胡敏--故事背单词(易记易学)(doc35)

胡敏读故事记单词文稿归稿存档编号：[KKUY-KKIO69-OTM243-OLUI129-G00I-FDQS58-胡敏读故事记单词第1篇abbreviation n.缩写, 缩写词abide vt. 容忍abide by 遵守，履行abnormal a.反常的，异常的abolish vt. 废止, 废除(法律、制度、习俗等)abortion n. 流产, 堕胎abound vi. 1. 大量存在 2.（in,with）充满 ,富于abreast ad. 并列，并排keep abreast of 与……齐头并进，了解……的最新情况abrupt a. 1. 突然的,意外的 2.（举止、言谈等）唐突的，鲁莽的abstain vi. 1.弃权2.（from）戒除absurd a. 荒谬的，荒唐的abundance n. 大量，丰富，充足in abundance 充足，丰富accessory n. 1.附件，零件，配件 2.[常pl.]（妇女手提包之类的）装饰品 3.同谋，帮凶，包庇犯acclaim vt. 向……欢呼，为……喝彩 n. 称赞，欢迎accommodate vt. 1.容纳 2.向……提供住处（或膳宿） 3.使适应，顺应accomplice n. 共犯，从犯accountable a. 负有责任的 ace n. 1.（纸牌等中的）幺点，“A”牌 2.（网球等比赛中）发球得分 3.（在某方面的）佼佼者 a. 第一流的杰出的acoustic a. 1.听觉的，声音的 2.（乐器）原声的acquaint vt. （with）使认识，使了解，使熟悉acquit vt. 1.宣判……无罪 2.（oneself）使（自己）作出某种表现activate vt. 使活动起来，使开始起作用Accommodating a PregnancyXiaomin never thought abortion was a big deal. As he became acquaintedwith American politics , however , he realized you have to work hard to keep abreast of changing values to truly understand how absurdly controversial this issue has become. He found out from his American friends that opinions are in abundance of how to teach people to be accountable for their actions, how to make people abide by Family Planning laws, and even how to teach people justto abstain from sex. The significance of this issue became abruptly clear when Xiaomin's best friend, Jeff, got his girlfriend pregnant.Jeff was an acclaimed graduate student who was living an abnormal life from other Americans just by attending a Chinese university to get hisPh.D.(Ph.D. is an abbreviation for Doctor of Philosophy, the highest degree available in a university). Jeff was also an ace soccer player and acoustic guitar player. There was also alway an abundance of women around him. This is how he met Sarah.When Sarah became pregnant with Jeff, his friends suddenly treated him as if he was an accessory to murder. Jeff also felt as if he needed to be acquitted of some crime. But he decided in the end that he and his accomplice, Sarah, would keep the baby. According to Jeff and Sarah, the life of their child was more important than their career. Xiaomin was amazed. Keeping the child would abolish any chance of a successful career for Jeff. And in Xiaomin's eyes, one could activate the process for an abortion with a simple visit to the doctor even though there might be lines, three people abreast.But Jeff and Sarah were firm in their decision and Xiaomin had to abide his friends' decision. Life abounded in surprises. Now Jeff and Sarah were leaving school and returning to the United States. They would do everying they could to accommodate themselves to their new situation.选择生孩子小民从来没想过流产是个大事。

胡敏读故事记单词第6篇WORDordeal n. 苦难经历，折磨，煎熬orient vt.1.使适应，使熟悉 2.（to,toward）使朝向，以……为方向（目标）n. ［the O_］东方，亚洲（尤指远东），东半球oriental a. 东方的，东方人的，东方文化的orientation n.1.方向，目标，方位 2.熟悉情况，适应，情况介绍originate vi. （in,from,with）起源于，来自，产生 vt. 创造，创始，开创ornament n.1.装饰品，点缀品 2.装饰，点缀 vt. 装饰，点缀，美化orphan n. 孤儿 vt. 使成为孤儿orthodox a.1.传统的 2.正统的，正宗的oust vt.1.驱逐 2.罢黜，罢免，把……撤职（以取而代之）outbreak n. （战争、情感、火山等的）爆发，（疾病、虫害等的）突然发生outfit n.1.（用于某种场合的）全套服装 2.（协同工作的）一组人 3.全套装备，全套工具outing n. 远足，郊游，短途旅行，外出参观（或看戏等）outlaw n. 歹徒，亡命之徒 vt. 宣布……为不合法outrage n.1.义愤，愤慨 2.暴行，骇人听闻的事件 vt. 激起……的义愤，激怒outright ad.1.坦率地，直率地，无保留地 2.完全地，彻底地 3.立即，当场 a.1.清楚的，无疑的，明白无误的 2.完全的，彻底的outskrits[pl.] n. 外围地区，郊区，郊外overdue a.1.过期的，到期末付的 2.早该有的，迟到的，延误的overflow vi.1.满得外溢，外流，泛滥 2.（with）充满，洋溢 vt.淹没，从……中溢出，多得使无法容纳 n.1.容纳不下的物（或人） 2.溢出，满出 3.溢流口，溢流管overhear vt.无意中听到，偷听到overlap v.1.（与……）部分重叠 2.（与……）部分相同 n.重叠，重叠的部分?An Outlaw OutingThe outing was long overdue. We had been hiding on the outskirts of town as outlaws for far too long. When we overheard that there was an outbreak of some sickness in town that had originated in the orient we knew it was time to come out of hiding and see what was going on. They were calling it the "Oriental Sickness" but we didn't care.The first person we met as we wandered into town was a boy who told us outright that he had just become an orphan. He had nowhere else to go and he wanted to join our outfit. Our leader was outraged that such a small boy had recognized us so easily, but we kept walking into town.Once there we saw that the ordeal must have been great. All ornaments on the buildings for the coming orthodox holiday season had been torn down, several were burnt from fire, and bodies were lying on the street. When we went to get water the bucket was overflowing with blood. We didn't dare drink anything.Quickly losing our orientation as outlaws on the run we were surprised when a mass of people rushed up to us. Their voices were overlapping as they cried for us to take them away. When we replied that we couldn't do anything the crowd turned ugly and ousted us from town.As we rode away none of us could speak. Sometimes natural events overwhelm you, as your own mistakes never can.歹徒的外出出去的时间早就到了，我们作为亡命之徒在城外郊区已经躲得太久。

1. The Time of LincolnAbraham Lincoln was the 16 th president of the United States of America. He is rememberedfor many things, including his log-cabin home, his absurd looking clothing accessory,a top-hat, but Lincoln?s absolute most important contribution to America?s history was to abolish slavery, a very hard task to accomplish at that time. In the middle of the 19 th century, America was split by an abstract border. The country was cut into two parts: the North and the South. There were an abundance of differences which caused this abnormal separation. For instance, the North held allof the Universities and Military Academies whereas in the South, access to such institutions was limited. Also, Northerners spoke standard American English while Southerners spoke with a Southern accent. But the largest difference that abound between the North and the South at that time was slavery and all of the aspects that accompanied it.The North thought that the South should abandon slavery because mint most cases, slaves faced daily abuse from their owners. Most Northerners tried to abide by the rule that “A ll men are created equal.”T hese reasons largely account for the American Civil War. The Civil War was a long, brutal war with a very high casualty rate. Many young men from both the North and the South were killed on the battlefield; the death toll was also accelerated by the fact that small Army hospitals could not accommodate so many wounded soldiers.The Civil War was filled with heroes on both sides of the battlefield. Names like U.S.Grant, General Sherman, and the acclaimed Southern General Robert E. Lee. All of these men fought bravely and made harrowing decisions on their own accord. But Lincoln is probably most often associated with his leadership of the country during this difficult period. He was a firm believer that slavery was wrong and he fought hard to stop it. In 1863, Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation which legally granted freedom to all slaves living in America. But in 1865, Lincoln ?s life came to an abrupt ended while he was watching a play at Ford ?s Theater in Washington D.C. His death was not an accident; he was assassinated by a man named John Wilkes Booth.Not long after Lincoln ?s death, the North defeated the South and the Civil War was ended. The South was no longer thought of as another country, but part of America. And all of the slaves living and working in the South were freed and absorbed into society.2. Mike — a Story of Personal ChangeMike could hardly be described as your typical adolescent. He would casually acknowledge to his few friends that he liked to watch DVDs, although perhaps a more accurate description was that he was a DVD addict. Over the last six months, Mike had accumulated thousands of DVDs. When he was not at school, he had become accustomed to spending his time wandering the streets of the city, acquiring more and more films. Indeed, it became a joke that if asked for his address, he would give the address of the DVD shop adjacent to our school since he spent so much time there.Mike hated attending school. In his eyes, its only advantage was its location. During lessons,he adopted a rather cool demeanor towards most of his classmates and was often accused of being aloof. All he seemed concerned about was adding to his DVD collection. In truth, Mike had not adapted to life at the school very well. Perhaps he felt that he still needed adequate time to adjustto a new environment although no one could work out why he harbored such an acute feeling ofself-pity.As someone who also adores watching films, I had slowly become acquainted with Mike. I had often seen him in the DVD shop which adjoined our school, yet it took a long time before he responded to my advances of friendship. Maybe it was an exaggeration to say we were actually friends, although he would at least acknowledge my presence with a cursory nod of the head when he saw me.One day, I was asked to administrate our school?s new film club. I was a little wary about asking Mike to help me select suitable films in case he said no. however, I needn?t have worried. Mike ?s face lit up as he scrutinized a poster I had just adhered to the wall. The poster advertised the grand opening of the Film Club the following week. ,Hey David, ? he muttered excitedly, ,I want to be involved with that. ?The change in Mike ?s behavior over the next month was dramatic. I have no doubt that it was the Film Club which activated the turnaround. Once a boy who spent most of his time sulking, Mike was now a model student. Before each film was shown, he would give a very informative speech about the director and main actors. Everyone was impressed by his knowledge and passion for films and he suddenly became extremely popular at school.3. SaltNow that Billy ?s parents were a little more affluent, the family had agreed that they could a cottage on the out skirts of town. Although the cottage was somewhat old-fashioned, the agent who rented the place to them was keen to advocate that they should not install air-conditioning as they could air-condition the place by opening the skylights. The day that they moved, the air was heavy with the advent of spring, a sense of renewal accompanied them along the way; Billy andthe old dog Rufus watched the amazing aerial gymnastics of the swallows out of the car window, browsing through the family album every now and then. When they arrived, a group of men were unloading the van. Billy thought looking around the new surroundings should be placed high on their agenda, so he whistled to Rufus and they set off on an adventure. They found a small footpath, Rufus showing his excitement and his affection for Billy by panting and wagging his tail. Billy was at an age when he could still feel a sense of aesthetic excitement at the beauty of nature. The adverse effects of those years in the city seemed to vanish as he walked, and with Rufus as his affiliate he felt invincible. However, he had reckoned without Rufus. They rounded a bend in the path and suddenly, in the next field, they saw sheep. Rufus knew a good game when he saw one, he ran straight into the field, baking aggressively. Just then, a man in green boots stepped out and in an equally aggressive manner started to shout at Rufus to get out of the field. With a sense of alarm, Billy realized that the man was carrying a shotgun and he saw him level it and take aim at Rufus.“P lease don?t shoot ”, yelled Billy, but this seemed to aggravate the man still more. The gun went off and Rufus howled in agony. He ran helter-skelter back to Billy with his tail between his legs. The man strode over to Billy.“T hose sheep are pregnant ”, the man said, angrily. “I f you agitate them they can lose their lambs. I will affirm my right to kill any dog that chases them. ”“I agree”, said Billy. “A nd I?m sorry, please; help me get Rufus to a vet! ”“I don ?t think your dog will need a vet this time ”, said them man, “t he gun was only loaded with salt. But next time, keep him on a lead, okay? ”4. Freshman YearI was born in a small town, up in the mountains. Because of the high altitude, few people lived there. I was always amid my neighbors and friends, people I had known for all of my life. When I was in my hometown, I felt like those days would last forever. But the days went by quickly, and soon I found myself packing my bags for college. I was full of ambition, and had applied to go to university in a big city.When I first got to my university, I was on the alert for everything. I felt very much alone without my family and friends. I was like an alien arriving on a new planet. I felt like an ambassador from another world. Once classes started, things were better. I was busier, because I had to allocate most of my time to studying. I wanted to work hard, and did not allow my self to go to a large amount of parties. I wanted to find an alternate social life that would let me have fun, without always drinking alcohol, like some university students do. Many people allege that this is why some students get bad grades their first year at university.Because I felt very ambiguous about what I wanted to study, I took many different classes. I tried many different things, but still hadn?t found the perfect match for me. This made me feel even more lost at school, and I knew I had to find a way to amend things. In order to make new friends, and alleviate my loneliness, I joined the drama club at my school. It was there I met my first ally. The president of the drama club was an older student, named Betty. She was quite amiable, and helped give me advice about school. She helped me to alter my schedule so that I had the best classes.Soon our drama club put on its first show. It was a comedy, full of jokes to amuse the audience. My parents and friends even drove out to watch me. We were only amateur actors, but I think we did a good job. After the show, my father said, “S arah, you amaze me, I didn ?t know you were so good at acting!”such ample praise made me very proud. That was when I realized what I wanted to be, an actress.5. Story of the VikingsJerry had been interested in ancient history since he was a little child. Every night before going to bed, his grandfather would tell him stories of great civilizations like the Romans, the Vikings, the Incas and many others. These short anecdotes and stories always involved great kings and leaders, great wars and battles, and great heroes and foes. However, a story that had anything to do with the fierce Vikings was always Jerry ?s favorite. He was most interested in these stories because his grandfather had analyzedtheir family tree and discovered that the family?s ancestors were actually Vikings.Every day at school, Jerry would wonder what story his grandfather would tell him that night.. He was always anxious to come home so that he could see his grandfather and hear the next story. Apart from the action of each story, Jerry?s grandfather also tried to teach Jerry a life-lesson that he could apply in his life. Jerry?s grandfather often accomplished this by using analogies to compare Jerry?s life with some thing from that day?s story. The story that Jerry enjoyed the most was about an annual fishing trip that the Vikings made each year on a certain anniversary. in this story, the captain of a large Viking ship decided to set sail without bringing their large, heavy anchor because they did not anticipate the trip taking a long time and they wanted more room for all of the fish too because the Vikings had a strong appetite for fish.Some of the Vikings on the ship were appalled at the decision of not bringing an anchor because of the apparent danger of not bringing one. They thought the ship was anything but safe. These men appealed to the captain of the ship and one man even wrote an anonymous letter to the king of the Vikings asking that an anchor be put on the ship. But the captain of the ship announced that they were leaving the next day. This answer annoyed several of the Viking crew, but they listed to their captain and set sail.Not long after setting sail, the Viking ship encountered a large storm. The ship was being badly damaged and the captain felt anguish because they needed the large anchor at this moment. Soon after the storm ended,the captain apologized to his crew for not listening to them and promised to buy all of them a bottle of beer when they returned home. Although the crew of the ship was still wet and tired from the storm, they applauded when they heard the captain apologize.6. The Young Police ChiefJim had been appointed as the police chief of his local division —an appointment that he took very seriously as he secretly aspired to ascend to become the leader of the entire city ?s police department. His promotion had not met with the approval of everyone within the department, because although he was an apt leader who did not ask too much of his men, many did not appreciate his somewhat arrogant methods when dealing with the senior members of the police force. As one of the youngest police chiefs ever, his promotion was considered by many of the older policemen an assault on the way thing had always been done, and they were very apprehensive at an array of new programs that Jim had installed within the department. They consideredhim to be an outsider who had come ashore without spending an appropriate amount of time on the police force before being promoted.Sal, one of the oldest members of the force, took Jim aside to ascertain whether Jim was aware that there might be problems ahead.“I t ?s not that we don?t approve of the job that you are doing”, Sal said, “b utyour promotion at such a young age has aroused the curiosity of what if is that makes you deserving of such a position. We need time to appraise your performance”.Jim was a very articulate young man, and there was nothing artificial about him. He decided to speak to all of the men as a group before any more problems could arise.“I understand your concerns, but I assure you that the commissioner?s decision to appoint me as your leader was not an arbitrary one”, Jim said confidently to the group. “I am not ashamed of my young age, and I hope that you will give me time to prove to you that I am worthy of being your police chief. ”at that very moment, the sound of gunfire was heard outside as an assault began on the bank across the stree—t the criminal had very foolishly chosen to approach a bank very close to a police station. Jim was the first policeman to run outside and approach the gunman. His apt ability in dealing with such a dangerous situation was apparent to everyone. Within approximately two minutes, he had arrestedthe bank robber. Jim had not only prevented a crime, but he had also earned the respect and appreciation for his fellow officers, who now felt ashamed that had ever questioned his leadership abilities.7. Accident on Elm StreetThe junction between Elm Street and Beech Street was an accident black spot. It was easy to assume that no one would be coming the other way, and if a driver was not attentive enough he could easily come to grief. People attributed this to the fact that children would often assemble at the junction, making it hard for drivers to assessthe traffic situation. Local residents would often assert that the only way to make the junction safe would be to augment the poorly lit stop signs with a set of lights, or at the very least, to assign a lollipop person to the junction at the times when children were going to and from school.The local police were sympathetic to these requests,but to no avail. They claimed they lacked the authority to install a set of lights. Things had been tight since the previous year?s local government audit, and funds were unlikely to be forthcoming. However, they would, when asked, frequently assure the questioner that they hoped the government would soon augment their budget and allow them increased autonomy in making financial decisions, in which case dealing with the Elm Street junction would be a top priority. Many people pointed out that simply to wait for the government to act was pointless, that maybe a set of traffic lights could be purchased cheaply in an auction, or that a lollipop person, besides making the junction safer for the children, would cheer the place up and be an authentic asset to the community. But it seemed that forordinary people to suggest improvements to their own community merely served to astonish the police.The matter was settled in a rather unlikely fashion. At the beginning of March a collision occurred between the Chief of Police and the auxiliary fire service chief who was speeding to attend a fire. The Chiefof Police saw the accident coming and sounded his horn to give aural warning of his approach, but the auxiliary fir service chief was already attempting to avoid a small boy and was unable to assimilate the warning signals in time. The auxiliary fire service chief and his associate, who was in the back seat, were unhurt. The chief of police, however, was slightly concussed. he got out of his vehicle and staggered around with a slightly bemused expression on his face, as though he was about to attain nirvana, after which he spent twenty minutes trying to attach a parking ticket to the hole where the fireman?s windscreen had been.81. The Missing CatChristina and Patrick baker stood outside their empty house. They watched the moving company work, packing the last cardboard boxes in the large truck. They were ready to go, but their cat Nutty was nowhere to be found. Nutty had decided to withdraw and had hidden himselfin the woods behind his owner ?s house. Now it was time to go, and his owner were beginning to wonder where he was. The removal company wasn ?t willing to wait any more, so Christina and Patrick got into the truck. Making a decision that would wrench their hearts, they left their cat behind.Their new house, across the town from their old house, was a lot beautiful. But Christina and Patrick were not happy. Nutty was worth a lot to them, they missed him greatly. Christina had given the cat as a present to Patrick on their first Christmas together. That day they laughed and laughed watching the small bundle of fur wrap himself up in a bit of wire that he had got fromtheir Christmas wreath . He had wound himself up while wrestling with the wire, and was now unable to move, and were beginning to worship Nutty, and the joy he brought to them.Unable to withstand a life without their favorite friend, the couple made a plan. They sat down to write a flyer. They wrote about their missing cat, and taped a photo of Nutty to the flyer. Then they went to xerox copies of the flyer. They drove back to their old neighborhood, and stuckthe flyers up on telephone poles and in the local store.Sadly, the flyer did not yield the results they had been looking for. Not one single witness stepped forward to offer a word of information about their cat. However, a few days later they were outside of their new house when they heard a strange sound. They turned around and saw Nutty running towards them meowing! Somehow Nutty had followed their zigzag path, across every major zone of the city, and made it to their home. Christina and Patrick embraced their cat with zeal. Of course the cat was a wreck due to the journey. Someone or something had wounded him. He looked wretched, but they loved every wrinkle. They praised the cat for his braveryand wit. They hadn ?t found him, but he had found them!。

胡敏读故事记单词第4篇WORDactivist n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家addict n.1.有瘾的人 2.入迷的人vt.使成瘾，使入迷additive n.添加剂adhere vi.1.(to)粘附，附着 2.遵守，坚持 3.追随，支持adhesive n.粘合剂 a.可粘着的，粘性的adjacent a.(to)邻近的，毗连的adjoin vt.贴近，与...毗连adjourn v.(使)休会，(使)休庭administer vt.1.掌管，料理...的事务 2.施行，实施 3.给予，派给，投(药) admiral n.海军将领，舰队司令adolescent n.青少年 a.青春期的，青少年的adore vt.1.崇拜，敬慕，爱慕 2.非常喜欢adorn vt.装饰，使生色advent n. 出现，到来adversary n.对手，敌手adverse a.不利的，有害的aerial a.1.飞机的，航空的，由飞机进行的 2.空中的，架空的 n.天线aesthetic a.美学的, 审美的, 有审美感的affiliate vt.使隶属于 n. 附属机构，分公司affirm vt.1.断言，坚持声称 2.证实，确认afflict vt.使苦恼，折磨A Change of HeartThe anti-war activist was not surprised at all that his primary adversay,the Admiral,had been afflicted with a drug addict for a son.He was actually quite happy to find out that his enemy had such personal problems.It was the advent of a new day,however,when the activist decided to help administer the treatment for the adolescent and help the Admiral fight this [b][color=#ff0000]adverse situation.And it was clear that the Admiral was a wonderful person when the activist saw how much the Admiral adored his son.Now living in an adjacent room in a special section of a treatment center, the activist was able to adhere to the strictest methods for helping the boy fight his addiction. The activist was able to help with aesthetic changes,such as adorning the boy with clean clothes, as well as affirm the boy as his body struggled with the medical additives that would help the boy get better.Certain events were luckily also not adhesive in the youth's mind. This included the boys' aerial leap from a tall building. He did not die only because he landed in the swimming pool of the adjoining building.And now the activist was gaining the attention of his affiliates because of his honorable actions. This had never been his motive. He had only wanted to help a person in need. And, as the Admiral adjourned their weekly meeting about the boy's progress,the activist was really happy that he had been able to make a difference in someone's life.彻底的改变这位反战积极分子的主要对手，舰队司令因儿子染上毒瘾而十分苦恼，但他对此一点也不感到厅怪。

胡敏读故事记单词
胡敏读故事记单词是一种学习英语单词的方法。

这种方法的基本原理是通过阅读故事或文章来学习和记忆单词。

具体操作方法如下：
1. 选择适合自己水平的故事或文章，可以从简单的儿童故事开始，逐渐过渡到更复杂的文章。

2. 在阅读过程中，将不认识的单词标注出来或在旁边做记号。

可以使用不同的颜色或符号来区分单词的难度和重要程度。

3. 在阅读完一段或一篇文章后，将标注的单词用一个单词表格或笔记本记录下来。

可以按照字母顺序或主题分类整理。

4. 每天花一些时间来复习之前学习过的单词。

可以通过朗读、默写、造句等方式来巩固记忆。

5. 在学习新的故事或文章时，重复以上步骤。

通过不断地阅读和复习，逐渐扩大词汇量并提高英语水平。

此外，胡敏读故事记单词的过程中还可以结合其他学习方法，如使用词根词缀分析单词的意思、使用单词卡片进行记忆等。

最重要的是保持坚持和积极的学习态度，相信通过不断的努力和练习，英语水平会有所提高。

托福想要拿高分，得先过词汇这关，今天小编给大家带来胡敏读故事记单词托福词汇,希望能够帮助到大家，下面小编就和大家分享，来欣赏一下吧。

胡敏读故事记单词托福词汇calculate vt. 计算，估计calibration n. 校准;规定;刻度camouflage1 n./v. 伪装campaign n. (政治或商业性)活动，竞选活动;vi.竞选;作战cancel vt. 取消cancellation2 n. 取消candid3 adj. 率直，坦白而诚实的candidate n. 候选人cannibalism4 n. 同类相食canny5 adj. 精明的，节约的canopy6 n. 天蓬，遮蓬canvas n. 帆布，画布canvass7 v. 征求意见，游说拉票canyon8 n. 峡谷capability9 n. 能力capable adj. 有能力的capacious adj. 容量大的capacity n. 容量，能力captivate vt. 迷惑，迷住captivity10 n. 囚禁，拘留My new employer told me that they needed someone with my capabilities11 to lead their unpopular forest clearing campaign. They said I was the best candidate for the job. I was a canny negotiator and a very capable speaker. To me, it was just a matter of being candid with the resident natives. I would captivate them with money before telling them that we needed to deforest their land. Then, I could easily calculate and negotiate a reasonable price.I got the job, rather easily I thought. The company directed me to travel into the wilderness12 by boat to canvass the resident natives. The night before the trip, I weighed myself. “Could the calibration on this scale the correct?” I said to myself. “I guess I better cancel my dinner plans. Otherwise the boat might sink.” But I knew that such a cancellation would make me too sad to travel, so I ate my usual meal.The boat was capacious. The boat’s large canopy was made of green and brown canvas. It served as a nice camouflage for the boat. We floated down through the canyon for hours until we f inally stopped. “You’ll travel by foot now, alone!” the boat captain said. He filled my water bottle to capacity and pointed13 the way with a strange smile.Not long after, I ran into a resident native. He led me deep into the forest where I met their chie f. He smiled and said, “You’ve had a long trip. My family would love to have you for dinner.” Expection a feast, I replied, “I’d be honored.”Well, I’ve been in captivity for several hours now, awaiting the feast. What a pity. I was prepared for everything but cannibalism.我的新雇主告诉我，他们需要一个像我这样有能力的人去领导那项不太受欢迎的森林采伐工程。

1. The Time of LincolnAbraham Lincoln was the 16th president of the United States of America. He is remembered for many things, including his log-cabin home, his absurd looking clothing accessory, a top-hat, but Lincoln’s absolute most important contribution to America’s history was to abolish slavery, a very hard task to accomplish at that time. In the middle of the 19th century, America was split by an abstract border. The country was cut into two parts: the North and the South. There were an abundance of differences which caused this abnormal separation. For instance, the North held all of the Universities and Military Academies whereas in the South, access to such institutions was limited. Also, Northerners spoke standard American English while Southerners spoke with a Southern accent. But the largest difference that abound between the North and the South at that time was slavery and all of the aspects that accompanied it.The North thought that the South should abandon slavery because mint most cases, slaves faced daily abuse from their owners. Most Northerners tried to abide by the rule that “All men are created equal.” These reasons largely account for the American Civil War. The Civil War was a long, brutal war with a very high casualty rate. Many young men from both the North and the South were killed on the battlefield; the death toll was also accelerated by the fact that small Army hospitals could not accommodate so many wounded soldiers.The Civil War was filled with heroes on both sides of the battlefield. Names like U.S.Grant, General Sherman, and the acclaimed Southern General Robert E. Lee. Allof these men fought bravely and made harrowing decisions on their own accord. But Lincoln is probably most often associated with his leadership of the country during this difficult period. He was a firm believer that slavery was wrong and he fought hard to stop it. In 1863, Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation which legally granted freedom to all slaves living in America. But in 1865, Lincoln’s li fe came to an abrupt ended while he was watching a play at Ford’s Theater in Washington D.C. His death was not an accident; he was assassinated by a man named John Wilkes Booth.Not long after Lincoln’s death, the North defeated the South and the Civil War was ended. The South was no longer thought of as another country, but part of America. And all of the slaves living and working in the South were freed and absorbed into society.2. Mike — a Story of Personal ChangeMike could hardly be described as your typical adolescent. He would casually acknowledge to his few friends that he liked to watch DVDs, although perhaps a more accurate description was that he was a DVD addict. Over the last six months, Mike had accumulated thousands of DVDs. When he was not at school, he had become accustomed to spending his time wandering the streets of the city, acquiring more and more films. Indeed, it became a joke that if asked for his address, he would give the address of the DVD shop adjacent to our school since he spent so much time there.Mike hated attending school. In his eyes, its only advantage was its location.During lessons, he adopted a rather cool demeanor towards most of his classmates and was often accused of being aloof. All he seemed concerned about was adding to his DVD collection. In truth, Mike had not adapted to life at the school very well. Perhaps he felt that he still needed adequate time to adjust to a new environment although no one could work out why he harbored such an acute feeling of self-pity.As someone who also adore s watching films, I had slowly become acquainted with Mike. I had often seen him in the DVD shop which adjoined our school, yet it took a long time before he responded to my advances of friendship. Maybe it was an exaggeration to say we were actually friends, although he would at least acknowledge my presence with a cursory nod of the head when he saw me.One day, I was asked to administrate our school’s new film club. I was a little wary about asking Mike to help me select suitable films in case he said no. however, I needn’t have worried. Mike’s face lit up as he scrutinized a poster I had just adhered to the wall. The poster advertised the grand opening of the Film Club the following week. ‘Hey David,’ he mutter ed excitedly, ‘I want to be involved with that.’The change in Mike’s behavior over the next month was dramatic. I have no doubt that it was the Film Club which activated the turnaround. Once a boy who spent most of his time sulk ing, Mike was now a model student. Before each film was shown, he would give a very informative speech about the director and main actors. Everyone was impressed by his knowledge and passion for films and he suddenly became extremely popular at school.3. SaltNow that Billy’s parents were a little more affluent, the family had agreed that they could a cottage on the out skirts of town. Although the cottage was somewhat old-fashioned, the agent who rented the place to them was keen to advocate that they should not install air-conditioning as they could air-condition the place by opening the skylights. The day that they moved, the air was heavy with the advent of spring, a sense of renewal accompanied them along the way; Billy and the old dog Rufus watched the amazing aerial gymnastics of the swallows out of the car window, browsing through the family album every now and then. When they arrived, a group of men were unloading the van. Billy thought looking around the new surroundings should be placed high on their agenda, so he whistled to Rufus and they set off on an adventure. They found a small footpath, Rufus showing his excitement and his affection for Billy by panting and wag ging his tail. Billy was at an age when he could still feel a sense of aesthetic excitement at the beauty of nature. The adverse effects of those years in the city seemed to vanish as he walked, and with Rufus as his affiliate he felt invincible. However, he had reckoned without Rufus. They rounded a bend in the path and suddenly, in the next field, they saw sheep. Rufus knew a good game when he saw one, he ran straight into the field, baking aggressively. Just then, a man in green boots stepped out and in an equally aggressive manner started to shout at Rufus to get out of the field. With a sense of alarm, Billy realized that the man was carrying a shotgun and he saw him level it and take aim at Rufus.“Please don’t shoot”, yelled Billy, but this seemed to aggravate the man still more.The gun went off and Rufus howled in agony. He ran helter-skelter back to Billy with his tail between his legs. The man strode over to Billy.“Those sheep are pregnant”, the man said, angrily. “If you agitate them they can lose their lambs. I will affirm my right to kill any dog that chases them.”“I agree”, said Billy. “And I’m sorry, please; help me get Rufus to a vet!”“I don’t think your dog will need a vet this time”, said them man, “the gun was only loaded with salt. But next time, keep him on a lead, okay?”4. Freshman YearI was born in a small town, up in the mountains. Because of the high altitude, few people lived there. I was always amid my neighbors and friends, people I had known for all of my life. When I was in my hometown, I felt like those days would last forever. But the days went by quickly, and soon I found myself packing my bags for college. I was full of ambition, and had applied to go to university in a big city.When I first got to my university, I was on the alert for everything. I felt very much alone without my family and friends. I was like an alien arriving on a new planet. I felt like an ambassador from another world. Once classes started, things were better. I was busier, because I had to allocate most of my time to studying. I wanted to work hard, and did not allow my self to go to a large amount of parties. I wanted to find an alternate social life that would let me have fun, without always drinking alcohol, like some university students do. Many people allege that this is why some students get bad grades their first year at university.Because I felt very ambiguous about what I wanted to study, I took many different classes. I tried many different things, but still hadn’t found the perfect match for me. This made me feel even more lost at school, and I knew I had to find a way to amend things. In order to make new friends, and alleviate my loneliness, I joined the drama club at my school. It was there I met my first ally. The president of the drama club was an older student, named Betty. She was quite amiable, and helped give me advice about school. She helped me to alter my schedule so that I had the best classes.Soon our drama club put on its first show. It was a comedy, full of jokes to amuse the audience. My parents and friends even drove out to watch me. We were only amateur actors, but I think we did a go od job. After the show, my father said, “Sarah, you amaze me, I didn’t know you were so good at acting!” such ample praise made me very proud. That was when I realized what I wanted to be, an actress.5. Story of the VikingsJerry had been interested in ancient history since he was a little child. Every night before going to bed, his grandfather would tell him stories of great civilizations like the Romans, the Vikings, the Incas and many others. These short anecdotes and stories always involved great kings and leaders, great wars and battles, and great heroes and foes. However, a story that had anything to do with the fierce Vikings was always Jerry’s favorite. He was most interested in these stories because his grandfather had analyzed their family tree and discovered that the family’s ancestorswere actually Vikings.Every day at school, Jerry would wonder what story his grandfather would tell him that night.. He was always anxious to come home so that he could see his grandfather and hear the next story. Apart from the action of each story, Jerry’s grandfather also tried to teach Jerry a life-lesson that he could apply in his life. Jerry’s grandfather often accomplished this by using analogies to compare Jerry’s life with some thing from that day’s story. The story that Jerry enjoyed the most was about an annual fishing trip that the Vikings made each year on a certain anniversary. in this story, the captain of a large Viking ship decided to set sail without bringing their large, heavy anchor because they did not anticipate the trip taking a long time and they wanted more room for all of the fish too because the Vikings had a strong appetite for fish.Some of the Vikings on the ship were appalled at the decision of not bringing an anchor because of the apparent danger of not bringing one. They thought the ship was anything but safe. These men appealed to the captain of the ship and one man even wrote an anonymous letter to the king of the Vikings asking that an anchor be put on the ship. But the captain of the ship announced that they were leaving the next day. This answer annoyed several of the Viking crew, but they listed to their captain and set sail.Not long after setting sail, the Viking ship encountered a large storm. The ship was being badly damaged and the captain felt anguish because they needed the large anchor at this moment. Soon after the storm ended, the captain apologized to his crewfor not listening to them and promised to buy all of them a bottle of beer when they returned home. Although the crew of the ship was still wet and tired from the storm, they applauded when they heard the captain apologize.6. The Young Police ChiefJim had been appointed as the police chief of his local division—an appointment that he took very seriously as he secretly aspired to ascend to become the leader of the entire city’s police department. His promotion had not met with the approval of everyone within the department, because although he was an apt leader who did not ask too much of his men, many did not appreciate his somewhat arrogant methods when dealing with the senior members of the police force. As one of the youngest police chiefs ever, his promotion was considered by many of the older policemen an assault on the way thing had always been done, and they were very apprehensive at an array of new programs that Jim had installed within the department. They considered him to be an outsider who had come ashore without spending an appropriate amount of time on the police force before being promoted.Sal, one of the oldest members of the force, took Jim aside to ascertain whether Jim was aware that there might be problems ahead. “It’s not that we don’t approve of the job that you are doing”, Sal said, “but your promotion at such a young age has aroused the curiosity of what if is that makes you deserving of such a position. We need time to appraise your performance.” Jim was a very articulate young man, and there was nothing artificial about him. He decided to speak to all of the men as a group before any more problems could arise. “I understand your concerns, but Iassure you that the commissioner’s decision to appoint me as your leader was not an arbitrary one”, Jim said confidently to the group. “I am not ashamed of my young age, and I hope that you will give me time to prove to you that I am worthy of being your police chief.” at that very moment, the sound of gunfire was heard outside as an assault began on the bank across the street—the criminal had very foolishly chosen to approach a bank very close to a police station. Jim was the first policeman to run outside and approach the gunman. His apt ability in dealing with such a dangerous situation was apparent to everyone. Within approximately two minutes, he had arrested the bank robber. Jim had not only prevented a crime, but he had also earned the respect and appreciation for his fellow officers, who now felt ashamed that had ever questioned his leadership abilities.7. Accident on Elm StreetThe junction between Elm Street and Beech Street was an accident black spot. It was easy to assume that no one would be coming the other way, and if a driver was not attentive enough he could easily come to grief. People attributed this to the fact that children would often assemble at the junction, making it hard for drivers to assess the traffic situation. Local residents would often assert that the only way to make the junction safe would be to augment the poorly lit stop signs with a set of lights, or at the very least, to assign a lollipop person to the junction at the times when children were going to and from school.The local police were sympathetic to these requests, but to no avail. They claimed they lacked the authority to install a set of lights. Things had been tight since theprevious year’s local governm ent audit, and funds were unlikely to be forthcoming. However, they would, when asked, frequently assure the questioner that they hoped the government would soon augment their budget and allow them increased autonomy in making financial decisions, in which case dealing with the Elm Street junction would be a top priority. Many people pointed out that simply to wait for the government to act was pointless, that maybe a set of traffic lights could be purchased cheaply in an auction, or that a lollipop person, besides making the junction safer for the children, would cheer the place up and be an authentic asset to the community. But it seemed that for ordinary people to suggest improvements to their own community merely served to astonish the police.The matter was settled in a rather unlikely fashion. At the beginning of March a collision occurred between the Chief of Police and the auxiliary fire service chief who was speeding to attend a fire. The Chief of Police saw the accident coming and sounded his horn to give aural warning of his approach, but the auxiliary fir service chief was already attempting to avoid a small boy and was unable to assimilate the warning signals in time. The auxiliary fire service chief and his associate, who was in the back seat, were unhurt. The chief of police, however, was slightly concussed. he got out of his vehicle and staggered around with a slightly bemused expression on his face, as though he was about to attain nirvana, after which he spent twenty minutes trying to attach a parking ticket to the hole where the fireman’s windscreen had been.8. The Fishing tripMy father has always loved fishing. Every summer weekend, instead of going to a bar with his bachelor friends, he would head back to his favorite lake, I always begged to go with him to back him up if he caught a big fish, but he said no. I could not bear it any more, but one day I came up with the plan. Seven o'clock that Saturday morning found me already awake. I found my father's old fishing rod, a pair of binoculars, and took some bait from the refrigerator. To avert my mother's suspicion, I told her I was going to a friend's house, and I headed to the lake.The lake was huge, and at first I just stared in awe at the sun on the water. walked down the edge and, a bit awkward at first, began to fish. From my base at the side of the water on a barren beach, I could see an older bald man with a hare head, fishing on the other side of the lake. I looked through my binoculars, and saw that it was my father! He could not see me. All day I fished, and watched my father through the binoculars. I was surprised, because he was quite an average fisherman. He seemed to pay little attention to the fish, and spent a lot of time staring at beautiful things around him.That day, my first time fishing, I managed to catch three big fish, enough for a banquet or just a batch of my mother's award winning fried fish. My mother loved my father bringing home fish. My family wasn't bankrupt; but my mother did love a good bargain. Fishing was popular in our area, and there was no ban on cathing a 1arge number of fish. Legislation to protect fishermen was always on the local ballot .That day, I didn't see my father catch anything. He seemed to enjoy himself, but I think his fascination with nature was a barrier to his catching anything.In the afternoon, I headed home early. I ran home and told my story to my mother and asked her to cook up some of her famous fried fish. Just when the fish was ready, we heard our dog's barks and my father's car, with a bang, pull into the driveway When he saw the fish on the table he was shocked，but very Proud. He promised that now, every week, I could go with him to the lake.9. Story of a Criminal Who Became GoodTommy grew up in a very poor family and felt that he had a bleak future. From a young age he believed the only way to become rich and successful was to cause trouble. He often bewildered his parents with his bizarre behavior at home and at school, but they always loved him because parents always have a positive bias towards their own children. For example, when Tommy got into trouble at school, they would come and speak to the school-master on behalf of their son. His parents would always behave in a benign way towards their son and always show him love. In fact, every night, they would say a prayer and ask God to bless their child.Unfortunately, when Tommy was 11 years old, his house was destroyed in a b1aze. Tommy was very sad about the fire and he blamed himself for it because beforehand he had lit some candles in his bedroom. A flower in his room was near the candle's flame and some blossoms started burning. Soon，the whole room was burning, and when the flames reached the kitchen, there was a large blast. Luckily, Tommy was uninjured in the fire, but his family was left to live on the street. Mostnights he would sneak into the public library and sleep in the warm basement. To get into the library, he had to bend some metal bars covering the window.As Tommy got older, he started getting a lot of money from being a criminal. He often bet on boxing matches and horse races and once, he even pretended he was blind so people would give him some money.One night, while Tommy was sleeping in the 1ibrary, he heard a noise coming from inside the library. He got near and tried to see, but a bookshelf blocked his view, so he went the other direction. What he saw shocked him! He saw the mayor of his town trying to steal the b1ueprints to the local bank. Tommy didn't say anything, but the next day Tommy went to the mayor's house and said that he wanted some money or he would tell the police what the mayor had done. The mayor didn't like being blackmailed, but he had no choice, so he gave Tommy a blank check.Tommy remembered his childhood，and used the money from the mayor to build a park for local children's benefit. He blended many different flowers together, so when they bloomed, they formed a beautifu1 garden.10.The Ultimate BIunderIf was the perfect plan. From years of experience of working at the bank on First Street, Charlie knew that every third Thursday of every month, the executive board would replenish the supply of money, check the bolts and change the locks in the main vault. At that time, there were usually at least ten armed security guards andpolicemen watching every move. She also knew that for the past month, they had been boycotting their usual locksmith, as he had breached his last month's contract by being so bold as to boast about his monthly job to his buddies at the bar.As the bank's business was booming, their trust in Charlie seemed to increase by leaps and bounds as well. What it boiled down to, really, was that her plan to boost their bonus system for clients who invested at least $10,000 a year had a better success rate than any other plan in the last decade. It was only because she bore such a striking resemblance to Mrs. Smith, the original owner of the bank, that she was able to be as blunt as she wanted to be without having to brace herself one bit. If that hadn't been the case, she would never have proposed such an outrageous plan. When her managers, and other coworkers alike, looked at her, they often blushed, thinking that it was Mrs. Smith, and not Charlie, that they were looking at.So, it was not all that strange when Charlie walked into his manager's office that afternoon and suggested that she do the locksmith's job that night. As it was a small town, they all knew that she and her father had a tight bond from all the summers they worked together as locksmiths. Of course, her boss said OK, Charlie did the job, and afterwards, she took everyone out for a drink. As they drank more and more, everything became a bit of a blur. With the knowledge she gained from the drunken security guards, she had all the information she needed to break into the bank.As she neared the Canadian border early the next morning with enough money to never have to work again, she suddenly put on the brakes, took a deepbreath, put her 1eft hand to her bosom, and reached into her pocket with her right. Her dream of bouncing from one city to another as Mrs. Smith was crushed. Her wallet, which contained all of her documents, was in the vault.5、关于坚持的名言，678910111213141550 16171819202122232425。

AA: What is NY an abbreviation for ? B: New York. abbreviationn.缩写, 缩写词A: You always abi de by the law.B: Yes, I think it i s important for na tional governance abidevt. 容忍abide by遵守，履行A: I think my chil d’s behaviour is abnormal.B: No, he just has a lot of energy. abnormala.反常的，异常的A:I think they sh ould abolish all t he rules in this sc hool.B:But then there would be chaos. abolishvt. 废止, 废除(法律、制度、习俗等)A: Can you have an abortion in yo ur country?B: Yes, do you ag ree with it? abortionn. 流产, 堕胎A: Henry abounds with energy.B: I know I can n ever keep up with him.aboundvi. 1. 大量存在2.（in,with）充满,富于A:Do you read th e newspaper ever y morning?B: Yes, I at leasttry to keep abreast of current affairs.abreastad. 并列，并排keep abreast of与……齐头并进，了解……的最新情况A: I heard that you were nearly in an accident.B: Yes, it was a close call—but the car came to an abrupt stop just in time.abrupta. 1. 突然的,意外的2.（举止、言谈等）唐突的，鲁莽的A:Why do you abstain from alcohol?B:I think it is better for my health.abstainvi. 1.弃权2.（from）戒除A: That was an absurd joke.B:Maybe, but itwas still funny.absurda. 荒谬的，荒唐的A: There are an abundance of fliesoutside.B: I think that isbecause of the warm weather.abundancen. 大量，丰富，充足in abundance充足，丰富A: Mary hangs around with Joe a lot.B: Yes, I almostmistook her as anaccessory.accessoryn. 1.附件，零件，配件2.[常pl.]（妇女手提包之类的）装饰品3.同谋，帮凶，包庇犯A:He acclaimedthat he was fully recovered.B:And do you think that he actually was?acclaimvt. 向……欢呼，为……喝彩n. 称赞，欢迎A: How many people will your hotelaccommodate?B: Fifty, at a push.accommodatevt. 1.容纳2.向……提供住处（或膳宿）3.使适应，顺应A:Do you think that Mr. Hand committed the crimealone?B:No, he has anaccomplice.accomplicen. 共犯，从犯A: Why were youlate for work?B: I don’t have to tell you, I’m only accountable tomy boss.accountablea. 负有责任的A: That was an ace tennis match.B: Yeah, it was fantastic.acen. 1.（纸牌等中的）幺点，“A”牌2.（网球等比赛中）发球得分3.（在某方面的）佼佼者a. 第一流的，杰出的A:Do you play the acoustic guitar?B: Usually I play the electric.acoustica. 1.听觉的，声音的2.（乐器）原声的A:Have you acquainted yourself with the material yet?B:No, I still haveto read the book.acquaintvt. （with）使认识，使了解，使熟悉A:Has the case come to a close?B: Yes, the suspect was acquittedbecause there wasnot enough evidence.acquitvt. 1.宣判……无罪2.（oneself）使（自己）作出某种表现A:If you press that red button youwill activate thebomb.B:I’ll be sure notto press it then.activatevt. 使活动起来，使开始起作用A: What do you want to be when you grow up?B: A feminist activist , working forfemale rightsactivistn.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家A: Do you drink tea?B: Yes, but I amaddicted to coffee.addictn. 1.有瘾的人；2.入迷的人vt. 使成瘾，使入迷A: I watch too mu ch television.B: Me too, it is a ddictive addictivea. 使人入迷的，使人上瘾的A: Are you going to wear those old shoes to the wedd ing?B: Yeah, I hate a dhering to formal ities.adherevi. （to ）1.黏附，附着；2.遵守，坚持；3.追随，支持A: Your poster ha s fallen down fro m the wall.B: I ran out of ad hesive and forgot buy some more. adhesiven. 黏合剂a. 可黏着的，粘性的A: Where do you l ive?B: Adjacent to th e hospital, and ne ar the school. adjacenta. (to)邻近的，毗连的A: I always see M ary and Bill togeth er.B: I do too, it is l ike as if they wer e adjoined at the hip.adjoinvt. 贴近，与…毗连A: The pharmacy down the road is closed.B: Yes, it lost its license to administer over the counter drugs.administervt. 1.掌管，料理…的事务；2.施行，实施；3.给予，派给，投（药）A: I am reading abook about a sailing voyage set in1900.B: Is that the onewhere the admiral gets thrown overboard?admiraln. 海军将领，舰队司令A: He looks too young to be at university.B: I thought he was just an adolescentadolescentn. 青少年a. 青春期的，青少年的A: I simply adorethe band U2.B: They are good ,but I prefer TheCranberries.adorevt. 1.崇拜，致敬，爱慕；2.非常喜欢A: Did you enjoythe wedding?B: It was beautiful, the bride was adorned with rosein her hair.adornvt. 装饰，使生色A: I can not waituntil advent is over.B: Likewise, thenI can open all ofmy Christmas presents.adventn. 出现，到来A: Peter and Maryare always fighting.B: I didn’t knowthat they had anadversary relationship.adversaryn. 对手，敌手A: Did you see the thunder and lightening last night?B: No, but the weather has been unusually adverse resently.adversea. 不利的，有害的A: By the way , Ibroke the radio aerial last night.B: I was wondering why the reception was so bad.aeriala. 1.飞机的，航空的，由飞机进行的；2.空中俯瞰的，架空的n. 天线A: Do you like Monet’s work?B: No, I prefer Degas, He appeals more to my aesthetic sense.aesthetic见estheticA: I am going ona study exchangeto France next year.B: Oh, that’s right, your university is affiliated to one in Paris.affiliatevt. 使隶属（或附属）于n. 附属机构，分公司A: Simon affirmed that he was ingood health.B: Good , so hewill be fit for worktomorrow.affirmvt.1.断言，坚持声称；2.证实，确认A: I could never afflict harm uponanother creature.B: Does that mean that you are also a vegetarian?afflictvt. 使苦恼，折磨A: You live in a very affluent areaof the city.B: I am lucky, butI am not weathy.affluenta. 富裕的，富足的A: I love being inthunderstorms.B: I must say that I prefer the aftermath.aftermathn. 后果，余波A: My little sisteraggravate my daily!B: But aren’t youglad that you have a little sister?aggravatevt. 1.加重；2.激怒，使恼火A: Life is of aggregate all past experience.B: Indeed, so I better try to gain asmuch experienceas possible.aggregaten. 总数，合计a. 总计的，合计vt. 1.总计达，合计；2.使聚集，使积聚in the aggregate 总共，作为总体A: Stop agitate y our brother!B: He is the one t hat started it . agitatevi. （for,against）煽动，鼓动vt. 1.搅动，摇动；2.使焦虑不安A: Try to calm do wn. The wound is not serious.B: But I am in ag onyagonyn. （极度的）痛苦，创痛A: Do you like your new neighbours? B: Yes, I find them very agreeable agreeablea. 1.令人愉快的，惬意的；2.（欣然）同意的，乐意的A: My grandmothe r lives alone.B: Oh, mine now has an aide to he lp her in the hom e.aiden. 助手，副官A: You are not loo king well today. B: Unfortunately,I always have so me sort of ailmen t in the winter. ailmentn. 小病，疾病A: This room is fa r too warm.B: Turn on the air-conditioning th en. air-conditioningn. 空调设备，空调系统A: I tripped up walking down the aisle in church lastSunday.B: That is because you never tie your laces property.aislen. 过道，通道A: Did you take alot of photos onyour holidays?B: Yeah, two album full.albumn. 粘贴簿，集邮簿，像册A: I’m not too fond of alcoholic drinks.B: Well I usuallydrink Coke as well.alcoholica. 1.酒精的，含酒精的；2.由酒精引起的n. 酗酒者A: I would love tovisit South America.B: So would I , but at the momentit seems almostalien to me.aliena. 1.外国的，外国人的；2.陌生的；3.性质不同的，不相容的n. 1.外国人，外侨；2.外星人A: The new girl inour class seems to be alienated from us.B: I will invite herto join us at lunch, maybe that willhelp.alienatevt. 1.使疏远，使不友好，离间；2.转让，让渡（财产等）A: He alleged that he was burgledduring the night.B: I do not believe him, he is always telling lies.allegevt. 断言，宣称，硬说A: Here is some cream to alleviateyour pain.B: Thanks, I willuse it straight away.alleviatevt. 减轻，缓解，缓和A: Where did youlose your purse?B: In the alley beside my house.alleyn. 小巷，胡同A: I have been allotted only two shelves for all mybelongings in thedor.B: I am sure thatyou can ask formore space if youneed it.allotvt. 分配，拨出A: Is your ring made of pure silver?B: No, I think that it is just an alloy .alloyn. 合金vt. 将……铸成合金A: Mr. Jones oftenalludes to his wealth.B: yes, but actually I don’t think heis wealthy compared to Mrs. Devan.alludevi. （to）暗指，提及A: Why did you come to Beijing?B: I was alluredby the bright lights of the city.alluren. 诱惑力，魅力vt. 诱惑，引诱，吸引A: I heard an almighty amount ofnoise outside lastnight.B: Sorry, that wasmy dog chasingmy neighbour’s cat.almightya.1.全能的，万能的；2.很大的，很强的A: How often willyou be able to work?B: Only on alternate days I am afraid.alternatea.1.交替的，轮流的；供选择的；2.间隔的v. （使）轮流，（使）交替A: I amassed a lot of lecture notesduring my undergraduate degree.B: I hope that you amassed themin your head also!amassvt. 积累，积聚A: Did you enjoythe end of the novel?B: No, it was tooambiguous for me.ambiguousa. 引起歧义的，模棱两可的，含糊不清的A: You work very hard.B: Maybe, but I ma ambitious an d want to do well in my career. ambitiousa.1.有抱负的，雄心勃勃的；2.有野心的A: Your essay is g ood. But I think t hat you need to a mend the conclusi on.B: Oh, I thought t he ending was the best part.amendvt. 修改，修订，改进n.[pl.]赔罪，赔偿A: Do your parent s get along well? B: Yes, they at le ast have an amic able relationship. amiablea. 和蔼可亲的，友好的A: The army in m y county is under-funded.B: I think that it i s a good thing tha t it can not afford more ammunitio n though. ammunitionn. 弹药，军火A: Is there enoug h space in the ba ck of the car?B: Yes, ample. amplea.1.足够的；2.宽敞的，面积大的A: I can not hear the lecturer.B: He needs to a mplify his voice more.amplifyvt.1.放大（声音等），增强；2.扩大，详述，进一步阐述A: My teacher used the analogy ofan acorn and oaktree to explain thepotential of the school.B: He must thinkyou all have a lotof potential then.analogyn. 比拟，类比，类推by analogy用类推的方法A: That guy is crazy.B: Maybe he needs to see an analyst.analystn.1.分析家，化验员；2.心理分析学家A: You have a very analytic mind.B: I think that iswhy I enjoy mathematics.analytic见analyticalA: Do you ever read the Financial Times?B: No, it is far too analytical forme.analyticala. 分析的，分析法的A: My two year old son is very destructive.B: Maybe he wants to be a politicalanarchist when he grows up!anarchistn. 无政府主义者A: I would like toresearch my ancestry some day.B: Do you even know the origin ofyour family nameyet?ancestryn. 祖先，世系A: I love Philip’sstories.B: Yes, particularly his anecdotes.anecdoten. 轶事，趣闻A: Do you like Micheangelo’s paintings?B: Very much, particularly his depictions of angels.angeln.1.天使；2.可爱的人A: My classmate had to go to hospital just before theexams.B: Probably too much anguish andstress.anguishn. （精神或肉体的）极度痛苦A: Did you know that Germany annexed part of Czechoslovakia duringthe war?B: Yeah, I read about it in my history book.annexvt. 兼并，吞并n. 附属建筑物A: Do you knowwho wrote this poem?B: No, it is anonymous, the poet did not disclose hisname.anonymousa. 1.无名的，不具名的；2.匿名的；3.无特色的，无个特征的A: The film was about an antagonism between two countries.B: Sounds too violent for my liking.antagonismn.对抗，敌对，对立A: Is that insect dangerous?B: Only if you touch it’s antenna.antennan.1.触角，触须；2.天线A: My grandfatherwent missing inSouth America while conducting a research project.B: Was he an anthropologist or ascientist?anthropologistn.人类学家，人类学者A: Do you know the antonym of “fast”?B: Yes, “slow”. It was the oppositemeaning of “fast”.antonymn.反义词A: Would you liketo come to the zoo with me ?B: So long as wecan visit the apecompound.apen.猿vt.模仿A: I was appalled by the state ofthe living conditions of the poorer people in the region.B: Yes, but the government is doingtheir best to helpthe situation.appallvt.使惊骇，使大吃一惊A: Can you help me with my scien ce experiment? B: So long as you have the necessa ry apparatus and it is not dangero us.apparatusn.1.器械，器具，仪器；2.机构，组织A: Did you enjoy the meal?B: Yes, thanks. A nd it certainly ap peased my hunge r.appeasevt.平息，抚慰姑息A: I can’t find th e information that you quoted.B: Look in Appen dix Four, page 23 1.appendixn.1.阑尾；2.附录A: I think the perf ormance was fant astic.B: The audience s eemed to agreed, they applauded f or five minutes. applaudvi.鼓掌，喝彩vt.1.向...鼓掌，向...喝彩；2.称赞，赞许A: A journalist for the national pape r wrote a warm a ppraisal for the n ew play.B: I must book a ticket soon then, before they are all sold out. appraisaln.估计，估量，评价A: Did they apprehend the criminalyet?B: No, I think that the police are still looking for him.apprehendvt.逮捕，拘押，领会，理解A: What is your current occupation?B: I am an apprentice electrician but I will be qualified in two months.apprenticen.学徒，徒弟A: Your shirt is filthy.B: Oops, I was cooking but did nothave an apron.apronn.1.围裙；2.台口(舞台幕前的突出部分)；3.停机坪A: Your commentabout inefficient train service was most apt. I have been waiting in thisplatform for halfan hour.B: Oh, not quite.Here comes the train now.apta.1.易于，有(做某事的)倾向；2.恰当的，适宜的；3.聪明的，反应敏捷的A: Did you get into the university course that you applied for?B: Well, I have topass an aptitudetest first, and then if I am successful I will be admitted.aptituden.(学习方面的)才能，资质，天资A: That is a beautiful bridge.B: Yes, it’s in theshape of an arc.arcn.1. 弧形(物) ；2.弧；3.电弧，弧光A: The new townhall is now completed.B: Yes, I saw it ,and the front arches look really beautiful.archn.拱，拱门，拱形(结构)v.(使)成拱形a.调皮的，淘气的A: I am very interested in buried ruins and treasures.B: You should study archaeology.archaeologyn.考古学A: It is my ardent wish to travel around the world.B: You better start saving your money now.ardenta.热心的，热情的，热烈的A: The concert will take place in themain arena .B: Wow, it will behuge. I know it can hold 30,000 people.arenan.1.表演场地，竞技场；2.活动场所A: Mr. Smith wasan aristocrat andowned a large piece of land in thesouth of the country.B: Does that mean that he was also very wealthy?aristocratn.贵族A: I dreamt last night that a knightin shining armorrescued me froma burning tower.B: Let me guess the ending, you woke up before youhad a chance to fall in love!armorn.盔甲，装甲，保护物A: The new shopping centre has a vast array of interesting products.B: Yes, but they are far too expensive.arrayn.1.展示，陈列，一系列；2.排列，队形；3.衣服，盛装；4.数组，阵列vt.1.排列，配置(兵力)；2.打扮，装饰A: Why did you break up with yourfirst boyfriend?B: He was too arrogant and never listen to me.arroganta.傲慢的，自大的A: I heard that Ted was arrested forarson .B: Yeah, he set the local school on fire.arsonn.纵火(罪)A: Don’t eat somany fatty foods,they will block your arteries .B: But they are th e foods that I like the best.arteryn.1.动脉；2.干线，要道A: I find Paul diffi cult to understand. B: That is because he does not art iculate his words very clearly. articulatea.1.善于表达的，发音清晰的；2.表达得清楚有力的vt.1.明确有力地表达；2.清晰地吐(字)，清晰地发(音)A: The army has amassed a huge a mount of artillery .B: Let’s hope the y don’t have to u se it.artilleryn.1.火炮，大炮；2.炮兵(部队)A: Do you think t hat we ascend in to heaven when w e die?B: I am not sure.I am still undecid ed.ascendvi.渐渐上升，升高vt.攀登，登上A: I couldn’t asc ertain whether he was joking or ser ious.B: Don’t worry, h e has a strange s ense of humor. ascertainvt.查明，弄清，确定A: Your father as cribed beauty and intelligence to y ou.B: Thanks for thecompliment.ascribevt.1.(to)把...归因于；2.把...归属于A: The man’s body came ashore five days after hewent missing fromthe ship.B: Oh, how terrible, that must havebeen the one that was found on the beach yesterday.ashoread.在岸上，上岸A: It is my aspiration to becomea doctor.B: Well, if you stick to your goals Iam sure you cando it.aspirationn.强烈的愿望，志向，抱负A: I do not thinkI have achieved enough yet.B: Well, if you always aspire to doyour best then you will not be unhappy.aspirevi.渴望，追求，有志于A: Is that a donkey or an ass ?B: Neither, it is asmall horse.assn.1.笨蛋，傻瓜;2.驴A: Did you hear that there was anattempted assassination on the president?B: Yes, but it wasnot true, somebody was spreadingrumours.assassinationn.刺杀，暗杀A: We were warned about the risk of assault in the city.B: Good, it is always better to be aware of the dangers.assaultvt.(武力或口头上的)攻击，袭击A: He asserted his points stronglyduring the debate.B: Why didn’t hewin it then?assertvt.1.肯定地说，断言2.维护，坚持A: I think that guy is too rude.B: Really, I thinkhe is just trying to assert himself .assert oneself坚持自己的权利，显示自己的权威A: I think that thenew student hasassimilated well into his new environment.B: Perhaps, but he does not seem to have many friends.assimilatevt. 1.吸收，消化；2.使同化vi. 1.被吸收，被消化；2.被同化A: I gave Linda an assorted box of sweets for her birthday.B: Did you not know that chocolateswere her favourite?assorteda. 1.各种各样的，混杂的，什锦的A: I received assurances that I would get help.B: And did they come through?assurancen. 1.把握，信心；2.保证，表示保证（或鼓励、安慰）的话；3.（人寿）保险A: I am not able to run fast becauseI suffer from asthma .B: Don’t worry, Ican’t run fast either because I amunfit!asthman. 气喘，哮喘A: It is my dreamto be an astronaut one day.B: I too would love to see the earthfrom space.astronautn. 宇航员A: I am going tovisit the new astronomy research centre in town tonight, would you like to join me?B: I’d love too, is there a good telescope to view the stars with?astronomyn. 天文学A: They are closing down the localasylum .B: It is about time, the care facilities there were terrible.asylumn. 1.庇护，政治避难；2.精神病院A: Do you have an atlas ? I want t o check where and in which ocean t he Tongan Islands are.B: No, I don’t ha ve one, but I think that they are in the Pacific.atlasn. 地图集A: Is attendanceat the lecture ab solutely necessary? B: Well, if you wa nt to get credit for this course it is. attendancen. 1.出席人数；2.出席，参加，出席次数；3.护理，照料A: I lost my walle t at the cinema y esterday.B: Did you ask the attendant on d uty if it was found? attendantn. 服务人员，侍者，随从a. 伴随的，随之而产生的A: The box of old photos that you are looking for is i n the attic .B: On the right or left hand side? atticn. 阁楼A: The auction wi ll be held at 3pm on Saturday.B: Good, I’d like to set a starting p rice of one hundre d dollars for my t able. auctionn./vt. 拍卖A: Even though I’m not registered in this department,will it be alright if I audit your classes?B: It is fine withme, but it is bestto check with thedepartment first.auditvt. 审计，检查（帐目）A: Are all the accounts from your business in order?B: No, the auditor still needs to check them.auditorn. 审计员，稽核员A: Where will theclassical concert be held?B: In the main auditoriumauditoriumn. 1.观众席，听众席；2.礼堂，会堂A: He is sufferingfrom an auditoryinfection.B: I hope he recovers soon.auditorya. 听觉的，听觉器官的A: My salary willbe augmented with the aid of extrahours.B: Great, but don’t work too hard.augmentvt. 扩大，增加，提高A: I attended a memorial service last night.B: It must have avery austere occasion.austerea. 1.朴素的，无装饰的；2.严峻的，一丝不苟的；3.十分简朴的，苦行的A: Are you jeansauthentic ?B: No, they are just cheap copies ofthe original brand.authentica. 1.真的，真正的；2.可靠的，可信的A: John has such anauthoritativevoice. It isfrightening.B: I find him scaryat times also.authoritativea. 1.权威性的，可信的；2.专断的，命令式的A: Stop! You arenot authorized toenter this sectionof the building.B: Oh, I’m sorry,I didn’t realize that I needed special permission.authorizevt. 授权，批准A: What are you reading?B: Nelson Mandela’s autobiography , I highly recommend it.autobiographyn. 自传A: Is that dog over there real?B: No, I think that it is just an automationautomationn. 自动化（技术），自动操作A: I am moving to an autonomous region of the country.B: Gosh, that willbe an interestingexperience.autonomousa. 1.自治的；2.独立自主的A: You are very independent.B: My autonomyis protected by the law.autonomyn. 1.自治，自治权；2.人身自由，自主权A: Where you able to get through to the ticket officewhen you telephoned?B: I tried severaltimes, but to no avail.availn. [一般用于否定句或疑问句中] 效用，利益，帮助A: What was the film about?B: A guy trying toavenge the killing of his brother. It was quite violent.avengevt. 1.为…复仇，报…之仇；2.(on)向…报仇A: Let’s turn leftdown the next road.B: Good idea, thatway we can avert the traffic jam.avertvt. 1.防止，避免；2.转移（目光、注意力等）A: I heard that the national aviation company owesa lot of money tothe government.B: Well, it must be because of the price of new plane s.aviationn. 1.航空，航空学；2.飞机制造业A: I was filled wit h awe when I wa tched the sun rise this morning.B: It is a shame t hat I missed it, I was still in bed. awen. 敬畏，惊惧vt. 使敬畏，使惊惧be / stand in awe of 敬畏A: At what speed does the earth spi n on its axis ? B: I am not quite sure, you should check in your text book.axisn. 1.轴，轴线，中心线；2.坐标轴，基准线BA: My brother got married last year. B: That surprises me, I thought tha t he would remain a bachelor for t he rest of his life. bachelorn. 1.单身男士，单身汉; 2.学士,学士学位A: That is a nice badge that you a re wearing.B: Thanks, I boug ht it at the marke t this morning. badgen. 1.徽章，证章；2.标记，标志; 3.象征A: Would you like have a game of badminton withme this evening?B: Sorry, but I only play football.badmintonn. 羽毛球运动A: Did you enjoythe film?B: Yeah, but I was baffled by theplot.bafflevt. 使困惑，难住A: Was the criminal released from jail?B: Yes, but only on bail.bailn. 1.保释金；2.准许保释vt. 1.(out) 保释，帮助脱离困境; 2.用桶(从船里)舀水A: I caught four fish, big ones.B: You must havebeen using goodbait.baitn. 1.(钓鱼等用的)饵,诱饵; 诱惑物，引诱物vt.1.装饵于,故意激怒A: that man looksvery young to begoing bald.B: Yeah, he looksno more than twenty five.balda. 1.秃头的，秃的;2.(织物,轮胎等)磨光的; 3.明显的，不加掩饰的A: Have you everbeen to the ballet?B: Yes, but I always prefer the theatre.balletn. 1.芭蕾舞，芭蕾舞剧; 2.芭蕾舞用A: The voting forthe president wasdone by the secret ballot.B: It must have been very fair then.ballotn. 1.投票表决(或选举); 2.选票; 3.投票总数v. (使)投票表决A: This meal is delicious, is there asecret ingredient?B: Not really, except I used lots ofbamboo shoots.bamboon. 竹,竹子A: Help! I am bleeding.B: Here, use my scarf as a bandage.A: I was not ableto bandage yourwound properly.B: It is alright, solong as the bleeding has stopped.bandagen. 绷带vt. 用绷带绑扎A: This film is stupid.B: Really, you usually one the onesabout bandits and cowboys.banditn. 强盗，土匪，歹徒A: I can’t banishmy girlfriend from my dreams.B: It must be lovethen.banishvt. 1.放逐，驱逐;2.消除，排除A: My university is putting on an huge banquet formy graduation.B: Sounds wonderful, can I come?banquetn. 宴会，盛宴A: The weather iswonderful, let’shave a barbecue.B: You go ahead,I have already had my dinner.barbecuen. 1.金属烧烤; 2.烧烤野餐vt. 在烤架上烧烤A: That is a very long boat in the canal.B: It is one of thelargest barges inthe country.bargen. 驳船vi. (卤莽而笨拙地)猛撞,冲，闯barge in 闯入,干预A: This tea tastesstrange.B: That is because it is made out of barley.barleyn. 大麦A: The barometer indicates that itis going to be raining tomorrow.B: Oh, I never trust that old thing.barometern. 气压计,晴雨表A: The barrackswere burned downduring the fighting.B: Was anyone injured?barrackv. 起哄，喝倒彩n. [pl.] 兵营，营房A: These fields ar e so barren I am amazed that eve n grass can grow on them.B: It can just abo ut, but it has diffi culty.barrena. 1.(土地等)贫瘠的，荒芜的; 2.不结果实的，不(生)育的; 3.无益的，没有结果的A: My little brothe r has barricaded himself into his be droom and refuse d to come out. B: Don’t worry, when he gets hun gry he will come out.A: The old town w alls were initially built as barricade s to keep the ene my out.B: It is a shame t hat they have bee n so badly damag ed!barricaden. 路障，栅栏，障碍vt. 设路障于,挡住A: Do you have a basement in you r house?B: Yes, but we on ly use it for stora ge.basementn. 地下室A: This music is t errible.B: I think that it i s just because the bass is too loud. bassn. 1.男低音,低声部,低音乐器; 2.鲈鱼A: I once read abook about an unwanted bastard child that was leftto grow up alone in a forest.B: I think that Imay have read that one also.bastardn. 1.坏蛋，混蛋; 2.私生子A: There is a wonderful smell coming from the kitchen.B: I am glad thatyou like it, I have just made a batch of biscuits.batchn. 1.一批,一组,一群;2.一批生产量A: The woman was horribly battered by her husband.B: How awful, I hope that she lefthimA: Do you like pancakes?B: No, and nothing else that is made out of batter.batterv. 连续猛击n. (用鸡蛋,牛奶等调制的)面糊A: Where did youbuy your necklace?B: Oh, I just bought the beads andmade it myself.beadn. 1.小珠子; 2.(水,血,汗的)小滴A: I beckoned him to come, but he refused to move.B: Perhaps you were not polite enough.beckonv. 示意,召唤A: Watch out, there is a beetle crawling under your leg.B: Ah, I hate insects.beetlen. 甲虫A: You should have telephoned mebeforehand whenyou knew you were going to be late.B: I am sorry, butmy mobile phoneis broken.beforehandad. 预先，事先A: There is no need to bellow orders at me.B: Sorry, but I did not think that you would hear meunless I shouted.A: The fire is going out. What should I do?B: Use the bellows to blow air onto it.bellowvi. 1.咆哮，怒吼; 2.(公牛般地)吼叫vt. 大声发出,大声喝道n. 1.喊声，咆哮; 2.[~ s]风箱A: I have a pain in my belly.B: Well, you should have bad breakfast.bellyn. 肚子,腹部A: Thank you forthe beautiful present, you are far too benevolent.B: You are mostwelcome. Kindnessis not a complaint.benevolenta. 仁慈的，善意的,慈善的A: The test resultshave come backand the lump wasbenign.B: Thanks, Doctor.I was so worried.benigna. 1.善良的，慈祥的；2.(肿瘤等)良性的,无危险的A: I read in the newspaper that thecity was besieged by unexpectedattack.B: Oh, I never trust the newspapers.besiegevt. 1.围攻，围困; 2.围住，拥在…周围A: I bestow thisgift upon you as asign of my gratitude and thanks.B: You are too generous.bestowvt. 赠与,授予A: Why are you looking so upset?B: My girlfriend has just betrayedme.betrayvt.1.背叛，出卖; 2.失信于,辜负; 3.泄露(秘密等); 4.(非故意地)暴露，显露A: Would you likea hot beverage,Richard?B: No thanks, Peter. I just had a coffee.。

四级胡敏讲故事背单词-- 发表于2004-10-23 11:26:00A-1abandon v.放弃，抛弃abide v.（by）坚持，遵守ability n.能力，智能；才能，才干able to 能，会abnormal a.反常的，不正常的aboard ad.在船（飞机、车）上，上船（飞机、车）prep.在（船，飞机，车）上，上（船，飞机，车）abolish v.废除，取消be about to 即将above all 首要，尤其abroad ad.到国外，在国外；到处Abrupt a.突然的，意外的；（举止言谈等）唐突的，鲁莽的Absence n.缺席，不在场；缺乏，没有Absent a.（from）缺席，不在场；漫不经心的Absolute a.绝对的，完全的Absorb v.吸收，吸引，使专心Be absorbed in 专心于Absorption n.吸收Abstract a.抽象的n.摘要，提要v.抽取，提取Absurd a.荒唐的Abundance n.丰富，充裕Abundant a.（in）丰富的，充分的，充裕的Abuse v./n.滥用；虐待；谩骂Academic a.学院的，学术的Academy n.学院Accelerate v.加速，促进Acceleration n.加速度A cruel man abandoned his wife and son. Above all, everyone must abide by the law . So he was arrested. But the trial came to an abrupt end because of the man's absence. It was said he was mentally abnormal and was set free according to one law! What an absurd judgment! That's absolute nonsense! The angry people thought this bad law ought to be abolished to keep the judge from abusing his power. Fortunately, the boy's mother was able to afford enough money for the boy to go abroad to study. The moment the son was about to go aboard the ship, they kissed good-bye with tears. The boy went to an Academy of Technology successfully. No one could doubt his ability to learn abstract knowledge. He was absorbed in knowledge so much, just like dry sand absorbed water. His teacher really appreciated his complete absorption in his studies. So he supplied the boy abundant books for study, which accelerated the boy working harder.一个冷酷的男人抛弃了他的妻子和儿子。

1.The Time of Lincoln欧阳家百（2021.03.07）Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president of the United States of America. He is remembered for many things, including his log-cabin home, his absurd looking clothing accessory, a top-hat, but Lincoln’s absolute most important contribution to America’s history was to abolish slavery, a very hard task to accomplish at that time. In the middle of the 19th century, America was split by an abstract border. The country was cut into two parts: the North and the South. There were an abundance of differences which caused this abnormal separation. For instance, the North held all of the Universities and Military Academies whereas in the South, access to such institutions was limited. Also, Northerners spoke standard American English while Southerners spoke with a Southern accent. But the largest difference that abound between the North and the South at that time was slavery and all of the aspects that accompanied it.The North thought that the South should abandon slavery because mint most cases, slaves faced daily abuse from their owners. Most Northerners tried to abide by the rule that “All men are createdequal.”T hese reasons largely account for the American Civil War. The Civil War was a long, brutal war with a very high casualty rate. Many young men from both the North and the South were killedon the battlefield; the death toll was also accelerated by the fact that small Army hospitals could not accommodate so many wounded soldiers.The Civil War was filled with heroes on both sides of the battlefield. Names like U.S.Grant, General Sherman, and the acclaimed Southern General Robert E. Lee. All of these men fought bravely and made harrowing decisions on their own accord. But Lincoln is probably most often associated with his leadership of the country during this difficult period. He was a firm believer that slavery was wrong and he fought hard to stop it. In 1863, Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation which legally granted freedom to all slaves living in America. But in 1865, Lincoln’s life came to an abrupt ended while he was watching a play at Ford’s Theater in WashingtonD.C. His death was not an accident; he was assassinated by a man named John Wilkes Booth.Not long after Lincoln’s death, the North defeated the South and the Civil War was ended. The South was no longer thought of as another country, but part of America. And all of the slaves living and working in the South were freed and absorbed into society.2.Mike — a Story of Personal ChangeMike could hardly be described as your typical adolescent. He would casually acknowledge to his few friends that he liked to watch DVDs, although perhaps a more accurate description was that he wasa DVDaddict. Over the last six months, Mike had accumulated thousands of DVDs. When he was not at school, he had become accustomed to spending his time wandering the streets of the city, acquiring more and more films. Indeed, it became a joke that if asked for his address, he would give the address of the DVD shop adjacent to our school since he spent so much time there.Mike hated attending school. In his eyes, its only advantage was its location. During lessons, he adopted a rather cool demeanor towards most of his classmates and was often accused of being aloof. All he seemed concerned about was adding to his DVD collection. In truth, Mike had not adapted to life at the school very well. Perhaps he felt that he still needed adequate time to adjust to a new environment although no one could work out why he harbored such an acute feeling of self-pity.As someone who also adores watching films, I had slowly become acquainted with Mike. I had often seen him in the DVD shop which adjoined our school, yet it took a long time before he responded to my advances of friendship. Maybe it was an exaggeration to say we were actually friends, although he would at least acknowledge my presence with a cursory nod of the head when he saw me.One day, I was asked to administrate our school’s new film club. I was a little wary about asking Mike to help me select suitable films in case he said no. however, I needn’t have worried. Mike’s face lit upas he scrutinized a poster I had just adhered to the wall. The poster advertised the grand opening of the Film Club the following week. ‘Hey David,’ he muttered excitedly, ‘I want to be involved with that.’The change in Mike’s behavior over the next month was dramatic. I have no doubt that it was the Film Club which activated the turnaround. Once a boy who spent most of his time sulking, Mike was now a model student. Before each film was shown, he would give a very informative speech about the director and main actors. Everyone was impressed by his knowledge and passion for films and he suddenly became extremely popular at school.3.SaltNow that Billy’s parents were a little more affluent, the family had agreed that they could a cottage on the out skirts of town. Although the cottage was somewhat old-fashioned, the agent who rented the place to them was keen to advocate that they should not install air-conditioning as they could air-condition the place by opening the skylights. The day that they moved, the air was heavy with the advent of spring, a sense of renewal accompanied them along the way; Billy and the old dog Rufus watched the amazing aerial gymnastics of the swallows out of the car window, browsing through the family album every now and then. When they arrived, a group of men were unloading the van. Billy thought looking around the new surroundings should be placed high on their agenda, so he whistled toRufus and they set off on an adventure. They found a small footpath, Rufus showing his excitement and his affection for Billy by panting and wagging his tail. Billy was at an age when he could still feel a sense of aesthetic excitement at the beauty of nature. The adverse effects of those years in the city seemed to vanish as he walked, and with Rufus as his affiliate he felt invincible. However, he had reckoned without Rufus. They rounded a bend in the path and suddenly, in the next field, they saw sheep. Rufus knew a good game when he saw one, he ran straight into the field, baking aggressively. Just then, a man in green boots stepped out and in an equally aggressive manner started to shout at Rufus to get out of the field. With a sense of alarm, Billy realized that the man was carrying a shotgun and he saw him level it and take aim at Rufus.“Please don’t shoot”, yelled Billy, but this seemed to aggravate the man still more. The gun went off and Rufus howled in agony. He ran helter-skelter back to Billy with his tail between his legs. The man strode over to Billy.“Those sheep are pregnant”, the man said, angrily. “If you agitate them they can lose their lambs. I will affirm my right to kill any dog that chases them.”“I agree”, said Billy. “And I’m sorry, please; help me get Rufus to a vet!”“I don’t think your dog will need a vet this time”, said them man, “thegun was only loaded with salt. But next time, keep him on a lead, okay?”4. Freshman YearI was born in a small town, up in the mountains. Because of the high altitude, few people lived there. I was always amid my neighbors and friends, people I had known for all of my life. When I was in my hometown, I felt like those days would last forever. But the days went by quickly, and soon I found myself packing my bags for college. I was full of ambition, and had applied to go to university in a big city.WhenI first got to my university, I was on the alert for everything.I felt very much alone without my family and friends. I was like an alien arriving on a new planet. I felt like an ambassador from another world. Once classes started, things were better. I was busier, because I had to allocate most of my time to studying. I wanted to work hard, and did not allow my self to go to a large amount of parties. I wanted to find an alternate social life that would let me have fun, without always drinking alcohol, like some university students do. Many people allege that this is why some students get bad grades their first year at university.Because I felt very ambiguous about what I wanted to study, I took many different classes. I tried many different things, but still hadn’t found the perfect match for me. This made me feel even more lost at school, and I knew I had to find a way to amend things. Inorder to make new friends, and alleviate my loneliness, I joined the drama club at my school. It was there I met my first ally. The president of the drama club was an older student, named Betty. She was quite amiable, and helped give me advice about school. She helped me to alter my schedule so that I had the best classes.Soon our drama club put on its first show. It was a comedy, full of jokes to amuse the audience. My parents and friends even drove out to watch me. We were only amateur actors, but I think we did a good job. After the show, my father said, “Sarah, you amaze me, I didn’t know you were so good at acting!” such ample praise made me very proud. That was when I realized what I wanted to be, an actress.5. Story of the VikingsJerry had been interested in ancient history since he was a little child. Every night before going to bed, his grandfather would tell him stories of great civilizations like the Romans, the Vikings, the Incas and many others. These short anecdotes and stories always involved great kings and leaders, great wars and battles, and great heroes and foes. However, a story that had anything to do with the fierce Vikings was always Jerry’s favorite. He was most interested in these stories because his grandfather had analyzed their family tree and discovered that the family’s ancestors were actually Vikings.Every day at school, Jerry would wonder what story his grandfather would tell him that night.. He was always anxious tocome home so that he could see his grandfather and hear the next story. Apart from the action of each story, Jerry’s grandfather also tried to teach Jerry a life-lesson that he could apply in his life. Jerry’sgrandfather often accomplished this by using analogies to compare Jerry’s life with some thing from that day’sstory. The story that Jerry enjoyed the most was about an annual fishing trip that the Vikings made each year on a certain anniversary. in this story, the captain of a large Viking ship decided to set sail without bringing their large, heavy anchor because they did not anticipate the trip taking a long time and they wanted more room for all of the fish too because the Vikings had a strong appetite for fish.Some of the Vikings on the ship were appalled at the decision of not bringing an anchor because of the apparent danger of not bringing one. They thought the ship was anything but safe. These men appealed to the captain of the ship and one man even wrote an anonymous letter to the king of the Vikings asking that an anchor be put on the ship. But the captain of the ship announced that they were leaving the next day. This answer annoyed several of the Vikingcrew, but they listed to their captain and set sail.Not long after setting sail, the Viking ship encountered a large storm. The ship was being badly damaged and the captain felt anguish because they needed the large anchor at this moment. Soon after the storm ended, the captain apologized to his crew for not listening tothem and promised to buy all of them a bottle of beer when they returned home. Although the crew of the ship was still wet and tired from the storm, they applauded when they heard the captain apologize.6. The Young Police ChiefJim had been appointed as the police chief of his local division—an appointment that he took very seriously as he secretly aspired to ascend to become the leader of the entire city’s police department.Hispromotion had not met with the approval of everyone within the department, because although he was an aptleader who did not ask too much of his men, many did not appreciate his somewhat arrogant methods when dealing with the senior members of the police force. As one of the youngest police chiefs ever, his promotion was considered by many of the older policemen an assault on the way thing had always been done, and they were very apprehensive at an array of new programs that Jim had installed within the department. They considered him to be an outsider who had come ashore without spending an appropriate amount of time on the police force before being promoted.Sal, one of the oldest members of the force, took Jim aside to ascertain whether Jim was aware that there might be problems ahead. “It’s not that we don’t approve of the job that you are doing”, Sal said, “but your promotion at such a young age has aroused the curiosity of what if is that makes you deserving of such a position. We need timeto appraise your performance.”Jim was a very articulate young man, and there was nothing artificial about him. He decided to speak to all of the men as a group before any more problems could arise. “I understand your concerns, butI assure you that the commissioner’s decision to appoint me as your leader was not an arbitrary one”,Jim said confidently to the group. “I am not ashamed of my young age, and I hope that you will give me time to prove to you that I am worthy of being your police chief.” at that very moment, the sound of gunfire was heard outside as an assault began on the bank across the street—the criminal had very foolishly chosen to approach a bank very close to a police station. Jim was the first policeman to run outside and approach the gunman. His apt ability in dealing with such a dangerous situation was apparent to everyone. Within approximately two minutes, he had arrested the bank robber. Jim had not only prevented a crime, but he had also earned the respect and appreciation for his fellow officers, who now felt ashamed that had ever questioned his leadership abilities.7. Accident on Elm StreetThe junction between Elm Streetand Beech Street was an accident black spot. It was easy to assume that no one would be coming the other way, and if a driver was not attentive enough he could easily come to grief. People attributed this to the fact that children would often assemble at the junction, making it hard for drivers to assess thetraffic situation.Local residents would often assert that the only way to make the junction safe would be to augment the poorly lit stop signs with a set of lights, or at the very least, to assign a lollipop person to the junction at the times when children were going to and from school.The local police were sympathetic to these requests, but to no avail.They claimed they lacked the authority to install a set of lights. Things had been tight since the previous year’s local government audit, and funds were unlikely to be forthcoming. However, they would, when asked, frequently assure the questioner that they hoped the government would soon augment their budget and allow them increased autonomy in making financial decisions, in which case dealing with the Elm Street junction would be a top priority. Many people pointed out that simply to wait for the government to act was pointless, that maybe a set of traffic lights could be purchased cheaply in an auction, or that a lollipop person, besides making the junction safer for the children, would cheer the place up and be an authentic asset to the community. But it seemed that for ordinary people to suggest improvements to their own community merely served to astonish the police.The matter was settled in a rather unlikely fashion. At the beginning of March a collision occurred between the Chief of Police and the auxiliary fire service chief who was speeding to attend a fire. TheChief of Police saw the accident coming and sounded his horn to give aural warning of his approach, but the auxiliary fir service chief was already attempting to avoid a small boy and was unable to assimilate the warning signals in time. The auxiliary fire service chief and his associate, who was in the back seat, were unhurt. The chief of police, however, was slightly concussed. he got out of his vehicle and staggered around with a slightly bemused expression on his face, as though he was about to attain nirvana, after which he spent twenty minutes trying to attach a parking ticket to the hole where the fireman’s windscreen had been.81.The Missing CatChristina and Patrick baker stood outside their empty house. They watchedthe moving company work, packing the last cardboard boxes in the large truck. They were ready to go, but their cat Nutty was nowhere to be found.Nutty had decided to withdraw and had hidden himself in the woods behind his owner’s house. Now it was time to go, and his owner were beginning to wonder where he was. The removal company wasn’t willing to wait any more, so Christina and Patrick got into the truck. Making a decision that would wrench their hearts, they left their cat behind.Their new house, across the town from their old house, was a lot beautiful. But Christina and Patrick were not happy. Nutty was worth a lot to them, they missed him greatly. Christina had given the cat as apresent to Patrick on their first Christmas together. That day they laughed and laughed watching the small bundle of fur wrap himself up in a bit of wire that he had got from their Christmas wreath. He had wound himself up while wrestling with the wire, and was now unable to move, and were beginning to worship Nutty, and the joy he brought to them.Unable to withstand a life without their favorite friend, the couple made a plan. They sat down to write a flyer. They wrote about their missing cat, and taped a photo of Nutty to the flyer. Then they went to xerox copies of the flyer. They drove back to their old neighborhood, and stuck the flyers up on telephone poles and in the local store.Sadly, the flyer did not yield the results they had been looking for. Not one single witness stepped forward to offer a word of information about their cat. However, a few days later they were outside of their new house when they heard a strange sound. They turned around and saw Nutty running towards them meowing! Somehow Nutty had followed their zigzag path, across every major zone of the city, and made it to their home. Christina and Patrick embraced their cat with zeal. Of course the cat was a wreck due to the journey. Someone or something had wounded him. He looked wretched, but they loved every wrinkle. They praised the cat for his bravery and wit. They hadn’t found him, but he had found them!。