Unit-9-What-Is-Happiness答案综合教程二

Unit 9 What Is Happiness

Key to the Exercises

Text comprehension I. A II.

1. T; 2. F; 3. F; 4. T; 5. F. III.

1. He means that one is given the right to pursue happiness, but does not know what it is. 2. Because he believes that commercial advertising not only fails to satisfy our desires, but more importantly it creates them, and it creates them faster than any man’s budget can satisfy them. Such insatiability makes people unhappy.

3. Because he thinks that the products and pursuits advertised on the front pages of women’s magazines are dreamlike and can’t be fulfilled.

4. He set two extremes according to Thoreau, the low level and the high level. The former refers to possession for its own sake or in competition with the rest of the neighborhood, while the latter refers to active discipline of heightening one’s perception of what is enduring in nature. To find balance is to save time and effort on the low levels and spend on the high.

5. The inherent right is not happiness itself, but lies in the pursuit of happiness, in the pursuit of what is life-engaging and life-revealing, i.e. in the idea of becoming. IV.

1. Jonathan Swift seemed to share this view when he criticized this idea of happiness as the state of being completely controlled by deception …

2. The active exercise or training to improve one’s understanding of what is of lasting value would have been Thoreau’s idea of the high levels, i.e. spiritual happiness.

Structural analysis of the text

Part 1 (Para. 1, 2): The author points out that when we are not sure what happiness is, we tend to be misled by the idea that we can buy our way to it.

Part 2 (Para. 3, 4, 5, 6): The author offers a number of examples to show how this misconception of happiness gives rise to the “happiness-market” in a highly commercialized society (the United States).

Part 3 (Para. 7, 8, 9): The author suggests striking a balance between what Thoreau called the low levels and the high levels.

Part 4 (Para. 10): The author gives his understanding of happiness, in the light of the Founding Fathers’ belief that it is “in the idea of becoming”.

Vocabulary

I. Phrase

1. un-American: not typical of the attitudes, ways of life, etc., that are approved of or considered normal in the US

2. commercialism: the activities or attitudes of people who think that making a profit is more

important than anything else; emphasis on the maximizing of profit 商业主义

3. for that matter: it is also true that … (The phrase “for that matter” is used to emphasize that sth., though mentioned second, is also true, important, or relevant as what has been mentioned earlier.) 就此而论，在这方面, 同样 4. face: aspect 方面

5. in nature: essentially 事实上，本质上 II.

1. perpetual; 2. functions; 3. inherent; 4. cited;

5. approaching; 6. flawless; 7. vaguely; 8. disciplining.

III. Word derivation

Fill in the blanks with the appropriate forms of the given words. 1. pursuit 2. deception 3. dedication 4. commercial 5. patriotic 6. fictional 7. disapproval 8. starving IV.

1. C; 2. B; 3. D; 4. B; 5. D; 6. A; 7. C; 8. D.

V. Synonym / Antonym

1. hugely — Synonym: enormously, tremendously;

deliberately — Antonym: unintentionally, accidentally 2. Synonym: perfect, spotless 3. Antonym: inhale

4. Antonym: impartial, unbiased 5. Antonym: imbalance 6. Synonym: have, own

7. Synonym: fixed, stationary, quiet

VI. Prefix / Suffix

Write in each space one word that has the same stem as underlined in each given word. 1. contain obtain 2. concede precede 3. compel repel 4. suspend depend 5. include conclude 6. insist consist 7. descend ascend

8. evolve revolve

Grammar Exercises

I. Complete the sentences below with suitable pronouns. 1. yourself;

2. You / We; you / we 3. you / one / we 4. it

5. one another 6. They / We 7. myself 8. yourself 9. it

10. I; We; They; us; They; it; we II.

There; There; There; There; There; It; there; There; It; there. There

III. Replace the underlined parts in the following sentences with non-finite clauses or verbless clauses. 1. While flattered, …

2. … whether to go upstairs or to follow … 3. Whenever possible, … 4. … if left untreated. 5. … if ready.

6. Though no swimmer, … 7. Once over the pass, …

8. Whether by accident or by design, … IV.

1. Once; 2. Though; 3. If; 4. when; 5. whether; 6. Unless; 7. Before; 8. After. V.

1. c; 2. b; 3. b; 4. c; 5. a; 6. d; 7. d; 8. d.

Translation I.

1. 广告是一项主要产业，它的存在与其说是为了满足人们的欲望；不如说是为了激发他们的欲望——而且是以超出任何人的收入所能承受的速度激发这些欲望。

2. 他们号召美国公众采取爱国行动，立即用他们并没有的钱去购买他们并不需要的汽车，而且要求他们在第二年的新款汽车问世之前就对它们厌倦。

3. 梭罗无疑不赞同挨饿，但他花在食物上的精力只是为了让自己得以从事更重要的活动。 4. 倘若他们能预见到“幸福市场”的话，他们或许会强调这个至为重要的事实，即幸福存在于追求它的过程中，存在于追求值得用生命去追寻、揭示生命真谛的富有意义的过程中，换言之，幸福是一种过程。 II.

1. In October, 1935, the Chinese Red Army, having endured all hardships and sacrifices, finally made / fought their way to the north of Shaanxi province.

2. In the economic crisis, the government released a statement, calling upon the people to buy the local products as far / many as possible.

3. The politicians / statesmen in various countries are trying to harness nuclear energy and restore the safe environment for the human race.

4. He didn’t hear the doorbell because he was rapt in his work.

5. This country suffers from frequent riots because of widespread extreme poverty, as well as people’s inherent distrust of the corrupt government.

6. In his lecture on the current economic situation, the economist used a lot of figures on the PPT to underline the seriousness of the crisis.

7. He answered with a smile, “Not at all. I did this as much for you as for myself.”

8. A man is measured not by what he says, but by what he does for his country and people.

Exercises for integrated skills I. Dictation

Wealth achieved through dishonest means / does not bring happiness. / Lottery winnings do not bring happiness. / Wealth left by parents / does not bring happiness. / In fact, / money alone is almost worthless. / If you have both self-esteem and money, / you may be well on the way to happiness. / However, what is still missing in both self-esteem and money / is productive work and a real contribution / towards the happiness of others. / The secret to happiness / lies in the contribution towards the happiness of others. / You can fool others / but you can never fool yourself. / If you obtain wealth through luck / or dishonest means, / you will know / you did not earn it. / If you have taken advantage of / or hurt others to earn your wealth, / you will not be happy. / You will not like yourself. / You will not feel you are capable. / (135 words)

II. Cloze

(1) is (2) an (3) makes (4) As (5) is

(6) achieve (7) that (8) to (9) you (10) something

Writing Practice

Write two paragraphs based on the following topic sentences. First anticipate an objection to your viewpoint and then argue against the objection.

1. As an 18-year-old, I strongly believe in expressing my own individuality rather than trying to be “just like everybody else” (OR: believe in conforming to the customs and practices of our society rather than expressing my individuality). Ideas for reference:

Everybody is born unique.

If we just grow to think like others and act like others, we will all become unsuspecting conformists.

A person who wants to be “different” will learn more effectively and efficiently and finally makes a big difference.

Sample:

As an 18-year-old, I strongly believe in expressing my own individuality rather than trying to be “just like everybody else.” Everybody is born unique, so am I. The idea encouraged by our parents that follow the “rules” of society and truly conform to the customs and practices of society will help us learn and grow up soundly isn’t completely true. Just as a wise man once put it, “the surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently.” If we just grow to think like others and hence always act like others, we will all become unsuspecting conformists. No culture would really be healthy and robust if it were made up of conformists and conformists only. What’s more, by thinking and acting differently from the majority, we will learn even more quickly and become mature even sooner. A youth who tries to be “just like everybody else” is like a student who just copies the teacher by rote. And only those who always challenge and question their teachers and textbooks have the potential to excel. A person who wants to be “different” will learn more effectively and efficiently and finally makes a big difference. Therefore, my fellow pals, be our own man or woman please. We will be proud of ourselves by our own personality one day.

2. It is quite a popular belief that the current method of selecting students for higher education should be eliminated, but I believe in the contrary. Ideas for reference:

The real cause of the fierce competition isn’t the method of selecting students for higher education.

There is limited availability of places in the institutions of higher learning.

Chinese culture overemphasizes the importance of formal schooling for personal development.

Sample:

It is quite a popular belief that the current method of selecting students for higher education should be eliminated, but I believe in the contrary. The major argument for the

elimination theory is that the college entrance examinations make the competition for college entrance too fierce to be good for the mental as well as physical growth of teenagers, but such an objection actually falls wide of the mark. The real cause of the fierce competition isn’t the method of selecting students for higher education but the limited availability of places in the institutions of higher learning and the culture which overemphasizes the importance of formal schooling for personal development. Firstly, compared with developed countries, China’s higher education is still underdeveloped. Too many students want to go to college, but there are not enough universities available, thus causing fierce competition among students. Secondly, Chinese culture values too much on the importance of formal schooling for personal development. A student who fails to get admitted to a “good” university is often regarded as a failure. From this perspective, we can say that the real problem is not with the current student enrolment method which relies heavily on the matriculation examinations and it isn’t workable to eliminate the exams. Even if we eliminated them, the competition between students would not become any less fierce. Besides, other new problems would arise.

Listening Exercises

A. Can happiness be planted in a garden? Yes, it can. Listen to the following three steps and you will know how. Focus on the verbs that are often used in gardening and then match the verbs in Column A with the objects in Column B.

Column A Column B drench (with) seeds of love mulch (with) guilt or depression remove smile keep (out) bed nourish roods of the present trim (away) seeds of worry cultivate (with) weeds of despair harvest forgiveness nurture disappointments spade lessons of the past bury happy memories sow positive thinking sprout criticism and complaining

B. Listen again and complete the following statements. The verbs you are going to fill in can also be used in gardening.

1. Plant yourself deep in a bed of faith, and pack it down solid and tight. 2. Quickly remove any seeds of worry, for they will soon germinate . 3. Harvest the lessons of the past; just dig , pick , and hoe . 4. And nurture the roots of the present, for now is when you flourish and grow .

5. Remember that grief is a natural predator, so learn to tolerate some damage.