21世纪大学英语

21世纪大学英语

Unit 6 Linda W eltner

My husband and I went to a funeral a few weeks ago. The man we honored had not been ill and will never grow old. He was killed in his car on a Sunday night, driving home along a divided highway.

It was an ordinary evening, no blacker than any other, when a car coming in the other direction went out of control, broke through the guard rail, and hit two other cars before smashing head on into his. According to the newspaper, the driver, who was returning from a wedding, seemed puzzled. "I only had two bottles of beer and a cocktail," she is reported to have said.

A wedding.

Followed by a funeral.

I wish she could have been there to see all the lives her act has changed forever, the wife, and four children, the extended family, the hundreds and hundreds of friends who sat in painful silence, listening to words which barely touched the depths of their grief.

Strange to think that, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, this happens in America every 23 minutes.

Somebody drinks.

Somebody drives.

Somebody dies.

And other lives are altered forever, though sometimes the changes may be invisible to a casual observer. By chance, the day before the funeral I ran into a longtime acquaintance while shopping. He commented on my crutches. I asked if he had ever broken his leg.

"Uh, I have a long rod in this thigh," he said, "from a car accident two weeks after I came back from Vietnam."

"That's ironic. To leave a war zone and then get injured," I teased him. "Y ou're lucky it wasn't worse."

"W ell, my wife was killed in the crash and so was the wife of the driver," he said uncomfortably. "W e were hit by a drunk."

I've known this man for years, yet suddenly realized there was a whole chapter of his life he'd never mentioned. I asked and discovered he'd remained in the hospital seven weeks, and that all that time he'd known his wife was dead. It was hard to know where to go from there, for there are questions you can't put to someone in a casual conversation — questions like, "How could you bear it?" or "What did you do about wanting revenge?"

I wish I knew the answers to those questions. I wish I could offer those answers to the woman who, overwhelmed by grief, could barely walk as she followed her husband's coffin from the church.

Every 23 minutes, who dies?

A mother who will never comfort the child who needs her. A woman who will never know how very much her friends depended on her. A man whose contributions to his community would have made a difference.A wife whose husband cannot picture the future without her.

Every 23 minutes, who dies?

A son who involuntarily abandons his parents in their old age.A father who can never acknowledge his children's accomplishments.A daughter who can never take back her angry words.A sister who will never be her sister's maid of honor. Every 23 minutes, who dies?

A brother who will not be there to hold his newborn niece.A friend whose encouragement is gone forever.A bride-to-be who will never say her vows.An aunt whose family will fragment and fall apart.

Every 23 minutes, who dies?

A child who will never fulfill his early promise.An uncle who leaves his children without guidance and support.A grandmother whose husband must now grow old alone.A lover who never had a chance to say how much he cared.

Every 23 minutes.

A void opens.

Someone looks across the table at a vacant chair; climbs into an empty bed, feels the pain of no voice, no touch, no love. Where there was once intimacy and contact, now there is only absence and despair.

Every 23 minutes

A heart breaks.

Someone's pain shatters the confines of her body, leaking out in tears, exploding in cries, defying all efforts to soothe the despair. Sleep offers no escape from the nightmare of awakening. And morning brings only the irreversibility of loss. Every 23 minutes.

A dream ends.

Someone's future blurs and goes blank as anticipation fades into nothingness. The phone will not ring, the car will not pull up to the house. The weight of tomorrow becomes unbearable in a world in which all promises have been broken by force.

Every 23 minutes.

Somebody wants to run. Somebody wants to hide.

Somebody is left with hate. Somebody wants to die.

And we permit this to go on.

Every 23 minutes.(771 words)

New W ords

funeral

n. a ceremony of burying or burning a dead person 葬礼

* cocktailn. 鸡尾酒

painful

a. causing an upsetting or unpleasant feeling; causing a feeling of discomfort in a particular part of the body 令人痛苦的；疼痛的

crutchn. T字形拐杖

rodn. a long thin pole or bar 杆；棒条

* thigh

n. the top part of the human leg 大腿

zonen. an area of particular qualities 地带，地区

injurevt. hurt; offend 伤害，损害

injury

n. (to) harm, damage to a living thing （对生物的）伤害；损害

drunk

n. a person who habitually drinks too much alcohol 酗酒者，醉汉

a. overcome by drinking alcoholic liquor; (fig.) filled with excitement and joy 醉酒的；（喻）陶醉的

* revenge

n. (for, on) punishment given to sb. in return for harm done to oneself 复仇；报复

vt.dosth. to get satisfaction for (an offence, etc.); avenge (sb.) 报…之仇；为…报仇

involuntarily

ad. not (done) from choice or intention 非自愿地；非出于本意地

maid

n. 1. a female servant 女仆，保姆

2. (obsolete usage): a girl or (young) woman who is not married 少女，年轻女子Niecen. 侄女；甥女

vow

n. a solemn promise or declaration 誓言

vt. declare or swear solemnly 立誓

fragment

vi. break or separate into small pieces 破碎；碎裂

n. a small piece from a larger whole 碎片

guidance

n. guiding or being guided; direction 引导；指导

vacant

a. 1. (of a place or space) empty; not filled with anything 空的；未被占用的

2. (of a job) not at present filled 空缺的

intimacy

n. the state of being in a close relationship 亲密；密切

intimate

a. 1. (of people) close in relationship 亲密的；密切的

2. personal; private 个人的；私人的

despair

n. complete lack or loss of hope 绝望

vi. (of) have lost all hope 绝望；失去希望

* shatter

vt.break (sth.) suddenly into small pieces; smash (sth.) 粉碎；砸碎

confines

n. (fml) limits; borders; boundaries （正式）界限；边界；范围

leak

v. 1. （使）渗漏

2. make known （使）泄露出去

n. 漏隙；漏出物

* defy

vt. disobey; fight against; show no fear or respect for 违抗；蔑视

* defiance

n. behaviour showing one's disobedience to sb. or ignorance of sb. 违抗；蔑视* soothe

vt. make less angry or upset; calm or comfort 抚慰；使平静

nightmare

n. an unpleasant and terrible dream 恶梦

irreversibility

n. a state of things which cannot be turned back, changed or improved 不可挽回；不可逆转

fade

vi. 1. (away) disappear or die gradually 逐渐消失

2. lose strength, colour, freshness, etc. 衰颓；褪色；凋谢

Phrases and Expressions

go out of control

be no longer under control 失去控制

smash into

hit forcefully against 猛地撞在…

head on

with the head or front parts meeting violently 迎面地，正面地

by chance

by accident; unintentionally 偶然地；意外地

comment on

make a remark or give an opinion on 评论；就…发表意见

make a difference

有影响；起作用

take back one's words

admit that one was wrong in what one has said 收回说过的话

maid of honor

首席女傧相

[n.]-to-be

未来的…

fade into

gradually disappear and become (sth. of no importance) 逐渐消失而变成（无足轻重的东西）

pull up [to/at/in front of a place]

(of vehicles) drive up to and stop at （车辆）到达，驶入

Proper Names

Linda W eltner

Unit7 Lisa Wilson Strick

The other afternoon I was playing the piano when my seven-year-old walked in. He stopped and listened for a while, then said: "Y ou don't play that thing very well, do you, Mom?"

No, I don't. My performance would make any serious music student weep, but I don't care. I've enjoyed playing the piano badly for years.

I also enjoy singing badly and drawing badly. I'm not ashamed of my incompetence in these areas. I do one or two other things well and that should be enough for anybody. But it gets boring doing the same things over and over. Every now and then it's fun to try something new.

Unfortunately, doing things badly has gone out of style. It used to be a mark of class if a lady or a gentleman sang a little, painted a little, played the violin a little. Y ou didn't have to be good at it; the point was to be fortunate enough to have the leisure time for such pursuits. But in today's competitive world we have to be "experts" even in our hobbies.

Y ou can't tone up your body by pulling on your gym shoes and jogging around the block a couple of times anymore. Why? Because you'll be laughed off the street by the "serious runners" — the ones who run twenty miles or more a week in their sixty-dollar running suits and fancy shoes. The shoes are really a big deal. If you say you're thinking about taking up almost any sport, the first thing the "serious" types will ask is what you plan to do about shoes. Leather or canvas? What type of soles? Which brand? This is not the time to mention that the gym shoes you wore in high school are still in pretty good shape. As far as sports enthusiasts are concerned, if you don't have the latest shoes you are hopelessly committed to embarrassing yourself.

The runners aren't nearly so snobbish as the dancers, however. In case you didn't know, "going dancing" no longer means putting on a pretty dress and doing a few turns around the dance floor with your favorite man on Saturday night. "Dancing" means squeezing into tights and leg warmers, then sweating through six hours of warm-ups, five hours of ballet and four hours of jazz classes.Every week. Never tell anyone that you "like to dance" unless this is the sort of activity you enjoy.

Have you noticed what this is doing to our children? "W e don't want that nerd on our soccer team," I overheard a ten-year-old complain the other day. "He doesn't know a goal kick from a head shot." As it happens, the "nerd" that the boy was talking about was my son, who did not —like some of his friends —start soccer instruction at age three. I'm sorry, Son, I guess I blew it. In my day,

when we played baseball, we expected to give a little instruction to the younger kids who didn't know how to play. It didn't matter if they were terrible; we weren't out to slaughter the other team. Sometimes we didn't even keep score. To us, sports were just a way of having a good time.

I don't think kids have as much fun as they used to. Competition keeps getting in the way. The daughter of a neighbor is a nervous wreck worrying about getting into the best tennis school. "I was a late starter," she told me, "and I only get to practice five or six hours a week, so my technique may not be up to their standards." The child is nine. She doesn't want to be a tennis player when she grows up; she wants to be a nurse. I asked what she likes to do for fun in her free time. She seemed to think it was an odd question. "W ell, I don't actually have a lot of free time," she said. "Homework and tennis and piano lessons kind of eat it all up. I have piano lessons three times a week now, so I have a good shot at getting into the all-state orchestra."

Ambition, drive and the desire to excel are all great within limits, but I don't know whe re the limits are anymore. I know a woman who's been complaining for years that she hasn't got the time to study a foreign language. I've pointed out that an evening course in French or Italian would take only a couple of hours a week, but she keeps putting it off. I suspect that what she hasn't got the time for is to become completely fluent within one year —and that any lower level of accomplishment would embarrass her. Instead she spends her evenings watching TV and tidying up her closets — occupations at which no particular expertise is expected.

I know lots of other people, too, who avoid activities they might enjoy because they lack the time or the energy to tackle them "seriously." It strikes me as so silly. W e are talking about recreation. I have nothing against self-improvement. But when I hear a teenager muttering "practice makes perfect" as he grimly makes his four-hundred-and-twenty-seventh try at hooking the basketball into the net left-handed, I wonder if some of us aren't improving ourselves right into the insane asylum.

I think it's time we put a stop to all this. For sanity's sake, each of us should vow to take up something new this week —and to make sure we never master it completely. Sing along with grand opera. Make peculiar-looking objects out of clay. I can tell you from experience that a homemade cake still tastes pretty good even if it doesn't look perfect. The point is to enjoy being a beginner again; to rediscover the joy of creative fooling around. If you find it difficult, ask any two-year-old to teach you. Two-year-olds have a gift for tackling the impossible with enthusiasm; repeated failure hardly discourages them at all.

As for me, I'm getting a little out of shape, so I'm looking into golf. A lot of people I know enjoy it, and it doesn't look too hard. Given a couple of lessons, I should be stumbling gracelessly around the golf course and playing badly in no time at all.(1,050 words)

New W ords

so-so

a.& ad.(infml) neither very bad(ly) nor very good/well 不好也不坏的（地）mom

n. （美口）妈妈

incompetence

n. the lack of skill or ability to do a task successfully 不胜任，不称职

* competencen. skill or ability to do a task successfully 能力；称职

Boringa. dull and uninteresting 乏味的；令人厌倦的

Leisuren. time free from work or other duties; spare time 闲暇

gym

n. (infml) (=gymnasium) a room or hall with apparatus for physical exercise 体操馆；健身房

gym shoen. 体操鞋，球鞋

sole

n. the bottom part of a shoe or sock 鞋底；袜底

a. being the only one; belonging to one and no others 唯一的；独占的enthusiast

n. a person who is very interested in sth. 热衷于…的人

squeeze

vt. 1. force or press (sb. or sth. into a small space) 硬塞，硬挤

2. press firmly from two sides 挤压，榨

n. 1. an act of pressing in from two sides 挤压，榨

2. tight economic circumstances 经济困难；拮据

Tightsn. ［复］女用（连）裤袜

leg warmersn. ［复］暖腿套

warm-up

n. an act or a period of preparation for physical exercise, a performance, etc. 准备活动；准备练习

* overhear

vt.hear (sb., a conversation, etc.) without the knowledge of the speaker(s); hear

by chance 偷听到；无意中听到

goal kickn. 球门球

* slaughter

vt. 1. kill (an animal), esp. for food; kill (people or animals) violently and in large numbers 屠宰；屠杀

2. (infml) defeat (sb.) badly in sports or games （口）使惨败

wreck

n. 1. (usu. sing) (infml) a person whose health, esp. mental health, has been seriously damaged 受到严重损害的人

2. a ship lost at sea; a plane, car, etc. which is badly damaged in an accident 遇难船只；失事飞机等的残骸

vt.cause (a ship) to be destroyed; (fig.) destroy, ruin 造成（船舶等）失事；（喻）破坏

orchestra

n. a (usu. large) group of people playing various musical instruments together 管弦乐队

limit

n. (oft. pl.) the greatest extent of sth. that is possible or allowed 限度；范围

vt. keep within a certain size, amount, number, area, or place; restrict 限制；限定

limited

a. small in amount, power and not able to increase 有限的

tidy

vt.make (sb. or sth.) neat or in order 使整洁，使整齐

a. neat and in order; liking things to be neatly arranged 整洁的；爱整洁的

* recreation

n. an activity done for enjoyment when one is not working 消遣，娱乐

self-improvement

n. improvement of one's character, mind, etc., by one's own efforts 自我改进，自我修养

grimlyad. in a determined manner 坚定地；不屈地

* insane

a. 1. 精神病患者的；为疯人而设的

2. (of people or their acts) mad （患）精神病的；精神失常的

Asylumn. 收容所；精神病院

insane asylumn. a mental hospital 精神病院

sanity

n. the state of having a normal healthy mind; the state of being sensible or reasonable; good sound judgement神智健全；清醒，明智

operan. 歌剧

peculiar-lookinga. 奇形怪状的

peculiar

a. 1. odd, strange 奇特的，古怪的

2. (to) belonging, relating only (to a particular person, place or time) 独有的，特有的

Clayn. 黏土

homemade

a. made at home, rather than in a shop or factory 家制的；做得简单粗糙的discourage

vt.take away (sb.'s) confidence or (sb.'s) hope of doing sth. 使泄气，使灰心

* stumble

vi. 1. walk in a clumsy way 跌跌撞撞地走

2. speak or perform with many mistakes or hesitations 结结巴巴地说话gracelessly

ad. not attractively or elegantly; in a clumsy manner 不优美地，笨拙地

grace

n. 1. elegance in movement or behaviour优美；风度

2. kindness; willingness to do what is right 善意；体谅

graceful

a. 1. (of movement or shape) attractive to see 优美的

2. (of a speech or feeling) suitably and pleasantly expressed 优雅的；得体的

* gracious

a. polite, kind and pleasant, esp. to people of a lower social position 亲切的，和蔼的

Phrases and Expressions

tone upmake (one's body) stronger, fitter, etc. 使更强壮，使更健康

pull onput (sth.) on by pulling 穿上，戴上

a big dealsth. important 了不起的事，大事

take upstart to learn or practice (a hobby) 开始从事

in good shapein good condition 处于良好状况

be committed to

care a lot about (a cause, one's job. etc.); be loyal to (a particular ideal) 献身于，忠诚于

squeeze into

force or press into a narrow or restricted space 硬塞进…，硬挤入…

as it happens

(used before saying sth. surprising) actually; in fact 碰巧，偶然

blow it（俚）把这事弄得一团糟

keep score（在比赛中）记分

get in the way (of sth./of -ing); get in sb.'s way

prevent or interfere with sth.; prevent sb. from doing sth.; block sb.'s progress 妨碍；挡道

kind of

(infml) somewhat; to some extent （口）有点儿；可以这么说

eat upuse (sth.) in large quantities 消耗；用完

have a shot at

(infml) attempt to do (sth.) （口）尝试；试着去做（某事）

put offdelay (doing sth.) 推迟；拖延

tidy upmake (sb./oneself/sth.) neat and orderly 整理，收拾

put a stop to

ensure that a process, habit, etc., ends and will not be repeated 制止，使停止makesth. out of

construct, create or prepare sth. by combining materials or putting parts together 用…做出…

fool around

behave in a manner that isn't serious; waste time; do sth. just for fun （口）闲荡，混日子

out of shapenot fit 处于不良的（健康）状况

in no timevery quickly 立刻，马上

The Highs of Low Technology

JohanneMednick

I have a wonderful bicycle. My family refers to it as "that piece of junk" —an ancient piece of metal, the likes of which can be found in the dump or, if you're lucky, at garage sales. But I have confidence in my bike. It gives me power, and I cherish its simplicity.

What intrigues me, in this age of technological innovation (which is nowhere more apparent than in the bicycle world), is the number of people who stop me and comment on my bike. It's a real conversation piece. "Where did you get that thing?" "I haven't seen one of those in ages." "What a great bike." I get all kinds of comments —the best one being from a motorcycle gang who cornered me while I was locking it up. They politely suggested that I should wear gloves while riding to protect my hands. Maybe I should also put on a leather jacket.

But really, what is it that people are admiring? Are they admiring me for resisting the lure of mass bicycle consumerism? I must look like an eyesore pedaling behind my family, who all ride the latest model of mountain bike. (To them, I'm some sort of odd person, an embarrassment not fit to be on the road.) On the other hand, maybe people are just genuinely curious, as they would be if confronted with a dinosaur bone. I never get the feeling that they think I'm crazy for riding something so old when I could be fussing with gears and having a presumably easier time of things. My bike seems to touch a sensitive chord in people, and I'm not quite sure what or why that is.

Perhaps my bike is representative of a world gone by: the world before gimmicks and gadgets, accessories and attachments. A time when people thought in terms of settling into a cushioned seat, stopping the movement with their heel and travelling a bit slower than we are travelling now. My bike is certainly not built

for speed, but who needs speed when I can coast along the streets, hold my head high and deliciously feel the wind on my face? My bike is built for taking time. It makes people feel relaxed.

When I'm riding my bike, I feel as though I have control. And I don't feel that way about most things these days. I don't deny that my computer and my microwave make my life a lot easier. I use these things, but they also make me feel rather small and, in a strange way, inadequate. What if I press the wrong button? What if something goes wrong? Maybe if I learned to understand these appliances I'd feel better — more secure about my relationship with technology. But frankly, I'm not comforted by manuals and how-to courses. Of course there are always "experts" I could go to who seem to know everything about anything. Relatives, friends, salespeople —people who seem at ease with all the latest inventions and who delight in ingenuity.

I just don't get excited over the idea of yet another thing I could do if I pulled the right lever or set the right program. Nervous and unsure in the beginning, I eventually adapt to these so-called conveniences and accept them as a part of life, but I'm not entirely convinced of their merit. I hunger for simplicity and I have a sneaking suspicion that many people feel the same way. That's why they admire my bike. It comforts them and gives them a sense of something manageable, not too complicated.

I'm not suggesting that we all go back to a pioneer-village attitude. But I do think it's important to respect that which is simple and manageable —no doubt difficult in a time when more means better and new means best. I'm proud that my "piece of junk" makes me and others feel good. It allows me the opportunity to relax and, when I'm heading down the road, to escape what I don't understand.

(672 words)

New W ords

garage sale

宅前出售（在出售人住所进行的清宅旧货出售）

* intriguevt. excite interest or curiosity 激起…的兴趣

* innovation

n. the creation or introduction of new ideas, methods, etc.; a new invention, idea or method 革新；新方法

nowhere

ad. not anywhere; in/at/to no place 无处

conversation piece

sth. that stimulates conversation between people 话题；可作话题的东西

motorcyclen. 摩托车

gang

n. a group of people associated together in some (often criminal) way 群；帮gloven. 手套

* lure

n. attraction; temptation 诱惑

vt. attract, tempt 引诱；诱惑

consumerismn. the consumption of goods and services 消费

eyesoren. something ugly to look at 刺眼的东西

* pedalv. 骑（自行车）；踩动踏板n. 踏板

Genuinelyad. authentically; truly 真地；确实地

Genuinea. authentic; real, not pretended 真的；真心的

fuss

vi. behave in an unnecessarily anxious or excited way over small matters 忙乱；小题大做

n. unnecessary, useless expression of excitement, anxiety, anger, etc. 忙乱；大惊小怪

gearn. 齿轮；排档

* chord

n. two or more musical notes played at the same time; a feeling or emotion thought of as being played on like a musical instrument 和弦；心弦representative

a. typical; being an example of 典型的；代表的

n. a person acting on behalf of another person or a group of people 代表；代理人gimmick

n. an unusual action, object or device which is intended to attract attention or publicity （为引人注意而搞的）小革新，小发明；巧妙的小玩意儿

* accessory

n. (oft. pl) an extra part which makes sth. more effective or beautiful 附属物；附

attachmentn. something that is fixed to something else 附属物

cushion

n. a soft pillow or pad to rest on; protection from harm, esp. from impact 软垫；缓冲

vt. reduce the force of; protect from hardship or sudden change 缓和…的冲击；使免受打击

deliciouslyad. very pleasantly 美美地；怡人地

deny

vt. 1. declare as untrue; refuse to accept as true 否认

2. refuse to give or allow 拒绝给予

Appliancen. a machine for use in the home 器具；装置

ingenuity

n. skill and cleverness in arranging things, solving problems, etc. 灵巧；精巧

* ingenious

a. having or showing cleverness at making or inventing things 灵巧的，善于创造发明的

* levern. 杠杆；控制杆

convenience

n. the quality of being convenient; something that makes sth. easier, quicker, more efficient, etc. 方便；提供方便的用具

convenient

a. 1. (for) near; easy to reach 近处的，近便的

2. suited to one's needs 方便的；合适的

Meritn. value; worth 价值，优点

suspicion

n. belief or feeling (usually) that sth. is wrong, or that sb. has done wrong, etc. 怀疑；疑心

manageable

a. easy to control or deal with 易操纵的；易处理的

Phrases and Expressions

refer to... as

speak about sb./sth. as...; call sb. something 把…称为…；把…叫做…

the likes of which/whom

sth./sb. of the same kind 诸如此类的人或物

corner sb.

get sb. into a place or situation difficult to escape 缠住某人；将某人逼入困境locksth. Upfasten sth. with a lock 锁住

fuss with sth.

concern oneself with sth. unimportant （因小事而）惴惴不安

touch a chord

call up one's feelings about sth. 触动（人的）心弦

be representative of

be an example or type of (a certain class or kind of thing) 代表…的

think in terms of sth./doing sth.

give primary consideration to sth./doing sth.; emphasize sth./doing sth. in one's thinking; have sth./doing sth. as one's priority 首先考虑（做）某事；认为（做）某事是最首要的

go wrong

turn out badly; make a mistake 坏掉；出错

be at ease with sth./sb.

feel confident and comfortable with sth./sb. 自在，不拘束

hunger for sth.wantsth. very much 渴望得到

have a sneaking suspicion暗自认为；暗中怀疑