大学英语精读第二册

UNIT ONE COLLEGE ENGLISH INTENSIVE READING BOOK II UNIT ONE IS THERE LIFE ON EARTH? There was great excitement on the planet of Venus this week. For the first time Venusian scientists managed to land a satellite on the planet Earth, and it has been sending back signals as well as photographs ever since. The satellite was directed into an area known as Manhattan(named after the great Venusian astronomer Prof. Manhattan, who first discovered it with his telescope 20,000 light years ago.) Because of excellent weather conditions and extremely strong signals, Venusian scientists were able to get valuable information as to the feasibility of a manned flying saucer landing on Earth. A press conference was held at the Venus Institute of Technology. “We have come to the conclusion, based on last week’s satellite landing,” Prof.Zog said, “that there is no life on Earth.” “How do you know this?” the science reporter of the Venus Evening Star asked. “For one thing, Earth’s surface in the area of Manhattan is composed of solid concrete and nothing can grow there. For another, the atmosphere is filled with carbon monoxide and other deadly gases and nobody could possibly breathe this air and survive.” “What does this mean as far as our flying saucer program is concerned?” “We shall have to take our own oxygen with us, which means a much heavier flying saucer than we originally planned.” “Are there any other hazards that you discovered in your studies?” “Take a look at this photo. You see this dark black cloud hovering over the surface of Earth? We call this the Consolidated Edison Belt. We don’t know what it is made of, but it could give us a lot of trouble and we shall have to make further tests before we send a Venus Being there. “Over here you will notice what seems to be a river, but the satellite findings indicate it is polluted and the water is unfit to drink. This means we shall have to carry our own water, which will add even greater weight to the saucer.” “Sir, what are all those tiny black spots in the photographs?” “We’re not certain. They seem to be metal particles that move along certain paths. They emit gases, make noise and keep crashing into each other. There are so many of these paths and so many metal particles that it is impossible to land a flying saucer without its being smashed by one.” “What are those stalagmite projections sticking up?” “They’re some type of granite formations that give off light at night. Prof. Glom has named them skyscrapers since they seem to be scraping the skies.” “If all you say is true, won’t this set back the flying saucer program several years?” “Yes, but we shall proceed as soon as the Grubstart gives us the added funds.” “Prof. Zog, why are we spending billions and billions of zilches to land a flying saucer on Earth when there is no life there?” “Because if we Venusians can learn to breathe in an Earth atmosphere, then we can live anywhere.” Ⅰ.Choose the best answer for each of the following: 1.During the week of great excitement the Venusian scientists succeeded in getting important information as to a. the feasibility of landing a satellite on Earth b. the possibility of making a first-rate flying saucer c. the feasibility of sending a Venus being to Earth d the possibility of directing a flying saucer into Manhattan. 2.According to Prof. Zog, the Venusians will have to take their own oxygen with them when they carry out their flying saucer program because a. nothing whatever can grow on Earth b.​ the Earth’s atmosphere is a deadly gas c.​ carbon monoxide is a deadly gas d.​ there is no air on the planet of Earth. 3.​ The “dark black cloud” on the photograph alludes to a.​ the polluted air hovering over the surface of Earth b.​ the mass of tiny drops of water floating above Earth c.​ the mass of small thing moving through the air d.​ the dark clouds gathering before storm breaks. 4. The “tiny black spots” on the photographs refer, in fact, to a.​ plans flying over Manhattan b.​ rockets being launched into space c.​ fire engines carrying firemen to a fire d.​ vehicles moving along streets. 5. What, according to Prof. Zog, will set back the flying saucer program several years? a.​ The discovery of the stalagmite projections sticking up. b.​ The Grubstart’ s refusal to give the scientists added funds. c.​ The Venusian’ s failure to learn to breathe in an Earth atmosphere. d.​ The various hazards that Venusian scientists discovered in their studies. 6.Venusian scientists discovered that several hazards a.​ during their long years of study of the planet Earth b.​ when they studied the information sent back by the satellite c.​ shortly after the press conference held at an institute d.​ long before working out the flying saucer program 7. the author wishes to call our attention to the fact a.​ that modern man has polluted his environment to such an extent that he might destroy himself if he went on like this b.​ that there is no point in spending billions and billions of zilches to land a flying saucer on Earth c.​ that pollution has become so serious a problem on Earth that even Venusians find life there unbearable d.​ that it is difficult, if not altogether impossible, to land a manned flying saucer on Earth 8. The tone of this essay is a.​ calm and objective b.​ serious and thought-provoking c.​ humorous and satirical d.​ sentimental yet philosophical Ⅱ.Answer the following questions: 1.​ What caused the excitement on the planet Venus? 2.​ Is there such a place as Manhattan on earth? Where is it if the answer is yes? What do you think the author intends by the use of this name? 3.​ What led the Venusian scientists to believe that there is no life on Earth? 4.​ What, according to Prof. Zog, will add weight to the saucer? Explain. 5.​ Why does Prof. Zog think it impossible to land a flying saucer on Earth without its being smashed? 6.​ Sum up briefly the various dangers that a Venus Being might encounter if sent onto Earth. 7.​ What is this satirical essay directed against? 8.​ What will you do to help protect our environment from being seriously polluted? Ⅲ.Put in the missing words? Some scientists think that man may not find life pleasant in the world of the future. Others think that ______ may not be able to live in __ at all. Everyone must know that the world is in ___.Here ___one example of the problem. At one time there ______ 1300 different plants, trees and flowers in Holland,____ now only 866 remain. The _______ have been destroyed by modern man. We are changing ___earth,___ air and water, and everything _____ grows and lives. If we __ like this we shall destroy ourselves. _____ will happen in the future? Perhaps it is ___ important to ask “_____ must we do now?” The people who will be _____ in the world of tomorrow are ______ young of today. A lot of _____ know that it is ______ to take care of their environment. Many are helping to save our _____. There are 15 million young people ___ many countries who study man and the country ______ him. They plant trees and help to ______ wild birds and animals. But ___ ,not only young people ,______ work to save our world. Ⅳ.Translate the following sentences into English: 1.​ 我是十年前认识他的，从那以后我们一直通信。 2.​ 这个地区解放不久，解放军战士便设法把公路一直修进了山里。 3.​ 昨天李教授一直在考虑这个问题，直至想出一个满意的解决办法。 4.​ 我已了解清楚，她的结论是以事实为根据的。 5.​ 几天前，由三位医生和两名护士组成的医疗队出发到山区去了。 6.​ 这个村庄是以矗立在它前面的那座山命名的。 7.​ 他病了一个月左右，这使他在学习上耽误了很多。 8.​ 南方和北方之间于一八六一年爆发的那场战争在历史上称为“美国内战”。 Reading comprehension: FRESH AIR WILL KILL YOU Smog, which was once the big attraction of Los Angeles, can now be found all over the country from Butte, Montana, to New York City, and people are getting so used to polluted air that it’s very difficult for them to breathe anything else. I was lecturing recently, and one of my stops was Flagstaff, Arizona, which is about 7,000 miles above sea level. As soon as I got out of the plane, I smelled something peculiar. “What’ s that smell?” I asked the man who met me at the plane. “I don’t smell anything,” he replied. “There’s a definite odor that I’m not familiar with,” I said. “Oh, you must-be talking about the fresh air. A lot of people come out here who have never smelled fresh air before.” “What’s it supposed to do? I asked suspiciously. “Nothing. You just breathe it like any other kind of air. It’s supposed to be good for your lungs.” “I’ve heard that story before,” I said. “How come（怎么会） if it’s air, my eyes aren’t watering? “Your eyes don’t water with fresh air. That’s the advantage of it. Saves you a lot in paper tissues.” I looked around and everything appeared crystal clear. It was a strange sensation and made me feel very uncomfortable. My host, sensing this, tried to be reassuring. “Please don’t worry about it. Tests have proved that you can breathe fresh air day and night without its doing any harm to the body.” “You’re just saying that because you don’t want me to leave,” I said. “Nobody who has lived in a major city can stand fresh air for a very long time. He has no tolerance for it.” “Well, if the fresh air bothers you, why don’t you put a handkerchief over your nose and breathe through your youth?” “Okay, I’ll try it. If I’d known I was coming to a place that had nothing but fresh air, I would have brought a surgical mask.” We drove in silence. About fifteen minutes later he asked, “How do you feel now?” Okay, I guess, but I sure miss sneezing（的确很想打喷嚏）.” “We don’t sneeze too much here,” the man admitted. “Do they sneeze a lot where you come from?” “All the time. There are some days when that’s all you do.” “Do you enjoy it?” “Not necessarily, but if you don’t sneeze, you’ll die. Let me ask you something. How come there’s no air pollution around here? “Flagstaff can’t seem to attract industry. I guess we’re really behind the times. The only smoke we get is when the Indians start signaling each other. But the wind seems to blow it away.” The fresh air was making me feel dizzy（头晕眼花的）. “Isn’t there a diesel（柴油机） bus around here that I could breathe into for a couple of hours?” “Not at this time of day. I might be able to find a truck for you.” We found a truck driver, and slipped（塞给） him a five-dollar bill, and he let me put my head near his exhaust pipe（排气管） for a half hour. I was immediately revived and able to give my speech. Nobody was as happy to leave Flagstaff as I was. My next stop was Los Angeles, and when I got off the plane, I took one big deep breath of the smog-filled air, my eyes started to water, I began to sneeze, and I felt like a new man again. Exercise A: Use your knowledge of word part clues to figure out the meanings of the following words. 1.​ smog (smoke = fog): the mixture of _____________________ 2.​ attraction: something______________________ 3.​ suspiciously: with_________________ 4.​ sensation: something______________ 5.​ uncomfortable: __________________ 6.​ tolerance: the capacity to_______________ 7.​ surgical: of or for_______________ 8.​ pollution: the state of______________ Exercise B True or False? If you think a statement is false, correct it and make it a true one. 1.​ The author has given a realistic description of how Americans are learning to live with pollution. 2.​ To the narrator, fresh air smells strange. 3.​ Recently the narrator took a break from his lecture tour to stop in Flagstaff, a small mountain city. 4.​ The narrator found being in Flagstaff to be most enjoyable because the mountain air was so fresh and clean. 5.​ The air wasn’t polluted because there were no factories and fewer buses or trucks in Flagstaff. 6.​ Fresh air made his eyes water and caused him to sneeze. 7.​ The narrator needed polluted air so badly that he paid money for the privilege of breathing exhaust fumes from a truck. 8.​ The true intention of the writer is to show people what life might be like in the future if we don’t control air pollution. Unit Two THE DINNER PARTY I first heard this tale in India, where it is told as if true—though any naturalist would know it couldn’t be. Later someone told me that the story appeared in a magazine shortly before the First World War. That magazine story, and the person who wrote it, I have never been able to track down. The country is India. A colonial official and has wife are giving a large dinner party. They re seated with their guests—officers and their wives, and a visiting American naturalist—in their spacious dining room, which has a bare marble floor, open ratters and wide glass doors opening onto a veranda. A spirited discussion springs up between a young girl who says that women have outgrown the jumping-on-chair-at-the-sight-of-a-mouse era and a major who says that they haven’t. A woman’s reaction in any crisis, the major says, “is to scream. And while a man may feel like it, he has that ounce more of control than a woman has. And that last ounce is what really counts.” The American does not join in the argument but watches the other guests. As he looks, he sees a strange expression come over the face of the hostess. She is staring straight ahead, her muscles contracting slightly. She motions to the native boy standing behind her chair and whispers something to him. The boy’s eyes widen: he quickly leaves the room. Of the guests, none except the American notices this or sees the boy place a bowl of milk on the veranda just outside the open doors. The American comes to with a start. In India, milk in a bowl means only one thing—bait for a snake. He realizes there must be a cobra in the room. He looks up at the rafters—the likeliest place—but they are bare. Three corners of the room are empty, and in the fourth the servants are waiting to sere the next course. There is only one place left—under the table. His first impulse is to jump back and warn the others, but he knows the commotion would frighten the cobra into striking. He speaks quickly, the tone of his voice so commanding that it silences everyone. “I want to know just what control everyone at this table has. I will count three hundred—that’s five minutes—and not one of you is to move a muscle. Those who move will forfeit 5o rupees. Ready!” The 20 people sit like stone images while he counts. He is saying “…two hundred and eighty …” when, out of the corner of his eye, he sees the cobra emerge and make for the bowl of milk. Screams ring out as he jumps to slam the veranda doors safely shut. “You were right, Major!” the host exclaims. “A man has just shown us an example of perfect self-control.” “Just a minute,” the America says, turning to his hostess. “Mrs. Wynnes, how did you know that cobra was in the room?” A faint smile lights up the woman’s face as she replies: “Because it was crawling across my foot.” Ⅰ.From the answers a, b and c, choose the one that best completes the following statements: 1.According to the text, the author a. wrote the magazine story that appeared before World War I b. found the person who wrote the magazine story c.​ failed to find either the magazine story or the person who wrote it. 2.The floor of the dining-room a. was not decorated b. was uncarpeted c. was made of rough stone 3.The young girl said a. that women were no longer so easily frightened as they had been before b. that women were no longer afraid of mice c.​ that women were equals of men 4.The major argued that a man had a little bit more self-control than a woman had and that little bit more a. made the difference b.​ could really be calculated c.​ was not really very important 5.When the American saw the boy place a bowl of milk on the veranda just outside the doors, he a. lost his consciousness b.​ started to jump back c.​ suddenly realized what was happening 6.When the American spoke, the tone of his voice was a. very authoritative b. very calm d.​ very modest 7.The American asked everyone at the table not to move a muscle because a. he wanted to test what control they had b.​ he wanted to win some money c.​ he wanted everyone at the table to be perfectly still so as not to frighten the cobra 8.The story shows that a. men have greater self-control b. women have greater self-control c. women, as well as men, may have great self-control Ⅱ.Answer the following questions: 1. Where did the story take place? When did it first appear in a magazine? Was it a true story? 2. Who gave the dinner party? What kind of guests were invited? 3. Describe in some detail the room where the party was held. 4. What was the subject of the discussion between the young girl and the major? 5. What did the American naturalist do during the argument? What kind of expression did he notice come over the face of the hostess? Why did her muscles contract slightly? 6. Why did the American come to with a start? What did he realize was happening? 7. How did the American’s react to the crisis? What trick did he use to quiet the guests? Was he successful? 8. What happened five minutes later? Why didn’t the cobra strike? 9. What did the American’s reaction in the crisis prove? 10. Why did the hostess’s face light up with a faint smile? What did her self-control prove? Ⅲ.Put in the missing words: Lying comfortably upon a sofa, Harker Brayton smiled as he read that book “Marvels of Science”. Suddenly something in a dark _____ of the room attracted his _______. In the shadow, under the bed, he ___ two points of light about _______ inch apart, shining with a greenish glow. His attention was now directed fully _______ those shining points. There, almost right under the foot-rail of the ______, he saw the body of a large ______. The points of light were its _______ ! Brayton rose to his ________ and prepared to back softly away ________ the snake. At that moment, ______ , he felt strangely unwilling to do ________ . Instead of moving backward ______ planned, he took a step ________ , and then another! The snake made neither sound ______ motion, but its evil head was still thrust forth, its ________ were shining as _________ electrified, sending needles of light through the shadows. Frightened, Brayton fell to the _______, dead. Two hours later, when the doctor was pulling the body _______ , he chanced to look under the ______ . “Good God!” he cried. “A snake!” He reached under the bed, pulled ______ the snake, and threw ______ to the centre of the room, where it _______ without motion. It was a snake made _______ cloth and filled _____ cotton. Its eyes were two buttons. Ⅳ.Translate the following sentences into English: 1.​ 有些国家有很多石油，而有些国家却一点也没有。 2.​ 如果你乐意，我们就沿着海滩去散散步。 3.​ 真正重要的不在于你读多少，而在于你怎么读。 4.​ 当全部乘客都向出口处走去时，他却独自留在座位上，好象不愿意离开这架飞机似的。 5.​ 这封信必须交给威尔逊博士本人。 6.​ 南希虽然很想参加辩论，但腼腆得不敢开口。 7.​ 一条大眼镜蛇挡住了她的去路，她被吓得尖叫起来。 8.​ 猎人一看见有只狐狸从树丛中出现并向他设下的陷井方向跑去，脸上顿时闪出了兴奋的表情。 Reading comprehension: AN IMPORTANT LESSON It was an early September day, cool and bright and just right for running, and I was in the first few miles of a 10.5 mile race over a course through steep, exhausting hills. Still, I felt rested and springy; despite the hills it was going to be a fine run. Just ahead of me was Peggy Mimno, a teacher from Mount Kisco, New York. She too was running easily, moving along efficiently at my speed. The pace felt comfortable, so I decided to stay where I was; why bother concentrating on pace when she was such a nice pacesetter for me? I would overtake her later on when she tired. So I was running closely behind her. The course headed north for five miles, wandered west for a hilly mile, then turned south again along a winding road. The race was getting tougher. We had four miles left and already it was beginning to be real work, I was breathing hard, and my legs were beginning to stiffen. Peggy overtook a young male runner. Apparently she knew him, for they exchanged a few cheerful words as she passed him. Their exchange worried me. You don’t chat during a race unless you are feeling good, and Peggy plainly was. There was still a noticeable bounce（弹力） in her stride（大步）, but whatever springiness I had once possessed had long since（早已） left me. Still, I was close enough to overtake her if she tired, so I didn’