1、新编研究生综合英语教程Advanced English for Graduate Students:General Skills&Academic Literacy,Unit Three Culture,Text A The Values Americans Live By,A culture can be viewed as a collection of values that go together to shape the way a group of people perceive and relate to the world around them.As people grow
2、up,they learn certain values,which will influence and shape their way of life.How does American culture differ from others?The way to address this question is to consider the values Americans live by.,Overview,“Values”are ideas about what is right and wrong,desirable and undesirable,normal and abnor
3、mal,proper and improper.Most people who grow up in a particular culture share certain values.These values overlap and support each other;they fit together.Dr.L.Robert Kohls has developed a list of 13 commonly held values which help explain why Americans act as they do.,Background Information Pre-rea
4、ding Questions Text A The Values Americans Live Vocabulary Exercises,Text A The Values Americans Live By,Background Information,Text A The Values Americans Live By,V Writing,Exercises,IV Translation,Dr.L Robert Kohls,Director of International Programs at San Francisco State University,is a renowned
5、literary contributor to the research on cultural patterns.He has developed a list of 13(8 are listed in Text A)commonly held values which help explain to first-time visitors to the United States why Americans act as they do.He is careful,and cautions to avoid labeling these values positive or negati
6、ve.Whether one agrees with Kohls or not or is willing to accept as valid any generalizations about Americans his observations are thought provoking.,Background,1.Information about the author,:In recent decades,a new form of identification has emerged which breaks down the understanding of the indivi
7、dual as a coherent whole subject into a collection of various cultural identifiers.These cultural identifiers may be the result of various conditions including:locality,gender,race,history,nationality,language,sexuality,religion,ethnicity,aesthetics,and even food.Therefore,cultural identity refers t
8、o a feeling of belonging to a group.It is part of a persons self-conception and self-perception and is related to these cultural identifiersor any kind of social group that has its own distinct culture.In this way,cultural identity is both characteristic of the individual but alsoof the culturally i
9、dentical group of members sharing the same cultural identity.Cultural identity can also be expressed through certain styles of clothing or other aesthetic markers.,Background,2.Information about cultural identity,:.,Background,3.Information about the Declaration of Independence,The Declaration of In
10、dependence was drafted by Thomas Jefferson and then adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4,1776.It was regarded as the nations most cherished symbol of liberty and Jeffersons most enduring monument.“We hold these truths to be self-evident,that all men are created equal,that they are endowed b
11、y their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,that among these are Life,Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”was made by Abraham Lincoln as the centerpiece of his rhetoric(as in the Gettysburg Address of 1863),and his politics.Since then,it has become a well-known statement on human rights.,Q1:Ho
12、w much do you know about the American values?Which part of American values do you think is acceptable to us?Q2:What is the cause of traditional American values?Q3:What is your view on American values?What are the effects of American values?Q4:How is the mainstream American culture different from the
13、 Chinese culture?Q5:Do cultural values change as time changes?,Pre-reading Questions,Q1:How much do you know about the American values?Which part of American values do you think is acceptable to us?Open,Pre-reading Questions,Q2:What is the cause of Traditional American values?The earliest settlers c
14、ame to the North American continent to establish colonies that were free from the controls that existed in European societies.They wanted to escape the controls placed on their lives by the kings and governments,priests and churches,noblemen and aristocrats.In 1776,the British colonial settlers decl
15、ared their independence from England and established a new nation,the United States of America.In doing so,they created a climate of freedom where the emphasis was on the individual.This is probably the most basic of all the American values,which is also called individualism by scholars.,Pre-reading
16、 Questions,Q3:What is your view on American values?What are the effects of American values?By freedom,Americans mean the desire and the ability of all individuals to control their own destiny without outside interference.There is,however,a price to be paid for this individual freedom:self-reliance.I
17、ndividuals must learn to rely on themselves or risk losing freedom.This means achieving both financial and emotional independence from their parents as early as possible,usually by age of 18-21.It means that Americans believe they should take care of themselves,solve their own problems,and“stand on
18、their own two feet.”,Q3:What is your view on American values?What are the effects of American values?Most Americans believe that they must be self-reliant in order to keep their freedom.If people are dependent,they risk losing freedom as well as the respect of their peers.In order to be in the mains
19、tream of American life-to have power and/or respect individuals must be seen as self-reliant.Although receiving financial support from charity,family,or the government is allowed,it is never admired.Many people believe that such individuals are setting a bad example,which may weaken the American cha
20、racter as a whole.,Q3:What is your view on American values?What are the effects of American values?So,it is important to understand what most Americans truly mean when they say they believe in equality of opportunity.They mean that each individual should have an equal chance for success.It helps ens
21、ure that the race for success is a fair one and that a person does not win or lose just because of external forces.The phrase“going from rags to riches”became a slogan for the great American dream.There is,however,a price to be paid for this equality of opportunity:competition.,Q3:What is your view
22、on American values?What are the effects of American values?People who like to compete and are more successful than others are honored by being called winners.On the other hand,those who do not like to compete and are not successful when they try are often dishonored by being called losers.The pressu
23、re to compete causes Americans to be more energetic,but it also places a constant emotional strain on them.When they retire,they are at last free from the pressures of competition.But then a new problem arises.They may feel useless and unwanted in a society that gives so much prestige to those who c
24、ompete well.This is why older people in the United States do not have as much honor and respect as they do in other less competitive societies.,Q4:How is the mainstream American culture different from the Chinese culture?Open,Pre-reading Questions,Q5:What are the main characteristics of values?First
25、,as part of culture,values are learned from people around:family,school,mass media,and so on.Once learned,they tend to be stable and govern people beliefs,attitudes,ideas and actions.Second,values are hidden.We do not see them as they exist in our subconsciousness.We are not always aware of them,but
26、 we make judgments according to them.,Pre-reading Questions,Q5:What are the main characteristics of values?Third,values are pervasive.Each of us has a unique set of individual values,but there are also values that tend to permeate a culture.They are called cultural values.The point we have to keep i
27、n mind is that the value of the culture may not be the value of all individuals within the culture.Fourth,values can be compared on a continuum rather than one of only two possible choices.People posses the same values to different degrees.,Pre-reading Questions,Q5:What are the main characteristics
28、of values?Fifth,values are interrelated.They dont work alone.For example,the value toward family usually leads to those toward age,status,etc.Finally,values of a culture change just as cultures do.Of course,they change much more slowly than do the way people dress,the artifacts people make,and other
29、 parts of a culture that are easily seen.Contradictory values can be found in a particular culture.There is often a gulf between the values that are articulated(idealism)and the values that are acted out(reality).,Part2_TA1_s,Pre-reading Questions,1.Most Americans would have a difficult time telling
30、 you,specifically,what the values are that Americans live by.They have never given the matter much thought.,Text A The Values Americans Live By,1.大多数美国人在谈起其赖以生存的价值观时会感到力不从心。他们从未仔细考虑过价值观这个问题。,L.Robert Kohls,2.Even if Americans had considered this question,they would probably,in the end,decide not to
31、answer in terms of a definitive list of values.The reason for this decision is itself one very American value their belief that every individual is so unique that the same list of values could never be applied to all,or even most,of their fellow citizens.,2.即使美国人考虑过这个问题，他们最终也不可能决定以一张明确的价值观清单来回答。做出这样
32、的一个决定，本身就是一个非常美国式的价值观他们相信每个个体都是独一无二的，相同的价值观永远也不可能适用于所有的美国公民，甚至不能适用于大多数公民。,3.Although Americans may think of themselves as being more varied and unpredictable than they actually are,it is significant that they think they are.Americans tend to think they have been only slightly influenced by family,ch
33、urch or schools.In the end,each believes,“I personally chose which values I want to live my own life by.”,3.尽管美国人可能认为他们自己比实际看上去更加变幻莫测，但重要的是他们的确认为自己变幻莫测。美国人普遍认为他们受家庭、教会或学校影响很轻微。最终，每个人都认为“我个人会根据自己生活方式选择我的价值观”。,4.The different behaviors of a people or a culture make sense only when seen through the basic beliefs,assumptions and values of that particular group.When you encounter an action,or hear a st
