Unit Two Learning a Language

Enhance Your Language Awareness

Words in Action

▆Working with Words and Expressions

1.Listed in the boxes below are some of the words that you need to be very familiar with. Now work in pairs and make sentences with each of them to see if you have really mastered their usages. You are encouraged to consult a dictionary if you are still not quite sure about their meanings and usages.

▆Sample sentences for reference:

1)If Jane is not here in 10 minutes,we’llassumethat she isn’t coming and we won’t wait for her any longer.

2)The case was fullyarguedbefore an agreement was reached.

3)Theyclaimthat they have discovered a cure for the disease,but this has not yet been proved.

4)Some Chinese words have noequivalentsin English.

5)The rights of theindividualare perhaps the most important rights in society.

6)If you want mypersonalopinion,I don’t think you should go there.

7)The train leaves at about half past eight — 8:32,to beprecise.

8)After years of hard work,she becamequalifiedas a doctor last year.

9)Her new novel is based on heradventuresin Africa.

10)The house is too small for a family of five;furthermore,it is in a bad condition.

11)Human beings are much moreintelligentthan animals.

12)She promisedsolemnlythat she would not say a word about it to anyone.

2.In the box below are some of the words you have learned in this unit. Complete the following sentences with them. Change the form where necessary.

▆Answers:

1)obtain

2)confident

3)communicate

4)advantage

5)relevant

6)helpful

7)extreme

8)enjoyable

9)means

10)process

11)particularly

12)characters

13)astonished

14)apparently

3.In the box below are some of the expressions you have learned in this unit. Do you understand their meanings?Do you know how to use them in the proper context?Now check for yourself by doing the blank-filling exercise. Change the form where necessary.

▆Answers:

1)fond of

2)is … related to

3)find out

4)To a certain extent

5)vice versa

6)no doubt

7)rid … of

8)cleared up

9)or else

10)at all costs

11)sure enough

12)let alone

13)In his hurry

14)It’s no use

15)in my view

16)was worth

▆Increasing Your Word Power

1.Complete the multiple choice exercise by choosing the right answer.

▆Answers:

1)C

2)D

3)B

4)B

5)B

6)D

2.Adverbs are used to modify adjectives. What adverbs listed in the box below can be used to modify the adjectives in the sentences?Put as many adverbs as you think suitable before each of the adjectives.

1)highly / very

2)quite / very

3)quite / very / increasingly

4)quite / simply / very

3.Did you notice the suffix -er in words such as teacher,grader in this unit?The suffix -er can be put at the end of verbs or nouns to denote people who perform the action expressed by the stem word. In addition to -er,the suffixes -or,-ist,-ian also fall into this category. Now form nouns by adding -er/-or/-ist/-ian to the words given:

Answers for reference:

conquer-er,-or,-ist,

-ian conqueror征服者，胜利者

environment environmentalist 环境保护论者

industry industrialist工业家，实业家

journal journalist新闻记者；报人

labor laborer体力劳动者；工人

logic logician逻辑学家

magic magician魔术师，变戏法的人

mathematics mathematician数学家

murder murderer谋杀犯，凶手

survive survivor幸存者；生还者

1)logician

2)magician

3)mathematician

4)journalist

5)industrialist

6)environmentalist

7)laborer

8)murderer

9)conqueror

10)survivor

GRAMMAR IN CONTEXT

Study the following sentences from both Text A and Text B,paying special attention to the modal auxiliaries would,must,might,can’t,should.

Task 1:Fill in the following blanks with appropriate modal auxiliaries.

▆Answers for reference:

1)would/should

2)should/would

3)might

4)would

5)must

6)can’t

7)should,would

8)must

Task 2:Translate the following sentences into English,using the modal auxiliaries given in brackets.

▆Answers for reference:

1)The expedition might have reached the top of the mountain by now.

2)If there should be any change in the schedule,please let me know in time.

Or: Should there be any change in the schedule,please let me know in time.

3)Passengers must check in(no later than)45 minutes prior to flight departure.

4)Hurry up! It would be a pity to miss the concert.

5)The man standing in the distance can’t be Mr. Li,for he left for New York yesterday afternoon.

Cloze

▇Complete the following passage with words chosen from this unit. The initial letter of each is given.

▆Answers:

1)doubt

2)efficient

3)where

4)advantage

5)afford

6)claim

7)fluently

8)qualified

9)extent

10)ridiculous

11)perfect

12)as

13)because

14)individual

Translation

1.Translate the following sentences into English,using the words given in brackets.

▆Answers for reference:

1)The baby can’t even crawl yet,let alone walk.

2)Will claimed he was dining with a group of friends at the time of the murder,but in my opinion he told a lie.

3)To a certain extent the speed of reading is closely related to reading skills;and with reading skills you can cope with outside class reading better.

4)Can you take a look at the engine to see what’s wrong?

5)Some people assume that there is a Chinese equivalent for every Japanese word.

6)We have passed all relevant information on to the police.

7)There is no use asking me any more questions about that matter because I won’t answer.

8)It was a mistake on Jim’s part to sign the contract without reading it carefully.

9)They refused to provide us with all the information we need.

10)This accident is very similar to the one that happened three years ago.

11)The film is based on a play by Shakespeare.

12)If you have a good command of English and computer skills,you will surely have an advantage over others in finding a job.