四、练习答案

Text I

Text Comprehension

I. Decide which of the following best states the author’s purpose of writing.

C  From the last sentence of the second paragraph and second sentence in the last paragraph, we can see that it is not the writer’s purpose to deny the virtues of being young. She hopes to point out some of the “distinct advantages” and “a great deal of happiness to be found” in the process of aging. So A is not correct. B only touches part of the text, namely the first two paragraphs.

II. Judge, according to the text, whether the following statements are true or false.

1．F  Refer to Paragraph 3. They were much concerned with their appearances, both the shape of their bodies and the fashion of their clothes.

2．F  Although they are still wearing fashionable clothes, they are no longer at the mercy of fashion and “no longer slaves to style”.

3．F  Under the carefree appearances, young people are troubled by “unknowns in the future”.

4．T  Refer to Paragraph 5.

5．T

III. Answer the following questions.

1．The answer to this question can be found in the first two paragraphs. The beginning statement tells readers about the fact that Americans worship youth. In other words, they are afraid of growing older. This fear is manifested in their efforts “to delay the effects of age” with the passion for cosmetics and physical exercises.

2．The writer mentions three aspects to show distinct advantages of growing older, i.e. less concern of one’s appearance （Paragraph 3）, less uncertainty about the unknowns in the future （Paragraph 4） and self-identity （Paragraph 5）.

3．Refer to Paragraph 4, in which the writer says, “when you are young, major decisions await you at every turn.” This suggests that they feel uncertain about what would happen to them and what they would do in the future.

4．Refer to Paragraph 5. The writer presents the distinct difference between the adolescents and the forty-year-olds by repeated use of “Being young means...” or “It means...” in contrast with “I ... now... “or “I no longer...”

5．The writer learns the significance from her parents’ contentment that the newer （younger） is not necessarily better, and she can be happier than before as she grows older.

IV. Explain in your own words the following sentences.

1．I am embarrassed to admit that women are less capable than men of resisting the temptation of fashion.

2．It means that you make friends with different people in order to find a new identity for yourself.

Structural Analysis of the Text

In the second part the writer mentions three distinct advantages of growing older—being less obsessed with one’s appearance （Paragraph 3）, being less uncertain about the unknowns （Paragraph 4）, and being sure of one’s identity （Paragraph 5）. The topic sentences are at the beginning of respective paragraphs.

Vocabulary

I. Explain the underlined part in each sentence in your own words.

II. Fill in the blank in each sentence with a word taken from the box in its appropriate form.

III. Fill in the blanks with the appropriate forms of the given words.

IV. Choose the word or phrase that can replace the underlined part in each sentence without changing its original meaning.

1．C

2．D

3．A

4．A

5．B

6．D

7．C

8．B

V. Give a synonym or an antonym of the word underlined in each sentence in the sense it is used.

VI. Write in each space one word that has the same prefix as underlined in each given word.

Grammar

I. Complete the following sentences with the appropriate forms of the nouns given.

II. Complete each sentence with the most appropriate of the choices given.

1．A

2．B

3．D

4．C

5．A

6．B

7．B

8．C

III. Complete the reading. Choose the correct words in parentheses. Choose X if no word is needed

a lot of, a little, some, a few, A, some, some, a lot of, X, many, X, a lot of

IV. Complete the following with every, each, everyone, every one or all.

V. Correct the errors, where found, in the following sentences.

1．When planting these flowers, you must take care not to damage the roots.

2．Though he received the document late at night, he started to work on it

3．When he fell from such a height, we thought he would never survive.

4．When you read the letter a second time, the meaning becomes clearer.

5．Reading the instructions repeatedly, I became clear about what he meant

6．We saw the first star shining in the sky.

7．The teacher walked behind the kids who were eating their lunches.

8．While he was cleaning his gun, it went off unexpectedly.

VI. Make sentences of your own after the sentences given below, keeping the parts in italics in your sentences.

1．As long as you are healthy, nothing can devastate you.

2．Obviously, enlarging your vocabulary is essential.

3．Neither poverty nor failure frustrated the industrious student.

Translation

I. Translate the following sentences into Chinese.

1．许多中年人去健身房锻炼，到街上跑步，为的是延缓衰老。

2．青年人最不稳定的因素就是，他们对价值观、人生目标和梦想还犹豫不定。

3．镇上开会我可以大胆发言，在商店里购物我也敢投诉，因为我不再害怕人们会笑我，也不再渴望人人都喜欢我。

4．我不再因为自己个性方面的缺陷责怪父母，也不会对他们在养育我的过程中所犯的种种过失耿耿于怀。

II. Translate the following sentences into English, using the words and phrases given in brackets.

1．Many vain young people are obsessed with fancy cars despite the fact that they are not yet rich enough to afford them.

2．Their marriage finally fell apart when his affair with another woman was found out by his wife.

3．For artistic inspiration, the artist lived in the country for three years, where he denied himself many comforts of life.

4．I’m not sure if we can have the excursion to Chongming Island tomorrow. It is at the mercy of the weather.

5．When he was young he went to Japan to learn medicine, but after he returned to China he changed his mind and pursued a career as a writer all his life.

6．She’s taken up with a man old enough to be her father, which is a disgrace to her parents.

7．Since 1978, our economy has witnessed a rapid development; in contrast that of some developed countries has declined.

8．The earthquake isolated this city from other areas. I’m afraid their food supplies will not hold out through the winter.

Exercises for integrated skills

I. Dictation

I think / that a successful old age is easiest for those / who have strong impersonal interests / leading to suitable activities. / It is in these activities / that long experience is really fruitful, / and that the wisdom born of experience / can be used / without becoming a burden. / It is no use telling grown-up children / not to make mistakes, both because they will not believe you, / and because mistakes are an essential part of education. / But if you are one of those / who are incapable of / impersonal interests, / you may find that / your life will be empty / unless you concern yourself / with your children and grandchildren. / In that case / you must realize / that while you can still help them / in material ways, / you must not expect / that they will enjoy your company.

II. Fill in each blank in the passage below with ONE word you think appropriate.

Writing

Paragraph development — the topic sentence

A topic sentence is a statement of the controlling idea that the rest of the paragraph clarifies, exemplifies, or supports. It is usually the most general statement of the paragraph but meanwhile specific enough so that it can be fully developed in a single paragraph. A good topic sentence promises what is to come.

A good topic sentence has three characteristics: it includes a topic and a controlling idea; it is limited; and it lends itself to development.

Exercise 1: Write a topic sentence to sum up the following details in each set.

Set A

Topic sentence: Many American cities are named after important people who are or were locally or nationally famous.

Set B

Topic sentence: Happiness means different things to different people.

Exercise 2: For each of the following two paragraphs, the topic sentence has been taken out. Read them carefully and work out for each paragraph a topic sentence that you think can hold all the following details together.

A. The problem isn’t that there’s no interest in teaching.

B. It means paying teachers what they’re worth.

Listening

Transcript

Our Aging Society

Moderator:

There is no definition of a “normal” family. Broadly speaking, the family is a group of people related by blood or law, living together for a common purpose. That purpose is usually to provide shelter and food, and to bring up children.

There are many different views on family life. Some people could not do without the support and love of their families. Others say it is the source of most of our problems and anxieties. Whatever the truth is, the family is definitely a powerful symbol. Turn on the television or open a magazine and you will see advertisements with happy, balanced families. Politicians often try to win votes by standing for “family values”: respect for parental authority, stability in marriage, chastity and care for the elderly.

Sociologists divide families into two general types: the nuclear family and the extended family. The nuclear family usually consists of two parents and one or two children while the extended family may include three or more generations living together. Conflicts among generations in extended families sometimes can be extremely penetrating. How to take care of the older generation has become a very knotty problem.

Ladies and Gentleman, it gives me great pleasure to introduce our guest speaker today, Dr. Howard Miller. Dr. Miller, Professor of Sociology at Washington University, has written numerous articles and books on the problems facing older Americans in our graying society for the past 15 years.

Dr. Miller:

Thank you for that introduction. Today, I’d like to preface my remarks from a story from my own life, which I feel highlights our common concerns that bring us here together. Several years ago when my grandparents were well into their eighties, they were faced with the reality of no longer being able to adequately care for themselves. My grandfather spoke of his greatest fear, that of leaving the only home they had known for the past 60 years. Fighting back the tears, he spoke proudly of the fact that he had built their home from the ground up, and that he had pounded every nail and laid every brick in the process. The prospect of having to sell their home and give up their independence, and move into a retirement home was an extremely traumatic experience for them. It was, in my grandfather’s own words, like having a limb severed off. He was quite emphatic exclaiming that he felt he wasn’t important anymore.

For them and some older Americans, their so-called, golden years” are at times not so pleasant, for this period can mean the decline of not only one’s health but the loss of identity and self-worth. In many societies, this self-identity is closely related with our social status, occupation, material possessions, or independence. Furthermore, we often live in societies that value that which is “new” or in fashion, and our own usage of lexicon in the English language often does not bode well for older citizens. I mean how would your family react if you came home tonight elated exclaiming, “Hey, come to the living room and see the OLD black and white TV I bought!” Unfortunately, the word “old” calls up images of the need to replace or discard.

Now, many of the lectures given at this conference have focused on the pension reform, the medical care, and the development of public facilities for senior citizens. And while these are important problems that must be dealt with, I’d like to focus my comments on an underlying issue that will affect the overall success of the other programs mentioned. This has to do with reevaluating our views on what it means to be a part of this group, and finding meaningful roles the elderly can and should play in our societies.

First of all, I’d like to talk about...

A.

1．Listen carefully. All the words and phrases in Column A will appear in the listening material. Guess their meanings and match them with their definitions in Column B.

1） H

2） G

3） B

4） E

5） F

6） C

7） D

8） J

9） A

10） I

2．Complete the following sentences with proper forms of the words or phrase in Column A. These sentences will help you better understand the listening material.

B.

Listen again. Complete the statements and answer the questions.

Statements

1．blood or law, associating, a common purpose

2．shelter and food, bring up children

3．the support and love, our problems and anxieties

4．nuclear, extended

5．two, three or more

Questions

1．The need to reevaluate our attitudes towards senior citizens.

2．To illustrate the worries of older citizens with growing older.

3．Because this period can mean the decline of not only one’s health but the loss of identity and self-worth.

4．The contributions the elderly can make to our societies.

5．At a conference center.

Text II

Questions for discussion

1．No, I don’t. This can be easily seen from the history of our society. The generation gap has always been there. This, of course, does not mean that we can not narrow the gap through education.

2．Senior-citizen homes may not be a good place for the aged, but this is probably the only way out in our society today since young couple are finding it increasingly difficult to take care of their parents and their parents-in-law, because they have their own work to do and their own children to care for.

3．Omitted.