21世纪大学英语读写教程第4册第8单元课文讲解1 BillHeavy Whenmyfatherrings,Ihurrydowntothefrontdoorofmycondo.Thereheis,下面是小编为大家整理的2023年度21世纪大学英语读写教程第4册第8单元课文讲解60篇【优秀范文】,供大家参考。
Bill Heavy
When my father rings, I hurry down to the front door of my condo. There he is, in corduroy pants, the tread worn off the knees, and a shirt I outgrew in tenth grade. He"s come to help me put in a new garbage disposal. Actually, I"m helping him. His mechanical gene passed over his only son, on its way to some future generation. At 39, I"ve made my peace with this.
My father hasn"t been to my place since he helped me paint four years ago. The truth is, I"m often not sure how to talk to him. But this time it will be easy. We have a job to do.
In minutes he has taken over the whole enterprise, lying under the sink and squinting up into the machinery. And suddenly I am 12 years old again, watching him fix things and feeling useless.
As a child, I identified so strongly with my mother that I thought my father was just a long-term house guest with spanking privileges. She and I are bookish, introverted worriers. My father is an optimist who has never had a sleepless night in his life.
Like most fathers and sons, we fought. But there was no cooling-off period between rounds. It was a cold war lasting from the onset of my adolescence until I went off to college in 1973.I hated him. He was a former navy fighter pilot, with an Irish temper and a belief that all the problems of the world—including an overprotected son who never saw anything through to completion—could be cured by the application of more discipline.
At a time when an eighth-grader"s social status was measured in the fraction of an inch of hair kissing his collar, my father would march me down to the barbershop on Saturdays and triumphantly tell the man with the scissors. "Just leave him enough to comb." I would close my eyes, determined not to give him the satisfaction of seeing me cry. Without even thinking about it, I froze him out of my life, speaking only when spoken to. I learned to use silence like a knife. My one communique for an entire dinner was usually a sarcastic "May I be excused now? I have homework."
I lay awake at night imagining him being transferred by the gas company he worked for to an oil rig in the North Sea. But it didn"t happen, and soon all that remained was the contest of wills.
I went off to college, but he was still in my head. I could hear his voice every time I fell short in anything. Only when I began seeing my freelance articles in print did I begin to feel that I was slipping beyond his reach and into my own life.
Eventually I discovered that there is no anti-inflammatory agent like time. Now I wondered, could this aging 74-year-old be the giant who once thundered up the stairs to spank me, of whom I was so afraid that I wet my pants? In his place was someone I worried about, whom I dressed in my down hunting jacket for his annual pilgrimage to the Army-Navy game. My profession, which he had once ridiculed, saying, "Gee, do you think there"s any money in it?" now became a source of pride when fellow Rotarians mistook him for Bill Heavy "the writer." It was as if now that I no longer needed so desperately to please him, I had succeeded. We had become two old veterans from opposing armies, shaking hands years after the fighting, the combat so distant as to be a dream.
Before we can install the disposal, we have to snake out the pipes. Soon we get stuck trying to figure out how a gasket fits.
"Ah," he says finally, "we"re going to have to call a plumber."
This is not how I remember him. He used to be so stubborn, the kind of guy who could make IRS examiners throw up their hands in frustration and let him off. Now that I have his mind-set and don"t want to give up, it"s as if he"s acquired mine.
He says, "Besides, I gotta get home. Your mother and I have to be at a dinner party at 7:30."
"Don"t you pay for the plumber," he says. "Putting this thing in is part of my Christmas present to you."
Though we"ve failed to install the disposal, it"s been oddly satisfying. At last we"re on even ground. Maybe he wasn"t the best father. Maybe I wasn"t the best son, but I realize I will never be ready to cope with his leaving. I know that I"m luckier than some of my friends, whose fathers died while they were still locked in the battle that neither really wanted.
The plumber comes two days later. He secures the disposal in its place as easily as I buckle my belt.
Not long ago, I started badgering my parents to get their estate in order. They didn"t want to deal with it. I finally wrote them a letter saying if I were a parent, I would want to make * sure the IRS got as little of my money as possible. I knew this would push my father"s buttons. It worked. They met with a lawyer.xc
Later, my father and I lunch at a restaurant near my office so he can fill me in on the details. "One thing I don"t want you to worry about is what"ll happen to me," he says, with the satisfied air of a man who has taken care of business. "The Navy will cremate me for free."
"And what about the ashes?" I ask, concerned only with practical things. It is as if we are talking about how to get rid of the old disposal.
"They scatter them at sea." He turns away, looking around for our waiter. Something breaks inside me. When he turns back, I am crying, hot tears springing up in my eyes so suddenly I"m almost choking.
"I don"t want you to die," I manage to say. "I don"t want them to scatter your ashes. I"ll scatter your ashes."
"Oh, Bill," he says, taken aback, totally at a loss about what to say. "I just didn"t want to burden you with it."
I have no way to tell him that I want to be burdened with it, that it is my birth right to be burdened with it. "I know," I say.
I don"t even look around to see if anybody is watching. I don"t care. I reach across the table for his hand and hold it, trying to stop the tears.
condo
n. an apartment in a block of apartments of which each is owned by the people who live in it 公寓套间
corduroy
n. & a. 灯芯绒(的)
tread
n. grooved part on the surface 棱纹
outgrow
vt. grow too large or too tall for (esp. one"s clothes); grow faster or taller than 长大(或长高)而穿不下(原有的衣服等);长得比…快(或高)
garbage
n. rubbish, refuse 垃圾
garbage disposal
(装于厨房洗涤槽排水管内的)污物碾碎器
mechanical
a. 1. of, connected with, produced by machines 机械的";与机械有关的;由机械制成的
2. 手工操作的;技工的
squint
vi. look sideways or with half-shut eyes or through a narrow opening 瞟;眯着眼看;由小孔窥视
spank
vt. punish (a child) by slapping on the buttocks with the open hand or a slipper, etc. (用巴掌或拖鞋等)打(小孩的)屁股
introverted
a. (性格)内向的;不爱交际的
worrier
n. person who worries a lot 担心的人，发愁的人
optimist
n. a person who is always hopeful and looks upon the bright side of things 乐观的人;乐观主义者
cooling-off period
a period of time when two people or groups who are arguing about sth. can go away and think about how to improve the situation (争执双方冷静下来考虑如何改善关系的)冷却期
onset
n. the beginning (esp. of sth. unpleasant) (尤指不快之事的)开始
navy
n. 海军
fraction
n. 1. a small part, bit, amount, or proportion (of sth.) (某物的)小部分，一点儿，少许;片断
2. 分数;小数
collar
n. part of a garment that fits around the neck 衣领
barbershop
n. place where a man gets his face shaved and hair cut 理发店
triumphantly
ad. joyfully, satisfactorily (at a success or victory) 得意洋洋地;得胜地;成功地
communique
n. official announcement 公报
sarcastic
a. 讽刺的，嘲笑的，挖苦的
rig
n. a large structure in the sea used for drilling oil wells 钻井架;钻塔
freelance
a. 自由作家的;自由职业者做的
anti-inflammatory
a. 抗炎的，消炎的;息怒的
agent
n. substance, natural phenomenon, etc. producing an effect 剂;自然力;动因
down
n. fine, soft feathers of young birds 羽绒
pilgrimage
n. 1. a journey to a sacred place or shrine 朝圣;朝觐
2. a journey to a place associated with sb. /sth. one respects 到敬仰的某处之行
ridicule
vt. make fun of; mock 嘲弄;嘲笑
gee
int. (used to express surprise, admiration, etc.) (用以表示惊奇、赞赏等)哎呀，嘿
oppose
vt. fight or complete against in a battle, competition, or election 反对;反抗;与…较量
snake
vt. 用长铁丝通条疏通(管道)
stuck
a. not able to move or continue doing sth. 不能动的;不能继续做某事的;被卡住的
gasket
n. 垫圈;衬垫;密封垫
plumber
n. workman who fits and repairs water-pipes, bathroom articles, etc. 管子工
mind-set
n. mentality, way of thinking 心态;思想倾向
buckle
n. (皮带等的)搭扣，搭钩
vt. 用搭扣把…扣住(或扣紧、扣上)
badger
vt. pester;nag persistently 纠缠;烦扰
estate
n. all the money and property that a person owns, esp. that which is left at death 财产;(尤指)遗产
cremate
vt. burn (a corpse) to ashes 火化(尸体)
aback
ad. backwards 向后地;退后地
birth right
与生俱来的权利
put in
install 安装
pass over
move past without touching; overlook; fail to notice 掠过;忽视;不注意
make one"s peace with
settle a quarrel with;accept 与…讲和;接受
identify with
regard oneself as sharing the characteristics or fortunes with 与…认同
see through
not give up (a task, undertaking, etc.) until it is finished 把(任务等)进行到底
freeze out
exclude (sb.) by a cold manner, competition, etc. (以冷淡态度、竞争等)排斥(某人)
in print
(of a person"s work) printed in a book, newspaper, etc. (指作品)已印出;已出版
throw up one"s hands
show that one is annoyed or has given up hope with sb. or sth. that causes trouble (因厌烦等而)突然举起双手;认定无望而放弃尝试
let off
excuse; not punish; not punish severely 原谅;不惩罚;对…从轻处理
push sb."s buttons
start sb. in action 使某人行动起来
fill sb. in (on sth.)
give sb. full details (about sth.) 对某人提供(有关某事的)详情
for free
without charge or payment 不要钱;免费
get rid of
become free of 扔掉，处理掉;摆脱
be taken aback
be startled 吃惊
at a loss
perplexed, uncertain 困惑;不知所措
——21世纪大学英语读写教程第三册第1单元课文讲解60篇
A common misconception among youngsters attending school is that their teachers were child prodigies. Who else but a bookworm, with none of the normal kid"s tendency to play rather than study, would grow up to be a teacher anyway?
I"ve tried desperately to explain to my students that the image they have of me as an enthusiastic devotee of books and homework during my adolescence was a bit out of focus. On the contrary, I hated compulsory education with a passion. I could never quite accept the notion of having to go to school while the fish were biting.
But in my sophomore year, something beautiful and exciting happened. Cupid aimed his arrow and struck me right in the heart. All at once, I enjoyed going to school, if only to gaze at the lovely face in English II.
My princess sat near the pencil sharpener, and that year I ground up enough pencils to fuel a campfire. Alas, Debbie was far beyond my wildest dreams. We were separated not only by five rows of desks, but by about 50 I.Q. points. She was the top student in English II, the apple of Mrs. Larrivee"s eye.
Occasionally, Debbie would catch me staring at her, and she would flash a smile that radiated intelligence and quickened my heartbeat. It was a smile that signaled hope and made me temporarily forget the intellectual gulf that separated us.
I schemed desperately to bridge that gulf. And one day, as I was passing the supermarket, an idea came to me. A sign in the window announced that the store was offering the first volume of a set of encyclopedias at the special price of 29 cents. The remaining volumes would cost $2.49 each.
I purchased Volume I — Aardvark to Asteroid — and began my venture into the world of knowledge. I would henceforth become a seeker of facts. I would become Chief Brain in English II and sweep my princess off her feet with a surge of erudition. I had it all planned.
My first opportunity came one day in the cafeteria line. I looked behind me and there she was.
"Hi," she said.
After a pause, I wet my lips and said, "Know where anchovies come from?"
She seemed surprised. "No, I don"t."
I breathed a sigh of relief. "The anchovy lives in salt water and is rarely found in fresh water." I had to talk fast, so that I could get all the facts in before we reached the cash register. "Fishermen catch anchovies in the Mediterranean Sea and along the Atlantic coast near Spain and Portugal."
"How fascinating," said Debbie, shaking her head in disbelief. It was obvious that I had made quite an impression.
A few days later, during a fire drill, I casually went up to her and asked, "Ever been to the Aleutian Islands?"
"Never have," she replied.
"Might be a nice place to visit, but I certainly wouldn"t want to live there," I said.
"Why not?" said Debbie, playing right into my hands.
"Well, the climate is forbidding. There are no trees on any of the 100 or more islands in the group. The ground is rocky and very little plant life can grow on it."
"I don"t think I"d even care to visit," she said.
The fire drill was over and we began to file into the building, so I had to step it up to get the natives in. "The Aleuts are short and sturdy and have dark skin and black hair. They live on fish, and they trap blue foxes and seals for their valuable fur."
Debbie"s eyes widened in amazement.
One day I was browsing through the library. I spotted Debbie sitting at a table, absorbed in a crossword puzzle. She was frowning, apparently stumped on a word. I leaned over and asked if I could help.
"Four-letter word for Oriental female servant," Debbie said.
"Try amah," I said, quick as a flash.
Debbie filled in the blanks, then turned to stare at me in amazement. "I don"t believe it," she said. "I just don"t believe it."
And so it went, that glorious, joyous, romantic sophomore year. Debbie seemed to relish our little conversations and hung on my every word. Naturally, the more I read, the more my confidence grew.
In the classroom, too, I was gradually making my presence felt. One day, during a discussion of Coleridge"s "The Ancient Mariner", we came across the word albatross.
"Can anyone tell us what an albatross is?" asked Mrs. Larrivee.
My hand shot up. "The albatross is a large bird that lives mostly in the ocean regions below the equator, but may be found in the north Pacific as well. The albatross measures as long as four feet and has the greatest wingspread of any bird. It feeds on fish and shellfish. The albatross has an enormous appetite, and when it"s full it has trouble getting into the air again."
There was a long silence in the room. Mrs. Larrivee couldn"t quite believe what she had just heard. I sneaked a look at Debbie and gave her a big wink. She beamed proudly and winked back.
What I failed to perceive was that Debbie all this while was going steady with a junior from a neighboring school — a basketball player with a C+ average. The revelation hit me hard, and for a while I felt like forgetting everything I had learned. I had saved enough money to buy Volume II — Asthma to Bullfinch — but was strongly tempted to invest in a basketball instead.
I felt not only hurt, but betrayed. Like Agamemnon, but with less drastic consequences, thank God.
In time I recovered from my wounds. The next year Debbie moved from the neighborhood and transferred to another school. Soon she became no more than a memory.
Although the original incentive was gone, I continued poring over the encyclopedias, as well as an increasing number of other books. Having tasted of the wine of knowledge, I could not now alter my course. For:
"A little knowledge is a dangerous thing:
Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring."
So wrote Alexander Pope, Volume XIV — Paprika to Pterodactyl.
prodigy
n. a person who has unusual and very noticeable abilities, usually at an early age 奇才;天才
child prodigy
an unusually clever child 神童
bookworm
n. a person devoted to reading 极爱读书者;书呆子
devotee
n. a person strongly devoted to sth. or sb. 热爱…者;献身于…的人
adolescence
n. 青春期
* compulsory
a. required by law or a rule 义务的;强制的
compel
vt. oblige or force (sb.) to do sth. 强迫;强求
passion
n. a strong, deep, often uncontrollable feeling 热情;激情
gaze
vi. look fixedly 注视;凝视
princess
n. 1. 理想中的女友;心目中追求的女友
2. (oft, cap.) a female member of the royal family, usually the daughter of a king or queen or the wife of a prince [常大写]公主;王妃
prince
n. 1. 少女理想中的未婚者，白马王子
2. a male member of the royal family, especially the son of a king or queen 王子;亲王
3. (usu. sing.) (among, of) a very great, successful or powerful man of some stated kind [常单数](喻)大王;巨头;名家
sharpener
n. 卷笔刀;卷笔器
campfire
n. a wood fire made in the open air by campers 营火，冓火
quicken
v. (cause to) speed up 加快
scheme
v. make plans (for); plan in a deceitful way 计划;谋划
n. 1. a formal, official or business plan 计划;规划
2. a clever, dishonest plan 阴谋，诡计
volume
n. 1. one of a set of books of the same kind (一套书的)一册;一卷
2. (of) 体积;容积
encyclop(a)edia
n. a book or set of books dealing with a wide range of information presented in alphabetical order 百科全书
aardvark
n. 土豚，非洲食蚁兽
asteroid
n. 小行星;海星
* henceforth
ad. from this time onwards 自此以后
hence
ad. 1. for this reason, therefore 因此，所以
2. from this time on 今后，从此
erudition
n. learning acquired by reading and study 博学;学问
* cafeteria
n. a self-service restaurant 自助餐厅
anchovy
n. 凤尾鱼
sigh
n. the act or sound of sighing 叹息(声);叹气(声)
reliefn. feeling of comfort at the end of anxiety, fear, or pain (焦虑等的)解除;宽慰
casually
ad. in a relaxed way 随便地;漫不经心地
casual
a. relaxed; not formal 随便的;漫不经心的;非正式的
* sturdy
a. physically strong 强壮的
seal
n. 1. 海豹
2. 印记，印章
vt. 1. 盖章于
2. 封，密封
widen
v. make or become wider 加宽;变宽
* browse
v. casually look or search, e.g. in a shop, in a library, at a book, etc., with no specific aim or object in mind 浏览
crossword
n. (= crossword puzzle) 纵横字谜，纵横填字游戏
frown
vi. contract the brows, as in displeasure or deep thought 皱眉头
* stump
vt. put an unanswerable question to; puzzle 把…难住;使为难
* oriental
a. of, from or concerning Asia 东方的
amah
n. 阿妈(印度等一些东方国家的奶妈、女佣或保姆)
glorious
a. having or deserving glory; very delightful and enjoyable 荣耀的;令人愉快的
joyous
a. full of or causing joy 充满欢乐的;令人高兴的
romantic
a. 1. (of sth.) beautiful in a way that strongly affects one"s feelings 有浪漫色彩的
2. (of sb.) showing strong feelings of love 多情的;浪漫的
3. being unrealistic or unpractical 不切实际的
* relish
vt. get pleasure out of; enjoy greatly 从…获得乐趣;很喜爱
confidence
n. belief in one"s own or another"s ability 信心
mariner
n. (obsolete) a sailor 〈废〉水手
marine
a. 1. of ships and their goods and trade at sea 航海的;海事的
2. of, near, living in, or obtained from the sea 海洋的.;海生的;海产的
n. 水兵
albatross
n. 信天翁
wingspread
n. the distance between the tips of a pair of fully spread wings 翼幅
shellfish
n. 贝壳类动物
shell
n. 1. the hard covering of a sea creature, egg, fruit, seed, etc. 动物的壳(如贝壳、蛹壳等)，蛋壳;果壳;荚
2. the outside frame of a building (房屋的)框架;骨架
appetite
n. 1. one"s desire to eat and one"s feeling about how much to eat 食欲，胃口
2. (for) a strong desire 欲望;爱好
beam
vi. shine brightly; smile warmly 照耀;(面)露喜色;满脸堆笑
n. 1. 微笑;喜色
2. 光束
perceive
vt. notice; be conscious of 注意到;感觉;察觉
* revelation
n. the act of revealing sth., usually of great significance 揭示;暴露
asthma
n. 气喘，哮喘
bullfinch
n. 红腹灰雀
invest
vi. put money into sth. with the expectation of profit or other advantage 投资
investment
n. 1. 投资;投资额
2. the spending of (time, energy, etc.) to make sth. successful (时间、精力等的)投入
* betray
vt. be disloyal or unfaithful to 出卖，背叛
* drastic
a. strong, violent or severe 激烈的;迅猛的
consequence
n. (usu. pi.) the result or effect of an action or condition [常复数]结果;后果
* incentive
n. encouragement to greater activity; motivating factor; stimulus 鼓励;刺激
paprika
n. 红灯笼辣椒
pterodactyl
n. 翼手龙
out of focus
not shar* defined 焦点没对准;模糊的
beyond one"s wildest dreams
(in a way that is) better than what one expected or hoped for 超过某人所期望的(地);出乎某人意料的(地)
the apple of sb."s eye
a person or thing that is the main object of sb."s love and attention 某人的掌上明珠;宝贝
sweep sb. off his/her feet
make sb. feel suddenly and strongly attracted to you in a romantic way 使某人倾心
get sth. in
manage to say sth. about a subject 设法说完
play into sb."s hands
do something which gives sb. an advantage 干对某人有利的事
file into
enter in a single line 鱼贯进入
step up
(infml) increase the size or speed of 〈口〉加快;增加
hang on sb."s words
listen very carefully to 倾听;注意地听
feed on
eat habitually 以…为食物;靠…为生
go steady with
date sb. regularly and exclusively 仅与(同一异性)经常约会
invest in
1. buy (sth.) with the expectation of profit or some other kind of advantage 投资于
2. (infml) 〈口〉买
in time
1. eventually 经过一段时间后;最终
2. at or before the right or necessary time 及时
pore over
study or give close attention to 钻研;专心阅读
——21世纪大学英语读写教程第3册第9单元课文解读60篇
1. As you listen to the conversation, note down the answers to the following questions:
What is the destination of the mission that"s just been approved? _____
What is the mission expected to cost? ______
Who lives in that neighborhood? ______
What does the speaker think would be a better use for the money? _____
2. Do you know the answer to the last question asked in the dialog?
It is expected that the discovery of possible life-forms from the planet Mars will revive public interest in space exploration. But is public support for the international space effort necessary, given that politicians seem determined to press ahead with it anyway?
The race to the moon, which was won by the Americans in 1969, was driven almost entirely by politics. The rivalry between the U.S. and the former Soviet Union meant that the two countries were determined to be the first to put a man on the moon. President John F. Kennedy promised that America would win this race and, as one of the most popular presidents in American history, he inspired a nation to think of space exploration as the ultimate test of America"s superiority over her Soviet enemy.
America"s success as the first nation to reach the moon, coupled with continuing Cold War rivalry, created much public support for the space programme and Washington was able to fund many more missions. During the 1970s, the moon was visited again, unmanned missions were sent to Mars and, for the first time, man-made craft were put on paths that would take them out of the solar system.
But, by the 1980s, public support for space exploration was declining. It faded almost entirely after the Challenger space shuttle disaster of 1986, and the U.S. government was under pressure to scale back its space programme. Politicians reacted by demanding cuts in spending, which put the future of many space missions in doubt.
In Russia, funding was also a problem. The end of the Soviet Union meant the country could no longer afford to sustain its space programme. In fact, spending became so tight that there was often not enough money to bring home astronauts working on the country"s Mir space station.
But, in the last few years, politicians seem to have changed their attitude to space exploration, even though there is little evidence that the public have. New missions to Mars are planned, and plenty of money is being spent on other extraterrestrial activities. Last year, for instance, the U.S. spent more on space research and development than on any other area of research, except health and the military.
And spending is likely to increase in the coming years: currently, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is planning a number of missions to Mars, and it is pressing ahead with the most expensive space-exploration project ever undertaken — the International Space Station. (Three years ago, this project — a collaboration between the U.S., Canada, Russia, Europe and Japan — came within one vote of being canceled by the American House of Representatives.)
And the Americans are not the only ones spending huge sums on space exploration. The Europeans, Canadians and Japanese are expected to spend $9 billion on their share of the space station, and Europe has already spent huge sums developing its Ariane rockets, the most recent of which — Ariane 5 — blew up shortly after it was launched. The Russians, too, claim they are committed to supporting the International Space Station — an expense that country seems ill able to afford.
So, if there is little public support for space exploration, where does the impetus to fund these activities come from? Promoting the cause of science is one possible answer. But recently there has been considerable controversy over whether projects like the International Space Station have enough scientific value to merit the billions that have been and will be spent on it.
NASA"s reasons for building the space station are "to develop new materials [and] technologies that will have immediate, practical applications". However, for such research to be worthwhile, NASA needs private companies to develop (and help pay for) extraterrestrial research. Unfortunately, the cost of sending anything into orbit is so high that most private companies favour improving techniques on Earth. Significantly, NASA has so far not managed to get any substantial private investment to manufacture products in space.
The result is that the station seems, at present, to have only one concrete objective: research into how people can live and work safely and efficiently in space. But how important is this research? And can it possibly justify the cost of this huge orbiting laboratory?
The only purpose of studying how humans live and work in space would be to prepare for long-term space missions. At present, none are planned, and this seems unlikely to change in the near future. The main reasons for this are the costs. A manned mission to our nearest planetary neighbour Mars, for example, would cost around $400 billion. This is $50 billion more than Russia"s present Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
And even if one accepts that this research is important, can it justify building a space station the size of 14 tennis courts, at a cost which is eventually expected to exceed $100 billion? Given the shortage of funds in many other areas of scientific research, it would seem not.
So why build it? There are good political reasons for doing so. It will provide work for the thousands of unemployed defence workers who depended on the Cold War for their jobs, and who make up a substantial proportion of voters in both Russia and the U.S. It will also help keep American/Russian ties strong — another reason NASA believes the space station is a good investment. (Critics argue that there are far cheaper ways to keep the U.S. and Russia on good terms.)
And then there is the legacy of the Cold War. The Berlin Wall may have fallen, but NASA and the U.S. government still seem to believe in the ideal of one nation"s superiority in space. Indeed, NASA describes the space station as "a powerful symbol of U.S. leadership".
It seems that the world"s politicians are caught in a timewarp. They still believe, as they did in the 1960s, that man must conquer space in order to prove he is master of his surroundings. If only it weren"t so expensive.
* rivalry
n. active competition between people 竞争;对抗
craft
n. 1. (pl. unchanged) a boat, ship, aircraft, etc. 小船;船;飞机;飞行器
2. skill and care in doing or making sth. 工艺;手艺
3. a trade or profession requiring skill and care (需要特种手艺的)行业;职业
4. 诡计;手腕
* shuttle
n. 航天飞机
v. go from one place to another 穿梭往返
extraterrestrial
a. happening, existing or coming from somewhere beyond Earth 地球(或其大气圈)外的;行星际的`;宇宙的
military
a. of or for soldiers or an army 军事的
n. (the ～ ) soldiers or the army; the armed forces 军人;军队;武装部队
aeronautics
n. the scientific study or practice of constructing and flying aircraft 航空学
space exploration
n. 外层空间探索
* collaboration
n. working together with sb., esp. to create or produce sth. 合作，协作
cancel
vt. order (sth.) to be stopped; make (sth.) no longer valid 取消;废除
rocket
n. 火箭
vi. move very fast; rise quickly and suddenly 飞速前进;猛涨
* impetus
n. a force that encourages a process to develop more quickly 推动力;刺激
controversy
n. fierce argument or disagreement about sth., esp. one that is carried on in public over a long period 争论;争议
worthwhile
a. worth doing; worth the trouble taken 值得做的;值得花费时间(精力)的
orbit
n. a path followed by an object, eg. a spacecraft, round a planet, star, etc. [天]轨道
v. move in orbit round sth. 环绕(天体的)轨道运行
planetary
a. 行星的
gross
a. total; whole 总的;毛的
timewarp
n. (in science fiction) a situation in which people or things from one point in time are moved to or trapped in another point in time (科幻作品中)时间异常(或间断、暂停)
warp
n. 1. a bend or twist 变形;翘曲
2. a fault or abnormality in a person"s character 反常心理;乖戾
press ahead (with sth.)
continue doing a task or pursuing an aim despite difficulties, objections, etc. (不顾困难地)继续进行
coupled with
together with 与…一起;连同
scale back
reduce in size 按比例缩减，相应缩减
put sth. in doubt
make sth. uncertain 使某事物不确定
blow up
explode; be destroyed by an explosion 爆炸;炸毁
Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
the annual total value of goods produced, and services provided, in a country 国内生产总值
be on good terms
have a good relationship 关系好
be caught in
be involved in 陷入，卷入
——21世纪大学英语读写教程第4册第8单元课文讲解 (菁选3篇)
Bill Heavy
When my father rings, I hurry down to the front door of my condo. There he is, in corduroy pants, the tread worn off the knees, and a shirt I outgrew in tenth grade. He"s come to help me put in a new garbage disposal. Actually, I"m helping him. His mechanical gene passed over his only son, on its way to some future generation. At 39, I"ve made my peace with this.
My father hasn"t been to my place since he helped me paint four years ago. The truth is, I"m often not sure how to talk to him. But this time it will be easy. We have a job to do.
In minutes he has taken over the whole enterprise, lying under the sink and squinting up into the machinery. And suddenly I am 12 years old again, watching him fix things and feeling useless.
As a child, I identified so strongly with my mother that I thought my father was just a long-term house guest with spanking privileges. She and I are bookish, introverted worriers. My father is an optimist who has never had a sleepless night in his life.
Like most fathers and sons, we fought. But there was no cooling-off period between rounds. It was a cold war lasting from the onset of my adolescence until I went off to college in 1973.I hated him. He was a former navy fighter pilot, with an Irish temper and a belief that all the problems of the world—including an overprotected son who never saw anything through to completion—could be cured by the application of more discipline.
At a time when an eighth-grader"s social status was measured in the fraction of an inch of hair kissing his collar, my father would march me down to the barbershop on Saturdays and triumphantly tell the man with the scissors. "Just leave him enough to comb." I would close my eyes, determined not to give him the satisfaction of seeing me cry. Without even thinking about it, I froze him out of my life, speaking only when spoken to. I learned to use silence like a knife. My one communique for an entire dinner was usually a sarcastic "May I be excused now? I have homework."
I lay awake at night imagining him being transferred by the gas company he worked for to an oil rig in the North Sea. But it didn"t happen, and soon all that remained was the contest of wills.
I went off to college, but he was still in my head. I could hear his voice every time I fell short in anything. Only when I began seeing my freelance articles in print did I begin to feel that I was slipping beyond his reach and into my own life.
Eventually I discovered that there is no anti-inflammatory agent like time. Now I wondered, could this aging 74-year-old be the giant who once thundered up the stairs to spank me, of whom I was so afraid that I wet my pants? In his place was someone I worried about, whom I dressed in my down hunting jacket for his annual pilgrimage to the Army-Navy game. My profession, which he had once ridiculed, saying, "Gee, do you think there"s any money in it?" now became a source of pride when fellow Rotarians mistook him for Bill Heavy "the writer." It was as if now that I no longer needed so desperately to please him, I had succeeded. We had become two old veterans from opposing armies, shaking hands years after the fighting, the combat so distant as to be a dream.
Before we can install the disposal, we have to snake out the pipes. Soon we get stuck trying to figure out how a gasket fits.
"Ah," he says finally, "we"re going to have to call a plumber."
This is not how I remember him. He used to be so stubborn, the kind of guy who could make IRS examiners throw up their hands in frustration and let him off. Now that I have his mind-set and don"t want to give up, it"s as if he"s acquired mine.
He says, "Besides, I gotta get home. Your mother and I have to be at a dinner party at 7:30."
"Don"t you pay for the plumber," he says. "Putting this thing in is part of my Christmas present to you."
Though we"ve failed to install the disposal, it"s been oddly satisfying. At last we"re on even ground. Maybe he wasn"t the best father. Maybe I wasn"t the best son, but I realize I will never be ready to cope with his leaving. I know that I"m luckier than some of my friends, whose fathers died while they were still locked in the battle that neither really wanted.
The plumber comes two days later. He secures the disposal in its place as easily as I buckle my belt.
Not long ago, I started badgering my parents to get their estate in order. They didn"t want to deal with it. I finally wrote them a letter saying if I were a parent, I would want to make damn sure the IRS got as little of my money as possible. I knew this would push my father"s buttons. It worked. They met with a lawyer.xc
Later, my father and I lunch at a restaurant near my office so he can fill me in on the details. "One thing I don"t want you to worry about is what"ll happen to me," he says, with the satisfied air of a man who has taken care of business. "The Navy will cremate me for free."
"And what about the ashes?" I ask, concerned only with practical things. It is as if we are talking about how to get rid of the old disposal.
"They scatter them at sea." He turns away, looking around for our waiter. Something breaks inside me. When he turns back, I am crying, hot tears springing up in my eyes so suddenly I"m almost choking.
"I don"t want you to die," I manage to say. "I don"t want them to scatter your ashes. I"ll scatter your ashes."
"Oh, Bill," he says, taken aback, totally at a loss about what to say. "I just didn"t want to burden you with it."
I have no way to tell him that I want to be burdened with it, that it is my birth right to be burdened with it. "I know," I say.
I don"t even look around to see if anybody is watching. I don"t care. I reach across the table for his hand and hold it, trying to stop the tears.
condo
n. an apartment in a block of apartments of which each is owned by the people who live in it 公寓套间
corduroy
n. & a. 灯芯绒(的)
tread
n. grooved part on the surface 棱纹
outgrow
vt. grow too large or too tall for (esp. one"s clothes); grow faster or taller than 长大(或长高)而穿不下(原有的衣服等);长得比…快(或高)
garbage
n. rubbish, refuse 垃圾
garbage disposal
(装于厨房洗涤槽排水管内的)污物碾碎器
mechanical
a. 1. of, connected with, produced by machines 机械的";与机械有关的;由机械制成的
2. 手工操作的;技工的
squint
vi. look sideways or with half-shut eyes or through a narrow opening 瞟;眯着眼看;由小孔窥视
spank
vt. punish (a child) by slapping on the buttocks with the open hand or a slipper, etc. (用巴掌或拖鞋等)打(小孩的)屁股
introverted
a. (性格)内向的;不爱交际的
worrier
n. person who worries a lot 担心的人，发愁的人
optimist
n. a person who is always hopeful and looks upon the bright side of things 乐观的人;乐观主义者
cooling-off period
a period of time when two people or groups who are arguing about sth. can go away and think about how to improve the situation (争执双方冷静下来考虑如何改善关系的)冷却期
onset
n. the beginning (esp. of sth. unpleasant) (尤指不快之事的)开始
navy
n. 海军
fraction
n. 1. a small part, bit, amount, or proportion (of sth.) (某物的)小部分，一点儿，少许;片断
2. 分数;小数
collar
n. part of a garment that fits around the neck 衣领
barbershop
n. place where a man gets his face shaved and hair cut 理发店
triumphantly
ad. joyfully, satisfactorily (at a success or victory) 得意洋洋地;得胜地;成功地
communique
n. official announcement 公报
sarcastic
a. 讽刺的，嘲笑的，挖苦的
rig
n. a large structure in the sea used for drilling oil wells 钻井架;钻塔
freelance
a. 自由作家的;自由职业者做的
anti-inflammatory
a. 抗炎的，消炎的;息怒的
agent
n. substance, natural phenomenon, etc. producing an effect 剂;自然力;动因
down
n. fine, soft feathers of young birds 羽绒
pilgrimage
n. 1. a journey to a sacred place or shrine 朝圣;朝觐
2. a journey to a place associated with sb. /sth. one respects 到敬仰的某处之行
ridicule
vt. make fun of; mock 嘲弄;嘲笑
gee
int. (used to express surprise, admiration, etc.) (用以表示惊奇、赞赏等)哎呀，嘿
oppose
vt. fight or complete against in a battle, competition, or election 反对;反抗;与…较量
snake
vt. 用长铁丝通条疏通(管道)
stuck
a. not able to move or continue doing sth. 不能动的;不能继续做某事的;被卡住的
gasket
n. 垫圈;衬垫;密封垫
plumber
n. workman who fits and repairs water-pipes, bathroom articles, etc. 管子工
mind-set
n. mentality, way of thinking 心态;思想倾向
buckle
n. (皮带等的)搭扣，搭钩
vt. 用搭扣把…扣住(或扣紧、扣上)
badger
vt. pester;nag persistently 纠缠;烦扰
estate
n. all the money and property that a person owns, esp. that which is left at death 财产;(尤指)遗产
cremate
vt. burn (a corpse) to ashes 火化(尸体)
aback
ad. backwards 向后地;退后地
birth right
与生俱来的权利
put in
install 安装
pass over
move past without touching; overlook; fail to notice 掠过;忽视;不注意
make one"s peace with
settle a quarrel with;accept 与…讲和;接受
identify with
regard oneself as sharing the characteristics or fortunes with 与…认同
see through
not give up (a task, undertaking, etc.) until it is finished 把(任务等)进行到底
freeze out
exclude (sb.) by a cold manner, competition, etc. (以冷淡态度、竞争等)排斥(某人)
in print
(of a person"s work) printed in a book, newspaper, etc. (指作品)已印出;已出版
throw up one"s hands
show that one is annoyed or has given up hope with sb. or sth. that causes trouble (因厌烦等而)突然举起双手;认定无望而放弃尝试
let off
excuse; not punish; not punish severely 原谅;不惩罚;对…从轻处理
push sb."s buttons
start sb. in action 使某人行动起来
fill sb. in (on sth.)
give sb. full details (about sth.) 对某人提供(有关某事的)详情
for free
without charge or payment 不要钱;免费
get rid of
become free of 扔掉，处理掉;摆脱
be taken aback
be startled 吃惊
at a loss
perplexed, uncertain 困惑;不知所措
——21世纪大学英语读写教程第一册单元7课文讲解60篇
Roger Wilkins
My favorite teacher"s name was "Dead-Eye" Bean. Her real name was Dorothy. She taught American history to eighth graders in a junior high school in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It was the fall of 1944, Franklin D. Roosevelt was president; American troops were battling their way across France; I was a 12-year-old black newcomer in a school that was otherwise all white. When we moved in, the problem for our new neighbors was that their neighborhood had previously been all-white and they were ignorant about black people. The prevailing wisdom in the neighborhood was that we were spoiling it and that we ought to go back where we belonged. There was a lot of angry talk among the *s, but nothing much came of it.
But some of the kids were quite nasty during those first few weeks. They threw stones at me, chased me home when I was on foot and spat on my bike seat when I was in class. For a time, I was a pretty lonely, friendless and sometimes frightened kid.
I now know that Dorothy Bean understood most of that and deplored it. So things began to change when I walked into her classroom. She was a pleasant-looking single woman, who looked old and wrinkled to me at the time, but who was probably about 40.
Whereas my other teachers approached the problem of easing in their new black pupil by ignoring him for the first few weeks, Miss Bean went right at me. On the morning after having read our first assignment, she asked me the first question. I later came to know that in Grand Rapids, she was viewed as a very liberal person who believed, among other things, that Negroes were equal.
I gulped and answered her question and the follow-up. They weren"t brilliant answers, but they did establish the fact that I could speak English. Later in the hour, when one of my classmates had bungled an answer, Miss Bean came back to me with a question that required me to clean up the girl"s mess and established me as a smart person.
Thus, the teacher began to give me human dimensions, though not perfect ones for an eighth grader. It was somewhat better to be, on one"s early days, a teacher"s pet than merely a dark presence in the back of the room.
A few days later, Miss Bean became the first teacher ever to require me to think. She asked my opinion about something Jefferson had done. In those days, all my opinions were derivative. I was for Roosevelt because my parents were and I was for the Yankees because my older buddy from Harlem was a Yankee fan. Besides, we didn"t have opinions about historical figures like Jefferson. Like our high school building, he just was.
After I had stared at her for a few seconds, she said: "Well, should he have bought Louisiana or not?"
"I guess so," I replied tentatively.
"Why?" she shot back.
Why! What kind of question was that? But I ventured an answer. Day after day, she kept doing that to me, and my answers became stronger and more confident. She was the first teacher to give me the sense that thinking was part of education and that I could form opinions that had some value.
Her final service to me came on a day when my mind was wandering and I was idly digging my pencil into the writing surface on the arm of my chair. Miss Bean impulsively threw a hunk of gum eraser at me. By amazing chance, it hit my hand and sent the pencil flying. She gasped, and I crept hurriedly after my pencil as the class roared.
That was the ice breaker. Afterward, kids came up to me to laugh about "Old Dead-Eye Bean." The incident became a legend, and I, a part of that story, became a person to talk to.
So that"s how I became just another kid in school and Dorothy Bean became "Old Dead-Eye."
Listen to the tape again. Then, choose the best answer to each of the following questions.
1. How did their new white neighbors treat the author"s family?
A) Both the *s and the children were welcoming.
B) The *s were welcoming, but the children were unfriendly.
C) The *s were unfriendly, but the children were welcoming.
D) Both the *s and the children were unfriendly.
2. How did Miss Bean treat the black student in class?
A) She ignored him.
B) She asked him only easy questions.
C) She asked him difficult questions.
D) She apologized for the other students" behavior.
3. How did Miss Bean teach the author to think for himself?
A) She made him memorize sayings about the old west.
B) She made him give his opinions and tell why he thought that way.
C) She made him study the history of France.
D) She threw an eraser at him.
4. After Miss Bean threw the eraser, how was the school different?
A) Miss Bean had a new nickname.
B) The other students were more friendly towards the black student.
C) Everyone paid more attention in Miss Bean"s class.
D) Both A) and B).
——21世纪大学英语读写教程第4册第3课内容解说60篇
Caroline Seebohm
Dr. Edward Jenner was busy trying to solve the problem of smallpox. After studying case after case, he still found no possible cure. He had reached an impasse in his thinking. At this point, he changed his tactics. Instead of focusing on people who had smallpox, he switched his attention to people who did not have smallpox. It turned out that dairymaids apparently never got the disease. From the discovery that harmless cowpox gave protection against deadly smallpox came vaccination and the end of smallpox as a scourge in the western world.
We often reach an impasse in our thinking. We are looking at a problem and trying to solve it and it seems there is a dead end. It is on these occasions that we become tense, we feel pressured, overwhelmed, in a state of stress. We struggle vainly, fighting to solve the problem.
Dr. Jenner, however, did something about this situation. He stopped fighting the problem and sim* changed his point of view—from his patients to dairy maids. Picture the process going something like this: Suppose the brain is a com*r. This com*r has absorbed into its memory bank all your history, your experiences, your training, your information received through life; and it is programmed according to all this data. To change your point of view, you must reprogramme your com*r, thus freeing yourself to take in new ideas and develop new ways of looking at things. Dr. Jenner, in effect, by reprogramming his com*r, erased the old way of looking at his smallpox problem and was free to receive new alternatives.
That"s all very well, you may say, but how do we actually do that?
Doctor and philosopher Edward de Bono has come up with a technique for changing our point of view, and he calls it Lateral Thinking.
The normal Western approach to a problem is to fight it. The saying, "When the going gets tough, the tough get going," is typical of this aggressive attitude toward problem-solving. No matter what the problem is, or the techniques available for solving it, the framework produced by our Western way of thinking is fight. Dr. de Bono calls this vertical thinking; the traditional, sequential, Aristotelian thinking of logic, moving firmly from one step to the next, like toy blocks being built one on top of the other. The flaw is, of course, that if at any point one of the steps is not reached, or one of the toy blocks is incorrectly placed, then the whole structure collapses. Impasse is reached, and frustration, tension, feelings of fight take over.
Lateral thinking, Dr. de Bono says, is a new technique of thinking about things—a technique that avoids this fight altogether, and solves the problem in an entirely unexpected fashion.
In one of Sherlock Holmes"s cases, his assistant, Dr. Watson, pointed out that a certain dog was of no importance to the case because it did not appear to have done anything. Sherlock Holmes took the opposite point of view and maintained that the fact the dog had done nothing was of the utmost significance, for it should have been expected to do something, and on this basic he solved the case.
Lateral thinking sounds simple. And it is. Once you have solved a problem laterally, you wonder how you could ever have been hung up on it. The key is making that vital shift in emphasis, that sidestepping of the problem, instead of attacking it head-on.
Dr. A. A. Bridger, psychiatrist at Columbia University and in private practice in New York, explains how lateral thinking works with his patients. "Many people come to me wanting to stop smoking, for instance," he says. "Most people fail when they are trying to stop smoking because they wind up telling themselves, "No, I will not smoke; no, 1 shall not smoke; no, I will not; no, I cannot..." It"s a fight and what happens is you end up smoking more."
"So instead of looking at the problem from the old ways of no, and fighting it, I show them a whole new point of view—that you are your body"s keeper, and your body is something through which you experience life. If you stop to think about it, there"s really something helpless about your body. It can do nothing for itself. It has no choice, it is like a baby"s body. You begin then a whole new way of looking at it—‘I am now going to take care of myself, and give myself some respect and protection, by not smoking."
“There is a Japanese parable about a donkey tied to a pole by a rope. The rope rubs tight against his neck. The more the donkey fights and pulls on the rope, the tighter and tighter it gets around his throat—until he winds up dead. On the other hand, as soon as he stops fighting, he finds that the rope gets slack, he can walk around, maybe find some grass to eat...That"s the same principle: The more you fight something the more anxious you become—the more you"re involved in a bad pattern, the more difficult it is to escape pain.
"Lateral thinking," Dr. Bridger goes on, "is sim* approaching a problem with what I would call an Eastern flanking maneuver. You know, when a zen archer wants to hit the target with a bow and arrow, he doesn"t concentrate on the target, he concentrates rather on what he has in his hands, so when he lets the arrow go, his focus is on the arrow, rather than the target. This is what an Eastern flanking maneuver implies—instead of approaching the target directly, you approach it from a sideways point of view—or laterally instead of vertically."
"I think the answer lies in that direction," affirms Dr. Bridger. "Take the situation where someone is in a crisis. The Chinese word for crisis is divided into two characters, one meaning danger and the other meaning opportunity. We in the Western world focus only upon the ‘danger" aspect of crisis. Crisis in Western civilization has come to mean danger, period. And yet the word can also mean opportunity. Let us now suggest to the person in crisis that he cease concentrating so upon the dangers involved and the difficulties, and concentrate instead upon the opportunity—for there is always opportunity in crisis. Looking at a crisis from an opportunity point of view is a lateral thought."
smallpox
n. a highly contagious disease causing spots which leave marks on the skin 天花
impasse
n. a position from which progress is impossible; deadlock 僵局;死胡同
tactics
n. a method or process of carrying out a scheme or achieving some end 战术;策略
dairymaid
n. a girl or woman who works in a dairy 牛奶场女工
dairy
n. 1. place where milk is kept and milk products are made 牛奶场;奶品场
2. shop where milk, butter, etc. are sold 乳品店
cowpox
n. a disease of cows, of which the virus was formerly used in vaccination against smallpox 牛痘
vaccination
n. 接种疫苗
scourge
n. thing or person that causes great trouble or misfortune 苦难的根源;灾难;祸害
dead end
n. a point beyond which progress or achievement is impossible; a street or passage closed at one end 僵局;死巷，死胡同
vainly
ad. uselessly; in vain 枉然地;徒劳地
vain
a. 1. having too high an opinion of one"s looks, abilities, etc.; conceited 自视甚高的;自负的
2. useless or futile 无用的，无益的，无效的;徒劳的
erase
vt. rub out; remove all traces of 擦掉;抹去
lateral
a. of, at, towards, or from the side or sides 横向的.;侧面的;向侧面的
laterally
ad. in a lateral direction, sideways 横向地;侧面地;旁边地
lateral thinking
横向思维，水*思考
going
n. 1. the condition of the ground for walking, driving or riding 地面状况
2. condition of progress 进行情况;进展
framework
n. 1. set of principles or ideas used as a basis for one"s judgement, decisions, etc. 参照标准;准则;观点
2. structure giving shape and support 框架，结构
vertical
a. straight up and down; at right angles to a horizontal plane 纵向的;垂直的
vertically
ad. in a vertical direction 垂直地
sequential
a. of, forming, or following in (a) sequence 相继的;连续的
flaw
n. a defect; fault; error 瑕疵;缺点
structure
n. sth. built; anything composed of parts arranged together; way in which sth. is put together, organized, built, etc. 结构;建筑物;构造物
utmost
a. greatest; highest 极度的;极高的
significance
n. importance; meaning 重要性;意义，含义
sidestep
v. step aside; avoid by stepping aside 横跨一步避开;回避
head-on
ad. in a direct manner; with the head or front first 正面地;迎头向前地
parable
n. a brief story used to teach some moral lesson or truth 寓言
donkey
n. 驴
slack
a. not tight or firm; loose 不紧的;松弛的
flank
v. be located at the side (of); attack the side (of) 位于侧面;攻击侧面
man(o)euver
n. a planned movement of troops or warships; a skillful move or clever trick 部队等的调遣;巧计;策略
flanking maneuve
n. 侧攻策略
zen
n. a japanese form of Buddhism, emphasizing the value of meditation and intuition 禅;禅宗
archer
n. a person who shoots with a bow and arrows 弓箭手
bow
n. 弓
im*
vt. express indirectly; suggest 暗示;意味着
sideways
a. to or from a side 旁边的;向侧面的
affirm
vt. declare to be true; say firmly 断言;肯定
period
int.(美口)(常用于叙述事实或看法后表示强调)就是这话;就是这么回事
cease
vt. put an end to; stop 终止;停止
take in
receive; absorb 接受;接纳;吸收
in effect
in reality 实际上
take over
take control in place of sth. else 取而代之;取得主导地位
be hung up on/about
be thinking or worrying too much about 因…而烦心;因…而心神不宁
wind up
(infml.) bring or come to an end; end in a specified state or circumstance (口)(使)结束;以…告终
end up
wind up; come out 结束;结果是
pull on
draw (one end of sth. long) continuously and with force 用力拉(某长形物之一端)
——21世纪大学英语读写教程第三册第5单元课文详析 (菁选3篇)
Michael Dobbs
America can be a strange experience for a foreigner. My wife and I arrived in the United States in January after seven years overseas — four in France, three in Poland. From the jumble of first impressions, we compiled an A-to-Z explanation of why America can be such a foreign country to those who arrive here from Europe.
I should explain at the outset that I am from Britain, but my Florida-born wife Lisa is as American as apple pie. In our list, however, A doesn"t stand for apple pie. It stands for:
Ambition. In the Old World, people are taught to hide it. Here it"s quite proper to announce that you"re after the boss"s job or want to make a million dollars by the age of 30.
Breakfast. The American habit of conducting business at breakfast has reached Europe, but I doubt it will ever really catch on. In France and Britain, breakfast is a family affair. Here, it"s become part of the power game.
Credit Cards. You really can"t leave home without them. It"s interesting, and somewhat frustrating, to discover that bad credit is better than no credit at all: I was refused a VISA card on the grounds that I didn"t have a credit profile.
Dreams. The American Dream is still very much alive. Dreaming great dreams is what keeps American society going — from the waitress who wants to become a car dealer to the street kid who wants to become a basketball star. Europeans dream dreams too, but don"t seem to believe in them so much.
Exercise. A couple of years ago I came to Washington with some French journalists. As our bus passed a health club on the way to the hotel, the French visitors cheered at the sight of body-conscious Americans bending, stretching and leaping around. America"s obsession with physical fitness really amuses — and puzzles — Europeans.
First names. In Europe, people progress in a natural and orderly way from the use of last names to the use of first names. Here, it"s first names at first sight. This can cause confusion for Europeans. With everyone on a first-name basis, how can you tell your acquaintances from your friends?
Gadgets. These can be addictive. It"s difficult to imagine now how we survived for so long without automatic ice machines and microwave ovens.
Hardware Stores. If I were in charge of arranging the programs of visiting delegations from lessdeveloped countries, I"d include a compulsory visit to a hardware store. These temples of American capitalism reveal a whole range of American values, from the do-it-yourself pioneer spirit through a love of comfort that absolutely astonishes most foreigners.
Insurance. Americans have policies to cover every possible risk, no matter how remote. So far, we"ve refused supplementary insurance for our car radio, death insurance for our mortgage and accident insurance for our cat. It gives us a feeling of living dangerously.
Junk food. Anyone who wants to understand why Americans suffer from higher rates of cancer and heart disease only has to look at what they eat.
Ketchup. I had to come to America to discover that it can be eaten with anything — from French fries to French cheese.
Lines. American lines — beginning with the yellow line at immigration control — are the most orderly in the world. The British queue, once internationally renowned, has begun to decay in recent years. The French queue was never very impressive, and the Italian line is sim* a mob.
Money. In Europe, everybody likes money, but no one shows it off. Unless it"s been in the family for several generations, there"s often an assumption that it was acquired dishonestly. In America, no one cares how you got it.
No smoking. No longer just a polite request in America, this phrase has become the law. Nobody would dare ask a Frenchman to put out his Galoise in a restaurant.
Oliver North. What other major Western democracy lets army officers take over foreign policy? A hero for some, a traitor for others, Ollie (see First Names) is an example of an American recklessness that awes and alarms Europeans.
Patriots. They exist everywhere, of course, but the American version is louder and more self-conscious than the European. In Britain, it"s taken for granted that politicians love their country. Here, they"re expected to prove it.
Quiet. American cities are quieter than European cities — thanks to noise controls on automobiles and to recent environmental legislation. This was a major surprise for someone brought up to assume that America was a noisy place.
Religion. The idea of putting preachers on TV is alarming to Europeans. It"s even more alarming to see them in action.
Sales. Ever since arriving in Washington, we"ve been hurrying to take advantage of this week"s unrepeatable offer, only to discover that it"s usually repeated next week. We"re just catching on that there"s always an excuse for a sale.
Television. That grown-ups can watch game shows and sitcoms at 11 AM amazes me — but the national habit, day or night, is contagious. I recently found myself nodding in agreement with a professor who was saying that American kids watch too much television. Then I realized that I was watching him say this on television.
Ulcers. See Work.
Visas. Americans don"t need visas to visit Britain (or most European countries, for that matter). To enter the United States, I had to sign a document promising that I would not overthrow the government by force and had no criminal record. One wonders if many terrorists and criminals answer "yes" on these questionnaires.
Work. People in less developed countries often imagine that they can become rich sim* by emigrating to America. But America became a wealthy society through work, work and more work. It"s still true.
X-rated movies. We have them in Europe too, but not on motel-room TVs.
Yuppies. The European counterpart remains a pale shadow of the all-American original. The animal seems more ambitious, and more common, on this side of the Atlantic.
Zillion. What other nation would invent a number that"s infinitely more than a billion? America may not always be the best, but it certainly thinks big.
jumble
n. a confused or untidy group of things 杂乱的一堆
* compile
vt. produce by putting together many pieces (e.g., of information) 汇编;编制
outset
n. beginning 开始;起始
ambition
n. strong desire for success, power, money, etc. 对(成功、权力、金钱等的)强烈欲望，野心;雄心
profile
n. 1. a short article or programme which describes a person"s life and character 传略，人物简介
2. a side view, esp. of sb."s head; a shape of sth. seen against a background 侧面，侧影;轮廓
vt. 1. 写…的传略
2. 给…画侧面像;描…的轮廓
* dealer
n. a person whose business involves buying and selling 商人;证券经纪人
journalist
n. a person who works on a newspaper or magazine and writes articles for it 新闻记者;报纸撰稿人
journal
n. 1. a magazine for people with a particular interest 杂志，期刊
2. an account which one writes of one"s daily activities 日志;日记
leap (leapt or leaped)
vi. jump high in the air or jump a long distance 跳跃
n. a sudden jump or movement; a sudden increase in number, amount, etc. 跳跃;激增
* obsession
n. a fixed idea from which the mind cannot be freed 着迷;困扰
physical fitness
healthy body conditions 身体健康
amuse
vt. make (sb.) laugh; cause to spend time in a pleasant way 逗乐;给…提供娱乐或消遣
amusing
a. (of sth.) that makes people laugh 有趣的;逗笑的
orderly
a. well arranged or organized 有条理的;整齐的
confusion
n. 1. the state of being mixed up, more difficult to understand 辨别不清;混淆
2. disorder 骚乱;混乱
confuse
vt. make more difficult to understand; cause to be mistaken; mix up 使模糊不清;混淆;使混乱
acquaintance
n. 1. a person you know, but who is not a close friend 相识的人;熟人
2. knowledge of or familiarity with sb./sth. 了解;认识
gadget
n. (infml) a small machine or device 小巧的机械;精巧的装置
addictive
a. (使人)入迷的;(使人)上瘾的
microwave
n. 微波;微波炉
oven
n. 烤炉，烤箱
microwave oven
n. 微波炉
delegation
n. 代表团
delegate
n. 代表;会议代表
vt. 1. appoint as one"s representative 委派…为代表
2. entrust (duties, rights, etc. to sb.) 授权;把…委托给(某人)
* capitalism
n. 资本主义(制度)
do-it-yourself
n. & a. (the activity of) making or repairing things oneself 自己动手(的)，自行维修(的)
* supplementary
a. additional 补充的，增补的
* mortgage
n. 抵押;抵押贷款
vt. use (one"s land or house) as a guarantee to the lending institution in order to borrow money from it 抵押
ketchup
n. (= catchup) 调味番茄酱
fry
n. (see French fry)
v. cook (food) in hot fat or oil 油煎，油炸
French fries
(美)法式炸薯条
immigration
n. the coming of people into a country in order to work or settle there 移居;移民
queue
n. a line of people waiting (for a bus, to be served, to enter a place, etc.) (排队等候的)一队人
vi. form or join a line 排队(等候)
* renowned
a. famous; well-known 有名的;享有声誉的
impressive
a. 给人以深刻印象的;感人的`
* mob
n. (often derog.) a large, disorganized and often violent crowd of people [贬]人群;乌合之众
assumption
n. 1. sth. that is taken as true without proof 假定;臆断
2. the taking (of power or responsibility) 夺取;篡夺
democracy
n. a country or a system of government in which the people choose their government or make important decisions by voting 民主;民主国家;民主政治
traitor
n. a person who is disloyal, esp. to his country 卖*，叛徒
recklessness
n. 不顾后果，鲁莽
* reckless
a. (of a person or one"s behaviour) not caring about danger or the result of one"s actions 不顾后果的，鲁莽的
* patriot
n. a person who shows love for and loyalty to his or her country *
patriotic
a. having or expressing the quality of a patriot 爱国的;有爱国心的
legislation
n. l. laws 法律，法规
2. the act of making laws 立法，法律的制定
preacher
n. 传道士，牧师
* preach
v. 1. make known (a particular religion) by speaking in public 布道
2. advise or urge others to accept (a thing or course of behaviour) 竭力劝说;说教
grown-up
n. 成年人
sitcom
n. (infml) situation comedy 情景喜剧
contagious
a. 1. (of a feeling or attitude) spreading quickly from person to person (情绪等)感染性的
2. (of a disease) that can spread from person to person (疾病)传染的
ulcer
n. 溃疡
* visa
n. 签证
document
n. a paper that gives information, proof or support of sth. 文件
vt. 1. 为…提供文件(或证据等)
2. (在影片、小说中)纪实性地描述
* overthrow
vt. defeat; remove from official power 推翻;打倒
criminal
a. of or related to crime 犯罪的;犯法的
n. a person who is guilty of a crime 罪犯
* questionnaire
n. a written list of questions to be answered by a number of people in order to get information for a survey, etc. 调查表，问题单
* emigrate
vi. leave one"s own country to live in another one 移居国外
X-rated
a. (电影等)X级的，禁止(十六岁以下)儿童观看的
* motel
n. hotel specially built for people traveling by car 汽车旅馆
yuppie
n. 雅皮士(Young Urban Professional的缩写，即城市职业阶层中的年轻人士)
* ambitious
a. having a strong desire for success, power, riches, etc. 有野心的，有抱负的
zillion
n. (sl.) 无限大的数目，无法计算的大数目
the ABCs
the most basic facts about a subject (学科等的)基本知识;入门
at the outset
at the beginning 首先，一开始
stand for
represent; mean 代表;意味着
be after sth.
in search of sth.; with a desire for sth. 追求
catch on
1. become popular 流行起来
2. understand 懂得，理解
on (the) ground(s) that
because 根据，以…为理由
at the sight of
as soon as seeing (sth. or sb.) 一见之下;立即
leap around
jump about 跳来跳去
at first sight
when seen or examined for the first time 乍一看，一见之下
be on a first-name basis [with sb.]
call (sb.) by his or her first name (因关系亲密而)相互直呼其名
tell A from B
distinguish A from B 辨别，分辨
be in charge of sth.
be responsible for 管理，负责
so far
up to the present 迄今为止
put out
cause (sth.) to stop burning 熄灭
bring up
nurture and educate (a child) 养育;教育
take advantage of
make use of; profit from 利用
in agreement with
赞同，同意
by force
by fierce or violent means 用武力或强迫手段
think big
have ambitious ideas 野心勃勃，好高骛远
——21世纪大学英语读写教程第一册单元7课文讲解 (菁选2篇)
Roger Wilkins
My favorite teacher"s name was "Dead-Eye" Bean. Her real name was Dorothy. She taught American history to eighth graders in a junior high school in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It was the fall of 1944, Franklin D. Roosevelt was president; American troops were battling their way across France; I was a 12-year-old black newcomer in a school that was otherwise all white. When we moved in, the problem for our new neighbors was that their neighborhood had previously been all-white and they were ignorant about black people. The prevailing wisdom in the neighborhood was that we were spoiling it and that we ought to go back where we belonged. There was a lot of angry talk among the adults, but nothing much came of it.
But some of the kids were quite nasty during those first few weeks. They threw stones at me, chased me home when I was on foot and spat on my bike seat when I was in class. For a time, I was a pretty lonely, friendless and sometimes frightened kid.
I now know that Dorothy Bean understood most of that and deplored it. So things began to change when I walked into her classroom. She was a pleasant-looking single woman, who looked old and wrinkled to me at the time, but who was probably about 40.
Whereas my other teachers approached the problem of easing in their new black pupil by ignoring him for the first few weeks, Miss Bean went right at me. On the morning after having read our first assignment, she asked me the first question. I later came to know that in Grand Rapids, she was viewed as a very liberal person who believed, among other things, that Negroes were equal.
I gulped and answered her question and the follow-up. They weren"t brilliant answers, but they did establish the fact that I could speak English. Later in the hour, when one of my classmates had bungled an answer, Miss Bean came back to me with a question that required me to clean up the girl"s mess and established me as a smart person.
Thus, the teacher began to give me human dimensions, though not perfect ones for an eighth grader. It was somewhat better to be, on one"s early days, a teacher"s pet than merely a dark presence in the back of the room.
A few days later, Miss Bean became the first teacher ever to require me to think. She asked my opinion about something Jefferson had done. In those days, all my opinions were derivative. I was for Roosevelt because my parents were and I was for the Yankees because my older buddy from Harlem was a Yankee fan. Besides, we didn"t have opinions about historical figures like Jefferson. Like our high school building, he just was.
After I had stared at her for a few seconds, she said: "Well, should he have bought Louisiana or not?"
"I guess so," I replied tentatively.
"Why?" she shot back.
Why! What kind of question was that? But I ventured an answer. Day after day, she kept doing that to me, and my answers became stronger and more confident. She was the first teacher to give me the sense that thinking was part of education and that I could form opinions that had some value.
Her final service to me came on a day when my mind was wandering and I was idly digging my pencil into the writing surface on the arm of my chair. Miss Bean impulsively threw a hunk of gum eraser at me. By amazing chance, it hit my hand and sent the pencil flying. She gasped, and I crept hurriedly after my pencil as the class roared.
That was the ice breaker. Afterward, kids came up to me to laugh about "Old Dead-Eye Bean." The incident became a legend, and I, a part of that story, became a person to talk to.
So that"s how I became just another kid in school and Dorothy Bean became "Old Dead-Eye."
Listen to the tape again. Then, choose the best answer to each of the following questions.
1. How did their new white neighbors treat the author"s family?
A) Both the adults and the children were welcoming.
B) The adults were welcoming, but the children were unfriendly.
C) The adults were unfriendly, but the children were welcoming.
D) Both the adults and the children were unfriendly.
2. How did Miss Bean treat the black student in class?
A) She ignored him.
B) She asked him only easy questions.
C) She asked him difficult questions.
D) She apologized for the other students" behavior.
3. How did Miss Bean teach the author to think for himself?
A) She made him memorize sayings about the old west.
B) She made him give his opinions and tell why he thought that way.
C) She made him study the history of France.
D) She threw an eraser at him.
4. After Miss Bean threw the eraser, how was the school different?
A) Miss Bean had a new nickname.
B) The other students were more friendly towards the black student.
C) Everyone paid more attention in Miss Bean"s class.
D) Both A) and B).
——21世纪大学英语读写教程第一册第5单元内容解读 (菁选2篇)
Leslie Dunkling
"Let me give you one piece of advice," I said to Ted and Mary just before they got married a few years ago. "If you want to stay happily married, always be prepared to compromise. When you have different opinions about something, you each give way a little. You take the middle course. That is compromise." And I"m glad to say that the young couple seemed to take that advice.
I remember when they took their first holiday together. Ted wanted to do something energetic, because he didn"t usually get much exercise during the year. Mary"s job meant that she was on her feet most of the time. All she wanted to do was lie in the sun. Ted hated the idea of lying on a beach; Mary hated the idea of being too active. They compromised, and took their holiday in mid-summer, high in the Alps. Mary was able to lie in the sun by the hotel swimming pool, while Ted went off for long walks in the mountains with a group of hikers. In the evening they met at the hotel, both content with their day, happy to eat a leisurely meal together and dance a little afterwards.
They compromised over everything and they were very happy.
To complete their happiness, they had a baby when they had been married for three years—a son. But that, strangely, was when the problem arose. They had to name their son, of course, and each had a name in mind; not the same name, unfortunately. It seemed that a situation had arisen where compromise was impossible. Ted wanted to call their son Robert, Mary wanted to call him Lawrence. How can you compromise with names like that? No, this time one of them would have to give way, it seemed. There would have to be a winner, and a loser. That was how they saw things, at least.
Mary told me all about it when I called at the hospital two days after the baby"s birth.
"Ted wants to call him Robert," Mary said, "because there"s a tradition in his family. The eldest son is always Robert or Edward. His father was Robert, his grandfather Edward, his great-grandfather Robert, and so on."
"That seems reasonable," I said.
"I don"t want my son to be named after someone in the family," Mary said. "He"s a unique individual, and I want him to have a name that no one else in the family has had. I want to call my son Lawrence."
"That seems reasonable, too," I said.
"Everyone"s been giving me advice," Mary said. Then she told me who had given her advice, and what advice she had been given, (but not in the same order). I had to guess who gave what advice. Maybe you"d like to try to do that as well?
These were the people:
1) Uncle Fred, who was a painter, and liked vivid colours.
2) Aunt Sybil, who spent every spare minute in her garden.
3) Cousin John, who spent far too much of his time at horse races and sim* couldn"t resist a gamble.
4) Mary"s friend, Sue, who was very active in the Women"s Liberation Movement.
5) Ted"s brother David, an actor with a high opinion of himself.
6) Mary"s father, a music professor.
7) Mary"s mother, who loved Shakespeare.
8) Mary"s friend, Catherine, known to be rather snobbish.
Here, in a different order, is the advice they gave Mary:
a) "Spin a coin, and decide that way."
b) "David"s rather a nice name. That would be a good compromise."
c) "Tell your husband that you had the child so you have the right to choose his name."
d) "I"ve always liked the names Johann Sebastian."
e) "Call him William. He"ll be a sweet William. What a pity you didn"t have a girl. There are such lovely names for girls — Heather, Rosemary, Lily, Fern, Daisy."
f) "He"s got blond hair. You could call him Boyd — which means yellow."
g) "Charles is rather a refined name, don"t you think? Not Robert, though, or Lawrence. Too ordinary, my dear."
h) "Hamlet would make an unusual, but attractive name."
Well, I soon sorted out who suggested what, then I gave my own advice, "Compromise!"
"How?" said Mary.
"In the same way as my parents," I said. "My father felt that I should be named after his father, and my mother felt the same way about naming me after her father. So, I"m named after both of them."
"You mean, they were both called Samuel?" said Mary.
"No. One was George, the other was Albert. Samuel is the compromise. I"m named George Albert Samuel, but called Samuel."
And so it was that my nephew was named Robert William Lawrence, but is called Lawrence.
*energetic
a. full of energy 精力旺盛的，充满活力的
hiker
n. a person who travels about the country, esp. on foot 徒步旅行者
content
a. (with) satisfied with what one has; not wanting more 满意的;满足的
leisurely
a. relaxed; without hurrying 从容的;不慌不忙的
arise(arose,arisen)
vi. happen; appear 出现;呈现
tradition
n. a custom or belief that the people in a particular group or society have practiced or held for a long time 传统
unique
a. considered unusual; being the only one of its type 独特的，独一无二的
individual
n. a person 个人;个体
a. single; separate 个人的;个别的;单独的"
painter
n. a person who paints pictures 画家
*gamble
n. a risky action or decision that one takes in the hope of gaining money, success, etc. 赌博
v. play cards or other games for money 赌博;打赌
snobbish
a. 势利的
spin(spun)
vt. turn round and round fast 使旋转
blond
a. 1. (of hair) light-coloured (头发)金黄色的;
2.(人)白肤金发碧眼的
refined
a. (of a person, his behaviour, etc.) having or showing education, gentleness of manners 文雅的，优美的
nephew
n. the son of one"s brother or sister 侄，甥
Phrases and Expressions
give way
yield 让步，屈服
take the middle course
take a course of action which is a compromise between two extremes 采取折中办法
be on one"s feet
be standing or walking 站立着
go off
leave; set off 离开;出发
have ... in mind
想到，考虑到;记得
call at
make a short visit at 短访，访问
name after
give sb. the same name as 以…的名字(为…)取名
with a high /low /good /bad opinion of
thinking well /badly of 对…评价高 / 低(好 / 不好)
sort out
separate from a large group; put in good order; set straight, make clear 拣出;整理;弄清楚
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