Lesson 5 Youth 青年

First listen and then answer the following question:
听录音，然后回答以下问题。
How does the writer like to treat young people?
People are always talking about ‘the problem of youth’．If there is one ---- which I take leave to doubt ---- then it is older people who create it, not the young themselves．Let us get down to fundamentals and agree that the young are after all human beings ---- people just like their elders．There is only one difference between an old man and a young one: the young man has a glorious future before him and the old one has a splendid future behind him: and maybe that is where the rub is.
When I was a teenager, I felt that I was just young and uncertain ---- that I was a new boy in a huge school．and I would have been very pleased to be regarded as something so interesting as a problem．For one thing being a problem gives you a certain identity, and that is one of the things the young are busily engaged in seeking.
I find young people exciting．They have an air of freedom, and they have not a dreary commitment to mean ambitions or love of comfort．They are not anxious social climbers, and they have no devotion to material things．All this seems to me to link them with life, and the origins of things．It's as if they were, in some sense, cosmic beings in violent and lovely contrast with us suburban creatures．All that is in my mind when I meet a young person．He may be conceited, ill-mannered, presumptuous or fatuous, but I do not turn for protection to dreary clichés about respect for elders ---- as if mere age were a reason for respect．I accept that we are equals, and I will argue with him, as an equal, if I think he is wrong.
FIELDEN HUGHES from Out of the Air, The Listener
New words and expressions 生词和短语
leave（1.1）/li:v/n．允许
devotion（1.11）/di')+un/ n．热爱
fundamentals（1.2）/?f)nd+'mentlz/n.基本原则
cosmic（1.13）/'k&zmik/ adj．宇宙的
glorious（1.4）/'gl&:ri+s/ adj．光辉灿烂的
suburban（1.13）/s+'b*:b+n/adj．见识不广的，偏狭的
splendid（1.4）/'splendid/ adj．灿烂的
rub（1.5）/r)b/ n．难题
conceited（1.14）/k+n'si:tid/ adj．自高自大的
identity（1.8）/ai'dentt/n．身份
presumptuous（1.14）/pri'z)mptMu+s/ adj．自以为是的，放肆的
dreary（1.10）/'drir+ri/ adj．沉郁的
commitment（1.10）/k+'mtm+nt/n．信奉
fatuous（1.14）/'f$M&+s/ adj．愚蠢的
mean（1.11）/mi:n/ adj．吝啬，小气
cliché（1.15）/'kli:Mei/ n．陈词滥调
social climber（1.11）/?s+uM+ul-'klam+/ 追求更高社会地位的人，向上爬的人
Notes on the text 课文注释
1 which I take leave to doubt，这是一个插入成分，用两个破折号与句子的主要部分分开。take leave to do sth．是“擅自做”，“冒昧去做”的意思。
2 got down to，认真处理，认真研究。
3 … that is where the rub is, There's the rub．= That's the problem．这就是问题所在。
4 for one thing，首先。
5 air of freedom，无拘无束。
6 in some sense，在某种意义上。
7 turn to … for…，力……而求助于……。
参考译文
人们总是在谈论“青年问题”。如果这个问题存在的话——请允许我对此持怀疑态度——那么，这个问题是由老年人而不是青年人造成的。让我们来认真研究一些基本事实：承认青年人和他们的长辈一样也是人。老年人和青年人只有一个区别：青年人有光辉灿烂的前景，而老年人的辉煌已成为过去。问题的症结恐怕就在这里。
我十几岁时，总感到自己年轻，有些事情拿不准——我是一所大学校里的一名新生，如果我当时真的被看成像一个问题那样有趣，我会感到很得意的。因为这至少使我得到了某种承认，这正是年轻人所热衷追求的。
我觉得年轻人令人振奋，无拘无束。他们既不追逐卑鄙的名利，也不贪图生活的舒适。他们不热衷于向上爬，也不一味追求物质享受。在我看来，所有这些使他们与生命和万物之源联系在了一起。从某种意义上讲，他们似乎是宇宙人，同我们这些凡夫俗子形成了强烈而鲜明的对照。每逢我遇到年轻人，脑子里就想到这些。年轻人也许狂妄自负，举止无理，傲慢放肆，愚味无知，但我不会用应当尊重长者这一套陈词滥调来为我自己辩护，似乎年长就是受人尊敬的理由。我认为我和他们是平等的。如果我认为他们错了，我就以平等的身份和他们争个明白。
Comprehension 理解
Give short answers to these questions in your own words as far as possible．Use one complete sentence for each answer.
1 What, according to the writer, is the one difference between an old man and a young one?
2 Why would the writer have been pleased to have been regarded as a problem when he was young?
3 Name three qualities in young people which the author particularly admires.
Vocabulary 词汇
Refer to the text to see how the following words have been used, then write sentences of your own using these words: create (1.2); teenager (1.6); devotion (1.11); link (1.12); origins (1.12); dreary (1.15).
Sentence structure 句子结构
A Complete the following sentences in any way you wish．Then compare what you have written with thesentences in the passage:
1 There is only one difference between an old man and a young one: _______．(11.3-4)
2 When I was a teenager, I ________．(1.6)
3 I find young people exciting．They _____．(1.10)
B Combine the following statements to make complete sentences．Add conjunctions of your own and omit the words in italics．Do not refer to the passage until you have finished the exercise.
1 If there is one, I take leave to doubt it．It is older people who create it．It is not the young themselves．(11.1-2)
2 They are not anxious social climbers．They have no devotion to material things．(11.11-12)
C Write three statements which an adult might make to criticize adolescents.
D Write three statements which an adolescent might make to criticize adults.
Key structures 关键句型
A Compare these two sentences: People are always talking about ‘the problem of youth’．(1.1)
Whenever I meet him, he always talks about his personal problems.
The first sentence describes something that happens all the time; the second sentence describes something that happens frequently.
Write similar pairs of sentences using the following verbs: change; make; tell; ask.
B Compare these two sentences:
It is older people who create it, not the young themselves．(1.2)
There is only one difference between an old man and a young one．(11.3-4)
Write similar pairs of sentences using the following words: the rich, a rich man; the sick, a sick man; theblind, a blind man; the dead, a dead man.
C Compare these two sentences:
Instead of saying: I would have been very pleased if anyone regarded me as a problem.
We can say: I would have been very pleased to be regarded as a problem．(1.7)
Write these sentences again using this construction with to be in place of the phrases in italics:
1 You would not like it if you were accused of theft.
2 I was astonished when they told me that all the tickets had been sold out.
3 I expect they will inform me about it tomorrow.
D Compare these two sentences:
Instead of saying: To be a problem gives you a certain identity.
We can say: Being a problem gives you a certain identity … (1.8)
Rewrite these sentences changing the form of the verbs in italics:
1 It is not very pleasant to have to write so many letters.
2 To expect others to help you and then not to help them in return is hardly commendable.
3 It is very enjoyable to teach young children.
E Note the construction in italics:
That is one of the things the young are busily engaged in seeking．(11.8-9)
Write sentences using the same construction with the following verbs: delight; interest; persist; believe.
F Compare these two sentences:
Instead of saying: They have no devotion to material things．(11.11-12)
We can say: They haven't any devotion to material things.
Write these sentences again using not … any in place of no.
1 He doesn't know．There's no point in asking him.
2 You'll pass your driving test if you make no mistakes.
3 I have no faith in him.
Special difficulties 难点
A Study the following pairs of words and then write sentences of your own to bring out the difference.
1 older (1.2) ---- elder
I know both buildings are very old, but which one is older?
My elder brother is a doctor.
2 agree (1.2) ---- accept
They invited me to their wedding and I've agreed to go．(agree to do something)
She offered me some clothes her children had grown out of and I accepted them．(accept + object = take what is offered)
But agree and accept are interchangeable in the text, as in these sentences:
I don't agree with your opinion / accept your opinion of the youth of this country．I agree / I accept that this is a difficult matter.
3 between (1.3) ---- among
It's hard to choose between these two pictures．I like them both.
There are quite a few talented artists among the people I know.
4 please (1.7) ---- begged
It pleases me to say you've got the job．
I begged the traffic-cop not to book me for speeding and he just laughed．
5 regard (1.7) ---- look at
I don't regard a degree as a meal ticket for life.
Just look at those children picking apples.
6 interesting (1.7) ---- interested
I found his talk very interesting.
I got interested in stamp collecting when I was a child．
7 exciting (L 10) ---- excited
There are some exciting items in the current fashion show.
We got excited when we thought we had won the lottery.
8 reason (1.15) ---- cause
What was the reason for the delay?
The doctor recorded the cause of death as heart failure.
B Note this phrase with get:
Let us get down to fundamentals．(1.2)
Explain these expressions with get:
1 The children are very quiet．I wonder what they're getting up to.
2 I can't see how we can get round this difficulty.
3 I've been abroad three times this year．I get about quite a bit.
4 Hasn't she got over her illness yet?
5 Don't think you'll get off so lightly if you're caught.
6 It's your turn to do the washing up and it's no use your trying to get out of it.
C Note the phrase in italics:
He may be ill-mannered．(1.14)
Write sentences using the following adjectives:
ill-advised; ill-protected; ill-tempered; ill-fated; ill-used; ill-bred; ill-natured．
Multiple choice questions 多项选择题
Choose the correct answers to the following questions.
Comprehension 理解
1 What's the main difference between young people and old people?
a．Old people think of the young as ‘a problem’.
b．Old people create this ‘problem’ of age difference.
c．Old people have a past; young people have a future.
d．Old people and young people forget they are all human beings.
2 One of the things young people want to do is to _____.
a．find out who they are
b．make sure they become ‘a problem’
c．feel uncertain about themselves
d．feel they are in a huge school
3 According to the writer, young people _______.
a．are conceited, ill-mannered or fatuous
b．don't see life in the same way their elders do
c．don't have any ambitions
d．come from another planet
4 The writer doesn't believe that ____.
a．people automatically deserve respect because they are old
b．young people and old people are equals
c．you should argue with young people if they are wrong
d．young people have any faults
Structure 句型
5 The problem, if there is one, ______ by older people．(1.2)
a．created
b．is created
c．creates
d．is creating
6 For one thing, if you ______ a problem, you have a certain identity．(11.7-8)
a．were
b．being
c．had
d．are
7 ______ to be linked with life, and the origin of things．(1.12)
a．They seem
b．It seems
c．This seems
d．What seems
8 It is _______ they are conceited and ill-mannered．(1.14)
a．necessary
b．permissible
c．possible
d．likely
Vocabulary 词汇
9 Let us get down to ______．(1.2)
a．what is needed
b．basics
c．the end
d．the bottom
10 Perhaps that's where the _____ is．(1.5)
a．wound
b．problem
c．hurt
d．injury
11 Identity is one of the things in life the young are busy _______．(11.8-9)
a．looking at
b．looking to
c．looking over
d．looking for
12 That's what I____ when I meet a young person．(11.13-14)
a．am annoyed with
b．care about
c．object to
d．think about

Lesson 5 Youth

Listening comprehension
1 Introduce the text
T: Today we'll talk about the way older people view young people in general.
2 Understand the topic
T : What can you see in the picture?
3 Listening objective
T : Listen to the text (or read it silently) and see if you can answer this question:
How does the writer like to treat young people?
4 Play the tape or read the text or wait for the students to finish readingsilently
5 Answer the question
After the reading, ask the question again: How does the writer like to treat young people?
Train the students not to shout out the answer. Instead, ask one student, then ask the others to agree or disagree with a show of hands.
Answer: As equals. (l. 16)
6 Intensive reading
Play the tape or read the text again, pausing after every sentence to check the students understand.
Obtain brief explanations to difficulties in the text from the students themselves. Only use Chinese if a confirmatory translation is necessary.
7 Play the tape or read the text again
8 Reading aloud
Ask one or two students to read the text aloud.

Comprehension questions
1 What are people always talking about? (‘The problem of youth’.)
2 Does the writer believe that young people are a problem? (No, he doesn't.)
3 If there is a problem of youth, who creates it? (Older people do.)
4 What does the writer want us to agree? (That the young are after all human beings.)
5 What does he mean by ‘their elders’? (People who are older than them.)
6 What does a young man have in front of him? (A glorious future.)
7 Does the older person have the same prospect? (No, he doesn't.)
8 How did the writer feel when he was a teenager? (Young and uncertain.)
9 What does he compare himself with? (A new boy in a huge school.)
10 What would have pleased him? (To be (or Being) regarded as a problem.)
11 What does being a problem do for you? (It gives you a certain identity.)
12 What are the young engaged in doing? (In seeking an identity.)
13 How does the writer find young people? (Exciting.)
14 What does he say young people possess? (An air of freedom.)
15 And what are they free of, in his opinion? (Dreary commitment to ambitions and love of comfort.)
16 What sort of people are ‘social climbers’? (People who want to improve their status in society.)
17 Can you think of another way of referring to ‘material things’? (Possessions.)
18 How does the writer see them in contrast with older people? (As cosmic beings, linked with life and the origins of things.)
19 Does he expect a young person to be polite to him because of his age? (No, he doesn't.)
20 On what basis does he expect to argue with a young person , if he thinks he is wrong? (As an equal.)

Asking questions: Ask me if ...
T : Ask me if people are always talking about the problem of youth.
S : Are people always talking about the problem of youth?
T : What...?
S : What are people always talking about?
1 people are always talking about the problem of youth. (What)
2 it is older people who create ‘the problem of youth’. (Who)
3 it is not the young themselves who create it (Why)
4 there is only one difference between an old man and a young man. (What difference)
5 the young man has a glorious future before him. (What)
6 an old man's splendid future is behind him. (Where)
7 the writer felt that he was just young and uncertain. (How long ago)
8 the writer felt as though he was a new boy in a huge school. (How)
9 he would have been very pleased to be regarded as a problem. (Why)
10 being a problem gives you a certain identity. (What)
11 the young are busily engaged in seeking an identity. (Who)
12 the writer finds young people exciting. (Why)
13 young people have an air of freedom. (What )
14 the writer accepts that he and young people are equals. (What )

Reconstruct the text
1 People always talk ---- ‘problem of youth’.
2 If problem ---- take leave to doubt ---- then older people create ---- not the young.
3 Let us get down ---- fundamentals ---- agree ---- young ---- human beings ---- people just like elders.
4 Only one difference ---- old man and young one: ---- young man ---- glorious future before ---- old one splendid future behind: ---- maybe where rub is.
5 When teenager ---- felt just young and uncertain ---- new boy in huge school, ---- be very pleased regarded as something interesting ---- problem.
6 For one thing, ---- being problem ---- give identity, ---- one of things ---- young busily engaged ---- seeking.
7 I find young ---- exciting. ---- Have air of freedom ---- not dreary commitment ---- mean ambitions ---- love of comfort.
8 Not anxious social climbers, ---- and no devotion ---- material things.
9 All ---- seem ---- link with life, ---- origins of things. It ---- as if they, ---- in sense, cosmic beings ---- violent and lovely contrast ---- us suburban creatures.
10 All that ---- in mind ---- when meet young person.
11 He ---- conceited, ill-mannered, presumptuous, fatuous, ---- but I not turn ---- protection ---- dreary clichés respect for elders ---- as if mere age ---- reason for respect.
12 I accept ---- we equals, ---- I argue ---- as equal ---- if think ---- he wrong.

Topics for discussion
1 Is there ‘a problem of youth ’in this country? If so, tell us about it.
2 Is there a problem of age in this country? If so, whose problem is it, and what difficulties does it create?
3 Are there conflicts in this country between different groups, such as between the old and the young, the urban and the rural, the educated and the uneducated? Do you see yourself as belonging to any such group? If so, do you understand those people who belong to the opposite camp?

Key to Comprehension
Possible answers
1 The writer says that the one difference between an old man and a young man is that a young man can look forward to a glorious future, and an old man can only remember his splendid past.
2 The writer would have been pleased to have been regarded as a problem when he was young because it would have given him a more interesting identity, which was one thing he felt he lacked.
3 The author particularly admires the air of freedom that young people have, their unconcern about being successful and comfortable, and their lack of anxiety about status and possessions.

Key to Vocabulary
A possible answer
When a literary genius creates a great novel, one cannot explain it by looking at the writer's life.
In some ways, modern teenagers need more protection than we did when we were in our teens.
After the old lady became ill, her daughter cared for her with real devotion until her death.
There is plenty of evidence to link this particular person with the scene of the crime.
Scientists hope that new telescopes in space will finally reveal the origins of the universe.
We had dreary weather on the trip----grey skies and plenty of drizzly rain.

Key to Sentence structure
A See text.
B See text.
C
A possible answer
1 Adolescents are often loud and rough, especially when they are in groups.
2 Their behaviour can be so unpredictable that other people sometimes feel threatened.
3 Most adolescents think they know all the answers to everything, and they think their elders are stupid not to see things their way.
D
A possible answer
1 Adults think they always know best, even about things that they have no experience of.
2 They're always critical or disapproving of whatever we do or say, and they don't take us seriously.
3 They're quite hypocritical, because they forbid us to do things that they do all the time.

Key to KS Exercises
A When it combines with a progressive (or‘continuous&rsquo tense (be+-ing), always means ‘all the time’.
With simple tenses, present or past, always means‘frequently’.
He's always changing his mind. He always changes his arrangements at the last minute.
I'm always making mistakes like this. I always make a point of asking after his family.
People are always telling us about things that are bad for our health. We always tell our children to come straight home from school.
Everybody's always asking about you. My father always asks how you're getting on.
B After the, adjectives like young, old, blind, deaf, rich, poor refer to the group as a whole: the young = ‘young people as a group’, etc. The same adjectives after a must be completed by a noun or pronoun: a young man, a young one, etc., and refer to a single individual.
Only the rich can afford to live in that part of town. He must be a rich man to live in that part of town.
Caring for the sick requires a special kind of temperament. He had been a sick man for years.
Uneven pavements and illegal parking make it difficult for the blind to go around safely in our city. A blind man will often carry a white stick to warn others that he can't see.
They say you should never speak ill of the dead. Responding to an anonymous call, the police found a dead man in the park.
C This exercise focuses on the use of the present passive infinitive in particular: to be + past participle. There are several ways we can use a to-infinitive rather than a clause:
---- to refer to an unreal past, as in the example: I would have been very pleased to be regarded as a problem (but I was not regarded as a problem); and in No. 1: You would not like to be accused of theft (but you were not accused of theft).
---- to express an unexpected or unwelcome event, giving rise to a particular result or viewpoint, as in No. 2: I was astonished when they told me… =I was astonished when I was told… = I was astonished to be told …
---- as the object of a verb, replacing a that-clause, as in No. 3: I expect they will inform me = I expect that I will be informed =I expect to be informed.
1 You would not like to be accused of theft.
2 I was astonished to be told that all the tickets had been sold.
3 I expect to be informed about it tomorrow.
D This exercise focuses on how the subject of a clause can be a phrase with a to- infinitive or a gerund (-ing). Note that h in Nos. 1 and 3 is a preparatory subject so that the true subject is expressed after the verb.
1 It is not very pleasant having to write so many letters.
2 Expecting others to help you and then not helping them in return is hardly commendable.
3 It is very enjoyable teaching young children.
E These verbs are all followed by in + noun/pronoun/gerund.
Possible answers
1 He delighted in music/in that/in playing the piano.
2 Can I interest you in this idea/in this/in joining us?
3 I wish he wouldn't persist in such folly/in this/in misbehaving in class.
4 Do you believe in such things/in them/in trying to change the system?
F No combines with plural countables (no coins) and (singular) uncountables (no money) and is the precise equivalent of not… any.
1 He doesn't know. There isn't any point in asking him.
2 You'll pass your driving test if you don't make any mistakes.
3 I don't have any faith in him.

Special difficulties
A
1 We cannot use than after elder: John is older than I am. We cannot use elder for things: Which building is older?
Use either form when comparing two people: Who is the older/the elder? We use elder in front of a noun when referring to two people in a defined group, such as in a family: My elder/older brother is a doctor.
2 Agree with: I agree with you when you say that something must be done.
Accept + direct object: I accept your point that something must be done.
Agree + to- infinitive: I agreed to go with him.
But we use a noun clause, not a to- infinitive, after accept: I accept that these things happen.
3 Between two: That daft dog hasn't got much brain between his ears.
Among more than two: Money's work is scattered among the many great art galleries of the world.
4 Please =‘give pleasure’: It pleased me very much to be offered a higher salary.
Beg =‘ask very earnestly’, often followed by a to- infinitive: I beg you to think again.
Also beg for: The prisoner begged for a visit from his wife.
5 Regard =‘look on’, ‘consider to be’, believe to be and is generally followed by as + noun or -ing phrase: I regard punctuality as (being) the most basic politeness. Many people regard Mozart as (being) the most perfect composer.
Look at =‘view’: If you look at the situation from her point of view, you will see things differently. The image changes depending on where you look at it from.
6 Be interesting to often (though not invariably) has an impersonal subject and a personal object: Art galleries are not very interesting to most children.
Be interested in often (though not invariably) has a personal subject, and, very likely, an impersonal object: Most children are not very interested in art galleries. But note, e.g. Someone of my age is hardly very interesting to a young person like you. Children often become less interested in their grandparents in their teens.
7 Exciting: Young people are exciting. (That is the effect they have on others.)
Excited: The writer is excited by young people. (That is the effect they have on him.) Excited combines with be, get, feel, become, etc.: Now, kids, don't get too excited.
8 Reason =‘explanation’or ‘justification’. It is normally followed by for: This is the reason for my asking you in particular, or by a that-clause: This is the reason that I have asked you in particular, or by a to infinitive: This is no reason to quarrel with someone.
Cause =‘the thing that makes something happen’. It is normally followed by of :These changes are the cause of all this trouble.
B 1 doing (getting up to suggests mischievous activity) 2 overcome 3 move from one place to another 4 recovered from 5 escape penalty 6 be excused from (an unwelcome task)
C These are compound adjectives, and are either hyphenated or written as one word.
Possible answers
1 It seems ill-advised to sell the house now when the market is so depressed.
2 The children should not be out on the moor so ill-protected from the weather.
3 Blaze was an ill-tempered horse with a hard mouth and a tendency to kick.
4 The ill-fated fishing boat, the Sapphire, went down with the loss of four men.
5 I understand that he didn't mean to be unkind, but I still feel ill-used.
6 Jennifer considers the children to be ill-bred because they are careless about thanking her for her presents.
7 It was a stupid thing to do, but it was ill-natured of them to tell us so.

Repetition drill
The secret of success
Chorus, group or individual repetition
To elicit statements involving the use of the gerund as the subject of a verb in general statements.
T: Drill 5. The secret of success. This is the situation. Listen. Do not speak. Two men talking about success. One of them is highly successful; the other isn't. This is how their conversation begins:
(1) T: Work hard at school. That's the only way you can get a good education.
S : But getting a good education isn't all that important!
(2) T: Of course it is. That's the only way you can get a good job.
S : But getting a good job isn't all that important!
(3) T: Of course it is. That's the only way you can secure your position.
S: But securing your position isn't all that important!
T: Now you do the same. Ready?
1 As in (1) above.
2 As in (2) above.
3 As in (3) above.
4 T: Of course it is. That's the only way you can make yourself indispensable.
S : But making yourself indispensable isn't all that important!
5 T : Of course it is. That's the only way you can get a position of responsibility.
S : But getting a position of responsibility isn't all that important!
6 T : Of course it is. That's the only way you can be enterprising.
S : But being enterprising isn't all that important!
7 T : Of course it is. That's the only way you can make decisions.
S: But making decisions isn't all that important!
8 T : Of course it is. That's the only way you can show initiative.
S : But showing initiative isn't all that important!
9 T: Of course it is. That's the only way you can please your company.
S : But pleasing your company isn't all that important!
10 T: Of course it is. That's the only way you can rise to the top.
S : But rising to the top isn't all that important!
11 T: Of course it is. That's the only way you can be successful.
S : But being successful isn't all that important!
12 T: Of course it is. That's the only way you can make a lot of money.
S: But making a lot of money isn't all that important!
T: Well I can see why you think so, since you're always asking to borrow money from me!

Key to Multiple choice questions
1c 2a 3B 4a 5B
6d 7a 8c 9B 10B
11d 12d