大学英语精读第三册 Unit Three:Why I Teach
时间:2018-12-04 作者:英语课 分类:大学英语精读第三册
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Every teacher probably asks himself time and again: What are the reasons for choosing teaching as a career? Do the rewards teaching outweigh 1 the trying comments? Answering these questions is not a simple task. Let's see what the author says.
Why I Teach
Peter G. Beidler
Why do you teach? My friend asked the question when I told him that I didn't want to be considered for an administrative 2 position. He was puzzled that I did not want what was obviously a "step up" toward what all Americans are taught to want when they grow up: money and power.
Certainly I don't teach because teaching is easy for me. Teaching is the most difficult of the various ways I have attempted to earn my living: mechanic, carpenter, writer. For me, teaching is a red-eye, sweaty-palm, sinking-stomach profession. Red-eye, because I never feel ready to teach no matter how late I stay up preparing. Sweaty-palm, because I'm always nervous before I enter the classroom, sure that I will be found out for the fool that I am. Sinking-stomach, because I leave the classroom an hour later convinced that I was even more boring than usual.
Nor do I teach because I think I know answers, or because I have knowledge I feel compelled to share. Sometimes I am amazed that my students actually take notes on what I say in class!
Why, then, do I teach?
I teach because I like the pace of the academic calendar. June, July, and August offer an opportunity for reflection, research and writing.
I teach because teaching is a profession built on change. When the material is the same, I change —— and, more important, my students change.
I teach because I like the freedom to make my own mistakes, to learn my own lessons, to stimulate 3 myself and my students. As a teacher, I'm my own boss. If I want my freshmen 4 to learn to write by creating their own textbook, who is to say I can't? Such courses may be huge failures, but we can all learn from failures.
I teach because I like to ask questions that students must struggle to answer. The world is full of right answers to bad questions. While teaching, I sometimes find good questions.
I teach because I enjoy finding ways of getting myself and my students out of the ivory tower and into the real world. I once taught a course called "Self-Reliance in a Technological 5 Society." My 15 students read Emerson, Thoreau, and Huxley. They kept diaries. They wrote term papers.
But we also set up a corporation, borrowed money, purchased a run-down house and practiced self-reliance by renovating 6 it. At the end of the semester, we would the house, repaid our loan, paid or taxes, and distributed the profits among the group.
So teaching gives me pace, and variety, and challenge, and the opportunity to keep on learning.
I have left out, however, the most important reasons why I teach.
One is Vicky. My first doctoral student, Vicky was an energetic student who labored 7 at her dissertation 8 on a little-known 14th century poet. She wrote articles and sent them off to learned journals. She did it all herself, with an occasional nudge from me. But I was there when she finished her dissertation, learned that her articles were accepted, got a job and won a fellowship to Harvard working on a book developing ideas she'd first had as my student.
Another reason is George, who started as an engineering student, then switched to English because he decided 9 he liked people better than things.
There is Jeanne, who left college, but was brought back by her classmates because they wanted her to see the end of the self-reliance house project. I was here when she came back. I was there when she told me that she later became interested in the urban poor and went on to become a civil rights lawyer.
There is Jacqui, a cleaning woman who knows more by intuition than most of us learn by analysis. Jacqui has decided to finish high school and go to college.
These are the real reasons I teach, these people who grow and change in front of me. Being a teacher is being present at the creation, when the clay begins to breathe.
A "promotion 10" out of teaching would give me money and power. But I have money. I get paid to do what I enjoy: reading, talking with people, and asking question like, "What is the point of being rich?"
And I have power. I have the power to nudge, to fan sparks, to suggest books, to point out a pathway. What other power matters?
But teaching offers something besides money and power: it offers love. Not only the love of learning and of books and ideas, but also the love that a teacher feels for that rare student who walks into a teacher's life and begins to breathe. Perhaps love is the wrong word: magic might be better.
I teach because, being around people who are beginning to breathe, I occasionally find myself catching 11 my breath with them.
NEW WORDS
administrative
a. of the management of affairs 行政的,管理的
administration
n. 管理(部门),行政(机关)
puzzle
vt. fill with doubt and confusion 使迷惑
step (-) up
n. promotion; increase in size, speed, etc.
mechanic
n. skilled workman, esp. one who uses or repairs machines and tools 机械工;机修工
sweaty
a. covered with sweat, sweating
palm
a. 手掌
profession
n. occupation, esp. one requiring special training, such as law, medicine, or teaching
convince
vt. make (sb.) feel certain; cause (sb.) to realize
compel
vt. force (sb. or sth. to do sth.)
pace
n. rate or speed of development, or in walking, etc. 速度;步速
calendar
n. 日程表,日历
opportunity
n. favourable 12 occasion or chance
reflection
n. careful thinking; consideration 深思;考虑
reflect vi.
stimulate
vt. encourage; excite 刺激;激励
freshman
n. student in his first year at a college or university
failure
n. a person, attempt, or thing that fails; lack of success
ivory
n. 象牙
ivory tower
n. place or condition of retreat from the world of action into a world of ideas and dreams 象牙塔
self-reliance
n. ability to do things and make decisions by oneself 依靠自己;自力更生
reliance
n. trust, confidence; dependence 13 信赖;信心;依靠
technological
a. of or related to technology 技术的
corporation
n. (AmE) 有限公司
run-down
a. old and broken or in bad condition
renovate
vt. restore (old buildings, oil paintings, etc.) to a former, better state 修复,修整
semester
n. (AmE) either of the two periods into which a school year is divided; term 学期
repay
vt. pay back (money, etc.)
loan
n. sth. lent, esp. a sum of money 借出的东西;贷款
distribute
vt. divide among several or many; give or send out 分发;分送
distribution n.
variety
n. difference in quality, type or character; a number of or a collection of different things 变化,多样化;种种
challenge
n. the quality of demanding competitive action, interest, or though 挑战
doctoral
a. having to do with the university degree of doctor 博士的
energetic
a. vigorous 精力充沛
dissertation
n. (学位)论文
poet
n. one who writes poetry
learned
a. showing or requiring much knowledge 博学的
journal
n. magazine or daily newspaper 杂志;日报
occasional
a. happening from time to time, not regular 偶尔的,间或的
nudge
n. (fig.) words, actions or feeling that stimulate 启示
vt. push or touch slightly, esp. with the elbow to attract attention; (fig.) stimulate
fellowship
n. position or a sum of money granted to a person for advanced study or research 研究员职位;研究员薪金
switch
vt. change or shift; turn
urban
a. of a town or city
civil rights
n. the rights of a citizen without regard to his race, religion, sex, etc. 公民权
lawyer
n. person who practises law 律师
intuition
n. (power of) the immediate 14 understanding of truths, events, facts without reasoning 直觉
analysis
n. the separation of a substance into parts for careful examination and study 分析
creation
n. act of creating; sth. created 创造(物)
clay
n. 粘士
point
n. main idea or purpose 要点;意义,目的
pathway
n. path
rare
a. unusually good; distinctive 15 稀有的;杰出的
magic
n. mysterious charm; strange influence or power; art of obtaining mysterious results by tricks 魔力;魔术
PHRASES & EXPRESSIONS
stay up
not go to bed until after the usual time 不睡觉,熬夜 take notes
记笔记
build on
base on; use as a base for further development
keep a diary
记日记
leave out
fail to mention or include; omit
send off
post; dispatch
work at/ on
give one's attention to doing or trying to do
catch one's breath
rest and get back one's normal breath, as after running; stop breathing for a moment from surprise, fear, shock, etc.
PROPER NAMES
Emerson
爱默生(姓氏及男子名)
Thoreau
梭洛(姓氏) Huxley
赫胥黎(姓氏)
Vicky
维基(女子名,Victoria 的昵称)
Harvard
哈佛(美国大学名)
Jeanne
珍妮(女子名)
Jacqui
杰基(女子名,Jacqueline的昵称)
- The merits of your plan outweigh the defects.你制定的计划其优点胜过缺点。
- One's merits outweigh one's short-comings.功大于过。
- The administrative burden must be lifted from local government.必须解除地方政府的行政负担。
- He regarded all these administrative details as beneath his notice.他认为行政管理上的这些琐事都不值一顾。
- Your encouragement will stimulate me to further efforts.你的鼓励会激发我进一步努力。
- Success will stimulate the people for fresh efforts.成功能鼓舞人们去作新的努力。
- We are freshmen and they are sophomores. 我们是一年级学生,他们是二年级学生。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- University freshmen get lots of razzing, but they like the initiation. 大一新生受各种嘲弄,但是他们对这种入门经验甘之如饴。 来自辞典例句
- A successful company must keep up with the pace of technological change.一家成功的公司必须得跟上技术变革的步伐。
- Today,the pace of life is increasing with technological advancements.当今, 随着科技进步,生活节奏不断增快。
- The increased production was largely attained by renovating old orchards and vineyards. 通过更新老果园和葡萄园,使生产大大增加。
- Renovating that house will cost you a pretty penny. 为了整修那所房子,你得花很多钱。
- I was close enough to the elk to hear its labored breathing. 我离那头麋鹿非常近,能听见它吃力的呼吸声。 来自辞典例句
- They have labored to complete the job. 他们努力完成这一工作。 来自辞典例句
- He is currently writing a dissertation on the Somali civil war.他目前正在写一篇关于索马里内战的论文。
- He was involved in writing his doctoral dissertation.他在聚精会神地写他的博士论文。
- This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
- There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
- The teacher conferred with the principal about Dick's promotion.教师与校长商谈了迪克的升级问题。
- The clerk was given a promotion and an increase in salary.那个职员升了级,加了薪。
- There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
- Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。
- The company will lend you money on very favourable terms.这家公司将以非常优惠的条件借钱给你。
- We found that most people are favourable to the idea.我们发现大多数人同意这个意见。
- Doctors keep trying to break her dependence of the drug.医生们尽力使她戒除毒瘾。
- He was freed from financial dependence on his parents.他在经济上摆脱了对父母的依赖。
- His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
- We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。
- She has a very distinctive way of walking.她走路的样子与别人很不相同。
- This bird has several distinctive features.这个鸟具有几种突出的特征。