《背诵为王》第2册.doc

背诵为王 第二册

第01课 Learning English in a New Environment

1 Learning English in a New Environment

I was a little shy about talking to people when I first arrived in America ， but I had a strong desire to broaden my horizons and meet new people ． Once I gathered the courage to start conversations with people ， I found how easy it was to make new friends ．
Every day ， I heard enough new English expressions to make my head spin ． I found that when I was honest and asked about the meanings of unfamiliar expressions ， Americans were very helpful and took pains to explain them to me ．
Native speakers of English tend to speak very fast ， and at first I was just stunned and looked at them with a dazed expression on my face ． I solved that problem by asking people to speak more slowly ．

broaden ? 开阔，拓宽
horizon ? 眼界，视野
courage? 勇气
spin? 晕头转向
take pains to explain 煞费苦心地解释
tend to speak 倾向于说
stunned ? 惊愕地
dazed 茫然地

在新的环境中学习英语

第一次到美国，与人说话时我总有些害羞，但是我非常渴望能够开阔视野，结识新朋友。当我鼓起勇气开始与人交谈，我发现原来结交新朋友是多么容易的事啊。
每天耳边出现的繁多的新英语表达法把我弄得晕头转向。我发现当我诚实地向美国人询问那些不熟悉的说法的意思时，他们非常乐于助人，并煞费苦心地向我解释。
以英语为母语的人说话一般很快，一开始我只能惊愕地一脸茫然地看着他们。我让他们说得慢一些，这样我就解决了这个问题。

第02课 Too Difficult To Spell

2 Too Difficult To Spell

A policeman returned to his police station one evening and reported to the sergeant that he had found an old car with no license plates ．

“ Where was it? ” asked the sergeant ． “ In Ecclesiastes Street ， beyond the bridge ，” answered the policeman ．
The sergeant opened the report book and began to write ． He asked the policeman how to spell the name of the street ， but he was not sure whether the spelling was correct ． At last he decided the name was too difficult for him to spell ． So he ordered the policeman to write the report ． The policeman also tried to spell the name of the street ， but he couldn't ， either ． Then the policeman put his helmet on and began to walk out slowly ．

“ Where are you going? ” the sergeant asked ．
“ Back to Ecclesiastes Street ，” answered the policeman ． “ I'm going to push the car round the corner into Green Street ．”

sergeant ? 警官
license plate 汽车牌照
helmet ? 头盔

太难拼写

一天傍晚，一个警察回到警察局，向警官报告说他发现了一辆没有牌照的旧汽车。
“车在哪里？”警官问。“在 Ecclesiastes 大街，在桥的那边。”警察回答。
警官打开报告本开始记录。他问警察如何拼写那条大街的名字，但是他吃不准他的拼写是否正确。最后他觉得这个名字太难，他拼不出来。所以，他命令警察来写报告。警察拼了半天，也拼不出来。警察戴上他的头盔，慢慢地往外走。

“你到哪里去？”警官问。
“回到 Ecclesiastes 大街去，”警察回答，“我要把那辆车推到 Green 大街的拐角上去。”

第03课 Where Does the Word “ Robot ” Come From

3 Where Does the Word “ Robot ” Come From ？

The word robot comes from the Czech word robota ， meaning heavy labour ． A robot is a machine that works automatically ．
Robots can do a wide variety of tasks ． They are especially suitable for doing jobs too boring ， difficult ， or dangerous for human beings ． Robots efficiently carry out such routine tasks as welding ， drilling and painting automobile body parts ． They also produce plastic food containers and wrap ice cream bars ． Some industrial robots can even make electronic equipment and watches ． The science and technology that deals with robots is called robotics ．
A typical robot performs a task by following a set of instructions that tells it exactly what must be done to complete the job ．These instructions are entered and stored in the robot's “ brain ” of a computer or part of a computer ．

efficiently ? 有效率地
routine ? 日常的，例行的
weld焊接
drill ? 钻孔
electronic ? 电子的

“ Robot ”（机器人）是如何得此名字的？

机器人 (Robot) 来源于捷克语 Robota 一词，意思是“累人的活”。机器人就是一种能自动操作的机器。机器人可以做许多工作，尤其适用于从事那些人们看来单调、困难、危险的工作。

机器人能有效地做那些重复性的劳动，如焊接、钻孔和为汽车零部件喷漆。它们还能用于制造塑料食品包装容器或包扎雪糕等工作。有些工业机器人还能组装电子设备和手表。研究机器人的科技叫人工智能学。一台典型的机器人必须通过精确执行它被告知的完成一项工作的一系列指令才能完成任务，这些指令储存在其“头脑”即计算机内。

第04课 Reading

4 Reading

I think that people should spend more time reading． Reading has a lot of advantages． One of them is that it helps you develop reading skills． You have to read if you want to become a good reader． In other words， the more you read， the better you get at reading．

Second， it helps develop a good vocabulary． Reading exposes you to new words， and you see how those words are used．

Third， reading helps you develop good writing skills． If you read a lot， it will help you become a good writer．

Finally， you can learn a lot from reading． You learn about current events from reading newspapers． A novel that is set in another country will help you learn about that country and how people live there． There is no limit to what you can learn．
All this makes reading a beneficial activity．

expose ? 使……暴露于
current event 时事
beneficial ? 有益的

阅读

我认为人们必须花更多的时间阅读。阅读有很多好处。其中一条就是它能够帮助你发展阅读技巧。如果你想成为一个好的读者你必须阅读。换句话说，你读的越多，你的阅读技巧也就越好。
第二，阅读可以帮助你扩大词汇量。阅读可以使你接触新的单词，你可以知道这些词语是如何使用的。
第三，阅读帮助你发展写作技能。如果你读的多，这会有助于你的写作。
最后，你可以从阅读中学到很多。你可以从阅读报纸中了解时事。一部以其他国家为背景的小说可以帮助你了解这个国家和那里的人民。你所能学到的东西是无限的。所有这些都使阅读成为了一项有益的活动。

第05课 Three Jokes

5 Three Jokes

Joke 1
Co-workers sympathized with my mother when she complained that her back was really painful from moving furniture． “Why don't you wait till your husband gets home?” someone asked． “I could，” my mother told the group， “but the couch is easier to move if he's not on it．”

Joke 2
A fourth grader asked the teacher's assistant， “how old are you， Mrs． Glass?” “You should never ask an adult's age，” I broke in． “That's okay．” Harriett smiled． “I'm fifty．” “Wow， you don't look that old，” the boy said． I was about to breathe a sigh of relief when another child chimed in， “Parts of her do．”

Joke 3
My elderly neighbour and his wife were told there could be a 45-minute wait for a table at a popular restaurant as they had no reservations． “Young man， we're both 90 years old，” he told the waiter， “we may not have 45 minutes．” They were seated immediately．

co-worker 同事
sympathize ? 同情
couch ? 长沙发
a fourth grader 四年级的学生
a sigh of relief 　 松了口气
chime (in) ? 插话

笑话三则

笑话一

当母亲抱怨她的背因搬动家具酸痛无比时，同事们都很同情她。“你为什么不等你丈夫回来呢？”有人问。“我是可以等的”，母亲说，“不过他不躺在上面时沙发床搬起来更容易些。”

笑话二

一个四年级的学生问教师助理：“你几岁了，格拉丝女士？”“你不应该问一个成年人的年龄，”我打断说。“这没关系，”哈里特笑着说。“我五十了。”“喔，您看起来不像那么老，”男孩说。我正准备松一口气，另一个孩子插话说，“有些部位已经像了。”

笑话三

我的上了年纪的邻居和他的妻子在一家生意很好的饭店被告知他们必须等四十五分钟，因为他们没有订位。“年轻人，我们俩都已经九十岁了，”他告诉服务员，“我们也许已经没有四十五分钟可等了。”他们立即被安排了座位。

第06课 The 21st Birthday

6 The 21st Birthday

All of his life George from Cape Breton had heard stories of an amazing family tradition． It seems that his father， grandfather and great-grandfather had all been able to walk on
water on their 21st birthday． On that day， they'd walk across the lake to the boat club for their first legal drink．

So when George's 21st birthday came around， he and his pal Corky took a boat out to the middle of the lake． George stepped out of the boat and nearly drowned! Corky just managed
to pull him to safety．

Furious and confused， George went to see his grandmother． “Grandma， it's my 21st birthday， so why can't I walk across the lake like my father， his father， and his father before him?” Granny looked into George's eyes and said， “Because， you dumb ass， your father， grandfather and great grandfather were born in January. You were born in July．”

legal 　　　　　 合法的
drown 　　　　? 淹死
furious 　　　　 愤怒

21岁生日

生于Cape Breton的乔治自出生以来就听说了一个令人惊奇的家族轶事。他的父亲、祖父、曾祖父似乎都在他们二十一岁生日那天在水上行走。那一天，他们走过湖面，去划船俱乐部喝他们第一杯合法的酒。所以当乔治的二十一岁生日到来的时候，他和他的伙伴高尔基驾船来到河中央。乔治跨出船外，但他差一点淹死！高尔基拼命把他拉了上来。乔治感到生气和困惑，他去问他的祖母，“祖母，今天是我二十一岁的生日，但我为什么不能像父亲、祖父和曾祖父那样走过湖面呢？”祖母注视着他的眼睛说，“傻瓜，因为你的父亲，祖父和曾祖父在一月出生，而你生在七月。”

第07课 No Work in the Dark

7 No Work in the Dark

I urgently needed a few days off work， but I knew my boss would not allow me to take a leave． I thought that maybe if I acted crazy he would tell me to take a few days off． So I hung upside down on the ceiling and made funny noises． My co-worker asked me what I was doing． I told her I was pretending to be a light bulb so the boss would think I was crazy and give me a few days off． A few minutes later the boss came in and said， “What are you doing?” I told him I was a light bulb．

He said：“you are clearly stressed out． Go home and have a rest for a couple of days．” I jumped down and walked out of the office． When my co-worker followed me， the boss said to her， “And where do you think you're going?” She said， “I can't work in the dark!”

leave ? 假期
stress out 压力过大

我不能摸黑工作

我急切地需要请几天假，但我知道老板不会同意。我想要是我装疯他也许会让我请几天假，所以我把自己倒挂在天花板上，发出古怪的声音。我的同事问我在干什么。我告诉他，我正装成个电灯泡，这样老板会觉得我疯了而准我几天假。几分钟后，老板进来了，他说：“你在干什么？”我告诉他我是个电灯泡。

他说：“你肯定是压力太大了。回家休息几天吧。”我跳了下来，走出了办公室。当我同事跟着我出来时，老板问她：“你准备到哪里去？”她说，“我不能摸黑工作。”

第08课 Volcanic Eruption

8 Volcanic Eruption

In north-west Cameroon in August 1986， there was a volcanic eruption which devastated the area． At least 1,200 people were killed and many were left seriously ill with burns and respiratory infections． Nobody could escape because there was no warning， just a loud explosion followed by a terrible smell like that of rotten eggs, and within a short time the entire area around Lake Nios, which was the site of the eruption， was covered in smokes．

When help came to the villages on the shores of the lake，men, women， children and animals were found dead： some were outside their huts， some still in bed；others were in the fields or on the village road. It was as if a neutron bomb had exploded destroying nothing but killing all life. The disaster was the worst incident of its kind and the second time such a disaster had stuck this West African nation．

volcanic ? 火山的
eruption ? 爆发
devastate 破坏，摧毁
respiratory ? 呼吸的
infection ? 感染
explosion ? 爆炸
rotten ? 恶臭的，腐烂的
neutron bomb 中子弹
disaster ? 灾难

火山爆发

1986 年8月，在喀麦隆西北部发生了火山爆发，灾害摧毁了整个地区。至少1200人丧生，许多人严重烧伤，感染呼吸道疾病。因为没有警告，没有人能够逃脱。一声巨大的爆炸声后就是一股难闻的臭鸡蛋的味道，短时间内Nios湖周围的整个地区，也就是火山爆发的地方，淹没在烟雾中。

当救援人员赶到湖边的村庄时，男男女女，孩子和动物都已经死亡了：一些在他们的小屋里，一些还躺在床上，另一些在田野里或是在村里的路上。这好像是一次中子炸弹爆炸，什么也没有毁坏但却杀死了所有生命。这场灾难是这个西非国家遭受的最严重的一次火山爆发，也是这个国家所遭受的第二次大灾难。

第09课 Healthy Diet

9 Healthy Diet

In order to stay healthy it is important to have a balanced diet — in other words， food that contains something from each of the three main groups of food． These groups are protein， carbohydrate and fat．

Proteins are very important for building our bodies； they help us build new cells as old ones die． Meat and dairy products are major sources of protein， but not the only ones — we can also get protein from fish， eggs and beans．

Carbohydrate and fat are important to enable us to store energy — they provide fuel for the body． Carbohydrates are found in sugar and in cereals such as rice， maize and wheat．
Fats are found in meats， vegetable oil， butter， and nuts．Our body also needs minerals such as iron，calcium，and vitamins．Fish，vegetables and milk contain most of the minerals we need．Vitamins are found in fresh vegetables and fruit．

protein ? 蛋白质
carbohydrate 碳水化合物
cell 细胞
maize 玉米
mineral ? 矿物质
calcium 钙
vitamin ? 维他命

健康饮食

为了保持健康，饮食平衡很重要，换句话说，就是食用包含以下三大类的食物。这三大类是蛋白质、碳水化合物和脂肪。

蛋白质对于构建我们的身体非常重要；当旧细胞死亡时，它帮助我们生成新的细胞。肉类和奶制品是蛋白质的主要但非唯一来源，我们还可以从鱼类、蛋类和豆类中获得蛋白质。

碳水化合物和脂肪也很重要，它们使我们能够存储能量，它们为身体加油。碳水化合物可以在糖及谷类诸如大米、玉米、小麦中找到。脂肪可以从肉类、植物油、黄油及坚果中获得。

我们的身体也需要诸如铁、钙、维他命等矿物质。鱼类、蔬菜和牛奶中包含我们所需的大部分矿物质。维他命可以在新鲜的蔬菜和水果中获得。

第10课 The Marathon

10 The Marathon

Twenty-six miles， 385 yards is rather odd distance for a foot race．Most other running races are measured in lengths of even numbers． The marathon，however，has an ancient history， going back to the early Greek Olympics．

The Greeks started the Olympics in 776 B．C． to honour the god Zeus． Every four years， they brought together athletes from all the Greek cities． A nationwide truce was called for the five days of competition held in Olympia．The first day was devoted to ceremonies， banquets，and sacrifices．Early events included running，boxing，wrestling，pentathlon and various horse and chariot races．

After 490 B．C．， a special long-distance race， the marathon， was added to commemorate the legendary feat of a Greek soldier． It was said that he ran from the Plain of Marathon to Athens， a distance of 22 miles， 1470 yards， to bring the news of the Greek victory over the Persian army． Upon exclaiming， “Rejoice! We have won!” he collapsed and died．

marathon 马拉松
athlete 运动员
nationwide ? 全国的
truce 休战
devote ? 奉献
ceremony ? 典礼
banquet ? 宴会
sacrifice 祭祀
wrestling ? 摔跤
pentathlon ? 五项全能
chariot race 战车比赛
commemorate 纪念
legendary feat 传奇性的壮举
exclaim 大喊
rejoice 欣喜，高兴
collapse ? 倒塌，崩溃，虚脱

马拉松

26英里285码对于跑步项目来说是个奇怪的距离。其他跑步项目大多是以偶数计算长度的。然而，马拉松有着悠久的历史，可以追溯到早期希腊奥林匹克运动会。

希腊人于公元前776年开始举办奥林匹克运动会以纪念宙斯。希腊各城市的运动员每四年聚集一次，在奥林匹亚举行竞赛，在这竞赛的五天内全国休战。第一天有典礼、宴会和祭祀。早期的项目包括跑步、拳击、摔跤、五项全能及各种马术和战车比赛。

公元前490年以后，奥林匹克运动会中又加设了一项特殊的长跑项目——马拉松，以纪念一位希腊士兵传奇性的壮举。据说他从马拉松平原跑到雅典，一共跑了22英里，1
470码，为了带回希腊战胜波斯军队的胜利消息，在高喊出“欢呼吧！我们胜利了！”后，他倒在地上死了。

第11课 No Hurry To Work

11 No Hurry To Work

Fred Farmer has a lot of friends in the city and is very popular with the neighbourhood kids.
Everyone remembers him as a professional baseball player. Fred used to be with a team in Los
Angeles several years ago.He had to give up baseball when he injured his arm in an automobile
accident.
At the time,everyone expected him to take a job at his father's ice cream factory. But Fred
would rather eat ice cream than sell it. Once he tried working for an insurance company
downtown. He had to be on the job at 8:30 in the morning. but that was too early for Fred and
he quit after the first month. Besides, he didn't like being in an office all day.
Nowadays, Fred spends most of his time in the park. He enjoys teaching boys in the
neighbourhood how to play baseball. Whenever Fred needs a little money he sells hot dogs at the
sports stadium.

课文词汇

professional 专业的，职业的
injure ; 使受伤
insurance 保险
quit 　　　离开，辞职

课文译文

不急着工作

佛瑞德。法默在城里有很多朋友，而且附近小孩都很喜欢他。大家都知道他曾经是位职业棒球运动员。几年前，佛瑞德在洛杉矶的一个球队打球。他在一次车祸中伤了胳膊，于是就放弃打棒球了
　当时，大家都认为他会到他父亲的冰激凌工厂上班。但是佛瑞德宁愿吃冰激凌，也不愿意卖冰激凌。他曾经试着在市区的一家保险公司上班他早晨8点半就要到公司上班，这对佛瑞德来说太早了，所以干完第一个月后，他就辞去了这份工作。此外，他也不喜欢整天坐在办公室里。
　现在，佛瑞德的大部分时间都在公园里度过。他乐于教邻近的小孩怎么打棒球。需要一点钱的时候，他就在体育馆卖热狗。

第12课 The Wright Brothers

12 The Wright Brothers

When they were young boys， Orville and Wilbur Wright received an inexpensive toy from their father． It was a flying toy made of cork and bamboo． The body was made of paper and the power was supplied by a rubber band． The toy was able to fly across the living room using its own power．

The boys were fascinated． Older brother Wilbur began reading every book and newspaper article he could find about wings and flying machines． Orville later wrote， “We were lucky enough to grow up in an environment where there was always much encouragement to children to pursue intellectual interests； to investigate whatever aroused curiosity．” From what he read， he became convinced that it was possible to build an aircraft that would carry a man through the air．

The two brothers worked hard on their dreams for several years． Finally they flew the first manageable aircraft into the air on December 17， 1903．They pr