Detailed Reading

The trouble is, it delivered them.

1. What do “deliver” and “them” here refer to?

  (= “Deliver” means to provide or to bring, “them” here refer to “horizons”)

2. What does “trouble” imply?

  (=It implies the unfavorable effect of the invention of aircraft, that is, people, driven on by new horizons, would like to spend more time on time-consuming journeys. )

 “Now, I find myself subscribing to 60 or 70 journals … of the expanding frontiers of scholarship.”

1. Paraphrase “the expanding frontiers of scholarship”.

  (=the ever-advancing development in the new field of academy)

2. What is the purpose for the author to quote this sentence?

  (=The purpose is to give us a more vivid picture about the information explosion.)   

So we suffer from what Wilson calls discontent with super abundance — the confusion of endless choice.

1. What do “super abundance” refer to?

  (=It refers to the a quantity of goods and services.)

2. Why can we infer from the sentence?

  (=The quantity of goods and services is too much, it is endless, and what’s more, it increases our time stress levels.)

It’s almost got to the point where there’s stress envy.

1. What is “stress envy” meant by?

  (=If you are not stressed, that shows you are not very successful.)

2. Why does the author mention the “stress envy”?

  (=To make his argument comprehensive and more convincing, the author revealed the fact that not everyone is overstressed though 50 percent of unemployed or retired people tell you they never have enough time to get things done.)

3. Translate the sentence into Chinese.

  (=这几乎到了羡慕压力的程度。)

The gains, however, were unevenly distributed.

1. What does “the gains” refer to?

  (=”the gains” refers to the five hours a week Americans had gained as their free time.”)

2. Translate the sentence into Chinese.

  (=但增加的时间分配得并不均匀。)

As a result, we see appalling inequalities in the distribution of free time between the sexes.

1.    What does “appalling” mean?

(= “Appalling” means amazing, surprising.)

2. What can we learn from the sentence?

   (=The advances in household appliances haven’t set women free from household chores.)

One is an attempt to gain the largest possible amount of satisfaction from the smallest possible investment of time.

1. Paraphrase the sentence.

  (=One reaction is trying to obtain the largest possible quantities of content by consuming time as little as possible.)

2. Give a few examples of this reaction.

(=People today want fast food, sound bytes and instant gratification. And they become upset when time is wasted.)

Anything that helps streamline our lives is a growth market.

1. Translate the sentence into Chinese.

(=任何能帮助我们提高生活效率的事物都有越做越大的市场。)

2. Why is it “a growth market”?

  (=Because people are trying to buy time and you can definitely gain profits to help them “save” time.)

As Godbey points out, the stress we feel arises not from a shortage of time, but from the surfeit of things we try to cram into it.

 Paraphrase the part of the sentence after “point out”.

  (=We are not lack of time. Actually it is our ever-increasing desires that make us feel time-starved. )

Words and Expressions

quantities of: a large amount of

*The key to staying healthy and strong when backpacking(挑运) is to eat large quantities of energy-rich foods.

Collocation:

  a large quantity of 大量的

在寒冷的冬天，大部分动物必须通过吃大量的食物来获得维持正常生命活动的能量。

(=In cold weather most animals must eat large quantities of food to obtain the energy needed to carry on normal body activities. )

eat into: gradually reduce the amount of (sth. valuable); damage or destroy

*Acid eats into the metal, damaging its surface.

  *His extravagances ate into his inheritances.

Collocation:

  eat out of 吃光…

in reality: in actual fact; really

*He became that country’s ruler both in name and reality.

 (=Some famous private schools are theoretically open to the public, but in reality are attended by those who can afford the fees. )

Collocation:

  accept reality 承认事实

  deny reality 否认事实

  face reality 面对事实

multiply: v.

1) increase in number or quantity

  *Fear multiplies the difficulties of life.

*In a few minutes people in the square multiplied into thousands.

2) add a number to itself a particular number of times

Multiplying large quantities in one’s head has become a lost art since the arrival of the calculator.

我们可以将高乘以宽以求出面积。

(=We could multiply the height by the width to determined the area.)

CF: multiply, increase & add

    这几个词都是动词，都有“增加”、“增大”之意。

multiply 常指自然生殖或同类事物的不断重复而造成的增加，也可以指大幅度或成倍的增

加。例如：

        * Rabbits multiply rapidly. 兔子繁殖很快。

        * Efficiency will be multiplied several times. 效力将增加数倍。

increase 是最普通的用语，表示通过增加数量或自然增大而在数目、规模、分量、程度等

方面的增长，常含有递进性或按比例增加之意。

       * The volume of trade between the two countries has been increasing each

year. 两国间的贸易逐年都有增加。

       * The government has recently increased taxation. 政府最近又增加了税收。

add 主要指通过添加而导致在数量、大小、重要性方面的增加。add 常与介词to 连用。例

如：

     * That was adding fuel to the fire. 这正是火上加油。

     * The facts added together to build up an indisputable theory. 这些事实综合起来，构成了一个无可争辩的理由。

pour in: go into a place quickly and in large numbers

*Messages of congratulation came pouring in.

*Many football fans poured into the stadium to have a look at their favorite football players.

Collocation:

  pour down 沿…流下

  pour form 从…流下

  pour into 流进

comparative: adj. involving comparison or comparing

*Some sociologists have carried out large-scale historical-comparative studies.

*Ethology is a science concerned with the comparative study of animal behavior.

amount to: be equal to; add up to

这就等于要把整件事重做一遍。

(=This amounts to doing the whole thing over again.)

*In 1959 the combined value of U.S. imports and exports amounted to less than 9 percent of the country’s gross domestic products.

minute: adj. very small in size or amount

 (=The kitchen is minute, with barely room for two people to turn around.)

  *A minute examination revealed small flecks(斑点) of blood on the coat.

CF: minute, small & little

    这几个词都是形容词，都有“小的”之意。

minute 意思是“很小的”、“细微的”，在本组词中算是“最小的”。

small 指大小、重量、数量、规模、力量、重要性等方面“小的”、“少的”。

Little没有真正的比较级和最高级，它经常暗示所谈及的人、物小得可爱。而small就没有这种含义，它多表示比较，是相对而言的；

(Directions:) Fill in the blanks with the above words.

1. He is ______ man, only one point five meters tall.

2. His writing is ______.

3. What a nice ______ garden!

4. There is a ______ bird in the tree.

5. There are ______ particles of gold dust on the ground.

6. You made one or two ______ mistakes.

(key: 1=small, 2=minute, 3=little, 4=little, 5=minute， 6=small)

frontier: n.

1) (usu. pl) extreme limit of an area of knowledge or a particular activity

*To open up the space frontier, NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration)( （美国）国家航空和宇宙航行局) will try to lower the cost of access to Earth orbit.

*the frontiers of medicine

2) border between two countries

* Mount Qomolangma, the highest mountain in the world, with a height of 8,850 m (29,035 ft), rises in the Himalayas on the frontier of Nepal(尼泊尔) and China.

瑞典的边界与挪威、芬兰相连。

(=Sweden has frontiers with Norway and Finland.)

stress:

1. n. pressure or worry resulting from mental or physical distress, difficult circumstances, etc. (followed by on)

*Population growth and pollution place enormous stress on the world’s supply of usable water.

 他的压力很大因为他的工作太多了。

 (=He is under stress because he has too much work to do.)

2. vt. put stress, pressure, or strain on

*A person who is stressed typically has anxious thoughts and difficulty concentrating or remembering.

 (=I must stress that what I say is confidential.)

Collocation:

  lay/put/place stress on/upon 着重于，把重点放在…上

11. (L. 43) prosperity: n. state of being economically successful; state of being successful

or rich

*War brings no prosperity to the great mass of ordinary citizens.

*Some people argue that globalization will bring the prosperity so far enjoyed only by wealthy industrialized nations to the developing countries.

oblige:

1. vt. 1) polite to do (someone) a favor

*Please oblige me by leaving me alone.

请给我一根火柴，好吗？

(=Could you oblige me with a match?)

2) force (someone to do something) (usu. used in the passive voice)

  *In certain countries the law obliges parents to send their children to school.   

 (=He felt obliged to leave after such an unpleasant argument.)

2. vi. polite to do (someone) a favor

*We are happy to oblige.

*Will you oblige with a song?

(=请唱支歌，好吗？)

Collocation:

oblige by 答应做…使满足

oblige with 以…使满足

abundance: n. quantity that is more than enough; plenty

* Most milk consists of an abundance of the major nutrients needed by the body for

good health.

(=She had an abundance of very black hair.) 

Collocation:

an abundance of 大量的

in abundance 富有

*By the mid-15th century paper was available in abundance.

  of abundance 富裕的

    *a life of abundance 富裕的生活

CF: abundance, plenty & profusion

这三个词都是名词，都有“大量”之意。

abundance 指数量很多，超过需要。例如：

  *At the feast there was food and drink in abundance. 在盛宴上有丰富的食品和饮料。

  *Coal is found in abundance here. 这里发现大量的煤。

plenty 指数量很多，超过期望。例如：

  *She had plenty of imagination. 她想象力丰富。

  *The occasion was celebrated with plenty of festivities. 欢度那个节日举行了许多庆祝活动。

profusion指数量很大，并含有过多之一。例如：

  *He made promises in profusion. 他作的许诺过多。

  *Seldom have I seen food and drink served in such profusion. 我很少见过供应这样丰富的食物和饮料。

confusion: n. bewilderment or embarrassment

*There is still confusion about the number of casualties.

为了避免混淆，各队穿了不同颜色的衣服。

(=To avoid confusion, the teams wore different colors.)

forecast:

1. v. tell in advance; predict

*The means of forecasting natural disasters, such as floods, and hurricanes, have improved immensely as science and technology have advanced.

*May it turn out as I forecasted?

2. n. a statement of future events, based on some kind of knowledge or judgement

*The newspaper’s forecast that the senator(议员) would be elected again was right.

 (=Did you listen to the weather forecast on the radio?)

CF: forecast, foretell & predict

这几个词都是动词，均有“预言”、“预示”、“预告”之意。

forecast 指根据已知可能的发展进程或将来的情况作出大概的预测，尤适用于天气预报．例如：

  *Experts have forecast an upturn in the stock market. 专家们预测证券市场行情看涨。

　*The weatherman was unable to forecast the weather more than three days in advance. 气象员不能预报出三天以后的天气情况。

foretell 是普通用语，原带有迷信色彩，表示预言注定的命运，但现在这种色彩逐渐消失，主语可以是人或物。例如：

　*He foretells events form the flights of birds. 他能从鸟的飞行来预测事件。

　*Who can foretell what will happen? 谁能预言将会发生什么事呢？

predict 较为正式，语气比forecast强烈，指从已知事实推断或根据自然定律断定未来的事情，其准确度不一，可以和foretell互换，但主语只能是人。例如：

　*The Chaldeans could predict eclipses. （古代巴比伦的）迦勒底人能预言日、月食。

　*Who can predict how the elections will turn out? 谁能预测选举的结果将会怎样？

 volunteer:

1. n. person who offers to do sth. without being compelled or paid

*Some students served as volunteers to help the old and disabled in the community in their spare time.

*The charity agency will recruit(征募) volunteers to build affordable housing for the poor.

2. v. offer one’s services or help without payment

   *He volunteered to do whatever he could for them.

   *When World War Two broke out, he volunteered for the Martine Corps.

  （二战爆发时，他以志愿兵身份参加海军陆战队。）

perception: n. way of seeing or understanding sth.；ability to notice and understand things

 (=His perception is very good.)

*Aesthetics(美学) is a branch of philosophy concerned with the essence and perception of beauty and ugliness.

nurture: vt. care for and educate (a child); encourage the growth of (sth.);

nourish

*Parents want to know the best way to nurture and raise their child to adulthood.

*The local government has taken measures to nurture the state-run factories.

CF: nurture, feed & supply

这几个词都是动词，都有“供养”之意。

nurture 表示在幼儿、幼苗的成长过程中予以细心照料、保护。

feed 不仅表示喂养人、动物，实际上有时表示喂入嘴中，还表示给植物提供养分。广义上，它指为任何人或物提供所需外来养分。

supply 表示供给所需物品。

(Directions:) Fill in the blanks with the above words and change the form where necessary.

1. The farmer’s wife ______ cattle and sheep every morning.

2. The government ______ free books to schools.

3. These are the plants ______ in the greenhouse.

4. We want to ______ the new project, not destroy it.

5. He has a large family to ______.

6. He kept me well ______ with cups of coffee while I wrote the report.

(key: 1. feeds, 2. supplies, 3. nurtured, 4. nurture, 5. feed, 6. supplied

distribution: n.

1) the way in which people, buildings, etc. are arranged over a large area

*The study of animal distribution is called zoogeography.

*Enter a surname (last name) into the form below and you'll get a map of the United States showing the distribution of people with this surname.

2) the act of giving things to a large group of people or delivering goods to companies

  *Distribution of the goods is handled by local companies.

  *the distribution of mail

Collocation:

  normal distribution 正态分布

famine: n. (instance of) extreme scarcity of food in a region

*To eliminate famine and reduce malnutrition, attention needs to focus not only on food production but also on food distribution, consumption, and family planning.

世界上有些地区经常遭受饥荒。

(=Some parts of the world suffer regularly from famine.)

widespread: adj. found or distributed over a large area

*The landscape of the American West was dramatically altered during the 20th century as a result of the widespread construction of dams along major rivers.

 (=There was a widespread belief that the newspaper had not told the truth.)

provoke: vt. cause (sth.) to occur or arouse (a feeling, etc.)

*People’s concern over genetically modified food has provoked a global debate that shows no sign of ending soon.

*They argued that NATO enlargement could provoke Russian hostility and lead to regional instability.

CF: provoke, arouse & awaken

这几个词都是名词，都有“引起”、“致使…反应”之意。

provoke 意思是“激怒”、“惹怒”、“致使”、“迫使”，尤指某事或话语使某人或某物生气、发怒而使其采取行动。例如：

*If you provoke the dog, it will attack you. 如果你去招惹那条狗，它会咬你。

*His impudence provoked her into slapping his face. 他的鲁莽气得她打了他一耳光。

arouse 意思是“引起”、“唤醒”，动作的意味较弱，表示使某人从睡眠状态中醒来或鼓励某人由不积极状态变为积极状态。例如：

*My mother aroused me from sleep. 我母亲把我从睡梦中唤醒了。

*Of all the planets, Mars always arouses the greatest curiosity. 在所有的行星中，火星一直引起人们最大的好奇心。

awaken 常出现在被动语态中，意思是“被唤醒”，一般用在较正式的场合；它还常用在比喻中，意思是“觉醒”。例如：

*He was awakened by the singing of birds in the trees. 他被林中鸟儿的鸣叫声惊醒了。

*The oppressed people are awakening everywhere. 各地的被压迫人民在觉醒。

Collocation:

  provoke sb. to do sth. 挑动某人做某事

a variety of: a lot of a particular type of things that are different from each other

   *The college library has a wide variety of books.

*China has a great variety of mineral resources.

streamline: vt. make (sth.) more efficient and effective

*Corporate mergers can result in job losses because management combines and streamlines departments within the newly merged companies.

他们把赛车改成流线型，以使它行驶的更快。

   (=They streamlined the racing car so that it moved even faster.)

domestic: adj.

1)    of the home, household or family

*The cat is a domestic animal in many countries.

*Police and hospital records indicate that the majority of victims of domestic violence are women.

2) of or inside a particular country

*GDP stands for Gross Domestic Product.

 (=This is China’s domestic affairs.)

spring up: appear, develop, grow, etc. quickly or suddenly

*New buildings are springing up everywhere.

*Fast food restaurants are springing up all over the city.

divert: vt. turn (sb./sth.) aside from a course, direction, etc. into another

   *The money that might be spent on cities has been diverted into other projects.

   由于交通事故，车辆行人绕道而行。

   (=Traffic is being diverted from the main road because of the accident.)

arise: vi. appear; become evident

*A financial crisis has arisen in the multinational corporation.

 (His illness arose from malnutrition.)

shortage: n. lack of sth. needed; deficiency

*There is a world shortage of fuel.

*The world is facing the prospect of water shortages caused by population growth, uneven(不平均) supplies of water, pollution, and other factors.

be doomed to: (sth.) be certain to happen, and you can do nothing to prevent it

*The whole project was doomed to failure.

*His crippled(残废的) leg doomed him to long periods of unemployment.

Pattern:

  be doomed to sth. 注定要遭受…的

  be doomed to do sth. 注定要遭受…的

    *He is doomed to eke out a miserable life.