Book 3 Unit 8
Exercise I 1. Spelling 1. wince 2. maliciously 3. succession 4. placatory 5. enormous 6. individual 7. mountainous 8. plead 9. obedient 10. eyebrow 11. shrug 12. appropriate
2. Dictation
An old friend from abroad, whom I was expecting to stay with me, telephoned from the airport to tell me that he had arrived. I was still at the office at the time, but I had made arrangements for his arrival. After explaining where my new flat was, I told him that I had left the key under the doormat. As I was likely to be home rather late, I advised him to go into the kitchen and help himself to food and drink.
Two hours later my friend telephoned me from the flat. At the moment, he said, he was
listening to some of my records after having just had a truly wonderful meal. Now, he said, he was drinking a glass of orange juice and he hoped I would join him. When I asked him if he had reached the flat without difficulty, he answered that he had not been able to find the key under the doormat, but fortunately the living-room window just by the apple tree had been left open and he had climbed in. I listened to all this in astonishment. There is no apple tree in front of my living-room, but there is one in front of my neighbour’s!
3. Listening Comprehension
A. True (T) or False (F)?
For false statements, write the facts.
1. There was a lot of noise in the Reference Library. F
It was silent in the library.
2. The assistant did not take much notice of Philip when he came in. T
3. Philip knew the Reference Library well. F
Philip had not been to this part of the library before. 4. Philip was not interested in photography. F
Photography was one of his hobbies.
5. The assistant nearly forgot to ask Philip how old he was. T
B. Complete each sentence with relevant information from the passage.
1. Most of the books on the shelves, such as dictionaries in many languages and encyclopaedias did not interest Philip.
2. Philip would not have disturbed the readers if he had not dropped a book on the floor. 3. The book that fell off his hand to the floor was not damaged.
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Book 3 Unit 8
4. The assistant librarian told Philip severely to be more careful when he was handling the books. 5. Philip did not know that he was too young to use the Reference Library because he didn’t see the notice on the door.
Script:
A Kindly Library Assistant
The silence of the Reference Library was broken only by an occasional cough and now and then by the scarcely audible sound of pages being turned over. There were about twenty people in the room, most of them with their heads bent over their books. The assistant librarian who was in charge of the room sat at a desk in one corner. She glanced at Philip as he came in, then went on with her work.
Philip had not been to this part of the library before. He walked around the room almost on tiptoe, afraid of disturbing the industrious readers with his heavy shoes. The shelves were filled with thick volumes: dictionaries in many languages, encyclopedias, atlases, biographies and other works of reference. He found nothing that was likely to interest him, until he came to a small section on photography, which was one of his hobbies. The books in this section were on a high shelf out of his reach, so he had to fetch a small ladder in order to get one down. Unfortunately, as he was climbing down the ladder, the book he had chosen slipped from his grasp and fell to the floor with a loud crash. Twenty pairs of eyes looked up at him simultaneously, annoyed by this unaccustomed disturbance. Philip felt himself go red as he picked up his book, which did not seem to have been damaged by its fall.
He had just sat down when he found the young lady assistant standing alongside him. “You must be more careful when you are handling these books,” she said severely. Satisfied that she had done her duty, she turned to go back to her desk. Then a sudden thought struck her. “By the way, how old are you?” she asked Philip. “Thirteen,” he told her. “You’re not allowed in here if you’re under the age of fourteen, you know,” the assistant said. “Didn’t you see the notice on the door?” Philip shook his head. He expected the assistant to ask him to leave. Instead, in a more kindly tone, she said, “Well, never mind. But make sure that you don’t disturb the other readers again, otherwise I shall have to ask you to leave.”
4. Translation
A. Translate the following sentences from Chinese into English.
1. 很清楚，在粗鲁的顾客面前，一些售货员感到很难保持礼貌待客。
It is plain that some shop assistants find it difficult to remain polite when faced with rude customers.
（这里的“很清楚”可以用“It is plain that …”来表示。）
2. 作者紧紧围绕主题，而且很注意不将离题的东西加进去。
The writer keeps strictly to his subject, and is careful enough not to introduce anything irrelevant to the subject. （这句话中的“仅仅围绕主题”和“离题”分别可以用“keep strictly to the subject”和“irrelevant to the subject”来表示。）
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Book 3 Unit 8
3. 如果你认为某一个计划不能给我们带来什么结果， 那么实施这个计划是没有意义的。 It’s meaningless to carry out a plan which you think will not lead us anywhere. （这句话可以用“It’s meaningless to …”的句型；“不能给我们带来什么结果”可以用“will not lead us anywhere”来表示。）
4. 他力求解释清楚爆炸的原因，但讲了整整一个小时后， 人们还是不知所云。
He tried hard to explain the cause of the explosion; but after talking for an hour, he still got nowhere.
（这里的“人们还是不知所云”可以用“he still got nowhere”来表示。）
5. 中国的文明史可以追溯到公元前3千年。
The history of Chinese civilization can be traced back to 3000 B.C. （这里的“追溯”可以用“be traced back to”来表示。）
6. 这么多的年轻人守候在窗外，为抢救这孩子的生命而随时准备为他输血，这使我深为感动。
I was deeply touched that so many young people were waiting outside ready to have their blood transfused to the child in the hope of saving his life.
（这里的“守候在窗外”可以简单表示为“wait outside”；“这使我深为感动”按照英语习惯翻译为“I was deeply touched”，后面跟that引导的从句。）
7. 上星期下了一场大雪，接连好几天都很潮湿。
The heavy snowfall last week was followed by a succession of wet days. （这里的“接连”可以用“a succession of”来表示。）
8. 虽然他极力解释他的计划，他们仍然对这计划的可行性持怀疑态度。
Even though he tried his best to explain his plan, they were sceptical of its feasibility. （这里的“极力”做某件事可以用“try one’s best to do something”来表示；“对……持怀疑态度”可以用“be sceptical of”来表示。）
9. 校方对这些学生进行了惩处，因为他们在课堂上侮辱那个年轻的代课教师。
The school authorities punished the students, because they insulted that young substitute teacher in class. （这里的“校方”可以用“the school authorities”来表示；“代课教师”就是“substitute teacher”。）
10. 她说话的声音明显带着一丝嫉妒。
She spoke with an obvious note of jealousy in her voice.
（这里的“一丝嫉妒”可以用“a note of jealousy”来表示。）
B. Translate the following into English.
我们坐在教室里，头埋在（bend over）书本上，身子左右摇晃着，喃喃不断地朗读着课文：“参加战争的年轻诗人（Minstrel Boy）已经出发了，在阵亡将士名单里（in the ranks of death）你可以找到他。”
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