Unit 1 Love

In-Class Reading

I. Word List
Directions: Memorize the words and phrases before class. You will benefit from your effort when you get the passage from your teacher and read it in class.

Proper Names

Brooklyn
布鲁克林(美国纽约市的一个区)

Dodgers
一棒球队名(过去在布鲁克林，现已迁至洛杉矶市)

Ebbets Field
棒球场名

Manhattan
曼哈顿(美国纽约市的一个区)

New Words

activity *
n. something you spend time doing for interest or pleasure 活动
e.g. There is usually little political activity in August.

adjust *
v. change slightly, especially in order to make it more effective or more suitable调整
e.g. The body adjusts itself to changes in temperature.

balance *
n. the state in which all parts are of equal weight; steadiness平衡
e.g. You need a good sense of balance to ride a bicycle.

baseball*
n. 棒球

basement*
n. 地下室

bother*
v. annoy someone by interrupting them 麻烦，打扰
e.g. Danny, stop bothering me while I'm trying to work.

bout
n. a boxing or wrestling match 拳击或摔跤比赛

cling*
v. (clung, clung) hold tightly 紧紧抓住
e.g. The two lost children clung tightly to each other.

complain*
v. say that something is wrong or not satisfactory 抱怨
e.g. He complains about anything--his job, his wife, his back and everything.

complaint*
n. 抱怨，怨言
e.g. We've made a complaint to the police about the noise.

content*
adj. happy and satisfied 满足的
e.g. I) He seems to have been content to live and work in this province.
II) The girl appeared content with the small world her parents had constructed for her.

coordinate*
v. make various things work effectively as a whole 协调
e.g. As the disease progresses, the patient loses the ability to coordinate his or her movements.

crippled*
adj. handicapped, disabled 跛的，拐的，伤残的

despite*
prep. in spite of 尽管
e.g. Despite the difference in their ages they were good friends.

embarrassed*
adj. ashamed, nervous or uncomfortable尴尬的
e.g. She was embarrassed when they asked her age.

engage*
v. take part or become involved in an activity 从事
e.g. In his spare time he engages in voluntary work.

envious
adj. jealous 妒忌的，嫉妒的
e.g. I'm very envious of your new coat-it's lovely.

envy*
n. 嫉妒
e.g. They felt a lot of envy towards the youngest sister because she was so pretty and popular.

fortune*
n. 命运，运气
e.g. I) I was excited and delighted by my good fortune.
II) My fame was assured, my fortune guaranteed, I thought.

fortunate*
adj. lucky
e.g. We are extremely fortunate in having the support of the general public behind us.

frustration*
n. 沮丧，挫折感
e.g. Mary watched in frustration as her team lost yet again.

halting
adj. slow, stopping and starting repeatedly 一瘸一拐的

handrail
n. （楼梯等的）扶手，栏杆

impatient*
adj. annoyed because you have had to wait too long for something 不耐烦的
e.g. By Friday afternoon I'm usually quite impatient for the weekend to begin.

indignity
n. something that makes you feel very ashamed, unimportant, and not respected 侮辱

kid*
v. tease in a joking way 开玩笑，取笑
e.g. You are kidding, aren't you?

lean*
v. depend on someone or something for support and encouragement 依靠
e.g. It's good to know you've got friends to lean on.

local*
adj. 当地的，本地的
e.g. Our children all go to the local school.

lower*
adj. 较低的
e.g. Nina chewed her lower lip anxiously. 尼娜焦虑地咬着下嘴唇。

marvel
v. be filled with surprise and admiration 惊叹

memorable
adj. worth remembering or likely to be remembered; unforgettable 值得记住的

nasty*
adj. very unpleasant to see, experience, or feel 恶劣的，令人极不愉快的
e.g. There's a nasty smell--has someone left the gas on?

navy*
n. military force that fights at sea 海军

occasion*
n. a case of something happening or the time when it happens 场合
e.g. I met him only on one occasion. It was at a party.

pace*
n. the speed at which you walk or run or travel by car or bicycle 节奏
e.g. If you're going to walk a long way, it's better to start out at a fairly slow pace.

participate*
v. take part in an activity or event 参与
e.g. Everyone in the class is expected to participate in these discussions.

precisely*
adv. accurately and exactly 精确地
e.g. The play begins at eight o'clock precisely.

punch*
v. hit someone or something hard with your fist 用拳猛击
e.g. I punched him in the stomach.

reluctance*
n. unwillingness to do something 不情愿
e.g. The offer was accepted with great reluctance.

severely*
adv. very badly or to a great degree 严重地
e.g. The building was severely damaged in the bombing.

shove*
v. push someone or something in a rough or careless way, using your hands and shoulders 猛推
e.g. Reporters pushed and shoved as they tried to get close to the princess.

sleigh
n. 雪橇

stress*
n. great worry, tension or anxiety caused by a difficult situation 压力，紧张
e.g. People under a lot of stress may experience headaches, minor pains and sleeping difficulties.

subway*
n. 地铁

trifle*
n. something unimportant or without value 微不足道的事情
e.g. We couldn't decide whether to order black pens or blue--such are the trifles of office life.

tunnel*
n. 隧道

unaided*
adj. without help 没有帮助的
e.g. After his accident he was barely able to dress or go to the toilet unaided.

unworthy
adj. lacking worth or merit 无价值的；没有优点的

urge*
v. ask or advise someone very strongly to do something 催促
e.g. They urged that the library be kept open during the holidays.

vicariously
adv. 间接感受到地
e.g. Chicago Bulls fans experienced Michael Jordan's victories vicariously.


A Good Heart to Lean On

More than I realized, Dad has helped me keep my balance.

1 When I was growing up, I was embarrassed to be seen with my father. He was severely crippled and very short, and when we would walk together, his hand on my arm for balance, people would stare. I would be ashamed of the unwanted attention. If he ever noticed or was bothered, he never let on.
2 It was difficult to coordinate our steps-his halting, mine impatient-and because of that, we didn't say much as we went along. But as we started out, he always said, "You set the pace. I will try to adjust to you."
3 Our usual walk was to or from the subway, which was how he got to work. He went to work sick, and despite nasty weather. He almost never missed a day, and would make it to the office even if others could not. It was a matter of pride for him.
4 When snow or ice was on the ground, it was impossible for him to walk, even with help. At such times my sisters or I would pull him through the streets of Brooklyn, N.Y., on a child's sleigh to the subway entrance. Once there, he would cling to the handrail until he reached the lower steps that the warmer tunnel air kept ice-free. In Manhattan the subway station was the basement of his office building, and he would not have to go outside again until we met him in Brooklyn on his way home.
5 When I think of it now, I marvel at how much courage it must have taken for a grown man to subject himself to such indignity and stress. And I marvel at how he did it-without bitterness or complaint.
6 He never talked about himself as an object of pity, nor did he show any envy of the more fortunate or able. What he looked for in others was a "good heart", and if he found one, the owner was good enough for him.
7 Now that I am older, I believe that is a proper standard by which to judge people, even though I still don't know precisely what a "good heart" is. But I know the times I don't have one myself.
8 Unable to engage in many activities, my father still tried to participate in some way. When a local baseball team found itself without a manager, he kept it going. He was a knowledgeable baseball fan and often took me to Ebbets Field to see the Brooklyn Dodgers play. He liked to go to dances and parties, where he could have a good time just sitting and watching.
9 On one memorable occasion a fight broke out at a beach party, with everyone punching and shoving. He wasn't content to sit and watch, but he couldn't stand unaided on the soft sand. In frustration he began to shout, " I'll fight anyone who will sit down with me! I'11 fight anyone who will sit down with me!"
10 Nobody did. But the next day people kidded him by saying it was the first time any fighter was urged to take a dive even before the bout began.
11 I now know he participated in some things vicariously through me, his only son. When I played ball (poorly), he "played" too. When I joined the Navy, he "joined" too. And when I came home on leave, he saw to it that I visited his office. Introducing me, he was really saying, "This is my son, but it is also me, and I could have done this, too, if things had been different." Those words were never said aloud.
12 He has been gone many years now, but I think of him often. I wonder if he sensed my reluctance to be seen with him during our walks. If he did, I am sorry I never told him how sorry I was, how unworthy I was, how I regretted it. I think of him when I complain about trifles, when I am envious of another's good fortune, when I don't have a "good heart".
13 At such times I put my hand on his arm to regain my balance, and say, "You set the pace. I will try to adjust to you." (703 words)
Time taken: ___ minutes

Phrases and Expressions

break out 爆发，突然发生
e.g. A bad fire broke out in the supermarket.

engage in
take part or become involved in an activity 从事，参与
e.g. If you engage in local politics, you cannot expect to have much time for your family.

let on
tell someone something that was intended to be a secret; reveal 泄露秘密
e.g. Don't let on that I told you.

make it to
arrive somewhere in time for something 及时赶到
e.g. I just made it to the airport before the plane left. 我正好在飞机起飞之前赶到了机场。

now that 既然
e.g. Now that dinner is ready, wash your hands.

on leave
on holiday 休假
e.g. I) He is home on leave from the Navy.
II) He informed him that he was on sick leave from a government office.

see to (it that) 确保
e.g. I) Catherine saw to it that the information went directly to Walter.
II) See to it that you are not late again.

set the pace 定速度
e.g. If we let the fastest runner set the pace the others will be left behind.

subject ... to
make someone experience something, especially something unpleasant 使承受，使遭受
e.g. He subjected us to a very difficult test.