Detailed Reading

I. Difficult Sentences

1. and we cut enough wood to just about make it through the heating season.
Tell the meaning of the phrase “make it” and paraphrase this part of the sentence.
(=The phrase “make it” means “succeed.” The meaning of this part is “With the wood we cut, the family can succeed in getting through the cold winter.”)

2. Soon Jim, 16 and Emily, 13, the youngest of our four children, will help me make some long-overdue improvements on the outdoor toilet that supplements our indoor plumbing when we are working outside.
Analyze the structure of the sentence.
(=The structure of this sentence is complicated.
1) “The youngest of our four children” is in apposition to “Emily, 13.”
2) “that supplements our indoor plumbing when we are working outside” is an attributive clause modifying “the outdoor toilet.”)
Translate the sentence into Chinese.
(=过些时候，16岁的吉米和四个孩子中最小的13岁的埃米莉，会帮着我一起把拖了很久没修的室外厕所修葺一下。我们在室外干活时，这个厕所便成了室内卫生设备的补充。)

3. There is, as the old saying goes, no rest for the wicked on a place like this — and not much for the virtuous either.
Tell the class the origin of the saying “There is no rest for the wicked.”
(=The saying comes from the Bible, Isiah 57:21, “… no peace, saith my god, to the wicked.” It is used in a jocular manner, meaning “there’s no time for relaxation; someone is kept busy all the time.”)
Translate the sentence into Chinese.
(=正如老话说的那样，在这种情形之下，坏人闲不着——好人也歇不了。)

4. While one storm after another blasted huge drifts up against the house and barn, ...
Translate this part of the sentence into Chinese.
(=暴风雪肆虐，一场接着一场，厚厚的积雪覆盖着屋子和谷仓…)

5. When spring came, it brought two floods.
Read this paragraph and tell what “two floods” refer to here.
(=The first flood refers to the overflow of the river covering their land while the other refers to agricultural produce.)

6. Then the growing season began, swamping us under wave after wave of produce.
What’s the function of the phrase “swamping us under wave after wave of produce”?
(=This v-ing form is one of the non-finite verbs (非谓语动词). It serves as an adverbial in the sentence and it indicates another action by the subject of the sentence.)
Paraphrase the sentence.
(=Then the growing season came and it brought us a lot of agricultural products.)
What attitude of the author can we infer from this sentence towards his country life?
(=We can see that he was very satisfied with it and enjoyed the harvest.)

7. It was amazing.
What can we infer from the sentence?
(=The big harvest was beyond expectation. He was filled with joy because of the big harvest.)

8. The timing was terrible.
What’s the meaning of this sentence in Chinese?
(=时机选得实在太差。)
Why does the author think so?
(= 1) He had to pay the expensive tuition for his two girls.
  2) He had only a few thousand dollars in the bank.)

9. The answer, decidedly, was no, and so — with my employer’s blessings and half a year’s pay in accumulated benefits in my pocket — off I went.
Why did the author decide to quit his job even though it was a terrible timing? What could be the reasons for the author’s decision to leave the city?
(=Though it was a terrible timing, the author was clear that there would be no “good” timing at all. Possible reasons for his decision are as follows:
A) He didn’t think his job was good.
B) He longed for risks and changes in his life.
C) He was attracted by the good harvest his family had got the year before.
D) He was fascinated by the hectic, self-reliant and colorful life in the countryside.)

10. It picks up 80% of the costs beyond that.
What does the word “that” in the sentence refer to?
(=It refers to “the first $500 the family pays.” Suppose the medical fee is $1,000, the family has to pay $500 while the insurance company will pay $400.)

11. and we are covered against catastrophe.
Translate this part into Chinese.
(=而且我们给自己投了巨灾险。)

12. Extravagant Christmases are a memory, and we combine vacations with story assignments …
What can we infer from this part of the sentence?
(=We can infer that the family used to spend much more money on Christmases.)

II. Words & Expressions

get by:  be good enough but not very good; manage to live or do things in a satisfactory way

- It is a little bit difficult for the old couple to get by on such a small pension.

- 我父母靠很少的钱将就着把日子过了下去。

(=My parents managed to get by on a small amount of money.)

- She never works but somehow she gets by.

haul: vt.

1. transport, as with a truck, cart, etc.

- The farmers haul vegetables to the market on a truck every morning.

- 救援队把药品和食物运到被淹的村庄。

(=The rescue team hauled medical supplies and food to the flooded villages.)

2. pull or drag sth. with effort or force

- A crane had to be used to haul the car out of the stream.

- Rescue workers hauled passengers out of the crashed train.

CF: haul, drag & pull

这几个词都是动词，都有“拖”、“拉”、“拽”之意。

haul 指缓慢而费力地拖一极重之物，有时可表示很困难地拽。例如：

- Lorries haul heavy goods from factories to ports.

(=大卡车把沉重的货物从工厂运到港口。)

drag 指施力者在地面或表面上缓慢而沉重地把东西拖过一段距离，该词通常使人想到主动或被动的阻力。例如：

- You might drag a heavy box across the ground if you couldn’t lift it.

(=如果你提不动一个重箱子，你可以在地上拖着它走。)

pull 为最普通用词，可指朝各个方向拉，并不强调用力大小。该词后面可添加副词或副词词组具体描述拖拉动作的用力大小或方向等。例如： 

- They pulled hard but the rock remained stock-still.

(=他们使劲地拉，可那石头仍纹丝不动。)

supplement:

1. vt. add to sth. in order to improve it (followed by with)

- Peter supplements his ordinary income by writing books.

- 医生建议在我的饮食中补充维生素 E 和 A。

(=The doctor suggested supplementing my diet with vitamins E and A.)

2. n. an additional amount of sth.

- Do you read the color supplements of the Sunday newspapers?

(=你读周日报纸的彩色增刊吗？)

- She has been ill and must have supplements to her ordinary food.

spray: vt.  force out liquid in small drops upon (followed by with)

- I’ll have to spray the roses with insecticide to get rid of the greenfly (蚜虫).

- They sprayed the President’s car with bullets.

- 汽车开过，溅了我一身水。

(=A car went past and sprayed me with water.)

pursue: vt.

1. be busy with; continue (steadily) with

- He is pursuing his studies at the university.

- After graduation Martin chose to pursue the same career as his father as a doctor.

2. follow esp. in order to catch, kill, or defeat

- The police are pursuing an escaped prisoner.

wicked: adj.  evil or bad

- We are all born good, but can be taught to be wicked.

- 他真邪恶。

(=That was wicked of him.)

- I have such a wicked toothache.

get through:  come successfully to the end

- 当地政府已采取一些措施以确保所有人顺利过冬。

(=The local government has taken some measures to ensure that all the people will get through the winter.)

- She got through the entrance examination and was accepted by the college.

at that point:  at that very moment; right then

- The train was now only a couple of yards from the kids on the track. At that point, Anthony threw himself forward and pulled them clear.

- The man suddenly held up a poster. At that point, all TV cameras were pointed at him.

on balance:  with all things considered

- On balance, it’s probably not advisable to change the company’s name.

- 我想，总的来说我更喜欢新的操作系统。

(=I think, on balance, I prefer the new operating system.)

NB: balance 的反义词是 imbalance。

此外，与 balance 有关的其他搭配有：

keep one’s balance  保持平衡 

lose one’s balance  失去平衡 

strike a balance  力求折中 

in the balance   不确定，成败或安危未定 

illustrate: vt.  provide with visual features; clarify by use of examples, etc.

- Let me use another example to illustrate this difficult point.

CF: illustrate, exemplify & demonstrate

这三个词都是动词，都有“举例说明”之意。

illustrate 表示不仅使用具体事例而且有时使用图画，目的是使说明生动、逼真或有效，从而真实地说明某一观点。例如：

- The way that a pump works is used to illustrate how the heart sends blood around the body.

(=水泵的工作原理可用来解释心脏是如何将血液送至全身各处的。)

exemplify 可用于举例说明某一笼统、抽象的陈述，也可用于举出某事物的典型或范例。例如： 

- Knights exemplified courage and courtesy.

(=武士们是勇敢与礼貌的榜样。)

demonstrate 表示用充足且可靠的证据证实某一学术观点或结论，也可用于说明人或事。例如： 

- Galileo demonstrated that objects of different weights fall at the same speed.

(=伽俐略证实了重量不同的物体以同样的速度下落。)

digest:

1. n. a short account of written materials or data

- Reader’s Digest is a popular magazine in the US.

- He was so busy that he only read a concise digest of their project.

2. v.

1) change sth. into a form that the body can use

- 玛丽吃肥肉不消化。

(=Mary can’t digest fat.)

2) think about sth. carefully and understand it

- I heard her speech, but I haven’t digested it yet.

- 吸收新思想往往需要很长时间。

(=It often takes long time to digest new ideas.)

generate: vt.  bring into existence; produce

- 煤燃烧时，产生热量。

(=When coal burns, it generates heat.)

- The widespread use of Spanish in some American cities has generated a public debate over language use in the country.

- The teacher’s remark generated loud laughter.

insurance: n.  guarantee of compensation for loss, damage, sickness, death, etc. in return for regular payment

- Does your insurance cover damage by flooding?

- Our firm carries fire insurance.

Collocation：

accident insurance   意外保险

medical insurance   医疗保险 

private health insurance  私人健康保险 

disability insurance  伤残保险

social insurance   社会保险 

unemployment insurance 失业保险

whole life insurance  终身人寿保险 

pick up:

1) be ready to pay   2) improve  3) gain; get  4) take hold of and lift up

5) gather together; collect 6) collect someone or something from a place

Match the following sentences with appropriate definitions above.

Where did you pick up your excellent English? (3)

Please pick up all your toys when you’ve finished playing. (5)

If he loses the case, Michael will have to pick up the bill for legal costs. (1)

I’ll pick you up at your hotel. (6)

She picked up a stone and threw it at the window. (4)

Mary has been ill, but she’s picking up now. (2)

premium: n.  a sum of money paid regularly to an insurance company to protect sb. against some risk of loss or damage

- The employers make the employees pay for a large portion of their health insurance premium.

- He is complaining that car insurance premiums have increased too much this year.

(=他抱怨说，今年汽车保险费增加得太多。)

aside from:  except for; in addition to (more usual in American English; same as apart from)

- Aside from an occasional game of tennis, he doesn’t take any exercise.

- This composition is good aside from a couple of spelling mistakes.

- 万籁俱寂，只有从远处偶尔传来汽车喇叭声。

(=Everything was quiet, aside from the occasional sound of a car horn in the distance.)

cut back:  reduce in size or amount

Pattern: cut back sth.; cut back on sth.

- The government has cut back on defense spending.

- 我们反对任何削减教育预算的计划。

(=We oppose any plans to cut back (on) education budget.)

dine out:  eat a meal away from home (usu. in a restaurant)

- I’m going to dine out with Peter tonight.

- With the improvement of living standards, more and more people dine out at weekends.

suspect:

1. v.

1) believe to be true, likely or probable

Pattern: suspect that …

- I strongly suspect that they’re trying to get rid of me.

2) believe to be guilty

Pattern: suspect sb./sth. of sth.

- The police suspect him of murder.

2. n. a person who is suspected of guilt, esp. in a crime

- The police have arrested two suspects in connection with the bank robbery.

3. adj. of uncertain truth, quality, etc.

- That is a rather suspect answer; I don’t believe it.

CF: suspect, assume & presume

这几个词都可用作动词，都有“主观想像”之意

suspect 意思是“猜想”、“觉得会”、“有点感觉到”，表示有（某事物）存在的想法。另外，该词有“怀疑”、“怀疑某人有…罪”之意。例如：

- We suspected that he was lost, even before we were told.

(=别人告诉我们之前，我们就怀疑他失踪了。)

- He is suspected of murdering that old lady.

(=他被怀疑杀了那位老妇人。)

assume 意思是“假定”、“设想”，指把一件尚未证实的事作为事实或真理。例如： 

- He assumed that the train would be on time.

(=他假定火车会准时到达。)

presume 也有“假定”、“设想”的意思，但它指根据过去的经验或某些现实的感觉认为某事属实，虽然还没有确凿的证据。例如：

- The court presumed the death of the man who disappeared during the war.

(=法庭假定那个在战争中失踪的人已死亡。)

budget: n.  a plan of how to arrange private or public income or spending

- Adam limits himself to a daily budget of $10.

- At last, the government’s efforts to balance the budget ended in failure.

Collocation：

draw up a budget   制定预算 

submit a budget   提交一项预算报告

balance a budget   平衡预算

exceed a budget   超出预算

cut/reduce a budget  减少预算

a federal/household/municipal/national budget  联邦/家庭收支/市政/国家预算

scale: n.  a relative level or degree (usu. used in the phrase on a … scale)

- We tested our new teaching methods on a small scale. Indeed only six classes were involved in it.

- 这项工程规模浩大地展开了。

(=The project was undertaken on a grand scale.)

temptation: n.  the feeling of being tempted to do sth. wrong or harmful; the thing you want to have

- The kids can’t resist the temptation of McDonald’s.

- He couldn’t resist the temptation to steal the jewel.

Collocation：

overcome temptation    克服诱惑 

resist temptation     抵制诱惑

be exposed to temptation   受到诱惑 

face temptation     面临诱惑

succumb to temptation    向诱惑屈服 

place/put temptation in sb.’s way  让某人受诱惑

device: n.  a piece of equipment designed to serve a special purpose

- They suspected that an explosive device had been left somewhere inside the building.

- 她发明了一种能在下雨时自动关闭窗户的装置。

(=She invented a device that automatically closes windows when it rains.)

CF:

device, instrument & implement

这几个词都可用作名词，都有“用具”、“器具”之意。

device 表示“（为某种用途而制作或改装的）装置、器具”。例如：

- I have fitted a device to my car which opens the garage doors automatically.

(=我车上装了一个能自动开启车库门的装置。)

instrument 表示“器械”、“仪器”、“（发动机或航海、航空等的）测量仪器 ”、“仪表”，表示为技术工作设计的工具，着重于工具的精密与复杂。例如：

- All surgical instruments must be sterilized before use.

(=所有外科手术器械使用前都必须消毒。)

implement 指“工具”、“器具”，常指用于户外如园艺或农用的工具。例如： 

- Man’s earliest implements were carved from stone and bone.

(=人类最早的工具是用石头和骨头凿刻而成。)

profit: n.

1. money gained by business

- He makes a big profit from selling waste material to textile companies.

- 他以获利价出售了他的房子。

(=He sold his house at a profit.)

2. advantage gained from some action

- Finishing college will be your profit.

- I have read this book with profit.

Collocation：

clear/earn/make/turn a profit  获得利润 

divide profits      分红利

a clear/net profit     净利 

a gross profit      毛利，总利润

poor profits      薄利 

small profits and quick returns  薄利多销

at a profit      获利地、有利可图地 

CF: profit, interest & advantage

这几个词都可用作名词，均有“利益”、“好处”之意。

profit 指在物质与精神方面的好处，但以金钱方面为主。例如：

- The company has targeted a quite high profit for the year.

(=公司为今年制定了较高的赢利目标。)

interest 当“利益”讲时常用复数形式。例如： 

- A public servant is to work in the interests of the public.

(=公务员应该为公众谋利益。)

advantage 常指有利条件或优势地位。例如：

- Don’t you think it a double advantage for us?

(=难道你不认为这对我们来说是一件一举两得的事吗？)

- He was adept at maintaining a psychological advantage.

(=他擅于保持一种心理上的优势。)

invest: v.  use money to make a profit out of something that will increase in value

- She decided to invest $10,000 in the gas industry.

- My parents intend to invest in stocks and bonds.

- 许多商人正在向农业投资。

(=Many businessmen are investing in farming.)

primarily: adv.  mainly; chiefly

- We are primarily concerned with improving our working conditions.

- 男子通常比女子跑得快，主要是因为他们的肌肉力量更大。

(=Men usually run faster than women, primarily because they have greater muscular strength.)

After Reading >> Useful Expressions

过得去     get by

寻觅心灵的满足   find contentment

一种自力更生的生活  a self-reliant sort of life

大地回暖的气息   the smell of the earth warming

艰苦的生活    a tough life

日常的家务    usual household routine

正如老话说的那样  as the old saying goes

温馨快乐每一分钟   love/enjoy every minute of sth.

过冬      get through the winter

常春藤联合会学校  Ivy League schools

带着某人的祝福   with sb.’s blessings

总的来说     on balance

担任全职工作    be employed full time

贷款按揭     mortgage payments

至于…     When it comes to ...

除…以外     apart from ...

外出吃饭     dine out

降低生活标准   lower the standard of living / living standard

弥补收入差额    make up the difference in income

听歌剧、看芭蕾演出   attend the opera and ballet

耐得住寂寞     a tolerance for solitude

手头紧      be on a tight budget

自给自足     self-sufficiency

抵制诱惑     resist the temptation to do sth.

怆然离去    leave with a feeling of sorrow

自豪感      a sense of pride

一旦形势好转   once economic conditions improve

赚钱      earn money

After Reading >> Sentence Translation

1. Later this month, we’ll spray the orchard, paint the barn, plant the garden and clean the hen house before the new chicks arrive.

(=这个月晚些时候，我们要给果树喷洒药水，要油漆谷仓，要给菜园播种，要赶在新的雏鸡运到之前清扫鸡舍。)

2. I’m not making anywhere near as much money as I did when I was employed full time, but now we don’t need as much either.

(=我挣的钱远比不上全职工作时的收入，可如今我们需要的钱也没有过去多。)

3. When it comes to insurance, we have a poor man’s major-medical policy.

(=至于保险，我们买了一份低收入者的主要医疗项目保险。)

4. Once economic conditions improve, however, demand for farms like ours should be strong again.

(=但是一旦经济形势好转，对我们这种农场的需求又会增多。)

5. 在作物生长季节，根本就没工夫参加社交活动。

(=During the growing season there is no time for socializing anyway.)

6. 了解这些变化所带来的影响也许有助于我们改善家庭生活。

(=Becoming aware of the effects of those changes may help us improve family life. )

7. 而单亲家庭的数量在过去三十年中急剧增长。

(=And the number of single-parent homes has mushroomed in the last thirty years. )

8. 这些孩子会不会失去童年时期应有的一些重要东西？

(=Are these children missing out on an important part of childhood?)

After Reading >> Compound Dictation

You will hear a passage three times. When the passage is read for the first time, you should listen carefully for its general idea. When the passage is read for the second time, you are required to fill in the blanks numbered from 1 to 7 with the exact words you have just heard. For the blanks numbered from 8 to 10 you are required to fill in the missing information. You can either use the exact words you have just heard or write down the main points in your own words. Finally, when the passage is read for the third time, you should check what you have written.

Working at Home

Most American workers travel each day to jobs in factories, offices, (1) laboratories, shops and schools. But for a (2) growing number of people in the United States, the work place is changing. More Americans are (3) choosing to work at home. There are several reasons for this (4) change. One reason is many parents want more time to be with their children at home. Another is that people want the (5) freedom to decide for themselves how and when to do their job. The most important reason, however, is the (6) revolution in computer technology. With computers, there is (7) less need for people to come together to work. (8) Computers can be linked by telephone lines with other computers far away. A worker can write a report or add information to company records on a computer at home and then send the finished work to a computer in another city. (9) Americans are already using computers to do many different kinds of jobs at home. Many highly skilled workers, for example, ask their computers to work at least part of their time at home. They say (10) they can think more clearly and be more creative in the quiet, peaceful atmosphere of their home.