econimic-growth-is-not-prosperity-教师用书

1Unit8TextAEconomicGrowthisaPathtoPerdition,NotProsperityI.Introduction1BackgroundThisisaninterestingessay.Itdealswithaconceptwithwhichweareonlytoofamiliar:GDP.Untilrecentlythishasbeenalmostournationalobsession.Wehaveallbeenunitedtostriveforthisgoal,thegoalofraisingourGDP.Fordecades,ithasbeenthemeasurementofourachievement,andthesteadydouble-digitgrowthratehastransformedourcountryintoaworldeconomicpower.Ithasfilleduswithprideandhasearnedtheadmirationandenvyandaweofmanynations.ButnowtheauthorofthisarticletellsusthattherearealreadymanyseriousthinkerswhobelievethatthisobsessionofGDPiswrong.HecomparesthisideatoCharlesDarwin’stheoryofevolutionatatimewhenthedominatingmythwasitwasGodwhocreatedeverything.Cometothinkofit.GDPasanationalgoalindeedisarelativelyrecentturnofevents.Inourcountryithappenedonlyasaresultoftheopenandreformpolicy.Andtheunderliningtheorydoesseemtobesoundtoacertaindegree.OurexperienceshowsthathighGDPdoesequalmoreprofits,morejobs,moreofeverythingforourconsumption,andmoreprestige,power,andgloryforthenation.Buttheauthorofthisessaychallengesthisbasicassumption.First,hepointsoutthattheobsessionofGDPleadstomindlessconsumerism.Itresultsintheendlesschurningoutofproductswhichareunnecessaryanduseless(Hecouldhaveadded‘evenharmful’).Secondly,hearguesthatGDP-orientedeconomyisunsustainableandithasalreadydonegreatdamagetohumanenvironment.Thirdly,herefutestheassertionthathigherGDPisalwaysareliableindicationofgreaterwellbeingandhappiness.SpeakingasanAmerican,it’sinterestingthattheauthorexpresseshisbeliefthatthisblindworshipofGDPisinherentlydeeplyrootedinthecapitalistsystembecausethatsystemisdominatedbythedesireformoreprofit,forwhichtherichwillleavenostoneunturned.TheauthorhereischallengingtheveryfoundationoftheAmericansociety.Ofcourse,inthisessayhehasneitherthespacenorintentiontogiveadetailedanalysis,letaloneofferawell-conceivedsolution,butheendsthearticleonaveryoptimisticnote:‘Theeconomyisahumanconstruct.It’snotanactofGod.Wemadeit,wecanchangeit.’2Structure3Teachingtips21)Thisessayiswritteninanargumentativestyle,lendingitselfformeaningfuldiscussionordebate.2)Makesurethatweunderstandtheauthor’sviewsfullyfirst,thentrytopresentfairlythecasefortheoppositeside.TrytoimaginewhatproponentsofGDPwhomtheauthorcontemptuouslyreferstoas‘free-marketcheer-leaders’,willsayintheirdefenseandalsowhatstaunchbelieversofscienceandtechnologymightsayonthisissue.3)Encouragestudentstothinkoriginallyandcritically.IstheconceptofGDPabsolutelycorrect?Ifnot,whataretheproblems?Isitcompletelywrong?Ifitis,canwestriveforincreasinglylowGDP?IfGDPisneitherabsolutelyrightnorcompletelywrong,wheredowedrawtheline?Whatarethealternatives?4)Usethenewinsightswemayfindinthistexttoanalyzetheproblemswearenowconfrontedwithinourownland.TrytoachieveabetterunderstandingofthenewideasorpoliciesthathavebeendevelopedandformedrecentlyII.Detaileddiscussionofthetext1.EconomicGrowthisaPathtoPerdition,NotProsperityItmeans“Economicgrowthleadstohell,notprosperity”.Notetheuseofalliterationhere(Path,perditionandprosperityallstartwiththeletter“p”).2.featurewriterfortheNewInternationalistmagazinefeature:aprominentorextraarticleorstoryinanewspaperorperiodical特写theNewInternationalist:amagazinethathasarticlesaboutpeopleinmanydifferentcountries,anddealsespeciallywiththerelationshipbetweenrichandpoorcountriesandtheunfairorunequalwaysinwhichsomepeopleandcountriesaretreated.3.CharlesDarwinwasarigorous,meticulousscientist.Hespentnearly20yearshoninghisanalysis…beforepublishinghisgroundbreakingwork.Rigorous:Hereitmeansexact,accurate,correct,precise,moreorlesssynonymouswith“meticulous:.Hone:tosharpenortogiveanedgetoarazoronawhetstone;Hereitisusedfigurativelytomeantoreviseandpolishuntilitisperfect4.Darwin’sslimvolumewaswhatwewouldcalla“gamechanger,”arevolutionarywork.Slim:thinWhatwewouldcall:Noticethedifferencebetween“whatwecall”and“so-called”.Thelatterusuallyimpliessomedisapproval.3A“gamechanger”:arevolutionary,groundbreakingwork;aworkthatchangestheoverallviewsofmanyscientificfields5.Darwinwassailingintochoppywaters.TheChurchofEnglandhadsetrigidboundaries,andhisthesiswasclearlyachallengetotheorthodoxview.Sailingintochoppywaters:comingtoapartoftheseathatisroughwithsmallwaves;usedfigurativelyheremeaningenteringadangerousfieldwhereyoucaneasilygetintoserioustroubleSetrigidboundaries:establishstrictruleslimitingyourthinkingoraction;TheChurchofEnglandatthattimewouldnotallowitsmemberstodoubttheBible.Noticethatwealsooftensay:settherule;setastandard,setalimitorthodox:acceptedandobeyedbymostpeopleastraditionalandcorrectbeliefsandpractices(religious,politicaloreconomic)6.Theestablishmentofthetimemockedhim.Therewasintensepublicdebate.ButDarwinwasunflinching.Theestablishment:SeetheNotestotheTextMock:scornorridicule;makingsborsthlookstupidbylaughingathim/it,mimickingorsayingsthunkind;Noticethatweoftensay“mocksb”and“mockatanidea”Intensepublicdebate:Donotmixup“intense”and“tense”.i.Intense:greatandextremee.g.:intenseheat;intensecold;intensepain;intensepressure;a)intensecompetition;intenseconcentration;intense