UNIt 2
SECTION A
Pre-reading activities
1Answers will vary. All answers are acceptable.
2
1) I am very close to my parents. In fact, we are like friends. I never keep a secret from them. When I have problems, I ask them for their advice. They give me directions about life. I like this relationship with my parents, and I think this is what parent-child relationship should be like.
2) If I were not very close to my parents, I would do the following to improve our relationship:
Find out where the problem is and talk to my parents about it; do something that makes them happy; call them often when I am away from home; keep them informed of what I am doing; care for their feelings; be open and willing to communicate.
Reading comprehension
Understanding the text
1
1) The daughter bought a large and expensive vehicle probably because her mother advised her to buy a practical and gas-efficient car. The daughter did this on purpose because at this age, she was being rebellious.
2) The mother wants to show that although her daughter tries to show she is an adult, actually she is not.
3) The mother is happy that her daughter is independent now, but on the other hand, she feels doubtful whether her daughter could take good care of herself.
4) The mother wants to show that her daughter is not ready to be an adult yet.
5) The mother puts her daughter’s books onto a single shelf to deal with later.
6) The mother finds an envelope with items such as old family photographs, letters, greeting cards, and love notes they gave their daughter and sees the words “DO NOT THROW AWAY” marked on the envelope. Her attitude then changes.
7) At first the mother decides to throw some of the items away and donate the rest to charity. After she sees the brown envelope, she changes her mind and puts them back in place.
8) Because the mother knows that the sweet childhood memories will bring her daughter back.
Critical thinking
2
1) If I were the daughter, I would be very much touched when I read the article. I would call my mom to say sorry for acting rebelliously and would tell her how much I love her. Probably I would return home as soon as I can.
2) I don’t think it is wise to refuse parents’ advice or even do the opposite without a good reason. Your parents care about you more than anybody else and always want to share their experience with you. If you follow their advice, you can at least learn from their experience and avoid making some silly mistakes. If you don’t take their advice, you may still get experience – but in a hard way. Besides, your parents may directly point out your weaknesses that your peers wouldn’t. So, listening to your parents’ advice can make you smarter and help you grow mature.
3) Good communication will, in my view, help build a good relationship. The following are my ways to strengthen communication with my parents:
Visit them whenever possible; invite them to see what I am doing at college; teach them to use new communication tools, such as WeChat and Skype, so that they can communicate with me wherever I am; try to look at things from their perspectives; and share with them my feelings, problems or ambitions.
4) Although there is no standard pattern for a good prent-child relationship, some common factors can contribute to a more successful relationship:
Respect each other; support and encourage each other; understand each other; love each other; have fun together; and be friends.
5) Yes, many parents are expecting too much of their children. First, most families have only one child and parents want to make a perfect child out of them. Second, competition is intense in school and at work today. So parents want their children to learn as much as possible so as to gain advantages over others in competition. It’s not uncommon that some parents force their children to achieve what is even hard for adults. But they ignore the fact that winning is not the only important thing and that children should have their own enjoyment and preferences.
No, I don’t think parents today are expecting too much of their children. Competition is becoming increasingly intense in school and at the workplace. So it is natural for parents to help their children to make full use of their talent and become as competitive as possible. They know better about how far their children can go . Besides, more and more parents, including my parents, think it is more important for their children to be healthy and happy. Of course, while they expect that their children study hard and achieve success, they should at the same time see to it that their children are not overworking themselves.
Language focus
Words in use
3.
1. awaits 2. efficiency 3. donation 4. polished 5. stuffed
6. historical 7. emotional 8. embarrassed 9. dump 10. curb
Word building
4.
Word learned New words formed
--er
employ employer
computer compute
interpreter interpret
--ic
atom atomic
artist artistic
economy economic
history historic
electronic electron
--ous
envy envious
continue continuous
famous fame
various vary
5.
1. interpreted 2. employer 3. artistic 4. historic
5. compute 6. continuous 7. economic 8. fame
9. electron 10. atomic 11. envious 12. vary
Banked cloze
6.
1 G 2 K 3 L 4 O 5 A 6 D 7 E 8 F 9 B 10 J
Expressions in use
7.
1. make it 2. After all 3. strip off 4. with open arms
5. throw away 6. straighten up 7. keep back 8. free of/ from
Structure writing
9.
Parents may get disappointed when you fail to meet their expectations. They may strongly object to your lifestyle and complain that you are wasting time on unimportant things. To solve this problem, you may try to make them understand that you are a responsible person. First tell them that you have inherited many of their merits. Then remind them that you have your own thoughts and life goals as an individual. You can also explain how your lifestyle will help you in a positive way. You may not be able to change your parents’ opinions overnight, but if you keep trying, it will eventually work.
Translation
10
圣诞节是一个被广泛庆祝的文化节日，全世界有许许多多的人在12月25日庆祝这一节日。它是为了纪念耶稣基督的诞辰。该节日最早可追溯到公元336年。渐渐地，这一节日演变为一个既是宗教又是非宗教的节日，越来越多的非基督教徒也庆祝圣诞节。如今圣诞节在全球被作为一个重大的节日和公共假日来庆祝。不同的国家的圣诞节风俗也各不相同。现代流行的圣诞节风俗包括交换圣诞贺卡和圣诞礼物、唱圣诞歌曲、参加交谈活动、摆放各种圣诞装饰品和圣诞树、举行家庭聚会以及准备一顿特别的大餐。对小孩子们来说，这个节日充满幻想和惊喜。据传说，圣诞老人会在圣诞夜从烟囱进入每户人家，给乖巧听话的孩子带来礼物。由于圣诞节送礼物以及许多其他方面推动了基督徒和非基督徒的经济活动，圣诞节也因此成为商家的一个重要活动和主要销售季。
11
According to the Chinese lunar calendar, August 15 of every year is a traditional Chinese festival-the Mid-Autumn Festival. This day is the middle of autumn, so it is called Mid-Autumn. One of the important Mid-Autumn Festival activities is to enjoy the moon. On that night, people gather together to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, looking up at the bright moon and eating moon cakes. The festival is also a time for family reunion. People living far away from home will express their feelings of missing their hometowns and families at this festival, all expressing people’s love and hope for a happy life. Since 2008, the Mid-Autumn Festival has become an official national holiday in China.
SECTION B
Understanding the text
1 D 2 B 3 C 4 D 5 C 6 D 7 D 8 A
Language focus
Words in use
4
1. awkward 2. stretch 3. overtaking 4. delicate 5. anticipate
6. immense 7. reluctance 8. suspicious 9. complain 10. melted
Expressions in use
5
1 out 2 for 3 with 4 in / of 5 in 6 down 7 to 8 aboard
Sentence structure
6
1 All of Justin’s pain disappeared. So did the ache in his legs.
2 His father doesn’t have great hope for him now. Nor does his mother.
3 CNN then reported the story and so did other television news programs and major newspapers.
7
1 Not that i don’t like your apple pie, but(that) my doctor tells me not to have any.
2 Not that she is unwilling to help you, but (that) she is tied up with extra work these days.
3 Not that some coffee beans or tea bags are more flavorful than others, but (that) people love changes.
Collocation
8
1. effort 2. decision 3. preparation 4. arrangements
5. meal 6. mess 7 complaints 8. attempts
9. sense 10. excuses 11. suggestions 12. contribution
