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1、Unit Two The Fine Art of Putting Things Off,Questions for Discussion,In what sense is the word “art” used in the title? Do you think the beginning of the essay is effective? Why? Why does the author refer to visits to the barber as Faustian encounters”(para.2),Questions,Whats the topic sentence of p
2、ara.3? How do you understand the the word “Blessedly”in para.4? How do you understand the parody of the proverb “where there is no will, there is a way” in para.5?,Questions,How do you explain the parenthesis(at $50-plus an hour) in para.8? Why do you think the author calls “ putting things off ” a
3、fine art? Do you think he is serious? The tone of the writing is a mixture of the serious and the humorous. Please identify his shifts in tone from one to the other?,Quotations from Lord Chesterfield,Be wiser than other people, if you can, but do not tell them so. Choose your pleasures for yourself,
4、 and do not let them be imposed upon you. Know the true value of time; snatch, seize, and enjoy every moment of it. No idleness; no laziness; no procrastination; never put off till tomorrow what you can do today. The knowledge of the world is only to be acquired in the world, and not in a closet.,Ch
5、esterfield, Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th earl of,16941773, English statesman and author. A noted wit and orator, his long public career, begun in 1715, included an ambassadorship to The Hague (172832), a seat in Parliament, and a successful tenure as lord lieutenant of Ireland (174546). His literary
6、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).,Language Points,Exhort(formal): to urge or advise strongly. (力劝,劝告) sb to sth/to do sth e.g. They had been exhorted to ac
7、tion. (已经敦促他们采取行动) The teacher exhorted the students to do their own research work.,attest (verb) (formal) 1.attest to sth: to show or prove that sth is true证实,是的证据;确凿 e.g. Contemporary accounts attest to his courage and determination.当时的报道证实了他的勇气和决心. 2.作证,证明 a will,Difficult sentences,1. (L4) the m
8、ost well-intentioned men have been postponers ever: Lord Chesterfield advised his son not to put off doing what should be done, yet he himself delayed his aid to Dr Johnson when it was badly needed,2. (L14) the apocalyptic voice of Diners threatens doom from Denver: a menacing order from Denver, the
9、 head office of the Diners credit card apocalyptic: like the end of the world Diners refers to the DinersClub, Inc., U.S.A. It was this club that introduced, in 1950, the first universal credit-card which could be used at a variety of establishments.,IDM,At an ungodly hour: very early or very late,t
10、hat is annoying 一大早(晚),十分不便的,incur,Yet for all the trouble procrastination may incur: all the trouble that a persons delay in action may bring upon him incur v.(formal) : if you incur sth unpleasant, you are in a situation in which you have to deal with it 招致;遭受;引起 e.g. The company incurred a heavy
11、loss due to mismanagement.,Difficult Sentence,Yet for all the trouble procrastination may incur delay can often inspire and revive a creative soul: Delay leads to problems. However, in many cases, it can often stimulate the creativity in an artist.,Difficult Sentence,The art of postponement had been
12、 virtually a monopoly of the militaryand the law: the practice of putting things off had almost been exclusively done by the military,etc. The implied meaning is that the military ,diplomacy , and the law are almost the worst delayers. monopoly : the complete control of monopolize v. monopolistic ad
13、j.,Ruminate,Ruminate: (formal) think deeply and carefully 沉思,认真思考 e.g. on/over/about sth rumination ruminative ruminatively,Difficult Sentences,Lawyers are among the worlds most addicted postponers : Lawyers are the worlds worst postponers who just could not free themselves from postponing. Addicted
14、: dependent on something (usually a drug) and unable to stop having it; enthusiastically devoted to a particular thing or activity. e.g. be addicted to computer games,Difficult Sentences,(L33) The number of attorneys who die without a will is amazing: It is a usual practice for people to make a will
15、, an official statement of the way they wish their property to be shared out after their death before they die. And it is generally the attorneys or lawyers who administer the wills. But attorneys themselves postpone making their own wills.,Difficult Sentences,(L35) Even there is no will, there is a
16、 way: This is a parody of the proverb which goes: ”Where there is a will, theres a way”, meaning “If one has the determination to achieve something, a way of doing so will be found.” Will in the preceding paragraph means “an official statement of the way one wishes his property to be shared out after his death . The sentence may be paraphrased as “Even where there is no will or volition to procrastinate, there is a way to do so.”,Difficult Sentences,(L37) the caution that breeds
