1、新视野三版读写 BU1 TextAnimpressiveEnglishlesson1 If I am the only parent who still corrects his childs English, then perhaps myson is right. To him, I am a tedious oddity: a father he is obliged to listen to anda man absorbed in the rules of grammar, which my son seems allergic to.2 I think I got serious
2、about this only recently when I ran into one of my formerstudents, fresh from an excursion to Europe. “How was it?“ I asked, fullof earnest anticipation.3 She nodded three or four times, searched the heavens for the right words,and then exclaimed, “It was, like, whoa!“4 And that was it. The civiliza
3、tion of Greece and the glory ofRoman architecture were captured in a condensed non-statement.Mystudents “whoa!“ was exceeded only by my head-shaking distress.5 There are many different stories about the downturn in the proper use ofEnglish. Surely students should be able to distinguishbetween their/
4、there/theyre or the distinctive differencebetween complimentary and complementary. They unfairly bear the bulk ofthe criticism for these knowledge deficits because there is a sense that theyshould know better.6 Students are not dumb, but they are being misled everywhere they look andlisten. For exam
5、ple, signs in grocery stores point them to the stationary, eventhough the actual stationery items pads, albums and notebooks are notnailed down. Friends and loved ones often proclaim theyve just ate when, infact, theyve just eaten. Therefore, it doesnt make any sense to criticize ourstudents.7 Blame
6、 for the scandal of this language deficit should be thrust upon ourschools, which should be setting high standards of Englishlanguage proficiency. Instead, they only teach a little grammar and even lessadvanced vocabulary. Moreover, the younger teachersthemselves evidently have little knowledge of t
7、hese vital structures oflanguage because they also went without exposure to them. Schools failto adequately teach the essential framework of language, accurate grammarand proper vocabulary, while they should take the responsibility of pushing theyoung onto the path of competent communication.8 Since
8、 grammar is boring to most of the young students, I think that it must behandled delicately, step by step. The chance came when one day I was drivingwith my son. As we set out on our trip, he noticed a bird in jerky flight and said,“Its flying so unsteady.“ I carefully asked, “My son, how is the bir
9、dflying?“ “Whats wrong? Did I say anything incorrectly?“ He got lost. “Great!You said incorrectly instead of incorrect. We use adverbs to describe verbs.Therefore, its flying so unsteadily but not so unsteady.“9 Curious about my correction, he asked me what an adverb was. Slowly, Isaid, “Its a word
10、that tells you something about a verb.“ It led to his asking mewhat a verb was. I explained, “Verbs are action words; for example, Dad drivesthe truck. Drive is the verb because its the thing Dad is doing.“10 He became attracted to the idea of action words, so we listed a fewmore: fly, swim, dive, r
11、un. Then, out of his own curiosity, he asked me if otherwords had names for their use and functions. This led to a discussion of nouns,adjectives, and articles.Within the span of a 10-minute drive, he had learnedfrom scratch to the major parts of speech in a sentence. It was painlesslearning and gre
12、at fun!11 Perhaps, language should be looked upon as a road map and a valuablepossession: often study the road map (check grammar) and tune up the carengine (adjust vocabulary). Learning grammar and a good vocabulary is justlike driving with a road map in a well-conditioned car.12 The road map provi
13、des the framework and guidance you need for your trip,but it wont tell you exactly what trees or flowers you will see, what kind ofpeople you will encounter, or what types of feelings you will be experiencing onyour journey. Here, the vocabulary makes the journeys true colors comealive! A good vocab
14、ulary enables you to enjoy whatever you see as you drivealong. Equipped with grammar and a good vocabulary, you have flexibility andexcellent control. While the road map guides your journey to your destination,an excellent vehicle helps you to fully enjoy all of the sights, sounds andexperiences alo
15、ng the way.13 Effective, precise, and beneficial communication depends upon grammarand a good vocabulary, the two essential assets for students, but they are notbeing taught in schools.14 Just this morning, my son and I were eating breakfast when I attempted toadd milk to my tea. “Dad,“ he said, “If
16、 I were you, I wouldnt do that. Its sour.“15 “Oh my!“ I said, swelling with pride toward my son, “Thats a grammaticallyperfect sentence. You used were instead of was.“16 “I know, I know,“ he said with a long agreeable sigh. “Itsthe subjunctive mood.“17 I was, like, whoa!LanguagePoints:1IfIamtheonlyp
17、arentwhostillcorrectshischildsEnglish,thenperhapsmysonisright.Tohim,Iamatediousoddity:afatherheisobligedtolistentoandamanabsorbedintherulesofgrammar,whichmysonseemsallergicto.(Para.1)Meaning: My son is probably right if there is no other parent like me who still corrects hischilds mistakes in Englis
18、h. To my son, I am a boring and strange father, who he has tolisten to; I am also the one who pays lots of attention to grammar rules, which he doesntseem to like.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 neighbor
19、hood. 穿着笔挺的西装走在这个贫民区里，他觉得自己就像个怪物。Usagenote: obligeThe word oblige is most commonly used in the expression be/feel obliged.1 be/feel obliged to do sth. 指“感到有责任做某事”。例如：He felt obliged to help his mother, even if it meant leaving college. 他觉得有责任帮助母亲，即使这意味着他要离开大学。2 be/feel obliged to sb./sth. 指“对某人或某事心存
20、感激”。例如：Thank you very much, doctor. I am extremely obliged to you. 医生，非常谢谢您。对您，我深表感谢。2IthinkIgotseriousaboutthisonlyrecentlywhenIranintooneofmyformerstudents,freshfromanexcursiontoEurope.(Para.2)Meaning: I think I started to pay attention to other peoples usage of grammar only lately,when I happened
21、 to meet one of my former students, who had just returned from a shortjourney to Europe.3“Howwasit?”Iasked,fullofearnestanticipation.(Para.2)Meaning: When I asked about how her trip to Europe had been, I was expecting herresponse anxiously and sincerely.Howwasit?: (spoken) often used in conversation
22、 to ask sb. about their opinion orexperience of sth. 怎么样？（口语常用表达，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？I was told that you had traveled to many places in Asia recently. How was it? 有人告诉我你最近跑了亚洲的很多地方，旅行怎么样？fullof: (followed by abstract nouns) feeling or showing
23、a lot of particular emotion orquality （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 for the homework that the students had done. 老师对学生们完成的功课赞不绝口。Lucy is a happy child and always full of life. 露西是个快乐的孩子，总是充满了活力。4Shenoddedthreeorfo
24、urtimes,searchedtheheavensfortherightwords,andthenexclaimed,“Itwas,like,whoa!”(Para.3)Meaning: She nodded her head three or four times, tried to find the right words in hermind, and then shouted with excitement, “It was, like, whoa!”Meaningbeyondwords: Since the student was not quite sure how to exa
25、ctly describeher travel experience, the tone of the author is somewhat sarcastic. The author intendedto send out the message that the student was incompetent regarding the selection of herEnglish vocabulary.searchsomewhereforsth.: try to find sth. in some place 在某地方搜寻某物The robber reached out and sea
26、rched the back pocket of my trousers for anythingvaluable. 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 andexperienced when traveling in Europe.Usagenote: search,
27、 search for1 search: look through 检查；搜查They searched the man in front of me from head to foot. 他们把我前面的男子从头到脚搜查了一遍。They searched everybodys luggage. 他们检查了每个人的行李。2 search for: look for 寻找；搜寻The customs were searching for drugs at the airport. 海关人员在机场搜查毒品。Note: “It was, like, whoa!” means “It was reall
28、y great!”. “It was like ” is an informalexpression in conversation, very common for young people who are lazy and incapable toreference their ideas. The expression is usually followed by an adjective or anexclamation.It was, like, marvelous! 简直奇妙极了！(It was like) Whoa! How come you got a hundred perc
29、ent 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 think something isvery 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, w
30、hoa.To express surprise: Whoa! Its really amazing!To indicate a desire to end what someone is talking: Whoa, OK, thats enough.5Andthatwasit.(Para.4)Meaning: And that was everything she said, without even mentioning any details of herwonderful experience in Europe.Thatwasit.: often used in conversati
31、on to say that sth. is completely finished or that asituation cannot be changed 就这样（指某事彻底结束或形势不能更改）That was it. I could no longer hope for a promotion, and my boss didnt even want to seeme 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。Thats it. There is nothing more we can do. 就这样吧，我们也再没有别的办法。6Thecivilization
32、ofGreeceandthegloryofRomanarchitecturewerecapturedinacondensednon-statement.(Para.4)Meaning: The civilization of Greece and the glory of Roman architecture were justdescribed in one word rather than a complete statement because of her inability to chooseappropriate words to express herself.7Mystuden
33、ts“whoa!”wasexceededonlybymyhead-shakingdistress.(Para.4)Meaning: My head-shaking distress at her inability to express properly was even greaterthan her slang term whoa, one word, which did not make any statement to describe thecivilization of Greece and the glory of Roman architecture.Meaningbeyond
34、words: The word exceed states explicitly that the authors worry abouthis students language inability was much more intense than her excitement.8TherearemanydifferentstoriesaboutthedownturnintheproperuseofEnglish.(Para.5)Meaning: There are a lot of different stories about why more and more people are
35、 lessand less skilled when using English.downturn: n. C, usu. sing. a process in which business activity, production, etc. isreduced and conditions become worse 衰退；下降The downturn in the auto industry affected the entire economy of the United States. 汽车工业的衰退影响了整个美国的经济。9Surelystudentsshouldbeabletodis
36、tinguishbetweentheir/there/theyreorthedistinctivedifferencebetweencomplimentaryandcomplementary.(Para.5)Meaning: Of course, students should be able to recognize and understand thedifferences between their/there/theyre or the obvious differencebetween complimentary and complementary.Usagenote: distin
37、guished, distinctive, distinct这三个词词形相近，但意思有很大的差别，不能互换使用。1 distinguished指“卓越的；杰出的；著名的”。例如：His grandfather had been a distinguished university professor. 他的祖父曾是一位杰出的大学教授。2 distinctive指“（特征、性格或外表）独特的，有明显不同的”。强调“表示差别的”、“有特色的”、“特殊的”。例如：Irene had a very distinctive voice. 艾琳有一个非常独特的声音。Can you find the dis
38、tinctive watermarks of this stamp? 你能看到这枚邮票上明显的水印吗？Pupils in Hong Kong usually have distinctive badges on their school uniforms. 在香港，小学生的校服上常戴有颇具特色的徽章。3 distinct表示“分明的；明了的；清楚的”。例如：I have the distinct feeling that my friend did not realize what was happening. 我明显感到我朋友并未察觉所发生的一切。The photo you took in
39、Hong Kong Cultural Centre is not distinct enough. 你在香港文化中心拍的那张照片不够清晰。She has a distinct pronunciation. 她的发音清楚。There is a distinct smell of smoke in my room. 我的房间里有一股明显的香烟味。distinct的另一个词义是“明显不同的；有区别的”。例如：Our interests were quite distinct from those of them. 我们的兴趣与他们的兴趣截然不同。现将distinct和distinctive 用在一个
40、句子里，以便区分：One of the distinctive features of this book is its distinct illustrations. 这本书很明显的特点之一就是其具有清楚明了的图解。10Theyunfairlybearthebulkofthecriticismfortheseknowledgedeficitsbecausethereisasensethattheyshouldknowbetter.(Para.5)Meaning: Just because they are assumed to learn better, students unfairly
41、become themain target of the criticism for their insufficient knowledge.Note: The word deficit is mainly used in the second meaning (赤字；亏损；逆差).11Studentsarenotdumb,buttheyarebeingmisledeverywheretheylookandlisten.(Para.6)Meaning: Students are not stupid. However, they mistakenly learn whatever they
42、see andhear in their language environment.Note: Here, “ they are being misled” is used for emphasis, emphasizing an on-goingsituation of “being misled”.12Forexample,signsingrocerystorespointthemtothestationary,eventhoughtheactualstationeryitemspads,albumsandnotebooksarenotnaileddown.(Para.6)Meaning:
43、 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.Meaningbeyondwords: Taking the wrong spelled signs in grocery stores as anexa
44、mple, the author argues that it is not students fault. The verb phrase nail down iscleverly used to describe the funny situation: Movable “stationery” items are under thesign of unmovable “stationary”, a distinct spelling mistake between the two words.13Friendsandlovedonesoftenproclaimtheyvejustatew
45、hen,infact,theyvejusteaten.(Para.6)Meaning: Friends and loved ones often make mistakes when speaking English. Forexample, they say publicly theyve just ate but actually they should say theyve just eaten.Usagenote: proclaim, claim1 proclaim是正式宣告或公开宣告，“宣告”的中文意思比“声明”要严肃。例如：The government has proclaimed
46、 a new law. 政府已公布了一项新法令。They proclaimed that he was a traitor. 他们宣称他是叛徒。The ringing bells proclaimed the birth of the prince. 响亮的钟声宣布了王子的诞生。2 claim是根据权利声明，根据权利要求索赔，根据权利认领。1) 声称；断言；主张。例如：They claim to have discovered a cure for the disease. 他们声称已经发现了治疗此病的方法。She claimed that the ring was stolen, not l
47、ost. 她声言那只戒指是被偷的,而不是遗失的。2) 要求；索赔。例如：The old man claimed the land. 老人要求得到这块土地。I claim payment from my friend. 我要求我的朋友付款。14Therefore,itdoesntmakeanysensetocriticizeourstudents.(Para.6)Meaning: So, theres no good reason to criticize our students at all because its unfair toblame them.15Blameforthescand
48、alofthislanguagedeficitshouldbethrustuponourschools,whichshouldbesettinghighstandardsofEnglishlanguageproficiency.(Para.7)Meaning: Our schools should be blamed for the shocking situation of studentsinsufficient language skills. Its their responsibility to establish high standards of Englishlanguage
49、abilities.16Instead,theyonlyteachalittlegrammarandevenlessadvancedvocabulary.(Para.7)Meaning: Contrary to what the schools should do, they only teach a minimum amount ofgrammar and far from enough advanced vocabulary.17Moreover,theyoungerteachersthemselvesevidentlyhavelittleknowledgeofthesevitalstructuresoflanguagebecausetheyalsowentwithoutexposuretothem.(Para.7)Meaning: In addition, the young teachers obviously know little about these importantstructures of language since they also didnt have the chance to deal with them in theirpri
