研究生英语多维教学教程探索课本教学材料原文及课后题11课.docx
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研究生英语多维教学教程探索课本教学材料原文及课后题11课
Unit1travellanguage
TheAcademieFrancasiehasfordecadesbeenthewatchdogovertheFrenchlanguage.Afewyearsago,FrenchsensitivitytotheinfluxofEnglishwordsbecamesogreatthatlawforthepurificationofFrenchwasadopted.Thelawcoverseventechnicalapplications.Forexample,intheory,itisnowcompusloryinFrancetorefertotheBoeing747asagros-porteur,leasingascredit-bail,etc.thelistisverylonganddetailedandappliestoallfacetsoflife.Mr.Chirac,theFrenchPresident,mightwellexpandonthislistandcomeupwithsomenewFrenchtermsforwordssuchas“internet”or“bytestream”justtonameacouple.Themindbogglesatwhattheworldmightface.
Unfortunately(orperhapsnot),theEnglishlanguageisnotsoprotected.Quiteapartfromtheunforgivabledeviationsfromtheking’sEnglishprevlentinAmerica,where“honour”iscommonlywrittenas“honor”and“night”as“nite,”manywell-testedhasalsobeengivenewmeanings,makingcommunicationsomewhatdifficult.Forexample,thebootofacarhasbecometobecalledatrunk–awordreservedinEnglandforthemainpartofatree.Thebonnetisahood,goodoldnappiesarediapers,andababy’smatineejacketisavest.It’sobviousthatthetwocountriesareindeedseparatedbywhatoncewasacommonlanguage!
FromanAmericanpointofview,ofcourse,itcouldbearguedthattheBritishspeakEnglishwithaspeechdeficiency.
EvenworseEnglish,however,isinuse.Anyonewhotravelsinforeigncountriesandobservesitonmenusandposters,inhotels,andindeedineverydaylifecantestifythatwhatusedtobetheking’slingohasbecomeintheseplacesbutapoorrelationthereof.Allowmetoelaborate.
ThetravelwriterPerrotPhillipshastakenpainstohighlightsomeofhisexperiences,whichIfeelshouldnotbewithheldfromawiderreadership.HereferstoaDutchbulbcataloguewhichpromisedcustomers“aspeedyexecution”andtoanEastBerlincloakroomsignthatrequestedgueststo“pleasehungyourselfhere.”Onehopesthatnobodytooktheadviceliterally.
TotheseIcanaddsomeofmyownexperiences,encounteredinlongyearsoftravelingtheworld.Therewas,forexample,theobservationinanOstendnoveltyshopthat“revoltingnewideas”werebeingmarketed,andtheboastofsomeBombaybakersthat“weareNo.1loafers,bestvaluesinwholetown.”
IrealizedhowfarChristinanityhadcomewhenIreadinHongKongthefollowingcallbyadentist:
TheteeththeyareextractedherebythelatestMethodists.
IfearitcannotbeansweredwithcertaintywhethertheseactuallyillustrateaprogressiveuseofEnglishoraresimplyreflectionsoflocalusages.Ifeelquitestrongly,however,thattheHaifaMedicalAssociationshouldhavepreventedoneofitsmembersfromclaimingonhisbrassplatethatheisa“SpecialistinWomenandOtherDiseases.”
Hotelsseemtorevelintheirmultilingualsigns.Onesupposesthesesignsweredesignedtofacilitatetheuseofmodernservicesinotherwisesterileandbarelyfunctionalestablishments.Nevertheless,theunsuspectingguestsconfrontedinaBrusselshotelwiththefollowinginstructionfortheuseofthelife(elevator)mightwellprefertowalk:
“Tomovethelife,pushbuttontowishingfloor.Ifthecabinshouldentermorepersons,eachoneshouldpushnumberofwishingfloor.Drivingisthengoingalphabeticallybynaturalorder.Buttonretainingpressedpositionshowsreceivedcommandforvisitingstation.”ThelesssophisticatednoticeinIstanbul(“Tocallroomservice,pleasetoopendoorandcallROOMSERVICE”)atleastdoesnotconfronttheguestwithelectronicsthatmightnotalwayswork.
InTurkey,thedelightin“straighttalk”expressesitselfintheby-now-famousAnkarabrochurewhichadvises,“VisitourrestaurantwhereyoucaneatMiddleEastfoodsinanEuropeanAmbulance.”AnoteonaSwissmenuthat“Ourwinesleavenothingtohopefor”wasequallyinviting.
EasternEuropeancourtesieshaveneverlefttheoncegrandhotelsoftheformerAustro-Hungarianempire.Anoticeinthehotelroomsthat“thehonouredguestsareinvitedtotakeadvantageofthechambermaidsfrom12-14o’clock”might,however,resultinsomeunplannedtrafficjams.ArecentMoscowexhibition’sannouncementdrewattentionto“ashowingof300paintingsbyRussianartists,mostofwhomwereexecutedinthelasttenyears”–hardlyawelcomingthoughttotheoccasionalvisitor.
ABangkoklaundry’sadvertisementtothevisitingpublic(“Leavingyourclotheshereandenjoyyourself”)couldalsobeseenasainvitationtoextracurricularactivitiesinthatFarEasterncapitaloffun.
InRome,alaundryadvertisedasimilarinvitation:
Ladies,leaveyourclotheshereandspendtheafternoonhavingagoodtime.
ItshouldnotsurprisethetravellerthatnightspotsadvertisetheirwaresinEuropeinmanyanddiverselanguage.TheGermanpreoccupationwithMajorcaledaMunichnightclubtocopyatrilingualPalmaannouncementthatdancingwasgoingoninwhatisindeedasurprisingway.Thenoticeread,“Baile!
Baile!
Baile!
”inSpanish,“Tanz!
Tanz!
Tanz!
”inGerman,and“Balls!
Balls!
Balls!
”inwhatwasmeanttobeEnglish.WearesparedtheupperBavarianversionoftheactivity.
TheBlackForestGermans,ontheotherhand,areknowntoberatherprudishintheiroutlook,butisitreallynecessarytopostasign:
“ItisstrictlyforbiddenonourBlackForestcampingsitethatpeopleofdifferentsexes,forexamplemenandwomen,livetogetherinonetentunlesstheyaremarriedwitheachotherforthatpurpose.”
Iamtoldthatfortheotherwiseunsuspectingtourist,thefollowingsignprovedarealcrowdpuller.ParrotPhillipsclaimsittobetruethatinanAustrianhotelroomhefoundthesign:
“Ifservicerequired,givetwostrokestothemaidandthreetothevalet.”
ThereareundoubtedlymoreandvariedversionsoftheuseofEnglish,unprotectedasourlanguageisfromtheinterferenceofemergingandambitiousentrepreneurs.Nevertheless,IpreferseeingEnglishdevelopasthelinguafrancaaroundtheworldratherthanbeingsuffocatedforthesakeofso-calledpuritybysomeill-advisedlegislativeprocess.
Unit2LiesandTruth
Whatistruth?
–andtheoppositequestionthatgoeswithit:
whatmakesalie?
Philosophers,teachers,andreligiousleadersfromallculturesandperiodsofhistoryhaveofferedmanyanswerstothesequestions.AmongEuro-North-Americanwriters,thereisgeneralagreementontwopoints.Thefirstisthatwhatwecalla“lie”mustbetoldintentionally–thatis,ifsomeonetellsanuntruthbuttheybelieveittobetrue,wedon’tconsiderthemaliar.Thesecondpointisthatpracticallyeveryonelies,andliesfrequently.Buttheretheagreementends.
Oneratherextremepointofviewisthatlyingisalwaysbadandthatweshouldtrytofindwaysavoiddoingit.Thereasonisthatlyinghurtsnotonlythelistener,butalsotheliar.Eachliemakesthenextoneeasiertotell,andtheliarcomesnotonlytodisrespectherself,buttomistrustothers,whomshebelieveswilllieaseasilyasshe.Inasociety,wherelyingiscommon,trustbecomesimpossible,andwithouttrust,cooperationcannotexist.Furthermore,bylyingtopeople,weremovetheirpowertomakeimportantchoicesabouthowtospendmoney,whatfuturecareertotake,whatmedicaltreatmenttotake.
Towardtheoppositeextremeisthepositionthatalthoughsomeliesareevil,manyothersarenot–infact,theyarenecessarytoholdoursocietytogether.Welieinharmlesswaystoprotectother’sfeelingsandtobetterourrelationship.Thesearenotliesthattrytohurtothers.Welaughattheboss’sjokewhichwehaveheardbeforeandwhichshedoesn’ttellverywell;wepretendinterestinafriend’sstoryofsomethinguninterestingthathappenedtohim.Ifsomeoneasksusaquestionthatisverypersonalandisnoneoftheirbusiness,wemaylieinresponse.Sometimeswelietoprotectthereputationoreventhelifeofanotherperson.Onalargerscale,governmentmayprotectnationalsecuritybylying.
Eachpersonseemstohavesomepointatwhichtheydrawthelinebetweenanacceptablelieandabadlie.Obviously,thispointvariesfromindividualtoindividualandfromculturetoculture.Asometimespainfulpartofgrowingupisrealizingthatnoteveryonesharesyourownindividualdefinitionofhonesty.Yourparentsandyourculturemayteachyouthatliarssuffer,butasyougothroughlife,youfindthatoftentheydon’t:
infact,dishonestpeopleoftenseemtoprospermorethanhonestones.Whatareyoutodowiththisrealization?
Itmaymakeyourmoralbeliefslookweakandsillyincomparison,andyoumaybegintoquestionthem.Ittakesagreatdealofstrengthandcouragetocontinuelivinganhonestlifeinthefaceofsuchreality.
Littlewhitelies:
Thisisournameforliesthatweconsiderharmlessandsociallyacceptable.Theyareusuallytoldtoprotecttheliarorthefeelingsofthelistener.Mostofthemwouldbeconsideredsociallies,andtheyincludeapologiesandexcuses:
“Itriedtocallyou,butyourlinewasbusy.”“You’rekidding!
Youdon’tlooklikeyou’vegainedapound.”Somepeople,however,wouldconsideritacceptabletolietosavethemselvesfromresponsibilityinabusinesstransaction:
“AfterIgothome,Inoticedthatitwasbroken,soI’mreturningitandwouldlikemymoneyback.”
Occasionallya“littlewhitelie”mayhaveaveryprofoundeffectonthelivesofthelisteners,andmayevenbackfire.AuthorStephanieErcssontellsofthewell-meaningU.S.Armysergeantwhotoldalieaboutoneofhismenwhohadbeenkilledinaction.Thesergeantreportedthemanas“missinginaction,”notkilled,sothatthemilitarywouldcontinuesendingmoneytot