By his side sat his dog.Early in the morning falls the rain.2) adv.开头Here comes Tom. (** Here he comes.)So bright was the moon.2. Half Inversion: 1) 否定词开头No once did he talk to me.Seldom did a man do so.2) Only + 介词短语Only in America can you behave this way.Only by working hard can you succeed. Part Three -- With Wal-Mart team in his mind, Walton devotes himself heart and soul to making the business a great success.Step One: Let Ss browse this part and answer the following questions:1. What was Sam's main concern as founder of Wal-Mart? (para15)-- The real story in his mind is the success achieved by the 100, 00 people who make up the Wal-Mart team. His real concern is his store. Only by doing this way can a businessman succeed. If he wants to develop his own company and make it run smoothly, he must plunge into it. That is universally true no matter what you do. For example, you are the students. Your current task is to master the professional skills and turn to be an useful person in the future. Therefore, you should study very hard and make daily progress.2. What did he think are the main reasons for his success? (para16, 19, 21)-- The reason for his success is his people and the way they're treated and the way they feel about their company. Sam Walton pays much attention to his employees.In order to inspire them to work harder, this old man even jumps up on a chairand leads everyone to cheer the WAL. As the leader of a larger company he doesn't put on air but to blend in with his employees and try to arise their passion.Once they become passionate, the whole team can make miracles. Furthermore, Sam believes in cultivating ideas and rewarding success. He sets up a college scholarship fund for employees’ children, a disaster relief fund to rebuild employee homes, which can reduce their burden. He cares about the employees and try to help them when they are in trouble. If your boss is such a person, won't you devote yourself to your work?Step Two: Detail Analysis1. Direct Speech -- In this part, the author use several direct speeches. We can knowwho said that, which makes the comments vivid and convincing. Through these speeches, we can get a further understanding of Walton and the reason for his great success. In one example, Arend even didn't believe that a boss can be so generous.By comparing with his former boss, we can know he is a unique one.2. What can you get from working for him?-- You may be better off and become rich. But that is not your greatest gains. What's more important is that you have learn how to be a man, how to be a successful man. He tells you to devote heart and soul to your work. Once you want something, work for it. Besides, you should show your appreciation to others. Try to be generous to others and care about them from the bottom of your heart.People can feel it. Though you seem to lose something, you actually gain a lot. 3. What is the meaning of "being rich”?-- Generally speaking, when we talk about wealth, the first idea comes to us is a large amount of money. Owing a lot of money really can enable us to do many things. But only money alone can not make you a complete rich man. What's more important is your mental life. If you only have a lot of money, you indeed are very poor.Step Three: Language points learning1. celebrity -- famous peoplehold to -- keep to; insist to dosteer clear of -- keep away fromon the run -- continuously activebe liable to do -- be likely to dolay down -- establish, set downput off -- disturband the like -- and the things like thiscultivate -- improve, developgenerosity -- the quality of being willing to give money, helpstun -- surprise, shock,deserve -- be worthy of2. Paraphrase:•How long Walton can hold firm to his folksy habits with celebrity hunters keeping following him wherever he goes is anyone's guess.-- Wherever Walton goes, there are many celebrity hunters (reporters) following him.No one knows whether he is really a folksy person or not. If he pretends to be folksy, the hunters must discover it. If not, people are wondering how long he can behave in this way.•Employees with one year on board qualify for stock options.-- If one works in the Wal-Mart for one year, he has the right to buy the stockshares.III. Homework: 1.Exercise2. Retell of the story in the first person.3. Preview Text B and answer the following questions.①What did President Jimmy Carter and his wife do after leaving White House?-- They learnt something new and used back-to-basics skills toconfront and resolve their painful political defeat.②What’s the couple’s suggestion t o average people no matter whatstage of live they may be in?-- They encourage people to take on new things that might lookvery difficult, but that become very rewarding once the person isinvolved.Third Period (90 minutes)I. Revision and Exercise:1. Let students retell their own version to their desk mates.2. Dictation:Jack was on the run since the moment he came aboard. He was always cheerful and devoted himself heart and soul to his work. Because of his excellent performance he was promoted to CEO. From then on he tried hard to blend in with the workers and never threw his weight around. He also laid down a reward system to encourage the workers to work hard. He believed that loyalty and hard work would greatly contribute to the success of the company. By all accounts he was an outstandingchief executive officer.3.Check the exercise.II. Explanation of Text BText BStep One: Introductory Words:In text A, we know the life of the richest man in America, then how about the life of the most influential person and family in America, I mean the life of President and his family—the First family. Lots of Presidents rose from log cabin to White House in America, and in their term, they must have experienced a different life, then have you ever thought the life of them when they left the White House? How did they cope with the difference? In this text, we are going to know one of them—President Jimmy Carter. No matter in his presidency or after it, he tried to keep a simple and easy life, which is similar to the life of common Americans.This text is special because there are so many words in quotation marks, so we may infer that it is some excerpts from the author’s interview to President Jimmy Carte r and his wife. Now please read the text by yourself and answer the following questions: Step Two: Questions:1. Where did the interview take place?-- In the porch of Carter’s log cabin in a small south Georgia town. (Para 1)2. Why is the “swing” in par agraph 1 special?-- Because the swing was designed and built by the former president himself. (Para 1)3. What is the implied meaning of his wife’s words in paragraph 3 “He used nails then,now he builds everything without nails.”-- The wife wants to tell us that the skill of the President is improving gradually.Now he is rather skillful. (Para3)4. Why did Carter occasionally managed to slip in a few hours at the carpenter’s shed at Camp David?-- Because the President thinks that it’s a kind of t herapy, and a steady force in his life—a total rest for his mind. (Par5)5. Why did the couple try to relate their lives not to the White House, but to plains inthe book Everything to Gain?-- There are a couple of reasons: first, they want to show the attraction of a small town; second, to make it clear that the book is not just about a couple who happened to have been the First Family of the nation; it’s also written for the average person who experienced unexpected change in life.6. According to Carter, Why people today are luckier than people in the past? (Para 8) -- Because they have more free time. (Para 13)7. What did the couple suggest people do no matter what stage of live they may be in? -- They encourage people to take on new things that might look very difficult, but that become very rewarding once the person is involved. (Para 13)8. After reading the text, try to summarize what the President do to cope with his life after leaving White House?-- They learnt something new and used back-to-basics skills to confront and resolve their painful political defeat.Preview Task: Read the text in detail and try to grasp the structure and some important words and phrases.Fourth Period (90 munites)The author portrays the President through th e President’s or his wife’s own words, or we can say a“direct description”, Which is different from text A which portrays the character by indirect methods.I. Structure:Part One 1-3 Through describing the swing and many other things made by the Presidenthimself, the author tries to tell us what did the President doafter he has left the White House.Part Two 4-11 The author tells us in detail that why the President enjoys theback-to-basic skills during and after his presidency, and whatdid he and his wife actually do.Part Three 12-13 Suggestions the couple give to average people.II. Important words and phrases:1.Restoration: ~ to sth. Restoring to a former place or condition.Restore: v.ze: v. ~ about/around, be lazy, relax, rest. E.g. Laze by the river all day.3.Sip: v. drink sth., take very small quantities each time. E.g. Sip one’s coffee.4.Overlook:v. ①have or give a view of (a place) form above. E.g. my roomoverlooks the sea. ②take no notice of (sb. or sth.); ignore. E.g. we cannot afford to overlook the minor mistake.5.Campaign:v. ~ for/against sb/sth, take part in or lead a campaign. E.g.campaigning for one’s rights.6.Slip:v. ①go somewhere quietly or quickly in order not to be noticed. E.g. thethief slipped out by the back door. ②slide accidentally, lose one’s balance and fall or nearly fall in this way. E.g. She slipped over on the ice and broke her leg.7.Ups and downs: (idm) alternate good and bad luck. E.g. He stuck by her throughall life’s ups and downs.8.Reinforce:v. give more support to (sth); emphasize: E.g. Reinforce one’s opinion,argument, conviction, etc.9.Involve: v. ①cause sb to take part in sth. E.g. Don’t involve me in solving yourproblems; ②include: e.g. the strike involved many people. ③~ sb in sth: show sb to be concerned in (a crime, etc.)10.Conduct: v. undertake, carry out. E.g. ~ business, a meeting, negotiations, etc.11.Resolve: v. ~ on/upon/against sth/doing sth. decide formly; determine . E.g. Sheresolved that she would never see him again.12.Relate: v. connect, associate: ~sth to/with sth; ~ to sb/sth;13.Additional: adj. Added; extra; supplementary. E.g. ~ charges, candidates,supplies.14.Appeal: v. ①~ to sb (for sth); ~ for sth. make an earnest request ②~ (to sb) beattractive or interesting (to sb)15.Take on: undertake; decide to do. E.g. take on extra work.16.Crisis: n. time of great danger or difficulty.III. Translation of important sentences:1.I think that skill with one’s own hands—whether it’s tilling the soil, building ahouse, making a piece of furniture, playing a violin or painting a painting—is something that does’t change with the ups and downs of life.我认为手艺——不管是耕地，造房子，做家具，拉小提琴，还是画图——不会因生活的起起落落而改变。
