Unit  Three

Text A    Euthanasia :  For and Against

（视频开始）

一．课文简介

本文主要通过荷兰人齐思•••范•万得尔要求医生对他执行安乐死的事例对有关安乐死的种种问题进行了讨论：医生是否有权剥夺别人的生命？执行安乐死对身患绝症的人来说是一种解脱还是谋杀？

Paras 1—4   The subject about euthanasia

Paras 5—10  There are opinions for and against the practice of euthanasia（老师停顿）

二．词汇精讲：               New  Words

词组：

（以下词汇精讲分别与上面表格中标蓝单词及词组链接）

词汇精讲:

1. weaken : v. 削弱；变弱；

She seems to be weakening .

They have never weakened their stand for human rights.

派生词：weak a. 虚弱的，软弱的

2         deteriorate  v. 恶化

The country’s economy has been deteriorating for some time.

这个国家的经济已经恶化一段时间了

3. debate : 争论，辩论

用法：to debate on 对… 进行辩论；

Lincoln debated Douglas on this issue. 林肯与道格拉斯就这个问题进行了辩论。

Education is the current focus of public debate. 教育是当前公众争论的焦点。

4. legal : 法律上的，合法的

派生词： illegal a. 不合法的

5. request : vt/n. 请求，要求

搭配：request for 要求… ; make a request for 要求；at sb’s request 应…之要求；

例：He made a request for immediate help. 他要求立即给予帮助。

The singer gave one more song at our request. 歌唱家在我们的要求下又唱了一首歌。

操练：他们要求释放犯人。

      They made a request to release the prisoners.

其他用法：request 后接that 从句时，从句的谓语动词用虚拟语气“should + 动词原形”的形式。例：He requested that he stay for more days. 他请求再住一些天。

6. criterion : （批评，判断的）标准，准则 复数：criteria

7. ensure : 保证，保护；赋予

用法：ensure sb. that  确保…. ; ensure sth.

I can ensure that he will come at 12 o’clock , 我能保证他将在12点钟来。

操练：他的才能将保证他得到成功。

His ability will ensure his success.

8. oppose : 反对

派生词：opposition n. 反对；opponent n. 对手

用法：be opposed to 反对 ，

We are firmly opposed to this dirty political deal. 我们坚决反对这场肮脏的政治交易。

What he said was totally opposed to the facts. 他说的与事实完全相反。

He is very much opposed to my going abroad . 他非常反对我出国。

区别：oppose 与be opposed to

They opposed the plan. 他们反对此计划。（表示动作）

They were opposed to the plan 他们反对此计划。（表示态度）

9. consideration考虑，体谅，照顾

Could you turn your music down and show a little consideration for the neighbours !

你能否把音乐关小点，对邻居们表现出一点体谅！

10. elderly  adj. 较老的，人过中年的   n.  近老年的人，到了晚年的人

The city is building new housing for the elderly.

这个城市正在为老年人修建新的住房。

 11.disabled : 伤残的，使失去战斗力的

派生词：disable v. 使不能… ; able adj. 有能力的；enable v. 使能够…..；unable a. 不能的，没有能力的；

用法：

disable sb. from doing sth. 使某人不能干… , 使某人丧失能力；

操练：一场事故使他再也不能打篮球了。

An accident disabled him from playing basketball.

enable sb. to do sth.  使某人能作某事

操练：乘飞机使我们在几个小时内就越过太平洋。

Flying enables us to go across the Pacific in a few hours.

be able to do sth.  能够做某事

操练：我们能说英语。

We are able to speak English.

be unable to do sth. 不能做某事

操练：我们不能在9点钟之前到。

We are unable to get there before 9 o’clock .

12. shorten  v.  缩短，缩小，减少

I’ve asked him to shorten my trousers.

13.vulnerable  adj.易受伤的，弱小的，易受…攻击的，易受…伤害的

Tourists are more vulnerable to attack.

游客们更容易受到攻击。

14. sensitive : adj. 敏感的，灵敏的

派生词：sense n. 感觉，感知；

用法：be sensitive to 对 …很敏感

Her reply showed that she was very sensitive to criticism. 她的回答表明她对批评非常敏感。

操练：他对天气变化很敏感。

He is sensitive to the change of weather.

词组  phrases

1. to debate on : 关于… 进行辩论 （见debate）

2. to make request for ：要求 （见request）

3. to opposed to : 反对 （见oppose）

4. to open up : 打开，开办，开辟

We shall open up the resources of the NW areas of our country. 我们将开发我国西北地区的资源。

操练：他们正准备展开一场全国性的争论。

They are preparing to open up a national debate.

5 to take … into account : 考虑到；估计

We must take local conditions into account. 我们必须考虑到当地的条件。

You must take her inexperience into account. 你必须考虑到她无经验而予以体谅。

相关词汇：to take … into consideration 考虑到

6. need for : 对… 的需要

There’s a growing need for cheap rented housing in the large cities. 大城市对廉价租房的需求不断增加。

7   to have…at heart   对...十分关心

He has nothing but his own interest at heart.  他只把自己的利益放在心上。

（视频）

三．课文详解

                    Euthanasia : For and Against （链接医院的画面）

"We mustn't delay any longer ... swallowing is difficult ... and breathing, that's also difficult. Those muscles are weakening too ... we mustn't delay any longer."

These were the words of Dutchman Cees van Wendel de Joode asking his doctor to help him die. Affected with a serious disease, van Wendel was no longer able to speak clearly and he knew     there was no hope of recovery and that his condition was rapidly deteriorating.①

Van Wendel's last three months of life before being given a final, lethal injection by his doctor were filmed and first shown on television last year in the Netherlands.② The programme has since been bought by 20 countries and each time it is shown, it starts a nationwide debate on the subject.③

The Netherlands is the only country in Europe which permits euthanasia, although it is not technically legal there. However, doctors who carry out euthanasia under strict guidelines introduced by the Dutch Parliament two years ago are usually not prosecuted.④ The guidelines demand that the patient is experiencing extreme suffering, that there is no chance of a cure, and that the patient has made repeated requests for euthanasia .⑤ In addition to this, a second doctor must confirm that these criteria have been met and the death must be reported to the police department.

Should doctors be allowed to take the lives of others? Dr, Wilfred van Oijen, Cees van Wendel's doctor, explains how he looks at the question:

"Well, it's not as if I'm planning to murder a crowd of people with a machine gun. In that case, killing is the worst thing 1 can imagine. But that's entirely different from my work as a doctor. I care for people and I try to ensure that they don't suffer too much. That's a very different thing."

Many people, though, are totally against the practice of euthanasia, Dr. Andrew Ferguson, Chairman of the organization Healthcare Opposed to Euthanasia, says that "in the vast majority of euthanasia cases, what the patient is actually asking for ⑥is something else. They may want a health professional to open up communication for them with their loved ones or family — there's nearly always another question behind the question."

Britain also has a strong tradition of hospices — special hospitals which care only for the dying and their special needs. Cicely Saunders, President of the National Hospice Council and a founder member of the hospice movement, argues that euthanasia doesn't take into account that there are ways of caring for the dying. ⑦She is also concerned that allowing euthanasia would undermine the need for care and consideration of a wide range of people: "It's very easy in society now for the elderly, the disabled and the dependent to feel that they are burdens, and therefore that they ought to opt out. I think that anything that legally allows the shortening of life does make those people more vulnerable. ⑧

Many find this prohibition of an individual's right to die paternalistic.⑨ Although they  agree that life is important and should be respected, they feel that the quality of life should not be ignored. Dr. van Oijen believes that people have the fundamental right to choose for themselves if they want to die: "What those people who oppose euthanasia are telling me is that dying people haven't the right.⑩ And that when people are very ill, we are all afraid of their death. But there are situations where death is a friend. And in those cases, why not?"

But "why not?" is a question which might cause strong emotion. The film showing Cees van Wendel's death was both moving and sensitive. His doctor was clearly a family friend; his wife had only her husband's interests at heart. Some, however, would argue that it would be dangerous to use this particular example to support the case for euthanasia. Not all patients would receive such a high level of individual care and attention. （老师停顿）

（以下课文详解分别与上面划线部分内容相链接）

课文详解：

1.       affected with a serious disease 为过去分词短语作原因状语；句中there was no hope of recovery and that his condition was rapidly deteriorating 是knew 的宾语从句。本句的意思是：范•万德尔身患重病，再也不能清楚地说话。他知道他没有希望康复，身体状况正在急剧恶化。

2.