Unit 1 Changes in the Way We Live

AfterReading >> Useful Expressions

过得去                                    get by

寻觅心灵的满足                    find contentment

一种自力更生的生活            a self-reliant sort of life

大地回暖的气息                    the smell of the earth warming

艰苦的生活                            atough life

日常的家务                            usualhousehold routine

正如老话说的那样                as theold saying goes

温馨快乐每一分钟               love/enjoyevery minute of sth.

过冬                                       get through the winter

常春藤联合会学校                IvyLeague schools

带着某人的祝福                    with sb.’s blessings

总的来说                               onbalance

担任全职工作                       be employed full time

贷款按揭                               mortgagepayments

至于…                                   When it comes to ...

除…以外                               apart from ...

外出吃饭                               dineout

降低生活标准                        lowerthe standard of living / living standard

弥补收入差额                       make up the difference in income

听歌剧、看芭蕾演出           attendthe opera and ballet

耐得住寂寞                           atolerance for solitude

手头紧                                   be on a tight budget

自给自足                               self-sufficiency

抵制诱惑                               resistthe temptation to do sth.

怆然离去                                leavewith a feeling of sorrow

自豪感                                   a sense of pride

一旦形势好转                       once economic conditions improve

赚钱                                       earnmoney

AfterReading >> Sentence Translation

1. Later this month, we’ll spray the orchard,paint the barn, plant the garden and clean the hen house before the new chicksarrive.

(=这个月晚些时候，我们要给果树喷洒药水，要油漆谷仓，要给菜园播种，要赶在新的雏鸡运到之前清扫鸡舍。)

2. I’m not making anywhere near as much money asI did when I was employed full time, but now we don’t need as much either.

(=我挣的钱远比不上全职工作时的收入，可如今我们需要的钱也没有过去多。)

3. When it comes to insurance, we have a poorman’s major-medical policy.

(=至于保险，我们买了一份低收入者的主要医疗项目保险。)

4. Once economic conditions improve, however,demand for farms like ours should be strong again.

(=但是一旦经济形势好转，对我们这种农场的需求又会增多。)

5. 在作物生长季节，根本就没工夫参加社交活动。

(=During the growing season there is no time forsocializing anyway.)

6. 了解这些变化所带来的影响也许有助于我们改善家庭生活。

(=Becoming aware of the effects of those changesmay help us improve family life. )

7. 而单亲家庭的数量在过去三十年中急剧增长。

(=And the number of single-parent homes has mushroomedin the last thirty years. )

8. 这些孩子会不会失去童年时期应有的一些重要东西？

(=Are these children missing out on an importantpart of childhood?)

AfterReading >> Discussion and Debate

One of the most popular topics many people talk about is whether citylife is better than suburban life. Some people think city life is better thansuburban life while others just have the opposite opinion. Now let us discussthis topic in small groups.

Each group will be given some of the advantages of city life and suburbanlife.

Advantagesof City Life

Some of the advantages of city life are givenbelow for your reference:

Advantages

-        convenience for people to do the shopping

-        better education

-        easy access to entertainment facilities and otheramenities

-        more job openings

Advantagesof Suburban Life

Some of the advantages of suburban life are givenbelow for your reference:

Advantages

-        less pollution

-        safe, clean, attractive environment

-        peaceful life

-        smaller living expenses

AfterReading >> Writing Practice

I. A Brief Introduction

1)     Definitions of comparison and contrast
Comparison: You are asked to explain how two or more things are alike.
Contrast: You are asked to explain how two or more things are different.

2)     Two methods to organize a comparison and contrastessay
Point-by-point method (or alternating arrangement): You alternatepoints about A (one thing) with comparable points about B (another thing).
Item-by-item method (or block arrangement): You discuss all of A,then all of B.

3)     Usually, comparison and contrast essay writingconsists of three parts: Introduction, Body and Conclusion.
Introduction often begins with a sentence that will catch the reader’sinterest. Then name the two subjects and state that they are very similar orquite different, having many important (or interesting) similarities ordifferences.
Body discusses how both subjects are different or similar with the twomethods (alternating or block arrangement).
Conclusion gives a brief, general summary of the most importantsimilarities and differences. End with a personal statement, or a prediction.

4)     In order to write a better composition, thewriter should be familiar with some useful expressions.  (Refer to Some Useful Expressions fordetail.)

SomeUseful Expressions

Similarity:

like, similar to, also, similarly, in the sameway, likewise, again, in like manner

Difference:   

unlike, compared to, in contrast, contrastedwith, on the contrary, conversely

Other:    

yet, still, but, nevertheless, at the same time,regardless, despite, while, on the one hand … on the other hand

II. A Sample

TheSenate and the House of Representatives

[Introduction]

As we all know, in the USA, Congress is responsible for making laws.Congress is made up of two houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives.In this essay, you will learn the differences between the two houses ofCongress.

[Body]

There are many differences between the Senate and the House ofRepresentatives. The Vice President of the United States is the head of theSenate. He must vote in the Senate if there is a tie (平局). On the other hand, the head of the House ofRepresentatives is called the Speaker of the House, who is elected byrepresentatives. Another difference is that the Senate is made up of 100senators, two from each state. The House of Representatives, however, is madeup of 435 representatives. The number of representatives from each state isdetermined by that state’s population. A third difference is that senators areelected to serve six-year terms, while representatives are elected to servetwo-year terms.

[Conclusion]

Although Congress is made up of two types of lawmakers, they must worktogether for the benefit of all Americans.

III. Homework

You are required to write a composition with themethod of comparison and contrast. You can choose one of the following topics.

1. Beijing and Shanghai

2. Living On-Campus vs. Off-Campus

3. My College Life and Middle School Life

AfterReading >> Proverbs and Quotations

1. Life consists in wanting something. When a manis satisfied he is as good as dead.

(=人生在于有所追求。一个人满足时，无异于死亡。)

2. Work has a bitter root, but sweet fruit.

(=工作原艰苦，果实却香甜。)

3. Life is long if it is full.

(=生活充实，生命久长。)

4. I do not like work — no man does — but I likewhat is in the work — the chance to find yourself.

 — Joseph Conrad, British novelist

(=我不喜欢工作——没有人会喜欢工作。但是我喜欢工作的本质——发现自我的机会。

——英国小说家约瑟夫•康拉德)

5. It is impossible to enjoy idling thoroughlyunless one has plenty of work to do.

—Jerome Klapka Jerome, British humorist

(=除非有大量的工作，否则一个人不可能充分领略悠闲的乐趣。

——英国幽默家  J. K.杰罗姆)

6. When work is a pleasure, life is joy! Whenwork is duty, life is slavery.

—Maxim Gorky, Russian writer

(=当工作是一种乐趣时，生活是一种享受！当工作是一种义务时，生活则是一种苦役。

——俄国作家  M.高尔基)