Unit 4 Section a Five Famous Sym bols ofAmerican Culture I. Background Knowledge 1. the statue of liberty The idea of creating the Statue of Liberty began in France at a dinner party hosted by Edouard Rene Lefebvre Laboulaye, a scholar. Laboulaye and Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi,a sculptor, began to discuss the idea of presenting the United States with a monument to memorialize independence and human libe Bartholdi sailed from France to New York on June 8, 1871, to propose the building of the tatue to honor the friendship between France and the United States. As the ship pulled into New York Harbor, Bartholdi spotted the perfect location, Liberty Island The internal framework of the Statue of liberty was designed by Alexandre Gustave Eiffel who later designed the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The outer skin, made from sheets of copper, was the work of the French sculptor Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi. First built in France, it was taken apart and shipped to New York in 1885 2. Barbie dolls It was the late 1950s when Ruth Handler noticed her daughter playing with paper dolls and imagining them in grown-up roles. Since most dolls at the time were baby dolls, Ruth envisioned one that would inspire little girls to think about what they wanted to be when they grew up. Ruth created a teenager fashion model doll named Barbie(after her daughter), and the rest is history. Barbie has been an integral part of the lives of millions of young girls. Her timeless appe has resulted in a dedicated legion of fans that love to collect her 3. The Mattel Toy Company Mattel is the worldwide leader in the design, manufacture, and marketing of toy products The company's core brands include Barbie, Hot Wheels, Matchbox, Fisher-Price, and American Girl. With headquarters in El Segundo, California, Mattel has offices and facilities in 36 countries and sells its products in more than 150 nations throughout the world 4. American Gothic Wood intended the couple to represent a typical small town resident and his daughter, bu most interpret them as man and wife. Since completion, Grant Woods 1930 painting American Gothic has become a critically acclaimed work that continues to enjoy enormous popularity. It also has become an American icon and is the model for a countless number of commercial art parodies, such as posters, cards, and souvenirs. The paint lgs in the art Institute of chie 5. Buffalo nickel In 1911 sculptor James Earl Fraser began designing the"Buffalo"nickel. Fraser said th portrait on the"heads"side was a composite of three American Indians-Iron Tail, Big Tree Two Moons. The model for the "tail's side of the coin was none other than black diamond most contrary animal in New York's Bronx Zoo 6. New York City's Central Park Central Park was the first landscaped public park in the United States. Advocates of creating
1 Unit 4 Section A Five Famous Symbols of American Culture I. Background Knowledge 1. the Statue of Liberty The idea of creating the Statue of Liberty began in France at a dinner party hosted by Edouard Rene Lefebvre Laboulaye, a scholar. Laboulaye and Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi, a sculptor, began to discuss the idea of presenting the United States with a monument to memorialize independence and human liberty. Bartholdi sailed from France to New York on June 8, 1871, to propose the building of the statue to honor the friendship between France and the United States. As the ship pulled into New York Harbor, Bartholdi spotted the perfect location, Liberty Island The internal framework of the Statue of Liberty was designed by Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, who later designed the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The outer skin, made from sheets of copper, was the work of the French sculptor Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi. First built in France, it was taken apart and shipped to New York in 1885. 2. Barbie Dolls It was the late 1950s when Ruth Handler noticed her daughter playing with paper dolls and imagining them in grown-up roles. Since most dolls at the time were baby dolls, Ruth envisioned one that would inspire little girls to think about what they wanted to be when they grew up. Ruth created a teenager fashion model doll named Barbie (after her daughter), and the rest is history. Barbie has been an integral part of the lives of millions of young girls. Her timeless appeal has resulted in a dedicated legion of fans that love to collect her. 3. The Mattel Toy Company Mattel is the worldwide leader in the design, manufacture, and marketing of toy products. The company’s core brands include Barbie, Hot Wheels, Matchbox, Fisher-Price, and American Girl. With headquarters in El Segundo, California, Mattel has offices and facilities in 36 countries and sells its products in more than 150 nations throughout the world. 4. American Gothic Wood intended the couple to represent a typical small town resident and his daughter, but most interpret them as man and wife. Since completion, Grant Wood’s 1930 painting American Gothic has become a critically acclaimed work that continues to enjoy enormous popularity. It also has become an American icon and is the model for a countless number of commercial art parodies, such as posters, cards, and souvenirs. The painting hangs in the Art Institute of Chicago. 5. Buffalo nickel In 1911 sculptor James Earl Fraser began designing the “Buffalo” nickel. Fraser said the portrait on the “head’s” side was a composite of three American Indians — Iron Tail, Big Tree and Two Moons. The model for the “tail’s” side of the coin was none other than Black Diamond, the most contrary animal in New York’s Bronx Zoo. 6. New York City’s Central Park Central Park was the first landscaped public park in the United States. Advocates of creating
the park- primarily wealthy merchants and landowners admired the public grounds of London and Paris and urged that New York needed a comparable facility to establish its international reputation. A public park they argued, would offer their own families an attractive setting for carriage rides and provide working-class New Yorkers with a healthy alternative to the loon. After three years of debate over the park site and cost, in 1853 the state legislature authorized the City of New York to use the power of eminent domain to acquire more than 700 acres of land in the center of manhattan 7. Uncle Sam The prevailing theory is that Uncle Sam was named after Samuel wilson. Wilson was born in Arlington, Mass, on September 13, 1766. His childhood home was in Mason, New Hampshire In 1789, he and his brother Ebenezer walked to Troy, New York. Samuel Wilson died in 1854. His grave is in the Oakwood Cemetery in Troy During the War of 1812, Wilson was in business of slaughtering and packing meat. H provided large shipments of meat to the US Army, in barrels that were stamped with the initials US". Supposedly, someone who saw the"US"stamp suggested-perhaps as a joke-- that the initials stood for "Uncle Sam"Wilson. The suggestion that the meat shipments came from Uncle Sam"led to the idea that Uncle Sam symbolized the federal government The single most famous portrait of Uncle Sam is the "I WANT YOU Army recruiting poster from World War I. The poster was painted by James Montgomery Flagg in 1916-1917 II. Text Analysis The overall structure of the passage is listing: the author listed five famous symbols of American culture. Each symbol is parallel to another or there is a matching relationship between the symbols. The five symbols are put together to support the central topic of the reading passage---Five Famous Symbols of American Culture The passage is a narration about five famous symbols of American culture, telling us the historical background of the well-known symbols. For each part of the passage, the author centers on one specific symbol, dealing with it from different aspects such as who created, what the creator was, how he created, when, and how the symbol was accepted, etc. One of the threads that can not escape our attention is that the author always tries to present the story according to the time sequence. For example: The Statue of Liberty( Para 1-Para 4) Who created the Statue of liberty and what was he? When? What is the purpose to create the statue? What do we know about the creator? How did he create the Statue of Liberty? When did the creator finish the statue? How did he like the statue? From the answers to the proposed questions, the readers can have a clear idea about the Statue of liberty The time markers used in dealing with the first symbo In the mid-1870s, at the same time, in 1876; that same year; in 1886 Part One(Paral-4)The Statue of liberty Part Two(Para5-10)Barbie Doll Part Three(Para 11-14) American Gothic Part Four(Paral5-18)The Buffalo Nickel Part Five(Paral9-22)Uncle Sam 2
2 the park — primarily wealthy merchants and landowners — admired the public grounds of London and Paris and urged that New York needed a comparable facility to establish its international reputation. A public park, they argued, would offer their own families an attractive setting for carriage rides and provide working-class New Yorkers with a healthy alternative to the saloon. After three years of debate over the park site and cost, in 1853 the state legislature authorized the City of New York to use the power of eminent domain to acquire more than 700 acres of land in the center of Manhattan. 7. Uncle Sam The prevailing theory is that Uncle Sam was named after Samuel Wilson. Wilson was born in Arlington, Mass., on September 13, 1766. His childhood home was in Mason, New Hampshire. In 1789, he and his brother Ebenezer walked to Troy, New York. Samuel Wilson died in 1854. His grave is in the Oakwood Cemetery in Troy. During the War of 1812, Wilson was in business of slaughtering and packing meat. He provided large shipments of meat to the US Army, in barrels that were stamped with the initials “US”. Supposedly, someone who saw the “US” stamp suggested—perhaps as a joke--- that the initials stood for “Uncle Sam” Wilson. The suggestion that the meat shipments came from “Uncle Sam” led to the idea that Uncle Sam symbolized the federal government. The single most famous portrait of Uncle Sam is the “I WANT YOU” Army recruiting poster from World War I. The poster was painted by James Montgomery Flagg in 1916-1917. II. Text Analysis The overall structure of the passage is listing: the author listed five famous symbols of American culture. Each symbol is parallel to another or there is a matching relationship between the symbols. The five symbols are put together to support the central topic of the reading passage---Five Famous Symbols of American Culture. The passage is a narration about five famous symbols of American culture, telling us the historical background of the well-known symbols. For each part of the passage, the author centers on one specific symbol, dealing with it from different aspects such as who created, what the creator was, how he created, when, and how the symbol was accepted, etc. One of the threads that can not escape our attention is that the author always tries to present the story according to the time sequence. For example: The Statue of Liberty ( Para 1—Para 4) Who created the Statue of Liberty and what was he? When? What is the purpose to create the statue? What do we know about the creator? How did he create the Statue of Liberty? When did the creator finish the statue? How did he like the statue? From the answers to the proposed questions, the readers can have a clear idea about the Statue of Liberty. The time markers used in dealing with the first symbol: In the mid-1870s; at the same time; in 1876; that same year; in 1886 Part One (Para1-4) The Statue of Liberty. Part Two (Para5-10) Barbie Doll Part Three (Para 11-14) American Gothic Part Four (Para15-18) The Buffalo Nickel Part Five (Para19-22) Uncle Sam
III. Language Points 1. In the mid-1870s, French artist Frederic Auguste Bartholdi was working on an enormous project called Liberty Enlightening the World,.(Para. 2) enlighten: vt. give sb. more information about sth so that he or she knows the truth to cause to understand deeply and clearly, esp. by making free from false beliefs A few devoted doctors have fought for years to enlighten the profession 些富有献身精神的医生奋斗了多年来发展这一专业。 Peter thought the world was flat until I enlightened him 在我给他讲明白以前,彼得以为地球是扁的 work on: have sth as the subject of thought or effort We are working on the preparation of our 20th reunion after graduation 我们正忙于准备毕业后二十年的聚会 The scientists are still working on inventing new methods of reaching outer space 科学家们还在努力研发到达外层空间的新办法。 2.... a monument celebrating US independence and the French-America alliance.(Para 2) monument:n.a building or statue that is built to remind people of a famous person or event the Monument to the People's Heroes 人民英雄纪念碑 This statue is a monument to one of our greatest statesmen 这座塑像是我国一位伟大政治家的纪念碑。 alliance: n. a close agreement or connection made between countries, groups, families, etc for a shared purpose or for the protection of their interests The two countries entered into a defensive alliance with each other 这两个国家订立了防御联盟 ountry's military alliance with France 该国与法国在军事上结成的联盟 3. His mother could not approve of her sons affection for a woman she had never met,..(Para. Meaning his mother was not pleased that her son loved a woman she had never known approve: V accept, permit or officially agree to: ratify The city council approved the building plans 市议会批准了这项建筑计划。 approve of: to have a favorable opinion, esp, of a course of action or type of behavior; regard as good, right, sensible, etc His parents did not approve of his leaving school early 他的父母不赞同他这么早就离开学校。 4. That same year Bartholdi had assembled the statue's right arm and torch, and displayed them in Philadelphia Meaning: In the same year when he got married, Bertholdi had put the statue's right arm and rch together, and then showed them in Philadelpl assemble: v. 1)fit the parts of sth. together We spent all day trying to assemble our new bookshelf 我们用了一整天来安装新书架
3 III. Language Points 1. In the mid-1870s, French artist Frederic Auguste Bartholdi was working on an enormous project called Liberty Enlightening the World,…(Para.2) enlighten : vt. give sb. more information about sth. so that he or she knows the truth to cause to understand deeply and clearly, esp. by making free from false beliefs A few devoted doctors have fought for years to enlighten the profession. 一些富有献身精神的医生奋斗了多年来发展这一专业。 Peter thought the world was flat until I enlightened him! 在我给他讲明白以前，彼得以为地球是扁的。 work on: have sth as the subject of thought or effort We are working on the preparation of our 20th reunion after graduation. 我们正忙于准备毕业后二十年的聚会。 The scientists are still working on inventing new methods of reaching outer space. 科学家们还在努力研发到达外层空间的新办法。 2．…a monument celebrating US independence and the French-America alliance. (Para 2) monument: n. a building or statue that is built to remind people of a famous person or event the Monument to the People’s Heroes 人民英雄纪念碑 This statue is a monument to one of our greatest statesmen. 这座塑像是我国一位伟大政治家的纪念碑。 alliance: n. a close agreement or connection made between countries, groups, families, etc. for a shared purpose or for the protection of their interests The two countries entered into a defensive alliance with each other. 这两个国家订立了防御联盟。 the country’s military alliance with France 该国与法国在军事上结成的联盟 3. His mother could not approve of her son’s affection for a woman she had never met, … (Para.2) Meaning : his mother was not pleased that her son loved a woman she had never known,… approve: v. accept, permit or officially agree to: ratify The city council approved the building plans.’ 市议会批准了这项建筑计划。 approve of: to have a favorable opinion, esp, of a course of action or type of behavior; regard as good, right, sensible, etc. His parents did not approve of his leaving school early. 他的父母不赞同他这么早就离开学校。 4. That same year Bartholdi had assembled the statue’s right arm and torch, and displayed them in Philadelphia. Meaning: In the same year when he got married, Bertholdi had put the statue’s right arm and torch together, and then showed them in Philadelphia. assemble: v. 1) fit the parts of sth. together We spent all day trying to assemble our new bookshelf. 我们用了一整天来安装新书架
2)come together in a group; gather or collect Ive assembled all the information I need for my essay 我收集了写那篇论文所需要的所有信息 The leaders assembled in Peking for the meeting 领导们聚集在北京开会。 5. He needed someone whose face represented suffering yet strength, someone more severe than eautiful. (Para. 3) Meaning: He needed someone whose face showed that she had suffered a lot but remained strong someone who looked more plain than attractive 6. The Statue of Liberty was dedicated on an island in Upper New York Bay in 1886 Note that october 28. 1886 was declared to allow americans to celebrate the statue's unveiling. More than I million people lined the streets for a parade 7. Ruth came up with the idea for Barbie after watching her daughter play with paper dolls(Para. Meaning: Ruth had an idea of making barbie dolls after she had watched her daughter Barbara play with paper dolls come up with: find or produce(an answer, a solution, etc. Scientists have come up with new ways of saving energy 科学家们找到了节省能源的新途径。 The airline has come up with a novel solution to the problem of jet-lag 这家航空公司想出一个新办法来解决乘客长途飞行后因时差引起生理失调的问题 joke gift adults described as having the appearance of"a Meaning:.. a gift for adults which is intended as a joke and which is described as having the appearance of "a woman who sold sex 9. Mattel refashioned the doll into a decent, all-American---although with an exaggerated breast size--- version and named it after Barbara, who was then a Meaning: Mattel Toy Company changed the doll into a model that was respectable, purely American, yet with big breasts, and named the new-born doll after Barbara, who was ust a teenager at that time version n.1) a slightly different form,copy, or style of an article(同一种物件稍有不同的) 样式,型号,复制件 This dress is a cheaper version of the one we saw in that shop 这件衣服同我们在那家商店看到的一样,但它是比较便宜的一种 2)one person's account of an event, esp. as compared with that of another person (某人对某一事件的)说法,描述 The two drivers gave different versions of the accident 两个司机对事故的说法不同 ) a form of a written or musical work that exists in more than one form(书面作 品或音乐作品的)版本:改编本; English version of a German play德文剧本的英译本 name sb/sth. after sb. give sb./sth. the name of sb. as an honor This bridge is named after the designe
4 2) come together in a group; gather or collect I’ve assembled all the information I need for my essay. 我收集了写那篇论文所需要的所有信息。 The leaders assembled in Peking for the meeting. 领导们聚集在北京开会。 5. He needed someone whose face represented suffering yet strength, someone more severe than beautiful.(Para. 3) Meaning: He needed someone whose face showed that she had suffered a lot but remained strong, someone who looked more plain than attractive. 6. The Statue of Liberty was dedicated on an island in Upper New York Bay in 1886. (Para.4) Note that October28, 1886 was declared to allow Americans to celebrate the statue’s unveiling. More than 1 million people lined the streets for a parade. 7. Ruth came up with the idea for Barbie after watching her daughter play with paper dolls (Para. 7) Meaning: Ruth had an idea of making Barbie dolls after she had watched her daughter Barbara play with paper dolls. come up with: find or produce (an answer, a solution, etc.) Scientists have come up with new ways of saving energy. 科学家们找到了节省能源的新途径。 The airline has come up with a novel solution to the problem of jet-lag. 这家航空公司想出一个新办法来解决乘客长途飞行后因时差引起生理失调的问题。 8. …a joke gift adults described as having the appearance of “a woman who sold sex”. (Para. 7) Meaning: … a gift for adults which is intended as a joke and which is described as having the appearance of “a woman who sold sex”. 9. Mattel refashioned the doll into a decent, all-American--- although with an exaggerated breast size--- version and named it after Barbara, who was then a teenager. Meaning: Mattel Toy Company changed the doll into a model that was respectable, purely American, yet with big breasts, and named the new-born doll after Barbara, who was just a teenager at that time. version n. 1) a slightly different form, copy, or style of an article （同一种物件稍有不同的） 样式，型号，复制件 This dress is a cheaper version of the one we saw in that shop. 这件衣服同我们在那家商店看到的一样，但它是比较便宜的一种。 2) one person’s account of an event, esp. as compared with that of another person （某人对某一事件的）说法，描述； The two drivers gave different versions of the accident. 两个司机对事故的说法不同。 3) a form of a written or musical work that exists in more than one form （书面作 品或音乐作品的）版本；改编本； an English version of a German play 德文剧本的英译本 name sb./sth. after sb.: give sb./sth. the name of sb. as an honor This bridge is named after the designer
这座桥是以设计师的名字命名的 10. Now more than sixty years old, Barbara-who declined interview but is said to have loved the doll--- may be the most famous unknown figure on the planet.(Para. 9) Meaning: Barbara, who is now more than sixty years old and who refuses interviews but is said to have loved the doll, is probably the most famous person in the world with her real name being unknown l1.. with his painting American Gothic, an often copied interpretation of the solemn pride of American farmers. Para. 12) solemn: a. 1)done, made, etc. seriously; having a sense of religious-like importance a solemn statement庄严的声明 a solemn warning严正的警告 2)serious-looking; grave put on a solemn face板起脸孔 Her solemn face told them that the news was bad 她严肃的表情告诉他们那是坏消息 12 .. but the faces in his composition were what captured the worlds attention. (Para. 12) Meaning:.. but the faces in his painting were the most attractive capture one 's attention: draw ones attention; be attractive to someone 13. He stretched the models' necks a bit, but there was no doubt who posed for the portrait ( Para. 13 Meaning: He made the models' necks a bit longer in the painting, but doubtlessly people would know who was sitting for the painting stretch: v. 1)to(cause to )become wider or longer I tried stretching the shoes, but still my feet wouldnt fit into them 我试着把鞋撑大一点,可脚还是伸不进去。 2)to cause to reach full length or width He stretched out his arm to try and reach the apple 他伸出手臂设法拿到那只苹果 to spread out in space or time The desert stretched away into the distance/as far as the eye could see 沙漠一直延伸到远方:沙漠一望无际 14. Nan later remarked that the fame she gained from American Gothic saved her from a very boring life.( Para. 14) eaning: Nan said later that the painting American Gothic helped her come to fame and prevented her from living a dull life 15. But the Buffalo nickel, produced from 1913 to 1938, honored a pair of connected tragedies from the settlement of the american frontier -- the destruction of the buffalo herds and the American Indians. (Para. 16) Meaning: But the Buffalo nickel, which was produced from 1913 to 1938. tragedies--- the killing of the buffalo herds and the destruction of the american Indians--- which were closely connected and took place as the result settlement of the american frontier settlement: n I)the movement of a new population into a place to live there
5 这座桥是以设计师的名字命名的。 10. Now more than sixty years old, Barbara—who declined interview but is said to have loved the doll--- may be the most famous unknown figure on the planet. (Para. 9) Meaning: Barbara, who is now more than sixty years old and who refuses interviews but is said to have loved the doll, is probably the most famous person in the world with her real name being unknown. 11. …with his painting American Gothic, an often copied interpretation of the solemn pride of American farmers. (Para. 12) solemn: a. 1) done, made, etc. seriously; having a sense of religious-like importance a solemn statement 庄严的声明 a solemn warning 严正的警告 2) serious-looking ; grave put on a solemn face 板起脸孔 Her solemn face told them that the news was bad .她严肃的表情告诉他们那是坏消息。 12. … but the faces in his composition were what captured the world’s attention.(Para.12) Meaning: … but the faces in his painting were the most attractive. capture one’s attention: draw one’s attention; be attractive to someone 13. He stretched the models’ necks a bit, but there was no doubt who posed for the portrait. (Para.13) Meaning: He made the models’ necks a bit longer in the painting, but doubtlessly people would know who was sitting for the painting. stretch: v. 1) to (cause to ) become wider or longer I tried stretching the shoes, but still my feet wouldn’t fit into them. 我试着把鞋撑大一点， 可脚还是伸不进去。 2) to cause to reach full length or width He stretched out his arm to try and reach the apple. 他伸出手臂设法拿到那只苹果。 3) to spread out in space or time The desert stretched away into the distance/as far as the eye could see. 沙漠一直延伸到远方；沙漠一望无际。 14. Nan later remarked that the fame she gained from American Gothic saved her from a very boring life. (Para. 14) Meaning: Nan said later that the painting American Gothic helped her come to fame and prevented her from living a dull life. 15. But the Buffalo nickel, produced from 1913 to 1938, honored a pair of connected tragedies from the settlement of the American frontier--- the destruction of the buffalo herds and the American Indians. (Para. 16) Meaning: But the Buffalo nickel, which was produced from 1913 to 1938, honored two tragedies--- the killing of the buffalo herds and the destruction of the American Indians--- which were closely connected and took place as the result of the settlement of the American frontier. settlement: n 1) the movement of a new population into a place to live there