unit 6 text a: old father time becomes a terror richard tomkins financial times (march21, 1999)

Unit 6

Text A: Old Father Time becomes a Terror

Richard Tomkins

Financial Times (March21, 1999)

Unit 6 Text AUnit 6 Text A

• Part I Pre-reading activities:

Text Analysis:


• In many ways, the style of this piece is typical of a certain variety of journalism. It is clearly not a new story, but nonetheless belongs within the pages of a newspaper. Such writing finds its home in the editorial or comment section where journalists and others contribute regular or occasional columns reflecting on topical issues.


• Unlike news stories where reporters are expected to confine themselves to the facts; such columns are intended to give free range to the expression of personal opinion. At the same time, particularly in the more serious papers (and the paper from which this comes, the Financial Times, certainly belongs to this category) the writer is expected display this familiarity with the problem under discussion.


• This is frequently achieved by employing concession. Thus, here the writer, have outlined the problem of the pressure of time, goes on to concede that not everybody is affected to the same extent. He then details the differences that exist before returning to his more general point and concluding with his solution, another characteristic ingredient of such editorial articles.


• His general conclusion is hardly new, having been advice offered by philosophers for as back as one cares to go, but gains novelty set against the context to recent technological developments.


• Although not a news story, the article nevertheless shares with newspaper reporting in general a taste for seeking support from the use of direct quotations from a number of different people. These quotations are provided together with the name of the person and background information on them.


• These details add human interest and support the argument by reference to the utterances of someone who appear to be in a position to know. As the quotations record spoken rather than written English, the tone of language is often colloquial. The frequent peppering of an article with this type of direct quotation stands in contrast to what is usual in a more purely academic essay.

The Introduction of the Author:The Introduction of the Author:

• Richard Tomkins


• Richard Tomkins: consumer industries editor of the Financial Times, where he has been a member of the editorial staff since 1983. He is currently based at the company’s London headquarters, where he leads team of journalists covering the consumer goods sector and writes about consumer trends, Tomkins was born in Walsall, England, in 1952. His formal education ended at the age of seventeen.


• Before becoming a journalist, he was a casual laborer, a factory worker, a truck driver, a restaurant cashier, a civil servant, and an assistant private secretary to a government minister. He left government service in1978 to hitchhike around the world, and on returning to the U.K. in 1978, joined a local newspaper as a trainee reporter.

• He joined the Financial Times as a sub-editor four years later. In this selection, he discusses the time squeeze that many people are experiencing and offers a way of combating the problem.



• Part IIPre-questions

Part II Pre-questions(1)Part II Pre-questions(1)

• 1. How does the singer treat his diary? Why? (He treats it as a friend, to whom he can pour out his inmost feelings.)

• 2. Can we infer what attitude the singer takes towards the pace of life today? (It’s unwise for people to be always in a rush, so much so that they don’t have time either for each other or for themselves.)

Part II Pre-questions(2)Part II Pre-questions(2)

• 3. Do you keep a diary? What sort of things do you write about?

• 4. What does the singer think about how other people spend their time?


• Part III Comprehension Questions

Part III Comprehension Questions(1)Part III Comprehension Questions(1)

• 1 、 What did we use to expect from technology?

• 2 、 In what ways have inventions such as the motorcar and the aircraft affected our life? And what about the advent of washing machine?

• 3 、 What new burdens has technology produced apart from cramming work into our leisure time?


• 4 、 How fast is information generated today as compared to a couple of centuries ago?

• 5 、 What is Edward Wilson’s purpose in subscribing to sixty-old journals and magazine?

• 6 、 What gives rise to our discontent with super abundance?


• 7 、 Is everyone time-starved today? What percentage of the population is suffering under the stresses and strains of life today?

• 8 、 What is stress envy, as conceived by Paul Edwards?

• 9 、 How much free time has the average American gained since the mid-1960s?How are the gains distributed between the sexes?

• 10 、 What is meant by the “the growth of the work-life debate”?


• 11 、 What does Godbey mean by saying “It’s the kid in the candy store”?

• 12 、 For time stress, what remedy does the author offer?



• Part IV

LanguagePoints

Part IV Language PointsPart IV Language Points

• 1. on the go: (infml) active or busy

• Examples:• I’ve been on the go all week,

preparing my thesis.• I was on the go all day and went

home at about 10’oclocj in the evening.


• 2. cope: deal successfully (with sb./ sth. difficult)

• Examples: • Health psychologists study how

people cope with stress.• People who attempt suicide

usually suffer from extreme emotional distress and feel unable to cope with their problems.


• 3. set about ：begin （ a task ）；start （ doing sth. ）（ used In the pattern ： set about sth./doing sth.; no passive ）

• Example: • The school authorities must set

about finding solutions to the campus security problems.

• My mom and I set about clearing up after the guests left.


• 4. quantities / a large quantity of: large amounts / a large amount of

• Examples: • The key to staying healthy and

strong when backpacking is to eat large quantities of energy-rich foods.

• In cold weather most animals must eat large quantities of food to obtain the energy needed to catty on normal body activities.


• 5. eat into: gradually reduce the amount of (sth. Valuable); damage or destroy

• Examples:• All these car expenses are

eating into our savings.• Responsibilities at home and

work eat into his time.• Acid eats into the metal

damaging its surface,


• 6. aircraft: (plural unchanged) vehicle which can fly, for example an aero plane or a helicopter

• Examples:• The goal of air traffic control is

to minimize the risk of aircraft collisions.

• The Boeing Company is the world’s largest manufacturer of commercial airplanes and military aircraft.


• 7. in reality: in actual fact; really

• Examples: • Some famous private schools

are theoretically open to the public, but in reality are attended by those who can afford the fees.

• He is much smaller in reality than he looks on the television.


• 8. multiply: increase in number or quantity; add a number to itself a particular number of times

• Examples:• the weeds just multiplied, and

before long the garden was a jungle.

• Multiplying large quantities in one’s head has become a lost art since the arrival of the calculator.


• 9. burden: heavy load

• Examples:• many pupils find homework a

burden.• Some farmers are complaining

about the heavy burden of taxation.


• 10. fraction:small part, bit, amount or proportion(of sth.)

• Examples: • Only a small fraction of the

population lived in that remote area.

• The black miners in South Africa used to earn only a fraction of the wages paid to white miners doing equivalent work.


• 11. pour in:go into a place quickly and in large numbers

• Examples: • Tourists poured onto Shanghai

on National Day.• many football fans poured into

the stadium to have a look at their favorite football players.


• 12. a handful of: a small number of; the amount of sth. That you can hold on your hand

• Examples: • Only a handful of graduates have not

found jobs so far.• Despite her productivity, only a handful of

Dickinson’s poems were published before her death.

• She scooped up a handful of snow and pressed it hard to make a ball.

• Ethology is a science concerned with the comparative study pf animal behavior.


• 13. comparative:involving comparison or comparing

• Examples:• Some sociologists have carried out large-

scale historical-comparative studies.• Ethnology is a science concerned with

the comparative study of animal behavior.


• 14. amount to:be equal to; add up to

• Examples: • In 1959 the combined value of

U. S. imports and exports amounted to less than 9 percent of the country’s gross domestic product.

• The tuition fee amounts to ten thousand yuan.


• 15. minute: very small in size or amount

• Examples: • Only a minute amount of money

is needed.• Studies show that water

contains minute quantities of lead.


• 16. frontier: (usu. Pl) the extreme limit of an area of knowledge or a particular activity; the border between two countries

• Examples: • To open up the space frontier, NASA will try to

lower the cost of access to Earth orbit.• Mount Qomolangma, the highest mountain in

the world, with a height of 8,850 m (29,035ft), rises in the Himalayas on the frontier of Nepal and China.

• Our passports were inspected at the Czech frontier.


• 17-1. stress: n. pressure or worry resulting from mental or physical distress, difficult circumstances, etc. (followed by on)

• Examples:• There is enough evidence to suggest

that job stress may increase a man’s risk of dying from heart disease.

• Population growth and pollution place enormous stress on the world’s supply of usable water.


• 17-1. stress: Vt. Put stress, pressure, or strain on

• Examples: • A person who is stressed

typically has anxious thoughts and difficulty concentrating or remembering.

• I must stress that what I say is confidential.


• 18. prosperity: state of being economically successful; state of being successful or rich

• Examples: • War brings no prosperity to the great

mass of ordinary citizens.• Some people arguer that globalization

will bring the prosperity so fat enjoyed only by wealthy industrialized nations to the developing countries.


• 19. oblige: do sth. for (sb.) as a favor or small service (used in the pattern: oblige (sb.) (with sth. /by doing sth.))

• Examples: • We are happy to oblige.• Please oblige me by leaving me

alone.


• 20-1. abundance:quantity that is more than enough; plenty (followed by of)

• Examples: • The visitor to Oxford has an

abundance of sights to see.• Most milk consists of an

abundance of the major nutrients needed by the body for good health.


• 20-2.In abundance• Examples: • By the mid-15th century paper

was available in abundance.• There is still confusion about

the number of casualties.• We always left our manager’s

office in a state of confusion.• I explained the question to him

three tomes, but there was still a look of confusion on his face.


• 22. forecast: tell in advance; predict

• Examples:• The means of forecasting

natural disasters, such as floods, and hurricanes, have improved immensely as science and technology have advanced.

• Because the behavior of weather systems is chaotic, it is impossible to forecast the details of weather more than about two weeks in advance.


• 23. volunteer: person who offers to do sth. Without being compelled or paid

• Examples: • Some students served as volunteers to help the old

and disabled in the community in their spare time.• The charity agency will recruit volunteers to build

affordable housing for the poor.• Aesthetics is a branch of philosophy concerned

with the essence and perception of beauty ugliness.

• Our teachers also taught us how to increase the powers of perception.


• 24.perception: way of seeing or understanding sth. ;ability to notice and understand things

• Examples:

• Aesthetics is a branch of philosophy concerned with the essence and perception of beauty and ugliness.

• Our teachers also taught us how to increase the powers of perception.


• 25. nurture: care for and educate (a child); encourage the growth of (sth.); nourish

• Examples: • Parents want to know the best way to

nurture and raise their child to adulthood.• With one year’s observation the biologists

have found how dolphins socialize, breed, and nurture their young and how they communicate.

• The local government has taken measures to nurture the state-run factories.


• 26. offspring: (plural unchanged) child or children of a particular person or couple

• Examples:• Heredity is the process of transmitting

biological traits from parent to offspring through genes.

• Asexual reproduction produces offspring that are genetically identical to their parent.


• 27. appliance: instrument or device for a specific purpose

• Examples: • The Energy Department has set

efficiency standards for new home appliances,

• The company has operations in many different business sectors, including household appliances, aircraft engines, and financial services.


• 28. distribution: the way in which people, buildings, etc. are arranged over a large area; the act of giving things to a large group of people or delivering foods to companies.

• Examples: • The study of animal distribution is

called zoogeography.• Distribution of the goods is handled

by local companies.


• 29. famine: (instance of) extreme scarcity of good in a region

• Examples:• China has succeeded in feeding its people;

national attention to equity, agriculture, and birth control has significantly reduced and threat of famine.

• To eliminate famine and reduce malnutrition, attention needs to focus not only on food production but also on food distribution, consumption, and family planning.


• 30. widespread: found or distributed over a large area

• Examples: • The landscape of the American west was

dramatically altered during the 20th century as a result of the widespread construction of dams along major rivers.

• The corrosive nature of acid rain causes widespread damage to the environment.


• 31. provoke:cause (sth.) to occur or arouse ( a feeling etc.)

• Examples: • People’s concern over genetically modified

food has provoked a global debate that shows no sign of ending soon.

• They argued that NATO enlargement could provoke Russian hostility and lead to regional instability.


• 32. a variety of : a lot of a particular type of things that are different from each other

• Examples:• My students come from a variety of

different backgrounds.• There are(is) a variety of excellent

schools in the area.• China has a great variety of mineral

resources


• 33. streamline: make (sth.) more efficient and effective; give a streamlined from to (sth.)

• Examples:• Corporate mergers can result in job

losses because management combines and streamlines departments within the newly merged companies.

• Some racing cars are streamlined for speed and are single-seated.


• 34. growth: (process of ) growing; development

• Examples: • Statistics show that the pace of population

growth may continue to increase.• Industrial growth depends on the

availability of both finance capital and physical capital.


• 35. domestic: of the home ,household or family; of or inside a particular country

• Examples:• Police and hospital records indicate

that the majority of victims of domestic violence are women.

• GDP stands for Gross Domestic Product.


• 36. forum: an assembly ,place ,radio program etc. for the discussion of public matters or current questions

• Examples: • The school authorities will provide a

forum where problems can be discussed.

• The producers of the TV program Question Time intended it to be a forum for public debate.


• 37. spring up:appear, develop, grow ,etc. quickly or suddenly

• Examples: • New professional training

schools sprang up all over the country.

• Fast food restaurants are spring up all over the city.

• A strong wind seemed to have sprung up from nowhere.


• 38. futile:producing no result ;useless; pointless

• Examples: • It was futile to continue the

negotiations.• I knew that it was futile to try

and persuade her once she had made the decision.


• 39. divert: turn(sb./sth.) aside from a course ,direction ,etc. into another

• Examples: • Some dams divert the flow of river

water into a pipeline, canal, or channel.

• There had been an accident and traffic was being diverted by the police.

• Money set aside for development was being diverted to finance the famine relief operations.


• 40. arise:appear ;become evident

• Examples: • Challenging ethical issues have

arisen in science and medicine.• Some birds attack crops when

the opportunity arose.• A financial crisis has arisen in

the multinational corporation.


• 41. shortage: lack of sth. needed; deficiency

• Examples: • The word id facing the prospect of

water shortages caused by population growth, uneven supplies of water, pollution, and other factors.

• Some African countries have acute food shortages requiring emergency assistance.


• 42. switch off: disconnect (electricity etc.)

• Examples: Be sure to switch off the lights when you leave home.


• 43. be doomed to: (sth.) be certain to happen, and you can do nothing to prevent it (used in the patterns: be doomed to sth. be doomed to do sth.)

• Examples: • Their plan seemed to be doomed to

failure.• He thought that he was doomed to

spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair.


•Part V Post-

questions

Part V Post-questions:Part V Post-questions:

• 1 、 Has technology made our life easier or more burdensome? Give examples to illustrate your view.

• 2 、 The author makes mention of “stress envy” in para.14.What do you think are the possible sociological motivation behind it?

Part V Post-questions:Part V Post-questions:

• 3 、 Do you agree with the author that all time-liberating techniques in relieving the widespread sense of time famine are doomed to failure? Is cutting back on human desire the ultimate solution? Why or why not?


•PartⅥ

Text Structure

Part Ⅵ Text Structure:Part Ⅵ Text Structure:

Parts Paragraphs Main Ideas

Part One

Paras 1-11 The author gives three reasons why we feel so time-pressed today,

Part Two

Paras 12-18

Not every one is time-stressed, and in the case of Americans they have actually gained more free tome in the past decade.

Part Ⅵ Text Structure:Part Ⅵ Text Structure:

Part Three

Paras 19-23

The perception of time-famine has triggered a variety of reactions.

Part Four

Paras 24-28

The author pins down the crux ( 症结 ) of the problem and puts forward for the stress we feel.


•Part VII Words and Phrases to

Drill

Part VII Words and Phrases to DrillPart VII Words and Phrases to Drill

• abundance aircraft appliance arise burden

• comparative confusion cope distribution divert

• domestic famine forecast forum fraction

• frontier futile growth minute multiply

• nurture oblige offspring perception prosperity

• provoke shortage streamline stress volunteer widespread


• a handful of a variety of a mount of

• be doomed to eat into in reality

• on the go pour in quantities/a large quantity of

• set about spring up switch off


• Vocabulary• 1. You can get a loan for essential

household equipment such as a cooker and a heating ( ).

• 2. Conventional medicine has concentrated mainly on the treatment of chronic and acute illness, and until recently years the role of preventive medicine has suffered ( ) neglect.

• 3. You should remember that a fridge doesn’t kill bacteria; it only slow down the rate at which they ( ).


• 4. When asked to do us a favor by showing us around the city. Jack said he was only too happy to ( ).

• 5. The town has been producing wool, cloth, and blankets since the 13th century and much of its ( ) today is still founded on those industries.

• 6.If you compare a striped object with one that has a different kind of black and white pattern, they do not appear to be the same size even if, ( ), they are identical.


• 7. He was sentenced to life imprisonment for his role in the hijacking of a United States Trans World Airlines ( ).

• 8. Since it would probably be a highly dangerous mission, the lieutenant called for ( ) who would like to delicate themselves to the noble cause.

• 9. He got to his feet, leaving ( ) coins for the bill, and them went out of the restaurant into the night air.


• 10. Despite the limitations of the official figures, they do provides some indication of the overall trend in the ( ) of income.

• 11. To prevent widespread ( ) , the report calls for the development of new crops adjusted to hotter climates and drier soils, and above all ,a reduction in population growth.

• 12. Carrying ( ) cash could be dangerous and inconvenient. Why not use a credit card?


• 13. Malnutrition in this region is ( ) ----affecting up to 78%of children under five years old.

• 14. The World Bank has decided to grant Hungary a loan of 66 million dollars to ( ) its financial system.

• 15. Oil prices have soared to above thirty dollars a barrel, their highest level in a decade, which is almost certain to ( ) another round of petrol price increases.


• Keys:• 1) appliance 2) comparative 3) multiply

4) oblige 5) prosperity 6) in reality 7) aircraft 8) volunteers 9) a handful of 10) distribution 11) famine 12) large quantities of/a large quantity of 13) widespread 14) streamline 115) provoke


• Part VIII

»Translation

Part VIII TranslationPart VIII Translation

• Directions: Translate the following passage into English, using the words and phrases given below.

• minute doom perception offspring stress

• nurture arise fraction

domestic a variety of


• 无疑，我们现在处于持续的压力之下，要长时间工作，要创造更多，拥有更多，从而成为一名成功人士。于是乎，工作狂（ workaholism ）—一种现代癖（ addiction ），就这样出现了。工作狂其根源是基于一种认识：通过长时间地工作、完成更多的项目，我们便能提高我们的自身价值。

• 许多妇女今天感到同样的压力，要创造，要出人头地，而与此同时，又要养育子女，承担起各种家庭责任。


• 研究表明，工作狂往往使我们与家人的关系疏远。它会迫使我们长时间地劳作，仅留微乎其微的时间与我们所爱的人聚在一起、交流感情。家庭成员间的亲密关系在此过程中注定要消亡。


• Keys:• There is no question that today we

are under constant pressure to work longer hours to produce more, to possess more, and to become a success, Workaholism, a modern addiction, has thus arisen. The cause of workaholism is the perception that by working longer hours and completing more projects, we will enhance our self-worth.


• Many women today feel the same stress to produce and get ahead and, at the same time, to nurture their offspring and shoulder a variety of domestic responsibilities.


• Research shows that workahlism tens to distance us from our immediate families. It forces us to labor longer and longer hours leaving a minute fraction of time to be physically and emotionally available our loved ones. Intimacy among family members is doomed to die in the process.

Test B Test B

•Life in the Fast Lane

James Gleick

Test BTest B

•Part Ⅸ

•comprehension Check

• Choose the best answer for each of the following:

• 1. By comparing culture to “one stomped anthill” Robinson and Godbey mean( ).

• a. ants have a culture too• b. culture is worthless• c. people keep rushing around like

disturbed ants• d. people go about their business in an

orderly way

Part Ⅸ Comprehension CheckPart Ⅸ Comprehension Check

• 2. From the text we can infer that advertisements on television have changed as a result of ( ).

• a. it being easer to switch channels• b. the need to appear to children• c. shorter commercial breaks• d. telephone sales


• 3. From the text we can infer that leaving the television on while entertaining guests would be judged by the author to be ( ).

• a. an act of rudeness • b. a sign of our taste for multitasking• c. a way of displaying our wealth• d. something everyone does nowadays


• 4. The main message of the piece is that today’s pace of life is something most of us ( ) .

• a. hate• b. enjoy• c. feel indifferent about• d, do not notice


• 5. According to the text, feeling that you have too little time is related to your ( ).

• a. sex• b. age• c. family size• d. education


• 6. The author implies that some questions are difficult to answer because ( ).

• a. we do not yet know enough• b. we are too impatient • c. the ideas on which they are based

are confused• d. they are about very complicated

matters


• keys: • 1.c • 2.a • 3.b • 4.b • 5.d • 6.c


Test BTest B

•Part Ⅹ

•Language Practice:

• Fill in the gaps with words or phrases listed in the Words and Phrases to Learn box.. Change the form where necessary.

• 1 、 Unlike a book, you cannot __________________through a video in the shop , so its content remains a mystery until after you have purchased it and taken it home.

Part Ⅹ Language Practice:Part Ⅹ Language Practice:

• 2 、 Taking aerobics classes on a regular basis could be a splendid way to build _________________and suppleness.

• 3 、 The train pulled out leaving her and hundreds of other travelers still pushing each other back and _________________________ across the dimly-lit platform.


• 4 、 A cut in the interest rates would lift the economy out of its current state of ________________ animation.

• 5 、 The main part of the city center is a pedestrian______________ but has a very efficient tram service to take you across the town.


• 6 、 In winter, the classroom frequently recorded temperatures of between 38°F and 48°F ; ______________ so many children and staff were frequently ill.

• 7 、 Nowadays we seldom hear the tolling of a bell to __________________ disaster or miss fortune.


• 8 、 Mr. Johnson is _________ in his work with heavy business responsibilities and, much as he would like to do so, he cannot spend a whole say, or even a whole evening ,with his children.

• 9 、 All books written in rapid response to events may ____________ superficiality and poor organization.


• 10 、 Many women choose to have pregnancy screenings and may ________for abortion if evidence of handicap is revealed.

• 11 、 In his book, the author identified ten trends which, he believes, will ________________ the American society in the next decade.


• 12 、 The poet was not made familiar to a general reading pubic until the publication of his second ______________ of more poems.

• 13 、 Marriage is about respect, commitment and hard work, not just the ___________ of romantic excitement.


• 14 、 As you can see, the newly constructed coast road runs ____________________ to the shoreline.

• 15 、 I _________________ I did not remember her at all, but since I have been away from the town for so long, I suppose it is only natural.


• 16 、 This area is noted for butterflies in the summer, and in August the purple hairstreak will be _______________________.

• 17 、 Make sure that the extended roof of your house is ______________________ as a heavy rain is forecast to be on the way.


• 18 、 At 16, when Holden and I first met, his ability to speak my thoughts ______________________ and frightened me.

• 19 、 There are many old sayings that point to the wisdom of thought before action, such as “look before you leap”, “more ____________, less speed”, “second thoughts are best “and so on.


• 20 、 The ads for the Boston Marathon are mostly photos of runners, and they’re __________________ with the thoughts that might go through the runners’ mind during a race.


• Keys ：• 1. browse 2. endurance 3. forth

4. suspended 5.zone 6. no wonder 7.signify 8. under (tremendous) pressure 9. run the risk of 10. opt11. characterize 12.volume13.buzz 14.paralle l5.confess16 on the wing 17.waterproof 18.thrilled 19.haste20.captioned


放映结束！谢谢观看！

unit 6 text a: old father time becomes a terror richard tomkins financial times (march21, 1999)

Documents

text analysis

time squ

pressure of time

consumer industries

consumer trends

old father time

use of direct quotations

general conclusion