首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
The American Dream: Myth or Reality I. Coining of the term: A. became widely used (1)______ B. first appeared in a (2)______writ
The American Dream: Myth or Reality I. Coining of the term: A. became widely used (1)______ B. first appeared in a (2)______writ
admin
2013-06-12
66
问题
The American Dream: Myth or Reality
I. Coining of the term:
A. became widely used (1)______
B. first appeared in a (2)______written by Horatio Alger
C. message sent by the story:
Regardless of background, people with honesty, hard work and
(3)______would always succeed.
II. Basic definition:
— hopes for a better quality of life and a higher standard of living
— hopes for better jobs, more (4)______, or ownership of land or
a home
III. Associations:
A. — in the past: desire to improve the quality of one’s life
— today: an out-of-control (5)______and materialism
B. desire to create opportunities through hard work
— a hallmark: the classic (6)______
— an example: Abraham Lincoln
C. (7)______and their stories and quests:
often a narrative of upward mobility
D. (8)
— the frontier: symbols of (9)______and a fresh start
— the negtive side: meeting resistance from native American Indians
E. equality
— an example: Martin Luther King Jr. ’s (10)______
— a harsh reality: not everyone had the same opportunities
The American Dream: Myth or Reality
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. In the previous lectures on American history, we have discussed about the founding of the nature, the civil war, the development of its political system and the change in its people’s beliefs. I enjoyed greatly reading your papers and some of your ideas even trigger my thoughts. And I noticed that in your papers, more and more of you mentioned the American dream. That is the topic of today: The American Dream: Myth or Reality?
The term "American dream" is widely used today. But what exactly does this concept mean? Where does the term come from? When we talk about the American dream, whose American dream are we describing? Is the American dream the same for all Americans? Has the meaning of the term changed over time? Is the American dream a uniquely American concept? Questions like these can complicate a seemingly simple term and lead us to an even more important question: is the American dream a myth or a reality today?
The term "American dream" began to be widely used in 1867. (2) The term was used in a famous novel written by Horatio Alger. The novel, Ragged Dick, was a "rags to riches" story about a little boy who was orphaned and lived in New York. The boy saved all his pennies, worked very hard, and eventually became rich. (3) The novel sent the message to the American public that anyone could succeed in America if they were honest, worked hard, and showed determination to succeed. No matter what your background, no matter where you were from, no matter if you had no money or no family, hard work and perseverance would always lead to success.
Today, the message from Alger’s novel is still a prevalent one in this country. It is still used to define the American dream. A very basic definition of the American dream is that it is the hope of the American people to have a better quality of life and a higher standard of living than their parents. (4) This can mean that each generation hopes for better jobs, or more financial security, or ownership of land or a home.
However, new versions and variations of the American dream have surfaced since Alger’s novel was published. For one thing, the basic definition I stated a moment ago—the idea that Americans are always seeking to improve their lifestyle—also suggests that each generation wants more than the previous generation had. (5) Some people would argue that this ever-increasing desire to improve the quality of one’s life may have started out on a smaller scale, in the past, but today has led to an out-of-control consumerism and materialism. According to this view, we not only want more than our parents and our grandparents had, but we also want more than our friends, our co-workers, and our neighbors have.
Another, more benign view of the American dream is that it is about the desire to create opportunities for ourselves, usually through hard work. (6) A hallmark of the American dream, some would argue, is the classic "self-starter, " the person who starts out with very little in life—little money, few friends, few opportunities—and works hard to make his or her way in the world. A classic example of this type of American dreamer would be former president Abraham Lincoln, who was born in a log cabin, was largely self-educated, and yet worked his way up in the world to eventually become a United States president.
This view of the American dream has also been associated with immigrants and their stories, their quests for a better life in a new country. Americans have long been fascinated by immigrant stories, and many feel great pride about their families who may have come from other countries, worked very hard, and created a better life for future generations. The immigrant story is most often a narrative of upward mobility. Immigrants, seeing this country as a place of new opportunities and possibilities, play a large role in narratives—both fiction and nonfiction—about pursuing the American dream, and indeed, we could point to many success stories.
The American dream has also, historically, been associated with westward expansion in this country. (9) Throughout most of the 1800s, the notion of the frontier—a vast expanse of largely unclaimed land in the West—symbolized new opportunities and a fresh start to people. Many a dreamer set off for the West in search of land, jobs, gold, or other opportunities, often with next to nothing in his pocket. Unfortunately, this idea of new opportunities in the West had a negative side. The American West was not unpopulated; Native American Indians already lived there, along with other immigrant groups, and these people were often displaced—or met with violence—if they interfered with the visions or ideas of westward-migrating Americans.
A more recent interpretation of the American dream has to do with equality. (10) Civil rights activists such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., used some of the rhetoric associated with the American dream to urge people to work for equal opportunities for all Americans, not just some Americans. A harsh reality was becoming clear to some people, especially in the 1960s and 1970s: not everyone had the same opportunities. If people were denied jobs, education, or other opportunities because of their race, ethnic background, or gender, was the American dream only a myth?
Well, I feel time often goes fast in the lectures and hope you have the same feeling. We’ll have to stop here and continue our discussion next time. Remember to finish your reading assignment before our next meeting and get ready to share with me your thoughts on American dream. See you next time.
选项
答案
perseverance / determination
解析
转载请注明原文地址:https://www.kaotiyun.com/show/g34O777K
0
专业英语八级
相关试题推荐
England’sbiggestnavalbaseis______.
Intermsoflandarea,Canadaisthe______largestcountryintheworld.
Withregardtoitssize,Australiais______countryintheworld.
______waselectedpresidentforthemosttermsinAmericanhistory.
ItwassaidbySirGeorgeBernardShawthat"EnglandandAmericaaretwocountriesseparatedbythesamelanguage."Myfirstp
我有了生命以来,在这个世界上虽然仅仅经历了二十几个寒暑,但是这短短的时期也并不是白白度过的。这期间我也曾看见了不少的东西,知道了不少的事情。我的周围是无边的黑暗,但是我并不孤独,并不绝望。我无论在什么地方总看见那一股生活的激流在动荡,在创造他自己的道路,通
现代社会无论价值观的持有还是生活方式的选择都充满了矛盾。而最让现代人感到尴尬的是,面对重重矛盾,许多时候你却别无选择。匆忙与体闲是截然不同的两种生活方式。但在现实生活中,人们却在这两种生活方式间频繁梭,有时也说不清自己到底是“体闲着”还是“匆忙着”。譬如说
英语中有“像猫头鹰一样聪明”这样的说法,表明讲英语的人把猫头鹰当作智慧的象征。在儿童读物和漫画中,猫头鹰通常很严肃、很有头脑。禽兽间的争端要猫头鹰来裁判,紧急关头找猫头鹰求教。有时人们认为猫头鹰不实际,有点蠢,但基本上是智慧的象征。然而,中国人对猫头鹰的看
全世界人口数字的变化编写起来要难办得多,因为许多不发达国家并不保持完整的记录。然而,《联合国人口年鉴》每年都公布一份可收集到的人口统计数字详表。人口学家们根据对这些数字的认真研究,对一个现代工业国家人口史上所发生的情形作出自己的描述。他们认为,就历史上大部
C语言学概念的实例分析。询问哪一个短语是endocentricconstruction(向心结构)的范例。
随机试题
Lucille______atthedancetonight,norwillPeter.
2011年6月15日,全国人大常委会法工委公布《个人所得税法》修正案草案征求意见结果,30多天收到82707位网民的237684条意见,181封群众来信,11位专家和16位社会公众的意见。据此,草案对个人所得税的起征点进行了调整。关于这种“开门立法”、“问
注册咨询工程师(技资)注册变更,每年最多申请()。
根据工业炉热工制度分类,下列工业炉中属间断式炉的是()。
下列关于乌龙茶的表述,正确的是()。
包含重要的国家机密,泄露会使国家的安全与利益遭受到严重损害的文件属于()。
邓小平理论初步回答了经济文化落后国家如何建设、巩固和发展社会主义的问题。()
WhattimedoesthetrainarriveinNewYork?
Wemustexpressourviewsclearlytopreventmedia______andpublicconfusion.
RadianceExistsEverywhereA)Doyoubelieve,asIusedto,thatradioactivityisveryrareandverydangerous,restrictedtoars
最新回复
(
0
)