Unit Six

Text A I’m Going to Buy the

Brooklyn Bridge

Women, Half the Sky

Table of Contents

Background information Questions & Answers Vocabulary

I. Background Information(Three Concepts)

1. The first woman in the world

Adam and Eve

( 德）丢勒　画于 1507 年

Adam was walking around theGarden of Eden feeling verylonely, so God asked Adam,"What is wrong with you?” Adam said, "I don't Have anyone to talk to.“ God said, "Iwill give you a companion andit will be a woman." He said,"This person will cook for youand wash your clothes, she

willalways agree with every

decisionyou make, she will bear yourchildren and never ask you to

getup in the middle of the night

totake care of them.

"She will not nag," God continued, "and will always be the first to admit she was wrong. When you've had a disagreement, she will never have a headache and will freely give you love and passion whenever needed.“

Adam asked God, "What will a woman like this cost?"

God said, "An arm and a leg!"

Adam said, "What can I get for just a rib?"

2. Women’s liberation movementHave you heard of the women’s liberation move-ment? It began in the 1960’s. It was started by women who were concerned about their identity, their role in society, and their work, and about the view of women that many people held.

An important issue of the women’sLiberation movement is the question ofwomen’s role.Should a woman work outside the home?Should she work if she is married and haschildren? Or should she stay home to takecare of her husband and children? Whatwill the rest of society think of her is sheenters a profession or has a career? Whatwill other People think if she wants to stayhome and raise a family?

If a woman decides to take a job outside the home, there aremany important questions which are raised. Can she get any

jobshe is capable of and qualified for? Or are some jobs closed toher because she is a woman? If she gets a job and some of

herfellow workers are men doing the same work, will she be paidas much as they are?

The women’s liberation movement is trying toGive women a chance to show what they cando. Perhaps a woman will find the cure for ourmost Serious disease. Perhaps a woman willsolve the energy crisis.Perhaps women and men, working together, willBe able to accomplish important things betterand sooner than men would if men wereworking alone.

3. FeminismThe belief that women and men are equalin abilities and should have equal rights andopportunities. In the 1960’s feminism became the subject ofintense debate when the women’s liberationmovement encouraged women to reject theirtraditional supporting role and to demandequal status and equal rights with men inareas such as employment and pay.

Since then the gender gap between thesexes has been reduced. However the battlebetween feminist and traditional views of awomen’s role continues. It is widely accepted byyounger people that women should be allowed

to,if they wish, develop their careers when theyhave a family. Ms.---Mr. chairperson, businesswoman, spokeswoman,anchorwoman

II. Questions & Answers

1. Who was Kate L ?

One of the the author’sformer classmates.

2. What was her job?

She taught part-time at theUniversity of Oklahoma and

workedas assistant principle at CountyHigh School.

3. What was her accomplishment?

She was finishing her doctoraldissertation & final drafts of twobooks.

4. Did she have any time for hobby?

Yes, she had time for tennis& horse riding.

5. Was the story about Kate true or imaginary?

It’s hard to say.

6. Was the story about a woman executive of a national corporation believable?

Yes, probably it was a true story.

7. Do you believe that women can’t have everything at onetime?

Yes, I believe so. No, I don’t believe so.

8. Have you ever heard about any real story of a superwoman who succeeds in career and family? If “Yes”, what is it?

Yes.No.

III. Vocabulary

1.Bulletin n.

A short printed newspaper or leaflet, esp. one produced regularly by a group or organizationThe company publishes an annual staff bulletin.

I read in the church bulletin that our friend’s baby would be baptized.

Collocation :

Annual bulletin 年度公报Government bulletin 政府公报Information bulletin 情报公报News bulletin 新闻公报Statistical bulletin 统计公报Bulletin board 布告牌

2. item n. 1)  a single piece of newsThere is a fascinating news item in today’s China Daily.

2) a single article or unit on a list or among a set

There are at least 50 items on his Christmas shopping list.

3. draft n. a rough outline or version

My M.A. student emailed the first draft of his thesis to me yesterday.

v. draft a plan 

4. undo v.

1) (fml.) disturb or upset greatly

The sight of the animal’s suffering undid me.

2) untie, open

Would you please undo this knot for me?

3) remove the effect of In ten minutes he undid my whole day’s work.

What’s done cannot be undone. 覆水难收。

4) ruin the position and esp. the good name of (a person)

I’m undone! My secret has been discovered.

5. hit / strike home (of remarks, etc.) have the intended effect

His criticism hit home. I was really selfish.

Collocation :

Hit at 试图打中Hit on/upon 偶然发现；忽然想起Hit the nail on the head 说得中肯；击中要害Hit the roof/ceiling 勃然大怒

6. resolve vt. & vi1) decide, determine

He resolved to work harder.

2) settle or clear up or end…(a difficulty)

The matter was resolved by making him sleep on the sofa.

3) break up, separate (into parts); convert

We can resolve the difficulty into two areas of misunderstanding.

decide, determine

She resolves on going on a diet.

n. sth. that has been determined on, resolution, the quality of being resolute

He is a man of great resolve.

Resolute adj.

Irresolute adj.

UN Resolution n.

7. incredible a.That can’t be believed

It seemed incredible that people would still want to play soccer during a war.

The boy runs at an incredible speed—even faster than many adults.

(Syn.) unbelievable

(Ant. ) credible

Credibility n.

Credulous adj. 轻信的

Incredulous a.

 

8. skeptical a. (sceptical BrE) doubting that something is true, right,etc. (in the habit of)

He presented his thesis at the conference,

but some professors were skeptical about

his findings.

Some scientists think average global

temperatures have risen due to the

greenhouse effect. Others are skeptical of

global warming. Be skeptical of/about…

9. consume v.

1) eat or drink (a large quantity of)The children consumed lots of chocolate ice-c

ream at their birthday party.

2) use up Some of the most efficient

refrigerators consumes 70 percent less electricity than traditional models. Consumer n. 消费者

Consumption n. 消费

10. care for 1) take care of The old man had a stroke a month ago.His son hired a nurse to care for him.

2) like or love (used in negative or interrogative sentences)

I don’t care much for country music. Do you care for the vanilla ice-cream? from the seeds of a tropical plant, which is used to give flavour to sweet foods

11. corporation n.

A large business or company

Several multi-national corporations are located in the new district of Pudong.

12. rarely a.not happening oftenIt is strange that the couplewere rarely seen together.

当 Rarely 位于句首时，应使用倒装结构Rarely have I seen a student who is so absorbed in history.

13. decorate (with)add (something) in order to make athing more attractive to look at

The boy decorated his room with pictures of his favorite sports figures.

They are going to decorate the classroom for Christmas.Interior decorator

14. client a person who buys goods orservice

The company requires all the clients to pay fees in advance.

The client of the solicitor, lawyer

15. lap n. 1) the flat area formed by your thighs when you are

sitting down

A lap-top computer, desk-top …Sitting on her mother’s lap, thelittle girl was very quiet.

2) a part of a long journey, between two points where you stop

The first lap of our trip is from New York City to Boston.

lap Vt.

1) (esp. of animals) drink something by putting its tongue into itA dog is noisily lapping water.

2 ） (of water) move with a sound like the lapping of liquid

The wave is lapping on the beach.

16. reproach v.

Criticize (somebody) for failing to dosomething

Reproach somebody for something  She loved her boyfriend so much that she didn’t reproach him for breaking his promise.

Reproach, scold, blame, complain

Reproach, (not being successful) beyond…

Scold ( behavior) Blame (did something wrong or is

responsible for something bad)be to blame Complain about (something is

wrong or not satisfactory)

17. theory A formal idea or set of ideas that

is intended to explain something 

Darwin’s theory of evolution 达尔文进化论The theory of relativity 相对论General theory of relativity 广义相对论Continental drift theory 大陆漂移说Gene theory 基因学说Theory of probability 概率论

Einstein formulated the theory of relativity in 1905.

In theory: under ideal conditions; theoretically

In theory everyone has equal rights.

A school dental service exists in theory, but in practice, there are few dentists to provide service.

18. harmony 1) pleasant combination of different notes of

music played at the same time

The kids are singing in perfect harmony.

2) a state or condition of agreement, cooperation, or peacefulness

Since they moved to this community they have lived in harmony with their neighbors.  

Collocation

Be in harmony with 与……协调一致Be out of harmony with 与……不协调Live in harmony 和睦相处

19. by nature As a result of inborn or inherentqualities; innately

A dog is loyal to its master by nature.He is by nature a rather mild person.

by mistakeHe took my umbrella by mistake.by heart Learn a poem by heart.

20. get one’s act together

(infml) organize oneself and one’sactivities so that one does things in aneffective way

Come on, you two, get your act together or we’ll miss the bus.

21. military

Relating to the armed forces of a country

The president has not ruled out the possibility of military action.

22. put pencil to paper

Start to write

The instant he put pencil to paper, his four-year-old son would sit beside him quietly. 

23. remainder

The remaining time, people or things

Three potatoes each will be enough; the remainder we can use for a salad.

24. at interval

Something that happens at intervalshappens occasionally; something thatexists at intervals exists here and there

Trees have been planted at intervals

along the river.

Collocation

At intervals of 相隔，每隔At long intervals 偶尔，间或At regular intervals 每隔一定时间； 每隔一定距离At short intervals 常常

25. set aside

1) Put (time or money) away for a special purposeMy husband set aside half an hour everymorning to do sports.

2) Disregard He tried to set aside his personal feelings to deal with this matter, but he failed.

3) (law) reject

The Supreme Court set aside the final

verdict. (Decision)

26. race the clock

Do something quickly in order to finish it in the available time

The semester is coming to an end. Wehave to race the clock every day to

preparefor our final exams.

27. possess (fml) have or own

The number of nations that possess nuclear weapons is on the rise. Possession n. Possessive adj.  

Collocation

Be possessed by/with 被（鬼怪、思想）

缠住，迷住

Be possessed of a large fortune 拥有，具有， 享有

Possess sb. of sth. 使某人拥有某物

Cf. possess, have, hold & own

这些词都可用作动词，都可以表示“有”的意思。Possess 比较正式，指的是占有并可以支配、控制，

也可指具有某种品质、性能、特点等。Have 最普通，词义广泛，指所属关系或部分与整体

的关系。Hold 只拥有财产或持有见解等。Own 不如 possess 正式，指所属关系，强调所有权，

无论所属物是否在物主手中。ownership

28. bide one’s time

Wait patiently for a chance

She bided her time, planning revenge.

29. charm v. Attract; give pleasure to I was charmed by her slim figure and

softvoice.

n. pleasing quality; attractiveness  

Snow White and Seven Dwarves” has never lost its original charm.  

Charming adj.

30. take in

(usu. Passive) cheat

She was so smart that she couldn’t be takenin by her colleagues.

take in 1) cheat or deceive (usu. Passive) 2) grant admittance to; receive as a guest or

an employee3) reduce in size; make smaller or shorter4) include 5) understand

The tailor took in the waist on the pair of pants. He has nowhere to live, so we took him in. The kid couldn’t take in the meaning of the word.You can also take in some of the notable architectural monuments. He was taken in by a confidence artist.

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Collocation:

Take after ( 外貌、性格 ) 与（父、母）相像Take back 收回（说错的话）Take for 把……当作Take off 脱掉（衣服）；模仿 （别人的 神态）； (飞机 ) 起飞Take over 接任；接管Take to 开始喜欢；养成……的习惯

31. Appeal n. & v.

1) power to move the feelings; attraction; interest

That sort of music has great appeal for young audience.

2) A strong request for help, support, mercy, etc.

His appeal for forgiveness went unanswered.

3) a call to a higher court to change the decision of a lower court

The right of appeal is an important part

of good

law.

1) (to sb. for sth.) make a strong request for help, begThe prisoner appealed to the judge for mercy.

2) (to) to please, attract, or interest

She appeals to me.

3) (to/against) to call on a higher court to change the decision of a lower court

I will appeal against being found guilty.

4) (to) to look for support in, to settle a matter by the use of (reason, fighting, etc.) 借助、诉诸

If you do not obey me, I will appeal toforce. Appealing adj.

Unappealing

32. despite

In spite of  Despite their poverty, the children

seemed happy. They had a wonderful holiday,

despite the bad weather.

Have something/much/little/nothing to do

with

Have some/much/little/no connection with

I am not sure what her job is, but it has something to do with marketing.

His decision to move overseas has a lot to do with his financial problem.

achieve one’s heart’s desire(s)

Get somebody/something one wants very much

He was making great efforts to achieve his heart’s desires.

Collocation: At sb.’s desire 应某人的要求By desire 应邀One’s heart’s desire 心愿，渴望得到的东西Leave nothing to be desired 完美无缺Have a strong desire to do sth. 迫切想做某事

Cf. desire, wish & want 都有“希望”之意。 Desire 正式用语，强调“主观愿望的热切

性”，含有“强烈希望做某事”的意思。 Wish 语气比 desire 弱，一般用于“难以实

现或不可能实现的愿望”，强调“主观愿望”。

Want 多用于口语，指“想”、“要”，表示“较弱的偏爱”。

33. a piece of cake

Something that is very easy to do

Shopping on line is a piece of cake for the five-year-old.

(syn.) no sweat

34. sophisticated

1) worldly-wise; showing knowledge of the world

Richard was still young, but he was sophisticated enough to know when people were not telling the truth.

2) advanced or complicated The development of computers and other sophisticated machines has made industry much more efficient.

35. move on to

Stop doing one thing and begindealing with the next.

Let’s move on to the next paragraph.

She ran this shop for ten years before deciding to move on to the real estate business.

Collocation

Move about/around 走来走去，经常搬家或更 换工作

Move back 后退，退缩Move in 搬入；开始新的职务，Move on 继续前进；走开Move over 坐或躺过去一点；让位Move up 向上 /前移；上涨；提升

36. investment

Putting money in something

More and more people have the desire to buy a house as an investment.

Investment in …Make an investment in …

Investment in securities 投资证券State investment 国家投资Prime investment 优等投资Foreign capital investment 外资投资Domestic investment 国内投资 ,Investment analysis 投资分析An investment trust 投资信托公司

Translation(C---E)

她从大学毕业后起，就一直梦想成为一家跨国公司的总经理。为了实现这一目标，她每天争分夺秒地工作，还花了三年的时间攻读工商管理硕士学位，现在正撰写经济学的博士论文。

Translation Exercise

From Chinese into English

Since graduation from university, she hasdreamed of becoming a CEO of a large multi-national corporation. In order to achieve herheart’s desire, she races clock every day. Shespent three years studying for MBA, and nowshe is writing her doctorate dissertation oneconomy.CEO ---- the Chief Executive OfficerMBA ---- Master of Business Administration

The End