Unit 11

The Real Truth about Lies --Randy Fitzgerald

Contents

Pre-reading questions Background information Global study of Text I Structural analysis Detailed study of of Text I Comprehension questions of Text I Exercises Grammatical items Global study of Text II Oral activities Writing practice

Warming up activities

1.If your good friend buys a new MP3 or a new mobile phone which you dislike intensely, and asks for your opinion about it, what will you say?

2.When do you think people lie? 3. Why do people lie? 4.To whom do people most likely to lie? 5. How would you feel if somebody lied to you for

your own good? 6. What’s your view of white lies? 7. Have you ever lied? examples

Open discuss

1.What topics are husbands, wives, boyfriends and girlfriends likely to lie about?

2.If once a cheater, always a cheater? 3. If you have done something wrong,

should you confess or tell a lie or keep it a secret?

How do you rebuild, restore or regain trust after it has been destroyed?

Quotes reading—lie & truth

Let sleeping dogs lie.

Truth is beautiful, without doubt; but so are lies.- - - Ralph Waldo Emerson

A lie stands on one leg, truth on two.- - - Benjamin Franklin

Truth is completely spontaneous. Lies have to be taught.- - - Richard Buckminster Fuller Jr.

Truth is completely spontaneous. Lies have to be taught. - - - Richard Buckminster Fuller Jr.

It is always the best policy to tell the truth, unless, of course, you are an exceptionally good liar. - - Jerome K. Jerome

Truth is the safest lie. - - - Jewish Proverb

Truth never damages a cause that is just. - - - Mohandas K. Gandhi "Non-Violence in Peace and War"

Beauty is truth, truth beauty,-that is all - - - John Keats "Ode on a Grecian Urn"

It is hard to believe that a man is telling the truth when you know that you would lie if you were in his place. - - - H. L. Mencken

I never know how much of what I say is true. - - - Bette Midler

Let us begin by committing ourselves to the truth- to see it like it is, and tell it like it is- to find the truth, to speak the truth, and to live the truth.- - - Richard M. Nixon , Speech, 9 Aug. 1968, Miami, accepting the presidential nomination.

Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth. - - - Henry David Thoreau

Truly, to tell lies is not honorable; but when the truth entails tremendous ruin, To speak dishonorably is pardonable.

- - - Sophocles

Lying is an act of aggression--against the recipient of the lie. Lies hurt people, they hurt companies and shareholders and they hurt relationships.

Lying is also an act of weakness. The liar is unwilling to bear the responsibility of the truth-telling. Lying is the lazy way, the selfish way.

Lying is an antisocial act, injuring the person lied to and any relationships binding liar and victim.

About text I

Topic –The Real Truth about Lies—white lies

Selected from Reader's Digest in the November, 1999

Journalistic style Short paragraphs---18 paras Argumentative writing

While-reading questions

How does the writer begin with the topic? How does he convince the readers “the

real truth ” of lies? Find out words, phrases, expressions or

sentences to indicate the consequences of lies?

After-reading questions

What is the tone of the author in the text? What is the author’s attitude towards lies? What is the author’s viewpoint in the text? What are the features of the text? What is your viewpoint of the topic?

Structural analysis of the text Part 1—paras 1—6 Introducing the topic by reporting two survey results. Part 2—paras 7-11 Telling little white lies is a common practice and the

reason for telling such lies by citing an example Part 3—paras 12-15 The consequences of telling lies Part 4—paras 16-18 Discussing whether lies should be voided at all

costs

Detailed study of the text

Questions in para 1-6 1.What survey is conducted according to

para 1? A1.147 people volunteered for an unusual

project—keeping diaries for a week, recording the numbers and details of the lies they told.

2.What is the result of Professor Bella DePaulo's survey? What conclusion can we draw from the result?

A2. According to the survey done by Professor DePaulo, 140 out of 147 people admitted having told lies. As some of the lies are well-intentioned, people may not regard them as lies. This result shows that telling lies is common.

3. What is the result of the survey conducted by Josephson Institute of Ethics? What can we learn from it?

A3. According to this survey, among 20,000 students surveyed, 92 percent professed to have told lies and meanwhile, 91 percent never doubted about their own ethics or character. Again, this result shows that telling lies is common and people seldom relate telling lies to morality.

Language work (1) 1.volunteer : v. to give or offer willingly or without

being paid n. a person who gives help willingly 2. Profess: v. to make a claim (of / about) James professed to know everything about

sculpture. He professed the greatest respect for the law. 3. earth-shattering: of the greatest importance to the

whole world After years of hard work, they finally made an earth-

shattering discovery. The new invention is of earth-shattering importance.

4. feign: v. to pretend to have or be; to put on a false air of

She feigned to be ill in order not to do the exercises.

He feigned surprise and they all believed him.

5. spare one's feelings : to avoid doing something that would upset somebody

He simply wished to minimize the fuss and to spare her feelings.

We carefully avoided mentioning the news to spare his feelings.

6. preoccupation: n.the state of constantly thinking or worrying about something

Because of his preoccupation with his books, he didn't realize we were already back.

Such preoccupation with your work isn't healthy.

7. Might that, too, be a lie? Is it possible to consider that a lie?

"Might" here means "possibility. " Note that "may," when used to mean "possibility," is normally not used in a question.

8. prevarication: n. the state of avoiding giving a direct answer or making a firm decision

After months of prevarication, a decision was finally made.

When we questioned the authorities on the subject, we were met by prevarication.

9.ethics: n. moral correctness; moral principles 10.consultant: n. a person who gives specialist

professional advice to others

11. devote ... to: to give all or a large part of one's time or resources to (a person, activity, or cause)

I want to devote more time to my family. He devotes himself to philanthropy. 12. profession: n.a form of employment, especially

one that is possible only for an educated person and that is respected in society as honorable

She intends to make teacher her profession. According to the report, forty percent of the lawyers entering the profession are women.

13. pundit : n. a person who is an authority on a particular subject; an expert

Mr. Johnson is a well-known political pundit. We've invited a foreign-policy pundit to give us a

lecture.

14. shape or spin the truth: to modify the truth 15. client: n. somebody who pays for services

or advice from a person or organization eg. a solicitor and his client Cf: a shopkeeper and his customer 16. Specialize in 17. Step out

Detailed study of Paras.7-11

Questions : 1. What are little white lies? AI: Little white lies are those harmless

lies that are told so as not to hurt someone else.

2. According to the writer, what could be considered "nice lies"?

A2: According to the writer, all these could be considered "nice lies" : complimenting people on their appearance, expressing appreciation for gifts or food.

3. What does this sentence mean: "What a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive"?

A3: When we tell a fib, very likely we will have to tell more lies to cover up the lie we have told. One lie will lead to more lies. Then we will get ourselves entangled with the web we weave.

Language work (2)

18. Ubiquitous: a. seeming to be everywhere By the end of last century, the computer had become

ubiquitous. We are now confronted with the ubiquitous spread of

English. 19. Fib: n. a small unimportant lie Have you ever told fibs! She told innocent fibs like anyone else. 20. Invariably: ad. always It's invariably wet when I take my holidays. She invariably forgets to take her keys.

21. blurt out : to say something suddenly and without thinking, usually because one is nervous or excited

To our surprise,he blurted his secret out at table. John blurted out that he dreamed of becoming a

computer programmer. 22. lubricant :n. a substance such as oil which

causes a machine to operate more easily 23. tangled: a.complicated or made up of many

confusing parts After listening to his speech I thought his ideas and

opinions were so tangled that I couldnot vote for him. The floor of the forest was covered with tangled

growth.

Paras 12-15

Q: What is the grave consequence of telling lies?

A: The ubiquitousness of lies may cause people to be distrustful of each other, thus leading to the collapse of the whole society.

Language work (3) 24. wear down: v.to reduce or become weaker until

useless Eg: Heavy traffic and variable weather can wear

down the surface of the road. Your back tyres are badly worn down; you should fit

new ones. 25. Perception: n. the ability to see, hear and

understand perceive : v. 26. warp : v. to (cause to) turn or twist out of shape Eg: Left in the garage where it was damp, the wooden

frame had warped.

The door must be warped. It won't close properly. 27. think highly of : to have a good opinion of We

think highly of yow suggestion. I can assure you that the management thinks very

highly of you. 28. proliferation : n. a rapid increase in the amount

or number of something Smoking triggers off cell proliferation. Over the past two years, we have witnessed the

proliferation of TV channels. 29. cynicism: n.the belief that people always act

selfishly 30. falter: v. lose power or strength in an uneven

way,thus no longer making much progress

Paras. 16-18

Q: Should all white lies be avoided at all costs?

What does "an exchange of ... the principle of trust for the principle of caring" mean?

A: No, not necessarily. The rule of honesty is violated so as to establish the principle of showing love and care.

Language work (4)

31. at all costs : under any circumstances 32. associate : n. somebody whom you

work or do business with He is not a friend, but a business

associate.

33. undermine: v. to gradually make sb. Or sth. less strong or effective

She jealously tried to undermine our friendship. Lack of food has undermined his health.

34. rule of thumb : a rough method of calculation, based on practical experience

I never weigh anything when I'm cooking — I just do it by rule of thumb.

As a rule of thumb, a cup of filter coffee contains about 89mg caffeine.

35. confound : v. to confuse and surprise people, causing them to be unable to explain or deal with a situation

His choice may confound us all. The dancer confounded the critics who

said she was finished by giving the best performance of her life.

36. astound : v. to make somebody very surprised or shocked

It astounds me that anyone could ever consider declaring war.

He used to astound his friends with feats of physical endurance.

Text comprehension

Tone : objective View: negative Way of convincing: scientific research;

example; scholarly quotation

1. What does Professor Bella DePaul's study indicate about lying? What do most people think about lying?

A: The study suggests that lying is a common phenomenon and most of the lies we tell are small, insignificant. She also points out that different sexes lie for different reasons, but nobody that lies suffers from a guilty conscience.

Answer the following questions (page161)

2. Why do people tell white lies? Do you think the lies will be well received once they are exposed?

A: According to the passage, the nature of white lies is to seek self-interest: People tell white lies basically for self-promoting purposes. White lies may have different receptions in different cultures. In western cultures as is illustrated by the example, white lies may not be well received as the people value honesty and integrity more than caring and face value; but in the eastern cultures, they may be received as a sign of concern and respect for each other’s face.

3. What, according to the author, would be the consequences of lying?

A: The consequences of lying fall into three aspects: The deceived may feel cheated and won't trust the liar any more; the liar will lose trust from the deceived and get entangled in the lies he fabricates; and the society as a whole would falter and collapse as its members do not trust each other any more.

4. Are all white lies unacceptable? What is the yardstick of acceptable lies?

A: Not all white lies are unacceptable. Some falsehoods like setting somebody up for a surprise party or telling children about the tooth fairy can be justified. However, you have to consider the attitude of the deceived towards lying and the consequences, i.e.whether your act will undermine his trust in you.

Explain the sentences in your own words

1. “Psychological barriers wear down; the ability to make more distinctions can coarsen; the liar’s perception of his chances of being caught may warp.” (para12)

One is less inhibited from lying; his ability to tell the truth from the falsehood is dulled;

he may become less cautious against being caught.

2. Once they’ve become common enough, even the small untruths that are not meant to hurt encourage a certain cynicism and loss of trust. (para.15)

When it becomes common enough to tell small lies, even the small unharmful ones will induce doubt and distrust.

3.The most understandable and forgivable lies are an exchange of what ethicists refer to as the principle of trust for the principle of caring. (para. 16)

Those lies that are most understandable and acceptable are based on what moralists call the principle of love and care rather than that of trust.

Vocabulary exercises

I. Explain the underlined part in each sentence in your own words.

1. The lies were most often not what most of us would call earth-shattering.

-- of the greatest importance to the whole world 2. According to DePaul, women in their

interactions with other women lied mostly to spare the other's feelings.

---to avoid hurting the other's feelings / to avoid doing something that would upset the other person

3. And then there are professions — lawyers, pundits, PR consultants — whose members seem to specialize in shaping or spinning the truth to suit clients' needs.

---telling the truth with a favorable emphasis or slant / modifying the truth

4. Philosopher Sissela Bok warns us that they can put us on a slippery slope.

-- a course of action which can easily lead to something unacceptable, wrong, or disastrous

5. Are all white lies to be avoided at all costs? ---under any circumstances / whatever might

happen (at any cost, whatever the cost)

6. And if you are not sure,Mark Twain has given us a good rule of thumb.

--- a broadly accurate guide or principle, based on past experience rather than theory / a rough method of assessing or measuring sth., based on practical experience

II. Choose the best to complete the following sentence 1. The students _____ that they were interested, but I could

see that they weren't. A. looked B. pretended C. feigned D. happened 2. My boss was very _____ and gave me time off work to

look after my daughter. A. appreciative B. considering C. positive D. supportive 3. All her attempts to question the authorities on the subject

have been met by evasion and____ A. prevarication B. pretension C. preoccupation D. presumption

B

D

A

4. As our war _____ Patrick Sherwin reports, most of the bombs fell in the south of the country.

A. correspondent B. respondent C. consultant D. pundit 5. She _____ him as a rather shy sort of man. A. deceived B. conceived C. perceived D. received 6. The continued fighting threatens to _____

efforts to negotiate an agreement. A. warp B. undermine C. astound D. confound

A

C

B

III.Fill in the blank in each sentence with an appropriate phrasal verb or collocation taken from the text.

1. The governor is trying hard to ________ the scandal.

2. Samantha was amazed when late one evening Adam __________ that he loved her.

3. He claimed that he had been ________ after drugs were discovered in his suitcase.

4. Did you ever _________ why the man deserted his wife and four children?

5. Wind and water slowly ______________ the mountain's jagged edges.

6. They are going to a restaurant which _______ Mexican food.

cover up

blurted out set up

find out

wear/wore down

specializes in

IV.Fill in each blank with one of the two words from

each pair

1. admission, admittance A. __________________ to the exhibition will be by

invitation only. B. __________ to the exhibition costs two pounds. C. She wanted some _________ of guilt from her

husband. In the meaning "permission to go in" admittance is more

formal than admission, which is the more ordinary word. The entrance price is the admission, not the admittance. Admittance is not used to refer to a statement that something bad, unpleasant, or embarrassing is true.

Admittance/Admission

Admission admission

2. institute, institution A. He has a horror of ending his life lonely in an

__________. B. He is working in a famous research

__________. Although both of them can be an organization or

the buildings that it uses, an institute exists so that its members are able to do a particular, especially scientific, educational, or social, type of work, whereas an institution provides help, work, medical treatment, or protection to people with special needs, e.g., an orphanage or a home for the elderly.

institution institute

3. consultant, consul A. The Welsh traveler was helped by the British

_______ in Osaka personally. B. Her father used to be the president's

_________ on economic affairs. consultant: a person who gives expert advice in

business, law, etc. consul: an official appointed by a state to live in a foreign city and protect the state's citizens and interests there

4. intense, intensive A. They offer a month-long ________ course in

teaching English. B. He suffers from an _______ pain.

consul

consultant

intensive

intense

Intense is used to describe something that is very great or extreme in strength or degree,e.g.,

intense heat/cold/pain/interest/anger. An intensive activity involves the concentration of

energy or people on one particular task in order to try to achieve a great deal in a short time. For instance, " intensive farming uses methods that are intended to produce the largest amount of crops or meat possible from a particular area. ”

5. suspect, doubt A. The detective_________that she was the murder

because she had been behaving very strangely. B. The detective ________that she was the murderer

because she was not physically strong enough to stab such a powerful man to death.

suspected

doubted

To suspect something is to think it is quite likely. To doubt something, however, is to question the truth of it, i. e. , to consider it unlikely.

6. compliment, complement A. He often ___________ her on her appearance. B. His dark good looks __________ her blonde beauty. Compliment and complement (together with related

words such as complimentary and complementary) are frequently confused. They are pronounced in the same way but have quite different meanings: As a verb compliment means "admire and praise(some body)for something," while complement means "add to (something) in a way that enhances or improves. " Mistakes are common, particularly where complimentary is meant but complementary is written, as in " honeymooners receive complementary fruit and flowers”

compliments complement

V. Explain the underlined phrasal verbs in your own words.

1. The outdoor concert was called off due to the weather. cancelled 2. The expanded vocabulary, as well as the improved

reading speed and accuracy, will be i record that can encourage you to get over the boredom.

overcome 3. They knew that any failure to abide by the terms of the

treaty would bring international condemnation. follow 4. He was reduced to begging in the streets of

Manhattan. fell into

5. The plain fact is that they are giving me the sack, however they try to dress it up.

make it more acceptable 6. The secret is not to brood over your

failures, but to accept them as inevitable. feel unhappy about

Grammar exercises

II. Choose the best answer. 1. _____ go to school tomorrow? A. Must you to B. Have you to C. Do you have to D. Do you must 2. _____ known the truth? A. Might John B. May John have C. Could John have D. Can John 3. If my brother _____ come, give him this letter. A. would B. should C. will have D. ought

C

C

B

4. I don't think he _____ there as no one seems to have seen him.

A. could have been B. can be C. might have been D. should he. 5. None is so blind as those who _____ see. A. couldn't B. can't C. shan't D. won't 6. — _____ I trouble you for a light? — You _____,

indeed. A. May, may B. Might, may C. Might, might D. May, might

A

D

B

Rewrite the following sentences. using verbless clauses. 1. When you are in doubt, tell the truth. It will confound your enemies and

astound your friends. When in doubt, tell the truth. It will confound your enemies and astound

your friends. 2. When it is heated, metal expands. When heated, metal expands. 3. If it is true, it will cause us a lot of trouble. If true, it will cause us a lot of trouble. 4. Whenever it is possible, they should be typed. Whenever possible, they should be typed. 5. When one is in Rome, do as the Romans do. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. 6. Send the goods now, if they are ready. Send the goods now, if ready. 7. If it is necessary, ring me at home. If necessary, ring me at home. 8. He glanced about as if he was in search of something. He glanced about as if in search of something.

Change each of the following sentences so that the italicized part is given in 's genitive construction.

1. He has been staying for a few weeks at his uncle's house.

2. She prefers my work to my brother's. 3. I don't know her name, but I can tell you her

husband's. 4. I've read John's letter, but where did you put

Mary's? 5. The accident was the driver's own fault and not

the cyclist's. 6. Do you know the brain's weight?

Translate the following sentences into English, using the words or phrases given in the brackets

1.当哈姆雷特拿不定主意该采取什么行动时，他就装疯。 (feign)

Hamlet feigned madness when he was hesitating what to do.

2. 搪塞是这个商人喜欢使用的技巧之一。(prevarication)

Prevarication is one of the techniques this businessman likes to employ.

3. 真理之光有时令人目眩，因此，善意的谎言随处可见。 (ubiquitous)

Sometimes the light of the truth is just too dazzling, so white lies are ubiquitous.

4. 美国许多妇女声称她们对自己二等公民的地位感到不满。 (profess)

Many women in America profess that they are unhappy with their status of second-class citizens.

5.一时冲动之下，他脱口说出了秘密。 (blurt out) On the impulse of the moment, he blurted out the

secret. 6.你应该摆脱偏见，抵制诱惑，不让任何东西扭曲你的判断。 (warp)

You should get rid of any prejudice, resist temptations and let nothing warp your judgment.

7.他是一个过于敏感和富于想象力的人，经常在头脑里编织依仗一张复杂的网络。 (a tangled web)

Being over-sensitive and imaginative, he often weaves a tangled web in mind.

8.他在伙伴中很受欢迎，因为他总是设法不去麻烦别人。 (spare)

He is very popular among his peers as he always tries to spare others any trouble.

Dictation

Childhood is less clear to me than to many people: / When it ended I turned my face away from it / for no reason that I know about, / certainly without the usual reason of un happy memories. / For many years that worried me, / but then I discovered / that the tales of former children are seldom to be trusted. / Some people supply too many past victories or pleasures / with which to comfort themselves, / and other people cling to pains, real and imagined, / to excuse what they have become. / I think I have always known about my memory. / I know when it is to be trusted / and when some dream or fantasy entered on the life, / and the dream, the need of dream, / led to distortion of what happened. (Source: Lilian Hellman, Julia. )

Blank-filling

1. for 2. features 3. just 4.of 5. anniversary 6. as 7. roughly 8. rooted 9. urban 10. started 11. that 12. heart 13.being 14. who

Translate the following passage into Chinese.

The results of some surveys conducted in America show that most people tell lies to vary ing degrees, for various reasons. Sometimes they lie to make others happy. For example, one may pretend to be more positive of a friend or spouse than he or she really is. Sometimes they lie to promote themselves, which is getting popular. Sometimes they lie to avoid hurting others, particularly when the unvarnished truth is perhaps too hard to accept. Some people regard lies as a necessary social lubricant. Anyway, they lie to hide the truth. Views on lies vary from person to person. Some people hold that falsehoods, even if seemingly harmless, could have some unforeseen consequences.

After the initial lie, one needs to tell more lies to cover up the first one, which may become a heavy mental burden in the end. One philosopher warns that one can put himself on a slippery slope if one lies, as his psychological barriers wear down. But some other people hold that we don't have to avoid all white lies at all costs, for a white lie could be only an exchange of the principle of trust with the principle of caring. What is your view?

Text II

To Lie or Not to Lie? ------The Doctor’s Dilemma by Sissela Bok

Memorable Quote

While all deception requires secrecy, all secrecy is not meant to deceive.

---Sissela Bok How do you understand it?

Sissela Bok

Swedish writer, philosopher, and educator. Among her works are: Lying: Moral Choice in Public and Private Life (1978), Secrets: On the Ethics of Concealment and Revelation (1983), and Alva Myrdal: A Daughter's Memoir (1991).

To Lie or Not to Lie Parody: v. to copy someone’s style or

attitude n. a piece of writing or music that copies a

particular well-known style in an amusing way

The title is a parody of the famous soliloquy of Hamlet—’ To be or not to be, that is the question.”

Questions for discussion

1. According to the author, in what line of work is honesty sacrificed for “ greater needs”?

In medicine, law, politics, journalism, etc., is deception practiced for “ greater needs.”

2. What according to some doctors, is the fundamental principle of the medical profession?

“ As far as possible do no harm.”

3. What are the negative effects of “ benevolent deception” on patients?

The patients may feel betrayed, and their autonomy is intruded. And they cannot make informed decisions about their health and life; and it can also prolong recovery and affect treatment.

4. How will the medical profession and its staff be affected by “ benevolent deception”?

It may cause the erosion of integrity of the medical profession and affect those that do not tell lies to their patients. It may even induce lawsuits and the endless process of litigation.

5.If you were a patient, would you like to know the truth that you would have only a few months to live? And if you were a doctor, how would you break the news to your patient?

This is an open question. Ask students to Role play it in pairs.

Oral activities Group discussion---who do you think is in the wrong, the

officer of the Foreign Affairs Office or the American professor?

An American exchange professor is now teaching in a university in Southern China. The flat he is accommodated in by the school authority faces an open-air market and every morning he is woken up by the noise outside. He decides to move to the other end of the building and goes to the Foreign Affairs Office of the university. The reply he receives is “ We must give it more thought.” he returns to his home and waits for two weeks, but no reply is given. He waits another two weeks, still without any answer. He feels cheated and decides to leave China the next semester.

Writing practice

Write an essay of about 300 words on the following topic:

My View of Telling Lies

THANKS FOR YOUR ATTENTION!