Lesson 9

QUICK FIX SOCIETY

By Janet Mendell Goldstein

Outline

Background information Structure analysis Paraphrases of the text Summary of the text Appreciation of writing skills Exercises

About the author

Go to text book.

gender age

job

What do you expect her to write?

female

consultant, writer

68

About contemporary life, etc.

Quick-fix lifestyle

What are the features of a quick-fix society?

Do you agree with the author? Give examples

to illustrate your point.

How to understand quick-fix lifestyle?

About time

Comment on the following sayings.

1) Time is money. If you waste time, you waste money.

2) Time is life. The important thing is to learn how to spend time.

Now instead of later.

Faster instead of slower.

Superficially instead of thoroughly.

The motto of a fast fix society:

Do it now, get it over with, skim the surface of life.

I agree:

Transportation

Eating habits

Consumption habits

Entertainment or amusement

Reading, writing, learning habits

Human relationships

Health problems

Capacity for enjoying life

I disagree:

If you disagree with the author and think that

the desire for speed is basically good, how

would you defend your position?

...Enjoy the fields...

Analyze the structure of the text.

Structure of the text

Introduction

(para.1-3)

Body

(para.4-6)

Conclusion

(para.7-8)

Her ride on fast roads and her return trip of a country road

Now instead of later

Faster instead of slower

Superficially instead of thoroughly

Slow down and rediscover life

Check for words: fill in the blanks

You can’t carry all these books at once. You must make several __________.

The ship __________ down into the water.

When I arrived at the railway station, I couldn't __________my parents.

The valentines’ day__________ Roman times.

trips

wait to see

goes back to

slides

Check for words: acting out the words and expressions

Use your body language to express the following words and expressions:

exclaim; sleepy; admire; wander; stuff ourselves with salads

Explain the following orally

1 Of course, we couldn’t wait to get there,

so we took the Pennsylvania Turnpike and

a couple of interstates.

2 …. as pastoral scenery slid by us at 55

mph.

3 … and the herd of cows is reduced to a

few dots in the rear-view mirror.

Paraphrase the text

1. Of course, we couldn’t wait to get

there, so we took the Pennsylvania

Turnpike and a couple of interstates.

Because we wanted/were eager to get

there as soon as we could, we took roads

for the use of fast-traveling traffic.

Cant’s wait/can hardly wait: used when

you are emphasizing that sb. is very ex

cited about sth. or keen to do it, e. g.

When she received the letter of admiss

ion from Tsinghua University, she coul

dn’t wait to tell here parents the good n

ews.

Fast roads in the U.S. Highways: connect cities Superhighways: a road with six or more lanes Interstate highways: connect cities in different states Freeways: roads within a city Expressways: fast roads in or near cities Turnpike: pay money before you use it.

2…. as pastoral scenery slid by us at

55 mph.

… as we drove at 55 miles per hour

past beautiful country scenes.

slid by us: moved quickly past us.

mph: miles per hour

3. … and the herd of cows is reduced

to a few dots in the rear-view mirror.

…(when our car was driving so fast,)

the cows looked like a few dots in the

rear-view mirror.

Rear-view mirror: a mirror in a vehicle,

such as a car or a bus, which lets the

driver see the area behind the vehicle.

After-class discussion

Pennsylvania Dutch

Their route

4. For four hours, our only real amusement

consisted of counting exit signs and

wondering what it would feel like to hold still

again.

The 4-hour drive on fast rods was tedious;

the only fun we had was to count the exit

signs we were passing and to figure out how

we’d feel if we stopped again.

Exit sign: a sign along fast roads that

shows were vehicles can get out of them

It would feel like to hold still again: Here,

“it” is an anticipatory/introductory “it”; it

stands for the subject of the clause “to

hold still again”.

5. Getting there certainly didn’t seem

like half the fun; in fact, getting there

wasn’t any fun at all.

We had expected that our ride to West

Virginia would be fun, and that half of

the fun we’d get from the trip would

come from it. But we were wrong. It

wasn’t fun at all.

6. So, when it was time to return to our hom

e outside of Philadelphia, I insisted that we t

ake a different route.

Outside of: outside

Route: a chosen direction or line of travel be

tween one place and another, e. g.

What’s the shortest route from our university

to Tian’anmen Square.

7. The two days it took us to make the

return trip were filled with new

experiences.

Our return trip took 2 days; the route

was longer, and we drove much more

slowly. But we had many discoveries.

8. We toured a Civil War battlefield and stood

… get killed in the vain attempt.

We visited a Civil War battlefield and stood

on the little hill. One hundred and twenty-five

years ago, on a hot July afternoon, 15,000

soldiers fighting for slavery, while trying to

occupy the hill, had no idea that they would

fail and that half of them would be killed in

the battle.

On another hot July afternoon…: This

indicates that the writer and her husband

visited battlefield on a hot July afternoon.

9. We drove slowly through main streets …

on their way to market.

This time instead of driving past towns at 55

mph, we would enter quiet Pennsylvania

Dutch towns and drive slowly through the

main streets, at 20 mph, in order not to

disturb the horses and horse carriages on

their way to market.

slow (v.): to go at a slower speed

sleepy: (of places) quiet and where nothing

much happens; inactive or slow-moving

crowd (v.) (here) to cause the horses and

horse carriages to move close together to

make way for us

10. We admired toy trains and antique

cars in county museums and saved 70

percent in factory outlets.

We looked at with pleasure toy trains

and antique cars and saved 70 percent

shopping at factory stores.

Antique cars: cars made in an earlier p

eriod and usually valuable

Outlet: a shop/store that sells goods of

particular make at reduced prices.

11. We stuffed … lying in it.

We had a meal in a farmhouse restaurant where for

a certain amount of money you could eat as much

as you wanted, and we fed ourselves with lots of

spicy salads and homemade bread. After the meal,

we walked leisurely outdoors to admire the sunshine

and watch the herds of cows----this time they did not

seem like little dots----lying in the sunshine.

Stuff (a space) with sth.: to fill it with st

h. or with a quantity of things until it is f

ull, e.g.

His wallet is always stuffed with coins.

Each time the boy went to see his gran

dma, she would stuff his pockets with c

andy.

12. And we returned home refreshed,

revitalized, and reeducated.

When we got home, we not only felt

fresh and energetic, but also felt that

we had experienced a new way of life.

Refreshed, revitalized, and reeducated:

three past participles used as subject c

ompliment, denoting the state the subje

ct “we” were in when home again.

Refresh: to bring back strength and fre

shness

13. This time, getting there had been

the fun.

This time, the trip back home itself was

not just half the fun, but the fun----the

real pleasure we got out of our week of

holidays.

14. Why is it that … and exploring the

countryside?

Why do so many of us choose the

uninteresting fast roads when we

travel? Why don’t we try driving a bit

slowly and travel into the countryside to

discover and experience life there?

15. But more and more, the fast lane seems

to be the only way for us to go.

More and more: increasingly, to a steadily

increasing extent or degree, e. g.

When he first arrived, he rejected cheese.

But more and more, he comes to like it.

As the day of the exam was approachi

ng, we became more and more nervou

s.

Fast lane: the lane of a motorway used

by vehicles traveling fast and going pas

t other vehicles.

16. In fact, most Americans are

constantly in a hurry----and not just to

get from Point A to Point B.

In fact, most Americans are always in a

rush----not just to get around from

place to place, but also in many other

aspects of life.

17. Our country has become a nation

in search of the quick fix----in more

ways than one.

In our country, people are looking for

ways of getting things done quickly----

in various aspects of life.

In search of: to try to find

Fix: solution to a problem, especially an easy a

nd temporary one, e.g .

Don’t expect a quick fix for the financial crisis.

This sentence, along with the previous one, ser

ves as a transition from the introduction to the b

ody of the essay that analyzes the three ways

Americans seek a quick fix.

18. Once upon a time, Americans

understood the principle of deferred

gratification.

In the past, Americans were patient to

have their desires satisfied. We knew it

took time for our dreams to come true.

Once upon a time: used, esp. at the beginnin

g of stories, to mean “ a long time in the pas

t” Here, the writer uses the expression humo

rously and ironically, meaning “ actually not l

ong ago Americans were not so anxious that

everything should get done quickly”.

19. We put a little of each paycheck

away “ for a rainy day”.

We saved a little money each time we

got paid in case we might need it in the

future.

For a rainy day: for a time when money

may be needed

Put (money) away: to save money to u

se later

Paycheck/pay cheque: the amount of w

ages, salary, etc. a person earns

20. If we wanted a new sofa …and Vacation

Club accounts.

If we wanted to buy some new furniture or

spend a week at a lakeside cabin, we could

open special accounts at the banks to save

money for it.

Lakeside cabin: a small house of simple design

and construction at the lakeside where people,

esp. a family, go during holidays or at weekends

Save (up) (for): to keep and add to an amount of

money for a particular purpose/later use, e. g.

I’m saving (up) fro my retirement.

They’re saving up for a trip to Europe/to go to Eu

rope.

help sb. out: to help sb., esp. in a difficult situatio

n/ to give sb. help at a time of need, e.g.

My parents helped us out when I lost my job.

His relatives always help out on his farm during

harvest time.

21. If we lived in the right part of the

country, we planted corn and beans

and waited patiently for the harvest.

In the past we used to raise some

crops if the climate, soil, etc. of where

we lived were fit. We had the patience

to watch them grow until harvest time.

22. If we wanted to be thinner, …, a pound at a

time.

If we wanted to be slimmer, we just cut down

on our favorite foods, and waited patiently for

our weight to be reduced bit by bit.

For the scale to drop: to find the marks on the

weighing instrument had moved towards the

zero side.

At a time: separately or in groups of tw

o, three, etc. on each occasion, e. g.

They were interviewed one at a time.

The boy ran up the stairs two at a time.

23. We take out loans… relax now, pay

later.

Today, instead of saving up, we borrow

from the banks or use our credit card to

buy the furniture or make that trip; our

motto has become “relax now, pay

later”.

Take out: to obtain an official document or service, e. g.

To take out a loan/an insurance policy/ a mortgage

Credit card: a small plastic card that you can use to buy

goods and services from shops, travel companies, gas

stations, etc. The cost is charged to your account and

paid later.

Relax now. pay later: to do/buy what we want now, and

pay later

24. We buy our food, like our clothing,

ready-made and off the rack.

We buy frozen dinner, instant coffee

from supermarkets as we buy ready-

made clothes.

Off the rack/off the peg: ready-made, i.

e. made to a standard average size an

d not made especially to fit you; a rack

is a frame from which clothes are hung;

similarly a peg is a knob from which clo

thes are hung.

25. And if we’re in a hurry… to afford liposuction.

If we want to lose weight quickly, we try the most

recent miracle diet which is said to be effective

and is sure to make us lose a pound per day. If

we are rich enough to pay for the operation, we

can have our unneeded fat removed from our

bodies.

Miracle diet: pills that contain all we need to

maintain life in condensed form.

26. This general impatience, … from

an automatic teller machine.

“I-hate-to wait” is used as an adjective

modifying “attitude”

Has infected every level of our lives: We’ve b

ecome impatient in every aspect of our lives,

for instance, we want to get a job done quick

ly, to lose weight quickly, to be served quickl

y, etc.

Automatic teller machine: a machine that yo

u use to get money from, esp. outside of a b

ank

27. Then we take our fast money … fast foo

d instead.

Note that the writer repeats the word “fast” fo

ur times (including the two in the following se

ntence) to emphasize the general impatienc

e of Americans.

Pick up: to buy sth. esp. cheaply or by chanc

e

28. And if our fast meal doesn’t agree with

us, we hurry to the medicine cabinet for ----

you guessed it----some fast relief.

If our fast dinner upsets our stomachs, from

a cupboard we get some medicine that can

relieve our disorder instantly.

Not agree with sb. : (of food) to make you fe

el ill/sick, e.g.

I love seafood, but it doesn’t agree with me

Medicine cabinet: a piece of furniture used fo

r storing the kind of medicine that people fre

quently use.

29. We like fast pictures, so we buy

Polaroid cameras.

We can’t wait to get a film developed

(probably in just twenty minutes), so

we prefer Polaroid cameras, which can

produce pictures almost the moment

we tike them.

Polaroid camera: a type of camera that

uses a special film to produce a finishe

d photography almost immediately afte

r the picture is taken; Polaroid is a trad

emark.

30. We like fast entertainment, so we

record our favorite TV show on the

VCR.

VCR/video cassette recorder: a

machine used for recording TV

programs and for playing videotapes;

in Britain, the usual word is “video”.

31. We like our information fast, too; …,

history reduced to “Bicentennial Minutes”.

For information, we no longer read

newspapers, magazines, books, etc.,

patiently. We want to get it fast by skimming

through what is offered on the web.

Documents are faxed to one person from

another.

We are informed of what is happening

at home and abroad through TV progra

ms such as Eyewitness News, through

which we get very brief accounts of cur

rent events. We learn the history of the

past 200 years quickly from “Bicentenni

al Minutes.”

32. Symbolically, the American eagle

now flies for Express Mail.

The American eagle: the bald eagle

used as a symbol for the U.S. as well

as the Express Mail.

33. How dare anyone keep America waiting

longer than overnight?

This rhetorical question is used to conclude

the second part of the body, impressing on

the reader the general impatience of

Americans: the slightest delay would get

them angry beyond measure.

34. What’s more, we don’t even want all of it.

What’s more important, we not only want to

get information fast, but also just want to get

a gist of it/ a general idea----we no longer

want to learn anything thoroughly.

What’s more: used to add a point that is

more important

35. Once, we lingered over every word of a c

lassic novel or the latest best seller.

In the past we read a book----either a classic

novel or the latest best seller----from page to

pate, all of it.

Linger (over/on): to continue to look at sth./s

b. or think about sth. for longer than usual. E.

g.

The detective lingered over some cigarette ash

on the floor.

Her eyes lingered on the girl’s purse; it looked e

xactly like the one she had lost.

Best seller: a product, usually a book, which is b

ought by large numbers of people, e. g.

His collection of essays is one the best sellers of

the year.

Harry Porter was on the best seller list for sever

al weeks.

36. Or we buy the Cliff’s notes, especially if

we are students, so we don’t have to deal

with the book at all.

Or we just read books like the Cliff’s Notes,

especially if we are students who have to

worry about papers and exams. With the

help of the Notes, we don’t even have to

read the book at all.

37. Once, we listened to every mote of

Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. Today,

we …---- on our “Greatest moments of

the Classics “ CD.

It’s the same with classic musical

compositions. We no longer listen from

beginning to end.

Instead, we buy a CD called “Greatest

Moments of the Classics” and enjoy 10

0 musical classics, in excerpts, includin

g the 26 seconds for the famous “da-d

a-da-drum” opining of Beethoven’s Fift

h symphony.

38. After all, why waste 45 minutes … t

he trouble of picking out the best parts?

This is another rhetorical question.

After all: used to explain sth. or to give

a reason

When: considering that

Save sb. the trouble of doing sth. : to make sb. abl

e to avoid extra effort or work, e. g.

Shopping on the web saves people the trouble of

going out.

Fast-food restaurants are popular because they s

ave people the trouble of cooking.

Pick out sb./sth.: to choose carefully from a group

of people or things, e. g.

He picked out the best wine for his parents.

She was picked out to speak on behalf of the clas

s.

39. Our magazine articles come to us

pre-digested in Reader’s Digest.

We read magazine articles that have

been condensed by editors. (So what

we read is not the writer’s view but

actually the condenser’s understanding

of what is said in the original articles)

Reader’s Digest: a popular magazine c

ontaining short articles and stories, ma

ny of them condensed, on different sub

jects.

40. Our news briefings, thanks to USA

Today, are more brief than ever.

Briefing: a meeting in which people are

given instructions or information; the

detailed instructions or information that

are given at such a meeting

41. Even our personal relationships … is no time at all.

Even our personal relationships are affected. Instead of s

pending much of our time with our loved ones, we now tal

k about giving them full attention in the limited time after w

ork. But usually we have no time to do that at all.

Devote sth. to sb./sth. : to give an amount of time, attentio

n, etc. to sb./sth., e. g.

I think the paper should devote more space to local news.

No matter how busy he is, he devotes an

hour a day to reading.

Loved ones: those people you love, espe

cially your family

Replace sth./sb. (with sth./sb.): to start us

ing another thing or person instead of the

one you are using now, e.g.

They want to replace their old compute

r with a new one.

I don’t want to replace Ms. Wang with a

nyone less experienced.

Quality time: time spent with e. g. one’s

children when one is relaxed and has got

nothing to do. This is supposed to be good

for parent and child, especially because the

parent is at work for most of the day, e. g.

She regards her hour with her daughter at

bedtime as quality time.

More often than not: more than or at le

ast half of the time, e. g.

Whenever I make a request, more ofte

n than not my parents reject it.

More often than not, the couple dine ou

t in Chinese restaurants.

42. As we rush from … that lies just below the

surface.

When we rush through books, music, news items

and relationship, we are paying attention to the

surface and will never get into the heart of anything.

Iceberg principle: Icebergs float with only about 10%

of their bulk above the surface of the water,

therefore the much larger part is out of sight.

43. When did it all begin, this urge to

do it now, to get it over with, to skim

the surface of life?

When did this quick-fix lifestyle/attitude

toward life begin?

The introductory “it” stands for “ this ur

ge to do it now…”, which summarizes t

he three ways Americans seek a quick

fix.

Get it over with: to get it done

Skim the surface: to deal with sth. supe

rficially, not going deeper

44. Why are we in … save some

more?

As we’re constantly in a hurry, we lose

sight of our purpose for such a rush. It

seems that we save time for the sake

of saving more time.

45. Don’t get me wrong.

Don’t be offended by what I’ve said.

Get sb. wrong: not to understand corre

ctly what sb. means

Get sth wrong: not to understand a situ

ation correctly

46. I’m not saying we should go back

to growing our own vegetables or

making our own clothes.

I’m not suggesting that we should

again start producing or making

everything we need by ourselves.

Go back to sth.: to start doing sth. agai

n that you stopped doing, e. g.

Now that her son started school, she d

ecided to go back to work.

He went back to teaching after ten year

s of successful law practice.

47. I’m not even advocating a mass

movement to cut all our credit cards

into little pieces.

I’m not even advising people to reject

all laborsaving devices and miracle

machines.

48. But I am saying that … out of

control.

But what I do want to say is this:

Before we go too far/it’s too late, all of

us need to think seriously about

changing our lifestyle of seeking a

quick fix in our lives.

Speed completely out of control: to get

completely our to control

Be/get/run, etc. out of control: to be or

become impossible to manage or contr

ol

49. Let’s take the time to read …

change of what countryside.

Let’s use the time we save to read a

story carefully, hear a music

composition from beginning to end,

enjoy every bit of the beauty the

countryside offers.

50. Let’s rediscover life in the slow

lane.

Let’s find the joys of life again when we

are not going about our business in a

rush.

Summary of the text

In-class discussion Presentation of the main points of the text

Appreciation of the writing skills

Comparison-contrast Examples Rhetorical questions Repetition

Comparison-contrast

It is a way of developing an essay. It means explaining the similarities and/or differences between events, people, ideas, and so on.

In paragraph 1: Featureless ride driving on fast roads The pleasure of the return trip of a different

route.

Examples

Using an example or examples is one of the simplest ways of explaining anything.

In paragraph 5, several examples are given to illustrate how the “I-hate-to-wait” attitude is reflected in various aspects of American life

Rhetorical Questions

Paragraphs 3, 5, 7.

Repetition

Of structure: In paragraph 4, four if-clauses are used to contrast the way Americans did things in the past and the way they seek a quick fix today.

Of words: The writer repeats the word “fast” throughout paragraph 5 with negative implications

Exercises

Go to text book.

Discussion

If you agree that people are getting too impatient and too obsessed with he quick fix for everything, what examples would you give to illustrate you point.

If you disagree with the author and think that people’s desire for speed is basically good, how would you defend your position.

What is your favorite life style?

The end !