1、Text,Catching Crabs1 In the fall of our final year, our mood changed.The relaxed atmosphere of the preceding summersemester, the impromptu ball games, the boatingon the Charles River, the late-night parties haddisappeared, and we all started to get our heads down,studying late, and attendance at cla
2、sses rose steeplyagain. We all sensed we were coming to the end ofour stay here, that we would never get a chance like this again, and we became determined not to wasteit.,Text,Most important of course were the final exams in April and May in the following year. No one wanted the humiliation of fini
3、shing last in class, so the peer group pressure to work hard was strong. Libraries which were once empty after five oclock in the afternoon were standing room only until the early hours of the morning, and guys wore the bags under their eyes and their pale, sleepy faces with pride, like medals provi
4、ng their diligence.,Text,2 But there was something else. At the back of everyones mind was what we would do next, when weleft university in a few months time. It wasnt always the high flyers with the top grades who knew what they were going to do. Quite often it was the quieter, less impressive stud
5、ents who had the next stages of their life mapped out. One had landed a job in his brothers advertising firm in Madison Avenue, another had got a script under provisional acceptance in Hollywood.,Text,The most ambitious student among us was going to work as a party activist at a local level. We all
6、saw him ending up in the Senate or in Congress one day. But most people were either looking to continue their studies, or to make a living with a white-collar job in a bank, local government, or anything which would pay them enough to have a comfortable time in their early twenties, and then settle
7、down with a family, a mortgage and some hope of promotion.,Text,3 I went home at Thanksgiving, and inevitably, my brothers and sisters kept asking me what I was planning to do. I didnt know what to say. Actually, I did know what to say, but I thought theyd probably criticize me, so I told them what
8、everyone else was thinking of doing.,Text,4 My father was watching me but saying nothing. Late in the evening, he invited me to his study. We sat down and he poured us a drink. 5 “So?“ he said. 6 “Er so what?“ 7 “So what do you really want to do?“ he asked.,Text,8 My father was a lawyer, and I had a
9、lways assumedhe wanted me to go to law school, and follow his paththrough life. So I hesitated. 9 Then I replied, “I want to travel, and I want to be awriter.” 10 This was not the answer I thought he would expect.Travel? Where? A writer? About what? I braced myself for some resistance to the idea.,T
10、ext,11 There was a long silence. 12 “Interesting idea,“ he said finally. 13 There was another long silence. 14 “I kind of wish Id done that when I was your age.“ 15 I waited. 16 “You have plenty of time. You dont need to go into a career which pays well just at the moment. You needto find out what y
11、ou really enjoy now, because if youdont, you wont be successful later.“,Text,17 “So how do I do this?“18 He thought for a moment. Then he said, “Look, itslate. Lets take the boat out tomorrow morning, just youand me. Maybe we can catch some crabs for dinner,and we can talk more.“,Text,19 It was a sm
12、all motor boat, moored ten minutesaway, and my father had owned it for years. Early nextmorning we set off along the estuary. We didnt talkmuch, but enjoyed the sound of the seagulls and thesight of the estuary coastline and the sea beyond. 20 There was no surf on the coastal waters at that timeof d
13、ay, so it was a smooth half-hour ride until my fatherswitched off the motor. “Lets see if we get lucky,“he said, picked up a rusty, mesh basket with a ropeattached and threw it into the sea.,Text,21 We waited a while, then my father stood up andsaid, “Give me a hand with this,“ and we hauled up thec
14、rab cage onto the deck. 22 Crabs fascinated me. They were so easy to catch.It wasnt just that they crawled into such an obvioustrap, through a small hole in the lid of the basket, butit seemed as if they couldnt be bothered to crawl outagain even when you took the lid off. They just satthere, waving
15、 their claws at you.,Text,23 The cage was brimming with dozens of soft shellcrabs, piled high on top of each other. “Why dont theytry to escape?“ I wondered aloud to my father. 24 “Just watch them for a moment. Look at that one,there! Hes trying to climb out, but every time the othercrabs pull him b
16、ack in,“ said my father.,Text,25 And we watched. The crab climbed up the meshtowards the lid, and sure enough, just as it reached thetop, one of its fellow crabs reached out, clamped itsclaw onto any available leg, and pulled it back. Several times the crab tried to defy his fellow captives, without
17、 luck. 26 “Now watch!“ said my father. “Hes starting to get bored with this game.“,Text,27 Not only did the crab give up its lengthy struggle toescape, but it actually began to help stop other crabstrying to escape. Hed finally chosen an easy way oflife. 28 Suddenly I understood why my father had su
18、ggestedcatching crabs that morning. He looked at me. “Dontget pulled back by the others,“ he said. “Spend sometime figuring out who you are and what you want in life.,Text,Look back at the classes youre taking, and think about which ones were most productive for you personally. Then think about what
19、s really important to you, what really interests you, what skills you have. Try to figure out where you want to live, where you want to go, what you want to earn, how you want to work. And if you cant answer these questions now, then take some time to find out. Because if you dont, youll never be ha
20、ppy.“,Text,29 He paused. 30 “So you want to travel?“ he asked. 31 “Yes,“ I replied. 32 “Better get you a passport. And you want to be awriter?“ 33 “I think so.“ 34 “Interesting choice. Weve never had a writer in thefamily,“ he said. 35 My father started the motor and we set off backhome.,Text,抓 螃 蟹1
21、 大学最后一年的秋天，我们的心情变了。刚刚过去的夏季学期的轻松氛围、即兴球赛、查尔斯河上的泛舟以及深夜晚会都不见了踪影，我们开始埋头学习，苦读到深夜，课堂出勤率再次急剧上升。我们都觉得在校时间不多了，以后再也不会有这样的学习机会了，所以都下定决心不再虚度光阴。,Text,当然，下一年四五月份的期末考试最为重要。我们谁都不想考全班倒数第一，那太丢人了，因此同学们之间的竞争压力特别大。以前每天下午五点以后，图书馆就空无一人了，现在却要等到天快亮时才会有空座，小伙子们熬夜熬出了眼袋，他们脸色苍白，睡眼惺忪，却很自豪，好像这些都是表彰他们勤奋好学的奖章。,Text,2 还有别的事情让大家心情焦虑。每个
22、人都在心里盘算着过几个月毕业离校之后该找份什么样的工作。并不总是那些心怀抱负、成绩拔尖的高材生才清楚自己将来要做什么，常常是那些平日里默默无闻的同学早早为自己下几个阶段的人生做好了规划。有位同学在位于麦迪逊大道他哥哥的广告公司得到了一份工作，另一位同学写的电影脚本已经与好莱坞草签了合约。,Text,我们当中野心最大的一位同学准备到地方上当一个政党活动家，我们都预料他最终会当上参议员或国会议员。但大多数同学不是准备继续深造，就是想在银行、地方政府或其他单位当个白领，希望在20出头的时候能挣到足够多的薪水，过上舒适的生活，然后就娶妻生子，贷款买房，期望升职，过安稳日子。,Text,3 感恩节的时候
23、我回了一趟家，兄弟姐妹们免不了不停地问我毕业后有什么打算，我不知道该说什么。实际上，我知道该说什么，但我怕他们批评我，所以只对他们说了别人都准备干什么。,Text,4 父亲看着我，什么也没说。夜深时，他叫我去他的书房。我们坐了下来，他给我们俩各倒了杯饮料。5 “怎么样？”他问。6 “啊，什么怎么样？”7 “你毕业后到底想做什么？”他问道。,Text,8 父亲是一名律师，我一直都认为他想让我去法学院深造，追随他的人生足迹，所以我有点儿犹豫。9 过了会儿我回答说：“我想旅行，我想当个作家。” 10 我想这不是他所期待的答案。旅行？去哪儿旅行？当作家？写什么呀？我做好了遭到他反对的心理准备。,Tex
24、t,11 接着是一段长长的沉默。12 “这想法有点意思，”他最后说。13 接着又是一段长长的沉默。14 “我真有点希望自己在你这个年纪时能做这些事儿。”15 我在等他把话说完。16 “你还有很多时间，不必急于进一个暂时报酬高的行业。你现在要搞清楚自己真正喜欢什么，如果你弄不清楚，以后就不可能成功。”,Text,17 “那我该怎么办？”18 他想了一会儿。然后他说道：“瞧，现在太晚了。我们明天早晨乘船出海去，就我们两个。也许我们能抓点螃蟹当晚餐，我们还可以再谈谈。”,Text,19 那是一艘小小的机动船，停泊在离我们家约十分钟路程的地方，是好些年前父亲买的。次日清晨，我们沿着港湾出发，一路上没说
25、多少话，只是默默地欣赏着海鸥的叫声，还有港湾沿岸和远处大海的景色。20 在这个时候沿海水域没什么风浪，船平稳地航行了半个小时之后父亲把船停了下来。他说：“咱们在这儿试试运气吧，”然后抓起一个系上绳子的生了锈的网状篓子抛到海里。,Text,21 我们等了一会儿，父亲站起来说，“来帮我一把。”于是我们一起将蟹篓子拽上了甲板。22 螃蟹让我着迷，它们太容易抓了。不仅仅是因为它们顺着篓盖上的小孔爬进一个再明显不过的陷阱，更因为即便盖子打开了，它们似乎也懒得从里面爬出来，只会趴在那儿冲你挥动着蟹钳。,Text,23 篓子里挤满了几十只软壳螃蟹，一只压着一只，堆得老高。“它们为什么不逃走啊？”我满腹狐疑地
26、问父亲。24 “你先观察一下，看那只螃蟹，那儿！它想爬出去，但每次都被同伴拽了回去，”父亲说。,Text,25 我们接着观察。那只螃蟹顺着网眼向顶盖攀援，每当它爬到顶盖时，果然就会有另一只螃蟹举起蟹钳夹住它的腿把它拽下来。这只螃蟹尝试了好几次想挣脱它的狱中同伴，但都没能成功。26 “快看！”父亲说。“它开始对这种游戏感到不耐烦了。”,Text,27 那只螃蟹不仅放弃了漫长的逃亡之战，而且还帮着把其他想逃跑的螃蟹拽下来。它最终选择了一种轻松的活法。28 我忽然明白了父亲为什么提议早上来抓螃蟹。他看着我说：“你可别被别人拽下来哦。花点时间想想你是哪一类人，你这一生希望得到什么。”,Text,“回顾
27、一下你在大学修的课程，想想有哪些课对你个人来说最有益。然后再想想什么对你最重要，什么最使你感兴趣，你有什么技能。琢磨一下你想在哪里生活，你想去哪里，想挣多少钱，想做什么样的工作。如果你现在不能回答这些问题，你就得花点时间去找出答案。你不这样做的话，永远都不会幸福的。”,Text,29 他停顿了一下。30 “你想去旅行？”他接着问我。31 “对，”我回答说。32 “那就去申请护照吧。你想当作家？”33 “对。”34 “有趣的选择，我们家还没出过作家呢，”他说。35 我父亲发动了马达，我们返航回家。,Text,Words & Phrases,impromptu,boating,attendance
28、,steeply,humiliation,diligence,flyer,inevitably,promotion,mortgage,congress,senate,ambitious,acceptance,mesh,rusty,coastal,surf,coastline,estuary,moor,impressive,script,provisional,resistance,brace,criticize,clamp,brim,deck,Words & Phrases,defy,captive,lengthy,productive,at / in the back of ones min
29、d,map out,haul up,figure out,Words & Phrases,Madison Avenue （纽约市的）麦迪逊大街,Thanksgiving 感恩节,Hollywood 好莱坞,impromptu a. & ad. done without being planned, prepared, or organized 即兴的（地）；无准备的（地） e.g. 1. An impromptu visit broke up the long afternoon.突然的造访打破了漫长的午后时光。 2. I quite by chance got drawn into a ki
30、nd of impromptu party downstairs.我碰巧被拉去参加楼下那种临时组织起来的舞会。 3. A facile speaker can face any audience impromptu.出口成章的演说家能随时面对任何观众。,Words & Phrases,boating n. U the activity of travelling in a small boat on a lake or river for enjoyment （以娱乐为目的的）划船 e.g. 1. We are going boating on the lake today.我们今天打算去湖上
31、泛舟。 2. Life is like a boat. Everybody must learn to be skilled in boating. 人生犹如一艘船，人人都应该有掌舵的本领。,Words & Phrases,attendance n. 1) U the fact of being present at an event or of going regularly to school, church etc. 出席；参加 2) C, U the number of people who are present at an event or in a place such as a
32、 school or church 出席人数 Translate the following into Chinese: 1. Her attendance at church was very patchy.她去教堂的时间很不规则。 2. Despite falling attendances, the zoo will stay open. 尽管来参观的人不断减少，动物园将继续开放。,Words & Phrases,3. Should class attendance be required?是否要实行上课点名制? 4. There was a large attendance at th
33、e party. 参加聚会的人很多。 5. Several heads of state were in attendance at the funeral. 好几位国家元首参加了葬礼。 6. It was a record attendance for a midweek game. 对于一场周中期举行的比赛，有这么多人到场还是首次。Word family: attend v. 出席，参加,Words & Phrases,steeply ad. in a steep manner（上升或下降）急剧地，大起大落地 Word family: steep a. a steep increase o
34、r fall in sth. is sudden and very big 急剧升降的 e.g. 1. The plane climbed steeply.飞机陡直地爬升。 2. Export orders continued to fall steeply.出口订单继续大幅下跌。 3. The price of vegetables has risen steeply. 蔬菜的价格猛涨。,Words & Phrases,humiliation n. 1) U the unhappy and ashamed feeling that you get when sth. embarrassing
35、 happens 耻辱；丢脸 e.g. I felt humiliation at her remarks.听到她的话我感到很耻辱。 2) C sth. that makes you feel very embarrassed and ashamed 耻辱之事；丢脸的事 e.g. Never forget our national humiliation.勿忘国耻。 Word family: humiliate v.,Words & Phrases,diligence n. U (fml) the attitude or behaviour of someone who works very
36、hard and very carefully 勤奋；用功 e.g. Diligence leads to success while laziness results in failure. 勤奋会带来成功，而懒惰将导致失败。 Word family: diligent a. e.g. In learning, the work of a diligent fool doubles that of a lazy wit. 在学习上，一个以勤补拙的人的实效会成倍于一个懒惰的聪明人。,Words & Phrases,flyer n. C 1) (infml) a person, animal,
37、or vehicle that can go very fast 有雄心壮志的人；杰出的人 e.g. He is acknowledged as a high flyer with high marks.他是大家公认的心怀抱负、成绩拔尖的高材生。 2) a bird, insect, or animal that flies in a particular way 飞鸟；飞行物 e.g. This is the bluethroat, a beautiful bird and magnificent flyer. 照片上这种是蓝喉，华美的一种飞鸟。,Words & Phrases,3) an
38、announcement or advertisement that is printed on a sheet of paper and given to people 传单，小广告 e.g. People were giving out flyers advertising the event.人们在分发传单宣传这个项目。 4) an aircraft pilot 飞行员 e.g. Even during his first ride on a broomstick, Harry was recognized as an outstanding flyer. 哈利第一次骑上飞天扫帚就被认定
39、是一位杰出的飞行员了。,Words & Phrases,impressive a. if sth. is impressive, you admire it, for example because it is very good, large, or shows great skill 令人钦佩的；令人印象深刻的 e.g. 1. It was an impressive list of achievements. 那是份给人印象深刻的成绩单。 2. His collection of paintings is the most impressive.他的绘画收藏令人叹为观止。 Word fa
40、mily: impress v.impression n.,Words & Phrases,script n. C the written words of a play, film, television programme, speech etc. 剧本；电影剧本（尤指手稿） e.g. They wrote some excellent comedy scripts. 他们写了一些精彩的喜剧脚本。 Cf. alphabet: letter: character: script:,Words & Phrases,不表示单个字母,指一种语言的整个字母表。,指单个的字母。,通常指汉语的方块字，也
41、指字符。,指书写或印刷的字母。,provisional a. intended to be temporary, and likely to be changed when other arrangements are made 临时的；暂时性的；暂定的 e.g. 1. They write to give their provisional acceptance of the contract. 他们写信临时接受此项合同。 2. Clive and I shook hands on a provisional agreement ten minutes ago. 10分钟前，克莱夫和我达成了
42、一项临时协议。,Words & Phrases,acceptance n. U 1) agreement to a plan, offer, or suggestion 赞同；同意 e.g. The new laws gained widespread acceptance.新法令受到广泛赞同。2) ( of) general agreement that sth. is true, reasonable, or cannot be changed 接受；认可 e.g. Alternative medicines are now winning greater acceptance among
43、 doctors. 另类疗法现在越来越为医生所接受。 Word family: accept v.,Words & Phrases,ambitious a. 1) determined to be successful, rich, famous etc. 有野心 的；有强烈欲望的；有抱负的 e.g. To some degree, only those people who are ambitious can have their own careers. 从某种程度上说，只有有雄心的人才能干出一番事业。 2) an ambitious plan, aim, or attempt is di
44、fficult and will need a lot of effort to succeed （计划、目标或企图）要求高的，需付出极大努力的 e.g. That is a very ambitious plan, and I hope it succeeds. 那是一项很宏伟的计划，我希望它会成功。,Words & Phrases,Choose the ONE that best completes the sentence. My brothers plans are very _; he wants to master English, French and Spanish befor
45、e he is sixteen. (CET4-2002-01-58) A) arbitrary B) aggressive C) ambitious D) abundant Word family: ambition n.,Words & Phrases,C,senate n. (the Senate) the more senior part of the US Congress（美国）参议院 e.g. The Senate has voted to support the Presidents defense plans.参议院已经投票支持总统的防卫计划。Word family: sena
46、tor n.参议员,Words & Phrases,congress n. 1) (Congress) the group of people chosen or elected to make laws in the US 美国国会 e.g. Congress consists of two parts, the House of Representatives and the Senate.美国国会由两部分组成：众议院和参议院。 2) C a large meeting of members of a political group （政党的）大会 e.g. This matter wil
47、l be discussed in congress tomorrow. 这个问题将在明天的代表大会上讨论。,Words & Phrases,mortgage n. C a legal agreement in which you borrow money from a bank or financial organization in order to buy a house 抵押；抵押借款；按揭 You pay back your mortgage by making monthly payments, plus interest. Thus, getting a mortgage for
48、 many young people means getting a flat or house of their own. e.g. 1. a mortgage slave 2. Do you have a mortgage on your house?你的房子在抵押贷款吗？ 3. On my present salary I cant get a mortgage.靠我现在的工资没办法办到按揭贷款。,Words & Phrases,房奴,promotion n. C, U 1) a move to a higher level in a company, institution, or s
49、port 提升，晋升 2) the activity of encouraging or supporting something 鼓励，提倡 Translate the following into Chinese. 1. He has filled all requirements for promotion. 他已具备晋升的一切条件。 2.The government adopts a policy of employment promotion and has effectively solved the problem. 政府实施了就业促进政策，较为有效地解决了就业问题。 Word family: promote v.,
