An Integrated English Course Book 4

1. An Integrated English Course Book 4 Unit Six A French Fourth

2. Background: the Fourth • What date is it? How particular is this day? • Independence Day • In the United States, Independence Day (commonly known as “the Fourth of July” or simply “the Fourth”) is a federal holiday celebrating the adoption of “the Declaration of Independence” on July 4th, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. • How to celebrate Independence Day? • Ways of celebration: a picnic or barbecue; morning parades, baseball games, evening displays of fireworks at public parks…

3. How do you understand the title? • A French Fourth? • When is French national holiday? • Bastille Day is the French national holiday, celebrated on 14 July each year. It is called Fête Nationale (National Holiday) in France. It commemorates the 1790 Fête de la Fédération, held on the first anniversary of the storming of the Bastilleon 14 July 1789; the Fête de la Fédération was seen as a symbol of the uprising of the modern French "nation", and of the reconciliation of all the French inside the constitutional monarchy which preceded the First Republic, during the French Revolution. • 1789年的这一天，巴黎人民攻占了象征封建统治的巴士底狱，推翻了君主政权。1880年，7月14日被正式确立为法国的国庆日，法国人每年都要隆重纪念这个象征自由和革命的日子。

4. Background: the French Revolution • The French Revolution (1789–1799) was a period of political and social upheaval (剧变) in the history of France, during which the French governmental structure, previously an absolute monarchy(君主制) with feudal privileges for the aristocracy (贵族) and Catholic clergy, underwent radical change to forms based on Enlightenment principles of nationalism, citizenship, and inalienable (不可剥夺的) rights. • These changes were accompanied by violent turmoil which included the trial and execution of the king, vast bloodshed and repression during the Reign of Terror, and warfare involving every other major European power. Subsequent events that can be traced to the Revolution include the Napoleonic Wars, two separate restorations of the monarchy, and two additional revolutions as modern France took shape.

5. Background: the Enlightenment • The Age of Enlightenment or The Enlightenment is a term used to describe a phase in Western philosophy and cultural life centered upon the eighteenth century, in which Reason was advocated as the primary source and basis of authority. Developing in Germany, France, Britain, the Netherlands, and Italy, the movement spread through much of Europe, including Russia and Scandinavia. The signatories of the American Declaration of Independence, the United States Bill of Rights and the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen were motivated by "Enlightenment" principles. • The intellectual and philosophical developments of that age (and their impact in moral and social reform) aspired towards governmental consolidation, centralization and primacy of the nation-state (单一民族国家), and greater rights for common people. There was also a strong attempt to supplant the authority of aristocracy and established churches in social and political life: forces that were viewed as reactionary, oppressive and superstitious.

6. La Fontaine’s fables • Jean de La Fontaine (July 8, 1621 – April 13, 1695) was the most famous French fabulist (寓言家) and one of the most widely read French poets of the 17th century. • According to Flaubert (福楼拜), he was the only French poet to understand and master the texture of the French language before Hugo. A set of postage stamps celebrating La Fontaine and the Fables was issued by France in 1995. A film of his life has been released in France in April 2007 (Jean de La Fontaine).

7. The Wolf and the Lamb • "Might makes right." That's true and always was— Now let us see just how it does.A thirsty lamb bent down its head To sip at a clear-running brook.A wolf was watching, with a growling stomach, Drawn by hunger out to prowl the neighborhood."How dare you have the gall to foul my drinking water!" He snarled in utter fury at her. "A punishment must follow such audacity.""Sire," replied the lamb, "His Gracious Majesty Ought not to get so mad at me,For if he would consider first That as I stand to slake my thirst I'm twenty paces, at the least, Downstream of His Highness, he would see There is no way that I could foul his drinking water.""You foul it anywhere you stand," replied the beast. "And last year you insulted me! I don't forget.""But no," replied the lamb. "I wasn't born as yet. I'm small, and I still suckle at my mother." "Well, if not you it was your brother.""But I don't have one." "Then it was another Just like you. None of your raceSpeaks well of me, not you, your shepherds or your dogs! So, since you are not nice To me you have to pay the price!" And thereupon he dragsHer off into the forest, there to chaw And swallow her, without restraint by any law.

8. A French Fourth • What does the text mainly talk about? • What’s the author’s purpose of writing? P. 86 • How is the text organized?

9. The text: A general understanding • Main idea: • This text talks about the influence of a foreign culture on expatriated families. • Purpose of writing: • To discuss the advantages and disadvantages of rearing children in a foreign culture.

10. Text structure • It can be divided into three parts. • In Part I (Paragraphs 1 -3), the author starts with a way of celebrating his home country’s National Day, i.e. the Independence Day of the United States. • In Part II (Paragraphs 4-9), he makes a contrastive analysis of the costs and benefits of the expatriated people. • In Part III (Paragraphs 10-12), he talks about the effect of globalization.

11. Part I: Paragraphs 1-3 • In this part, the author tells us the way that he celebrated his National Day in another country. He then reminds people like him of their native country and culture. • Q: How did the author celebrate Independence Day in another country? • By hanging an old flag from a fourth-floor balcony in Paris. • 1) Why does the author hang the American flag from his fourth-floor balcony in Paris? • 2) The author has kept the old flag for a long time. Why didn’t he get a new one? • 3) Why do some American families go back home for the summer?

12. Language work • 1. fold away: make something into a smaller, neater shape by folding it, usually several times • These camping chairs can be folded away and put in the trunk. • The piece of paper was folded away carefully and tucked into her purse. • 2. regulation adj.: conforming to regulations or rules 规定的，正规的，正式的 • As we walked along the street, we could see the noisy cheerful group of people in regulation black parade tunics (束腰外衣). • Christians usually decorate their houses with the regulation decorations as Christmas approaches.

13. 3. ... but in my mind’s eye an American tourist may notice it and smile ...:-- ... but I imagine that an American tourist may notice it and show his appreciation of my action with a smile ... • mind's eye n. 心眼, 想像(力) • in one‘s mind’s eye想像, 记忆 • a bird's eye view; the apple of sb's eye; catch sb’s eye; an eye for an eye; the eye of the storm; see eye to eye with sb • 4. the date and the occasion that prompt its appearance: • prompt v. to give rise to; to bring about • Paraphrase: The event of the thirteen states of British colonies declaring their independence on July 4, 1776 brought about the appearance of this flag.

14. 5. suppress such outward signs of their heritage: -- do not give manifestations of their traditional culture handed down from their ancestors • 6. refuel: • refuel (original meaning): to fill with more fuel for a vehicle 加燃料；加油 • Oil tankers will accompany the containers for trans-ocean refuelling. • refuel (contextual meaning): to fill someone’s mind with more knowledge of their native culture. • In a society of intense competition, people have to refuel every year to catch up with the rapid renewal of knowledge.

15. 7. cool: (1)calm, unexcited; unemotional in a difficult situation 冷静的，淡漠的 keep/stay/remain cool • She looks efficient and as cool as a cucumber . • She always remains cool, calm and collected in a crisis. • 她在危难中总能保持冷静、平静和镇静. • Cool: (2) [Slang] Excellent 极好的 • 'I'm thinking of studying abroad.' 'Really? Cool.' • 8. the American in me: -- the feeling of being American which is deeply rooted in my mind

16. Sentence 1 • Para. 3 • July 4 is one of the times when the American in me feels… • Paraphrase: July 4 is one of the times I, as a native American, feel instinctively uneasy about the great gaps in our children’s understanding of their American identity, and thus I am motivated to do something to fill the gaps.

17. Questions for discussion • 1) Why does the author hang the American flag from his fourth-floor balcony in Paris? • He does it for two reasons. First, as an American living in Paris, he does not want to forget his native heritage and flag-hanging is the only thing he can do to celebrate the Independence Day. Second, he wants to use the flag-hanging as a special meansto teach his children about the American history and as a reminder of their American identity.

18. 2) The author has kept the old flag for a long time. Why didn’t he get a new one? • The text does not tell us explicitly, but it is very likely that this flag was brought to Paris from the U. S. a long time ago. To the author, the old flag is a better reminder of his home country than a new one. • The wedding custom in the west: “Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue and a silver sixpence in your shoe.”

19. 3) Why do some American families go back home for the summer? • As expatriates, they are not used to the custom and cultural traditions in France, but they have little access to the traditional culture of their motherland. So they go back home to trace the heritage of Americans. In addition, because their children are reared up in a completely foreign culture, they have the obligation to teach their children the culture and history of their motherland.

20. * What’s the thesis statement that the author introduces? • A: Raising children in a foreign culture has its costs and benefits.

21. Part II: Paragraphs 4-9 • This part is the main body of the essay, in which the author tells us the costs and benefits of living in a foreign country. • 1) What are the costs and benefits of raising children in a foreign culture? • 2) How does the author support his argument? • 3) What is the author’s purpose of telling the story of his own children in Paragraphs 4 and 5? How is the story related to his argument? • 4) Did the author achieve the purpose of his summer travel in the U. S. (Para. 6) ? Why or why not?

22. not much of a(Para. 4) • not much of a [idiom]: not a good (sth) 不是 什么了不起的, 称不上.... • I’m not much of a correspondent, i.e. I rarely write letters. 我不爱写信. • I’m not much of a chef, so we’d better dine out.

23. object lesson • object lesson: practical illustration of some principle, often given or used as a warning; punishment intended as a warning to others 示范；实际教训 • Their faultless performance was an objectlesson in how to dance the tango. • 他们娴熟的表演才是跳探险戈舞的样板。 • Let this accident be an object lesson in the dangers of drinking and driving. • 这一事故可以作为醉酒驾驶危害的实际教训.

24. pride n. & v. proud adj. • take pride in v. 以...为傲pride v (phr v) pride oneself on sth/doing sth: be proud of sth 以某事物而自豪 • take pride in being American: -- have a feeling of great pleasure or satisfaction of being a native American • The team has achieved unprecedented success this season. All the players take pride in being a member of this team.

25. convey • convey: cause information or feelings to be known or understood by someone 传达，告知 • Please convey my good wishes to your mother. • Words cannot convey how delighted I was. • 言辞无法表达我内心的喜悦.

26. The American Revolution The American Revolution refers to the political upheaval (big change) during the last half of the 18th century in which the Thirteen Colonies of North America overthrew the governance of the British Empire and collectively became the nation of the United States of America. In this period, the colonies first formed self-governing independent states, and then united against the British to defend that self-governance from 1775 to 1783 in the armed conflict known as the American Revolutionary War (or the “American War of Independence”). This resulted in the states breaking away from the empire with the Declaration of Independence in 1776, effective victory on the battlefield in October 1781, and British recognition of United States sovereignty (主权) and independence in 1783.

27. Battles of Lexington and Concord • The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War. They were fought on April 19, 1775. The battles marked the outbreak of open armed conflict between the Kingdom of Great Britain and its thirteen colonies in the mainland of British North America. • About 700 British Army regulars (正规军), under Colonel Francis Smith, were given secret orders to capture and destroy military supplies that were reportedly stored by the Massachusetts militia (民兵) at Concord.

28. Through effective intelligence gathering, Patriot colonials had received word weeks before the expedition that their supplies were at risk, and had moved most of them to safety. They also received details about British plans on the night before the battle, and were able to rapidly notify the area militias of the military movement. • The first shots were fired just as the sun was rising at Lexington. The militia were outnumbered and fell back, and the regulars proceeded on to Concord, where they searched for the supplies. At the North Bridge in Concord, several hundred militiamen fought and defeated three companies of the King‘s troops. The outnumbered regulars fell back from the Minutemen after a pitched battle (激战) in open territory.

30. Margaret Kemble Gage, the wife of General Thomas Gage, who led the British Army during the American Revolutionary War. Margaret may have given the leaders of the rebellion military intelligence (patriot spy) Francis SmithBritish commander of the military expedition, in 1775

31. confirm: prove something definitely true 证实，确认 • These statistics confirm our worst fears about the depth of the recession. • make-believe • adj. 虚假的, 虚伪的 • a make-believeworld 想象的世界 • n. 虚假, 伪装, 虚伪(的人) • He seems to be living in a world of make-believe . • make believe v. 假装, 假扮 • Let' s makebelieve we are doctors.

33. bring up • Her parents died when she was a baby and she was brought up by her aunt. (1) To take care of and educate (a child); rear 照料，教育（小孩）；抚养 • In my day, children were brought up to respect the law. • These are matters that you can bring up in committee. (2) To introduce into discussion; mention 把…引进讨论；提到 • I had a sandwich for lunch and promptly brought it up again. (3) [BrE] To vomit 呕吐

34. frame of reference : a particular set of beliefs, ideas, or observations on which one bases his judgment 参照系,判断标准；作为个人的判断﹑ 行为等的依据的）原则, 标准, 观点 • sociological studies conducted within a Marxist frame of reference • 以马克思主义观点指导的社会学研究. • The observer interprets what he sees in terms of his own cultural frame of reference.

35. Questions for discussion • 1) What are the costs and benefits of raising children in a foreign culture? • 2) How does the author support his argument? • 3) What is the author’s purpose of telling the story of his own children in Paragraphs 4 and 5? How is the story related to his argument? • 4) Did the author achieve the purpose of his summer travel in the U. S. (Para. 6) ? Why or why not?

36. Questions for discussion 1) What are the costs and benefits of raising children in a foreign culture? • According to the author, it is difficult for children to understand and identify the virtues of their native culture without living in it so they need to go back to their native country to compensate for the ineffective family education. But the practice of raising children in a foreign culture has its merits. For example, it helps the children to acquire the new culture without being exposed to the disadvantages of their native culture.

37. 2) How does the author support his argument? • He supports his argument with the experience of his own family and the difference between his generation and the generation of his own children (a contrastive analysis).

38. 3) What is the author’s purpose of telling the story of his own children in Paragraphs 4 and 5? How is the story related to his argument? • The story of his children is typical of American expatriates in France. It tells us that the children can learn a lot about a new culture without losing completely their own language or being exposed to the follies of their own culture. But at the same time, the story also shows that it is rather difficult for the children to understand the historical heritages of their motherland as their peer groups in the U. S.

39. 4) Did the author achieve the purpose of his summer travel in the U. S. ? • Not really. • During the summer vacation, the author visited his brother’s family in Massachusetts. In one week’s time, they took the children to learn details of the American Revolution. They hope that the reenactment of the war will help the innocent children to understand the great historical event that led to the foundation of the nation. But to his disappointment, the result is not quite satisfactory because the children cannot completely grasp the gist of what they saw or heard.

40. Part III: Conclusion (Paragraphs 10-12) • After a contrastive analysis of the costs and benefits of raising children in a foreign culture, the author touches upon the effect of globalization. • 1) Why does the author recall his own experience as a child in Paragraph 10? • 2) What are the differences between the author and his children as expatriates at about the same time in their lives? What causes the differences? • 3) Why does the author say the development is sad?

42. Language work • square dancing: a traditional American dance in which sets of four couples dance together in a square formation

43. surreys with fringe on top:-- old-fashioned horse-drawn carriages with fancy decorations on top • surrey: AmEa light carriage with two seats, which was pulled by a horse and was used in the past • fringe: decorative edge consisting of loose or hanging threads or cords 饰边, 穗子, 流苏.

46. live out • (1) To live outside one's place of domestic employment: 不住在受雇的主人家，住在外面 • household servants who live out 不住在主人家的仆人们 • (2) live out sth: to experience or do something that you have planned or hoped for; realize • The money enabled them to live out their dreams. • (3) live out your life: to continue to live in a particular way or place until you die • He lived out his life in solitude.

47. Question for discussion • Why does the author recall his own experience as a child? • Because he wants to illustrate that as a child he had a particular way of viewing the world around him, which was quite different from that of the adults. Haste makes waste (欲速则不达). So the knowledge of his native land should be accumulated gradually.

48. What are the differences between the author and his children as expatriates at about the same time in their lives? What causes the differences? • They are different in both behavior and mentality. His children are quite like their French peers in behavior and dress style, while the author was quite different from his French peers when he was a child. • These differences are due to the rapid social changes and cultural merging all over the world. The world is becoming a huge melting pot in which different cultures of the world are mixing up.

49. Sentence 3 • Para. 11 • In my day little French kids looked like nothing other than little French kid. • Paraphrase: • When I lived in France as an expatriated child, the French kids were dressed in the unique French style, thus looking quite different from their counterparts in other countries.

50. a much less jarring cultural divide:-- a much less unsuitable cultural divergence • Re-entry ... is likely to be smoother.:-- It seems to be easier for the children to restart the acquisition of their native culture.