Unit Two What Happened to Manners
Teaching Objectives:
By the end of this unit, you are supposed to
• understand the main idea, structure of the text and the author’s writing style
• master the key language points and grammatical structures in the text
• learn the method the author employed to prove his argument.
Pre-reading questions:
1. Do you often say “Thank you.” when others do you a favour?
2. What do you think a good manner really is?
Words and phrases suggested:
In my opinion/ I think personally/ to my mind—refer to—include—a heart of gold/a feeling heart/a gentle heart/ a noble heart
Reference:
In my opinion, a good manner refers to a person’s gracious behavior which
includes manners of acting, speaking, walking, eating, sitting, etc. Above all one should possess a heart of gold.
Text explanation
Main Idea of the passage
This is a piece of argumentation on the necessity and significance of good manners. The main idea that the author argues for is that good manners help you build up your own image and work wonders for the person on the receiving end.
Structural analysis
Four parts: paragraph 1: the beginning part, the author’s viewpoint;
Paragraph 2-4 the author raises and proves his opinion;
Paragraph 5-10 the writer points out and illustrates the favourable influence of some specific good manners on the receivers.
Paragraph 11, the concluding part.
Text Explanation
Part I
Which sentences in the first paragraph imply that in a general sense, people in the present age are less gentle, less friendly or less polite than people in the past?
The first two sentences of the paragraph.
How does the author prove his opinion?
By examples.
manner
1) (usu. Pl.) social behavior / polite or well bred behavior
E.g. People who have good manners are polite to others.
It is bad manners to interrupt.
2) (oft. Sing) a person’s outward bearing, way of speaking, etc.
E.g. He was behaving in the manner of a lunatic.
She was unusually soft and gentle in her manner when talking to him.
I feel that much of the world has somehow gotten away from that.
I feel that many people in the contemporary world are, for some reason or other, not as nice, not as friendly, or not as polite with one another as people in the past.
get away
1) succeed in leaving
E.g. When I ask him if he would like to see a film, he said he was so busy doing a project that he couldn’t get away.
2) escape, esp. from the scene of a crime
E.g. A thief broke into my flat and got away with my money kept in a drawer of my desk before I returned home yesterday.
3) have to admit the truth of something, especially something. unpleasant
E.g. You can’t get away from the unpleasant fact.
appreciation
1) an understanding of the good qualities or worth of sth.
e.g. As soon as she finished singing a beautiful song, the audience burst out cheering to show their appreciation.
2) a judgment of the worth or facts of sth.正确评价
e.g. That statesman gave a realistic appreciation of the current situation at home and abroad.
3) (U) a rise in value, esp. of land or possessions
e.g. An appreciation of 50% in property values
pull out
1) (of a motor vehicle, boat, etc.) move out of sideways
e.g. A car suddenly pulled out in front of me.
2) leave or depart
e.g. When I arrived, the train was pulling out of the station.
pull into sth; pull in (to sth)
1) (of a train) enter a station
e.g. Passengers stood and stretched as the train pulled into the station.
2) (of a motor vehicle) move in towards sth
e.g. The bus pulled in to the side of the road.
那辆公共汽车驶近路边。
Part II
How do you understand that “we can’t be truly stylish without good manners?”
We can appear stylish by wearing beautiful or very nice clothes. Or by decorating our homes stylishly, but we cannot be truly stylish if we do not behave politely. In other words, if we do not show good manners, we cannot be said to be really stylish even thought we wear the most stylish clothes, or decorate our homes most stylishly.
But it can matter very much.
But something like a simple “Thank you.” can count a great deal./But it can be something important.
matter v. stylish
conforming to the current fashion
E.g. That stylish young woman is always wearing stylish clothes.
I think of good manners as a sort of hidden beauty secret:
I regard good manners as a kind of concealed magic method or formula which makes you beautiful.
right
1) immediately, at once
They are going to close the Music Hall right after Easter.
2) In a straight line; directly
After breakfast the children went right to school.
3) exactly; just
The accident happened right over there.
gracious
1) ( of person and behavior ) characterized by kindness and warm courtesy, by tact and propriety, by charm or beauty.
e.g. He was most gracious to everyone, smiling at and thanking them.
2) Of a merciful or compassionate nature
e.g. The teacher is kind and gracious to all his students.
panache
a stylish manner of doing things that causes admiration and seems to be without any difficult
E.g. With great panache he pulled the tablecloth off the table without disturbing any of the plates and glasses.
…but it adds priceless panache to your image:
but a kind, gracious manner makes you look much more stylish and admirable, contributing pricelessly to your image.
Part III
What good manners does the writer suggest that we should display?
The author suggests that we positively say “Thank you” which does wonders for the person on the receiving end, that we write “thank-you notes” whenever the need arises no matter how busy we are, that we genuinely apologize or say
“Excuse me” whenever it is necessary, that we should be punctual, which shows we value other’s precious time, and that we bring good manners home and use good manners with our families.
do wonders for
be remarkably successful in achieving positive results for
E.g. This medicine will do wonders for your depression.
Obviously, her holiday has done wonders for her.
host
act as host at (an event) or to (a person)
e.g. Hosting our show this evening is the lovely lady, Diana.
As a developing international metropolis, Shanghai will be able to host the 2010 World Exposition wonderfully well.
compliment
express praise or admiration of sb.
E.g. I complimented her on her skillful performance.
He was complimented on his fluency in English.
It was a sweet gesture that made me feel terrific and put me in a great mood.
It was a delightful or pleasant gesture that made me feel very good and put me in an ecstatic state of mind./
It was something very nice that delighted me immensely and made me feel wonderful.
terrific
adj (infml)
1) very great; extreme 很大的; 极端的:
a terrific storm
driving at a terrific speed
2) excellent; wonderful 极好的; 了不起的:
doing a terrific job 干得很棒
The view was terrific. 景色美极了.
terrifically
extremely: terrifically clever, generous, rich
feel like sth/doing sth
think that one would like (to do/have) sth; want (to do) sth
e.g. I feel like (having) a drink.
We'll go for a walk if you feel like it.
put off
postpone or cancel a meeting or an engagement with sb.
E.g. Don’t put off until tomorrow what can be done today.
go by
(of time) pass; elapse
E.g. Since China began to be open to the outside world,30 years have gone by, in which brilliant achievements have been scored.
barrel
1) put or pack in a barrel
All the cement has been barreled.
2) (slang) move at a high speed
The car is barreling over a speedway.
bother
1) disturb or anger, especially by minor irritations; annoy
E.g. don’t bother me while I am writing my paper.
2) give trouble to
E.g. It is the lack of money that bothers her constantly.
3) take the trouble; concern oneself
E.g. When she was ill, her husband even didn’t bother to see her.
genuinely
sincerely; honestly
E.g. She genuinely hopes to make friends with her.
melt away
(cause sth. To) disappear by melting or dissolving
e.g. The sun has melted the snow away.
All his support melted away when we really needed it.
irritation
1) making somebody angry or being made angry
e.g. He could not hide his irritation that he had not been invited.
2) a slight pain or sore feeling on a part of one’s body.
e.g. The cream do wonders to your skin irritation.
…doesn’t it melt away most — if not all—of the irritation you feel?
This is a rhetorical question which need not be answered and which must be uttered in a falling tone. A negative rhetorical question is close in meaning but more powerful in tone than a positive statement. The above rhetorical question is similar in meaning to: it does indeed melt away most—if not all— of the irritation
you felt./ After you hear someone’s genuine apology, most—if not all— of your irritation will naturally disappear.
This paragraph suggests and exemplifies that helping others do something, including a hotel bellman, and being punctual for what we do are highly appreciated polite behaviors.
cherish
1) Treat with affection and tenderness; hold dear
e.g. One should cherish one’s family.
2) Keep fondly in mind; entertain
e.g. He cherishes good memories of his childhood.
…will go a long way
(a metaphorical idiom) … will produce wonderful effects/…about very good results.
routine
1) a prescribed, detailed course of action to be followed regularly
will bring
E.g. She found that it was rather difficult to establish a new routine after her retirement.
2) a set of customary and often mechanically performed procedures or activities
E.g. The famous dancer went through a dance routine.
Even if it’s just a Snickers bar:
even though it is only a piece of chocolate of my favorite brand.
Take the person for granted:
be so familiar with the other person (your spouse ) that you no longer appreciate his or her full value; treat the other person with little attention or concern; not recognize his or her true value.
E.g. We must not take our family members for granted.
Most of us, however, take life for granted.
infectious
1) capable of causing infection or same effect.
E.g. Her smile and laughter are both very infectious.
2) (of disease) easily or readily communicated
E.g. 1) Epidemic is a highly infectious disease.
2) Quite a lot of people suffered from the terrible infectious SARS.
Part IV
Good manners are infectious
Good manners are easy to catch./ Good manners are easily be passed from one person to another.
Now if we could just get everyone to catch them
Now, how wonderful it would be if we were able to have everyone behave politely towards one another!
After-reading discussion
Is it possible for anyone and everyone to show good manners?
Of course, it is. But it takes time and calls for much education./
No, it is impossible. Because there will always be some people who can never learn good manners well.
Exercises
Paraphrase:
1. A gracious manner adds the greatest splendour to your image./ A kind, gracious manner makes you look much more stylish and admirable, contributing pricelessly to your image.
2. I firmly believed the note my guest sent me didn’t take long to write.
3. The simple phrase “Excuse me.” made most of your irritation disappear.
4. Being on time is a virtue which belongs not only to the past but also to the present.
5.You shouldn’t accept the other person’s presence without thinking of its importance.
6. Good manners produce the same feelings or actions in others.
Grammar:
1. The comparative forms of adjectives and adverbs;
Translation:
1. I am sorry I am late; I was at a meeting and couldn’t get away.
2. At the concert whenever a singer finished singing a beautiful song, the audience would burst into loud cheers to show their appreciation.
3. As a stylish dresser, she is always wearing stylish clothes, but she seldom cares about what she eats or drinks.
4. The nurse tells me that the doctors have done wonders for your heart disease.
5. When awarding the prize, the chairman complimented the winner on his great contribution to mankind.
6. This problem has bothered the experts for many years.
7. The crowd of demonstrators melted away when t he police arrived.
8. Since punctuality is a good habit, we should pay much attention to it and make great efforts to cultivate this good habit.
9. The old man cherished that girl, as if she were his own daughter.
10. It is just a routine physical checkup, nothing to get worried about.
Text II An Educator’s Moral Responsibility
Main idea
In this writing the author first provides evidences to prove that basic human values are declining. And then he advocates that all people at Fairfield High School should take pains to maintain a moral community. In the end, the author points out that an educator can be considered successful only when his students graduated not only as successful learners but also as well-behaved citizens.
Questions for discussion:
1. What is the author’s explanation for the danger and hostility of the world?
He worries about the negative effects of violent crime, the ravages of inhumanity, cruelty and intolerance, etc. on our children.
2. What evidence does the author provide to prove that basic human values are declining?
Parents and teachers must contend with disturbing levels of adolescent aggression, profanity, and disrespect.
3. Which weakness of the educational system is cited as being responsible for adolescent’s aggression, profanity, and disrespect?
Some parents do not realize their responsibility to teach their children whereas some teachers may be ethical bystanders.
4. What does the author think all people at New Fairfield high School should do to maintain a moral community?
They should all be polite and tolerant of individual difference.
5. Apart from lack of responsibility, do you think that the author is also criticizing some parents attitude towards the teacher? Cite an example to prove this.
Yes. For instance, a student’s parent told the author that the words his or her child had used did not hurt anybody and that the author was too fault-finding with the child’s vocabulary.
6. What values does the author think should be taught to students?
He thought that the students should be taught common values of courtesy, mutual respect, persistence, responsibility, and self-reliance.
7. What is the author’s conception of a successful educator?
An educator can be considered successful only when his students graduated not only as successful learners but also as well-behaved citizens.
8. What are your ideas of an educator’s moral responsibility?
an open question.
Memorable Quotes
Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th earl of Chesterfield
born Sept. 22, 1694, London
died March 24, 1773, London
British statesman, diplomat, and wit, chiefly remembered as the author of
Letters to His Son and Letters to His Godson—guides to manners, the art of
pleasing, and the art of worldly success.
After a short period of study at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, he spent some time abroad, mainly in Paris. He was a great admirer of French manners, culture, and taste. …
1694–1773, English statesman and author. A noted wit and orator, his long public career, begun in 1715, included an ambassadorship to The Hague (1728–32), a seat in Parliament, and a successful tenure as lord lieutenant of Ireland (1745–46). His literary fame rests upon his letters to his illegitimate son, Philip Stanhope (first pub. 1774), designed for the education of a young man, and upon his letters to his
godson (pub. 1890).
Lady Mary Wortley Montague (1689-1762)
Born into wealth and nobility (daughter of the 1st Duke of Kingston), Lady Mary was given a minimal education by her parents. Whatever learning she eventually posessed, she acquired by her own efforts. She read many of the works in her parents' libraries and she learned Latin by secretly studying a Latin dictionary. In her day, the parents of the bride and groom choose their children's spouses based on social position and wealth (his inheritance for the groom, her dowry for the bride). As was typical, her parents choose the man she was to marry, made the financial arrangements for the new couple, and drew up a marriage contract for her. Dissatisfied with this arrangement (so dissatisfied, in fact, that she would eventually write \"On the Mischief of Giving Fortunes with Women in Marriage\" (Miscellanea, published by Curll in 1726) and \"in love\" with another man, in 1712 Lady Mary eloped to become the wife of the extremely wealthy Edward Wortley Montagu. Their marriage was not a happy one, even the birth of their son in May 1713 could not bring them together.
In 1714, Queen Anne died, bringing the Elector of Hanover to the throne. Her husband, a politician, was rewarded by being appointed Ambassador to Turkey and the young couple set off for the exotic Turkish lands. A perceptive spectator, an adventurous tourist, and a fascinated amateur ethnographer, Lady Mary immersed herself in all things Turkish, even learning the language. She visited the zenanas, meeting the upper class women secluded there, and learning Turkish
customs. Her record of her travels, Turkish Embassy Letters, are still considered among the finest specimens of the epistolary genre.
Upon returning home to England, Lady Mary introduced into England the Turkish practice of inoculating healthy children with a weakened strain of smallpox to confer immunity from the more virulent strains of the disease. The dreaded smallpox, which left Lady Mary herself scarred from her 1715 bout with the disease and which killed her brother, often killed its victims or left them scarred or deformed for life. Upon learning of the Turkish practice, Lady Mary immediately had her son inoculated. After returning home to England, she introduced the custom to the nobility by having her daughter inoculated, too. Edward Jenner (1749-1823) would eventually be given credit for the smallpox vaccine, but it was really Lady Mary who pioneered the approach in western Europe and made it acceptable to the influential, the rich and the powerful. Eventually, the practice of inoculation would filter down to the middle and working classes and would be extended to inoculation against a variety of infectious diseases..
As time passed, more and more people were vaccinated against smallpox, until in 1979, the UN World Health Organization declared that smallpox, that perennial killer, had been eradicated throughout the world. Following in the footsteps pioneered by the health professionals fighting smallpox, vaccines for a host of deadly and deforming diseases including mumps, measles, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, and polio were developed and distributed making so many of the infectious diseases which were early childhood killers a thing of the past, at least in the developed and developing world. Millions, possibly hundreds of
millions, of people owe their lives or their health or the lifes or health of someone close to them to Lady Mary Wortley Montagu.
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