大学英语Book2 Unit 2.docx

1、大学英语Book2 Unit 2Section AThe humanities: Out of date?Background information1the humanitiesThe humanities are a group of academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative. The humanities, called social sciences, include history,

2、 anthropology, munication studies, cultural studies, law, language, literature, philosophy,religion,music and theater,etc.Through exploration of the humanities,students learn how to think creatively and critically,to reason,and to ask questions.Because these skills allow students to gain new insight

3、s into everything from poetry and paintings to business models and politics,humanistic subjects have been at the heart of a liberal arts education.Today,humanistic knowledge continues to provide the ideal foundation for exploring and understanding the human experience.However,with the economic downt

4、rend,many colleges and universities intend to cut liberal arts courses to save money,and students also try to take natural science courses to help them seek job opportunities.Whether or not studying courses in the humanities has thus bee a controversial question.2 self-awarenessSelf-awareness isnt a

5、 quality that you demonstrate by telling a story,but rather it has to do with how you tell the story and your ability to municate what you learned.Being able to explain to the admissions mittee why you value one acplishment above others,what you learned from a setback,or the deeper meaning of your c

6、areer goals,is evidence of self-awareness.Furthermore,the self-aware individual has knowledge of both his strengths and weaknesses.3 James CameronWorld-famous director of the movie,Titanic.The film received 14 Academy Award nominations and was awarded 11 Oscars（奥斯卡奖).4 Sally RideAn American physicis

7、t and former NASA(m美国国家航空航天局) astronaut.In 1983,at age 32,she became the first American woman and then youngest American to enter space.5 Bruce LeeA Chinese-American actor,martial arts instructor,philosopher,film director,film producer,and screenwriter.He was considered the most influential martial

8、artist and a cultural icon.Born in San Francisco,he was raised in Hong Kong until his late teens.He moved back to the United States at 18 and studied philosophy at Washington University.6Gwyneth PaltrowAn American actress and singer.She gained worldwide recognition through her performance in Shakesp

9、erar in Love(1998),for which she won an Academy Award for Best Actress.7 Renee ZellwegerAn American actress and producer.She received two nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actress and won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.8 Matt DamonAn American actor and screenwriter.He and his

10、 friend Ben Affleck won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and the Golden Globe Award（金球奖） for Best Screenplay for their workGood Will Hunting(1997).He also got multiple Best Actor nominations.9 Harold Varmus An American Nobel Prize-winning scientist and the 14th and current Director of

11、the National Cancer Institute.He was a co-recipient of the 1989 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their work on the origins of cancer.10 Michael EisnerAn American businessman.He was the chief executive officer of The Walt Disney pany from 1984 until 2005.Detailed study of the text1 when the

12、going gets tough,the tough take accounting.(Para.1)Meaning:When conditions or situations bee difficult,determined people choose to study the subject of accounting,hoping they can more easily find a job in the future.when the going gets tough:when the situation bees difficult当形势变得严峻时When the going ge

13、ts tough,women can get as tough as men.当形势变得严峻时，女人可以变得跟男人一样坚强。NOTE A more mon saying in the similar strcture is”When the going gets tough,the tough get going “.this is an informal expression and an old motto meaning”When the situation bees difficult,strong people take the necessary action to deal wi

14、th it(艰难之路唯勇者行)”.Now people often creative use the motto,by only quoting the first part”When the going gets tough”.The author is very witty to use”take accounting”here to be humorous and sarcastic.accounting:n.U the work if accounting or the methods they use 会计；会计学Studentsmajor objective is to be fi

15、nancially well off.Accordingly,today the most popular course is not literature ir history but accounting.学生的主要目的是在经济上富裕。因此，当今最流行的课程不是文学或历史，而是会计。take accounting:choose to study the subject of accounting选择会计学2When the job market worsens,many students calculate they cant major in English or history(Par

16、a.1)Meaning:When there are fewer iob openings,many college students make a judgment from the situation and think they cant study English or history as their major.Meaning beyond words :Many students will not take the classes that wont help them locate a decent job later.calculate:vt.1)make a judgmen

17、t about what is likely to happen using the available information估计；预测；推测Its difficult to calculate the long-term effects of these changes in the law.这些法律上的变化带来的长期影响是难以预测的。2）find out how much sth. will cost, how long sth. will take, etc. by using numbers 计算，核算Nowadays the accountants in enterprise us

18、e puters to calculate the cost of production with accuracy. 如今，企业财会人员利用电脑来计算准确的生产成本。Major in: (AmE)study sth. as your main subject at college or university 主修（某一）科目The high demand for persons with knowledge about puters is why chose to major in puter science at the university.对具有电脑知识人才的高需我选择在大学主修计算机

19、科学的原因。3They have study something that boosts their prospects of landing a job.(Para.1)Meaning:They have to study something that improves their chances of success in finding a job.Boost:vt. increase or improve sth. to make it more successful 促进；推动；使兴旺Some countries hope that warmer weather and more r

20、ain will boost their farm output.一些国家希望更温暖的天气和更多的降雨能提高他们的农业产量。Prospect：n. sth. that is possible or likely to happen in the future, or the possibility itself 可能的事情；很可能发生的事情；前景Career prospects in science and technology are virtually unlimited.科技类职业的前景几乎是无可限量的。4The data show that as students have incre

21、asingly shouldered the ever-rising cost of tuition, they have defected from the study of the humanities and toward applied science and “hard” skills that they bet will lead to employment. (Para.2)Meaning: The facts and information show that as students have spent increasingly more money on tuition,

22、they have turned away from the humanities to some practical courses that they believe will enable them to get a job more easily.Defect:Vt. leave a country, political party, or organization to go to another one 背叛；叛逃He defected from the party in the late 1970s.他在20世纪70年代后期背叛了该党。N a fault in sb. or st

23、h. 缺点；欠缺；不足之处Stammering is probably an inherited defect. 口吃可能是一种遗传缺陷。Defect deficiency1在表示“人的缺点，设计制造方面的缺点或缺陷”时，名词defect和deficiency的词义相近。Physiological defect/deficiency生理缺陷The new car had to be withdrawn from the market because of a mechanical defect.这款新汽车因有机械缺陷，必须被撤出市场。The deficiency of this plan is

24、 very clear, so it cant possibly succeed.这项计划的缺陷是很明显的，所以它不可能成功2但表示“缺少，不足”（shortage）时，只可用deficiencyThere are serious deficiencies in the number of suitable aircraft符合要求的飞机数量严重不足During the war children suffered from a deficiency of food.战争期间孩子们遭受了缺乏食物之苦。Applied： a. used forDescribing educational subje

25、cts when they are studied for their practical uses （学科）应用的，实用的Industry leaders want scientists to engage in basic research, not applied research.产业领导者们希望科学家们从事基础研究，而不是应用研究。Bet：vt. be fairly sure that sth. is true, that sth. will happen,ect., although you cant prove this 肯定I bet the train will be lat

26、e. 我敢打赌，列车会晚点V. risk money on the result of a race, game, petition or other future event 下赌注；与打赌I bet my life that he will take my money and life. 我敢用我的命打赌，他将拿着我的钱离开。5In other words, a college education is more and more seen as a means for economic betterment rather than a means for human betterment

27、. (Para.2)Meaning: In other words, a college education is more considered as a method to improve students future economic status rather than improve human nature or behavior.Meaning beyond words: The quality of a college education is increasingly questionable because the trend among many colleges is

28、 to bee more like a business and less like an academic setting.6This is trend that is likely to persist and even accelerate.Meaning: Very likely, the trend will continue to exist and even go faster than ever.Persist:vt.1)continue to exist 继续存在；持续If the bad weather persists, the farmers will suffer g

29、reat losses this year.如果恶劣天气持续，农民今年将遭受巨大的损失。2)Continue to do sth., although this is difficult, or other people oppose it坚持；执意Students must persist in their efforts if they wish to do well.学生如果想取得好成绩就必须坚持努力Persist insist1persist可用来表示“继续存在；持续”，尤其用于不好的事情，而insist没有此意。Contact your doctor if the cough per

30、sists.如果咳嗽持续，请联系您的医生。2persist和insist容易混淆主要是当两者均表示“坚持”时。Persist用于表示“坚持”时，表示“坚持反复做同一件事”，后接介词In,多用于褒义，指“坚持继续做某事”，有时用于贬义，指“不听劝告；顽固坚持”。Her mother tried to persuade her to go to bed early, but she persisted in working until the small hours.她的母亲劝她早点睡，但她坚持工作到凌晨。He persisted in drinking even though the docto

31、r had told him that it did harm to his body.即使医生告诉他饮酒伤身，他仍坚持饮酒。Insist用于表示“坚持”时，表示“坚持做某件事（尤指麻烦或令人讨厌的事）”，后接介词on。She insisted on washing her hair just when I wanted to have a bath.当我想泡个澡的时候，她还在那洗头。3insist还可用于表示“对意见、主等的坚持”。Insist用于此意时，后可接介词On，也可以接that引导的从句（是否用虚拟语气，视情况而定，即看从句的容是否为事实），而persist无此意。They ins

32、ist on having a job done well no matter how much time is required.他们坚持无论需要多少时间都要将工作做好。The doctor insisted that she (should) take the medicine, but she insisted that she was not ill.医生坚持让她服此药，但她坚持自己没病。Accelerate: v. happen or make sth. happen at a faster rate （使）加快；促进Human activities can cause or accelerate permanent changes in natural systems.人类活动可能导致或加速自然系统的永久变化。7Over the next few years, as labor markets struggle, the humanities will probably continue their long slide in succession.Me