BargainsBargainsUnit 40Unit 40

Book 3-Unit 6

Pre-reading Task

Comprehension Work

Language Work

Reading Comprehension

Book 3-Unit 6Return to Menu

Book 3-Unit 6

Discuss the following questions. Do you like to bargain when doing

shopping? When and why? Is bargaining a weakness or strong point

in human nature? Why? Is bargaining harmful or

beneficial to our society?

Andy Rooney (1919—) CBS news correspondent, is a famous American humorist, columnist, writer and producer. He has won the Writers Guild award for Best Script of the Year six times, and Emmy awards three times for his essays in his program “A few Minutes with Andy Rooney”. Time magazine once described him as “the most felicitous (adj. 善于措词的 ) non-fiction writer in television”.Ref. http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/60minutes/rooney/main3419.shtml

Book 3-Unit 6

Text Summary

Text Organization

Question Discussion

Difficult Sentences

Story Reproduction

Book 3-Unit 6

Text Summary

Book 3-Unit 6

Listen to the text and fill in the blanks to complete the summary of the Listen to the text and fill in the blanks to complete the summary of the text.text.

The main idea of the article is that _________ ___________________________________________________________________. On the one hand, the businessmen encourage people to believe that________________________________. On the other hand, silly and innocent customers tend to believe that _______________________________________________.

of silly and innocent people

a bargainis a dirty trick to extort money from the pockets

they are buying things on the cheap

through bargainsthey have actually made some money

Text Organization

Book 3-Unit 6

Parts Paragraphs Main Ideas

1

2

3

1

2

3-6

Through contrasting the orthodox definition and the recent understanding of bargaining, the writer introduces a thesis statement, i.e. a bargain is a dirty trick to extort money from the pockets of silly and innocent people.

The writer illustrates how a bargain may be created by modern businessmen. Instead of selling the goods at a reasonable price, they try to sell at a higher price than its real worth.

The writer explores what is known as ‘consumer psychology’. Consumers tend to believe that they can save money by getting even the slightest discount and this often results in absurd purchases of unnecessary things.

4 7Bargain is a commercial trick which lowers our living standard.

Absurd Purchases of Unnecessary Things

Book 3-Unit 6

Book 3-Unit 6

Thesis statement (para.1)

Supporting detail-1(para.2)

Supporting detail-2(para.3-6)

A bargain is a dirty trick to extort money from the pockets of silly and innocent people.

Businessmen and bargain

Customer and bargain

Conclusion(para.7)

Bargain: harmful to our life,lowering our living standard

Comparison: two definitions

Explanation: how a bargain is created

Analogy / Examples:customer psychologyand misconception

Question Discussion

Book 3-Unit 6

1. What is the difference between the orthodox definition and the recent understanding of the term bargain?

The difference is that the conventional understanding takes the word at its face value, i.e. buying something at a low and advantageous price while the recent definition points up businessmen's trick to fool silly and innocent people.

Book 3-Unit 6

2. How would a business market its new product? And when would it cut down the price?

At the beginning, a company would market its new product at a price much higher than its real worth, taking advantage of the consumer's love for novelty. When the attraction of novelty is beginning to fade, the company would make some slight cuts in the price, turning it into a so-called bargain.

Book 3-Unit 6

3. What makes a customer think that “a bargain must not be missed”? This is typical of consumer psychology. Even

though a very tiny cut, such as a penny, looks like an insult, consumers do not want to miss it. They tend to think that since they have to buy such things as washing powder, soap etc., they might as well buy them one penny cheaper. Furthermore, they tend to believe these little bargains would eventually add up to a big fortune as they can save a penny here ... and a penny there.

Book 3-Unit 6

4. What does it mean when shoppers say “A penny here, … a penny there”?

The writer is making an analogy between the murderer who committed crimes to gather small amounts of money here and there and the modern shoppers who are crazy about obtaining bargains when shopping. Both of them believe that they would finally gather a big fortune by saving a penny here and a penny there.

Book 3-Unit 6

5. What is the real danger of bargains?

The real danger is when consumers, tempted by bargains, rush to buy things that are either unnecessary for them or hard to find room for.

6. What common misconception do customers have when they blindly spend money on bargains?

Some customers tend to think that they can make money on such bargains. Actually, however cheap the things you buy are, you always spend money rather than make money.

Book 3-Unit 6

7. What point does the writer want to make with the example of a couple who buy sugar in bulk?

The writer is trying to prove how silly it would be if people buy unnecessary things in bulk for the sake of a cheaper price.

Book 3-Unit 6

8. What does the last paragraph mean? How would you look at this issue?

The last paragraph points out that to offer bargains is a harmful practice. The writer reiterates his argument that the blame should be put on both businessmen and consumers. For the businessmen, they make the poor poorer with the dirty commercial trick. For the consumers, they are either too naive or too greedy and fail for such a trick. And he humorously proposes in the end that our living standards would rise by 7.39% by prohibiting bargains.

1. It is not a bad toothpaste, and as people like to try new things it will sell well to start with; but the attraction of novelty soon fades, so sales will fall.

Book 3-Unit 6

牙膏还不错 , 而且因为人们喜欢试用新颖的东西，所以一开始新产品销售很好，不过新奇的吸引力很快就消失了，结果产品的销售量就下降了。

Here it is an uncountable noun, indicating the quality of being different, new and unusual.

lose strength

for a start, used before the first in a list of facts, reasons

Difficult Sentences

2. And we will turn it into a bargain by printing 5p OFF all over it, whereupon people will rush to buy it even though it still costs about forty-three percent more than its fair price.

Book 3-Unit 6

结果人们就会火速去购买，即使该产品的价格仍然要比起合理价格还要高百分之四十三。

as a result of = upon which

hurry or act quickly

3. When I was a boy in Hungary a man was accused of murdering someone for the sake of one pengo, the equivalent of a shilling, and pleaded guilty.

Book 3-Unit 6

我孩童时在匈牙利，有一个男子被指控告为了相当于1 先令的钱杀了人，而且该男子认罪了。

be charged with

for the purpose of

to declare in official language

4. When greedy fools fall for this trick, it

serves them right.

Book 3-Unit 6

当贪婪的蠢人们上了当，他们就活该受到惩罚。

to be cheated by

deserve the punishment

Retell the story using the following clues. comparison between the orthodox definition and a recent definition of the word bargain how a bargain is created by businessmen consumer psychology in shopping mistaken view on bargains making money on bargains absurdity of buying unnecessary things in bulk conclusion—bargain: harmful to our life, lowering our living standard

Story Reproduction

Book 3-Unit 6

In Other Words

Work with Sentences

Word Study

Book 3-Unit 6

1. We should try a new approach.__________ thinking will lead to no solution to the new problem.

2. Although there was much publicity about the movie, I personally found little ________ in the story line.

3. The local police arrested those gangsters who _________ protection money from shop owners.

4. The boy shouted, “Go home, Shep!” _____________ the dog quickly went home for help.

In Other Words

Book 3-Unit 6

Put the following expressions from the text in the blanks. (page 81: A)Put the following expressions from the text in the blanks. (page 81: A)

Click the word

prohibit novelty

extort reduceotherwise

extorted

whereupon plead orthodox

fade

Orthodox

5. His anger seemed ___________ after my explanation.6. The woman _________ not guilty. She denied that she

had stolen the expensive fur-coat.7. The sign of “Fire” tells you that smoking __________

in the gasoline station.8. My great-uncle was a little clumsy, _________ he was

a perfect minister.9. To be more competitive in the market, our production

costs must ____________ to the minimum.

Click the word

Book 3-Unit 6

prohibit reduce

to fade/to be fading

fadeotherwise

pleaded

plead

is prohibited

be reduced

Book 3-Unit 6

Rewrite the following sentences using the expressions below. (page Rewrite the following sentences using the expressions below. (page 8181:B):B)

fall for might as well in bulk serve somebody rightregard... As for the sake of provide thataccuse somebody of all the same make a living out of

1.Though the couple could only make a marginal profit, they could depend on

the small business for a living.2. In some supermarkets, goods can be made

very cheap if they are bought in large quantities.

3. Since you have to pass the exam, you had better do some revision.

make a living out of

in bulk

might as well

Work with Sentences

Book 3-Unit 6

4. With many safety devices missing, my bike would have flunked the inspection. But, nevertheless, I could ride it very fast.

5. Some women are the victims of the businessmen's trick that cosmetics can make them younger and prettier.

6. The boy was punished by the man because he often kicked down his mailbox. I think that he deserved the punishment.

I could ride it very fast all the same

fall for

it served him right

Book 3-Unit 6

7. As long as water is found on Mars, humans can establish settlements there.

8. The Customs officers charged the traveller with drug-trafficking.

9. Automobiles are subjected to an annual inspection for the purpose of traffic safety.

10. Many teenagers think of exams as a nightmare.

Provided that

The traveller was accused of drug-trafficking

by the Customs officers.

for the sake of

regard exams as

Word Study (page 82:C)

Book 3-Unit 6

1. Study the five expressions in Exercise a together with the example sentences in Exercise b.

2. Give English interpretations of the term based on the example sentences. Then try to translate the example sentences into Chinese.

3. Try to finish Exercise b: work on one sentence out of the prompts.

Book 3-Unit 6

1. A bargain is something offered at a low and advantageous price.

v. put forward sth. to sb. to be considered and accepted or refused offer sb. sth. / offer sth. to sb. / offer sb. sth. for money e.g. He offered the guest a cup of tea. / They offered me the

computer for 1000 yuan. / I offered 1000 yuan for the computer.

1. a. Irene offered me a second-hand bicycle for l00 yuan. b. Wherever he was, Lei Feng was ready to offer help to

those who were in need of it. c. The necklace was offered at such a low price that

Mary bought it without any hesitation.

廉价货是以低价和便宜的价格出售的东西。

2. People will rush to buy it even though it still costs about forty-three percent more than its fair price.

Book 3-Unit 6

人们就会火速去购买，即使该产品的价格仍然要比起合理价格还要高百分之四十三。

v. hurry or act quickly to do sth.n. a sudden rapid hasty movemente.g. Christmas rush, gold rush

2. a. When the bus finally turned up, the refugees rushed to get on in order to escape from this war-torn country.

b. The boys rushed to play football when the teacher announced that class was over.

c. On hearing that the new film would be shown at the school cinema, students rushed to buy tickets.

Book 3-Unit 6

3. A bargain must not be missed.

廉价货不可错过。 v. fail to take advantage of something.

miss + n. , e.g. He missed the opportunity to go to university.

3. a. Hamlet missed many opportunities to take revenge on his uncle because of his indecision.

b. He is so crazy about Sade that he has never missed any of her albums.

c. The city museum is one of the most famous tourist attractions here and is not to be missed.

Book 3-Unit 6

4. A lady I know, otherwise a charming and seemingly sane girl, sometimes tells me stories such as this.

我认识的一位女士，看来也是位迷人心智健全的姑娘呢，居然有时候对我说这样的话。

as far as one can tell, evidently

4. a. You can't judge a person by his appearance. A seemingly honest person may be a thief!

b. The explanation he made was seemingly reasonable.

c. Some seemingly good luck may bring us nothing but trouble.

Book 3-Unit 6

5. To offer bargains is a commercial trick to make the poor poorer.

出售廉价货是一个使穷人更穷的商业伎俩 。

n. thing done in order to deceive or outwit somebody e.g. You can’t fool the small child with that old trick.v. cause somebody to do something by means of a trick (trick

somebody into something/doing something)e.g. They tricked the old man into buying the goods of low

quality.

5. a. In the story The Emperor's New Clothes, the two cheats got gold from the stupid emperor by using a trick.

b. Many people play tricks on each other on April Fool’s Day.

c. Sweet words are his tricks to win people's favor.

Book 3-Unit 6Return to Menu