时间:2018-12-04 作者:英语课 分类:新编大学英语教程


英语课


Unit 8

DIALOGUE I

Changes in the Lives of Chinese Farmers

A: Hi, Weiwei!
B: Hi, Dan, how're you doing? I haven't seen you around lately.
A: I was out of town. I visited Huaxi Village in Jiangsu Province last week and was amazed by the living conditions of the farmers there.
B: Yes, tremendous changes have occurred in China's rural areas, particularly in the coastal 1 provinces.
A: I've heard a lot about the improved lives of the urban population in China, but I didn't expect to see such great changes in the lives of Chinese farmers.
B: How much did you know about China before?
A: My grandfather worked in a Chinese hospital in Chongqing for a couple of years during World War Ⅱ. Let me see if I still remember what he said about the life of Chinese farmers. Yes, he told me that Chinese farmers led a very hard life. The land was barren and the people didn't even have tattered 2 clothes to wear.
B: That was true.
A: But last week I saw rows upon rows of beautiful two-or three-storeyed houses, people riding motorcycles, driving their own cars, carrying mobile phones, and wearing fashionable brand-name clothes. I just couldn't believe what I had seen. Everything was so amazing!
B: But the changes were not so great until the government started a national drive for economic reform. New policies were introduced in favour of hardworking farmers. You get what you put in, as they say. People in the coastal rural areas take advantage of the preferential policies and their favourable 3 geographical 4 location and work both at farming and making industrial products. Yesterday, I came across the headline news that Huaxi is among the most successful villages in China.
A: When Chinese farmers get wealthy, there's bound to be an ever increasing demand for all kinds of consumer goods.
B: Not only that. With their living conditions improving, the vision of Chinese farmers has broadened. So has their taste for music and art. They have a growing desire to know about other cultures.
A: Yes, I was told that the Huaxi villagers had subscribed 5 to the Internet service. They learn about the outside world on the computer via the information superhighway. But English seems to be a major stumbling block to their understanding and interpretation 6 of the Internet information. They ought to send their children to foreign language schools and learn English, or hire people with college degrees in English.
B: This is what they are doing, I believe. Some years ago it was something unimaginable that computers and English would make their entry into the lives of Chinese farmers. The traditional concept of "farming" is changing, so is the traditional meaning of "farmer".
A: Obviously, our definition of a rural village should also change.
B: Certainly. And the one word that describes precisely 7 the world today is simply CHANGE.


DIALOGUE II

Dialogue:

At the Lost Property Office in London with a Very Conscientious 8 Attendant

A: Excuse me, I wonder if you could help me. I think I left my suitcase on the No. 41 bus last night and I was wondering if it had been handed in.
B: I see. Just a minute, please!
(He goes away for a few minutes.)
Could you describe the suitcase?
A: Yes. It's a black suitcase with one handle on each side.
B: Mmm... anything else?
A: It's a kind of flight-bag. The type of bag that you take on an aeroplane with you.
B: Any other distinguishing features?
A: Well, my initials are on the side in large letters — J.H.
B: It's rather a large object to leave on a bus, isn't it?
A: Well, I was in a hurry and the bus was so crowded... Do you have my bag or not?
B: I might have, sir. I'm not sure.
A: Well, how many black suitcases are handed in every day? With my initials!
B: Now please don't shout. I only want to establish the correct ownership, that's all. Could you give me a list of contents. ?
A: Well, there are a lot of things in the case: a black uniform that I use at work, a hat that I wear when I'm on duty, a pair of black leather shoes with laces, and a two-way radio that I use for talking to HQ.
B: HQ?
A: Yes, police headquarters. I'm a police officer!

READING I

Human Needs

When we speak of a basic human need we mean something which is necessary to life, something that we cannot possibly do without. Food is a basic human need. Without it we would starve to death; but even if we have plenty of food, but of the wrong kind, our bodies will suffer from a lack of the right food. This is known as malnutrition 9.
In primitive 10 countries man's food needs are the same as in the more advanced societies like our own. We all need food and could manage to live a healthy life on limited types of food. Primitive people eat only the foods which can be grown near their homes, whereas we eat foods which are often grown many thousands of miles away from our homes. Primitive people are satisfied with less variety than we are, therefore we can say that although their needs are like our own their wants are different. Just think of the different types of meat we eat: beef, mutton, pork, chicken, turkey, goose, and rabbit. We could manage on a diet of one kind of meat, but how monotonous 11 it would become! Even turkey, which most of us eat only at Christmas, would become monotonous if we ate it every day. Yet we cannot live on meat alone, and need other foods like bread and fruit to provide us with the other essential nutrients 12 which we need to keep our bodies healthy.
We can agree with primitive man that food is a basic need, but we differ from him in our food wants because of the wide variety of food we have available compared with him; we have a wider choice. Take fruit, for example, not only can we enjoy the fruits grown in this country, but, because of modern methods of transport and food preservation 13, we can also enjoy the more exotic fruits from countries thousands of miles away, whereas primitive man is limited in his choice to the kinds of fruit which actually grow where he lives.
The same is true of the second of our human needs. Clothing is necessary to regulate the heat of our bodies. Since we live in a temperate 14 climate we need more clothes than people living in tropical countries, but less than people living in arctic conditions. Likewise, our clothing needs to change with the seasons. In summer we need light clothing while in winter we need to muffle 15 ourselves to keep warm.
Shelter, the third of our needs, depends upon the climate, the skill of the builder, one's social position, and the materials available. The simple shelter of the aboriginal 16 would not do for us, and yet it satisfies his needs. The three-bedroomed suburban 17 house of the average family would not be grand enough for a very rich family, and yet the modern house contains many of the material comforts which were denied to the kings and queens of old.



1 coastal
adj.海岸的,沿海的,沿岸的
  • The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
  • This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。
2 tattered
adj.破旧的,衣衫破的
  • Her tattered clothes in no way detracted from her beauty.她的破衣烂衫丝毫没有影响她的美貌。
  • Their tattered clothing and broken furniture indicated their poverty.他们褴褛的衣服和破烂的家具显出他们的贫穷。
3 favourable
adj.赞成的,称赞的,有利的,良好的,顺利的
  • The company will lend you money on very favourable terms.这家公司将以非常优惠的条件借钱给你。
  • We found that most people are favourable to the idea.我们发现大多数人同意这个意见。
4 geographical
adj.地理的;地区(性)的
  • The current survey will have a wider geographical spread.当前的调查将在更广泛的地域范围內进行。
  • These birds have a wide geographical distribution.这些鸟的地理分布很广。
5 subscribed
v.捐助( subscribe的过去式和过去分词 );签署,题词;订阅;同意
  • It is not a theory that is commonly subscribed to. 一般人并不赞成这个理论。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • I subscribed my name to the document. 我在文件上签了字。 来自《简明英汉词典》
6 interpretation
n.解释,说明,描述;艺术处理
  • His statement admits of one interpretation only.他的话只有一种解释。
  • Analysis and interpretation is a very personal thing.分析与说明是个很主观的事情。
7 precisely
adv.恰好,正好,精确地,细致地
  • It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
  • The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。
8 conscientious
adj.审慎正直的,认真的,本着良心的
  • He is a conscientious man and knows his job.他很认真负责,也很懂行。
  • He is very conscientious in the performance of his duties.他非常认真地履行职责。
9 malnutrition
n.营养不良
  • In Africa, there are a lot of children suffering from severe malnutrition.在非洲有大批严重营养不良的孩子。
  • It is a classic case of malnutrition. 这是营养不良的典型病例。
10 primitive
adj.原始的;简单的;n.原(始)人,原始事物
  • It is a primitive instinct to flee a place of danger.逃离危险的地方是一种原始本能。
  • His book describes the march of the civilization of a primitive society.他的著作描述了一个原始社会的开化过程。
11 monotonous
adj.单调的,一成不变的,使人厌倦的
  • She thought life in the small town was monotonous.她觉得小镇上的生活单调而乏味。
  • His articles are fixed in form and monotonous in content.他的文章千篇一律,一个调调儿。
12 nutrients
n.(食品或化学品)营养物,营养品( nutrient的名词复数 )
  • a lack of essential nutrients 基本营养的缺乏
  • Nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream. 营养素被吸收进血液。 来自《简明英汉词典》
13 preservation
n.保护,维护,保存,保留,保持
  • The police are responsible for the preservation of law and order.警察负责维持法律与秩序。
  • The picture is in an excellent state of preservation.这幅画保存得极为完好。
14 temperate
adj.温和的,温带的,自我克制的,不过分的
  • Asia extends across the frigid,temperate and tropical zones.亚洲地跨寒、温、热三带。
  • Great Britain has a temperate climate.英国气候温和。
15 muffle
v.围裹;抑制;发低沉的声音
  • Mother made an effort to muffle her emotions.母亲努力控制自己的感情。
  • I put my hand over my mouth to muffle my words,so only my friend could hear. 我把手挡在嘴上,遮住声音,仅让我的朋友听到。
16 aboriginal
adj.(指动植物)土生的,原产地的,土著的
  • They managed to wipe out the entire aboriginal population.他们终于把那些土著人全部消灭了。
  • The lndians are the aboriginal Americans.印第安人是美国的土著人。
17 suburban
adj.城郊的,在郊区的
  • Suburban shopping centers were springing up all over America. 效区的商业中心在美国如雨后春笋般地兴起。
  • There's a lot of good things about suburban living.郊区生活是有许多优点。
学英语单词
-ranked
active backplane
air resource management
air-cooled cargo
alizurol ruby
anchor shaft
andre weils
andreae
angustness
ANSTO (Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization)
anthrindandione
anti-asthma pill
anti-elitism
ash shawbak (shaubak)
atelocentric
base ignition
Bhilai
blightingly
blowdown condenser
buried drain
buzz-bombing
canon largo
carbohydrate recognition domain
carcinoma no. 1
cash management
characteristic description
circular intensity differential scattering
Clearnose
compatibility of fuels
conter
conversation-partners
convoluotinal encoding
cyathula root
decline price
diffractive ring
double price system
driving side
edginess
electric tuning
emure
energy spectrum hardening
enkianthus
euthanatises
event planners
exception control
facsimile bandwidth
follow-up assessment
front wheel bump travel
full-powered
gap financing
gospelmongers
gotten cut
gulliford
haploidizations
Hedgerows
high pressure gas-filled cable
hold together
Hypericum crux andrae
ICI standard primaries
laboratory paper machine
magnetic particle inspection machine
maleic aicd
marzolf
mavelard
mesa bipolar transistor
Micromely
modern culture
molten metal decladding
multichamber kiln
nnn
number of eggs ovulated
nurudea shiraii
one-sided transform
outsider arts
peace initiatives
posthumanist
potential source
redent
relative bioavailability
resistance to pesticide
rhabdoblatta formosana
RVC
scutate
secure server
semi closed cycle
shift cycling
shortage cost
Sigillaroid
Spathularia
spring-finger pick-up
stacked graph
stereo equipment
swatch
themiss
treacled
tuberculosis of buccal mucosa
two-male
uk standard
unknown soldiers
vasconcelos
yo-heave