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发表于 2016-7-10 10:31:53
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for the rest of one's life 终身，一辈子
e.g. I) He was jailed for life in 1966 for the murder of three policemen.
II) Training helps you develop skills and talents which will remain with you for life.
live up to
achieve what is expected or desired 不辜负(期望)，达到(预期的标准)
e.g. I) The concert was brilliant-it lived up to our expectations.
II) The president lived up to his promise to set America swiftly on a new path.
look up
1) search for in a dictionary or reference book, or on a computer 查找，查阅
e.g. I) You'd better look up the word in a dictionary.
II) Keep a list of all the relevant numbers (gas, water, electricity, etc.) handy-otherwise look up the number in the phone book yourself.
2) raise one's head, turn up one's head 抬头看
e.g. I) She looked up from her book and smiled at me.
II) When on tour, don't forget to look up, back, around the corner, on the ceiling--there's always going to be something to surprise and delight you.
miss the point
fail to understand the meaning or appreciate the importance of something 没抓住要领，没领会含义
e.g. I) What you say is true, but you've missed the point of my argument.
II) Your leader's comment again missed the point by erroneous linking of legitimate shooting activities and criminal use of guns.
owe it to someone to do something
feel you should do something for someone 认为自己有必要为某人做......
e.g. I) You owe it to your supporters not to give up now.
II) "We owe it to our fans to put on a performance," he said.
stumbling block
a problem which stops you from achieving something 绊脚石，障碍物
e.g. Lack of willingness to compromise (妥协) on both sides is the major stumbling block to reaching a settlement (和解)
take pleasure in
be pleased about or proud of something 以......为乐，以......为荣
e.g. Everybody takes pleasure in eating.
take the easy way out
escape from a difficult or an awkward situation in a way that seems easy, but is not the best or most sensible way 以省事的，但非最好的做法来回避困难或尴尬的处境
e.g. I) As soon as things got difficult he took the easy way out-he blamed others for his failure.
II) You can take the easy way out of the difficulty by leaving the city, and no one will know.
PASSAGE III Optimism
I suppose it's in the nature of science to be optimistic. One of the unspoken assumptions of scientific inquiry[1] is that there are answers to every question. The answers may take years or decades or centuries to find, but for every question about the observable world, a scientist will tell you that there is an answer.
A scientist believes in cause and effect. There is a reason or reasons for everything that happens. The optimistic belief that all problems can be solved and all questions answered is common in technologically advanced and scientifically oriented societies.[2] Rather than being suspicious of change, these societies believe their lives will benefit from it.[3]
I am one of those people whose life knows only change. The one certainty I am aware of is death. All other things are subject to change. I have known changes for the better and changes for the worse (we now have the means to destroy our own planet), but I have never questioned the fact that whether I liked it or not, change was unavoidable. How, you ask, with our infinite capacity for evil, can I remain optimistic about change?[4]
The answer, I suppose, is similar to the one I would give if you asked me how the knowledge of death affects my life. I know that I'm going to die. Everything that lives eventually dies. But I can't live as if every hour were my last. If I did, I would be inactive. I wouldn't go to work; I wouldn't bother reading the daily paper or going to school.[5] In short, I wouldn't have time for all those little joys-a good meal, a walk in a garden, a chat with an old friend-that make life worth living. Instead, I would spend my life between fear and tears.
In the same way, I can't live in fear of what some new technological horror might do. I can't live in fear of the possibility that as the earth's population grows and we use up more and more of our nonrenewable resources, our children may have to lead poorer lives. I can't live in despair about increases in crime, nuclear weapons, and environmental pollution.
I am not saying that these problems are not serious. They are. What I am saying is that fear and despair can't solve them. If we are going to solve them, we have to believe that we can. And this is where a sense of optimism is important. Consider the alternative. If we believe that nothing can be done to save us from ourselves, we aren't going to try. It we try, but do not really believe in what we are doing, we will fail. As I see it, the only way we can make the future succeed for us is to believe that it is possible to make it succeed. The great pyramids of Egypt, the Roman aqueducts, the Gothic cathedrals of Europe, and the Great Wall of China were not built by people who said it couldn't be done.
Problems in human relations are obviously much more difficult. And I'm not foolish enough to equate technological problems, which have solutions, with human questions, which don't always have simple right or wrong answers. What I am suggesting, however, is that if we believe that human questions have solutions, we may, given patience, reason, and compromise, actually find some. If we don't believe solutions are possible, we will never find any. Or to put it another way, you will never find what you don't look for.[6]
Optimism takes energy. It is much easier to be a pessimist. You just sit back and let it-whatever it is-happen. It is an emotionally lazy position. Optimism, on the other hand, requires commitment. If a person believes that something can be done, he or she is responsible in some way for doing it or helping to do it. For example, once a person believes that it is dangerous to drink too much liquor, he or she is almost required to drink less. If that person doesn't, he or she is committing a form of suicide.
The twentieth century has not been kind to optimists.[7] We have, in this century, witnessed murder, barbarism, war and genocide of a scale unknown in previous human history.[8] Sometimes, it seems that for every technological advance, we have suffered from the misuse of that very advance. Atomic power both lightens and darkens our lives. Still, we have no alternative but to keep trying. Every person saved from mistreatment, starvation, or genocide is a feather in the cap of humanity.[9] If we sit back and just let things happen, we are less than human. From this point of view, optimism is essential to preserving our humanity in these difficult times. (797 words)
Proper Name
Egypt
埃及
New Words
aqueduct
n. a bridge, pipe, or canal that carries a water supply, especially one that is built higher than .the land around it or that goes across a valley 高架渠，渡槽，导水管，渠道
e.g. Water has been brought from distant sources by aqueducts, channeled into reservoirs.
barbarism
n. extremely cruel and unpleasant behavior 残暴行为，暴行
e.g. War is barbarism, and I'm tired and sick of war.
cathedral
n. a very large, beautifully decorated stone building for Christian worship 大教堂，教区总教堂
e.g. In the afternoon, you'll have time to explore the ancient regional capital dominated by its twin towered Gothic cathedral.
compromise
1) n. an agreement or settlement of a dispute that is reached by each side making concessions, an intermediate state between conflicting opinions or actions 妥协，折衷办法
e.g. I) It was necessary for members to make compromises to ensure party unity.
II) Encourage your child to reach a compromise between what he wants and what you want.
2) v. settle a dispute by mutual concession(妥协，折衷)
e.g. I) In the end we compromised and put off the decision.
II) Well, you want $ 400 and I say $ 300, so let's compromise at $ 350.
genocide
n. the deliberate murder of a whole group of people, especially a whole nation, race, religious group, etc. 种族灭绝，灭绝种族的大屠杀
e.g. The English-language newspaper said memories of the Second World War genocide against Jews would never fade.
Gothic
adj. of a style of architecture that is distinguished by tall pillars, high vaulted ceilings, and pointed I arches 哥特式的，尖拱式的，哥特风格的
e.g. He wanted to visit the magnificent Gothic cathedral in the ancient walled city of York.
inactive*
adj. not engaging in or involving any or much physical activity 不活动的，消极的
e.g. It's bad for your health to be physically inactive.
inquiry
n.
1) the process of asking about or investigating something in order to find out more about it 调查，探究
e.g. They have made a scientific inquiry into the origin of language.
2) a question which you ask in order to get some information 打听，询问
e.g. After a brief inquiry about the Christmas holiday, he returned to the subject of music.
lighten*
v. become brighter or less dark, or make something brighter 变得明亮，使 ...... 明亮
e.g. I) The sky began to lighten in the east.
II) He attempted to lighten the large room with a pale green carpet and yellow curtains.
liquor
n. (AmE) a strong alcoholic drink 酒，烈性酒
e.g. Liquor includes drinks like whisky and gin (杜松子酒)，but not beer or wine.
mistreatment*
n. the behavior of treating a person or an animal badly, cruelly or unfairly 虐待
nonrenewable*
adj. (of natural resources) that can not be replaced by natural processes after they have been used up 不可再生的
e.g. nonrenewable resources 不可再生的资源
pyramid
n. a large ancient stone building over the tombs of kings and queens, especially in Egypt 金字塔
unavoidable*
adj. that cannot be avoided or prevented 无法避免的
e.g. I) Managers said that the job losses were unavoidable.
II) True relaxation must be mental and physical to counteract the unavoidable pressures of modern living.
unspoken*
adj. not said aloud 未说出口的
e.g. She smiled and patted the seat beside her in unspoken invitation.
Phrases and Expressions
a feather in someone's cap
an achievement that one can be proud of
e.g. Harry's appointment to this important post was a feather in his cap.
be subject (adj.) to
be affected by or be likely to be affected 易受......,常遭......
e.g. I ) Prices may be subject to alteration (变化).
II ) The storms of 1987 and 1990 have reminded us that the natural world is subject to constant change.
equate something with/to something else
consider something to be equal or equivalent to something else 把......和......等同起来
e.g. I ) You can't equate the education system of Britain with that of Germany.
II ) More expensive does not necessarily equate with more effective.
for the better
in a way that improves the situation 向好的广大，好转
e.g. I ) He dreamed of changing the world for the better.
II ) There's been a change for the better in his health.
for the worse
in a way that changes the situation and makes it worse 向坏的方面，恶化
e.g. I ) It looks like the weather is changing for the worse.
II ) He bought a new car, but it turned out to be for the worse.
have no alternative but to do something
have no choice but to do something 除......外别无选择，只好
e.g. I ) Caught in the act, he had no alternative but to confess.
II ) I'm afraid we have no alternative but to ask you to leave.
sit back
relax and do not become actively involved 袖手旁观，不采取行动
e.g. I ) We should not sit back and let him do it by himself.
II ) You can't just sit back and watch while they ruin our country. |
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