Unit 12 The New Immorality

An Integrated English Course (5)

PART I: CLASS PLANNING

1. Teaching Materials

Textbook: An Integrated English Book 5; Teacher’s Book

Dictionaries: Oxford Advanced Learner’s English-Chinese Dictionary (Fourth edition); A New English-Chinese Dictionary .

2. Teaching Objectives

To learn about some basic features of argumentative writing;

To grasp the new words and expressions;

3. Time Allocation

Periods 1-2: Analysis of Text I ; Explanation of the text (Paras 1-5)

Periods 3-4 : Explanation of the text (Paras 6-10)

Periods 5-6: Comprehension questions; Exercises; Text II

4. Teaching Methods

Interactive teaching

Communicative teaching

5. Teaching Aids

Lecture notes prepared by the teacher

PART II: TEACHING LECTURES

Periods 1-2 (80 min )

◆Warm-up Questions: 1． How do you feel about the academic

corruption? 2. What measure can be taken to prevent

the academic corruption form spreading?

★ About the Lesson The author, Krutch, Josepeh wood, American cri

tic, educator, a naturalist, in this argumentative essay, exposes, analyzes the new immorality prevalent in our age, which refers to the fact that many people tend to accept and take for granted personal dishonesty, and as a result, they are not likely to feel ashamed when they are caught cheating or doing something dishonest, but claim that they have a strong social conscience and social morality.

★ Structural Analysis of Text I: The whole essay may be divided into three parts. 1. Part I (paras. 1-3): illustrate a paradox of our age. 2. Part II (Paras 4-10): first illustrates an interesting

tendency to accept and take for granted personal dishonesty, and next analyzes the social and psychological ground for the behavior, attitude, and defense of the dishonest people, and then writer presents his own opinions about the great significance of the concept of personal honor.

3. Part III (Para 11): presents the writer's idea of what an honest and honorable person ought to do no matter how bad the world may become.

★ Detailed Study of Paras 1-5 of Text I:

1. provost n. a high-ranking administrative official of a university

The provosts of some colleges of the university were present at the graduation ceremony.

The provost presided over the faculty meeting yesterday.

2. reprehensible adj. deserving to be reprehended; deserving to be criticized or rebuked Plagiarism was a morally reprehensible act.

It was reprehensible of him to steal from his mother.

3. rig vt. to arrange the outcome of sth. dishonestly

They claimed that the result of the election was rigged.

Some stockholders rigged the stock market.

4. Yet most of these five, like most of the college cheaters, would probably profess a strong social consciousness. : However, most of these five people, like a majority of the college students who commit cheating on examinations, would probably claim that they have a strong sense of responsibility for society.

profess vt. claim sth. often falsely; state openly that one has a belief, feeling, etc.

I don't profess expert knowledge of this subject. How could you profess to be an expert in this

area? He professed that he knew nothing about the

plot. She professed herself satisfied with the

progress made.

5. These two examples exhibit a paradox of our age. : These two examples clearly display a contradictory situation in our age.

paradox n. a statement that seems to be absurd or contradictory but is or may be true; use of this in talking or writing; person, thing, or situation displaying contradictory features

"More haste, less speed" is a well-known paradox.

Paradox and irony are characteristics of her style.

It is a paradox that there are so many poor people in such a rich country.

6. honor n. a privilege, source of pride and pleasure; good personal character; strong sense of what is morally right; reputation for greatness, good behavior, truthfulness, etc.; great respect

It is a great honor for me to be invited. Honor demands that he should resign. They are fighting for the honor of their country. They stood in silence as a mark of honor to her.

7. integrity n. honesty, moral uprightness; wholeness or soundness

We admire her greatly for her integrity. They make great effort to keep their

cultural integrity intact. The two nations have mutual respect for

their territorial integrity. We should maintain the integrity of our

brain function.

8. ..., and my observation leads me to believe it true, that our seemingly great growth in social morality has oddly enough taken place in a world where private morality --- a sense of the supreme importance of purely personal honor, honesty, and integrity - seems to be declining. : ..., and on the basis of my observation I've come to believe it true that our social morality seems to have made great progress, which has oddly enough taken place in a work private morality - an awareness of the paramount importance of purely personal honor. r and integrity - seems to be weakening.

9. Beneficent and benevolent social institutions are administered by men who all too frequently turn out to be accepting "gifts." : Charitable social organizations are managed or controlled by men who very often prove to be easily bribed.

beneficent adj. showing active kindness; generous, charitable

Many rich businessmen have become beneficent patrons.

The orphan was looked after by a beneficent old lady. benevolent adj. willing or wishing to be kind, friendly and

helpful; charitable, doing good rather than making profits I am deeply impressed by his benevolent manner. The feminist established a benevolent institution when

she retired.

10. The world of popular entertainment is rocked by scandal. College students, put on their honor, cheat on examination. Candidates for the Ph. D. hire ghost-writers to prepare their theses.: The world of popular entertainment is shocked by social disgrace. College students who are considered to deserve great honor, act dishonestly in examinations. Candidates for the Ph. D. hire other people to write their dissertations.

Ghost writer: a person who writes sth. for sb. Else and allows him to publish it under his own name

It turned out that all his articles were actually bought form ghost-writers.

Most ghost-writers are driven by money to ghost-write for others.

Is malaria still prevalent among the population here? Anti-government sentiments are still prevalent in that

war-ravaged country.

11. I have no way of making a historical measurement. ; I am not able at all to judge personal dishonesty from the angle of history.

12. What I do know is that there is an interesting tendency to accept and take for granted such personal dishonesty. : What I know for certain is that interestingly, many people tend to accept such personal dishonesty and regard it as common, and thus remain indifferent to it.

13. The college student caught cheating does not even blush. : The college student who is caught red-handed, cheating on an examination, does not feel ashamed in the least.

Periods 3-4 ( 80 min ) ◆ Aid: Lecture notes prepared by the tea

cher ◆ Gist Questions: 1. How does the author criticize the new i

mmorality and refute the defense of the dishonest?

2. What is the writer’s opinion of the real and ultimate security?

1. It is my conviction that though men may be no more wicked than they always have been, they seem less likely to be ashamed. : I believe that though people may not be becoming me- wicked than they used to be, they seem less likely to feel ashamed when they are caught doing something wrong.

2. If anybody does it, it must be right. : If it is a common practice, it is most probably correct

3. mores n. (fml) customs or conventions considered typical of or essential to a group

We must observe social mores. Every society has its own mores. 4. revealing adj. making facts, etc. known;

causing or allowing sth. to be visible It was a revealing slip of the tongue. The X-ray was very revealing. She is wearing a rather revealing dress.

5. "It doesn't hurt anybody" means it doesn't do that abstraction called society any harm.: The statement "It doesn't hurt anybody" implies that it doesn't do any harm to society as a whole.

abstraction n. a general idea or theory developed from specific concrete examples of events

I expect some examples to illustrate your talk that is, by and large, an abstraction.

6. The harm it did the bribe-taker and the cheater isn't important; it is purely personal.:

The harm it did the bribe-taker and the cheater is insignificant, because it is merely the person concerned that bears the consequence.

7. And persona, as opposed to social decency, doesn't count for much. : What's more, ho' person appears or actually is, in contrast to public morality, amounts to almost nothing.

persona n. (psychology) the image of character and personality that one wishes to show the outside world

She has a hot temper, which is an undesirable persona of her personality.

The comic personae in her writings are jocund and humorous.

8. Sociology has tended to lay exclusive stress upon social morality, and tended too often to define good and evil as merely the “socially useful” or its reverse.: Sociology has been apt to exclusively emphasize social morality, and likely very often to interpret good simply as the “social useful” and to define evil only as “the socially useless.”

sociology n. the scientific study of the nature, development, structure and functioning of human society; the study of social problems

sociology n. the scientific study of the nature, development, structure and functioning of human society; the study of social problems

Professor Zhang, who specializes in sociology, has published many articles on it in academic journals.

reverse n. sth. that is the contrary or opposite to what is expected; change for the worse Children's shoes are not cheap, but quite the reverse.

You were the very reverse of politeness. The patient suffered some serious reverses

9. What social morality and social conscience leave out is the narrower but very significant concept of honor --- as opposed to what is sometimes called merely "socially desirable conduct.": What the definition of social morality and social conscience fails to include in its scope is the narrower but very important notion of honor; rather, it lays much more emphasis on what is sometimes referred to merely as "socially desirable conduct."

10. dishonor vt. to bring disgrace on sb. or sth.

What he did dishonored his family. It was a cowardly act that dishonored his

memory.

11. It was a favorite and no doubt sound argument among early twentieth-century reformers that "playing the game", as the gentleman was supposed to play it, was not enough to make a decent society.: Early twentieth-century reformers-rightly argued that "playing the game" as the gentleman was supposed to play it, i.e. behaving as the man of honor was expected to, was not enough for the creation of a truly moral society.

12. They were right: it is not enough. But the time has come to add that it is indeed inevitable that the so-called social conscience unsupported by the concept of personal honor will create a corrupt society. : They were correct. Indeed, "playing the game" as the gentleman was supposed to play it is not enough at all to make a decent society. But it is high time that we added that it is unavoidable that the so-called social conscience, not backed by the concept of personal honor, is likely to lead to an immoral or dishonest society.

13. But suppose that it doesn't? Suppose that no one except the individual suffers from the fact that he sees nothing wrong in doing what everybody else does?: But what attitude should the individual adopt provided that the so-called social conscience unsupported by the concept of personal honor doesn’t create a corrupt society? What should be the most appropriate thing to do, supposing that only the specified person suffers from the fact that he doesn’t see anything wrong in doing the same as many others do.

14. Even so, I still insist that for the individual himself nothing is more important than this personal, interior sense of right and wrong and his determination to follow that rather than to be guided by what everybody does or merely the criterion of “social usefulness.” : Even if the so-called social conscience unsupported by the concept of personal honor doesn’t crate a corrupt society, and even though no one except the individual suffers from the fact that he sees nothing wrong in doing what everybody else does, I still insist that for the individual himself the most important thing is that he should depend on his own awareness of right and wrong. He should have the

determination to act according to that rather than to be guided by what everybody does or merely the criterion of "social usefulness."

social usefulness: According to the context, this phrase means being useful or helpful to a particular group of people with shared interest, etc.

15. If that is so, then they have a wrong notion of what the real, the ultimate, security is.: If what present-day men most desire is really security, then they have a wrong idea of what the genuine, the essential, security is.

ultimate ad}. beyond which no other exists or is possible; from which everything else is derived, basic or fundamental; that cannot be surpassed or improved upon

The management must take ultimate responsibility for the strike.

Nuclear weapons are the ultimate deterrent. These are the ultimate principles of philosophy and

science. The ultimate luxury of the trip was flying on the

Concorde.

16. No one who is dependent on anything outside himself, upon money, power, fame, or whatnot, is or ever can be secure. : No one who does not rely on himself but just on money, power, fame, etc. is or ever can be free from danger.

17. Only he who possesses himself and is content with himself is actually secure.: Whoever is his own master and happy with his achievements is indeed secure.

18. Even cooperation, to give this thing its most favorable designation, is no more important than the ability to stand alone when the choice must be made between the sacrifice of one's own integrity and adjustment to or participation in group activity. : Even cooperation, the most favorable term we can use to refer to adjustment and participation in the group, is by no means of more importance than the ability to work independently when one is confronted with the decision between the giving up of one's own honesty and his adaptation to or joining in group activity.

19. If one person alone refuses to go along with him, if one person alone asserts his individual and inner right to believe in and be loyal to what his fellow men seem to have given up, then at least he will still remain what is perhaps the most important part of humanity.: If only one person declines to follow the mass man, and instead adheres to his own beliefs and remains faithful to what his peers seem to have deserted, then at least he will still continue to be a most real, upright and useful person with the most important human qualities.

Humanity n. human beings collectively, the human race

Failure to curb the disease will make all humanity suffer from it.

Periods 5-6 ( 80 min ): ◆ Comprehension Questions: 1. What conclusion can be drawn after re

ading the first three paragraphs ? 2. Why is the argument that “playing the g

ame” as the gentleman was supposed to play it not enough to make a decent society?

◆ Oral Activities How prevalent are cheating and plagiaris

m in your university ? What, do you think, are the causes of such campus misbehavior? And what can be done to prevent such wicked behavior?

◆ Text II: Growing Old Questions for discussion: 1. What does the author mean when he says “To flatter

and pamper the young for ten years is to leave them increasingly dissatisfied for the next fifty”?

The author refers to the danger of lavishing too much care on the young. As a result, they may be discontented both in regards to their day-to-day activities and their outlook for the future. As they are supremely confident that their destinies lie within their own control, they may not hour old people. They may be disengaged form social problems and uninvolved with the world outside home.

2. What is the author’s intent in para. 4? The author criticizes the current view of old peo

ple and strives to reverse the stereotype of old 3. What is the main criticism directed against th

e orientation of modern times? 4. What is the meaning of the author’s reference

to “goat’s blood” and ”sheep’s glands”? 5. What is the author’s point of view toward gro

wing old?