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全新版大学英语综合教程第二册 Unit5

时间:2006-02-22 16:00来源:互联网 提供网友:scholaryang   字体: [ ]
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UNIT 5
Overcoming Obstacles

Part I Pre-Reading Task

Listen to the recording1 two or three times and then think over the following questions:
1. What happened to the singer?
2. What helped her pull through all the hardships she suffered?
3. What is the tone of the song?
4. Is the song related to the theme of the unit — overcoming obstacles?

Part II
Text A

Look at the following two sayings and then see if the story of Michael Stone bears out the points they make.

The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it.
—— Moliere

When it is dark enough, you can see the stars.
—— Charles A, Beard

TRUE HEIGHT
David Naster

His palms were sweating. He needed a towel to dry his grip. The sun was as hot as the competition he faced today at the National Junior Olympics. The pole was set at 17 feet. That was three inches higher than his personal best. Michael Stone confronted the most challenging day of his pole-vaulting career.
The stands were still filled with about 20,000 people, even though the final race had ended an hour earlier. The pole vault2 is truly the highlight of any track and field competition. It combines the grace of a gymnast with the strength of a body builder. It also has the element of flying, and the thought of flying as high as a two-story building is a mere3 fantasy to anyone watching such an event.
As long as Michael could remember he had always dreamed of flying. Michael's mother read him numerous stories about flying when he was growing up. Her stories were always ones that described the land from a bird'seye view. Her excitement and passion for details made Michael's dreams full of color and beauty. Michael had this one recurring4 dream. He would be running down a country road. As he raced between golden wheat fields, he would always outrun the locomotives passing by. It was at the exact moment he took a deep breath that he began to lift off the ground. He would begin soaring like an eagle.
Where he flew would always coincide with his mother's stories. Wherever he flew was with a keen eye for detail and the free spirit of his mother's love. His dad, on the other hand, was not a dreamer. Bert Stone was a hardcore realist. He believed in hard work and sweat. His motto: If you want something, work for it!
From the age of 14, Michael did just that. He began a very careful training program. He worked out every other day with weightlifting, with some kind of running work on alternate days. The program was carefully monitored by Michael's coach, trainer and father. Michael's dedication5, determination and discipline was a coach's dream. Besides being an honor student and only child, Michael Stone continued to help his parents with their farm chores. Mildred Stone, Michael's mother, wished he could relax a bit more and be that "free dreaming" little boy. On one occasion she attempted to talk to him and his father about this, but his dad quickly interrupted, smiled and said, "You want something, work for it!"
All of Michael's vaults6 today seemed to be the reward for his hard work. If Michael Stone was surprised, excited or vain about clearing the bar at 17 feet, you couldn't tell. As soon as he landed on the inflated8 landing mat, and with the crowd on its feet, Michael immediately began preparing for his next attempt at flight. He seemed unaware9 of the fact that he had just beaten his personal best by three inches and that he was one of the final two competitors in the pole-vaulting event at the National Junior Olympics.
When Michael cleared the bar at 17 feet 2 inches and 17 feet 4 inches, again he showed no emotion. As he lay on his back and heard the crowd groan10, he knew the other vaulter11 had missed his final jump. He knew it was time for his final jump. Since the other vaulter had fewer misses, Michael needed to clear this vault to win. A miss would get him second place. Nothing to be ashamed of, but Michael would not allow himself the thought of not winning first place.
He rolled over and did his routine of three finger-tipped push-ups. He found his pole, stood and stepped on the runway that led to the most challenging event of his 17-year-old life.
The runway felt different this time. It startled him for a brief moment. Then it all hit him like a wet bale of hay. The bar was set at nine inches higher than his personal best. That's only one inch off the National record, he thought. The intensity12 of the moment filled his mind with anxiety. He began shaking the tension. It wasn't working. He became more tense. Why was this happening to him now, he thought. He began to get nervous. Afraid would be a more accurate description. What was he going to do? He had never experienced these feelings. Then out of nowhere, and from the deepest depths of his soul, he pictured his mother. Why now? What was his mother doing in his thoughts at a time like this? It was simple. His mother always used to tell him when you felt tense, anxious or even scared, take deep breaths.
So he did. Along with shaking the tension from his legs, he gently laid his pole at his feet. He began to stretch out his arms and upper body. The light breeze that was once there was now gone. He carefully picked up his pole. He felt his heart pounding. He was sure the crowd did, too. The silence was deafening14. When he heard the singing of some distant birds in flight, he knew it was his time to fly.
As he began sprinting16 down the runway, something felt wonderfully different, yet familiar. The surface below him felt like the country road he used to dream about. Visions of the golden wheat fields seemed to fill his thoughts. When he took a deep breath, it happened. He began to fly. His take-off was effortless. Michael Stone was now flying, just like in his childhood dreams. Only this time he knew he wasn't dreaming. This was real. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. The air around him was the purest and freshest he had ever sensed. Michael was soaring like an eagle.
It was either the eruption17 of the people in the stands or the thump18 of his landing that brought Michael back to earth. On his back with that wonderful hot sun on his face, he knew he could only see in his mind's eye the smile on his mother's face. He knew his dad was probably smiling too, even laughing. What he didn't know was that his dad was hugging his wife and crying. That's right: Bert "If You Want It, Work For It" Stone was crying like a baby in his wife's arms. He was crying harder than Mildred had ever seen before. She also knew he was crying the greatest tears of all: tears of pride. Michael was immediately surrounded by people hugging and congratulating him on the greatest accomplishment19 of his life. He later went on that day to clear 17 feet 6 1/2 inches: a National and International Junior Olympics record.
With all the media attention and sponsorship possibilities, Michael's life would never be the same again. It wasn't just because he won the National Junior Olympics and set a new world record. And it wasn't because he had just increased his personal best by 9 l/2 inches. It was simply because Michael Stone is blind.

(1170 words)

New Words and Expressions

bear out
prove that (sth.) is true 证实

sweat
vi. 出汗
n. 汗水

towel
n. 毛巾,手巾

pole-vault
vi., n. 撑竿跳高

vault
n. 撑竿跳高 (=pole vault);撑物跳跃

grace
n. quality of being smooth and elegant, esp. in movement or structure 优美,优雅;雅致

gymnast
n. 体操家,体操运动员

body builder
n. 健美运动员

mere
a. nothing more than 仅仅,只不过

fantasy
n. 幻想

numerous
a. very many 许多的,无数的

passion
n. strong feeling, esp. of love 热情

detail
n. small, particular fact or item 细节,琐碎的事

recur▲
vi. come or happen again 再来;再发生

outrun (outran, outrun)
vt. run faster or better than; go beyond 跑得比…快;跑得比…好;超过

eagle
n. 鹰

coincide▲
vi. happen at the same time; be in agreement 同时发生;一致

coincide with
与…同时发生;与…一致

hard-core
a. 顽固不化的

core
n. the most important part 核心

realist
n. a person who deals in a practical way with situations as they actually are 现实主义者

motto
n. 格言,座右铭

work out
go through a physical exercise session 体育锻炼,训练

weightlifting
n. 举重(运动)

alteinate▲
a. every other or second; happening by turns 交替的;轮流的

coach
n. (体育运动的)教练

dedication
n. giving oneself, time, effort, etc. (to sth.) 奉献,献身

dedicate▲
vt. 献身于,致力于

chore
n. 家庭杂务

relax
v. make or become less tense, worried or nervous 放松,松弛

on one/two/several occasion(s)
有一(两,几)次

vain
a. too pleased with one's own abilities or looks 虚荣的,自负的

bar
n. 横杆;条;块

inflate7
v. fill (sth.) with air (使)充气,(使)膨胀

mat
n. 垫子;席子

competitor
n. 竞争者,对手

emotion
n. 情感,感情

preparation
n. the act or process of preparing 准备

be ashamed of
feeling foolish or uncomfortable because of (sth.) 因…感到难为情

finger-tipped
a. using or operated by the fingers 用手的

push-up
n. (AmE) 俯卧撑

runway
n. 跑道

startle▲
vt. give a sudden shock or surprise to 使大吃一惊

bale
n. (一)大捆,(一)大包

hay
n. 干草

intensity
n. the state of being intense 强烈、剧烈,紧张

anxiety
n. a feeling of worry or fear 忧虑,担心

tension
n. worry or nervousness 紧张,不安

tense
a. feeling worried or nervous; making people worried or nervous 紧张的;令人紧张的

along with
together with 连同

stretch out
伸展

breeze
n. 微风,轻风

deafen13
vt. make (sb.) unable to hear, esp. for a short time 使聋

deaf
a. unable to hear at all or to hear well 耳聋的

sprint15
vi. run at one's fastest speed, esp. for a short distance 疾跑

take-off
n. 起跳;(飞机)起飞

effortless
a. needing little or no effort 容易的,不费力气的

eruption
n. 爆发

erupt▲ vi.

thump
n. (noise made by) a heavy blow 重击(声)

bring (sb.) back to earth
使回到现实中

in one's mind's eye
在想象中

congratulate
vt. 祝贺

media
n. 大众传播媒介

sponsorship
n. 资助;赞助

Proper Names

David Naster
大卫·纳史特

the Olympics = Olympic Games 奥林匹克运动会

Michael
迈克尔(男子名)

Bert
伯特(男子名,Albert, Herbert, Bertram 的昵称,亦作Burt)

Mildred
米尔德里德(女子名)

Language sense Enhancement

1. Read aloud paragraphs 9-10 and learn them by heart.
2. Read aloud the following poem written by the American deaf-blind writer and educationist, Helen Keller (1880-1968).

Facing Fate
Helen keller

Security is mostly a superstition20.
It does not exist in nature,
nor do the children or men as a whole experience it.
Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run
than outright21 exposure.
Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.
To keep our faces toward change and
behave like free spirits
in the presence of fate is strength undefeatable.

3. Read the following quotations22. Learn them by heart if you can. You might need to look up new words in a dictionary.

Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.
—— Helen Keller

No pain, no palm; no thorns, no throne; no gall23, no glory; no cross, no crown.
—— William Penn

All rising to great place is by a winding24 stair.
——Francis bacon

If we face our tasks with the resolution to solve them, who shall say that anything is impossible.
—— Wilfred Grenfell

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

A missionary25 unexpectedly met a lion in the jungle. Not seeing any way to escape, he fell to his knees in prayer. He was comforted by seeing the lion kneeling next to him.

" Dear Brother, how delightful26 to join you in prayer when only a moment ago I feared for my life," the missionary said.

" Don't interrupt," said the lion, "I'm just saying grace."


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 recording UktzJj     
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 vault 3K3zW     
n.拱形圆顶,地窖,地下室
参考例句:
  • The vault of this cathedral is very high.这座天主教堂的拱顶非常高。
  • The old patrician was buried in the family vault.这位老贵族埋在家族的墓地里。
3 mere rC1xE     
adj.纯粹的;仅仅,只不过
参考例句:
  • That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
  • It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。
4 recurring 8kLzK8     
adj.往复的,再次发生的
参考例句:
  • This kind of problem is recurring often. 这类问题经常发生。
  • For our own country, it has been a time for recurring trial. 就我们国家而言,它经过了一个反复考验的时期。
5 dedication pxMx9     
n.奉献,献身,致力,题献,献辞
参考例句:
  • We admire her courage,compassion and dedication.我们钦佩她的勇气、爱心和奉献精神。
  • Her dedication to her work was admirable.她对工作的奉献精神可钦可佩。
6 vaults fe73e05e3f986ae1bbd4c517620ea8e6     
n.拱顶( vault的名词复数 );地下室;撑物跳高;墓穴
参考例句:
  • It was deposited in the vaults of a bank. 它存在一家银行的保险库里。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • They think of viruses that infect an organization from the outside.They envision hackers breaking into their information vaults. 他们考虑来自外部的感染公司的病毒,他们设想黑客侵入到信息宝库中。 来自《简明英汉词典》
7 inflate zbGz8     
vt.使膨胀,使骄傲,抬高(物价)
参考例句:
  • The buyers bid against each other and often inflate the prices they pay.买主们竞相投标,往往人为地提高价钱。
  • Stuart jumped into the sea and inflated the liferaft.斯图尔特跳到海里给救生艇充气。
8 inflated Mqwz2K     
adj.(价格)飞涨的;(通货)膨胀的;言过其实的;充了气的v.使充气(于轮胎、气球等)( inflate的过去式和过去分词 );(使)膨胀;(使)通货膨胀;物价上涨
参考例句:
  • He has an inflated sense of his own importance. 他自视过高。
  • They all seem to take an inflated view of their collective identity. 他们对自己的集体身份似乎都持有一种夸大的看法。 来自《简明英汉词典》
9 unaware Pl6w0     
a.不知道的,未意识到的
参考例句:
  • They were unaware that war was near. 他们不知道战争即将爆发。
  • I was unaware of the man's presence. 我没有察觉到那人在场。
10 groan LfXxU     
vi./n.呻吟,抱怨;(发出)呻吟般的声音
参考例句:
  • The wounded man uttered a groan.那个受伤的人发出呻吟。
  • The people groan under the burden of taxes.人民在重税下痛苦呻吟。
11 vaulter NfMzTk     
n.撑竿跳运动员
参考例句:
  • The pole vaulter bettered the world's record by five inches. 这名撑杆跳高运动员以5英寸之多超过了世界纪录。
  • And the almost unbeatable pole-vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva added one more gold to Russia's tally. 几乎不可战胜的撑杆跳高名将伊辛巴耶娃又给俄罗斯军团增添一金。
12 intensity 45Ixd     
n.强烈,剧烈;强度;烈度
参考例句:
  • I didn't realize the intensity of people's feelings on this issue.我没有意识到这一问题能引起群情激奋。
  • The strike is growing in intensity.罢工日益加剧。
13 deafen pOXzV     
vt.震耳欲聋;使听不清楚
参考例句:
  • This noise will deafen us all!这种喧闹声将使我们什么也听不见!
  • The way you complain all day long would deafen the living buddha!就凭你成天抱怨,活佛耳朵都要聋了!
14 deafening deafening     
adj. 振耳欲聋的, 极喧闹的 动词deafen的现在分词形式
参考例句:
  • The noise of the siren was deafening her. 汽笛声震得她耳朵都快聋了。
  • The noise of the machine was deafening. 机器的轰鸣声震耳欲聋。
15 sprint QvWwR     
n.短距离赛跑;vi. 奋力而跑,冲刺;vt.全速跑过
参考例句:
  • He put on a sprint to catch the bus.他全速奔跑以赶上公共汽车。
  • The runner seemed to be rallied for a final sprint.这名赛跑者似乎在振作精神作最后的冲刺。
16 sprinting 092e50364cf04239a3e5e17f4ae23116     
v.短距离疾跑( sprint的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • Stride length and frequency are the most important elements of sprinting. 步长和步频是短跑最重要的因素。 来自互联网
  • Xiaoming won the gold medal for sprinting in the school sports meeting. 小明在学校运动会上夺得了短跑金牌。 来自互联网
17 eruption UomxV     
n.火山爆发;(战争等)爆发;(疾病等)发作
参考例句:
  • The temple was destroyed in the violent eruption of 1470 BC.庙宇在公元前1470年猛烈的火山爆发中摧毁了。
  • The eruption of a volcano is spontaneous.火山的爆发是自发的。
18 thump sq2yM     
v.重击,砰然地响;n.重击,重击声
参考例句:
  • The thief hit him a thump on the head.贼在他的头上重击一下。
  • The excitement made her heart thump.她兴奋得心怦怦地跳。
19 accomplishment 2Jkyo     
n.完成,成就,(pl.)造诣,技能
参考例句:
  • The series of paintings is quite an accomplishment.这一系列的绘画真是了不起的成就。
  • Money will be crucial to the accomplishment of our objectives.要实现我们的目标,钱是至关重要的。
20 superstition VHbzg     
n.迷信,迷信行为
参考例句:
  • It's a common superstition that black cats are unlucky.认为黑猫不吉祥是一种很普遍的迷信。
  • Superstition results from ignorance.迷信产生于无知。
21 outright Qj7yY     
adv.坦率地;彻底地;立即;adj.无疑的;彻底的
参考例句:
  • If you have a complaint you should tell me outright.如果你有不满意的事,你应该直率地对我说。
  • You should persuade her to marry you outright.你应该彻底劝服她嫁给你。
22 quotations c7bd2cdafc6bfb4ee820fb524009ec5b     
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》
23 gall jhXxC     
v.使烦恼,使焦躁,难堪;n.磨难
参考例句:
  • It galled him to have to ask for a loan.必须向人借钱使他感到难堪。
  • No gall,no glory.没有磨难,何来荣耀。
24 winding Ue7z09     
n.绕,缠,绕组,线圈
参考例句:
  • A winding lane led down towards the river.一条弯弯曲曲的小路通向河边。
  • The winding trail caused us to lose our orientation.迂回曲折的小道使我们迷失了方向。
25 missionary ID8xX     
adj.教会的,传教(士)的;n.传教士
参考例句:
  • She taught in a missionary school for a couple of years.她在一所教会学校教了两年书。
  • I hope every member understands the value of missionary work. 我希望教友都了解传教工作的价值。
26 delightful 6xzxT     
adj.令人高兴的,使人快乐的
参考例句:
  • We had a delightful time by the seashore last Sunday.上星期天我们在海滨玩得真痛快。
  • Peter played a delightful melody on his flute.彼得用笛子吹奏了一支欢快的曲子。
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