After You Read

Knowledge Focus

1．Answer the following questions.

1)Why did Protestants break away from the Catholic Church?

2)Why did many Protestants leave their native land to settle in America?

3)What is the essence of“Protestant work ethic”? What has the ethic brought to the United States?

4)Why did the American Constitution adopt the policy of“separation of church and state”? What is the purpose?

5)What is humanitarianism? Is this philosophy part of your belief?

2．Mark each statement with T if it is true or F if it is false.

1)Protestants and Christians are all Catholic.____

2)The official national religion of the United States is Protestantism.____

3)No single church has become the center of religious life in the United States because the emphasis is on the individual, not a particular church.____

4)Most of the settlers who came to colonial America to escape religious persecution in Europe were Catholics.____

5)Protestant belief requires the strict obeying of rigid rules in organized religious practice.____

6)“Priesthood of all believers”means every priest should be responsible for the believers.____

7)The policy of“Separation of church and state”protects religious freedom.____

8)The protestant branch broke away from the Roman Catholic Church because the Protestants and Catholics have different faiths.____

Language Focus

1．Match the words and definitions.

____1)sin a.people who meet to encourage each other

____2)denomination b.the religious leader of Roman Catholic church

____3)persecution c.an order that forbids something

____4)humanitarianism d.a particular religious body

____5)ban e.cruelty; causing suffering

____6)eternal f.giving time to serve others without pay

____7)support group g.improving life for others

____8)volunteerism h.continuing forever

____9)solely i.a morally wrong act

____10)Pope j.only

2．Use the following expressions to complete the sentences.

1)We two____ so____ that we could get along very well with each other.

2)The little boy finally____ the stranger and raced for the door.

3)Don't____ your views and ideas____ others.

4)The local government has____ the economic development and overseas investment.

5)He decided to____ everything he possessed and to become a monk.

6)A Mr.Simpson from Sydney is____ the manager.

3．Fill in each blank with a suitable preposition.

1)Ninety percent of Americans say that they believe in God, although not all of them participate ____traditional religious organizations.

2)It was the Protestant branch of the Christian faith that had the strongest effect____ the development of the religious climate in the United States.

3)They told people what was right and wrong, and they granted them forgiveness for sins____ God and the Catholic faith.

4)If people sinned, they should seek their forgiveness directly from____ God rather than from a priest speaking God's name according to Protestantism.

5)The colonies were simply too large for any one denomination to gain control____ the others.

6)Protestantism has traditionally encouraged a strong and restless desire____ selfimprovement.

7)The capacity____ self-discipline was a holy characteristic blessed by God.

8)Self-discipline is often defined as the willingness to save and invest one's money rather than spend it____ immediate pleasures.

ComprehensiveWork

1．Share ideas with your partners.

Times of crisis often bring out the best in people.When a house burns down and a family is homeless, or when there is a natural disaster such as a flood or earthquake, people often volunteer to help.Work in groups of four, think of an event that you have experienced, or one that you have heard about, talk with your partners of what happened and how people helped.

2．Use the internet and write a report.

The following people are highly regarded for their humanitarian work.Choose one and find out why the person is or was important.Search for the right information on the Internet and then write a report about your findings.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Mother Teresa

Oskar Schindler

Jimmy Carter

3．Essay Writing

What changes have religions brought to people's life? What might be the positive and negative effects of religions?