现代大学英语精读2 unit8 The Men in Asbestos 教案.docVIP

教 案 2012～2013 学年第1 学期 系(中 心) 外语系 教 研 室 英语专业 课 程 名 称 英语精读（三） 主 讲 教 师 吉林大学珠海学院教务处制 讲授章节 Unit8 TEXT A THE MAN IN ASBESTOS (一) 授课时数 2 periods 教学目的： Grasp the theme of the text Analysis the text (main idea, structure) Learn more about the literary genre called “literary dystopia” 教 学 内 容（讲授提纲） I.lead-in questions: What is asbestos? Asbestos is a kind of material highly resistant to watery, electrical insulation and heat insulation, fire insulation and heat preservation What does the author want to do? What for? What has happened in this world of the future? How did all these changes come about according to the man in asbestos? Discussion: 1) What kind of a future do you think is in store for us? Are you optimistic or pessimistic? 2) The author seems to think that a life without hard work, death and hunger, worries and anxieties, is not only impossible, but also undesirable. Do you agree? 3) Would you enjoy the world of future described in the text? Why/Why not? Give two or three reasons. II. About the author and the story: Author: The Man in Asbestos is an allegory of the future written by Stephen Butler Leacock (1869-1944), the Canadian author, who will long be remembered for his best-selling book Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town (1912) as well as the numerous awards and honours he received during his illustrious lifetime as author, professor, lecturer and humourist. Story: In this futurist story, there are observations of human nature which are as refreshing today as when they were written in 1911. Leacock describes a world where the inhabitants are clad in long-wearing suits of asbestos; where death has been eliminated, although a person can be broken; and where only a vestigial memory of Work remains, anything requiring effort was accomplished centuries ago - in short, a perfect world it is. The original ending of the story: with the hum of the wicked, busy old world all about me