Unit One

Text I ： Never Give in. Never, Never, Never

Winston Churchill (1874 -1965) was a British Conservative politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during World War II. Widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century, he served as Prime Minister twice (1940 and 1951).

statesman

orator

historian

writer

artist

the only British prime minister to have received the Nobel Prize in Literature

the first person to have been recognized as an honorary citizen of the United States

Harrow School( 哈罗公学 )

an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London. It is widely considered one of the best secondary schools in the world along with its famous rival Eton. Churchill is one of the famous alumni.

World War IIWorld War II was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world’s nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis.Britain played a very important role in WW II.

The Battle of Britain

Germany advances through Europe

September 1939 - May 1940

Churchill becomes Prime Minister

10 May 1940

Britain retreats from France

26 May - 4 June 1940

Churchill decides to fight on

May 1940

Hitler plans the invasion of Britain

July 1940

Germany bombs British towns and cities

July - August 1940

Germany bombs British coastal airfields

11 July -18 August 1940

Germany attacks RAF Fighter Command

24 August - 4 September 1940

Germany bombs London

7-15 September 1940

Hitler postpones the invasion of Britain

21 October 1940

Battle of Britain came Battle of Britain came to an end and to an end and Germany began an Germany began an invasion of the Soviet invasion of the Soviet Union.Union.

6 May 19416 May 1941

This text is an inspiring speech made by Winston Churchill, Great Britain’s then Prime Minister, when he visited Harrow School on 29 October, 1941. The whole speech can be divided into three parts.

Part I: (Paragraph 1): Some opening remarks, in which Churchill summarized the events that had happened since his last visit to Harrow.

Part II: (Paragraphs 2 — 5): The body of the speech, in which Churchill drew the lessons to be learned from the past year.

Part III: (Paragraphs 6 — 8): The concluding part, in which, by changing a word in the additional verse of the school song, Churchill expressed his conviction that the entire nation was blessed with the chance to display its courage to the full in what was, as he elsewhere put it, its finest hour.

Part I (Paragraph 1): Some opening remarks, in which Churchill summarized the events that had happened since his last visit to Harrow.

Language Points:

• 1. catastrophic a. of, relating to , or involving a

catastrophe 大灾难的，灾难的、与灾难有关的 a catastrophic illness> catastrophe n. • Syn. ： accident, calamity,

disaster, misfortune, tragedy, cataclysm.

• 2. misfortune n.• 1) [U] bad luck 不幸 ; 厄运 : e.g. suffer great misfortune 2) [C] unfortunate condition, accident

or event 不幸事故 ; 灾难 ; 灾祸 : e.g. She bore her misfortunes

bravely. > syn.: adversity, mishap,

mischance

•3. desperately adv. 拼命地 , 绝望地 , 极严重地

•1) in a desperate way•e.g. The doctors tried desperately

to save her life.•2) very or very much•e.g. The crops desperately need

rain.•> desperation n.

• 4. menace n.• 1). [U] threatening quality, tone,

feeling, etc 威胁 ; 恐吓 :• e.g. a film that creates an atmosphere

of menace • 2) [sing] ~ (to sb/sth) person or thing

that threatens 进行威胁的人或事物 • e.g. These weapons are a menace (to

world peace).

• 5. lull n. & v. • 1) n (usu sing) interval of quiet or inactivity 间歇 ; 稍息 ; 稍止• e.g. a lull before the storm, in the

conversation, during the battle • 2) v. [Tn] ~ sb/sth (to sth) make (a person

or an animal) quiet or less active; soothe sb/sth 使（人或动物）安静 , 活动减弱

• e.g. lull a baby to sleep

Questions

1) What was Churchill's intention of singing some of their songs?

2) Why did Churchill use ill-favored words such as ups and downs and misfortunes when talking about the menace of the enemy?

Part II (Paragraphs 2 — 5): The body of the speech, in which Churchill drew the lessons to be learned from the past year.

• 6. deceptive  adj likely to deceive; misleading 骗人的 ; 导致误解的

• e.g. Appearances are often deceptive. • > deception n. 欺骗 (=deceit) • deceive  v. 欺骗

• 7. triumph n. [U] (joy or satisfaction at) being successful or victorious 成功或胜利（的喜悦或满足）

• > triumph v. 获得成功或胜利 • triumphant a. 胜利的；洋洋得意的• triumphal a. 凯旋的 , 庆祝胜利的•

• 8. impostor n. someone who pretends to be someone else in order to trick people 冒名顶替的人（通常为行骗） .

• e.g. The nurse was soon discovered to be an impostor.

• 9. far-reaching adj having a great influence or effect 深远的

• e.g. far-reaching implications / impact / effects

• 10. petty adj. • 1) small or trivial; unimportant 小的 ; 琐碎的 ; 不重要的 : petty details, queries,

regulations, troubles• 2) having or showing a small mind;

mean 狭隘的 ; 器量小的 ; 小气的 : petty and childish behavior * petty about money

• > pettiness n

• 11. conviction n. • 1) [U, C] ~ (that...) firm opinion or belief 坚定的看法或信仰 : It's my conviction (ie I

firmly believe) that complacency is at the root of our troubles.

• 2) ~ (for sth) [U] the convicting of a person for a crime 定罪 ; 科刑 : an offence which carries, on conviction, a sentence of not more than five years' imprisonment

• >convict vt. 证明…有罪，宣判…有罪 n. 囚犯

• 12. overwhelming adj. 势不可挡的，压倒的；巨大的• having such a great effect on you that you

feel confused and do not know how to react• e.g. She felt an overwhelming desire to hit

him.• e.g. An overwhelming majority of the

members were against the idea.• ---- overwhelm vt. 使受不了，使不知所措；征服，制服

• 13. might n. great strength or power 力气 ; 力量 ; 威力 ; 权力 : I pushed the rock with all my might.

• (idm) might is right 强权就是公理 .• > mighty a.

• 14. liquidate v. • 1) get rid of (sb), esp by killing 清除（某人）（尤指杀掉） : liquidated his

political opponents • 2) pay or settle (a debt) 清偿或结算（债务） .• > liquidation n 清算 ; 清除 • liquidator n 公司债务清算人

• 15. sponge n. • 1) [C] piece of absorbent material, eg

gauze, used in surgery （外科用的）吸水物（如纱布） .• 2) [C, U] a piece of a soft natural or

artificial substance full of small holes, which can suck up liquid and is used for washing 海绵 , 海绵状物

• > sponge v. 用湿海绵 ( 或布 ) 擦 • spongy adj 海绵似的

• 16. slate n. [U] type of blue-grey rock that splits easily into thin flat layers 板岩 ; 石板 : a slate roof

• 17. stand in the gap:• stand out and fight back 首当其冲，独挡难局

• 18. flinch  v 1) [I] move or draw back suddenly, from shock, fear or pain 畏缩或退缩 :

• E.g. He listened to the jeers of the crowd without flinching.

• 2) [Ipr] ~ from sth/from doing sth avoid thinking about or doing sth unpleasant 不想或不做某种不愉快的事 :

• E.g. We shall never flinch from (the task of) telling the people the whole truth.

• > unflinching  adj. 坚定的 , 不屈不挠的

• 19. persevere  v [I, Ipr] ~ (at/in/with sth); continue trying to do sth, esp in spite of difficulty 坚持做某事（尤指不畏困难） :

• E.g. She persevered in her efforts to win the championship.

• > perseverance n [U] 坚持不懈 ; 不屈不挠 persevering adj 坚持的 ; 不屈不挠的

Questions:3) What did Churchill mean by saying "we

must learn to be equally good at what is short and sharp and what is long and tough"?

4) Why did Churchill quote Kipling as saying "treat those two impostors just the same"?

5) What lesson had they learnt?6) Why did Churchill say the mood was

different?

Part III (Paragraphs 6 — 8): The concluding part, in which, by changing a word in the additional verse of the school song, Churchill expressed his conviction that the entire nation was blessed with the chance to display its courage to the full in what was, as he elsewhere put it, its finest hour.

• 20. compliment v [Tn, Tn.pr] ~ sb (on sth) express praise or admiration of sb 对…表示赞美或敬佩 :

• E.g. I complimented her on her skilful performance.

• > compliment n. [C] ~ (on sth) 赞美﹑敬佩• complimentary  a. 称赞的• 辨： complement / implement

• 21. venture v. [Tn, Tt] to say or do something in an uncertain way because you are afraid it is wrong or will seem stupid 敢说 ; 敢做 ; 冒险

• venture to do sth / that • venture an opinion/question/word

etc> venture n. 风险投资

• 22. stern adj • 1) severe and strict 严酷的 ; 严峻的 :

Police are planning sterner measures to combat crime.

• 2) serious and grim, not kind or cheerful; expecting to be obeyed 严肃的 ; 严厉的 : a stern face, expression, look, etc

• > stern n. 船尾 ; 尾部 sternness n [U]• 23. station  n. [C] (dated or fml) social

position; rank; status 社会地位 ; 等级 ; 身分 : people in all stations of life

Questions:7) Why did Churchill replace the word

"darker" with "sterner"?