高级英语复习笔记

高级英语复习笔记

第一单元

“... times were tough, money was short, anxiety was rife and

the pawnshop was a familiar destination for many families,

including mine.”

Paraphrase: ... life was hard. Everyone was short of money.

They were caught up in endless worries. Many families often went

to the pawnshop to pawn the things they had for a little money,

and my family was no exception

“Yet I could not have asked for more enterprising and

optimistic parents”

Paraphrase: However I had the most adaptable and

optimistic parents in the world.

“could turn his hand to almost anything”

Paraphrase: was capable of doing almost anything

“... my clothes were ironed to a knife-edge, and shoes po

lished to a gleam ...”

Explanation: Rhetorically, “to a knife-edge” and “to a

gleam” are hyperboles meaning “(my clothes were ironed) to

the degree that they look like a knife-edge” and “(my shoes

were polished) until they gleamed.”

“While Mum had scrimped and saved to obtain most of the

gear, I still didn’t have the prescribed blue blazer and hatband.”

Paraphrase: Though Mum had tried to spend as little money

as possible in order to buy most of the clothes required by the

school, she still couldn’t affor d the blue blazer and hatband.

“Because of the war, rationing was in place and most schools

had relaxed their attitude towards proper uniforms, knowing how

hard it was to obtain clothes.” Paraphrase: Because of the war, the government

implemented a system of limiting the amount of almost

everything that each person was allowed to have, and most

schools had subjected their students to less rigid dress codes,

because they were fully aware that it was not easy for the

students to get the proper clothes.

“who ran the daily assembly”

Paraphrase: who was responsible for the school daily

assembly

“made it her mission to ...”

Paraphrase: assumed responsibility to ...

“Despite my attempts at explaining why I couldn’t

comply ...”

Paraphrase: Even though I tried my best to explain why I was

unable to meet the school’s clothing requirements...

“battle back tears”

Paraphrase: tried hard to hold back her tears

“My punishment also extended to being barred from the

gym team or to not taking part in the weekly ballroom dan cing

classes, which I adored.”

Paraphrase: My punishment did not end there. I was not

allowed to join the gym team or to attend the weekly ballroom

dancing classes, which I loved very much.

“However, in my 12-year-old mind I had no choice but to

see the punishment through.” Paraphrase: However, I was only

a 12-year-old girl. I thought I had no alternative but to go

through the punishment.

“speak up for me”

Paraphrase: express her opinion publicly for me

“... he would have instantly been on the warpath in my defence.”

Paraphrase: ... he would have got very angry and wanted to

fight immediately in order to protect

me.

“I was beside myself with excitement: my imagination

fuelled by glamorous shots of the popular Hollywood

temptresses.”

Paraphrase: I was extremely excited when I imagined myself

in attractive pictures like those of popular actresses in Hollywood.

“She had no hint of the torment I faced.”

Paraphrase: She had no idea at all what kind of suffering I

had to endure in the school. “Heavy-hearted, I dragged myself

to school ...”

Paraphrase: I walked slowly and unwillingly to school with a

very sad feeling ...

“an emerald green target in a sea of blue”

Paraphrase: my green dress making me even more

conspicuous among the blue school uniforms “of my own

accord”

Paraphrase: without being asked or forced

“Tears of frustration threatened to break free ...”

Paraphrase:I could hardly hold back my tears because of

frustration...

“... I wondered for the umpteenth time why the unfeeling

teacher couldn’t look past my clothes for once ...”

Paraphrase: ... I wondered, as I had many, many times before,

why the unsympathetic teacher couldn’t overlook my clothes

for once...

“I consoled myself that I could at least lose myself in Charles

Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities for a while at the back of the class to recover and regain my composure.”

Paraphrase: I cheered myself up by thinking that I could at

least escape from the everyday reality into the fantasy world of A

Tale of Two Cities created by Charles Dickens for a while at the

back of the class to calm myself down and to get back my self-control.

“... I had always tried my harde st not to show how miserable

I was at being singled out time after time.”

Paraphrase: ... I had always tried my best to hide my misery

when I was picked out by the teachers as a target of criticism and

humiliation again and again.

“And then she came out with the most welcome sentence I