雅思5.5基础课程阅读讲义 ielts 5.5 reading

雅思阅读冲刺班讲义 （教案） 2013年11月 1 Academic·Passionate·Professional·Responsible

雅思5.5基础阅读课程讲义

UNIT 1 Education ........................................................................................................................ 3 UNIT 2 Food ................................................................................................................................. 5 UNIT 3 Health .............................................................................................................................. 7 UNIT 4 Media ............................................................................................................................. 10 Locating Information .............................................................................................................. 14 UNIT 5 Practice 1 ....................................................................................................................... 18 UNIT 6 Advertising .................................................................................................................... 20 UNIT 7 Learning to Speak ........................................................................................................ 28 Summary Completion ............................................................................................................. 30 UNIT 8 The Environment ......................................................................................................... 30 Short Answers .......................................................................................................................... 33 UNIT 9 Sponsorship in Sport .................................................................................................... 33 UNIT 10 Practice 2 ..................................................................................................................... 38 Flowchart-Timeline Completion ............................................................................................ 39 UNIT 11 Transport ..................................................................................................................... 40 UNIT 12 Travel ........................................................................................................................... 47 UNIT 13 Technology .................................................................................................................. 54 Labelling a Diagram ............................................................................................................... 56 Unit14 Money ............................................................................................................................. 57 UNIT 15 Practice 3 ..................................................................................................................... 64 Multiple Choice ....................................................................................................................... 65 Labelling a Diagram ............................................................................................................... 69 UNIT 17 Social Issues ................................................................................................................ 70 IELTS Type Questions: Reading: for Details and for Main Ideas ............................................ 72 Table Completion .................................................................................................................... 72 UNIT 20 Practice 4 ..................................................................................................................... 77 Note Completion ............................................................................................................................ 79

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UNIT 1 Education

Education over the past 100 years

A

The education of our young people is one of the most important aspects of any community, and ideas about what and how to teach reflect the accepted attitudes and unspoken beliefs of society. These ideas change as local customs and attitudes change, and these changes are reflected in the curriculum, teaching and assessment methods and the expectations of how both students and teachers should behave. 词汇讲解：

curriculum n. 教学大纲； reflect v. 反映；反射； assessment n. 评价； B

Teaching in the late 1800s and early 1900s was very different from today. Rules for teachers at the time in the USA covered both the teacher's duties and their conduct out of class as well. Teachers at that time were expected to set a good example to their pupils and to behave in a very virtuous and proper manner. Women teachers should not marry, nor should they ‘keep company with men.' They had to wear long dresses and no bright colours and they were not permitted to dye their hair. They were not allowed to loiter downtown in an ice cream store, and women were not allowed to go out in the evenings unless to a school function, although men were allowed one evening a week to take their girlfriends out if they went to church regularly. No teachers were allowed to drink alcohol. They were allowed to read only good books such as the Bible, and they were given a pay increase of 25c a week after five years of work for the local school. 词汇讲解：

manner n. 行为守则； be expected to：被预期… 表示将来时：

be expected to be predicted to be perspective to C

As well as this long list of ‘dos' and ‘don'ts,' teachers had certain duties to perform each day. In country schools, teachers were required to keep the coal bucket full for the classroom fire, and to bring a bucket of water each day for the children to drink. They had to make the pens for their students to write with and to sweep the floor and keep the classroom tidy. However, despite this list of duties, little was stipulated about the content of the teaching, nor about assessment methods. D

Teachers would have been expected to teach the three ‘r’s—reading, writing and arithmetic,

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and to teach the children about Christianity and read from the Bible every day. Education in those days was much simpler than it is today and covered basic literacy skills and religious education. They would almost certainly have used corporal punishment such as a stick or the strap on naughty or unruly children, and the children would have sat together in pairs in long rows in the classroom. They would have been expected to sit quietly and to do their work, copying long rows of letters or doing basic maths sums. Farming children in country areas would have had only a few years of schooling and would probably have left school at 12 or 14 years of age to join their parents in farm work. 词汇讲解：

arithmetic：算数； literacy：文学，阅读； religious：宗教的； discrimination：歧视；

religious discrimination：宗教歧视。 E

Compare this with a country school in the USA today! If you visited today, you would see the children sitting in groups round large tables, or even on the floor. They would be working together on a range of different activities, and there would almost certainly be one or more computers in the classroom. Children nowadays are allowed and even expected to talk quietly to each other while they work, and they are also expected to ask their teachers questions and to actively engage in finding out information for themselves, instead of just listening to the teacher. 词汇讲解：

engage in：依靠，依赖，把精力放在…地方； actively adv. 主动的； F

There are no rules of conduct for teachers out of the classroom, and they are not expected to perform caretaking duties such as cleaning the classrooms or making pens, but nevertheless their jobs are much harder than they were in the 1900s. Teachers today are expected to work hard on planning their lessons, to teach creatively and to stimulate children's minds, and there are strict protocols about assessment across the whole of the USA. Corporal punishment is illegal, and any teacher who hit a child would be dismissed instantly. Another big difference is that most state schools in western countries are secular, so religious teaching is not part of the curriculum. 词汇讲解：

corporal：肉体的；

corporal punishment：体罚； G

These changes in educational methods and ideas reflect changes in our society in general. Children in western countries nowadays come from all parts of the globe and they bring different cultures, religions and beliefs to the classroom. It is no longer considered acceptable or appropriate for state schools to teach about religious beliefs. Ideas about the value and purpose of education have also changed and with the increasing sophistication of workplaces and life skills needed for a successful career, the curriculum has also expanded to try to prepare children for the challenges of a diverse working community. It will be interesting to see how these changes

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continue into the future as our society and culture grows and develops. 词汇讲解：

Nigger：对黑人侮辱称呼；

African-American：非洲裔美国人。 culture：文化； religious：宗教； belief：信念。

练习：Read the first sentence ONLY of each paragraph in the reading passage. Take NO MORE THAN FIVE minutes to do this.

Then, put these paragraph description into the same passage as the text itself. Write the letter of the paragraph, A — G, beside each one. ______ Teaching content in the past ______ Teaching in the present

______ Rules for teachers in the past

______ The importance of educational beliefs ______ Changes in teaching and in society ______ Teaching duties in the past

______ Rules for teachers in the present

UNIT 2 Food

Hoodia

词汇讲解：

Hoodia：南非食用仙人掌； A

The San live in that part of Africa called the Kalahari Desert. Life there is hard, and nature can be harsh. There are somewhere between 45,000 and 100,000 of them living in countries like Zambia and Zimbabwe. They're not rich and they don't live in expensive houses. There are no roads or schools or hospitals near them. They don't have many material possessions like cars or computers, things that people in the developed world can't do without. In fact, they have many problems such as unemployment and poverty. On top of this, they also suffer from alcoholism, drinking to forget their problems. They're the San, a tribe of traditional hunter-gatherers, who used to travel in search of food for their families instead of growing it or keeping animals. They have a culture that is 20,000years old, but their old way of life is disappearing fast and has nearly gone forever. So yes, they're poor, and yes, their lifestyle is not attractive to outsiders, but they do have one thing that certain people in the developed world are very, very interested in and want to have, and that may make them some money. It's called hoodia. 词汇讲解：

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cannibalism n. 吃人肉; 同类相食 sophisticated：

adj. 老练的; 老于世故的；e.g.: Mr. Smith is a sophisticated world traveler. adj. 精密的, 尖端的；e.g.: This is a very sophisticated machine. adj.高雅的, 有教养的；

近义词：Complex / Complicated：复杂的。 genuine:

adj. 真的, 非人造的；e.g.: This medal is made of genuine gold.

adj.真诚的, 真心的；e.g.: As time went on, a genuine friendship grew up between us. artificial:

adj.人造的, 人工的, 假的；e.g.: The new dam will form a large artificial lake behind it. adj.虚假的, 不真挚的, 矫揉造作的；e.g.: Her smile looks artificial. adj.人为的 Artificial intelligence 人工智能 indistinguishable n. 不可区分的，无法识别的。 goal:

n. 球门,进球得的分；e.g.: We scored a goal in the first minute of the game.

n. 努力的对象, 目标；e.g.: When he at last arrived in Rome he felt he had reached his

goal.

近义词：achievement / destination

elusive adj. 难以捉摸的; 难以找到的; 不易记住的

eg: I've been trying all day to reach him on the telephone, but he's very elusive. illusion n. 错觉, 幻想, 错误观念 B

The process of imagining and developing a computer-generated character is complex, involving many stages. The first stage is to design the look of the character, and to create a three-dimensional model on the computer. The model must be able to move in a realistic manner and, most importantly, its face must mirror human faces when it laughs, frowns or talks. One way to achieve this is by building a real skeleton of the model. After using lasers to scan the real model into the computer, controls are added that allow the bones and muscles to be moved around. 词汇讲解:

three-dimensional (3D) / Index：3D动画； realistic adj. 真实的，实际的，真是存在； mirror v. 反射出，反映出； achieve：

vt. 取得, 获得；e.g.: They achieved some victories despite these setbacks. v. 实现, 达到, 完成；e.g.: You will achieve your ambition if you work hard. 固定搭配：achieve the goal；名词形式：achievement skeleton：

n. 骨骼，骷髅；e.g.: The boy bent curiously to the skeleton of the buck. n. 骨干, 框架；e.g.: The block is still just a skeleton of girders. skull n. 颅骨 / bone / A plus

Skull and Bones is a secret society at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. The society's alumni organization, which owns the society's real property and oversees the organization's activity.

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Many Skull & Bones alumni have assumed positions of prominence, including President George W. Bush, and his 2004 Presidential opponent Senator John Kerry. muscle n. 肌肉，e.g.: Exercise conditions your muscles. C

This is where computer animation comes in. Because people are so conscious of how ‘real' faces look, many detailed controls are needed on the computer to move the different features of the face. Up to a hundred may be needed to move the muscles of the face, so that the character's eyes, skin, mouth and other features all look natural to our eyes. 词汇讲解:

conscious：

adj. 神志清醒的e.g.: She spoke to us in her conscious moments.

be conscious of：意识到…e.g.: I was not conscious of having made a mistake. self-conscious：不自在，不舒服。 detailed adj. 详细的,逐条的；

detail n. 细目, 细节; 小事

control n. 控制器；control subjects：标准组； features n. 五官 D

After designing all of the components of the face and body, and the computer controls, the character is ready to move, or be animated. One way of achieving this is called motion capture, where a person acts out the character, and his movements are captured by video camera and uploaded into the computer. Another way is key-frame animation, where, instead of modeling actions from a real person, the animators use the controls to move all of the parts of the body and face to create movement on the screen. These methods are often used together in creating an animated character; both of them are slow and painstaking, requiring hours of effort and planning. 词汇讲解:

component n. 成分, 组成部分, 部件, 元件；

e.g.: A chemist can separate a medicine into its components. 同义词：elements motion:

vt. (向…)打手势, 示意；e.g.: The teacher motioned the boy to study. n. (物体的)运动；e.g.: object is no longer in cyclical motion. move v. 移动/ 感动；e.g.: news moved him very much. capture vt. 俘获, e.g.: captured the criminal.

catch/ capture uploaded v. 上传 frame n. 框架；

key-frame n. 关键步骤； control subject：实验标准组；

require /get / gain /obtain /need / acquire

be required to：被要求… e.g.: You are required take the study seriously.

Ten chairs are required to take the class.

E

Enormous computer power is needed to make animation look real. For the ‘Lord of the

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Rings', thousands of processors and numerous workstations were used to create all of the characters and special effects. There were up to 160people working on computer graphics for these three movies, which took approximately 4million processing hours. It is estimated that the same process would have taken up to 200 years on a 4-gigahertz PC! 词汇讲解:

enormous adj. 极其多的；

processor n. (计算机的)中央处理器；

central process unit/ CPU：中央处理单元。

graphics n. (作单数用)制图法,制图学,图表算法,图形； approximately adv. 近似地, 大约 about； estimate vt. & vi. 估计; 评价, 评估

e.g.: gardener estimated that it would take him four hours to weed the garden. overestimate：高估；e.g.：You can never ever overestimate him.

F

However, despite all of this extremely sophisticated and expensive technology, creating a real human face is still a challenge for our animators. People are very sensitive to facial expressions. We can immediately pick if a face is not human, and we often have a strong reaction to this. The closer the face is to looking truly human, the more negative this reaction can be; this effect has been christened the ‘uncanny valley’ by Japanese roboticist* Masahiro Mori. However, he also suggests that once the animation gets close enough to the real thing, we begin to feel positive about it once more. So, maybe future Tom Cruises or Lindsay Lohans will be computer generated, and we will never know the difference. 词汇讲解:

extremely adv. 极端; 极其; 非常，e.g.: That is extremely interesting.

significantly / absolutely / aweful（非常的） sensitive adj. 敏感的； uncanny valley：诡异谷；

uncanny adj. 超人的; 不寻常的； valley n. 山谷；

canyon /the great canyon：（没有水）的山谷；

gorge n. 山峡, 峡谷，The Three Gorges 长江三峡 robotics n. 机器人技术； robot n. 机器人；

AI / Artificial Intelligence人工智能技术。

练习1: Read the first sentence ONLY of each paragraph in the reading passage and answer the question below. Take NO MORE THAN FIVE minutes to do this. Does this reading passage: a. Give a history of something? b. Describe how something is done? c. Compare and contrast two things?

d. Discuss a problem and give a solution?

? Topic sentences ---最能反映文章大意的句子； ? Supporting sentences：

? Reasons；

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Facts：

Examples； Statistics.

Scanning for Specific Facts

Sometimes in IELTS readings you need to look quickly over the reading passage to find facts, dates, numbers or names. It is important to practice focusing your eyes ONLY on the information you need.

（1）Skimming跳读：

Main idea：Title，topic sentence；

（2）Scanning逐字逐句阅读： scanner：扫描仪。

定位词——特殊时间、人名、地名、年代、数字……

选择原则：1）识别性强；

2）重复率低。

（3）Reading：仔细阅读，比较原文与内容的差别。

练习2：Look quickly at the passage and write down the letter of the paragraph which contains the following information. Take no more than THREE minutes to do this! a. ______ Masahiro Mori

b. ______ Key frame animation c. ______ 160

d. ______ Star Wars

e. ______ Three-dimensional f. ______ A hundred

练习3：Now, match the information above to the following. Write the letter of the paragraph where you will find this information beside each one. a. ______ Movie name

b. ______ Name of a person who works with robots c. ______ Number of people working on a project d. ______ Computer technique

e. ______ Number of computer controls f. ______ Computer model

?

IELTS Type Questions: Reading for Details and for Main Ideas

Now, you should be able to read this passage quickly to find details and answer the following questions.

Locating Information

The passage has 6paragraphs, A-E

练习4：Which paragraph contains the following information? Write the correct letter, A-F, beside the statements below.

Note: You may use any letter more than once. You may not need to use all the letters. 1) ______ A description of motion capture 2) ______ Lindsay Lohan of the future

3) ______ Negative response to human-like expressions 4) ______ Processing hours needed

5) ______ Special effects make films popular

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6) ______ Creating a bone structure using lasers and adding controls 7) ______ 100 muscle controls

Sentence Completion-Type A 练习5：Complete the sentences. choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS or a NUMBER from the passage for each answer.

TIP Always read the instructions for this kind of question very carefully. This answer may require no more than ONE or TWO words. Hyphenated words count as one word. 8) The ‘Lord of the Rings' movies had a computer-generated character that was created using ______ techniques.

9) A three-dimensional model created on the computer needs to move in a ______.

10) Once a real model has been scanned into the computer by using lasers, the animators add controls to move the ______ around.

11) Both motion capture and key-frame animation are described as being ______ methods. 12) Not only thousands of processors, but also ______ were required to make the characters and special effects in ‘The Lord of the Rings' movies.

13) The animation for these movies required about ______ processing hours.

14) Achieving a completely realistic human face is still a challenge for animators, as people are very conscious of ______.

15) In general, people seem to have a more negative reaction to an animated face that is quite close to looking human; this has been called the ______ effect.

Sentence Completion-Type B

练习6：Complete each sentence with the correct ending A-L, from the box below. There are more endings given than beginnings.

16) Among recent movies, many of the most successful ...

17) There are many stages involved in imagining and developing ... 18) In order to create a 3-D model on the computer, some people ...

19) Once a laser has scanned this model into the computer, controls to ...

20) Motion capture is a technique where an actor's movements are filmed and used to ... 21) Key-frame animation is a technique where the animators use the controls to ... 22) Whichever of these methods is used, it is necessary to ...

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Academic·Passionate·Professional·Responsible A put in hours of slow, careful planning and work. B get closer to this elusive goal. C move all parts of the body and face to create each movement. D have used computers to create special fantasy effects. E must mirror a human laugh, frown or smile. F model the movements of the character. G a complex computer-generated character. H create all the characters and special effects. I first build a real skeleton of the model. J make the bones and muscles move can be added. K is still a challenge for animators. L have a strong reaction to a face that is not quite right.

After You Read

Vocabulary-Adjectives 练习7：Answer these questions.

i. Which ending is common to the adjectives below? ______ ii. Consider ‘indistinguishable'. What does the ‘-able' ending mean? ______ be done iii. What does the ‘in-' prefix mean? ______

humanoid… sophisticated creative genuine indistinguishable elusive complex three-dimensional realistic painstaking extreme sensitive

练习8：Complete the sentences below using the adjectives in the list above. a. ______ technology is very complex.

词汇拓展：

complex：复杂的，表示复杂困难的单词：sophisticated/ complicated/ complex. b. If something is ______, it is difficult to find or achieve. 词汇拓展：

elusive：难以琢磨，难以达到；

exclusive: available or belonging only to a particular people and not shared/排他的；

exclusive access/ access exclusive rights：排他的权利； exclusive club：专属俱乐部。

ex- 开头表示向外；in- 开头表示向内。如：exclusive/ inclusive; export/ inport； deport：驱逐出境；

migration：移民，immigration移到国内/ emigration移到国外。

c. Something that is ______ is similar to the real thing. 词汇拓展：

realistic：真是的，实际的。反义词：idealist理想主义的，幻想的/ naive傻，单纯/

silly傻。

d. If someone is ______, they notice or are affected by slight changes.

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词汇拓展：

sense：场景；道理, It does/ doesn’t make sense. e. ______ means making new things. 词汇拓展：

creative: involve using of imaginations to produce new ideas for things. create：创造；建立，近义词：establish/ generate，辨析：

create：侧重创造一些抽象的新事物或新事情； establish：建立（体系、组织）； generate：创造；发电。

f. If something is ______, it is real rather than artificial. 词汇拓展：

artificial：人造的，假的，矫揉造作的；

genuine：真诚的，真挚的，=sincere；真的，非人造的，genuine leather真皮。 g. A cube is ______; it has height, width and depth. 词汇拓展：

cube：立方体；

h. Something that is ______ is the opposite of simple. i. A ______ character is like a human.

j. To do something in a ______ way means that you take a lot of time and trouble.

k. Someone who is ______ from someone else looks the same as that other person. 词汇拓展：

indistinguishable：无法区别的，无法分别的；

distinguish：区别，区分，distinguish between/ from； distinguished：尊贵的，successful, respected and admired. indifference：漠不关心，中立；

More Vocabulary

to mention... fantasy techniques skeleton lasers animation features to require... processor

workstations reaction facial expressions

练习9：Match the words above to the meanings below.

a. Ways of doing something ______ 词汇拓展：

que发音为/k/，常见以-que结尾的单词：

unique：独一无二的； antique：古董；

b. Desks set up with computers, screens and other necessary equipment ______ c. A central computing unit ______

d. The set of bones, joined together, that makes up a human or animal ______ e. The parts of a face, such as eyes, mouth and nose ______ f. A magic or dream world ______ g. To need (something) ______

h. To talk about (something) ______

i. Special light beams ______

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词汇拓展：

lasers：激光；

ray：光线。X-ray：X光线；Blue ray：蓝光； beam：光束；

j. Ways of looking happy, sad etc ______ k. A response to a statement or action ______

l. A film with characters that seem to be alive ______

UNIT 5 Practice 1

Reading Passage 1 The Albatross

A

Albatrosses are the largest seabirds in existence, with wingspans which extend to over three metres in width. They represent a small subset of the larger group known as tube-nosed petrels, which have strong, curved sharp beaks which they use for catching fish and squid on the surface of the ocean. While there is some debate about the exact taxonomy of the species, it is agreed that there are somewhere between 21 and 24 species of albatrosses. B

Of these species, approximately half breed in New Zealand and about 80per cent breed or fish within New Zealand's territorial waters. Six species breed only in New Zealand or on its offshore islands. One of only two mainland nesting sites for these birds in the world, for the northern royal albatross, is on the Otago Peninsula in the South Island of New Zealand; it is a popular tourist destination. Visitors can view the albatross colony from a special building which has been established beside the nesting ground and, while the site is closed during breeding season, at other times it is often possible to see parents and their chicks living and feeding only metres away from human observers. C

Albatrosses spend most of their lives at sea, coming to land only to mate and raise their chicks. Male and female birds cooperate in raising their offspring. At the Taiaroa nesting site in New Zealand, eggs are laid in October or November each year. Incubation takes about 11 weeks, and during this time both parents take turns to sit on the eggs for periods of up to three weeks, while the other bird goes off to sea to eat. It takes the chicks up to five or six days to hatch from their tough shell. Once they are hatched, the parents take turns in looking after them for about five or six weeks. After this time, they are left alone except for regular feeding until they get their feathers and are ready to fly, at about eight months of age. D

Once the young birds are ready to fly, they are off to sea. Albatrosses spend about 80 per cent of their lives at sea, soaring over the waves and feeding off surface fish and squid. Some albatrosses travel long distances over the pelagic, or deep, ocean, while others find food closer to land over areas of continental shelf. They can fly at great speed, at bursts of up to 140km/hour,

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and they can cover huge distances in one day, even as much as 1800 km. E

The royal albatrosses at Taiaroa Head stay at sea for the first three years of their lives, after which they return to the colony once a year for several years before finding a mate and beginning to breed at around the age of eight. Albatrosses are faithful birds; they mate for life and raise one chick every two years on average. They are also long lived, and birds have been recorded still laying eggs into their 50s and even 6Os. However, their relatively low reproductive rate is one of the factors which make them vulnerable to the threat of extinction. F

There are also risks to albatross chicks on land. Natural predators such as seagulls can eat eggs and young birds, and in mainland areas there are also threats from dogs, cats and other land animals. On some offshore islands, sea lions have been observed raiding nests for eggs. It is thought that this is a new behaviour. G

The main threats to the adult albatross occur at sea, and most of these are man-made. Albatrosses like to travel close to fishing boats, to eat the leftover scraps of fish that are dropped over the side of the boat. Sometimes, however, they also eat the bait and accidentally ingest fish hooks, or get dragged along on fishing lines and drown. The number of albatrosses that any one boat catches is small, but because there are so many fishing boats, this may have a long term impact on population numbers. It is estimated that at least 100,000 albatrosses die in this way each year. As for all sea bird species, there are other threats, such as drift nets, oil spills and rubbish such as plastic in the ocean. While there are international agreements and fishing conventions to try and protect sea birds, albatrosses are among the million or so sea birds that get caught in drift nets and die each year. H

The albatross is a magnificent, beautiful and awe-inspiring creature. We need to work together to protect this bird and others from threats posed by human activity. 词汇讲解:

albatross：信天翁； mate：交配，养育； chicks：小鸟； offspring：后代； incubation：孵化； hatch：孵化； soar：快速上升 feed on with 喂食 squid 鱿鱼

Note Completion

Complete the notes below Use no more than TWO words OR A NUMBER from the reading passage for each answer.

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UNIT 6 Advertising

Look at the images

Puffery in Advertising

词汇讲解：

puffery n. 吹捧，鼓吹，吹捧的广告；

purify v. 使洁净，纯净; e.g.: The air in the room was purified. adj.: pure：纯洁的。 A

“Our coffee is loved by millions worldwide.” Do you often see this kind of advertising in your country? Statements like these, that no-one can prove, are called puffery This is a term that has been developed for exaggerated claims that are made in advertising. Puffery is legal, even though such claims cannot be proved. In fact, puffery has been termed “a licence to lie”, as it is vague enough to be classed as opinion, an expression of the salesperson's evaluation of the product, rather than an objective statement.

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e) system of cycling pathways or special lanes for cyclists f) policies requiring cyclists to wear bright-coloured clothing

练习4：In the examples given, a number of cycling-friendly developments are described. Which TWO of the following are NOT included? Choose TWO letters, a-f.

a) areas without vehicle access

b) areas where people walking or on bikes have priority c) free, covered bike parks

d) bikes that anyone can borrow and return later e) additional taxes on petrol and diesel f) fewer car parks

Locating Information

练习5：The passage has seven paragraphs, A-G. Which paragraph contains the following information? Write the correct letter, A-G, beside the statements below. Note: You may use any letter more than once. You may not need to use all the letters. 1) ______ Statistics to show that cycle-friendly policies are effective.

2) ______ A description of company facilities for employees who cycle to work. 3) ______ The fact that cyclists are often not noticed by drivers. 4) ______ Solutions from city planners that favour private cars.

5) ______ Reasons why cyclists should not use the same paths as people who are

walking.

6) ______ A comparison of the cost of owning a bike and a car.

Matching Headings to Paragraphs

练习6：The reading passage has seven paragraphs, A-G. Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of headings below. There are more headings than paragraphs. List of Headings i. Cyclists at Risk ii. Necessity for Action iii. Educating Drivers and Employers iv. Reasons for Cycling v. Planning to Reduce Traffic Congestion vi. Problems of Traffic Congestion vii. Examples of Effective Cycle-friendly Developments viii. Safe Cycling Networks 1) ________ Paragraph A 2) ________ Paragraph B 3) ________ Paragraph C 4) ________ Paragraph D 5) ________ Paragraph E 6) ________ Paragraph F 7) ________ Paragraph G

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Vocabulary-Adjectives

humble efficient enormous mechanical vulnerable frequent fatal essential considerate ideal separate particular forward-thinking congested

练习7： Match the words above to the meanings below.

a. To be at risk of harm ________ b. Necessary ________ c. Modern, progressive ________ d. Happening very often ________ e. Special, focused ________ f. Perfect ________ g. Causing death ________ h. Crowded ________ i. Simple, modest ________ j. Not joined or linked ________ k. Related to machines ________

l. Effective, without wasted time or effort ________ m. Huge ________

n. Thinking about the needs of others ________

UNIT 12 Travel

Look at these photos.

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The Weird and the Wonderful-That's Tourism!

词汇讲解：

weird adj. 怪诞的，神秘而可怕的，超然的； strange：陌生的；

bizarre adj. 奇形怪状的, 怪诞的； A

The Beijing Olympics started on 08.08.08, but on 07. 07. 07 there was an event of almost equal importance. On that earlier date, the new Seven Wonders of the World were announced. These replaced most of the original ancient ones, although Egypt’s Pyramids were given an honorary place. The final revised list included the ancient stone city of Petra in Jordan and the ruined city of Machu Picchu in Peru. Italy’s Colosseum, India’s Taj Mahal and Mexico’s Chichen ltza were three magnificent buildings that were included, and Brazil’s towering statue of Christ the Redeemer, which was only built in 1931, joined the older members of the list. And, needless to say, the updated list would have been incomplete without the inclusion of China’s Great Wall, which was built to defend the country from invaders. 词汇讲解：

tourism n. 旅游业；

tourist n. 旅行者, 观光客； guide vt. 引路; 指导,导游； guideline n. 指导方针, 准则； guidebook n. 旅行指南； souvenir n. 纪念品。

announce vt. & vi. 宣布, 宣告, 发表； declare vt. 宣布, 宣告; 声明； claim vt. 声称, 断言；

proclaim vt. 正式宣布；

state n. 政府，州；vt. 陈述; 敘述。

assert vt. 宣称 表明，说明，e.g.：I assert 我认为…我表明… replace vt. 取代, 代替; 更换, 替换，把…放回原位

e.g.：A was replaced by B. A被B替代了。 original：

adj.

起初的; 原来的，e.g.：The original settlers are the Indians. 土著民是印度人。 独创的; 新颖的 原版的; 原作的

n. 原文, 原稿，e.g.：this is my original 这是我原创的。 oriental adj. 东方的, 东方人的, 东方文化的；

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occidental adj. 西方的, 西洋的；

ancient adj. 古代的, 古老的；年老的, 老式的；守旧的。

e.g.：S.b. is ancient. 某人很守旧。 pyramids n. 金字塔；

magnificent adj. 壮丽的, 伟大的, 华丽的, 高贵的；

座堂（Cathedral）：教区主教驻在地。 圣堂/礼拜堂（Church）：通常为传道区/牧区所在，有主任司铎/主任牧师，教友/会友多的教堂甚至有执事/助理圣品。 小堂/礼拜堂（Chapel）：有驻堂神父/主理牧师一位。 needless to say：更不用说； update：

vt. 更新; 使现代化；

n. 提供最新信息; 现代化; 更新。 defend vt. & vi. 保卫；辩护; 辩解；

defense n. 防御, 保卫, 保护；辩护, 答辩。 invader n. 侵略者； B

Those sites are very popular, and people travel from all over the world to view them, but other than looking at them, there’s very little else to do. Tourist companies in cities, towns or villages want to get people to come and have a good time and spend their money, so they have to dream up ways of attracting the tourists. Then they have to keep them there by providing them with something different, exciting or even downright dangerous to do; the trick, though, is to think of something unique. 词汇讲解：

downright：完完全全地，绝对的； trick n. 戏法, 把戏；

Hallowmas：万圣节；

trick or treat：不给糖就捣蛋。

unique adj. 独一无二的, 仅有的, 惟一的

antique adj. 古时制造的, 古董的； boutique：精品店，好的商品。 C

That could be something like New Zealand’s original bungee jumping, for example, where a stretchy rope is tied around your ankles and you jump from a great height, stopping (hopefully) just before the ground. Or it could be dragon boat races, for instance, which take place in China each year on the fifth day of the fifth month according to the Chinese lunar calendar. If you say bungy, people immediately think of New Zealand, and if you say dragon boat, people at once think of China, but you can do bungy jumps in other parts of the world, and you can see dragon boat racing in Singapore or other places overseas. 词汇讲解：

tie vt. 系, 拴, 绑；

n. 领带, 领结； ankle n. 踝, 踝关节；

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heel n. 足跟; 踵部, 后跟。

lunar adj. 月的, 月球的；和月亮有关的；

Lunatic fringe：极其疯癫的人； lunacy n. 精神失常。 calendar n. 日历, 月历； D

Big cities usually have many attractions to keep tourists happy, but smaller towns or villages find it difficult and they sometimes struggle. Some fail, but others manage to put themselves on the map and attract large numbers of visitors. They do this by organizing events that are not available anywhere else in the whole wide world. Take Cooper’s Hill in England for instance: they roll a large cheese down a steep hill and hundreds of people chase after it. Many fall and are hurt, but the last person standing at the bottom of the hill can keep the cheese. 词汇讲解：

roll vt. & vi. (使)打滚, (使)转动, 滚动； many n. 很多人，很多东西; adj. 很多的； E

A similar downhill event takes place in Suwa, Japan, where men only sit on a huge log, one behind the other, and try to ride it down a steep hill without falling off and being injured or worse. Why do they do it? Other than the sense of pride and relief at making it to the bottom of the hill in one piece, there is no prize, no money, nothing. Or take the town of Sonkaj?rvi in Finland; it organises a yearly wife-carrying competition in which the man must carry the woman and run along the ground and through water. The first couple to cross the winning line get the prize ... the wife’s weight in beer! F

Then there’s Bu?ol, Spain. On the last Wednesday in August, they have a food fight. It’s called La Tomatina, and up to 40,000 people can gather in the streets and throw ripe tomatoes at each other. As you can imagine, it’s very, very messy, but great fun. Another fun festival which is just as messy, if not messier, occurs every summer in Boryeong, South Korea. During the annual Mud Festival, people, especially foreigners, let their hair down and play and wrestle in the mud. Most of these events, apart from the Finnish one, which has been imitated elsewhere, are truly unique because they can’t be found anywhere else in the world. 词汇讲解：

messy adj. 肮脏的；

annual adj. 每年的, 年度的, 一年一次的；

anniversary n. 周年纪念。 mud n. 烂泥，泥； wrestle v. 摔跤； imitate vt. 模仿；

mimic n. 模仿名人言行的娱乐演员, 善于模仿的人或物； mock n. 模拟，mock examination：模拟考试； copycat n. 盲目模仿者。 G

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词汇讲解：

statement：陈述，说明，论据；

state n. 国家，政府，e.g.: We must pay taxes to the state.

n. 州，邦，e.g.: In America, the law varies from state to state. vt. 陈述，说明，e.g.: He stated his problem clearly. state –fact/ judgment/ opinion/ report/ theory/ reason;

statesman n.褒义词，为人民服务的工作人员，政府机关; politician n. 政治家政客, 玩弄权术者； prove vt. 证明；

exaggerate ：vt. & vi. (使)扩大，(使)增加，夸大，夸张；

同义词：overstate夸张； claim：

vt. 声称，断言，宣布；e.g.: They claim to have discovered a cure for the disease. n. 主张，断言，e.g.: His claim to own the house is valid.

legal adj. 法律上的，合法的，法定的，e.g.: he is my legal adviser. 他是我的法律顾问。

反义词：illegal 非法的。

Adequate：充分的（相对的充分），反义词：inadequate不充分的； Sufficient：充分的（程度更深），反义词：insufficient 不充分的； Valid：有效地，反义词： invalid。 term v. 被贴上…的标签； licence n. 证书，证件； vague [veiɡ] adj. 模糊的；

blur adj. 模糊的；n. 斑点； objective adj. 客观的；n. 目标；

近义词：

unbiased adj. 客观的，没有偏见的；

indifferent adj. 不关心的，冷淡的，中立的； impartial adj. 不偏不倚的，公正的，中立的。 反义词：

subjective：主观的 B

Using puffery to raise awareness of products and to generate increased sales is a common advertising strategy. Goods and services are described in terms of superlatives, subjective opinions and exaggerations; various kinds of general claims are made, with no specific facts. So, why do some people worry about puffery? One of the concerns is whether consumers are misled by false advertising. Legal guidelines and government controls are required to prevent dishonest advertising. Companies understandably object to untruthful ads which give a competitor an unfair advantage in the market. These claims can be tested in the courts, and the decisions that are made help to make the boundary between acceptable puffery and illegal advertising. 词汇讲解：

awareness n. 知名度，知晓度；

be aware of：知晓，了解；e.g.：I was not aware of that. generate vt. 生成，产生，引起, 导致；

establish：建设组织；

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create：创造虚幻，理论等。

concern n. 忧虑, 焦虑；担心、焦虑的原因； customer n. 消费者；

consumer：消费者；

v. consume：消耗，消费； n. consumption ：消耗。 guideline n. 指导方针，准则；

tour guide：导游； be require to：需要；

unfair adj. 不公正的；不公平的；

fair enough：公平，公正； justices：公平； just：公平；

equal：公平，公正； even：平均。 boundary：

n. 分界线（国界线），e.g.: the boundaries of that country were changed by a treaty. n. 界线，范围，e.g.: the ball was caught by a fielder standing just inside the boundary. C

puffery is nothing new. It has been identified in documents dating from as long ago as the sixteenth century, when the notion of “caveat emptor” or “let the buyer beware” developed in business transactions. Although this initially applied to property deals, it came to be used more generally. This Latin term basically meant that anyone buying a product had a responsibility to check it carefully before payment. The seller did not need to take responsibility for defects (unless a problem had been deliberately concealed). In those days, of course, there was no notion of consumer rights or returns policies. 词汇讲解：

identify：

vt. 认出, 识别；

vt. & vi. 等同于；有关联，sth is identify …相同； document：文件，文书；

documentary n. 纪录片。

caveat emptor n. 货物出门概不退换,买主须自行当心(货物的品质)；

caveat n. 警告, 附加说明； emptor n. 买者。

transaction n. (一笔)交易；(一项)事务；

trans-代表变化，变动：

transmit vt. & vi. 发射, 播送, 广播； transfer vt. & vi. 转移; 迁移； transport：交通；

transformer：变形金刚，变压器； transparent adj. 透明的；

translucent adj.透光的，半透明；

transsexual n. 换性者；adj. 有异性转化欲的。

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initially adj. 最初的；

ultimately adj. 最终的。 applied：应用；

applied linguisti：应用语言学。

responsible adj. 负有责任的, 需承担责任的，e.g.: he must be responsible to me for this

matter.

responsibility n. 责任，he has no responsibility for that accident. defect ：

n. 缺点, 过失, 瑕疵； vi. 违约。

notion n. 概念, 观念, 看法； deliberately：蓄意的，故意的。 D

These days, however, if a company claims to sell the country's “best-loved” or “favourite” product, whether a brand of coffee or a make of car, this is held to be puffery, rather than an objective claim of market share. Similarly, the company does not have to produce proof that this claim is actually backed up by numbers or facts. In other words, claims such as “the world's best cup of coffee” are impossible to prove. They are also so exaggerated that it is expected that any consumer will understand how subjective they are. In effect, the company in question is said to be “boasting” rather than making objective claims. The claims are therefore not considered to be deceptive. In fact, puffery is often considered to add to the entertainment value of advertisements, especially television commercials. 词汇讲解：

share：市场份额；分享。 E

On the other hand, a company that states their product is the “safest” or “cheapest” needs to show proof, because these claims can directly affect their competitors. Statements that are objective need to be backed up by proof or statistics, as consumer rights organisations can run tests to compare products such as washing machines and vacuum cleaners. They also investigate companies involved in insurance, finance, property, credit cards and other such services. Companies and salespeople should therefore be very careful when making factual statements about a product, or assertions regarding the quality of goods and services. In most developed countries, there is likely to be an official organisation which oversees the validity of advertising claims. In addition, there may be a government council with the authority to take legal action against companies that overstep the limit. 词汇讲解：

direct adj. 直的, 笔直的, 径直的；

引申义：直接的, 直系的；

反义词：indirect adj. 间接的, 迂回的。 back up：

v. 支持，e.g.: The policeman wouldn't have believed me if you hadn't backed me up. I will watch your back. 我将会照顾你。 aback：惊叫一声；

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buckle up：系好(安全带)。 statistics：统计数字，统计学； investigate vt. 调查; 审查（犯罪）；

survey：调查（数据收起来）； 方式：

questionnaire：问卷调查表； interview：面对面采访；

response：反应；

involve vt. 使某事物成为必要条件或结果; 需要，使参与，牵涉；

involve in ：使参与〔陷入, 牵扯到〕。 insurance：保险；

premium ：保险费； finance n. 金融；

financial adj. 财政的, 金融的； financial crisis ：金融[财政]危机； subprime mortgage crisis：次级贷款。 oversee：监督；

近义词：supervision：监督。 council n. 委员会, 理事会；

British council：英国大使馆交流文化处； congress：国会；

congressman n. 〈美〉国会议员(尤指众议员)； committee n. 委员会; 全体委员 authority：政府权力；

n. 权力，职权，官方，当局，权威，专家； right : 人权，自由权的权利； F

A primary function of advertising is to create product awareness. As consumers, we need to know about competing products, so we can make informed decisions on which one to buy. While it is important that advertisers are monitored to ensure they do not mislead consumers, it can be argued that puffery is a good technique for raising awareness of new products that otherwise would go unnoticed in a crowded market. As long as there are effective ways of monitoring the claims of advertisers, to prevent deliberate deception in terms of safety or particular aspects of performance, it seems that most puffery is relatively harmless. Rather, it should be seen as an integral part of advertising, which most consumers can detect and laugh at rather than being misled.

词汇讲解：

monitor ：

n. 监视器，监听器，检测器； vt. 监听，监视；

CCTV：中央监测系统。 as long as：一旦，既然； relatively：相对的； detect：识别出；

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mislead：

过去式：misled 误导； leaded：含铅的。

练习1：Identify whether the sentences below are objective (0) based on facts, or subjective (S) based on opinions and feelings.

a. ______ This coffee is the best-your friends will love you! b. ______ This cat food will make your cat purr with delight!

c. ______ This all-wheel drive car will let you get 10 kms for every litre of fuel. d. ______ We design the best houses in the word!

e. ______ Sign up for this credit card now, and get a 10% discount on bank fees.

f. ______ Bubbles! Kids' favourite soft drink ...

练习2：IELTS Type Questions: Reading for Details and for Main Ideas

The reading passage has six paragraphs, A-E Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of headings below. Write the correct number, i-vii, next to the appropriate paragraph. There are more headings than paragraphs. List of Headings i. History of Puffery ii. Checks on Deceptive Advertising iii. Examples of Companies Guilty of Deceptive Advertising iv. Reasons for Monitoring Advertising v. Summary of Role of Puffery in Advertising vi. Definition of Puffery vii. Puffery that is Acceptable

1) Paragraph A 2) Paragraph B 3) Paragraph C 4) Paragraph D 5) Paragraph E 6) Paragraph F

练习3：Identification of Information

Do the following statements agree with the information given in the reading passage? Write

TRUE if the statement agrees with the information FALSE if the statement contradicts the information NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this

7) ______ Some people argue against puffery because buyers might believe everything in

advertising.

8) ______ A court case is a way of determining whether advertising is deceptive or not. 9) ______ Puffery dates from the days of television commercials.

10) ______ ‘Caveat emptor' means that the seller has a responsibility for any problems with

the item sold

11) ______ ‘The world's best coffee' is an example of puffery

12) ______ ‘The world's safest chainsaw' is an example of puffery.

13) ______ People should carefully check prices before they buy goods.

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练习4：Short Answers

Answer the questions below. Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the reading passage for each answer

14) In addition to legal guidelines, what else is necessary to stop companies from using

deceptive advertising? __________________

15) When was puffery first used? __________________

16) What does the writer say about claims such as ‘the world's best'? __________________. 17) What does puffery contribute to television commercials? __________________ 18) What should objective statements be supported by? __________________ 19) What is the main purpose of advertising? To __________________

20) Consumers need information on competing products to make……? ________________ 总结Short Answer Questions ：

1. 绝大部分的题目要求有字数限制，一般有如下几种表达方式：

（1） NO MORE THAN TWO/THREE/FOUR WORDS（不超过2/3/4个字）； （2） ONE OR TWO WORDS（一个或两个字） （3） Use a maximum of TWO words（最多两个字）。 2. 解题步骤

（1）找出题目中的关键词，最好先定位到原文中的一个段落。

题目中如果包含年代、人名、地名、数字，这些词肯定是关键词，因为原文中不会对这些词做改变，而且这些词特别好找，所以依据这些词在原文中确定答案比较快。 （2）从头到尾快速阅读该段落，根据题目中的其他关键词，确定正确答案。 （3）答案要对应题目中的特殊疑问词。

特殊疑问词：when, where, what, who；

特殊疑问词：how many, what proportion, what is the cost。 （4）要注意顺序性，即题目的顺序与原文的顺序基本一致。 NOTICE

（1） 所有的答案都不用大写，专有名词除外。

一句话的第一个字母需要大写，我们的答案大部分都是词或短语，都不是一句话，所以不用大写。但答案中的专有名词，如人名和地名需要大写。 （2） 绝大部分的答案来自原文原词，极少一部分需要自己写答案。

大部分的答案来自原文原词，而且是原文中连续的几个词。只有极少一部分需要自己写答案。所以，在考试中，如果发现有很多都需要自己写答案，应首先怀疑自己找错答案的位置。

（3） 答案涉及数字的，最好写阿拉伯数字，以免发生拼写错误。题目问how many/how

much/what proportion时，答案一般是数词，这时最好写阿拉伯数字，这样一来最保险，不用拼写成英文。

（4） 答案涉及钱币的，在数字前一定要有货币符号，在数字后可能会有单位。 （5） 找到答案后，要向后看一、两句，看有无重大的改变。

原文中常用转折词修改前面说过的话或作补充。因此，对有些陷阱性题目，找到答案后，要向后看一、两句，看有没有转折词。一般只向后看一、两句即可，不用看得太远。

（6） 满足字数限制的方法。

大多数简单题有字数的限制，找到答案后，如果答案超过了字数要求，就需要去掉

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一些词。基本原则是：保留核心词，去掉修饰词。可依此去掉： 1) 冠词：a /an /the；

2) 副词：副词用来修饰动词，保留动词，去掉副词。

3) 形容词或分词：常用来修饰名词，保留名词，去掉形容词或分词。 4) 如果有必要，将A of B改为BA：这里A和B都是名词.

After You Read

This section of the reading units will include some activities to help you to understand and practise reading and language skills that will help you with the IELTS test. Vocabulary

exaggerated expression evaluation awareness strategy specific

to mislead ... understandably to object to ... competitor initially to conceal ... deceptive entertainment to investigate ...

validity authority to monitor ... 练习5：Match the words above to the meanings below.

a. To give someone wrong information __________________ b. To hide (something) __________________

c. To watch (something) to see what is happening __________________ d. To find out information about (something) __________________ e. To state that you do not like (something) __________________

f. Made to sound bigger or better than it really is __________________ g. At the beginning __________________

h. Naturally, as expected __________________

i. Someone who makes the same kind of product __________________ j. The truth or reality of something __________________

k. Knowledge or realization (of something) __________________ 1. A statement of opinion or feelings __________________ m. Clear and detailed __________________

n. A plan or way of doing something __________________

o. An assessment of the value of (something) __________________

p. Encouraging the reader to believe something which is not true __________________ q. The power to take action on an issue __________________

r. Something that provides fun and enjoyment __________________

练习6：Complete the following sentences using the target vocabulary. You will not need all of the words in the list above. The first one is done for you.

a. Puffery is a term for advertising claims about products, such as “These sports

shoes are the best in the word”.

b. Many advertisers use puffery for its ________ value, to make people laugh. c. Some people worry that these subjective claims will ________ consumers.

d. Also, competitors ________ to untruthful claims being made by another company. e. ________, they think it might give their competitor an unfair advantage.

f. In some countries, consumer rights organizations ________ various products and

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services to check if the advertising is honest.

g. They can publics examples of ________ advertising that are likely to mislead the public. h. It is also important to have an official body to check the ________ of claims that

advertisers make.

i. Such official organizations need to have the ________ to take legal action if the claims

are dishonest.

j. In general, consumers also need to have an ________ of how advertising works, so that

they do not believe vague or exaggerated claims.

UNIT 7 Learning to Speak

How We Learn to Speak

A

No two human beings are exactly alike. Each one of us is different, yet we all have many features in common. One of these features is that when we are born we all absolutely depend on others for all of our needs: food, shelter, clothes, protection and love. Many important things happen during childhood, but central to the process of growing from a baby with little personality into an individual with is the development of communication. 词汇讲解：

exactly：准确的，细致的； have sth. in common：相同； absolute：完完全全的，绝对的； personality：性格，个性；

unique qualities：独一无二的性格特征； B

The first way a baby communicates its needs is by crying, but eventually babies realise that there are other and better ways of communicating. The baby listens to all the meaningless sounds around it, and it gradually gets used to the voices it hears. Day by day, week by week, and month by month, it learns to imitate those sounds, and so another language speaker is born. This, of course, is an extremely simple description of the very complex process of learning a language, but it is, nonetheless, true. 词汇讲解：

imitate：模仿，模拟； C

When did you become a language speaker? Most children usually start talking when they are around one year old. For some it happens before then, while for others it occurs sometime between their first birthday and eighteen months. Those children who learn to talk earlier than others are a source of immense pride to their parents. On the other hand, if children are slow to start talking, parents can worry that something is wrong. Experts declare that being a late starter is not a cause

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for concern or a sign that a child is not clever; after all, Einstein was three or four before he started speaking, and there was nothing lacking in his brain power! All normal children learn to talk, but at different rates. D

In the first few months of life, babies make noises that are nothing like words, but by six months they are making nonsense noises that are beginning to sound like speech. After another six months, children will be making mama noises, and they will also try to repeat sounds that they hear. When they make these noises or say these ‘words', people do things for them: they smile and pick them up, or they get attention and a cuddle. They are starting to realise that language is a very useful tool indeed. 词汇讲解：

cuddle：拥抱； E

After another half year, most children can say up to 8 or 10 words. At this age, children on average can understand 5 words for every one word they can say. Around this age, children start to use two words together as if they were one word, daddy car for example, which in adult language could mean either Daddy is in the car or it is daddy's car. If it is the first meaning, the child will stress the second word, car, and if it is the second meaning, the word daddy will be stressed. By the time they blow out the two candles on their next birthday cake, they will be able to utter approximately 40 words, and two years later, they will be able to handle between 200 and 300 different words. By the age of 5, the child will understand nearly 2,000 words. Then it will be time for primary school and during this period of early schooling, the child's vocabulary will grow by roughly another 1000 words each year. 词汇讲解：

utter：发声；

approximately：大概； roughly：大约。 F

Learning a language is a very complicated process, but all human beings are born with language ability. The precise language they learn to speak depends on which language they hear all around them. When babies are making nonsense sounds, some people say that they are trying out all the possible sounds in all the world's languages before identifying those sounds that they hear around them. When they have narrowed down all possible sounds to the ones they hear every day, then those are the sounds they will produce and master, and the other sounds will disappear. An example may help to clarify this: some Chinese people find it hard to hear the difference between [1] and [r], lock and rock for instance, and speakers of Japanese sometimes have this problem, too. However, a study showed that newborn Japanese babies could indeed hear the difference between [1] and [r], even though their parents could not. Surprisingly, though, the babies lost this ability around the age of six months, and could then only hear the sounds their parents could hear and say. 词汇讲解：

precise：纯粹的，具体的；

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G

Learning a language takes persistence. It requires practice, practice, practice. Above all it needs time. And if babies can do it, then so can you. Enjoy the adventure! 词汇讲解：

persistence：坚持。

Summary Completion

练习：Complete the summary of the passage using words from the box below. There are more words than gaps.

BEFORE you fill in the gaps:

● Decide if the missing word is a noun, adjective, verb or adverb.

The skill of learning to speak is one which is 1) ________ to all cultures. As soon as they are born, babies cry in order to 2) ________ their needs to their parents and those around them. The 3) ________ of gradually listening to and learning to produce sounds is universal, but there is considerable individual 4) ________ in the age at which speech first occurs, although the average is at 5) ________ twelve months. However, an early or late beginning to language production is no indication of 6) ________, and nor is the 7) ________ at which language is learned. communicate approximately variation nonsense process attention adventure tool speech intelligence complicated common imitate average speed

UNIT 8 The Environment

Tata Nono

词汇讲解：

nano：较小的东西； A

The twentieth century, starting with Henry Ford's Model-T in 1908, saw the start of man's love affair with the automobile. Some, however, might view the relationship between the car and the human race as more of a love-hate relationship. We love and cherish cars because they are undeniably convenient, have increased our personal mobility, and have permitted industry and commerce to grow and prosper. However, they unfortunately also have their downsides such as the increase in pollution and congestion that they cause. 词汇讲解：

automobile：汽车，可简写成auto；

however：用作插入语，表示转折关系，通常用在句首，而but通常用在句子中间； cherish：珍惜，珍视，以…为重； undeniably：毫无疑问，不可否认；

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