21世纪大学英语读写教程第4册Unit9课文及词汇讲解60篇（范例推荐）

时间：2023-02-22 12:00:10 来源：文池范文网

21世纪大学英语读写教程第4册Unit9课文及词汇讲解1　　RobertTemple　　Oneofthegreatestuntoldsecretsofhistoryisthatthemodern下面是小编为大家整理的21世纪大学英语读写教程第4册Unit9课文及词汇讲解60篇（范例推荐）,供大家参考。

21世纪大学英语读写教程第4册Unit9课文及词汇讲解1

　　Robert Temple

　　One of the greatest untold secrets of history is that the""modern world" in which we live is a unique synthesis of Chinese and Western ingredients. Possibly more than half of the basic inventions and discoveries upon which the "modern world" rests come from China. And yet few people know this. Why?

　　The Chinese themselves are as ignorant of this fact as Westerners. From the seventeenth century onwards, the Chinese became increasingly dazzled by European technological expertise, having experienced a period of amnesia regarding their own achievements. When the Chinese were shown a mechanical clock by Jesuit missionaries, they were awestruck. They had forgotten that it was they who had invented mechanical clocks in the first place!

　　It is just as much a surprise for the Chinese as for Westerners to realize that modern agriculture, modern shipping, the modern oil industry, modern astronomical observatories, modern music, decimal mathematics, paper money, umbrellas, fishing reels, wheelbarrows, multi-stage rockets, guns, underwater mines, poison gas, parachutes, hot-air balloons, manned flight, brandy, whisky, the game of chess, printing, and even the essential design of the steam engine, all came from China.

　　Without the importation from China of nautical and navigational improvements such as ships" rudders, the compass and multiple masts, the great European Voyages of Discovery could never have been undertaken. Columbus would not have sailed to America, and Europeans would never have established colonial empires.

　　Without the importation from China of the stirrup, to enable them to stay on horseback, knights of old would never have ridden in their shining armor to aid damsels in distress; there would have been no Age of Chivalry. And without the importation from China of guns and gunpowder, the knights would not have been knocked from their horses by bullets which pierced the armor, bringing the Age of Chivalry to an end.

　　Without the importation from China of paper and printing, Europe would have continued for much longer to copy books by hand. Literacy would not have become so widespread.

　　Johann Gutenberg did not invent movable type. It was invented in China. William Harvey did not discover the circulation of the blood in the body. It was discovered — or rather, always assumed — in China. Isaac Newton was not the first to discover his First Law of Motion. It was discovered in China.

　　These myths and many others are shattered by our discovery of the true Chinese origins of many of the things, all around us, which we take for granted. Some of our greatest achievements turn out to have been not achievements at all, but simple borrowings. Yet there is no reason for us to feel inferior or downcast at the realization that much of the genius of mankind"s advance was Chinese rather than European. For it is exciting to realize that the East and the West are not as far apart in spirit or in fact as most of us have been led, by appearances, to believe, and that the East and the West are already combined in a synthesis so powerful and so profound that it is all-pervading. Within this synthesis we live our daily lives, and from it there is no escape. The modern world is a combination of Eastern and Western ingredients which are inextricably fused. The fact that we are largely unaware of it is perhaps one of the greatest cases of historical blindness in the existence of the human race.

　　Why are we ignorant of this gigantic, obvious truth? The main reason is surely that the Chinese themselves lost sight of it. If the very originators of the inventions and discoveries no longer claim them, and if even their memory of them has faded, why should their inheritors trouble to resurrect their lost claims? Until our own time, it is questionable whether many Westerners even wanted to know the truth. It is always more satisfying to the ego to think that we have reached our present position alone and unaided, that we are the proud masters of all abilities and all crafts.

　　We need to set this matter right, from both ends. And I can think of no better single illustration of the folly of Western complacency and self-satisfaction than the lesson to be drawn from the history of agriculture. Today, a handful of Western nations have grain surpluses and feed the world. When Asia starves, the West sends grain. We assume that Western agriculture is the very pinnacle of what is possible in the productive use of soil for the growth of food. But we should take to heart the astonishing and disturbing fact that the European agricultural revolution, which laid the basis for the Industrial Revolution, came about only because of the importation of Chinese ideas and inventions. The growing of crops in rows, intensive hoeing of weeds, the "modern" seed drill, the iron plow, the moldboard to turn the plowed soil, and efficient harnesses were all imported from China. Before the arrival from China of the trace harness and collar harness, Westerners choked their horses with straps round their throats. Although ancient Italy could produce plenty of grain, it could not be transported overland to Rome for lack of satisfactory harnesses. Rome depended on shipments of grain by sea from places like Egypt. As for sowing methods — probably over half of Europe"s seed was wasted every year before the Chinese idea of the seed drill came to the attention of Europeans. Countless millions of farmers throughout European history broke their backs and their spirits by plowing with ridiculously poor plows, while for two thousand years the Chinese were enjoying their relatively effortless method. Indeed, until two centuries ago, the West was so backward in agriculture compared to China, that the West was the Underdeveloped World in comparison to the Chinese Developed World. The tables have now turned. But for how long? And what an uncomfortable realization it is that the West owes its very ability to eat today to the adoption of Chinese inventions two centuries ago.

　　It would be better if the nations and the peoples of the world had a clearer understanding of each other, allowing the mental chasm between East and West to be bridged. After all they are, and have been for several centuries, intimate partners in the business of building a world civilization. The technological world today is a product of both East and West to an extent which until recently no one had ever imagined. It is now time for the Chinese contribution to be recognized and acknowledged, by East and West alike. And, above all, let this be recognized by today"s schoolchildren, who will be the generation to absorb it into their most conceptions about the world. When that happens, Chinese and Westerners will be able to look each other in the eye, knowing themselves to be true and full partners.

21世纪大学英语读写教程第4册Unit9课文及词汇讲解2

　　untold

　　a. not told to anyone 未说过的，未被讲述的;未透露的

　　synthesis

　　n. (pl syntheses / -si:z /) the combining of separate things, esp. ideas, to form a complex whole 综合，结合，综合体

　　Westerner

　　n. a native or inhabitant of the West, i.e. Europe and North America 西方人，欧美人

　　onwards

　　ad. forward in time or space 向前

　　dazzle

　　vt. (often passive) to impress sb. greatly through beauty, knowledge, skill, etc. 使昏眩;使惊奇;使赞叹不已;使倾倒

　　amnesia

　　n. partial or total loss of memory [医] 记忆缺失;遗忘(症)

　　regarding

　　prep.with reference to; concerning 关于;至于;就…而论，在…方面

　　awestruck

　　a. suddenly filled with wonder and respect or fear 充满敬畏(或畏怯、惊奇)之心

　　astronomical

　　a. of astronomy 天文学的;天文的，天体的

　　decimal

　　a. based on or counted in tens or tenths 小数的;十进位的

　　wheelbarrow

　　n. (also barrow) an open container for moving small loads in, with a wheel at one end, and two legs and two handles at the other 手推车;独轮车

　　multi-stage

　　a. having many stages (火箭、导弹等)多级的

　　underwater

　　a. situated, used or done below the surface of the water 在水下的;供水下用的;在水中操作(或生长)的

　　parachute

　　n. 降落伞

　　hot-air

　　a. filled with heated air 热空气的

　　brandy

　　n. a strong alcoholic drink usu. made from wine 白兰地(酒)

　　whisky

　　n. (US or Irish whiskey) a strong alcoholic drink made from malted grain, esp. barley or rye 威士忌酒

　　importation

　　n. the act of bringing goods, services, ideas, etc. from a foreign country into one"s own country 进口;输入

　　nautical

　　a. of ships, sailors or sailing 船舶的;海员的;航海的

　　navigational

　　a. relating to the action, process or art of finding the position and direct the course of a ship, an aircraft, a car, etc., using maps, instruments, etc. 航行的;航海的`;航空的

　　navigation

　　n. 航行;航海;航空

　　rudder

　　n. a vertical piece of wood or metal at the back of a boat, used for steering (船的)舵

　　compass

　　n. (also magnetic compass) a device for finding direction. with a needle that always points to the north 罗盘(仪)，指南针

　　multiple

　　a. having or involving many individuals, items or types 多个(或多项、多种)的

　　n. <数> 倍数

　　multi*vt. 乘，使相乘

　　mast

　　n. an upright post of wood or metal used to support a ship"s sails 船桅，桅杆

　　voyage

　　n. a long journey, esp. by sea or in space 航行，(尤指)航海;航天

　　colonial

　　a. of, relating to or possessing a colony or colonies 殖民地的;拥有殖民地的

　　stirrup

　　n. either of a pair of metal or leather loops that hang down from a horse"s saddle to support a rider"s feet 马镫

　　knight

　　n. (欧洲中世纪的)骑士;(近代英国的)爵士(品位低于从男爵，其名前称号用 Sir)

　　armo(u)r

　　n. (formerly) a protective, usu. metal, covering for the body, worn when fighting 盔甲

　　damsel

　　n. (arch) a young woman who is not married (古)(诗)少女，姑娘;闺女

　　chivalry

　　n. (in the Middle Ages) the ideal qualities expected of a knight, such as courage, hono(u)r and concern for weak and helpless people 骑士品质(或气概、精神、道德标准、信条等)(如勇武、荣誉感、侠义、扶持弱小、慷慨、谦恭、尊敬女性、对敌人宽容等);骑士制度

　　gunpowder

　　n. explosive powder used esp. in bombs or fireworks 火药

　　bullet

　　n. a small missile with a pointed end that is fired from a gun 子弹

　　literacy

　　n. the ability to read and write 识字，有文化;读写能力

　　movable

　　a. that can be moved 可动的，活动的

　　circulation

　　n. the movement of blood round the body from and to the heart 血液循环

　　circulate

　　v. (使)环行;(使)环流;(使)循环

　　borrowingn. a thing borrowed, esp. money or a word taken by one language from another 借用;采用;借用物;借用词语

　　downcast

　　a. (of a person, an expression, etc.) depressed; sad 垂头丧气的;沮丧的

　　all-pervading

　　a. present and seen or felt everywhere 遍及各方面的;无孔不入的

　　inextricable

　　a. so closely linked that separation is impossible (绳结等)解不开的;分不开的

　　inextricably

　　ad. 紧密地;不可分割地

　　gigantic

　　a. of very great size or extent; huge 巨大的;庞大的

　　originator

　　n. a person who originates; inventor 创始人;发明者;创作者

　　inheritor

　　n. a person who receives money, property etc. as a result of the death of the previous owner 继承人;后继者

　　resurrect

　　vt. 1. bring (sb.) back to life again 使(某人)复活

　　2. revive (a practice, etc.); bring back into use 使(某种做法等)重新流行;重新唤起对…的记忆;重新使用

　　ego

　　n. an individual"s idea of oneself, esp. in relation to other people or to the outside world 自我，自己

　　unaided

　　a. not assisted by sb./sth; without help 无助的;独立的

　　folly

　　n. being foolish; lack of wisdom 愚笨，愚蠢

　　complacency

　　n. (usu. derog) a calm feeling of satisfaction with oneself, one"s work, etc. 自满(情绪)，沾沾自喜

　　self-satisfaction

　　n. (derog) a feeling of being too pleased with oneself and one"s own achievements 沾沾自喜，自鸣得意

　　handful

　　n. a small number 少数，少量

　　pinnacle

　　n. the highest point; the peak 顶峰，极点，顶点

　　mo(u)ldboard

　　n. a curved metal plate in a plow, which turns over the earth from the furrow (农)犁壁

　　Strap

　　n. a strip of leather, cloth or other flexible material, often with a buckle, used for fastening sth., keeping sth. in place, carrying sth. or holding onto sth. 带，条带;皮带;布带;铁皮条

　　transport

　　vt. take sth./sb. from one place to another in a vehicle 运输，运送;输送;搬运

　　overland

　　ad. across the land; by land, not by sea or air 横越大陆地;经由陆路

　　satisfactory

　　a. of an acceptable nature or standard; good enough for a purpose 令人满意的;可喜的;恰当的

　　shipment

　　n. a cargo or goods transported, esp. by ship 装载(或交运)的货物(量)

　　sow

　　v. put or scatter seed in or on the ground; plant land with seed 播种，种;撒播(种子);播种于(土地)

　　effortless

　　a. needing little or no effort 不需要努力的;不(大)费劲的;容易的

　　backward

　　a. having made or making less than normal progress 落后的

　　underdeveloped

　　a. (of a country, etc.) not having achieved a high level of economic development 未充分发展的;不发达的;落后的

　　adoption

　　n. the act of taking over sth. and having or using it as one"s own 采取，采纳，采用

　　chasm

　　n. a very wide difference between people, groups, etc., esp. one that is unlikely to change (感情、兴趣、意见等的)大差别，大分歧

　　intimate

　　a. (of people) having a very close and friendly relationship 熟悉的;亲密的;密切的

　　fundamental

　　a. that need to be known or learned first; most important 基本的，根本的;重要的

21世纪大学英语读写教程第4册Unit9课文及词汇讲解3

　　bring...to an end

　　cause...to end 使…完结(终了、结束)

　　or rather

　　(used to correct sth. one has said previously, or to give more accurate information)more exactly; more truly; it would be better to say 或者确切点说

　　lose sight of

　　fail to consider (sth.); forget (sth.) 忘记;忽略

　　set...right

　　put...right; rectify 校正;纠正

　　take...to heart

　　consider seriously; be much affected or upset by (sth.) 认真考虑(某事);关注(某事);对(某事)想不开;为(某事)忧虑(或伤心、烦恼)

　　come about

　　happen, esp. in a way that seems impossible to prevent 发生，产生

　　for lack of

　　because there is not enough 因缺乏

　　come to the attention of

　　draw (sb."s) attention 引起…的关注

　　compared to/with

　　examined to see how people or things are alike and how they are different 与…相比

　　by/in comparison to/with

　　(when) compared with/to 与…相比

　　look...in the eye(s)/face

　　look at (sb.) steadily without shame or embarrassment (心地坦然地)直视(某人)，正视(某人)

21世纪大学英语读写教程第4册Unit9课文及词汇讲解60篇扩展阅读

21世纪大学英语读写教程第4册Unit9课文及词汇讲解60篇（扩展1）

——21世纪大学英语读写教程第4册单元10课文及词汇讲解3篇

21世纪大学英语读写教程第4册单元10课文及词汇讲解1

　　Neil Postman

　　Author"s Note: Having sat through two dozen or so graduation speeches, I have naturally wondered why they are so often so bad. One reason, of course, is that the speakers are chosen for their eminence in some field, and not because they are either competent speakers or gifted writers. Another reason is that the audience is eager to be done with all the ceremony so that it can proceed to some serious reveling. Thus any speech longer than, say, fifteen minutes will seem tedious, if not entirely pointless. There are other reasons as well, including the difficulty of saying something inspirational without being b*. Here I try my hand at writing a graduation speech, and not merely to discover if I can conquer the form. This is precisely what I would like to say to young people if I had their attention for a few minutes.

　　If you think my graduation speech is good, I hereby grant you permission to use it, without further approval from or credit to me, should you be in an appropriate situation.

　　Members of the faculty, parents, guests and graduates, have no fear. I am well aware that on a day of such high excitement, what you require, first and foremost, of any speaker is brevity. I shall not fail you in this respect. There are exactly eighty-five sentences in my speech, four of which you have just heard. It will take me about twelve minutes to speak all of them and I must tell you that such economy was not easy for me to arrange, because I have chosen as my to//.oh100.com/picplex subject of your ancestors. Not, of course, your biological ancestors, about whom I know nothing, but your spiritual ancestors, about whom I know a little. To be specific, I want to tell you about two groups of people whose influence is still with us. They were very different from each other, representing opposite values and traditions. I think it is appropriate for you to be reminded of them on this day because, sooner than you know, you must align yourself with the spirit of one or the other.

　　The first group lived about 2,500 years ago in the place we now call Greece, in a city they called Athens. We do not know as much about their origins as we would like. But we do know a great deal about their accomplishments. They were, for example, the first people to develop a complete alphabet, and therefore they became the first truly literate population on earth. They invented the idea of political democracy, which they practiced with a vigor that puts us to shame. They invented what we call philosophy. And they also invented what we call science, and one of them—Democritus by name—conceived of the atomic theory of matter 2,300 years before it occurred to any modern scientist. They composed and sang epic poems of unsurpassed beauty and insight. And they wrote and performed plays that, almost three millennia later, still have the power to make audiences laugh and weep. They even invented what, today, we call the Olympics, and among their values none stood higher than that in all things one should strive for excellence. They believed in reason. They believed in beauty. They believed in moderation. And they invented the word and idea which we know today as ecology.

　　About 2,000 years ago, the vitality of their culture declined and these people began to disappear. But not what they had created. Their imagination, art, politics, literature, and language spread all over the world so that, today, it is hardly possible to speak on any subject without repeating what some Athenian said on the matter 2,500 years ago.

　　The second group of people lived in the place we now call Germany, and flourished about 1,700 years ago. We call them the Visigoths, and you may remember that your sixth-or seventh-grade teacher mentioned them. They were spectacularly good horsemen, which is about the only pleasant thing history can say of them. They were marauders—ruthless and brutal. Their language lacked subtlety and depth. Their art was crude and even grotesque. They swept down through Europe destroying everything in their path, and they overran the Roman Empire. There was nothing a Visigoth like better than to burn a book, desecrate a building, or smash a work of art. From the Visigoths, we have no poetry, no theater, no logic, no science, no humane politics.

　　Like the Athenians, the Visigoths also disappeared, but not before they had ushered in the period known as the Dark Ages. It took Europe almost a thousand years to recover from the Visigoths.

　　Now, the point I want to make is that the Athenians and the Visigoths still survive, and they do so through us and the ways in which we conduct our lives. All around us—in this hall, in this community, in our city—there are people whose way of looking at the world reflects the way of the Athenians, and there are people whose way is the way of the Visigoths. I do not mean, of course, that our modern—day Athenians roam abstractly through the streets reciting poetry and philosophy, or that the modern-day Visigoths are killers. I mean that to be an Athenian or a Visigoth is to organize your life around a set of values. An Athenian is an idea. And a Visigoth is an idea. Let me tell you briefly what these ideas consist of.

　　To be an Athenian is to hold knowledge and, especially, the quest for knowledge in high esteem. To contemplate, to reason, to experiment, to question—these are, to an Athenian, the most exalted activities a person can perform. To a Visigoth, the quest for knowledge is useless unless it can help you to earn money or to gain power over other people.

　　To be an Athenian is to cherish language because you believe it to be humankind"s most precious gift. In their use of language, Athenians strive for grace, precision, and variety. And they admire those who can achieve such skill. To a Visigoth, one word is as good as another, one sentence indistinguishable from another. A Visigoth"s language aspires to nothing higher than the cliche.

　　To be an Athenian is to understand that the thread which hold civilized society together is thin and vulnerable; therefore, Athenians place great value on tradition, social restraint, and continuity. To an Athenian, bad manners are acts of violence against the social order. The modern Visigoth cares very little about any of this. The Visigoths think of themselves as the center of the universe. Tradition exists for their own convenience, good manners are an affectation and a burden, and history is merely what is in yesterday"s paper.

　　To be an Athenian is to take interest in public affairs and the improvement of public behavior. Indeed, the ancient Athenians had a word for people who did not. The word was idiotes, from which we get our word idiot. A modern Visigoth is interested only in his own affairs and has no sense of the meaning of community.

　　And, finally, to be an Athenian is to esteem the discipline, skill, and taste that are required to produce enduring art. Therefore, in approaching a work of art, Athenians prepare their imagination through learning and experience. To a Visigoth, there is no measure of artistic excellence except popularity. What catches the fancy of the multitude is good. No other standard is respected or even acknowledged by the Visigoth.

　　Now, it must be obvious what all this has to do with you. Eventually, like the rest of us, you must be on one side or the other. You must be an Athenian or a Visigoth. Of course, it is much harder to be an Athenian, for you must learn how to be one, you must work at being one, whereas we are all, in a way, natural-born Visigoths. That is why there are so many more Visigoths than Athenians. And I must tell you that you do not become an Athenian merely by attending school or accumulating degrees. My father-in-law was one of the most committed Athenians I have ever known, and he spent his entire * life as a dress cutter on Seventh Avenue in New York City. On the other hand, I have known physicians, lawyers, and engineers who are Visigoths of unmistakable persuasion. And I must also tell you, as much in sorrow as in shame, that at some of our great universities, perhaps even this one, there are professors of whom we may fairly say they are closet Visigoths. And yet, you must not doubt for a moment that a school, after all, is essentially an Athenian idea. There is a direct link between the cultural achievements of Athens and what the faculty of this university is all about. I have no difficulty imagining that Plato, Aristotle, or Democritus would be quite at home in our classrooms. A Visigoth would merely scrawl obscenities on the wall.

　　And so, whether you were aware of it or not, the purpose of your having been at this university was to give you a glimpse of the Athenian way, to interest you in the Athenian way. We cannot know on this day how many of you will choose the way and how many will not. You are young and it is not given to us to see your future. But I will tell you this, with which I will close: I can wish for you no higher compliment than that in the future it will be reported that among your graduating class the Athenians mightily outnumbered the Visigoths.

　　Thank you, and congratulations.

21世纪大学英语读写教程第4册单元10课文及词汇讲解2

　　sit through

　　remain seated until the end of; be present at 一直坐到…结束;出席

　　be/have done with

　　have finished with; be finished with 结束;完毕

　　first and foremost

　　most importantly; above all else 最重要的;首先

　　align oneself with sb.

　　join sb. as an ally; come into agreement with sb. 与某人结盟;与某人一致

　　put...to shame

　　cause shame to (sb./sth.); show (sb./sth.) to be inferior by comparison 使(某人/某事)蒙羞;使(某人/某事)相形见绌

　　sweep down

　　move steadily with great force or speed 席卷;突袭

　　usher in

　　introduce or mark the beginning of a new period, fashion, generation, etc. 引进(新时期、新一代等);标志着(新时期、新时尚、新一代)的开始

　　known as

　　generally recognized as; called or labeled as 公认为;被称为

　　hold...in high esteem

　　have a very favorable opinion of; show great respect to 给…以好评;对…非常尊敬

　　aspire to

　　desire strongly to achieve (sth.); have ambition for (sth.) 渴望取得;对…抱有雄心

　　take interest in

　　be keen to know more about (sth.) or be involved in (it) 对…感兴趣

　　catch the fancy of sb./sb."s fancy

　　please sb.; appeal to sb. 合某人的心意;吸引某人

　　have to do with

　　be connected with; be related to 与…有联系;与…有关

　　at home

　　at ease as if in one"s own home; familiar 自在;无拘无束;熟悉

21世纪大学英语读写教程第4册单元10课文及词汇讲解3

　　Neil Postman

　　尼尔·波斯特曼

　　Greece

　　希腊(欧洲巴尔干半岛南部国家)

　　Athens

　　雅典(希腊首都)

　　Democritus

　　德谟克利特(460—370 BC，古希腊唯物主义哲学家，原子论创始人之一)

　　Athenian

　　雅典人

　　Visigoth

　　西哥特人(公元5世纪*侵罗马帝国并在法国和西班牙建立王国的条顿族人)

　　the Dark Ages

　　黑暗时代(公元5世纪至11世纪，欧洲中世纪的早期)

　　Plato

　　柏拉图(427—347 BC，古希腊哲学家)

　　Aristotle

　　亚里士多德(384—322 BC，古希腊哲学家和科学家，柏拉图的学生)

21世纪大学英语读写教程第4册Unit9课文及词汇讲解60篇（扩展2）

——21世纪大学英语读写教程第二册Unit9课文讲解60篇

21世纪大学英语读写教程第二册Unit9课文讲解1

　　First Listening

　　1. As you listen to the passage the first time, circle the words from the list that you hear.

　　ice hate perish snow fear suffice frost despair hold with rain desire know of fire sorrow wonder fog confusion suffer wind corruption favor

　　Second Listening

　　2. Natural disasters are as fascinating as they are frightening. What forms do they take, and what do you know about their causes?

21世纪大学英语读写教程第二册Unit9课文讲解2

　　Per Ola & Emily D"aulaire

　　In March of 1997, Stephen Zebiak stared at his com*r screen in alarm. The veteran climate researcher saw indications of a worldwide weather event that, over the years, has been blamed for droughts and floods, famine, fires and thousands of deaths. Called El Nino, it is the most disruptive climatic phenomenon on the planet.

　　Zebiak and Mark Cane, research scientists at Columbia University, had developed a com*rized forecast model that correctly predicted El Nino"s occurrences in 1982, "86 and "91, and it had pointed to a recurrence in "98. But the data appearing on Zebiak"s screen from satellite and sea-surface monitors across the Pacific were unmistakable: El Nino was already beginning. A huge pool of warm water — larger than the United States and some 600 feet deep — was moving slowly but surely eastward toward South America.

　　In June the equatorial trade winds reversed direction from westward to eastward. By September, waters off Northern California were roughly 17 degrees warmer than normal. Off the Washington coast, stunned fishermen caught tropical fish that seldom stray that far north. Storms were flooding central Chile, and heavier-than-normal snowfalls in the Andes trapped hundreds in the bitter cold. And all of this only foretold of even more devastating weather for the fall and winter.

　　El Nino means "little boy" in Spanish; when capitalized, it refers to the Christ child. This innocent-sounding name originated in the 19th century, when Peruvian sailors noticed that every few years around Christmastime, waters near the coasts warmed up and the current shifted southward. But this "little boy" plays havoc around the globe.

　　El Nino occurs when weather patterns in the tropical Pacific shift violently. Normally, strong westward-blowing trade winds off South America push surface water toward Asia. Just as blowing on hot coffee pushes the liquid up against the opposite side of the cup, the trade winds pile warm water against the coastlines of Australia, Indonesia and the Philippines. Above the warm water, moist air rises, lowering atmospheric pressure and triggering the tropical showers that nourish the rain forests of Asia. Meanwhile high-altitude winds travel back toward South America. There, the cooled air sinks, raising atmospheric pressure and suppressing rain along most of the Pacific coast, making it one of the driest regions in the world.

　　But with El Nino, the pattern reverses. Atmospheric pressure in the Western Pacific rises, setting the stage for drought from Australia to India. The trade winds decrease, or in extreme years reverse to blow eastward. As a result, a huge mass of warm water flows back toward South America, causing storms from Chile to California. Meanwhile, over the Pacific, ten-mile-high storm clouds further heat the atmosphere, fueling a stronger-than-normal jet stream, which often splits in two. One branch moves north, warming the Pacific Northwest, central Canada and Alaska. Another branch surges south, producing heavy rains in the U.S. Gulf States and Southwest.

　　El Nino"s vast impact on humans has often been catastrophic. The El Nino of 1982-83 inflicted $13 billion in damage and claimed some 2,000 lives. In Australia day turned to night when a dust storm blanketed Melbourne; brush fires raged in its wake. In place of its normal monsoon, Southern India got dried-up crops and the threat of mass starvation. At the same time, violent rainstorms devastated the Western Hemisphere: Peru"s fishing industry — once one of the richest in the world — was wiped out, and seaside towns were washed into the Pacific.

　　Is there a good side to El Nino? There can be. Zebiak notes that the number of tropical hurricanes in the Atlantic is reduced during an El Nino year. One theory is that winds created by El Nino shear off the tops of Atlantic hurricanes, aborting them before they reach full force. And a team of scientists in Israel who study tree rings and satellite cloud pictures concluded that El Nino may bring precious moisture to the thirsty Middle East. "It is perhaps fitting that El Nino — the Christ child — should have a link to the Holy Land," notes scientist Dan Yakir.

　　This year, scientists around the world are keeping a sharp eye on El Nino. They know that the greater the temperature rise in Pacific waters off South America, the more powerful the El Nino. And this year"s waters have heated up unusually fast. Climate-change researcher Michael Ghil of UCLA expects the impact to be "substantial." Ants Leetmaa, director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration"s Climate Prediction Center in Maryland, agrees: This El Nino is shaping up as one of the most powerful ever.

　　According to forecasters, hardest hit in this country will likely be California, where heavy rains can send houses sliding down muddy slopes onto washed-out coastal highways. The nation"s southern states — from California to Florida — can expect cooler and wetter weather than normal this winter and spring, with extensive storms in some areas. The Northwest should be warmer and drier than normal.

　　Wetter-than-normal conditions are expected in much of South America. The Asian monsoon rains could fail, resulting in food shortages in India. In Australia, where El Nino ypically means drought, strict water conservation is already under way.

　　El Nino"s effects won"t just be climatic, of course — the global economy is sure to suffer as well. Drought in Brazil and flooding in Colombia may result in higher prices for coffee and other crops. And fishing industries from Ecuador to California are already being hurt.

　　Clearly, the more accurately scientists can forecast El Nino, the more people everywhere can prepare. Insurance companies, farmers, power and irrigation companies, public-safety agencies and even tourist boards could benefit from knowing in advance when El Nino will strike.

　　"Reliable forecasting is still in its infancy," states Mark Cane. Someday, perhaps, scientists will be able to predict exactly how El Nino will behave. But for now, batten down the hatches and get ready for some wild weather!

21世纪大学英语读写教程第二册Unit9课文讲解3

　　indication

　　n. a sign or suggestion 迹象，暗示

　　*indicative

　　a. (of) showing or suggesting 指示的;标示的;暗示的

　　disruptive

　　a. causing disorder or trouble 破坏性的;制造混乱的;捣乱的

　　climatic

　　a. of or connected with the climate 气候的

　　occurrence

　　n. 1. the fact that sth. happens or is present in a particular situation 出现，发生

　　2. an event 发生的事情;事件

　　recurrence

　　n. the fact or process of happening again 重新出现;复发

　　*recur

　　v. (esp. of sth. unpleasant or unwelcome) happen or appear again, or more than once (尤指不好的事)一再发生;重现

　　data

　　n. (sing. datum) facts, information 资料;数据

　　sea-surface

　　n. the surface of the sea 海面

　　equatorial

　　a. 赤道的;赤道附近的

　　equator

　　n. 赤道

　　trade wind

　　a tropical wind that blows almost continually towards the equator from the northeast and southeast 信风，贸易风

　　*stray

　　vi. move away from a group, path or place, etc., usually with no particular purpose or destination 离群;走失;走离

　　a. 1. lost; wandering away from home 走失的;离群的

　　2. scattered; met by chance 零星的;偶尔遇到的

　　foretell

　　vt. tell (what will happen in the future) 预言;预示

　　devastating

　　a. causing great destruction 破坏性极大的;毁灭性的

　　capitalize,-ise

　　vt. 将…大写

　　innocent

　　a. 天真无邪的，纯真的;无害的;无罪的，无辜的

　　*originate

　　vi. start, occur for the first time 发源;始于

　　violently

　　ad. with a lot of force 剧烈地;强烈地

　　westward-blowing

　　a. blowing towards the west 向西刮的

　　coastline

　　n. the shape (outline) of a coast 海岸线

　　moist

　　a. slightly wet 潮湿的

　　atmospheric

　　a. 大气的;大气层的

　　*nourish

　　vt. cause to stay alive or grow by giving food, water, etc. 滋养;养育

　　altitude

　　n. 1. height, as of a mountain above sea level 高度;海拔

　　2. (often pl.)a high place or area [常复数]高处;高地

　　*suppress

　　vt. prevent from appearing 阻止;压制

　　region

　　n. 1. a large area of land 地区;地带

　　2. 行政区

　　decrease

　　v. (cause to) become less in size, number, strength, amount, or quality (使)减少;(使)减弱;(使)减轻

　　n. the act or action of decreasing; the state of being decreased 减少;减弱

　　jet stream

　　[气]急流

　　northwest

　　n. 西北;(N-)(一国或一地区的)西北部

　　a. 位于西北的;朝西北部的;来自西北的

　　ad. 在西北;向西北;从西北

　　gulf

　　n. 海湾

　　southwest

　　n. 西南;(S-)(一国或一地区)西南部

　　a. 位于西南的;向西南的;来自西南的

　　ad. 在西南;向西南;从西南

　　*inflict

　　vt. cause (damage, suffering, etc.) 导致(破坏、痛苦等)

　　dust storm

　　[气](干燥地区的)尘暴，沙暴

　　brush fire

　　bush fire 灌丛火

　　rage

　　vi. 1. (of fires, storms, battles, etc.) continue violently (烈火)熊熊燃烧;(浪)汹涌;激战

　　2. feel or express violent anger 发怒;怒斥

　　monsoon

　　n. 季风

　　violent

　　a. 1. uncontrollably fierce or dangerous in action 暴力的;*的

　　2. acting with or using great damaging force 猛烈的，剧烈的

　　*hemisphere

　　n. a half of the earth 半球

　　seaside

　　n. & a. (of) an area or town by the sea 海边(的)，海滨(的)

　　*hurricane

　　n. 飓风;暴风雨

　　shear

　　v. 1. (off) 剪断

　　2. cut off wool (from sheep) 剪(羊毛等)

　　abort

　　v. 1. end ( a job, plan, etc.) before the expected time because of some trouble (因中途遭遇困难而)中止(工作、计划等)

　　2. (of a job, plan, etc.) end in this way (工作，计划等)中止;未完成

　　3. (使)流产，坠胎

　　tree rings

　　(树木的)年轮

　　precious

　　a. valuable and useful 宝贵的;珍贵的

　　moisture

　　n. 1. 水分;降雨量

　　2. 水气;湿气

　　*fitting

　　a. suitable, appropriate, right for the purpose or occasion 适当的，恰当的

　　link

　　n. 1. relationship 联系，关系

　　2. a physical connection between two places or objects 连接

　　v. join or connect 连接;联系

　　holy

　　a. of God or religion; sacred 上帝的.;宗教的;神圣的

　　oceanic

　　a. 1. 海洋的，大洋的

　　2. 在海洋中生活的;产于海洋的

　　forecaster

　　n. 天气预报员

　　*muddy

　　a. full of or covered with mud 泥泞的

　　washed-out

　　a. destroyed or made useless by the force of water 被洪水冲蚀的;受到侵蚀的

　　coastal

　　n. of or related to the coast 海岸的;沿岸的

　　extensive

　　a. 1. great in effect 巨大的;严重的

　　2. widespread, covering a large area 广阔的;广大的

　　conservation

　　n. the preservation of natural things to prevent them from being spoiled or destroyed (对自然资源的)保护;保存

　　insurance

　　n. 1. agreement by contract to pay money in case of misfortune 保险

　　2. 保险业

　　insure

　　v. to protect... by insurance 给…保险，为…提供保证

　　*irrigation

　　n. the sup* of water (to dry land) 灌溉

　　agency

　　n. 1. 公众服务机构

　　2. a business or organisation providing a specified service 代理行;经销处

　　tourist

　　n. a person travelling for pleasure 旅游者

　　a. 旅游的

　　batten

　　vt. (down) (on ships) fasten with boards of wood 用板条固定

　　*hatch

　　n. (船的)舱口(盖);(飞机的)舱口

　　vt. 1. cause (an egg) to break, letting the young bird out 孵出

　　2. (up) make up (a plan or idea) 筹划;策划

　　vi. (of an egg) break, letting the young bird out; (of a young bird) break through an egg (蛋等)孵化;(小鸡等)出壳

　　Phrases and Expressions

　　point to

　　suggest that (sth.) is likely; indicate 说明(某事)很可能;表明

　　warm up

　　(cause to) get warmer (使)变暖

　　refer to

　　relate to; mention or speak of 与…有关;提到;谈到

　　set the stage for

　　prepare for; make possible 为…做好准备;使成为可能

　　in sth."s wake / in the wake of sth.

　　coming after or following sth.; as a result of sth. 随着…而来;作为…的结果

　　wipe out

　　destroy completely 彻底摧毁;消灭

　　be washed into

　　be carried somewhere by water 被冲入某处

　　shear off

　　cut off 剪断;切掉

　　keep a sharp eye on

　　watch closely 密切注意

　　heat up

　　make or become hot or warm (使)变热

　　shape up

　　develop; assume a shape 发展;成形，形成

　　under way

　　in progress 在进行中;在前进中

　　benefit from

　　receive benefit or gain from 得益于

　　in advance

　　before, ahead of time 事先，事前

　　batten down the hatches (在暴风雨未来到前)封舱;(喻)未雨绸缪，做好准备

21世纪大学英语读写教程第4册Unit9课文及词汇讲解60篇（扩展3）

——21世纪大学英语读写教程第4册Unit9课文及词汇讲解 (菁选3篇)

21世纪大学英语读写教程第4册Unit9课文及词汇讲解1

　　Robert Temple

　　Without the importation from China of paper and printing, Europe would have continued for much longer to copy books by hand. Literacy would not have become so widespread.

21世纪大学英语读写教程第4册Unit9课文及词汇讲解2

　　untold

　　a. not told to anyone 未说过的，未被讲述的;未透露的

　　synthesis

　　n. (pl syntheses / -si:z /) the combining of separate things, esp. ideas, to form a complex whole 综合，结合，综合体

　　Westerner

　　n. a native or inhabitant of the West, i.e. Europe and North America 西方人，欧美人

　　onwards

　　ad. forward in time or space 向前

　　dazzle

　　vt. (often passive) to impress sb. greatly through beauty, knowledge, skill, etc. 使昏眩;使惊奇;使赞叹不已;使倾倒

　　amnesia

　　n. partial or total loss of memory [医] 记忆缺失;遗忘(症)

　　regarding

　　prep.with reference to; concerning 关于;至于;就…而论，在…方面

　　awestruck

　　a. suddenly filled with wonder and respect or fear 充满敬畏(或畏怯、惊奇)之心

　　astronomical

　　a. of astronomy 天文学的;天文的，天体的

　　decimal

　　a. based on or counted in tens or tenths 小数的;十进位的

　　wheelbarrow

　　n. (also barrow) an open container for moving small loads in, with a wheel at one end, and two legs and two handles at the other 手推车;独轮车

　　multi-stage

　　a. having many stages (火箭、导弹等)多级的

　　underwater

　　a. situated, used or done below the surface of the water 在水下的;供水下用的;在水中操作(或生长)的

　　parachute

　　n. 降落伞

　　hot-air

　　a. filled with heated air 热空气的

　　brandy

　　n. a strong alcoholic drink usu. made from wine 白兰地(酒)

　　whisky

　　n. (US or Irish whiskey) a strong alcoholic drink made from malted grain, esp. barley or rye 威士忌酒

　　importation

　　n. the act of bringing goods, services, ideas, etc. from a foreign country into one"s own country 进口;输入

　　nautical

　　a. of ships, sailors or sailing 船舶的;海员的;航海的

　　navigational

　　a. relating to the action, process or art of finding the position and direct the course of a ship, an aircraft, a car, etc., using maps, instruments, etc. 航行的;航海的`;航空的

　　navigation

　　n. 航行;航海;航空

　　rudder

　　n. a vertical piece of wood or metal at the back of a boat, used for steering (船的)舵

　　compass

　　n. (also magnetic compass) a device for finding direction. with a needle that always points to the north 罗盘(仪)，指南针

　　multiple

　　a. having or involving many individuals, items or types 多个(或多项、多种)的

　　n. <数> 倍数

　　multi*vt. 乘，使相乘

　　mast

　　n. an upright post of wood or metal used to support a ship"s sails 船桅，桅杆

　　voyage

　　n. a long journey, esp. by sea or in space 航行，(尤指)航海;航天

　　colonial

　　a. of, relating to or possessing a colony or colonies 殖民地的;拥有殖民地的

　　stirrup

　　n. either of a pair of metal or leather loops that hang down from a horse"s saddle to support a rider"s feet 马镫

　　knight

　　n. (欧洲中世纪的)骑士;(近代英国的)爵士(品位低于从男爵，其名前称号用 Sir)

　　armo(u)r

　　n. (formerly) a protective, usu. metal, covering for the body, worn when fighting 盔甲

　　damsel

　　n. (arch) a young woman who is not married (古)(诗)少女，姑娘;闺女

　　chivalry

　　gunpowder

　　n. explosive powder used esp. in bombs or fireworks 火药

　　bullet

　　n. a small missile with a pointed end that is fired from a gun 子弹

　　literacy

　　n. the ability to read and write 识字，有文化;读写能力

　　movable

　　a. that can be moved 可动的，活动的

　　circulation

　　n. the movement of blood round the body from and to the heart 血液循环

　　circulate

　　v. (使)环行;(使)环流;(使)循环

　　borrowingn. a thing borrowed, esp. money or a word taken by one language from another 借用;采用;借用物;借用词语

　　downcast

　　a. (of a person, an expression, etc.) depressed; sad 垂头丧气的;沮丧的

　　all-pervading

　　a. present and seen or felt everywhere 遍及各方面的;无孔不入的

　　inextricable

　　a. so closely linked that separation is impossible (绳结等)解不开的;分不开的

　　inextricably

　　ad. 紧密地;不可分割地

　　gigantic

　　a. of very great size or extent; huge 巨大的;庞大的

　　originator

　　n. a person who originates; inventor 创始人;发明者;创作者

　　inheritor

　　n. a person who receives money, property etc. as a result of the death of the previous owner 继承人;后继者

　　resurrect

　　vt. 1. bring (sb.) back to life again 使(某人)复活

　　2. revive (a practice, etc.); bring back into use 使(某种做法等)重新流行;重新唤起对…的记忆;重新使用

　　ego

　　n. an individual"s idea of oneself, esp. in relation to other people or to the outside world 自我，自己

　　unaided

　　a. not assisted by sb./sth; without help 无助的;独立的

　　folly

　　n. being foolish; lack of wisdom 愚笨，愚蠢

　　complacency

　　n. (usu. derog) a calm feeling of satisfaction with oneself, one"s work, etc. 自满(情绪)，沾沾自喜

　　self-satisfaction

　　n. (derog) a feeling of being too pleased with oneself and one"s own achievements 沾沾自喜，自鸣得意

　　handful

　　n. a small number 少数，少量

　　pinnacle

　　n. the highest point; the peak 顶峰，极点，顶点

　　mo(u)ldboard

　　n. a curved metal plate in a plow, which turns over the earth from the furrow (农)犁壁

　　Strap

　　n. a strip of leather, cloth or other flexible material, often with a buckle, used for fastening sth., keeping sth. in place, carrying sth. or holding onto sth. 带，条带;皮带;布带;铁皮条

　　transport

　　vt. take sth./sb. from one place to another in a vehicle 运输，运送;输送;搬运

　　overland

　　ad. across the land; by land, not by sea or air 横越大陆地;经由陆路

　　satisfactory

　　a. of an acceptable nature or standard; good enough for a purpose 令人满意的;可喜的;恰当的

　　shipment

　　n. a cargo or goods transported, esp. by ship 装载(或交运)的货物(量)

　　sow

　　v. put or scatter seed in or on the ground; plant land with seed 播种，种;撒播(种子);播种于(土地)

　　effortless

　　a. needing little or no effort 不需要努力的;不(大)费劲的;容易的

　　backward

　　a. having made or making less than normal progress 落后的

　　underdeveloped

　　a. (of a country, etc.) not having achieved a high level of economic development 未充分发展的;不发达的;落后的

　　adoption

　　n. the act of taking over sth. and having or using it as one"s own 采取，采纳，采用

　　chasm

　　n. a very wide difference between people, groups, etc., esp. one that is unlikely to change (感情、兴趣、意见等的)大差别，大分歧

　　intimate

　　a. (of people) having a very close and friendly relationship 熟悉的;亲密的;密切的

　　fundamental

　　a. that need to be known or learned first; most important 基本的，根本的;重要的

21世纪大学英语读写教程第4册Unit9课文及词汇讲解3

　　bring...to an end

　　cause...to end 使…完结(终了、结束)

　　or rather

　　(used to correct sth. one has said previously, or to give more accurate information)more exactly; more truly; it would be better to say 或者确切点说

　　lose sight of

　　fail to consider (sth.); forget (sth.) 忘记;忽略

　　set...right

　　put...right; rectify 校正;纠正

　　take...to heart

　　consider seriously; be much affected or upset by (sth.) 认真考虑(某事);关注(某事);对(某事)想不开;为(某事)忧虑(或伤心、烦恼)

　　come about

　　happen, esp. in a way that seems impossible to prevent 发生，产生

　　for lack of

　　because there is not enough 因缺乏

　　come to the attention of

　　draw (sb."s) attention 引起…的关注

　　compared to/with

　　examined to see how people or things are alike and how they are different 与…相比

　　by/in comparison to/with

　　(when) compared with/to 与…相比

　　look...in the eye(s)/face

　　look at (sb.) steadily without shame or embarrassment (心地坦然地)直视(某人)，正视(某人)

21世纪大学英语读写教程第4册Unit9课文及词汇讲解60篇（扩展4）

——21世纪大学英语读写教程第三册第3课内容讲解60篇

21世纪大学英语读写教程第三册第3课内容讲解1

　　1. Before you listen to the passage, predict the words that are missing in the printed version of the passage. Then when you hear the passage, mark where you hear differences between your predictions and what"s actually on the tape. Don"t worry about writing down exactly what you hear — just note where you hear differences.

　　The sense of _____ dominates every modern culture to such an extent that most people never _____. Relying mainly on _____ seems so natural — how could a culture favor _____ instead? What would such a culture be like? It"s almost impossible to imagine. But _____ is in fact not as "natural" as we normally think. Although most humans are born with _____, no one is born knowing how to _____. We must learn _____, and many of the rules we learn vary _____. _____ is an excellent example: Before artists invented formal rules for portraying three dimensions, no one thought of distant objects as looking _____. If you doubt this, try explaining _____ to a young child.

　　2. If you had to lose one of your senses, which one would you choose to give up? And having lost it, what do you think you"d miss the most?

　　3. It"s common to speak of "the five senses" — but are there only five? Some researcher say that we all have and use other senses as well. What others can you think of?

21世纪大学英语读写教程第三册第3课内容讲解2

　　Rachel Carson

　　A child"s world is fresh and new and beautiful, full of wonder and excitement. It is our misfortune that, for most of us, that clear-eyed vision — that true instinct for what is beautiful and awe-inspiring — is dimmed and even lost before we reach *hood. If I had influence with the angels who are supposed to preside over all children, I would ask that their gift to each child in the world be a sense of wonder so indestructible that it would last throughout life.

　　If children are to keep alive their natural sense of wonder without any such gift from the angels, they need the companionship of at least one * who can share it, rediscovering with the child the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in. Parents often feel inadequate when confronted on the one hand with the eager, sensitive mind of a child and on the other with a world of complex physical nature. In a mood of self-defeat, they exclaim, "How can I possibly teach my child about nature — why, I don"t even know one bird from another!"

　　I sincerely believe that for children, and for parents seeking to guide them, it is not half so important to know as it is to feel. If facts are the seeds that later produce knowledge and wisdom, then the emotions and the impressions of the senses are the fertile soil in which the seeds must grow. The years of early childhood are the time to prepare the soil. Once the emotions have been aroused — a sense of the beautiful, the excitement of the new and the unknown, a feeling of sympathy, pity, admiration or love — then we wish for knowledge about the object of our emotional response. Once found, such knowledge has far more lasting meaning than mere information. It is more important to pave the way for children"s desire to know than to put them on a diet of facts they are not ready to assimilate.

　　Even if you feel you have little knowledge of nature at your disposal, there is still much you can do for your child. Wherever you are and whatever your resources, you can still look up at the sky — its dawn and evening beauties, its moving clouds, its stars by night. You can listen to the wind, whether it blows with majestic voice through a forest or sings a many-voiced chorus around the corners of your apartment building, and in the listening, you can gain magical release for your thoughts. You can still feel the rain on your face and think of its long journey from sea to air to earth, and wonder at the mysteries of natural selection embodied in the perfume and flavour of a fruit. Even if you are a city dweller, you can find some place, perhaps a park or a golf course, where you can observe the mysterious migrations of the birds and the changing seasons. And with your child you can ponder the mystery of a growing seed, even if it"s just one planted in a pot of earth in the kitchen window.

　　Exploring nature with your child is largely a matter of being open to what lies all around you. It is learning again to use your eyes, ears, nose and fingertips, opening up the disused channels of your senses. For most of us, knowledge of our world comes largely through sight, yet we look about with such unseeing eyes that we are partially blind. One way to open your eyes to unnoticed beauty is to ask yourself, "What if I had never seen this before? What if I knew I would never see it again?"

　　What is the value of preserving and strengthening this sense of awe and wonder, this recognition of something beyond the boundaries of human existence? Is the exploration of the natural world just a pleasant way to pass the golden hours of childhood or is there something deeper?

　　I am sure there is something much deeper, something lasting and significant. Those who dwell, as scientists or laypeople, among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life. Whatever the problems or concerns of their personal lives, their thoughts can find paths that lead to inner satisfaction and to renewed excitement in living. Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is symbolic as well as actual beauty in the migration of the birds, the ebb and flow of the tides, the folded bud ready for the spring. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature — the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after the winter.

　　I like to remember the distinguished Swedish oceanographer, Otto Pettersson, who died a few years ago at the age of ninety-three, in full possession of his keen mental powers. His son has related in a recent book how intensely his father enjoyed every new experience, every new discovery concerning the world about him.

　　"He was an incurable romantic," the son wrote, "intensely in love with life and with the mysteries of the universe." When he realized he had not much longer to enjoy the earthly scene, Otto Pettersson said to his son: "What will sustain me in my last moments is an infinite curiosity as to what is to follow."

21世纪大学英语读写教程第三册第3课内容讲解3

　　misfortune

　　n. bad luck 不幸;灾祸

　　clear-eyed

　　a. 视力好的;目光炯炯的

　　awe-inspiring

　　a. 令人敬畏;令人惊叹的

　　dim

　　vt. make less bright or unable to see clearly 使…暗淡;使…看不清

　　a. (of a light) not bright; not easy to see 昏暗的;模糊的

　　* angel

　　n. 天使

　　* preside

　　vi. have authority or control; direct 负责;主持

　　inadequate

　　a. not good enough in quality, ability, size, etc. 不够格的;不能胜任的;不充分的

　　confront

　　vt. stand or meet face to face; bring face to face 面对;遭遇

　　mood

　　n. state of mind or feelings 心境，心情;情绪

　　sincerely

　　ad. 真诚地;忠实地

　　sincere

　　a. free from falseness; true and honest 忠实的;真诚的

　　arouse

　　vt. cause to become active; excite 唤醒;激发

　　rouse

　　vt. 1. cause to become active; excite (=arouse) 唤醒;激发

　　2. wake (sb.) up 唤醒，使醒来

　　mere

　　a. nothing more than 只不过的，仅仅的

　　* assimilate

　　vt. take in and make a part of oneself; absorb 使同化;吸收

　　disposal

　　n. the act of getting rid of sth.; the power or right to use sth. freely 处理;支配

　　dispose

　　vt. 1. put in place; set in readiness 布置;配置

　　2. cause to have a tendency (to do sth.) 使有倾向;使愿意

　　majestic

　　a. showing power and greatness; dignified and impressive 雄伟的，威严的

　　* majesty

　　n. 1. greatness; a show of power as of a king or queen 雄伟;庄重;君王尊严

　　2. [M-] 陛下(对帝王、王后等的尊称)

　　* chorus

　　n. 1. a song sung by many singers together 合唱曲

　　2. a group of singers singing together 合唱队

　　selection

　　n. the act of selecting; sb. or sth. that is selected 选择;被选出的人(或物)

　　* embody

　　vt. 1. represent (a quality, idea, etc.) in a physical form 体现;使具体化

　　2. contain, include 包含

　　* perfume

　　n. 1. a sweet or pleasant smell 芳香，香气

　　2. 香水

　　flavo(u)r

　　n. a taste; a special quality 味道;风味;特色

　　vt. give a particular taste to 给…调味

　　migration

　　n. the movement of a group (often of animals, birds, etc.) from one area to another 迁移;移居;(鸟类等的)迁徒

　　* migrate

　　vi. 1. (of animals) travel regularly to a different area according to the seasons of the year (动物的)迁徒

　　2. change one"s place of living; move from one place to another, especially to find work 迁移;(农业季节工人等)外出找工作

　　* migrant

　　n. 迁移动物;移居者;农业季节工人

　　* ponder

　　vt. think about carefully; consider 沉思;考虑

　　strengthen

　　vt. make stronger 加强，强化

　　awe

　　n. a feeling of respect mixed with fear and wonder 敬畏;惊叹

　　recognition

　　n. the act of recognizing; the state of being recognized 认同;认出;承认

　　* weary

　　a. very tired; bored 疲倦的;厌倦的

　　reserve

　　n. anything kept for later use 储备物

　　vt. 1. keep for a special purpose 保留;储备

　　2. (AmE) book (美)预订

　　* reservation

　　n. 1. doubt or uncertainty, esp. when one"s agreement with sth. is in some way limited 保留;保留意见

　　2. (AmE) booking; reserved seat or accommodation 预定;预定的座席(或住处等)

　　symbolic(al)

　　a. 象征性的

　　symbol

　　n. (of) a sign, shape or object which represents a person, idea or an item 象征;标志;符号

　　ebb

　　n. a flowing of the tide away from the shore 退潮，落潮

　　tide

　　n. the regular rise and fall of the ocean, caused by the attraction of the Moon 潮汐

　　* bud

　　n. a small swelling on a plant that will grow into a flower, leaf, or branch 牙;花蕾

　　* heal

　　v. (cause to) become sound or healthy again 治愈;痊愈

　　infinitely

　　ad. 无穷地，无限地

　　* finite

　　a. having an end or a limit 有限的

　　* refrain

　　n. a part of a song that is repeated, esp. at the end of each verse (歌曲中的)叠歌，副歌

　　vi. (from) hold oneself back (from) 忍住;克制

　　oceanographer

　　n. 海洋学家

　　possession

　　n. 1. the act or state of possessing or being possessed 拥有;具有

　　2. (often pl.) personal property [常复数]所有物;

　　keen

　　a. 1. good, strong, quick at understanding 敏锐的"

　　2. (on, to) eager or anxious to do sth. 热切的

　　intensely

　　ad. greatly or extremely; strongly 极度地;强烈地

　　intense

　　a. great or extreme; strong 极度的;强烈的

　　intensity

　　n. 1. 强烈，剧烈

　　2. 强度，烈度

　　concerning

　　prep.(fml) about; with regard to; in connection with 关于

　　earthly

　　a. of this world as opposed to heaven; material rather than spiritual 尘世的，世俗的

21世纪大学英语读写教程第三册第3课内容讲解4

　　preside over

　　direct (a commi* or other formal group of people); have or exercise control or authority over (sth.) 主持(委员会等);掌管(某事)

　　wish for

　　have a desire for; long for 想要;希望得到

　　pave the way (for)

　　make smooth or easy (for); be a preparation (for) 为…铺*道路;为…作准备

　　at sb."s disposal

　　available for one to use as one wishes 由某人支配或使用

　　wonder at

　　be surprised by or curious about 对…感到惊讶

　　natural selection

　　the theory developed by Charles Darwin that plants and animals best suited to the conditions around them survive while those not suited to the conditions die out 自然选择(指生物界适者生存不适者被淘汰的现象)

　　a matter of sth./doing sth.

　　a question of; an instance or a case of 一个…的问题;一件…的事

　　open up

　　make or become open or accessible 打开;开放

　　be weary of

　　be tired of; be bored with 对…感到厌倦

　　look about

　　look around; examine the place or state of affairs 扫视四周;观察(事态)

　　be in possession of

　　have in one"s possession; maintain control over 拥有;控制

　　as to

　　about; concerning 关于;有关

21世纪大学英语读写教程第4册Unit9课文及词汇讲解60篇（扩展5）

——21世纪大学英语读写教程第4册第8单元课文讲解60篇

21世纪大学英语读写教程第4册第8单元课文讲解1

　　Bill Heavy

　　When my father rings, I hurry down to the front door of my condo. There he is, in corduroy pants, the tread worn off the knees, and a shirt I outgrew in tenth grade. He"s come to help me put in a new garbage disposal. Actually, I"m helping him. His mechanical gene passed over his only son, on its way to some future generation. At 39, I"ve made my peace with this.

　　My father hasn"t been to my place since he helped me paint four years ago. The truth is, I"m often not sure how to talk to him. But this time it will be easy. We have a job to do.

　　In minutes he has taken over the whole enterprise, lying under the sink and squinting up into the machinery. And suddenly I am 12 years old again, watching him fix things and feeling useless.

　　As a child, I identified so strongly with my mother that I thought my father was just a long-term house guest with spanking privileges. She and I are bookish, introverted worriers. My father is an optimist who has never had a sleepless night in his life.

　　Like most fathers and sons, we fought. But there was no cooling-off period between rounds. It was a cold war lasting from the onset of my adolescence until I went off to college in 1973.I hated him. He was a former navy fighter pilot, with an Irish temper and a belief that all the problems of the world—including an overprotected son who never saw anything through to completion—could be cured by the application of more discipline.

　　At a time when an eighth-grader"s social status was measured in the fraction of an inch of hair kissing his collar, my father would march me down to the barbershop on Saturdays and triumphantly tell the man with the scissors. "Just leave him enough to comb." I would close my eyes, determined not to give him the satisfaction of seeing me cry. Without even thinking about it, I froze him out of my life, speaking only when spoken to. I learned to use silence like a knife. My one communique for an entire dinner was usually a sarcastic "May I be excused now? I have homework."

　　I lay awake at night imagining him being transferred by the gas company he worked for to an oil rig in the North Sea. But it didn"t happen, and soon all that remained was the contest of wills.

　　I went off to college, but he was still in my head. I could hear his voice every time I fell short in anything. Only when I began seeing my freelance articles in print did I begin to feel that I was slipping beyond his reach and into my own life.

　　Eventually I discovered that there is no anti-inflammatory agent like time. Now I wondered, could this aging 74-year-old be the giant who once thundered up the stairs to spank me, of whom I was so afraid that I wet my pants? In his place was someone I worried about, whom I dressed in my down hunting jacket for his annual pilgrimage to the Army-Navy game. My profession, which he had once ridiculed, saying, "Gee, do you think there"s any money in it?" now became a source of pride when fellow Rotarians mistook him for Bill Heavy "the writer." It was as if now that I no longer needed so desperately to please him, I had succeeded. We had become two old veterans from opposing armies, shaking hands years after the fighting, the combat so distant as to be a dream.

　　Before we can install the disposal, we have to snake out the pipes. Soon we get stuck trying to figure out how a gasket fits.

　　"Ah," he says finally, "we"re going to have to call a plumber."

　　This is not how I remember him. He used to be so stubborn, the kind of guy who could make IRS examiners throw up their hands in frustration and let him off. Now that I have his mind-set and don"t want to give up, it"s as if he"s acquired mine.

　　He says, "Besides, I gotta get home. Your mother and I have to be at a dinner party at 7:30."

　　"Don"t you pay for the plumber," he says. "Putting this thing in is part of my Christmas present to you."

　　Though we"ve failed to install the disposal, it"s been oddly satisfying. At last we"re on even ground. Maybe he wasn"t the best father. Maybe I wasn"t the best son, but I realize I will never be ready to cope with his leaving. I know that I"m luckier than some of my friends, whose fathers died while they were still locked in the battle that neither really wanted.

　　The plumber comes two days later. He secures the disposal in its place as easily as I buckle my belt.

　　Not long ago, I started badgering my parents to get their estate in order. They didn"t want to deal with it. I finally wrote them a letter saying if I were a parent, I would want to make * sure the IRS got as little of my money as possible. I knew this would push my father"s buttons. It worked. They met with a lawyer.xc

　　Later, my father and I lunch at a restaurant near my office so he can fill me in on the details. "One thing I don"t want you to worry about is what"ll happen to me," he says, with the satisfied air of a man who has taken care of business. "The Navy will cremate me for free."

　　"And what about the ashes?" I ask, concerned only with practical things. It is as if we are talking about how to get rid of the old disposal.

　　"They scatter them at sea." He turns away, looking around for our waiter. Something breaks inside me. When he turns back, I am crying, hot tears springing up in my eyes so suddenly I"m almost choking.

　　"I don"t want you to die," I manage to say. "I don"t want them to scatter your ashes. I"ll scatter your ashes."

　　"Oh, Bill," he says, taken aback, totally at a loss about what to say. "I just didn"t want to burden you with it."

　　I have no way to tell him that I want to be burdened with it, that it is my birth right to be burdened with it. "I know," I say.

　　I don"t even look around to see if anybody is watching. I don"t care. I reach across the table for his hand and hold it, trying to stop the tears.

21世纪大学英语读写教程第4册第8单元课文讲解2

　　condo

　　n. an apartment in a block of apartments of which each is owned by the people who live in it 公寓套间

　　corduroy

　　n. & a. 灯芯绒(的)

　　tread

　　n. grooved part on the surface 棱纹

　　outgrow

　　vt. grow too large or too tall for (esp. one"s clothes); grow faster or taller than 长大(或长高)而穿不下(原有的衣服等);长得比…快(或高)

　　garbage

　　n. rubbish, refuse 垃圾

　　garbage disposal

　　(装于厨房洗涤槽排水管内的)污物碾碎器

　　mechanical

　　a. 1. of, connected with, produced by machines 机械的";与机械有关的;由机械制成的

　　2. 手工操作的;技工的

　　squint

　　vi. look sideways or with half-shut eyes or through a narrow opening 瞟;眯着眼看;由小孔窥视

　　spank

　　vt. punish (a child) by slapping on the buttocks with the open hand or a slipper, etc. (用巴掌或拖鞋等)打(小孩的)屁股

　　introverted

　　a. (性格)内向的;不爱交际的

　　worrier

　　n. person who worries a lot 担心的人，发愁的人

　　optimist

　　n. a person who is always hopeful and looks upon the bright side of things 乐观的人;乐观主义者

　　cooling-off period

　　a period of time when two people or groups who are arguing about sth. can go away and think about how to improve the situation (争执双方冷静下来考虑如何改善关系的)冷却期

　　onset

　　n. the beginning (esp. of sth. unpleasant) (尤指不快之事的)开始

　　navy

　　n. 海军

　　fraction

　　n. 1. a small part, bit, amount, or proportion (of sth.) (某物的)小部分，一点儿，少许;片断

　　2. 分数;小数

　　collar

　　n. part of a garment that fits around the neck 衣领

　　barbershop

　　n. place where a man gets his face shaved and hair cut 理发店

　　triumphantly

　　ad. joyfully, satisfactorily (at a success or victory) 得意洋洋地;得胜地;成功地

　　communique

　　n. official announcement 公报

　　sarcastic

　　a. 讽刺的，嘲笑的，挖苦的

　　rig

　　n. a large structure in the sea used for drilling oil wells 钻井架;钻塔

　　freelance

　　a. 自由作家的;自由职业者做的

　　anti-inflammatory

　　a. 抗炎的，消炎的;息怒的

　　agent

　　n. substance, natural phenomenon, etc. producing an effect 剂;自然力;动因

　　down

　　n. fine, soft feathers of young birds 羽绒

　　pilgrimage

　　n. 1. a journey to a sacred place or shrine 朝圣;朝觐

　　2. a journey to a place associated with sb. /sth. one respects 到敬仰的某处之行

　　ridicule

　　vt. make fun of; mock 嘲弄;嘲笑

　　gee

　　int. (used to express surprise, admiration, etc.) (用以表示惊奇、赞赏等)哎呀，嘿

　　oppose

　　vt. fight or complete against in a battle, competition, or election 反对;反抗;与…较量

　　snake

　　vt. 用长铁丝通条疏通(管道)

　　stuck

　　a. not able to move or continue doing sth. 不能动的;不能继续做某事的;被卡住的

　　gasket

　　n. 垫圈;衬垫;密封垫

　　plumber

　　n. workman who fits and repairs water-pipes, bathroom articles, etc. 管子工

　　mind-set

　　n. mentality, way of thinking 心态;思想倾向

　　buckle

　　n. (皮带等的)搭扣，搭钩

　　vt. 用搭扣把…扣住(或扣紧、扣上)

　　badger

　　vt. pester;nag persistently 纠缠;烦扰

　　estate

　　n. all the money and property that a person owns, esp. that which is left at death 财产;(尤指)遗产

　　cremate

　　vt. burn (a corpse) to ashes 火化(尸体)

　　aback

　　ad. backwards 向后地;退后地

　　birth right

　　与生俱来的权利

21世纪大学英语读写教程第4册第8单元课文讲解3

　　put in

　　install 安装

　　pass over

　　move past without touching; overlook; fail to notice 掠过;忽视;不注意

　　make one"s peace with

　　settle a quarrel with;accept 与…讲和;接受

　　identify with

　　regard oneself as sharing the characteristics or fortunes with 与…认同

　　see through

　　not give up (a task, undertaking, etc.) until it is finished 把(任务等)进行到底

　　freeze out

　　exclude (sb.) by a cold manner, competition, etc. (以冷淡态度、竞争等)排斥(某人)

　　in print

　　(of a person"s work) printed in a book, newspaper, etc. (指作品)已印出;已出版

　　throw up one"s hands

　　show that one is annoyed or has given up hope with sb. or sth. that causes trouble (因厌烦等而)突然举起双手;认定无望而放弃尝试

　　let off

　　excuse; not punish; not punish severely 原谅;不惩罚;对…从轻处理

　　push sb."s buttons

　　start sb. in action 使某人行动起来

　　fill sb. in (on sth.)

　　give sb. full details (about sth.) 对某人提供(有关某事的)详情

　　for free

　　without charge or payment 不要钱;免费

　　get rid of

　　become free of 扔掉，处理掉;摆脱

　　be taken aback

　　be startled 吃惊

　　at a loss

　　perplexed, uncertain 困惑;不知所措

21世纪大学英语读写教程第4册Unit9课文及词汇讲解60篇（扩展6）

——21世纪大学英语综合教程第二册 Unit4 课文翻译及课后答案60篇

21世纪大学英语综合教程第二册 Unit4 课文翻译及课后答案1

　　我喜欢动物劳拉·A·莫雷蒂

　　“你觉得你为什么这么喜欢动物呢?”这是圣诞夜我的家人问我的问题。我知道他们期待我会说些诸如“我喜欢动物是因为它们聪明、好玩”之类的话。

　　可是我却说：“我喜欢动物，因为它们诚实。”

　　“在哪方面呢?”我的一个兄弟问道——似乎诚实仅仅表现在说实话，而众所周知动物是不会说话的!他的问题引来一阵开怀大笑。

　　“我喜欢动物，因为它们从不假装成别人，”我继续我的回答，“动物不会伪造感情。”

　　圣诞晚餐吃过了，礼物也打开了，我们正坐在沙发和扶手椅上。咖啡正端上来，于是我抓紧机会继续说。

　　“我喜欢动物，因为它们从生活中只索取它们需要的东西。它们不糟蹋环境，不污染水和它们所呼吸的空气。它们不生产大规模杀伤性武器，然后用这些武器去攻击别人——尤其是它们的同类。我喜欢动物因为它们根本不需要那些东西。”

　　“那是因为它们无知，”我的姐姐争论道,“它们不做这些事是因为它们根本不知道怎么做。”

　　狮子们不会聚在一起，”我反击道,“来商议如何灭绝斑马——即它们的食物来源。我想这并不是因为它们不知道怎么做，而是因为这么做会适得其反。”

　　他们笑了。

　　“我喜欢动物，”我继续道，“还因为它们不留恋过去的.东西，也不把过去的东西用作现在行为的借口。它们不去计划未来的生活，它们只活在今天，这一刻，充实地，完全地，单纯地活着。我喜欢动物因为它们比人类活得自由得多。”

　　“那是因为它们不会思考,”我的一个表亲说。

　　“这就是差别之所在吗?”我感到疑惑。“你是想说它们不以我们的方式思考吧。”

　　屋里变得异常安静。我很惊讶我的家人竟听得如此专注。

　　“还有，”我想起了自己成为保护动物权益积极分子的原因，随即补充道，“动物是地球上受害最深的生物：甚于儿童，甚于妇女，甚于有色人种。偏见使我们去剥削、利用它们，把它们当作科研工具和可消耗的商品，还去吃它们。我们把所能想到的任何暴行都用在它们身上。我喜欢动物，因为它们不对自己或别人做那些我们对它们做的事情。”

　　“最后，”我总结道，“我喜欢动物，因为它们不是伪君子。它们不会说的是一套，做的是另一套。它们，我已经说了，是诚实的。动物——而不是人——才是地球奉献出的最佳一族。”

　　相当有趣的是，尽管我的话十分率直，却没有招来他们恶意的评论或丝毫的嘲笑。事实上，接下去的谈话变成了分享他们所知的动物故事，有关于动物的忠诚和灵性的故事，也有关于它们的幽默和纯真的故事。而我反倒成了听众，只偶尔发表一下评论：

　　“嗳，但愿人能像动物一样就好了。”

　　我就这样进行了一场出色的论战;我是代表着我们中间最棒的一个群体上阵的。

21世纪大学英语综合教程第二册 Unit4 课文翻译及课后答案2

　　1. enables 2. arguing 3. comments 4. despite 5. planet

　　6. pretending 7. cruel 8. polluted 9. particularly 10. freedom

　　1. have no use for 2. playing with 3. dwell on

　　4. get together 5. on behalf of 6. on earth

　　1. What do you guess has made him change his mind?

　　2. Who do you guess is the winner of the speech contest?

　　3. When do you suppose the results of the exam will come out?

　　4. Where do you imagine they spent their vacation?

　　1. I don’t think he will agree with us.

　　2. I don’t think Alice can understand such a difficult question.

　　3. I don’t think you are taller than your brother

　　4. I don’t think they have made up their minds.

　　1. This report dwells on how some species were exterminated because of the polluted environment.

　　2. To tell the truth, I think a snide comment made out of prejudi?e is better than faked praise given by a hypocrite.

　　3. Mary countered the manager on behalf of all the employees by arguing that it is cruel to limit the employees freedom and it will eventually affect the company’s reputation.

　　4. What on earth has enabled some people, particularly certain high officials, to abuse their powers despite the law?

　　5. I don’t think success is merely related to intelligence. In fact, many good qualities, such as innocence, honesty, humor and loyalty, can help us succeed, too.

　　6. Strangely enough, the joke did not bring about hearty laughter, not even a hint of any. Could it be that the audience was pretending to be serious?

　　1. John is not here. Try phoning his home number to see if he’s there?

　　2. Walking along the street, he stopped to take a picture.

　　3. I forgot to ask him for his address.

　　4. We regret to inform you the model you want is out of stock.

　　5. They tried to pass the exam.

　　6. I remember turning the lights off before we came out.

　　7. I’ll never forget hearing this piece of music when I was lonely.

　　8. I regret giving up the job.

　　9. I stopped eating chocolate last year.

　　10. She first told us her plan and then went on to tell us how she would carry it out.

21世纪大学英语综合教程第二册 Unit4 课文翻译及课后答案3

　　马的意识——威廉•冯•奥斯顿试图教马数数鲁丝•多尔夫曼

　　马会不会加减乘除?当然不会!但是在1900年，冯•奥斯顿可不同意你的意见。冯•奥斯顿是位德国教师，他试图证明动物和人一样聪明。

　　他收了一只熊、一只猫和一匹马作学生，开始教他们算术或实数。熊和猫很快失去了兴趣，然而马却没有。

　　事实上，这匹名叫聪明的汉斯的马是一名优秀的学生。每堂课他都静静地站在那里，面对着老师。为了确保汉斯专心听讲，冯•奥斯顿在它眼睛的两侧安上了遮挡物。这些“障眼物”迫使汉斯正视老师。看来没有什么能让他分神了。

　　冯·奥斯顿用撞柱游戏中的9个小瓶柱来教汉斯1到9的数字。他排出4根小柱，问道：“有几根小柱子啊?”

　　“嗒，嗒，嗒，嗒，”汉斯敲着前蹄回答。

　　冯·奥斯顿用写在黑板上的数字代替九柱后，汉斯依然学得很快，他仍旧能答对问他的大多数问题。这只令人惊讶的动物甚至学会了认钟点和算某些数的*方根!不久，聪明的汉斯赢得了全世界的称赞。之前可从来没有动物进行过数学思维!

　　然而，有些数学家怀疑有诈。冯•奥斯顿是不是在给汉斯提示呢?让一匹马做如此复杂的数学计算似乎是不可能的!不过，当数学家们测试汉斯时，他们大为惊讶。测验结果表明，汉斯的能力竟达到了一个14岁学生的水*!

　　尽管如此，仍有科学家表示怀疑。他们组成一个小组重新对汉斯进行测试。小组中的一名心理学家奥斯卡.冯斯特想到一个主意。为什么不单独测试汉斯呢?这样一来，当然不可能有人给他提示了。

　　不出冯斯特所料，汉斯没能通过测验。这是因为汉斯需要房间里有个知道正确答案的人，可是那个知道答案的人并不知道自己在提示汉斯!当汉斯接近正确答案时，那人的身体就会发生一些变化，而这些变化只有汉斯能察觉到。即使是心跳加速也可能成为让汉斯开始敲击蹄子的信号!

　　毫无疑问，冯·奥斯顿发现汉斯从来不懂数学时他很是失望。不过话说回来，汉斯的的确确是匹非常聪明的马!

21世纪大学英语读写教程第4册Unit9课文及词汇讲解60篇（扩展7）

——21世纪大学英语读写教程第三册第1单元课文讲解60篇

21世纪大学英语读写教程第三册第1单元课文讲解1

　　A common misconception among youngsters attending school is that their teachers were child prodigies. Who else but a bookworm, with none of the normal kid"s tendency to play rather than study, would grow up to be a teacher anyway?

　　I"ve tried desperately to explain to my students that the image they have of me as an enthusiastic devotee of books and homework during my adolescence was a bit out of focus. On the contrary, I hated compulsory education with a passion. I could never quite accept the notion of having to go to school while the fish were biting.

　　But in my sophomore year, something beautiful and exciting happened. Cupid aimed his arrow and struck me right in the heart. All at once, I enjoyed going to school, if only to gaze at the lovely face in English II.

　　My princess sat near the pencil sharpener, and that year I ground up enough pencils to fuel a campfire. Alas, Debbie was far beyond my wildest dreams. We were separated not only by five rows of desks, but by about 50 I.Q. points. She was the top student in English II, the apple of Mrs. Larrivee"s eye.

　　Occasionally, Debbie would catch me staring at her, and she would flash a smile that radiated intelligence and quickened my heartbeat. It was a smile that signaled hope and made me temporarily forget the intellectual gulf that separated us.

　　I schemed desperately to bridge that gulf. And one day, as I was passing the supermarket, an idea came to me. A sign in the window announced that the store was offering the first volume of a set of encyclopedias at the special price of 29 cents. The remaining volumes would cost $2.49 each.

　　I purchased Volume I — Aardvark to Asteroid — and began my venture into the world of knowledge. I would henceforth become a seeker of facts. I would become Chief Brain in English II and sweep my princess off her feet with a surge of erudition. I had it all planned.

　　My first opportunity came one day in the cafeteria line. I looked behind me and there she was.

　　"Hi," she said.

　　After a pause, I wet my lips and said, "Know where anchovies come from?"

　　She seemed surprised. "No, I don"t."

　　I breathed a sigh of relief. "The anchovy lives in salt water and is rarely found in fresh water." I had to talk fast, so that I could get all the facts in before we reached the cash register. "Fishermen catch anchovies in the Mediterranean Sea and along the Atlantic coast near Spain and Portugal."

　　"How fascinating," said Debbie, shaking her head in disbelief. It was obvious that I had made quite an impression.

　　A few days later, during a fire drill, I casually went up to her and asked, "Ever been to the Aleutian Islands?"

　　"Never have," she replied.

　　"Might be a nice place to visit, but I certainly wouldn"t want to live there," I said.

　　"Why not?" said Debbie, playing right into my hands.

　　"Well, the climate is forbidding. There are no trees on any of the 100 or more islands in the group. The ground is rocky and very little plant life can grow on it."

　　"I don"t think I"d even care to visit," she said.

　　The fire drill was over and we began to file into the building, so I had to step it up to get the natives in. "The Aleuts are short and sturdy and have dark skin and black hair. They live on fish, and they trap blue foxes and seals for their valuable fur."

　　Debbie"s eyes widened in amazement.

　　One day I was browsing through the library. I spotted Debbie sitting at a table, absorbed in a crossword puzzle. She was frowning, apparently stumped on a word. I leaned over and asked if I could help.

　　"Four-letter word for Oriental female servant," Debbie said.

　　"Try amah," I said, quick as a flash.

　　Debbie filled in the blanks, then turned to stare at me in amazement. "I don"t believe it," she said. "I just don"t believe it."

　　And so it went, that glorious, joyous, romantic sophomore year. Debbie seemed to relish our little conversations and hung on my every word. Naturally, the more I read, the more my confidence grew.

　　In the classroom, too, I was gradually making my presence felt. One day, during a discussion of Coleridge"s "The Ancient Mariner", we came across the word albatross.

　　"Can anyone tell us what an albatross is?" asked Mrs. Larrivee.

　　My hand shot up. "The albatross is a large bird that lives mostly in the ocean regions below the equator, but may be found in the north Pacific as well. The albatross measures as long as four feet and has the greatest wingspread of any bird. It feeds on fish and shellfish. The albatross has an enormous appetite, and when it"s full it has trouble getting into the air again."

　　There was a long silence in the room. Mrs. Larrivee couldn"t quite believe what she had just heard. I sneaked a look at Debbie and gave her a big wink. She beamed proudly and winked back.

　　What I failed to perceive was that Debbie all this while was going steady with a junior from a neighboring school — a basketball player with a C+ average. The revelation hit me hard, and for a while I felt like forgetting everything I had learned. I had saved enough money to buy Volume II — Asthma to Bullfinch — but was strongly tempted to invest in a basketball instead.

　　I felt not only hurt, but betrayed. Like Agamemnon, but with less drastic consequences, thank God.

　　In time I recovered from my wounds. The next year Debbie moved from the neighborhood and transferred to another school. Soon she became no more than a memory.

　　Although the original incentive was gone, I continued poring over the encyclopedias, as well as an increasing number of other books. Having tasted of the wine of knowledge, I could not now alter my course. For:

　　"A little knowledge is a dangerous thing:

　　Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring."

　　So wrote Alexander Pope, Volume XIV — Paprika to Pterodactyl.

21世纪大学英语读写教程第三册第1单元课文讲解2

　　prodigy

　　n. a person who has unusual and very noticeable abilities, usually at an early age 奇才;天才

　　child prodigy

　　an unusually clever child 神童

　　bookworm

　　n. a person devoted to reading 极爱读书者;书呆子

　　devotee

　　n. a person strongly devoted to sth. or sb. 热爱…者;献身于…的人

　　adolescence

　　n. 青春期

　　* compulsory

　　a. required by law or a rule 义务的;强制的

　　compel

　　vt. oblige or force (sb.) to do sth. 强迫;强求

　　passion

　　n. a strong, deep, often uncontrollable feeling 热情;激情

　　gaze

　　vi. look fixedly 注视;凝视

　　princess

　　n. 1. 理想中的女友;心目中追求的女友

　　2. (oft, cap.) a female member of the royal family, usually the daughter of a king or queen or the wife of a prince [常大写]公主;王妃

　　prince

　　n. 1. 少女理想中的未婚者，白马王子

　　2. a male member of the royal family, especially the son of a king or queen 王子;亲王

　　3. (usu. sing.) (among, of) a very great, successful or powerful man of some stated kind [常单数](喻)大王;巨头;名家

　　sharpener

　　n. 卷笔刀;卷笔器

　　campfire

　　n. a wood fire made in the open air by campers 营火，冓火

　　quicken

　　v. (cause to) speed up 加快

　　scheme

　　v. make plans (for); plan in a deceitful way 计划;谋划

　　n. 1. a formal, official or business plan 计划;规划

　　2. a clever, dishonest plan 阴谋，诡计

　　volume

　　n. 1. one of a set of books of the same kind (一套书的)一册;一卷

　　2. (of) 体积;容积

　　encyclop(a)edia

　　n. a book or set of books dealing with a wide range of information presented in alphabetical order 百科全书

　　aardvark

　　n. 土豚，非洲食蚁兽

　　asteroid

　　n. 小行星;海星

　　* henceforth

　　ad. from this time onwards 自此以后

　　hence

　　ad. 1. for this reason, therefore 因此，所以

　　2. from this time on 今后，从此

　　erudition

　　n. learning acquired by reading and study 博学;学问

　　* cafeteria

　　n. a self-service restaurant 自助餐厅

　　anchovy

　　n. 凤尾鱼

　　sigh

　　n. the act or sound of sighing 叹息(声);叹气(声)

　　reliefn. feeling of comfort at the end of anxiety, fear, or pain (焦虑等的)解除;宽慰

　　casually

　　ad. in a relaxed way 随便地;漫不经心地

　　casual

　　a. relaxed; not formal 随便的;漫不经心的;非正式的

　　* sturdy

　　a. physically strong 强壮的

　　seal

　　n. 1. 海豹

　　2. 印记，印章

　　vt. 1. 盖章于

　　2. 封，密封

　　widen

　　v. make or become wider 加宽;变宽

　　* browse

　　v. casually look or search, e.g. in a shop, in a library, at a book, etc., with no specific aim or object in mind 浏览

　　crossword

　　n. (= crossword puzzle) 纵横字谜，纵横填字游戏

　　frown

　　vi. contract the brows, as in displeasure or deep thought 皱眉头

　　* stump

　　vt. put an unanswerable question to; puzzle 把…难住;使为难

　　* oriental

　　a. of, from or concerning Asia 东方的

　　amah

　　n. 阿妈(印度等一些东方国家的奶妈、女佣或保姆)

　　glorious

　　a. having or deserving glory; very delightful and enjoyable 荣耀的;令人愉快的

　　joyous

　　a. full of or causing joy 充满欢乐的;令人高兴的

　　romantic

　　a. 1. (of sth.) beautiful in a way that strongly affects one"s feelings 有浪漫色彩的

　　2. (of sb.) showing strong feelings of love 多情的;浪漫的

　　3. being unrealistic or unpractical 不切实际的

　　* relish

　　vt. get pleasure out of; enjoy greatly 从…获得乐趣;很喜爱

　　confidence

　　n. belief in one"s own or another"s ability 信心

　　mariner

　　n. (obsolete) a sailor 〈废〉水手

　　marine

　　a. 1. of ships and their goods and trade at sea 航海的;海事的

　　2. of, near, living in, or obtained from the sea 海洋的.;海生的;海产的

　　n. 水兵

　　albatross

　　n. 信天翁

　　wingspread

　　n. the distance between the tips of a pair of fully spread wings 翼幅

　　shellfish

　　n. 贝壳类动物

　　shell

　　n. 1. the hard covering of a sea creature, egg, fruit, seed, etc. 动物的壳(如贝壳、蛹壳等)，蛋壳;果壳;荚

　　2. the outside frame of a building (房屋的)框架;骨架

　　appetite

　　n. 1. one"s desire to eat and one"s feeling about how much to eat 食欲，胃口

　　2. (for) a strong desire 欲望;爱好

　　beam

　　vi. shine brightly; smile warmly 照耀;(面)露喜色;满脸堆笑

　　n. 1. 微笑;喜色

　　2. 光束

　　perceive

　　vt. notice; be conscious of 注意到;感觉;察觉

　　* revelation

　　n. the act of revealing sth., usually of great significance 揭示;暴露

　　asthma

　　n. 气喘，哮喘

　　bullfinch

　　n. 红腹灰雀

　　invest

　　vi. put money into sth. with the expectation of profit or other advantage 投资

　　investment

　　n. 1. 投资;投资额

　　2. the spending of (time, energy, etc.) to make sth. successful (时间、精力等的)投入

　　* betray

　　vt. be disloyal or unfaithful to 出卖，背叛

　　* drastic

　　a. strong, violent or severe 激烈的;迅猛的

　　consequence

　　n. (usu. pi.) the result or effect of an action or condition [常复数]结果;后果

　　* incentive

　　n. encouragement to greater activity; motivating factor; stimulus 鼓励;刺激

　　paprika

　　n. 红灯笼辣椒

　　pterodactyl

　　n. 翼手龙

21世纪大学英语读写教程第三册第1单元课文讲解3

　　out of focus

　　not shar* defined 焦点没对准;模糊的

　　beyond one"s wildest dreams

　　(in a way that is) better than what one expected or hoped for 超过某人所期望的(地);出乎某人意料的(地)

　　the apple of sb."s eye

　　a person or thing that is the main object of sb."s love and attention 某人的掌上明珠;宝贝

　　sweep sb. off his/her feet

　　make sb. feel suddenly and strongly attracted to you in a romantic way 使某人倾心

　　get sth. in

　　manage to say sth. about a subject 设法说完

　　play into sb."s hands

　　do something which gives sb. an advantage 干对某人有利的事

　　file into

　　enter in a single line 鱼贯进入

　　step up

　　(infml) increase the size or speed of 〈口〉加快;增加

　　hang on sb."s words

　　listen very carefully to 倾听;注意地听

　　feed on

　　eat habitually 以…为食物;靠…为生

　　go steady with

　　date sb. regularly and exclusively 仅与(同一异性)经常约会

　　invest in

　　1. buy (sth.) with the expectation of profit or some other kind of advantage 投资于

　　2. (infml) 〈口〉买

　　in time

　　1. eventually 经过一段时间后;最终

　　2. at or before the right or necessary time 及时

　　pore over

　　study or give close attention to 钻研;专心阅读

【21世纪大学英语读写教程第4册Unit9课文及词汇讲解60篇（范例推荐）】相关文章：

1.户外活动主持人演讲稿(2篇)

2.2024年烟草工作作风存在的问题(5篇)

3.厂房租赁协议书合同范本(4篇)

4.履行好管党治党强基固本的政治责任

5.老年大学舞蹈课教案(7篇)