大学英语 实用阅读(上)College English Reading Unit 12vText:vGreen Burials: Thinking Outside the BoxvSupplementary Reading:vPassage 1 How Funerals: An Old Tradition ReturnsvPassage 2 Waste leads to Worry in IndonesiaComprehensionLead-in QuestionsSupplementary Reading 1Vocabulary Blank fillingPost-reading DiscussionsSupplementary Reading 2Lead-in QuestionsvI. Directions: before reading the text, think about the following questions and discuss them with your partners:v1. Have you any family experience with funerals in China? Would you share some of your thoughts and feelings about the funeral practices you have witnessed or experienced?v2. What are some of the traditions associated with a normal family funeral? Are you familiar with the basic burial tenets or philosophy of funerals in China? What are these as you understand them?v3. In your opinion, are funerals, their traditions and burial practices, controlled by commercial Funeral Homes? Do you think the average person has much input into how a funeral service should be conducted for a family member or even much say in the disposal of the remains; whether burial of remains in a coffin, cremation, or green burial? How much of the difference in these is determined solely by the ability of the family to pay? Would you care to speculate what the cost of a funeral is in China today? Of the three types of body disposal mentioned above, is there much variance of price?v4. What are the differences between Chinese Funerals and burial practices and those of America? Consider pricing, the up front cost just to employ a particular funeral home. (Westerners call it “the walk-in price” before the add-ons. Add -ons include cemetery fees, use of family size limousines, obituary notices in the newspaper, over the radio, flowers, coffins whether wood- cardboard-wallboard, steel, an urn for ashes if cremation, or plastic bag in the event of green burial. Etc. Always ask what you are getting for the walk in price!)v5. To what extent are Green Burials permitted and/or practiced in China today? Explain your understanding of Green Burial and how they differ from traditional funeral practices. Do you think Green Burial is a good way to protect our environment? Explain your argument with illustrations or examples. Do you know of any Green Burials in China? Can you give us some examples?VocabularyvI. In the following sentences, do not try to learn the italicized words. Concentrate on developing your ability to grasp the meaning of unfamiliar words with the help of context clues. Read each sentence carefully and write a synonym, description or definition on your own.v1. So after Charles died, Bonnies choice of burial spots was an easy one down the road from her house is Memorial Ecosystems, one of the only places in the United States devoted to environmentally sensitive or “green“ burials.venvironmentally sensitive v2. South Carolina, Florida, California and Texas have the only four green cemeteries currently operating here.vburial grounds or gardensv3. Indeed, many religious traditions follow the basic tenets of green burials.vrites v4. Formaldehyde is now used as a preservative, but formaldehyde is not without its risks.v a usu. chemical substance that can be v used to preserve or keep foodv5. The fact that elevated levels of arsenic have been found in the groundwater near Civil War-era cemeteries buttresses the argument. v backs or supportsv6. Formaldehydes long-term health effects in the environment are believed to be minor formaldehyde evaporates readily and is biodegradable. vable to be broken down esp. into harmless products v7. “There was a period of time in the 1800s when cemeteries were designed like parks,“ said Schroeder. “They were like an arboretum. Now, most are about economics.“ vparks or garden of treesv8. “It took their death to precipitate action. They did not relish the idea of the circus, the modern-day funeral,“ said Wilkerson. “They thought it was out of control, it was ridiculous.“ vlike; enjoy or be pleased withv9. “We have allowed the commercial funeral industry to convince us that the only way to measure our love for our dead is through the amount of conspicuous consumption that we lavish on them,“ said Slocum.v to give or spend freely, generously or wastefullyvII. Match the words on the left column with the words or phrases with the same meaning on the right column: v1. embalm A. to prevent (a dead body) v from decaying by treating v it with chemicals or v sweet-smelling plantsv2. rite B. (esp. of a plant) to grow v healthilyv3. habitat C. the natural home of a v plant or animalv4. flourish D. a form of behavior with av fixed pattern, usu. for a v