under the tree

TEXT A :A TIME FOR MEMORIES

Good Expressions in each paragraph

Para. 1

sat on an old blanket under a pine tree

chatting with my mother

for years

sat in this same spot

Para. 2

brought me to…

turned out

I was getting married

Tears filled her eyes

sad to lose her little girl but happy to see that …

turned into a beautiful young woman

Paras. 3-4

tall and straight

touch the clouds

our increasingly close relationship

the deepening love

breathing in the scent of freshly mown grass

took me by surprise

Para.5-6

my arched-eyebrow inquiries

return my smile

ask such a disturbing question

picked up a blade of grass

shred it with her fingernail

well acquainted with

had something serious on her mind

gathering our thoughts

ease the awkward moment

reached over

took my mother’s hand in mine

there’s nothing …

handle this together

Paras.7-8

looked into my face

tears that spilt down her cheeks

held her tightly

her heart condition was worsening

couldn’t be repaired

admit it to myself

kept from me

her condition wasn’t improving

wished for more time together

Para.9

had a chance to…

just as…

praise them for…

create our own memories

smile with pride

Paras.10-11

not long ago

hemmed and hawed

getting married

cried tears of joy

a rare and special treat

how proud I was of the man…

soaking up

come full circle

holding my son in my arms

was happy for

Paras.12-13

looking over my son’s shoulder

grow straight and tall

continue to

share…with

a whispering voice

tightened… around

Key Words and Expressions for Text A

recall vt.

rather fml bring back to the mind; remember 〖较正式〗回想，回忆起

e.g.  1. I seem to recall I’ve met him before somewhere.

我似乎记起来以前在哪见过他。

2. Can you recall exactly what happened?

你确切地记得发生了什么事吗？

Collocations:

recall sth.

recall (that)

recall doing sth.

recall what / how / where, etc.

turn out

1. happen to be, or be found to be, in the end 结果（是），原来（是），证明（是）

e.g.  1) Though we did not have enough time to make preparations, the evening party turned out (to be) a success.

2) It turned out that she was a friend of my sister’s.

她原来是我妹妹的朋友.

3) “How did the party turn out?” “It turned out very well. Thanks.”

“宴会举行得怎么样?”“非常成功, 谢谢。”

2. be present at an event; appear, assemble or attend 在场；露面；集合；出席

e.g.  Thousands turned out to watch yesterday’s match against Ireland.

成千上万的人到现场观看了昨天对爱尔兰的那场比赛。

occur vi.

rather fml (esp. of unplanned events) take place; happen〖较正式〗（尤指意外的事情）发生

e.g.  1. The tragedy occurred only half an hour after the plane had taken off.

2. A third of accidental deaths occur in the home.

三分之一的意外死亡发生在家里。

CF: happen, occur, take place

happen和occur指意外发生的，没有计划的事情。occur比happen正式。

e.g. The accident happened/occurred at about 9:30.

happen还可以表示某事是另一事的直接后果。

e.g. What happened when you told him the news?

你告诉他这消息时, 他有何反应?

take place表明事情的发生是有计划的。

e.g. The funeral took place on 24 April at 3 pm.

take sb. by surprise

happen unexpectedly and cause surprise to, esp. in a way that leaves one unprepared 使（某人）惊奇，使（某人）没有准备

e.g.  1. The teacher’s question took me by surprise; he asked me if I had read Shakespeare in the original.

2. His heart attack was so sudden that I think even the doctors were taken by surprise.

他的心脏病发作得如此突然，我想医生对此都会觉得意外。

inquiry n.

request for help or information (about sb. / sth.) 查询；请求（得到帮助或信息）

e.g.  1. I don’t know how to get to that small town but I have been making inquiries about it.

2. I don’t know who sent the gift, but I’ll make some inquiries.

我不知道是谁送的礼物，不过我会去打听打听。

disturbing a.

worrying or upsetting 烦扰的，担心的，令人不安的

e.g.  1. The local government is now faced with a disturbing increase of crime rate.

2. The following programme contains scenes that may be disturbing to some viewers.

下面的节目包含一些可能会让部分观众不安的场景。

indicate vt.

show or make clear, esp. by means of a sign 表示，标示

e.g.  1. Research indicates that eating habits are changing fast.

2. The study indicates a strong connection between poverty and crime.

研究表明贫穷与犯罪之间的强相关性。

Collocations:

be preoccupied with sth.; worry about sth. 心事重重; （为某事而）烦恼

e.g.  1. Ann has been very quiet these days; she must have something on her mind.

2. Sorry I forgot. I’ve got a lot on my mind at the moment.

抱歉我真忘了。我现在脑子里满是事儿。

Verb phrases with mind

change one’s mind 改变主意 make up one’s mind 作出决定 go out of/slip one’s mind 忘记

bear/keep…in mind 记住 speak one’s mind直率地表达意见 be of one mind意见一致

be out of one’s mind 发狂 bring/call sth. to mind 想起 have a mind of one’s own 有主见

be in two minds 犹豫不决 come/spring to mind

出现在脑海中 turn over sth. in your mind

反复考虑某事

take a load/weight off one’s mind 使某人如释重负 give sb. a piece of one’s mind

坦诚相告（尤指不满对方行为） ease one’s conscience/mind

消除某人的内疚忧虑等

keep one’s mind on sth.

继续专心于某事 take one’s mind off sth.

使某人不再担忧某事 set/put one’s mind at rest

使某人放心

cross/enter one’s mind

（想法等）出现

ease vt.

make or become less severe 减轻，舒缓

e.g.  1. I eased her mind by telling her that her children turned out to be safe.

2. The plan should ease traffic congestion in the city.

这个计划应该能减轻城市的交通拥堵状况。

awkward a.

1. causing difficulty or uncomfortable feeling; inconvenient or embarrassing 尴尬的；为难的

e.g.  1) She asked me some very awkward questions, which made me quite embarrassed.

2) There was an awkward moment when she didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

有一阵很尴尬，她不知道该笑还是该哭。

3) The handle of this teapot has an awkward shape.

这茶壶把儿的形状真别扭。

2. lacking skill or grace; clumsy 无技巧的；不熟练的；不灵活的；笨拙的

e.g.  1) Swans are surprisingly awkward on land.

天鹅在陆地上笨拙得出奇。

2) I was always an awkward dancer.

我跳舞一向是笨手笨脚的。

keep sth. from sb.

not to tell (sb.) about (sth.); prevent from hearing about 不把……告诉（某人）；防止（某人）听到（某事）

e.g.  1. She knew that John was keeping something from her.

2. I think we ought to keep the truth from him until he’s better.

我想我们应该先不告诉他真相，等到他好些再说。

option n.

one of a number of courses of action that are possible and may be chosen 可选择的办法

e.g.  1. You must finish the work before five o’clock; you have no option.

2. Students have the option of studying abroad in their second year.

学生可以选择二年级出国学习。

create vt.

cause (sth. new) to exist; produce (sth. new) 创造；创建；创作

e.g.  1. Some people believe the universe was created by a big explosion.

有些人相信宇宙是由于一个大爆炸产生的。

2. The government plans to create more jobs for young people.

政府计划为年轻人创造更多工作机会。

rare a.

1. extremely unusual or uncommon 稀少的，罕有的

e.g.  1) It’s extremely rare for it to be this hot in early April.

2) I only saw Helen on the rare occasions when I went into her shop.

我只是在仅有的几次去海伦店里才见到她的。

2. (usu of beef) cooked so that the inside is still red and juicy; underdone （通常指牛肉）半熟的（里面色红肉嫩的）

e.g. I’d like my steak rare, please.

soak up

receive and absorb into one’s senses, body or mind 接受；吸收；沉湎于

e.g.  1. You can use a paper towel to soak up the cooking oil.

2. Go to a sidewalk cafe, order coffee, and soak up the atmosphere.

去个路边咖啡店，点杯咖啡，好好沉浸在那种气氛中。

TEXT B: THE CALL AT MIDNIGHT

grabvt.-bb-take hold of(a person or thing)with a sudden rough movement,esp. for a bad or selfish purpose攫取；抓住

e.g.1. He grabbed the thief by the collar and took him to the police station.

2. He grabbed his child’s arm to stop her from running into the road.

synonyms: grasp,clasp,grip,clench,clutch,seize,snatch

antonyms:loosen,free,release

gripvt.-pp-take a very tight hold(of)握紧，紧握

e.g.1. I gripped the door handle to stop him from coming in.

2. She gripped on to the railing with both hands.

synonyms: grab,grasp,clasp,clench,clutch,seize

antonyms:loosen,free,release

desperatea.ready for any wild act and not caring about danger,esp. because of loss of hope（尤指因绝望而）不顾一切的，拼死的

e.g.1. With his wife ill at home,Tom felt desperate when he got fired.

2. In a desperate attempt to escape,he killed the guard.

Noun form: desperation

squeezevt.press firmly together,esp. from opposite sides压；挤；榨；捏

e.g.1. Don’t keep squeezing my arm. It’s hurting.

2. Do you always squeeze the toothpaste tube in the middle?

Phrasal verbs:

squeeze sb./sth. into manage to do sth. although you are very busy使（某人/某物）挤入

e.g.1. How do you manage to squeeze so much into one day?

2. I can squeeze you in at four o’clock.

squeeze upto move close to the person next to you to make space for sb. else（使某人）（跟他人或某物）挤在一起;贴近

e.g.There’ll be enough room if we all squeeze up a little.

咱们大家挤一挤就够地方了。

releasevt.stop holding or drop sth.放手，松开

e.g.1. When I finally released his hand,I could see it was all red.

2. The sudden noise made him release his grasp,and I managed to escape.

panicn.[usu.sing.](a state of)sudden uncontrollable quickly-spreading terror or anxiety[一般用单数]恐慌，惊恐，惊慌

e.g.1. Panic filled up my mind when I had to walk through the graveyard at night all by myself.

2. The whole nation is in a state of panic following the attacks.

portablea.that can be(easily)carried or moved;quite small and light便携的，手提式的，可移动的

e.g.1. An iPad is a very popular portable electronic device nowadays.

2. The equipment is lightweight,portable and easy to store.

seekvt.(sought,sought)fmlask for;go to request〖正式〗请求；征求，求教

e.g.1. Do come and seek my help if you need any.

2. The road is closed for the time being and drivers are advised to seek alternative routes.

这条路暂时关闭，建议司机们绕道行驶。

swallowvt.move(food or drink)down the throat from the mouth and towards the stomach吞下，咽下

e.g.1. He swallowed the pills with a glass of water.

2. Always chew food well before swallowing it.

3. I watched her walk down the road until she was swallowed by the darkness.

我看着她走远，直到被夜幕吞没。

scattervt.separate or cause(a group)to separate widely（使）散开；（使）分散；驱散

e.g.1. There were drink bottles scattered all over the floor.

2. I scattered grass seed all over the lawn. / I scattered the whole lawn with grass seed.

reliefn.(a)feeling of comfort at the ending of anxiety,pain,or dullness（焦虑、痛苦或迟钝等的）减轻；解除

e.g.1. It was a great relief to know that she had finally recovered from pneumonia.

2. Much to my relief the car was not damaged.

Collocations:

in relief

with relief

to one’s relief

what a relief / that’s a relief

it is a relief to see / have / know… sth.

wipevt.rub(a surface or object),e.g. with a cloth or against another surface,in order to remove dirt,liquid,etc.擦，拭，抹；擦净

e.g.1. I can’t wipe the stain off the kitchen counter.

2. Please wipe your feet on the mat.

fight backtry very hard not to show,or act on an emotion or a desire抑制住

e.g.1. She was trying hard to fight back her nervousness.

2. She looked away,fighting back her tears.

Idioms with“fight”

fight like a tiger极力攻击某人或保护自己

fight a losing battle(against sth.)进行毫无成功希望的斗争

fight to the finish一决雌雄

run away[(from)]go away(as if)to escape[常与from连用]逃跑，私奔

e.g.1. She decided to run away as she didn’t want to marry the man her parents decided for her.

2. Looking at all the accusing faces,she felt a sudden urge to run away.

看着周围人们责难的表情，她涌起一阵想逃离的渴望。

hang up(on)finish a telephone conversation by putting the receiver back挂断电话

e.g.1. She was so angry at her boyfriend forgetting their date again that she hung up on him.

2.“We’ll expect you at seven thirty,then goodbye,”she hung up,and went back to the kitchen.

Collocations:

hang about / round闲荡

hang on紧紧抓住；稍等；不挂断电话

hang on to sth.紧紧抓住某物；保留某物

hang out常去某处

hang together（人）团结一致

lump in one’s throata tight or uncomfortable feeling in  the throat,as a reaction to an emotion哽咽

e.g.1. When I heard these touching words,I felt a lump in my throat.

2. The sight of the soft green hills of her homeland brought a lump to her throat.

under controlmanageable;restrained and controlled;not out of control可掌握的，可控制的

e.g.1. When the firefighters came,the fire had already been put under control.

2.“Do you need any help?”“No. It’s under control,thanks.”

Collocations:

have control(over / of sth.)控制着

take / gain control(of / over sth.)控制住

fight / struggle for control(of / over sth.)摆脱控制

lose control(of / over sth.)失去控制

keep sth. under control使……在掌控中

get / go out of control失去控制

beyond / outside sb.’s control无法控制

full / total control完全控制

take care oflook after照顾，照料

e.g.1. Although my grandmother is 86 years old,she can still take care of herself.

2. Her secretary always took care of the details.

她的秘书总是处理具体事务。

3. We’ll take care of the fees.

我们来结账。