 Reading Skills
 Text Study
 Notes to the Text
 Words and Expressions
 Idea Sharing
 Understanding Idiomatic Expressions
 Exercises
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Reading Skill
I. Understanding Idiomatic Expressions
The meaning of idiomatic expressions can
be very hard—even impossible to guess.
Word formations in dictionaries don’t always
help, and can even fool us entirely! However,
context clues, such as examples, opposites
explanations, or similar phrases can be helpful
to figure out the meaning of them.
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Reading Skill
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II. Exercises
Guess the meaning of the following idiomatic
expressions.
1. The new comer was as comfortable as an old
shoe and we soon became friends.
Key
easy to talk and work with
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Reading Skill
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2. A motor would be a white elephant to him,
because he can’t drive.
Key
a big but useless object to its owner
3. I told her to read over her composition
and weed out every sentence that was
not about the subject.
Key
to remove what is unwanted
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Reading Skill
4. Some students are lazy, but others beat their
brains and succeed.
Key
to think out sth. difficult
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Reading Skill
5. The way most people look at you, you’d
think a trashman was a monster. Say hello
and they stare at you in surprise. They
don’t realize we’re human.
Key
A trashman is someone
that everyone wants to
get away from.
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 Main Idea with the Numbers
 True or False Statement
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Text Study
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I. Main Idea with the Numbers
Give complete information with the numbers below:
e.g.
• at 3:00 A.M.
• The company man worked himself to death,
finally and precisely, at 3:00 A.M. Sunday
morning.
Text Study
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1
Give complete information with the numbers below
without looking at the text book:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
at 3:00 A.M.
18 years
51 years old
one of three
six days
monthly
60
48 years old
•
•
•
•
•
the eldest
24
20
over the last two years
the sixty-year-old
company president
• by 5:00 P.M.
• one of three men
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Text Study
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II. True or False Statement
1. Phil was a devoted executive. T
2. Phil could have been promoted to the top
position if he had worked hard enough. F
3. Very often Phil had his meals at home. F
4. When Helen said “I already have,” we know
her husband had neglected her. T
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Text Study
5. Phil’s youngest child seems to be following
Phil’s steps working as a company man . F
6. Phil worried about his youngest child most. T
7. Phil got more than he lost . F
8. The writer tells this story in an ironic manner. T
 Active Expressions
 Focus Study
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Notes to the Text—Active Expressions
I. Active Expressions
Find the active expressions in the following:
1. … and one of three that might conceivably …
have been promoted to the top spot. (L9)
2. A company friend said, “I know how much you
will miss him.” (L27)
“Missing him all these years,” … (L29)
… that the fifty-one-year-old deceased … and
would be missed and hard to replace. (L46)
3. He is a natural choice for a heart attack. (L52)
Practice
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• spot
• miss
• natural
Notes to the Text—Active Expressions
• a particular place or area
• pick out, catch sight of
• feel sad without
• fail to reach/notice/understand/be
present …
• expected; normal
• born with a certain skill
• not pretending
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Notes to the Text—Active Expressions
What do they mean here?
• This is the very spot where he was murdered.
a particular place or area
• The police were on the spot within a few minutes
of my telephone call.
at the place where an event happened
• She spotted her friend in the crowd.
pick out, catch sight of
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Notes to the Text—Active Expressions
What do they mean here?
• We really missed being able to go to the beach
whenever we wanted.
feel sad without
• The goalkeeper just missed the ball.
fail to hit, catch, reach
• The house is on the corner, you can’t miss it.
not notice
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Notes to the Text—Active Expressions
What do they mean here?
• She realized she had missed an opportunity to
speak to Mary.
fail to take advantage of doing sth.
• By the time we got there we’d missed the
beginning of the movie.
fail to be present at, too late for
• I’ll take your luggage to your room, Miss.
a polite form of address to a young lady
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Notes to the Text—Active Expressions
What do they mean here?
• It’s natural that she should be upset by the
insult.
expected; normal
• His keenness on music indicates he is a natural
musician .
born with a certain skill
• It’s difficult to be natural when one is tense.
not pretending
• He is not our natural son — we adopted him
when he was three.
related by blood
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Notes to the Text—Active Expressions
Translation
1.
像他这个年纪的孩子这么安静实属少见。
2. 她生来具有舞蹈家的优雅风度。
3. 在照片里她显得放松自然。
4. 麦克是被收养的，他从不知道他的亲生父母是谁。
Keys
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Notes to the Text—Active Expressions
Keys
• It’s not natural for a child of his age to be so
quiet.
• She has the natural grace of a born dancer.
• She appeared relaxed and natural in her
photograph.
• Michel was adopted; he never knew his natural
parents.
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Notes to the Text—Focus Study
II. Focus Study
1. It said he died of a heart attack, but every
one of his friends and acquaintances knew
it instantly. (L2)
understanding personal pronoun by
contextual clues
What does “it” refer to?
• it said = the article said
• … knew it = knew the truth that he worked
himself to death
Practice
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Notes to the Text—Focus Study
What does “it” refer to in the following
sentences?
1) To Phil, it was work . (L15)
Monthly game of golf.
2) But it did list his “survivors” quite accurately.(L22)
The article about his death.
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Notes to the Text—Focus Study
2. He worked himself to death, finally and
precisely, at 3:00 A.M. Sunday morning.
(L1, L6, L54)
Repetition emphasizes some key idea or
writing style.
Why is the sentence repeated three time?
• To emphasize the ironic writing style.
Practice
 Word Using
 English to Chinese
 Old to New
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Words and Expressions—Word Using
I. Word Using
1. afford v.
① have enough time, money, etc for specified
purpose 花费得起金钱、时间做……
e.g.
I’d love to go on holiday but I can’t afford the
time and money.
Note: This word often follows ‘can’, ‘could’, or
‘be able to’.
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Words and Expressions—Word Using
1. afford v.
② be able to do sth. without risk to oneself
能不冒风险而做某事物
e.g.
I mustn’t annoy my boss because I can’t afford
to lose my job.
Use It
What can’t you afford to do in your college
career?
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Words and Expressions—Word Using
2. ignore v.
take no notice of 忽视……
pretend that you haven’t noticed …
故意不理睬
e.g.
• The government has ignored the advice it
was given.
• He completely ignored her and kept on
walking.
Words frequently used with ‘ignore’
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Words and Expressions—Word Using
Words frequently used with ‘ignore’
• adverb completely, deliberately, totally,
simply, pointedly, blatantly
• nouns advice, existence, fact, possibility,
protest, reality, remark, request,
threat, warning, insult, question
Word Building
• ignorance n. lack knowledge or facts about
• ignorant adj. knowing little or nothing
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Words and Expressions—Word Using
3. survive v.
① stay alive despite an injury, illness, war ect.
经历某事而幸存
② continue to exist, especially in a difficult or
dangerous situation 继续生存或存在
e.g.
• Just 10 in this village survived the earthquake.
• The organization cannot survive unless we
make some major changes.
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Words and Expressions—Word Using
4. replace v.
① take the place of 代替，取代
② provide a substitute for 替换
Translation
• 电子邮件已经大大地取代了传统的商务信件。
• 我们将替换在水灾中被毁坏的全部家具。
Key
• Email has largely replaced the traditional
business letter.
• We have to replace all the furniture that
was damaged in the flood.
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Words and Expressions—Word Using
5. option n.
choice; thing that may be chosen; power
or freedom to choose 选择；选择权
e.g.
• We have three different options for financing
the house.
• The airline has ordered 16 aircraft and
stock options on another 29.
optional adj.
optional subjects 选修课
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Words and Expressions—Word Using
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6. explore (doing sth.) vt.
探究；探索；探讨
Collocation
the basis for...
explore
the possibilities of...
the secret of...
the root causes of...
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Words and Expressions—Word Using
7. pick out
choose one thing or person from a group
recognize sth. or sb. from a group
Translation
• 从数千申请人中挑选出她来做那份工作。
• 你能辨认出谁是说谎者吗？
Key
• She was picked out from thousands of
applicants for the job.
• Can you pick out the liar from the group?
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Words and Expressions—Word Using
8. bear vt. (bore, borne)
bravely accept or deal with an unpleasant
situation; endure 忍受；经受
Translation
• 他受不了朋友们竟也嘲笑他。
• I don't feel very well. I can't bear this weather.
Key
• He could not bear that his friends should laugh
at him.
•我感到不太舒服，我受不了这种天气。
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Words and Expressions—Word Using
9. straighten out
deal with a problem or a confused situation
解决（问题）；理清（混乱情况）
Translation
• 我们会把情况弄清。
Key
• We'll get the case straightened out.
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Words and Expressions—Word Using
10. option n.
① the right to buy or sell sth. in the future
② a choice one can make in a particular
situation
Translation
• 她已取得那块土地的购置权。
• 为了照顾孩子,她别无选择,只好辞职。
Key
• She has taken an option on that piece of land.
• She had no option but to quit her job in order
to take care of her child.
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Words and Expressions—Word Using
10. option n.
bravely accept or deal with an unpleasant
situation; endure 忍受；经受
Translation
• 从数千申请人中挑选出她来做那份工作。
• 你能辨认出谁是说谎者吗？
Key
• She was picked out from thousands of
applicants for the job.
• Can you pick out the liar from the group?
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Words and Expressions—Matching Game
II. English to Chinese
• divide his time with
• stay in grass and food
• straighten out their
finance
• wound up
• a natural choice for a
heart attack
• 分配出部分时间做
• 维持吸大麻和吃饭
• 理清他们的经济问题
• 绷得紧紧的
• 容易患心脏病的那种人
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Words and Expressions—Matching Game
III. Old to New
someone you know a little
work out, form an idea
a position
separate and give out
exactly correct
• acquaintance
• conceive
• spot
• divide
• accurate
choice
• option
asking for information
• inquiry
take no notice of
• ignore
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 About Good Workers
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Idea Sharing
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About Good Workers
Part I
Believe it or not. Many people are fired from
their jobs because of poor work habits. Good
work habits are important to any job you may
have in the future. These good habits start in
school. Give examples of good work habits.
Tips
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Idea Sharing
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Good Work Habits:
• being on time,
• good attendance,
• dependability,
• honesty,
• neat and accurate work
•…
For teacher’s reference
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Idea Sharing
Here is a list of achievement criteria that we try
to instill in our students to help them learn what
it takes to succeed — not only in their work in
the near future, but throughout their life.
1. Consistently do more than is required.
2. Have wide vocabulary at their command.
3. Be always alert; takes active part in discussion.
4. Have usual dependability in taking assignments.
5. Have enthusiasm for and interest in the work.
6. Be prompt, neat, and through in all work.
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Idea Sharing
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7. Have initiative and originality in attacking
problems.
8. Have ability to associate and re-think the
problem and can adapt themselves to new and
changing situations.
9. Have ability to apply ideas gained in study to
everyday life.
student to
office
worker
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Idea Sharing
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About Good Workers
Part II
Discuss with your group members on the topic:
Is Overwork a Good Work Habit?
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To Horizon
To Task
The End of Section B