全新版大学英语综合教程第二册 Unit2

UNIT 2
Values

Part I Pre-Reading Task

Listen to the recording¹ two or three times and then think over the following questions:
1. Who is it about?
2. What happened to him one day?
3. Do you think it was worthwhile to walk two or three miles to pay back the six and a quarter cents?
4. Is the story related to the theme of the unit — values?

The following words in the recording may be new to you:

dismay
n. 沮丧，失望

disturb
vt. 使不安

conscientious²
a. 认真的，尽职的

Part II
Text A

Does being rich mean you live a completely different life from ordinary people? Not, it seems, if your name is Sam Walton.

THE RICHEST MAN IN AMERICA, DOWN HOME

Art Harris

He put on a dinner jacket to serve as a waiter at the birthday party of The Richest Man in America. He imagined what surely awaited: a mansion³, a "Rolls-Royce for every day of the week," dogs with diamond collars, servants everywhere.
Then he was off to the house, wheeling past the sleepy town square in Bentonville, a remote Arkansas town of 9,920, where Sam Walton started with a little dime⁴ store that grew into a $6 billion discount chain called Wal-Mart. He drove down a country road, turned at a mailbox marked "Sam and Helen Walton," and jumped out at a house in the woods.
It was nice, but no palace. The furniture appeared a little worn. An old pickup⁵ truck sat in the garage and a muddy bird dog ran about the yard. He never spotted⁶ any servants.
"It was a real disappointment," sighs waiter Jamie Beaulieu.

Only in America can a billionaire carry on like plain folks and get away with it. And the 67-year-old discount king Sam Moore Walton still travels these windy back roads in his 1979 Ford⁷ pickup, red and white, bird dogs by his side, and, come shooting season, waits in line like everyone else to buy shells at the local Wal-Mart.
"He doesn't want any special treatment," says night manager Johnny Baker⁸, who struggles to call the boss by his first name as a recent corporate⁹ memo¹⁰ commands. Few here think of his billions; they call him "Mr. Sam" and accept his folksy ways. "He's the same man who opened his dime store on the square and worked 18 hours a day for his dream," says Mayor Richard Hoback.
By all accounts, he's friendly, cheerful, a fine neighbor who does his best to blend in, never flashy, never throwing his weight around.
No matter how big a time he had on Saturday night, you can find him in church on Sunday. Surely in a reserved seat, right? "We don't have reserved seats," says Gordon Garlington III, pastor¹¹ of the local church.
So where does The Richest Man in America sit? Wherever he finds a seat. "Look, he's just not that way. He doesn't have a set place. At a church supper the other night, he and his wife were in back washing dishes."
For 19 years, he's used the same barber. John Mayhall finds him waiting when he opens up at 7 a.m. He chats about the national news, or reads in his chair, perhaps the Benton County Daily Democrat¹², another Walton property that keeps him off the front page. It buried the Forbes list at the bottom of page 2.
"He's just not a front-page person," a newspaper employee explains.
But one recent morning, The Richest Man in America did something that would have made headlines any where in the world: He forgot his money. "I said, 'Forget it, take care of it next time,'" says barber Mayhall. "But he said, 'No, I'll get it,' and he went home for his wallet."
Wasn't that, well, a little strange? "No sir," says Mayhall, "the only thing strange about Sam Walton is that he isn't strange."

But just how long Walton can hold firm to his folksy habits with celebrity¹³ hunters keeping following him wherever he goes is anyone's guess. Ever since Forbes magazine pronounced him America's richest man, with $2.8 billion in Wal-Mart stock, he's been a rich man on the run, steering¹⁵ clear of reporters, dreamers, and schemers.
"He may be the richest by Forbes rankings," says corporate affairs director Jim Von Gremp, "but he doesn't know whether he is or not — and he doesn't care. He doesn't spend much. He owns stock, but he's always left it in the company so it could grow. But the real story in his mind is the success achieved by the 100,000 people who make up the Wal-Mart team."
He's usually back home for Friday sales meetings, or the executive pep rally Saturday morning at 7 a.m., when Walton, as he does at new store openings, is liable to jump up on a chair and lead everyone in the Wal-Mart cheer: "Give me a W! Give me an A! Give me an L! Louder!"
And louder they yell. No one admits to feeling the least bit silly. It's all part of the Wal-Mart way of life as laid down by Sam: loyalty¹⁶, hard work, long hours; get ideas into the system from the bottom up, Japanese-style; treat your people right; cut prices and margins¹⁷ to the bone and sleep well at night. Employees with one year on board qualify for stock options, and are urged to buy all they can.
After the pep rally, there's bird hunting, or tennis on his backyard court. But his stores are always on his mind. One tennis guest managed to put him off his game by asking why a can of balls cost more in one Wal-Mart than another. It turned out to be untrue, but the move worked. Walton lost four straight games.
Walton set up a college scholarship fund for employees' children, a disaster relief fund to rebuild employee homes damaged by fires, floods, tornadoes¹⁹, and the like. He believed in cultivating ideas and rewarding success.
"He'd say, 'That fellow worked hard, let's give him a little extra,'" recalls retired²⁰ president Ferold F. Arend, who was stunned²¹ at such generosity²² after the stingy employer he left to join Wal-Mart. "I had to change my way of thinking when I came aboard."
"The reason for our success," says Walton, in a company handout²³, "is our people and the way they're treated and the way they feel about their company. They believe things are different here, but they deserve the credit."
Adds company lawyer Jim Hendren: "I've never seen anyone yet who worked for him or was around him for any length of time who wasn't better off. And I don't mean just financially, although a lot of people are. It's just something about him — coming into contact with Sam Walton just makes you a better person."

(1066 words)

New Words and Expressions

mansion▲
n. a large house, usu. belonging to a rich person （豪华的）宅邸，大厦

remote
a. far away in space or time 遥远的

dime
n. （美国、加拿大的）10分硬币

billion
num.（美、法）十亿；（英、德）万亿

discount
n. amount of money which may be taken off the full price 折扣

pickup
n. a light van having an open body with low sides 小卡车，轻型货车

muddy▲
a. covered in mud 沾满泥的；泥泞的

sigh
vi. 叹气，叹息

billionaire
n. 亿万富翁；大富翁

carry on
behave in a wild or improper²⁴ way; conduct; continue 举止随便；进行；继续做

folk
n. (usu.pl) people in general 人们；人民

get away with
do (sth.) without being caught or punished 做（某事）而未被发觉或未受惩罚

shell
n. (AmE) 猎枪弹；炮弹；壳

local
a. of a particular place 地方的，当地的

treatment
n. 对待；待遇

corporate▲
a. 公司的

memo▲
n. a note of sth. to be remembered 备忘录

folksy
a. simple and friendly 友好的，坦率的

mayor
n. 市长

by/from all accounts
according to what everyone says 人人都说

cheerful
a. (of a person) happy in a lively way; (of sth.) making one feel happy 愉快的；令人愉快的

blend
v. mix together thoroughly²⁵ （将…）混合

blend in
mix harmoniously²⁶ 融洽，十分协调

flashy
a. attracting attention by being too smart and decorated 浮华的，华而不实的

throw one's weight around
(infml) 盛气凌人

reserve
vt. keep for a special use; book (a seat, room, table, etc.) 将…留作专用；预定

pastor
n. 牧师

barber
n. 理发师

open up
(infml) 开门；打开

democrat
n. 民主党人；民主主义者

employee
n. 雇员，受雇者

headline
n. （报纸上的）标题

wallet▲
n. 皮夹子

hold to
keep to 遵守，不改变

celebrity
n. famous person 名人

stock
n. 资本；股票，证券

on the run
in flight; continuously active 奔逃，逃避；忙个不停

steer¹⁴
v. 驾驶

steer clear of
keep away from 避开，避免

reporter
n. 记者

schemer
n. 阴谋家

scheme
n. 阴谋；计划

ranking
n. 地位；等级

rank
v. （将…）列为（某等级）

make up
form, constitute 构成，组成

executive
n., a. 经营管理方面的（人员）；行政方面的（人员）

pep
n. (infml) keen activity and energy 劲头，活力

rally
n., v. 集会

pep rally
a gathering²⁷ intended to encourage the listeners 鼓舞士气的会议

opening
n. the act of becoming or making open, esp. officially （正式的）开张，开幕

liable
a. likely (to do sht.) 有可能做…的

yell▲
v. shout loudly 喊叫

lay down
establish 制定；设立

loyalty
n. being true and faithful (to) 忠诚

system
n. 系统

qualify
v. （使）具有资格

option
n. 期权，购买（或出售）权；选择自由

stock option
优先认股权

court
n. 球场

scholarship
n. 奖学金

tornado¹⁸
n. 龙卷风

cultivate
vt. improve by care, training or study; develop 培养，陶冶

reward
v. give (sth.) to sb. in return for work or services 奖赏

retired
a. (of a person) having stopped working, usu. because of age 退休了的

retire
v. （使）退休

stun▲
vt. make (sb.) very surprised 使惊吓

generosity
n. the quality of being willing to give money, help, etc. 慷慨，大方

stingy
a. unwilling²⁸ to spend money 吝啬的

employer
n. 雇佣者，雇主

aboard
adv., prep. on or into (a ship, train, aircraft, bus, etc.) 在（船、车、飞机等）上

come aboard
(fig) become a new member of an organization 入伙，加盟

handout
n. information given out in the form of a printed sheet, leaflet 印刷品，宣传品

deserve
vt. be worthy²⁹ of 应受，值得

Proper Names

Art Harris
阿特·哈里斯

Rolls-Royce
罗尔斯-罗伊斯汽车

Bentonville
本顿维尔（美国地名）

Arkansas
（美国）阿肯色州

Sam Moore Walton
萨姆·穆尔·沃尔顿

Wal-Mart
沃尔玛公司

Jamie Beaulieu
杰米·鲍尤

Ford
福特汽车

Johnny Baker
乔尼·贝克

Richard Hoback
理查德·霍巴克

Gordon Garlington III
戈登·加林顿第三

Mayhall
梅霍

Benton County
本顿县（美国地名）

Forbes
福布斯（杂志名）

Jim Von Gremp
吉姆·冯·格雷姆普

Ferold F·Arend
费罗尔德·F·阿伦德

Jim Hendren
吉姆·亨德伦

Language Sense Enhancement

1. Read aloud paragraphs 19-22 and learn them by heart.
2. Read aloud the following poem:

I'm nobody! Who are you?
Emily Dickinson

I'm nobody! Who are you?
Are you nobody, too?
Then there's a pair of us — don't tell!
They'd advertise — you Know!

How dreary³⁰ to be somebody!
How public like a frog
To tell one's name the livelong day
To an admiring bog³¹!

3. Read the following quotations³². Learn them by heart if you can. You might need to look up new words in a dictionary.

One should eat to live, not live to eat.
—— Benjamin Franklin

That man is the richest whose pleasures are the cheapest.
—— Henry David Thoreau

If money is your hope for independence you will never have it. The only real security that a man will have in this world is a reserve of knowledge, experience, and ability.
—— Henry Ford

To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive, and the true success is to labor³³.
—— Robert Louis Stevenson

4. Read the following humorous story for fun. You might need to look up new words in a dictionary.

The elderly gamekeeper of a Scottish estate suffered from fading eyesight, and the lord of the manor³⁴ offered to send him to London to see an eye specialist. Before he left, however, he was given strict instructions to spend his money thriftily³⁵ and to live as he would at home.
When the keeper returned a week later, he presented the lord with a bill for more than ￡1000. Shocked, the lord asked what he had been living on in London.
"Oh, the usual, sir," came the reply. "Pheasant, salmon³⁶, grouse³⁷ and venison."

1 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

2 conscientious   

adj.审慎正直的，认真的，本着良心的

参考例句：

• He is a conscientious man and knows his job.他很认真负责，也很懂行。
• He is very conscientious in the performance of his duties.他非常认真地履行职责。

3 mansion   

n.大厦，大楼；宅第

参考例句：

• The old mansion was built in 1850.这座古宅建于1850年。
• The mansion has extensive grounds.这大厦四周的庭园广阔。

4 dime   

n.（指美国、加拿大的钱币）一角

参考例句：

• A dime is a tenth of a dollar.一角银币是十分之一美元。
• The liberty torch is on the back of the dime.自由火炬在一角硬币的反面。

5 pickup   

n.拾起，获得

参考例句：

• I would love to trade this car for a pickup truck.我愿意用这辆汽车换一辆小型轻便卡车。||The luck guy is a choice pickup for the girls.那位幸运的男孩是女孩子们想勾搭上的人。

6 spotted   

adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的

参考例句：

• The milkman selected the spotted cows,from among a herd of two hundred.牛奶商从一群200头牛中选出有斑点的牛。
• Sam's shop stocks short spotted socks.山姆的商店屯积了有斑点的短袜。

7 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

8 baker   

n.面包师

参考例句：

• The baker bakes his bread in the bakery.面包师在面包房内烤面包。
• The baker frosted the cake with a mixture of sugar and whites of eggs.面包师在蛋糕上撒了一层白糖和蛋清的混合料。

9 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

10 memo   

n.照会，备忘录；便笺；通知书；规章

参考例句：

• Do you want me to send the memo out?您要我把这份备忘录分发出去吗？
• Can you type a memo for me?您能帮我打一份备忘录吗？

11 pastor   

n.牧师，牧人

参考例句：

• He was the son of a poor pastor.他是一个穷牧师的儿子。
• We have no pastor at present:the church is run by five deacons.我们目前没有牧师：教会的事是由五位执事管理的。

12 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

13 celebrity   

n.名人，名流；著名，名声，名望

参考例句：

• Tom found himself something of a celebrity. 汤姆意识到自己已小有名气了。
• He haunted famous men, hoping to get celebrity for himself. 他常和名人在一起, 希望借此使自己获得名气。

14 steer   

vt.驾驶，为…操舵；引导；vi.驾驶

参考例句：

• If you push the car, I'll steer it.如果你来推车，我就来驾车。
• It's no use trying to steer the boy into a course of action that suits you.想说服这孩子按你的方式行事是徒劳的。

15 steering   

n.操舵装置

参考例句：

• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration. 他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。
• Steering according to the wind, he also framed his words more amicably. 他真会看风使舵，口吻也马上变得温和了。

16 loyalty   

n.忠诚，忠心

参考例句：

• She told him the truth from a sense of loyalty.她告诉他真相是出于忠诚。
• His loyalty to his friends was never in doubt.他对朋友的一片忠心从来没受到怀疑。

17 margins   

边( margin的名词复数 )； 利润； 页边空白； 差数

参考例句：

• They have always had to make do with relatively small profit margins. 他们不得不经常设法应付较少的利润额。
• To create more space between the navigation items, add left and right margins to the links. 在每个项目间留更多的空隙，加左或者右的margins来定义链接。

18 tornado   

n.飓风，龙卷风

参考例句：

• A tornado whirled into the town last week.龙卷风上周袭击了这座城市。
• The approaching tornado struck awe in our hearts.正在逼近的龙卷风使我们惊恐万分。

19 tornadoes   

n.龙卷风，旋风( tornado的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Tornadoes, severe earthquakes, and plagues create wide spread havoc. 龙卷风、大地震和瘟疫成普遍的毁坏。 来自互联网
• Meteorologists are at odds over the working of tornadoes. 气象学者对龙卷风的运动方式看法不一。 来自互联网

20 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

21 stunned   

adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The fall stunned me for a moment. 那一下摔得我昏迷了片刻。
• The leaders of the Kopper Company were then stunned speechless. 科伯公司的领导们当时被惊得目瞪口呆。

22 generosity   

n.大度，慷慨，慷慨的行为

参考例句：

• We should match their generosity with our own.我们应该像他们一样慷慨大方。
• We adore them for their generosity.我们钦佩他们的慷慨。

23 handout   

n.散发的文字材料；救济品

参考例句：

• I read the handout carefully.我仔细看了这份分发的资料。
• His job was distributing handout at the street-corner.他的工作是在街头发传单。

24 improper   

adj.不适当的，不合适的，不正确的，不合礼仪的

参考例句：

• Short trousers are improper at a dance.舞会上穿短裤不成体统。
• Laughing and joking are improper at a funeral.葬礼时大笑和开玩笑是不合适的。

25 thoroughly   

adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地

参考例句：

• The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
• The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。

26 harmoniously   

和谐地，调和地

参考例句：

• The president and Stevenson had worked harmoniously over the last eighteen months. 在过去一年半里，总统和史蒂文森一起工作是融洽的。
• China and India cannot really deal with each other harmoniously. 中国和印度这两只猛兽不可能真心实意地和谐相处。

27 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

28 unwilling   

adj.不情愿的

参考例句：

• The natives were unwilling to be bent by colonial power.土著居民不愿受殖民势力的摆布。
• His tightfisted employer was unwilling to give him a raise.他那吝啬的雇主不肯给他加薪。

29 worthy   

adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的

参考例句：

• I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
• There occurred nothing that was worthy to be mentioned.没有值得一提的事发生。

30 dreary   

adj.令人沮丧的，沉闷的，单调乏味的

参考例句：

• They live such dreary lives.他们的生活如此乏味。
• She was tired of hearing the same dreary tale of drunkenness and violence.她听够了那些关于酗酒和暴力的乏味故事。

31 bog   

n.沼泽；室...陷入泥淖

参考例句：

• We were able to pass him a rope before the bog sucked him under.我们终于得以在沼泽把他吞没前把绳子扔给他。
• The path goes across an area of bog.这条小路穿过一片沼泽。

32 quotations   

n.引用( quotation的名词复数 )；[商业]行情（报告）；（货物或股票的）市价；时价

参考例句：

• The insurance company requires three quotations for repairs to the car. 保险公司要修理这辆汽车的三家修理厂的报价单。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• These quotations cannot readily be traced to their sources. 这些引语很难查出出自何处。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

33 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

34 manor   

n.庄园，领地

参考例句：

• The builder of the manor house is a direct ancestor of the present owner.建造这幢庄园的人就是它现在主人的一个直系祖先。
• I am not lord of the manor,but its lady.我并非此地的领主，而是这儿的女主人。

35 thriftily   

节俭地； 繁茂地； 繁荣的

参考例句：

• We should run all undertakings industrially and thriftily. 我们要勤俭办一切事业。
• Glory in living thriftily and struggling; take sybaritism to be a disgrace. 以艰苦奋斗为荣、以骄奢淫逸为耻。

36 salmon   

n.鲑，大马哈鱼，橙红色的

参考例句：

• We saw a salmon jumping in the waterfall there.我们看见一条大马哈鱼在那边瀑布中跳跃。
• Do you have any fresh salmon in at the moment?现在有新鲜大马哈鱼卖吗？

37 grouse   

n.松鸡；v.牢骚，诉苦

参考例句：

• They're shooting grouse up on the moors.他们在荒野射猎松鸡。
• If you don't agree with me,please forget my grouse.如果你的看法不同，请不必介意我的牢骚之言。