大学英语精读(第三版)课文原文

1、精选优质文档倾情为你奉上精选优质文档倾情为你奉上专心专注专业专心专注专业精选优质文档倾情为你奉上专心专注专业Unit 1 Some Strategies for Learning English Learning English is by no means easy. It takes great diligence and prolonged effort. Nevertheless, while you cannot expect to gain a good command of English without sustained hard work, there are variou

2、s helpful learning strategies you can employ to make the task easier. Here are some of them. 1. Do not treat all new words in exactly the same way. Have you ever complained about your memory because you find it simply impossible to memorize all the new words you are learning? But, in fact, it is not

3、 your memory that is at fault. If you cram your head with too many new words at a time, some of them are bound to be crowded out. What you need to do is to deal with new words in different ways according to how frequently they occur in everyday use. While active words demand constant practice and us

4、eful words must be committed to memory, words that do not often occur in everyday situations require just a nodding acquaintance. You will find concentrating on active and useful words the most effective route to enlarging your vocabulary. 2. Watch out for idiomatic ways of saying things. Have you e

5、ver wondered why we say, “I am interested in English”, but “I am good at French”? And have you ever asked yourself why native English speakers say, “learn the news or secret”, but “learn of someones success or arrival”? These are all examples of idiomatic usage. In learning English, you must pay att

6、ention not only to the meaning of a word, but also to the way native speakers use it in their daily lives. 3. Listen to English every day. Listening to English on a regular basis will not only improve your ear, but will also help you build your speaking skills. In addition to language tapes especial

7、ly prepared for your course, you can also listen to English radio broadcasts, watch English TV, and see English movies. The first time you listen to a taped conversation or passage in English, you may not be able to catch a great deal. Try to get its general meaning first and listen to it over and o

8、ver again. You will find that with each repetition you will get something more. 4. Seize opportunities to speak. It is true that there are few situations at school where you have to communicate in English, but you can seek out opportunities to practice speaking the language. Talking with your classm

9、ates, for example, can be an easy and enjoyable way to get some practice. Also try to find native speakers on your campus and feel free to talk with them. Perhaps the easiest way to practice speaking is to rehearse aloud, since this can be done at any time, in any place, and without a partner. For i

10、nstance, you can look at pictures or objects around you and try to describe them in detail. You can also rehearse everyday situations. After you have made a purchase in a shop or finished a meal in a restaurant and paid the check, pretend that all this happened in an English-speaking country and try

11、 to act it out in English. 5. Read widely. It is important to read widely because in our learning environment, reading is the main and most reliable source of language input. When you choose reading materials, look for things that you find interesting, that you can understand without relying too muc

12、h on a dictionary. A page a day is a good way to start. As you go on, you will find that you can do more pages a day and handle materials at a higher level of difficulty. 6. Write regularly. Writing is a good way to practice what you already know. Apart from compositions assigned by your teacher, yo

13、u may find your own reasons for writing. A pen pal provides good motivation; you will learn a lot by trying to communicate with someone who shares your interests, but comes from a different culture. Other ways to write regularly include keeping a diary, writing a short story and summarizing the dail

14、y news. Language learning is a process of accumulation. It pays to absorb as much as you can from reading and listening and then try to put what you have learned into practice through speaking and writing. Unit 2 Sailing Round the World Before he sailed round the world single-handed, Francis Chiches

15、ter had already surprised his friends several times. He had tried to fly round the world but failed. That was in 1931. The years passed. He gave up flying and began sailing. He enjoyed it greatly. Chichester was already 58 years old when he won the first solo transatlantic sailing race. His old drea

16、m of going round the world came back, but this time he would sail. His friends and doctors did not think he could do it, as he had lung cancer. But Chichester was determined to carry out his plan. In August, 1963, at the age of nearly sixty-five, an age when many men retire, he began the greatest vo

17、yage of his life. Soon, he was away in this new 16-metre boat, Gipsy Moth. Chichester followed the route of the great nineteenth century clipper ships. But the clippers had had plenty of crew. Chicheater did it all by himself, even after the main steering device had been damaged by gales. Chichester

18、 covered 14, 100 miles before stopping in Sydney, Australia. This was more than twice the distance anyone had previously sailed alone. He arrived in Australia on 12 December, just 107 days out from England. He received a warm welcome from the Australians and from his family who had flown there to me

19、et him. On shore, Chichester could not walk without help. Everybody said the same thing: he had done enough; he must not go any further. But he did not listen. After resting in Sydney for a few weeks, Chichester set off once more in spite of his friends attempts to dissuade him. The second half of h

20、is voyage was by far the more dangerous part, during which he sailed round the treacherous Cape Horn. On 29 January he left Australia. The next night, the blackest he had ever known, the sea became so rough that the boat almost turned over. Food, clothes, and broken glass were all mixed together. Fo

21、rtunately, bed and went to sleep. When he woke up, the sea had become calm the nearest person he could contact by radio, unless there was a ship nearby, Wild be on an island 885 miles away. After succeeding in sailing round Cape Horn, Chichester sent the following radio message to London: I feel as

22、if I had wakened from a nightmare. Wild horses could not drag me down to Cape Horn and that sinister Southern Ocean again. Just before 9 oclock on Sunday evening 28 May, 1967, he arrived back in England, where a quarter of a million people were waiting to welcome him. Queen Elizabeth II knighted him

23、 with the very sword that Queen Elizabeth I had sailed round the world for the first time. The whole voyage from England and back had covered 28, 500 miles. It had taken him nine months, of which the sailing time was 226 days. He had done what he wanted to accomplish. Like many other adventurers, Un

24、it 3 The PresentIt was the old ladys birthday.She got up early to be ready for the post. From the second floor flat she could see the postman when he came down the street, and the little boy from the ground floor brought up her letters on the rare occasions when anything came.Today she was sure the

25、would be something. Myra wouldnt forget her mothers birthday, even if she seldom wrote at other times. Of course Myra was busy. Her husband had been made Mayor, and Myra herself had got a medal for her work the aged.The old lady was proud of Myra, but Enid was the daughter she loved. Enid had never

26、married, but had seemed content to live with her mother, and teach in a primary school round the corner.One evening, however, Enid said, Ive arranged for Mrs. Morrison to look after you for a few days, Mother. Tomorrow I have to go into hospital-just a minor operation, Ill soon be home.In the mornin

27、g she went, but never came back-she died on the operating table. Myra came to the funeral, and in her efficient way arranged for Mrs. Morrison to come in and light the fire and give the old lady her breakfast.Two years ago that was, and since then Myra had been to see her mother three times, but her

28、 husband never.The old lady was eight today. She had put on her best dress. Perhaps-perhaps Myra might come. After all, eighty was a special birthday, another decade lined or endured just as you chose to look at it.Even if Myra did not come, she would send a present. The old lady was sure of that. T

29、wo spots of colour brightened her cheeks. She was excited-like a child. She would enjoy her day.Yesterday Mrs. Morrison had given the flat an extra clean, and today she had brought a card and a bunch of marigolds when she came to do the breakfast. Mrs. Grant downstairs had made a cake, and in the af

30、ternoon she was going down there to tea. The little boy, Johnnie, had been up with a packet of mints, and said he wouldnt go out to play until the post had come.I guess youll get lots and lots of presents, he said, I did last were when I was six.What would she like? A pair of slippers perhaps. Or a

31、new cardigan. A cardigan would be lovely. Blues such a pretty colour. Jim had always liked her in blue. Or a table lamp. Or a book, a travel book, with pictures, or a little clock, with clear black numbers. So many lovely things.She stood by the window, watching. The postman turned round the corner

32、on his bicycle. Her heart beat fast. Johnnie had seen him too and ran to the gate.Then clatter, clatter up the stairs. Johnnie knocked at her door.Granny, granny, he shouted, Ive got your post.He gave her four envelopes. Three were unsealed cards from old friends. The fourth was sealed, in Myras wri

33、ting. The old lady felt a pang of disappointment.No parcel, Johnnie?No, granny.Maybe the parcel was too large to come by letter post. That was it. It would come later by parcel post. She must be patient.Almost reluctantly she tore the envelope open. Folded in the card was a piece of paper. Written o

34、n the card was a message under the printed Happy Birthday - Buy yourself something nice with the cheque, Myra and Harold.The cheque fluttered to the floor like a bird with a broken wing. Slowly the old lady stooped to pick it up. Her present, her lovely present. With trembling fingers she tore it in

35、to little bits.Unit 4 Turning off TV: a Quiet HourI would like to propose that for sixty to ninety minutes each evening, right after the early evening news, all television broadcasting in the United States be prohibited by law. Let us take a serious, reasonable look at what the results be if such a

36、proposal were accepted. Families might use the time for a real family hour. Without the distraction of TV, they might sit around together after dinner and actually talk to one another. It is well known that many of our problems - everything, in fact, from the generation gap to the high divorce rate

37、to some forms of mental illness - are caused at least in part by failure to communicate. We do not tell each other what is disturbing us. The result is emotional difficulty of one kind or another. By using the quiet family hour to discuss our problems, we might get to know each other better, and to

38、like each other better. On evenings when such talk is unnecessary, families could rediscover more active pastimes. Freed from TV, forced to find their own activities, they might take a ride together to watch the sunset. Or they might take a walk together (remember feet?) and see the neighborhood wit

39、h fresh, new eyes. With free time and no TV, children and adults might rediscover reading. There is more entertainment in a good book than in a month of typical TV programming. Educators report that the generation growing up with television can barely write an English sentence, even at the college l

40、evel. Writing is often learned from reading. A more literate new generation could be a product of the quiet hour. A different form of reading might also be done, as it was in the past: reading aloud. Few pastimes bring a family closer together than gathering around and listening to mother or father

41、read a good story. The quiet hour could become the story hour. When the quiet hour ends, the TV networks might even be forced to come up with better shows in order to get us back from our newly discovered activities. At first glance, the idea of an hour without TV seems radical. What will parents do

42、 without the electronic baby-sitter? How will we spend the time? But it is not radical at all. It has been only twenty-five years since television came to control American free time. Those of us thirty-five and older can remember childhoods without television, spent partly with radio - which at leas

43、t involved the listeners imagination - but also with reading, learning, talking, playing games, inventing new activities. It wasnt that difficult. Honest. The truth is we had a ball.Unit 5 I never write rightWhen I was 15, I announced to my English class that I was going to write and illustrate my o

44、wn books.Half the students sneered; the rest nearly fell out of their chairs laughing. Dont be silly.Only geniuses can become writers, the English teacher said smugly.And you are getting a D this semester. I was so humiliated I burst into tears.That night I wrote a short, sad poem about broken dream

45、s and mailed it to the Cappers Weekly newspaper.To my astonishment they published it, and sent me two dollars.I was a published and paid writer!I showed my teacher and fellow students.They laughed. Just plain dumb luck, the teacher said. Id tasted success.Id sold the first thing Id ever written.That

46、 was more than any of them had done, and if it was just dumb luck, that was fine with me. During the next two years I sold dozens of poems, letters, jokes and recipes.By the time I graduated from high school (with a C-minus average), I had scrapbooks filled with my published work.I never mentioned m

47、y writing to my teachers, friends or my family again.They were dream killers, and if people must choose between their friends and their dreams, they must always choose their dreams. But sometimes you do find a friend who supports your dreams.Its easy to write a book, that new friend told me.You can

48、do it. I dont know if Im smart enough, I said, suddenly feeling 15 again and hearing echoes of laughter. Nonsense! she said.Anyone can write a book if they want to. I had four children at the time, and the oldest was only four.We lived on a goat farm in Oklahoma, miles from anyone.All I had to do ea

49、ch day was take care of four kids, milk goats, and do the cooking, laundry and gardening.No problem. While the children napped, I typed on my ancient typewriter.I wrote what I felt.It took nine months, just like a baby. I chose a publisher at random and put the manuscript in an empty Pampers diapers

50、 package, the only box I could find (Id never heard of manuscript boxes).The letter I enclosed read: I wrote this book myself, I hope you like it.I also drew the illustrations.Chapters 6 and 12 are my favorites.Thank you. I tied a string around the diaper box and mailed it without a self-addressed s

51、tamped envelope, and without making a copy of the manuscript.A month later I received a contract, an advance on royalties and a request to start working on another book. Crying Wind became a bestseller, was translated into 15 languages and Braille, and sold worldwide.I appeared on TV talk shows duri

52、ng the day and changed diapers at night.I traveled from New York to California and Canada on promotional tours.My first book also became required reading in Native American schools in Canada. It took six months to write my next book.I mailed it in an empty Uncle Wiggley game box (I still hadnt heard

53、 of manuscript boxes).My Searching Heart also became a bestseller.I wrote my next novel, When I Give My Heart, in only three weeks. The worst year I ever had as a writer, I earned two dollars (I was 15, remember?).In my best year, I earned $36,000.Most years I earn between $5,000 and $10,000.No, it

54、isnt enough to live on, but its still more than Id make working part-time, and its $5,000 to $10,000 more than Id make if I didnt write at all. People ask what college I attended, what degrees I have, and what qualifications I have to be a writer.The answer is none.I just write.Im not a genius, Im n

55、ot gifted and I dont write right.Im lazy, undisciplined, and spend more time with my children and friends than I do writing. I didnt own a thesaurus until four years ago and I use a small Websters dictionary that I bought at Kmart for 89 cents.I use an electric typewriter that I paid $129 for six ye

56、ars ago.Ive never used a word processor.I do all the cooking, cleaning and laundry for a family of six and fit my writing in a few minutes here and there.I write everything in longhand on yellow tablets while sitting on the sofa with my four kids, eating pizza and watching TV.When the book is finish

57、ed, I type it and mail it to the publisher. Ive written eight books.Four have been published, and three are still out with the publishers.One stinks. To all those who dream of writing, Im shouting at you, Yes, you can!Yes, you can!Dont listen to them!I dont write right, but Ive beaten the odds.Writi

58、ng is easy, its fun, and anyone can do it.Of course, a little dumb luck doesnt hurt.Unit 6 Sam Adams, Industrial Engineer If you ask my mother how I happened to become an industrial engineer, shell tell you that I have always been one. She means that I have always wanted everything to be well organi

59、zed and neat. When I was still in elementary school, I liked to keep my socks in the upper left-hand drawer of my bureau, my underwear in the upper right drawer, shirts in the middle drawer, and pants, neatly folded, in the bottom drawer. In fact, I was the efficiency expert for the whole family. I

60、used to organize my fathers tools, my mothers kitchen utensils, my sisters boyfriends. I needed to be efficient. I wanted to be well organized. For me, there was a place for everything and everything was always in its place. These qualities gave me a good foundation for a career in industrial engine