大学英语精读文本(优质3篇)

大学英语精读文本 篇一：探索大学英语精读的有效学习方法

大学英语精读作为大学英语课程的重要组成部分，对于培养学生的英语阅读能力和综合语言运用能力起着至关重要的作用。然而，由于英语精读的学习方法多样，许多学生在学习过程中感到困惑和挫折。因此，本文将探索一些有效的大学英语精读学习方法，帮助学生更好地掌握这门课程。

首先，建立良好的阅读习惯是学习大学英语精读的关键。学生应该养成每天阅读英文文章的习惯，不仅可以提高词汇量和阅读速度，还可以帮助他们更好地理解文章的内容。可以选择一些与自己兴趣相关的文章，这样可以增加学习的主动性和兴趣度。

其次，学生在阅读过程中应该注重理解文章的主旨和核心观点。英语精读的目标是培养学生的阅读理解能力，因此学生需要学会从文章中提取关键信息，理解作者的意图和观点。可以通过对文章进行多次阅读和思考，逐步深入理解文章的内涵。

此外，积累词汇量是学习大学英语精读的重要环节。学生可以通过背诵单词，阅读英文原版图书和报纸等方式来扩充自己的词汇量。同时，学生还可以利用词汇记忆软件和应用程序来进行词汇记忆和复习。在阅读过程中，遇到不认识的单词可以通过上下文来猜测其意思，从而提高自己的阅读流畅度。

最后，学生可以通过参加讨论和写作的方式来提高自己的英语表达能力。讨论可以帮助学生更好地理解文章的内容，并与他人交流自己的观点和见解。写作是对阅读的进一步延伸，通过写作可以帮助学生更好地理解文章的结构和逻辑，提高自己的写作能力。

总之，学习大学英语精读需要学生付出不少的努力和时间。通过建立良好的阅读习惯，注重理解文章的核心观点，积累词汇量，并通过参加讨论和写作来提高自己的英语表达能力，学生可以更好地掌握这门课程。希望以上学习方法对于大学英语精读的学习有所帮助。

大学英语精读文本 篇二：大学英语精读的作用与意义

大学英语精读作为大学英语课程的重要组成部分，对于学生的英语阅读能力和综合语言运用能力的提高起着重要的作用。本文将探讨大学英语精读的作用与意义，并探讨如何更好地学习和应用这门课程。

首先，大学英语精读可以帮助学生提高阅读理解能力。英语精读要求学生能够理解和解读复杂的英文文章，学生需要通过阅读和分析来理解文章的主旨和核心观点。通过大量的阅读和练习，学生可以提高自己的阅读理解能力，从而更好地理解和解读各种类型的英文文章。

其次，大学英语精读可以帮助学生扩充词汇量。英语精读要求学生能够理解和运用各种词汇和短语，学生需要通过阅读和背诵来扩充自己的词汇量。通过大量的阅读和练习，学生可以积累更多的词汇，并运用到自己的写作和口语表达中。

此外，大学英语精读可以培养学生的批判性思维能力。英语精读要求学生能够对文章进行分析和评价，学生需要通过阅读和思考来形成自己的观点和见解。通过大量的阅读和练习，学生可以培养自己的批判性思维能力，从而更好地理解和评价各种类型的英文文章。

最后，大学英语精读可以帮助学生提高综合语言运用能力。英语精读要求学生能够理解和运用各种语法结构和语言表达方式，学生需要通过阅读和写作来提高自己的语言运用能力。通过大量的阅读和练习，学生可以提高自己的综合语言运用能力，从而更好地应对各种英语考试和实际应用场景。

综上所述，大学英语精读在学生的英语学习中具有重要的作用和意义。通过提高阅读理解能力，扩充词汇量，培养批判性思维能力和提高综合语言运用能力，学生可以更好地掌握这门课程，并在实际应用中运用所学知识。希望以上探讨对于大学英语精读的学习和应用有所帮助。

大学英语精读文本 篇三

　　Unit 1

　　Text

　　Two college-age boys, unaware that making money usually involves hard work, are tempted by an advertisement that promises them an easy way to earn a lot of money. The boys soon learn that if something seems to good to be true, it probably is.

　　BIG BUCKS THE EASY WAY

　　John G. Hubbell

　　"You ought to look into this," I suggested to our two college-age sons. "It might be a way to avoid the indignity of having to ask for money all the time." I handed them some magazines in a plastic bag someone bad hung on our doorknob. A message printed on the bag offered leisurely, lucrative work ("Big Bucks the Easy

Way!") of delivering more such bags.

　　"I don't mind the indignity," the older one answered.

　　"I can live with it," his brother agreed.

　　"But it pains me," I said，"to find that you both have been panhandling so long that it no longer embarrasses you."

　　The boys said they would look into the magazine-delivery thing. Pleased, I left town on a business trip. By midnight I was comfortably settled in a hotel room far from home. The phone rang. It was my wife. She wanted to know how my day had gone.

　　"Great!" I enthused. "How was your day?" I inquired.

　　"Super!" She snapped. "Just super! And it's only getting started. Another truck just pulled up out front."

　　"Another truck?"

　　"The third one this evening. The first delivered four thousand Montgomery Wards. The second brought four thousand Sears, Roebucks. I don't know what this one has, but I'm sure it will be four thousand of something. Since you are responsible, I thought you might like to know what's happening.

　　What I was being blamed for, it turned out, was a newspaper strike which made it necessary to hand-deliver the advertising s that normally are included with the Sunday paper. The company had promised our boys $600 for delivering these s to 4,000 houses by Sunday morning.

　　"Piece of cake!" our older college son had shouted.

　　" Six hundred bucks!" His brother had echoed, "And we can do the job in two hours!"

　　"Both the Sears and Ward ads are four newspaper-size pages," my wife informed me. "There are thirty-two thousand pages of advertising on our porch. Even as we speak, two big guys are carrying armloads of paper up the walk. What do we do about all this?"

　　"Just tell the boys to get busy," I instructed. "They're college men. They'll do what they have to do."

　　At noon the following day I returned to the hotel and found an urgent message to telephone my wife. Her voice was unnaturally high and quavering. There had been several more truckloads of ad s. "They're for department stores, dime stores, drugstores, grocery stores, auto stores and so on. Some are whole magazine sections. We have hundreds of thousands, maybe millions, of pages of advertising here! They are crammed wall-to-wall all through the house in stacks taller than your oldest son. There's only enough room for people to walk in, take one each of the eleven s, roll them together, slip a rubber band around them and slide them into a plastic bag. We have enough plastic bags to supply every takeout restaurant in America!" Her voice kept rising, as if working its way out of the range of the human ear. "All this must be delivered by seven o'clock Sunday morning."

　　"Well, you had better get those guys banding and sliding as fast as they can, and I'll talk to you later. Got a lunch date.

　　When I returned, there was another urgent call from my wife.

　　"Did you have a nice lunch?" she asked sweetly. I had had a marvelous steak, but knew better by now than to say so.

　　"Awful," I reported. "Some sort of sour fish. Eel, I think."

　　"Good. Your college sons have hired their younger brothers and sisters and a couple of neighborhood children to help for five dollars each. Assembly lines have been set up. In the language of diplomacy, there is 'movement.'"

　　"That's encouraging."

　　"No, it's not," she corrected. "It's very discouraging. They're been as it for hours. Plastic bags have been filled and piled to the ceiling, but all this hasn't made a dent, not a dent, in the situation! It's almost as if the s keep reproducing themselves!"

　　"Another thing," she continued. "Your college sons must learn that one does not get the best out of employees by threatening them with bodily harm.

　　Obtaining an audience with son NO. 1, I snarled, "I'll kill you if threaten one of those kids again! Idiot! You should be offering a bonus of a dollar every hour to the worker who fills the most bags.

　　"But that would cut into our profit," he suggested.

　　"There won't be any profit unless those kids enable you to make all the deliveries on time. If they don't, you two will have to remove all that paper by yourselves. And there will be no eating or sleeping until it is removed."

　　There was a short, thoughtful silence. Then he said, "Dad, you have just worked a profound change in my personality."

　　"Do it!"

　　"Yes, sir!"

　　By the following evening, there was much for my wife to report. The bonus program had worked until someone demanded to see the color of cash. Then some activist on the work force claimed that the workers had no business settling for $5 and a few competitive bonuses while the bossed collected hundreds of dollars each. The organizer had declared that all the workers were entitled to $5 per hour! They would not work another minute until the bosses agreed.

　　The strike lasted less than two hours. In mediation, the parties agreed on $2 per hour. Gradually, the huge stacks began to shrink.

　　As it turned out, the job was completed three hours before Sunday's 7 a.m. deadline. By the time I arrived home, the boys had already settled their accounts: $150 in labor costs, $40 for gasoline, and a like amount

　　for gifts—boxes of candy for saintly neighbors who had volunteered station wagons and help in delivery and dozen roses for their mother. This left them with $185 each — about two-thirds the minimum wage for the 91 hours they worked. Still, it was "enough", as one of them put it, to enable them to "avoid indignity" for quite a while.

　　All went well for some weeks. Then one Saturday morning my attention was drawn to the odd goings-on of our two youngest sons. They kept carrying carton after carton from various corners of the house out the front door to curbside. I assumed their mother had enlisted them to remove junk for a trash pickup. Then I overheard them discussing finances.

　　"Geez, we're going to make a lot of money!"

　　"We're going to be rich!"

　　Investigation revealed that they were offering " for sale or rent" our entire library.

　　"No! No!" I cried. "You can't sell our books!"

　　"Geez, Dad, we thought you were done with them!"

　　"You're never 'done' with books," I tried to explain.

　　"Sure you are. You read them, and you're done with them. That's it. Then you might as well make a little money from them. We wanted to avoid the indignity of having to ask you for……"

　　New Words

　　buck

　　n. (sl.) U.S. dollar

　　plastic

　　a. 塑料的

　　n. (pl) 塑料

　　doorknob

　　n. 门把手

　　leisurely

　　a. unhurried 从容的，慢慢的

　　leisure

　　n. free time 空闲时间，闲暇

　　lucrative

　　a. profitable 有利的；赚钱的

　　pain

　　vt. cause pain to

　　panhandle

　　vi. (AmE) beg. esp. on the streets

　　delivery

　　n. delivering (of letters, goods, etc.)投递；送交

　　enthuse

　　vi. show enthusiasm

　　inquire

　　vt. ask

　　super

　　a. (colloq.) wonderful, splendid; excellent

　　snap

　　vt. say(sth.) sharply 厉声说

　　n. 插页

　　normally

　　ad. in the usual conditions; ordinarily 通常

　　company

　　n. 公司

　　echo

　　vt. say or do what another person says or does; repeat 附和；重复

　　ad

　　n. (short for) advertisement

　　inform

　　vt. tell; give information 告知

　　porch

　　n. (AmE) veranda 门廊

　　armload

　　n. as much as one arm or both arms can hold; armful

　　walk

　　n. a path specially arranged or paved for walking 人行道

　　unnaturally

　　ad. in an unnatural way 不自然地

　　quaver

　　vi. (of the voice or sound) shake; tremble 颤抖

　　truckload

　　n. as much or as many as a truck can carry

　　department store

　　n. store selling many different kinds of goods in separate departments 百货公司

　　dime

　　n. coin of U.S. and Canada worth ten cents

　　dime store

　　n. (AmE) a store selling a large variety of low-priced articles; variety store 廉价商品店；小商口店

　　drugstore

　　n. (AmE) a store that sells not only medicine, but also beauty products, film, magazines, and food 药店，杂货店

　　grocery

　　n. a store that sells food and household supplies 食品杂货店

　　section

　　n. part of subpision of a piece of writing, book, newspaper, etc.; portion （文章等的）段落；节；部分

　　cram

　　vt. fill too full; force or press into a small space 把……塞满；把……塞进

　　stack

　　n. an orderly; heap or group of things 一叠（堆、垛等）

　　band

　　n. flat, thin piece of material 带；带状物

　　vt. tie up with a band 捆扎

　　rubber band

　　n. 橡皮筋

　　takeout

　　a. （餐馆）出售外卖菜的

　　range

　　n. the distance at which one can see or hear （听觉、视觉等）的范围

　　marvel(l)ous

　　a. wonderful; astonishing

　　steak

　　n. 牛排；大块肉（或鱼）片

　　sour

　　a. 酸的

　　eel

　　n. 鳗鲡

　　diplomacy

　　n. 外交

　　encouraging

　　a. 鼓舞人心的

　　dent

　　n. a hollow in a hard surface made by a blow or pressure; initial progress凹痕，凹坑，初步进展

　　reproduce

　　vt. produce the young of (oneself or one's own kind) 生殖，繁殖

　　bodily

　　a. of the human body; physical

　　harm

　　n. damage or wrong 伤害

　　audience

　　n. the people gathered in a place to hear or see; a chance to be heard 观众；听众；陈述意见的机会

　　snarl

　　vt. speak in a harsh voice 咆哮着说

　　bonus

　　n. an extra payment to workers 奖金

　　thoughtful

　　a. give to or indicating thought 沉思的，思考的

　　cash

　　n. money in coins or notes 现金

　　activist

　　n. a person taking an active part esp. in a political movement 激进分子

　　work force

　　n. total number of workers employed in a particular factory, industry or area 工人总数；劳动人口

　　competitive

　　a. 竞争的

　　organizer

　　n. person who organizes things 组织者

　　mediation

　　n. 调解

　　party

　　n. one of the people or sides in an agreement or argument 一方；当事人

　　gradually

　　ad. slowly and by degrees.

　　gradual

　　a.

　　shrink (shrank, shrunk)

　　vi. become less or smaller 减少；变小

　　deadline

　　n. fixed limit of finishing a piece of work 最后期限

　　station wagon

　　n. 小型客车，客货两用车

　　minimum (pl. minima or minimums)

　　n. the smallest possible amount, number, etc. 最低限度的量、数等

　　minimum wage

　　n. the lowest wage permitted by law or by agreement for certain work 法定最工资

　　odd

　　a. strange; unusual

　　goings-on

　　n. activities, usu. of an undesirable kind

　　carton

　　n. a cardboard box for holding goods 纸板箱（或盒）

　　curbside

　　n. the area of sidewalk at or near curb （curb: 人行道的镶边石）

　　enlist

　　vt. obtain the support and help of; cause to join the armed forces 取得……的支持和帮助；征募

　　trash

　　n. waste material to be thrown away; rubbish 垃圾

　　pickup

　　n. a small light truck with an open back used for light deliveries 小卡车；轻型货车

　　overhear

　　vt. hear by chance; hear without the knowledge of the speaker(s)无意中听到；偷听到

　　finance

　　n. money matters; (used in pl.) money; (science of ) the management of funds 财政；钱财；金融

　　geez

　　int.哎呀，呀

　　sale

　　n. the act of selling sth.

　　Phrases & Expressions

　　pull up

　　bring or come to a stop （使）停下

　　a piece of cake

　　(informal) sth. very easy to do

　　even as

　　just at the same moment as

　　know better than

　　be wise or experienced enough not (to do sth.) 明事理而不至于

　　be at

　　be occupied with, be doing

　　make a dent (in)

　　make less by a very small amount; reduce slightly; make a first step towards success(in)减少一点；取得初步进展

　　cut into

　　reduce; decrease 减少

　　have no business

　　have no right or reason 无权，没有理由

　　settle for

　　accept, although not altogether satisfactory （无可奈何地）满足于

　　settle one's account

　　pay what one owes 结帐

　　quite a while

　　a fairly long time

　　draw(sb.'s) attention to

　　make sb. notice, or be aware of

　　for sale

　　intended to be sold

　　for rent

　　available to be rented

　　be done with

　　stop doing or using; finish 做完，不再使用

　　may/might/could as well

　　with equal or better effect 不妨，还不如，最好

　　Proper Names

　　Montgomery Ward

　　蒙哥马利—沃德百货公司

　　Sears, Roebuck

　　西尔斯—罗百克百货公司

　　Unit 2

　　Text

　　Is there anything we can learn from deer? During the "energy crisis" of 1973-1974 the writer of this essay was living in northern Minnesota and was able to observe how deer survive when winter arrives. The lessons he learns about he way deer conserve energy turn out applicable to our everyday life.

　　DEER AND THE ENERGY CYCLE

　　Some persons say that love makes the world go round. Others of a less romantic and more practical turn of mind say that it isn't love; it's money. But the truth is that it is energy that makes the world go round. Energy is the currency of the ecological system and life becomes possible only when food is converted into energy, which in turn is used to seek more food to grow, to reproduce and to survive. On this cycle all life depends.

　　It is fairly well known that wild animals survive from year to year by eating as much as they can during times of plenty, the summer and fall, storing the excess, usually in the form of fat, and then using these reserves of fat to survive during the hard times in winter when food is scarce. But it is probably less well known that even with their stored fat, wild animals spend less energy to live in winter than in summer.

　　A good case in point is the whiter-tailed deer. Like most wildlife, deer reproduce, grow, and store fat in the summer and fall when there is plenty of nutritious food available. A physically mature female deer in good condition who has conceived in November and given birth to two fawns during the end of May or first part of June, must search for food for the necessary energy not only to meet her body's needs but also to produce milk for her fawns. The best milk production occurs at the same time that new plant growth is available. This is good timing, because milk production is an energy consuming process — it requires a lot of food. The cost can not be met unless the region has ample food resources.

　　As the summer progresses and the fawns grow, they become less dependent on their mother's milk and more dependent on growing plants as food sources. The adult males spend the summer growing antlers and getting fat. Both males and females continue to eat high quality food in the fall in order to deposit body fat for the winter. In the case of does and fawns, a great deal of energy is expended either in milk production or in growing, and fat is not accumulated as quickly as it is in full grown males. Fat reserves are like bank accounts to be drawn on in the winter when food supplies are limited and sometimes difficult to reach because of deep snow.

　　As fall turns into winter, other changes take place. Fawns lose their spotted coat. Hair on all the deer becomes darker and thicker. The change in the hair coats is usually complete by September and maximum hair depths are reached by November or December when the weather becomes cold.

　　But in addition, nature provides a further safeguard to help deer survive the winter—an internal physiological response which lowers their metabolism, or rate of bodily functioning, and hence slows down their expenditure of energy. The deer become somewhat slow and drowsy. The heart rate drops. Animals that hibernate practice energy conservation to a greater extreme than deer do. Although deer don't hibernate, they do the same thing with their seasonal rhythms in metabolism. Deer spend more energy and store fat in the summer and fall when food is abundant, and spend less energy and use stored fat in the winter when food is less available.

　　When the "energy crisis" first came in 1973-1974, I was living with my family in a cabin on the edge of an area where deer spend the winter in northern Minnesota, observing the deer as their behavior changed from more activity in summer and fall to less as winter progressed, followed by an increase again in the spring as the snow melted. It was interesting and rather amusing to listen to the advice given on the radio: " Drive only when necessary," we were told. "Put on more clothes to stay warm, and turn the thermostat on your furnace down." Meanwhile we watched the deer reduce their activity, grow a winter coat of hair, and reduce their metabolism as they have for thousands of years. It is biologically reasonable for deer to reduce their cost of living to increase their chance of surviving in winter.

　　Not every winter is critical for deer of course. If the winter has light snow, survival and productivity next spring will be high. But if deep snows come and the weather remains cold for several weeks, then the deer must spend more energy to move about, food will be harder to find, and they must then depend more on their fat reserves to pull them through. If such conditions go on for too long some will die, and only the largest and strongest are likely to survive. That is a fundamental rule of life for wild, free wandering animal such as deer.

　　Yes, life—and death, too -- is a cycle that goes round and round, and when animals die their bodies become food for other life forms to use by converting them into energy.

　　And the cycle continues.

　　英语单词速记：http://hi.baidu.com/52ejob/blog/item/c0976231f19ecc12eac4af48.html

　　New Words

　　Deer

　　n. (sing. or pl.)鹿

　　romantic

　　a. belonging to or suggesting romance; fanciful not practical 浪漫的；幻想的

　　turn

　　n. a natural tendency; inclination(天生）倾向

　　currency

　　n. money that is actually in use in a country 通货，货币

　　ecological

　　a. of or concerning interrelationship of organisms and their environment 生态的

　　ecology

　　n. 生态学

　　convert

　　vt. change (from one form, use, etc. into another); cause (a person) to change his beliefs, etc. 使转变；使改变信仰（等）

　　excess

　　n. the part that is more than enough; the condition of exceeding what is usual or necessary 过量；过度

　　reserve

　　n. sth. that is being or has been stored for later use 储备（物）

　　scarce a. not available in sufficient quantity 缺乏的

　　wildlife

　　n. animals and plants which live and grow wild

　　nutritious

　　a. full grown and developed 成熟的；成年的

　　female

　　a. of the sex that gives birth to young 女（性）的；雌的

　　n. a female person, animal or plant

　　conceive

　　vt. become pregnant with (young); form (an idea, plan, etc.) in the mind 怀（胎）；构思

　　fawn

　　n. a young deer less than a year old

　　timing

　　n. selection for maximum effect of the precise moment for beginning or doing sth. 时机的选择

　　consume

　　vt. eat or drink; use; use up 消耗；消费

　　region

　　n. a place, space or area; a part of the body 地区；（身体的）部位

　　ample

　　a. plentiful 充裕的

　　resource

　　n. (pl.) possessions (esp. of a country). in the form of wealth and goods, that help one to do what one wants 资源

　　dependent

　　a. relying (on another) for support

　　male

　　a. of the sex that does not give birth to young 男（性）的；雄的

　　n. a male person, animal or plant

　　antler

　　n. the solid, bony horn of a male deer 鹿角，茸角

　　deposit

　　vt. put or store for safe keeping; (esp. of a liquid, a river) leave lying (a layer of matter)存放；使沉积

　　doe

　　n. a fully-grown female deer

　　expend

　　vt. spend or use up 花费；耗尽

　　accumulate

　　v. make or become greater in number or quantity; collect or gather 积累；积聚

　　account

　　n. a sum of money kept in a bank which may be added to or taken from 帐户；存款

　　spotted

　　a. marked with spots

　　depth

　　n. the state or degree of being deep 深；深度，厚度

　　safeguard

　　n. a means of protection against sth. unwanted 预防措施

　　internal

　　a. of or in the inside, esp. of the body 内部的；体内的

　　physiological

　　a. 生理的；生理学的

　　metabolism

　　n. 新陈代谢

　　hence

　　ad. therefore 因此，所以

　　expenditure

　　n. expending or using up; the amount of money, time, etc. expended 花费；用光；支出额，费用

　　somewhat

　　ad. by some degree or amount; a little 有点，稍微

　　drowsy

　　a. sleepy or half sleepy; making one sleepy 困倦的；催眠的

　　hibernate

　　vi. (of some animals) pass the whole of the winter in a state like sleep 冬眠

　　extreme

　　n. either end of anything; highest degree 极端

　　seasonal

　　a. depending on the season; changing with the seasons 季节性的

　　rhythm

　　n. 节奏

　　abundant

　　a. more than enough 充足的；丰富的

　　cabin

　　n. a small roughly built, usu. wooden house 小木屋；茅舍

　　melt

　　v. cause (a solid) to become liquid; (of a solid ) become liquid （使）融化；（使）熔化

　　amusing

　　a. funny 逗人笑的；引起乐趣的.

　　amuse

　　vt. cause to laugh or smile

　　thermostat

　　n. an automatic device for regulating temperature 恒温器

　　biologically

　　ad. 生物学上

　　biological a.

　　survival

　　n. the fact or likelihood of surviving 幸存

　　productivity

　　n. the ability or capacity to produce, productiveness 生产力；生产率；多产

　　fundamental

　　a. basic; most important

　　Phrases & Expressions

　　go round

　　function smoothly

　　in the form of

　　以…形式

　　in point

　　appropriate; pertinent 适用的；相关的

　　in (good) condition

　　in good health, physically fit

　　give birth (to)

　　bear; (fig.) produce 生（孩）子，产（仔）；产生，引起

　　draw on

　　take or use as a source 利用；动用

　　slow down

　　(cause to ) go more slowly than usual; (cause to ) live, work, etc. in a less active and intense way （使）慢下来；（使）放松

　　turn down

　　reduce the force, speed, loudness, etc. of (sth.) by using controls 减弱；关小，调低

　　move about

　　travel around; go from one place to another

　　pull through

　　help (sb.) to survive a period of danger or crisis 使渡过危险或危机

　　Proper Name

　　Minnesota

　　明尼苏达（美国州名）

　　Unit 3

　　Text

　　Can you prove that the earth is round? Go ahead and try! Will you rely on your senses or will you have to draw on the opinions of experts?

　　WHY DO WE BELIEVE

　　THAT THE EARTH IS ROUND?

　　George Orwell

　　Somewhere or other — I think it is in the preface to saint Joan — Bernard Shaw remarks that we are more gullible and superstitious today than we were in the Middle Ages, and as an example of modern cre一ty he cites the widespread belief that the earth is round. The average man, says Shaw, can advance not a single reason for thinking that the earth is round. He merely swallows this theory because there is something about it that appeals to the twentieth-century mentality.

　　Now, Shaw is exaggerating, but there is something in what he says, and the question is worth following up, for the sake of the light it throws on modern knowledge. Just why do we believe that the earth is round? I am not speaking of the few thousand astronomers, geographers and so forth who could give ocular proof, or have a theoretical knowledge of the proof, but of the ordinary newspaper-reading citizen, such as you or me.

　　As for the Flat Earth theory, I believe I could refute it. If you stand by the seashore on a clear day, you can see the masts and funnels of invisible ships passing along the horizon. This phenomenon can only be explained by assuming that the earth's surface is curved. But it does not follow that the earth is spherical. Imagine another theory called the Oval Earth theory, which claims that the earth is shaped like an egg. What can I say against it?

　　Against the Oval Earth man, the first card I can play is the analogy of the sun and moon. The Oval Earth man promptly answers that I don't know, by my own observation, that those bodies are spherical. I only know that they are round, and they may perfectly well be flat discs. I have no answer to that one. Besides, he goes on, what reason have I for thinking that the earth must be the same shape as the sun and moon? I can't answer that one either.

　　My second card is the earth's shadow: When cast on the moon during eclipses, it appears to be the shadow of a round object. But how do I know, demands the Oval Earth man, that eclipses of the moon are caused by the shadow of the earth? The answer is that I don't know, but have taken this piece of information blindly from newspaper articles and science booklets.

　　Defeated in the minor exchanges, I now play my queen of trumps: the opinion of the experts. The Astronomer Royal, who ought to know, tells me that the earth is round. The Oval Earth man covers the queen with his king. Have I tested the Astronomer Royal's statement, and would I even know a way of testing it? Here I bring out my ace. Yes, I do know one test. The astronomers can foretell eclipses, and this suggests that their opinions about the solar system are pretty sound. I am, to my delight, justified in accepting their say-so about the shape of the earth.

　　If the Oval Earth man answers — what I believe is true — that the ancient Egyptians, who thought the sun goes round the earth, could also predict eclipses, then bang goes my ace. I have only one card left: navigation. People can sail ship round the world, and reach the places they aim at, by calculations which assume that the earth is spherical. I believe that finishes the Oval Earth man, though even then he may possibly have some kind of counter.

　　It will be seen that my reasons for thinking that the earth is round are rather precarious ones. Yet this is an exceptionally elementary piece of information. On most other questions I should have to fall back on the expert much earlier, and would be less able to test his pronouncements. And much the greater part of our knowledge is at this level. It does not rest on reasoning or on experiment, but on authority. And how can it be otherwise, when the range of knowledge is so vast that the expert himself is an ignoramus as soon as he strays away from his own specialty? Most people, if asked to prove that the earth is round, would not even bother to produce the rather weak arguments I have outlined above. They would start off by saying that "everyone knows" the earth to be round, and if pressed further, would become angry. In a way Shaw is right. This is a credulous age, and the burden of knowledge which we now have to carry is partly responsible.

　　New Words

　　preface

　　n. an introduction to a book or speech 前言,序

　　gullible

　　a. easily deceived or cheated esp. into a false belief; credulous 易受骗的;轻信的

　　superstitious

　　a. full of superstition; believing in superstitions 迷信的

　　cre一ty

　　n. a tendency to believe to readily 轻信

　　cite

　　vt. mention as an example; quote (a passage, book, etc.) 举出;引出

　　widespread

　　a. found or distributed over a large area 分布广的;普遍的

　　advance

　　vt. put or bring forward; offer 提出

　　appeal

　　vi. please, attract or interest 投合所好;有感染力;有吸引力

　　mentality

　　n. way of thinking, outlook; mental power or capacity 心理,思想;脑力

　　exaggerate

　　vt. think, speak or write of as greater than is really so; overstate 夸张;夸大

　　sake

　　n. end, purpose 缘故

　　geographer

　　n. a specialist in geography

　　ocular

　　a. of, for, by the eyes; based on what has been seen 眼睛的;凭视觉的

　　theoretical

　　a. of or based on theory

　　citizen

　　n. 公民;市民

　　refute

　　vt. prove (a statement) to be untrue; prove (a person) to be mistaken 驳斥

　　mast

　　n. a long upright pole of wood or metal for carrying flags or sails on a ship 桅杆

　　funnel

　　n. a metal chimney for letting out smoke from a steam engine or steamship (蒸汽机,轮船等的)烟囱

　　invisible

　　a. that can not be seen

　　horizon

　　n. the line where the sky seems to meet the earth or sea 地平线

　　phenomenon (pl. phenomena)

　　n. 现象

　　curve

　　vt. bend so as to form a line that has no straight part 使成曲线

　　n. a continuously bending line without angles 曲线

　　follow

　　vi. result or occur as a consequence, effect, or inference 结果产生;得出

　　spherical

　　a. shaped like a ball 球形的

　　oval

　　n.& a. (anything which is) egg-shaped 卵形的(东西), 椭圆的(东西)

　　card

　　n. 纸牌

　　analogy

　　n. comparison of things that have a certain likeness; similarity 类比; 相似

　　promptly

　　ad. quickly and willingly 敏捷地;迅速地

　　prompt a.

　　body

　　n. =celestial body 天体

　　disc

　　n. 圆盘

　　cast

　　vt. throw or drop; cause (light or shadow) to appear (on) 扔,投; 投射

　　eclipse

　　n. the total or partial hiding of one celestial body by another (天文学)食

　　booklet

　　n. a small book, usu. with a paper cover 小册子

　　exchange

　　vt. give and receive (one thing in return for another) 交换

　　trump

　　n. 王牌

　　royal

　　a. for, belonging to, or connected with a king or queen 皇家的; 王室的

　　statement

　　n. expression in words; a written or spoken declaration, esp. of a formal kind 陈述;声明

　　ace

　　n. (纸牌中的)"A"牌,爱司

　　foretell

　　vt. tell beforehand; predict 预言

　　solar

　　a. of the sun

　　the solar system

　　the sun and the planets which revolve round it

　　justify

　　vt. give a good reason for; show to be just, right or reasonable 证明……是正当的；为…辩护

　　say-so

　　n. an authoritative pronouncement; one's unsupported assertion 权威性声明；无证据的断言

　　Egyptian

　　n.,a. (native) of Egypt 埃及人；埃及的

　　predict

　　vt. announce or tell beforehand; forecast 预言

　　bang

　　ad. with a sudden loud noise; with a sudden impact 砰地

　　navigation

　　n. the act or process of navigating 航海

　　calculation

　　n. the act of adding, subtracting, multiplying, or piding to find a result 计算

　　calculate vt.

　　calculator n. 计算器

　　counter

　　n. sth. of value in bargaining; a return attack, such as a blow in boxing 讨价还价的本钱；回击，反击

　　precarious

　　a. insecure; depending upon mere assumption 不安全的；根据不足的，靠不住的

　　exceptionally

　　ad. unusually

　　authority

　　n. power to influence; power to give orders and make others obey 权威；权力

　　ignoramus

　　n. an ignorant person 无知的人

　　stray

　　vi. wander away; (of thoughts or conversation) move away from the subject 走离；离题

　　specialty

　　n. a special field of work or study 专业

　　outline

　　vt. indicate the main ideas or facts of

　　n. a systematic listing of the important points of a subject 提纲

　　press

　　vt. demand or ask for continuously 催促，逼迫

　　credulous

　　a. tending to believe sth. on little evidence, arising from cre一ty 轻信的

　　burden

　　n. sth. difficult to bear; load 重负；负荷

　　Phrases & Expressions

　　follow up

　　pursue or investigate closely; take further action after (sth.) 深入研究或调查；采取进一步行动

　　for the sake of

　　for the good or advantage of; for the purpose of 为了…的利益；为了

　　throw/shed light on

　　make clear; explain 使明白，使明朗；解释

　　and so forth

　　and so on

　　as for

　　with regard to, concerning 至于

　　may well (not)

　　be very likely (not) to 完全（不）可能

　　bring out

　　show; offer to the public 拿出；使显出；推出（新产品等）

　　aim at

　　have as one's target, objective, etc.

　　fall back on

　　turn to for support 求助于

　　rest on

　　depend on, rely on

　　stray away from

　　wander from; move from 偏离

　　start off

　　begin; depart

　　in a way

　　to a certain extent; a little; somewhat 在某种程度上

　　Proper Names

　　Saint Joan

　　圣女贞德

　　Bernard Shaw

　　萧伯纳

　　Unit 4

　　Text

　　Jim Thorpe, an American Indian, is generally accepted as the greatest all-round athlete of the first half of the 20th century. Yet the man, who brought glory to his nation, had a heartbreaking life. What caused his sadness and poverty?

　　JIM THORPE

　　Steve Gelman

　　The railroad station was jammed. Students from Lafayette College were crowding onto the train platform eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Carlisle Indian school's track and field squad. No one would have believed it a few months earlier. A school that nobody had heard of was suddenly beating big, famous colleges in track meets. Surely these Carlisle athletes would come charging off the train, one after another, like a Marine battalion.

　　The train finally arrived and two young men — one big and broad, the other small and slight — stepped onto the platform.

　　"Where's the track team?" a Lafayette student asked.

　　"This is the team," replied the big fellow.

　　"Just the two of you?"

　　"Nope, just me," said the big fellow. "This little guy is the manager."

　　The Lafayette students shook their heads in wonder. Somebody must be playing a joke on them. If this big fellow was the whole Carlisle track team, he would be competing against an entire Lafayette squad.

　　He did. He ran sprints, he ran hurdles, he ran distance races. He high-jumped, he broad-jumped. He threw the javelin and the shot. Finishing first in eight events, the big fellow beat the whole Lafayette team.

　　The big fellow was Jim Thorpe, the greatest American athlete of modern times. He was born on May 28,1888, in a two-room farmhouse near Prague, Oklahoma. His parents were members of the Sac and Fox Indian tribe and he was a direct descendant of the famous warrior chief, Black Hawk.

　　As a Sac and Fox, Jim had the colorful Indian name Wa-Tho-Huck. Which, translated, means Bright Path. But being born an Indian, his path was not so bright. Although he had the opportunity to hunt and fish with great Indian outdoorsmen, he was denied opportunity in other ways. The United States government controlled the lives of American Indians and, unlike other people, Indians did not automatically become citizens. It was almost impossible for an Indian to gain even a fair education and extremely difficult, as a result, for an Indian to rise high in life.

　　Young Bright Path seemed destined to spend his life in the Oklahoma farmland. But when he was in his teens, the government gave him the chance to attend the Carlisle Indian School in Pennsylvania. Soon Carlisle was racing along its own bright path to athletic prominence. In whatever sport Jim Thorpe played, he excelled, He was a star in baseball, track and field, wrestling, lacrosse, basketball and football. He was so good in football, in fact, that most other small schools refused to play Carlisle. The Indian school's football schedule soon listed such major powers of the early twentieth century as Pittsburgh, Harvard, Pennsylvania, Penn State and Army.

　　Thorpe was a halfback. He was six feet one inch tall, weighed 185 pounds and had incredible speed and power. He built upon these natural gifts daily. He would watch a coach or player demonstrate a difficult maneuver, then he would try it himself. Inevitably, he would master the maneuver within minutes.

　　During every game, opponents piled on Thorpe, trampled him, kicked him and punched him, trying to put him out of action. They were never successful. Years later someone asked him if he had ever been hurt on the field. "Hurt?" Thorpe said. "How could anyone get hurt playing football?"

　　But Jim never played his best when he felt he would have to no fun playing. "What's the fun of playing in the rain?" he once said. And his Carlisle coach, Pop Warner, once said, "There's no doubt that Jim had more talent than anybody who ever played football, but you could never tell when he felt like giving his best."

　　Football, though, did not provide Thorpe with his finest hour. He was selected for the United States Olympic track team in 1912, and went to Sweden with the team for the Games. On the ship, while the other athletes limbered up, Thorpe slept in his bunk. In Sweden, while other athletes trained, Thorpe relaxed in a hammock. He never strained when he didn't feel it necessary.

　　Thorpe came out of his hammock when the Games began, to take part in the two most demanding Olympic events. He entered the pentathlon competition, a test of skill in five events: 200-meter run, 1500-meter run, broad jump, discus and javelin; and the decathlon competition, a series of ten events: 100-meter run, 400-meter run, 1500-meter run, high hurdles, broad jump, high jump, pole vault, discus, javelin and shot put. Though most athletes were utterly exhausted by the decathlon alone, Thorpe breezed through both events, his dark hair flopping, his smile flashing, his muscled body gliding along the track. He finished first in both the pentathlon and decathlon, one of the great feats in Olympic history.

　　"You sir," King Gustav V of Sweden told Thorpe as he presented him with two gold medals, "are the greatest athlete in the world." And William Howard Taft, the President of the United States, said, "Jim Thorpe is the highest type of citizen."

　　King Gustav V was correct, but President Taft was not. Though Jim Thorpe had brought great glory to his nation, though thousands of people cheered him upon his return to the United States and attended banquets and a New York parade in his honor, he was not a citizen. He did not become one until 1916. Even then, it took a special government ruling because he was an Indian.

　　Jim Thorpe was a hero after the Olympics and a sad, bewildered man not too much later. Someone discovered that two years before the Olympics he had been paid a few dollars to play semiprofessional baseball. Though many amateur athletes had played for pay under false names, Thorpe had used his own name. As a result, he was not technically an amateur when he competed at Stockholm as all Olympic athletes must be. His Olympic medals and trophies were taken away from him and given to the runners-up.

　　After this heartbreaking experience, Thorpe turned to professional sports. He played major league baseball for six years and did fairly well. Then he played professional football for six years with spectacular success. His last professional football season was in 1926. After that, his youthful indifference to studies and his unwillingness to think of a nonsports career caught up with him. He had trouble finding a job, and his friends deserted him. He periodically asked for, but never was given back, his Olympic prizes. From 1926 until his death in 1953, he lived a poor, lonely, unhappy life.

　　But in 1950 the Associated Press held a poll to determine the outstanding athlete of the half-century. Despite his loss of the Olympic gold medals and a sad decline in fortune during his later years, Thorpe was almost unanimously chosen the greatest athlete of modern times.

　　New Words

　　jam

　　v. fill or block up (the way) by crowding; (cause to ) be packed, pressed, or crushed tightly into a small space 堵塞；（使）塞满

　　platform

　　n. a raised flat surface built along the side of the track at a railway station for travellers getting on or off a train 月台

　　await

　　vt. wait for; look forward to

　　track

　　n. a course for running or racing; track-and-field sports, esp. those performed on a running track 跑道；径赛运动；田径运动

　　field

　　n. an area, esp. circled by a track where contests such as in jumping or throwing are held; the sports contested in this area 田赛场地；田赛运动

　　squad

　　n. a small group of persons working, training, or acting together; the smallest military unit, usually made up of eleven men and a squad leader 小队；班

　　charge

　　vi rush in or as if in an attack 向前冲；冲锋

　　Marine

　　n. a member of the U.S. Marine Corps （美国）海军陆战队士兵或军官

　　battalion

　　n. military unit made up of several companies 营

　　broad

　　a. wide, large across 宽的，广阔的

　　nope

　　ad. (AmE sl.) no

　　compete

　　vi. take part in a race, contest, etc.' try to win sth. in competition with sb. else 比赛；竞争

　　sprint

　　n. short race; dash 短跑

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

　　hurdle

　　n. a light frame for people or horses to jump over in a race 栏；跳栏

　　broad(-) jump

　　n.& vi. (AmE) (do) a long jump 跳远

　　javelin

　　n. light spear for throwing (usu. in sport) 标枪

　　shot

　　n. the heavy metal ball used in the shot put 铅球

　　tribe

　　n. 部落

　　descendant

　　n. a person descended from another or from a common stock 子孙；后裔

　　warrior

　　n. a man who fights for his tribe; a soldier or experienced fighter 斗士，勇士；（老）战士

　　colorful

　　a. full of color; exciting the senses or imagination 艳丽的；丰富多彩的

　　hunt

　　v. go after (wild animals) for food or sport; search (for) 追猎，打猎；搜寻

　　outdoorsman

　　n. a man, such as a hunter, fisherman, or camper, who spends much time outdoors for pleasure

　　deny

　　vt. say that (sth.) is not true; refuse to give 否认；拒绝给予

　　destine

　　vt. (usu. passive) intend or decide by fate; intend for some special purpose 命中注定；预定

　　farmland

　　n. land used or suitable for farming 农田

　　teens

　　n. the period of one's life between and including the ages of 13 and 19

　　prominence

　　n. the quality or fact of being prominent or distinguished 凹出；杰出

　　prominent a.

　　excel

　　vi. be very good (in or at sth) 突出，超常

　　wrestling

　　n. a sport or contest in which each of two opponents tries to throw or force the other to the ground 摔跤（运动）

　　wrestle v.

　　lacrosse

　　n. 长曲棍球（运动）

　　football

　　n. 橄榄球（运动）

　　power

　　n. a person, group or nation that has authority or influence 握有大权的人物；有影响的机构；强国

　　halfback

　　n. (橄榄球、足球等）前卫

　　incredible

　　a. too extraordinary to be believed, unbelievable 难以置信的

　　coach

　　n. a person who trains sportsmen for games, competitions, etc. 教练

　　demonstrate

　　vt. explain by carrying out experiments or by showing examples 用实验或实例说明；演示

　　maneuver

　　n. a skillful move or trick, intended to deceive, to gain sth., to escape, or to do sth. 机动动作；策略；花招

　　opponent

　　n. a person who is on the other side in a fight, game, or discussion 对手；反对者

　　trample

　　vt. step heavily with the feet on; crush under the feet 踩；践踏

　　punch

　　vt. strike (sb. or sth.) hard with the fist 用拳猛击

　　Olympic

　　a. of or connected with the Olympic Games

　　limber

　　v. make or become flexible （使）变得柔软灵活

　　bunk

　　n. a narrow bed fixed on the wall, e.g. of a cabin in a ship or in a train 床铺，铺位

　　hammock

　　n. a hanging bed of canvas or rope network, e.g. as used by sailors, or in gardens （帆布或网状）吊床

　　strain

　　vi. make violent efforts; strive hard 尽力，使劲

　　demanding

　　a. making severe demands 要求高的；苛求的

　　pentathlon

　　n. an athletic contest in which each contestant takes part in five events 五项运动

　　competition

　　n. competing; contest; match

　　discus

　　n. a heavy, circular plate of rubber, plastic or wood with a metal rim 铁饼

　　decathlon

　　n. an athletic contest consisting of ten events 十项运动

　　shot put

　　n. a competition to throw a heavy metal ball the furthest distance 推铅球

　　utterly

　　ad. completely; totally

　　utter a.

　　breeze

　　vi. move or go quickly and in a carelessly confident way 轻快地行动

　　flop

　　vi. move or bounce loosely 扑动

　　flash

　　vi. give out sudden, brief light or flame; shine or gleam 闪光；闪烁

　　glide

　　vi. move in a smooth continuous manner which seems easy and without effort 滑动，滑行

　　feat

　　n. an act showing great skill, strength, or daring; a remarkable deed, notable esp. for courage 武功；技艺；功绩

　　glory

　　n. high fame and honour won by great achievements; sth. deserving respect and honour 光荣，荣誉；荣誉的事

　　banquet

　　n. a dinner for many people, at which speeches are made, in honour of a special person or occasion 宴会

　　ruling

　　n. an official decision 裁决

　　Olympic

　　n. Olympic Games 奥林匹克运动会

　　professional

　　a. done by, played by, or made up of people who are paid 职业的

　　n. a person who lives on the money he earns by practising a particular skill or sport 以特定职业谋生的人

　　amateur

　　n. a person playing a game, taking part in sports, etc. without receiving payment 业余爱好者

　　a. of, by, or with amateurs; not paid lacking skill 业余的

　　technically

　　ad. in technical terms; in a technical sense; according to fixed rules 技术上；按规则

　　trophy

　　n. a prize given for winning a race, competition, or test of skill 奖品

　　runner-up

　　n. a player or team that comes second in a contest 亚军

　　heartbreaking

　　a. causing great sorrow or grief; extremely distressing 令人心碎的

　　league

　　n. a group of sports clubs or teams that play matches among themselves 联赛协会

　　spectacular

　　a. strikingly grand or unusual 壮观的；惊人的

　　season

　　n. the period of time during which a sport is played 赛季

　　youthful

　　a. young; having the qualities of young people

　　indifference

　　n. absence of interest or feeling 不关心，冷漠

　　indifferent a.

　　periodically

　　ad. at regular intervals, every now and then

　　outstanding

　　a. much better than most others; very good 杰出的

　　despite

　　prep. in spite of

　　decline

　　n. losing of power, strength, wealth, or beauty; falling to a lower level 衰落；下降

　　unanimously

　　a. with complete agreement; without a single opposing vote 一致地；无异议地区性

　　Phrase & Expressions

　　track and field

　　the sport or athletic events, such as running, jumping and weight throwing performed on a running track and on the adjacent field 田径运动

　　play a joke on sb.

　　do sth. to make other people laugh at someone 同某人开玩笑

　　put……out of action

　　stop……working, make……unfit for a typical activity 使停止工作；使不再起作用；使失去战斗力

　　limber up

　　make the muscles stretch easily by exercise, esp. before violent exercise （比赛等前）做准备活动

　　take part in

　　have a share or part in; join in 参加

　　breeze through

　　proceed with effortlessly in a carefree manner 轻而易举地完成

　　in one's hono(u)r/in

　　向……表示敬意；为庆祝……；为纪念……

　　hono(u)r of

　　catch up with

　　have the expected ill effect or result on 对……产生预期恶果

　　Proper Names

　　Thorpe

　　索普

　　Lafayette College

　　拉斐德学院

　　Carlisle Indian School

　　卡尔印第安人学校

　　Prague

　　布拉格（文中指美国地名）

　　Oklaboma

　　俄国拉何马（美国州名）

　　Sac and Fox

　　印第安人部落之一

　　Black Hawk

　　黑隼（印第安人首领名）

　　pennsylvania

　　宾夕法尼亚（美国州名）

　　Pittsburgh

　　匹兹堡（美国城市）

　　Penn

　　(short for) Pennsylvania

　　Pop Warner

　　波伯.沃纳

　　Sweden

　　瑞典

　　Gustav V

　　古斯塔夫五世

　　William Howard Taft

　　威谦.霍华德.塔夫脱

　　Stockholm

　　斯德哥尔摩（瑞典首都）