Unit 4 The American Dream

Contents1Unit4TheAmericanDreamBeforeReadingTheAmericanDream........................................................................................2Immigrants.........................................................................................................2TheGreatDepression........................................................................................2Mortgage...........................................................................................................2Warm-upQuestions...........................................................................................3GlobalReadingPartDivisionoftheText....................................................................................4FurtherUnderstanding.......................................................................................4DetailedReading..........................................................................................................6AfterReadingUsefulExpressions..........................................................................................14SentenceTranslation........................................................................................14SummaryWriting............................................................................................15Discussion.......................................................................................................15WritingPractice...............................................................................................15MakeUpaStory..............................................................................................17ProverbsandQuotations.................................................................................17SupplementaryReadingCultureNotes...................................................................................................19Reading............................................................................................................19ComprehensionTasks......................................................................................22BeforeReading2BeforeReadingTheAmericanDreamAmericanDreamisthebeliefthateveryoneintheUnitedStateshasthechancetoachievesuccessandprosperity.Forordinarypeople,itmeansahappyfamily,anidealjob,andanicehouse.Forminoritiesandimmigrants,italsoincludesfreedomandequalrights.BeforeReadingImmigrantsI.IntroductionListentothepassageandfillintheblankswiththemissingwords.Apartfrom“NativeAmericans”—Indians,allAmericanshaveancestorswhowereimmigrants.TheUnitedStateshasbecomethehomeofimmigrantsfromallovertheworld.SomeimmigrantscometotheUnitedStatesinsearchofaplacetopracticetheirreligionfreely,whileothersseekpoliticaloreconomicprotection.Stillothersarriveinhopesofbuildingabetterlifeforthemselvesandtheirfamilies.II.FirstImmigrantsThefirstimmigrantstoAmericacamealmostfromwesternEurope.Duringthefirstdecadesofthe17thcentury,settlersfromEnglandcolonizedVirginiaandNewEngland.ImmigrationtoNewEnglandbeganin1620whenEnglishPuritansestablishedPlymouthColonyinpresent-dayMassachusetts.ThevaluesofthesePuritansettlersstronglyinfluencedthecultureoftheAmericancoloniesandlateroftheUnitedStates.BeforeReadingTheGreatDepressionTheGreatDepressionisconsideredthemostsevereeconomiccrisisintheindustrializedworld.ItbeganwhenAmericanstockmarketfellonFriday,Oct.24,1929,andcontinuedthefollowingTuesday,knownasBlackTuesday,withagreaterfall.TheDepressionstruckmanyothercountriesaswell,particularlyGermany,Japan,andBritain.Intheearly1930smillionsofpeoplelosttheirjobs,andmillionsofbusinessesandbanksfailed.PresidentFranklinD.Roosevelt’sNewDealpoliciesimprovedthesituation,buttheGreatDepressiondidnotcometoanenduntilWorldWarIIwhenindustrialproductionforthewarincreased.BeforeReadingMortgageI.MortgageMortgageisanagreementtohavemoneylent,especiallytobuyahouseorland,withthehouseorlandbelongingtothelenderuntilthemoneyisrepaid.Itenablesapersontobuyahousewithouthavingenoughmoneytopayforitcompletely.Iftheborrowerfailstorepaytheloan,theBeforeReading3lendermayforcethesaleofthehousetorecovertheamountoftheloan.II.HowtoGetaMortgageAborrowercangetamortgagefromabank,creditunion,orotherlender.Mostlendersrequiretheborrowertohaveacertainamountofmoneytouseasadownpayment.Forexample,ifanindividualwantstobuyahomepricedat$50,000andthelenderrequiresadownpaymentof$2,000,theindividualwillapplyforaloanof$48,000topayforthedifference.Paymentsfortheloanareusuallymademonthly.Thelifeofthemortgagecanbe15,20,30,oreven40years.BeforeReadingWarm-upQuestions1.WhatistheAmericanDreaminyouropinion?2.Inwhatwayscanapersonbeconsideredasbeingsuccessful?3.Whatisthekeytosuccess?4.Tellastoryofasuccessfulperson.GlobalReading4GlobalReadingPartDivisionoftheTextPartsPara(s)MainIdeas11~29WithdeterminationandwithhelpfromMr.Crawford,Tonyachievedhisdreamofhavinghisownfarm.230~33Tony’scareersettheauthorthinkingaboutwhyandtowhatextenthehadbeensuccessful.GlobalReadingFurtherUnderstandingI.ForPart1i.TableCompletionHowTonyFulfilledHisAmericanDre