New Horizon College English §Book 2
Unit 1 Section A
Time-conscious Americans
Background
Text
information
analysis
Summary of the passage
Grammar & Language points
Difficult sentences &
translation
Writing skills
 after-reading discussion
I. Background Information
Introduction of time-measurements in history
1. Farmers told time by looking
at the sun.
2. During 1500-1300 BC,
Sundial first used in Egypt to
measure the time of day by
the sun's shadow.
3. In 400 BC, Greeks used a
water clock, which measured
the outflow of water from a
vessel, to measure time.
A sundial
I. Background Information
Introduction of time-measurements in history
4. In 1088 Mechanized
astronomical clock
making developed from
200 to 1300. One of the
most elaborate clock
towers was built by Su
Sung and his associates
in China.
I. Background Information
Introduction of time-measurements in history
5. In 980, Alfred the Great (a Saxon king) used
burning candles to measure time.
6. In 1000, (Sung dynasty), candle and incense
burning was used to mark time in China.
7. In 1400s, mechanical clocks were built in Europe,
using a mainspring & balance wheels.
8. In 1657, Christiaan Huygens(克里斯蒂安·惠更斯 )
invented the 1st pendulum clock(摆钟), capable of
far greater accuracy than any preceding timekeepers.
9. In 1759, John Harrison built a clock, that loses only
5 seconds on a voyage from England to Jamaica.
Navigators cheered, and Harrison got rich.
I. Background Information
Introduction of time-measurements in history
10. In 1850s, Regional time zone was
established in New England to coordinate
railroad schedules, halting confusion due to
using local (sun) time at every station.
11. In 1884, Twenty-five countries accept
Greenwich, England, as the prime meridian
(子午线, or: 0 degrees longitude). The
prime meridian gradually becomes the
basis for time throughout the world.
I. Background Information
Introduction of time-measurements in history
12. In1928, W.A.
Marrison of Bell
Laboratories built the
first quartz clock,
accurate to within 1-2
thousandths of a second
per day. Quartz
technology is later
adapted for use in wrist
watches
I. Background Information
Introduction of time-measurements in history
13. In 1945, Physicist Isador Rabi suggests
making a clock based on the study of
atoms, using a method called atomicbeam magnetic resonance.
14. In 1949, National Bureau of Standards
builds the first atomic clock, using
ammonia.
 Cultural phenomenon, indication of
civilization.
I. Background Information
Proverbs concerning time:
 Time
is money.
 Time and tide wait for no man.
 Time passes swiftly and never returns.
 All time is no time when it is past.
 Time lost is never regained.
 The waste of time should amount to the loss of
life.
 Once the sands have run out of a person’s
hourglass, they cannot be replaced.
 An inch of time cannot be bought by an inch
of gold.
 He who gains time gains all things.
II. Text Analysis
What is the main idea of the text?
Americans value and save time carefully.
In their eyes, time is regarded as precious
resource. A person who tends to waste his
own or somebody else’s time is never
accepted in American culture. Consequently,
Americans try every means to save time in
their daily life, business and work so as to
make every minute count. Besides, to solve a
problem or fulfill a job with speed in
America is taken as a sign of skillfulness or
being competent.
II. Text Analysis: Structure
General idea of the
whole passage
(Para 1-2)
Illustrations of the
general idea
(Para 3-7)
Restatement and
emphasis of the
general idea (Para 8)
By making contrast
between Americans’
Americans try every
viewpoint
oncomes
time and
The
author
means to save time. This
that
of those
from
other
straight
to
the
point:
is illustrated by the
cultures,
the attitudes
author
Americans’
foreigner’s first
emphasizes
the main
towards
time:
impression of the U.S..
idea :
They
save time
intime
their
Americans
value
In
American
culture,
it is
daily
life,time
business
and
and
save
carefully.
taken
awell.
signThey
of asalso
work
Time as
is regarded
skillfulness
or being
create
a series
of devices
precious
resources.
competent
solve a
to improvetoefficiency.
problem or fulfill a job
with speed.
III. Summary of the passage
Americans believe so much in moving ahead that
committed to
they are ____________researching,
experimenting
and exploring. They treat time as if it were
_____ real —
a precious resource. They budget it, save it, waste it,
charge for
steal it, kill it, cut it, account for it and _______
of the U.S. is that
it. A foreigner’s first impression ___
everyone is in a rush and oftenunder
_____ pressure. City
people always appear to be hurrying
________ to get where
they are going, restlessly seeking attention or
elbowing others
______. Foreigners who miss smiles, brief
conversations, or leisurely exchanges with strangers
hurt by this.
should not feel _____
下一页
III. Summary of the passage
highly they dislike
Americans value time so _______,
anyone “wasting” it beyond an appropriate
___________
amount. New arrivals to the States will miss the
during a business call
custom of social talk _______
assess or enquire
because Americans generally ______
about their visitors professionally rather than
socially. They start talking business very quickly;
time is always _______
ticking in their heads. They
work _____
hard at saving time through labor-saving
devices so they communicate rapidly by fax,
through personal
phone or email rather than ________
contact. The impersonality
_____________ of electronic
上一页
下一页
III. Summary of the passage
little to do with the
communication has_____
at hand.
significance of the matter _____
__________
Finishing a job or solving a problem rapidly
in the U.S. is considered a sign of
skillfulness
____________.
上一页
IV. Grammar & Language Points
•stand still
•result in
•Participial Absolute Structure
•nothing but
•account for
•much less
•given
•save for
•at hand
•in person
•be worthy of
IV. Grammar & Language Points
no one stands still…. (Para 1, L1)




Here “stand” is used as a linking verb, and
followed by adjectives or adjective-like phrases.
American believe no one stand still.
美国人认为没有人会停止不前。
The room stands idle.
这房间正空闲置着(没人住)。
They stand opposed to the new law.=be against
Stand firm! Don’t let them tell you what to do.
立场坚定点!别让他们对你指手划脚。
IV. Grammar & Language Points
result in: cause, have … as a result (L2)
The accident resulted in the death of two and
the injury of several others.
这次事故造成两人死亡，若干人受伤。
 Acting before thinking always results in failing.
做事不先考虑总会导致失败。
result from: be caused by
 His death resulted from an overdose of drugs.
他是因过量服药造成死亡的。
 Any damage resulting from negligence must
be paid by the borrower.
由于粗心大意造成的任何损坏须由借用者赔偿。

IV. Grammar & Language Points
Markers of Cause and Effect:
词性
n.
v.
Conj.
Adv.
prep.
&
others
表原因
表结果
cause, reason
consequence, result
result from
be caused by
result in, cause, lead
to, produce,
contribute to
because, since, as,
for, because of, for
this reason, due to,
owing to, on
account of,
Therefore, so, hence,
as a result,
consequently,
accordingly, then
IV. Grammar & Language Points
Participial Absolute Structure:
n. / pron.+ v-ing; n.+v-ed
(L3)
***当n.
/pron. 与动词在逻辑上呈主谓关系时应用 –ing; 当n./ pron. 与
***此外，有的分词短语在句中没有逻辑主语，它们实际上已经变成习惯用
动词在逻辑上呈动宾关系时应用-ed.
语。常见的有
judging from…,
generally speaking,

Generally：
speaking,
your pronunciation
is
Time
is than
one
of
thespelling.
two elements
talking
of …,
assuming…,
etc. …, the other
better
your
being labor. (Para 1, L3)
 总的来说，你的发音好过你的拼写。
时间是美国人注意节约的两样东西之一，另一样是劳力。
Judging
from
you say,
has done
her

We
went to
thewhat
classroom,
heshe
remaining
behind.
best. changed into a solid, we call it ice.
 Water
 从你所说的来判断，她已经尽力了。
***分词的独立主格结构有时也可以由with/
without引出。


I Assuming
could hardly
did
it well with
others
that
everyone
has the
read
the drafted
watching us.
plan, let’s put it to the vote.
在众目睽睽下我难以做好这件事情。
 假如大家都看过草拟计划的话，我们就投票表决吧。
IV. Grammar & Language Points
nothing but: only (L5)




We are slaves to nothing but the clock.
只有时间才能支配我们。
The report contains nothing but lies.
这篇报导尽是谎言。
She's nothing but skin and bones!
她瘦得只剩下皮包骨了。
He’s nothing but a criminal.
他只不过是个罪犯。
IV. Grammar & Language Points
account for: give an explanation about (L6)


The man charged with the crime couldn’t
account for where he was and what he did at the
time the murder occurred.
被告无法解释谋杀发生时他在哪里，在干什么。
As an accountant, he must account for how
every penny is spent in the company.
作为会计，他必须解释清楚公司的每个便士是怎么花的。
IV. Grammar & Language Points
much less: and even less likely


(L28)
The old man can hardly walk, much less run.
这位老人几乎不能走，更不用说跑了。
They are always short of water to drink, much
less to bathe in.
他们连喝的水也总是不够，更别提洗澡了。
She wouldn’t take a drink, still less/ much less
stay for dinner.
她连水也不肯喝一口，更别说留下来吃饭了。
***See Ex VII on P10

IV. Grammar & Language Points
given: prep. taking into account (L35)

Given their inexperience, they’ve done a good
job. Or: Given that they are inexperienced,
they’ve done a good job.
考虑到他们缺乏经验，他们算做得不错了。
***given + a noun phrase
***given that + a clause.

Given her interest in children, teaching should
be the right career for her.
看她对孩子的兴趣，教书应是适合她的职业。
IV. Grammar & Language Points
save for: keep sth for future use (L35)



Save your strength for hard work you’ll have to
do later.
养精蓄锐以应付你不得不做的繁重工作。
Can you save your story for later?
你能不能把你的故事留着以后告诉我？
I’m trying to save as much of my income as I can
for my old age.
我尽可能把收入留着以备养老。
IV. Grammar & Language Points
at hand: 1) under discussion /being considered
2) near in time and place
(L35)


Her question isn’t related to the matter at hand.
她提的问题与正在考虑的事情无关。
The final exams are at hand now.
期末考试即将到来。
Having the right equipment at hand will be very
helpful.
手头有合适的设备可用将非常有帮助。
***at hand/ near at hand/ close at hand:

临近/在即/在手头/边
IV. Grammar & Language Points
in person: physically present; by oneself (L40)


I can’t attend the meeting in person, but I’m
sending someone to speak for me.
我不能亲自出席会议，但我会派人代表我发言。
You can contact him either by letter or in person.
你可以通过写信 或者亲自前往与他取得联系。
IV. Grammar & Language Points
be worthy of: deserve 值得的，配得上的 (L50)
worthy
of pence
our praise.
 He
I’veis
bought
five
worth of fish for supper.
他值得我们表扬。
In other words, the fish I bought for supper is
worth of 5 pence.
 You know, I’m not really worthy of her.

我买了五便士的鱼晚餐吃。换句话说，我买来晚餐吃的鱼价值5便士。
你知道，我的确配不上她。

 This book is very interesting. It’s really worth
***be
worthy 后还可接不定式：
reading.

is not worthy to talk to a man like you.
 She
这本书很有趣，真值得一读。
她不配和像你这样的男人说话。
 The rarer it is, the more it is worth.
be worth of (doing) sth
Compare:
物以稀为贵。
V. Difficult sentences & translation
This attitudes results in a nation of people
committed to researching, experimenting and
exploring.
(L1-2)
= As a result of this attitude, Americans tend to
devote their time and energy to researching,
experimenting and exploring.
译：这种态度招摇过市造就了一个决心投身于研究、实验和探索
的民族。
commit …to: devote … to
 The government decided to commit more money
to improving the National Health Service. 投入更多
的资金来改善…
V. Difficult sentences & translation
Once the sands have run out of a person’s
hourglass, they cannot be replaced. (L8-9)
=The whole sentence is a metaphor, which means:
Once time has passed, it will not return.
译：一旦人生的光阴逝去，就不能复返了。
hourglass: a glass container holding find sand for
measuring time, which is narrow in the middle
like a figure 8 so that the sand inside can run
slowly down from the top half to the bottom
taking exactly one hour.
V. Difficult sentences & translation
City people…restlessly seeking attention in a
store, or elbowing others… (L11-13)
=City people …impatiently trying to get service in a
store, or pushing others out of the way by using
their elbows as they try to complete their
shopping.
译：城里人… 在商店里焦躁不安地指望店员能马上来为他们
服务，或者为了想赶快遅完东西，用肘来推搡他人。
attend: serve, wait on
 Are you being attended?
=Is there anybody offering service to you?
V. Difficult sentences & translation
They will miss the ritual interaction that goes
with a welcoming cup of tea or coffee that may be
a convention in their own country. (L23-25)
=They will miss the usual exchanges (with sb
who invite you) that go with a welcoming cup of
tea/coffee. These usual exchanges may be a
common and regular practice on similar
occasions in their own country.
译：他们也会怀念那种喝着茶或咖啡招待客人的礼节性交往，
这也许是他们自己国家的一种习俗。
go with: exist or take place at the same time伴随

poor health often goes with poverty.
健康欠佳与贫穷常常如影相随。
V. Difficult sentences & translation
Since we generally assess & probe professionally
rather than socially, we start talking business very
quickly.
(L29-30)
=Since we, in most cases, evaluate our visitors
and ask them questions from a professional
point of view instead of a social one, we start
talking business very quickly (and there is no
need in our eyes to spend time on small talk and
the like)
译：既然我们通常是通过工作而不是社交来评估和了解他人的，我们就开门
见山地谈正事。
V. Difficult sentences & translation
To us the impersonality of electronic communication has
little or no relation to the significance of the matter at hand.
In some countries no major business is conducted without
eye contact, requiring face-to-face conversation. (L37-39)
=When we communicate through electronic
means, which may seem not involving human
feelings, it does not mean that we regard the
matter under discussion unimportant.
译：就我们而言，电子交流的缺乏人情味与我们手头上事情的重要性之间很
少有或者完全没有关系。而在有些国家里，没有当面接触就做不成大生意,
需要面对面的交谈。
被动语态的翻译：
 英译汉时多数被动句都可译为主动句
 或：将主语还原成宾语(见上句)
V. Difficult sentences & translation
Unless a certain amount of time is allowed to
elapse, it seems in their eyes as if the task being
considered were insignificant, not worthy of
proper respect. (L49-50)
=If
Assignments
are, consequently,
felt
to be given
a certain amount
of time is not
allowed
to
added
by the
the impression,
passage of time.
(L50-51)
pass, itweight
will give
in their
opinion,
that the task being considered is not important
=As
result,
people
don’t think a certain task/job
or anot
properly
respected.
gains additional importance if people don’t
译：在他们看来，一件事情好像无足轻重，不值得给予应有的重视似的，除
非花一定的时间来处理这件事情。
spend a long time dealing with it.
被动语态的翻译：
译：人们觉得用的时间长会增加所做事情的重要性。
 英译汉时多数被动句都可译为主动句
 或：将主谓结构还原成动宾结构 (见上句)
(将主谓结构还原成动宾结构
)
One
more example:
V. Difficult sentences
In the U.S., however, it is taken as a sign of
skillfulness or being competent to solve a
problem , or fulfill a job successfully, with speed.
(L51-53)
=In the U.S., however, if you can solve a
problem or do a job quickly, you will be
considered as a person with skill or ability.
译：然而在美国，能迅速又成功地解决问题或完成工作被视为是有水平、有
能力的标志。
被动语态的翻译：
 英译汉时多数被动句都可译为主动句
 或：将主谓结构还原成动宾结构
 亦或：直接翻译成被动句(见上句)
VI. Writing ---paragraph structure analysis
Paragraph development by deduction (Para. 3)
General statement: Everyone is in a rush.
In what ways is
everyone in a rush?
Specific details of how everyone is in a rush.
1. City people always …
2. Others …
3. Drivers will be abrupt and people will push past you.
4. People have no time for small exchanges with …
Why is it that everyone
is in a rush?
The reason: People value time highly, and resent sb
else “wasting” it beyond a certain appropriate point.
VI. Writing --- paragraph writing pattern
General statement supported by specific details
and reasons
How to prove
your general
statement？
General statement
Specific details to support
the general statement
What
cause what
you state
in the GS？
The reason for the statement
VI. Writing --- sample writing
General statement supported by specific details
and reasons.
Your task
Write a paragraph with the following
sentence as your general statement:
Mike is very popular in his class.
Your specific details to support your
statement
The reason why Mike is popular.
VI. Writing --- sample writing
Mike is very popular in his class
Mike is very popular in his class. On the hand, he
is very kindhearted and friendly to all his classmates.
When others are in trouble, he is always ready to
offer his hands. On the other hand, he is one of the
top students in his class and gets A’s in most tests.
Many of his classmates often ask him to help them
with their lessons. What’s more, he is good at sports,
especially ball games. After class, he plays ball games
with his friends. Most important of all, he has a sense
of humor. Laughter can be heard wherever he
appears. People all like him simply because he is
excellent in many ways.
VII. After-reading discussion
Topics for after-reading discussion:
 Tips:
Work in pairs and make a dialogue on the
Americans
believe
…
It’s
taken
as
a sign
of … treat time?”. Use
topic
“How
do
Americans
Americans
have
anphrases
acute sense
to …
quickly,
rush,
as
many
words
&
learntofin…Section A
Americans
are always …
hurry
to, restlessly,
as
possible.
Americans
treat
timepressure,
as
race through,
under
anxious, …
 Tips:
American’s idea on time is quite different
from that of
Chinese.
Discuss
with your
Americans
…the
while
Chinese
…
group members,
then make
a report
on …
the
Americans
are always
… while
Chinese
differencestreat
between
two
ideas.
Americans
time the
as …
while
Chinese
regards time as …