Detailed Reading

I. Difficult Sentences

1. So, too, do the voices of those who believed him stupid, incapable of living independently.
1) Translate the sentence into Chinese.
[=（在他内心深处）也一直回响着那些说他蠢，说他不能独立生活的人的声音。]
2) What kind of rhetorical device is used here?
(=The rhetorical device used here is called inversion or hyperbaton (倒装). The normal order of the sentence is like this: The voices of those who believed him stupid, incapable of living independently also echo in his soul.)

2. His mother explained how the delivery had been difficult, how the doctor had used an instrument that crushed a section of his brain and caused cerebral palsy, a disorder of the nervous system that affects his speech, hands and walk.
1) What is the grammatical function of the last part of the sentence, from “a disorder …” to the end?
[=It functions as an appositive (同位语).]
2) Translate the sentence into Chinese.
(=他妈妈解释说生他时难产，医生使用了某种器械，损坏了他大脑的一部分，导致了大脑性麻痹，一种影响他说话，手部活动以及行走的神经系统的紊乱。)

3. It took Porter four false starts before he found the courage to ring the first doorbell.
What is implied here?
(=Porter had a very hard beginning.)

4. Headaches are constant visitors. His right arm is nearly useless. He can’t fully control the limb. His body tilts at the waist; he seems to be heading into a strong, steady wind that keeps him off balance.
1) Translate the sentences into Chinese.
(=头疼也是习以为常的事。他的右臂几乎没用。他不能完全控制这只手臂。他的身体从腰部开始前倾，看上去就像是顶着一股强劲的吹个不停的风迈步向前，风似乎要把他刮倒。)
2) What kind of rhetorical device is used in the first sentence?
(=The rhetorical device used in the first sentence is personification, a figure of speech in which a thing, quality or idea is represented as a person. It can make the sentence more vivid.)

5. He puts on his glasses, removes his brochures and begins his sales talk, showing the woman pictures and describing each product.
What can be inferred from this description?
(=Bill Porter is a very proficient retail salesman. Despite his deformity (残疾), he did all these very fluently, which showed his eagerness to sell the products to the customer.)

6. Spices?
“No.”
Jams?
“No. Maybe nothing today, Bill.”
Is there anything special with the sentences here?
(=Yes. They are elliptical sentences. Ellipsis involves leaving out words which are obvious from the context. Since it is a real dialogue between Bill Porter and his customer, to use elliptical sentences seems very natural.)

7. Porter’s hearing is the one perfect thing his body does.   Except when he gets a live one. Then the word “no” does not register.
1) Paraphrase the second sentence.
(=Except when he catches someone who looks as if he may be persuaded to buy.)
2) Translate the sentences into Chinese.
(=波特的听觉是他身上唯一没有一点毛病的功能。只有当他察觉对方有可能买他东西的时候才会发生例外。这个时候，他是听不见“不”的。)

8. He smells blood. He quickly remembers her last order.
1. What impression can you get from this sentence?
(=He is a very skillful salesman, sensitive to potential customer’s needs.)
2. What kind of rhetorical device is used here?
[=The rhetorical device used here is called metaphor. He is just like an animal hunting its prey (猎物).]

9. The new owners, familiar with his situation, froze his rent and agreed to let him live there until he dies.
What does “froze his rent” mean?
(=It means that the new owner agreed not to increase his rent.)

10. From his easy chair he hears the wind lash his house and the rain pound the street outside his home.
1. What does “pound” mean here?
(=It means “to beat or hit repeatedly and heavily”.)
2. Translate this sentence into Chinese.
(=他坐在安乐椅上，只听得呼啸的大风猛烈地冲击着他的房子，大雨击打着屋外的街面。)

II. Words & Expressions

linger: vi.

1) spend a long time doing sth.

- My daughter used to linger long over her meal.

- There will be no time to linger — the press conference will begin in a few minutes.

2) stay for a long time, esp. because one does not want to leave

- He was still lingering around the stadium long after the game was over.

CF: stay, linger & remain

这几个词都可用作动词，都有“停留、逗留”之意。 

stay 是最普通的用语，指长期或短期的停留。

- My car stays in the garage most of the week.

linger 意思是“逗留、徘徊”，尤指迟迟不愿离开的样子。

- She lingered around the door telling the story of what had happened.

（=她徘徊在门旁，讲述所发生的事情。）

remain 强调维持原来的状态，表示“逗留”时比 stay更正式些。

- How many days will you remain here?

(=你准备在此待几天？)

dignity: n.  the quality of being worthy of honor or respect 

- She always acted with great dignity.

- 如果你错了，就承认。你不会失去尊严，而会赢得尊敬。

(=If you are wrong, admit it. You won’t lose dignity, but will gain respect.)

Collocation：

possess dignity   有地位（身份）

maintain one’s dignity  保持尊严

stand upon one’s dignity 摆架子，逞威风

beneath one’s dignity  有失体面，有伤尊严

cripple: vt.

1) cause to become unable to move or walk properly

- At the beginning of the year, 2000 crippled children were on state lists to receive care.

- 彼得的父亲因中风而跛脚。

(=Peter’s father was crippled by a stroke.)

2) damage or harm (sb./sth.) seriously

- His business was crippled by the fire.

betray: vt.  

1) be disloyal or unfaithful to

- According to the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, greed made Judas betray Jesus to the chief priest for 30 pieces of silver.

2) give away or make known (esp. a secret)

- He betrayed the secret to his friends.

- 她的脸色说明她很紧张。

(=Her face betrayed her nervousness.)

NB: 叛徒可用 betrayer 表示。betray 的名词是 betrayal。 

gain on:  to gradually get closer to a person, car etc. that you are chasing

- She was gaining on her opponents throughout the race, but only overtook them at the end.

- Hurry up! They are gaining on us.

NB: 此处的 on 可用 upon 代替。 

kick up:  (cause to) rise

- The horse kicked up a cloud of dust.

- Dawn came up and the sea began to kick up.

- 我知道他不想走，但他不应该为这事大闹。

(=I know he didn’t want to go but he shouldn’t have kicked up a fuss about it.)

tremble: vi.  shake from cold, fear, weakness, etc.  

- Her hands grew very cold and trembled so that she could hardly hold the flag.

- The whole house trembled as the train went by.

CF: shake, tremble & shiver

这几个词都是动词，都有“震动、颤动”之意。

shake 是最普通的用语。既可用于人，也可用于物。用于人时，一般指由于激动、寒冷、惧怕等引起的全身或局部颤动。也可以表示任何形式的颤动，常含有不规则、突然之意。

- His hands shook a little as he wrote.

(=他写字时手有些发抖。)

tremble 指人体由于盛怒、恐惧、寒冷或疲劳而引起的无法克制的轻微迅速的抖动。

- Her voice trembled with anger.

(=她的声音因愤怒而颤抖。)

shiver 主要指由于寒冷、恐惧而引起的肌肉的短暂、迅速的颤抖。 

- She came into the house snow-covered and shivering.

(=她走进房间，满身是雪，冷得直发抖。)

tilt:

1. v. (cause to) move into a sloping position

- The pilot can tilt the helicopter forward, backward, or to either side.

- The boat instantly tilted, filled and sank.

2. n. a position in which one side of sth. is higher than the other

- The Leaning Tower of Pisa is renowned for its marked tilt.

- 她斜戴着帽子。

(=She wore her hat at a tilt.)

Collocation：

a tilt to/towards … 向…倾斜

at a tilt    斜着

lean:  

1. v. (cause to) be in a sloping position; bend

- She leaned the desk against the door.

- She leaned over the bridge to look at the boats.

2. adj. producing little of value; containing little or no fat

- 今年的生意收入微薄。

(=This has been a lean year for business.)

Collocation：

lean on/upon sb.   依赖，依靠

lean toward/towards/to 偏向，倾向于

- They are now leaning to our position.

(=他们现在偏向我们的立场。)

delivery: n.

1) the process of birth

- Women who do manual work have easy deliveries.

2) the delivering of letters, goods, etc.

- Federal Express Corporation provides rapid delivery of packages, letters, and other shipments within the United States and worldwide.

Collocation：

a normal delivery  正常分娩

an easy delivery  顺产 

make a delivery  送货 

accept/take a delivery 收货 

postal delivery  邮递

express delivery  快递 

disorder: n.

1) disturbance of the normal working of the body or mind

- Severe vitamin and mineral deficiencies can lead to mental disorders.

2) lack of order

- The school authorities took immediate action to stop disorder.

- 这房子里乱七八糟。

(=The house was in a state of disorder.)

transfer:  

1. vt. move from one place to another

- David Beckham was transferred from Manchester United to Real Madrid for 35 million Euros.

- Transferring Peter from Tokyo to the Boston office was a smart idea.

(=把彼特从东京调往波士顿的办事处是个绝好的主意。)

2. n. the act of transferring

- He wants a transfer to another team.

limitation: n.  lack of ability 

- Acupuncture is good for some medical conditions but it has its limitations.

Collocation：

put limitations on   加限制于…

financial limitations  财政限制 

limitations on imports  对进口的限制 

within certain limitations 在一定范围内

apply for:  make a formal request for

- According to the school regulations, students will have to apply for permission to study abroad.

- I had applied for five jobs before I was offered this one.

representative: n.  a person who represents others

- They sent a representative to the meeting.

- Representatives from more than 170 nations converged on Paris for the Earth Summit.

CF: delegate, agent & representative

这几个词都可用作名词，都有“代表”之意。 

delegate 指某人被选派或委托为代理或代表。一般来说，delegate不具有全权，而只能按照他们代表的大多数人的意愿或指示行事。

- He is a trade union delegate.

(=他是工会代表。)

agent 意思是“代理人（商）”。指任何一个有代理权的人或团体，或在双方之间代表一方起中间人作用的人。

- An estate agent acts on behalf of the landlord in transactions between landlord and tenant.

(=一个房地产代理人在房主和客户之间的交易中代表房主的利益。)

representative 本义是指某人作为代表在一定场合行使职权或处理事务，但该词常用来指团体选出的代表该团体的利益参加某种会议或处理某类事务者。  

- They are representatives of the various departments of science and art.

(=他们是科学界和艺术界的代表。)

literature: n.

1) printed material used to advertise or promote a product

- 你有这辆新汽车的宣传材料吗？

(=Have you any literature on the new car?)

2) writings that are valued as works of art

- Many readers consider the novel the most flexible type of literature.

pledge:

1. n. a solemn promise

- 我发誓保密后才被告知此事。

(=I was told about it under a pledge of secrecy.)

- She made a pledge to contribute fifty pounds.

2. vt. make a solemn promise or agreement

- They have pledged not to dump hazardous wastes into the river.

- They have pledged that they will always remain faithful.

CF: assure, convince, guarantee & pledge

这几个词都可用作动词，都有“使相信”之意。

assure 意思是“使相信、使确信（某事一定会发生）”。

- Mom assured us that everything would be all right.

(=妈妈让我们相信一切都会好起来的。)

convince 意思是“使信服”。

- I managed to convince them that the story was true.

(=我设法让他们相信这个故事是真的。)

guarantee 意思是“保证、担保”。

- The authorities could not guarantee the safety of the observers.

(=官方不能够担保观察员的安全。)

pledge 意思是“公开保证”。

- The government pledged to make no deals with terrorists.

(=政府保证不与恐怖分子做交易。)

Collocation：

make/take a pledge   宣誓

give sb. one’s pledge   对某人发誓

honor one’s pledge   恪守誓言 

carry out/redeem one’s pledge 履行誓言 

break/violate one’s pledge  违背誓言 

retail:

1. n. the practice of selling goods in small quantities to the general public

- Wal-Mart is a company that operates a variety of retail chain stores.

2. v. sell or be sold by retail

- These socks retail at $5 a pair.

strain:     

1. vt. injure (the body or the part of it) or make it weak by too much effort

- He strained his back when he removed the piano with his friends.

2. n. a severe demand on mental or physical strength, resources, abilities, etc. (followed by on)

- 这工作给他很大压力。

(=The work put a great strain on him.)

- She has been under terrible strain since her company was bankrupt.

Collocation：

impose/place/put a strain on  使…受到压力

stand the strain     忍受压力

relieve the strain     使紧张状态松弛

a mental strain     精神状态紧张

back strain      背扭伤

under the strain     处于紧张状态

register: v.

1) be recognized or noted mentally

- The professor’s name didn’t register with the students.

2) record a name, an event, etc. for official purposes

- 他没登记成为选民。

(=He was not registered as a voter.)

- How many registered in the course?

profitable: adj.  bringing profit or advantage  

- Based in New York City, Random House owns many of the most prestigious and profitable book publishing companies in the United States.

- I didn’t find the talk very profitable. On the contrary, I thought it was nonsense.

commission: n.  money paid to sb. for selling goods which increases with the quantity of goods sold

- If a salesperson is paid on commission, the amount they receive depends on the amount they sell.

be laid up:  have to stay in bed because you are ill, injured, etc.

- I was laid up for five days with a cold.

- The football player was laid up with a twisted knee.

go off:  (of electric power, a light, etc.) stop functioning or operating

- 暖气发生了故障，昨晚我没睡好。

(=I didn’t sleep well last night as all the heating went off.)

After Reading >> Useful Expressions

系鞋带    tie one’s shoes

想做某事   feel like doing sth.

一群    a pack of

冲破身体的极限  rise above one’s limitations

招聘广告   help wanted ads

家用物品    household products

零售推销员    a retail salesman

不平衡    off balance

擦鞋摊     a shoeshine stand

让某人下车    drop sb. off

在打电话   on the phone

用完肥皂    be out of soap

躺着（或坐着）   off one’s feet

过着离群索居的生活 lead a solitary life

靠佣金赚钱   work on commission

带薪假期     paid holidays  

减轻疼痛    relieve pain

因…而卧床休养  be laid up with

自悲自怜   feel sorry for oneself

潦草的签名   scrawled signature

安乐椅    an easy chair

熄灭    go off

After Reading >> Sentence Translation

1. Making a living as a door-to-door salesman demands a thick skin, both to protect against the weather and against constantly having the door shut in your face.

(=干挨家挨户上门推销这一营生得脸皮厚，这是因为干这一行不仅要经受风吹日晒，还要承受一次又一次的闭门羹。)

2. And his enemies — a crippled body that betrays him and a changing world that no longer needs him — are gaining on him.

(=他的敌人——辜负他的残疾的身体和一个不再需要他的变化着的世界——正一步一步把他逼向绝境。)

3. Once the walls are up, a place takes on a different feel for him, as if he’s not welcome anymore.

(=一旦高墙耸起，这建筑给他的感受就变了，他好像不再受到欢迎。)

4. 要是顾客回绝波特，拒绝倾听他的介绍，他就一再上门。就这样他将产品卖了出去。 

(=If a customer turned him down, Porter kept coming back until they heard him. And he sold.)

5. 他由于身体不能正常运行而使脑子无法充分发挥其功能。

(=His mind was trapped in a body that didn’t work.)

6. 波特一开始四次都没敢敲门，第五次才鼓起勇气按了第一户人家的门铃。 

(=It took Porter four false starts before he found the courage to ring the first doorbell.)

7. 仅在一代人的时间里，从旧的意大利生活方式一跃而成为美国的雅皮士不是件容易事。 

(=It’s not so smooth jumping from Italian old-world style to U.S. yuppie in a single generation.)

After Reading >> Word Completion

Complete the words with the help of the definitions given.

surgeon   a doctor who performs medical operations

literature   printed material used to advertise a product

transit   passage through or across

register   be recognized or noted mentally

signature   a person’s name written by herself or himself

commission money paid to sb. for selling goods which increase with the quantity of goods sold

solitary   done or existing alone

representative  a person who represents others

dignity   the quality of being worthy of honor or respect