大学英语
郑艳

American Dream is the belief that everyone in the United States has the chance to achieve success and prosperity. For ordinary people, it means a happy family, an ideal job, and a nice house. For minorities and immigrants, it also includes freedom and equal rights.

Before Reading >> Immigrants

I. Introduction

Listen to the passage and fill in the blanks with the missing words.

Apart from “Native Americans” — Indians, all Americans have ancestors who were immigrants. The United States has become the home of immigrants from all over the world. Some immigrants come to the United States in search of a place to practice their religion freely, while others seek political or economic protection. Still others arrive in hopes of building a better life for themselves and their families.

II. First Immigrants

The first immigrants to America came almost from western Europe. During the first decades of the 17th century, settlers from England colonized Virginia and New England. Immigration to New England began in 1620 when English Puritans established Plymouth Colony in present-day Massachusetts. The values of these Puritan settlers strongly influenced the culture of the American colonies and later of the United States.

Before Reading >> The Great Depression

The Great Depression is considered the most severe economic crisis in the industrialized world. It began when American stock market fell on Friday, Oct. 24, 1929, and continued the following Tuesday, known as Black Tuesday, with a greater fall. The Depression struck many other countries as well, particularly Germany, Japan, and Britain. In the early 1930s millions of people lost their jobs, and millions of businesses and banks failed. President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal policies improved the situation, but the Great Depression did not come to an end until World War II when industrial production for the war increased.

Before Reading >> Mortgage

I. Mortgage

Mortgage is an agreement to have money lent, especially to buy a house or land, with the house or land belonging to the lender until the money is repaid. It enables a person to buy a house without having enough money to pay for it completely. If the borrower fails to repay the loan, the lender may force the sale of the house to recover the amount of the loan.

II. How to Get a Mortgage

A borrower can get a mortgage from a bank, credit union, or other lender. Most lenders require the borrower to have a certain amount of money to use as a down payment. For example, if an individual wants to buy a home priced at $50,000 and the lender requires a down payment of $2,000, the individual will apply for a loan of $48,000 to pay for the difference. Payments for the loan are usually made monthly. The life of the mortgage can be 15, 20, 30, or even 40 years.

Before Reading >> Warm-up Questions

1. What is the American Dream in your opinion?

2. In what ways can a person be considered as being successful?

3. What is the key to success?

4. Tell a story of a successful person.

Global Reading >> Part Division of the Text

Parts	Para(s)	Main Ideas
1	1~29	With determination and with help from Mr. Crawford, Tony achieved his dream of having his own farm.
2	30~33	Tony’s career set the author thinking about why and to what extent he had been successful.

Global Reading >> Further Understanding

I. For Part 1

i. Table Completion

How Tony Fulfilled His American Dream

Parts	Time Expressions	Tony’s Steps toward Success
1~10	one evening during the Great Depression	Tony started to work as a help at Mr. Crawford’s house.
11~13	summer passed into fall	Tony got a job clearing snow at Mr. Crawford’s factory.
14~16	one day	Tony asked to be trained as an apprentice, and later learned to be a skilled worker.
17~21	a year or two passed	Tony bought a house with the help of Mr. Crawford.
22~27	after about two years	Tony bought a farm and sent for his family in Italy.
28~33	during the war	Tony died, leaving his family a prosperous farm and his children educated.

ii. Matching

Match the following three columns.

Tony’s request	The author’s feeling	Results
1. “I mow your lawn.”	A. Well, what do you do with such determination and hope?	I. … he had graduated as a skilled grinder. … My wife and I felt it was a satisfying end of the story.
2. “When winter come, you give me job clearing snow at the factory.”	B. I doubted whether Tony had the capacity to read blueprints and micrometers or do precision work.	II. My wife said he was very helpful whenever there were any heavy objects to lift or things to fix.
3. “I want to be ’prentice.”	C. I went into my house unhappy ... but how could I turn away a person who had come to me for help?	III. I asked the personnel department for a report. They said Tony was a very good worker.

(1 — C — II; 2 — A — III; 3 — B — I)

iii. Scanning

Scan the text to find out descriptions of Tony’s physical appearance.

Para. 1 He was about five-foot-seven or eight, and thin.

Para. 22 He seemed to stand a little straighter. He was heavier. He had a look of confidence.

Para. 27 … neatly dressed

II. For Part 2 Questions and Answers

1. What is the key to Tony’s success?

(Tony worked very hard to create his American Dream. Besides, he was determined, self-controlled, optimistic, self-respected, honest and responsible. All these helped him become successful.)

2. Compare Tony with the greatest industrialists.

(Both Tony and the greatest industrialists are successful in pursuing their American Dreams. They reached their success by working hard, and by the same values and principles. The only difference was that they had different financial achievements.)

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大学英语郑艳

第1课时

Before Reading >> The American Dream