21世纪大学英语课本第四册 仅TextA

Unit 1 Text A Pre-reading Activities First Listening 1. You're about to hear a conversation about Winston Churchill. Before you listen, take a look at the words below. Which do you think you're likely to hear when people discuss Churchill? Then, as you listen to the tape the first time, circle the words you hear. prime minister author painter politician World War I romantic fearless serious passionate World War II Second Listening Read the following questions first to prepare yourself to answer them to the best of your ability. 2. What was the argument about? Which side do you believe? 3. What do you know about Winston Churchill as British prime minister? What about his personality—do you have any impressions of him as a human being? Winston Churchill—His Other Life Mary Soames My father, Winston Churchill, began his love affair with painting in his 40s, amid disastrous circumstances. As First Lord of the Admiralty in 1915, he had been deeply involved in a campaign in the Dardanelles that could have shortened the course of a bloody world war. But when the mission failed, with great loss of life, Churchill paid the price, both publicly and privately: He was removed from the Admiralty and lost his position of political influence. Overwhelmed by the disaster — "I thought he would die of grief," said his wife, Clementine — he retired with his family to Hoe Farm, a country retreat in Surrey. There, as Churchill later recalled, "The muse of painting came to my rescue!" One day when he was wandering in the garden, he chanced upon his sister-in-law sketching with watercolours. He watched her for a few minutes, then borrowed her brush and tried his hand — and the muse worked her magic. From that day forward, Winston was in love with painting. Delighted with anything that distracted Winston from the dark thoughts that overwhelmed him, Clementine rushed off to buy whatever paints and materials she could find. Watercolours, oil paints, paper, canvas — Hoe Farm was soon filled with everything a painter could want or need. Painting in oils turned out to be Winston's great love — but the first steps were strangely difficult. He contemplated the blank whiteness of his first canvas with unaccustomed nervousness. He later recalled: "Very hesitantly I selected a tube of blue paint, and with infinite precaution made a mark about as big as a bean on the snow-white field. At that moment I heard the sound of a motorcar in the drive and threw down my brush in a panic. I was even more alarmed when I saw who stepped from the car: the wife of Sir John Lavery, the celebrated painter who lived nearby. "'Painting!' she declared. 'What fun. But what are you waiting for? Let me have the brush — the big one.' She plunged into the paints and before I knew it, she had swept several fierce strokes and slashes of blue on the absolutely terrified canvas. Anyone could see it could not hit back. I hesitated no more. I seized the largest brush and fell upon my wretched victim with wild fury. I have never felt any fear of a canvas since." Lavery, who later tutored Churchill in his art, said of his unusual pupil's artistic abilities: "Had he chosen painting instead of politics, he would have been a great master with the brush." In painting, Churchill had discovered a companion with whom he was to walk for the greater part of his life. Painting would be his comfort when, in 1921, the death of his mother was followed two months later by the loss of his and Clementine's beloved three-year-old daughter, Marigold. Overcome by grief, Winston took refuge at the home of friends in Scotland — and in his painting. He wrote to Clementine: "I went out and painted a beautiful river in the afternoon light with red and golden hills in the background. Many loving thoughts.... Alas, I keep feeling the hurt of Marigold." Life and love and hope slowly revived. In September 1922 another child was born to Clementine and Winston: myself. In the same year, Winston bought Chartwell, the beloved home he was to paint in all its different aspects for the next 40 years. My father must have felt a glow of satisfaction when in the mid-1920s he won first prize in a prestigious amateur art exhibition held in London. Entries were anonymous, and some of the judges insisted that Winston's picture — one of his first of Chartwell — was the work of a professional, not an amateur, and should be disqualified. But in the end, they agreed to rely on the artist's honesty and were delighted when they learned that the picture had been painted by Churchill. Historians have called the decade after 1929, when Winston again fell from office, his barren years. Politically barren they may have been, as his lonely voice struggled to awaken Britain to the menace of Hitler, but artistically those years bore abundant fruit: of the 500-odd Churchill canvases in existence, roughly half date from 1930 to 1939. Painting remained a joy to Churchill to the end of his life. "Happy are the painters," he had written in his book Painting as a Pastime, "for they shall not be lonely. Light and colour, peace and hope, will keep them company to the end of the day." And so it was for my father. (776 words) New Words amid：prep.in the middle of, among 在…之中 * disastrous：a. extremely bad; terrible 灾难性的，糟透的 lord：n. (in Britain) title of some officials of very high rank（英）大臣；大人，阁下 admiralty：n. (the A～)(in Britain) government department in charge of the navy （英）海军部 campaign：n. 1. a series of planned military actions 战役 2. a planned series of activities, esp. in politics and business 运动 bloody：a. 1. very violent, with a lot of wounding and killing 血腥的 2. covered with blood 血污的 mission：n. 1. (usu. military) duty or purpose for which people are sent somewhere ［常指军事］任务 2. 天职，使命 privately：ad. 1. not publicly 非公开地 2. personally; secretly 在涉及私（个）人方面；秘密地 private：a. 1. personal; secret 私（个）人的；秘密的；2. not public 非公开的 disaster：n. (a)sudden great misfortune 灾难，天灾；祸患 * grief：n. a feeling of extreme sadness 悲哀 * grieve：v. suffer from grief or great sadness （为…而）悲伤；伤心 retreat：n. 1. a place into which one can go for peace and safety 隐居处；2. 撤退；避难 vi. move back or leave a center of fighting or other activity 撤退；退避 muse, Muse：n. 1. (in Greek mythology) one of the nine goddesses of poetry, music, etc. 缪斯（希腊神话中司文艺的九位女神之一） 2. a force or person that inspires sb. to write, paint, etc. 创作灵感 rescue：n. help which gets sb. out of a dangerous or unpleasant situation 救助；救援 vt. 救助；救援 sister-in-law：n. sister of one's husband or wife 姑子；姨子；嫂子；弟媳 sketch：v. make a quick, rough drawing (of sth.) 素描，速写 n. 素描，速写 watercolo(u)r：n. 水彩（颜料）；水彩画 magic：n. 魔法，法术；a. 有魔力的 * distract：vt. (from) take (one's mind, sb.) off sth. 转移（注意力）; 使转移注意力 * canvas：n. 1. a piece of strong heavy cloth used for an oil painting 帆布画布 2. a completed oil painting 油画 * contemplate：vt. look at in a serious or quiet way, often for some time （默默地）注视，凝视 blank：a. 1. without writing, print or other marks 空白的 2. expressionless；without understanding 无 表 关于同志近三年现实表现材料材料类招标技术评分表图表与交易pdf视力表打印pdf用图表说话 pdf 情的；茫然的 unaccustomed：a. not used (to sth.); not usual （对某物）不习惯的；不寻常的 accustomed：a. regular; usual 惯常的，通常的 hesitantly：ad. not doing sth. quickly or immediately for one's uncertainty or worry about it 犹豫不决地 infinite：a. extremely great in degree or amount; without limits or end 无限的；极大的 precaution：n. 1. carefulness 防备，预防 2. an action taken to avoid sth. dangerous or unpleasant 预防措施 bean：n. 豆；蚕豆 motorcar：n. a car 汽车 alarm：vt. excite with sudden fear or anxiety 使惊恐；使忧虑 n. 1. a sudden feeling of fear or anxiety 惊恐；忧虑 2. a warning of danger 警报 plunge：vi. (into, in) 1. rush suddenly and deeply into sth. 投身于 2. suddenly fall in a particular direction 纵身投入；一头扎入 fierce：a. 1. angry, violent and cruel 暴怒的；凶猛的；残酷的 2. (of heat, strong feelings) very great 强烈的 * slash：n. a long sweeping cut or blow 砍；挥击 vt. cut with long sweeping forceful strokes；move or force with this kind of cutting movement 砍，砍击；猛挥 absolutely：ad. completely；without conditions 完全地；绝对地 * terrify：vt. fill with terror or fear 恐吓，使惊吓 * wretched：a. very unhappy or unfortunate 不幸的；可怜的 victim：n. sb. or sth. hurt or killed as a result of other people's actions, or of illness, bad luck, etc. 牺牲者，受害者；牺牲品 * fury：n. 1. a wildly excited state (of feeling or activity) 狂热；激烈 2. (a state of) very great anger 狂怒 artistic：a. 1. of. concerning art or artists 艺术的；艺术家的 2. made with inventive skill or imagination 富有艺术性的 companion：n. mate; one who associates with or accompanies another 同伴；伴侣 beloved：a. much loved; darling 深爱的；亲爱的 overcome：vt. 1. (often pass.) (by, with) (of feelings) take control and influence one's behavior ［常被动］（感情等）压倒，使受不了 2. win a victory over; defeat 克服；战胜 * refuge：n. (a place that provides) protection or shelter from harm, danger or unhappiness 避难（所）；庇护（所） alas：int. a cry expressing grief, sorrow or fear 唉（表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等） * revive：v. 1. regain strength, consciousness, life, etc.；bring (sb. or sth.) back to strength, consciousness, life, etc. （使）复苏；（使）重振活力 2. become active, popular, or successful again 恢复生机；复兴；重新流行 glow：n. a feeling of warmth or pleasure 热烈 vi. emit a soft light 发光 amateur：a. & n. (a person who is) not professional 业余（水平）的（运动员、艺术家等） entry：n. 1. a person or thing taking part in a competition, race, etc. 参赛一员 2. entrance; the act of entering or the right to enter 进入；进入权 * anonymous：a. (of a person) with name unknown；(of a letter, painting, etc.) written or created by an unidentified person 名字不详的；匿名的 disqualify：vt. make or declare unfit, unsuitable, or unable to do sth. 取消…的资格；使不适合；使不能 rely：vi. (on, upon) 1. have trust or confidence (in) 信任；信赖 2. depend with full trust or confidence 依赖 * historian：n. a person who studies history and/or writes about it 历史学家 * barren：a. (of land) unproductive （土地等）贫瘠的，荒芜的 awaken：vt. 1. (to) cause to become conscious of 使意识到 2. cause to wake up 唤醒 * menace：n. a threat or danger 威胁 abundant：a. plentiful; more than enough 丰富的；充足的 abundance：n. a great quantity; plenty 丰富；充裕；大量 odd：a. 1. (infml.) (after numbers) a little more than the stated number ［常用以构成复合词］…以上的；…出头的 2. strange or unusual 奇特的；古怪的 3. 奇数的，单数的 existence：n. the state of existing 存在；实有 * pastime：n. hobby；sth. done to pass time in a pleasant way 消遣，娱乐 Phrases and Expressions pay the price：experience sth. unpleasant because one has done sth. wrong, made a mistake, etc. 付出代价 come to sb.'s rescue：help sb. when he/she is in danger or difficulty 解救某人，救助某人 chance upon：meet by chance; find by chance 偶然碰见；偶然发现 try one's hand：attempt (to do sth.), esp. for the first time 尝试 plunge into：begin to do sth. suddenly; enter without hesitation 突然或仓促地开始某事；突然冲入 before one knows it：before one has time to consider the course of events 转眼之间，瞬息之间 fall upon：attack fiercely 猛攻，猛扑 take refuge：seek protection from danger or unhappiness 避难 rely on：trust, or confidently depend on 依赖，依靠 fall from office：lose a position of authority to which sb. was elected or appointed 离位，下台 awaken to：cause to become conscious of 使意识到 bear fruit：produce successful results 结果实；有成果 date from：have existed since 始自 keep sb. company：stay with sb. so that he/she is not alone 陪伴某人 Proper Names： Winston Churchill：温斯顿·丘吉尔（1874—1965，英国保守党政治家、首相［1940—1945，1951—1955］、作家） Mary Soames：玛丽·索姆斯 First Lord of the Admiralty：（英国）海军大臣 Dardanelles：达达尼尔海峡（位于亚洲小亚细亚半岛同欧洲巴尔干半岛之间） Clementine：克莱门泰因（女子名） Surrey：萨里郡（英国英格兰郡名） John Lavery：约翰·莱佛利 Marigold：玛丽戈尔德（女子名） Chartwell：查特威尔（宅名） Adolf. Hitler：希特勒（1889—1945，纳粹德国元首） UNIT 2 Text A Pre-reading Activities First Listening Before listening to the tape, have a quick look at the following blanks to prepare yourself to listen for the figures. 1. As you listen to the passage the first time, fill these blanks with the words you hear: Asians and Asian Americans make up only _____ of the US population, but they come up to ____ of the undergraduates at Harvard, _____ at MIT, ______ at Yale and _____ at Berkeley. Second Listening Read the following words first to prepare yourself to answer them to the best of your ability. Talent effort money concentration ambition intelligence pressure sacrifice discrimination tradition 2. Why are these statistics "amazing"? And what do you think the explanation is? Why They Excel Fox Butterfield Kim-Chi Trinh was just nine when her father used his savings to buy a passage for her on a fishing boat that would carry her from Vietnam. It was a heartbreaking and costly sacrifice for the family, placing Kim-Chi on the small boat, among strangers, in hopes that she would eventually reach the United States, where she would get a good education and enjoy a better life. It was a hard journey for the little girl, and full of risks. Long before the boat reached safety, the supplies of food and water ran out. When Kim-Chi finally made it to the US, she had to cope with a succession of three foster families. But when she graduated from San Diego's Patrick Henry High School in 1988, she had straight A's and scholarship offers from some of the most prestigious universities in the country. "I have to do well," says the 19-year-old, now a second-year student at Cornell University. "I owe it to my parents in Vietnam." Kim-Chi is part of a wave of bright, highly - motivated Asian - Americans who are suddenly surging into our best colleges. Although Asian - Americans make up only 2.4 percent of the nation's population, they constitute 17.1 percent of the undergraduates at Harvard, 18 percent at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and 27.3 percent at the University of California at Berkeley. Why are Asian - Americans doing so well? Are they grinds, as some stereotypes suggest? Do they have higher IQs? Or can we learn a lesson from them about values we have long treasured but may have misplaced — like hard work, the family and education? Not all Asians are doing equally well; poorly - educated Cambodian refugee children, for instance, often need special help. And many Asian - Americans resent being labeled a "model minority," feeling that this is reverse discrimination by white Americans — a contrast to the laws that excluded most Asian immigrants from the US until 1965, but prejudice nevertheless. The young Asians' achievements have led to a series of fascinating studies. Perhaps the most disturbing results come from the research carried out by a University of Michigan psychologist, Harold W. Stevenson, who has compared more than 7,000 students in kindergarten, first grade, third grade and fifth grade in Chicago and Minneapolis with counterparts in Beijing, Taipei and Sendai. On a battery of math tests, the Americans did worst at all grade levels. Stevenson found no differences in IQ. But if the differences in performance are showing up in kindergarten, it suggests something is happening in the family, even before the children get to school. It is here that various researchers' different studies converge: Asian parents are motivating their children better. "The bottom line is, Asian kids work hard," Stevenson says. The real question, then, is how Asian parents imbue their offspring with this kind of motivation. Stevenson's study suggests a critical answer. When asked why they think their children do well, most Asian parents said "hard work." By contrast, American parents said "talent." "From what I can see," criticizes Stevenson, "we've lost our faith in the idea that we can all get ahead in life through hard work. Instead, Americans now believe that some kids have what it takes and some don't. So we start dividing up classes into‘fast learners’and‘slow learners’, whereas the Chinese and Japanese feel all children can succeed in the same curriculum." This belief in hard work is the first of three main factors contributing to Asian students' outstanding performance. It springs from Asians' common heritage of Confucianism, the philosophy of the 5th-century-BC Chinese sage whose teachings have had a profound influence on Chinese society. One of Confucius's primary teachings is that through effort, people can perfect themselves. Confucianism provides another important ingredient in the Asians' success as well. In Confucian philosophy, the family plays a central role — an orientation that leads people to work for the honor of the family, not just for themselves. One can never repay one's parents, and there's a sense of obligation or even guilt that is as strong a force among Asians as Protestant philosophy is in the West. There's yet another major factor in this bond between Asian parents and their children. During the 15 years I lived in China, Japan, and Vietnam, I noticed that Asian parents establish a closer physical tie to their infants than most parents in the United States. When I let my baby daughter crawl on the floor, for example, my Chinese friends were horrified and rushed to pick her up. We think this constant attention is old-fashioned or even unhealthy, but for Asians, it's highly effective. Can we learn anything from the Asians? "I'm not naive enough to think everything in Asia can be transplanted," says Stevenson. But he offered three recommendations. "To start with," he says, "we need to set higher standards for our kids. We wouldn't expect them to become professional athletes without practicing hard." Second, American parents need to become more committed to their children's education, he declares. "Being understanding when a child doesn't do well isn't enough." Stevenson found that Asian parents spend more time helping their children with homework or writing to their teachers than American parents do. And, third, our schools could be reorganized in simple but effective ways, says Stevenson. Nearly 90 percent of Chinese youngsters say they actually enjoy school, and 60 percent can't wait for school vacations to end. This is a vastly more positive attitude than youngsters in The US express. One reason may be that students in China and Japan typically have a break after each class, helping them to relax and to increase their attention spans. "I don't think Asians are any smarter," says Don Lee, an Asian-American student at Berkeley. "There are brilliant Americans in my chemistry class. But the Asian students work harder. I see a lot of wasted potential among the Americans." (975 words) New Words excel v. (at) be the beat or better others (at sth.) 胜过他人 savings n. money saved, esp. in a bank 积蓄；存款 heartbreaking a. which causes great sorrow 令人悲痛的，令人心碎的 costly a. expensive, costing a lot of money 代价高昂的；昂贵的 sacrifice n. loss or giving up of sth. of value, esp. for what is believed to be a good purpose 牺牲 vt. 牺牲 risk n. (of) a danger；sth. that might have undesirable results 危险；风险 vt. place in a dangerous situation 使遭受危险；冒…的风险 cope vi. (with) deal successfully (with a difficult situation) （妥善地）应付或处理 succession n. a series or the act of following one after the other （前后相接的）一系列，一连串；连续 successive a. following each other closely 接连的，连续的，相继的 *foster a. 收养孩子的；寄养的 vt. 收养；照料 scholarship n. 1. 奖学金 2. 学识；学术成就 owe vt. (to) 1. have sth. (usually sth. good) because of 把…归功于 2. have to pay, for sth. already done or given 欠 owing a. (to) still to be paid 未付的，欠着的 motivate vt. (often pass.) 1. provide (sb.) with a (strong) need, purpose or reason for doing sth. [常被动] 激发…的积极性 2. 使有动机 *surge vi. move, esp. forward, in or like powerful waves （如浪潮般） 汹涌；奔腾 n. （感情等的）洋溢或奔放 constitute vt. 1. form or make up 形成；构成 2. formally establish or appoint 组建；选派 constitution n. 1. the act of establishing, making, or setting up；constituting 制定；设立；组成 2. (often cap.) [常大写] 宪法；法规；章程 *constitutional a. allowed or limited by a political constitution 宪法规定的；合乎宪法的 grind n. (AmE, often derog.) a student who is always working （美）［常贬义］用功的学生，书呆子 vt. 磨；磨碎 *stereotype n. a fixed pattern which is believed to represent a type of person or event 固定形式，老套 misplace vt. 1. lose (sth.),usu. for only a limited time （暂时）丢弃 2. put in an unsuitable or wrong place 把…放错地方 refugee n. sb. who has been forced to leave their country for political reason or during a war 难民；流亡者 *resent vt. feel anger and dislike about sth. 对…表示愤恨 label vt. 1. describe as belonging to a particular kind or