Unit 12  The Educational Ladder
I. Teaching Objectives:
After the learning of this text, the students will be able to
1. understand the main idea of the text;
2. learn to analyse long difficult sentence patterns;
3. grasp the key words, language points and grammatical structures in the text;
4. conduct a series of reading, speaking and translation exercises related to the text.
II. Time Allotment:
Eight periods (six for intensive reading and two for Exercises)
III. Text Analysis
1.Americans view their public school system as an educational ladder…
view …as: look upon…as; treat…as
e.g.  In Britain, the Japanese are sometimes viewed as threat to domestic industries.
    英国有时把日本人看作是对本国工业的一种威胁。
2.The bachelor’s degree can be followed by…, which lead to Master’s and doctoral degrees.
bachelor’s degree: 学士学位  master’s degree: 硕士学位  doctor’s degree (doctoral degree): 博士学位
3.The educational ladder concept is an almost perfect reflection of……equality of opportunity and on “working your way to the top.”
So many young people from poor families struggle along on limited budgets in order to stay in school because they know that a college degree brings higher income, greater job security, more respect, and a more significant career. “Every son must rise above his father
” is a major aspect of the American Dream—and one that is most often realized through higher education. 
reflection: a sign that shows the state or nature of sth
e.g.  Your clothes are often a reflection of your personality.
穿着常常反映出 一个人的个性。
The increase in crime is a sad reflection on (=shows sth bad about) our society today.
犯罪的增加令人遗憾地反映了当今社会不太好的一面。
4．In the United States there are no separate …a lower level of education for the masses.
  separate: different or distinct
  e.g.    It happened on three separate occasions.
          这事件在三个不同的场合都发生过。
the masses: public; ordinary working-class people  大众，劳动者阶层
  e.g.  There are masses of people waiting at the airport.
          大批的众在机场等候着。
          The revolutionary urged the masses to overthrow the government.
          革命者鼓动众推翻政府。
5．The abilities of the individuals, rather than their social class background, are expected to determine how high each person will get.
be expected to: require sth
e.g.    You will be expected to work on Saturdays. 你们星期六要上班。
determine: decide, resolve
      We determined to prove his innocence.
      我们决定为他澄清罪名。
(1)determine to do [动作]   
be determined to do [状态]    决心做
(2) determine on (doing) sth.  决定做某事
6.  There are numerous private religious schools …
    Today we have a great variety of types of colleges and universities in the United States. Some are state-supported, others are privately endowed, and still others are supported by religious groups. 
  numerous: very many 
connect to和connect with的区别
    her numerous friends 她的许多朋友
    on numerous occasions 多次
    In the early nineteenth century numerous colleges for women were founded.
    十九世纪早期建立了许多女子学院。
7.  …which are associated with particular churches and …
be associated with: join (people or things) together; connect (ideas, etc) in one’s mind
associate…with （思想上）联系；（业务上）合伙  associate  vt. 
associate with   与……交往        associate  vi.
e.g.  Whisky is usually associated with Scotland.
    人们常把威士忌同苏格兰联系起来。
    Don’t associate with him.  别跟他结交。
辨异：    associate,  connect,    join,    combine
（1） associate (…with) 指心里通过联想而“联系”。
（2） connect（…to\with）指“认为有关系或有联系”：
          e.g.  I always considered your brother to be connected with the crime.
                我一直认为你的兄弟和这个犯罪活动有关。
（3） join (…to)指直接连接（两个以上的东西）：
          e.g.  A long suspension bridge joined the two islands.
                一条长长的吊桥连接了两个岛。
（4） combine（…with）指为一目的而把两个以上的东西合在一起：
          e.g.  They combined the two companies.
                他们把这两个公司合并在一起。
8.  Students must pay high tuition costs that only wealthier families can afford.
afford: ［no passive］(usu with can, could or be able to) have enough money, time, space, etc for (a specified purpose) 为（某目的）有足够的钱、时间、地方等：
      e.g.  They walked because they couldn’t afford (to take) a taxi.
他们因为坐不起计程车而步行。
I’d love to go on holiday but I can’t afford the time.
我想去度假可抽不出时间来。
9. These are much lower at public universities than at private ones …
The federal government of the United States has established a vast program offering long-term loans to students to help them meet their education expenses. The goal is to make higher education available to everyone who is willing and capable – regardless of his financial situation.