-
Unit 1
Active reading (1)
Looking for a job after university?
First, get off the sofa
Reading and understanding
Dealing with unfamiliar
words
3 Match the words in
the box with their definitions.
1 to
make progress by moving to the next stage in a
series of actions or events
(proceed)
2 the
process of changing from one situation, form or
state to another
(transition)
3
not feeling involved with someone or something in
a close or emotional way
(detached)
4
referring to something which will happen soon
(upcoming)
5 to
be sitting still in a position that is not upright
(slump)
6 to
return to a previous state or way of behaving
(revert)
7 to say
what happened
(recount)
4
Complete the paragraph with the correct
form of the words in Activity 3.
It
isn’t easy to mak
e the (1)
transition
from a busy
university student to an unemployed young adult
(2)
slumped
on a bar stool
or half watching a mindless television show,
wondering if and how their career
is
going to (3)
proceed
. Many
people who have experienced a long period of
inactivity like this, when
(4)
recounting
how they felt at
the time, refer to the same strange psychological
effect. As the days
pass, they begin to
feel (5)
detached
from any
sense of pressure to go and look for a job, and
tend to
regard (6)
upcoming
interviews as if they were not very
important. Typically, back at home after three
or four years away, they (7)
revert
to old habits, start
seeing old friends, and, in many cases, become
dependent again on their parents.
5
Replace the underlined words with the
correct form of the words in the box. You may need
to
make other changes.
1 I
went to a mixed-ability secondary school just
outside London.
(comprehensive)
2
I got stopped by a policeman who asked to see my
driving licence.
(cop)
3
Have you seen
this beautiful from the air view of Oxford?
(aerial)
4
Isabel tightly
her bag as she walked down the corridor towards
the office.
(clutched)
5 You should speak to Toby; he’s an
supporter
of flexible working hours.
(advocate)
6 I
hurt my leg badly a couple of month
s
ago, and it still hasn’t got better completely.
(healed)
6 Answer the questions about the words.
1 Is a
dead-end
job one with (a) exciting prospects, or
(b) no future
?
2
Is a
tricky
problem
(a) difficult
, or (b) easy
to solve?
3
If an
activity
saps
all your
energy, do you feel
(a)
tired
, or (b) more active than usual?
4
Does a
pushy
person try to
(a) persuade you to do something you
don’t want to
, or (b) help you by
listening to what you have to say?
5
If you feel
apathy
, do you want to (a)
change the world, or
(b) stay at home
and do nothing
?
7 Answer the questions about the
phrases.
1
Is
fork out
(a) a formal, or
(b) an informal way of saying to pay
for something
?
-
1 -
2
If you are
in the same boat
as another
person, are you (a) making the same journey
together, or
(b)
in the same
difficult or unpleasant situation?
3
If you feel you
have
come full circle
, do
you
(a) feel you are back where you
started
, or (b) feel a
sense
of satisfaction because you have completed
something?
4
If
someone
takes a soft line
,
do they deal with a person
(a) in a
kind and sympathetic way
, or (b) in a
lazy way without making a decision?
5
If you
strike the right note
about
something, are you expressing yourself
(a) well
, or (b) badly?
6 If you do something
by all
means
, do you
(a) try your
best to do it
, or (b) not care about
it?
7
If you
nudge someone back into the
saddle
, are you encouraging them to
(a) take responsibility
again
, or (b) take it easy?
8
If you
talk through
a problem with
someone, do you
(a) examine it
carefully and sensitively
, or (b)
refer to it quickly and then change the
subject?
Active reading (2)
If you ask me
Dealing with unfamiliar
words
4 Match the words in
the box with their definitions.
1
funny or
entertaining
(amusing)
2
used for
emphasizing that something good has happened,
especially because of good luck
(fortunately)
3
an amount of
money that a person, business or country borrows,
usually from a bank
(loan)
4 to take an amount or number from a
total
(deduct)
5
the most exciting, impressive, or interesting part
of an event
(highlight)
6 to show that you understand someone’s
problems
(sympathize)
7 needing a lot of time, ability, and
energy
(demanding)
5
Complete the conversation with the
correct form of the words in Activity 4.
A
After
three
years at university, I’m now quite
he
avily in debt.
B
I (1)
sympathize
with you, I know what it’s like to have
financial problems. But (2)
fortunately
I
didn’t need to take out a
student (3)
loan
when I was
at university, because I had a part-time job.
A
What did you do?
B
I worked in a restaurant
at weekends.
A
That must
have been very (4)
demanding
.
B
Yes, it was. I had to get the right
balance between work and study. But the other
people who worked
there were good fun
to be with, so it was quite (5)
amusing
too. The (6)
highlight
of the weekend was
always
Saturday night when we worked overtime.
A
But I don’t expect you
made a lot of money?
B
No, there wasn’t much after they’d (7)
deducted
tax and pension
contributions. But it was enough to
keep me going.
6
Replace the
underlined words with the correct form of the
words in the box. You may need to
make
other changes.
1
When I was at college I kept all my
personal things in an old cupboard.
- 2 -
2
A lot of people who leave university
before getting a degree end up in good jobs.
3 I think she’ll get a good degree, but
I wouldn’t risk
my money on the exact
result.
4 The money I spent at college
was more than what I earned in my part-time job.
5 The chances of my being offered a job
after that interview must be quite remote.
6 Our business has done very well since
we changed our advertising.
7 I think
telling the truth and not cheating is always the
best
p
olicy.
Key:
(1)
belongings
(2)
dropouts
(3)
gamble
(4)
exceeded
(5)
odds
(6)
has thrived
(7)
honesty
7 Answer the questions about the words
and expressions.
1
If something is
not all it’s
cracked up to be
, is it (a) valid and
interesting, or
(b) just a little bit
disappointing
?
2
If someone
keeps
banging on about
something
, are you likely to be (a)
interested in, or
(b) bored by
what they say
?
3
If there is a
lot of
hassle
in your life,
are you likely to feel
(a)
stressed
, or (b) relaxed?
4
If something happens
out of the
blue
, is it
(a)
unexpected
, or (b) part of your plan?
5
If you say you
ended up
in a particular
job, do you suggest that (a) you have fulfilled
your ambition,
or
(b) it
happened almost by chance
?
6
Are the
regulars
in a pub
(a) the customers who come very
often
, or (b) the food the pub offers
most
often?
7
If something is
dead
easy
, is it
(a) very
easy
, or (b) not easy at all?
8
If you
treat someone to something
,
do you
(a) buy something nice for
them
, or (b) behave badly to
them?
9
If you
cheer a place
up
, do you
(a) make the
place look brighter
, or (b) make the
people in the place
happier?
Reading and
interpreting
8
Look at the sentences from the passage and
identify the style features.
1
Twelve years at
school and three years at university, teachers
banging on about opportunities in
t
he
big wide
world beyond our sheltered life as students, and
what do I find?
This shows the
informality of an incomplete sentence in the first
part, the use of an informal
expression
(banging on) and a rhetorical question to the
reader (What do I find?)
2
Try as I might
to stay cheerful, all I ever get is hassle,
sometimes with people (especially boys, god,
when will they grow up?)
…
This has the
use of an informal word (hassle), an informal
exclamation (god) and a question to the
reader (When will they grow
up?)
3
Actually, I had my eye on the course at
the London School of Economics (LSE).
Here there is a discourse marker
typical of speech (Actually) and an informal
phrase (had my eye on).
4 I kind of
understand it, and not just because my degree is
in economics.
Here “kind of” is a sort
of discourse marker of informal speech (showing
something is general, vague
or not
definite).
5 I wanted
something in finance and investments, because you
know, maybe with a job like that, I
could use my degree.
- 3 -
This has a discourse
marker of informal speech (you know).
6
... it’s true, he really did seem to have three
hands.
Again here is a
discou
rse marker of informal speech
(it’s true).
7 I talked to him about
... well, about pretty well everything
…
This has another discourse
marker of informal speech (well) and an informal
phrase (pretty well).
Language in use
word formation: compound
nouns
1 Write the compound nouns which
mean:
1 a degree which is awarded a
first class
(a first-class
degree)
2 work in a hospital
(hospital work)
3
a ticket for a plane journey
(a plane
ticket)
4 a discount for
students
(a student
discount)
5 a pass which
allows you to travel on buses
(a bus
pass)
6 a room where an
interview is held
(an interview
room)
7 a period spent in
training
(a training period)
word formation: noun phrases
2 Write the noun phrases
which mean:
1 a career which is
rewarding from the financial point of view
(a financially rewarding
career)
2 legislation which
has been introduced recently
(recently
introduced legislation)
3
instructions which are more complex than usual
(unusually complex instructions)
4 an institution which is
orientated towards academic
(academically orientated
w
ork)
5 work which makes physical demands on
you
(physically demanding
work)
6
information which has the potential to
be important
(potentially important
information)
7
candidates who have been selected after
a careful procedure
(carefully selected
candidates)
8
a coursebook in which everything has
been planned beautifully
(a beautifully
planned
textbook)
try as … might
3
Rewrite the sentences
using try as …
might .
1 I’m trying to fill this last page,
but I just can’t thi
nk of
anything.
Try as
I might to fill this last page,
I just
can’t think
of anything.
2 I try to be friendly with Marta, but
she doesn’t seem to
r
espond.
Try as I
might to be friendly with Marta, she doesn’t seem
to respond.
3 I try hard to get to
sleep,
but I can’t help thinking about
my family.
Try as I might to get to
sleep, I can’t help thinking about my
family.
4
He just doesn’t seem to get the
promotion he deserves, even though he
keeps trying.
Try as he
might, he just doesn’t seem to get the
promotio
n he deserves. / Try as he
might to get the
promotion he deserves,
he just doesn’t seem to get it.
5
I keep trying
to remember her name, but my mind is a
blank.
Try as I might to
remember her name, my mind is a blank.
- 4 -
given that
…
4
Rewrite the
sentences using given that
…
1 Since I know several
languages, I thought I would look for work
abroad.
Given that I know
several languages, I thought I would look for work
abroad.
2 Xiao Li has the
best qualifications, so she should get the job.
Given that Xiao Li has the best
qualifications, she should get the job.
3 Since we’re all here, I think it
would be a good idea to get down to some
work.
Given that we’re all
here, I think it would be a good idea to get down
to some work.
4 Since it’s
rather late, I think we s
hould leave
this last task until tomorrow.
Given
that it’s rather late, I think we should leave
this last task until tomorrow.
clauses introduced by than
5 Rewrite the sentences using clauses
introduced by than .
1 She’s
experienced at giving advice. I’m
more
experienced.
She’s less experienced at
giving advice than I am. / I’m more experienced at
giving advice than she is.
2 You eat
too much chocolate. It isn’t good for
you.
You eat too much
chocolate than is good for you.
3
She worked very
hard. Most part-
timers don’t work so
hard.
She worked harder than
most part-timers do.
4
You have
arrived late too many times. That isn’t
acceptable.
You have arrived
late more times than is acceptable.
5
I don’t think
you should have given so much personal
information. It isn’t
w
ise.
I think you have given more personal
information than is wise.
collocations
6
Read the
explanations of the words. Answer the questions.
1
highlight
A
highlight
is the most
exciting, impressive, or interesting part of an
event.
(a)
What
would you like to be the
highlight
of your career?
I would like
the highlight of my student career to be to
receive a national award for the best student
research project.
(b)
How can you
highlight
an important
sentence in a
text?
You can
underline it in pencil or pen or you can use
coloured pens or highlighters.
(c)
What are the
edited
highlights
of a
football match?
The highlights are when
someone scores a goal or prevents one from being
scored.
2
loan
A
loan
is an amount of money
someone borrows from someone else.
(a)
Have you ever
taken out a loan
?
No, I haven’t. But my parents have
taken out several loans to buy kitchen
equipment.
(b)
What is the best way to
pay
off a loan
?
It is best to
pay a loan off quickly, although you will still
have to pay some interest.
(c)
If you have a
library book
on loan
, what
do you have to do with it?
You have to
return it before the date it is due, otherwise you
may have to pay a fine.
3 thrive To
thrive
means to be very
successful, happy or healthy.
(a)
What sort of
business
thrives
best in
your part of the country?
-
5 -
In my part of the country, light
industries and electronics companies
thrive.
(b)
Which sort of plants
thrive
in a hot climate?
In a hot
climate you can see tropical fruit and vegetables
thrive and also tropical plants and
trees.
(c)
Why do you think some couples
thrive on conflict
?
It is difficult to understand why some
couples thrive on conflict. Maybe each one wants
to compete
with the other or maybe they
enjoy “kissing and making up” after the
conflict.
7
Translate the
paragraphs into Chinese.
If you
as
k me, real life is not all it’s
cracked up to be. Twelve years at school and three
years at
university, teachers banging
on about opportunities in the big wide world
beyond our sheltered life as
students,
and what do I find?
Try as I might to
stay cheerful, all I ever get is hassle, sometimes
with people (especially boys,
god, when
will they grow up?), but mostly with money. It’s
just so expensive out here! Everyone
wants a slice off you. The Inland
Revenue wants to deduct income tax, the bank
manager wants
repayments on my student
loan, the landlord wants the rent, gas, water,
electricity and my mobile bills
keep
coming in, and all that’s before I’ve had anything
to eat. And then some bright spark calls me out
of the blue, asking if I’m interested
in buying
a pension. At this
rate, I won’t even last till the end of
the year, let alone till I’m
60.
(
?
翻译时可以根据上下文增译,即增加原文暗含了但没有直接表
达出来的意思。如最后一句译文加了
“
领养老金
”
,点出了与上一句的关联。)
依我看,现实生活与人们想象的不一样。我们上了
12
p>
年的中、小学,又上了
3
年的大学,这
p>
期间老师们一直在没完没了地谈论在安宁的学生生活之外那个广阔天地里的各种机会,可我遇
到
的又是什么呢?
无论我怎么想保持
心情愉快,麻烦事总是接踵而来:有时是跟人争吵(尤其是跟男孩,天
哪!他们什么时候
才能长大?),但通常是为钱发愁。这个地方什么东西都很贵!人人都想从
我身上拿点钱
去:国税局要收个人所得税,银行经理要我偿清学生贷款,房东催我交房租、燃气
费、水
费、电费,手机账单也不断地寄来。所有这些还没算上吃饭的钱。更可气的是,不知从哪
里冒出一个自作聪明的家伙冷不丁地给我打电话,问我要不要买养老金。照这样下去,我连今年
< br>都活不过去了,更别提活到
60
岁领养老金了。
8
Translate the paragraphs into English.
我认为,选修第二专业并不适合每一位本科生。我大学本科主修英语专业,大一时就开始
辅修经
济学了。无疑,我是班里最用功的学生。我竭尽全力想同时达到两个不同专业的要
求,但还是有
不及格的时候。因为经济学需要良好的数学基础,我不得不花大量时间钻研
数学,因而忽略了英
语学习。
第二学
期
,
《英国文学》及《宏观经济学》两门课不及格给我敲响了警
钟,这可是我一生中第一次
考试不及格,这大大打击了我的自信心。虽然我不是一个容易
向命运低头的人,在暑假结束的时
候,我还是决定放弃经济学,以免两个专业都难以完成
。当我只需修一个专业的时候,一切似乎
又回到了正轨。
(if you ask me; odds; try as
…
might;
sap
one’s confidence
; given that; bow to
fate;
come to a close; for fear that;
now that)
If you ask me, taking a
second major isn’t good for every undergraduate.
In my freshman year as
an English
major, I took economics as my minor. By all odds,
I was the most hardworking student in
my class. But try as I might to meet
the requirements of the two different subjects, I
still couldn’t do
well enough to pass
all the exams. Given that the study of economics
required a good command
ofmathematics,
I had to spend so much time on math that I
neglected my English major.
Failing
English Literature
and
Macroeconomics
in the second semester sounded the
alarm for me.
-
6 -
This was the first time I did not
pass a course in my life, which had greatly sapped
my confidence.
Although I was not a man
who would easily bow to fate, as the summer break
came to a close, I
decided to give up
economics for fear that I would fail in both
subjects. Now that I had only one
subject to attend to, everything seemed
to be on the right track again.
Translation of
the passages
Active reading (1)
大学毕业找工作的第一要义:别躺在沙发上做梦
今年夏天,超过
65
万的大学生毕业
离校,其中有许多人根本不知道怎么找工作。在当今金融
危机的背景下,做父母的该如何
激励他们?
七月,你看着
21
p>
岁英俊的儿子穿上学士袍,戴上四方帽,骄傲地握着优等学士学位证书,
拍毕业照。这时,记忆中每年支付几千英镑,好让儿子吃好、能参加奇特聚会的印
象开始消退。总
算熬到头了。等到暑假快要结束,全国各地的学生正在为新学期做准备的
时候,你发现大学毕业
的儿子还歪躺在沙发上看电视。他只是偶尔走开去发短信,浏览社
交网站
Facebook
,去酒吧喝
酒
。这位前
“
千禧一代
”
的后裔一夜之间变成了哼哼一代的成员。他能找到工作吗?
这就是成千上万家庭所面临的景象:今年夏天,超过
65
p>
万大学生毕业,在当今金融危机的背
景下他们中的大多数人不知道自
己下一步该做什么。父母只会唠叨,而儿女们则毫无缘由地变成
了叛逆者,他们知道自己
该找份工作,但却不知道如何去找。
来自米德尔塞克斯郡的杰
克
·
古德温今年夏天从诺丁汉大学政治学系毕业,获得二级一等
荣誉
学士学位。他走进大学就业服务中心,又径直走了出来,因为他看见很多人在那里排
长队。跟他
一起
住的另外
5
个男孩也都跟他一样,进
去又出来了。找工作的压力不大,虽然他所认识的大多
数女生都有更清晰的计划。
他说:
“
我申请政
治学研究工作,但被拒了。他们给的年薪是
1
万
8
千镑,交完房租后所剩无
几,也就够买一罐煮豆子,可他们还要有研究经历或硕士学位的人。然后我又申请了公务员速升
计划,并通过了笔试。但在面试时,他们说我
‘
太冷漠
’
了,谈吐
‘
太像专家治国国论者
’
。我觉得自
己不可能那样,但我显然就是那样的。
”
打那以后他整个夏天都在
“
躲
< br>”
。
他能够轻松复述《交通警
察》中的若干片段,他白天看电
视的时间太多,已经到了影响健康的地步。跟朋友谈自己
漫无目标的日子时,他才发现他们的处
境和自己的并没有两样。其中一位朋友在父母的逼
迫下去超市摆货,其余的都是白天
9
点到
5
点
“
无所事事
”
,晚上去酒吧喝酒打发时间
。要么,干脆就在酒吧工作?这样还可以挣些酒钱。
“
我不想在
酒吧工作,我上的是综合性中学,我拼命读书才考上了一所好大学。到了大学,我又埋头
苦读,
才得到一个好学位。可现在我却跟那些没上过大学的朋友处在同一个水平线上,他
们整天给客人
倒酒,干无聊的活。我觉得自己好像兜了一圈,又回到了原来的起点。
p>
他的母亲杰奎琳
·
古德温为他辩护。她坚持认为她的儿子已经尽力了,她自己中学毕业后一直
都在工作,
可是她和她的丈夫发现,建议儿子如何继续找工作是件很棘手的事情。她说,
“
我一直
都必须工作。现在找工作很难,因为如果你有了学位,学位就会为
你提供新的机会,至少你自己
会这么想。
”
虽然现在她对儿子的态度还比较温和,但是她心里很清楚,去南美度三星期的假之
后,他的
休假就结束了。他可能还得付房租,分担家庭开支。她说,
“
在某个时候他们总该长大成人,
我
们已经帮了他们交了大学的学费,所以他们也该给我们一点点回报了。南美度假就是
一个分水
岭,他回来以后如果找不到工作,那就打圣诞节零工好了。
”
心理治疗师盖尔
·
林登费尔德是《情感康复策略》的作者。她说古德温家长的说法是很恰当
- 7 -
的,从上大学到工作的
转换对孩子和父母来说都很艰难,关键是他们要在支持理解孩子和不溺爱
孩子之间取得平
衡。
“
父母的主要任务就是支持他们
,如果他们教导孩子该如何做就会引起矛盾,
”
她说。
“
如果有
熟人,一定要找他们想办法。但很多父
母心太软了。必须限制孩子的零花钱,要求他们交房租,
或分担日常生活或养宠物的花销
。父母要过正常的生活,不要让孩子随便用你们的银行卡或者榨
干你们的情感能量。
p>
”
为他们支付职业咨询费、面试交通费及
书费是好事,但不能催得太紧。林登费尔德建议:
虽说父母不
能太宽容,但是如果孩子找工作遇到了挫折,父母应该体谅他们,宽容他们几天甚至
几周
——
这要看他们受打击的程度来决定。等他们缓过来之后,父母
就该坚决要求孩子继续求
职。
男孩更
容易困在家里。林登费尔德相信男人比母亲和姐妹更容易帮助他们的儿子、侄子、或
朋友
的儿子。她说,由于男人和女人处理挫折的方式不同,孩子们需要跟男人谈话,才能度过难
关。
她强烈支持他们去酒吧工作:那是克服毕业冷漠症的一
剂良方。这工作好不好要取决于你如
何看待它。就是在酒吧打工的时候,林登费尔德找到
了她的第一份工作,当航拍助手。她说在酒
吧工作是拓展人际关系的绝好机会,肯定比赖
在家里看电视更容易找到工作。
她说:
“
给超市上货也一样。如果干得好,你就会被人发现的。如果你聪明、活泼,对顾客彬
彬有礼,你很快就会升职。所以,把它看作是机会,那些最终能成功的人士都有在超市上
货的经
历。
”
你的儿子或女儿可能不会干好莱坞影星们干过的活,比如像乌比
·
戈德堡那样去停尸房给死人
化妆,或者像布鲁斯
·
威利斯那样在核电站当警卫,但即便是布拉德
·
皮特也曾经不得不穿上宽大
的鸡套装站在墨西哥快餐连锁店
El
Pollo Loco
的门口招揽生意。他们中没有一个人因为这些经历
而变得越来越穷。
Active reading
(2)
依我看
依我看,现实生活与人们想象的不一样。我们上了
12
年的中、小学,又上了
3
年的大学,
这期间老师们一直在没完
没了地谈论在安宁的学生生活之外那个广阔天地里的各种机会,可我遇
到的又是什么呢?
无论我怎么想保持心情愉快,麻烦事总是接踵而来:有时是跟
人争吵(尤其是跟男孩,天
哪!他们什么时候才能长大?),但通常是为钱发愁。这个地
方什么东西都很贵!人人都想从
我身上拿点钱去:国税局要收个人所得税,银行经理要我
偿清学生贷款,房东催我交房租、燃气
费、水费、电费,手机账单也不断地寄来。所有这
些还没算上吃饭的钱。更可气的是,不知从哪
里冒出一个自作聪明的家伙冷不丁地给我打
电话,问我要不要买养老金。照这样下去,我连今年
都活不过去了,更别提活到
60
岁领养老金了。
我那时还不想出去工作。我的意思是,我并不是个中途辍学者,但我知道自己以后可能不得
不退学。许多人认为
“
生活不是野餐
”
,
“
没有免费的午餐
”
。但既然我拿到了优等生文凭,我想我
应该继
p>
续攻读硕士学位。实际上,我已经瞄上了伦敦经济学院的课程,这
是一所顶尖的学校,
能给我的履历表增添一段光彩的经历。但当我跟妈妈谈起这件事时,
她说她没法继续供我上学
了。我大概能理解她的心情,这不仅仅是因为我学的是经济学。
15
年来,为了能让我上学,她含
辛
茹苦。这些年来,父亲大部分时间都不在家。就算在家,他也没钱。他把钱都拿去赌狗、喝酒
了。我听了妈妈的话,向命运低下了头。
依我看,不管人
们说什么,幸运的是世上还是有很多好心人。麦克就是其中的一个。大学毕
业时,我想如
果我回家,妈妈会觉得她有责任照顾我。所以,我就收拾行李去伦敦找工作。我想
找金融
和投资方面的职位,因为你知道这样我就可以用上我的专业知识。可是那时候已经
- 8 -
没有这样的工作了,我
又不愿意做乏味的办公室工作,复印文件、端茶倒水什么的。
无论你走到伦敦的什么地方,你都能找到一个好酒吧。有一天,我意识到这个城里没有人会
雇我,我走进位于特荷街的索尔兹伯里酒吧去喝一杯,顺便吃点东西。店主麦克正在店里,
他
一只手倒酒,一只手做三明治,同时还洗酒杯。他真的
好像有三只手。他好像也认识所有的客
人,叫得出常客的名字。
他跟他们打招呼,帮他们调好酒后问一句:
“
< br>今天还喝这个,是吧?
”
我觉得他看起来蛮酷
的,他在做着他最擅长做的事情:为那些口渴的顾客服务,没人能比得上他。所以我就走上前去 p>
问他要不要雇人。好吧,长话短说,某个周五的午餐时间我开始在那个酒吧打工。这份工作要
求
很高,但我喜欢干。
顾客好像觉得
我挺逗乐的,这也让我感觉好一些。有位穿西服的中年常客总要半品脱苦啤
酒,一份火腿
泡菜三明治,面包皮要消掉。他叫托尼。我一看见他进来,不等他开口就开始准备
他的午
餐,他也是那些好心人之一。
依我看,一个人没钱的时候花钱
最容易。我开始琢磨怎么花第一个月的薪水了。我住的公寓
房租很贵,我挣的钱刚够支付
第一个月的大笔账单,但是我估计还能剩点钱好好犒劳一下自己。
我想,何不买张
CD
或买盆花草装点一下房间?
发工资的那天正好是我的生日,除了麦克和托尼,我在伦敦就没有别的朋友了。如果你知道
我那时还没有男朋友,你就会理解我为什么觉得对不起自己了。我给自己定了些鲜花,让卖花的
人附上一张卡片,上面写道:
“
给你我
所有的爱。无名氏
”
。我生日那天最精彩的瞬间就是送花人
p>
到达公寓时大惑不解的眼神。
那周晚些时
候,托尼像往常一样来了,在酒吧里坐下。
“
你怎么了?今天怎
么不见你笑啦?
”
我
跟他聊了
……
嗯,差不多什么都跟他说了:钱、硕士学位、生日等等。他很同情我。
托尼离开搁脚凳和旁边几个人说话。记住:索尔兹伯里酒吧是在市中心,这里所有的顾客都
在银行、保险或证券市场工作。第二天,他拿着几张价值共
2
万英镑的支票来到酒吧,他对我
说:
“
这是给你的创业贷款,你唯一的贷款担保是我对你的信任,相信有一天你赚了钱会把钱还给
p>
我们。如果你还不了钱,那就太糟了,金融生意就是这样。但是,我相信你还得了。
”
我没说话,我怕我自己要哭了。世上这么好的人能有几个?
<
/p>
那些花怎么处理?我叫花店改送到妈妈那里去了,我生日那天鲜花正好送到她家。她最该得
到这些鲜花,不是吗?
依我看,回顾
这些年的经历,我发现人一辈子只需要一两次的转折就能成功。就算吃苦受累
也不要紧,
那还是值得的。
在索尔兹伯里酒吧干了一年之后,我去了伦敦
经济学院深造。拿到硕士学位之后,我在一家
投资银行找到了一份工作。我把那两万英镑
投进了证券市场,在
2008
年金融崩盘之前卖掉了所有
的股票。
我把托尼和其他投资者的钱还了,付给他们
10%
的年息,并成立了自己的公司。公司的生意
好得超乎意料,至今还红红火火
。托尼给我写了一封感谢信。他出了车祸,现在不能走路了。我还
给他的钱正好可以用来
改造房子,房子改造后他就可以坐着轮椅在家里自由活动了。下面是他信
里写的话:
p>
“
我从事银行业
35
< br>年来最好的投资就是给你的这笔贷款,你连本带利地偿还了贷款,
我对你的信任和
你的诚实都获得了百倍的回报。依我看,在人身上投资能带来你最希望看到的回
报。
p>
”
依我看,他说得对。你说呢?
Unit 2
Active
reading (1)
- 9 -
Danger! Books may change your life
Culture points
Lewis Carroll
(1832
–
1898) is
the pen-name of Charles Dodgson. He was a priest,
a mathematician
whotaught at Oxford
University, a photographer, humorist and writer of
children’s literature.
Alice’s
Adventures in Wonderland
(1865) was immediately successful, a
masterpiece which revolutionized
children’s literature, giving coherence
and logic through wit and humour to unlikely or
impossible
episodes in which imaginary
creatures embody recognizable human
characteristics. He is also known
for
Through the Looking Glass and
what Alice found there
(1871) and nonsense poems, such as
The Hunting of the Snark
(1876).
William Cowper
(1731
–
1800): a
notable English poet, writer of hymns and letter-
writer. He wrote
gentle, pious, direct
poems about everyday rural life and scenes of the
countryside which have been
seen as
forerunners of the Romantic movement: Coleridge
called Cowper “the best modern poet”. He
translated Homer’s Greek epics.
The Odyssey
and
The Iliad
into English.
Another example of his
verses which
have become common sayings i
s “God
moves in mysterious ways, His wonders to
perform…”
John
Steinbeck
(1902
–
1968):
American novelist who was awarded the Nobel Prize
for Literature in
1962.
The
Grapes of Wrath
(1939) is a well-known,
long tragic novel about an American family of
farmer
s who are driven off
their land in Oklahoma by soil erosion in the
famous “dust bowl” era. They
flee to
California to
what they hope will be a
better life. The book won the Pulitzer Prize and
was made into a film in 1940.
Other
well-known novels include
Of Mice and
Men
(1937),
Cannery Row
(1945),
The Pearl
(1947),
East of Eden
(1952) and an account of a personal
rediscovery of America,
Travels with
Charlie
(1962).
John Irving
(1942
–
):
American novelist and screenwriter who taught
English at college and was a
wrestling
coach.
The Fourth Hand
(2001) is a comic-satirical novel about
a TV journalist, Wallington,
whose hand
is seen by millions of viewers to be bitten off by
a circus lion. A surgeon gives him a
hand transplant (a third hand) but the
wife of the d
ead donor wants to visit
her husband’s hand and
have a child by
Wallington, who feels where his original hand used
to be (the fourth hand).
Audrey
Niffenegger
(1963
–
):
American college professor who teaches writing to
visual artists and
shows students how
to make books by hand. Her first novel,
The Time Traveller’s Wife
(2003)
–
filmed in 2009
–
is a science fiction and romance bestseller about
a man who travels uncontrollably in
time to his own history and visits his
wife in her childhood, youth and old age. His wife
needs to cope
with his absences and
dangerous life while he travels. The story is a
metaphor for distance and
miscommunication in failed
relationships.
Paul Torday
(1946
–
): a British businessman who worked for
a company that repaired ship’s e
ngines
for many years.
Salmon
Fishing in the Yemen
(2007) was his
first novel. It is a political satire and
comedy about a dull civil servant who
becomes involved in a plan to populate the desert
with Scottish
salmon. Politicians
manage the media to “spin”
this as a
plan they support in order to divert attention
from problems in the Middle East. There
are themes of cynicism and belief, and East-West
culture
clashes.
Aleksandr
Solzhenitsyn
(1918
–
2008): a
Russian writer who was imprisoned in Soviet labour
camps
in 1945; after eight years, he
was exiled to Kazakhstan and not freed until 1956,
when he became a
teacher. In 1970 he
was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature but not
receive it until 1974. He went
to
Germany, Switzerland and the USA, returning to
Russia in 1994. His best known novels were based
- 10 -
on his
experiences as a prisoner and include:
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
(1962),
Cancer
Ward
(1968),
The
Gulag Archipelago
(1974
–
1978). His
later works were about Russian history and
identity.
Graham Greene
(1904
–
1991): a
British novelist, short-story writer, playwright,
travel writer and
essayist. He wrote a
number of thrillers (he called them
‘entertainments’) which dramatize an
ambiguous moral dilemma, often
revealing guilt, treachery, failure and a theme of
pursuit. Greene was
also a film critic
and all of these novels have been made into films:
Brighton Rock
(1938),
The Power
and the Glory
(1940),
The Heart of the
Matter
(1948),
The Third Man
(1950),
The Quiet American
(1955), and
Our Man in
Havana
(1958).
E. M. Forster
(1879
–
1970): a
British novelist and writer of short stories and
essays. He lived at
different periods
in Italy, Egypt and India and taught at Cambridge
University. His best known novels
include
A Room with a View
(1908),
Howard’s
End
(1910),
A Passage to
India
(1924) which have all
been made into films. His writing about
reading and writing includes a book of lectures,
Aspects of the
Novel
(1927).
Thomas Merton
(1915
–
1968): an
American Catholic writer, who was a Trappist monk
in Kentucky.
He wrote over 70 books,
including many essays about Buddhism and a
translation into English of the
Chinese
classic,
Chuang Tse
. He had
a great deal to say about the meeting of Eastern
and Western
cultures and wrote many
letters to writers, poets, scholars and thinkers.
He read a lot in English, Latin,
French
and Spanish and said he always had at least three
books which he was reading at any one time.
William Blake
(1757
–
1827): a
British poet, artist and mystic, who read widely
in English, French,
Italian, Latin,
Greek and Hebrew. He made many engravings to
illustrate the work of such writers as
Virgil, Dante and Chaucer, as well as
his own poems. He stressed that imagination was
more
important than rationalism and the
materialism of the 18th century and criticized the
effects of the
industrial revolution in
England, but his work was largely disregarded by
his peers. He is best known
for his
poetry in
Songs of Innocence
(1787) and
Songs of
Experience
(1794). His belief in the
oneness
of all created things is shown
in his much-quoted verse,
“To see the
world in a grain
of sand / And a
heaven in a flower, / Hold infinity in
the palm of your hand / And eternity in an
h
our.”
Clifton Fadiman
(1904
–
1999): an
American writer, radio and TV broadcaster and
editor of
anthologies. For over 50
years he was an editor and judge for the Book-of-
the-Month Club. In 1960 he
wrote a
popular guide to great books for American readers,
The Lifetime Reading Plan
,
which
discusses 133 authors and their
major work: the 1997 edition includes 9 authors
from China.
J. K. Rowling
(1965
–
): British
writer of the seven Harry Potter fantasy books.
She studied French and
Classics at
Exeter University, before teaching English in
Portugal and training to teach French in
Scotland. The main idea about a school
for wizards and the orphan Harry Potter came on a
delayed
train journey from Manchester
to London in 1990. She began to write as soon as
she reached London.
Twelve
publishersrejected the first book before
Bloomsbury, a small London publisher, agreed to
publish it. Later books have repeatedly
broken all the sales records (as have some of the
films). She is
one of the richest women
in the UK and a notable supporter of many
charities.
Language
points
1
Variety’s
the very spice of
life, / That
gives it all its flavour …
(Para
2)
Spices are made
from plants and added to food to give it its
particular flavour or taste. The English
proverb
“Variety is the
spice of life” (the proverb comes from Cowper’s
poem) therefore means that variety
- 11 -
gives
life extra value and allows you to
appreciate life in particular ways.
2
We learn to
look beyond our immediate surroundings to the
horizon and a landscape far away
from
home. (Para 3)
This means
that through reading we learn to look beyond our
immediate experience or familiar
environment to things beyond our
immediate experience, ie to completely different
things that we can
imagine and
experience through books.
3
When a baseball player hits a home run
he
hits the ball so hard and so far
he’s able to run
round the
four bases of the diamond, and score
points not only for himself but for the other
runners
already
on a base.
(Para 9)
In the American game of
baseball, the field of grass is diamond-shaped and
has four bases (specific
points
marked around the diamond), round which
players must run to score points. One team bats
(ie team
members take turns to hit the
ball and run round the bases) and the members of
the other team throw
(pitch)
the ball and, when it is has been hit,
try to catch it or get it quickly to one of the
four bases. If a batting
player can hit
the ball hard enough, he can run round all four
bases before the other team can get the
ball
and thus score maximum
points
–
with a home run. In
the passage, a really good book is a home run.
3 Choose the best answer to
the questions.
1
Why are we like Alice in wonderland
when we read a
book?
(a)
Because, like
Alice, we often have accidents.
(b)
Because
reading makes us feel young again.
(c)
Because
reading opens the door to new experiences.
(d)
Because books
lead us into a dream world.
2
According to
the writer, what is the advantage of reading over
real life?
(a)
There is more variety in books than in
real life.
(b)
We
can experience variety and difference without
going out of the house.
(c)
The people we meet in a book are more
interesting than real people.
(d)
It’s harder
to make sense of real life than a
book.
3
What do the
seven novels listed in Paragraph 4 have in common?
(a)
Their titles
stimulate imagination.
(b)
They represent the best writing by
British and American
n
ovelists.
(c)
They have
become classics.
(d)
You can find all of them in any local
library.
4
At
what moment in our lives do books become
important?
(a)
As
soon as we start reading.
(b)
When we start
buying books to fill our shelves at home.
(c)
When we start
listening to bedtime stories.
(d)
Only when we
are ready for books.
- 12 -
5
What claim did
Merton make about the poems of William Blake?
(a)
They were
similar to the works of the Greek writers and
thinkers.
(b)
They helped him understand the meaning
of life.
(c)
They
created a sense of confusion.
(d)
They taught
him a lot about modern culture.
6 What
is meant by a home-run book?
(a)
A book which
is so good you are unable to put it down.
(b)
A book that
the whole family can enjoy.
(c)
A children’s
book that is read and appreciated by
adults.
(d)
A book that hits hard like a home run
in the game of
baseball.
Dealing with unfamiliar words
4 Match the words in the box with their
definitions.
1 to make someone feel
that they do not belong to your group
(exclude)
2 to
fail to do something that you should do
(neglect)
3
to mention
something as an example
(cite)
4
to be strong
enough not to be harmed or destroyed by something
(withstand)
5 in
most situations or cases
(normally)
6 to
be about to happen in the future
(await)
5
Complete the
paragraph with the correct form of the words in
Activity 4.
When I lived i
n
Britain, one of my favourite radio programmes was
called “Desert Island Discs”. The
format was always the same: Guest
celebrities were asked to imagine they had been
washed ashore on
a
desert
island, and had to choose nine books
–
(1)
excluding
the Bible and Shakespeare, which they
were
already provided with
–
to take with them to the
island, to help them (2)
withstand
the physical and
mental
isolation. I sometimes like to think
which books I would take. (3)
Normally
, like most people,
I don’t
have much time for reading, and
I could (4)
cite
dozens of
books which I have never read but which I
would like to. It’s an opportunity I
have (5)
awaited
all my
life, in fact. But what would I choose?
Mostly
novels, probably, but
I wouldn’t (6)
neglect
to
include a volume or two of poetry. My first
choice, I
think,
would be
Tolstoy’s
War and Peace
.
I’ve never read it, but I’m ready to believe that
it is one of the
most
marvelous books ever written.
6
Replace the
underlined words with the correct form of the
words in the box.
1 In a good novel,
the writer and reader communicate with each other.
(interact)
2 I
have to face up to the problem sooner or later.
(confront)
3
I read the book
in one sitting and Mary did too.
(
likewise)
4
E. M. Forster
was one of the most important and respected
British novelists of the 20th century.
(influential)
5
Do you believe
that a work of literature can actually lead to
social changes?
(induce)
6
Robert Burns
was a great poet who wrote in the language variety
spoken in Scotland.
(dialect)
7
The
Time
Traveller’s Wife
is the story of a man who has a strange
and inexplicable genetic
disorder.
- 13 -
(mysterious)
7
Answer the questions about the words.
1
If you have had a disconcerting experience, do you
feel a bit (a) tired, or
(b)
confused
?
2 If you have a
vista of something, can you
(a) see or
imagine it
, or (b) go and visit it?
3 Would you express great wrath by (a)
smiling at someone, or
(b) shouting at
them
?
4 If you feel
enchanted by a book, do you
(a) like it
a lot
, or (b) not like it at all?
5
Is a writer who
is supremely talented
(a) very
good
, or (b) quite good at his job?
6
If reading
fosters an understanding of certain problems, does
it
(a) help understanding
,
or (b) prevent
it?
7
If you are
desperately trying to get a job, are you
(a) trying very hard to get
it
, or (b) caring little
whether you get it or not?
8
Is a sensation
(a) a certainty, or
(b) just a
feeling
?
Active reading (2)
They were
alive and they spoke to me
Background
information
This is from
The Books in My Life
by
Henry Miller (1861
–
1980), an
American novelist, writer and
painter.
Miller was born in New York, lived in Paris
1930
–
1939, and then in
California. His
best-known works blend
fiction, autobiography, social criticism and
mysticism:
Tropic of Cancer
(1934 published in France) describes
his life and loves in Paris and because of its
sexual frankness it
was not published
in the USA till 1961;
Black Spring
(1936) has ten autobiographical
stories;
Tropic
of Capricorn
(1939) is about his years with the
Western Union Telegraph Company;
The
Colossus of
Maroussi
(1941),
considered by some critics to be his best work, is
a travel book about people from
his
stay in Greece.
In
The Books
in My Life
(1969) Miller looks at 100
books that influenced him. His list includes
children’s books written
origi
nally for adults (eg
Alice in Wonderland
,
The Arabian Nights
,
Greek
Myths and
Legends
,
Robinson
Crusoe
,
The Three
Musketeers
); many French novels and
poetry (eg by
Balzac, Hugo, Giono,
Nerval, Proust, Rimbaud, Huysmans, Maeterlinck),
German novels (by Mann,
Hesse, Dreiser)
and the Chinese
Lao Tse
and
Fenollosa’s
The Chinese Written
Character as a Medium
for
Poetry
, besides work by American
writers (Twain, Emerson, Thoreau, Whitman),
Dostoievshy,
Nietzsche, Joyce and
writers on spiritual topics.
Culture
points
August Strindberg
(1849
–
1912): A
Swedish playwright and a prolific writer of
novels, short stories,
satires, essays
and poems, and a photographer, who tried various
jobs before becoming assistant
librarian at the Royal Library in
Stockholm and established an experimental theatre.
He is best known
for his plays,
including
The Father
(1887)
and
Miss Julie
(1888), and
for his vitality, vigour, and
brilliant
use of language.
Miller cites
Strindberg’s autobiographies,
The
Confession of a Fool
(vol.2), a
passionate love story
and account of
problems in his marriage, and
The
Inferno
(vol.3), a study of his
religious conversion,
delusions and
neuroses which reflect Strindberg’s periods of
mental instability.
Blaise
Cendrars
(1887
–
1961) is
the pen name of Fré
dé
ric
Sauser, a Swiss -born French novelist,
shortstory writer, poet, and film-
maker, who led a life of constant travel (he was
born in an Italian
railway train) doing
various jobs in Russia, Europe, North and South
America and Asia
–
he is
said to
- 14 -
have shoveled coal on steam trains in
China. He lost his right arm fighting for France
in World War I.
His prose includes
vivid, witty, action-packed novels, like
Moravagine
(1926), which
describe travel
and adventure, or works
directly inspired by his own experience, like
The Astonished Man
(1945)
and
The Cut Hand
(1946), and
four volumes of memoirs. Miller admired his work
and lists ‘virtually the
complete
works’ of Cendrars as influential
reading.
Ré
my de
Gourmont
(1858
–
1915): a
French writer of 50 books: essays, novels and
poetry, with a
strong interest in
medieval Latin literature; as a critic he was
admired by T. S. Eliot. He was a
librarian at the National Library in
Paris; later, a painful skin disease kept him
largely at home. He
was influential in
the symbolist movement in literature. He claimed
that a work of art exists only
through
the emotion it gives us. He asserted the need to
get away from the unquestioning acceptance
of commonplace ideas and associations
of ideas, and believed it was necessary for
thought to proceed
by imagery rather
than by ideas.
Julius Caesar
(110 BC
–
44 BC): a
Roman statesman, known as a great military
strategist. As a
general he was famous
for the conquest of Gaul (modern France and
Belgium) which he added to the
Roman
Empire. He also made two expeditions to Britain,
was governor of Spain and traveled in North
Africa and Egypt. He was a good speaker
and he wrote several books of commentaries and
memoirs
on Roman wars and military
campaigns. Caesar’s writing is often studied today
by t
hose who learn
Latin.
The Julius Caesar of
literature
:
this phrase
compares Cendrars with Caesar: both were men of
action, travelers, adventurers,
explorers, who somehow found time to read a lot
and write books.
Language
points
1
The fact, however, that in the past I
did most of my work without the aid of library I
look
upon as an advantage rather than a
disadvantage. (Para 1)
This is irony.
Miller is writing about the importance of reading
and about key books in his life, but
there is a paradox: Only recently has
he been able to get all the books he has wanted
all his life (ie he
now has money, as a
best-selling writer, to buy books) and, as a
writer, he wrote books without the
help
of a library. He says that not having books was an
advantage. The explanation is probably that
Miller’s early writing was a mixture of
autobiography and fiction, so he didn’t need to
read other
books or refer to them to do
his own writing. The irony is that he is saying
this in a book about the
books the
influenced him.
2
A good book lives through the
passionate recommendation of one reader to
another. (Para 3)
Miller thinks that a
good part of the ‘life’ of a book is how one
reader recommends it to another
with
enthusiasm, ie books are about sharing experience,
not just the author’s
experience in the
book
and the reader’s experience of
reading it, but also the experience
of
word-of-mouth or face-to-face
recommendation by other readers.
3
And the better
the man the more easily will he part with his most
cherished possessions. (Para
4)
T
his continues Miller’s
thought that books are for sharing. A good person
will share things he or she
loves. In
this case, such a person will give or lend
favourite books and such generosity makes friends:
When you give books you get friendship.
4
If you are
honest with yourself you will discover that your
stature has increased from the mere
effort of resisting your impulse. (Para
6)
Miller’s argument here is that you
should not read everything, but that you should
choose very
- 15
-
carefully and selectively. This means
you should resist the temptation to read some
things which are
not really going to
add to your knowledge or enjoyment (not every book
will do this, only some). Here,
he
says that in this way, we grow (we
“increase our stature”). That is,
we
grow by not reading many
books. The
implication is that if we choose the very best
books and read these few really carefully we
will get the best from them
–
and grow by such
selection. Miller discusses 100 books which he
things
are such books.
5
All on the
side, as it were. (Para 7)
Cendrars was
a man of action who spent most of his time on
travels and adventures. Surprisingly (you
would think he did not have time), he
read a lot in different languages and even wrote
many books
–
this
was in addition to his main activities.
6
For, if he is
anything, Cendrars, he is a man of action, an
adventurer and explorer, a man who
has
known how to “waste”
his
time royally. (Para 7)
Cendrars had a
huge reputation as a man of action, travelling,
having adventures and exploring
differ
ent countries and yet
he read a lot (he knew how to use the little time
available to read). “Waste”
is in
quotes to show irony (reading isn’t a waste of
time), that he reads in a royal manner (ie very
thoroughly). The sentence structure
here is quite Frenc
h with the
repetition of “he”.
Reading and understanding
2 Choose the best answer to the
questions.
1
What
does Miller consider to have been an advantage
during his writing career?
(a)
To have been
able to read all the books he wanted.
(b)
To have grown
up in a room full of books.
(c)
To have
written without the aid of a library.
(d)
The fact that
he never wanted to own any books.
2
What did
three stars on a book mean in the
public library in Miller’s
youth?
(a)
Young people weren’t allowed to
read
them.
(b)
They were the most popular books in the
library.
(c)
They
were intended for children.
(d)
They were
more exciting than one-star books.
3
Why does Miller
hope the star system still exists in public
libraries?
(a)
It
is an efficient system which works well.
(b)
It
discourages people from reading inappropriate
books.
(c)
It
makes people interested in reading.
(d)
It makes it
easier for people to recognize books.
4
Why do people lend books, in Miller’s
opinion?
(a)
Because they feel the need to share
their feelings.
(b)
It’s
the best way to make a
friend.
(c)
It’s
less ris
ky than lending money.
(d)
Because it’s
not possible to possess a book for
ever.
5
According
to Miller, what should you do when you find a book
you want to read?
(a)
Pick it up and start reading.
(b)
Ask a friend
for advice about the book.
(c)
Think about
whether you really need to read it.
(d)
Only read it
if it is original.
- 16 -
6
What does
Miller especially admire about Blaise Cendrars?
(a)
He had a very
adventurous life.
(b)
He was a great writer.
(c)
He knew what
to do with his time.
(d)
He read as well as wrote a lot.
Dealing with unfamiliar
words
3 Match the words in
the box with their definitions.
1
the quality of
being new, interesting, and different from
anything that anyone has created before
(originality)
2
the process of
putting people or things into particular groups
according to the features they have
(classification)
3
to make an
organized and determined attempt to deal with a
problem
(tackle)
4 to make something better or more
enjoyable
(enrich)
5 a difficulty or problem that prevents
you from achieving something
(obstacle)
6 to
sink under water and die
(drown)
7
not being used
(idle)
8
a suggestion
that someone or something is especially suitable
or useful for a particular situation
(recommendation)
9
to make a lot
of effort to achieve something
(strive)
4
Complete the
conversation with the correct form of the words in
Activity 3.
A
Professor Ridgeway, you’ve just written
a biography
of the poet Shelley, who
(1)
drowned
off the
coast of Italy in 1822 in a sailing
accident. As you remind us
in the
introduction, people’s lives have
been
(2)
enriched
by poetry for
thousands of years. What (3)
recommendation
could you
make to a
young poet who is just
beginning their career?
B
That they should always (4)
strive
to be themselves, and
not to worry about (5)
originality
. Once
they’ve found their own voice, it
w
ill be original in its own way,
because everyone is
unique.
A
So you don’t
believe in the (6)
classifications
which label poets as “romantic”
or
“modernist” and
so on?
B
I do, but they have limited value.
A
What do you
think is the main (7)
obstacle
facing young poets today?
B
I think it is
to accept that you cannot be productive all the
time. A poet’s mind is never (8)
idle
and waiting
for the right moment is part of the creative
process. All other problems are relative, and
can be (9)
tackled
when you get to them.
5
Replace the
underlined words with the correct form of the
following words. You may need to
make
other changes.
1 I felt depressed and
lacking in confidence after reading his criticism
of my novel.
(demoralized)
2 Henry Miller’s
The Books
in My Life
is about, as the name
suggests, the story of his life.
(autobiographical)
Henry Miller’s
The Books in
My Life
is, as the name suggests,
autobiographical.
3
Shakespeare had
an extraordinary talent as a writer, which is
without comparison in the history of
English literature.
(prodigious; unparalleled)
4
Some people
look to a book for pleasure rather than for
understanding.
(enlightenment)
- 17 -
5
The experiment in banning alcohol
drinks in the United States actually led to an
increase in crime.
(prohibiting)
6
I’m not sure
if
it is to their advantage for readers
to read this review before they start the
book.
(advantageous)
7
Miller’s
Tropic of Cancer
was,
without doubt, one of the most infamous novels of
the 20th century.
(indubitably)
6
Answer the questions about the words and
expressions.
1
If
someone
makes a confession
,
do they tell you something
(a) personal
and secret
, or (b) which
everyone knows?
2
If someone
whets your
appetite
for something, do they make
you
(a) desire for it
, or
(b) dislike it?
3 If you
wade through
piles of
documents, do you
(a) read or deal with
them
, or (b) just ignore them?
4 If you have to
forego
something, do you (a) finish it
quickly, or
(b) do without
it
?
5 Is someone who has
business acumen
(a) good at
business
, or (b) without any business
skills?
6 Is a
repetitive
job one in which you do (a) different
things, or
(b) the same thing every
day
?
7 If you do something
on the side
, do you do it
(a) in addition to a regular
activity
, or (b) where no one
can see you do it?
Reading and interpreting
7
Answer the questions.
1 What is the
first struggle that he has with books?
Miller’s first struggle is to obtain
books and get his hands on them.
2 Why
is it difficult to lay hands on them?
The books are not in the public library
because someone has already borrowed them and
Miller
doesn’t have the money to buy
them.
3 What sort of books
are prohibited for a young man?
Books
which are considered to be immoral for a young
person to read.
4 What is the best way
to be introduced to a book?
Through the
passionate recommendation of someone who has read
the book.
5 What is an unused book
lying on a shelf compared with?
It is
compared with wasted ammunition. This means that
it is useless. It is also compared to money
because it should be in
circulation.
6 Why does
Miller suggest resisting your impulses and not
opening a book as soon as you get it?
He says you should think intensely
about the title, author, and likely contents,
imagining what you
would have written
yourself about it. Then you may decide you don’t
need to re
ad it, or, if you do read
it, you will read it with more interest
and acumen.
Language in use
word
formation: -ous
1 Write the adjectives
which describe:
1 a writer who has
achieved fame
(famous)
2 readers who show curiosity
(curious)
3
someone who
feels envy
(envious)
4
a region which
is full of mountains
(mountainous)
- 18 -
5
a parcel which has a very large volume
(voluminous)
infinitive / gerund as the subject of a
sentence
2 Complete the sentences using
infinitive or gerund as the subject. Usually both
forms are
possible, but you should be
able to justify your choice.
1
Getting up
early in the morning gives me more time
to organize the day.
(To express an
everyday activity)
2
To write a best-seller
has
always been my dream.
(This is a bit
more abstract or a far-away grand idea)
3
Forgetting
to take back a library book may not
seem serious, but it causes problems for other
students.
(To express a
normal activity for many people)
4
To spend
a lot of
time reading in
one’s childhood can bring rewards later in life.
(Use the more abstract form for an
important idea)
5
To be or not to be
, that is
the question.
(In Shakespeare this can
be interpreted as a grand idea, so he uses the
formal way; if you say, ‘Being
or not
being…’ is may be more immediate and seems normal
–
but in Hamlet the situation is not
normal)
such is / are
…
3 Rewrite the sentences
using such is / are …
1
Good writing is
so powerful that the reader thinks the writer is
speaking directly to them.
The reader thinks the writer is
speaking directly to them. Such is the power of
good writing.
2
The novel
Salmon Fishing in
the Yemen
is so charming that you can’t
put it down even
for a
moment.
You can’t put Salmon
Fishing in the Yemen down even for a moment. Such
is the charm of the novel.
3 Travel is
such a pleasure that you may end up living in
another country.
You may end up living
in another country. Such is the pleasure of
travel.
4
The sense of confusion in this film is
so great that you may feel you want to leave
before the
e
nd.
You may feel you want to leave before
the end. Such is the sense of confusion in this
f
ilm.
5
The
difficulties of translation are so enormous that
much of the meaning is lost.
Much of the meaning is lost. Such is
the enormity of the difficulties of
translation.
if / whether it
be
…
4
Rewrite the se
ntences using if /
whether it be …
1 Is it the right time to start this
kind of project? Ask yourself carefully.
Ask yourself carefully whether it be
the right time to start this kind of project.
2 Is it the first edition of
Dr Johnson’s Dictionary? I
very
much doubt it.
I very
much doubt if this be the first edition of Dr
Johnson’s
Dictionary.
3
Is it common
knowledge that Arthur Miller thought like this?
I’m not sure.
I am
n
ot sure if it be common
knowledge that Arthur Miller thought like
this.
4
Is it necessary to produce any
documents when making an application? Perhaps we
should inquire.
Perhaps we
should inquire whether it be necessary to produce
any documents when making an
application.
5
Is it the right
way to tackle the problem? I doubt it.
I doubt if it be the right way to
tackle the problem.
- 19 -
collocations
5
Read the explanations of the words. Answer the
questions.
1
confront
This word usually
means to deal with a difficult situation.
(a)
Which are the
most important
problems
we
have to
confront
in
today’s
world?
This could be
a long list! I’d say: global warming, pollution,
water shortages, extreme weather
conditions, local military conflicts,
poverty, famine and hunger, unemployment, to name
only a few.
(b)
Were
you
confronted by
anyone asking
for something on your way to class today?
Not today, but a few days ago I was
confronted by someone asking for money
–
which I didn’t
like
at all.
(c)
What’s
the
biggest crisis you’ve
ever been
confronted with
?
The problem that my grandfather is
elderly and has Alzheimer’s diseas
e: He
needs constant care
because he forgets
ordinary things. It is difficult for my parents
and for me because we all take turns
to
look after him. I realized what this was really
like when I had to look after him for a weekend
when my parents were away, but I
discovered I have a lot more patience now. So
perhaps this crisis
has helped us to
develop some good qualities, although it is
actually a very difficult time for all
of us.
2
idle
This word usually means not being used,
lazy, or without any real reason or purpose.
(a)
If someone is
idle
by nature, what don’t
they like
doing?
They don’t
like doing work or other things that they should
do but which they don’t like doing.
(b)
If machinery
is
idle
, what isn’t
it
doing?
The
machinery is not being used.
(c)
If someone
picks up a book out of
idle
curiosity
, do they have a strong
motivation to read it?
Not
really, they just have a slight curiosity to see
what the book is, but they have no
r
eal interest.
(d)
If someone
makes you an
idle threat
, do
you take it seriously?
No,
you
don’t because you know that the
threat has no real
purpose.
3
tackle
This word usually means to challenge
someone or something, or to make an attempt to
deal
with
a problem.
(a)
What are the
main
issues
the government
needs to
tackle
in the near
future?
Well. I suppose there are
several issues which need to be tackled, including
rising prices and
employment in some
places, or some social problems in a few
areas.
(b)
How do you
tackle someone
about
their ideas and opinions?
I am inclined to be direct and simply
ask them about their opinions and ideas. I think
they will tell
me honestly if they
believe I am really interested in what they
think.
(c)
If you
tackle someone
in a game of football, what have you
managed to do?
You have managed to get
the ball away from them so that your team can keep
the ball for a
moment.
4
withstand
This word usually means to be strong
enough not to be harmed or destroyed by
something,
or to be able to
deal with a difficult situation.
(a)
What sort of
defences can
withstand a direct
attack
?
To withstand a
direct attack you need strong defences which are
well placed.
(b)
What sort of clothes allow you to
withstand the cold
in
winter?
To withstand the
cold in winter, you need thick, warm
clothes.
- 20 -
(c)
Can you
withstand the
pressure
of having to produce regular
assignments on your course?
Yes, I can.
Actually, our teachers generally give us our
assignments at intervals and we usually know
well in advance what we should. So as
long as you get on with the work (and don’t leave
it until the
last minute!) the pressure
is not too bad and we can manage.
6 Translate the paragraph into Chinese.
Indubitably the vast majority of books
overlap one another. Few indeed are those which
give the
impression of originality,
either in style or in content. Rare are the unique
books
–
less than 50,
perhaps, out of the whole storehouse of
literature. In one of his recent autobiographical
novels, Blaise
Cendrars points out that
Ré
my de Gourmont, because of his
knowledge and awareness of this
repetitive quality in books, was able
to select and read all that is worthwhile in the
entire realm of
literature. Cendrars
himself
–
who would suspect
it?
–
is a prodigious
reader. He reads most authors in
their
original tongue. Not only that, but when he likes
an author he reads every last book the man has
written, as well as his letters and all
the books that have been written about him. In our
day his case is
almost unparalleled, I
imagine. For, not only has he read widely and
deeply, but he has himself written
a
great many books. All on the side, as it were.
For, if he is anything, Cendrars, he is a man of
action,
an adventurer and explorer, a
man who has known how to “waste”
his
time royally. He is, in a sense,
the
Julius Caesar of literature.
(几处倒装句应灵活处理,以体现原文语气。
every
last book the man has written
等于
all the
books he has
written
。注意这段话的逻辑关系。
If he is
anything, he is a man
of…
一句中的
if
从句
起强调作
用,说明他不是一个书生或思想家,而是一个行动家。此处需灵活翻译。)
不容置疑的是,大多数书都互相重复,在文体或内容上让人感到具有独创性的书实在是少之又
p>
少。在整个文学库藏中,或许只有极少数作品
——
< br>不到
50
本
——
是独具一格的。在最近出版的一
部自传体小说中,布莱斯
·
桑德拉尔指出,雷米
·
德
·
古尔蒙之所以能够选择并通读文学领域中一切
值得读的书籍,就是因为他知识渊博,了解书的这种重复性。没有人会怀疑桑德拉尔本人就是一
< br>个博览群书的人,他阅读了大部分独具个性的作家的作品。不仅如此,一旦他喜欢上一个作家,
< p>就会阅读这个人写的每一本书,包括他的书信以及所有有关他的书籍。我猜想,在当今世上,像 p>
他这样的情况是绝无仅有的,他不仅读得广,读得深,而且本人还著述颇丰。这一切似乎都是
在
业余时间完成的。因为从本质上讲,他是一个十足的行动家,一个四处跋涉的冒险家和
探险家,
一个懂得如何大量
“
浪费
p>
”
时间的人。从某种意义上说,他是文学届的凯撒大帝。
7 Translate the
paragraphs into
English.
1
张磊是在毕业
工作后才开始意识到读书的乐趣的。反思自己的大学教育时,他感慨不已:他的
一些同学
都沉浸于从图书馆或书店找到的各种有趣的书籍,而他却只读了一些教科书,其中连一
本
真正能让他爱不释手、值得一读的书都没有。他可以说是被剥夺了通过书了解作家奇妙世界的
特权。
It was not until after
he had graduated from university and started to
work that Zhang Lei became
aware of the
pleasure of reading. Reflecting on his
undergraduate studies, he lamented that he, unlike
his classmates who had immersed
themselves in various interesting books they were
able to lay hands
on from the library
or bookshop, had only read textbooks, none of
which was really worthwhile, or
could
be read in one sitting. He was deprived of the
privilege of gaining access to the writers’
fantastic
worlds through the windows
their books have opened, so to speak.
2
如今,他嗜书如命,废寝忘食,好
像要把大学期间没机会读的好书全都读一遍。到目前为止他
已经利用业余时间读了几百本
小说、传记和游记。他意识到书不仅能向他展示一个充满希望的前
景,帮他消除现实生活
中的压力和疲劳,而且能够帮他澄清一些误解,找到生活的真谛。
(reflect
on; in one sitting; lay hands on;
immerse in; worthwhile; privilege; withstand;
vista)
- 21 -
Now he has become an avid and
omnivorous reader. It is as if he wants to make up
for those
marvelous books he hadn’t had
a chance to read in his university days. By now,
in his spare time, he
has read several
hundreds of books, including novels, biographies
and travel notes. He realizes that
books can not only reveal to him the
vista of a hopeful future and help him withstand
stresses and
strains, they can also
help him clear up some misconceptions and discover
the true meaning of life.
Translation
of the passages
Active reading (1)
危险!书可能会改变你的人生
刘易斯
·
卡罗尔书中的爱丽丝不小心掉到兔子洞里,在那里发现了一个
神奇的仙境。当
我们打开一本书时,我们也会像爱丽丝那样走进一个全新的世界。我们能
从一个年长人的角度,
或通过一个孩子的眼睛来观察生活;我们可以周游世界,遍访现实
生活中从没想过要访问的国家
和文化;我们可以体验未曾经历过的事情,这些事情有时令
人不安,也许引人入胜;可能是不愉
快的也可能是令人痛苦的,但无论如何都至少能把我
们从现实世界中解放出来。
英国诗人威廉
·
考珀(
1731
–
1800
)说,
“
变化是生
活的调味品,它让生活变得有滋有味。
”
虽然他没有说在什么
地方以及怎样才能找到变化,但我们知道他说得对。我们知道我们生活在一
个充满变化与
差异的世界里,我们知道人们的生活方式各不相同,人们过日子的方式不同,
做
不同工作,有不同信仰,持不同观点,有不同的风俗习惯,操不同语言
。通常,我们不知道这些
差异的大小,但一旦发生了不平常的事情并引起了我们的注意,
这种变化或差异与其说是机会,
毋宁说是威胁。
读书让我们能够安全地享受和庆贺这种变化与差异,为我们提供成长的机会。在家里安详
平和的环境中与他人的生活互动,这是阅读小说才享有的特权。我们甚至感觉到
——
哪怕只是在
那一瞬间
——
我们和异文化读者的共同点要多于我们和家门口随便碰到的一个人的共同
点。我
们学会把目光移出我们周围的环境,投向天边,去领
略一下异域山水。
如果我们怀疑读书是否能给我们力量的话,
我们就应该麻烦自己去一趟当地的图书馆或书
店,或者,如果我们足够幸运的话,从家里
的书架上取一本书来读一读。我们会惊奇于古今小说
的标题所创造出来的壮观景象:约翰
·
斯坦贝克的《愤怒的葡萄》、约翰
·
欧文的《第四只手》、亚历
山大
·
p>
索尔仁尼琴的《癌症病房》、厄内斯特
·
海
明威的《丧钟为谁而鸣》、格雷厄姆
·
格林
的《哈
瓦那特派员》、奥黛丽
·
尼芬格的《时间旅行者的妻子》、保罗
·
托迪的《到也门钓鲑鱼》。一旦开始
阅读,我们就必须思考我们在书中读到的别样人生
。
每一本书都有自己的语言、方言、词汇和语法。我们不见得
总能理解其中的每一个字、句,
但不管我们是痴迷其中,还是
觉得被排除在外,我们的情感被调动起来了。尽管在地理上有一定
的距离,但其他民族、
其他文化未必就离我们那么遥远。在书里我们可能遇见生活在不同气候、
有不同信仰、来
自不同民族的人。即便是住在同一条街上的邻居,我们都有可能只在书上相识。
小时候,在我们刚刚能听讲的时候,书对我们的生活方式就产生了很大的影响。从父母给孩
p>
子读的睡前故事一直到成年后家中摆满书柜的客厅,书界定了我们的人生。英国作家
E.
M.
福斯特
(
1879
–
1970
< br>)暗示书对我们具有另一种更加神秘的支配力。他写道:
“
我认为能影响我们的书籍
是那些我们已经准备要读的书,它们只是在我们已经选定的道
路上走得比我们更远一些而已。
”
合适的书好像自己就会在恰
当的时候找到我们,出现在我们面前,而不是我们去寻找那本书。
美国修士、牧师及作家托马斯
·
默顿(
1915
–
1968
)曾经被记者
一连串地问了
7
个问题:说
出你
最近读完的
3
本书;你正在读的
3
本书;你打算要读的书;对你有影响的书,并解释为什么;
<
/p>
一
本每人都要读的书,并解释为什么。关于对他有影响的书,他列
出了《威廉
·
布莱克诗集》、
- 22 -
古希腊思想家和作家
写的各种戏剧以及一些宗教作品。当被问及这些书为何会影响他时,他回答
说:
“
这些书
——
还有其他
类似的书籍
——
帮助我找到了人生的真谛,它们把我从生活的困
惑和空
虚中解脱出来。销售就是一切的文化培育了人的需求和被动,而那种生活就深陷其
中。
”
那么,你又会如何回答这些问题呢?
1947
年,克里夫顿
·
费迪曼发明了
“
全垒打书籍
”
这个词。当一个棒球手打出一个全垒打时,
因为击球有力、打得远,他有时间跑完整个棒球场内的四个垒,不仅自己得分,而且帮其他各个
垒的跑垒者得分,这是棒球赛里最有趣和最开心的事情。同样,一本
“
全垒打书籍
”
指的不是
儿童
的第一次读书的经历,而是指他们第一次读到一
本能给他们带来极大的愉悦和满足感的书、痴迷到手
不释卷的经历。对世界上数以亿计的
儿童来说,
“
全垒打书籍
”
的最典型的例子就是《哈利波特》系
列小说。
<
/p>
作为成年人,我们总在寻找自己的
“
全垒
打书籍
”
,不是第一次,而是一次又一次地寻找。
所有一口气读完一本小说的人都会记得那种令人期待的愉悦和满足感,并会焦急、固执、有时甚
至疯狂地寻求重复体验这种感觉。我们想周游另一世界、会见不同国家不同民族的人、经历别样
人生并自我反省,我们无法遏制这样的渴求。
危险!书可能会改变你的人生。这就是读书的力量。
Active reading (2)
它们是活生生的,它们在跟我说话
我
坐在一间小屋子里,屋子的一面摆满了书。这是我头一次有闲功夫和一堆书这样的东西打
交道。所有的书加起来最多不超过
500
本,但大多数是我自
己挑的。自打我开始写作生涯以来,
我这是第一次坐拥我一直渴望拥有的这么多书籍。事
实上,我过去的大多数工作都不依靠图书
馆,我把这看成是优点,而不是缺点。
与读书产生联想的头一件事就是我为获取图书展开的斗争。请注意,不
是拥有它们,而是要
把它们搞到手。一旦对书产生了激情,我就要面对重重困难。公共图
书馆里我要借的书总是被借
出去了,当然,我又总是没钱买书。我那时只有十八、九岁,
要想得到社区图书馆的批准借阅类
似斯特林堡写的《痴人的忏悔》这样的
“
不道德
”
的书是不可能的。
在那个年代,年轻人
禁读的书
都根据
官方认定的违背道德的程度被贴上了星星
—
一颗星、两颗星、三
颗星。我猜想,
这种做法
至今依然存
在。我也希望如此,因为我知道,没有任何别的方法比这种愚蠢的分类和禁止更能吊
起读
者的胃口。
是什么让一本书有了生命力?这个问题经常从我脑
子里冒出来!我觉得答案很简单:一本书
之所以有生命力,是因为读者满怀激情地推荐它
。这是人的基本冲动,什么都阻挡不了。不管愤
世嫉俗者和人类厌恶者持何种观点,我相
信人们总是会尽力分享自己感触最深的经验。
书是人类最为珍
爱的几样东西之一。人越好,就越愿意与他人分享自己的珍藏。躺在书架上
无人翻阅的书
就像是废弃的弹药。书和钱一样要流通起来,要最大限度地借书、借钱!尤其要多
借书,
因为书所代表的东西比钱要多得多。书不仅是朋友,它还可以帮你交朋友。当你在精神
上
、心灵上拥有一本书的时候,你的人生就变得丰富多彩。当你把书传给别人的时候,你的人生
就倍加丰富。
说到这里,有一种抑制不住的冲动让我向大
家提出一条无偿的忠告。那就是:尽量读得少而
精,不是越多越好!哎,我也着实羡慕那
些在书堆里埋头读书的人。我私下里也确实想尽力读完
所有内心里一直想读的书。但是,
我知道这并不重要,我知道我读过的书中只有不到十分之一是
我需要读的。人生中最难办
到的事情莫过于学会只做有益于自己的康乐、对自己的康乐至关重要
的事情。
我是经过慎重考虑才提出这个宝贵的忠告的,有一个高招可以核实它的对
错。当你碰到一本
你想读或觉得该读的书的时候,先把书搁下,放几天再说。但你要使劲
琢磨这本书,仔细琢磨书
名和作者的名字,想想如果让你来写这本书,你会写些什么。认
真地问自己是否有必要把
- 23
-
这本书纳入自己的知识库或娱乐储备。尽力想象一下,放弃这份额外的乐趣或启迪对
你将意味着
什么?之后,如果你觉得
你必须读这本书,那么观察一下你在
“
啃
”
这本书的时候是否表现出非
凡的洞察力。同时你也观察一下
:即便这本书很诱人,它也许并没有给你带来什么新的东西。只
要坦诚对己,你就会发现
:只要抑制住自己的冲动,你的境界就提高了。
不容置疑的是
,大多数书都互相重复,在文体或内容上让人感到具有独创性的书实在是少之
又少。在整
个文学库藏中,或许只有极少数作品
——
不到
< br>50
本
——
是独具一格的。在
最近出版的
一部自传体小说中,布莱斯
·
桑德拉尔指出,雷米
·
德
·
古尔蒙之所以能够选择并通读文学领域中
一切值得读的书籍,就是因为他
知识渊博,了解书的这种重复性。没有人会怀疑桑德拉尔本人就
是一个博览群书的人,他
阅读了大部分独具个性的作家的作品。不仅如此,一旦他喜欢上一个作
家,就会阅读这个
人写的每一本书,包括他的书信以及所有有关他的书籍。我猜想,
在当今世
上,像他这样的情况是绝无仅有的,他不仅读得广,读得深,而且本人还著
述颇丰。这一切似乎
都是在业余时间完成的。因为从本质上讲,他是一个十足的行动家,
一个四处跋涉的冒险家和探
险家,一个懂得如何大量
“
浪费
”
时间的人。从某种意义上说,他是文学届
的凯撒大帝。
Unit 3
Active reading (1)
Background information
Fashion is generally divided into
subsectors: menswear, womenswear, sportswear and
streetwear,
hosiery (socks, tights,
stockings), formal wear and casual wear. Fashion
and the choice of what clothes
we buy
and wear is influenced by our beliefs, attitudes
and personality. But this passage shows that
the stock market can also be an
influence.
Culture points
The Californian gold rush
(1848
–
1855) was a
period of rapid migration of miners and other
workers
into California following the
dramatic discovery of gold in the Sierra Nevada.
It led to the settlement
of California.
Swinging London
is a term
that describes fashion and cultural trends in
music and the media in
mid-1960s
Britain, especially London. Icons of the time
included the miniskirt, the mini car, the first
supermodels like Twiggy (who was famous
for being very thin) and fashionable shopping
streets for
clothes (like Carnaby
Street and Kings Road in London).
The
hippie movement
began in the early
1960s in California and spread internationally.
Hippies had
a reputation for social
rebellion (eg with drugs and sexual behaviour) and
alternative lifestyles (eg in
communes). They tried to find a new way
of life which valued peace, individuality, and
religious and
cultural diversity. The
movement influenced popular music, TV and film,
literature and the arts.
Hippie
fashions included long full skirts, bell-bottomed
jeans, home-made and tie-dyed garments, the
use of flower designs (which
represented peace and love), and influences from
non-Western cultures
in headscarves,
headbands, bracelets and long beaded necklaces.
The punk period
features
fashions that expressed anger against society and
included brightly
coloured hair, ripped
clothes and studded belts.
The New
Romantics
was a youth fashion movement,
developed in 1960s in London. It is strongly
associated with music, which was
inspired by historical periods, especially the
English Romantic
Movement. Fashions had
a dramatic, flamboyant look with luscious fabrics,
loose shirts with frills and
short
shirt collars, unfolded, with top buttons
unfastened and using monotone colours.
- 24 -
Power dressing
is a stylish and perhaps expensive way
of dressing (usually for business, the
professions or politics) which is
intended to give the impression that the person
wearing the clothes is
assertive and
competent, through the use of structured shapes,
shoulder pads, smart fabrics, high heels
and clean cut styling in the form of
work uniform. Whether wearing particular styles of
clothing
empowers the wearer or whether
newly-empowered people simply wear clothes that
reflect their
achievements is an open
question.
Miami Vice
was a
classic 1980s TV crime drama about two detectives
who go undercover to fight
drug
traffickers. The series
–
and the 2006 film
–
was
noted for its strong use of music and visual
effects; it has been rebroadcast around
the world. During the five years of making this TV
series the
producers explicitly sought
the advice of designers (eg Gianni Versace, Hugo
Boss) in order to display
the latest
European fashion trends, with the result that
Miami Vice
had a significant
influence on 1980s
men’s fashion in the
USA and elsewhere, and even
on the 2000s revival (it was called
“retro”
or
“retrospective
style”). The clothing style of the TV detectives,
Sonny Crockett and Rico Tubbs, had
pastel coloured T-shirts and suits, no
socks, sunglasses, and an unshaven appearance of a
small
amount of beard stubble.
Heavy metal music
is a kind
of rock music that developed in the UK and USA in
the late 1960s and
early 1970s,
characterized by loudness, speed, distorted
amplified sounds and extended guitar solos.
Converse
is a company which
has produced basketball shoes since 1917,
especially the Chuck Taylor
All Stars
trainers (often abbreviated to “Chucks” or
“Cons”), named after the basketball player who
contributed to the design and was the
company’s best salesman.
Nike
is a leading supplier
of sportswear and equipment. This American company
started making Nike
shoes in 1971. They
are named after the Greek winged goddess of
victory.
The stock market indexes
show the performance of the stock
market, typically reflecting the rise and
fall of the shares of la
rge
companies, eg the FTSE (also “footsie”) is an
index of the top 100
companies listed
on the London stock exchange and the Nikkei 225 is
an index of the stock market in
Tokyo.
Language points
1
No history of
fashion in the years 1960 to 2010 can overlook or
underestimate two constant
factors: the
ubiquitous jeans and ... (para 1)
The
word
ubiquitous
means
present everywhere. Thus
the ubiquitous
jeans
means that jeans can be
found everywhere.
2
Exactly why
women should want to expose more or less of their
legs during periods of
economic boom
and bust remains a mystery.
An
economic boom
is a sudden
increase in trade, business activity and
development in a particular
area or
region; an
economic bust
is
a business failure or bankruptcy because of lack
of money.
The expression
economic boom and bust
describes cycles in which a boom period
of growth, high
production and rising
prices is followed by economic decline,
contraction and unemployment before a
new cycle.
3
Whenever the economic outlook is
unsettled ... (para 2)
The economic
outlook is unsettled
means the economy
is unstable, that is, the economy has problems
and is likely to change suddenly,
making people uncertain about what may happen in
the future.
4
It
was given greater respectability when the great
French designer, Courrè
ges, developed
it
into an item of high fashion. (para
4)
- 25 -