全新版大學英語綜合教程第二冊第2單元課文講解

導語：每個人的價值觀念有所不同，但是物體的價值卻是相似的，下面是一篇關於價值的英語課文，歡迎大家來學習。

　　Values

Part I Pre-Reading Task

Listen to the recording two or three times and then think over the following questions:

1. Who is it about?

2. What happened to him one day?

3. Do you think it was worthwhile to walk two or three miles to pay back the six and a quarter cents?

4. Is the story related to the theme of the unit — values?

The following words in the recording may be new to you:

dismay

n. 沮喪，失望

disturb

vt. 使不安

conscientious

a. 認真的，盡職的

Part II

Text

Does being rich mean you live a completely different life from ordinary people? Not, it seems, if your name is Sam Walton.

THE RICHEST MAN IN AMERICA, DOWN HOME

Art Harris

He put on a dinner jacket to serve as a waiter at the birthday party of The Richest Man in America. He imagined what surely awaited: a mansion, a "Rolls-Royce for every day of the week," dogs with diamond collars, servants everywhere.

Then he was off to the house, wheeling past the sleepy town square in Bentonville, a remote Arkansas town of 9,920, where Sam Walton started with a little dime store that grew into a $6 billion discount chain called Wal-Mart. He drove down a country road, turned at a mailbox marked "Sam and Helen Walton," and jumped out at a house in the woods.

It was nice, but no palace. The furniture appeared a little worn. An old pickup truck sat in the garage and a muddy bird dog ran about the yard. He never spotted any servants.

"It was a real disappointment," sighs waiter Jamie Beaulieu.

Only in America can a billionaire carry on like plain folks and get away with it. And the 67-year-old discount king Sam Moore Walton still travels these windy back roads in his 1979 Ford pickup, red and white, bird dogs by his side, and, come shooting season, waits in line like everyone else to buy shells at the local Wal-Mart.

"He doesn't want any special treatment," says night manager Johnny Baker, who struggles to call the boss by his first name as a recent corporate memo commands. Few here think of his billions; they call him "Mr. Sam" and accept his folksy ways. "He's the same man who opened his dime store on the square and worked 18 hours a day for his dream," says Mayor Richard Hoback.

By all accounts, he's friendly, cheerful, a fine neighbor who does his best to blend in, never flashy, never throwing his weight around.

No matter how big a time he had on Saturday night, you can find him in church on Sunday. Surely in a reserved seat, right? "We don't have reserved seats," says Gordon Garlington III, pastor of the local church.

So where does The Richest Man in America sit? Wherever he finds a seat. "Look, he's just not that way. He doesn't have a set place. At a church supper the other night, he and his wife were in back washing dishes."

For 19 years, he's used the same barber. John Mayhall finds him waiting when he opens up at 7 a.m. He chats about the national news, or reads in his chair, perhaps the Benton County Daily Democrat, another Walton property that keeps him off the front page. It buried the Forbes list at the bottom of page 2.

"He's just not a front-page person," a newspaper employee explains.

But one recent morning, The Richest Man in America did something that would have made headlines any where in the world: He forgot his money. "I said, 'Forget it, take care of it next time,'" says barber Mayhall. "But he said, 'No, I'll get it,' and he went home for his wallet."

Wasn't that, well, a little strange? "No sir," says Mayhall, "the only thing strange about Sam Walton is that he isn't strange."

But just how long Walton can hold firm to his folksy habits with celebrity hunters keeping following him wherever he goes is anyone's guess. Ever since Forbes magazine pronounced him America's richest man, with $2.8 billion in Wal-Mart stock, he's been a rich man on the run, steering clear of reporters, dreamers, and schemers.

"He may be the richest by Forbes rankings," says corporate affairs director Jim Von Gremp, "but he doesn't know whether he is or not — and he doesn't care. He doesn't spend much. He owns stock, but he's always left it in the company so it could grow. But the real story in his mind is the success achieved by the 100,000 people who make up the Wal-Mart team."

He's usually back home for Friday sales meetings, or the executive pep rally Saturday morning at 7 a.m., when Walton, as he does at new store openings, is liable to jump up on a chair and lead everyone in the Wal-Mart cheer: "Give me a W! Give me an A! Give me an L! Louder!"

And louder they yell. No one admits to feeling the least bit silly. It's all part of the Wal-Mart way of life as laid down by Sam: loyalty, hard work, long hours; get ideas into the system from the bottom up, Japanese-style; treat your people right; cut prices and margins to the bone and sleep well at night. Employees with one year on board qualify for stock options, and are urged to buy all they can.

After the pep rally, there's bird hunting, or tennis on his backyard court. But his stores are always on his mind. One tennis guest managed to put him off his game by asking why a can of balls cost more in one Wal-Mart than another. It turned out to be untrue, but the move worked. Walton lost four straight games.

Walton set up a college scholarship fund for employees' children, a disaster relief fund to rebuild employee homes damaged by fires, floods, tornadoes, and the like. He believed in cultivating ideas and rewarding success.

"He'd say, 'That fellow worked hard, let's give him a little extra,'" recalls retired president Ferold F. Arend, who was stunned at such generosity after the stingy employer he left to join Wal-Mart. "I had to change my way of thinking when I came aboard."

"The reason for our success," says Walton, in a company handout, "is our people and the way they're treated and the way they feel about their company. They believe things are different here, but they deserve the credit."

Adds company lawyer Jim Hendren: "I've never seen anyone yet who worked for him or was around him for any length of time who wasn't better off. And I don't mean just financially, although a lot of people are. It's just something about him — coming into contact with Sam Walton just makes you a better person."

　　New Words and Expressions

mansion▲

n. a large house, usu. belonging to a rich person (豪華的)宅邸，大廈

remote

a. far away in space or time 遙遠的

dime

n. (美國、加拿大的)10分硬幣

billion

num.(美、法)十億;(英、德)萬億

discount

n. amount of money which may be taken off the full price 折扣

pickup

n. a light van having an open body with low sides 小卡車，輕型貨車

muddy▲

a. covered in mud 沾滿泥的;泥濘的

sigh

vi. 歎氣，歎息

billionaire

n. 億萬富翁;大富翁

carry on

behave in a wild or improper way; conduct; continue 舉止隨便;進行;繼續做

folk

n. () people in general 人們;人民

get away with

do (sth.) without being caught or punished 做(某事)而未被發覺或未受懲罰

shell

n. (AmE) 槍彈;炮彈;殼

local

a. of a particular place 地方的，當地的

treatment

n. 對待;待遇

corporate▲

a. 公司的

memo▲

n. a note of sth. to be remembered 備忘錄

folksy

a. simple and friendly 友好的'，坦率的

mayor

n. 市長

by/from all accounts

according to what everyone says 人人都説

cheerful

a. (of a person) happy in a lively way; (of sth.) making one feel happy 愉快的;令人愉快的

blend

v. mix together thoroughly (將…)混合

blend in

mix harmoniously 融洽，十分協調

flashy

a. attracting attention by being too smart and decorated 浮華的，華而不實的

throw one's weight around

(infml) 盛氣凌人

reserve

vt. keep for a special use; book (a seat, room, table, etc.) 將…留作專用;預定

pastor

n. 牧師

barber

n. 理髮師

open up

(infml) 開門;打開

democrat

n. 民主黨人;民主主義者

employee

n. 僱員，受僱者

headline

n. (報紙上的)標題

wallet▲

n. 皮夾子

hold to

keep to 遵守，不改變

celebrity

n. famous person 名人

stock

n. 資本;股票，證券

on the run

in flight; continuously active 奔逃，逃避;忙個不停

steer

v. 駕駛

steer clear of

keep away from 避開，避免

reporter

n. 記者

schemer

n. 陰謀家

scheme

n. 陰謀;計劃

ranking

n. 地位;等級

rank

v. (將…)列為(某等級)

make up

form, constitute 構成，組成

executive

n., a. 經營管理方面的(人員);行政方面的(人員)

pep

n. (infml) keen activity and energy 勁頭，活力

rally

n., v. 集會

pep rally

a gathering intended to encourage the listeners 鼓舞士氣的會議

opening

n. the act of becoming or making open, esp. officially (正式的)開張，開幕

liable

a. likely (to do sht.) 有可能做…的

yell▲

v. shout loudly 喊叫

lay down

establish 制定;設立

loyalty

n. being true and faithful (to) 忠誠

system

n. 系統

qualify

v. (使)具有資格

option

n. 期權，購買(或出售)權;選擇自由

stock option

優先認股權

court

n. 球場

scholarship

n. 獎學金

tornado

n. 龍捲風

cultivate

vt. improve by care, training or study; develop 培養，陶冶

reward

v. give (sth.) to sb. in return for work or services 獎賞

retired

a. (of a person) having stopped working, usu. because of age 退休了的

retire

v. (使)退休

stun▲

vt. make (sb.) very surprised 使驚嚇

generosity

n. the quality of being willing to give money, help, etc. 慷慨，大方

stingy

a. unwilling to spend money 吝嗇的

employer

n. 僱傭者，僱主

aboard

adv., prep. on or into (a ship, train, aircraft, bus, etc.) 在(船、車、飛機等)上

come aboard

(fig) become a new member of an organization 入夥，加盟

handout

n. information given out in the form of a printed sheet, leaflet 印刷品，宣傳品

deserve

vt. be worthy of 應受，值得

　　Proper Names

Art Harris

阿特·哈里斯

Rolls-Royce

羅爾斯-羅伊斯汽車

Bentonville

本頓維爾(美國地名)

Arkansas

(美國)阿肯色州

Sam Moore Walton

薩姆·穆爾·沃爾頓

Wal-Mart

沃爾瑪公司

Jamie Beaulieu

傑米·鮑尤

Ford

福特汽車

Johnny Baker

喬尼·貝克

Richard Hoback

理查德·霍巴克

Gordon Garlington III

戈登·加林頓第三

Mayhall

梅霍

Benton County

本頓縣(美國地名)

Forbes

福布斯(雜誌名)

Jim Von Gremp

吉姆·馮·格雷姆普

Ferold F·Arend

費羅爾德·F·阿倫德

Jim Hendren

吉姆·亨德倫

　　Language Sense Enhancement

1. Read aloud paragraphs 19-22 and learn them by heart.

2. Read aloud the following poem:

I'm nobody! Who are you?

Emily Dickinson

I'm nobody! Who are you?

Are you nobody, too?

Then there's a pair of us — don't tell!

They'd advertise — you Know!

How dreary to be somebody!

How public like a frog

To tell one's name the livelong day

To an admiring bog!

3. Read the following quotations. Learn them by heart if you can. You might need to look up new words in a dictionary.

One should eat to live, not live to eat.

—— Benjamin Franklin

That man is the richest whose pleasures are the cheapest.

—— Henry David Thoreau

If money is your hope for independence you will never have it. The only real security that a man will have in this world is a reserve of knowledge, experience, and ability.

—— Henry Ford

To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive, and the true success is to labor.

—— Robert Louis Stevenson

4. Read the following humorous story for fun. You might need to look up new words in a dictionary.

The elderly gamekeeper of a Scottish estate suffered from fading eyesight, and the lord of the manor offered to send him to London to see an eye specialist. Before he left, however, he was given strict instructions to spend his money thriftily and to live as he would at home.

When the keeper returned a week later, he presented the lord with a bill for more than ￡1000. Shocked, the lord asked what he had been living on in London.

"Oh, the usual, sir," came the reply. "Pheasant, salmon, grouse and venison."