《新视野大学英语》课程教学资源（单元讲义）Unit 8 Section A Birth of Bright Ideas.doc_大学文库

Unit 8 Unit Eight Section A Birth of Bright Ideas I. Greetings II. Review Have a quiz III. Start the new lesson 1. Introduction This article talks about birth of bright ideas by the vividly paradigmatic methods. After reading it, we have a new understanding about the mysterious question. 2. Discourse analysis Part one (Paras.1-3) Opening remarks: All truly creative activities depend in some degree on the signals of the unconscious. Part two (Paras. 4-6) Discussing the birth of bright ideas with the example some famous persons. Part three (Para. 7) A final touch—the unconscious in creative activities can help with the production of new organized forms from relatively disorganized elements. 3.Language points: 1. No satisfactory way exists to explain how to form a good idea. Meaning: There is not a way good enough to explain how to find or develop a good idea. satisfactory: a. good enough to be pleasing, or for a purpose, rule, standard,etc. This heater is satisfactory; it does give enough heat. The design of the kitchen is satisfactory; the refrigerator is not next to the stove and there is enough space. form a good idea: begin to have an idea and develop it 2. You think about a problem until you’re tired, forget it, maybe sleep on it, and then flash! Meaning: You have been thinking about a problem until you are tired, forget it and leave it undecided and then suddenly some idea comes to your mind. sleep on: leave something undecided or unattended until later time. He will sleep on the matter and tell us the decision later. Flash: vi. 1) (of an idea) come suddenly These lines from Shakspeare just flashed into my mind. 2)appear or pass suddenly The car flashed by so fast that I could not see the car number. The policeman flashed his I.D.at me, but I could not read his name. 3. When you aren’t thinking about it, suddenly the answer arrives as a gift from the Gods. Meaning: When you are no longer thinking of the problem, the answer to it comes to your mind unexpectedly as if something falls upon you from heavenly spirits

a gift from the Gods an unearned or unexpected, benefit that is greatly valued People say that all the years after 70 are gifts from the Gods 4. Of course, all ideas don t occur like that but so many do, particularly the most Meaning: Not all ideas, of course, come as gifts, but many of them do, especially some big ideas that come to your mind unexpectedly occur: vi come to mind The idea never occurred to me It sud denly occurred to me that this was something he should never do He is particularly busy for his month He is particularly with his car; I don' t think he should borrow it 5. They burst into the mind, glowing with the heat of creation Meaning: These ideas come to your mind suddenly and show clearly they are good creative ideas slow: v. produce light and heat without fire Se low in the dark Glow with show redness or heat with feelings, etc My father's face glowed with satisfaction when he saw my college grades 6. How they do it is a mystery but they must come from somewhere Meaning: How these ideas come to your mind is a mystery; no one can understand But they must come from somewhere an unknown source 7. This is reasonable, for psychologists use this term to describe mental processes which are unknown to the individual Meaning: The explanation holds water as psychologists use this special term to describe the patterns going on in one s mind, which are unknown by human being 8. Creative thought depends on what was unknown becoming known Meaning: Creative thought comes if one can change what was unknown into something that is known 9. it is easiest to examine it in the great creative personalities, many of whom experienced it in an intensified form and have written it down in their life stories and letters Meaning: Many of the highly creative persons had experiences of this sort and felt its effects strongly, as you can find it in their life stories and letters, so their case is easiest to study and understand Personality: n. 1). a person who is well-known to the public Please note that it is a countable noun in the sense He is a powerful personality 2) the quality or cond ition of being a person I like Jack because he has a friendly personality intensify: vt. make or become stronger Efforts to reach the injured man have been intensified because of a sudden turning for the worse in the weather 10. genius n a person of exceptional natural ability

a gift from the Gods: an unearned or unexpected , benefit that is greatly valued. People say that all the years after 70 are gifts from the Gods. 4. Of course, all ideas don’t occur like that but so many do, particularly the most important ones. Meaning: Not all ideas, of course, come as gifts; but many of them do, especially some big ideas that come to your mind unexpectedly. occur: vi. come to mind The idea never occurred to me. It suddenly occurred to me that this was something he should never do. particularly: especially He is particularly busy for his month. He is particularly with his car; I don’t think he should borrow it. 5. They burst into the mind, glowing with the heat of creation. Meaning: These ideas come to your mind suddenly and show clearly they are good, creative ideas. slow: v. produce light and heat without fire Some natural matter can glow in the dark. Glow with :show redness or heat with feelings,etc. My father’s face glowed with satisfaction when he saw my college grades. 6. How they do it is a mystery but they must come from somewhere. Meaning: How these ideas come to your mind is a mystery; no one can understand. But they must come from somewhere, an unknown source. 7. This is reasonable, for psychologists use this term to describe mental processes which are unknown to the individual Meaning: The explanation holds water as psychologists use this special term to describe the patterns going on in one’s mind, which are unknown by human beings. 8. Creative thought depends on what was unknown becoming known. Meaning: Creative thought comes if one can change what was unknown into something that is known. 9. it is easiest to examine it in the great creative personalities, many of whom experienced it in an intensified form and have written it down in their life stories and letters. Meaning: Many of the highly creative persons had experiences of this sort and felt its effects strongly, as you can find it in their life stories and letters, so their case is easiest to study and understand. Personality: n. 1).a person who is well-known to the public Please note that it is a countable noun in the sense. He is a powerful personality. 2) the quality or condition of being a person I like Jack because he has a friendly personality. intensify: vt. make or become stronger Efforts to reach the injured man have been intensified because of a sudden turning for the worse in the weather. 10. genius:n a person of exceptional natural ability

Richard Wagner is a genIus 11. All truly creative activities depend in some degree on these signals from the in.degree: to the limit of, somewhat Production of fruit and vegetables has also risen in varying degrees He was not in the slightest degree interested d the more highly insightful the person, the sharper and more dramatic the signals become Meaning: If the person is more insightful, then the signals become sharper and more obVIous Please pay attention to the structure"the more. the more The sooner you start, the more quickly you' ll be finished dramatic: a. very obvious, sudden, exciting, or not expected The lives of the earliest foreigners who settled in America must have been dramatic and exciting 13. Take the example of Richard Wagner composing the opening to rhinegold as an compose: vt. create or produce(a written or musical piece The piece of music is composed for the celebration of the 2008 Olympics to be held in pening: n the beginning part Wagner had been occupied with the idea of the " Ring" for several years Meaning: For several years Wagner busied himself with the idea of composing the Ring be occupied with: be busy with She was occupied with the cleaning of the big house I' m afraid that you won' t be able to see the doctor for he is fully occupied with appointments this afternoon 15...and for many months had been struggling to begin composing e:vi. Try hard to do somethi struggle for a living /struggle to one's feet 16. On September 4, 1853, he reached Spezia sick, went to a hotel, could not fall asier Meaning: On September 4, 1853, when he reached Spezia he was ill. He went to a hotel, but could not sleep as there was so much noise outside his room and he was running a fever. He did a lot of walking the next day and in the afternoon he threw himself onto a couch hoping to have some sleep without: ad outside within: ad insid 17. flung himself on couch intending to sleep fling: v. He flung his shoes at the dog that would not leave his door 18. Then at last the miracle happened for which his unconscious mind had been eking for so long

Richard Wagner is a genius. 11. All truly creative activities depend in some degree on these signals from the unconscious,… in…degree: to the limit of, somewhat Production of fruit and vegetables has also risen in varying degrees. He was not in the slightest degree interested. 12. …and the more highly insightful the person, the sharper and more dramatic the signals become. Meaning: If the person is more insightful, then the signals become sharper and more obvious. Please pay attention to the structure “the more…the more”: The sooner you start, the more quickly you’ll be finished. dramatic: a. very obvious, sudden, exciting, or not expected The lives of the earliest foreigners who settled in America must have been dramatic and exciting. 13. Take the example of Richard Wagner composing the opening to Rhinegold as an example. compose:vt. create or produce (a written or musical piece) The piece of music is composed for the celebration of the 2008 Olympics to be held in China. opening: n. the beginning part 14. Wagner had been occupied with the idea of the “Ring” for several years,… Meaning: For several years Wagner busied himself with the idea of composing the Ring be occupied with: be busy with She was occupied with the cleaning of the big house. I’m afraid that you won’t be able to see the doctor for he is fully occupied with appointments this afternoon. 15. … and for many months had been struggling to begin composing. struggle: vi. Try hard to do something struggle for a living /struggle to one’s feet 16. On September 4, 1853, he reached Spezia sick, went to a hotel, could not fall asleep… Meaning: On September 4, 1853, when he reached Spezia he was ill. He went to a hotel, but could not sleep as there was so much noise outside his room and he was running a fever. He did a lot of walking the next day and in the afternoon he threw himself onto a couch hoping to have some sleep. without: ad. outside within: ad. inside 17. …flung himself on couch intending to sleep. fling: v. He flung his shoes at the dog that would not leave his door. 18. Then at last the miracle happened for which his unconscious mind had been seeking for so long

Meaning: For a long time his unconscious mind had been seeking for a good way to start the composing and now the miracle came at last miracle: n. at or event that cannot be explained by known laws of nature The old woman said she had been cured by a miracle It is a miracle that the small child lived through the earthquake 19... his unconscious mind had been seeking for so long eek for: make a search for, try to find, look for He has been seeking for a new partner for his business for a long time before finally finding one She has been seeking for a new place to live for several months, but he has not found anything 20 . the rush and roar soon took musical shape within his brain Meaning: The image and sound of the rush and roar of the violent ocean became clear in a musical form in his brain take shape: develop or start to appear in such a way that it becomes fairly clear what its final form will be After several days' discussion, their project began to take shape 21. He recognized that the orchestral opening to the rhinegold, which he must have carried about within yet had never been able to put into form, had at last taken its shape within him Meaning: He realized that the orchestral opening to the rhinegold had finally been formed in his mind. Before this. the music must have existed in his unconscious mind but he had never been able to express in a clear form about ad. Here and there. or in all directions put into form: express in clear form Now that you understand the problem, you have to think about how to put it into form to make yourself understood 22. In this example the conscious mind at the moment of creation knew nothing of the actual processes by which the solution was found Meaning: In this example, when the discovery was made the conscious mind did not know how the solution came about 23. As a contrast, we may consider a famous story: the discovery by henry Poincare, the great French mathematician, of a new mathematical method called the Fuchsian function Meaning: We may consider a famous story, which is very different from the other examples. This story is about how Henry Poincare, the great French mathematician, discovered a new mathematical method called the Fuchsion functions ontrast: n(with, betweenunlikeness or difference shown by comparing objects or people T here is a great contrast between summer and winter If you compare the weather here with the weather in my country, there is not much contrast 24. Here we see the conscious mind, in a person of highest ability, actually watching the conscious mind at work

Meaning: For a long time his unconscious mind had been seeking for a good way to start the composing and now the miracle came at last. miracle: n. at or event that cannot be explained by known laws of nature The old woman said she had been cured by a miracle. It is a miracle that the small child lived through the earthquake. 19. ….his unconscious mind had been seeking for so long. eek for: make a search for, try to find, look for He has been seeking for a new partner for his business for a long time before finally finding one. She has been seeking for a new place to live for several months, but he has not found anything. 20. . …the rush and roar soon took musical shape within his brain. Meaning: The image and sound of the rush and roar of the violent ocean became clear in a musical form in his brain. take shape: develop or start to appear in such a way that it becomes fairly clear what its final form will be After several days’ discussion, their project began to take shape. 21. He recognized that the orchestral opening to the Rhinegold, which he must have carried about within yet had never been able to put into form, had at last taken its shape within him. Meaning: He realized that the orchestral opening to the Rhinegold had finally been formed in his mind. Before this, the music must have existed in his unconscious mind but he had never been able to express in a clear form. about:ad. Here and there, or in all directions put…into form: express in clear form Now that you understand the problem, you have to think about how to put it into form to make yourself understood. 22. In this example, the conscious mind at the moment of creation knew nothing of the actual processes by which the solution was found. Meaning: In this example, when the discovery was made the conscious mind did not know how the solution came about. 23. As a contrast, we may consider a famous story: the discovery by Henry Poincare, the great French mathematician, of a new mathematical method called the Fuchsian function. Meaning: We may consider a famous story, which is very different from the other examples. This story is about how Henry Poincare, the great French mathematician, discovered a new mathematical method called the Fuchsion functions. Contrast: n. (with, between)unlikeness or difference shown by comparing objects or people T here is a great contrast between summer and winter. If you compare the weather here with the weather in my country, there is not much contrast. 24. Here we see the conscious mind, in a person of highest ability, actually watching the conscious mind at work

I understood her lecture because she used concrete examples n reinforced concrete钢筋混凝土/ concrete miⅸer混凝土搅拌机 the adj fleeting the passing ideas the unconscious/ the blind/ the deaf/the sick/ the unemployed/the blamed awake: vt /vi 1)(cause to)stop sleeping, wake(awoke, awaken She awoke when the nurse entered the room He awoke the sleeping child 2)(fig)cause sth to become active awake sb. 's sympathy adj. 1)not asleep The secretary lay awake all night pondering whether to leave or stay 2)conscious or aware of (+to Are you fully awake to the danger you are in? Scarcely/ Hardly…when… Scarcely had he arrived when he had to leave again Scarcely had he entered the room when the phone rang Hardly had I arrived when I had a new problem to deal with 41. come one' s way: occur so that one has it or gets it ou have to get yourself ready for any time when a chance comes your way you can surely capture it evaluate: examine and judge carefully Tests are used to evaluate students' progress in school fall asleep: become asleep; go into a state of sleep One after another, all three of the children fell asleep take advantage of: make use of You should take advantage of living in a large city where most of the goods are convenient He took advantage of the meeting to express his opinion about current situations seek:vt. try to find or acquire something寻求 to seek help/ an answer to the question/ the doctor'sadvice 46. try doing/ try to do I tried send ing her flowers but it didn' t have any effect Try putting some more wine in it; that might make it taste a bit better. Please try to understand I once tried to learn Japanese 47 claim: vt 1) proclaim He claimed that he hadn 't done it but i d t believe him Watt claimed to be the inventor of the steam engine 2)require Did you claim on the insurance after your car accident? I claimed the coat that the teacher found at once: 1)at the same time I can' t do two things at once She is at once clever and restrained

I understood her lecture because she used concrete examples. n.reinforced concrete 钢筋混凝土/ concrete mixer 混凝土搅拌机 38. the + adj. fleeting: the passing ideas the unconscious/ the blind/ the deaf/ the sick/ the unemployed/ the blamed 39. awake: vt. / vi. 1) (cause to) stop sleeping; wake (awoke, awaken ) She awoke when the nurse entered the room. He awoke the sleeping child 2) (fig) cause sth to become active awake sb.'s sympathy adj. 1) not asleep The secretary lay awake all night pondering whether to leave or stay. 2) conscious or aware of（+ to） Are you fully awake to the danger you are in? 40. Scarcely/ Hardly… when… 一……就…… Scarcely had he arrived when he had to leave again. Scarcely had he entered the room when the phone rang. Hardly had I arrived when I had a new problem to deal with. 41. come one’s way: occur so that one has it or gets it ou have to get yourself ready for any time; when a chance comes your way you can surely capture it. 42. evaluate: examine and judge carefully Tests are used to evaluate students’ progress in school. 43. fall asleep: become asleep; go into a state of sleep One after another, all three of the children fell asleep. 44. take advantage of: make use of You should take advantage of living in a large city where most of the goods are convenient. He took advantage of the meeting to express his opinion about current situations. 45. seek: vt. try to find or acquire something 寻求 to seek help/ an answer to the question/ the doctor’s advice 46. try doing/ try to do I tried sending her flowers but it didn’t have any effect. Try putting some more wine in it; that might make it taste a bit better. Please try to understand. I once tried to learn Japanese. 47. claim: vt.1) proclaim He claimed that he hadn't done it, but I didn't believe him. Watt claimed to be the inventor of the steam engine. 2) require Did you claim on the insurance after your car accident? I claimed the coat that the teacher found. 48. at once: 1) at the same time I can’t do two things at once. She is at once clever and restrained