新视界大学英语Unit8Activereading

1、Warming uWarming up pSkimmingSkimmingDiggingDiggingCritical thinkingCritical thinkingLanguage in useLanguage in useUnfamiliar wordsUnfamiliar wordsInterpretingInterpretingTalking pointTalking point Warming up Listen and underline any words or expressions which are different from what you hear.A: And

2、 do you think youve got what it takes to do the job? B: Well, I think Ive got the right qualifications and the motivation too. A: So, if you try to evaluate yourself, what do you think are your strong points?B: Well, I think I work well with machines, and I think Im able to adapt to new technology q

3、uite easily. And I like travelling and discovering new places and cultures.A: And do you think youve got what it takes to do the job? B: Well, I think Ive got the right qualifications and the motivation too. A: So, if you try to evaluate yourself, what do you think are your strong points?B: Well, I

4、think I work well with machines, and I think Im able to adapt to new technology quite easily. And I like travelling and discovering new places and cultures.Warming upA: And your weak points?B: Hmm well, my teachers tell me that I dont always listen to their advice.A: Maybe thats not always a bad thi

5、ng . but could you tell us why you want to do this job?B: Thats easy. Id be able to get a lot of money, and Id be able to do something which Ive always wanted to do, which is to help others.A: And your weak points?B: Hmm well, my teachers tell me that I dont always listen to their advice.A: Maybe th

6、ats not always a bad thing . but could you tell us why you want to do this job?B: Thats easy. Id be able to get a lot of money, and Id be able to do something which Ive always wanted to do, which is to help others.Warming upNow listen again and correct the information.Answer: machines people; techno

7、logy situation teachers friend; money experience Warming up Work in pairs and discuss the questions.1 What sort of job do you think the candidate is applying for? Well, we know it involves travel, helping people, and will give you experience. I guess it might be some sort of volunteer work.2 Have yo

8、u ever attended an interview? If so, did the interviewer ask similar questions? Yes, I have and I think being asked to describe your strengths and weaknesses is a common part of an interview. Warming up3. What do you think are your strong points?Well, I think no one would deny I am hard-working and

9、I believe I am pretty reliable and trustworthy. I will get on with my work on my own and make sure it is finished.People say I worry about things too much.4. What do you think are your weak points?Warming upWatch the video clip of Bill Gates speech on Harvards graduation ceremony.Script Warming upPr

10、esident Bok, former President Rudenstine, incoming President Faust, members of the Harvard Corporation and the Board of Overseers, members of the faculty, parents, and especially, the graduates:Ive been waiting more than 30 years to say this: Dad, I always told you Id come back and get my degree.I w

11、ant to thank Harvard for this timely honor. Ill be changing my job next yearand it will be nice to finally have a college degree on my resume.I applaud the graduates today for taking a much more direct route to your degrees. For my part, Im just happy that the Crimson has called me Harvards most suc

12、cessful dropout. I guess that makes me valedictorian of my own special classI did the best of everyone who failed.Warming up Look at the title and the first sentence of the passage and answer the questions.On occasions like this, youd expect someone like me to stand before you and give you advice ab

13、out how to conduct your lives at college over the next three years. 1 What advice would you expect the dean of a college to give to new students? (a) To work hard and not to miss lessons. (b) To show respect for teachers. (c) To look after their personal health. (d) To make friends.Warming up2 What

14、knowledge do you think the dean might want to share with new students? (a) That success is not always linked to an academic career. (b) That helping yourself may mean helping others. (c) That everyone should discover what they are good at. (d) That qualifications are the most important thing.Now rea

15、d the passage and check your answers.Actually, the dean says none of the options in the first question, and mentions (a), (b) and (c) in the second question.SkimmingBrowse the passage within 8 minutes to get a rough idea about it.Answer the questions of Activity 2 and 3 on page 164.TaskTaskSkimming

16、Answer the questions.1 What do Bill Gates and Steven Spielberg have in common? First, they both have an extremely successful career; second, they both dropped out of college. 2 Who is at risk in a traditional education system? Those who dont fit well into the education system. 3 What danger do they

17、face if they stay in the system? They may not succeed and have their self-esteen destroyed. Skimming4 Why, in the opinion of the dean, is it important to follow your dreams? Because it can benefit others as well as yourself. 5 What final advice does the dean give to students? Treasure your gift and

18、make it grow.Skimming Choose the best answer to the questions.Answer: (d)1 What, according to the dean, is the traditional aim of an education system? (a) To make sure you can earn a lot of money. (b) To help you follow your dreams. (c) To do what your parents expect. (d) To teach you how to get a c

19、areer.Skimming2 What, according to the dean, have students listening to him already achieved? (a) Happiness. (b) The best grades in their class. (c) The ability to work hard. (d) Understanding how to make sacrifices.Answer: (c)Skimming3 Why, according to the dean, have Gates and Spielberg been succe

20、ssful?Answer: (b)(a) Because they discovered how to make a lot of money.(b) Because they discovered and developed their talents.(c) Because they are different from other people.(d) Because they went to good universities.Skimming4 What does the dean regret about his own student years?Answer: (b)(a) T

21、hat he didnt drop out of college like Bill Gates and Steven Spielberg.(b) That he didnt realize academic success is not everything.(c) That he wasnt able to achieve what he wanted to do.(d) That he didnt make full use of his privileges as a student.Skimming5 What is the dean of the college trying to

22、 do in his talk?Answer: (a)(a) To get students to think about the meaning of success.(b) To make students feel proud of themselves.(c) To praise the education system in spite of its problems. (d) To suggest the education system is failing many gifted people.What I wish Id known译文译文Digging1 on occasi

23、ons like this, youd expect someone like me to stand before you and give you advice about how to conduct your lives at college over the next three years. 2 Well, as dean of this academy of learning, Im going to do that. But before I do, I just want to share with you some things which I wish Id known

24、when I was your age.Digging3 Where shall we start? All right, what do Bill Gates and Steven Spielberg have in common? Firstly, they both are very successful, pursuing careers of great distinction which have enhanced the lives of others as much as of themselves. Secondly, neither got a college educat

25、ion.译文译文Digging4 Now, hold on, I hear you say. Bill Gates? Well strictly speaking, the billionaire co-founder of Microsoft, did enroll at Harvard, but dropped out after his second year. As he noted, “I realized the error of my ways and decided I could make do with a high school diploma.”译文译文Digging5

26、 And Spielberg? He was denied a place at film school, and dropped out of California State University. He co-founded DreamWorks, a major film studio, and in 2009 was worth $3 billion. Mind you, he was granted an honorary degree later.译文译文Digging6 Evidently, theres a contradiction here. I thought we w

27、ere told that doing well in our studies was the surest way to equip us for the best occupations, and to facilitate something which is in our constitution: the pursuit of happiness. Ever since we began our formal education, weve been told time and again that high school dropouts were not meant to be

28、our role models, they were people whose example was to be avoided at all costs.译文译文Digging7 Now, Im not going to play down the efforts you made to get a place at this place of learning. Your parents and you made many sacrifices to bring us together today, at the start of your studies. You have alrea

29、dy fulfilled in part what formal education expects of you.译文译文Digging8 But Id like you to spare a thought for those people who didnt get a place at college at all. Maybe they now think their dreams have been betrayed, their hopes are worthless, and will “settle” for a more humble life than planned?

30、How do you think they feel today? 译文译文Digging9 My answer is this: Did it matter in the end that Gates and Spielberg didnt graduate? Was their failure to achieve within our education system an obstacle to their ultimate success?10 Well, you may say, Gates, Spielberg . theyre different. How could I po

31、ssibly follow in their footsteps?11 Wrong! What they did was to discover their incredible personal gifts. They learned to play to their strengths. They do what they loved doing, because theyre good at it. 译文译文Digging12 The point is this: Our education system is often too concerned with academic succ

32、ess at the expense of the overall development of the child and the young adult. Most important, those people who dont quite fit into the system are in danger of falling by the wayside, with their self-esteem destroyed. Our children should not be intimidated by the risk of failure. They need to be ta

33、ught and constantly reminded by their parents and teachers that they have gifts which can benefit the world and bring them fortune. 译文译文Digging13 And the alternative? Its to spend 30 years in a job which they dont like, but which they accept as second best. And 30 years is too long to do something w

34、hich is second best. Digging14 So, when I was your age, I wish I had known that achievement and success are the result of doing what comes naturally. I wish I had known that following my dreams was not self-indulgent or selfish, but could be of great benefit to others as well as myself. I wish I had

35、 known that academic success is important, but not the only factor in realizing our potential as human beings.Digging15 So, here comes the advice. Go to classes, sure, and enjoy the privileges you have as a student. But think about sitting in on some optional classes which you havent signed up for.

36、Look for some community work, or join some clubs and societies. Believe me, youll never have such opportunities again. Digging16 Above all, I want to emphasize that you should identify your gift. Think about what you would do, what course in life you would follow, if money was no object, if you knew

37、 you couldnt fail. Treasure your gift, and try to make it grow. Digging17 And remember that developing your gift is compatible with serving the greater good. If you dont believe me, think about the inspiration that those two generous dropouts, Bill Gates and Steven Spielberg, have given to civilizat

38、ion. Main idea of the passage1. As he noted, “I realized the error of my ways and decided I could make do with a high school diploma.” (Line 4, Para 4)the errors of my ways: an old expression meaning “what I was doing wrong”, in this case, attending HarvardDifficult sentences Difficult sentences 2.

39、Now, Im not going to play down the efforts you made to get a place at this place of learning. (Line 1, Para 7) The speaker is not criticizing hard work and effort, but pointing out other important things.Difficult sentences 3. Maybe they now think their dreams have been betrayed, their hopes are wor

40、thless, and will “settle” for a more humble life than planned? (Line 3, Para 8)They think their hopes and ambitions cannot come true, and they have to accept something less than they wanted.Difficult sentences 4. They learned to play to their strengths. (Line 2, Para 11)play to their strengths: a sp

41、orting metaphor which means making use of their particular skills and strong pointsDifficult sentences 5. Most important, those people who dont quite fit into the system are in danger of falling by the wayside, with their self-esteem destroyed. (Line 4, Para 12)fall by the wayside: The expression is

42、 a metaphor drawn from farming when seeds do not fall into the soil and are wasted; it means to fail, or to stop being used. Difficult sentences 6. Think about what you would do, what course in life you would follow, if money was no object, (Line 2, Para 16) money is no object: This is an informal e

43、xpression saying that someone can spend as much money as they want to on something.Difficult sentences 7. And remember that developing your gift is compatible with serving the greater good. (Line 1, Para 17) serving the greater good: This expression means contributing to society. The advantage of th

44、e majority is considered to outweigh the individuals personal benefit.distinction 释义释义1n. U (fml) the excellent qualities, skills, or features that someone or something has 优秀；卓越；杰出例句例句He passed all his exams with distinction. 他以优异的成绩通过了所有考试。翻译翻译WordsWords例句例句She held the distinction of being the fi

45、rst woman to edit a national newspaper. 她卓尔不群，是第一位主编全国性报纸的女性。翻译翻译释义释义2 n. C a difference between two things 差别；不同 例句例句This would lead to a clear distinction between management and the workforce. 这将导致管理层与工人阶层之间的明显差别。 翻译翻译WordsWords例句例句We can see a sharp distinction between ambition and greed. 我们可以看出进

46、取心和贪欲之间的明显差别。 翻译翻译distinction 释义释义vt. to improve something, or make it more attractive or more valuable 增强；改善；提高例句例句Winning that award greatly enhanced her reputation. 赢得那个奖项极大地提高了她的声望。 翻译翻译WordsWords例句例句The flavor of most foods can be enhanced by good cooking. 高超的烹饪技术可以使大多数食物变得更加可口。 翻译翻译enhance 真题真

47、题 our ability to benefit from this high-tech communications equipment is greatly enhanced by foreign language skills. (Jan. 2003. CET-4, Reading Comprehension)释义释义例句例句He plans to enroll in a vocational school. 他计划上一所职业学校。翻译翻译WordsWordsv. (AmE) (BrE enrol) to officially arrange to join a school, univ

48、ersity, or course, or arrange for someone else to do this (使)登 记 入 学；招(生)；注册 例句例句More students are enrolling in special education classes. 更多的学生注册参加特殊教育班。 翻译翻译enroll 真题真题The task of being accepted and enrolled) in a university begins early for some students. . (Jun. 1998. CET-4, Vocabulary and Struc

49、ture)error 释义释义n. C, U a mistake, for example in a calculation or a decision 错误；差错例句例句The speech contained many errors of fact. 这个演讲有许多事实性错误。 翻译翻译WordsWords例句例句翻译翻译The waiter made an error in adding up our bill. 侍者把我们的账单算错了。真题真题Normally, you would expect that skill reduces the number of errors we ma

50、ke. (Jun. 2003, CET-4, Reading Comprehension) 释义释义1vt. to not allow someone to have something 拒绝给予例句例句翻译翻译WordsWords例句例句Doctors were accused of denying treatment to older patients. 翻译翻译医生们被指控拒绝给老年病人提供治疗。 There are parents who refuse to deny their children anything. 有些家长对自己的孩子百依百顺。 deny释义释义2vt. to sa

51、y that you did not do something that someone has accused you of doing 否认例句例句There is no denying the fact that she is an excellent scholar. 不可否认她是一名优秀学者。 翻译翻译WordsWords例句例句You cant deny that it seems a very attractive idea. 你不能否认那似乎是个很有吸引力的主意。 翻译翻译deny真题真题The theory does not deny that sleep provides

52、some important restorative functions. (Jan. 1994, CET-4, Reading Comprehension) contradiction 释义释义n. C, U a difference in two or more statements, ideas, stories etc that makes it impossible for both or all of them to be true 矛盾；不一致例句例句This is in complete contradiction to what you said before. 这同你以前所

53、说的完全矛盾。翻译翻译WordsWords例句例句Theres a contradiction between what they say and what they do. 他们的言行不一致。翻译翻译真题真题There is no contradiction in my going on to say that a teacher should be a bit of an actor. (Jun. 2003, CET-4, Short Answer Questions ) equip 释义释义1vt. to provide someone with the skills or qualit

54、ies they need in order to deal with something successfully 使有能力；使有资格 例句例句Your education should equip you for a good job. 你受的教育将使你能够找到一份好工作。 翻译翻译WordsWords例句例句The training had equipped her to deal with emergency situations. 该训练已经使她能够应付紧急情况。 翻译翻译释义释义2vt. to provide a person or place with the things th

55、ey need for a particular purpose 装备；配备例句例句 It was a modern, bright, well equipped hospital. 那是一家现代化、明亮且设备精良的医院。 翻译翻译WordsWords例句例句The expedition was equipped with warm clothes for the bitterly cold weather.翻译翻译考察队配备了保暖衣物以抵御严寒。真题真题The watch comes equipped with a standard battery and a nylon band. (Ja

56、n. 1992, CET-4, Reading Comprehension) equip occupation 释义释义n. C, U a job 职业，工作例句例句Please state your name, address and occupation. 请说明你的姓名、地址和职业。 翻译翻译WordsWords例句例句suppose I was looking for an occupation which was going to be an adventure. 我想我要找一个具有冒险性质的工作。 翻译翻译真题真题The men who created the machines o

57、f the Industrial Revolution came from many backgrounds and many occupations. (Jun. 1995, CET-4, Cloze) 释义释义vt. (fml) to make it possible or easier for something to happen 使便利；推动；促进 例句例句翻译翻译WordsWordsComputers can be used to facilitate language learning. 使用电脑能为语言学习带来方便。 例句例句翻译翻译 The new airport will

58、facilitate the development of tourism. 新机场将促进旅游业的发展。 facilitate 释义释义n. C, U the act of giving up something important or valuable so that you or other people can do or have something else 牺牲 例句例句翻译翻译WordsWords例句例句翻译翻译He achieved his success at great sacrifice. 他付出了很大的牺牲才获得成功。Parents often make sacrif

59、ices for their children. 父母常为子女作种种牺牲。sacrifice betray 释义释义vt. if you betray your beliefs or principles, you do something that does not agree with them 背叛(信仰或原则)例句例句翻译翻译WordsWordsIn wartime many people accused of betraying their country were executed. 在战时许多被指控叛国的人都被处决。 例句例句翻译翻译She didnt betray her be

60、lief before the threat of death.在死亡的威胁面前，她没有背叛自己的信仰。 释义释义a. from a low social class (社会地位)低下的，卑微的 例句例句翻译翻译WordsWordsShe rose from humble beginnings to become Prime Minister. 她出身卑微，后来当上了总理。 例句例句翻译翻译My career began as a humble clerk. 我的职业生涯是从小职员开始的。 humble obstacle释义释义n. C a difficulty or problem that