Unit One Passage A
at times on occasion; sometimes.
at the same time however; nonetheless.
behind the times out-of-date; old-fashioned.
for the time being temporarily.
from time to time once in a while; at intervals.
in no time almost instantly; immediately.
positive
1) very sure; confident 确定的,自信的
e.g. I'm positive he's right.
2) effective; helpful
e.g. Don’t just watch me; give me some positive advice.
3) definite; allowing no room for doubt
e.g. We still don’t have a positive answer as to how he did.
…at the top of my class for two years.(Para.2)
Meaning: I was one of the excellent students in my class for two years.
at the top of the tree 处于首要的地位,占显著地位
at the top of one's lungs 用尽量大的声音
Not only did I lose my joy in answering questions, but also I totally lost my desire to say anything at all in English. (Para.3)
Meaning: I not only didn’t feel happy answering questions, but also I didn’t want to say anything in English.
Note: With “not only” or “only” placed at the beginning of a sentence, the sentence order should be inverted as you find it in the reading passage.
e.g. Only in this way can you hope to finish the work at the end of this month.
Not only did we enjoy the film, but we also had a wonderful time.
continue
1) To carry forward; persist in 坚持
e.g. The police will continue their investigation.
2) To carry further in time, space, or development; extend. 在时间、空间或发展上扩展,延伸
3) To cause to remain or last; retain. 继续, 使…维持原状或持续
e.g. She continued as mayor for a second term.
4) To carry on after an interruption; resume. 使…在中断后继续；重新开始
e.g. The negotiations continued after a break for lunch.
far from
1) not …at all完全不, 非但不
e.g. Far from being angry, he is very happy.
2) rather than 远离, 远非, 远远不
e.g. Her husband is far from being handsome; he is somewhat ugly.
as far as 远到; 直到; 到...为止 ; 至于; 就...而言
as far back as 远在, 早在
by far (修饰比较级, 最高级, 表示数量、程度等)...得多; 更
so [thus] far 到目前为止; 就此范围(程度)来说
a couple of two or three
e.g. I saw a couple of children playing in the garden.
Could you please lend me a couple of dollars?
a couple of minutes 几分钟
a couple of books 几本书
a pair of gloves 一副手套
a pair of scissors 一把剪刀
a pair of spectacles 一副眼镜
intimidate
to make timid; fill with fear 胁迫；威迫
e.g. He said he would never be intimidated by big names and authorities.
intimidate sb. into doing sth. 胁迫某人做某事
e.g. The strikers were bullied into dropping their demands.
罢工者被迫放弃他们的要求
access n.
1) A means of approaching, entering, exiting, or making use of; passage.
通道，入口，出口，使用途径接近;
通道
e.g. There is no access to the street through that door.
穿过那个门没有通向大街的路。
The only access to that ancient castle is along a muddy track.
到那座古老城堡去的唯一通道是一条泥泞小路。
2) The act of approaching. 接近，进入接近的行为
e.g. Students need access to books.
学生需要使用书本。
3) The right to approach, enter, exit, or make use of: 出入权接近、进入、出去或使用的权力
e.g. He has access to the restricted area; he has access to classified material.
as well as
1) conj. and in addition 既…又
e.g. Tom was courageous as well as strong.
2) prep. in addition to 都
e.g. The editors as well as the proofreaders are working overtime.
trade (in)…for… exchange…. for….
e.g. He decided to trade his car for a truck.
In order to pay off his debts, he had to trade in his piano for money.
trade on: make use of
e.g. He traded on his brother’s kindness to get more money from him.
insight the capacity to discern the true nature of a situation; penetration.
n.（常与into连用） 洞察力；见识 a man of insight
gain [have] an insight into 了解, 熟悉; 看透, 识破
e.g. The teacher had unusual insight into children’s emotions.
favorite
n. 1) One that enjoys special favor or regard.
e.g. David's a great favorite with his teacher.
These novels are my favorites.
2) One that is trusted, indulged, or preferred above all others, especially by a superior:
e.g. A teacher shouldn't have favorites.
3) A contestant or competitor regarded as most likely to win.
e.g. The favorite horse came in second.
adj. Liked or preferred above all others; regarded with special favor.
e.g. Oranges are my favorite fruit.
Baked apples are his favorite dish.
participate
1) To take part in something:
e.g. people in that cities participated in the festivities.
2) To share in something: 分享某事
e.g. If only I could participate in your good fortune.
要是我能分享你的好运就好了
reach out to communicate with; contact
e.g. With the introduction of the Internet, we can reach out to our friends by e-mail.
reach out for try to get
e.g. You must reach out for any opportunity that comes your way.
reach for hold one’s hand to get sth.
e.g. He reached for the phone and dialed the number.
bridge
v. I bridged a gap in the conversation by telling a joke.
我讲了个笑话,使谈话不致中断。
n. It takes four persons to play bridge.
桥牌要四个人玩。
Unit One Passage B
play a … role in have a position or job in…
e.g. People have come to understand that computer is playing an increasingly important role in our life.
be aware of having knowledge or cognizance
e.g. I was not aware of the fire.
We were quite aware (of) how you would respond to our terms.
I am aware that Congress has passed the legislation.
become aware of 发觉, 注意到
O
nline students, however, require unique qualities to be successful. (Para.1)
Meaning: But online students must have some unusual and special qualities if they want to be successful.
unique: adj. unusual; being the only one of itself
e.g. The town is very unique in its beautiful and quiet environment.
in addition also; as well as.
in addition to over and above; besides.
e.g. In addition to gene, intelligence also depends on an adequate diet, a good education and a decent home environment.
perspective
1) a view or vista. 景色，远景
2) A mental view or outlook:
设想，展望心理上的观点或展望：
e.g. It is useful occasionally to look at the past to gain a perspective on the present?
3) The relationship of aspects of a subject to each other and to a whole:
各部分的比例，各部分的关系事物各方面之间以及与整体之间的关系：
e.g. a perspective of history; a need to view the problem in the proper perspective.
4) Subjective evaluation of relative significance; a point of view 观点
e.g. the perspective of the displaced homemaker.
allow for
1) take into consideration
e.g. We must allow for his inexperience.
It takes about two hours to get to their office building, allowing for possible traffic delays.
2) 酌留；预计
allow 10% for inflation
allow for wastage
reflect: v.
1) express, give an idea of
This statement reflected his opinions about this matter. 这一陈述表达了他对这个问题的看法。
The book reflected the author's idea on marriage. 这本书反映了作者的婚姻观。
2) throw back (sound, heat, light or an image)
The smooth surface of the lake reflected the light of the house. 平静如镜的湖面映射出房屋的灯光。
The still water reflected the moon. 平静的水面映着月亮。
reflect on: think carefully
I have been reflecting on what you said these days. 这些天我一直在考虑你说的话。
You should reflect on the likely result before you decide to do something. 决定做一件事之前应考虑可能产生的后果。
critical: a.
1) very important; very serious or dangerous
I didn't realize the unemployment problem was all that critical here. 我原来不知道这儿的失业问题这么严重。
Note: In the that-clause of "it is/was critical that ..." pattern, we should either use "should + bare infinitive" or simply use "bare infinitive." Very often, fluent native speakers use only the 'bare infinitive.'
It was critical that the teacher (should) not punish the students who gave incorrect answers. 关键的是那位老师不应该惩罚回答错误的学生。
It is critical that you (should) keep up with the progress of an online course. 跟上网络课程的进度十分重要。
2) finding fault
Don't be critical of him; he is a beginner. 不要对他挑剔, 他是初学者。
She looks on everything with a critical eye. 她用批判的眼光观察每一件事。
absolute
ly: adv.
completely
It is difficult to cross the desert by car, but not absolutely impossible. 开车穿越沙漠很难，但并非完全不可能。
They seemed to have absolutely no sense of moral principles. 他们似乎完全没有道德原则。
explicit: a.
clear and fully expressed
He gave an explicit description of how the accident happened. 他清楚地讲述了事故发生的经过。
The agreement is explicit in saying the rent must be paid by the tenth of every month. 这份协议清楚地说明了必须在每个月十号付房租。
comment: n. opinion about an event or a person
She asked the Minister if he had any comment on the government's new decision. 她问部长对政府的新决定有何评论。
There has been no comment so far from the police about the case. 到目前为止警方对这一案件没有任何评论。
assimilate: v.
understand and take in; (cause to) become part of
You have to assimilate the facts, not just remember them. 你得消化事实，而不只是记住事实。
His family found it hard to assimilate into the local community after they moved to the city. 他家人移居到这座城市之后觉得很难融入当地社区之中。