发布时间 : 星期二 文章新编英语教程Unit 1教案更新完毕开始阅读
Book 6 Unit 1
the mill, or, quite different, the run of the house when you get the run of things. And this little dynamic word, we can assure you, is not yet through with its varied career.
19 Is it any wonder that our unabridged dictionaries contain as many as 600,000 living and usable words, words sparkling with life, prolific in their breeding, luxuriant in their growth, continually shifting and changing in their meanings?
20 Words even have definite personalities and characters. They can be sweet, sour, discordant, musical. They can be sweet or acrid; soft or sharp; hostile or friendly.
21 From this time on, as we enter our word studies, try to become self-conscious about words. Look at them, if possible, with the fresh eyes of one who is seeing them for the first time. If we have persuaded you to do this, you will then be on the way to the success that can be won with a more powerful vocabulary.
Words and Phrases
1. good taste: appropriateness and politeness; propriety and decorum
2. the seal and superscription on each one: every detail of each word
seal — (literal meaning) a special design that is the official mark of a person or an organization
superscription — (literal meaning) the writing or printing at the top of or on the outside of (a document)
3. by any chance: (used in tentative enquiries for suggestions) possibly, perhaps
e.g. Do you have time to speak to my students by any chance?
Notes
1. Develop a fastidious, but not a fussy, choice.: When choosing words, be very attentive to
and concerned about accuracy, but don't be too hard to please.
2. fairly wriggling with life: twisting and turning fairly quickly as if they were living things
3. this poetry behind words: this quality of beauty, greatness, and deep feeling behind words
4. the Forum: the public square or marketplace used for judicial or other businesses in the
ancient city of Rome
5. Should you be in a snooty mood for the nonce: If it happens that you just want to show
contempt or disapproval towards others for the moment
6. \: (in the bridge card game) any card of a suit chosen to be of higher rank
than the other three suits （桥牌的）王牌
7. the Wall Street broker: a person who buys and sells goods or assets, e.g. business shares, for
others in Wall Street, a street at the south end of Manhattan, where the New York Stock Exchange and other leading American financial institutions are located
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Book 6 Unit 1
8. Middle English: the English language from about 1150 to about 1470
Comprehension
I. Answer the following multiple-choice questions.
1. According to the authors, which of the following does NOT correctly describe a characteristic of words?
A. Just like humans, words are given birth to, grow mature, and die. B. Words can be used to represent human thoughts.
C. Once they come into being, words remain fixed in form and meaning. D. Words undergo a dynamic process of change. 2. The term etymology refers to the study of _________.
A. the various meanings of the same one word
B. the origins of words
C. the changing meanings of words
D. the subtle differences between similar words
3. In the analogy between words and trees, the branches of trees refer to _________.
A. the many meanings the same one root has
B. the various words that are formed with the same root
C. the numerous stories about the same one word D. the different collocations a word has with other words
4. The word run is used by the authors as an example to illustrate _________.
A. the multiple meanings a word may acquire B. the different collocations a word may have C. the different origins a word is assumed to have
D. the various ways a word may be used
Key: 1. C 2. B 3. B 4. A
II. Discuss the following questions.
1. What is the authors' purpose of writing? Where in the essay is it first made clear? Is it echoed somewhere else? 2. To show the dynamic nature of words, the authors have used two analogies. What are they? Which one do they concentrate on? 3. Where in the essay can you find the authors' explanations of the roots, the branches, and the leaves of English language respectively? 4. In the essay the authors have used various examples to illustrate what is meant by the root of a word, the branches, and the leaves of the language. Now try to provide similar examples of your own. You can refer to dictionaries and books, especially those on English lexicology.
Key:
1. The authors' purpose of writing is to call upon the readers to pay more attention to words,
which they tend to take for granted. This is made clear at the very beginning of the article by
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Book 6 Unit 1
the sentence \about them and to examine them syllable by syllable, letter by letter.\sentence in the last paragraph: \this time on, as we enter our word studies, try to become self-conscious about words.\
2. The two analogies the authors have made are \
article they concentrate on the analogy of \
3. Their explanations can be found in paras. 6, 12, and 16 respectively: The story of the root of
a word is the story of its origin. The branches of the language tree are those many groups of words that have grown out from one original root.
The leaves of this language tree would be the words themselves and their meanings. 4. Open to discussion.
IV. Paragraph Writing
Writing Technique
Opening
Purpose of Opening
An opening of an essay usually consists of one paragraph. The purpose of the opening is to introduce the body of the essay. A good opening establishes a context for the message the writer wishes to convey. With a proper context, the reader will be more likely to understand the intended message.
Function of Opening
An opening has at least two major functions. First, it announces the writer's central topic. Second, it stimulates the reader's interest.
It should be noted that the purpose of an opening is to introduce the body of the essay. The opening presents the topic, and the topic is then left for the body to develop. In addition to announcing the topic and engaging the readers' interest, the opening may also provide necessary background information that readers will need in order to understand what follows. The opening may also preview the main points to be covered in the body of the essay.
Example 1
I have always enjoyed my visits to the zoo, no matter what zoo I visit. All zoos offer me many enjoyable sights, but the three things I enjoyed most are the animals, the special exhibits, and my fellow visitors. Zoos give me a place to go when I am tired of dealing with this over-complicated world, a place that cannot be found anywhere else.
The above example is typical of many openings where the writer begins by merely announcing his statement of message (Zoos give me a place to go when I am tired of dealing with this over-complicated world, a place that cannot be found anywhere else.) without trying to engage the reader's interest. This, therefore, may not prove effective, for the reader might not be interested in the essay.
Therefore, it may be necessary to rework it with the possible reactions of the readers in mind.
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Book 6 Unit 1
Read the following revised opening:
Revised Example 1
I have just had six days of screaming headlines that have announced murders, increased international tension, and unimaginable suffering. I have also had six days of huge electric bills, rising food costs, and boring work. Six days are enough. It is time to go to the zoo. Zoos give me a place to go when I am tired of dealing with this over-complicated world. It is not that I will be able to permanently escape the world's and my problems, but it will give me a rest. And an occasional rest does help.
Analysis
With more information added, the reader might be more prepared to read further. He may even be able to predict most of the points to be presented in the body of the essay to support the message. The message was equally clear in the original example. What differs noticeably is that in the revised opening a more interesting context is created for the reader, who will be able to understand the desire for a rest because the problems mentioned here are those faced by everybody. Most people would like a rest to avoid these problems. Perhaps a visit to a zoo could help.
Example 2
Here is the opening paragraph in a paper about education in England:
The fact that less than 5 percent of the British population graduate from universities may seem surprising, especially when viewed beside the American percentage of over 30 percent. To understand this contrast, one needs to consider social differences between the two countries, as well as differences in their theories of education.
In the above example, it can be expected that the discussion to follow focuses on the \differences\— the central point.
Exercise
Compose an opening (in one paragraph) for an essay on a subject of your own choice. Delay the announcement of the subject until the final sentences and make an overt effort to engage your reader's interest.
Hints:
You are suggested to write three sentences for the paragraph. The first two sentences should provide enough information for and naturally leads to the third sentence. Also note that the third sentence is your real \
Writing Practice
What is the most powerful word on the Internet? Write an essay of about 300 words on this topic and begin your essay with an engaging opening paragraph.
Hints:
You can focus on what the word is, why the word is powerful, and how powerful it is. Interesting
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