新标准大学英语4_答案及翻译(1-8).doc

精品文档新标准大学英语综合教程4 课后答案及翻译（1-8）Unit 1Active reading (1)Looking for a job after university? First, get off the sofaBackground informationAbout the passage: This is an article by an Education Correspondent, Alexandra Blair, published in September 2008 in The Times, a long-established British quality newspaper. In Europe generally, and in Britain in particular, for a number of years there has been a rising number of students who go to university and therefore more new graduates seeking employment. However, for many graduates finding a job became harder in 20082009 because the economic downturn then a recession meant that many employers were reducing their workforce. After their final exams, some students rested in the summer before looking for jobs and then they found that it was difficult to find employment in their field or at the level they wanted. The article addresses the problems of such new graduates who might be stuck at home and advises their parents to be there for their children (ie to be available if their children want to talk about the problem or if they need help). The article recommends finding work in a bar or supermarket rather than sitting unemployed at home since this is more likely to lead to better employment later. The style is partly of a report, but also of a humorous comment for light entertainment (seen in the jokey language and problem-solving advice to parents).Why finding a job in 2008 is so difficult for university graduates?Universities in Europe, particularly in Britain, have expanded greatly in the last fifteen years (over 45% of young adults now go on to higher education), so there are more graduates looking for jobs. This competitive situation became a lot worse in 2008 onwards with the credit crunch and economic depression, which meant that there were fewer jobs available and a rise in unemployment. Thus new graduates have to be active to seek a job, they need to fill in many application forms and try to get job interviews: they wont find employment by lying on the sofa at home.Culture pointsHonours degree: Traditionally, in the British university system, BA and BSc honours degrees are awarded in different categories: a first class degree (written using Roman numbers as I), a second (divided into two subcategories, written as IIii and IIii, which are called “a two one” and “a two two”), a third (written III) and a pass degree. Most people get a second. There are also ordinary degrees with more general courses of studywithout these categories. Generation Y and Grunt: The main idea here is that there is a succession of different generations or cohorts of adults who come into the workforce in North America which are given different informal names to characterize them. First, “Baby boomers” were born in the great increase (the boom) of births after World War II (19461960), followed by “Generation X” people (born 19601980) who were said to bring new attitudes of being independent, informal, entrepreneurial, and expected to get skills and have a career before them. “GenerationY” or the “Millenial Generation” (born 1980s and 1990s and becoming adult in the new millenium) are now making up an increasing percentage of the workforce; they are said to be spoilt by doting parents, to have structured lives, to be used to teamwork and diverse people in a multicultural society. In the passage, this generation is now becoming (morphing into) Generation Grunt, which is an ironic name referring to repetitive, low status, routine or mindless work this may be the only work available to some graduates, who may have to take very ordinary jobs to get experience before they find something more suitable. “Grunt” also refers to coarse behaviour or bad manners and to the deep sound that is made by a pig;when people “grunt” they express disgust but do not communicate with words this may be how the parentsof new graduates think their children communicate with them!A comprehensive refers to a British type of secondary school which became popular in the1960s. Before thatthere were academic “grammar schools” and more general “secondary modern” schools for those who didnot pass the grammar school entrance tests, but the comprehensive schools were designed for all students ina social philosophy of bringing diverse students together whether they were academic or not. Those studentswho went to a comprehensive school probably felt that had to study particularly hard (I worked my backsideoff) to get to university, compared to those who went to grammar schools where all students were academic comprehensive students felt they had to struggle to get to university.Chicken suit This refers to a large yellow costume that someone wears which makes the person look like agiant chicken. Before he became a famous actor, Brad Pitt once dressed in such a costume when he had a jobadvertising for a restaurant called El Pollo Loco (The Crazy Chicken in Spanish) the job meant that he hadto walk around the streets like a chicken to attract customers to come to the restaurant.Language points1 Those memories of forking out thousands of pounds a year so that he could eat well and go to theodd party, began to fade. Until now. (Para 1)The parents paid a lot of money for their sons university fees and living expenses (so that he could eatwell) and for occasional social events at graduation these memories of money were mostly forgottenbecause the parents were proud. But now the parents are thinking of money again because the son doesnthave a job and doesnt seem to be actively seeking one.2 This former scion of Generation Y has morphed overnight into a member of Generation Grunt.(Para 2)The distinguished son of Generation X (of the parents generation who worked hard, got jobs, and hadgood careers and expected their son to do the same) has changed into a member of Generation Grunt hedoesnt seem to communicate much, lies around and doesnt get a job (or can only do a low status routingjob).3 I passed the exams, but at the interviews they accused me of being too detached and talking inlanguage that was too technocratic, which I didnt think possible, but obviously it is. (Para 5)He passed the entrance exams for a government post, but he was criticized in the selection interviews:They said he was detached (not personally involved) and too technocratic (he used the language of atechnical expert or high authority). As a new graduate he probably wanted to show his expertise in hislanguage so he cant understand this criticism.4 For the rest it is 9-to-5 “chilling” before heading to the pub. (Para 6)The others who do not have a routine low status job (like stacking goods on a supermarket shelf) chill outall day (they spend their time casually relaxing they dont look for work) and go to pub for a drink in theevening.5 I went to a comprehensive and I worked my backside off to go to a good university (Para 6)He went to a school for students of all abilities (not to a special school for academic students) and so hehad to work very hard to enter a good university: Your backside means your bottom the part of yourbody that you sit on to work your backside off is informal and it means you work very hard indeed.6 but having worked full-time since leaving school herself, she and her husband find it tricky toadvise him on how to proceed. (Para 7)The mother has always had a full-time job (presumably the father is also working full-time), so she doesnot have relevant personal experience. For her, it is tricky to give advice (difficult to do).7 Carry on life as normal and dont allow them to abuse your bank account or sap your reserve ofemotional energy. (Para 11)The advice from Gael Lindenfield here is that parents should live as usual. They should neither let theirchildren spend the parents money unnecessarily, nor let the problem take away all their energy andemotions. Sap their reserve means use up their store of emotional energy.8 After that the son or daughter needs to be nudged firmly back into the saddle. (Para 12)Then the parents should gently push their children firmly so that they get back into control of their lives.Reading and understanding2 Choose the best answer to the questions.Teaching tipsGo over the correct answers with Ss and ask them to explain why the other answers are wrong (Seebelow).1 Why hasnt Jack Goodwin got a job yet?(a) He doesnt have a very good degree.(No, he has a 2:1 which is considered a good degree. )(b) He refuses to apply for jobs with low salaries.(He feels he should get a better job after studying at university.)(c) It isnt easy to get a job in the current financial climate.(This may be true but the passage does not mention this.)(d) He prefers to stay at home and help his family.(No, he doesnt seem to be helping his family: he watches TV and talks to friends.)2 How does he spend a typical day?(a) Doing a temporary job.(No, some of his friends are working in temporary jobs but he doesnt want to do this.)(b) Watching television.(He watches TV a lot.)(c) Queuing up in the university careers service.(No, he went there once but he didnt want to queue so he walked away.)(d) Preparing for the next job interview.(No, he doesnt seem to be preparing for interviews.)3 How do most of his friends spend the day?(a) They do nothing all day and go to the pub in the evening.(All except one of them do nothing except chill, then they go to the pub.)(b) They do outdoor activities such as sailing.(No, none of them seem to do outdoor activities; there is no mention of sailing.)(c) They are forced to work by their parents.(No, only one of them has been forced out to stack shelves by his parents; the others seem to be likeJack.)(d) They do part-time jobs such as working in a bar.(No, the text mentions bar work but none of Jacks friends seem to do this work.)4 How are Jacks parents helping him?(a) By looking for jobs for him.(No, Jack has tried to get a job himself; theres nothing here about his parents helping him look for ajob.)(b) By paying for a trip to South America.(No, although he is going on a three-week trip to South America, the passage does not say thatJacks parents have paid for this.)(c) By gradually making him more financially aware.(The passage does not say so explicitly, but this is the implication about the cut-off point after thetrip when he may be expected to pay rent and contribute to the household bills.)(d) By threatening to throw him out of the house.(No, they havent threatened to do this, but they definitely want him to work after he gets back fromhis trip.)5 What does Gael Lindenfield say about Jacks parents?(a) They have not really understood Jacks problems.(No, she doesnt say this; she says they must balance being positive with not making life toocomfortable. This doesnt mean they havent understood Jacks problems.)(b) They have made life too comfortable for Jack.(No, she says they must balance comfort with being positive. This doesnt necessarily mean that theyhave already made life too comfortable for Jack.)(c) The approach they have chosen is the right one.(She says they have struck exactly the right note.)(d) They need help from a psychologist.(No, she doesnt say this.)6 What do Whoopi Goldberg, Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt have in common?(a) They all did bar work before going to university.(No, we dont know from the passage if any of them did this.)(b) They took part in protests against nuclear power plants.(No, we dont know is any of them did this)(c) They learnt to act by dressing up as giant chickens.(No, only Brad Pitt did this.)(d) They all did temporary jobs at one stage in their lives.(This is right, although they all had completely different temporary jobs.)Dealing with unfamiliar words3 Match the words in the box with their definitions.1 to make progress by moving to the next stage in a series of actions or events (proceed)2 the process of changing from one situation, form or state to another (transition)3 not feeling involved with someone or something in a close or emotional way (detached)4 referring to something which will happen soon (upcoming)5 to be sitting still in a position that is not upright (slump)6 to return to a previous state or way of behaving (revert)7 to say what happened (recount)4 Complete the paragraph with the correct form of the words in Activity 3.It isnt easy to make the (1) transition from a busy university student to an unemployed young adult(2) slumped on a bar stool or half watching a mindless television show, wondering if and how their careeris going to (3) proceed. Many people who have experienced a long period of inactivity like this, when(4) recounting how they felt at the time, refer to the same strange psychological effect. As the days pass,they begin to feel (5) detached from any sense of pressure to go and look for a job, and tend to regard(6) upcoming interviews as if they were not very important. Typically, back at home after three or fouryears away, they (7) revert to old habits, start seeing old friends, and, in many cases, become dependentagain on their parents.5 Replace the underlined words with the correct form of the words in the box. You may need to makeother changes.1 I went to a mixed-ability secondary school just outside London. (comprehensive)2 I got stopped by a policeman who asked to see my driving licence. (cop)3 Have you seen this beautiful from the air view of Oxford? (aerial)4 Isabel tightly her bag as she walked down the corridor towards the office. (clutched)5 You should speak to Toby; hes an supporter of flexible working hours. (advocate)6 I hurt my leg badly a couple of months ago, and it still hasnt got better completely. (healed)6 Answer the questions about the words.1 Is a dead-end job one with (a) exciting prospects, or (b) no future?2 Is a tricky problem (a) difficult, or (b) easy to solve?3 If an activity saps all your energy, do you feel (a) tired, or (b) more active than usual?4 Does a pushy person try to (a) persuade you to do something you dont want to, or (b) help you bylistening to what you have to say?5 If you feel apathy, do you want to (a) change the world, or (b) stay at home and do nothing?7 Answer the questions about the phrases.1 Is fork out (a) a formal, or (b) an informal way of saying to pay for something?2 If you are in the same boat as another person, are you (a) making the same journey together, or (b) inthe same difficult or unpleasant situation?3 If you feel you have come full circle, do you (a) feel you are back where you started, or (b) feel a senseof satisfaction because you have completed something?4 If someone takes a soft line, do they deal with a person (a) in a kind and sympathetic way, or (b) in alazy way without making a decision?5 If you strike the right note about something, are you expressing yourself (a) well, or (b) badly?6 If you do something by all means, do you (a) try your best to do it, or (b) not care about it?7 If you nudge someone back into the saddle, are you encouraging them to (a) take responsibility again, or(b) take it easy?8 If you talk through a problem with someone, do you (a) examine it carefully and sensitively, or (b) referto it quickly and then change the subject?Reading and interpreting8 Answer the questions.1 “Will he ever get a job?” Who is asking this question? What mood does it express?The parents are asking this because the paragraph is addressed to parents (earlier it says “your graduateson”). The mood seems to express patience or resignation because the word “ever” suggests that gettinga job will take a long time.2 Who describes Generation Y as “rebels without a cause”? Is it a fair description?This is the writers description to indicate that this generation is rebelling against parents or society,but they have nothing particular to rebel against. This doesnt seem very fair because the students aretrying to find work it is just that they dont like their parents nagging them. So they are a bit rebelliousagainst their parents, but no more than that.3 Jack “walked into the university careers service and straight back out again”. What does this suggestabout Jacks character?It suggests that Jack is not very determined. As soon as he saw the queue he left without waiting andwithout trying to ask about jobs or careers.4 Jack spent the summer “hiding”. Hiding from what? Why are quotation marks used?Probably this means he was hiding from the world of work, staying at home and not looking for a job.The quotation marks tell us that he wasnt literally hiding, he just spent a lot of time at home.5 How is Mrs Goodwins point of view affected by her own personal experience?In one way her experience hasnt affected her attitude: She left school and went immediately to a job(without going to university) and has been working full-time since then and yet she is sympathetic andtakes a soft line.6 How is Lindenfields point of view affected by her own personal experience?Her personal experience was that she worked in a bar before finding her first proper job as an aerialphotographic assistant. So she says such work is a great networking opportunity. If new graduates aregood at such work and bright, cheerful and polite, they will soon be promoted. Her personal experiencethus reflects or perhaps has created her point of view.7 What would the first two paragraphs have focused on if they had been presented from the point of viewof the students rather than the parents?The first two paragraphs would have focused on the need for the new graduates to rest for a bit afterthe