Detailed Reading

I. Difficult Sentences

1. I don’t know if that was a local term or if it is universal.
1) What do “local” and “universal” mean respectively?
(=“Local” means “of a particular place”, while “universal” means “common to all conditions or situations”.)
2) Translate the sentence into Chinese.
(=我不知道这是当地的一种说法，还是大家都是这么说的…)

2. … doors do not stay unlocked, even for part of an evening.
Paraphrase the sentence.
(=… doors are always locked, even just for a short period of time in the evening.)

3. It is not uncommon, in the most pleasant of homes, to see pasted on the windows small notices announcing that the premises are under surveillance by this security force or that guard company.
What can be commonly seen pasted on the windows of the most pleasant homes?
(=Small notices warning against burglary are commonly seen pasted on the windows of the most pleasant of homes.)

4. Indeed, a recent public-service advertisement by a large insurance company featured not charts showing how much at risk we are, but a picture of a child’s bicycle with the now-usual padlock attached to it.
What is the insurance company’s intention of running an ad with a picture showing a padlock attached to a kid’s bicycle?
(=The insurance company wants to show what danger people are in now because they may get the kid’s bicycle stolen.)

5. If you work for a medium- to large-size company, chances are that you don’t just wander in and out of work.
1) What is a medium- to large-size company?
(=A company which is between medium-sized and large-sized.)
2) Paraphrase the structure “chances are that …”
(=It is very likely that …)
- Chances are that we will win easily.
(=我们很可能会轻松取胜。)

6. It simply didn’t occur to managers that the proper thing to do was to distrust people.
1) Paraphrase the structure “It occurs to sb. that …”
(=sb. gets the idea that …)
- It suddenly occurred to me that we could use a computer to do the job.
(=我突然意识到可以用电脑来做这个工作。)
2) Translate the sentence into Chinese.
(=那时管理人员根本没想到过恰当的手段是不信任他人。)

7. We seem finally to have figured out a way to hold the terrorists, real and imagined, at bay.
Paraphrase the sentence.
(=Finally, we found the way to keep away the terrorists, no matter whether they are real or imagined in our mind.)

8. The machines are supposed to tell the businessman, with a small margin of error, whether his friend or client is telling lies.
Paraphrase the sentence.
(=The machines are thought to be able to tell the businessman whether his friend or client is telling lies with little probability of making mistakes.)

9. All this is being done in the name of “security”; that is what we tell ourselves.
1) Why does the author use the quotation marks?
(=This is not real security. People are living in the illusion that they are properly protected by these security means.)
2. Translate the sentence into Chinese.
(=所有这一切都是以“安全”的名义实施的；我们是这么跟自己说的。)

10. We have become so smart about self-protection that, in the end, we have all outsmarted ourselves.
1) Explain “we have all outsmarted ourselves.”
(=“Outsmart” means “gain the advantage over by cunning or cleverness”. “We have all outsmarted ourselves” means “our cunning and cleverness result in our own disadvantage.”)
2) Translate the sentence into Chinese.
(=我们在自我防卫方面变得如此聪明, 最终全都聪明反被聪明误。)

II. Words & Expressions

on the latch:  (of a door) closed but not locked

- Let yourself in; the door is on the latch.

- Don’t forget to leave the front door on the latch if you go to bed before I come back.

rural: adj.  of, in or suggesting the countryside

- By the year 2003 urban residents will outnumber rural residents in most developing countries.

- 庄稼种在乡村地区。

(=Crops are grown in rural areas.)

vulnerable: adj.  exposed to danger or attack; unprotected 

- Compared with Saudi Arabian soccer team, the Chinese team is more vulnerable.

- 你的论点相当容易受到批评。

(=Your arguments are rather vulnerable to criticism.)

- How does the country defend vulnerable groups in society?

urban: adj.  of, situated in or living in a city or town

- Motor vehicle emissions, to a large extent, are responsible for urban air pollution. 

- Most urban areas in the world are facing the problem of over-population.

Collocation:

urban districts    市区

the urban population  城市人口

urban areas    市区

CF: urban & municipal

这两个形容词都有“都市的、城市的”之意。

urban 指以都市中心为主的行政区。例如：

- Nowadays, as the population and vehicles increase, urban districts seem to be more crowded. 

(=如今，随着人口增长和交通工具增多，市区似乎变得更拥挤了。)

- Our government has always paid much attention to the life of the urban poor. 

(=我们的政府历来都重视城市贫民的生活。)

municipal 主要指与城市、市镇或其政府相关的部门、服务机构，尤指市政府机构管辖下属于公共的、为公众服务的设施、事业等。例如：

- Cities usually use taxes for education, police and fire departments, public works and municipal buildings.

(=城市通常将税收用于教育、公安和消防部门、公共设施和市政建设。)

statistics: n.  collection of information expressed in numbers

- The statistics indicate that roughly every 22 years a major drought occurs in the United States.

- 统计数字显示退休之后女性比男性生活愉快。

(=Statistics show that women live happier lives than men after retirement.)

tranquil: adj.  calm, quiet and undisturbed

- Visitors like to stay in this hotel because it is beautiful and located in a tranquil lake area. 

- 家中的温馨气氛是非常重要的。尽你所能去创造一个宁静和谐的家。

(=A loving atmosphere in your home is so important. Do all you can to create a tranquil and harmonious home.)

- Another advantage of country life is that it is more tranquil.

CF: tranquil & calm

这两个形容词都有“安静的、平静的”之意。

tranquil 指安宁的、平静的。例如：

- We found a tranquil spot on the bank of a river to have a rest. 

(=我们在河岸上找到一块宁静的地方休息了一下。)

- She has a tranquil life in the country, in an out-of-way little village. 

(=她在乡间一个偏僻的小村子里过着宁静的生活。)

calm 表示平静的、镇静的，指一种毫无迷惑与兴奋的宁静状态。例如：

- He went straight into his room, his face quite calm.

(=他径直走进自己的房间，脸色十分平静。)

- She remained calm on the face of imminent disaster.

(=灾难临头而她镇静自若。)

era: n.  a period of history or a long period of time

- The Christian era starts with the birth of Christ.

- Our era produces a host of heroes and heroines. 

- 我们现在正处于一个新的伟大的信息时代。

(=We are now in a great new era of information.)

electronic: n.  of or relating to electronics or devices and systems developed through electronics

- Use of the Internet is replacing other forms of electronic communication. 

- 一般说来，直到现在，这样的机器人还是由大型电子计算机控制的。

(=In general, such robots have been controlled up to the present time by large electronic computers.)

hook up to:  connect or attach (sth.) to (sth. else) with or as if with a hook

- I hook up to the internet almost everyday.

- My computer is hooked up to the Internet, so I can communicate with my students at home via email.

- The alarm systems in the banks are hooked up to the local police station.

build in/into:  make (sth.) as part of the structure

- The cupboards in the kitchen are all built in. 

- We are having those shelves built into the wall over the bed.

pry:

1. vt. force sth. open or away from a surface

- 你能不能帮我不打破这个木箱盖而撬开它?

(=Can you help me pry the cover off this wooden box without breaking it?)

- Her car trunk had been pried open and all her equipment was gone.

2. vi. look or inquire closely and curiously

- Don’t pry into the affairs of others. 

Collocation:

pry about   到处窥探

pry into   窥探，打听

paste: vt.  stick sth. with glue

- A notice has been pasted to the door.

- 这个年轻人将他最喜欢的歌手的照片贴在墙上。

(=The young man pasted the pictures of his favorite singer on the wall.)

premise: n. 

1) (pl.) all the buildings and land that an institution occupies on one site

- I showed him off the premises.

- There is a kitchen on the premises. 

- 警察认为小偷仍在屋内。

(=The police think the thief is still on the premises.)

2) sth. that you accept as true and use as a basis for another idea or way of thinking (usu. followed by that-clause)

- It was the lawyer’s premise that his client was innocent. 

- I’m rather questioning whether the whole premise is correct. 

Collocation:

an assumed premise  假设 

an unsound premise  站不住脚的假设

feature:

1. vt. give a prominent part to (sb./sth.)

- 报纸为那个事件做了个专题报道。

(=The newspaper featured the story of the event.)

- The play featured two well-known actors.

2. n. a prominent or distinctive aspect, quality, or characteristic

- The building contained many new features of construction. 

Collocation:

a unique feature  独一无二的特征

a key feature   主要特征

a notable feature  显著特征

make a feature of  以…为特色；注重

chart: n.  a diagram, picture, or graph which is intended to make information easier to understand

- The chart showed the decline in the company’s sales during the year. 

- The weather chart shows where rain fell over China yesterday.

Collocation:

compile a chart  编制图表

consult a chart   查看图表

a flow chart   流程图

a statistical chart  统计图表

barrier: n.  thing that prevents progress or movement

- The football fans broke through the barriers and rushed onto the pitch. 

- The English Channel was a barrier against Nazi ground forces.

- 警察设了路障。

(=The police put a barrier across the road.)

Collocation:

trade barrier   贸易壁垒

cultural barrier  文化隔膜

language barrier  语言障碍

geographical barrier 地理阻隔

barricade:

1. n. a barrier of large objects, intended to stop an enemy

- Barbed-wire barricades blocked off all the main streets.

- Protesters have been putting up barricades across a number of major streets.

Collocation:

place/erect/set up/put up barricades  设置路障

remove/demolish/tear down barricades 拆除路障

2. vt. block with a barricade

- Workers in Spain barricaded roads and clashed with police.

Pattern: barricade oneself against; barricade oneself into

- barricade oneself against outside moral decay

(=把自己同外界的道德沦丧隔绝)

- barricade oneself into one’s room

(=把自己关在房间里)

- The families in this remote village have practically barricaded themselves into their homes.

hold/keep (sb.) at bay:  prevent (an enemy, pursuers, etc.) from coming near

- Eating oranges keeps colds at bay. 

- She left the light on at night to keep her fears at bay.

sideways: adj./adv.  to, towards or from the side

- Alfred shot him a sideways glance.

- If you would move sideways to the left, I can get everyone on the picture.

- 我们把桌子斜向一边以便把它搬进房间里。

(=We turned the table sideways to get it into the room.)

stand for:  represent; mean

- What does NB stand for?

- The symbol “%” stands for percent.

- 约翰一直支持正确的事情。

(=John always stands for what is right.)

analyze: vt. examine sth. in detail in order to understand it, esp. by considering separately all the elements it consists of

- The teacher tried to analyze the cause of our failure.

- 科学家分析了一下牛奶，发现里面水分过多。

(=The scientist analyzed the milk and found it contained too much water.)

margin: n.  an amount by which a thing is won or falls short

- Governor Bush won the election but by a small margin.

- Demand for college education exceeds capacity by a large margin.

- With the improvement of their living conditions, people’s demand for air-conditioning has increased by a large margin.

Collocation:

with/by a small/large margin  以微弱/较大的多数；幅度较小/大地 

error: n.  mistake

- Her name was omitted by error.

- 这次事故是由人为过错造成的。 

(=The accident was caused by human error.)

Collocation:

admit/acknowledge an error 承认错误

amend/correct/rectify an error 纠正错误 

commit/make an error   犯错误 

CF: error, mistake & fault

这三个词都有“错误、缺点”之意。

error 通常指由于疏误而导致的行动上的错误或偏差，在实际运用中多指由于背离某种标准的偏差。例如：

- This is an error in grammar.

(=这是一个语法错误。)

mistake 多用于指缺乏正确的判断、理解、计算等而造成的错误，这种在行动或看法上的错误有时是无意的。例如：

- The teacher found several spelling mistakes in the pupil’s written answers.

(=老师在学生的书面作业中发现了几处拼写错误。)

fault 可表示人或物的缺点和毛病。用于人的过错时，多用于小且能宽恕的错误，含有当事人对造成的过错应负责任的意味。例如：

- With all his faults, he is still a good student.

(=尽管他有这些缺点，他还是个好学生。)

civilize: vt.  cause to improve from a primitive stage of human society to a more developed one

- The terrorist attack on the World Trade Center has shocked the civilized world.

- It must be admitted that the Romans helped to civilize many Europeans at that time.

- 非洲国家希望把非洲所有的原始部落都变成文明社会。

(=The African countries hoped to civilize all the primitive tribes on the land.)

reflection: n.

1) a thing bringing discredit or criticism (followed by on)

- The fact that we all failed the test was a reflection on our teacher.

- 这有损你的名誉。 

(=This is a reflection on your honor.)

2) reflecting (careful thinking) or being reflected

- On further reflection, she saw her mistake.

- 他沉思片刻后做出了否定的回答。

(=After a minute’s reflection, he gave a negative answer.)

Collocation:

cast a reflection on   使人们对…产生鄙视（或怀疑）

cast/throw reflections on  指责（某人） 

on/upon reflection    经再三思考

without reflection    轻率，不经思考 

look back on:  think about (sth.) in one’s past

- I always look back on those days as the happiest time of my life.

- 当你回顾你的一生时，你最珍惜的是什么时候？ 

(=When you look back on your life, what moments would you cherish the most? )

After Reading >> Useful Expressions

（门）关着但没上锁   on the latch

带钥匙      carry keys

（暂时）关闭    close up

巡逻严密的城区街道   well-patrolled urban streets

据称很宁静的地区    the allegedly tranquil areas

…的时代结束了    the era of … is over

电子报警系统      electronic alarm systems

连接到       hook up to

内置，嵌入      build in

处于监控下     under surveillance

设置路障      put up barricades

保安      security guards

不让靠近      hold/keep (sb.) at bay

电子搜查器      electronic friskers

看都不看一眼      without so much as a sideways glance

代表；表示，象征    stand for

沉浸于，沐浴于     be bathed in

误差率很小/大    with/by a small/large margin of error

在人类文明的历史上   in the history of civilized man

聪明反被聪明误    outsmart oneself

回首（过去），回顾（以往） look back on

看不见的恐惧    unseen horrors

After Reading >> Sentence Translation

1. We have become so used to defending ourselves against the new atmosphere of American life, so used to putting up barriers, that we have not had time to think about what it may mean.

(=我们已经变得如此习惯于保护自己不受美国生活新氛围的影响，如此习惯于设置障碍，以致无暇考虑这一切意味着什么。)

2. Our neighborhoods are bathed in high-intensity light; we do not want to afford ourselves even so much a luxury as a shadow.

(=我们的居住区处在强光源的照射之下；我们连哪怕像阴影这样小小的享受也不想给自己。)

3. Many suburban families have sliding glass doors on their patios, with steel bars elegantly built in so no one can pry the doors open.

(=郊区的许多人家在露台上安装了玻璃滑门，内侧有装得很讲究的钢条，这样就没人能把门撬开。)

4. 取人性命的念头令我憎恨，但念及成为他人的受害者就更可怕了。我开始问自己，你怎么跟一个杀人犯或强奸犯谈论和平主义呢？ 

(=The thought of taking a human life disgusts me, but the idea of being someone’s victim is worse. And how, I began to ask myself, do you talk pacifism to a murderer or a rapist?)

5. 但我相信，知识仍是我们最有力的防范手段。由于我主张对孩子进行性知识教育、艾滋病知识教育以及让孩子学会开车，我不能不赞成教儿子关于枪的知识。 

(=But knowledge, I believe, is still our greatest defense. And since I’m in favor of education for sex, AIDS and learning to drive, I couldn’t draw the line at teaching my son about guns.)

6. 我手指扣住扳机，最后用力一扣，在亲手结束了侵入者生命的同时也庆幸自己没有成为牺牲品。 

(=I wrapped my finger around the trigger and finally squeezed it, simultaneously accepting the intruder’s death at my own hand and the relief of not being a victim.)

7. 我从来没有像在买枪一事上对某种行为的后果如此反复权衡——可是，我也从来没做过后果如此严重的事。 

(=I never have weighed the consequences of an act as strongly as I have that of buying a gun — but then again, I never have done anything with such deadly consequences.)