Unit One
Reading Comprehension
Ⅰ.Questions for discussion
1.Why does the author begin the text with a list of the phenomena?
Answer:On the one hand,at the very beginning of the essay,those fashions,retros,names of celebrities,and various kinds of style are quite eye-catching.On the other hand,it's one of the effective ways which writers usually adopt to raise their topics.
2.What's your understanding of“Twee”?
Answer:According to Marc Spitz,Twee is the most powerful youth movement since Punk and Hip-Hop.It arises from people's psychological needs for kindness and purity after the Second World War.Spitz defines the movement's key features as an unabashed celebration of beauty,whimsy and preciousness,a nostalgic fetishization of childhood paired with a wariness of sexuality,and a glorification of the awkward and geeky.Different niche phenomena form the emblems of Twee,which is characterized by a tendency to create highly stylized alternative modes of existence in opposition to competition-driven mass culture.
3.What is the author's attitude toward Spitz's discussion about Twee?
Answer:The author disagrees with Spitz.She firstly affirms that Spitz's book is heartfelt,entertaining,informative and very readable.But then she points out some flaws one by one:he fails to theorize Twee's relation to what it stands against,and he misses the opportunity to assess the wider political implications of Twee and reflect on why the post-war era has seen the rapid rise of Twee.
4.What's the author's argument about Twee?Is it convincing?
Answer:In the author's view,Twee,to a great extent,is escapist and has a regressive tendency.Generation Twee have lost their confidence in the present,so they go after an idealized state of perma-childhood,ridding themselves of the responsibilities of adulthood.Twee is a symptom of profound cultural exhaustion,a popcultural response to the death of grand narratives and radical politics.
Yes,it is convincing.The author digs out what's covered under those beautiful things,the essence hidden.
Ⅱ.Judge,according to the text,whether the following statements are true(T)or false(F).
1.Twee is a youth movement that has infiltrated every field of life.(F).
2.Spitz's analysis of Twee is inclusive and persuasive.(F)
3.In the author's opinion,Spitz fails to assess the wider political implications of Twee.(T)
4.The author thinks it the biggest flaw that Spitz omits the reflection on the reasons for the rapid rise of Twee.(T)
5.The author asserts that Twee is the production of disenchantment with the present,a lack of optimism about the future,and that it's a regressive tendency.(T)Vocabulary
Ⅰ.Fill in the blanks with words that best complete the sentences.
1.B 2.A 3.C 4.A 5.D 6.C 7.B 8.C 9.A 10.B
Ⅱ.Fill in each blank with a word chosen from the box in its appropriate form.
1.abashed 2.enchanted 3.ephemeral 4.persuade 5.assertively 6.uncanny 7.exhaustive 8.narrator 9.theorization 10.corporation 11.preservationists 12.acknowledgement
Cloze
Of the four choices given below for each blank,choose the one that best fits into the passage.
1.A 2.D 3.B 4.C 5.A 6.C 7.A 8.A 9.B 10.B 11.D 12.B
Translation Exercises
A.Use what you have learnt from the introduction above and translate the following sentences into Chinese.
1.There is a hotel on the corner of the street.街角有一家旅馆。
2.People sitting in the rear couldn't hear.(坐在)后排的人听不见。
3.The Japanese surrender ended one of the bloodiest wars in American history,second only to the American Civil War.日本的投降结束了战争,在美国历史上,这场战争的残酷性仅次于内战。
4.Their strength lay only in the lack of consciousness on the part of the people.他们之所以强大,仅仅是因为人民还没有觉醒。
5.The businessman left in high spirits and a Cadillac.那个商人高高兴兴地坐着凯迪拉克走了。
6.Word came that very few people in that village had survived the disaster.消息传来,大多数村民未能幸免于难。
7.He had about as much chance of getting a job as of being chosen mayor of Chicago.他找到工作的机会简直微乎其微。
8.Adam did not waste words.亚当(根本)没有浪费口舌。
9.To mark the 70th anniversary of Japan's surrender,China is preparing a grand spectacle,complete with a military parade.为了庆祝日本投降七十周年,中国正在准备一场包括阅兵式在内的盛大的纪念活动。
10.The historical stages by which governments have come to exercise their contemporary functions make an interesting study in themselves.当代的政府职能是经过诸多历史沿革才形成的,这些历史沿革本身就是有趣的研究课题。
B.Translate the following sentences from Text A into Chinese.
1.Since the Second World War,Spitz argues,there has been a“gentle revolution”in our sensibilities,aesthetics and tastes,driven by an ethos of kindness and a quest for purity in an impure world.斯皮策提出,自二战以来,人们于滔滔浊世崇尚善良、追求纯真,从而在情感、审美和趣味等各方面经历了一场“温和的革命”。
2.The“Twee Tribe”is characterized by a tendency to create highly stylized alternative modes of existence in opposition to competition-driven mass culture.创造种种夸张的另类生存方式来对抗高度竞争的大众文化,这一趋向是“萌宠一族”的特点。
3.The most regrettable omission in this potentially important book is any reflection on why the post-war era has seen the rapid rise of Twee.这本书可能会成为一本重要的著作,但书中未能对二战以后“萌宠文化”迅速发展的原因进行反思,这是最令人遗憾的疏漏。
4.A turn to the past always entails a disenchantment with the present.It also testifies to a lack of optimism about the future.重温过去必然造成对现实的去魅,也可见人们对未来缺乏信心。
5.Twee is a symptom of profound cultural exhaustion,a pop-cultural response to the death of grand narratives and radical politics.“萌宠文化”是文化严重枯竭的症状,它是流行文化对宏大叙事和激进政治的消亡做出的反应。