Before Reading >> English Song – Out in the Country

Listen to the song and answer the following questions.

(视频略)

I. Questions about the Song

1. What is the song about?

(=Taking a break from city life and escaping from the crowd.)

2. How is the song related to the theme of this unit?

(=The singer needs a break because the pace of life has quickened, the environment has changed, and the old life style has gone.)

II. Blank Filling

Listen to the song and fill in the blanks with what you hear.

Out in the Country

Whenever I need to leave it all behind

Or feel the need to get away

I find a quiet place, far from the human race

Out in the country

Before the breathin’ air is gone

Before the sun is just a bright spot in the nighttime

Out where the rivers like to run

I stand alone and take back somethin’ worth rememberin’

Whenever I feel them closing in on me

Or need a bit of room to move

When life becomes too fast, I find relief at last

Out in the country

Before the breathin’ air is gone

Before the sun is just a bright spot in the nighttime

Out where the rivers like to run

I stand alone and take back somethin’ worth rememberin’

Before the breathin’ air is gone

Before the sun is just a bright spot in the nighttime

Out where the rivers like to run

I stand alone and take back somethin’ worth rememberin’

Before the breathin’ air is gone

Before the sun is just a bright spot in the nighttime

Out where the rivers like to run

I stand alone and take back somethin’ worth rememberin’

Before Reading >> The Countryside

The Countryside

The countryside of Britain is well known for its beauty and many contrasts: its bare mountains and moorland, its lakes, rivers and woods, and its long, often wild coastline. Many of the most beautiful areas are national parks and are protected from development. When British people think of farmland, as well as open spaces, they imagine cows or sheep in green fields enclosed by hedges or stone walls, and fields of wheat and barley.

Many people associate the countryside with peace and relaxation. They spend their free time walking or cycling there, or go to the country for a picnic or a pub lunch. Only a few people who live in the country work on farms. Many commute to work in towns. Many others dream of living in the country, where they believe they would have a better and healthier life style.

America has many areas of wild and beautiful scenery, and there are many areas, especially in the West in states like Montana and Wyoming, where few people live. In the New England states, such as Vermont and New Hampshire, it is common to see small farms surrounded by hills and green areas. In Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and other Midwestern states, fields of corn or wheat reach to the horizon and there are many miles between towns.

Only about 20% of Americans live outside cities and towns. Life may be difficult for people who live in the country. Services like hospitals and schools may be further away, and going shopping can mean driving long distances. Some people even have to drive from their homes to the main road where their mail is left in a box. In spite of the disadvantages, many people who live in the country say that they like the safe, clean, attractive environment. But their children often move to a town or city as soon as they can.

As in Britain, Americans like to go out to the country at weekends. Some people go on camping or fishing trips, others go hiking in national parks.

Before Reading >> Ivy League

Ivy League

Ivy League refers to eight long-established colleges and universities in the United States with prestigious academic and social reputations. Members of the Ivy League are Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island; Columbia University in New York City; Cornell University in Ithaca, New York; Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire; Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts; University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia; Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey; Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. The members of the Ivy League compete in intercollegiate athletics.

If you want to know more about these schools, you are welcome to visit their websites:

Brown University     www.brown.edu

Columbia University    www.columbia.edu

Cornell University    www.cornell.edu 

Dartmouth College    www.dartmouth.edu

Harvard University    www.harvard.edu

University of Pennsylvania   www.upenn.edu

Princeton University    www.princeton.edu

Yale University     www.yale.edu

Before Reading >> Fahrenheit and Celsius Scales

Fahrenheit Scale

Fahrenheit Scale refers to a scale of temperature, first established by the German physicist Gabriel Fahrenheit in 1715. The unit of temperature is the degree Fahrenheit (℉), and 0℉ was originally the coldest temperature Fahrenheit could achieve using a freezing mixture of salt and ice. On his scale, water freezes at 32℉ and boils at 212℉ (under set atmospheric conditions). No longer used in scientific work, Fahrenheit temperatures still feature in everyday language; hot days “in the eighties”, for example. To convert a Fahrenheit temperature to Celsius (centigrade), subtract 32, then multiply by 5/9.

Celsius Scale

Celsius Scale refers to a scale of hotness, or temperature, first established by the Swedish scientist Anders Celsius (1701~1744) in 1742. On this scale, the unit of temperature is the degree Celsius (℃ ); water freezes at 0℃ and boils at 100℃ (under agreed standard atmospheric conditions), although when Celsius originally devised the scale he made 0° the boiling point and 100° the freezing point. The Celsius scale was formerly commonly known as the centigrade scale because of the 100 divisions between the freezing and boiling points of water. To convert from degrees Celsius to degrees Fahrenheit multiply by 9/5 and add 32.

Before Reading >> Buying Insurance

Buying Insurance

People face many choices when buying insurance policies. They commonly choose an insurance provider based on several criteria. Some of the most important of these include: 1) the financial stability of the insurance company, 2) the price of policies, and 3) details of coverage and service.

People seeking to buy insurance often use the services of an insurance agent or broker to assist in their purchase. Most insurance falls into four main categories, according to what it covers: 1) property and casualty, 2) life, 3) health and disability, and 4) old-age and unemployment. Insurers commonly refer to insurance purchased by individuals as personal lines coverage and to insurance purchased by businesses as commercial coverage.

Before Reading >> Sports Illustrated

Sports Illustrated

Sports illustrated is a popular US sports magazine published each week by Time Inc, part of Time Warner. It first appeared in 1954, and is read mainly by men. The magazine also publishes the Sports Illustrated Sports Almanac every year.

Before Reading >> Individual Retirement Account

Individual Retirement Account

Individual Retirement Account refers to a US government plan that allows people to put part of their income into special bank accounts. No tax has to be paid on this money until they retire. In fact, “IRA” is used more often.

Global Reading >> Part Division of the Text

Global Reading >> Further Understanding

I. True or False

1. The writer is a famous writer who is living in the countryside. (F)

(=He is not famous.)

2. In the writer’s opinion, their life in the countryside is self-reliant because they can grow all kinds of fruits and go picnicking in the summer. (F)

(=The writer does believe that it’s a sort of self-reliant life, but “go picnicking in the summer” is not one of the reasons.)

3. The writer is satisfied with the life in the countryside only because their hens can lay eggs for them and their bees can provide them with honey ... (F)

(=Their hens, eggs, bees and honey are evidences to prove their self-reliant life in the countryside. The writer’s satisfaction comes from elsewhere.)

4. The writer and his family live in the countryside because they were dissatisfied with the life in the city and suburbs. (T)

5. The writer uses the following words or phrases to tell the readers that he is satisfied with the life in the countryside: canoe, go picnicking, bicycle rides, deer, hawks, fruits and honey. (F)

(=The last two words are related to his self-reliance in the countryside but not his satisfaction.)

II. Interview

Suppose one of your classmates is the writer of this unit and you and another classmate are the college students in a nearby city. When you learn that the writer has moved to the countryside from the city, you are very interested in it and ask for an interview with him. The following tips may give you some help in the interview.

The words in the brackets are the hints about the questions.

1. How long have you been here since you left the city?

     (3 years)

2. Just now you mentioned that the country life is self-reliant and satisfying. But can you tell us something about the tough side of the country life?

     (firewood; corn; strawberries; chickens; outdoor toilet)

3. Besides what you mentioned just now, what do you and your wife usually do?

    (freelance articles; household routine; garden; beehives; bread; music lessons; flower beds; wood; eggs; old saying)

4. We were told that the first winter has left a deep impression on you. Could you please say something about that?

   (snow; storm; wood; apples)

5. What did you do when spring came?

   (two floods; growing season; wave of produce; freezer; cupboards; basement; barn)

III. Multiple Choice

Choose the best answer to complete the sentence.

1. The writer quitted his job because __________. (D)

A) he thought he would have a better time in the countryside

B) he would have more work to do in the year to come

C) he was sure that he had enough money to support his family

D) he just wanted to improve the quality of his family’s life in the country

2. In order to write stories for Smithsonian the writer had to _______. (B)

A) crawl into black-bear dens

B) hitch up dogsled racing teams

C) check out the Lake Champlain “monster”

D) canoe through the Boundary Water wilderness area of Minnesota

3. The total premium of the writer’s family every year is _____. (A)

A) $960

B) $2,000

C) $400

D) $560

4. Suppose the medical fee for the writer’s wife is $3,000, the insurance company has to pay _____. (B)

A) $2,400

B) $2,000

C) $3,000

D) $500

5. In order to save money the writer’s family ______. (C)

A) drink less wine

B) never go to see any ballet

C) go to some less expensive restaurants once or twice a month

D) attend the opera twice a month

IV. Answer the Questions

1. According to the author, what special qualities are necessary for people to live in the countryside?

2. How does the writer think he and his family will feel when they have to leave the farm someday?

3. Why did the writer and his family choose to live in the country? Do you think their dream has come true? Why?