大学英语Book2Unit6

1、 Unit 6 Less is moreSection A Door closer, are you?Background information1 Xiang YuXiang Yu (232 BC-202 BC) was a prominent military leader and political figure during the late Qin Dynasty. In 207 BC, Xiang Yu led the Chu rebel forces to victory at the Battle of Julu（巨鹿之战）against the Qin armies. Aft

2、er the fall of the Qin Dynasty, Xiang Yu proclaimed himself “Hegemon-King of Western Chu”（西楚霸王） and ruled a vast area of land covering parts of present-day Shanxi, Henan, Hubei, Hunan and Jiangsu. He engaged Liu Bang, the founding emperor of the Han Dynasty, in a long struggle for power, known as th

3、e Chu-Han Contention（楚汉之争）that concluded with his eventual defeat and suicide at the bank of the Wu River.2 the Battle of JuluThe battle was fought in Julu (in present-day Xingtai, Hebei, 现今的河北邢台) primarily between forces of the Qin Dynasty and the insurgent（谋叛的）state of Chu. The Battle of Julu mark

4、ed the decline of Qins military power. In 207 BC, Xiang Yus army advanced towards Julu and successfully crossed the Zhang River（漳河）, which separated them from Julu, to attack the Qin forces. After crossing the Zhang River, Xiang Yu ordered his men to sink all their boats and break their cooking pots

5、, leaving only a three-day supply of food for each soldier. He warned them that there was no way to retreat; the only thing they could do to survive was to advance and fight. Xiang Yus boat burning strategy gave his men no choice but to do forward to fight with skill and passion. After nine long fie

6、rce battles, the Qin army was finally defeated. The battle of Julu was of crucial importance in overthrowing the Qin Dynasty, and it has been known as the battle of “Smashing the Cauldrons and Sinking the Boats”（破釜沉舟）. This idiom is now used to indicate ones firm determination to achieve ones goal a

7、t any cost.3 behavioral economicsBehavioral economics is an interdisciplinary school subject of economics and psychology, which studies the effect of social, cognitive and emotional factors on the economic decisions of individuals and institutions, and the consequences for market prices, returns and

8、 resource allocation.Detailed study of the text1 The next time youre deciding between rival options, one which is primary and the other which is primary and the other which is secondary, ask yourself this question: What would Xiang Yu do? (Para.1)Meaning: The next time when you are to make a choice

9、between two competing options , you have to distinguish which is the primary one and which is the minor one. To be enlightened, you ask yourself what option XiangYu would choose.Meaning beyond words: It suggests that XiangYu was a wonderful decision-maker.Note: The phrase rival options means that bo

10、th options seem like good choice , but one choice is somewhat better than the other. In this case, it is the one That XiangYu chose to implement.rival:a.(only before noun) used about a person or group that competes against sb. or sth. else 竞争的；对抗的Fierce fighting broke out between the rival groups. 敌

11、对集团之间爆发了激烈的战斗。n. C a person ,group, or organization that you compete with sport, business, a fight, etc. 对手；竞争者Having good international contacts gives the company a competitive advantage over its rivals. 良好的国际社会关系使该公司具备了超过其对手的竞争优势。secondary: a. not as important as sth. else 次要的；从属的Our fathers healt

12、h is what matters, and the cost of his treatment is if secondary importance. 我们父亲的健康是最重要的，他的治疗费用是次要的。2 Xiang Yu was a Chinese imperial general in the third century BC who took his troops across the Zhang River on a raid into enemy territory. (Para.2)Meaning: XiangYu was an ancient Chinese general in

13、 the third century BC. He led his troops across the Zhang River to attack the enemy in its territory.imperial: a.(only before noun) relating to an empire or to the person who rules it 帝国的；皇帝的In our World History class today, we studied Britains expansion in the 19th century. 在今天的世界历史课上，我们学了十九世纪英帝国的扩

14、张。raid:n C. a short attack on place by soldiers, planes, or ships, intended to cause damage but not take control 突袭；袭击They made (staged/carried out) a daring raid on the enemy. 他们对敌人进行了大胆的袭击。vt. make a sudden military attack on a place (军队)突然袭击police raided five houses in southeast London and recove

15、red stolen goods. 警方突击搜查了伦敦东南部的五所房屋，并追回了被盗货物。territory:C,U land that is owned or controlled by a particular country, ruler, or military force 领土；版图；领地They have still refusing to withdraw troops from the occupied territories. 他们仍然拒绝从被占领土撤军。3 To his troops astonishment, he ordered their cooking pots c

16、rushed and their sailing ships burned. (Para.2)Meaning beyond words: To make sure his troops would win the battle quickly, Xiang Yu ordered the soldiers to crush their cooking pots and burn their sailing boats after he led his troops across the Zhang River to attack the enemy. This way, he closed th

17、e door for retreating from the enemys territory and sent out a clear message to his men that they only had two choices: to win the battle or die in the battle. However, his decision was obviously against normal practice, which greatly shocked his troops.4 He explained that he was imposing on them a

18、necessity for attaining victory over their opponents. (Para.3)Meaning beyond words: By having their cooking pots crushed and their sailing ships burned, Xiang Yu put his troops in such a desperate condition that they wouldnt have any hope to escape but fight to survive and eventually win the battle.

19、 In order words, Xiang Yu gave his troops only one option.imposes sth. on sb.: force sb. to have the same ideas, beliefs, etc. as you 将强加于To discourage people from smoking, very high taxes have recently been imposed on cigarettes. 为了阻止人们吸烟，最近已对香烟征收了很高的税。opponent : n. C1) sb. who you try to defeat in

20、 a competition, game fight, or argument (竞争、比赛等的)敌手，对手He was a tough opponent in debate. 他是个很强硬的辩论对手。2）sb. who disagrees with a plan, idea, or system and tried to stop or change it 反对者Leading opponents of proposed cuts in defense spending will meet later today. 建议削减国防开支的主要反对者会在今天的晚些时候见面。Usage NOTE r

21、ival, opponent rival和opponent都可以用作名词，都可以表示“对手”，但两者有区别。1 rival指在同一领域中为相同目标相竞争或相匹敌的对手。例如：The United States biggest rival in technological advancement is Japan.在技术进步方面，美国最大的对手是日本。2 opponent指在某次的竞赛或某个场合直接面对的对手。例如：Hes the best opponent Ive come across this season, a great player.他是我本赛季遇到的最出色的对手，一位了不起的运动员

22、。比较：The Los Angeles Lakers biggest rival is the Boston Celtics.洛杉矶湖人队最大的对手是波士顿凯尔特人队。（指湖人队一直与凯尔特人队在争高低，其竞争对手多年来一直是凯尔特人队。）The Los Angeles Lakers opponent in 2010 NBA Finals is the Boston Celtics.洛杉矶湖人队在2010年NBA总决赛中的对手是波士顿凯尔特人队。（指在2010 年NBA决赛中湖人队的竞争对手是凯尔特人队。）3 opponent不能用作动词，rival可用作动词，表示“竞争；与相匹敌”。例如：S

23、hips cant rival aircraft for speed.轮船在速度方面无法与飞机匹敌。5 What he said was surely motivating, but it wasnt really appreciated by many of his loyal soldiers as they wanted their vessels go up in flames. (Para.3)Meaning: Xiang Yus order of crushing the cooking pots and burning the sailing ships was definite

24、ly inspiring to his troops, but it was hardly valued by his faithful soldiers, who watched their boats burning.motivate: vt. make sb. feel determined to do sth. or enthusiastic about doing it 激励；激发的积极性The companys profit-sharing plan is designed to motivate its staff to work hard. 该公司的利润分红计划旨在激励员工努力

25、工作。loyal: a. always supporting your friends, principles, country, etc. 忠贞的；忠实的；忠诚的When all her other friends deserted her, Steve still remained loyal. 当其他朋友都抛弃她时，史蒂夫仍对她保持忠诚。go up in flames: suddenly begin burning in a way that is difficult to control 突然着火The factory went up in flames last night. 昨晚工

26、厂突然着火了6 But the genius of General Xiang Yus conviction would be validated both on the battlefield and in modern social science research. (Para.3)Meaning: However, the high level of intelligence expressed in his strong belief would prove to be correct on the battlefield as well as in modern social sc

27、ience research.genius: n.1) U a very high level of intelligence, mental skill, or ability, which only a few people have 天才；天赋During his childhood, the genius of this scientist went unrecognized. 这位科学家的天赋在他童年时代并未被发现。2）U sb. who has an unusually high level of intelligence, mental skill, or ability 有天才

28、的人；天才人物 A real comic genius stimulates not only laughter but also thought. 一个真正的喜剧天才不但能引发笑声而且会引发思考。conviction: n.C a very strong belief or opinion 坚定的信仰（主张）The foreign minister of this small country is a woman of strong political conviction这个小国家的外交部长是一位有坚定政治信仰的女性。validate: vt. (fml.) prove that sth.

29、 is true or correct, or make a document or agreement officially and legally acceptable 证实；使生效；使合法化Many scientists hesitate to accept the outcome and decide to wait until the results of the study are validated by future research. 许多科学家对接受这个研究结果犹豫不决，决定等待结果被今后的研究证实后再说。Note The word battlefield is a com

30、pound word, which is the combination of two nouns: battle and field. There are more example of this kind of compound words: armchair, bedtime, birdhouse, birthplace, bookstore, etc. The meaning of many words from such a combination is easy to guess: battlefield-a place where a battle is being fought

31、 or has been fought. For example:They carried the wounded soldiers from the battlefield. 他们把伤员从战场上抬了下来。7 General Xiang Yu was a rare exception to the norm, a veteran leader who has highly respected for his many conquests and who achieved the summit of success. (Para.3)Meaning: What Xiang Yu did was

32、quite different from what was usually practiced. As an experienced leader, he was very much respected by his soldiers for his many amazing accomplishments, and his highest level of success.Note The word norm means ”the usual or normal situation, way of doing sth., etc”. Here it refers to a situation

33、 in which other commanders would surely do: Keep more options.exception: n. C,U sth. or sb. that is different in some way from other people or things and so cannot be included in a general statement 例外；除外I like all kinds of films with the exception of horror films. 我喜欢各种电影，但恐怖片除外。an exception to: st

34、h. or sb. that is not included in a general statement, or does not follow a rule or pattern 对例外Most basketball players are very tall, but hes an exception to that rule; hes relatively short. 大多数篮球运动员都非常高大，但他是一个例外，他比较矮。veteran:a. very experienced and skilled in a particular activity 经验丰富的；老练的The vete

35、ran actor has said he is ready to direct a film for the first time in his life. 这位经验丰富的演员说，他已为他人生中首次导演影片做好了准备。n. C sb. who has been a soldier, sailor, etc. in a war 老兵；退伍军人The veterans of World Warare now old and gradually dying off. 第二次世界大战的老兵现已年老，并一个个离开了这个世界。conquest: n.1) C,U the act of defeating

36、 an army taking land by fighting 击败；征服；攻占Since ancient times, Jerusalem has seen numerous conquests and occupations. 自古以来，耶路撒冷多次被征服和占领。2) U the act of gaining control of or dealing successfully with sth. that is difficult or dangerous (对艰难、危险事物的)攻克，征服The conquest of outer space is one of the greates

37、t triumphs of modern science. 征服太空是现代科学最伟大的胜利之一。summit: n. C1) (fml.)the greatest amount or highest level of sth. 某事物的顶峰；某事物的极点 点物的顶峰：he greatest amount or highest level of est triumphs of modern science.=66666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666I am still young ,and I certainly havent reac

38、hed the summit of my career.我们年 轻，我当然还没有达到我事业的巅峰。2) an important meeting or set of meetings between the leaders of several governments 首脑会议；最高级会议；峰会World leaders will meet next week for their annual economic summit .世界各国领导人将在下周齐聚年度经济峰会。8 He is featured in Dan Arielys enlightening new publication, Pr

39、edictably Irrational, a fascinating investigation of seemingly irrational human behavior, such as the tendency for keeping multiple options open. (Para.4)Meaning: General Xiang Yu, together with his boat burning strategy, was introduced in Dan Arielys inspirational new publication, which examines un

40、reasonable human behavior such as the unintentional desire to keep many options open.Note The title of the book Predictably Irrational describes an unreasonable or illogical behavior which is predictable because of the nature of human beings. It has to do with the hidden forces that shape peoples de

41、cisions. People sometimes make decisions based on irrational thought, and thats why we see how certain mistakes are made again and again.be featured in: be include or shown as a special or important part of sth. ,or be included as an important part 在中被专题介绍；被特写The teacher gave his students the homewo

42、rk assignment to visit some of the websites which were featured in the article. 老师给学生的家庭作业是浏览一些在文章中被专题介绍的网站。enlighten: vt. (fml.) give sb. information about sth. so that they understand more about it 启发；指导；教导The object of his most recent novel is to amuse and enlighten the readers. 他最新的小说旨在娱乐和启发读者。e

43、nlightening: a. 具启发性的The instruction manual that came with my new computer wasnt very enlightening about how to operate it. 附在我新电脑中的说明书对如何操作这个电脑没啥指导作用。publication: n.1) C a book, magazine, etc. 书；杂志；著作；出版物Our latest publication is a fashion magazine for both young women and men. 我们最新的出版物是专为年轻女子和年轻男子

44、办的时尚杂志。2) U the process of printing a book, magazine, etc., and offering it for sale 出版 She was in England for the publication for her new book. 她到英国是为了她新书的出版事宜。irrational: a. not based on clear thought or reason 非理性的；不合理的；荒谬的The parents were worried by their sons increasingly irrational behavior. 这

45、对父母对儿子越来越不理性的行为很是担心。investigate: vt. try to find out the truth about sth. such as crime, accident, or scientific problem 查明，调查，侦查（犯罪、事故或科学问题的真相）After the bridge collapsed, engineers were investigating how a disaster like this could have occurred. 桥梁倒塌后，工程师们在调查怎么会发生这样的灾难。investigation: C an official

46、attempt to find out the truth about or the cause of sth. such as a crime, accident, or scientific problem （对犯罪、事故或科学问题等进行的正式的）调查，侦查An investigation has been under way for several days into the disappearance of a 13-year-old boy. 对一个13岁男孩失踪案的调查已持续了几天。9 Most people cant marshal the will for painful ch

47、oices, not even students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where Dr. Ariely teaches behavioral economics. (Para.4)Meaning: Most people, including the students learning behavioral economics with Dr. Ariely at MIT, cant think logically and make rational decisions when facing painful

48、choices.marshal: vt. organize thoughts, ideas. etc. so that they are clear, effective, or easy to understand 整理（思路、想法等）You should marshal your thoughts before speaking. 你说话前应当理清思路。behavioral: a. relating to the way sb. behaves 行为的；行为方式的She studied behavioral psychology at college. 她曾在大学学习心理学。10 In a

49、n experiment that investigated decision-making, hundreds of students couldnt bear to let their options vanish, even though it was clear they would profit from doing so. (Para.4)Meaning: In an experiment about decision-making, hundreds of students couldnt tolerate the pain of seeing their options dis

50、appear, even though they knew that they would benefit in the long run if they let them go.Meaning beyond words: This is a specific example of “predictably irrational” behavior of human beings mentioned fit:v. (fml.) give sb. an advantage 使得到；有利于I think we have reached an agreement which n

51、ot only profits management but also labor. 我想我们达成的协议对劳资双方都有利。n. C,U money that you gain by selling things or doing business, after your costs have been paid 利润；收益；盈利Due to the ongoing recession, company profits are down on last years figures. 由于连续的经济不景气，公司利润比去年少。profit from: get an advantage from a

52、situation 从中受益I profited enormously from working with her. 我从与她一起工作中获益巨大。11 The experiment revolved around a game that eliminated the excuses we usually have for refusing to let go. (Para.5)Meaning: The experiment was focused on a game that rejected the excuses we normally have for not letting optio

53、ns go.revolve: v. move around like a wheel, or make sth. move around like a wheel（使）旋转The restaurant revolves slowly, giving customers an excellent view of the city. 餐厅慢慢地旋转，为顾客提供了这个城市绝妙的景观。revolve around: have sth .as a main subject or purpose 以为主题（目的）；围绕Some people are very selfish and seem to thi

54、nk that the world revolves around them.有些人很自私，似乎认为整个世界都以他们为中心。12 In the real world, we can always say,” Its good to preserve our options.” (Para.5)Meaning beyond words: In the real world, it is always reasonable for people to keep options for the future, so it seemed its not a mistake to keep doors

55、open in the experiment.preserve: vt. save sth. or sb. from being harmed or destroyed 维护；保护；保存We want to preserve the character of the town while improving its facilities. 我们要在改善设施的同时保留该镇的特点。13 A teenager is exhausted from soccer, ballet, piano, and Chinese lessons, but her parents wont stop any one

56、of them because they might come in handy some day! (Para. 5)Meaning: A teenage girl is worn out from attending classes of soccer, ballet, piano, and Chinese, but her parents wont allow her to stop any one of them because they might be useful one day.Meaning beyond words: It reflects human beings nat

57、ure: The more, the better, though its not necessarily true in real life.be exhausted from: be extremely tired by 因而筋疲力尽；因而疲惫不堪Today, many people are exhausted from the stress in their life, their jobs, and their social activities. 如今，很多人都因生活、工作和社会活动的压力而疲惫不堪。come in handy: be useful in a particular s

58、ituation 派的上用场Dont throw that cardboard box away; it may come in handy. 不要把那个纸盒丢掉，以后可能用得着。14 In the experiment sessions, students played a computer game that provided cash behind three doors appearing on the screen. (Para.6)Meaning: During the period of the experiment, students at MIT plated a game on the computer, where the