Unit Six

1. Unit Six Text A I’m Going to Buy the Brooklyn Bridge

2. Women, Half the Sky

3. Table of Contents • Background information • Questions & Answers • Vocabulary

4. I. Background Information (Three Concepts)

5. 1. The first woman in the world Adam and Eve (德）丢勒　 画于1507年

6. Adam was walking around the Garden of Eden feeling very lonely, so God asked Adam, "What is wrong with you?” Adam said, "I don't Have any one to talk to.“ God said, "I will give you a companion and it will be a woman." He said, "This person will cook for you and wash your clothes, she will always agree with every decision you make, she will bear your children and never ask you to get up in the middle of the night to take care of them.

7. "She will not nag," God continued, "and will always be the first to admit she was wrong. When you've had a disagreement, she will never have a headache and will freely give you love and passion whenever needed.“ Adam asked God, "What will a woman like this cost?" God said, "An arm and a leg!" Adam said, "What can I get for just a rib?"

8. 2. Women’s liberation movement Have you heard of the women’s liberation move-ment? It began in the 1960’s. It was started by women who were concerned about their identity, their role in society, and their work, and about the view of women that many people held.

9. An important issue of the women’s Liberation movement is the question of women’s role. Should a woman work outside the home? Should she work if she is married and has children? Or should she stay home to take care of her husband and children? What will the rest of society think of her is she enters a profession or has a career? What will other People think if she wants to stay home and raise a family?

10. If a woman decides to take a job outside the home, there are many important questions which are raised. Can she get any job she is capable of and qualified for? Or are some jobs closed to her because she is a woman? If she gets a job and some of her fellow workers are men doing the same work, will she be paid as much as they are?

11. The women’s liberation movement is trying to Give women a chance to show what they can do. Perhaps a woman will find the cure for our most Serious disease. Perhaps a woman will solve the energy crisis. Perhaps women and men, working together, will Be able to accomplish important things better and sooner than men would if men were working alone.

12. 3. Feminism The belief that women and men are equal in abilities and should have equal rights and opportunities. In the 1960’s feminism became the subject of intense debate when the women’s liberation movement encouraged women to reject their traditional supporting role and to demand equal status and equal rights with men in areas such as employment and pay.

13. Since then the gender gap between the sexes has been reduced. However the battle between feminist and traditional views of a women’s role continues. It is widely accepted by younger people that women should be allowed to, if they wish, develop their careers when they have a family. Ms.---Mr. chairperson, businesswoman, spokeswoman, anchorwoman

14. II. Questions & Answers

15. 1. Who was Kate L ? One of the the author’s former classmates.

16. 2. What was her job? She taught part-time at the University of Oklahoma and worked as assistant principle at County High School.

17. 3. What was her accomplishment? She was finishing her doctoral dissertation & final drafts of two books.

18. 4. Did she have any time for hobby? Yes, she had time for tennis & horse riding.

19. 5. Was the story about Kate true or imaginary? It’s hard to say.

20. 6. Was the story about a woman executive of a national corporation believable? Yes, probably it was a true story.

21. 7. Do you believe that women can’t have everything at onetime? Yes, I believe so. No, I don’t believe so.

22. 8. Have you ever heard about any real story of a superwoman who succeeds in career and family? If “Yes”, what is it? Yes. No.

23. III. Vocabulary

24. Bulletin n. A short printed newspaper or leaflet, esp. one produced regularly by a group or organization The company publishes an annual staff bulletin. I read in the church bulletin that our friend’s baby would be baptized.

25. Collocation : Annual bulletin 年度公报 Government bulletin 政府公报 Information bulletin 情报公报 News bulletin 新闻公报 Statistical bulletin 统计公报 Bulletin board 布告牌

26. 2. item n. 1)a single piece of news There is a fascinating news item in today’s China Daily. 2) a single article or unit on a list or among a set There are at least 50 items on his Christmas shopping list.

27. 3. draft n. a rough outline or version My M.A. student emailed the first draft of his thesis to me yesterday. v. draft a plan

28. 4. undo v. 1) (fml.) disturb or upset greatly The sight of the animal’s suffering undid me. 2) untie, open Would you please undo this knot for me?

29. 3) remove the effect of In ten minutes he undid my whole day’s work. What’s done cannot be undone.覆水难收。 4) ruin the position and esp. the good name of (a person) I’m undone! My secret has been discovered.

30. 5. hit / strike home (of remarks, etc.) have the intended effect His criticism hit home. I was really selfish.

31. Collocation : Hit at 试图打中 Hit on/upon 偶然发现；忽然想起 Hit the nail on the head 说得中肯；击中要害 Hit the roof/ceiling 勃然大怒

32. 6. resolve vt. & vi 1) decide, determine He resolved to work harder. 2) settle or clear up or end…(a difficulty) The matter was resolved by making him sleep on the sofa.

33. 3) break up, separate (into parts); convert We can resolve the difficulty into two areas of misunderstanding. decide, determine She resolves on going on a diet.

34. n. sth. that has been determined on, resolution, the quality of being resolute He is a man of great resolve. Resolute adj. Irresolute adj. UN Resolution n.

35. 7. incredible a. That can’t be believed It seemed incredible that people would still want to play soccer during a war. The boy runs at an incredible speed—even faster than many adults.

36. (Syn.) unbelievable (Ant. ) credible Credibility n. Credulous adj. 轻信的 Incredulous a.

37. 8. skeptical a. (sceptical BrE) doubting that something is true, right, etc. (in the habit of) He presented his thesis at the conference, but some professors were skeptical about his findings. Some scientists think average global temperatures have risen due to the greenhouse effect. Others are skeptical of global warming. Be skeptical of/about…

38. 9. consume v. 1) eat or drink(a large quantity of) The children consumed lots of chocolate ice-cream at their birthday party. 2) use up Some of the most efficient refrigerators consumes 70 percent less electricity than traditional models. Consumer n. 消费者 Consumption n. 消费

39. 10. carefor 1) take care of The old man had a stroke a month ago. His son hired a nurse to care for him. 2) like or love (used in negative or interrogative sentences) I don’t care much for country music. Do you care for the vanilla ice-cream? from the seeds of a tropical plant, which is used to give flavour to sweet foods

40. 11. corporation n. A large business or company Several multi-national corporations are located in the new district of Pudong.

41. 12. rarely a. not happening often It is strange that the couple were rarely seen together. 当Rarely位于句首时，应使用倒装结构 Rarely have I seen a student who is so absorbed in history.

42. 13. decorate (with) add (something) in order to make a thing more attractive to look at The boy decorated his room with pictures of his favorite sports figures. They are going to decorate the classroom for Christmas. Interior decorator

43. 14. client a person who buys goods or service The company requires all the clients to pay fees in advance. The client of the solicitor, lawyer

44. 15. lap n. 1)the flat area formed by your thighs when you are sitting down A lap-top computer, desk-top … Sitting on her mother’s lap, the little girl was very quiet. 2) a part of a long journey, between two points where you stop The first lap of our trip is from New York City to Boston.

45. lap Vt. 1)(esp. of animals) drink something by putting its tongue into it A dog is noisily lapping water. 2）(of water) move with a sound like the lapping of liquid The wave is lapping on the beach.

46. 16. reproach v. Criticize (somebody) for failing to do something Reproach somebody for something She loved her boyfriend so much that she didn’t reproach him for breaking his promise.

47. Reproach, scold, blame, complain Reproach, (not being successful) beyond… Scold ( behavior) Blame (did something wrong or is responsible for something bad) be to blame Complain about (something is wrong or not satisfactory)

48. 17. theory A formal idea or set of ideas that is intended to explain something Darwin’s theory of evolution 达尔文进化论 The theory of relativity 相对论 General theory of relativity 广义相对论 Continental drift theory 大陆漂移说 Gene theory 基因学说 Theory of probability 概率论 Einstein formulated the theory of relativity in 1905.

49. In theory:under ideal conditions; theoretically In theory everyone has equal rights. A school dental service exists in theory, but in practice, there are few dentists to provide service.

50. 18. harmony 1) pleasant combination of different notes of music played at the same time The kids are singing in perfect harmony. 2) a state or condition of agreement, cooperation, or peacefulness Since they moved to this community they have lived in harmony with their neighbors.