Unit 1 College Life

书名:新世纪大学英语系列教材(第二版)-综合教程1

作者:秦秀白,蒋静仪

出版社：上海外语教育出版社

Unit One

College English

Enhance Your Language Awareness

Words in Action

▆ Working with Words and Expressions

1. Listed in the boxes below are some of the words that you need to be very familiar with. Now work in pairs and make sentences with each of them to see if you have really mastered their usages. You are encouraged to consult a dictionary if you are still not quite sure about their meanings and usages.

▆ Sample sentences for reference:

1.  Do you think the government will deliver on their election promises?

2.  I need to polish (up) my French now because I’m going to France next summer.

3.  Details of the competition are available from our head office.

4.  Many people choose to go by car rather than by bus, but I prefer the latter.

5.  Please file this letter (away), Miss Smith.

6.  Today his company continues to thrive in spite of severe competition.

7.  She undertook responsibility for the changes he made in the article.

8.  A career advisor can offer you sound and practical suggestions on how to make career decision.

9.  A nurse has many duties to fulfill in caring for the sick.

10.  He perceived a subtle (微妙的；细微的) change in her manner when he met her the second time.

11.  Over the years, I have accumulated hundreds of books.

12.  He has multiplied his fortune many times within a short period of two years.

     

13.  In the box below are some of the words you have learned in this unit. Complete the following sentences with them. Change the form where necessary.

▆ Answers:

1. compromise

2. self-induced

3. steered

4. frame

5. demonstrated

6. employ

7. promote

8. impressed

9. contribution

10. deliberately

11. financial

12. economic

1. In the boxes below are some of the expressions you have learned in this unit. Do you understand their meanings? Do you know how to use them in the proper context? Now check for yourself by doing the blank-filling exercise. Change the form where necessary.

    

   ▆ Answers:

2. makes a point of

3. refresh my memory

4. lead to

5. at hand

6. working out

7. under pressure

8. Last but not least

9. took, down

10. In addition to

11. were involved in

12. in other words

13. pointed out

14. pay off

     

15. Fill in the blanks with words listed in the box below. Change the form where necessary. Then rearrange the given letters to form two words related to college life and complete the final sentence with the two words.

     

    ▆ Answers:

16. scored

17. scheduled

18. assigned

19. motivate

20. crucial

21. promote

22. performed

23. debate

24. scanned

25. devised

26. advocated

27. clarify

28. priorities

29. compromised

30. context

31. undertook

32. academic excellence

     

    ▆ Increasing Your Word Power

     

1. The same word can perform different roles and functions as different parts of speech. Listed in the box below are some of these words. Complete the following sentences with the words in the box. Make sure that your sentences are grammatically correct. 

    

   ▆ Answers:

33. principal / major

34. top

35. major

36. top

37. principal

38. major

39. schedule

40. advocate / have advocated

41. top

42. approach

43. blame

44. major / principal

45. advocate

46. schedule

47. blame

48. approaching

49. pressure

50. pace

51. pressured

52. pace

     

1.  In this unit there are many words and phrases that are similar in meaning. Find out those pairs of words and phrases and put them down in the space provided.

    

   ▆ Answers:

1. In this unit the verb set is collocated with priorities, timetables, and standards. Try to fill in as many nouns as possible that can go with set in the space provided. If you are not sure of some collocations, consult a dictionary. Then make sentences of your own using the collocations in the space provided.

    

   ▆ Answers for reference:

   set priorities / timetables / standards / an exam / an alarm / an example / a price /a record / limits

1. Who is going to set (the questions for) the exam this time?

2. She forgot to set her alarm last night: that was why she overslept.

3. Her heroic behavior sets a good example for us to follow.

4. We had to compromise and finally the price was set at $1,000.

5. We were all pleased to know that Liu Xiang had set a world record in the 110-meter hurdles.

6. The government has set strict limits on pay increases.

    

1. Did you notice the suffixes -ion, -ation, -ly in words such as education, expectation, deliberately in this unit? The suffixes -ion, -ation can be put after many verbs to form nouns, and -ly can be added to many adjectives to form adverbs. Listed in the box below are some nouns and adverbs with suffixes -ion, -ation, -ly you have come across in this unit. Write down their corresponding verb and adjective forms in the space provided.

    

   ▆ Answers:

Task 1: Complete each of the following sentences with a proper noun with suffixes -ion, -ation listed above.

▆ Answers:

1. edition

2. revisions

3. contribution

4. anticipation

5. frustration

6. participation

7. association

8. expectations

    

   Task 2: Correct the mistakes in the following paragraph, paying special attention to the use of adjectives and adverbs. Underline the mistakes and write down your corrections in the space below. If you think there is no mistake, write “No Mistake”.

    

   ▆ Answers:

1. No mistake

2. especially

3. necessary

4. frequently

5. No mistake

6. easy

7. No mistake

8. individual

9. many

10. highly

11. apparent

12. remarkable

13. probably

14. No mistake

     

    GRAMMAR IN CONTEXT

     

    Task 1: Decide which one is correct by crossing out the wrong one.

     

    ▆ Answers for reference:

9. People go to university to increase their knowledge.

10. The family were at table when the telephone rang.

11. There is a Jack Robinson waiting to see you in the hall.

12. We are striving for a world with no poverty, no hurt and no hatred.

13. The Olympic Games for 2016 will be held in Rio de Janeiro.

     

    Task 2: Insert an appropriate article in each blank, using Ø to stand for ZERO article:

     

    ▆ Answers:

1. the     

2. an     

3. Ø     

4. a     

5. the

6. the     

7. the     

8. a     

9. a     

10. a

11. the    

12. the   

13. Ø   

14. the   

15. the

16. a      

17. Ø   

18. the   

19. the   

20. a

     

    Cloze

     

    Complete the following passage with words chosen from this unit. The initial letter of each is given.

     

    ▆ Answers:

14. academic

15. priorities

16. conducted

17. principles

18. begin

19. priority

20. compromised

21. addition

22. filing

23. Speaking

24. formula

25. Participation / Participating

26. based

27. least

28. way

29. pressure

     

    Translation 

     

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

▆ Answers for reference:

1. The judge asked the reporters not to disclose the name of the victim.

2. The teacher took pains to make sure that we all understood what he said.

3. Recently the school conducted a survey among those students who have attained academic excellence.

4. He said he would accept the job, so we have asked him to confirm his acceptance by writing us a letter.

5. George studies very hard. He wants to make the most of his chance to learn.

6. We can’t go. To begin with, it’s too cold. Besides, we’re busy.

7. It’s about time that someone spoke up for these basic truths / facts.

8. You should be working instead of lying there in bed at this time of the day.

9. I’ll jot down some notes while he’s speaking.

10. I can’t carry the suitcase on my own; it’s too heavy.

     

 Theme-Related Writing

1. Write an essay in about 100–120 words based on your discussion in Optional Classroom Activities. You can take either of the following titles:

1) I like to study on my own

2) I like to study in a group

2. If you didn’t do Task 3 in Optional Classroom Activities you can write an essay of around 120 words on the following topic.

College Is Not an Ivory Tower

▆ Sample Essays for Task 1:

I like to study on my own

Many of my classmates like to study together. However, I always like to study on my own, with good reasons. First, I feel that I can concentrate better when I study alone. When I have to work together with other people, I often get distracted and more often than not, I end up chatting with them without completing the task at hand. Second, when I study on my own, I can work at my own pace, choosing to spend more time on certain difficult sections and less time on less challenging parts. I can also check my class notes or reference books whenever I feel the need to. One final good advantage of studying alone is that unlike group work, self study is not restricted by time and space. In other words, if I feel like studying, I can do so at any time and anywhere.

 (146 words)

I like to study in a group

According to a recent study, students who study together by discussing homework and problems usually score higher than those who work on their own. I am happy to hear that because I like to study in a group. I think we can reinforce our understanding of what we have learned in class by asking each other questions. Besides, it is always enjoyable working with someone else. A discussion on questions we don’t understand very well will help clear up any possible confusion. Last but not least, we should not ignore the importance of cooperation in our society. Working with others helps develop our team spirit, which has become essential in this modern world of ours. After all, two heads are always better than one.

(125 words)

▆ Sample Essay for Task 2:

College Is Not an Ivory Tower

People often say that college is an ivory tower and life on campus is cut off from the harsh realities of the real world. College may have been an ivory tower before, but it is not so any more. We college students are under various kinds of pressure. First of all, most of us are burdened with a heavy tuition fee, which keeps on increasing every year. So some of us have to work over ten hours every week. Life for those who can get financial help from their parents is not easy either, as they very often have to follow their parents’ advice and take a major they don’t like. Finally those who are about to graduate suffer from a different kind of pressure: hunting for a job. It is no longer easy for a college student to get a decently paid job these days.

 (134 words)