新世纪高等院校英语专业本科生系列教材 (修订版)(第二版)U3B3.ppt

Unit 3 Out of Step From I’m a Stranger Here Myself (1999) by Bill Bryson The Author: Bill Bryson （1951-） A well-known American travel writer and humorist Bill Bryson cant decide where to live -- England, Australia, Iowa, New Hampshire -- its really a tough decision. But, as he points out in his book, Im A Stranger Here Myself, no matter where Bill is, Bills a stranger. ——Michael Feldman Pre-reading questions It is said that the United States is a nation on the wheel. How important do you think the car is for an ordinary American? (link 1) 2. When do you prefer to walk, and when do you drive? Do you think people will become over-reliant on cars in the future? Cultural Points for Reference 1. USA: a nation on wheels? 1) USA, a country of vast territory: 3,615,123 sq. mi. (9,375,720 sq. km.) Cf: Almost as large as whole Europe: 9,900,000 sq km; 38 times of that the UK:244,820 sq km; 17 of France, the largest country in West Europe: 547,030 sq km) Cultural Points for Reference 2) Ideal living environment for many Americans: to escape both isolation and crowds. People have flocked to the suburbs. There is nothing but car that can make it possible for them to move around easily living in suburbs. 3) Car also enables people to keep away comfortably from the crowds in public transportation, which obviously caters to the privacy-conscious Americans. Cultural Points for Reference 4) For a country that moves generally according to schedules, being punctual is highly valued. Therefore, it seems to them absolutely reasonable to drive anywhere any time for meeting “an appointment” even if the place is within walking distance. It is Perhaps, for most of Americans, it is not a matter of distance, but a matter of values. The same is true of their driving to “walk” as walking is just an item on their schedule. Cultural Points for Reference 5) A people that regard travel as an indispensable part of their life; a people that