afterclass-reading.doc

After-Class Reading Passage I A Long March to Creativity (I)appoint v.: (formal) to arrange or decide a time or place for something to happen 确定或决定某事物 A date for the meeting is still to be appointed. Everyone was assembled at the appointed time. (at the time that had been arranged) manual adj.: of, done or controlled by hands 手的；手工的；手制的；手控的 No great manual dexterity (=skill in using your hands 手巧) is required to perform the technique. People in manual occupations have a lower life expectancy. It would take too long to do a manual search of all the data. My camera has manual and automatic ervene v.: 1. to become involved in an argument, fight, or other difficult situation in order to change what happens 干涉/预，调解 They were planning to get married and then the war intervened. I will come if nothing intervenes. The police dont usually like to intervene in disputes between husbands and wives.2. if an event intervenes, it delays or interrupts something else（指事情、情形）发生（以阻碍某事） The army will have to intervene to prevent further fighting.agenda n.:1. purpose or plan 意图，计划 Many of the coalition members could have their own political agendas.e.g. hidden agenda: (disapproving) the secret intention behind what somebody says or does 背后意图 Voters suspected a hidden political agenda. Were there a hidden agenda behind this decision?2. a list of items to be discussed at a meeting 议程表 The next item on the agenda is the publicity budget. In our company, quality is high on the agenda. For the government, education is now at the top of the agenda (=most important).fair game U: if someone or something is fair game, it is acceptable, reasonable, or right to criticize them 该易受批评的人或事 The young stars behavior made her fair game for the tabloid press (小报新闻界). The younger teachers were considered fair game by most of the kids.rear v.: to look after a person or animal until they are fully grown养育；饲养 She reared a family of five on her own. The birds have been successfully reared in captivity.casual adj.:1. only before noun happening by chance, doing something by chance 偶然的；碰巧的 a casual encounter/meeting The exhibition is interesting to both the enthusiast and the casual visitor. The disease is not spread by casual contact. Jean felt more comfortable in casual clothes (=comfortable clothes that you choose to wear in your free time). family parties and other casual occasions2. not formal or not for a formal situation （衣服） 便服的，非正式的3. usually before noun not showing much care or thought; seeming not to be worried; not wanting to show that something is important to you 不经意的；不负责任的 He tried to sound casual, but I knew he was worried. They have a casual attitude towards safety. (=they dont care enough) Students sometimes do casual work in the building or tourist trades. They are employed on a casual basis. (=they do not have a permanent job with the company)4. usually before noun not permanent; not done, or doing something regularly 非永久的；不定期的on occasion: sometimes but not often 有时，间或 On occasion prisoners were allowed visits from their families. He has been known on occasion to lose his temper.not in the least / not the least / not the least bit: none at all, or not at all 一点也不，决不 I tried to convince him, but they werent the least interested. His voice was alert, not the least bit sleepy. Im not in the least afraid of you any more.find its way into somewhere: if something finds its way somewhere, it arrives or gets there after some time 发现（到某处的）途径 Only one of her inventions has found its way into the shops. He eventually found his way into acting.DIFFICULT SENTENCES:1. The key to our room was attached to a large plastic block with the room number printed on it.Translation: 我们房间的钥匙系在一块大塑料牌上，牌上印有房间号。 He was sitting in a chair with his hands folded. The day was bright, with a fresh breeze blowing. They are highly mechanized farms, with the machinery to do all the work. Attach a recent photograph to your application form. Please fill in and return the attached reply slip.2. Because of his young age, lack of manual dexterity, and incomplete understanding of the need to orient the key “just so”, he would usually fail. 可是因为他太小，手不灵活，又不完全理解钥匙要放在“正好”的位置才能插进钥匙孔里，所以，他往往放不进去。Here “just so” means “in exactly the right way”. The phrase “just so” also means “with everything arranged neatly and tidily (有条理的；井然)”. He liked polishing the furniture and making everything just so. She cannot bear an untidy desk. Everything must be just so.3. He loved to bang the key on the slot and probably got as much pleasure out of the sounds it made, and the physical feelings it gave him, as he did those few times when the key actually found its way into the slot. 他喜欢用钥匙砰砰敲打窄孔，也许他从钥匙的撞击声及敲敲打打给他带来的肢体感受中得到的乐趣，不亚于偶尔有几次把钥匙真地插入窄孔时所给予他的乐趣。 Benjamin West was an 18th century American artist who influenced British painters just as much as he did other American artists. He was as much a stranger in the village today as he was the first summer he arrived.4. She would then smile somewhat expectantly at Elle or me, as if awaiting a thank youand on occasion, would frown slightly, as if to criticize us as parents. 然后她会有所期待地对埃伦或者我微笑，好像在等着我们感谢她或者有时也会微微地皱起眉头，好像是在批评我们做父母的没有尽到责任。5. But it also became clear to us that we were dealing with totally different attitudes about the preferred behavior for children and the proper role of adults in their socialization. 然而，同样明显的是，在希望孩子怎样行事，在孩子融入社会生活时大人应起的作用方面，我们遇到了两种截然不同的态度。 It was clear that they had no desire for peace. It is very likely that their group will get ahead of us. Passage II A Long March to Creativity (II)relevant adj.: directly relating to the subject or problem being discussed At night the canals are beautifully illuminated. A single candle illuminated his face.illuminate v.1. (formal) to make something much clearer and easier to understand 阐明，解释 (Synonym: clarify) This text illuminates the philosophers early thinking. The report illuminated the difficult issues at the heart of science policy.2. to make a light shine on something or to fill a place with light 照明，照亮 The ultimate decision lies with the parents. We will accept ultimate responsibility for whatever happens.ultimate adj.: only before noun happening at the end of a long process最终的 (Synonym: final) They are seeking to realize the maximum financial gain. Such research should not be for personal gain.desirable adj. something that is desirable is worth having or doing 值得有的；想望的；称心的；合意的 It is desirable that interest rates (should) be reduced. It is desirable to keep the cost as low as possible. The house has many desirable ceed v.: He outlined his plans and then proceeded to explain them in more detail. Having said she wasnt hungry, she then proceeded to order a three-course ceed to do sth.: to do something next, after having done something else first 继续做下一件事情critical adj.:1. extremely important because a future situation will be affected by it 关键的；决定性的 (Synonym: crucial) Reducing levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is of critical importance. Your decision is critical to our future. The first 24 hours after the operation are the most critical. One of the victims of the fire remains in a critical condition.2. serious, uncertain and possibly dangerous 危机时刻的；危机中的in retrospect: thinking back to a time in the past, especially with the advantage of knowing more now than you did then 回顾；追溯 In retrospect, I wonder if we should have done more. In retrospect, I think that I was wrong. The decision seems extremely odd, in retrospect.to the point: dealing only with the important subject or idea, and not including any unnecessary discussions 切题 The message was short and to the point. Her comments were brief and to the point.date back to sth.: This college dates back to medieval times. The custom dates back to the Victorian era. The church dates from the 13th century.date from sth.: have existed since a particular time in the past 可追溯到feed back: to give advice or criticism to someone about something they have done 反馈，反应 Were just waiting for the manager to feed back on it. I am grateful to all those who fed back their comments. They feed back to the government the reactions of the people affected.cultivation n. U:1. the deliberate development of a particular relationship, quality or skill 培养，陶冶2. the preparation and use of land for growing plants or crops 耕作 Those fields have been under cultivation (=used for growing crops) for years. They attach importance to the cultivation of a good relationship with local firms. DIFFICULT SENTENCES1. He will be happy (those around will be happier), he will learn how to accomplish the task sooner, and then he can proceed to more complex activities, like opening the door or asking for the key.他会很高兴（他身边的人会更高兴），他会更快地学会如何完成这项任务，然后他可以去完成更复杂的动作，例如开门或要钥匙。2. He was having a good time and exploring, two activities that did matter to us. 他玩得很痛快并且在探索，这是两件在我们看来重要的事。 The defendant, a woman of thirty, denies kicking the policeman. Paris, the capital of France, is a famous tourist attraction.3. So long as the child is shown exactly how to do somethingwhether it be