大学英语精读第五册

UNIT 1 TEXT The author is not a preacher, and yet he does deliver a kind of sermon here. Who is his audience? Interestingly, his audience is your teachers of Advanced English as a foreign language. The author seeks to help them in their difficult task of teaching advanced students, their task of leading their students to a higher lever of ability and fluency. Does it encourage you to know that you are not the only one who is struggling at this level of language acquisition? A Kind of Sermon by W.S.Fowler It is probably easier for teachers than for students to appreciate the reasons why learning English seems to become increasingly difficult once the basic structures and patterns of the language have been understood. Students are naturally surprised and disappointed to discover that a process which ought to become simpler does not appear to do so. It may not seem much consolation to point out that the teacher, too, becomes frustrated when his efforts appear to produce less obvious results. He finds that students who were easy to teach, because they succeeded in putting everything they had been taught into practice, hesitate when confronted with the vast untouched area of English vocabulary and usage which falls outside the scope of basic textbooks. He sees them struggling because the language they thought they knew now appears to consist of a bewildering variety of idioms, clichéd and accepted phrases with different meanings in different contexts. It is hard to convince them that they are still making progress towards fluency and that their English is certain to improve, given time and dedication. In such circumstances it is hardly surprising that some give up in disgust, while others still wait hopefully for the teacher to give them the same confident guidance he was able to offer them at first. The teacher, for his part, frequently reduced to trying to explain the inexplicable, may take refuge in quoting proverbs to his colleagues such as: "You can lead a horse to water but you can't what you say. It's the way that you say it." His students might feel inclined to counter these with: "The more I learn, the less I know." Of course this is not true. What both students and teachers are experiencing is the recognition that the more complex structures one encounters in a language are not as vital to making oneself understood and so have a less immediate field of application. For the same reason, from the teacher's point o view, selecting what should be taught becomes a more difficult task. It is much easier to get food of any kind than to choose the dish you would most like to eat on a given day from a vast menu. Defining the problem is easier than providing the solution. One can suggest that students should spend two or three years in an English-speaking country, which amounts to washing one's hands of them. Few students have the time or the money to do that. It is often said that wide reading is the time or the money to do that. It is often said that wide reading is the best alternative course of action but even here it is necessary to make some kind of selection. It is no use telling students to go to the library and pick up the first book they come across. My own advice to them would be: "read what you can understand without having to look up words in a dictionary (but not what you can understand at a glance); read what interests you; read what you have time for (magazines and newspapers rather than novels unless you can read the whole novel in a week or so); read the English written today, not 200 years ago; read as much as you can and try to remember the way it was written rather than individual words that puzzled you." And instead of "read", I could just as well say "listen to." My advice to teachers would be similar in a way. I would say "It's no good thinking that anything will do, or that all language is useful. It's no good relying on students to express themselves without the right tools for expression. It's still your duty to choose the best path to follow near the top of the mountain just as it was to propose a practicable short-cut away from the beaten track in the foothills. And if the path you choose is too overgrown to make further progress, the whole party will have to go back and you will have to choose another route. You are still the paid guide and expert and there is a way to the top somewhere." NEW WORDS sermon n. a talk given in church by a priest; a long and solemn piece of advice 布道；说教 consolation n. (a person or thing that gives) comfort during a time of sadness and disappointment 安慰 untouched a. not touched; not dealt with usage n. (a) generally accepted way of using a language 习惯用法 scope n. the area within the limits of a question, subject, action, etc.; ranged idiom n. a phrase which means something different from the meanings of the separate words from which it is formed 习语；成语 cliche n. an expression or idea used so often that it has lost much of its expressive force 陈词滥调，陈腐思想 context n. what comes before and after (a word, phrase, statement, etc.), helping to fix the meaning （文章的）上下文 fluency n. a smooth, easy flow 流利；流畅 fluent a. dedication n. self-sacrificing devotion 献身；忠诚；专心 dedicate vt. disgust n. strong feeling of dislike or distaste 厌恶 hopefully ad. in a hopeful manner; if our hopes succeed 怀着希望；但愿 guidance n. the act or process of guiding; advice on vocational or educational problems given to students inexplicable a. incapable of being explained 无法说明的；费解的 refuge n. shelter or protection from danger or distress 避难；庇护 refugee n. 难民 quote vt. repeat in speaking or writing (the words of another person) 引用，引述 proverb n. a brief popular saying 谚语 respectfully ad. in a way or manner that shows respect respectful a. grammatically ad. according to the rules of grammar grammatical a. ain't (spoken) a short form of "am not", "is not" or "are not" counter vt. oppose recognition n. the act of recognizing 认识；承认 immediate a. with nothing between; coming at once given a. specified, fixed 特定的，一定的 define vt. explain the meaning of; state, show or describe clearly 给...下定义;界定 selection n. the act of selecting novel n. a long story in prose about either imaginary or historical people rely vi. be dependent, count practicable a. capable of being done, put into practice or accomplished; feasible shortcut n. a route more direct than that usu. taken; a quicker way of doing sth. 捷径 beaten a. much walked on or traveled (路)踏平的；人们常走的 overgrown a. covered with plants growing uncontrolled PHRASES & EXPRESSIONS put into practice apply; carry out confront with bring face to face with; force to deal with or accept the truth of give up stop attempting sth.; admit defeat for one's part as far as one is concerned reduce to bring or force (sb.) to (esp. a weaker or less favorable state) take refuge in find shelter of protection in wash one's hands of have no more to do with; refuse to be responsible for come across meet, find, or discover by chance look up find (information) in a book at a glance with (information) in a book no good / not much good useless or bad not any good rely on trust; have confidence in; depend on PROPER NAMES W.S.Fowler W.S.福勒 UNIT 2 TEXT Beginning with the earliest pioneers, Americans have always highly valued their freedoms, and fought hard to protect them. And yet, the author points out that there is a basic freedom which Americans are in danger of losing. What is this endangered freedom? For what reasons could freedom-loving Americans possibly let this freedom slip away? And what-steps can they take to protect it ---- their fifth freedom? The Fifth Freedom by Seymour St . John More than three centuries ago a handful of pioneers crossed the ocean t Jamestown and Plymouth in search of freedoms they were unable to find in their own countries, the freedoms of we still cherish today: freedom from want, freedom from fear, freedom of speech, freedom of religion. Today the descendants of the early settlers, and those who have joined them since, are fighting to protect these freedoms at home and throughout the world. And yet there is a fifth freedom - basic to those four - that we are in danger of losing: the freedom to be one's best. St. Exupery describes a ragged, sensitive-faced Arab child, haunting the streets of a North African town, as a lost Mozart: he would never be trained or developed. Was he free? "No one grasped you by the shoulder while there was still time; and nought will awaken in you the sleeping poet or musician or astronomer that possibly inhabited you from the beginning." The freedom to be one's best is the chance for the development of each person to his highest power. How is it that we in America have begun to lose this freedom, and how can we regain it for our nation's youth? I believe it has started slipping away from us because of three misunderstandings. First, the misunderstanding of the meaning of democracy. The principal of a great Philadelphia high school is driven to cry for help in combating the notion that it is undemocratic to run a special program of studies for outstanding boys and girls. Again, when a good independent school in Memphis recently closed, some thoughtful citizens urged that it be taken over by the public school system and used for boys and girls of high ability, what it have entrance requirements and give an advanced program of studies to superior students who were interested and able to take it. The proposal was rejected because it was undemocratic! Thus, courses are geared to the middle of the class. The good student is unchallenged, bored. The loafer receives his passing grade. And the lack of an outstanding course for the outstanding student, the lack of a standard which a boy or girl must meet, passes for democracy. The second misunderstanding concerns what makes for happiness. The aims of our present-day culture are avowedly ease and material well-being: shorter hours; a shorter week; more return for less accomplishment; more softsoap excuses and fewer honest, realistic demands. In our schools this is reflected by the vanishing hickory stick and the emerging psychiatrist. The hickory stick had its faults, and the psychiatrist has his strengths. But hickory stick had its faults, and the psychiatrist has his strengths. But the trend is clear. Tout comprendre c'est tout pardoner (To understand everything is to excuse everything). Do we really believe that our softening standards bring happiness? Is it our sound and considered judgment that the tougher subjects of the classics and mathematics should be thrown aside, as suggested by some educators, for doll-playing? Small wonder that Charles Malik, Lebanese delegate at the U.N., writes: "There is in the West" (in the United States) "a general weakening of moral fiber. (Our) leadership does not seem to be adequate to the unprecedented challenges of the age." The last misunderstanding is in the area of values. Here are some of the most influential tenets of teacher education over the past fifty years: there is no eternal truth; there is no absolute moral law; there is no God. Yet all of history has taught us that the denial of these ultimates, the placement of man or state at the core of the universe, results in a paralyzing mass selfishness; and the first signs of it are already frighteningly evident. Arnold Toynbee has said that all progress, all development come from challenge and a consequent response. Without challenge there is no response, no development, no freedom. So first we owe to our children the most demanding, challenging curriculum that is within their capabilities. Michelangelo did not learn to paint by spending his time doodling. Mozart was not an accomplished pianist at the age of eight as the result or spending his days in front of a television set. Like Eve Curie, like Helen Keller, they responded to the challenge of their lives by a disciplined training: and they gained a new freedom. The second opportunity we can give our boys and girls is the right to failure. "Freedom is not only a privilege, it is a test," writes De Nouy. What kind of a test is it, what kind of freedom where no one can fail? The day is past when the United States can afford to give high school diplomas to all who sit through four years of instruction, regardless of whether any visible results can be discerned. We live in a narrowed world where we must be alert, awake to realism; and realism demands a standard which either must be met or result in failure. These are hard words, but they are brutally true. If we deprive our children of the right to fail we deprive them of their knowledge of the world as it is. Finally, we can expose our children to the best values we have found. By relating our lives to the evidences of the ages, by judging our philosophy in the light of values that history has proven truest, perhaps we shall be able to produce that "ringing message, full of content and truth, satisfying the mind, appealing to the heart, firing the will, a message on which one can stake his whole life." This is the message that could mean joy and strength and leadership -- freedom as opposed to serfdom. NEW WORDS cherish vt. care for tenderly; keep alive 爱护，珍爱；抱有，怀有 religion n. 宗教 settler n. a person who has settled in a newly developed country; colonist 移民；殖民者 sensitive a. quick to receive impressions; easily hurt or offended 敏感的 sensitive-faced a. having a sensitive face Arab n., a. 阿拉伯人（的）；阿拉伯的 haunt vt. visit often lost a. not used, won, or claimed; ruined or destroyed physically or morally grasp vt. seize firmly with the hand(s) or arm(s); understand with the mind 抓住，抱住；理解，掌握 nought n. (old use or lit) nothing; zero awaken vt. arouse from sleep; make active musician n. a composer or performer of music inhabit vt. live or dwell in regain vt. gain or get again; get back democracy n. government by the people, esp. rule by the majority principal n. head of a school combat vt. n. fight; struggle notion n. idea; belief; opinion undemocratic a. not democratic; not in accordance with the principles of democracy independent a. not subject to control or rule by another; not depending on others for support independent school a private school, not controlled by the public urge vt. present, advocate or demand earnestly; push or drive loafer n. a person who spends time idly 游手好闲的人 lack n. not have; have less than enough of avowedly ad. as declared openly or frankly softsoap a. 姑息的，软言相劝的 realistic a. having or showing an inclination to face facts and to deal with them sensibly practical hickory n. 山核桃（木） hickory stick 山核桃木做的教鞭 classics n. the language and literature of ancient Greece and Rome doll n. a small-scale figure of a human being, used as a child's plaything Lebanese n., a. 黎巴嫩人（的）；黎巴嫩的 delegate n. a person sent with power to act for another; representative 代表 U.N., the the United Nations 联合国 weaken vt. make or become weak(er) fiber n. a person's inner character; quality; strength leadership n. power of leading; the qualities of a leader unprecedented having no precedent 无先例的，空前的 influential a. having or exerting influence tenet n. a principle or belief held by a person or organization 信条，原则 eternal a. having no beginning and no end; lasting forever 永恒的；不朽的 denial n. a refusal to admit the truth of a statement or to grant sth. asked for ultimate n. fundamental principle; final point or result placement n. an act or instance of placing, esp. the assignment of a person to a suitable place core n. the most important or central part of anything 核心 paralyze vt. make powerless or unable to act, move or function 使麻痹，使瘫痪 selfishness n. a concern for one's own welfare or advantage at the expense or in disregard of others selfish a. consequent a. following as a consequence curriculum n. a course of study, esp. the body of courses offered in a school or college (学校的全部）课程 capability n. power of doing things 能力，才能 paint v. make a picture (of) with paint doodle vi. draw irregular lines, figures, etc. aimlessly while thinking about sth. else 心不在焉地乱写乱画 pianist n. person who plays the piano discipline vt. apply discipline to regardless a. having or taking no regard; careless 不关心的；不留心的 visible a. capable of being seen; apparent discern vt. see, notice, or understand, esp. with difficulty; perceive realism n. accepting and dealing with life and its problems in a practical way, without being influenced by feelings or false ideas relate vt. connect in thought or meaning fire vt. inspire; stimulate or inflame stake vt. risk (money, one's life, etc.) on a result; bet 把...押下打赌 oppose vt. set oneself against; set up against 反对；使对抗 serfdom vt. the state or fact of being a serf; slavery 农奴的境遇;奴役 PHRASES & EXPRESSIONS a handful of a small amount or number of in search of trying to find cry for cry in an attempt to get; demand urgently; need badly pass for be (mistakenly) accepted or considered as make for help cause sth. to happen small wonder /little wonder / no wonder naturally; it is not surprising regardless of without worrying about to taking into account relate to / with show a link or connection between in the light of taking into account; considering stake on risk (one's money, reputation, life, etc.) on as opposed to in contrast to PROPER NAMES Seymour St. John 西摩.圣约翰 Jamestown 詹姆斯敦 Plymouth 普利茅斯 St.Exupery 圣.埃克休帕里 Mozart 莫扎特 Memphis 孟菲斯 Charles Malik 查尔斯.马立克 Arnold Toynbee 阿诺德.汤因比 Michelangelo 米开朗琪罗 Eve Curie 伊芙.居里 De Nouy 德.纽伊 UNIT 3 TEXT Do you want a better life? According to the author of the following article, the solution is easy. Simply change the way you look at yourself - and you will change the way you live. Improving your self-image is your key to living a better life. Your Key to a Better Life by Maxwell Maltz The most important psychological of this century is the discovery of the "self-image." Whether we realize it or not, each of us carries about with us a mental blueprint or picture of ourselves. It may be vague and ill-defined to our conscious gaze. In fact, it may not be consciously recognizable at all. But it is there, complete down to the last detail. This self-image is our own conception of the "sort of person I am." It has been built up from our own beliefs about ourselves. But most of these beliefs about ourselves have unconsciously been formed our past experiences, our successes and failures, our humiliations, our triumphs, and the way other people have reacted to us, especially in early childhood. From all these we mentally construct a "self," (or a picture of a self). Once an idea or a belief about ourselves goes into this picture it becomes "true", as far as we personally are concerned. We do not question its validity, but proceed to act upon it just as if it were true. T