New college

English

Unit One

I Preparation II Reading Activities

III Further Development IV Translation & Writing

Part I Preparation

1. Our Leisure Activities

2. Laughter

Activity 1 Our Leisure Activities

Directions: Leisure activities can help to relax. Work in groups to make a list of the things you do for fun in your leisure time. Choose 3 items as the most popular ones.

doing some sports, going to Karaoke bars, playing cards, going to movies, watching TV, playing computer games, dancing, collecting stamps, collecting coins, going to the pub, traveling, listening to music, reading novels, going to a concert, going to theatres and museums, going shopping

Activity 2 Laughter

Directions: Laughter is a great medicine. Almost all of us like jokes, appreciate humor, enjoy talk shows, cross-talk or sketches. Now work in groups to discuss why cross-talk is popular in China.

Cross-talk is very popular in China. You can listen to it everywhere. Its popularity lies in its humorous language, the performers’ quick wits, their funny gestures and their presentation skills. Another reason is that the subject of cross-talk is close to real life so that it resonates （共鸣） with the audience.

Activity 2 Laughter

Part II Reading Activities

1. Pre-reading Questions

2. Text Organization

3. Sentence Study

4. Words & Phrases

Pre-reading Questions

Direction: Do you think humor is an important quality for a person or Direction: Do you think humor is an important quality for a person or a key to getting along with others? Please explain your answer. a key to getting along with others? Please explain your answer.

Yes. I think so. I like to be with humorous people because they can make me laugh when I am unhappy. They can change an awkward situation and help people get rid of embarrassment by making everybody laugh. With such people, life becomes more interesting and enjoyable. Therefore humorous people are like sunshine and are very popular with others.

Text OrganizationText Organization

Humor is universal, but people’s sense of humor varies.

Different forms of humor

The typical three parts of a joke

Even animals have a sense of humor. The author’s dog is a good example.

Humor will persist even though some professional humorists think today’s humor is not very intelligent or sophisticated.

Para.1-3

Para.4

Para.5

Para.6-12

Para.13

1. But, what is it that makes a story or a joke funny? (Line 2)

Sentence Study

【译文】那么，到底是什么东西使一个故事或笑话让人感到滑稽可笑呢？

【句型】本句为强调句型的疑问句，用于强调句子中的主语。

2. Why is it that several students in a class will fall out of their chairs laughing after I tell a joke while the rest of the students look as if I’ve just read the weather report? (Line 10)

Sentence Study

【句型】本句为强调句型的特殊疑问句，用于强调原因状语。句中 it 是形式主语， that 引导真实主语从句。 句中的两个并列真实主语是 several students… 和 the rest of the students… 两个主语从句。 laughing after I tell a joke 是现在分词短语做伴随状语修饰 several students 。

【例句】 Why is it that every time I have a hot date, I break out with a big zit on my face?

3. The joke is no less funny because it is so often used. (Line 49)

Sentence Study

【句型】这个笑话并没有因为经常讲而变得不再那么好笑。

【例句】 This person is no less diligent than he used to be.

这个人和以前一样勤奋。

4. “How come you completely copied somebody else’s homework?” (Line 66)

Sentence Study

【句型】 How come: How did it happen ( that ) 为非正式用语，用于询问，意思是“为什么？是怎么回事？”，并表示惊讶。

【例句】 How come there are no

commercials for bicycles?

Words & Phrases

1. universal (adj.) (Line1, Para1)

1) relating to everyone in the world or everyone in a particular group or society 普遍的 , 全体的

【例句】1)1) Karaoke provides universal entertainment.Karaoke provides universal entertainment.

卡拉 OK 提供了大众化的娱乐。

2) SARS and bird flu have once caused universal panic. 非典和禽流感曾经引起过普遍的恐慌。

Words & Phrases

2. sense

(v.) (Line 94, Para.12) to have a feeling about something without being told directly 感觉到，觉察到，意识到

(n.) (Line 16, Para.3) good practical understanding and judgment 见识；判断力；领悟（常与 of 连用）

【例句】1)1) She sensed that her suggestions were unwelcome.She sensed that her suggestions were unwelcome. 她发觉自己的建议不受欢迎。

2) No one in their right senses would let a small child go out alone.  凡是有理智的人，谁都不会让那麽小的孩子独自出门。

Words & Phrases

3. trigger (Line 18, Para. 3)(v.) to start a chain of events; be the immediate cause of (sth. serious or violent) 触发，引发，为（某严重或暴力的事件的）直接原因

【例句】1) This incident may trigger a chain reaction.这一事件可能会引起连锁反应。

Words & Phrases

4. tempt (v.) (Line 28, Para. 4)

1) to try to persuade someone to do something which maybe unwise or immoral 引诱 , 诱惑

2) try to persuade someone to do something by making it seem attractive 吸引 , 引起……的兴趣

【例句】1) He was tempted into a life of crime by greed and laziness.  他受贪婪和懒惰的驱使步入了罪恶的一生 .2)The warm weather tempted us into going for a swim.  暖和的天气诱使我们去游泳 .

Words & Phrases

5. clarification (n.) (Line 95, Para. 12) added information to make something easier to understand 澄清；阐明

【例句】1) That newspaper printed clarification of the incorrect statements

about the effect of that medicine on its front page. 那家报纸在其头版澄清了对于那种药效的错误的声明。

2) After I read the clause, I feel it needs some clarification.  读过这一条款之后，我觉得这条需要说明一下。

1. Trying to be Most Entertaining

2. Racking Your Brains

Part III Further Development

Directions: Work in groups to prepare something that will entertain or amuse your classmates. For example: a joke. Riddle, song, magic tricks, mime, skit, etc. present what your group has prepared for your class. Then vote for the most entertaining group.

Most Entertaining

Jokes: Bad or Worse

“How is the business?” asked Mike, as he walked into his friend's dress shop.

“Terrible,” complained John. “Business is awful. Yesterday I only sold one dress and today it was even worse.”

“How could it be even worse?” asked Mike.“Today the customer returned the dress she bought

yesterday.”

Most Entertaining

Game:

Directions: Here is a well-known game! Work in groups of 5 or 6. Each member of the group has a piece of lined paper and a pen. Each person begins by writing the first line of a story and a few more words on the next line. The person then folds over the paper so that the first line can’t be seen and then gives it to his/her neighbor. The neighbor can only see the few words on the next line. He or she must continue the story, fold over the paper, making sure that there are a few words on the next line, and then pass on the piece of paper to the next person. This continues until each member of the group has contributed one sentence to each of the stories. Then each group reads its funniest story to the class. (From Games for Adults)

Most Entertaining

Sample Game: Pass it On He ran out of the house. Next day he went to London, to go to the boat show. This was his dream. He grew an enormous beard, because he loved a beautiful girl. But the monkey bit his finger, so he was extremely happy, and went to bed. The next morning, he wins the scholarship.

Week-long Holiday Project

Directions: Try to solve the following riddles.

What animal carries two hills on its back?

What goes up but never comes down?

What gets wet as it dries?

The longer it stands, the lower it grows.

Racking Your Brains

A camel

Your age

A towel

A candle

1. Translation Skills

2. Writing Practice

Part IV Translation & Writing

Translation Skills

英译汉的长句翻译（１）—概述

Translation Skills

英译汉的长句翻译（１）—概述

英语重形合，句子结构可以借助各种连接手段加以扩展和组合构成复杂的长句。这类长句可由若干分句、子句、多种短语及词组构成。而汉语多意合，连词运用得较少，结构较为自由，以短句居多。因此正确处理长句的翻译是确保译文忠实、通顺的重要环节。

We are faced with a choice between using technology to provide and fulfill needs which have been regarded as unnecessary or, on the other hand, using technology to reduce the number of hours of work which a man must do in order to earn a given standard of living.

我们面临着一种选择：要么利用技术来提供并满足一直被视为并无必要的各种需求，要么利用技术来缩短人们为了维持一定的生活水准而必须工作的时数。

Translation Skills

1. 英译汉长句翻译的步骤

英语句子虽然较长，但还是遵循一定的基本结构。在翻译时，可以按照如下步骤进行：

1.1 句法分析

在英译汉中，首先需要理清原文的基本句法结构，并且判断出句子的类型，是简单句、并列句还是复合句，并找出主语和谓语，然后判断出各种修饰成分的关系 以及句中代词所指代的对象。

Translation Skills

1.2 语言表达可将长句中各个部分分别译出，并运用一定的方式，根据汉语的特点

不拘泥于原文形式，对译出部分进行整合，确保译文的通顺和流畅。

e.g.1) Even when young (1) Blitzen would tease Grandma (2) by very

selectively carrying one of her bedroom slippers into the living room (3) where Grandma sat in her favorite, comfortable chair (4).

布利茨恩在很小的时候就常常戏弄外祖母，当外祖母坐在起居室里她最喜欢的那张舒适的椅子上时，布利茨恩就故意把她卧室里的一只拖鞋叼到起居室。

Translation Skills

e.g.

2) Whether these stories are cartoons or jokes, told by a slapstick comedian or a cross-talking team (1), they appeal to people everywhere as funny stories (2) because they have a note of reality to them, and the unexpected punch line is quite funny (3).

无论这些故事是漫画还是笑话，是由演滑稽剧的喜剧演员说还是由搭档的相声演员讲，都为各地人们所喜爱。人们喜爱这些有趣的故事，因为它们贴近现实生活，而且里面那些出人意料的妙语十分有趣。

Translation Skills

Directions: Write a composition on either of the following topics. Use at least 6 words or phrases in your composition from the list below.

Writing Practice

relaxation take one's mind away entertainment

illusion pursue definitely limited appeal to

professional entertaining laughter in advance

require concert alternative popularity

attraction fashion universal

My Favorite Pastime

Writing Practice

    I began to like writing when I was a pupil in primary school. I was imaginative and created many interesting stories at that time. When I told my stories to my friends on our way home from school, they enjoyed them. Then telling a story I wrote on the way back home soon became my regular practice. That made me really happy. I had never thought of writing as entertainment before. Sometimes I wrote down my stories and passed them around among my classmates.

When I was in high school, I began to like poems. This was because of the influence of my best friend. She liked poems very much, so gradually I learned to appreciate poems. When I am writing poems, I can concentrate for a long time, totally losing myself. No matter whether I am happy or sad I start writing poems to express myself.

Let me tell you a little secret. Now I'm writing a science fiction about time travel. I'm sure it is original and interesting. However, writing definitely takes time, and how I wish I could have more time to pursue this hobby. I may not become a professional writer, but I will always enjoy writing.

Writing Practice

Thanks for Your Attention!Thanks for Your Attention!