沈阳职业技术学院公共外语教研室 i am a bit nervous about my english maintaining a...

沈阳职业技术学院公共外语教研室

I Am a Bit Nervous About

My English

Maintaining a Sharp Eye

Related Information

Intensive Study

Practice

TOEFL stands for the Test Of English as Foreign Language. The purpose of the test is to evaluate the English proficiency of nonnative speakers of English who wish to study in American colleges and universities. TOEFL scores are used by more than 2 300 institutions in the U.S. and Canada. There is no single “passing score” for this test. The minimum score for admittance to an institution is set by that institution. TOEFL is administered by ETS --- the Educational Testing Service.

Text-related Information

The full name for GRE is the

Graduate Record Examination, which

is a multiple-choice examination

designed to measure the verbal,

quantitative, and analytical skills one

has developed in the course of his

academic career. The general

scholastic ability is measured by the

General Test. The Advanced Test

(also Subject Test) deals with specific

subject matter corresponding to the

specific graduate study. Because

there is a strong correlation between

high GRE scores and the probability

of success in graduate school, many

graduate and professional schools

require that their applicants take

GRE. GRE is also administered by the

ETS, in Princeton, New Jersey.

Text

Difficult Sentences

Important Words

I Am a Bit Nervous About My EnglishI Am a Bit Nervous About My English

(Para. 1) I'm Robert Lee, a senior at a Chinese

university. I am planning to study Electronic Engineering

in the United States this coming summer if I am lucky

enough to be admitted to Miami University. However, I am

a bit nervous about my English, so I'm spending a lot of

time studying it hard. I think my pronunciation isn't

accurate enough to make myself understood, and I might

easily get confused. I'm embarrassed when people lose me

in the middle of a conversation or vice versa. Also, I find the

grammar very difficult. Sometimes, I know every word in an

expression, but I don't know what it implies. Honestly, I

understand very little.

1

23

Passage IPassage I

(Para. 2-1) It is funny because I used to study

English just for entertainment, to kill time, but now I have a

particular purpose for it, so I have found a tutor for myself. My

tutor holds her master's degree in education and is very helpful.

She assigns me quite a lot of homework, and wants me to

memorize all the phrases and expressions. She says it is

necessary to practice as much as possible until they are fixed

in my mind. And the more I apply them in real situations, the

more natural they will become.

4

56

Passage IPassage I

(Para. 2-2) However, I find it so boring to practice

so much and I'm getting discouraged. My tutor also says

language is a tool, and people use it to express their

ideas, thoughts and feelings, and all these are

determined by culture. As a result, when I understand the

cultural background, I can use the language better. She also

asks me to read a lot. My tutor sounds like a professor, and I

feel lucky to have her as my tutor.

Passage IPassage I

(Para. 3) My American friend Burt helps me a

lot, too. He knows my problem because I have

exchanged my ideas with him. He told me to relax. He

said actually the most efficient way to reach my goal

would be to have a tape recorder or a CD player. Either

the CDs or tapes have native voices, and I can study

them by listening again and again and imitating the

sounds as many times as I wish. I think this is a good

idea. That way I'm not only training my listening

comprehension but also my speaking ability.

7

Passage IPassage I

(Para. 4) Luckily, I have

already passed both the Test of

English as Foreign Language

(TOEFL) and Graduate Records

Exam (GRE), but I feel I still have a

long way to go in English study.

Passage IPassage I

1. (Para. 1) I am planning to study Electronic Engineering in the United Sates this coming summer if I am lucky enough to be admitted to Miami University.

“adjective + enough” structure“accepted

by”

如果我能够幸运地被迈阿密大学录取 , 我打算今年夏天去美国学电子工程。

Translation

I would compete for Mayer if I were famous enough to be known by the whole town. Examp

le

“adjective + enough” structure

2. (Para. 1) I think my pronunciation isn’t accurate enough to make myself understood, and I might easily get confused.

我觉得自己的发音不准 , 说英语别人听不懂 , 我自己也很容易搞糊涂。

She had great fear that she wasn’t worldly enough to make herself accepted by her future parents-in-law, and she might get irritated.

Translation

Example

V+O+OC structure

get-type passive voice

3. (Para. 1) I’m embarrassed when people lose me in the middle of a conversation or vice versa.

当在谈话中人们无法理解我或是我听不懂别人的话时 , 我觉得尴尬极了。

The couple both feel awkward when the husband starts to argue with the wife or vice versa.

Translation

Example

adv. 反之亦然

“ 过去（常常）”

4. (Para. 2) It is funny because I used to study English just for entertainment, to kill time, but now I have a particular purpose for it, so I found a tutor for myself.

说来好笑 , 因为我过去学英语只是觉得好玩 , 为了消磨时间；但是现在我却有特定的目的 , 所以我为自己找了一位家教。

I used to read bestsellers for entertainment, to kill time.

Translation

Example

都表示“目的”

5. (Para. 2) She says it is necessary to drill as much as possible until they are fixed in my mind.

她说我必须尽可能多地练习 , 直到它们刻印在我的脑海中。

It is exciting to swing as high as possible until you become scared.

Translation

Example

形式主语

修饰动词不定式

引导时间状语从句

6. (Para. 2) And the more I apply them in real situations, the more natural they will become.

而且在实际情况中应用得越多 , 英语就越自然。

The more I contact him, the more I understand him.

Translation

Example

“the more … the more…” structure

Correlative conjunction “either ... or …”

7. (Para. 3) Either the CDs or tapes have native voices, and I can study them by listening again and again and imitating the sounds as many times as I wish.

无论是影碟还是录音带都有原声，我可以一遍又一遍地听 , 随心所欲地一遍又一遍地模仿这些声音 , 学习它们。

Either work or entertainment brings fun to your life, and you can enjoy it by working as hard as you can and relaxing as much as possible.

Translation

Example

Being seniors, everyone is busy looking for a job.

He worked as a teacher's assistant when he was a senior at high school.

[AmE.] a student in the last year of a school or university

( 美 ) （普通学校或大学）最高年级（毕业班）的学生

seniorsenior n.

Related Wordsfreshman 大学一年级学生 sophomore 大学二年级学生

junior 大学三年级学生 senior 大学四年级学生

FOR EXAMPLEFOR EXAMPLE

I cannot admit you into the theatre.

He was admitted to the best university of the country.

permit (a person or thing) to enter, let in

许可进入；录取

admitadmit v.


This is an accurate description of what had happened.

The writing is praised for its accurate choice of words.

careful and exact 准确的

accurateaccurate adj.


You must be confusing me with someone else.

I get more confused after your explanation.

The situation at present is rather confusing.

make less clear; make more difficult to understand

使混乱；使迷惑

confuseconfuse v. v.

confusing adj. 令人迷惑的 confused adj. 觉得迷惑的


He likes playing crossword puzzle to kill time.

She used to kill time by making dresses.

make time pass quickly by doing something

消磨时间，打发时间

kill timekill time


The general manager called him to assign him the new task.

She has been assigned to take care of kids.

give someone the work to do 分配 ( 任务 )

assignassign v.

assignment n. 任务，（课外）作业


The girl is so clever that she can memorize the poem after hearing it only twice.

How I wish I could memorize all the rules and their exceptions of the English grammar.

learn and remember 记住，记忆

memorizememorize v.

memory n. 记忆


You must be able to apply what you learnt at school to your future work.

This scientific discovery can be applied industrially.

bring or put it into use 使用，应用

applyapply v.

# apply … to… 把……应用到……


Whether he will go or stay is determined by the girl he loved.

What kind of weather we will get determines whether we can go out for a picnic.

be the cause of, control, be depended on

确定，限定，控制

determinedetermine v.


Couples need to exchange ideas frequently in order to understand each other.

She exchanged her opinion on this event with him and found surprisingly he shared her view.

to give and receive (sth.) in return for (sth. else);

交换，交易

exchangeexchange v.


The music will certainly relax you, come and listen to it!

Sit down and relax, leave the work till tomorrow.

(make) become less active and stop worrying

（使）放松，轻松

relaxrelax v.


She is a very efficient secretary and runs the office well.

This is an efficient method to cut down the cost.

working well and fast 效率高的

efficientefficient adj.


Read and Think

Read and Complete

Read and Translate

Read and Simulate

Read and Think Read the passage carefully and do the multiple choice exercise.

1. Robert Lee is ________.

a. an American student studying in a Chinese university

b. an American student planning to study in a Chinese university

c. a Chinese student admitted to Miami University

d. a Chinese student planning to study at Miami University

2. Robert Lee feels embarrassed for ________.

a. his poor English pronunciation

b. spending a lot of time learning English

c. not being able to find people to have a conversation with

d. failing to follow people in a conversation

dd

dd

3. The phrase “to kill time” (Line 1, para. 2) means ________.

a. to spend a lot of time

b. to save time by every means

c. to pass time by doing useless things

d. to study for fun

4. Robert Lee thinks his tutor sounds like a professor because ________.

a. she holds a master's degree in education

b. she assigns a lot of homework

c. her view on language and culture is quite academic

d. she uses English to express her thoughts and feelings

Read and Think

cc

cc

5. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?

a. Language is a tool for people to communicate with each other.

b. Too much language practicing is useless.c. Cultural background can be ignored in learning a foreign

language.d. Extensive reading should be discouraged in learning a

language.6. According to Lee's friend, listening to CDs and tapes

________.a. is a relaxing way to learn a languageb. only helps to improve her listening comprehension.c. is good only for training one's speaking abilityd. is the only way to imitate the native voices

Read and Think

aa

aa

Read and Complete

Fill in the blanks without referring back to the passage.

Robert Lee is studying English very hard and hopes to

be admitted to 1 ______________. He wants to study

2 ___________________ there, but he is still worried about his

poor English. Though he has already passed 3 ___________

_____ he still 4 __________________ in his English study. He

finds a 5 _____ to help him, who sounds like 6 __________ in

language teaching and who helps him a lot. He also has

7 ________________ who offers him good advice in improving

his listening comprehension and speaking ability.

a professor

Electronic Engineering

TOEFL and

has a long way to go

tutor

Miami University

an American friend

GRE

Complete the following statements according to the passage.

1. Robert Lee __________ both TOEFL and GRE and is planning to study in the U.S.

2. He still thinks his English ____________ is not accurate enough and he has trouble in using English ________.

3. Robert Lee used to study English to _______, but now he has a ______________.

4. His tutor says language is a tool with which people express their ________________________.

5. The tutor wants him to memorize all the _____________________.

6. His American friend says that listening to ____________ can help him a lot in improving both listening comprehension and speaking ability.

has passed

pronunciationgrammar

kill timespecial purpose

ideas, thoughts and feelings

phrases and expressions

CDs or tapes

Read and Complete

Fill in the blanks with the proper words and expressions given below, changing the form if necessary.

admitted efficient confuse apply determine

exchange relax assign discouraged

1. As long as I work hard, my dream of _____________ to Harvard University will come true.

2. People have been used to __________ business cards with each other when they first meet.

3. Having taken the intensive training course for a whole month, Robert Lee decided to go and see a movie to _____ a bit.

being admitted

exchanging

relax

Read and Complete

4. The teacher _________ us so much homework that

almost every one of us felt _____________.

5. To be able to communicate _________ with native

speakers is always the final goal of my English study.

6. University graduates often find it hard to ________what

they have learned at college to their jobs.

7. Too many choices at one time __________her, and she

couldn't __________ which job to take.

assigned

discouraged

efficient

apply

confused

determine

Read and Complete

Read and Translate Translate the following sentences into English.

1. 面试时她说错了话，感到很尴尬。

2. 她觉得自己很幸运，一下子考过了托福和 GRE 。

say the wrong thing

embarrassed

She felt embarrassed when she said the wrong thing at

the interview.

She felt lucky to have passed TOEFL and GRE at one time.

lucky

Having reached his goal and got his diploma, Chris

wants to go out for entertainment.

Ruth reminds Burt again and again to relax at the

opening ceremony.

Read and Translate

3. 露丝一遍又一遍地提醒波特 , 在开幕式上要放松。

4. 完成了目标，拿到了毕业文凭，克里斯想外出娱乐一下。

again and againopening ceremony

reach one’s goal

relax

go out

Read and Translate

5. 只要拨打 121 ，你就可以在电话里听到最新的气象信息，而且你想听几遍都可以。

weather report

as many times as … wished

Dial 121, and then you can hear the latest weather report

on the phone as many times as you wish.

Read and SimulatePay attention to the italicized parts in the English sentences and translate the Chinese sentences by simulating the structure of the English sentences.

1. I'm planning to go to the U.S. if I'm lucky enough to be admitted to Miami University.

My pronunciation isn't accurate enough to make me understood.

如果我有幸被派到欧洲，那么我一定不会放过这个机会。

如果汤姆有幸入选国家队，他一定不会让球迷失望。If Tom is lucky enough to be selected for the National Team, he will definitely not disappoint the fans.

If I’m lucky enough to be sent to Europe, I surely won’t let this opportunity go.

Read and Simulate

2. I used to study English for entertainment.

He used to smoke for relaxation.

以前他学弹钢琴是为了打发时光。

以前他帮助这个孤独的老妇人是为了好名声。

He used to learn to play the piano for killing time.

They used to help this lonely old lady for good

reputation.

Read and Simulate

3. It is necessary to practice as much as possible until they are fixed in my mind.

It is necessary to practice as much as possible until you can use them.

有必要尽可能地多听，直到你能马上识别 (identify) 这些声音。

有必要尽可能地多记生词，直到你能与外国人交流。

It is necessary to listen as much as possible until you can identify the sound immediately.

It is necessary to memorize as many words as possible until you can communicate with native speakers.

Read and Simulate

4. The more I apply the rules in real situations, the more natur

al it will be.

The closer I got to her house, the more nervous I became.

有时候，规则记得越多，我就越糊涂。

中国的人口越多，我们需要面临的问题就越多。The larger population we have in China, the more problems we’ll have to face.

Sometimes the more rules I memorize, the more confused I become.

5. I find it so boring to practice so much that I'm getting

discouraged.

I found it helpful to talk often with native English speakers.

我发现每天重复做同一件事真是太枯燥了。

我发现游览这么多城市真是太令人兴奋了。

I find it really boring to repeat the same thing every

day.

I find it exciting to visit so many cities.

Read and Simulate

Read and Simulate

6. My tutor sounded like a professor.

What he says about the job sounds like a manager.

别说了 , 你听起来像个傻子。

她关于那件事的描述听起来像是一个滑稽的故事。

Stop talking like that. You sound like a fool.

What she said about that matter sounded like a

funny story.

7. I feel lucky to have her as my tutor.

I feel happy to have him as my husband.

让格林太太做我的考官我感到真倒霉。

让这么不讲实际的人做我的搭档，我觉得真别扭。

I feel unfortunate to have Mrs. Green as my examiner.

I feel awkward to have such an impractical person as my partner.

Read and Simulate

Read and Simulate

8. I feel I still have a long way to go in the English study.

She said she would have a long way to go in her career.

在学会如何与人相处方面，我还有很长的路要走。

在住房改革方面，中国还有很长的路要走。

I still have a long way to go in learning how to get on well with others.

China still has a long way to go in the housing reform.

沈阳职业技术学院 公共外语教研室 i am a bit nervous about my english maintaining a...

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沈阳职业技术学院公共外语教研室 i am a bit nervous about my english maintaining a...