The Titanic Puzzle

1
21st Century College English Book 3
Unit 2 Text A
The Titanic Puzzle
2
Unit 2 Text A

• Lead-in Activities
• Text Organization
• Writing and Reading Skills
• Language Points
• Guided Practice
• Assignments

The Titanic Puzzle
3
Lead-in Activities
Warming-up Questions
1. For gentlemen There are many traditional ways
of showing courtesy to women gestures like
lighting their cigarettes for them or standing up
when they enter a room. What other things can you
think of? Name some of those you know!
2. For ladies What do you think of the womans
argument about everyday reality? What about you
view of common courtesy?
4
Text Organization
The structure of Text A
I. Presenting controversial responses to women
and children first
II. The authors opinion versus the traditional
attitude of women and children first
III. Arguing against the point of view that
women should be grouped with children to enjoy
priority
Ex. XIII
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Text Organization
I. Presenting controversial responses to women
and children first
A fabricated story Titanic II is sinking and
there are not enough lifeboats. The captain
shouts Women and children first! then a voice
is heard, Why women?a question indicating a
negative response to the idea of woman priority.
Para. 1
Reponses from the audience watching the movie
Titanic show that modern people accept the idea
of giving women priority.
Para. 2
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Text Organization
II. The authors opinion versus the traditional
attitude of women and children first
Paras. 3-7
Another rhetorical question together with an
analysis of the newspaper report in paragraph 7
proves the fact that there are controversial
responses concerning the priority of women.
Para. 8
7
Text Organization
III. Arguing against the point of view that
women should be grouped with children to enjoy
priority
First Argument

Para. 9
Second Argument

Para. 10-11
Third Argument

Para. 12-13
Fourth Argument

Para. 14-17
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Text Organization
First Argument
Para. 9
9
Text Organization
Second Argument
Para. 10-11
10
Text Organization
Third Argument
Para. 12-13
11
Text Organization
Fourth Argument
Para. 14-17
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Skill Learning in Writing and Reading

• 1. To get readers to think about a commonly
  accepted attitude the author is interested in.
  Start by stating what the issue is, the present a
  viewpoint that seems to explain it. Go on to
  explain why you disagree with this view.

2. To identify the writers purpose in reading
comprehension. (The common purposes of writing
are a) to inform b) to persuade c) to
entertain.) To identify the purpose with the help
of some clues. (subject, the use of language,
etc.)
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Language Points
The Titanic Puzzle Should a good feminist accept
priority seating on a lifeboat? By
Charles Krauthammer
14
Language Points
The Titanic Puzzle Should a good feminist accept
priority seating on a lifeboat? By
Charles Krauthammer 1 You're on the Titanic II.
It has just hit an iceberg and is sinking. And,
as last time, there are not enough lifeboats. The
captain shouts, Women and children first! But
this time, another voice is heard Why women?
15
Language Points
2 Why, indeed? Part of the charm of the
successful movie Titanic are the period costumes,
the period extravagance, and the period
prejudices. An audience can enjoy these at a
distance. Oddly, however, of all the period
attitudes in the film, the old maritime tradition
of women and children first enjoys total
acceptance by modern audiences. Listen to the
audience boo at the bad guys who try to sneak on
the lifeboats with or ahead of the ladies.
16
Language Points
3 But is not grouping women with children a
raging anachronism? Should not any
self-respecting modern person, let alone
feminist, object to it as insulting to
women? 4 Yet its usage is as common today as it
was in 1912. Consider these examples taken almost
at random from recent newspapers 5 The invaders
gunned down the Indians, most of them women and
children ... 6 As many as 200 civilians, most
of them women and children, were killed ...
17
Language Points
7 At the massacre in Ahmici 103 Muslims,
including 33 women and children, were killed
... 8 At a time when women fly combat aircraft
and run multi-national corporations, how can one
not wince when adult women are routinely classed
with children? In Ahmici, it seems, 70 adult men
were killed. And how many adult women? Not clear.
When things get serious, when blood starts to
flow or ships start to sink, you'll find them
with the children.
18
Language Points
9 Children are entitled to special consideration
for two reasons helplessness and innocence. They
have not yet acquired either the faculty of
reason or the wisdom of experience. Consequently,
they are defenseless (incapable of fending for
themselves) and blameless (incapable of real
sin). That's why we grant them special
protection. In an emergency, it is our duty to
save them first because they, helpless, have put
their lives in our hands. And in wartime, they
are supposed to be protected by special immunity
because they can have threatened or offended no
one.
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Language Points
10 The phrase women and children attributes to
women the same dependence and moral simplicity we
find in five-year-olds. Such an attitude perhaps
made sense in an era dominated by male privilege.
Given the disabilities attached to womanhood in
1912, it was only fair that a new standard of
gender equality not suddenly be proclaimed just
as lifeboat seats were being handed out. That
deference a somewhat more urgent variation on
giving up your seat on the bus to a woman
complemented and perhaps to some extent
compensated for the legal and social constraints
placed on women at the time.
20
Language Points
11 But in our era of extensive social
restructuring to grant women equality in
education, in employment, in government, in
athletics, what entitles women to the privileges
and reduces them to the status of children?
12 Evolutionary psychologists might say that
ladies-to-the-lifeboats is an instinct that
developed to perpetuate the species Women are
indispensable child-bearers. You can repopulate a
village if the women survive and only a few of
the men, but not if the men survive and only a
few of the women. Women being more precious,
biologically speaking, than men, evolution has
conditioned us to give them the kind of
life-protecting deference we give to that other
seed of the future kids.
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Language Points
13 The problem with this kind of logic, however,
is its depressing reductionism. It's like a
serious version of the geneticist's old joke that
a chicken is just an egg's way of making another
egg. But humans are more than just egg-layers.
And traditional courtesies are more than just
disguised survival strategies. So why do we say
women and children? 14 Perhaps it's really
women for children. The most basic parental
bond is maternal. Equal parenting is great, but
women, from breast to cradle to reassuring hug,
can nurture in ways that men cannot. And thus,
because we value children, women should go
second. The children need them.
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Language Points
15 But kiddie-centrism gets you only so far. What
if there are no children on board? You are on the
Titanic III, and this time it's a singles cruise.
No kids, no parents. Now Iceberg! Lifeboats!
Action! 16 Here's my scenario. The men, out of
sheer irrational heroism, should let the women go
first. And the women, out of sheer feminist
self-respect, should refuse. 17 Result?
Stalemate. How does this movie end? How should it
end? Hurry, the ship's going down.
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You're on the Titanic II.
Paraphrase ?
Key Suppose you find yourself in a similar
situation to that of the Titanic.
More to learn
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Text-related information
the Titanic II
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the period costumes, the period extravagance, and
the period prejudices
Paraphrasing ?
Key the costumes, the extravagance, and the
prejudices of that time in history
More to learn
26
the period costumes, the period extravagance, and
the period prejudices
period a. typical of an earlier time in
history, either dating from that time or
deliberately made in the style of that time

• Examples
• period furniture
• a period cottage

27
at / from a distance from a place that is not
very close a long time after sth. happened

• Examples
• It's wise to stay at a distance from the cobras.
• Some people are more respectable if admired from
  a distance.
• Remembering the disaster at a distance, I now
  feel sure that it was not his fault.

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Should not any self-respecting modern person, let
alone feminist, object to it as insulting to
women?
let alone (to indicate that a particular
situation is even less likely or possible) not to
mention without considering

• Examples
• I was too tired to walk, let alone running.
• There wasn't enough room for us, let alone three
  dogs and two cats.

More to learn
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Should not any self-respecting modern person, let
alone feminist, object to it as insulting to
women?
object to oppose be against

• Examples
• The embassy objects to their requests to take
  refuge there.
• Professor Hawking objects to being treated like
  someone special.

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usage n. the way sth. is used the way words
are used in a language
Note Usage is different from use in that it
often implies the degree to which something is
used or the way in which it is used.

• Examples
• The manual describes the proper usage of the
  appliance.
• The expression has come into common usage.
• the environmental effects of energy usage
• Sports equipment is designed to withstand hard
  usage.

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wince vi. suddenly and briefly show pain in
one's facial expression (???????)?????,??????

• Examples
• David winced when the dentist touched his sore
  tooth.
• It makes me wince even thinking about eye
  operation.

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Children are entitled to special consideration
be entitled to (do) sth. be given the right to
have or do (sth.)

• Examples
• You are entitled to high praise for handling this
  difficult situation successfully all alone.
• I'm entitled to know how my own money is being
  spent.

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faculty n. 1. any of the powers of the body or
mind a particular ability for doing sth.
?????? 2. all the teachers and workers of a
university or college (?????)???????

• Examples
• Even at the age of 100, she still had all her
  faculties.
• Mary has a remarkable faculty for adding large
  numbers in her head.
• Jane is a member of the faculty at the local
  university.

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immunity n. 1. protection or freedom (from
sth.) ?????(?) 2. ability to resist infection,
disease, etc. ???

• Examples
• He was told that he would be granted immunity
  from prosecution (??) if he confessed the names
  of the other spies.
• diplomatic immunity (?????)
• Most people have no immunity against that virus.

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threaten vt. 1. make a threat against (sb.)
??,?? 2. give a warning (of sth. bad) ??

• Examples
• They threatened their son with punishment.
• The dark clouds threaten a storm.

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The phrase women and children attributes to
women the same dependence and moral simplicity we
find in five-year-olds.
dependence and moral simplicity another way
of saying helplessness and innocence
Paraphrase ?

• Key
• By classing women with children, we think that
  women are as helpless and innocent as little
  kids.

More to learn
37
The phrase women and children attributes to
women the same dependence and moral simplicity we
find in five-year-olds.
attribute (a quality, feature, etc.) to sb./sth.
say or think that sb./sth. has got (that
quality, feature, etc.)

• Examples
• He tends to attribute mean motives to other
  people.
• I wouldn't dream of attributing such a lack of
  judgment to you.

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given prep. considering ??? a. 1.
???,???2. ??????

• Examples
• Given their inexperience, they've done a good
  job.
• Given (the fact) that she is interested in
  children, I am sure teaching is the right career
  for her.
• The work must be done within the given time.
• under a given condition
• The given radius (??) being 4 ft., find the
  circumference (??).

More to learn
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given used as a preposition

• Examples
• Given his age, he is a remarkable fast runner.
• I'm sure teaching is the right career for her,
  given (the fact) that she is interested in
  children.
• She could have done just as well as you have,
  given the chance.
• Given imagination, anything is possible.

The word given can be used as a preposition
followed by a noun phrase or noun clause. If you
say given something or given that something is
true, you mean what is mentioned is considered or
is taken into account. In formal English, given
the chance, given the opportunity, etc. mean if
one has the chance, the opportunity, etc.
More to learn
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given
Complete the following sentences by translating
the Chinese into English, using given clauses
appropriately.(Ex. VIII, p. 208)
1. _______________(?????????????), their chances
of winning the election look poor. 2. __________
___(????????,????), adults are responsible for
granting them special protection.
? Given the government's record on unemployment
? Given children's helplessness and
defenselessness
More to learn
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given
Complete the following sentences by translating
the Chinese into English, using given clauses
appropriately.(Ex. VIII, p. 208)

• ________________(???????), our ship will reach
  Yantai tomorrow morning.
• 4. ___________(??????), children and old people
  are advised not to stay in an air-conditioned
  room for too long.

? Given good weather
? Given poor immunity
More to learn
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given
Complete the following sentences by translating
the Chinese into English, using given clauses
appropriately.(Ex. VIII, p. 208)
5. _______________(??????????????????), it is not
surprising to find such new words as chairperson
and Ms. in widespread use. 6. (?????????????),
I would choose to study engineering rather than
mathematics.
? Given that feminists have been fighting for
gender/sexual equality for years
? Given one more chance to go to college
More to learn
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Grammar Focus

• Use of the present participle in the absolute
  construction
• The adverbial present participle phrase has no
  overt subject and its "understood subject"
  provides a link with the main clause, while the
  absolute construction using the present
  participle has its own logical subject and is not
  overtly bound to the main clause, even on a
  semantic level, by any shared element. In
  grammatical functions, however, the two forms are
  similar.
• Examples
• No further discussions arising, the meeting was
  brought to a close.
• Weather permitting, well start tomorrow.

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attach (to) vt. 1. consider that sb. has a
certain quality 2. fasten or join

• Examples
• The panel of scientists attaches great importance
  to his research on genes.
• Chinese movies used to attach every good quality
  to a hero.
• A label is attached to each piece of luggage.
• Bill attached a big bow (???) to the birthday
  present.

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, it was only fair that a new standard of gender
equality not suddenly be proclaimed just as life
boat seats were being handed out.

• Examples
• The job is open to any suitably qualified person
  regardless of age, gender or race.
• Sociologists believe that gender differences in
  voting will gradually disappear as women become
  more politicized.
• In German, the gender of the word "Hund", meaning
  "dog" , is masculine (???).

gender equality sex equality n. 1. (????)?2.
(???????)? Gender means sex but is especially
used in job advertisements, in writing about
politics and society, as well as in grammar,
while sex is a general word.
More to learn
46
, it was only fair that a new standard of gender
equality not suddenly be proclaimed just as life
boat seats were being handed out.
proclaim vt. make known officially or
publicly declare Note Proclaim implies a clear,
forceful, authoritative oral declaring of
something, often of national importance.

• Examples
• The president proclaimed a day of mourning.
• The American colonies proclaimed their
  independence in 1776.

More to learn
47
, it was only fair that a new standard of gender
equality not suddenly be proclaimed just as life
boat seats were being handed out.
hand out distribute ??, ??

• Examples
• Make a list of names, see if they're all present,
  and hand out the books.
• Would you hand the cake out while I pour the
  coffee?

More to learn
48
, it was only fair that a new standard of gender
equality not suddenly be proclaimed just as life
boat seats were being handed out.
Paraphrase ?

• Key
• , the traditional gender inequality should
  naturally continue at that critical moment when
  the ship was sinking it was fair that women
  should have been given seats on the lifeboats
  first.

49
That deference a somewhat more urgent variation
on giving up your seat on the bus to a woman
complemented and perhaps to some extent
compensated for the legal and social constraints
placed on women at the time.
variation n. (on) one in a group or set
which is different in some way from the normal or
most common

• Examples
• His books are all variations on a basic theme.
• It was the same TV programme with only nightly
  variations.

More to learn
50
That deference a somewhat more urgent variation
on giving up your seat on the bus to a woman
complemented and perhaps to some extent
compensated for the legal and social constraints
placed on women at the time.
Paraphrase ?

• Key
• That respect for women (i.e. offering priority
  seating on a lifeboat) was very similar to, but
  somewhat more urgent than, offering your seat to
  a woman on the bus. This helped to improve, and
  perhaps more or less made up for the disabilities
  attached to womanhood (para.10) by law and by
  society at that time.

51
..., what entitles women to the privileges and
reduces them to the status of children?
reduce sb. to bring sb. to (a specified, usu.
worse, state or condition)

• Examples
• We were reduced to selling the car to pay the
  rent.
• He ran out of cigarettes and was reduced to
  smoking the butts left in the ashtrays.

More to learn
52
..., what entitles women to the privileges and
reduces them to the status of children?
Paraphrase ?

• Key
• ..., why should women be given the same
  privileges, and be brought to the same
  insignificant status, as children?

53
ladies-to-the-lifeboats is an instinct that
developed to perpetuate the species
Paraphrase ?
giving priority to ladies to enable them to
survive a shipwreck is a natural tendency formed
in order to prevent the extinction of mankind
Translate the sentence ?
????????????????????
54
Women being more precious, biologically speaking,
than men, evolution has conditioned us to give
them the kind of life-protecting deference we
give to that other seed of the future kids.
Paraphrase ?

• Because women are more important than men in the
  perpetuation of mankind, the law of evolution has
  influenced our attitude, so that we give women
  the same kind of priority of survival as we give
  children, on whom, too, mankind relies for
  perpetuation.

Translation ?

• ????????????????????,???????????????????????????
  ?????????????

More to learn
55
Women being more precious, biologically speaking,
than men, evolution has conditioned us to give
them the kind of life-protecting deference we
give to that other seed of the future kids.
Women being more precious ... than men Present
participle phrase used in the absolute
construction, which functions as an adverbial of
cause in the sentence.
Use of the present participle in the absolute
construction

• Examples
• No further discussions arising, the meeting was
  brought to a close.
• A small boy, his satchel (??) trailing behind
  him, ran past.
• Weather permitting, we'll start tomorrow.

The adverbial present participle phrase has no
overt (???) subject and its understood subject
provides a link with the main clause, while the
absolute construction using the present
participle has its own logical subject and is not
overtly bound to the main clause, even on a
semantic (???) level, by any shared element. In
grammatical functions, however, the two forms are
similar.
56
depress vt. 1. sadden and discourage
???,??? 2. cause to sink to a lower level of
position ????, ???

• Examples
• The cold, gray weather depressed Anne.
• High interest rates are continuing to depress the
  economy.

57
And traditional courtesies are more than just
disguised survival strategies.
more than just not just not simply
Paraphrase ?

• Key
• And traditional polite behavior to women is not
  just a false display intended for the survival of
  the human race.

58
Equal parenting is great, but women, from breast
to cradle to reassuring hug, can nurture in ways
that men cannot.
breast breast-feeding ??
Paraphrase ?

• Key
• It is pretty good for father and mother to be
  equal in their relationship with children, but
  many duties in the rearing and caring of children
  can be performed only by women in their special
  ways, and never by men.

59
But kiddie-centrism gets you only so far.
kiddie-centrism the notion that children are
most important ?????
Paraphrase ?

• The explanation that women are given priority to
  survive just because children need them is
  convincing up to this point only.

Translation ?

• ??????????????????

60
sheer a. 1. pure nothing other than (often
used in descriptions of sth. surprising,
outrageous, inexplicable, etc.) 2. (of
fabric) very thin, light and almost transparent
(???) 3. very steep

• Examples
• It is a sheer waste of time.
• John peered through the sheer curtain.
• The climbers slowly inched (????) up the sheer
  cliff.

61
stalemate n. a stage of a dispute, contest,
etc. (esp. chess) at which further progress is
impossible for both sides ????

• Examples
• The players reached a stalemate, so a draw (??)
  was declared.
• Negotiations have come to a stalemate.

62
Unit 2 Assignments

• Vocabulary
• Cloze
• Translation

The Titanic Puzzle
63
Exercises Vocabulary
III. Fill in the blanks with the words given
below. Change the form where necessary.
entitle constraint complement strategy
privilege instinct depress survival indispensa
ble urgent faculty random
1. In a healthy relationship, the partners'
strengths and abilities ___________ each other,
rather than being identical.
complement
2. Millions of dollars and lots of famous actors
are not ____________ to the production of a
successful film, but they help!
indispensable
64
Exercises Vocabulary
III. Fill in the blanks with the words given
below. Change the form where necessary.
entitle constraint complement strategy
privilege instinct depress survival indispensa
ble urgent faculty random
3. I never felt I had a right to expect any
special ___________ because of my university
education.
privileges
4. The marketing ____________ that Edward
proposed would be brilliant if only he hadn't
forgotten about good business ethics.
strategy
65
Exercises Vocabulary
III. Fill in the blanks with the words given
below. Change the form where necessary.
entitle constraint complement strategy
privilege instinct depress survival indispensa
ble urgent faculty random
5. It's true that not having a car imposes some
___________, but owning one also complicates life
in many ways.
constraint
6. According to the Chinese law, every child is
___________ to nine years of free education.
entitled
66
Exercises Vocabulary
III. Fill in the blanks with the words given
below. Change the form where necessary.
entitle constraint complement strategy
privilege instinct depress survival indispensa
ble urgent faculty random
7. Life should consist of more than just a
struggle for ___________.
survival
8. The sight of the helpless child aroused her
maternal ___________.
instinct(s)
67
Exercises Vocabulary
III. Fill in the blanks with the words given
below. Change the form where necessary.
entitle constraint complement strategy
privilege instinct depress survival indispensa
ble urgent faculty random
9. The winners of the contest were chosen
___________ no consideration was given to age,
gender or income.
randomly
10. He has lost the use of his limbs but he is
still in possession of all his ___________.
faculty
68
Exercises Vocabulary
III. Fill in the blanks with the words given
below. Change the form where necessary.
entitle constraint complement strategy
privilege instinct depress survival indispensa
ble urgent faculty random
11. Please give the highest priority to this very
___________ matter.
urgent
12. She enjoyed parts of her trip to India, but
said she found the poverty she saw there rather
___________.
depressing
69
Cloze
???? III Ex. XII, p. 50
70
Cloze
Select the most appropriate word from the four
choices given. The choice 0 means that no
additional word is appropriate.
71
Cloze
Real feminists can tell you that the only way to
ensure equality is through genetic engineering.
Women everywhere still suffer _1_ economic
injustice, social injustice and most
significantphysical injustice. This is where
genetic engineering is _2_ to feminism. The way
things are now, too few women feel truly sure of
their physical safety. All that _3_ most women
from physical force _4_ the so-called social
contract. This is not enough. Why should half the
population enjoy physical safety as a form of
_5_, while the other half enjoys it as a natural
_6_?

• 1. A. as B. from
• C. of D. to
• 2. A. entitled
• B. indispensable
• C. random
• D. urgent
• 3. A. protect B. protected
• C. protection D. protects
• A. are B. has
• C. have D. is
• A. charm B. complement
• C. confidence D. courtesy
• A. faculty B. instinct
• C. insult D. strategy

B. from
B. indispensable
D. protects
D. is
D. courtesy
A. faculty
72
Cloze
B. compensate

• 7. A. attach B. compensate
• C. complement D. entitle
• 8. A. have B. helpless
• C. random D. urgent
• 9. A. compensation B. confidence
• C. instinct D. logic
• 10. A. for B. in
• C. to D. 0
• 11. A. for B. in
• C. to D. 0
• 12. A. all of B. her all
• C. her entire D. full of her
• A. for B. of
• C. that B. what

Men who argue that laws can _7_ for this
inequality simply can't imagine what it's like to
be _8_ to defend yourself. This lifelong lack of
_9_ in something as basic as physical safety
gives rise _10_ major psychological barriers _11_
equality. How can a person feel equal when she
lives _12_ life with the knowledge _13_ stronger
creatures are in control?
B. helpless
B. confidence
C. to
C. to
C. her entire
C. that
73
Cloze
How can she feel truly free to compete with them,
ignore _14_ them or disagree with them, all the
time knowing they could suddenly  _15_ her if she
isn't nice? Sure, women can learn self-defense or
carry guns, but that _16_ the same as trusting in
your own safety. _17_ women really need is a
breakthrough in genetic engineering to ensure
that both _18_ are equal in physical strength
right from the cradle.
D. 0
14. A. at B. to C. with D. 0 15. A.
combat B. constrain C. threat D.
threaten 16. A. arent B. cant C. hasnt D.
isnt 17. A. That B. This C. What D. 0 18. A.
female B. genders C. males D. versions
D. threaten
D. isnt
C. What
B. genders
74
Translation
75
Translation English to Chinese
???? III Ex. X, p. 49
76
Translation English to Chinese
Children are entitled to special consideration
for two reasons helplessness and innocence.
They have not yet acquired either the faculty of
reason or the wisdom of experience.
?????????????????????????
Consequently, they are defenseless (incapable of
fending for themselves) and blameless (incapable
of real sin).
????????????????????
That's why we grant them special protection. In
an emergency, it is our duty to save them first
because they, helpless, have put their lives in
our hands.
??,??????(??????),????(???????)?
???????????????????????,?????????,????????,???????
?????
And in wartime, they are supposed to be protected
by special immunity because they can have
threatened or offended no one.
???,??????????????,?????????????????
77
Translation Chinese to English
???? III Ex. XI, p. 49
78
Translation Chinese to English
1. ????????????????????????, ????????????????????

the ability to fend for oneself
indispensable
more than just
The ability to fend for oneself is indispensable
to any adult, but real maturity is more than just
a set of survival strategies.
79
Translation Chinese to English
2. ??????????????????????????????????????????
be entitled to free entry to
a way of compensating
On Childrens Day, kids are entitled to free
entry to all city parks. Its a way of
compensating them for the long hours they spend
in school all year.
80
Translation Chinese to English
3. ??????????????,??????????
Give more priority to than to
Its no wonder
your grades are suffering
Youre giving more priority to your personal life
than to your studies. Its no wonder your grades
are suffering.
81
Translation Chinese to English
4. ????????????????,??????????????????????
given that
have jobs outside the home
object to
Given that most women nowadays have jobs outside
the home, its natural that they object to their
husbands treating them like housekeepers.
82
Translation Chinese to English
5. ??????????????????????????
quite a number of
at least
Quite a number of American millionaires own at
least two houses and a private plane.
83
Translation Chinese to English
6. ????????????,???????????????????????
recover unexpectedly from cancer
attribute it to
When John recovered unexpectedly from cancer, his
doctors attributed it to his strong will and
faith in the future.
84
Translation Chinese to English
7. ????????????????????,??????"???????"?????
there is no practical reason to perpetuate
let alone
Theres no practical reason to perpetuate the
custom of opening doors for women, let alone the
tradition of women and children first.
85
Translation Chinese to English
8. ???????????????????????
nurture children
feminists
notion
Many feminists object to the notion that men
cant nurture children as well as women can.
86
Structure Writing
The aim of Text A is to get readers to think
about a commonly accepted attitude the author is
interested in. One of the techniques he uses is
(a) presenting a possible explanation for the
attitude he's discussing, and then (b) showing
why he disagrees with it.
Example in text A
Sample Essay
Write your own
87
Structure Writing
The author presents a possible explanation for
woman priority (Paragraph 12)
Evolutionary psychologists might say that
ladies-to-the-lifeboats is an instinct that
developed to perpetuate the species Women are
indispensable child-bearers. You can repopulate a
village if the women survive and only a few of
the men, but not if the men survive and only a
few of the women. Women being more precious,
biologically speaking, than men, evolution has
conditioned us to give them the kind of
life-protecting deference we give to that other
seed of the future kids.
88
Structured Writing
The view might sound sensible, but in his next
paragraph the author explains why he can't agree
with it (Paragraph 13)
The problem with this kind of logic, however, is
its depressing reductionism. It's like a serious
version of the geneticist's old joke that a
chicken is just an egg's way of making another
egg. But humans are more than just egg-layers.
And traditional courtesies are more than just
disguised survival strategies. So why do we say
"women and children"?
89
Structure Writing
Of all the dangerous practices on our city
streets, the custom of letting motorbikes use the
bicycle lanes enjoys almost complete acceptance.
Motorbike riders might say that classifying
motorbikes with bicycles is a law meant to keep
them safe Motorbikes don't protect their riders
in case of a collision with a car or truck, so
the traffic laws offer them the same kind of
life-protecting deference we offer other
two-wheeled vehicles. The problem with this kind
of logic, however, is that it overlooks the great
dangers that modern motorbikes pose to
pedestrians and bicycle riders. The large, fast
motorbikes that are commonplaces on our city
streets today can cause far more damage than
bicycles can. And traffic laws are supposed to
protect the health and safety of everyone on our
streets, not only the safety of motorbike riders.
90
Structure Writing
Now use the same structure to write a short
composition of your own in about 150 words. Here
are a few customs and attitudes you can choose
from if you like

• the old tradition of requiring students to do
  written homework
• the practice of asking a child not to cry and be
  a "big boy"
• the old tradition that women shouldn't appear to
  be as smart as men
• the practice of paying actors huge salaries

91
(No Transcript)