Detailed Reading

I. Difficult Sentences

1. He was a perfect Type A, a workaholic, a classic, they said to each other and shook their head — and thought for five or ten minutes about the way they lived. (Para. 2)
What is a perfect Type A?
(People exhibiting Type A behaviour tend to be impatient and highly time-conscious. Often as high-achieving workaholics, they feel insecure about their social status and are extremely competitive and aggressive.)

2. He was, however, one of six vice-presidents, and one of three who might conceivably — if the president died or retired soon enough — have moved to the top spot. (Para. 3)
What is the implied meaning of the sentence?
(He was one of the six vice-presidents of a large corporation and one of the three promising candidates who might succeed to the position of the president.)

3. He worked like the Important People. (Para. 4)
What can you infer from the sentence?
(He voluntarily worked overtime because all the executives in the company considered themselves too important a group to be allowed to ease up.)

4. He had no outside “extracurricular interests,” unless, of course, you think about a monthly golf game that way. To Phil, it was work. (Para. 4)
For what purpose did he play golf monthly?
(The monthly golf game offered him a good opportunity to talk or do business.)

5. He is survived by his wife, Helen, forty-eight years old, a good woman of no particular marketable skills, who worked in an office before marrying and mothering. (Para. 7)
Translate this sentence into Chinese.
(他的遗孀海伦，四十八岁，一个好女人。但没有什么适合市场需求的技能，结婚生育之前曾在办公室工作。)

6. A company friend said, “I know how much you will miss him.” And she answered, “I already have.” (Para. 7)
Why did Phil’s wife say so?
(Being a workaholic, Phil spent little time at home before he died. His wife had missed him long before he died.)

7. The youngest is twenty, a boy, a high-school graduate who has spent the last couple of years, like a lot of his friends, doing enough odd jobs to stay in grass and food. (Para. 11)
What do we learn about Phil’s youngest son?
(His youngest son failed to go in for a college education and did no more than odd jobs to get enough money for marijuana and food.)

8. He was the one who tried to grab at his father, and tried to mean enough to him to keep the man at home. (Para. 11)
Why did Phil’s youngest son try to “grab at his father”?
(The workaholic Phil never paid enough attention to the growth and education of his youngest son. His son longed for his love and care.)

9. You could have picked him out in a minute from a lineup. (Para. 14)
What can you infer from the sentence?
(Based on the use of police lineups from which a victim identifies a criminal, this is used metaphorically to emphasize how easy it is to identify Phil.)

10. So when he finally worked himself to death, at precisely 3:00 A.M. Sunday morning, no one was really surprised. (Para. 15)
Why does the author repeat “finally and precisely” three times in the passage?
(The tone of this essay is bitter and sarcastic. It is achieved mainly by the choice of words and selection of details, which are otherwise considered unnecessary for the occasion.)

II. Words & Expressions

precisely: adv.

1. exactly; just

- Planes fly daily over regular routes with timetable precisely. 

- Scientists do not yet know precisely how insects can produce their toxic defensive chemicals without poisoning themselves.

- Since his own ideas were in flux, it is difficult to know precisely where he stood.

- 每辆卡车装载的用品恰好是每个部队所需要的。(Every lorry indeed is packed with precisely the articles which each unit will require.)

2. quite so

- — So you think it was a mistake? 
— Precisely.

acquaintance: n.

1. a relationship with someone you know, but who is not a close friend

- I have a nodding acquaintance with German.

- Our mere acquaintance ripened into friendship.

- 我与他素昧平生。 (I have never made his acquaintance.)

- She recalled the past, trying to bring back to her memory incidents of their old acquaintance.

2. person whom one knows (less intimately than a friend)

- She is an old acquaintance of my sister.

- He has a wide circle of acquaintances.

Collocation:

make sb.’s acquaintance                   结识某人

drop an acquaintance                                  断绝往来

have a casual acquaintance    半生不熟

renew an acquaintance                     重建友谊

CF: friend, mate, acquaintance & pal

这些名词都有“朋友”之意。

friend 一般用词，指某人喜爱并乐意与之相交往的人。例如：

- I’ve known her for years, but she was never a friend. (我认识她多年了，但成不了朋友。)

mate 最普通用词，可与其他名词连用，构成如：classmate，desk mate，school mate等词。既可指好友、同事，又可指合伙人，还可指配偶的一方。例如：

- The blackbird sat on the nest waiting for the return of her mate. (黑鹂在巢中等候其雄鸟归来。)

acquaintance 指彼此相识，但交往不甚密切，相互间没有深厚情感的人。例如：

- He is an old acquaintance of my father. (他是我父亲的老相识。)

pal 口语用词，指十分要好的朋友。例如：

- We’ve been pals since childhood. (我们自儿时就是好朋友。)

instantly: adv.  at once; immediately

- Instantly the blood crept warmly over her body.

- His manly beauty and more than common gracefulness were instantly the theme of general admiration.

- 霎那间，迪克意识到他处境危险。(Instantly Dick awoke to the terrors of his position.)

- Sometimes he instantly approved a proposal whose prospect seemed exceedingly bleak.

workaholic: n.  a person who likes to work too hard or is unable to stop working

- He was a lifelong workaholic, who painted dawn to dusk seven days a week.

- In America, it is generally believed that being a workaholic is unhealthy and harmful.

- A group of Japanese men hope to encourage workaholic husbands to head home early and show their wives some appreciation.

N.B.:

词缀 –aholic，-holic，-oholic 在某些词后面表示“沉溺于，无法摆脱”的意思。如：shop-aholic，golf-aholic，tobaccoholic 等。

classic:

1. adj. Of the highest quality; having a value or position recognized and unquestioned

- It is very interesting for a Chinese to read an English translated version of the Chinese classic novel The Dream of Red Mansions.

- The 7-Eleven chain is the classic example of convenience store. 

2. n.

1) writer, artist, book, etc. of the highest class

- Charles Dickens is a classic.

2) outstanding example of its kind

- My watchband is a classic made in 1960 by Robinsons.

- He’s hoping that tomorrow’s game will be a classic.

day off:  day on which one does not have to work

- On my day off, I’ll fix the tipsy fence.

- It felt like a big sick joke when the company made us work on our day off.

- There were many Chinese workers on a day off, all looking cheerful and healthy.

- 下次休假时，我再来看你。 (I’ll come over to see you on my next day off.)

conceivably: adv.  imaginably; believably

- According to some scientists, the disease could conceivably be transferred to humans.

- She brought me a raincoat because she thought it might conceivably be useful to me.

- 他的话想来不会是他的原意。(He couldn’t conceivably have meant what he said.)

retire: v.  (cause to) stop working at one’s job, usu. because of age (followed by from)

- Workers in China can all get a pension after they retire.

- The school had to employ the retired teachers to give classes.

- He will retire from his job next year and take things easy.

spot:

1. n.

1) small round mark; dirty mark

- Which has spots, the leopard or the tiger?

- He tried to remove the spot on his sweater with soap and water.

2) particular place or area

- For many years, Spain was a favourite holiday spot.

- When the fight started, police and reporters were soon on the spot.

2. vt.

1) pick out ; recognize

- We spotted a superstar in the crowd.

- 走在街上，我看见了一个老朋友。(I spotted one of my old friends when I was walking on the streets.)

2) mark with spots

- She has two dogs, a yellow one and a spotted one.

- She was wearing a white dress spotted with red.

executive:  

1. adj. having the power to make and carry out decisions, esp. in business

- He has been given full executive power.

- The US Constitution vests the executive power in the President. 

- 美国总统是政府的行政首脑。(The President of the United States is the executive head of the government.)

2. n. person with administrative or managerial powers

- She’s an executive in a computer company.

- The executive has been making decisions about the future of the company.

extracurricular: adj.  outside the regular course of work or studies in school or college

- Sports and drama are the school’s most popular extracurricular activities.

- The school encourages students to have rich and colorful extracurricular life.

- Extracurricular activities are an indispensable part of school life.

Collocation:

extracurricular activities                  课外活动

extracurricular athletics                   课外体育活动

extracurricular life                                                课余生活

extracurricular pastime                             业余消遣

extracurricular books                        课外书

survive: v.  continue to live or exist; live longer than; remain alive after

- Will the Lunar New Year survive modern living and competing influences?

- In order to survive and develop in the future, we must seize this rare opportunity.

- 这次地震中一家人都幸免于难, 真是九死一生。(It is a narrow escape that the whole family survive the earthquake.)

CF: survive, continue, remain & last

这些词都是动词，都含有“继续存在”、“经受住”的意思。

survive 可作及物和不及物动词，含有“幸免于难”、“平安度过”之意。

continue 为中性词，且不带任何感情色彩，指从开始到结束之间的任何延伸过程。

remain 指人或物移去、分离或毁坏后仍留在原地。

last 即“持续”、“经受住”之意，特指某事物继续存在，或最为普通意义上的时间持续。

Fill in the blanks with the words above. Change the form where necessary.

1. Ten of them survived the shipwreck. 

2. Little of the building remained after the explosion.

3. She is fond of perfume with the scent that lasts a long time.

4. He continued reading when I spoke to him.

5. It is believed that usually women survive men.

marketable: adj.  suitable for the demand of the market; that can be sold easily

- This new type of camera is a highly marketable product.

- College students should study to make them marketable when they finally get their degrees or diplomas. 

- Looking at the current economic gloom, I even resent myself for pursuing paper qualification blindly and ignoring a valuable and marketable skill.

compete: vi.  try to win sth. by defeating others who are trying to do the same

- Athletes will compete against each other according to the knockout system.

- John competed for a place at school, but he didn’t get in.

- We must strive to fully equip ourselves to seize new opportunities and to compete successfully in the global market as we enter this new era.

- 虽然只有四匹马竞争，但比赛很精彩。(Although there were only four horses competing, it was an exciting race.)

Pattern:

compete against (with)   与…竞争

compete for                                                    为…竞争

compete in                                                      在…中竞争

beloved: 

1. adj. dearly loved

- He never recovered from the death of his beloved daughter.

- This man was beloved by / of all who knew him.

- Every lover sees a thousand graces in the beloved object. (情人眼里出西施。)

2. n. dearly loved person

- I received a dozen roses from my beloved on my birthday.

- He wrote a sonnet to his beloved.

firm: n.  a business company

- No employees of the firm are allowed to anticipate their salary.

- They demanded the divorce of the subsidiary from the parent firm. 

- 公司应按照同工同酬的原则进行分配。(The firm should distribute on the principle of equal pay for equal work.)

- The director was careful not to lay the firm’s plans bare. (董事很注意不外露公司的计划。)

embarrass: vt.  make (sb.) feel awkward or ashamed

- I’m so sorry to embarrass you in front of your friends.

- He was very embarrassed to hear people speak so highly of him.

- Eye contact may convey sincerity and attentiveness in Western cultures, but too much eye contact may embarrass people in some oriental cultures.

- 这是一个尴尬的局面, 但是他们成功地应付过去了。 (It was an embarrassing situation, but they carried it off well.)

odd: adj.

1. strange; unusual

- We always meet in odd circumstances.

- She gets odder as she grows older.

- Don’t you think it odd that the famous pop singer should have committed suicide?

2. separated from its pair or set

- There was nothing but an odd shoe under the old man’s bed.

3. (of numbers) unable to be divided by two

- 1, 3, 5 are odd numbers.

CF: strange, odd, peculiar & eccentric

这些形容词均含有“奇怪的、奇异的、新奇的”之意。

strange 普通常用词，含义广泛，指陌生、新奇、奇怪或不自然的人或物。例如：

- The doctor thought her strange behaviour was caused by stress. (医生认为她那奇怪的举止是由于紧张所致。)

odd 通常指不规律、偶尔出现的人或事物，往往令人困惑或奇怪。例如：

- He is rather an odd man. (他是个颇为古怪的人。)

peculiar 常含有令人不快的“奇怪” 、“奇异”之意；侧重令人奇怪的或独一无二的特性。例如：

- This food has got a peculiar taste. (这食物味道怪异。)

eccentric 指偏离常规的怪异或怪癖。例如：

- If you go to the party in slippers, you will be considered rather eccentric. (如果你穿着拖鞋出席舞会的话，人们会认为你有些古怪。)

grab:  

1. v. take roughly, snatch eagerly

- Since the late 15th century, Western colonialists started to grab and conquer colonies in a big way.

- The boy grabbed at any excuse to avoid doing dishes.

- 他抓住了去美国的机会。 (He grabbed the chance to go to the US.)

Collocation:

grab a chance                    抓住机会

grab a seat                                   强占座位

grab at sb. / sth.     试图抓住…；抢夺…

2. n. a sudden attempt to seize sth.

- The boy made a grab at the frog, but it jumped away.

- 他一把抓住柜台上的钱。(He made a grab at the money on the counter.)

board: v.

1. get into (a ship or public vehicle)

- We decided spontaneously to board a train for Geneva.

- Before boarding the plane, Jenny tried once more to call home.

2. get or supply meals and lodging for payment

- I have to board the dog out while I’m away on business.

- She arranged to board some students from the universities.

- 膳宿费一天要多少？(How much is boarding and lodging a day?)

- My uncle is ready to cover my boarding and lodging as well as other living expenses.

N.B. 形近词比较：

aboard                                                    prep. / adv. 在（车、船、飞机）上

abroad                                         adv. 在国外

board                                                      n. 木板；vt. 登上（船、飞机等）

broad                                                     adj. 宽的，辽阔的；宽容的

Put into each gap one of the above words.

1. The job involves working abroad three months each year.

2. The minister has broad views and does not insist that everyone believe just as he does.

3. When everybody was on board, the ship sailed.

4. John has never been aboard a plane.

decease: vi.  die

the deceased: n.  the dead person

- The property should be inherited by the children of the deceased.

- The deceased willed his vast estate to his daughters.

- The goals and purposes for cloning range from making copies of those deceased to better engineering the offspring in humans and animals.

CF: die, decease, perish & vanish

这些动词均有“死”或“死亡”之意。

die 最普通用词，指某人或某物失去生命而永远不存在。例如：

- I might as well die as marry him. (与其嫁给他，我倒不如死了算了。)

decease 正式用词，多指法律上的用语，只适用于人。例如：

- The deceased left a large sum of money to his wife. (死者给他的妻子留下了一大笔钱。)

perish 书面用词，多指夭折或不幸暴亡。例如：

- Hundreds of sheep perished that year because of drought. (那年数以百计的羊因干旱而死亡。)

vanish 指某物绝迹、不存在或化为乌有。例如：

- Many kinds of animals have vanished from the earth. (许多种动物已经在地球上灭绝了。)

look sb. in the eye:  look directly and without fear at someone who is near

- There is a saying in English, “Don’t trust anyone who won’t look you in the eye.”

- She knew he was lying because he couldn’t look her in the eye.

- 他是个有高度道德原则的人，无论对谁都可以问心无愧。 (He is a person of high moral principles, who can look anyone straight in the eye.)

- They want to look you in the eye to demonstrate interest in the discussion and to show that they are honest and sincere.

bitterness: n.  feelings of anger, sorrow, disappointment, etc.

- This legendary man has endured almost all the bitterness of human life. 

- When you harbor bitterness, happiness will dock elsewhere. 

- 叫苦连天 (One’s cry for bitterness is heavenly high.)

- 苦中作乐 (seek happiness from bitterness)

- 忆苦思甜 (contrast past bitterness with present happiness)

- 悲喜交集 (Happiness is dashed with bitterness.)

straighten out:  settle (sth.) by removing the confusions or difficulties in it; put right

- You should straighten out your confused thinking. 

- His business affairs are in a terrible mess; they will take ages to straighten out.

- Through the reform, we intend to straighten out the relationship between the rule of law and the rule of man.

finances: n.  the amount of money owned by a person, government, or business

- She refused to answer questions about her personal finances.

- I’m afraid my finances won’t run to a holiday abroad this year.

- 当然，这事是否能成功取决于你的经济状况。(Whether it can be done or not depends, of course, on your finances.)

Collocation:

national / public / state finances     国家财政

high finance                                                                                         巨额融资

an expert in finance                                                        财政专家

the Minister of Finance                                         财政部长

option: n.

1. the right to buy or sell sth. in the future

- With cash, stock options and the promise of vast resources, Microsoft has attracted faculty elites to its research center.

- 琼斯已取得那幢房子的买卖权。

- Jones has taken an option on that house.

2. sth. you can choose to do

- Analysts say that the launch of the euro offers a new and attractive option.

- She has the option of entering graduate school or starting her professional career.

- 机会总是留给有准备的人。 (There are various options open to someone who is well prepared.)

CF: option, choice & alternative

这些名词均含有“选择”之意。

option着重特别给予的选择权，所选物常常相互排斥。

choice侧重指自由选择的权利或特权。

alternative 指在相互排斥的两者之间进行选择，也可指在两者以上中进行选择。

Fill in the blanks with the words above. Change the form where necessary.

1. Now you know all the facts, you can make an informed choice.

2. There must be a(n) alternative to people sleeping on the streets.

3. They didn’t leave him many options — either he paid or they’d beat him up.

4. I’d prefer not to work but I don’t have much choice.

5. I’m afraid I have no alternative but to ask you to leave.

and all that:  and similar things

- He looked very smart, very gentlemanly, and all that.

- Mary likes to eat fruit — strawberries and all that.

- 随着年龄的增长，我逐渐遇到各种不良行为的诱惑，如吸毒、酗酒，凡此种种。

(While growing up, I was surrounded with temptations to commit misdeeds like drugs, alcohol and all that.)

- Our apartments are perfect in every detail — hot and cold water, private baths, special hall service for every floor, elevators, and all that.

pick out:

1. choose

- She picked out a bottle of wine that she particularly liked.

- I’m going to pick out a few books for my friend in Shanghai.

2. distinguish from surrounding persons, objects, etc.

- At once I picked out my elder sister in the crowd.

- 他的房子有一扇黑色的大门，很容易从其余的房子中区别出来。(His house is easily picked out from the rest for it has a large black door.)

- When walking in the company of other men, there must be one I can learn something from. I shall pick out his merits to follow and his shortcomings for reference to overcome my own.

(三人行, 必有我师焉。择其善者而从之, 其不善者而改之。)

Collocation:

pick and steal            扒窃

pick out                                选择

pick up                                           拾起

pick up with                        在偶然机会认识

discreetly: adv.  carefully and sensibly; considerately; not too obviously

- His utterances were discreetly academic.

- A detective was sent discreetly to make inquiries about Miss Hutton’s financial situation.

- The industrial areas were discreetly apart, concealed from residential and recreational portions of the town.

inquiry: n.  request for help or information; investigation

- I am making some inquiries about the train schedule.

- I suggest that you make a careful inquiry into the damage once again. 

- I advise you make thorough inquiry about the enterprise before you embark on it.

Collocation:

inquiry about             请求帮助；询问

inquiry into                          调查；查究

on inquiry                            经打听；经询问

replacement: n.  person or thing that replaces another

- A good deal of old equipment needed junking and replacement.

- Robot hands are a replacement for human hands, and wheels from a car are a replacement for human feet.

- 凡本店售出的商品一律承诺包退包换包赔。 (Our shop sells goods with three guarantees: refund, replacement or compensation.)

Collocation:

replacement worker                                                       顶替工

replacement ticket                                                          补票

replacement of defective items                劣品包换