-
Unit1
Learning a foreign
language was one of the most difficult yet most
rewarding experiences of my life.
学习外语是我一生中最艰苦也是最有意义的经历之一。
Although at times learning a language
was frustrating, it was well worth the effort.
虽然时常遭遇挫折，但却非常有价值。
My experience with learning a foreign
language began in <4>junior middle school,
when I took my first
English class.
我学外语的经历始于初中的第一堂英语课。
I had a kind and patient teacher who
often praised all of the students.
老师很慈祥耐心，时常表扬学生。
Because
of
this
positive
method,
I
eagerly
answered
all
the
questions I
could, never
worrying
much
about
making mistakes.
由于这种积极的教学方法，我踊跃回答各种问题，从不怕答错。
I was at the top of my class for two
years.
两年中，我的成绩一直名列前茅
When I went to
senior
middle school, I was
eager to continue studying English; however, my
experience in
senior middle school was
very different from before.
到了高中后，我渴望继续学习英语。然而，高中时的经历与以前大不相同。
While my former teacher had been
patient with all of the students, my new teacher
quickly punished those
who gave
incorrect answers.
以前，老师对所有
的学生都很耐心，而新老师则总是惩罚答错的学生。
Whenever we answered incorrectly, she
pointed a long stick at us and, shaking it up and
down, shouted,
No! No!
每当有谁回答
错了，她就会用长教鞭指着我们，上下挥舞大喊：
“错！错！错！
”
It didn't
take me long to lose my eagerness to answer
questions.
没有多久，我便不再渴望回答问题了
Not only did I lose my joy in answering
questions, but I also lost my desire to say
anything at all in English.
我不仅失去了回答问题的乐趣，而且根本就不想再用英语说半个字。
However, that state didn't last long.
好在这种情况没持续多久。
When I went to college, I learned that
all students were required to take an English
course.
到了大学，我了解到所有学生必须上英语课。
Unlike
my
senior
middle
school
teacher,
my
college
English
teachers
were
patient
and
kind,
and
none
of
them carried long,
pointed sticks!
与高中老师不同，大学英
语老师非常耐心和蔼，而且从来不带教鞭！
The
situation was far from perfect, though.
不过情况却远不尽如人意。
As our classes were very large, I was
only able to answer a couple of questions in each
class period.
由于班大，每堂课能轮到我回答的问题寥寥无几。
Also, after a few weeks of classes, I
noticed there were many students who spoke much
better than I did.
上了几周课后，我还发现许多同学的英语说得比我要好得多。
I began to feel
intimidated
.
我开始产生一种畏惧感。
So,
once again, although for different reasons, I was
afraid to speak.
虽然原因与高中时不同，但我却又一次不敢开口了。
It seemed my English was
going to stay at the same level forever.
看来我的英语水平要永远停步不前了
That
was
the
situation
until
a
couple
of
years
later
when
I
was
offered
an
opportunity
to
study
English
through an
online
course.
直到几年后我有机会参加远程英语课程，情况才有所改善。
The
communication
medium
was a computer, a
phone line, and a
modem
这种课程的媒介是一台电脑、一条电话线和一个调制解调器。
.
I
soon
got
access
to
the
necessary
equipment,
learned
how
to
use
the
technology
from
a
friend
and
participated
in the
virtual
classroom 5
to 7 days a week.
我很快配齐了必要的
设备并跟一个朋友学会了电脑操作技术，于是我每周用
5
到
7
天在网上的虚拟课
堂里学习英语。
Online learning is not easier
than regular classroom study;
网上学习并不比普通的课堂学习容易。
it requires a lot of time,
commitment
and
discipline
to keep up with
the flow of the course.
它需要花许多的时间，需要学习者专心自律，以跟上课程进度。
I worked hard to meet the
minimum
standards set by the
course and to complete
assignments
on time.
我尽力达到课程的最低要求，并按时完成作业。
I practiced all the time.
我随时随地都在学习。
I carried a little dictionary with me
everywhere I went, as well as a notebook in which
I listed any new words
I heard.
不管去哪里，我都随身携带一本袖珍字典和笔记本，笔记本上
记着我遇到的生词。
I made many,
sometimes
embarrassing
,
mistakes.
我学习中出过许多错，有时是令人尴尬的错误。
Once in a while I cried out of
frustration
, and sometimes I
felt like giving up.
有时我会因挫折而哭泣，有时甚至想放弃。
But I didn't feel intimidated by
students who spoke faster than I did because I
took all the time I needed to
think out
my ideas and wrote a reply before
posting
it on the screen.
但我从未因别的同学英语说得比我快而感到畏惧，因为在电脑
屏幕上作出回答之前，我可以根据自己
的需要花时间去琢磨自己的想法。
Then, one day I realized I could
understand just about everything I came across,
and most importantly, I could
突然有一天我发现自己什么都懂了，
更重要的是，我说起英语来灵活自如。
Although
I
was
still
making
many
mistakes
and
was
continually
learning
new
ways
to
say
things,
I
had
finally
reaped
the
benefits
of all of my hard
work.
尽管我还是常常出错，还有很多东西要学，但我已尝到了刻苦学习的甜头。
Learning
a
foreign
language
has
been
a
most
trying
experience
for
me,
but
one
that
I
wouldn't
trade
for
anything.
学习外语对我来说是非常艰辛的经历，但它又无比珍贵。
Not only did learning another language
teach me the value of hard work, but it also gave
me
insights
into
another culture, and my mind was opened
to new ways of seeing things.
< br>它不仅使我懂得了艰苦努力的意义，
而且让我了解了不同的文化，
让我以一种全新的思维去看待事物。
The
most wonderful result of having learned a foreign
language was that I could
communicate
with many
more people than before.
学习一门外语最令人兴奋的收获是我能与更多的人交流。
Talking with people is one of my
favorite
activities, so
being able to speak a new language lets me meet
new
people, participate in
conversations, and form new, unforgettable
friendships.
与人交谈是我最喜欢的一项活动
，新的语言使我能与陌生人交往，参与他们的谈话，并建立新的难以
忘怀的友谊。
Now that I speak a foreign
language, instead of staring into space when
English is being spoken,
I
can participate and make friends.
由于我已能说英语，别人讲英语时我不再茫然不解了。我能够参与其中，并结交朋友。
I am able to reach out to others
and bridge the
gap
between
my language and culture and theirs.
我能与
人交流，并能够弥合我所说的语言和所处的文化与他们的语言和文化之间的鸿沟。
Unit2
The radio
clicked
on. Rock music
blasted
orth
收音机“咔嗒”一声，摇滚乐就大声地响开了。
.
Like a shot, the music woke
Sandy.
音乐像枪声似的将桑迪吵醒。
She
looked at the clock; it was 6:15 A.M.
她看了一下钟，早上
6
点一刻。
Sandy sang along with the
words as she lay listening to her favorite radio
station.
她躺在床上，听着她喜欢的电台广播，嘴里哼着歌词。
“桑迪，
”
她父亲喊道，
“桑迪，把音乐关了！
”
Steve Finch
burst
nto her room.
史蒂夫·芬奇冲进她的卧室。
Why
do you have to listen to such
horrible
uff
?
“你为什么一定要听这么糟糕的音乐？
It's the same thing over and over.
还听了一遍又一遍。
I'm not sure it is really music, though
it does have
rhythm
.
< br>虽然有节奏，可恐怕不是真正的音乐。
“我喜欢这种音乐，爸爸。这是我最喜欢的。
Listen for a minute; I'm sure you'll
like it.
您听一下吧，您肯定会喜欢的。
”
Sandy reached for the radio to turn it
up louder.
桑迪伸手把音乐开得更响。
“别，别开那么响，我受不了
Turn that radio down so your mother and
I can't hear it.
把收音机音量调低点，这样我和你妈妈就听不到了。
I'm sure that music is hurting your
ears as well as your brain.
我敢肯定，那音乐既伤你的
耳朵，又伤你的大脑。
”
Sandy
walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower.
桑迪走进浴室，打开淋浴喷头。
Then she
grabbed
the soap and washed
thoroughly
, including her
hair.
然后她抓起香皂，浑身上下洗个遍，连头发也洗了。
After her shower, Sandy brushed her
hair, put on her old, green T-shirt and some
jeans.
淋浴后，桑迪梳了梳头发，穿上一件旧的绿色
圆领衫和一条牛仔裤。
Then she put on
her
makeup
and went to the
kitchen.
接着她化好妆，走进了厨房
As
usual, she didn't know what to have for breakfast,
so she grabbed a glass of milk and ate a piece of
toast
while
standing by the sink.
和往常一样
，她不知道早餐该吃什么，便抓了杯牛奶，站在洗涤槽旁吃烤面包。
Just then, her mother, Jane, entered
the kitchen.
就在此时，她妈妈简走进了厨房。
“桑迪，你怎么不坐下吃饭？
站着吃饭对身体不好。
”
“我知道，妈妈，可我没时间坐着吃。
”
“昨天做作业了吧，宝贝？”
“刷过牙了？”
<
/p>
“妈妈，我还没吃完饭呢。吃完了再刷。
”
disgusting
.
“桑迪，你怎么穿那件旧圆领衫呢？
难看死了。
”
“妈妈，请别这样。
”
“别怎么样？”
Stop
b
ugging
me.
“别这样烦我。
eyeliner
?
< br>“桑迪，你怎么描起眼线来了？”
“我是描了，妈妈。我都描了几个月了。难道不漂亮？”
“桑迪·芬奇，你还小，不能化这么浓的妆。
”
“妈妈，我都
15
岁了，到了可以化妆的年龄了。
Believe me, all the girls at school
wear makeup. Some have
tattoos
and
pierced
ears, and noses and
tongues,
too.
给您
说实话吧，学校的女孩子都化妆，有些还文身，有的还戴耳环、鼻环、舌环呢。
Mom, I don't have time to talk about
this now
—
I'm late. I've got
to go. See you later.
妈妈，我现在没时间给您说，我快迟到了
，得走了。再见。
”
Sandy
kissed her mother quickly on the cheek, picked up
her books, and
bolted
out of
the house.
桑迪匆匆吻了一下妈妈的脸颊，拿起书冲出了屋子。
After Sandy had left for school, Jane
Finch sat down in peace and quiet to drink her
coffee.
桑迪离家上学后，简·芬奇平静地坐下来喝咖啡。
Soon her husband joined her.
没过一会儿，她丈夫走了进来
“史蒂夫，喝点咖啡吧？”简问道。
upset
—
like it's full of
knots
.
“不，谢谢，亲爱的。我胃不舒服，心乱如麻。
It's probably that
awful
music that wakes me up
every morning.
可能是因为那讨厌的音乐每天早上把我吵醒。
I don't think I'm old-fashioned, but
hearing those
tuneless
<,
offensive
yrics
repeatedly makes my
blood boil.
我想我还不至于老得落伍吧，可没完没了地听那毫无韵律、令人
讨厌的歌曲实在让我生气。
”
appeals
to
different generations,
“你知道，
亲爱的，不同年龄的人喜欢不同的音乐，
”
简劝说道。
“还记得我们听过的一些音乐吗？”
Steve smiled.
rid
of some of the knots in my stomach.
史蒂夫笑
了，
“你说得有道理。也许吃点早饭能让我感觉好一点。
I can't believe
I didn't notice.
“你注意到了吗，今天
早晨我们
15
岁的女儿都化了什么样的妆？
I suppose we should feel lucky
because makeup is our biggest problem with her.
我真不敢相信自己以前没有注意到。
I've seen other teenagers walking
around town with tattoos and
piercings
all over their bod
ies.
我想我们应该感到幸运，因为我们女儿的最大问题还只是化妆。
negativ
e
influence
on Sandy.
“令我担心的是，
”史蒂夫说，
“那种音乐对桑迪可能有负面的影响。
I
don't know what's happening to our little girl.
我不知道我们的女儿到底怎么回事。
She's changing and I'm concerned about
her.
她在变，我很担心她。
Makeup, terrible
music
—
who knows what will be
next?
化妆品，糟糕的音乐，谁知道以后还会有什么花样？
We need to have a talk with
her.
The
news
is
full
of
stories
about
teenagers
in
trouble
whose
parents
hardly
know
anything
about
their
problems.
我们得和她谈谈
。新闻里报道的尽是惹上麻烦的青少年，可他们的父母却不知道自己的孩子有什么问
题。
”
“哦，我倒不认为她的音乐如此糟糕。
But in any case, you're right. We need
to have a talk with Sandy,
但
不管怎么说，你还是说得对，我们需要和桑迪谈谈，
”
简说道。
As Jane
Finch drove to work, she thought about her Sandy.