1、Lesson 9 The trouble with television A prominent anchorman warns of TVs adverse effect on Americas culture prominent adj.noticeable or most easily seen 显著的显著的 eg:Our house is the most prominent one in the street,its painted red.prominence n.the quality of state of being prominent 著名著名,杰出杰出 eg:The yo
2、ung artist is coming into prominence.adverse 1.不利的不利的,有害的有害的 Dirt and disease are adverse to the best growth of children.2.逆的逆的,相反的相反的,敌对的敌对的 He is adverse to going abroad.Cf.in adversity By the age of 20 you will have been exposed to at least 20,000 hours of television.expose to:leave uncovered or
3、unprotected 暴露于暴露于 He expose his skin to the sun.The students were exposed to the rain on the way home.Who never concentrate on anything concentrate on:focus attention on 集中注意力集中注意力 I cant concentrate on my work today.今天我无法集中精神工作。今天我无法集中精神工作。You should concentrate on listening to the teacher in clas
4、s.Cf.concentration camp The dullest,the least gifted of us can achieve things that seem miraculous to those who never concentrate on anything.miraculous adj.surprising,like a miracle,contrary to nature 奇迹的奇迹的,惊奇的惊奇的 eg:The doctors said her recovery was miraculous.miracle n.remarkable adn surprising
5、event 奇迹奇迹 eg:The Great Wall is one of the miracles in the world.It diverts us only to divert,to make the time pass without pain.divert v.turn in another direction,amuse,entertain 使改道使改道,娱乐娱乐,消遣消遣 eg:They diverted the river to supply water somewhere else.He can always invent a new game to divert the
6、 children.他总能搬出新玩意去娱悦小孩他总能搬出新玩意去娱悦小孩.diversion n.diverting,amusement 转向，娱乐转向，娱乐 eg:Your last argument was a diversion to make us forget the main point.你最后的论点是在声东击西，目的是使我们忘掉你最后的论点是在声东击西，目的是使我们忘掉要点。要点。Playing basketball is his favorite diversion.Televisions variety becomes a narcotic,not a stimulus.st
7、imulus n.something which is the cause of activity 刺激，激励刺激，激励 eg:Light is a stimulus to growth in plants.Cf stimulate the spans alloted are on the order of minutes of seconds allot v.make a distribution 分配，分配，摊派摊派 eg:They alloted the house to us three.我们三人分得一套房子。我们三人分得一套房子。allotment n.division,distri
8、bution 分配，配合分配，配合 eg:What is your allotment in the work?allot distribute The surest way to avoid doing is to keep everything brief.avoid+doing sth After the quarrel they avoided meeting each other.No one can avoid making mistakes in his life Cf.be void of as an imperative imperative n.order,regulati
9、on 命令，规则命令，规则 It is an imperative that everyone of us should make contributions to the country.我们每个人都应该为国家做贡献。我们每个人都应该为国家做贡献。adj.urgent,essential 必要的，必要的，急需的急需的 It s imperative that you should not be seen here.bequeath 1.将将遗赠给遗赠给 2.将将(知识等知识等)传给传给(后人后人)His father bequeathed him a big fortune.他父亲给他留下了
10、一大笔遗产。他父亲给他留下了一大笔遗产。I bequeath him this property to have and to hold.我将此项财产遗赠给他，归他永久享有。我将此项财产遗赠给他，归他永久享有。Cf.endow But I see its values now pervading this nation and its life.pervade v.spread through every part of 蔓延，遍及蔓延，遍及 eg:During the Spring Festival,a happy atmosphere pervaded the whole country.
11、春节期间全国充满欢乐的气氛。春节期间全国充满欢乐的气氛。Cf.pervasive results in inefficient communication.result in:bring about 导致，带来导致，带来 The dispute between two countries resulted in war.The negligence of the work resulted in the failure of the experiment.Cf.result from I think the technique fights coherence.coherence n.cons
12、istence 连贯，一致性连贯，一致性 cohere v.be reasonably and naturally connected 符合，符合，贯通贯通 coherent adj.consistent 连贯的，一致的连贯的，一致的 Cf.inherent adherent That visual stimulation is a substitute for thought.substitute for:use as a substitute 代替代替 Mr.Li is ill,so Mr.yang is a substitute for him.They use tea as a sub
13、stitute for beer to celebrate.Cf.constitute institute literacy literate literary illiterate literature literalattain 1.（通常经过努力）实现（通常经过努力）实现,达到达到,获得，得到获得，得到 He attained the position of minister.She attained her ambition of becoming a pilot.2.达到（某年龄、水平、状况达到（某年龄、水平、状况)attainment 1.获得获得,达到达到 2.造诣造诣,成就成就
14、 We cant exaggerate his scientific attainment.When before has virtually an entire nation surrendered itself wholesale to a medium for selling?surrender(oneself)to:give way to 向向.投降投降 We advised the burglar to surrender himself to the police.They surrendered themselves to despair.51.Even a _ translat
15、ion is not always faithful to the original.（201001)A.literal B.literary 40.It is a challenge to tell these separate stories without losing overall _.（200701)A.convenienceB.coherence 30.Televisions variety becomes a _,not a stimulus.(200710)narcotic 77我怀疑晚间电视新闻中的内容有多少是真正我怀疑晚间电视新闻中的内容有多少是真正可吸收和可理解的。可吸
16、收和可理解的。(200701)I question how much of televisions nightly news effort is really absorbable and understandable.48.I took what he said _,but afterwards it became clear that he really meant something else.(200801)A.literally B.freely 41.Susie will examine our secondary school programs to insure that al
17、l students are prepared to be responsible,productive and technologically _ citizens of the 21st century.(200810)A.literary B.literate 38.I believe that TVs appeal to the short attention span is not only inefficient communication but decivilizing _.(200810)As well 78.人类历史上什么时候有这么多人一起把闲暇时人类历史上什么时候有这么多
18、人一起把闲暇时间耗在一种玩具间耗在一种玩具电视上？电视上？(200810)76读写能力可能算不上一项不可剥夺的人权，读写能力可能算不上一项不可剥夺的人权，但我们极有学问的开国元勋们并不觉得但我们极有学问的开国元勋们并不觉得 它不合它不合理，甚至达不到。从统计数字看，我们不仅没有理，甚至达不到。从统计数字看，我们不仅没有在全国范围内达到人人都能读写的目标，而目离在全国范围内达到人人都能读写的目标，而目离达到这个目标越来越远。尽管我不会简单到认为达到这个目标越来越远。尽管我不会简单到认为电视是造成这一局面的直接原因，我却相信它起电视是造成这一局面的直接原因，我却相信它起了一定作用，是一个影响因素。
19、（了一定作用，是一个影响因素。（200910）Literacy may not be an inalienable human right,but it is one that the highly literate Founding Fathers might not have found unreasonable or even unattainable.We are not only not attaining it as a nation,statistically speaking,but we are falling further and further short of att
20、aining it.And,white 1 would not be so simplistic as to suggest that television is the cause,1 believe it contributes and is an influence.51.Even a _ translation is not always faithful to the original.（201001）A.literal B.literary Lesson Nine:The trouble with Television1difficult to escape the influen
21、ce of television.(influence,effect)2 The trouble with television3consistently applied effort4seem miraculous to those who never concentrate on anything.5 It sells us instant gratification.6 It diverts us only to divert.7 Televisons variety becomes a narcotic,not a stimulus.8kaleidoscopic exposures f
22、orce us to follow its lead.9on a perpetual guided tour10the spans allotted are on the order of minutes(allot,divide)11 In short,a lot of television usurps one of the most precious of all human gifts,the ability to focus your attention yourself,rather than just passively surrender it.12 Capturing you
23、r attention-and holding it-is the prime motive of most television programming and enhances its role as a profitable advertising vehicle.Programmers live in constant fear of losing anyones attention-anyones.13not to strain the attention of anyone14television operates on the appeal to the short attent
24、ion span.15 It is simply the easiest way out.But it has come to be regarded as a given,as inherent in the medium itself;as an imperative,as though General Sarnoff,or one of the other august pioneers of video,had bequeathed to us tablets of stone commanding that nothing in television shall ever requi
25、re more than a few moments concentration.16 Who can quarrel with a medium that so brilliantly packages escapist entertainment as a mass-marketing tool?17its value now pervading this nation and its life.18 result in inefficient communication.(efficient,effective)19not only inefficient communication b
26、ut decivilizing as well.20 Consider the casual assumptions that television tends to cultivate:that complexity must be avoided,that visual stimulation is a substitute for thought,that verbal precision is an anachronism.It may be old-fashioned,but I was taught that thought is words,arranged in grammat
27、ically precise ways.21 a crisis of literacy in this country.22 Literacy may not be an inalienable human right23I believe it contributes and is an influence.24surrendered itself wholesale to a medium for selling?25 I think this society is being forced-fed with trivial fare,and I fear that the effects
28、 on our habits of mind,our language,our tolerance for effort,and our appetite for complexity are only dimly perceived.If I am wrong,we will have done no harm to look at the issue skeptically and critically,to consider how we should be resisting it.I hope you will join with me in doing so.1 美国人比看电视花时
29、间更多的事只有工作和睡眠。The only things Americans do more than watch television are work and sleep.2 电视的危害在于它不让人们集中注意力.生活中几乎任何一件有趣的有价值的事都需要一定建设性的持之以恒的努力.我们中最迟钝最没有天才的人也能做出使那些从来不在任何事情上专心致志的人觉得是奇迹的事来.但电视却不让我们做出任何努力。The trouble with television is that it discourages concentration.Almost anything interesting and re
30、warding in life requires some constructive,consistently applied effort.The dullest,the least gifted of us can achieve things that seem miraculous to those who never concentrate on anything.But television encourages us to apply no effort.3 然而在美国占主导地位的传播媒介,全国联系的主要形式,却对人类问题推销干脆利落的解决方式,而这些问题通常是没有干脆利落的解决方式的。Yet its dominating communications instrument,its principal form of national linkage,is one that sells neat resolutions to human problems that usually have no neat resolutions.
