英语泛读教程3---UNIT1(刘乃银).doc

/data/ce/er/3/KECHENX/BOOK3/UNIT1/UNIT1.HTMExercises A. Determining the main idea. Choose the best answer. Do not refer to the text. The main idea of the text is _ . ( D ) (a) that English ancestors invented the main part of the English language in four different ways (b) that invented words are generally made up in three different ways(c) that borrowed words and other kinds of words make up about one fifth of the English language (d) how various kinds of English words are inventedB. Comprehending the text. Choose the best answer. 1.English has _ words. ( C )(a) 6 000 (b) 60 000 (c) 600 000 (d) 6 000 000 2. Ampere, volt and watt are examples of _ . ( D ) (a) invented words (b) imitative words (c) borrowed words (d) words from the names of persons 3. Prefixes and suffixes are _. ( B ) (a) whole words that dont have their own meanings (b) parts of words that have their special meanings (c) from either Greek or Latin . (d) parts of words that are meaningless 4. According to the text, graph can be used as _. ( D ) (a) a root word (b) a prefix (c) a suffix (d) all of the above 5. Every day, _ lead to the invention of many new words to describe them. ( A )(a) new discoveries in science and technology (b) Anglo-Saxon words (c) root words (d) nonsense words 6. An invented word may become a permanent part of the English language, if _ . ( C ) (a) people know where it came from (b) it was invented by a famous writer (c) it has been used by many people over a long period of time (d) linguists are interested in it 7. In the text, the author repeatedly mentions Lewis Carroll as he was _. ( D ) (a) an English actor good at making people laugh (b) a dishonest politician (c) a character in Alice in Wonderland (d) a great inventor of meaningless words 8. Gobbledygook is an example of _.( D ) (a) imitative words that sound like the thing or action they stand for (b) words invented by combining different meanings together (c) words made up of prefixes and suffixes (d) long big words that mean nothing 9. In the authors opinion, the best words are _. ( D )(a) short ones(b) gobbledygook(c) long, fancy ones(d) short, old ones10. The authors primary purpose in writing this article is to _. ( B ) (a) please the reader with the interesting story of different kinds of words (b) give a general account of the formation of three kinds of words (c) encourage the reader to learn words according to the word formation (d) introduce the history of the English language C. Understanding vocabulary. Choose the correct definition according to the context. 1. The other one fifth is made up partly of borrowed words and partly of three other kinds of words: words from the names of peoples and places; imitative words; and invented words. ( A ) (a) reproducing closely (b) similar (c) original (d) root 2. Pasteurized gets its name from Louis Pasteur, a French doctor who invented the process for purifying milk. ( B ) (a) Distilled (b) Purified (c) Processed(d) Invented 3. Some words, like astronaut, are made up entirely of Greek or Latin prefixes and suffixes. ( C ) (a) one engaged in the study of the stars (b) one engaged in the study of the universe (c) one engaged in space flight (d) a scientific observer of the celestial bodies 4. If the prefix anti- means against, what does antibiotic really mean? ( A ) (a) antibacterial (b) health-protecting (c) bacteria-producing(d) non-organic 5. Linguists guess that these are nonsense words because they have not been able to trace them back to any of the ancestor languages. ( A ) (a) Those studying the science of language (b) Those studying the meaning of words (c) Those studying the origins of words (d) Those studying the mystery of words 6. Most of Carrolls nonsense words are not used in English, except for chortle. ( C ) (a) chuckle (b) snort (c) gleeful chuckle (d) noisy snorting 7. But glory doesnt mean a nice knockdown argument, Alice objected. ( B ) (a) falling (b) overwhelming (c) convincing (d) unpleasant D. Discussing the following topics. 1. Why do many people use gobbledygook? 答案It seems that the purpose of using gobbledygook is to cheat people. Many people use gobbledygook because they want to appear more important than they really are or because they dont really want people to understand what they mean or what they are doing.2. Do you agree with Humpty Dumpty regarding the meaning of a word? Why or why not? 答案 Well, I dont quite agree with him. This issue involves philosophical thinking regarding the relationship between language and idea. If a word means whatever people choose it to mean, the meaning will vary from one person to another, and people will not be able to communicate. On the other hand, people may use the same word in different ways which lead to different meanings. No matter how different the same word may mean, the meaning should be meaningful so that others can understand it. 3. What makes a master of language? Can you name some masters of language? 答案A master knows what words really mean, and where they come from; know when to use big, important ones and when to use the shorter, equally important ones. Brevity is the soul of language. Shakespeare and Samuel Johnson are among masters of language.Practice Add the missing words to the following headlines. 1. Council leader raps school decision ( The Council leader raps the school decision. )2. Bush, leaders meet in D.C. ( Bush and the leaders meet in D.C. )3. Fed policy may start to focus on risk of slowing economy ( The Federal policy may start to focus on the risk of the slowing economy. )4. Last call on the horizon ( The last call on the horizon. )5. Regulators approve $72B drug merger ( The regulators approve $72 billion drug merger. )6. Bad weather knocks retailer for loop Passage One Have you ever heard hit the nail on the head? Have you ever watched a clumsy man hammering a nail into a box? He hits it first to one side, then to another, perhaps knocking it over completely, so that in the end he only gets half of it into the wood. A skillful carpenter, on the other hand, will drive home the nail with a few firm, deft blows, hitting it each time squarely on the head. So it is with language; the good craftsman will choose words that drive home his point firmly and exactly. A word that is more or less right, a loose phrase, an ambiguous expression, a vague adjective, will not satisfy a writer who aims at clean English. He will try always to get the word that is completely right for his purpose. The French have an apt phrase for this. They speak of le mot juste, the word that is just right. Stories are told of scrupulous writers, like Flaubert, who spent days trying to get one or two sentences exactly right. Words are many and various; they are subtle and delicate in their different shades of meaning, and it is not easy to find the ones that express precisely what we want to say. It is not only a matter of having a good command of language and a fairly wide vocabulary; it is also necessary to think hard and to observe accurately. Choosing words is part of the process of realization, of defining our thoughts and feelings for ourselves, as well as for those who hear or read our words. Someone once remarked: How can I know what I think till I see what I say? This sounds stupid, but there is a great deal of truth in it. It is hard work choosing the right words, but we shall be rewarded by the satisfaction that finding them brings. The exact use of language gives us mastery over the material we are dealing with. Perhaps you have been asked What sort of a man is so-and-so? You begin: Oh, I think hes quite a nice chap but hes rather. and then you hesitate trying to find a word or phrase to express what it is about him that you dont like, that constitutes his limitation. When you find the right phrase you feel that your conception of the man is clearer and sharper. In certain primitive tribes it was thought dangerous to reveal your name to a stranger. It might give him power over you. Even in modern civilized society you find yourself at a slight social disadvantage if someone knows your name but you dont know his. Command of words is ultimately command over life and experience. (447 words) 1. The author uses the idiom hit the nail on the head to demonstrate _ .( D ) (a) the skill of a carpenter (b) the importance of being skillful (c) how ones point can be driven home (d) the importance for a writer to choose the right word 2. The word scrupulous in paragraph two means _ . ( A ) (a) minutely careful (b) highly skillful (c) very accomplished (d) carpenter-like 3. To find an appropriate word for the specified purpose _. ( D ) (a) is a matter of command of the specific language only (b) is a matter of vocabulary (c) is to pick out a word with subtle meaning (d) involves telling people your thoughts and feelings 4. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage? ( C ) (a) Choosing a right word for the right situation is challenging and rewarding. (b) Choosing a right word means weighing among its many synonyms. (c) You need to have a clear idea of the thing you are describing to choose the right word. (d) The different shades of meaning are helpful to our expression of ideas. 5. It can be inferred that the paragraph that follows the passage may possibly discuss _ . ( B ) (a) a carpenters work (b) choice of words (c) modern civilized society (d) primitive tribes TOP Passage Two English has a wide vocabulary and it is a very flexible language. There are many different ways of making a statement. But words that are very similar in meaning have fine shades of difference and a student needs to be alive to these differences. By using his dictionary, and above all by reading, a student can increase his sensitivity to these shades of difference and improve his ability to express his own meanings exactly. Professor Raleigh once stated: There are no synonyms, and the same statement can never be repeated in a changed form of words. This is perhaps too absolute, but it is not easy to disapprove. Even a slight alteration in the wording of a statement can subtly shift the meaning. The change in words is a change in style, and the effect on the reader is quite different. It is perhaps easier to be a good craftsman with wood and nails than a good craftsman with words, but all of us can increase our skill and sensitivity with a little effort and patience. In this way we shall not only improve our writing, but also our reading. Above all we should try to cultivate an interest in words. The study of words, of their origins and shifting meanings, can tell us a great deal about human life and thought. English offers a fascinating variety of words for many activities and interests. The foreign student of English may be discouraged and dismayed when he learns that there are over 400 000 words in the English language, without counting slang. But let him take courage. More than half of these words are dead. Even Shakespeare used a vocabulary of only some 20 000 words. The average Englishman today probably has a vocabulary range of from 12 000 to 13 000 words. It is good to make your vocabulary as complete as you can, but a great deal can be said and written with a vocabulary of no more than 10 000 words. The important thing is to have a good control and command over the words you do know. Better know two words exactly than three vaguely. A good carpenter is not distinguished by the number of his tools, but by the craftsmanship with which he uses them. So a good writer is not measured by the extent of his vocabulary, but by his skill in finding the word that will hit the nail cleanly on the head. (405 words) 6. In this passage, the author tells us that reading can _ . ( B )(a) increase the vocabulary enormously (b) make one become more aware of the subtle differences of synonyms (c) enable one to learn as many synonyms as possible (d) enable one to be flexible in expressions 7. Professor Raleighs statement There are no synonyms. _ . ( A ) (a) stresses the different shades of meanings (b) is too absolute and easy to disapprove (c) is what the author tries to disapprove (d) means that there is no such word synonym8. According to the author, an interest in words should be cultivated because _. ( C ) (a) it is more difficult to be expert at words than at nails (b) words are the most fascinating things to observe (c) words offer us a lot of information about human activities (d) words are the most important part of a language 9. The author thinks that _ . ( B ) (a) Shakespeare had a very small vocabulary (b) Shakespeare used only a small portion of the English vocabulary (c) its not necessary to enlarge your vocabulary (d) its reasonable to feel discouraged at the large amount of vocabulary in English 10. In the authors opinion, the most important thing is to _ . ( D ) (a) have a large vocabulary to write and speak with (b) have at least a vocabulary of 10 000 (c) use the words you already know (d) know how to find the right word TOP Passage Three Language is often irrational even in the way it combines words into sentences in its synthesis. If language were perfectly rational in this respect, we should be able to handle words like the nine digits in arithmetic, and combine them into sentences at pleasure by applying a few simple grammatical rules. In practice, however, we find that a great part of all languages consists of a limited number of natural sentences, only some of which admit of being formed a priori and freely modified by the substitution of the other words, as when from have, ink, pen, we make up such sentences as I have the ink; Who has the pen? Who has the ink? He has the ink, and so on. But just as we cannot go on speaking long without using irregular inflections, so also we cannot go on speaking naturally for any length of time without using irregular combinations of words combinations which cannot be constructed a priori. The sentences which make up natural speech are of two kinds general sentences, such as those which have just been given, and special sentences or idioms, such as how do you do? never mind, which are really on a level with simple words, such as salutation, indifference, and like them, have to be learnt one by one, in the same way as the irregularities of the grammar. Many of them, indeed, have meanings inconsistent with those of the words of which they are made up. Thus do by itself never has the meaning it has in how do you do? and help in the idiomatic expression I could not help being late has the meaning prevent avoid, which is the exact contrary of its ordinary meaning. Again, even in those cases in which the grammar and dictionary allow us to express an idea by various combinations of words, there is often only one of these combinations in actual use. Those who have had to do Latin prose composition know that the main difficulty of the art consists in having an instinctive knowledge of what combinations to avoid. French has a similar character. English and Greek are much freer in this respect, a fact which many foreigners find it difficult to realize. When they ask me such questions as Can one speak of an elegant supper? Can you say, He was bad last night? I always answer that English is a free language, and that there is nothing to prevent any one calling a supper elegant although I do not remember ever doing so myself. Nevertheless, English has its limitations as well as other languages. Foreigners English often presents the curious spectacle of a language constructed on strict grammatical principles, but with hardly a single genuinely English sentence in it. (464 words) 11. Language is irrational in that _ .( D )(a) we can combine words by using simple grammatical rules (b) words in a language are like the nine digits in arithmetic (c) the meaning of a sentence can be inferred from the meanings of the words in it (d) the meaning of a sentence does not always conform to the meaning of the words in it 12. According to the author, _. ( B )(a) all languages have a limited number of natural sentences (b) not all the sentences in a language can be modified by substituting different words (c) regular combinations of words should be avoided in our speech (d) we should construct a priori before we combine words into sentences 13. Which of the following is true? ( B ) (a) Grammatically correct sentences are definitely correct. (b) Grammatically correct sentences are not necessarily used in practice. (c) A sentence based on grammar should be idiomatic. (d) A sentence in practical use must be rational. 14. The author thinks it _ to call a supper elegant. ( A ) (a) not idiomatic (b) impossible (c) wise(d) good English 15. The main idea of the passage is that _. ( A ) (a) we cannot speak by strict grammatical rules (b) no rule but has exceptions (c) there are two kinds of sentences in a language (d) language has strict grammatical rules to follow TOPText 2 ExercisesA History of English The English language we speak today went through three stages called Old