Part II

1. Part II Reading Comprehension Book 4-Unit 7

2. Reading Comprehension • Pre-reading Task • Comprehension Work • Language Work Book 4-Unit 7 Return to Menu

3. Suggested Points Pre-Reading Task Discuss the following questions. • Have you ever been late for class? What excuses did you give for your lateness? • Why is punctuality a necessity in all public affairs in a civilized society? • Have you ever noticed the difference in people’s attitude toward the keeping of time in the rural and urban areas? Book 4-Unit 7

4. Suggested Points • The importance of punctuality a. efficiency(e.g. In factories or offices, some work may involve many people, so if one person is late, the work will have to be postponed.) b. respect(In many cultures, people are expected to be punctual since lateness means wasting other people’s time.) c. competition(e.g. If one store opens and closes at a regular time, people will trust it. Otherwise, customers will be doubtful about its discipline or quality.) d. order(Punctuality certainly is a very important discipline in most workplaces. Otherwise, companies, schools, and offices would be in chaos.) Book 4-Unit 7

5. 2. Urban/rural differences Urban: more punctual Possible reasons: more cooperation, higher efficiency, intense competition, more complex human relationship, etc. (Basically, most jobs in cities are concerned with human relationships; therefore, people have to obey the public rules in order to gain social or economic success.) Rural: less punctual Possible reasons: less competitive or urgent, less sophisticated human relationship, etc. Book 4-Unit 7

6. Comprehension Work • Text Organization • Probe the Story • Essay Questions • Difficult Sentences Book 4-Unit 7

7. Text Organization Listen to the text and summarize the main idea of each part. Para. 1 Raising the problem for discussion. Providing background of the issue. Para. 2-5 The writer begins to raise his major position on the issue. Para. 6 Para. 7 Transition • Analysis of why “being late” should not be excused in business management in Asian cultures. Para.8-14 Para.15-16 Conclusion: call for punctuality management Book 4-Unit 7

8. Probe the Story 1. According to the scholars, what is the Asian concept of time? Asians live more in the ancient past or in the distant future. They view life as a passing moment and prefer a steady pace. 2. How do Westerners view time? Westerners live more in the present and the near future. They always have immediate and urgent objectives to achieve with time-pressing schedules or deadlines. Book 4-Unit 7

9. 3. What figure of speech does the writer use to illustrate the cultural difference regarding the concept of time? The writer uses a number of metaphors to make his point: "neurotic slavery" indicates being abnormally bound to tight schedules; "the sense of zero gravity" refers to the freedom of spending one's time at will; one's life course is compared to "a long journey"; and "the next hill" suggests something within reach. Book 4-Unit 7

10. 4. Does the writer agree to the claim that unpunctuality is related to a certain cultural outlook? Why? The writer does not agree to the claim. He thinks that whether a person is punctual or not has nothing to do with his cultural outlook, because observance of time and philosophical perception of time are two different things. Book 4-Unit 7

11. 5. How do Asians and Westerners react to unpunctuality? Asians tend to be more tolerant of bad punctuality and are more ready to accept a latecomer's dubious excuses, while Westerners view bad punctuality as an undesirable practice and believe that it shows that a person is not trustworthy or dependable. Book 4-Unit 7

12. 6. What is the writer’s view on punctuality in the business world? The writer thinks that in daily life it is up to an individual whether to be punctual or not, but in an office environment people must respect the keeping of time. Book 4-Unit 7

13. 7. Should a manager ignore unpunctuality in his/ her office? What, in the writer’s view, should the manager do? Generally, a manager should not take the academic concept that to require punctuality of his/her employees is intolerant of culture. He or she must strive to break bad habits through repeated counseling. Book 4-Unit 7

14. Essay Questions • Discuss questions on page 123 and then write down your opinions in the exercise book. Book 4-Unit 7

15. an attitude in life which makes one bound to busy schedules, rush to meet the deadlines all the time so that one has no leisure or freedom to enjoy life Difficult Sentences 1. Asians try to avoid a neurotic slavery to time, viewing life as a passing moment in eternity. The enjoy the sense of “zero gravity” that comes from travelling without an immediate goal or an urgent objective. a concept from physics. It means a situation in which an object is not subject to the pull of a mass, such as the earth, like the experience of the spaceman walking in the space 亚洲人尽力避免成为时间的神经质的奴隶。生活在他们看来只是永恒中的匆匆一瞬。他们喜欢旅游所带来的那种“失重”感, 没有近期目标，也没有紧急任务。 Book 4-Unit 7

16. having no justification; groundless; e.g. unwarranted interference无理干涉 recommendation, credentials; e.g. a letter of credence.介绍信 2. But this is unwarranted in an urban civilization. It would give credence to the academic literature that implies the time orientation in such a culture is inferior to that in the West. a tendency of thought; a general inclination; e.g. a Marxist orientation 马克思主义倾向 但是这在城市文明中是站不住脚的，它将使人相信此种文化的时间观念比西方的时间观念逊色这一学术论调。 Book 4-Unit 7

17. 3. But how we react to latecomers in our social lives is a matter of individual choice. In the world of modern business we cannot afford that flexibility. This means that in the business world everyone must observe punctuality. 可是，如何对待社会生活中的那些迟到者却是个人问题。而在现代商业领域，我们不容许有这种灵活性。 Book 4-Unit 7

18. 4. Some companies may choose to stagger the opening and closing time for their offices to enable employees to avoid the rush hour. But that does not mean there is no longer a need for punctuality. a. to place on or as if on alternating sides of a center line; set in a zigzag row or rows, E.g. Theater seats that were staggered for clear viewing. 戏院的椅子都被错开了，为的是清楚地观看。 b. to arrange in alternating or overlapping time periods； e.g. staggered the nurses' shifts 护士互相交错值班 . a period of heavy traffic 一些公司可能会主动改变他们的上下班时间，以使雇员能够避开交通高峰期。但那并不是说就不再需要守时。 Book 4-Unit 7

19. Language Work • In Other Words • Work with Sentences • Word Study Book 4-Unit 7

20. In Other Words Fill in the blanks with the following words. (page 124) unwarranted justify insight dubious cliche fad untrustworthy discard 1. He said on the eve of the New Year that he wanted to make a list of New Year resolutions. But, his sister sneered and said that she was _______ about his decision. 2. Movies that are nothing but ______ of sentimental love have little appeal to today’s audience. 3. Some editors of newspapers and magazines often go to extremes to provide ___________ details of famous people’s private life. 4. The Prime Minister delivered a speech to _______ the government’s decision to participate in the UN peace keeping action. Book 4-Unit 7

21. unwarranted discard dubious justify untrustworthy insight cliche fad 5. Years of experience as a salesman gave him a /an _______ in to the toughness of the business world. 6. Mrs. Jones always finds her cleaning maids _____________ and she hires and dismisses them with such a frequency that she has never got a chance to remember their names. 7. Language students should, first of all, ________ the misconception that they can learn a language with clear and ultimate success. 8. Travelling to remote areas, or even to unhabitated regions has become a/an _____ among city dwellers. Book 4-Unit 7

22. takethe generosity of the planet for granted. Work with Sentences Rewrite the sentences with the expressions in the box. (page 124) take … for granted be guilty of show up on the surface disregard … as … break one’s habit inferior to once in a blue moon 1. Many people tried their luck in the lottery, though they knew the probability of winning the first prize was quite slim. 2. Those who recklessly destroy rainforests should feel ashamed for their stupid act. 3. The earth has offered all it has to nourish human beings, but they just benefit from it without showing any gratefulness in return. once in a blue moon. guilty Book 4-Unit 7

23. inferior to disregard as 4. Goods on sale are not necessarily poorer in quality than those sold at normal prices. 5. Primates are seemingly the suitable candidate for xenotransplants, but the same viruses that infect monkeys and apes are very likely to infect humans. 6. The host had expected thirty guests but finally more than forty arrived at the party. 7. Bad habits are easy to make but difficult to eliminate. 8. Experts in education do not think boys' assertiveness is the only reason for classroom sexism. On the surface,primates are the showed up Bad habits are easy to make but difficult to break. Book 4-Unit 7

24. Word Study (page 125) • Study the words or expressions in Part a together with the models in Part b. • Explain the words or expressions based on the model sentences. Then translate the model sentences into Chinese. • Finish Part b: Use the prompts to produce sentences. Book 4-Unit 7

25. 1. To many Asians, life is a long journey and happiness is simply not a matter of time. be a matter of + (life and death, opinion, personal taste/choice/preference, principle) No article or plural form is used with these nouns in this structure. V-ing form can be used in place of the noun. E.g. 1. Doctor, please come quickly; it’s a matter of life and death. 2. It would only be a matter of time before he went through with it. 对许多亚洲人来说，生活是一次漫长的旅行,幸福绝对不是一个时间问题。 Book 4-Unit 7

26. 1. To many Asians, life is a long journey and happiness is simply not a matter of time. 1. a. To many people, skating is just a matter of practice. b. Dealing with these problems is all a matter of experience. c. Success in business is simply a matter of knowing when to grab a chance. Book 4-Unit 7

27. 2. On the surface, it might seem that a manager may have to be more tolerant about punctuality with some cultural groups than others. allowing people to behave in a way that may not please one, without becoming annoyed 表面上看来，管理者会不得不对一些文化群体比对另一些文化群体在守时方面更宽容一些。 2. a. There's a general feeling that the president has been too tolerant of corruption. b. It seems that people in this town are more tolerant of children in public places. c. It is said that her own mistakes made her very tolerant towards the faults of others. Book 4-Unit 7

28. 3. But this is unwarranted in an urban civilization. unwarranted + (interference/intrusion/criticism, etc.) without good reason, not with just cause, e.g. He accused the police of using unwarranted brutality. 但是这在城市文明中是站不住脚的。 3. a. The company director claimed such criticism was unwarranted and unjust. b. Such fears are completely unwarranted now. c. The white, male supremacy in the West is totally unwarranted in today's civilized world. Book 4-Unit 10

29. 4. We do not think that they are taking our friendship or affection for granted. to accept a fact, action, etc. without questioning, (take it for granted that + clause or take sth./sb. for granted) 我们认为他们不会不把我们的友谊和亲情当回事儿。 4. a. Many young people take their parents' love for granted. b. We take it for granted that students should be punctual for class. c. Their relationship had become boring and they started to take each other for granted. Book 4-Unit 7

30. 5. We do not consider them guilty of disrespect. be guilty of/at (meaning: ashamed of)+ noun/v-ing e.g. I may have been guilty of neglecting my family at times, and I feel very bad about that. 我们认为他们也不会为失礼感到内疚。 5. a. He was guilty of a serious misjudgment. b. Their parents are guilty of gross neglect, abuse and cruelty. c. I saw that I had been guilty of an irreparable blunder. Book 4-Unit 7

31. 6. A manager should try to break their bad habits through counselling, repeatedly if required. break/kick a habit: get rid of their bad habits →make a habit of doing sth. e.g. The professor hoped the students would break their habit of looking for essay answers. 管理者应该试图通过劝告——必要的话可反复教育——来改变他们的坏习惯。 6. a. They made it a habit of having lunch together twice a week. b. I'm trying to get him to break the habit of switching on the TV when he comes home at night. c. Some children like to bite their finger nails - a bad habit and very difficult to break. Book 4-Unit 7

32. Return to Menu Book 4-Unit 7