第4单元第1篇课文详解

1、第4单元第1篇课文详解（新标准第三册）(2011-10-12 12:08:58) 转载标签： 教育Working in corporate america在美国大公司工作Corporate means relating to business corporations or to a particular business corporation.Corporate America is an informal phrase describing the world of corporations within the United States not under government ow

2、nership.第一段It is not surprising that modern children tend to look blank and dispirited when informed that they will someday have to “go to work and make a living”.现在的孩子要是有人跟他们说长大后要工作谋生,会表现出一脸茫然和沮丧,这并不奇怪.Blank 空白的 blank page/blank wall: have nothing on itHe handed me a blank check. 他递给我一张空白支票。无表情的,茫然

3、的 look blank: your face shows no feeling, understanding or interestThere was a blank look on his face. 他脸上没有表情。 His daughter gave him a blank look. Dispirited: lost enthusiasm and excitement 气馁 沮丧 I left eventually at six oclock feeling utterly dispirited and depressed.The problem is that they canno

4、t visualize what work is in corporate America.问题在于,他们想象不出美国的大公司里都有哪些工作. Visualize: 想像;设想 imagine what something is like by forming a mental picture of itI remember meeting the man before but I cant visualize him. 我记得以前见过那个人,但他的样子我想不起来了。Susan visualized her wedding day and saw herself walking down th

5、e aisle on her fathers arm. He could not visualize as old.第二段No so long ago, when a parent said he was off to work, the child knew very well what was about to happen. 不久前,当家长说他要去工作了,孩子很清楚他去做什么.His parent was going to make something or fix something. 他不是去做东西就是去修东西.The parent could take his offspring

6、to his place of business and let him watch while he repaired a buggy or built a table父亲可能会带着孩子去他干活的地方,让他看着自己修马车,或是打桌子. Offspring: children 子孙后代 His offspring are diligent and intelligent. 他的后代既勤奋又聪明。第三段When a child asked, “What kind of work do you do, Daddy?” his father could answer in terms that a

7、child could come to grips with, such as “I fix steam engines” or “I make horse collars”.要是孩子问爸爸,您是干什么的? ,爸爸会用孩子能理解的语言回答他,比如:我是修蒸汽 机的 ,或者我是做马项圈的 Grip: 紧握;紧咬;夹住 take hold of: she gripped the ropeThe child would not let go his grip on Tom. 这孩子紧紧地抓住汤姆不放。理解;掌握;控制;吸引力He is just beginning to get a grip of

8、the subject. 他刚刚开始能掌握这一科。 Collar: a band of leather or plastic which is put round the neck of a dog or cat.第四段Well, a few fathers still fix steam engines and build tables, but most do not.可是,现在修蒸汽机或是打桌子的父亲很少了,绝大多数人都不干这个了.Nowadays, most fathers sit in glass buildings doing things that are absolutely

9、incomprehensible to children.现在,大多数的父亲坐在有玻璃外墙的大楼里,做着孩子们根本理解不了的工作.The answers they give when asked, “What kind of work do you do, Daddy?” are likely to be utterly mystifying to a child.当被问道爸爸,您做什么工作? 时, 他们的回答往往让孩子大惑不解. Utterly: totally, absolutely, completely, entirely, fully, perfectly, thoroughly,

10、extremely Mystify: 使困惑;使大为惊奇puzzle; confuse; impossible to understand or explainThe magicians tricks mystified the audience. 魔术师的戏法令观众大为惊奇。 His sudden disappearance mystified the police. 他的突然失踪使警方大惑不解。第五段“I sell space.” “I am in public relations.” “I am s systems analyst.” Such explanations must see

11、m nonsense to a child.我是推销空间的.我做市场研究的.我是数据处理员.我在公关部工作.我是系统分析师这些解释对小孩子来说肯定毫无意义.How can he possibly envision anyone analyzing a system or researching a market?他怎么可能想象得出一个人是怎么去分析系统和研究市场的呢? Envision: visualize, envisage, imagine第六段Even grown men who do market research have trouble visualizing what a pub

12、lic relations man does with his day, and it is a safe bet that the average systems analyst is as baffled about what a space salesman does at the shop as the average space salesman is about the tools needed to analyze a system.即使是那些从事市场研究工作的成年人也很难想象公关部的人每天都在做些什么,一名普通的系统分析师肯定不知道空间推销员在店里都干些什么,就像空间推销员对分

13、析系统的工具也一窍不通一样. Safe bet: a bet that is likely to win; something that you are certain to happenIt is a very safe bet that two of the three answers would be incorrect every time.Its a safe bet that those two will settle down and have children.She is still a safe bet for re-election. someone or somethi

14、ng that you are certain will win or succeed Baffle: 使困惑,难住 you can not understand or explain itThe unexpected news baffled us. 这意想不到的消息把我们给难住了。 Police are baffled by the murder.第七段In the common everyday job, nothing is made any more.在普通的日常工作中,没有什么东西是手工制作出来的了.Things are now made by machines. 现在什么东西都是

15、机器生产的.Very little is repaired. 也极少有东西需要修理.The machines that make things make them in such a fashion that they will quickly fall apart in such a way that repairs will be prohibited (forbid) expensive.机器生产出来的东西很容易散架,而这样的东西要拿去修理的话费用非常高,不值得. Fall apart: break into pieces because it is old or badly made

16、崩溃The countrys economy is falling apart.Ive tried to everything to stop our marriage falling apart.I was falling apart. I wasnt getting any sleep. (emotionally disturbed, cannot think calmly)Thus the buyer is encouraged to throw the thing away and buy a new one.于是消费者被怂勇着把那东西扔了,再买个新的.In effect, the m

17、achines are making junk. 事实上,机器是在生产垃圾. Junk: 旧物 used goods, useless What are you going to do with all that junk, Larry? 垃圾His writing is all junk. 他的写作一文不值。第八段The handful of people remotely associated with these machines can, of course, tell their inquisitive children “Daddy makes junk”.少数跟这些机器能搭上点关

18、系的人当然可以对好追根究底的孩子说: 爸爸是制造垃圾的Inquisitive: curious, likes to find out about things, especially secret things She had an inquisitive nature. The child has an inquisitive mind. She was very inquisitive about other peoples affairs. Molly looked at Ann inquisitively. “Where do you want to go?” I liked chil

19、dren, loved their innocence and their inquisitiveness.Most of the workforce, however, is too remote from junk production to sense any contribution to the industry.但是,大多数劳动者离生产垃圾的现场很远,根本感受不到自己对垃圾制造业的贡献. Workforce: 工作人口 the total number of people in a country or region who are physically able to do a

20、job; the total number of people who are employed by a particular company.What do these people do? 那这些人到底 在做些什么呢?第九段Consider the typical 12-story glass building in the typical American city.想想美国城市里一栋典型的 12 层玻璃外墙的楼房吧.Nothing is being made in this building and nothing is being repaired.在这栋楼里,没有什么被生产出来,

21、也没有什么在被修理着,Including the building itself. 连楼房本身也用不着修.Constructed as apiece of junk, the building will be discarded when it wears out, and another piece of junk will be set in its place.这栋楼本来就是被当成一件垃圾建造起来的,所以当大楼变得破旧了,就会被当作垃圾扔掉,在原地盖一栋新的垃圾楼. Discard: get rid of 抛弃,摒弃,丢弃 abandon, dispose of; dump; throw

22、 awaydiscard old beliefs 摒弃旧的信念discard an old pair of shoes 扔掉一双旧鞋 Wear out: 穿破 用坏；(使)疲乏，(使)厌卷，(使)耗尽 unable to be usedthe batteries were searing out.My shoes are worn out. 我的鞋穿破了。The last few days had really worn him out. (feel extremely tired)The young people run around kicking a ball, wearing them

23、selves out.His stubborn resistance to anything new eventually wore out the patience of his superiors.第10段Still, the building is filled with people who think of themselves as working.即便如此,大楼里仍然挤满了自以为是在工作的人.At any given moment during the day perhaps one-third of them will be talking into telephones.一天

24、中任何一个时间里,大概会有三分之一的人在打电话.Most of these conversations will be about paper, for paper is what occupies nearly everyone in this building. 电话里说的大都与文件有关,因为整栋楼里几乎每个人都在为文件忙前忙后. Occupy: 忙碌 be busy doing sth. This game will keep the children occupied. 这个游戏让孩子有得忙了。 She is occupied in writing a novel. 她忙于写小说。 H

25、e occupied himself with various research projects. 他终日从事各种研究计划。 Keep the brain occupied.第11段Some jobs in the building require men to fill paper with words. 有些工作需人在文件上写字.There are persons who type neatly(tidily) on paper and persons who read paper and jot notes in the margins. 有些人要把字工整地打成文件,有些人要看文件,并

26、在空白处作批注. Jot：草草记下 jot something short (address), write down so that you will remember itDid you jot down his telephone number? 你有没有把他的电话号码记下来? Margin: the empty space at the side of the page She added her comments in the margin.Some persons make copies of paper and other persons deliver paper.有的人要复印

27、文件,有的则在递送文件.There are persons who file paper and persons who unfile paper.有的人把文件存档,有的则往外取文件. File: 文件夹，档案；把.归档 put a document in the correct file She filed all her letters carefully. 把她所有的信件仔细归档。 Unfile: to remove a document from a file第12段Some persons mail paper. 有些人寄文件,Some persons telephone other

28、 persons and ask that paper be sent to them.有些则打电话让别人把文件送过来.Others telephone to ascertain the whereabouts of paper.有的人打电话打听文件在哪儿, Ascertain: 查明,确定,弄清 find out; determine; discover; establish; try to find out what something isCan you ascertain who he is? 你能否查明他是何许人? We ascertained that he was dead. 我

29、们断定他已死了。 Through doing this, the teacher will be able to ascertain the extent to which the child understands what he is reading. Whereabouts: 行踪,下落;所在 the place where a particular person or thing may be foundDo you know her whereabouts? 你知道她的下落吗? The police are anxious to hear from anyone who may kn

30、ow the whereabouts of the missing girl.Some persons confer about paper. 有的则在商讨文件. Confer: 商谈,协商 converse; talk; discuss sth with sb. to make a decisionThey conferred on the best way to expand business. 他们商议扩展业务的最好方法。In the grandest offices, men approve of some paper and disapprove of other paper.在最豪

31、华的办公室里,有的文件被审议通过了,有的则被驳回.第13段The elevators are filled throughout the day with young men carrying paper from floor to floor and with vital men carrying paper to be discussed with other vital men.电梯里从早到晚都挤满了把文件从一层楼送到另一层楼的年轻人,以及拿着文件的重要人士,他们正要和其他重要人士商讨文件. 第14段What is a child to make of all this? 一个孩子怎么能

32、理解这一切呢?His father may be so eminent that he lunches with other men about paper.也许他父亲身居要职,午餐时都要和别人讨论文件. Eminent: (地位、学识等方面)出众的,卓越的;著名的 well-known and respected, especially because they are good at their profession; prominent; distinguished; noted; famousChurchil was one of the worlds most eminent sta

33、tesmen. 邱吉尔是世界上最卓越的政治家。Suppose he brings his son to work to give the boy some idea of what work is all about.试想他带着儿子来上班,让孩子对他的工作有一些概念.What does the boy see happening? 孩子能看到些什么呢?第15段His father calls for paper. 他父亲打电话让别人送文件过来,He reads paper. 他读文件Perhaps he scowls at paper. .可能他会冲着文件发火, Scowl: 皱眉;沉下脸,显怒容 an angry or hostile expression appears on their faceHis wife scowled when he came home late again. 妻子见他回家又很迟,脸上露出不悦之色。 He scowled, and slammed the door behind him.Perhaps he makes an angry red mark on paper. 或是在文件上用红笔愤怒地打个记号.He telephon