Unit 2 Values

Text AThe Richest Man in America, Do

wn Home

I. Warm-up Activities for Comprehension

1. What do you understand the title? The Richest Man in America, Down Home 2. Can you give some words related

to “richness, wealth”? Money, house, swimming pool, stocks,

luxurious, billionaire, Rolls-Royce, Cadillac, Benz, BMW, servants, diamonds, to name just a few.

Sam Walton and Wal-Mart

3. What is the core or essence of this richest man in America?

Plainness and simplicity. 4. Who is the hero in the story? Sam Moore Walton. 5. What do you know about him from

the text? 1) He is the founder of the world famous chain

stores “Wal-Mart”. 2) The value of the chain: $6 billion. 3) He has $2.8 billion in stock.

6. Where did this rich man live? A house in Bentonville, a remote Arkansas tow

n of 9,920.

7. Where did he start his little dime store?The above-mentioned town.

8. What is another nickname given to him? The 67-year-old discount king.

9. What would the richest American’s life be like according to Jamie Beaulieu?

He must be living in mansion, drive a Rolls-Royce, dogs with diamond collars and servants everywhere.

Rolls-Royce加长型：价钱为 888 万！！

Rolls-Royce: Silver Angel 2000 　参考价格： 　国外 22.0 万 2004 年 03 月 04日

10. How did Sam Walton acquire his wealth? He started with a little dime store that grew

into a $6 billion discount chain called Wal-Mart.

11. What made the waiter feel disappointed? All his assumptions about Sam’s wealth turned

out not to be true.

12. What actually was Sam Walton’s life like?

He lived a plain life. He lived in a small house in the woods along a country road, with a little worn furniture, drove an 1979-Ford pickup. His dog didn’t wear a diamond collar but wa a muddy bird dog and he had not servants in sight.

13. Do you think too that rich men always want special treatment and privileges? Does Sam Walton want that?

Illustrate this point. First, he lived a plain and simple as described

in the above. Second, he waits in line like everyone else to buy shells at the local Wal-Mart, his own chain store! Third, he wants his employees to call him by his first name instead of Sir or Mr. Walton or President, etc. He doesn’t want reserved seats in a church.

14. What did everyone say about Walton? He’s friendly, cheerful, a fine neighbor. He is never flas

hy. He never throws his weight around (lifts his horn, take on)

15. Why did the barber shop story of Walton made headlines?

He doesn’t want special treatment and it shows he isn’t strange among us. He is an ordinary guy among us.

16. What made it difficult for Walton to hold firm to his folksy habits?

The constant pursuit of his fans or celebrity hunters wherever he goes made it difficult to keep long to his folksy habits.

17. What was Walton’s main concern as founder of Wal-Mart?

???

18. What is the Wal-Mart way of life as laid down by Walton?

Loyalty, hard work, long hours, get ideas into the system from the bottom up, treat your people right, cut prices and margins to the bone and sleep well at night, and employees are encouraged to buy stocks of the company. And the PEP Rally!

19. To help his employees in difficulty, what did he do?

He set up scholarship funds and relief funds for them.

20. Why did he do so? He did so because he believed in cultivating idea

s and rewarding success. 21. How do you translate “cultivating ide

as and rewarding success”? 广开思路，褒奖成功

22. What did he think account for his company’s success?

He said: “The reason for our success is our people and the way they’re treated and the way they feel about their company. The believe things are different here, but they deserve the credit.”

23. How did company lawyer Jim Hendren evaluate Walton as a boss?

He is a man who makes his employees or colleagues feel better off both financially, morally and emotionally.

Questions for Discussion 1. Sam Walton was the richest man in America.

However, he was able to carry on like plain folks and get away with it. Do you think it’s strange? Why or why not?

2. What were Sam Walton’s ideas about what is important in life as revealed in the essay?

3. If you should become the richest man in China, would you live the same kind of life as Walton did? Give your reasons.

Words to Drill

Aboard Discount Liable Rally Reward Treatment Cheerful Scholarship Remote Executive Local cultivate

Gathering, assembly, meeting On or into (a ship, bus, etc.) People in general 集会 经营管理方面的（人员），行政人员 Give sth. To sb. In return for work or service 待遇，对待 Far away in space or time; out of the way 奖学金 Of a particular place ，当地的，地方的 培养，陶冶， improve by care, training, stu

dy 折扣 Happy in a lively way, making one feel hap

py Be likely (to do sth.) 有可能做…的

Stock Reserve Loyalty Folk System Deserve Headline Retire Qualify Blend in Get away

with Make up

股票，证卷 Keep for a special use; book (a seat, roo

m) To stop working because of age Being true and faithful to （忠诚） People in general Be worthy of （报纸上的）标题，头版头条 使具有资格 Mix harmonically 融洽，十分协调 Do sth without being caught or punished 作某事而未被发掘或未受惩罚 Form, constitute, 构成，组成 补偿，弥补： make up for

Steer clear of

By/from all accounts

Hold to On the run Throw one’s

weight around

Come aboard

Lay down Open up

Keep away from, 避开，避免 According to what everyone says Keep to In flight, continuously active, 奔逃，

逃避，忙个不停 盛气凌人，拿架子 Become a new member of an organi

zation Establish 制定，设立 开门，打开

III. Language Points: 1. Collocations （搭配） : Intransitive Verb + Preposition 不及物动词后＋介词，原意不变 E.g. A) The idea that leaning should take place by c

ontinual careful shaping and molding applies equally to the arts.

B) Why would an animal want to cooperate with a human?

See p. 45 for practice

2. Usages Plural form of nouns as attributes 名词作前置

形容词 A savings account Arms race A goods train Communications equipment Sales tax Customs officer A current affairs program A clothes shop

3. Structure A) 倒装句： Only+ 介词＋动名词＋助动词＋主语＋

动词原型＋其他 Only by working hard and scientifically can we cultiv

ate our talent and ability for our future self-development.

只有通过这种方法我们才能提高我们的英语水平。 Only in this way can we improve our English proficie

ncy. B) the way (how) 主语＋谓语＋其他 I don’t like the way he pushes his employees around.

Assignments 1. Translate the Chinese paragraph

into English in p. 49. 2. Tips on the work:

What is the major aspect/tense for the passage?

What are the words and expressions to be used?

加盟 忙 从早到晚 乐呵呵 全身心地扑在工

作上 表现 出色 提升为 打成一片 盛气凌人 制定 获得成功 人们都说

By all accounts To blend in with Devote oneself to work Performance Be promoted to the position of… Throw one’s weight around Achieve/acquire success Come aboard Be on the run Cheerful All the time Excellent

Steer clear of

By/from all accounts

Hold to On the run Throw one’s

weight around

Come aboard

Lay down Open up

Keep away from, 避开，避免 According to what everyone says Keep to In flight, continuously active, 奔逃，

逃避，忙个不停 盛气凌人，拿架子 Become a new member of an organi

zation Establish 制定，设立 开门，打开