1、Ralph Waldo Emerson American philosopher and writer(1830-1882)Ralph Waldo Emerson was a leader of the philosophical movement of transcendentalism(先验说先验说,超越论超越论).His essays had a strong influence on both American and European readers and writers in their study of mans relation to life.In a speech ent
2、itled“the American Scholar,”he called upon American students to“Know Thyself”and“Study Nature.”In the essay“Self-Reliance”he stresses the importance of sturdy i n d e p e n d e n c e i n t h o u g h t a n d a c t i o n.Henry David ThoreauAmerican writer,philosopher,and naturalist(1817-1862)Born in C
3、oncord,Thoreau was educated at Harvard University.In the late 1830s and early 1840s,he taught school and tutored in Concord and on Staten Island,New York.After graduation from Harvard University in 1837,Thoreau started a school that was perhapsthe first in America to introduce field trips for nature
4、 study.In 1845 he built a small cabin at Walden Pond with his own hands and lived there until 1847,spending 27 cents a week for food to supplement the vegetables he raised.In 1854,he published his masterpiece Walden or,Life in the Woods.In Walden,Thoreau records his life in the woods and describes f
5、reshly and vividly the changing seasons and other natural events and scenes that he observed.Thoreau had kept a journal since 1837,and this journal formed the basis for several books published after his death.Aldous Huxley English novelist,essayist,critic,and poet(1893-1963)In his later works he exp
6、ressed concern that the pursuit of material possessions was taking place at the expense of individual freedom and a respect or nature.He satirized such trends in Brave New World(1932),a novel set in a future world where individuality is deliberately stifled.In Island(1962),on the other hand,he prese
7、nts his utopia,a libertarian community living in close harmony with its natural environment.Introductory Remarks Teaching has been considered an undesirable profession in many parts of the world.Education may be respected and highly valued,but teachers are not.Their pay and prestige are low in most
8、countries.They work long hours both during the day and in the evening and their hard wok often goes unnoticed and unappreciated Yet,there have always been people who love the teaching profession and choose teaching as their life-long career.Here,Mr.Beidler,Professor of English at Lehigh University i
9、n Pennsylvania,U.S.A,Who was named 1983s professor of the Year by the Council for Advancement and Suppon of Education,g i v e s h i s r e a s o n s w h y h e t e a c h e s.send off:send sth.somewhere by post eg:Please see that these parcels are sent off at once.13.occasional:adj.happening sometimes
10、but not often or regularly eg:We get the occasional visitors here.14.work on:1)try very hard to improve or achieve sth.eg:He is working on a new novel.2)try continuously to influence someone or persuade them to do sth.eg:Im working on my father to get him to take me to the airport.Smith worked on th
11、e other committee members to vote for the bill.analysis:n.study of sth.by examining its parts and their relationships eg:The chemist is making an analysis of the poison.NB:analysis 的复数形式是analyses,动词形式为analyse或analyze 与其有相似变化的词还有：paralysisparalysesparalyse/paralyze basisbasesbase16.matter 1).v.be imp
12、ortant,especially to be important to you,or to have an effect on what happens eg:I know Charles doesnt think this project is important,but it matters to me.2).n.a subject or situation that you have to think about or deal with eg:Could I talk to you about a personal matter?1.According to the author,w
13、hat is the goal most Americans are taught to achieve in life?2.Do you think an administrative position has anything to do with money and power?3.What does teaching offer besides money and power?Questions and AnswersMost Americans are taught to manage to achieve money and power when they grow up.Yes,
14、it involves the management of the staff and affairs of a university,which tends to offer a higher pay than teaching.It offers love,not only the love of learning and of books and ideas,but also the love that a teacher feels for that rare student who walks into a teachers life and begins to breathe.Di
15、scussion1.In your opinion,what are the joys and frustrations of a teacher?2.Whats your attitude toward failures?Joys:pace,freedom,change,challenge,opportunity,achievement,power,love,magic,feeling young and fulfilled,respect,long vacations,etcFrustrations:low pay,long working hours,constant challenges,heavy load,academic pressure,lack of understanding from students,etc.“Failure is the mother of success.”We learn more when we fail.
