significancen. [U] rather fml the quality of being significant; importance, meaning, or value 〖较正式〗重要性，意义；含意；价值

e.g. We should be fully aware of the significance of television in shaping our ideas.

The discovery of the new drug is of great significance to people suffering from heart problems.

awarenessn. knowledge or understanding of a particular subject or situation意识，认识 e.g. People?s environmental awareness has increased dramatically over the past decade.

Lack of awareness of this fact has caused many problems in the past.

hardenvt. make or become severe, unkind, or lacking in human feelings （使）变得冷酷无情，（使）变得硬心肠

e.g. As the game progressed, both parties hardened their heart to win.

Police described him the man as a hardened criminal.

cynicala. sometimes deroglike or typical of a person who thinks that people tend to act only in their own interests, and who always has a low opinion (sometimes unfairly) of people's reasons for doing things〖有时贬〗愤世嫉俗的；冷嘲热讽的

e.g. He grew a cynical attitude toward society, well grounded on numerous failing experiences.

She was very cynical about the peace conference and said the president was only there to boost his popularity.

managementn. [U] the art or practice of managing, esp. of managing a business or money 管理；处理；经营

e.g. The company has suffered from several years of bad management.

They need to learn modern management techniques.

feedbackn. advice, criticism or information about how good or useful sth. or sb.?s work is 反馈的意见[信息]

e.g. There?s been a lot of positive feedback on the new proposals.

The company welcomes feedback from people who use its goods.

priora. coming or planned before在前的，在先的，居先的

e.g. They had to refuse the dinner invitation because of a prior engagement.

I was unable to attend the meeting because of a prior engagement.

comment n.[(about, on)] (a) written or spoken opinion, explanation, or judgment made about an event, person, situation, etc. [常与about或on连用] 评论；评语；评注

e.g. He was asked about a pay increase for the factory workers but made no comment. He made several unfavourable comments about their candidate.

enormousa.extremely large; huge 巨大的，极大的，庞大的

e.g. The team has made an enormous effort to strengthen discipline.

He earns an enormous salary, so he can afford to live in an enormous house and drive an enormous car.

Expressions:

have no idea run into mull over

have no ideainfml not know〖非正式〗不清楚

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get/have the hang of sth.

e.g. I fell asleep halfway through the film and now I absolutely have no idea howit ended.

We have no idea how to persuade him to give up the idea.

run intoinfmlmeet (sb.) by chance〖非正式〗偶然遇见

e.g. Sally ran into one of her business colleagues at the beach yesterday.

He was delighted beyond measure to run into an old friend.

mull overthink over;consider for a time; ponder仔细考虑；沉思

e.g. He had been mulling over his father?s suggestion and finally decided that it made sense.

Before you respond, you?d better first mull over what you have heard or experienced.

get/have the hang of sth.infmllearn how to do sth. or use sth., esp. when this needs skill〖非正式〗熟悉某物的用法

e.g. Skiing is not very tiring, once you get the hang of it.

Like anything else, if you do enough of it, you?ll eventually get the hang of what you?re doing.

Section B Difficult Sentences

1. I was now more determined than ever to prove to my students that there was something to celebrate every day and to work a daily dose of good news into our learning environment. ( Para.6)

1) Translate this sentence into Chinese. Key:

于是我比以往更加坚定地要向学生证明：每天都有值得赞美庆祝的事，我还要往我们的学习氛围里每天都注入一些好的消息。 2) Paraphrase the sentence. Key:

Now I was much sure that I should show to my students that every day we always had something good to celebrate and we could always add or include some good news to the classroom every day.

2. My fears that they might be too hardened by life and cynical were quickly allayed. ( Para.9) 1) Translate this sentence into Chinese. Key:

我原本担心他们可能会因为生活而变得太过冷酷无情、愤世嫉俗，但我的担心很快消除了。

2) Paraphrase the sentence. Key:

My worries were soon eased when I found that my adult students had not been left cold and unfeeling by their experience of the world but were as willing as my high school students to share good news with one another.

3. …they said they liked the idea so much that they?d started opening their regular meetings in much the same way. (Para. 9)

1) Translate this sentence into Chinese. Key:

?他们说太喜欢这个主意了，他们用几乎相同的方式来做例会的开场白。 2) Make a sentence with the italicized structure. Key:

My hometown had changed so much that I could hardly recognize it.

4. …I originally had no idea that it would have such a lasting impact on all of us. ( Para. 10) 1) Translate this sentence into Chinese. Key:

?我一开始根本没想到这会给我们所有人产生如此长远的影响。

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2) Make a sentence with the italicized structure. Key:

I originally had no idea that studying a foreign language would have so many benefits.

Section C COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

▇Comprehension questions (Paras. 1-2) Q1: How did the author start his class? Why?

A1: He started every one of his classes by asking the question “What are we celebrating today”

though sometimes the question was asked in different forms. The author meant to use it as a call for celebrating life and for focusing on the right and the good. He regarded it as a life-affirming ritual.

Q2: Whom was the author teaching?

A2: He taught both schoolchildren and adults.

Q3: For how many years did the author start his class in this way?

A3: It started in the 1970-71 school year and continued until he stopped classroom teaching in

2001. This life-affirming ritual lasted for 30 years.

Q4: Did the author often get positive responses from his students?

A4: Yes. Every time he asked one of the questions, he got five or more positive responses.

▇ Comprehension questions (Para. 3)

Q1: What courses did the author often teach at the high school level?

A1: At the high school level he often taught courses in United States history and in American government.

Q2: What homework assignment did he usually ask his students to do when he taught either of

these two subjects?

A2: When he taught either of these two subjects he would assign a nightly homework in current events.

Q3: Did his students like the homework?

A3: No. They didn?t seem to like it. Current events and homework already had a negative connotation for them. The average high school student doesn?t know anything unrelated to music, sports, and other forms of entertainment. Reading the actual news section of a newspaper was a completely new experience for most of them.

▇ Comprehension questions (Paras. 4-5)

Q1: Were the students happy with their progress in current news?

A1: Yes. They learned how to read current news within a few weeks and were actually surprised at their

newly developed ability to carry on an intelligent conversation about what was going on in the world.

Q2: How was it that the author got startled by one student?s comment on theassignment?

A2: The author had a good reputation among many of his students as “Mr. Positive”. However,

according to one student, his current news assignment was negative, because the news they read in the newspaper was usually bad news, which depressed the students. The author had not thought about that before, and thatwas why he was startled by the student?s comment.

Q3: What agreement was reached after a long class discussion about the student?s comment on the assignment?

A3: After a long class discussion, in which his students were greatly involved, they reached an

agreement that they needed to receive more good news.

▇ Comprehension questions (Para. 6)

Q1: What was the author determined to do in his class?

A1: He was determined to prove to his students that there was something to celebrate every day

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and to add some good news to the classroom every day.

Q2: Did the students understand the author immediately when he asked them to celebrate the day? A2: No, they were confused at first. They thought that the author meant to celebrate the day for its

historical significance.

Q3: Why did the author ask his students to share good news in their own lives?

A3: Because it was hard to find good news in the newspaper. He meant to boost the students?

spirits by sharing good news in their own lives.

Q4: Did the students like the new way to start class?

A4: Yes. They thought it was a great way to start class. And it had a profound and lasting impact

on both the students and the author.

▇ Comprehension questions (Paras. 7-8)

Q1: What did the students learn from sharing bits of good news with each other?

A1: They increased their awareness of all the good news, both small things and huge things, going on

around them in their everyday life all the time. And they learned to look for what was good in everyday life and share it with others.

Q2: What were the three more choices added as ways to celebrate the day?

A2: The first choice was to look for what was called “perpetual good news”, i.e. something or someone

the students were thankful for. The second was to say something complimentary about a classmate. The third one was to share something funny — as long as it was not offensive or considered immoral.

Q3: Why did the author add the three more choices?

A3: Because these choices have implications that cover all aspects of people?s lives — at school, within

their families, in the workplace, among friends, everywhere.

▇ Comprehension questions (Paras. 9-11)

Q1: Did the author?s ritual of celebration prove successful with his adult students?

A1: Yes, it was a great success, too.His adult students absolutely loved it and they had even more good

news than the kids did.Some of his adult students even adopted it in their business management.

Q2: Did the author expect the lasting impact of celebrating the day originally?

A2: No, he didn?t. While enjoying sharing and listening to good news every day, the author didn?t have

any idea of its lasting impact.

Q3: What did his final exam consist of?

A3: His final exam consisted of two parts. Part One was a comprehensive review on all the subject

matter covered during the semester and was done in class. Part Two was a take-home exam and allowed the students to express themselves more fully about their learning experiences.

Q4: When did the author realize the impact of celebrating the day?

A4: He realized the impact of the practice when he read the students answers for Part Two of his final

exam. Almost every student wrote something about the way they started class each day. They all confirmed the positive impact of the practice.

▇ Comprehension questions (Paras. 12-13)

Q1: What was one of the first concerns of the author?s former student of more than twenty years ago? A1: One of her first concerns was whether the author still started class by sharing good news.

Q2: What was her comment on the author?s way of starting a class?

A2: She said that was a great way to start learning because she was put in a good mood for the rest of

the day. She got the habit of focusing on the positive in life instead of the negative. And now she always had something good to talk about.

Q3: Why does the author say that his little ritual of celebration at the beginning of each class had had

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an enormous and everlasting influence on many lives, including his own? A3: Because it had taught them how to look for the good and celebrate it with others. As one of his

former students said, this little ritual had taught everybody to focus on the positive in life instead of the negative. Hence, every day is a celebration.

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