Key to Unit 5
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Text Comprehension
I．B.
II. 1. F; 2. T; 3. F; 4. T; 5. F.
III.
1. the second half of his first life.
2. the day when he was unable to climb those steps, and was to lie and die.
3. his challenge to continue living, and misery he had to accept and cope with in order to hold on to his sanity, his wife, his home and his job.
4. He first felt a bit sorry for them, but then felt relieved by the thought of paying.
5. the old man is blind but he helped him in the storm; while the writer assumed that a disabled man deserved other people’s help but never helped others.
6. he should always be ready to help others.
IV.
1. a sad man with little hope for his future, and everything depended on him to climb these 14 steps.
2. the writer was filled with great shame and horror and became speechless.
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Vocabulary
I.
1. a disease that gradually became more and more serious
2. with the help of 在……的帮助下
3. looking very carefully and hard at 凝视
4. are ready 准备就绪，安排妥当
5. not caring about 对……漠不关心
II.
1. tilted;
2. led up to;
3. hold on to;
4. care for;
5. is inclined to;
6. make a living;
7. follow, example;
8. to a degree.
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III. Word derivation
Fill in the blanks with the appropriate forms of the given words.
1. You always follow your own inclination (incline) instead of thinking of our feeling.
2. The men stood in front of the bar, indifferent (indifference) to the argument that was going on across the road.
3. The company has had a successful first year at home but penetration (penetrate) of the international market has been slow.
4. We hadn’t seen her for many years and were very shocked by her frailty (frail).
5. He does not consider his deafness an affliction (afflict).
6. We were all very impressed by the excellence (excellent) of the design.
7. Her fever is getting progressively (progress) worse. I think we should call a doctor.
8. The honeymoon period was soon followed by the usual disillusionment (disillusion) with day-to-day reality.
1. incline v. 使有……倾向，易于；爱好
inclination n. 倾向，意愿
inclined a. 有……倾向的；倾斜的
2. indifference n. 不重视，无兴趣，漠不关心
indifferent a. 漠不关心的，冷淡的
indifferently ad. 不在乎地，冷淡地，淡然地
3. penetrate v. 穿透，渗透；看穿
penetrating a. 敏锐的，尖锐的；穿透的，透彻的
penetration n. 渗透，侵入，突破
4. frail a. 脆弱的，虚弱的
frailty n. 脆弱，意志薄弱；弱点
5. afflict v. 使苦恼，折磨
affliction n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难
6. excellent a. 极好的，杰出的
excellence n. 优秀，卓越，优点
excellently ad.优秀地，超群地
7. progress n. 进步，发展，前进
progression n. 前进
progressive a. 前进的，渐进的
8. disillusion n. 觉醒，幻灭
disillusionment n. 幻灭感
disillusioned a. 大失所望的，幻想破灭的
IV.
1. A;
2. C;
3. B;
4. D;
5. B;
6. A;
7. D;
8. B.
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V. Synonym / Antonym
Give a synonym or an antonym of the word underlined in each sentence in the sense it is used.
1. And I managed to keep my health and optimism, to a degree, because of 14 steps. Antonym: pessimism
2. Not so. Here hobbled a bitterly disillusioned cripple, a man who held on to his sanity and his wife and his home and his job because of 14 miserable steps leading up to the back door from his garage.
Synonym: painfully, desperately
3. She went into the house and a moment later came out bundled in raincoat and hat, followed by a man who called a cheerful greeting.
Antonym: cheerless, unhappy, gloomy
4. I started the engine and thumped slowly along, keeping well over on the shoulder until I came to the dirt road, where I turned in — thankfully.
Synonym: fortunately
5. He was an old man, stooped and frail-looking under his slicker.
Synonym: weak, feeble
6. As I became older, I became more disillusioned and frustrated.
Synonym: disappointed
7. I realized that I was filled to overflowing with self-pity, selfishness, indifference to the needs of others and thoughtlessness.
Antonym: selflessness, unselfishness
8. There followed a long interval of noises.
Synonym: period
VI. Compounding
Write in each space the meaning of each given word.
1. likewise in the same way
2. underway in progress
3. carefree with no concern
6. George ought to be able to tell whether that old plate is valuable. He is
___something___ of an expert on china.
7. What have you been up to? I haven’t seen ___anything___ of you for ages.
8. some
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Translation
I. English to Chinese
1.常言道猫有九命，我信这话。因为我已经活第三回了，尽管我并不是猫。
2.我只是一个一瘸一拐、幻想破灭的残疾人，一个因为车库和后门之间十四级
令人痛苦的台阶而努力保持清醒的头脑，伴随妻子、维持家庭和坚持工作的人。
3.其后的几秒钟一切都好像凝滞了，那一刻的羞耻和惊诧深深地穿透了我的肺腑，我感到了一种从未有过的震撼。
4.我意识到自己极端自怜、自私，对别人的需要漠不关心，不为别人着想。
II. Chinese to english
1. 这位电影演员比大多数人更愿意帮助残疾人，因为他自己十年前曾中过风。
（be inclined to）
This film actor is more inclined than most people to help the handicapped because he himself suffered a stroke ten years ago.
2. The old man is afflicted with rheumatism, but he still goes jogging and mountain-
climbing every day.
3. 美国金融制度中的一些缺陷始终没有得到足够的重视，最终酿成了灾难性的
后果。（lead to）
Some of the flaws in the American financial system, which had never received
due attention，eventually led to disastrous consequences.
4. He held on to his shares of that company when the prices were dropping sharply
last year. Now he has made a fortune.
5. 赶快断了这个念头吧——这个想法太疯狂了，根本不值得考虑。（dismiss）
Just dismiss the idea from your mind —it’s crazy and not worth thinking about at all.
6. We were all set to leave for the holiday in New York when the 9/11 incident shook
the whole world.
7. If you think I have a magic formula to solve the problem, you are bound to be disillusioned.
8. That Japanese company succeeded in penetrating the US TV market.
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1. Dictation
With the invention of the radio, / newspaper publishers wondered / how broadcasting would affect them. / Many feared / that the radio as a quick and easy means of keeping people informed / would displace the newspaper industry altogether. /
Others hoped / that the brief newscast heard on the air / would stimulate listeners’ interest in the story, / so they’d buy the paper to get more information. / This second idea turned out to be closer to the truth. / Radio and print actually supported each other. / However, this is not always the case. / Take television and motion pictures for example. / With the popularization of TV, / the motion picture suffered greatly. / Movie attendance dropped / when people chose to stay at home and be entertained.
2. Cloze
It was very late at night on the eve of Memorial Day. A nice-looking white lady got on the subway train (1) with a baby on her right arm and two children after her. I saw her preparing to get off at the next station — which happened to be the place (2) where I had to get off. I could see the steep concrete stairs going up into the street. Should I offer my help (3) as the American white man had done? But how could I, a Negro, approach this white lady (4) who very likely might be prejudiced against Negroes?
What would she say? What would be the first reaction of this white lady? What would I do if she screamed (5) as I went toward her to offer my help? Was I misjudging her? So much is written every day in the daily press against Negroes. I hesitated for a long, long time. The traditional good manners were struggling (6) inside me. Here I was, hours past midnight, face-to-face with a situation (7) that could very well become an incident of prejudice caused by the unjust policy of our society today.
It was a long time. I passed on by her as (8) if I saw nothing. As if I didn’t see (9) that she needed help. I just moved on, half running, leaving the children and the woman (10) alone / behind.
新编英语教程第五册课后练习题答案 Answers to the exercises in Unit 1 II. Paraphrase 1.A writer who is particular about the exactness of an expression in English will never feel happy with a word which fails to express an idea accurately. 2. To a certain extent, the process of finding the right words to use is a process of perfection where you try to search for words that may most accurately express your thoughts and feelings, and words that may most effectively make your listeners and readers understand your thoughts and feelings. 3. Finding the most suitable word to use is in no sense easy. But there is nothing like the delight we shall experience when such a word is located. 4. Once we are able to use language accurately, we are in a position to fully understand our subject matter. III. Translate 1.After citing many facts and giving a number of statistical figures, he finally drove home his point. 2. It took us half a year more or less to carry through the research project. 3. What he said was so subtle that we could hardly make out his true intention. 4. His new book looks squarely at the contemporary social problems. 5. The younger generation today are very much alive to the latest information found on the Internet. 6. It is a matter of opinion whether a foreign language is more easily learned in one’s childhood or otherwise. 7. Never lose heart in the face of a setback; take courage and deal with it squarely. 8. Rice, meat, vegetables, and fruit constitute a balanced diet. Language Work III. 1. clumsy-unskillful 2. deft-skilful 3. loose-vague 4. subtle-tricky 5. precise-accurate 6. shift-alteration 7. vague-ambiguous 8. scrupulous-conscientious 9. ignorance-want of knowledge 10. disadvantages-drawbacks 11. cultivating-developing 12. mistaken-erroneous 13.unimportant-trivial 14. dark-dim 15. flexible-adaptable 16. fine-subtle 17. sentimental-emotional 18. essence-quintessence 19. coercion-compulsion 20. fascinating-absorbing
Unit 5 Topic 3 周末作业一、Words ['wenzdi] ['m?nd?] ['tju?zdi] ['θ??zdi] ['fra?di] ['f?z?ks] [d????gr?fi] [ɑ?t] ['h?stri] [m?θ] [ba???l?d?i] [?p?l?t?ks] ['sa??ns] ['mi?t??] ['i?zi] ['?nt?r?st??] ['d?f?k?lt] [l??n] [hw?t?] ['s?bd??kt] [best] ['st?di] ['a?td??] [?k't?v?ti] [??ten?(?)n] [b?'twi?n] [st?mp] ['s?t?di] [na?t] [sa?nd] ['febr??ri] [hɑ?d] [le?t] n．星期三 n．星期一 n．星期二 n．星期四 n．星期五 n．物理（学） n．地理（学） n．体育．（physical educatin的缩写) n．美术，艺术 n.历史 n.数学=mathematics n．生物（学） n．政治 n．科学 n．会议；会面 adj．容易的 adj．有趣的 adj．难的 v.学习，学会det&pron．哪一个；哪一些 n．学科；主题 adv．& adj．最好地（的） （good和well的最高级） v.学习；研究n.书房 adj．户外的；室外的 n．活动 n．注意 prep．在（两者）之间； n．邮票v.跺脚 n．星期六 从…到… n．夜间 n.声音v.听起来好像 n．(Feb．)二月 adj．努力的；困难的adv．艰难地；努力地adv.晚，迟adj.迟（的），晚（的） 二、写出下列短语 上一节音乐课结束下一节课 谈论在那一天每一个工作日每逢星期二在星期三上午 你觉得…怎么样？＝ 该是做…的时候了学习；了解
Unit One 1.在举出许多事实并列出一些统计数字后，他终于把他的论点说清楚了。(drive sth. home) After citing many facts and giving a number of statistical figures, he finally drove home his point. 2. 差不多花了半年功夫，我们才完成了那个研究项目。(more or less) It took us half a year more or less to carry through the research project. 3.他说的话如此微妙，我们很难理解他的真实意图。(subtle) What he said was so subtle that we could hardly make out his true intention. 4.他的新书一针见血地审视了当代的社会问题。(squarely) His new book looks squarely at the contemporary social problems. 5.今日的年轻一代对互联网上的最新信息很关注。(be alive to) The younger generation today are very much alive to the latest information found on the Internet. 6.外语是不是在童年更容易学好？这是一个观点问题。(a matter of) It is a matter of opinion whether a fo reign language is more easily learned in one’s childhood or otherwise. 7. 在挫折面前千万不要丧失信心；鼓起勇气坚定不移地去克服它。(take courage) Never lose heart in the face of a setback; take courage and deal with it squarely. 8. 适量的米饭、肉类、蔬菜、水果构成均衡的饮食。(constitute) Adequate amounts of rice, meat, vegetables, and fruit constitute a balanced diet. Unit Two
10月31日高三英语课时作业（book 2 unit 5) 考号：姓名：班级： (一)基础单词(根据汉语提示写单词，注意正确形式) 1．The book will tell you how to ____________________(连接) a printer to your computer. 2．At the age of thirty, Samuel became a professional astronomer and _____________(获得) an international reputation. 3．He can play the piano, violin and several other __________________(乐器) 4．Who will take over the company is a very ________________(敏感的) issue. 5．Being a native of the city, he is ___________________(熟悉的) with all the streets here. 6．The baby is not really crying. She is only ________________(假装)． 7．Her ______________(投入) to the job left her with very little free time. 8．She expressed her feelings in the ________________________(形式) of poetry. 9．The Asian Games will be _________________________(广播) live on TV. (二)重点单词 A：根据提示，写出下列单词的适当形式 10．____________________vt.& vi.表演；履行；执行 →____________________ n．表演；演奏→_____________________ n．表演者 11.___________________ _adj.幽默的；诙谐的→__________________n．幽默；幽默感 12．___________________adj.吸引人的；有吸引力的→_____________vt.吸引； 引起→_________________n．吸引；吸引力 13._____________________adj.痛苦的；疼痛的→___________________n．痛苦 B：一言辨异(根据语境，用所给词的适当形式填空) 14．They _____________ him to their party, and he accepted their ___________gladly.(invitation) 15．I am fully ____________of his success, for his hard-working and ______________convince me.(confident) 16.After a _______________ pause, he began to end up the meeting ________with few words.(brief) (一)根据汉语提示写出短语 1．____________________梦见；梦想；设想 2．____________________说实在地；实话说 3．____________________认为有(重要性、意义)；附上；连接 4．____________________用现金；有现钱 5．____________________戏弄 6．____________________依赖；依靠 7．____________________大约 8．____________________打碎；分裂；解体 9．____________________另外；也 10．___________________分类11．___________________最重要；首先 12．___________________熟悉；与……熟悉起来 (二)选用以上短语填空(其中有两个多余选项) 1．I'll give you 10 minutes __________to go over the text again before answering my questions. 2．Little did I ______________one day entering a university at that time. 3．______________, this tie is a little too colorful. I don't think it suits your boyfriend. 4．We __________great importance ________education and encourage constant learning and thinking. 5．“There is no future between us, so I want to_____________，”said the girl to her boyfriend. 6．Children need many things, but _____________they need love from their parents. 7．Economic development should ____________both domestic and foreign markets. 8．It is not difficult to ___________the materials as long as time permits. 9．The famous actress takes various exercises. ________________ , she is on a diet. 10．Usually it takes time for anyone to _____________a new place. 根据提示，利用本课所学知识，完成下面的小作文。 他依靠(rely on)信心和毅力(persistence)三十年如一日的练习唱歌，最重要的(above all)是他的歌声深受群众的喜爱。他十分看重(attach importance to)人们给予他的帮助，他认为没有(without which)这些帮助，他就不可能(can't)取得这么大的进步。他曾许诺他和歌迷的联系永远不分开(break up)。 词数：60词左右
1. After citing many facts and giving a number of statistical figures, he finally drove home his point. 在举出许多事实并列出一些统计数字后，他终于把他的论点说清楚了。 2. It took us half a year more or less to carry through the research project. 差不多花了半年功夫，我们才完成了那个研究项目。 3. What he said was so subtle that we could hardly make out his true intention. 他说的话如此微妙，我们很难理解他的真实意图。 4. his new book looks squarely at the contemporary social problems. 他的新书一针见血地审视了当代的社会问题。 prostitution. 吸毒几乎毫无例外地和盗窃，卖淫联系在一起。 6. This golf club is not open to the public; it serves exclusively VIP club members. 这个高尔夫俱乐部不对外开放，只为VIP会员服务。 7.In vying for the king's affection and favour, the imperial concubines resorted to every means possible. 为讨得皇帝的欢心，这几个皇妃无所不为。 8. He was bitten by a dog when a child, so he has been wary of dogs ever since. 他小时候被狗咬过，所以对狗一直有点戒心。
新编英语教程5册Unit1的答案
Comprehension I. Judge which of the following best summarizes the main idea of the article. A. To be able to use the right word is an important component of one’s mastery of the English language. B. To facilitate one’s own process of cognition and one’s communication with others, one must be able to choose the right word from the extensive vocabulary of the English language. C. It is more important to know exactly the meaning and use of a relatively small number of words than to know vaguely a larger number. II. Determine which is the best choice for each of the following questions. 1. “Clean English” in the first paragraph mea ns . A. English of a dignified style B. English free from swear words C. English which is precise and clear 2.The word “realization” in the sentence “Choosing words is part of the process of realization…” means . A. articulating sounds B. fulfilling one’s goals C. becoming aware of what one thinks and feels
Paraphrase Unit1.1 A writer who pay great attention to expressing the exact English will never be satisfied with a word which can not express an idea accurately. U1.2 For the reader can easily understand what kind of feelings and thoughts we want to convey, we need to be careful to choose the words we used in article. U1.3Finding the most suitable word is in no sense easy. But there is nothing like the delight and excitement we shall experience when we pick up such a word. U1.4 If we can use language accurately we are in a position to totally understand the subject matter. U2.1 The result is, the sea, the cradle of many civilizations, is seriously polluted. It is the first of the seas that has been made to
谷城三中高一英语必修（一）Unit 5基础训练 一、单词拼写 1．Jack is often told by his parents to be friendly to anybody even if he is ________(抨击)．2．Different people have different ________(看法)about open education. 3．If you are interested in buying coloured business cards of high __________(质量)at a reasonable price, you need to use the Internet. 4．We should give all children ________ (平等)opportunities to develop their special talents. 5．Children should learn and obey the ________(原则)of the school first. 6．The People's Republic of China was ________(成立)in 1949. 7．In the end the soldiers succeeded in ________(逃跑) from prison and ran away. 8．I promise that you will be ______(报答)for providing useful information about the missing child. 9．I think Rose will become a good monitor, so I'd like to ________(投票)for her. 10．Girls should have the right to be ________(教育)at school as boys do. 11．There is an ________(相等的) number of boys and girls in the class. 12．There were 16 ________(票) in favor of my suggestion, and 15 against. 13．This is her first time to perform on the________(舞台)． 14．He had been a talented artist in his ________(青年时期)． 15．There is too much ________(暴力)on TV, which may have a bad effect on children. 16．I'm ________(乐意)to do anything for you. 17．Under the teacher's ________(指导), he can speak some English soon. 18．The man ________(攻击) her with a knife. 19．We aim at ________(质量) rather than quantity. 20．They struggled in their desperate attempts ________ but missed the exit and started heading in the wrong direction. 21．We hope that you will give ________(意见) and suggestions about our work. 22．He managed to ________(逃脱) from the big fire into the street. 23．London is full of homeless people ________(乞讨) in the streets. 24．It is always better to share your worries and troubles with your friends or ________(亲戚)．25．I can't stand some people's ________(残忍) to animals. 26. He was ________(判决) to three years in prison. 27. He gave the children some chocolate to ________(奖赏) them for behaving well. 28. In general，children of ________(受教育的) parents usually get better grades. 29. Make sure the ________(电源) is turned off first before you leave the lab. 30. Mandela was already in his seventies when he became ________(总统)． 二、在下列句子的空白处填入一个适当的词或用所给词的适当形式填空 1.Although he is quite old, he leads an _____ life. His _____ include tennis and painting. (active) 2.Everyone hopes to be treated ________ because ________ is the basic demand. (equal) 3.After retiring from the basketball field, Yao Ming decided to get further ________ (educate) in Shanghai Jiao Tong University. 4.Some people choose not to eat meat because they believe that it is _____ (cruelty) to eat animals. 5.He offered ________ (guide) to us. 6.________ (hopeful), I'll be able to stay at home for three weeks this time. 7.It's ________ (legal) to drive a car without a driver's license. 8.He was ________ (devote) to his career. 9.It's ________ (fair) to treat women badly. 10.Tom is a ________ (self) boy, who always thinks of others. 11．He never ________ heart when he was in trouble. 12．It was a prison from ________ no one could escape. 13．The owner of the garden allowed us ______ (enter) the garden. 14．My mother devoted most of her time to ________ (care) for my sick father. 15．As ________ matter of fact, he was ________ lawyer. 16．Tom was out ________ work at that time. 17．He often turned ________ his neighbour for help. 18．Free ________ worry, the woman lived a peaceful life. 19．He was the first man ________ (explore) the outer space. 20．I'm worried about ________ I can be admitted to the university. 21．Things might get better, but it doesn't look very ________ (hope) right now. 22．_______ (self) people must learn to share so as to make themselves become _______ (self)．23．They have an ________ (activity) holiday, sailing and swimming. 24．It's so ________ (fair)—Mary gets more money for less work. 25．The money was divided ________ (equal) among her four children. 26．________ (devote) to their work, most of the parents spend little time with their children. 27．I'm worried ________ her driving the car tonight on the wet road. 28．The soldiers were fighting bravely ________ their people ________ the enemy. 29. When he was out ________work, he was involved in crimes of violence and was put ________ prison at last. 30．Only by practicing a few hours every day ________ you be able to master English. 31．We live in an age________more information is available with greater ease than ever before. 32．Most of the students in our class are________(will) to spend their money and time on books and other useful things. 33．Some of the films are full of________(violent)，which is not good for young kids. 34．We’re just trying to reach a point ________ both sides will sit down together and talk. 35．Every time I________(see) the old man in the park，he is absorbed in reading papers. 36．When the sports hero turned________at our party，he was welcomed with open arms. 37．It’s important to learn to take a positive attitude_______life when you are _____trouble. 38．Tsinghua University，________(found) in 1911，is one of the best universities in China. 39．Under our teacher’s careful ________ (guide)，we finished our homework in advance. 40．People who are well ________ (educate) will be respected by everyone. 课文缩写语法填空（一）根据课文内容，在空白处填入适当的内容(1个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。 Elias was a poor black worker in South Africa. The time __1__ he first met Nelson Mandela was a difficult period of his life. He was twelves years old at that time. Mandela was a black lawyear to __2__ he went for advice. Mandela offered __3__ (guide) to poor black people on their __4__ (illegal) problems. Elias needed Mandela's help __5__ he had little education. The school __6__ he studied for only two years was three kilometres away. He had to drop out of school because his family couldn't pay the school fees or the bus __7__. He couldn't read or write well. After trying hard, he got a job in a gold mine. __8__，he didn't have a passbook to live in Johannesbug and he worried about __9__ he would become out __10__ work. 课文缩写语法填空（二）根据课文内容，在空白处填入适当的内容(1个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。 When Elias, a poor black worker in South Africa, first met Nelson Mandela, he was in a very
Unit 1 III. 1.After citing many facts and giving a number of statistical figures, he finally drove home his point. 2.It took us half a year more or less to carry through the research project. 3.What he said was so subtle that we could hardly make out his true intention. 4.his new book looks squarely at the contemporary social problems. 5.The younger generation today are very much alive to the latest information found on the Internet. 6.It is a matter of opinion whether a foreign language is more easily learned in one’s childhood or otherwise. 7.Never lose heart in the face of a setback; take courage and deal with it squarely. 8.Rice, meat, vegetables, and fruit constitute a balanced diet. Unit 2 III. 1.One man’s effort is not enough to cope with such a complicated situation. 2.When do you think the new IT(information technology) regulations will take effect? 3.The chances of winning a prize in a lottery are slim; perhaps only a one-in-a-hundred chance. 4.It is deplorable that many a youngster has fallen victim to the use of drugs. 5.There is virtually no one who is in favour of his proposal. 6.Beware of the swindler with a slick tongue and a smiling face. 7.Don’t touch the bag! The explosive in it may blow up at any minute. Your life will be at risk. 8.He looked quite confident about the job, though some doubts lurked in the depth of his mind. Unit 3 III. 1.He honked his car horn to alert the pedestrians. 2.The fast development of Information Technology is an outstanding example of human endeavour. 3.Mary groped for the appropriate words to express her indebtedness to her teacher. 4.The school principal’s plain words conveyed a message of challenge to the young people. 5.Don’t tamper with the wires, or you may cause a short circuit. 6.He thought he could beat everyone at the competition, but his excessive
Unit 1 恰到好处 你见过一个笨手笨脚的男人往箱子上钉钉子吗？只见他左敲敲，右敲敲，说不准还会将整个钉子锤翻，结果敲来敲去到头来只敲进了半截。而娴熟的木匠就不这么干。他每敲一下都会坚实巧妙地正对着钉头落下去，一钉到底。语言也是如此。一位优秀的艺术家谴词造句上力求准确而有力地表达自己的观点。差不多的词，不准确的短语，摸棱两可的表达，含糊不清的修饰，都无法使一位追求纯真英语的作家满意。他会一直思考，直至找到那个能准确表达他的意思的词。 法国人有一个很贴切的短语来表达这样一个意思，即“le mot juste”, 恰到好处的词。有很多关于精益求精的作家的名人轶事，比如福楼拜常花几天的时间力求使一两个句子在表达上准确无误。在浩瀚的词海中，词与词之间有着微妙的区别，要找到能恰如其分表达我们意思的词绝非易事。这不仅仅是扎实的语言功底和相当大的词汇量的问题，还需要人们绞尽脑汁，要观察敏锐。选词是认识过程的一个步骤，也是详细描述我们的思想感情并表达出来使自己以及听众和读者深刻理解的一个环节。有人说：“在我思想未成文之前，我怎么知道自己的想法？”这听起来似乎很离谱，但它确实很有道理。 寻找恰如其分的词的确是件不容易的事。一旦找到了那个词，我们就会感到很欣慰：辛劳得到了回报。准确地用语言有助于我们深入了解我们描述的事物。例如，当有人问你：“某某是怎么样的人？”你回答说：“恩，我想他是个不错的家伙，但他非常……”接着你犹豫了，试图找到一个词或短语来说明他到底讨厌在哪里。当你找到一个恰当的短语的时候，你发觉自己对他的看法更清楚，也更精确了。 一些英语词汇词根相同而意义却截然不同。例如human 和humane,二者的词根相同，词义也相关，但用法完全不同。“ human action (人类行为)”和“humane action ( 人道行为)”完全是两码事。我们不能说“人道权力宣言”，而是说“人权宣言”。有一种屠杀工具叫“humane killer ( 麻醉屠宰机)，而不是human killer ( 杀人机器)。 语言中的坏手艺的例子在我们身边随处可见。有人邀请一名学生去吃饭，他写信给予回复。请看他的信是这样结尾的：“我将很高兴赴约并满怀不安（anxiety ）期待着那个日子的到来。”“Anxiety” 含有烦恼和恐惧的意味。作者想表达的很可能是一种翘首期盼的心情。“Anxiety” 跟热切期盼有一定的关联，但在这个场合是不能等同的。 乌干达一政党领袖给新闻界的一封信中有一句这样写道： 让我们打破这自私、投机、怯懦和无知充斥的乌干达，代之以真理，刚毅，坚定和奇异的精神。 这一激动人心的呼吁被最后一个词“奇异（singularity）” 的误用破坏掉了。我猜想作者真正要表达的意思是思想的专一，即抱定一个信念永不改变，咬定青山不放松，不被次要的目的干扰。而singularity 指的是古怪，特性，是将一个人从众多人中区分出来的那种东西。 即使没有出现词语误用，这词仍可能不是符合作者意图的恰如其分的词。一名记者在一篇有关圣诞节的社论中这样引出狄更斯的话： 任何有关圣诞节的想法和文字已经被禁锢(imprisoned )在这句话中……“Imprisonment” 暗示着强迫，威逼，这么一来似乎意思是有悖其初衷的。用“包含(contained )”或“归结（summed up ）”就要好些。“概括（epitomized）”也行，尽管听起来有点僵硬。稍微再用点心我们就能准确地找到“mot juste (恰倒好处的词) ”，那就是“distilled”.它比包含和归结语气更强。“Distillation (提炼)”意味得到本质（essence）的东西。因此我们可以进一步把这个句子修改为： 所有有关圣诞节的想法和文字的精华都被提炼到这句话之中。