英语泛读

I. Information Related to the Text

1. Richard Stengel

Richard Stengel was born in New York City. He attended Princeton University and studied English literature at Oxford where he was a Rhodes Scholar. Now, he is the managing editor of https://www.wendangku.net/doc/2311113039.html,. Until March of 2000, he was senior adviser and chief speechwriter for presidential candidate Bill Bradley. Before joining the campaign, Mr. Stengel was a Senior Editor at Time Magazine. In addition to his work for Time, he has been a frequent contributor to the New Yorker and the New Republic; he has written for the New York Times, GQ, and New York Magazine. He is the author of January Sun: One Day, Three Lives, a South African Town (1990), which was one of People Magazine’s Ten Best Books of 1990. He also collaborated with South African President Nelson Mandela on the latter’s autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom (1994). Mr. Stengel was also the Associate Producer on ―Mandela,‖ the Oscar-nominated documentary. In this excerpt from his book You Are Too Kind: A Brief History of Flattery (2000), he talks about how the overflowing of the public praise for the famous has undermined the language of private praise. He also traces back to the origin of flattery and how people change their attitudes toward it from a historical point of view.

2. Mike Ovitz

Mike Ovitz was the super agent in Hollywood. Ovitz founded Creative Artists Agency (CAA) in 1975. Because of financial problems, he had to sell the agency in 1995 and became Disney executive only to leave the Mouse House in 1997. Since then, his reputation has been ruined.

3. Charles Darwin (1809-1882)

Charles Darwin was born in Shrewsbury, England. At sixteen, Darwin went to study medicine at Edinburgh University. Later, he went to Cambridge University to prepare to become a clergyman in the Church of England. After receiving his degree, Darwin served as an unpaid naturalist on the H.M.S. Beagle, which departed on a five-year scientific expedition to the Pacific coast of South America on 31 December, 1831. Darwin’s research resulting from this voyage formed the basis of his fa mous book, On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection (1859). In the book, Darwin outlined his theory of evolution. Throughout his life, he continued to write on biology. After his death in 1882, he was buried in Westminster Abbey.

4. Donald Trump (1946- )

Donald Trump is a famous US real estate construction and developing businessman, who is among the richest. He wrote his memoir The Art of the Deal in 1987.

5. John Milton (1608-1674)

John Milton was a poet, essayist, playwright, historian, and diplomat. He was born in Cheapside, London, in 1608. When he was young, he received an excellent education in Greek, Latin, Hebrew, French and Italian. He attended Christ’s College, Cambridge, at the age of sixteen and got a master’s degree. In 1638, Milton embarked on an Italian journey. The experience was described in his Second Defence of the People of England (1654). When the English Civil War broke out, Milton’s attentions shifted from private to public concerns. Abruptly began writing prose and pamphlets during the early 1640s. Then, he became Cromwell’s Latin secretary for foreign affairs. After the restoration of the monarchy in 1660 Milton departed from public life. Though he spared harsh punishment, he lived in peril. He became completely blind since 1652, and then he devoted his time to poetry. Paradise Lost was published in 1667. It was followed in 1671 by Paradise Regained. Samson Agonistes, a verse tragedy, appeared in the same volume as Paradise Regained.

6. Dante Alighieri (1265-1321)

Dante Alighieri was an Italian poet and one of the towering figures of European literature. He was a native of Florence of noble ancestry. In 1302, he was exiled and he left Florence never to return. In his exile, he wrote the verse collection, The Banquet, De vulgari eloquentia (Concerning Vernacular Eloquence), the first theoretical discussion of the Italian literary language and On Monarchy, a major Latin treatise on medieval political philosophy. He is most famous for the epic poem The Divine Comed, a profoundly Christian vision of human temporal and eternal destiny. It is an allegory of universal human destiny in the form of a pilgrim’s journey through hell and purgatory, guided by the Roman poet Virgil, then to Paradise, guided by Beatrice. By writing it in Italian rather than Latin, Dante almost singlehandedly made Italian a literary language.

7. Bill Clinton (1946- )

Bill Clinton, the 42nd president of the United States, served two terms in that position from 1992 to 2000. His political career bega n in 1976 when he became Arkansas’ attorney general. Two years later he was elected the nation’s youngest governor. Though in 1980, he was not re-elected, he regained the governorship in 1982, a position he retained for five consecutive terms. In 1992, he won the presidential campaign and became the first president born after World War II and the first to be elected in the uncertain post-Cold War era. In 1995-1996 he was involved in the ―Whitewater affair,‖ an investigation into alleged improprieties by the president and his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton, in a 1980’s Arkansas land deal. In 1998, he was once again involved in an ―inappropriate relationship‖ with a White House intern, Monica Lewinsky, which made Clinton the first elected president in U.S. history to be impeached. The impeachment was unsuccessful, so Bill Clinton returned to office until the end of his term.

8. Dale Carnegie (1888-1955)

Dale Carnegie was born on a small farm in Maryville Missouri. He attended Warrensburg State Teachers College, and became a salesman for Armour and Company in Nebraska. When he moved to New York City, he began to give classes in public speaking at the Young Men’s Christian Association. Soon he was developing courses on his own and writing pamphlets on public speaking, which, according to him, was the quickest way to establish self-esteem. He published How to Win Friends and Influence People in 1930. ―Believe that you will succeed, and you will‖ and ―Learn to love, respect and enjoy other people‖ are two of his most famous maxims.

9. David Riesman (1909-)

David Riesman is a US sociologist and lawyer. He was professor of social science at University of Chicago between 1949 and 1958. Then, he worked at Harvard. He was the author of The Lonely Crowd and coauthored The Academic Revolution.

10. Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778)

Jean-Jacques Rousseau was an insightful philosopher whose influences can be found in almost every trace of modern philosophy today. He was born on June 28, 1712 in Geneva, Switzerland and raised by his uncle and aunt. In 1742, he moved to Paris. In his early writing, Rousseau contended that man is essentially good, a ―noble savage‖ when in the ―state of nature‖ and that good people are made unhappy and corrupted by their experiences in society. In his essay, Discourse on the Arts and Sciences (1750), he argued that the advancement of art and science had not been beneficial to mankind. His most important work is The Social Contract, in which he talked about the relationship of man with society. Rousseau attacked the institution of private property, so he is considered a forebear of modern socialism and Communism. He argued that politics and morality should not be separated. Rousseau’s idea of education had a significant influence on modern educational theory for he minimizes the importance of book learning, while places a special emphasis on learning by experience. What’s more, he recommends

that a child’s emotions should be educated before his reason. His other major works include the Confessions and Emile, a basic discourse on education.

11. Christopher Lasch (1932-1994)

Christopher Lasch was an American historian. He received a Ph.D from Columbia University in 1961. After teaching at the University of Iowa (1961–66) and Northwestern University (1966–70), he became a professor of American history at the University of Rochester. His main works include The New Radicalism in America (1965), The Agony of the American Left (1969), Haven in a Heartless World (1977), The Culture of Narcissism (1979), The Minimal Self (1985), and The True and Only Heaven (1991).

12. Lord Chesterfield (1694-1773)

Lord Chesterfield, Philip Dormer Stanhope, was Fourth Earl of Chesterfield and an English politician. His most famous work is his collection of Letters to His Son, advice on the model of female conduct books to his illegitimate son.

13. John Stuart Mill (1806-1873)

John Stuart Mill was a British philosopher-economist. He had a great impact on 19th-century British thought, not only in philosophy and economics but also in the areas of political science, logic, and ethics. His philosophical works include the System of Logic (1843), and the Principles of Political Economy (1848). His political views come through in On Liberty (1859), in which he argues that freedom is being endangered by the power of public opinion. Mill is mainly remembered today, however, for his contributions to ethical and social theory.

14. Robert Smith Surtees (1803-1864)

Robert Smith Surtees was an English novelist. In a series of humorous sketches Jorrocks' Jaunts and Jollities (1838) first published in the New Sporting Magazine, he created John Jorrocks, the sporting grocer. The novel Handley Cross (1843) continued the career of Jorrocks. His other novels include Hawbuck Grange (1847), Hillingdon Hall (1845), Mr. Sponge's Sporting Tour (1853), Ask Mamma (1858), Plain or Ringlets? (1860), and Mr. Facey Romford's Hounds (1865).

15. Plutarch (circa 45-125AD)

Mestrius Plutarchus (known to history as Plutarch) lived a long and fruitful life in the little Greek town of Chaeronea. For many years Plutarch served as one of the two priests at the temple of Apollo at Delphi. Plutarch became famous in the Roman Empire because of his writings and lectures. He also took an active part in local affairs, even serving as mayor. Guests from all over the empire congregated in his country estate for serious conversation, presided over by him. Many of these dialogues were recorded and published, and the 78 essays and other works are now known collectively as the Moralia.

16. Tom Hanks (1956- )

Tom Hanks is a leading actor in Hollywood. He won Oscar Prize twice for his excellent performances in Philadelphia (1993) and Forrest Gump (1994). He also starred in such films as Sleepless in Seattle (1993), You’ve Got Mail (1998) and Saving Private Ryan (1998).

17. Giacomo Casanova (1725-1798)

Giacomo Casanova was an Italian ecclesiastic, writer, soldier, spy, and diplomatist. After he was expelled from a seminary for scandalous conduct, he launched a dissolute career, traveling widely in Europe. In 1774 he returned to Venice as a spy for the Venetian inquisitors of state. He spent his late years (1785-98) as librarian to the Count von Waldstein in Bohemia and began to write his autobiography, The Story of My Life, which gave a splendid picture of 18th-century Europe and established his reputation as an extraordinary seducer of women.

18. Rembrandt (1606-1669)

Rembrandt was a Dutch Baroque Era painter and engraver. His paintings are characterized by luxuriant brushwor k, rich colour, and a mastery of chiaroscuro. What’s more, he was a master of light and shadow. His drawings constitute a vivid record of contemporary Amsterdam life. He was especially skillful in painting portraits and self-portraits.

II. Suggestions for Teaching

Part I Developing Reading Skills

1. How to Master the Reading Skill of Skimming

Skimming means that you have to read quickly in order to find out the main idea and the most important supporting ideas. The following elements will help you understand an essay better in a skimming:

1) the topic sentence of each paragraph

2) signal words that show a sequence, a transition, etc.

3) introductory paragraphs which often bear the author’s thesis statement or attitude toward the problem under discussion

4) concluding paragraphs which often repeat the most important points mentioned in the essay

5) repeated words, sentences, or ideas, which are often crucial to the understanding of the essay

6) the noticeable changes of printing style, for instance, capitalization, italics, etc., which are often emphasized by the author

7) certain punctuations such as a dash, quotation marks, which are often used to distinguish some important ideas out

In the first three paragraphs, the author actually flatters his readers. We may feel a little awkward at the first look, because he is referring his reader as ―perfect, gentle reader,‖ as one with ―obvious accomplishments,‖ with ―much self-assurance and discernment,‖ and as someone who is ―selfless.‖ However, these words ar e not just ―soft soap.‖ The author tries to point out the special features that his reader might have. He is trying to show us through his own efforts how we can flatter the others effectively and appropriately.

In the last paragraph, the author restates three important points:

1) There is not an over-abundance of praise in our society but a dearth of it.

2) There is a lack of deserved praise.

3) Sometimes you must even praise the giving of praise to make sure that it is given where it is due.

2. How to Detect the Meanings of the Following with the Help of the Context Clues

1) soft soap puffery, flattery (It means the same as puffery, to which you, the reader, might be immune.)

2) currency value (Here, currency is used in a metaphor. Private praise is compared to the circulating paper money. Paper money will become less valuable when there is an inflation; likewise, when praise is excessive, it is not so valuable.)

3) flattering pleasant or favorable (This paragraph deals with the chronical unfavorable ideas of flattery from the historical point of view. The examples cited here make it clear that the topic sentence FLATTERY HAS NEVER BEEN A VERY FLATTERING idea means flattery has always been denounced.)

4) ring layer (According Dante, there are nine layers in Hell and the eighth layer is for the flatterers.)

5) make the case regard (flattery) as (evolutionarily adaptive behavior) (Flattery can be understood in this way.)

6) in hot water in trouble (When Bill Clinton was impeached, he was in trouble.)

7) holding you back keep you back (If you succeed in pretending to be sincere, You will certainly win friends.)

8) moral sting sense of evil (Moral sting is a metaphor here. It implies that the sense of evil make flatterers very uncomfortable.)

9) come out ahead benefit from (If the flattery pleases the two parties, both of them can get benefits.)

10) dearth lack (It is in contrast to overabundance.)

Part II General Comprehension of the Text

Flattery or compliment is something ambiguous and even contradictory in practice. On the one hand, we want more compliments to reassure ourselves; on the other hand, we hate those flatterers who always suck up the others in order to achieve their private purposes. In this essay, Stengel argues that in our society there is a d earth of sincere private praise which is the ―mortar‖ that holds our society together.

1. Warming-up questions:

You can warm up your students with the following questions:

1) What do you think of flattery?

2) Do you think that there is a lack of compliments in our society? Why or why not?

3) Why is it that flattery is often related to insincerity?

2. The Adoption of the Second-person Pronoun

In this essay, Richard Stengel adopts the second-person pronoun when addressing the reader. The second-person pronoun is often used in a letter, a dialogue, or a persuasion. The adoption of the second-person pronoun is actually an imitation of a dialogue, which is to shorten the distance between the author and the reader and to establish a close relationship.

3. Metaphor

Metaphor is often used to make unfamiliar things familiar or abstract things specific. In this essay, the adoption of metaphor actually makes his point clearer and more effective.

1) ―There is a massive grade inflation of such public praise, a kind of halo effect around celebrity that results in a society-wide giving of praise where praise is not due.‖

The overabundance of public praise is compared to inflation. If inflation results in a persistent decline in the purchasing power of money, the overabundance of public praise will make praise less and less valuable.

2) ―The result is that such public flattery has debased and cheapened the currency of private praise.‖

The value of private praise is compared to currency, i.e., money in actual use, especially circulating paper money. Private praise is becoming less and less valuable because of the overabundance of public flattery. (This metaphor is closely related with the previous one, in which the overabundance of public praise is compared to a massive grade inflation, so as to achieve coherence.)

3) Sociologist David Riesman once described this as the transition from ―the invisible hand to the glad hand.‖

The economical development has transformed the invisible hand to the gesture of welcome. Now flattery is favorable and justifiable.

4) Small flatteries are part of the mortar that holds society together.

Flattery is indispensable to the interpersonal relationship in a society. With this metaphor, the importance of small flatteries is emphasized.

III. Material for Teacher’s Reference

1. Paraphrases of Some Difficult Sentences

1) Someone with as much self-assurance and discernment as you would want not soft soap but unvarnished candor. (L. 4)

Paraphrase: I should not flatter you because the people like you who are confident and able to make your own judgment only need frankness.

2) In fact, the higher your self-esteem, the more susceptible you are to flattery. (L. 7)

Paraphrase: Actually, the more you pride yourself, the more likely you are affected by flattery.

3) The language of superlatives has become worn out and phony. (L. 20)

Paraphrase: In our language the words with superlative form have lost their effect. Sometimes, they are even considered unreal or insincere.

4) If you brown-nosed the King into making you a lord, you were unfairly fiddling with the status quo. (L.

33)

Paraphrase: If you flattered the King and thus became a lord, you are destroying the established social order by dishonest means.

5) But flattery began even before Eden. (L. 36)

Paraphrase: Flattery existed even before God created men. (It is a metaphor, which is to say that flattery existed in the ancestry of human beings.)

6) Once social mobility became a good, flattery lost its moral stigma and became just another tool of social advancement. (L. 54)

Paraphrase: When social mobility became something favorable, i.e., when people were free to develop themselves, flattery was no longer considered something bad. Besides, it was adopted as a means to be promoted.

7) This shift in character ultimately robbed flattery of much of its moral sting. (L. 76)

Paraphrase: This change has finally made flattery a little more favorable, for people no longer take it as something evil..

8) Out of both compassion and convenience, we almost never c ontest other people’s depictions of themselves. (L. 97)

Paraphrase: For the sake of our personal comfort or advantage and because of our sympathy with others, we usually do not refute the others’ talks about themselves.

2. Shades of Meaning

1) flattering

Flattery has never been a very flattering idea. (L. 28)

The ancient Greeks believed the greatest danger to the democracy they invented was demagoguery, the flattering of the people—a device Bill Clinton always exploits when he’s in hot water. (L. 43) ...make them feel important by flattering them sincerely. (L. 64)

In the first sentence, flattering is used as an adjective, which means pleasant or favorable; in the second one, flattering is used as a noun, referring to the action of flattering or complimenting; in the third fragment, flattering is a gerund, which means complimenting.

2) foundation

It is one of the foundations of civilization. (L. 112)

philanthropic foundation (L. 137, The Gift of Gift-Giving)

In the first sentence, foundation refers to the thing on which civilization is founded. In the second phrase, foundation refers to funds for the perpetual support of an institution.

IV. Key to Multiple-Choice Questions

1. C

2. A

3.B

4.A

V. Suggested Versions of Translation Exercise

1. 我不想开篇就赞美你们的智慧，因为，像你们这样显然已经功成名就的人是不会被这样的吹捧所打动的。

2. 社会上到处充斥着已大大贬值的公开称赞，正是名人身上所笼罩的光环效应导致了全社会在不该赞美的时候大唱赞歌。

3. 因为卡耐基不仅使美国人的天性从重视性格转向强调个性，他本人也亲身体验到了这种转变。这是从拓荒时期粗鲁的个人主义向作为服务经济基本特征的―祝你愉快‖这种自信的转变。

4. 英国小说家罗伯特?史密斯?瑟蒂斯写道：―有些人因受到威逼而改邪归正，但更多的人是因为得到赞扬而变得品德高尚。

5. 有时，你甚至得称赞某个赞扬的举动，以肯定这赞扬是适时恰当的。