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1、The Virtues of Ambition,Introduction to the Author,Joseph Epstein(1937-),noted essayist,short story author and novelist,was born in Chicago and grew up in Rogers Park.He then attended the University of Chicago and is now a promineng member of the literature faculty at Northwestern University.He is a
2、 teacher in the acclaimed prose,writing fiction,as well as literature classes on Henry James,Willa Cather,and Joseph Conrad.He won the 1998 harold Washington Literary Award for the most prominent man or women of letters in Chicago.,Perhaps one of the cleverest writers of our times,Epstein specialize
3、s in the personal or familiar essay.His insightful and penetrating observations and wry prose combine to make him one of the most enjoyable contemporary authors.He has also written short fiction,as well as a number of works of literary criticism.His works:Divorced in America,1974Ambition,1980Plausib
4、le Prejudices,1985The Middle of My TetherFamily Territory,Introdution to the Text,Is ambition good or bad?There are those who argue that ambition is often evil;that“dreams of glory”(in the words of the author)too often result in selfishness,rivalry,corruption,and a general lack of moral standards.If
5、 you are truly ambitious,then your goal whether fame,wealth,or power comes before everything else,including your family,other people,and even your own moral values.Hitler is one well-known example of the evils of ambition,and one neednt look far to find other examples among both public figures and p
6、erhaps even our own acquaintances.,On the other hand,examples of ambition also include people working for the good of others such as Martin Luther King and Ghandi.Epstein argues that far from being an evil,ambition is in fact a virtue and necessary for the functioning of society.He argues that ambit
7、ion involves much more than just“dreams of glory”it also includes the work and discipline to make those dreams come true.Ambition,says Epstein,is critical for both great leaders and the more humble members of the middle class.Rather than being an evil,ambition is something that brings progress and l
8、ife to society.,The structure of the text,Part 1(para.1-3):None of this seems a sufficient cause for driving ambition under the counter.Part 2(para.4-5):What is the worst that can be said about ambition.Part 3(para.6-7):There is a heavy note of hypocrisy in this.Part 4(para.8-11):To discourage ambit
9、ion is to discourage dreams of greatness.Part 5(para.12-13):How unrelievedly boring life would be.,Language Points,Rorschach word(line 1,Para.1)=Rorschach inkblot test,which was developed in 1921 by Swiss psychiatrist Herman Rorschach(1844-1922).He believed that people reveal their personality trait
10、s and unconscious thoughts by how they interpret inkblot designs.Psychologists administer the test by showing subjects a series of ten inkblot cards,asking them to describe what they see,and questioning them about their responses.Rorschach words refer to words that have the feature of revealing a gr
11、eat deal about people when they define them.,Line 1-2,para.1,define it and you instantly reveal a great deal about yourself.If you define ambition according to your personal understanding,you will reveal a lot about yourself,your dreams,your desires,your values,your philosophy,etc.,Line 2-5,para 1.,
12、Even that most neutral of works,Websters,in its Seventh New Collegiate Edition,gives itself away,defining ambition first and foremost as“an ardent desire for rank,fame,or power.”Even that most neutral of dictionaries,websters,in its seventh New Collegiate edition,shows its biased interpretation of a
13、mbition,its first definition of ambition being“an ardent desire for rank,fame,or power.”,give itself away:reveal itselfe.g.The swindler gave himself away when he was asked to establish his identity.She really likes him and thinks no one knows,but the look on her face when I mentioned his name gave h
14、er away.,Lines 5-7,para 1,Ardent immediately assumes a heat incommensurate with good sense and stability,and rank,fame,and power have come under fairly heavy attack for at least a century.The word“ardent”immediately takes on a desire disproportionate to good sense and stability,and rank,fame,and pow
15、er have been severely criticized for at least a century.,Be commensurate with:match sth.in size,quality,or length of timeE.g.The salary will be commensurate with age,experience and position.Be commensurable to/with:can be measured by the same standard asE.g.Their achievements are not commensurable.,
16、Lines 8-11,para.1,One can,after all,be ambitions for the public good,for the alleviation of suffering,for the enlightenment of mankind,though there are some who say that these are precisely the ambitious people most to be distrusted.Surely one can strive to be successful,rich and powerful in order t
17、o help ease human suffering and enlighten mankind,but there are some who believe that those kind of ambitious people are exacly the kind not to be trusted.,be ambitious for sb.:want sb.to be very successfulbe ambitious for/after/of:have a strong desire forE.g.be ambitious after wealth Be ambitious f
18、or/of powerafter all:despite problem and doubt,(the facts is);in spite of any indications or expectations to the contraryE.g.Of course I admire her after all,she is a great politician.,Comprehension,This essay is an argumentation.In the first paragraph,the writer mentions two different interpretatio
19、ns about ambition and ambitious people.What and who are they?1)ambition is an ardent desire for rank,fame,or power2)ambition is incommensurate with good sense and stability3)one can be ambitious for the public good,for the alleviation of suffering and for the enlightenment of mankind.,Lines 1-2,para
20、.2,Surely ambition is behind dreams of glory,of wealth,of love,of distinction,of accomplishment,of pleasure,of goodness.It is certain that ambition makes possible dreams of glory,of wealth,of love,of distiction,of accomplishment,of pleasure,of goodness.,Behind(prep.):in or to a position at the back(
21、sb/sth);supportive of sb./sth;responsible for starting or developing(sth.)E.g.I know that behind her smile was sadness.Marie curie was the woman behind enormous changes in the science of chemistry.Were all behind you in this decision.Distinction n.:quality of excellence;honor,mark of respect;classif
22、ication of two or more;a clear difference between two similar thingsE.g.He is a man of distinction in his own country.I had the great distinction of being invited to speak at the conference.,Lines 2-4,para.2,What life does with our dreams and expectation cannot be predicted.What will actually happen
23、 to our dreams and expectations during our life times cannot be guessed in advance.,do with:get on with/have a connection withE.g.To tell the truth,I dont know what to do with him.The program has to do with mental illness.do without:get along withoutE.g.As John isnt here,we shall have to do without
24、him.,Lines 5-7,para.2,The unpredictability of the outcome of dreams is no reason to cease dreaming.Although the outcome of dreams cannot be predicted,one shouldnt stop dreaming.,Lines 1-3 para.3,To be sure,ambition,the sheer thing unalloyed by some larger purpose than merely clambering up,is never a
25、 pretty prospect to ponder.It is certain that ambition,in its simplest form,if not mixed with reasons other than to just merely climb up socially or materially,is never a pleasant and attractive thing to think about.,Sheer:The word sheer is used for emphasis,and the sheer thing means the simple or p
26、ure thingE.g.The suggestion is sheer nonsense.The engines sheer size would make it difficult to transport.Prospect n.:likelihood;sth.one expectsPretty prospect:pleasant and attractive things to happenE.g.Success or failure here would be crucial to his future prospects.,Lines 3-4,para.3,As drunk have
27、 done to alcohol,the single-minded have done to ambition given it a bad name.Just as people who abuse alcohol have given alcohol a bad name,so people who live on greed,have given ambition a bad name.,Lines 4-5,para.3,Like a taste for alcohol,too,ambition does not always allow for easy satiation.As w
28、ith people who enjoy a taste for alcohol,it is very difficult for ambitious people to be satisfied;they usually want more and more.Taste here means preference.Satiate v.:(usu.passive)provide sb.with so much of sth.that he wants no moreE.g.He drank greedily until his thirst was satiated.The company c
29、an hardly produce enough of these toys to satiate public demand.,Lines 7-8,para.3,Still,none of this seems a sufficient cause for driving ambition under the counter.Neverthless,none of what is mentioned above is enough reason to force ambition to become secret and hidden.under the counter:secretly;i
30、llegallyE.g.handle business under the counterThe banned book was sold under the counter.,Lines 7-8,para.4,The ambitious individual,far from identifying himself and his fortunes with the group,wishes to rise above it.An ambitious person does not want to be part of the crowd,but he wishes to progress
31、and outdistance it.far from:not at allE.g.The newspaper accounts are far from(being)true.far from eye,/far from heart.Identify with:equate with;associate oneself withE.g.It is a mistake to identify art with life.She has always been identified with the radical left.,Comprehension,What is the main ide
32、a of the first three paragraphs?Although for a long time ambition has come under heavy attack,has been given a bad name,and can be dangerous,it is by no means a bad thing.,Comprehension,In these paragraphs,the attacks on ambition and ambitious people mainly lie in four aspects.What are they?1)Ambiti
33、on is inconsistent with good sense and stability.2)Most ambitious people are to be distrusted.3)The outcome of ambitious dreams is usually unpredictable.4)Ambition does not always allow for easy satisfaction;single minded ambitious people give ambition a bad name.,Lines 11-14,para.4,Ambition is,more
34、over,jesuitical;it can argue those possessed by it into believing that what they want for themselves is good for everyone that the satisfaction of their own desires is best for the commonweal.Ambition is moreover,very cunning;it can persuade those who are obsessed with/controlled by it to believe th
35、at what they want for themselves is also good for everyone else,that is to say,that the satisfaction of their own desires is best for the public.,argue sb into:persuade sb.To do sth.E.g.They argued him into adoption of the plan.You want to argue me into agreeing your proposal?possess vt.:control,obs
36、essE.g.Im absolutely dreading having to make the after-dinner speech I dont know what possessed me to agree to it.possessed(by)adj.:obsessed withShe is possessed by her drive to get into the best college.,Lines 14-16,para.4,The truly ambitious believe that it is a dog-eat-dog world,and they are dist
37、inguished by wanting to be the dogs that do the eating.The really ambitious people believe that the world today is full of tough and maybe ruinous competition,and what makes them different is that they want to come out on top in the competition.,Lines 1-4,para.5,From here it is but a short hop to be
38、lieve that those who have achieved the common goals of ambition money,fame,power have achieved through corruption of a greater lesser degree,mostly a greater.From this point(It is a dog-eat-dog world),it is very easy to believe that those who have achieved their common goals of ambition money,fame,p
39、ower have usually achieved them dishonestly in a greater or lesser degree,mostly in a greater degree.,Lines 4-5,para.5,Thus all politicians in high places,thought to be ambitious,are understood to be,ipso facto,without moral scruples.Therefore,all politicians in high positions,who are regarded as be
40、ing ambitious,are understood to be,by the very fact(being ambitious),without thinking of moral honesty.Ipso facto:(Latin)by that very factE.g.He was an outstanding pupil and,ipso facto,disliked by the rest of the class.他是优秀的学生，正因为这个缘故，全班都不喜欢他。,Lines 5-7,para.5,How could they have such scruples a wei
41、ghty burden in a high climb and still have risen as they have?How could they still have risen as they have done if they had had uneasy feelings guilt is a heavy burden in the climb to the high positions.(It is impossible for them to worry about morality,because their only purpose is to achieve their
42、 goal of ambitionmoney,fame,rank and power.),Comprehension,Why does the writer mention politicians in high positions in para.5?According to the worst that can be said about ambitious people in para.4,one might think that any high-ranking politician must have gone against moral principles in order to
43、 climb so high.This example shows ambition thats gotten out of control and left moral scruples behind.,Lines 1-3,para.6,If ambition is to be well regarded,the rewards of ambitionwealth,distinction,control over ones destiny must be considered worthy of the sacrifices made on ambitions behalf.If ambit
44、ion is to be well responded,the rewards of ambitionwealth,high achievement,control over ones destiny must be considered worthy of sacrifices made in the interest of ambition.,on someones behalf of/on behalf of someone:in the interest of;as the representative of spokesman for sb;for the sake ofE.g.On
45、 behalf of the company as a whole,I would like to thank you for all your work.Unfortunately,George cannot be with us today so I am pleased to accept this award on his behalf.,Lines 3-6,para.6,If the tradition of ambition is to have vitality,it must be widely shared;and it especially must be esteemed
46、 by people who are themselves admired,the educated not least among them.If the tradition of ambition is going to live and thrive,it must be widely accepted by society,in particular by the well educated and others who are respected and admired.,not least:(usu.not the least):especiallyE.g.The presiden
47、ts speeches were alarming;not the least to the countrys allies.not the least/not in the least/not the least bit:none at all;not at allE.g.She didnt seem the least bit worried.,Lines 6-9,para.6,The educated not least because,nowadays more than ever before,it is they who have usurped the platforms of
48、public discussion and wield the power of the spoken and written word in newpapaers,in magazines,on television.The educated people should especially support ambition,because,nowadays more than ever before,it is the educated people that have occupied the platforms of public discussion,and have and use
49、 the power of both the spoken and written word in differen kinds of mass communication,e.g.newpapers,magazines,TV,etc.,Line 13,para.6,There is heavy note of hypocrisy in this;There is a situation in which some educated people,being double-faced,claim to have abandoned ambition,but in fact,have benef
50、ited a lot from it;,a note of:showing someones thinking and felling by the way their voice soundsE.g.a note of anger/a note of jealousy.A note of anxietyHypocrisy n.:the activity of pretending to believe or feel something that you do notE.g.She is annoyed by the hypocrisy of some governments which c
