1、精品教育Unit 1 Section A Time-Conscious Americans. Abstract This passage shows the way of Americans regarding time。Americans are famous for their time-consciousness. His/her belief is that no one stands still. No moving ahead means falling behind. This results in a country that peopl
2、e of it devote themselves into researching, experimenting and exploring. Time is the most important thing for Americans lives. On one hand, Americans try their best to save up time by different ways. They are in hurry to get their destination, push the others in order to finish their s
3、hopping quickly. Racing through daytime meals is part of the pace of life in America. People make full use of modern ways to communicate with each other efficiently. On the other hand, people miss the relaxed way of living. They like the opening exchanges of a business call. They miss
4、the ritual interaction that is suitable for a welcoming cup of tea or coffee. The people coming from different cultures have different ideas from those of American. Culture Notes1. The Definition of CultureCulture is a very broad term used to describe the arts, the beliefs, the values, the tradition
5、s, the customs, and the institutions that are considered to be characteristic of a community, a people, a region, or a nation. Culture also includes the languages and dialects that people use to express their feelings and to communicate with each other. It is often difficult to dissociate language a
6、nd culture since, in most cases, language is the main medium through which culture is transmitted. Most people feel that it is impossible to really know a culture without speaking the language. In some immigrant populations in North America, however, the original language (French, German, Chinese, P
7、olish, etc.) has been lost but customs and traditions are still maintained2. Time Orientation CulturePast-orientated cultures believe strongly in the significance of prior events. History, established religions, and tradition are extremely important to these cultures, so there is a strong belief tha
8、t the past should be the guide for making decisions and determining truth. We see this orientation in China, which because of its long and splendid history continues to respect the past.Present-orientated cultures hold that the moment has the most significance. For them, the future is vague, ambiguo
9、us, and unknown and what is real exists I the here and now.Future-orientated cultures, such as the one found in the United States, emphasize the future and expect it to be grander and nicer than the present. . New Words1.budget:v. plan the spending of (time, money, etc.), or provide (time, money) in
10、 the planvt.编入预算; 设计使用 vi.安排开支 n.预算 a.便宜的,廉价的She budgeted for buying a new car. 她为了买新汽车而计划节省开支。It is important to balance this year's budget.词组 balance ones budget 平衡预算within / below budget 在预算之内budget for doing sth. 为做做预算2.acute: adj. fine, sharp, severe,
11、 very great (1)敏锐的; 灵敏的;(2) 剧烈的;厉害的;(3) 严重的;(4) 急性的(疾病) He still has very acute hearing, though he is 80 years old. She is suffering acute pain.辨析 acute ;keen; sharp意思都含“锐利的”(包括它的引伸义)意思。用于物时,(1)sharp 指“尖或刃”, 如:a sharp point 锐利的尖。(2)keen 一般指“刃”, 如:a keen edge锋刃。(3)acute 只用于学术语中, 如
12、:an acute angle锐角。用于人时, (1)sharp 表示“有洞察力的, 精明的, 机警的”, 着重“狡猾”“不易受骗”, 如:You won't catch him. He's very sharp.你骗不了他, 他精明极了。(2)keen 表示人的“锐敏”、 “聪明”、 “善于思索”, 如:He's a keen mind.他头脑灵敏。(3)acute 侧重指“人观察事物的深刻性以及分辨问题的细致性。” 如:He has given an acute analysis of the situation.他对形势做了深刻的分析。3.replace vt.(
13、常与with, by连用)用代替辨析replace; supersede; supplant 都含“代替”的意思。(1)replace 指“代替某人”或“取代已经失去的、毁坏的或用坏的东西”, 如:We replace defective tubes.我们更换有毛病的管子。(2)supersede系正式用语, 指“用更好的、最新的东西替换过时的或无用的东西”, 如:The sailing ships were superseded by the steamships.帆船已被汽船所取代。(3)supplant 指“以武力、欺骗等手段替代原来的人或其职位”, 如:The prime
14、minister was supplanted by his rival.首相被他的政敌赶下台了。4. restless adj.得不到休息的, 不平静的, 不安宁的 restlessly: ad. impatiently The man repeatedly looked at his watch while walking up and down restlessly in the room.5.elbow: vt. To push or jostle (another or others) with the elbow.用肘推挤(另一人或另一些人)n. The joint or bend
15、 of the arm between the forearm and the upper arm. 肘关节上臂与前臂之间的关节或胳膊弯曲处词组 out at elbow(s)衣衫褴褛的,破旧的;千疮百孔的elbow ones way 用肘挤出路来elbow sb. aside (off) 推到一边She elbowed her way through the crowd. 她从人群中挤了过去。6. abrupt: a. 1) (of behavior) rough粗鲁无礼的;唐突的When I asked her about her new job, she was quite abrupt
16、 with me. 2) sudden and unexpected突然的The meeting came to an abrupt end. 会谈突然结束。辨析sudden; abrupt意思都含“突然的”。(1)sudden指“事先未料到、无准备而迅速发生的”, 强调“先未警告的”, 如:a sudden outburst of temper突然大发雷霆。(2)abrupt指“突然的”、“出其不意的”、“事先未告知的”, 如:He took an abrupt departure.他突然离去。7.brief: a. short and not containing too many det
17、ailsHis remarks were brief and to the point. 他的话很简洁,而且说到了点子上。 词组 in brief = in short简单地说;简明扼要的Notice the use of the phrase "in brief", which means "in as few words as possible".the news in brief 新闻提要In brief, take no risks whatever. 简而言之, 千万不要冒险。派生词 brevity n. 简短8.rit
18、ual: 1) a. of or done regularly followed in exactly the same way each time 通常的,习惯的Every day the work begins with the ritual phrases of greeting. 每天,工作以例行的相互问候开始。2) n. C, U method followed repeatedly in the same way every time 例行仪式;例行习惯Wives make a ritual of their household duties.家庭主妇把家务作为自己每天的例行公事。
19、9.interaction: n. 1) communication交流informal interactions among adults 成年人之间非正式交流 2) acting on each other; working together 互相作用;互相影响Increased interaction between the police and citizens will improve the rate of solving crimes. 警民之间加强合作将有助于提高破案率。inter-构词成分表示“在中”“相互”派生词 interact v.互相作用int
20、eract on作用, 影响, 制约, 配合interact with与.相合10.convention: n. 1) general, usu. unspoken, agreement about how people should act or behave in certain situations; customary practice习俗, 惯例It is the convention for men to wear suits on formal occasions. 男子在正式场合穿西装是一种惯例。2) meeting of members of a professi
21、on, political party, etc. 会议;协议;契约Conventions are usually held in large cities, which have good transportation systems and interesting sights to see. 会议通常在大城市里举行,那里有完善的交通和观光的地方。 词组 according to the convention 照惯例辨析convention, congress , conference , assembly 会议,集会convention 意为“会议,大会,年会”常
22、指某一团体或政党为某一特殊目的所召开的会议。e.g. They were arranging the entertainment at the companys annual dealer convention . 他们正在安排公司经销商年会上的招待问题。congress 意为“代表大会,会议”,指各社会团体或国家的代表的正式会议,以交流情况和意见。e.g. A congress of heart specialists is meeting in Chicago.一个心脏病专家会议正在芝加哥召开。conference 会议;谈判;协商e.g. He held conference
23、 with his assistants until late onto the night. 他和他的助手们一直磋商到深夜。Assembly 与会者为一共同理由,如为立法的,宗教的,教育的或社会目的聚集在一起的人e.g. The assembly of doctors discussed the latest medical research.医生们举行会议讨论医学研究的最新动态。Meeting 会议;集会e.g. Many people came to the meeting in the hall.很多人来参加在大厅里举行的会议。11.leisure
24、n.空闲, 闲暇, 悠闲, 安逸leisurely: a. without hurry. Notice that it is an adjective, not an adverb. I had a leisurely glass of beer. 我慢悠悠地品了一杯啤酒。语法*In English, "noun + -ly" usually results in an adjective. "Friendly" and "brotherly" are both adjectives.词组at (one's) leisure当
25、某人有自由时间时;在某人方便时:I'll return the call at my leisure.我有空就会来拜访at leisure 有空, 闲着无事;从从容容地wait sb.'s leisure 等待某人有空时辨析leisure和ease都有“空闲,闲暇”之含义,但它们又有细微的区别。(1)leisure通常指各种工作或任务之余的空闲或闲暇,也可指无事的悠闲或安逸。e.g. I have very leisure time in this job.我干这工作很少有空闲时间。(2)ease指无牵无挂、轻松自在的状态。 e.g. Shes rich
26、 and leads a life of ease.她富有并且过着悠闲自在的生活。12.assess: vt. judge the quality, importance, or worth ofIt's too early to assess the effects of the new law. 要评价新法令的效果现在还为时过早。辨析 assessvt.估定, 评定;ass n.驴傻瓜;笨蛋【复数】 asses;access n.进入;通道; 使用;接近; vt.存取, 接近13.surroundings: n.( pl.) the things in the neig
27、hborhood of , or the conditions affecting a person or thing The house is in beautiful surroundings. 这座房屋四周的环境优美。辨析 surroundings 复数,表示具体环境environment不用复数,抽象的总称,指自然环境或生活条件14.generally: ad. /in general1) usuallyThey generally go to France for their holidays. 他们通常去法国度假。2) by most people, widelyIt
28、is generally agreed that smoking is bad for health. 人们普遍认为吸烟有害健康。辨析Common; ordinary; general都含“普通的”意思。(1)common强调“常见的”、“ 不足为奇的”, 如:Colds are common in winter.感冒在冬天很常见。(2)ordinary强调“平常的”、“平淡无奇的”, 如:His ordinary supper consists of only bread and milk. 他通常的晚餐不过是面包和牛奶。(3)general意为“普遍的”、“一般的”, 如:This boo
29、k is intended for the general reader, not for the specialist. 这本书是为一般读者写的, 不是为专家写的。15.proben. (1)探针(2)外太空探测器;探测飞船 (= space probe)(3)探索;查究v. examine closely The police are probing (into) trading which breaks the law. 警方正在调查非法交易活动。vt.(1)探查;探寻;深挖 (2) 调查;刺探辨析 都含“调查”、“研究”、“探索”的意思。(1)investigate 指“详尽的, 通常
30、是正式的或官方的调查, 以弄清事实的真相”, 如:the investigation of a crime调查罪行。(2)probe 指“广泛而彻底的调查”, 如:mount a massive probe of sb.'s death广泛调查某人之死。(3)research 指“科学家或学者为了发现新的事实或获得新信息而从原始资料开始进行坚韧不拔的调查或研究”, 如:He made a research into the cause of cancer.他对癌症病因进行了研究。(4)inquest 指“法律调查”, 如:a 2-year inquest into the case对该
31、案进行历时两年的调查。(5)examine 强调“详细观察或检验某人或某事以求了解其真实情况”, 如:He had a physical examination.他进行了一次体检。(6)inquiry 强调“以询问方式进行调查”, 如:Counselors began an inquiry into industrial needs.顾问们开始调查工业方面的需要。16.tickvi. (of a clock, etc.) make a sequence of quiet short regularly repeated soundsWhile we waited the taxi's
32、meter kept ticking away. 在我们等待时, 出租车上的计程表一直在滴滴答答地响着。tick off责备;责骂;斥责e.g.Constant delays ticked me off.反复地耽搁使我很生气tick over(1)(内燃机等)怠速转动(2)(工作等)接近停滞,慢吞吞地进行,死气沉沉17.consequently: ad. as a result, so同义词 accordingly, as a result, hence, therefore词组 be consequent on /upon因.而引起的, 随.而发生的, 是
33、.的后果The bank refused to help the company; consequently it went out of business. 银行拒绝帮助这家公司,公司因此倒闭了。18.significance: n. meaning, importanceWhat is the significance of this speech? 这个讲话有什么意义?The significance for college students of doing a part-time job is more than money and experience. 大学生打工的意
34、义还不仅在于钱和经验。词组 of little / no significance 无关紧要的派生词 significance insignificance significant insignificant辨析 importance; consequence; significance都含“重要性”或“显要”的意思。(1)importance 为一般用语, 着重指“本身具有重大价值、意义、影响等”, 如:news of importance重要新闻。(2)consequence 侧重指“具有或可能具有重要或深远的后果”, 如:I
35、f you behave so foolishly, you must be ready to take the consequences.如果你这样愚昧下去, 你必须准备自食其果。(3)significance 指“马上显示其特殊重要意义”, 如:an event of significance具有重要意义的事件。19.conduct: n.行为;举止;举动;品行vt. 1) organize and carry outA team from the United Nations will observe the election to be sure that it is fairly c
36、onducted. 一个联合国代表团将观察这次选举,以保证它公正地进行。2) act as the path for (electricity, heat, etc.)Plastic and rubber won't conduct electricity, but copper will. 塑料和橡胶不导电, 但是铜导电。20.obtain: vt. get, achieve e.g. The news writer immediately set out to obtain the important facts. 那位新闻记者立即着手去设法了解这些重要的事
37、实。 辨析 get, obtain, gain, win, earnobtain较正式用语,包含着“努力”、“希望”或“决意”去获得某物的意思。He obtained experience through practice.他通过实践获得了经验get是最普遍、使用范围最广的词,指"以某种方法或手段得到某种东西" I sat in the front of the bus to get a good view of the countryside. gain强调目的物需要努力奋斗或有意识行动才能得到,而且这种东西具有价值,特别是物质价值。I hope
38、you will gain still greater success.我希望你们能获得更大的成就。A penny saved is a penny gained. 省一文是一文。(谚语)win虽然常常可以和gain换用,但win具有gain所不能表达的含义。如:获得者具有有利的品质It seemed certain that he would win the prize. earn包含着获得物与所花的气力是相互成比例的He earns his bread by his hands. acquire强调"经过漫长的努力过程而逐渐获得", 如:We should try to
39、 acquire good habits.我们应该努力养成良好的习惯。21.whereas: conj. but, in contrast: while有鉴于出于事实,鉴于; 同时; 然而;但是;相反We thought she did not like us, whereas in fact she was very shy. 我们以为她不喜欢我们,然而事实是因为她很害羞。语法while 和whereas 可以引导让步从句,突出对比主句和从句所表示的两种差异的情况。e.g. He is experienced while (whereas) he is young.他虽然年轻,但
40、却很有经验。I prefer working late into the night, while (whereas) he would rather work early before dawn. 我喜欢工作到深夜,而他却宁愿凌晨干活。22.elapse: vi.( fml.) (of time) pass Four years have elapsed since he left college and still he hadn't found a job. 大学毕业已四年过去了, 可他还没有找到工作。n.过去;逝去:Met again after an elapse of ma
41、ny years.多年后又相逢23. skilful adj.(常与at, in连用)有技巧的;熟练的He is a skilful and effortless mechanic.他是一位很有技巧、驾轻就熟的机械修理工。派生unskilful, skilfully; petent: a. (of people) having the necessary ability, skill, knowledge, etc. 有能力的;能干的competent capable of sth. / doing sth.able to do sth.用法 for sth. to do sth.
42、be If you want to learn English, you must first find a competent teacher. 你如要学习英文, 首先得找一位称职的教师辨析able; capable;competent;qualified都含“有能力的”意思。(1)able 一般指人,表示“现在实有做某事的能力”, 有时意味着“高超的能力或技艺”, 如:a marvelously able author一位才华出众的作者。(2)capable 指人或物均可,表示有“潜在的或能达到一般要求的能力”, 如:He is hardly capable of executing su
43、ch a difficult task.他仅能勉强地完成这样艰巨的任务。(3)competent 指具有“胜任某一工作的条件”, 强调对某项工作有足够的技能及其它所需条件, 如:He is a competent, but not a brilliant musician.作为音乐家, 他能胜任, 但缺乏才华。而(4) qualified指具有“做某工作的必需条件”、“合格的”, 所表示的能力则更有“保留(最低限度)”的意思, 如:A qualified stenographer is not necessarily a competent secretary.一个合格的速记员不一定就是个称职
44、的秘书。25.fulfill: vt. 1) do or perform履行, 实现, 完成(计划等)They fulfilled their work ahead of time as we did ours. 同我们一样, 他们也提前完成了任务。2) supply or satisfy (a need, demand or requirement) 满足;实现;达到The company should be able to fulfill our requirements for product quality. 这家公司必须能满足我们对产品质量的要求。. Phrases1. result
45、 in: have as a result; cause 致使,导致,造成的结果The accident resulted in the death of two people (or: . resulted in two people being killed). 这场意外事故造成两人死亡。Compare: result from: be caused by由.产生Nothing has resulted from his efforts. 他的努力终成泡影。The child's illness resulted from eating unclean food. 他那孩子的病是由
46、于吃了不洁净的食物。2.Nothiing but: only 只有,除. . 以外什么也不I want nothing but the best for my children. 我只希望能把最好的给予我的孩子们。3.account for: explain the cause of sth.解释,说明How do you account for losing such a large sum of money? 你怎样说明为什么损失了这么大一笔钱?4.in a rush: in a hurry 匆忙的Everybody is always in a r
47、ush to get ready in the mornings. 每天早上,每个人的准备工作都总是很匆忙的。5.under pressure:be influenced; be forced 在压力下,在强力下He only agreed to leave the country under pressure. 他只是在压力下才同意出国。6.go with:exist or take place at the same time; be found together 同时发生,伴随Money does not always go with happiness. 有钱并不总是幸福。Respon
48、sibility goes with becoming a father. 做了父亲就有了责任。7.much lessmuch (still, even ) more 和 much (still, even ) lessmuch (still, even) more用于表示肯定意味的句子后,much (still, even) less 用于表示否定意味的句子后。例如:He knows little English, much less Spanish. 他不懂英语,更不用说西班牙语了。The boy has to carry 50 jin, much more the adults. 连孩子
49、都要背50斤,更不用说成人了。8. work at:从事, 致力于, 钻研work at a new invention 从事一项新的发明9.save for: keep sth. for future use; not use up (sth.) 储存,储蓄Save your strength for the hard work you'll have to do later. 养精蓄锐以应付今后你得去从事的繁重工作。10.at hand:1) being considered正考虑的the matter at hand, 正在审议的事2) near in time or position 在
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