上海建桥学院大学英语制作 Unit One Text A Mr

上海建桥学院大学英语制作

Unit One

Text A Mr. Doherty Builds His Dream Life

Content ØBackground information ØWarming-up activity ØText organization Ø Text analysis ØSentence study ØWords and phrases ØExercise abstract Translation discussion listening

Background Information

Cultural Notes 　　　 The Ivy League （常青藤协会） It refers to the eight long-established colleges and universities in the United States with prestigious academic and social reputations. The members of the Ivy League compete in intercollegiate athletics. Members of the Ivy League go as follows: 1) Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island; 2) Columbia University in New York City; 3) Cornell University in Ithaca, New York; 4) Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire; 5) Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts; 6) University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia; 7) Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey; 8) Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.

Brown University Click the picture to return

Columbia University Click the picture to return

Cornell University Click the picture to return

Dartmouth College Click the picture to return

Harvard University Click the picture to return

University of Pennsylvania Click the picture to return

Princeton University Click the picture to return

Yale University Click the picture to return

Cultural Notes 　　Sports Illustrated （《体育画报》）

Cultural Notes 　　Insurance Policies Factors to be taken into consideration when we choose an insurance provider mainly include: 1) the financial stability of the insurance company; 2) the price of policies; and 3) details of coverage and service. Most insurance falls into 4 categories according to what it covers: 1) Property and casualty(意外伤害）, 2) life, 3) health and disability, and 4) old age and unemployment

II. Cultural Notes 　　E. B. White (1899 -1985):

Warm-up Activity

§ City life vs. Country life § In your opinion, which is better, § living in the country or living in the city? § Give reasons.

City life: life Advantages Higher living standard Disadvantage Overpopulation Convenient Air pollution transportation Noise Health care Heavy traffic Better education High crime rate More job opportunities Fierce competition and stress entertainment Indifference in interpersonal relationship

Country life Advantages Disadvantages § Fresh air Remote and backward § Healthy food underdeveloped Self-sufficiency inconvenience in life Peaceful life More leisure time not well-informed of the less pressure outside word Closer personal hard manual labor § relationship Low income §

Text Analysis

The text can be divided into four parts. The paragraph numbers of each paragraph have been given to you. Now find out their main ideas

Part Division of the Text Parts Paras Main Ideas 1 1~3 The writer views his life in the country as a self-reliant and satisfying one. 2 4 -7 Life in the country is good yet sometimes very hard. 3 4 8 -11 12 -15 After quitting his job, the writer’s income was reduced, but he and his family can manage to get by. A tolerance for solitude and a lot of energy have made it possible for the family to enjoy their life in the country.

All through the text, the writer tells about the happiness and hardships the family have experienced in the country. Make a list of the happy moments and events as well as a list of the hardships in the following columns.

Happy Moments and Events • Growing nearly all their fruits and vegetables • Canoeing, picnicking, long bicycle rides, etc. • Keeping warm inside the house in winter • Writing freelance articles • Earning enough money while maintaining a happy family life

Hardships • Working hard both in winter and in summer • Harsh environment and weather condition • Anxious moments after the writer quit his job • Cutting back on the daily expenses • Solitude

Text Comprehension

Understanding the Paragraphs Para 1 Q: Where does the author’s contentment come from? A: Writing and living on a farm. Para 2 Q: What is a self-reliant life like? A: (See Para. 2) Para 3 Q: Why is this kind of life satisfying? A: (See Para. 4)

Para 4 Q: How tough is the good countryside life ? A: Bad weather (30 below and 95 above), Tough work: hauling firewood up the river on a sled, cultivating corn, weeding strawberries, killing chickens, retiling the back roof, making improvements on the outdoor toilet, spraying the orchard, painting the barn, planting the garden, cleaning the hen house.

Para 5 Q: What does the writer do in between the chores mentioned above? A: He manages to spend 50 -60 hours at the typewriter or doing reporting for the freelance articles. Q: What does his wife do meanwhile? A: His wife pursues her own demanding schedule. (See Lines 27 -32)

Para 6 Q: Why is the author’s first winter in the country unforgettable? A: Though buried in deep snow, they kept warm inside burning their own wood, eating their own apples and loving every minute of it. (A tough but happy life) Para 7 Q: What is this paragraph about? A: Their amazing harvests (wave after wave of farm produce).

Para 8 Q: What did the writer do in the second year on the farm? A: He grew even more food and managed to get through the winter on firewood from their own trees. He also thought about quitting his job and starting to freelance. Para 9 Q: What did the author do as a freelance writer? A: (See Lines 55 -59)

Paras 10 -11 Q: What are these two paragraphs about? A: How the family managed to cover their usual expenses and live a satisfactory life though they were making much less money in the country: --need less, buy a poor man’s major medical policy (low premium), --make up the difference in income by cutting back without appreciably lowering their standard of living, --patronise cheaper local restaurants, attend opera and ballet less often, eat less meat, drink cheaper wine, see fewer movies, --combine vacations with story assignments.

Paras 12 -13 Q: What are the special qualities required for life on a farm? A: --Tolerance for solitude --A lot of energy to do the work yourself Para 14 Q: What will the future be like and how will the family feel when they leave the farm? A: They may continue their stay on the farm. They may leave the farm with a mixed feeling of sorrow (for leaving the farm) and pride (at what they have accomplished—a good life and a fair profit on the sale of the place).

Para 15 Q: What do we learn from the last paragraph of the text? A: Echoing with what he says in the opening paragraph, the author restates his purpose to come to the farm. --to improve the quality of their lives; --to find contentment with life in the country.

Sentence Study

Sentence study 1. I am not in E. B. White’s class as a writer or in my neighbor's league as a farmer, but I’m getting by. (L. 3) Paraphrase: As a writer, I am not as good as E. B. White; neither am I as good a farmer as my neighbor who is a member of the farmers’ league. Anyhow, I can manage to do well enough both as a writer and as a farmer.

Sentence study 2. …and we cut enough wood to just about make it through the heating season. ” (L. 9) Paraphrase: make it --- succeed the heating season --- the cold winter With the wood they cut, their family can succeed in getting / manage to get through the cold winter.

Sentence study 3. There is, as the old saying goes, no rest for the wicked …. . (L. 31) Paraphrase: Just as the old saying goes, there is no rest for the bad people. It means that you must continue with your work or other activity that your should be doing.

Sentence study 4. I’m not making anywhere near as much money as I did when I was employed full time, … (L. 60) Paraphrase: I’m not at all making as much money as I did when I worked full time, …

Words and Phrases

Get by: be good enough but not very good; manage to live or do things in a satisfactory way 过得去，尚可 1. My parents managed to get by on a small amount of money. 2. It is a little bit difficult for the old couple to get by on such a small pension. Translate：眼下我们有四台计算机还过得去，但是新员来了我们就需要多增加几台。

Leave over: have…undone 剩下; 把…留待后 We’ll leave this pie over for tomorrow. Translate：他的收入很少，缴了房租之后就没剩多少了。 He has a very small income and the rent has left him very little over. leave about: 乱扔，乱放 leave behind: 留下，忘带；把…丢在后面 leave out: 省去，略去；遗漏

Haul: 1) transport, as with a truck, cart, etc. 运输 2) pull or drag with effort or force 拉, 拽 The farmers haul vegetables to the market on a truck every morning. A crane had to be used to haul the car out of the stream. Translate：救援小组把医疗设备和食物运到受洪灾的村庄。

Improvement: 改善; 修葺; 改观 Internet service providers should develop security improvement services for their customers Translate：他们在搬家前对房子作了大量的内部改进装修。 They had carried out a great number of interior improvements to the house before they moved in. 我发现家乡在许多方面都改观了。

Supplement: v. add 补充 n. sth. that is added 补充（物），增补（物） Peter does freelance work to supplement his income. Translate：凯伦在晚上做点辅导以增补收入。 Karen supplements her regular salary by tutoring in the evening 字典应通过每年出补编以保持内容崭新。

Indoor: situated or used inside a building 室内的，户内的 ant. : outdoor 室外的，户外的室内运动 an indoor sport 室内污染 indoor pollution 室内网球场露天剧场 an indoor tennis court an outdoor theatre 喜欢野外活动的人户外活动 outdoor activities an outdoorsman

Spray: force out liquid in small drops upon (with)喷洒，喷涂；扫射 I’ll have to spray the roses with insecticide to get rid of the greenfly. Translate：不守公德的人在墙上乱涂鸦。 Vandals have sprayed graffiti on the walls. 枪手朝着人群扫射。

Pursue: v. strive to gain or accomplish 努力去获得，追求 After graduation Martin chose to pursue the same career as his father as a minister. Translate：在艺术上她追求达到完美境界。从事研究追求远大目标

Stack: v. make into a pile将…堆起来 n. a pile 一堆 Once the last few people had left the hall, the caretakers began stacking the chairs. Translate：这些床设计的易于叠放。一堆干草 a stack of hay 大量的作整齐堆放的书 books in a neat stack 一大批人

Get through: vt. come successfully to the end 通过，度过 She got through the entrance examination and was accepted by the college. Translate：地方政府已采取措施确保所有村民安全过冬。 The local government has taken some measures to ensure that all the villagers will get through the winter. 他们又一次没能使议案被议会通过。

with On balance: all things considered 总的来说 I think, on balance, I didn’t treat you unfairly Translate：总的来说，他得到的将比失去的多。 On balance, he will gain more than he will lose. 总的来说，改变一个已广为流传的产品的名称是不明智的。

Generate: vt. produce; bring into existence 产生；形成 The program has generated a lot of new jobs in the service industry. Translate：流水可以驱动叶轮机发电。 The flowing water can be used to drive turbine, which generates electricity. 航天技术导致了了数以千计的日用品的产生，如用于跑鞋制作的轻便材料。.

Pick up: 1) be ready to pay 支付 2) learn by chance (无意中）学会 If he loses the case, Mike will have to pick up the bill for legal costs. --Where did you study Greek? -- I didn’t, I just sort of picked it up when I lived there. Translate：纳税人将支付公交系统改造费用。 Taxpayers will be picking up the tab for the improved public transport network. 没有成年人的监护，青少年很容易交上不良朋友。

Minor: 较少的，较小的，次要的 ant. : major 较大的，较多的，重要的 Translate：扮演次要角色 play a minor part 小手术 a minor operation 轻罪 a minor offence 小病 minor illness 副修科目 minor subject

Premium: vt. a sum of money paid regularly for an insurance policy 保险费 The employers make the employees pay for a large portion of their health insurance premium. Translate：虽然汽车的价格下降了，但人们发现汽车保险费却上升了。 Although the price of cars has gone down, people find car insurance premiums have increased. 六十岁以上的人付的人生保险费要高于六十岁以下的人。 People who are over sixty pay higher life insurance premiums than those under.

Aside from: except for; in addition to除了；除以外（尚有） The essay is good aside from a couple of spelling mistakes. Translate：除了偶尔打打网球外，他几乎不做任何运动。 Aside from(Except for) an occasional game of tennis, he seldom takes any exercise. 除了学费外他还要支付许多其他费用。

Cut back: reduce in size or amount 削减，减少 There is growing movement to cut back the government’s role in agriculture and to reduce subsidies paid to the farmers. Translate：政府已大力削减国防开支以发展经济。 The government has cut back considerably on defense spending to develop economy. 许多厂在夏季电力不足期间被迫缩减生产。 .

Dine out: eat a meal away from home (usu. in a restaurant)外出吃饭 With the improvement of living standards, more people dine out at weekends. Translate：今天是我女儿生日, 所以我们要到餐馆吃饭。 Today is my daughter’s birthday, so we are dining out. 正餐我们吃的是鸡、土豆、凉拌菜和苹果馅饼。 We dined on chicken, potatoes, salad and apple-pie. 在家吃

Patronize: 1. go to as a customer 光顾, 惠顾 2. support or give money to… 资助 1. When he was a student, Sterling often patronized the little restaurant near the school. 2. Many football clubs are patronized by businesses. Translate：因为服务好, 许多顾客光顾那家小吃店。

Suspect: believe to be true, likely or probable 怀疑, 相信有… It was perfectly all right, Henry said, because the police had not suspected him of anything. Translate：我怀疑他是个窃贼。 I suspect him to be a thief/that he is a thief. 他有谋杀嫌疑。

Cf. : doubt: feel unsure of sth. 怀疑, 不确切 suspect后的从句一般由that引导, 而doubt后的从句可以是whether/if (肯定句中)和that (否定句中) I doubt whether he is honest. 我怀疑他是否诚实。 I suspect that he is not honest. 我认为他不诚实。 I never doubt that he is an unselfish person. 我从不怀疑他是一个不自私的人。

Budget: n. 预算 The personal or family budget is a financial plan that helps individuals to balance income and expenses. Translate：制定家庭收支预算 make a family budget 如果你乘火车旅行的话, 你不用花很多钱就可以游览欧洲。 .

Scale: n. a relative level or degree 规模, 范围 After the Selma protest Martin Luther King continued to organize protests but not on a grand scale. Translate：他们先在小范围内试验新的教学法。 At first they tested their new teaching methods on a small scale. 全国掀起了一场禁烟运动。

Resist: v. keep from giving in or enjoying 抵制 In my view students should resist the temptation of taking part-time jobs in their first two years at college. Translate：小孩很难抵挡得了麦当劳的诱惑。 It’s very hard for little kids to resist the temptation of Mc. Donald’s. 她强忍着才没有出声尖叫。 She resisted an urge to scream.

Device: n. a piece of equipment designed to serve a special purpose 设备, 装置 They suspected that an explosive device had been left somewhere inside the building. Translate：救援者用一种特殊装置寻找被困在煤矿井下的人们。 The rescuers used a special device for finding people trapped in the coalmine.

Profit: n. an advantageous gain or return 收获, 利润 The tax is likely to hit his company’s profit by up to 3% in future. Translate：他向纺织品公司出售废料赚了大笔钱。 He makes a big profit from selling waste material to textile companies. 他为了自身利益而做那件事。 .

Invest: v. Commit (money or capital) in order to gain a financial return 投资 When people buy houses they’re investing a lot of money. Translate：我父母决定用存款投资股票和证券。 My parents decided to invest their savings in stocks and bonds. 她把全部的爱倾注在她的残疾孩子身上。

Exercises

Exercises Abstract Write an abstract for the text. Jim Doherty may not be a born farmer, but he gets by without too much trouble. Not that he has had it easy. That first hard winter he faced must have left him with the temptation to give up and go back to the city. But he managed to get through it without losing heart. He’s picked up a lot of skills. Since then and made some real improvements to his farm, though without much laborsaving machinery, aside from that old rotary cultivator. Meanwhile he had his writing to supplement what little profit he makes from the farm. They didn’t move there primarily to earn money, but to improve the quality of life.

Exercises Translation Resist, primarily, patronize, dine out, profit, indoor, patronize, on balance, on a large scale 相当多的孩子体重越来越重，这个趋势正日益明显。这个现象主要可以用以下两个原因来解释。随着人们生活水平的提高，孩子们有更多的机会外出就餐。他们无法抵制麦当劳、肯德基或者是必胜客的诱惑。这些快餐公司在针对孩子的广告花了上百万的钱。这些广告又反过来给公司带来了巨大的利润。孩子们经常光顾这些快餐连锁店，结果不可避免的胖起来。第二个原因是缺乏运动。今天的孩子们忙于学习，有的甚至整天呆在屋里。卡路里摄入的增加，运动时间的减少，导致了孩子肥胖的危险。总的说来，我们应该更加关注孩子们的健康问题。应该大规模的开展一项反对西方快餐疯狂进攻中国的运动。

Exercises Reference There is a growing trend that quite a number of children are getting overweight. This fact can be primarily accounted for by the following two reasons. With great improvement in people’s living standard, children now have much more chances to dine out. They just can’t resist the temptation of Mc Donald, KFC or Pizza hut, which have spent millions of

Exercises Reference Children patronize these fast food outlets so often that they are inevitably getting obese. The second reason is lack of sports. Children today are extremely occupied by their studies, and some even go so far as to stay indoor all day long. Increased calorie intake and decreased exercise time leads to obesity risk in children. On balance more attention should be paid on children’s health problem, and a campaign, on a large scale, against crazy aggression of western fast food should be launched.

Exercises Discussion Where to Live: Countryside or City? Advantages of city life: --convenience for people to do shopping --better educational opportunities --easy access to the entertainment --more chances to get jobs …… Advantages of Rural Life:

Exercises Listening Directions: