1、Unit 1 Language in missionDetailed study of the text 1. If I am the only parent who still corrects his childs English, then perhaps my son is right. To him, I am a tedious oddity: a father he is obliged to listen to and a man absorbed in the rules of grammar, which my son seems allergic to. (Para. 1
2、) Meaning: My son is probably right if there is no other parent like me who still corrects his childs mistake in English. To my son, I am a boring and strange father, who he has to listen to I am also the one who pays lots of attention to grammar rules, which he doesnt seem to like. tedious: a. bori
3、ng and continuing for too long 冗长乏味的 Telling the story has become tedious, as I have done it so many times. 讲述这个故事已变得单调乏味，因为我已经讲了这么多次了。 oddity: n. C a strange or unusual person or thing 怪人；怪物；奇特的东西 With his neat suits on, he felt like an oddity walking in this poor neighborhood. 穿着必听的西装走在这个贫民窟里，他觉得自
4、己就像个怪物。 be / feel obliged to do sth.: if you are obliged to do sth., you have to do it because the situation, the law, a duty, etc. makes it necessary (因形式、法律、义务等关系而)非做不可， 迫使 I think Valentines Day is a waste of time, but I still feel obliged to send my wife a card. absorbed: a. so interested or inv
5、olved in sth. that you do not notice anything else 极感兴趣的；全神贯注的；专注的。 Time passes quickly when you are absorbed in reading a good book. 在聚精会神地读一本好书的时候，时间过得非常快。 allergic: a. 1) (be to sth.) (infml) if you are allergic to sth., you do not like it and try to avoid it.不喜欢某事，对某事反感 Most men are allergic to
6、housework.大多数男人都不喜欢做家务。 2) having an allergy 过敏的 I do not enjoy picnics because I am allergic to grass.我不喜欢野餐，因为我对草过敏。2. I think I got serious about this only recently when I ran into one of my former students, fresh from an excursion to Europe (para. 2 ) Meaning: I think I started to pay attention
7、to other peoples usage of grammar only lately,when I happened to meet one of my former students, who had just returned from a short journey to Europeget/be serious about: if you are serious about sth., you really mean it and are not joking or pretending 对是认真的；并非开玩笑的 When you are staying with your ro
8、ommates, you cannot get too serious about privacy.你和你的室友相处的时候，不能太计较隐私。 run into sb.: (infml.) meet sb. by chance 偶然遇见某人 You forgot all about your cousins birthday until you suddenly ran into her today. 要不是你今天偶然遇见了你表姐，你已全然忘记了她的生日。 fresh from: having just come from a particular place or experience 刚从.
9、来的；School principals should not expect teachers, fresh from college, to deal with a large group of difficult children.学校的校长不应该指望刚从大学毕业的老师来应付一大群难以对付的孩子。 excursion: n. C a short journey you take for pleasure 短途出行；远足 It was such a wonderful day that they decide to take a day excursion to the mountain.
10、这么好的天气，他们决定去山上一日游。 3.“How was it”I asked, full of earnest anticipation. (para.2) Meaning:When I asked about how her trip to Europe had been, I was expecting her response anxiously and sincerely. How was it?: (spoken) often used in conversation to ask sb. about their opinion or experience of sth.（口语常
11、用表达， 用于询问看法或经历） Did you watch the movie last night? How was it? 你昨天晚上看那部电影了吗?感觉怎么样? full of: (followed by abstract nouns) feeling or showing a lot of particular emotion or quality(感觉、表达或表现出)充满某种情感（特质）的 full of excitement/ energy/ hope/happiness/praise 充满兴奋/活力/希望/ 幸福/赞美The teacher was full of praise
12、for the home work that the students had done. 老师对学生们完成的功课赞不绝口。 earnest: a. very serious and sincere 非常认真的；郑重其事的。 At the office he was very earnest, but hes more relaxed now. 在办公室他很认真， 但是现在他放松多了。 4. She nodded three or four times searched the heavens for the right words, and then exclaimed, it was li
13、ke, whoa!“ (para.3) Meaning : she nodded her head three or four times, tried to find the right words in her mind and then shouted with excitement it was like whoa! Meaning beyond words: Since the student was not quite sure how to exactly describe her travel experience, the tone of the author is some
14、what sarcastic. The author intended to send out the message that the student was incompetent regarding the selection of her English vocabulary. search somewhere for sth.: try to find sth. in some place 在某地方搜寻某物 The robber reached out and searched the back pocket of my trousers for anything valuable.
15、 那个盗贼伸手搜我裤子后面的口袋以寻找值钱的东西。 Note The heavens means the sky: here search the heavens for the right words“ implies the student tried hard to find suitable words to describe what she saw and experienced when traveling in Europeexclaim: v. say sth. suddenly and loudly because of surprise, anger, or excite
16、ment （由于惊奇、气愤或激动）呼喊，惊叫 Susan exclaimed horror when a young man with a gun suddenly appeared from behind her. 当一名年轻男子突然持枪从苏珊背后出现时，她害怕得惊叫起来。 Note“It was like whoa“ means it was really great! It was like is an informal expression in conversation, very common for young people who are lazy and incapable
17、to reference their ideas. The expression is usually followed by an adjective or an exclamation. It was, like, marvelous! 简直奇妙极了！ （It was like）Whoa! How come you got a hundred 0percent correct on such a hard test? 哇！这么难的考试你怎么都全答对了？ Note Whoa is specifically used to show that people are surprised or t
18、hink something is very impressive. It can be used in different contexts. For example: To describe something that youre not quite sure how to describe: that car is so cool its like whoa. To express surprise: whoa! Its really amazing! To indicate a desire to end what someone is talking: whoa ok, thats
19、 enough. 5. And that was it. (para.4) Meaning: And that was everything she said,without even mentioning any details of her wonderful experience in Europe. That was it.: often used in conversation to say that sth. is completely finished or that a situationcannot be changed 就这样（指某事彻底结束或形式不能更改） That wa
20、s it. I could no longer hope for a promotion, and my boss didnt even want to see me again. 就这样吧，我的升职再也没指望了，我的老板甚至不想再见到我。 6. The civilization of Greece and the glory of Roman architecture were captured in condensed non-statement. (para.4) Meaning: The civilization of Greece and the glory of Roman arc
21、hitecture were just described in one word rather than a complete statement because of her inability to choose appropriate words to express herself capture: vt. 1) succeed in recording , showing , or describing a situation or feeling , using words or pictures （用文字或图片）记录下，描述，捕捉 Some artists are able t
22、o catch a likeness in a sketch while others are gifted to capture a fleeting expression. 有些艺术家能画出酷似某人的肖像，而另一些则善于捕捉到稍纵即逝的表情。 2）catch a person and keep them as a prisoner 俘虏；逮捕 Government troops have succeeded in capturing the rebel leader.政府军已经成功捕获叛乱分子的头目。 condense: vt. make sth. that is spoken or wr
23、itten shorter 将（讲话或文章）压缩 The whole chapter could be condensed into a few paragraphs. 这一整章可以压缩成几个段落。 condensed:a. being made shorter, usu. including only the most important parts 压缩的 The council was merely given a condensed version of what had already been disclosed in Washington.该理事会得到的知识已在华盛顿披露的内容的
24、浓缩版。 7. My student “whoa”was exceeded only by my head-shaking distress. (para. 4) Meaning: My head-shaking distress at her inability to express properly was even greater than her slang term whoa, one word, which did not make any statement to describe the civilization of Greece and the glory of Roman
25、 architecture. Meaning beyond words:The word exceed states explicitly that the authors worry about his students language inability was much more intense than her excitement. exceed: vt. (fml.)be more than a particular number or amount 超过；超出 Youll have to pay extra money if you exceed your luggage al
26、lowance.如果你的行李超重，你必须额外付费。 distress:n.U a feeling of extreme unhappiness 忧虑；苦恼；悲伤 She had five years of active and happy life in the hospital before she died, without much pain or distress from cancer.她过世前在医院过了五年积极而快乐的生活，并没有因为患癌症二遭受多大的痛苦和忧伤。 8. There are many different stories about the downturn in t
27、he proper use of English. (para.5) Meaning: There are a lot of different stories about why people are less skilled when using English.downturn: n. C, usu. sing. a process in which business activity, production, etc., is reduced and conditions become worse 衰退；下降 The downturn in the auto industry affe
28、cted the entire economy of the United States.汽车工业的衰退影响了整个美国的经济 9. Surely students should be able to distinguish between their/there/theyre on the distinctive difference between complimentary and complementary(para. 5) Meaning: Of course,students should be able to recognize and understand the differe
29、nces between their/ there/theyre on the obvious difference between complimentary and complementary distinguish: recognize the differences between things 区别；辨别 A formal education with emphasis on history literature and culture helps a person learn how to distinguish right from wrong 着重于历史、文学和文化的正规教育能
30、帮助一个人学习如何明辨是非。 distinguish between: recognize and understand the difference between two or more things or people 区分；辨别 The ability to read in a critical way involves the ability to distinguish between facts and the writersopinions or interpretations.批判性阅读能力包括区分什么是事实，什么事作者自己的看法或解释能力。 distinctive: a.
31、easy to recognize because of being different from other people or things of the same type 与众不同的；特殊的；特别的 The distinctive design of a product provides a powerful competitive advantage over other products.一个独特的产品设计具有比其他产品更强有力的竞争优势。 complimentary: a. 1) given free to people 免费赠送的 All guests will receive
32、 a complimentary bottle of champagne. 所有客人将得到一瓶免费的香槟。 2） saying that you admire sb. or sth. 赞美的；钦佩的 Mrs. Stevens was most complimentary about your work.史蒂文斯夫人称赞你的工作。 complementary: a. complementary things go well together although they are usu. different 互为补充的；互补的 The economies of the two countries
33、are complementary to one another in nature.两国经济具有互补性。 10. They unfairly bear the bulk of the criticism for these knowledge deficits because there is a sense that they should know better. (para. 5)Meaning:Just because they are assumed to learn better, students unfairly become the main target of the c
34、riticism for their insufficient knowledge. bulk:n. U(the of sth.) the majority or largest part of sth. (某物的) 大部分，多半 Because the bulk of the work was supervised by the owner， the overall cost is difficult to assess. 大部分的工作是由业主监督，总体成本很难去评估。 deficit: n. C 1) a lack of a quality, skill, or ability that
35、you should have （素质、技能或能力的）缺乏、不足knowledge/language/sleep deficit 知识、语言、睡眠的缺乏 2) the amount by which sth. is less than you need or should have 赤字；亏损；逆差 Owing to the heavy deficit, the company is apparently on the verge of bankruptcy.由于巨额亏损，该公司很明显已到了破产的边缘。 Note The word deficit is mainly used in the s
36、econd meaning (赤字；亏损；逆差) 11.Students are not dumb, but they are being misled everywhere they look and listen.（para. 6)Meaning:Students are not stupid however,they mistakenly learn whatever they see and hear in their language environment. Note Here, “they are being misled” is used for emphasis, empha
37、sizing an on-going situation of “being misled”. dumb: a. (infml.) stupid 愚蠢的 The questions were set up just to make her look dumb.问题这么设计就是为了让她出丑。 12.For example signs in grocery stores point them to the stationary, even though the actual stationery- pads, albums and notebooks - are not items nailed
38、down. (para. 6) Meaning:For example , signs of merchandise in grocery stores lead students to the“stationary”department selling stationery like pads =, albums and notebooks. However, these displayed stationery items are movable but not nailed down. Meaning beyond words: Taking the wrong spelled sign
39、s in grocery stores as an example, the author argues that it is not studentsfault. The verb phrase nail down is cleverly used to describe the funny situation: movable“stationery” items are under the sign of unmovable stationary distinct spelling mistake between the two words. stationary: a. standing
40、 still instead of moving 不（移）动的；静止的 Stationary cars in traffic jams caused a great deal of pollution.交通堵塞中静止不动的汽车产生了大量污染。 stationery:n.U materials used for writing, such as paper, pens pencils, etc. 文具We regret that we are unable to accept telephone orders for personal stationery items. 很遗憾，我们不能接受个人
41、文具用品的电话订购。 nail sth. down: 1) fasten sth. to sth. else with nails 钉；将某物钉牢Will you nail down that loose board in the floor? 请把那块松动的地板钉牢好吗？ 2）（infml.）reach a final and definite agreement or decision about sth. Two days isnt enough to nail down the details of an agreement.要把协议的所有细节都确定下来，两天的时间是不够的。 13.F
42、riends and loved ones often proclaim theyve just ate when, in fact, theyre just eaten ( para . 6 ) Meaning:Friends and loved ones often make mistakes when speaking English. For example, they say publicly theyre just ate but actually they should say theyre just eaten. proclaim: vt. (fml.) say publicl
43、y or officially that sth. important is true or exists 宣称；宣布；声明 Britain proudly proclaims that it is a nation of animal lovers.英国自豪的宣称自己是一个爱护动物的国家。 14.Therefore, it doesnt make any sense to criticize our students (para. 6) Meaning:So, theres no good reason to criticize our students. Which is unfair t
44、o them. 15. Blame for the scandal of this language deficit should be thrust upon our schools, which should be setting high standards of English language proficiency. (para. 7) Meaning:Our schools should be blamed for the shocking evidence of students insufficient language skills. Its their responsib
45、ility to establish high standards of English language abilities. scandal: n. 1) sing. a situation that shocks you and makes you angry, esp. one that you think sb. in authority should change （尤指当局本应改变的）令人震惊的事，引起愤慨的事 It is a scandal that a person can be stopped by the police for no reason. 警察竟可以毫无理由地拦
46、人，这很令人震惊。 2) C an event in which sb., esp. sb. important, behaves in a bad way that shocks people (尤指牵涉知名人士的) 丑闻，丑事The official got involved in a scandal and was forced to resign weeks later.那位官员卷入了一桩丑闻，几个星期后被迫辞职。 thrust sth. upon/on sb.: (usu. passive) force sb. to do or accept sth.迫使某人做某事；迫使某人接受某事
47、 She never enjoyed the fame that was thrust on her.对于强加给她的名声，她从未感到开心过。 proficiency：n. U a good standard of ability and skill 熟练；精通 Evidence of basic proficiency in English is part of the admission requirements.具备基本的英语技能是入学要求的一部分。 16. Instead they only teach a little grammar and even less advanced vo
48、cabulary. (para. 7) Meaning:contrary to what the schools should do they only teach a minimum amount of grammar and far from enough advanced vocabulary. 17.Moreover, the younger teachers themselves evidently have little knowledge of these vital structures of language because they also went without ex
49、posure to them. (para. 7) Meaning:In addition, the young teachers obviously know little about these important structures of language since they also didnt have the chance to deal with them in their prior learning experiences. moreover: ad. (fml.) in addition-used to introduce information that adds to or supports what has previously been said 而且；再者；此外 Moreover, they become more concerned about their health as they grow older. 此外，随着年龄的增长，他们更加关注自己的健康。 evidently:ad. used for saying that sth. is obviously t
