新标准大学英语课件4-1-2.ppt

1 if you ask me, real life is not all its cracked up to be. twelve years at school and three years at university, teachers banging on about opportunities in the big wide world beyond our sheltered life as students, and what do i find? text 2 try as i might to stay cheerful, all i ever get is hassle, sometimes with people (especially boys, god, when will they grow up?), but mostly with money. its just so expensive out here! everyone wants a slice off you. the inland revenue wants to deduct income tax, the bank manager wants repayments on my student loan, the landlord wants the rent, gas, water, electricity and my mobile bills keep coming in, and all thats before ive had anything to eat. and then some bright spark calls me out of the blue, asking if im interested in buying a pension. at this rate, i wont even last till the end of the year, let alone till im 60. text 3 i didnt really want to go out to work just yet. i mean, i wasnt a dropout and i knew id have to some day. according to any number of people “lifes not a picnic“, “theres no such thing as a free lunch“. but given that id got a good degree, i thought id like to go on to get my masters. actually, i had my eye on the course at the london school of economics (lse). top school, very good for my cv. text but i talked to my mum about it, and she said she couldnt afford to support me any more. i kind of understand it, and not just because my degree is in economics. shed worked hard for 15 years to give me an education. my dad wasnt around most of the time, and when he was, he didnt have any money. hed spent it gambling on the dogs or down the pub. so it came to the point when i just agreed with mum, and bowed myself towards the inevitable. text 4 if you ask me, and despite everything you hear, fortunately there are some really nice people out there. take mike, for example. when i left university, what i thought was that my mum would feel obliged to look after me if i returned home. so i packed up my belongings and went to london to get a job. i wanted something in finance and investments, because you know, maybe with a job like that, i could use my degree. but by that time, there were no jobs left, and i didnt really want to end up in some boring office, doing photocopies and making the tea. text 5 go anywhere you like in london and theres usually a good pub. the day i realized no one in the city was going to offer me a job, i went into the salisbury on leadenhall street for a drink and something to eat. mike the landlord was at the bar, pouring pints with one hand, making sandwiches with the other, and washing the glasses all at the same time its true, he really did seem to have three hands. text he also seemed to know everyone, and greeted the regulars by name, getting their drinks ready with the question, “the usual today, is it?“ i thought he looked kind of cool, he was doing what he did best, serving thirsty clients, and no one did it better. so i went up to him and asked him whether there was a job for me. text 6 well, to cut a long story short, i started work in the pub one friday lunch time. it was quite demanding work, but i liked it. people seemed to find me amusing and it made me feel better too. there was one middle- aged regular in a suit who always had a half of bitter and a ham and pickle sandwich, with the crusts cut off. when i saw tony coming, i tried to have his lunch ready for him even before he asked. he was another one of those really nice people. text 7 if you ask me, spending money when you dont have any is dead easy. i began to think about how id spend my first months wages. the flat where i was staying was expensive, and i just about had enough to cover the first months substantial bills. but i calculated that thered be just enough money over to treat myself to something. why not get a cd or maybe a plant to cheer up the flat? i thought. text 8 it was my birthday on pay day. apart from mike and tony, i didnt have any friends in london. seeing that i didnt have a boyfriend either, you can understand why i began to feel sorry for myself. so i ordered myself some flowers, and asked them to be sent with a little card, saying “with all my love anon.“ the highlight of my birthday would be the confused look on the florists eyes when he delivered them. text 9 later that week, tony came in as usual and sat down at the bar. “whats wrong with you? wheres that smile gone today?“ i talked to him about . well, about pretty well everything, money, the masters, my birthday, the lot. he sympathized with me. text 10 tony got up from his stool, and went over to talk to some of the others. remember: the salisbury is right in the heart of the city, so all the customers were in banking or insurance or the stock market. next day he turned up with cheques to the value of 20,000. “this is a loan for you to set up your business. the only collateral you have is my trust in you that one day, youll pay us back if you can. and if you cant, too bad, thats the finance business for you. but i think you will.“ text 11 i didnt say anything for fear that i was going to cry. what were the odds on anyone being so nice? 12 and the flowers? i redirected them to my mum, and they arrived for her on my birthday. she deserved them, dont you think? 13 if you ask me, looking back after all these years, you only need one or two breaks in your life to succeed. the fact that the rest is hard work doesnt matter, its still worth it. text 14 after a year working at the salisbury, i got a place at the lse, did my masters and found a job in an investment bank. i invested the 20,000, and sold out before the 2008 crash. i paid back tony and the other investors, with ten per cent annual interest, and set up my own firm. it exceeded all my expectations and is still a thriving business. text 15 tony wrote me a thank-you note. hed been in a car accident, and couldnt walk. the money i paid back would allow him to adapt his house so he could move around it in his wheelchair. this is what he wrote: 16 “thirty-five years in banking, and ive never made a better investment than the loan to you. youve repaid the money with interest, and my trust in you and your honesty 100-fold. if you ask me, investing in people gives the best return you can ever hope for.“ 17 if you ask me, hes right. what do you think? text 依我看 1 依我看，现实生活并没有人们想象的那么好。我们上了 12年的中、小学，又上了3年的大学，这期间老师们一直在 没完没了地谈论在备受呵护的学生生活之外的那个广阔天地 里的各种机会，可我遇到的又是什么呢？ text 2 无论我怎么想保持心情愉快，可麻烦事总是接踵而 来：有时是和人发生矛盾（尤其是跟男孩子，天哪！他 们什么时候才能长大？），但通常是为钱发愁。这个地 方什么东西都很贵！人人都想从我身上赚点钱：税务局 要收个人所得税，银行经理要我偿清学生贷款，房东催 我交房租、燃气费、水费、电费，手机账单也不断地寄 来。所有这些还没算上吃饭的钱。更可气的是，不知从 哪里冒出一个自作聪明的家伙给我打电话，问我要不要 买养老金。照这样下去，我甚至都支撑不到年底，更别 提活到60岁领养老金了。 text 3 我那时还不想出去工作。我的意思是，我并不是个逃 避现实社会的人，但我知道自己未来某一天可能不得不逃 避现实。许多人认为“生活不是野餐”，“没有免费的午 餐”。但既然我拿到了优等生文凭，我想我应该继续攻读 硕士学位。实际上，我已经看中了伦敦政治经济学院的课 程。这是一所顶尖的学校，能给我的履历表增添一段光彩 的经历。 text 但当我跟妈妈谈起这件事时，她说她没法继续供我上 学了。我大概能理解她的心情，但并不仅仅是因为我学 的是经济学。15年来，为了能让我上学，她含辛茹苦。 这些年来，父亲大部分时间都不在家。就算在家，他也 没钱。他把钱都拿去赌狗、喝酒了。所以我听了妈妈的 话，向命运低下了头。 text 4 依我看，不管人们说什么，幸运的是世上还有很多好心 人。迈克就是其中的一个。大学毕业时，我想如果我回家， 妈妈就会觉得她有责任照顾我。所以，我就收拾行李去伦敦 找工作。我想找金融和投资方面的职位，因为你知道这样我 就可以用上我的专业知识。可是那时候已经没有这样的工作 了，但我又不愿意做复印文件、端茶倒水之类的乏味的办公 室工作。 text 5 在伦敦，无论走到什么地方，你都能找到一个好酒吧。 有一天，我意识到这个城市没有人会雇我，于是我走进位于 利德贺街的索尔兹伯里酒吧去喝酒，顺便吃点东西。店主迈 克正在店里，他一只手倒酒，一只手做三明治，同时还洗酒 杯。他真的好像有三只手。 text 他好像也认识所有的客人，叫得出常客的名字。他跟 他们打招呼，帮他们调好酒，并问一句：“今天还喝 这个，是吧？”我觉得他看起来蛮酷的，他在做着他 最擅长的事情：为那些口渴的顾客服务，没人能比得 上他。所以我就走上前去问他要不要雇人。 text 6 好吧，长话短说，某个周五的午餐时间我开始在那个酒 吧打工。这份工作要求很高，但我喜欢。顾客好像觉得我 很有趣，这也让我感觉好一些。有位穿西服的中年常客总 要半杯苦啤酒和一份火腿泡菜三明治，面包皮要削掉。他 叫托尼。我一看见他进来，尽量不等他开口就准备好他的 午餐。他也是一个好心人。 text 7 依我看，一个人没钱的时候花钱最容易。我开始琢磨 怎么花第一个月的薪水了。我住的公寓房租很贵，我挣的 钱刚够支付第一个月的大笔账单，但是我估计还能剩点钱 好好犒劳一下自己。我想，何不买张cd或买盆花草装点一 下房间？ text 8 发工资的那天正好是我的生日，除了迈克和托尼，我在 伦敦就没有别的朋友了。如果你知道我那时还没有男朋友， 你就会理解我为什么觉得对不起自己了。我给自己定了些鲜 花，让卖花的人附上一张卡片，上面写道：“给你我所有的 爱。无名氏”。我生日那天最精彩的瞬间将会是送花人送我 花时大惑不解的眼神。 text 9 那周晚些时候，托尼像往常一样来了，在酒吧里坐下。 “你怎么了？今天怎么不见你笑啦？”我跟他聊天嗯， 差不多什么都跟他说了：钱、硕士学位、生日、命运。他很 同情我。 text 10 托尼离开搁脚凳、走过去和另外几个人说话。别忘了： 索尔兹伯里酒吧位于市中心，所以这里所有的顾客都从事银 行、保险或证券工作。第二天，他拿着价值两万英镑的几张 支票来到酒吧，对我说：“这是给你的创业贷款，你唯一的 贷款担保就是我对你的信任，相信有一天你赚了钱会把钱还 给我们。如果你还不了钱，那就太糟了，不过对你来说，也 算是做过金融生意了。但是，我相信你还得了。” text 11 我没说话，我怕我自己要哭了。世上怎么会有这么好的 人？ 12 那些花怎么处理？我叫花店改送到妈妈那里去了，我生 日那天鲜花正好送到。她应该得到这些鲜花，不是吗？ 13 依我看，回顾这些年的经历，我发现人一辈子只需要一 两次的机缘就能成功。就算吃苦受累也不要紧，那还是值得 的。 text 14 在索尔兹伯里酒吧干了一年之后，我去了伦敦政治经 济学院深造。拿到硕士学位之后，我在一家投资银行找到 了一份工作。我把那两万英镑投进了证券市场，在2008年 金融崩盘之前卖掉了所有的股票。我把托尼和其他投资者 的钱还了，付给他们10%的年息，并成立了自己的公司。 公司的生意好得出乎意料，至今还红红火火。 text 15 托尼给我写了一封感谢信。他出了车祸，现在不能走 路了。我还给他的钱正好可以用来改造房子。房子改造后 他就可以坐着轮椅在家里自由活动了。下面是他信里写的 话： 16 “我从事银行业35年来最好的投资就是给你的这笔贷款， 你连本带利地偿还了贷款，我对你的信任和你的诚实都获 得了百倍的回报。依我看，在人身上投资能带来你所期望 的最好的回报。” 17 依我看，他说得对。你说呢？ text words a landowner who leases to others 房东；地主 e.g. 1. do you pay your landlord a fixed charge for heating? 你是不是付给你的房东固定的取暖费? 2. my landlord is turning me out at the end of the month. 我的房东让我月底搬走。 3. they were driven off their plots by the landlord. 他们被地主从土地上赶走。 landlady n. 女房东；地主婆 words a gallant, a fop 翩翩少年；花花 公子 e.g. 1. he is only a spark, driving a car everywhere all day. 他只是个花花公子，整天开着车四处乱逛。 words a copy made by a photocopier 复印件；照相复 制品 e.g. 1. i made two photocopies of the report. 我把这份报告影印了两份。 2. it is a very poor photocopy but you should be able to make something of it. 那个照相复制本非常蹩脚，不过你应该能够看懂的。 words shes serving a client. 她不能来接电话, 她正在接待一位顾客。 2. the company needs to focus on its biggest clients. 公司需要把注意力集中在最大的那些客户身上。 words needing a lot of time, ability, and energy 要求高 的；费时费力的 e.g. 1. this is really a technically demanding piece of music to play. 这真是一支弹奏起来技术要求很高的曲子。 2. teaching is a demanding profession. 教书是个要求很高的职业。 words a layer of cooked pastry that forms the outer part of a pie 面包皮；糕饼等的酥皮 e.g. 1. the crust of the bread is burnt. 这块面包的外皮烤焦了。 2. please cut the bread into slices and remove the crust. 请将面包切片并去皮。 words of unknown name 匿 名的 e.g. 1. the donor wishes to remain anon. 捐献者希望匿名。 2. it is an anon letter. 这是一封匿名信。 antonym: onymous words surpass 超过；胜过 e.g. his knowledge of history exceeds mine. 他的历史知识超过我。 2) be greater than a number or amount 超过，超出（某数 量） e.g. production costs have exceeded 60,000. 生产成本已超过6万英镑。 3) go beyond what is allowed or stipulated by (a set limit, especially of ones authority) 超越；超出（限定，尤其某 人的权限） e.g. the tribunals decision clearly exceeds its powers under the statute. 法庭的决定明显超出了法律所规定的权力。 see also: exceed (sbs) expectations. words because of fear 生怕；以免 e.g. 1. he went out in disguise, for fear that someone should / might recognize him. 他化了装才出去，怕有人认出他来。 2. shut the window for fear that it may rain. 关好窗子以防下雨。 words later she appreciated the trust of tony and his friends. 5 love life? we dont know much about this, except that she doesnt have a boyfriend. but she doesnt like boys to hassle her. she thinks they are immature. exercises 6 financial expertise? it must be quite good: she invested the 20,000 and made enough profit to pay the money back with interest and set up her own company. 7 sense of responsibility? she has a strong sense of responsibility because she paid back the money to the investors and paid them an annual interest for the loan. 8 philosophy of life? she believes that you should work hard. you may need one or two breaks to succeed, but you should know how to use the breaks. you should be honest and responsible with people who trust you. exercises additional activity list at least five adjectives which describe the write. get prepared to give reasons why the adjective are appropriate. try to summarize the writers character or personality. academic: she gets a good degree and later a masters. hard-working: she works for a year in the pub and saves money for her masters course. careful and precise: she wants to work in finance and investments; she invests the 20,000 and sells out before the financial crash. exercises independent, mature: she doesnt want to depend on her mother, so she looks for a job after graduation. she thinks boys are immature. ambitious: she gets a good job in a bank and later starts her own company. responsible: she pays back her debt with interest. sympathetic: she feels how difficult life is for tony on a wheelchair and understands how their roles have been reversed. lucky: she gets a lucky break at just the right time. exercises dealing with unfamiliar words 4 match the words in the box with their definitions. 5 complete the conversation with the correct form of the words in activity 4. 6 replace the underlined words with the correct form of the words in the box. you may need to make other changes. 7 answer the questions about the words and expressions. exercises 4 match the words in the box with their definitions. 1 funny or entertaining 2 used for emphasizing that something good has happened, especially because of good luck 3 an amount of money that a person, business or country borrows, usually from a bank exercises amusing deduct demanding fortunately highlight loan sympathize amusing fortunately loan 4 to take an amount or number from a total 5 the most exciting, impressive, or interesting part of an event 6 to show that you understand someones problems 7 needing a lot of time, ability, and energy exercises amusing deduct demanding fortunately highlight loan sympathize deduct highlight sympathize demanding 5 complete the conversation with the correct form of the words in activity 4. a after three years at university, im now quite heavily in debt. b i (1) _ with you, i know what its like to have financial problems. but (2) _ i didnt need to take out a student (3) _ when i was at university, because i had a part-time job. a what did you do? b i worked in a restaurant at weekends. exercises amusing deduct demanding fortunately highlight loan sympathize sympathize fortunately loan a that must have been very (4) _. b yes, it was. i had to get the right balance between work and study. but the other people who worked there were good fun to be with, so it was quite (5) _ too. the (6) _ of the weekend was always saturday night when we worked overtime. a but i dont expect you made a lot of money? b no, there wasnt much after theyd (7) _ tax and pension contributions. but it was enough to keep me going. exercises amusing deduct demanding fortunately highlight loan sympathize demanding amusinghighlight deducted 6 replace the underlined words with the correct form of the words in the box. you may need to make other changes. 1 when i was at college i kept all my personal things in an old cupboard. 2 a lot of people who leave university before getting a degree end up in good jobs. 3 i think shell get a good degree, but i wouldnt risk my money on the exact result. exercises belongings dropout exceed gamble honesty odds thriving belongings dropouts gamble 4 the money i spent at college was more than what i earned in my part-time job. 5 the chances of my being offered a job after that interview must be quite remote. 6 our business has done very well since we changed our advertising. our business has been thriving since we changed our advertising. 7 i think telling the truth and not cheating is always the best policy. exercises belongings dropout exceed gamble honesty odds thriving exceeded odds thriving honesty 7 answer the questions about the words and expressions. 1 if something is not all its cracked up to be, is it (a) valid and interesting, or (b) just a little bit disappointing? 2 if someone keeps banging on about something, are you likely to be (a) interested in, or (b) bored by what they say? 3 if there is a lot of hassle in your life, are you likely to feel (a) stressed, or (b) relaxed? 4 if something happens out of the blue, is it (a) unexpected, or (b) part of your plan? exercises 7 answer the questions about the words and expressions. 1 if something is not all its cracked up to be, is it (a) valid and interesting, or (b) just a little bit disappointing? 2 if someone keeps banging on about something, are you like