Lesson 15
Book 2
Disappearing Through the Skylight
Osborne Bennet Hardison Jr.
Contents
Part One: Warm-up
Part Two: Background Information
Part Three: Text Appreciation
Part Four: Language Study
Part Five: Extension
Part One—Warm-up
 Ⅰ. Video Watching
 Ⅱ. Brainstorming
 Ⅲ. Discussion
 Ⅳ. Learning Objectives
Ⅰ. Video Watching
Watch the video clip and describe it.
1. What is one of the
advantages of hi-tech forms
of communication according
to the video?
2. According to the speaker,
what kind of phenomenon
have the Internet and
mobile technologies led to
recently?
Ⅱ. Brainstorming
Discuss the change in
Modern culture brought
by modern science and
technology.
Ⅲ. Discussion
• Do you know about Structuralism?
• What do you know about scientific writing?
Ⅲ. Discussion
Characteristics of Scientific Writing
1. limit the use of technical terms
2. examples—to make the writing more vivid and appealing
to the readers
3. figures of speech—to make the sentences figurative so
that the readers can easily understand and associate
them with what they are familiar with
4. noun pre-modifiers
game theory; human growth genes; theme park; museum
villages; world car; etc
Ⅳ. Learning Objectives
1. To know the features of scientific writing.
2. To analyze the structure of the text.
3. To understand the deeper meaning of the text.
4. To appreciate the language features.
Part Two—Background Information
Ⅰ. About the Author
Ⅱ. Pablo Picasso
Ⅲ. Dada
Ⅳ. Francis Picabia
Ⅴ. Game Theory
Ⅵ. Surrealism
Ⅰ. About the Author
Osborne Bennet Hardison Jr.
Born in San Diego, California in 1928. He was educated at
the University of North Carolina and the University of
Wisconsin. He is a professor of English, a Shakespeare
scholar and an amateur physicist. He wrote numerous
books and articles, as well as poetry and book reviews.
His book, Disappearing Through the Skylight, which also
has a sub-title, “Culture and Technology in the Twentieth
Century”, presents his deep contemplation of the change
in modern culture brought about by modern science and
technology.
Ⅱ. Pablo Picasso
Pablo Picasso (1881–1973)
Spanish painter and sculptor, who worked
and lived most of adult life in France. He
was the leader of the School of Paris and
is generally considered in his technical
virtuosity, enormous versatility and
incredible originality and prolificacy to
have been the foremost figure in 20th
century art. He demonstrated uncanny
artistic talent in his early years, painting in
a realistic manner through his childhood
and adolescence; during the first decade
of the 20th century his style changed as
he experimented with different theories,
techniques, and ideas.
Ⅱ. Pablo Picasso
梦
亚威农少女
Ⅲ. Dada
Dada or Dadaism is a cultural movement that
began in Zurich, Switzerland, during World
War I and peaked from 1916 to 1922. The
movement primarily involved visual arts,
literature—poetry, art manifestoes, art
theory, theatre and graphic design, and
concentrated its anti-war politics through a
rejection of the prevailing standards in art
through anti-art cultural works. Its purpose
was to ridicule what its participants
considered to be the meaninglessness of the
modern world. In addition to being anti-war,
Dada was also anti-bourgeois and anarchist in
nature. By 1924 in Paris, Dada was melding into
surrealism, and artists had gone on to other
ideas and movements, including surrealism,
social realism and other forms of modernism.
Some theorists argue that Dada was actually
the beginning of postmodern art.
Ⅳ. Francis Picabia
Francis Picabia (1879–1953)
A French painter, poet, and
typographer, associated with
Cubism, Abstract art, Dada and
Surrealism. After working in an
impressionist style, he was
influenced by Cubism and later
was one of the original exponents
of Dada in Europe and
the United States.
Ⅳ. Francis Picabia
The Dance at the Spring
Star Dancer on a Transatlantic Steamer
Ⅴ. Game Theory
• Game theory is a mathematical theory of transactions
developed by John Von Neumann. He called this theory,
which has important applications in economics, diplomacy,
and national defense, “game theory”.
• Game theory is mainly used in economics, political science,
and psychology, as well as logic and biology. The subject
first addressed zero-sum games, such that one person's
gains exactly equal net losses of the other participant(s).
Today, however, game theory applies to a wide range of class
relations, and has developed into an umbrella term for the
logical side of science, to include both human and nonhumans, like computers.
Ⅵ. Surrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that
began in the early 1920s, and is best
known for its visual artworks and
writings. Surrealism developed out of the
Dada activities during World War I and
Surrealist works feature the element of
surprise, unexpected juxtapositions and
non sequitur; however, many Surrealist
artists and writers regard their work as
an expression of the philosophical
movement first and foremost, with the
works being an artifact. Leader André
Breton was explicit in his assertion that
Surrealism was above all a revolutionary
movement.
Part Three—Text Appreciation
 Ⅰ. Text Analysis
→Introduction
→Theme
→Text Organization
→Further Understanding
 Ⅱ. Writing Devices
→Language Style
→Rhetorical Devices
 Ⅲ. Sentence Paraphrase
Ⅰ. Text Analysis
Introduction
• Disappearing Through the Skylight is not only the title of
this chapter but also the title of the book.
• The author was well-known for his profound insights into
the change in modern culture brought about by modern
science and technology.
Ⅰ. Text Analysis
Introduction
• In this key chapter, The writer puts forward the central theme of
“disappearance”—nature disappears, history disappears and even
the solid banks disappears.
• He puts forward the idea of the universalizing tendency of science
and technology.
• The third concept he puts forward is that the modern man is no
longer a unique individual, the product of a special environment and
culture. The homogeneous world he now lives in universalizes him.
He becomes a cosmopolitan, a citizen of the world.
• Finally, the writer points out that the disappearance of history is a
form of liberation and this feeling of liberation is often expressed
through play.
Ⅰ. Text Analysis
Theme
The disappearance and the insubstantiality of the
world—nature disappears, history disappears and even
the solid banks disappear through their skylights.
Ⅰ. Text Analysis
Text Organization
• Part 1 (Paras. 1-6):
The author narrates the universalizing tendency of science and
technology which makes the world and modern man more
homogeneous.
• Part 2 (Paras. 9-15):
The author discusses the universalizing effect of science and
technology on modern culture and the consciousness of those who
inhabit that culture.
• Part 3 (Paras. 16-19):
The author describes the changes about modern banks and arrives
at a conclusion that modern banks are disappearing through their
own skylights.
Ⅰ. Text Analysis
Further Understanding
Ⅱ. Writing Devices
Language Style
Exhibiting certain features of scientific English
1) scientific and technical terms
e.g. thermodynamics, genetics, genetic mutations
2) short sentences/ simple present tense
e.g. Science is committed to the universal. (Para. 1)
The automobile illustrates the point with great
clarity. (Para. 3)
Ⅱ. Writing Devices
Rhetorical Devices
The use of figurative language to reach a wider audience
Metaphors, analogies, rhetorical questions, repetition
and balanced structure.
e.g. “Disappearing Through the Skylight” (metaphor)
Ⅲ. Sentence Paraphrase
1. Science is committed to the universal. (Para. 1)
Science is engaged in the task of making its basic
concepts understood and accepted by scientists all over
the world. Science exhibits the universalizing tendency.
This is the topic sentence of Paragraph 1 and the idea is
supported by two examples: one about thermodynamics
and the other about genetics. This concept of
universality is one of the basic views of the author. It
is further developed and illustrated in the five
paragraphs that follow.
Ⅲ. Sentence Paraphrase
2. Architectural styles, dress styles, musical styles…
world styles. (Para. 2)
When the book was first published in 1989, China still
looked quite different from the Western countries in
architectural styles, dress styles, music styles and
eating styles. But things have changed, and changed
fast. In Chinese cities, we find architecture of the
international style, world famous brand name stores
selling the most trendy dresses, CDs of the most
recent rock and roll and rap music, KFC, McDonald’s and
Coco-Cola, etc. everywhere.
Ⅲ. Sentence Paraphrase
3. The result is described precisely…the disappearance of
history. (Para. 2)
The piece we are studying is Chapter 16, the last chapter,
of Part II of the book Disappearing Through the
Skylight. The title of this part is “Great Walls and
Running Fences; Or the Disappearing of History.” The
phrase “the disappearing of history” is already familiar
because the author has discussed it earlier in this part
and so he assumes the reader is already familiar with the
phrase.
Ⅲ. Sentence Paraphrase
4.Today’s automobile is no longer unique to a given company
or even to a given national culture. (Para. 3)
Today’s automobiles do not display any unique features to
show they are manufactured by a certain company or
country. In the old days, each car company had its unique
features. A Ford was different from a Chrysler. And
British cars were very different from American cars. But
today, cars tend to share more common features. For
example, one cannot say this feature in a car can be found
only in cars manufactured by the Ford Company or this
feature can be found only in American cars.
Ⅲ. Sentence Paraphrase
5. But the idea of a world car was inevitable. (Para. 5)
Although this model doesn’t exist any more, the idea of a
world car persisted. It was inevitable that different parts
of a car would be manufactured in different countries.
6. In a given cost range, the same technology tends to
produce the same solutions. (Para. 6)
The same technology, costing about the same amount of
money, produces similar kind of things.
range: the limits of possible variations of amount, degree,
etc.
Ⅲ. Sentence Paraphrase
7. No longer quite an individual, no longer quite the
product…never changes. (Para. 7)
The modern man no longer has very distinct individual
traits shaped by a special environment and culture. No
matter where he goes he finds himself in familiar
surroundings. The shops have the same climate
because they are air-conditioned, the airports he
arrives at or takes off from have the same facilities
and the hotels he stays in offer the same amenities.
Ⅲ. Sentence Paraphrase
8. The price he pays is that he no longer has a home in
the traditional sense of the word. (Para. 7)
The disadvantage of being a cosmopolitan is that he
loses a home in the old sense of the word. Home
means a house in a fixed location where the family
may have stayed for many years and where he had
grown up steeped in family and local traditions and
surrounded by familiar neighbors, etc. Home also
means your country. There is a feeling of familiarity,
safety and comfort in the word “home”.
Ⅲ. Sentence Paraphrase
9. This brings us to art and history again. (Para. 9)
From this paragraph onwards the writer puts forward
and develops the main theme of this chapter and the
central theme of his book—the insubstantiality of the
world, the disappearance of traditional concepts, of
the material objects we used to see with our ordinary
eyes. This is specially and clearly reflected in modern
art and architecture.
Ⅲ. Sentence Paraphrase
10. Reminiscing on the early work of Francis Picabia…aesthetic
in 1949… (Para. 9)
In writing about the early work of Francis Picabia and
Marcel Duchamp, Madame Gabrielle Buffet-Picabia recalled
how the machine aesthetic was discovered in 1949. In 1949
artists discovered that machines could also be beautiful.
1) reminisce: to think, talk, or write about remembered
events or experiences
2) machine aesthetic: the theory or viewpoint that machines
have their special beauty
Ⅲ. Sentence Paraphrase
11. It has thus undermined an article of faith: the thingliness
of things. (Para. 10)
In the past people firmly believed that the things they
saw around them were real solid substances, but this has
now been thrown into doubt by science.
an article of faith: something that you feel very strongly
about so that it affects how you think or behave
Ⅲ. Sentence Paraphrase
12. self-squared dragons (Para. 10)
A “self-squared dragon” is a four dimensional picture
constructed by Benoît Mandelbrot (1924–2010), a FrenchAmerican mathematician. Mandelbrot worked on a wide range of
mathematical problems, including mathematical physics and
quantitative finance, but is best-known as the father of fractal
geometry. He coined the term fractal and described the
Mandelbrot set. The Mandelbrot set is a particular
mathematical set of points. The Mandelbrot set has become
popular outside mathematics both for its aesthetic appeal and
as an example of a complex structure arising from the
application of simple rules, and is one of the best-known
examples of mathematical visualization. The “self-squared
dragon” is a striking construction of pure surrealism, and it is
the ancestor of a large and exotic line of computer monsters,
some in four rather than three dimensions.
Ⅲ. Sentence Paraphrase
13. The skepticism of modern science about…which
springs from the soul. (Para. 11)
Science’s doubt about the thingliness of things means
there is now a new evaluation of the humanity of art.
This evaluation is entirely in keeping with what
Kandinsky in his book On the Spiritual in Art says
about beautiful art. He says that beautiful art springs
from the inner need which comes from the soul.
Ⅲ. Sentence Paraphrase
14. It is a world radically emptied of history because it is
a form of perception rather than a content. (Para. 11)
The world of nature that modern art reveals no longer
contains the material objects we were familiar with.
Instead the world is now filled with images produced
by the mind. This has made the world almost empty of
history because history has to be associated with the
objective existence of material things. This is an
important statement of the writer.
Ⅲ. Sentence Paraphrase
15. Its buildings move and sway and reflect dreamy
visions of everything that is going on around them.
(Para. 14)
The buildings seem to move and sway and to reflect, as
if in a dream, everything that is going on around them.
For instance, many buildings of the International
Style use a lot of glass. Glass catches light and
changes when the light changes and so they seem to
move and sway.
Ⅲ. Sentence Paraphrase
16. Today’s banks are airy structures of steel and glass…malls.
(Para. 17)
Today’s banks are different. They are light buildings made
of steel and glass. A bank may be the front part of a store
equipped with a device that looks like a slot-machine and
can communicate with the computers in the bank’s central
office. A bank may also be housed in a trailer on a parking
lot in a suburban shopping mall. From this paragraph until
the last one the writer uses the changes about banks as a
metaphor to illustrate the theme of disappearing.
1) airy: unsubstantial as air; light as air
2) slot machine: a machine with a slot you put a bank card in,
to access your account at the bank
Ⅲ. Sentence Paraphrase
17. That, perhaps, establishes the logical limit of the modern
aesthetic. (Para. 19)
That, perhaps, shows how far logically the modern
aesthetic can go. The solid banks can become almost
abstract and invisible. This is perhaps the furthest limit of
how solid objective things may be disappearing. So the
disappearing of traditional banks is a striking example of
the disappearing of visible evidence of history.
18. If so, the limit is a long way ahead, but it can be made
out…over the road. (Para. 19)
If this is true, it will take a long time before the
disappearance of the solid objects occurs, but a dim outline
of this can now be seen through the faint mists that exist
in the process.
Part Four—Language Study
 Ⅰ. Word Study
 Ⅱ. Phrases and Expressions
Ⅰ. Word Study
List:
1. mutation
2. discredit
3. corollary
4. homogeneous
5. clarity
6. asset
7. imperative
8. catastrophe
9. reminisce
10. blasphemy
11. rehabilitation
12. plasticity
13. insubstantial
14. undermine
15. skepticism
16. juxtaposition
17. static
18. virtuosity
19. assertive
20. malice
21. vault
22. transaction
23. haze
Ⅰ. Word Study
1. mutation (Para. 1)
(n.): a change in the genetic structure of an animal or
plant that makes it different from others of the
same kind
e.g. A tiny mutation in a gene common to mammals may
have changed the destiny of humanity.
2. discredit (Para. 1)
(v.): to make people stop believing in a particular idea
e.g. The witness stoutly held his ground despite
Defending Counsel's skilled efforts to confuse him
and discredit his testimony.
Ⅰ. Word Study
3. corollary (Para. 2)
(n.): (formal ) something that is the direct result of
something else 【正式】必然的结果（直接推论）
e.g. Neither of them knew about it, and the corollary of
that is that someone else revealed the secret.
4. homogeneous (Para. 2)
(adj.): consisting of people or things that are all of the
same type
e.g. a homogeneous society
Ⅰ. Word Study
5. streamline (Para. 3)
(v.): to form something into a smoothing shape, so that it
moves easily through the air or water
e.g. All these new cars have been streamlined.
6. asset (Para. 3)
(n.): something or someone that is useful because they
help you succeed or deal with problems
e.g. He embraces life, only to shun it because it horrifies
him, and because as a writer his most precious asset is
freedom.
Ⅰ. Word Study
7. imperative (Para. 8)
(n.): (formal) an idea or belief that has strong influence on
people, making them behave in a particular way
e.g. Sharing food is the most important moral imperative in
Semai society.
8. catastrophe (Para. 8)
(n.): a terrible event in which there is a lot of destruction,
suffering, or death
e.g. I have listened to people talk about the catastrophe in
Tangshan.
Ⅰ. Word Study
9. reminisce (Para. 9)
(v.): to talk or think about pleasant events in your past
e.g. Now, as we sat at his kitchen table, he began to
reminisce about what a fine man my dad had been.
10. blasphemy (Para. 9)
(n.): something you say or do that is insulting to God or
people’s religious beliefs
e.g. It has done nothing but bring down upon me a storm
of abuse and ornamental blasphemy.
Ⅰ. Word Study
11. rehabilitate (Para. 9)
(v.): to make people think that someone or something is
good again after a period when people had a bad
opinion of them
e.g. The Prime Minister seems to be trying to
rehabilitate the former defense secretary.
12. plasticity (Para. 9)
(n.): (technical ) the quality of being easily made into
any shape, and of staying in that shape until
someone changes it
e.g. It is their plasticity at certain temperatures that
gives plastics their main advantage over many
other materials.
Ⅰ. Word Study
13. insubstantial (Para. 10)
(adj.): (literary ) not existing as a real object or person
e.g. insubstantial ghosts
14. undermine (Para. 10)
(adj.): to gradually make someone or something less
strong or effective
e.g. They will do anything to undermine their adversary's
reputation.
Ⅰ. Word Study
15. skepticism (Para. 11)
(n.): an attitude of doubting that particular claims or
statements are true or that something will happen
e.g. I do not think we should go in for complete
skepticism, but for a doctrine of degrees of
probability.
16. juxtapose (Para. 13)
(v.): (formal ) to put things together, especially things
that are not normally together, in order to
compare them or to make something new
e.g. a style of decor that juxtaposes antiques with
modern furniture
Ⅰ. Word Study
17. static (Para. 13)
(n.): not moving, changing, or developing
e.g. House prices, which have been static for several
months, are now rising again.
18. virtuosity (Para. 14)
(n.): (formal) a very high degree of skill in performing
（表演方面）的精湛技巧，高超技艺
e.g. The violinist's virtuosity has amazed audiences all
over the world.
Ⅰ. Word Study
19. assertive (Para. 14)
(adj.): behaving in a confident way, so that people notice
you
e.g. An assertive person wins by influencing, listening,
and negotiating so that other people choose to
cooperate willingly.
20. malice (Para. 15)
(n.): the desire to harm someone because you hate them
e.g. I have again found that misunderstandings and
indolence are perhaps the cause of more disturbance
in the world than cunning or malice.
Ⅰ. Word Study
21. vault (Para. 16)
(n.): a room with thick walls and a strong door where
money, jewels etc. are kept to prevent them from
being stolen or damaged
e.g. She put her jewels in a vault at the bank.
22. transaction (Para. 18)
(n.): a business deal or action, such as buying or selling
something
E.g. financial transactions
Ⅰ. Word Study
23. haze (Para. 16)
(n.): smoke, dust, or mist in the air which is difficult to
see through
e.g. Night was falling, the plain was cold and vague,
great banks of violet haze were rising in the gleam
of the twilight.
Ⅱ. Phrases and Expressions
List:
1. without a trace
2. equivalent of
3. in the fullness of time
4. owe it to oneself to do something
5. turn one’s back on
6. from a middle distance
7. empty…of
Ⅱ. Phrases and Expressions
1. without a trace (Para. 5)
disappearing completely, without leaving any sign of
what happened
e.g. The plane vanished without a trace.
2. equivalent of (Para. 5)
equal to
e.g. He had drunk the equivalent of 15 whiskies.
Ⅱ. Phrases and Expressions
3. in the fullness of time (Para. 5)
at the appropriate or right time; eventually
e.g. I’m sure he’ll tell us what’s bothering him in the
fullness of time.
4. owe it to oneself to do something (Para. 9)
to feel one should try to achieve something because
it is what you deserve
e.g. You owe it to yourself to take some time off.
Ⅱ. Phrases and Expressions
5. turn one’s back on (Para. 9)
to refuse to help, support, or be involved with someone
or something
e.g. How can you turn your back on your own mother?
6. from a middle distance (Para. 11)
at the normal distance for the eye to observe objects
e.g. The building is in the middle distance, so we can see
it clearly.
Ⅱ. Phrases and Expressions
7. empty…of (Para. 11)
to be without any thing of; to lose
e.g. His eyes emptied themselves of light and intelligence.
Part Five—Extension




Ⅰ. Useful Expressions
Ⅱ. Discussion
Ⅲ. Quiz
Ⅳ. Writing
Ⅰ. Useful Expressions
热力学
基因学
基因变化
流线型
全焊车身
气缸体
汽化器，化油器
变速器
细胞
分子
thermodynamics
genetics
genetic mutation
streamlining
all-welded body
cylinder block
carburetor
transmission
cell
molecules
Ⅰ. Useful Expressions
（天文）黑洞
高压线
电路，线路
硅
拼贴城市
局部独立主义
积木
星系
(集成)电路
用轻便和挺直建筑材的
拉力建造的圆屋顶
black hole
high-tension lines
circuit
silicon
collage city
Adhocism
a set of blocks
galaxies
circuit
geodesic dome
Ⅱ. Discussion
1. Is history really in the process of disappearing?
2. Is the world becoming more uniform or more diverse?
Ⅲ. Quiz
Ⅳ. Writing
Write a composition titled “Impact of Science
and Technology on Our Society” with 400
words in English.
Marks will be awarded for content, organization, grammar
and appropriateness.
End of Lesson 15
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