The company man
The author
Ellen Goodman is an American original.
She has been an innovative force in
American journalism. Her abundant
talents -- intellect, wit, style, news
judgment -- set her apart with an élan
uniquely her own. Her Pulitzer Prize
winning commentary appears in more
than 375 newspapers.
She graduated from Radcliffe College in
1963. She is columnist for the Boston
Globe,and her column is now carried by
newspapers throughout the country.
The company man is from her book Close
to Home, a collection of her columns
published in 1979.
Health or wealth,
which one would
you prefer?
The vocabulary
• 1 obituary:death notice 讣告
• 2Type A:personality type,intense
competitive person
• 3conceivably:possibly
• e.g.The disease could conceivably be
transfered to humans
• 4 extracurricular:referring things or
activities outside of school or work
• 5 deceased：a person who has died
• 6 to staighten sth out:to deal with a
confused situaion by organizing things
that are causing problems
The
passage
.Structure analysis of the text
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Paragraph 1
This is an introductory paragraph.
Paragraphs 2-6
This part reports how devoted the man was to his
work.
Paragraphs 7-13
This part describes Phil’s role in his family.
Paragraph 14-16
This is the concluding part. After the cause of Phil’s
death being restated, the author goes on to report
the company president’s inquire for his successor.
• This passage tells us a story about a
workaholic named Phil.He is one of six
vice-presidents and worked himself to
death finally and precisely at 3:00 a.m.
Sunday morning. After Phil's death,his
eldest son went around the
neighbourhood researching his
father,asking the neighbours what he
was like,but no one really knows.
• At the funeral,Phil's boss,the company
president told Phil's wife that he meant
much to the company and would be hard
to replace. In the afternoon of the
funeral,the company president made
inquiries about his replacement. He
asked around:''Who's been working the
hardest?"
Some proverbs about work
• 1. work while you work play while you play this is the
way to be cheerful and gay
• 2. Never put off the work till tomorrow what you can
put off today. 今日事，今日毕
• 3. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. 只会用
功不玩耍，聪明孩子也变傻
• Work smarter, not harder.更有技巧地 工作，而不是更
努力地工作。
• Work has a bitter root but sweet fruit.--German
proverb 工作虽苦,果实却甘--德国 谚语
• Many hands make light work.众人拾柴火焰高; 人多好办
事。
• Work makes the workman. 熟能生巧。
My thoughts
• This passage deals with a common issuework. It makes me to think more about
our way of living and our values. I think
what seems important to Phil is his work
not his family. In fact,it isn't unusual
that many children are left alone while
their parents are at work.
Children need parents'love, those
material things can't meet their
spiritual needs, so we really should learn
to balance between work and family,
which are equally important to all of us..
Thank you!