Transcript 幻灯片 1

Unit 2
Tyranny of the Urgent
Contents
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Pre-reading questions
Background information
Structural analysis of the text
Comprehensive questions
Language Points
Sentence highlights
Language appreciation
Grammar points
Comprehensive questions of Text II
Text I Tyranny of the Urgent
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Pre-reading questions
1. Do you often feel pressed by time? Do
you hate meeting deadlines?
2. Do you think the busier you are, the more
accomplished your life will be?
Background information (1)
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about the author and the text:
Charles E. Hummel, former
director of faculty ministries for
InterVarsity Christian Fellowship
and president of Barrington
College in Rhode Island, has
written several books and Bible
studies among which quite wellknown are Fire in the Fireplace:
Contemporary Charismatic
Renewal, The Galileo Connection,
and The Prosperity Gospel. The
text is adapted from Tyranny of the
Urgent, a classic booklet by
Hummel that offers ideas and
illustrations for effective time
m a n a g e m e n t .
Structural Analysis (1)
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Is this text a narration, argumentation,
description or explanation? Clarify “thesis”,
“supporting ideas”, “evidence”, and
“conclusion”.
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Thesis:
We should not let the urgent matters take
priority over important ones.
Supporting idea 1:
Evidence for supporting idea 1:
Supporting idea 2:
Evidence for supporting idea 2:
Conclusion:
Structure analysis of the text (2)
This is a well-organized argumentative essay.
The writer begins the essay by explaining that
the prolongation of time can not really help
relieve people of the pressure. Then he justifies
the argument that the pressure in our life
originates from the mishandled problems of
priorities. In the concluding paragraph, the
writer points out that we are slaves to “ the
tyranny of the urgent.”
Structure analysis of the text (2)
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Paragraphs 1-2
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The first two paragraphs serve as an introduction. In
the first paragraph, the writer mainly explains why
people wish for a thirty-hour day. In the second, he
goes on to explain why this extra time not help
people much.
Structure analysis of the text (3)
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Paragraphs 3-5
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This is the main body of the essay. The writer
explains the problem of priorities and explores the
cause of “ tyranny of the urgent”
Structure analysis of the text (4)
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Paragraph 6
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In this paragraph, the writer comes to the
conclusion that we have become slaves to the
“tyranny of the urgent”.
Comprehension questions (1)
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Is hard work alone adequate alone for one to
feel a sense of achievement?
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No. We must ensure we are working hard on
important things rather than those that are merely
urgent.
Comprehension questions (2)
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What is the key to good time management?
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Learning to prioritize. We shouldn’t let the urgent
crowd out the truly important things while merely
doing those that are not really important.
Comprehension questions (3)
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Why is there a constant tension between the
urgent and the important?
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Because urgent things call for instant attention and
immediate action while important things hardly do
so. If we crowd out schedule with too many urgent
engagements, we will have less time to deal with
truly important things.
Comprehension questions (4)
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What does the author imply about the impact of the
technological development on our time management?
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The development of modern science and technology,
especially that of the modern means of communication, is
accused as an accomplice of the tyranny of the urgent. The
telephone lines has tied us to the fast-growing outside
world to which we have to give instant response. So our
life has been cursed with endless callings and intrusions,
for which the development of modern technology is
partially responsible.
Comprehension questions (5)
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Does the writer suggest that we should neglect
urgent things?
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No. The message the writer wants to convey is that
we should not let urgent things crowd out
important things. He does not mean we should
leave urgent things unnoticed.
Language Points
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trail: a stream of dust, smoke, people, vehicles,
etc. behind something moving
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He went inside, leaving a trail of muddy footprints
behind him.
The hurricane has left a trail of destruction across
much of the area.
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trail: a stream of dust, smoke, people, vehicles,
etc. behind something moving
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He went inside, leaving a trail of muddy footprints
behind him.
The typhoon has left a trail of death and
destruction across much of the area.
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haunt (v.): to be always in the thoughts of
 The decision to leave her children now haunts her.
 Thirty years after the fire he is still haunted by
images of death and destruction.
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exacting: (of a person or piece of work
demanding too much care, effort and attention
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Volunteers are needed for an exacting assignment
dilemma: a situation in which one has to make a
difficult choice between two courses of action,
both perhaps equally undesirable
The doctor’s dilemma was whether he should tell the
patient the truth or not.
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priority: something that needs attention,
consideration, service, etc, before others.
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You have to learn to get your priorities straight.
Getting your priorities in order is an efficient way not to
waste time on trivial or even meaningless pursuit.
misgiving: (a feeling of ) doubt, distrust, or fear ,
esp. about a future event
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We had misgivings about flying near mountains in
such weather.
The plan seemed utterly impractical and I was
filled with misgiving about it.
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crowd out: to keep out for lack of space
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Pressure on study space has crowded out new
students from many university libraries.
The article was crowded out of yesterday’s edition.
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maxim(n.): a short saying that expresses a
general truth or a rule for good and sensible
behavior
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Aesop’s fables illustrate moral maxim.
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rebuke(v.): to speak angrily to (somebody)
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Her mother rebuked her for frightening her brother.
He was rebuked for cheating.
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breach(v.): to break (a promise, agreement,
etc.); to make an opening in a wall or fence
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They breached the agreement they had made with
their employer.
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imperious(adj.): too commanding; expecting
obedience from others
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She sent them away with an imperious wave of hand.
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devour: to use up all of something; to eat
hungrily and in large quantities, so that nothing
remains
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Her job devours all her energy.
The young cubs hungrily devoured the deer that
the lion had killed.
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in the light of: because of
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In the light of recent incidents, we are asking the
customs to take particular care of their personal
belongings.
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prominence: the fact or quality of being wellknown and important
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He came to prominence during the World Cup in
Italy.
Most of the papers give prominence to the same
story this morning.
Sentence Highlights
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1.Paraphrase: Our lives leave a trail of
unfinished tasks.
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2. Paraphrase: Unanswered letters, unvisited
friends, unwritten articles and unread books
haunt quiet moment when we stop…
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3. Paraphrase: We all know wheat it is to go
full speed for long hours, … a sense of
achievement and joy.
Language Appreciation
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1.We sense demands have driven us onto a
reef of frustration. (Para.3)
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“A reef of frustration” is a metaphor
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2. … we have left undone those things,
which we ought to have done; and we have
done those things which we ought not to
have done. (Para. 3)
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The use of parallel structure
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3. A man’s home is no longer his castle; it is
no longer a place away form urgent tasks
because the telephone breaches the walls
with imperious demands.(Para.6)
“His castle” is a metaphor
Grammatical items
Coordination
Like subordination, coordination is also a device for combining
and relating ideas. Generally speaking, subordination
establishes a kind of relationship which indicates that one idea
is more important than the other, while coordination
establishes a relationship between ideas of approximately
equal importance.
Men marry because they are tired.
The italic part of this sentence is a
Finite subordinate clause indicating causes.
Men marry because they are tired, and women marry
because they are curious.
This sentence is a coordinate construction using the coordinator
“and”
Basic coordinators: and, or, but.
Others: yet, so, nor, both…and…,
not only… but also…
either … or…
neither … nor …
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并列连词连接两个分句时，其位置固定在
所引导的分句句首。
The dean left for Beijing yesterday, and he will
be back next week.
Give the book to John, or you may just keep it.
He didn’t see me, but I saw him.
We must start early, for we have a long way to
go.
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两个并列连词不可以连用， 比如不可以说：
* The children can go to bed， and or they can
watch TV.
*He did not like your suggestion, and but he
raised no objection.
Comprehensive questions of Text II
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What is the writer’s mother’s view on time?
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Time is eternity and men waste eternity by
wasting time.
Comprehensive questions of Text II
(2)
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What does the clause “and which contains life,
death, and this earth as the blue sea contains
the fishes courting and swimming
together”(Paragraph 2) means?
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It means that we believe that time contains life,
death, and us, who are just like fishes in the sea
busy living and seeking happiness.
Comprehensive questions of Text II
(3)
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What does the fulfillment of expectation
depend on?
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Generally speaking, the fulfillment of expectations
depends on ourselves as well as the external
circumstances. We need to work hard so as to
realize our dreams, but sometimes we have to wait
for the opportunities to come. There are times
when we depend more on time to bring us
opportunities, and there are others when we are
better master of our own fate.
Comprehensive questions of Text II
(4)
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What is the author’s view on time?
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The writer believes that time is within us rather
than outside us. It is not that we live in time but
that time is defined by our existence. Time is
nothing in itself; it depends on our consciousness.
Comprehensive questions of Text II
(5)
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What is your view on time?
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Open for discussion.