Supplementary Reading >> Culture Notes

I. A Brief Introduction to The Simpsons

- Born: 1989

- Birthplace: Television

- Best Known As: Long-running yellow-skinned animated TV family

The Simpsons is an American animated television sitcom (情景喜剧) created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody (模仿的作品) of a working class American lifestyle epitomized (以…为缩影) by its eponymous (同名的) family, which consists of Homer,  Marge,  Bart,  Lisa, and Maggie. The show is set in the fictional city of Springfield, and satirizes American culture, society, television and many aspects of the human condition.

II. Origin

Groening conceived of the idea for The Simpsons in the lobby of James L. Brooks’s office. Brooks had asked Groening to pitch an idea for a series of animated shorts, which Groening initially intended to present as his Life in Hell series. However, when Groening realized that animating Life in Hell would require the rescinding (废除) of publication rights for his life’s work, he chose another approach and formulated his version of a dysfunctional (功能不健全的) family. He named the characters after his own family members, substituting “Bart” for his own name.

III. Creator – Matt Groening

- Born: 15 February 1954

- Birthplace: Portland, Oregon

- Best Known As: Creator of The Simpsons 

Matthew Abram “Matt” Groening, born on February 15, 1954, is an American cartoonist, screenwriter and producer. He is the creator of the comic strip Life in Hell as well as two successful television series, The Simpsons and Futurama.

Because of his excellent work, Groening has won 11 Primetime Emmy Awards, ten for The Simpsons and one for Futurama as well as a British Comedy Award for “outstanding contribution to comedy” in 2004. In 2002, he won the National Cartoonist Society Reuben Award for his work on Life in Hell.

IV. Main Characters

As we all know, there are a lot of characters in this sitcom. The following table only lists the members of Simpson’s family. 

V. Influence on English Language

A number of neologisms (新词) that originated in The Simpsons have entered popular vernacular (方言) and are listed in some famous dictionaries. The following are some expressions and their meanings.

(1) “D’oh” 

It is an exclamation to express frustration or anger, especially at one’s own stupidity.

(2) “cheese-eating surrender monkeys”

It is a derogatory phrase referring to the French people. It is notorious (臭名昭著的) in the United States, particularly  in the run-up to the Iraq War.

(3) “cromulent”

It is an adjective, meaning “fine, acceptable or normal; excellent, realistic, legitimate or authentic.”

(4) “I, for one, welcome our new insect overlords.”

This sentence has become a template: “I, for one, welcome our new … overlords”. This template is commonly used on Internet forums when “a participant vastly overstates the degree of oppression or social control expected to arise from the topic in question”, or to express mock submission, usually for the purpose of humor.

(5) “Meh”

It is an interjection primarily used to imply a degree of indifference. Tone of voice and circumstance often imply a meaning. It can be used when you don’t want to answer an awkward or embarrassing question, or if you just plain have nothing else to say, and you want the other person to interpret the “meh” however he/she chooses.

VI. Watch a Video Clip and Discuss

Now you can enjoy a video clip about The Simpsons. After you watch it, you are required to tell the class whatever you have learnt about The Simpsons.

(视频略)

Supplementary Reading >> Reading

I. Difficult Sentences

1. What? You say that doesn’t sound like life in your house? Well, you’re not alone. In fact, you’re probably in the majority.
Translate the sentence into Chinese.
(=什么？你说那听起来不像你府上的生活？其实，不仅仅是你一个人这么想。事实上，大多数人可能都跟你一样这么想的。)

2. Leave it to Beaver, for example, shows Mom doing housework in pearls and high heels. Dad keeps his suit and tie on all weekend.
Translate the sentence into Chinese.
(=例如，《交给比弗吧》一剧中妈妈戴着珍珠项链、穿着高跟鞋做家务。爸爸整个周末都穿着西装，系着领带。)

3. If there’s nothing good on network TV or cable, the video store offers the best and worst of Hollywood: recent movies, cartoons, “adult” films, exercise programs, travel, sports, how-to tapes.
Translate the sentence into Chinese.
(=要是电视网或有线电视没有中意的节目，录像制品商店可以提供好莱坞制作的品质迥异的各种节目：新近公映的电影、动画片、“成人”电影、体育锻炼节目、旅游、体育及入门指南录像带。)

4. Nowadays, Dad might want to rent an action movie when Mom’s cable shopping service is on. Or Junior is playing a let’s-blow-up-Saturn video game while Sis wants to see The Simpsons.
Translate the sentence into Chinese.
(=如今，妈妈在看她的有线电视销售服务节目的时候，爸爸可能想租一部动作片。而在姐姐想看《辛普森一家》时，弟弟妹妹却在玩《让我们炸毁土星》的电子游戏。)

II. Words & Expressions

roast:

1. n. a piece of roasted meat

- My mother ordered a roast from the butcher.

- 我们通常在星期天午餐吃炖肉。

(=We usually have a pot roast for Sunday lunch.)

2. vt. cook with dry heat

- Just roast the chicken in the oven and baste it in oil and lemon.

- 他想学会如何在火上烤鸭。

(=He wanted to learn how to roast duck over the fire.)

3. adj. (only before noun) roasted

- Like many children, the boy likes roast chicken very much.

- 在我看来，制作一份上等的烤土豆是在烹饪中最重要的功夫之一。

(=In my eyes, a good roast potato is one of the most important things in cooking.)

at one time:  once; in a former time

- At one time I used to go skiing every winter.

- 超短裙曾一度非常流行。

(=At one time miniskirts were very popular.)

get along:  manage to live or survive

- I wonder how Michael is getting along in his new job.

- 虽然这不容易，但我想没有他我们照样可以活。

(=It’s not going to be easy but I think we can get along without him.)

workforce: n.  the total number of workers in a specific undertaking, or the total number of people employed or employable

- skilled/educated/flexible workforce

- 现在，妇女几乎占劳动人口的50％。

(=Women now represent almost 50% of the workforce.)

mushroom: vi.  spread, grow, or develop quickly

- After she had won several acting awards, her television career mushroomed.

- 在过去十年中，城市犯罪增长迅速。

(=Crime in the city has mushroomed during the past decade.)

miss out (on sth.):  not do or have sth. that you would enjoy or sth. that other people do or have

- If you leave early for Christmas you’ll miss out on all the partying.

- 我到那里晚了，错过了所有有趣的事。

(=I got there late and missed out on all the fun.)

in addition:  furthermore

- The company provides cheap Internet access. In addition, it makes shareware freely available.

- 该价格包括上好的免费自助早餐。此外，酒店提供免费互联网接入。

(=The price includes excellent free buffet breakfast. In addition, the hotel provides Internet access for free.)

in addition to: as well as; besides

- In addition to giving a general introduction to computer, the course also provides practical experience.

- 除了她的音乐造诣，珍妮还被认为是一位小说家。

(=In addition to her musical accomplishment, Jeannie is known as a novelist.)

gasp: vi.  catch one’s breath with an open mouth, owing to pain or astonishment

- I gasped when I heard how much the watch had cost.

- 当车失控时，她吓得倒抽一口气。

(=She gasped in horror as the car spun out of control.)

commute: n.  the act of making the same journey regularly between work and home (followed by to/from/ between)

- Commute from Brighton to London every day really exhausts me.

- 我早晨上班路上要花45分钟。

(=My morning commute takes 45 minutes.)

whip:

1. n. a piece of leather or rope which is fastened to a stick, used for hitting animals or people

- She lashed the horses mercilessly with her long whip.

- 用鞭子惩罚孩子是残酷的。

(=It’s cruel to use a whip to punish a child.)

2. vt. hit (a person or animal) with a whip

- I don’t like the way the drivers whip their horses.

- 他鞭打马使它跑得更快。

(=He whipped the horse to make it go faster.)

whip up: make quickly

- Mother was in the kitchen whipping up a batch of cakes.

- 我能三下五除二做出一份色拉。

(=I could whip up a salad.)

go with:  suit each other or look or taste good together

- I’m not sure that this hat really goes with this dress.

- 这种酒与海鲜特别搭配。

(=This wine goes particularly well with seafood.)

thaw: vt.  (of ice, snow, or other frozen substance, such as food) become liquid or soft as a result of warming

- Thaw frozen meat in its packet and then cook as soon as possible.

- 太阳出来，把冰融化了。

(=The sun came out and thawed the ice.)

as a result:  consequently, therefore

- Unemployment has risen as a result of new economic policies.

- 由于飞行员罢工，所有航班都被迫取消。

(=As a result of the pilots’ strike, all flights have had to be cancelled.)

relate to:

1. be able to understand

- I know he feels upset, and I can relate to that.

- 许多家长发现很难与处于青少年期的孩子沟通。

(=Many parents find it hard to relate to their children when they are teenagers.)

2. be connected with

- The cost relates directly to the amount of time spent on the job.

- 第九章涉及通货膨胀对消费者的影响。

(=Chapter Nine relates to the effects of inflation on consumers.)

take over:  become dominant; take control of, esp. in place of sth./sb. else

- They’ve recently been taken over by a larger company.

- 英国航空公司已经接管了两个附属航空公司。

(=British Airways has taken over two subsidiary airlines.)

dizzying: adj.  making people feel dizzy, producing a feeling as if everything is spinning around

- The economic restructuring proceeded at a dizzying pace.

- 初恋可能会侵入血液，令人头晕目眩；而持久的爱情则在灵魂深处找到归宿。

(=First love may register in the blood with dizzying effect, but the love that endures takes up residence in the soul.)

array: n.  a large group, number, or quantity of people or things

- There was a splendid array of food on the table.

- 他们坐在一排麦克风和照相机前。

(=They sat before an array of microphones and cameras.)

cable: n.  a wire, covered by plastic, that carries electricity, telephone signals, etc.

- The road has been dug up in order to lay cables.

- 由于地震，海底电缆被毁。

(=The undersea cable was broken because of the earthquake.)

network: n.  a group of radio or television stations, which broadcast many of the same programmes, but in different parts of the same country

- Three big TV networks are under construction in that country.

- 在那个宾馆，你可以很容易连接上国际电脑网络。

(=It’s easy for you to plug into the international computer network at that hotel.)

make sense:  be reasonable, logical or comprehensible

- What you say makes no sense.

- 当这些便宜的衣服与那件贵的一样好时，去买那件贵的是不明智的。

(=It doesn’t make sense to buy that expensive coat when these cheaper ones are just as good.)

Leave it to Beaver:  one of the most popular series in television history in the US, first shown in 1957

hitch a ride:  to try to get a ride in a passing vehicle while standing at the side of a road, generally by either sticking out one’s finger or thumb or holding a sign with one’s stated destination

Big Mac:  a hamburger sold by the international fast-food chain McDonald’s. It is one of the company’s signature products. It consists of two 45.4g beef patties, special “Mac” sauce, iceberg lettuce, American cheese, pickles, and onions, all served on a three part sesame seed bun.

Supplementary Reading >> Comprehension Tasks

I. Questions and Answers

Listen to the passage and answer the following questions.

1. When is Mother’s day every year?

(=Mother’s Day is celebrated in May every year.)

2. How did Sonora Dodd’s mother die?

(=Her mother died in childbirth.)

3. Why did Sonora Dodd want to have Father’s Day?

(=Because she wanted a special day to honor fathers’ efforts.)

4. When is Father’s day every year? And why it is in June?

(=It is celebrated on the third Sunday of June. June is the month Sonora Dodd’s father was born.)

Script:

Father’s Day is observed on the third Sunday of June in 52 countries. This special day to honor and celebrate fathers has one hundred years of history behind it. In nineteen hundred and nine there was a woman named Sonora Dodd. She was in church at a service for Mother’s Day, which is celebrated in May.

She thought about how difficult it had been for her father to raise six children all by himself. Her mother had died in childbirth, leaving her father to raise her and her five brothers and sisters. She decided that since there was a day honoring mothers, there should also be one recognizing fathers.

Sonora Dodd campaigned for the idea in her home state of Washington, in the Pacific Northwest. The first Father’s Day was celebrated in June of 1910 in the city of Spokane. June was the month her father was born.

II. Retell and Discuss

Retell what you have heard after you listen to the passage. And then discuss the issue based on the following question.

Do you think it’s good for men to be stay-at-home dads?

Script:

The Census Bureau says fathers regularly care for one-fourth of children of preschool age whose mothers have jobs outside the home. These fathers generally also have jobs. But in 2008, the United States had an estimated one hundred forty thousand stay-at-home fathers.

These are men who have stayed out of the labor force for at least one year, mainly to raise children while their wives go to work. Stay-at-home dads are a small number compared to five million stay-at-home moms.

But right now, the recession seems to be adding to the number of fathers staying home with their kids. Job losses have been a lot higher for men than for women. The Labor Department says the unemployment rate for women was eight percent in May; for men it was ten and a half percent.

Mike Stillwell is a stay-at-home dad by choice. He is also the head of a support group in the Washington area known as DC Metro Dads. He says the group has about four hundred fifty members. Most of them stay at home by choice, he says. But there are times when the decision is simply a question of economics.

Mike Stillwell and his wife decided early that if the cost of child care got to be too much, one of them would quit work. That time came twelve years ago. Mike has been a stay-at-home-dad ever since. He says most of the dads in his group have the same responsibilities, questions and concerns that stay-at-home moms have.

“The only thing that we try to stress is that a stay-at-home dad can do all the things a stay-at-home mom can do. I always like to joke with some of the new dads that come into the group that there’s really only two things that a stay-at-home-dad can’t do, and that’s give birth and breastfeed.”