Henry David Thoreau
American writer, philosopher, and naturalist (18171862)
Born in Concord, 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 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 freshly 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.
College English Book III Unit three
Why I Teach （我为什么教书）
Warm-up questions
1. 2. 3.
Would you like to be a teacher? Why or not? What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of being a teacher? Do you think that teachers are highly respected and valued in our society?
Every elementary and secondary public school teacher in the U.S. must have a teacher’s certificate (a license indication that the holder is qualified to teach) granted by the government of the state in which he wishes to teach. Most of the states require four years of college education for elementary teaching certificates; all the states require at least four years of college education for secondary teaching certificates. College and university College and university teachers are not required to take education courses or to obtain teaching certificates. However, a doctor’s degree in a field of specialization is almost a necessity for a teaching career in most institutions of higher education. 2. Ivory Tower “Living in an ivory tower” usually depicts the intellectuals who live only for their work and don’t care much about social and political affairs, They concentrate their entire efforts on the quest for what they perceive to be scientific or artistic truth.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
American philosopher and writer (1830-1882)
Ral ph Wal do Emer son was a leader of t he philosophical movement of transcendentalism (先验说, 超越论). His essays had a strong influence on both American and European readers and writers in their study of man’s relation to life. In a speech entitled “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 independence in thought and action.
◆Information Relat qualified teacher in America 1) Subjects A person who is preparing to become a teacher is supposed to learn the following subjects: A. liberal arts subjects (mathematics, English, history…) B. courses of a particular focus on future subject (s) C. professional education courses: educational psychology, methodology, philosophy and history of education 2) Teaching practice Almost all the schools require teaching practice, in which the student teacher, under the supervision of an experienced classroom teacher, participates in actual classroom procedures. 3) Qualifications – Elementary and secondary public school
Aldous Huxley
English novelist, essayist, critic, and poet (1893-1963)
In his later works he expressed 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 presents his utopia, a libertarian community living in close harmony with its natural environment.
Language Points
1. outweigh: v. be more important or valuable than sth. else eg: The benefits of this treatment far outweigh any risks. This outweighs all other consideration. 2. puzzle: v. 1) confuse someone or make them feel slightly anxious because they do not understand sth. eg: The findings of the survey puzzled me. He was puzzled what to do next / how to answer the letter. 2) solve a confusing or difficult question by thinking about it carefully eg: The teacher left the children to puzzle the answer to the question out themselves. n. a game or toy that has a lot of pieces that you have to fit together; sth. that is difficult to understand or explain eg: It’s a puzzle where all my money goes each week.