背景知识.docx
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背景知识.docx
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背景知识
Unit4FiveFamousSymbolsofAmericanCulture
1、背景知识
(1.)theStatueofLiberty
TheideaofcreatingtheStatueofLibertybeganinFranceatadinnerpartyhostedbyEdouardReneLefebvreLaboulaye,ascholar.LaboulayeandFrédéric-AugusteBartholdi,asculptor,begantodiscusstheideaofpresentingtheUnitedStateswithamonumenttomemorializeindependenceandhumanliberty.
BartholdisailedfromFrancetoNewYorkonJune8,1871,toproposethebuildingofthestatuetohonorthefriendshipbetweenFranceandtheUnitedStates.AstheshippulledintoNewYorkHarbor,Bartholdispottedtheperfectlocation,LibertyIsland.
DuringhistriptotheUnitedStates,hemetwithUSPresidentUlyssesS.Grant;HenryWadsworthLongfellow,anAmericanpoet;HoraceGreeley,aNewYorkeditorandpolitician;andothers.BartholditraveledacrosstheUnitedStatescarryingasketchofthestatueandasmallmodel.Everyonewasreceptive,butfinancialbackingwasdifficulttofind.
(2.)Barbiedolls
Itwasthelate1950swhenRuthHandlernoticedherdaughterplayingwithpaperdollsandimaginingthemingrown-uproles.Sincemostdollsatthetimewerebabydolls,Ruthenvisionedonethatwouldinspirelittlegirlstothinkaboutwhattheywantedtobewhentheygrewup.RuthcreatedateenagefashionmodeldollnamedBarbie(afterherdaughter),andtherestishistory.
Barbiehasbeenanintegralpartofthelivesofmillionsofyounggirls.Hertimelessappealhasresultedinadedicatedlegionoffansthatlovetocollecther.
ToreadmoreaboutthehistoryofBarbiedolls,checkoutthewebpageathttp:
//www.people.virginia.edu/~tsawyer/barbie/barb.html.ToviewasamplecollectionofBarbiedolls,takealookat.
(3.)MattelToyCompany
Mattelistheworldwideleaderinthedesign,manufacture,andmarketingoftoyproducts.Thecompany'scorebrandsincludeBarbie,HotWheels,Matchbox,Fisher-Price,andAmericanGirl.WithheadquartersinElSegundo,California,Mattelhasofficesandfacilitiesin36countriesandsellsitsproductsinmorethan150nationsthroughouttheworld.
(4.)AmericanGothic
GrantWoodcametoEldoninthelate1920'swithfellowartistandEldonnative,JohnSharp.Hewasinspiredbythecontrastofthemodestlittleone-and-one-half-storyframehousewithits(ashedescribedit)“pretentious”Gothicstylewindows.Thereisoneineachgableend.Hesketchedthehouseonthebackofanenvelopeanduseditasthebackdropinhisworld-renowned1930'spaintingAmericanGothic.Hissister,Nan,andhisdentist,Dr.B.H.McKeeby,posedasthesour-facedcouple.Woodintendedthecoupletorepresentatypicalsmalltownresidentandhisdaughter,butmostinterpretthemasmanandwife.Sincecompletion,GrantWood's1930paintingAmericanGothichasbecomeacriticallyacclaimedworkthatcontinuestoenjoyenormouspopularity.ItalsohasbecomeanAmericaniconandisthemodelforacountlessnumberofcommercialartparodies,suchasposters,cards,andsouvenirs.ThepaintinghangsintheArtInstituteofChicago.
(5.)Buffalonickel
In1911sculptorJamesEarlFraserbegandesigningthe“Buffalo”nickel.Frasersaidtheportraitonthe“head's”sidewasacompositeofthreeAmericanIndians—IronTail,BigTreeandTwoMoons.FraserhadtheopportunitytostudyandphotographthemwhentheystoppedoffinNewYorkontheirwaytoWashingtontovisitPresidentTheodoreRoosevelt.Byborrowingfeaturesfromeachindividual,Fraserwasabletosketchthe“ideal”portraitforthenickel.
Themodelforthe“tail's”sideofthecoinwasnoneotherthanBlackDiamond,themostcontraryanimalinNewYork'sBronxZoo.HewasbornofstockdonatedbytheBarnumandBaileycircus.Inhisprime,hiscoatwasunusuallydark,andheweighedmorethan1500pounds.
Fraserstoodforhours,tryingtocatchhisformandmoodinclay.ButBlackDiamondstubbornlyrefusedtoshowhissideview,andfacedtheartistmostofthetime.OnlybybribingazooattendanttodistracttheanimalwasFraserfinallyabletocapturethelikenesshewanted.
PresidentWilliamHowardTaftapprovedtheartwork,andthefirst“Buffalo”nickelswereproducedinFebruaryof1913.TwoMoonsdiedin1917,andIronTailandBigTreeinthe1920s.Inthe1960s,asecondBigTreeappearedatcoinshowsandclaimedtobetheNativeAmericanonthenickel.Althoughheclaimedtohavecelebratedhis100thbirthdayin1962,laterrecordsindicatedhewasactuallyonly87.
﹙6.﹚JamesEarleFraser
FraserwasborninMinnesotain1876,butgrewuponaranchinSouthDakota.Hisfirstartinstructorwasatownwhittler.Later,FraserstudiedartinChicagoandParisandestablishedastudioinWestport,Connecticut.Hewasonly17whenhecompletedthefirstmodelingof“TheEndoftheTrail”.ThestatueportraysawearynativeAmericanridinganequallyforlornhorse.AtanexhibitioninParisin1898,“TheEndoftheTrail”wona$1,000cashprize.Despitethepressureofotherprojects,Fraserworkedon“TheEndoftheTrail”offandonthroughouthiscareer.TodayalargeversionofthestatueisintheCowboyHallofFameandWesternHistoryCenterinOklahomaCity,whichalsohasFraser'ssketchesforthe“tail's”sideoftheBuffalonickel.
WhentheBuffalonickelfinallymadeitsdebutin1913,acoincollector'smagazinehaileditasatrueworkofart,powerfullymodelled.Manycriticsagreed,andin1951theAmericanAcademyofArtsandLetterspresentedFraserwithagoldmedalhonoringalifetimeofdistinguishedachievement.OnOctober11,1953,JamesEarleFraserdied.
(7.)NewYorkCity'sCentralPark
CentralParkwasthefirstlandscapedpublicparkintheUnitedStates.Advocatesofcreatingthepark—primarilywealthymerchantsandlandowners—admiredthepublicgroundsofLondonandParisandurgedthatNewYorkneededacomparablefacilitytoestablishitsinternationalreputation.Apublicpark,theyargued,wouldoffertheirownfamiliesanattractivesettingforcarriageridesandprovideworking-classNewYorkerswithahealthyalternativetothesaloon.Afterthreeyearsofdebateovertheparksiteandcost,in1853thestatelegislatureauthorizedtheCityofNewYorktousethepowerofeminentdomaintoacquiremorethan700acresoflandinthecenterofManhattan.
(8.)NewYorkCity'sCentralParkZoo
NewYorkCity'sCentralParkZooispartoftheCentralParkestablishment.FormoreinformationaboutCentralParkZoo,pleasevisithttp:
//www.centralpark.org.
(9.)UncleSam
Historiansaren'tcompletelycertainhowthecharacter“UncleSam”wascreated,orwho(ifanyone)hewasnamedafter.
TheprevailingtheoryisthatUncleSamwasnamedafterSamuelWilson.WilsonwasborninArlington,Mass.,onSeptember13,1766.HischildhoodhomewasinMason,NewHampshire.In1789,heandhisbrotherEbenezerwalkedtoTroy,NewYork.
DuringtheWarof1812,Wilsonwasinthebusinessofslaughteringandpackingmeat.HeprovidedlargeshipmentsofmeattotheUSArmy,inbarrelsthatwerestampedwiththeinitials“US”.Supposedly,someonewhosawthe“US”stampsuggested—perhapsasajoke—thattheinitialsstoodfor“UncleSam”Wilson.Thesuggestionthatthemeatshipmentscamefrom“UncleSam”ledtotheideathatUncleSamsymbolizedthefederalgovernment.
SamuelWilsondiedin1854.HisgraveisintheOakwoodCemeteryinTroy.
ThesinglemostfamousportraitofUncleSamisthe“IWANTYOU”ArmyrecruitingposterfromWorldWarI.TheposterwaspaintedbyJamesMontgomeryFlaggin1916-1917.
2、阅读前准备活动
Listentothetapeandanswerthefollowingquestions:
1.Whatarethesymbolsthatyouhaveheardabout?
2.WhatcanyouimaginetobethereasonstheStatureofLibertywasbuilt?
3.WhatmorecanyousayaboutthesymbolsofAmericanculture?
3、课文详解
LanguagePoint1
TheStatueofLiberty(Para.1)
statue:
n.thefigureofapersonoranimal,thatismadeofstoneormetalandusuallyputinapublicplace
thestatueof/toLuXun鲁迅塑像
Compare:
stature:
n.theheightofaperson身高
Motherwasofverysmallstature,barelyfivefeettall.母亲个子不高,还不到五英尺。
Shewasalittleshortinstature.她个子矮小。
LanguagePoint2
TheStatueofLiberty(Para.1)
liberty:
n.thefreedomtogowhereyouwant,dowhatyouwant,etc.
lossofliberty丧失自由
Wemustdefendourcivillibertiesatallcosts.不管付出多少代价,我们都要捍卫我们的公民自由。
Youareatlibertytoleavewhenyouwish.你随时可以走。
IamnotatlibertytotellyouhowIgotthisinformation.我无权告诉你我是如何得到这消息的。
LanguagePoint3
Inthemid-1870s,FrenchartistFredericAugusteBartholdiwasworkingonanenormousprojectcalledLibertyEnlighteningtheWorld,…(Para.2)
workon:
havesth.asthesubjectofthoughtoreffort
Theyareworkingonareportoftheirinvestigationofsyntheticrubber.他们在写一份合成橡胶的调查报告。
IsTomstillworkingonthenewbookthathepromised?
汤姆还在写那本他许诺要写的新书吗?
Iwanttoworkonperfectingmystylebeforetryinganythingnew.在尝试新的东西之前,我想努力改进我的风格。
Thescientistsarestillworkingoninventingnewmethodsofreachingouterspace.科学家们还在努力研发到达外层空间的新办法。
LanguagePoint4
Inthemid-1870s,FrenchartistFredericAugusteBartholdiwasworkingonanenormousprojectcalledLibertyEnlighteningtheWorld,…(Para.2)
enlighten:
vt.givesb.moreinformationaboutsth.sothatheorsheknowsthetruth
Afewdevoteddoctorshavefoughtforyearstoenlightentheprofession.一些富有献身精神的医生奋斗了多年来发展这一专业。
IcannotrememberhowthetrainsturnedroundtoreturntoLondon.Couldyoupleaseenlightenme?
我记不得火车是如何绕回到伦敦的,你能告诉我吗?
Itcanbeanenormouslyenlighteningandexcitingexperience.这是一次极有启发性、极令人兴奋的体验。
LanguagePoint5
…amonumentcelebratingUSindependenceandtheFrance-America
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