新标准大学英语综合教程3Unit8

Unit8

Active reading (1)

Language points

1 She was called Katya, a dewy-eyed, sweet girl from Voronezh, who accepted Yakov on his own

reckoning. (Para 1)

As dew falls in the early morning and symbolizes innocence and newness, the word dewy-eyed means

innocent and lacking in experience about life. Reckoning means one’s own view and account.

The sentence means that an innocent-looking girl from a less sophisticated city than Moscow was willing

to believe Yakov’s own high opinion of himself.

2 On International Women’s Day, Soviet women bask in their menfolk’s love and gratitude. (Para 2)

To bask means to relax in the sun. Here it depicts how comfortable and pleasant Soviet women feel on this day.

3 Their husbands, with much cursing and clattering of pans, cook breakfast for the family … (Para 2)

The expression with much cursing and clattering of pans means with a lot of swearing and banging

about – as they were not used to doing it, they made many mistakes.

4 A Soviet woman’s days are usually taken up with … nipping out of work at lunchtime to buy

something for dinner … (Para 3)

To nip out means to go out for a very short time probably unofficially. It is a slang and is similar to the

expressions pop out and sneak out.

5 Their husbands … by drinking themselves into a stupor with toasts “to our beloved ladies …” (Para 4)

Stupor is a state in which you cannot think, speak, see, or hear clearly, usually because you have drunk

too much alcohol. Sadly, Russia does have a serious alcoholism problem and early death from overconsumption

of vodka is far too common.

6 “I certainly will,” said Yakov, squeezing in between Liza Minelli and Katya and draping an arm

around each of them. (Para 10)

Yakov fit in between Liza Minelli and Katya although they were sitting close together, and

put an arm

around each girl.

7 Yuri and Emily arrived and we covered blinis with thick sour cream and red caviar and drank

champagne, as families did all over Voronezh. (Para 13)

Sour cream is fermented cream, which is smoother and thicker. Eastern European food is noted for its sour flavours.

Caviar usually refers to the roe or eggs of the sturgeon, a large fish, and is a very expensive special food.

It can also refer to other commoner fish roes.

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Reading and understanding

4 Answer the questions.

1 How well does the writer know the Soviet Union?

Not very well. The others have to explain the tradition of International Women’s Day to the writer.

2 What was Yakov doing when the writer met him? He was buying roses.

3 Where does the writer live? Room 99 of a hostel.

4 What do the Russian men do on International Women’s Day?

They buy flowers for the women in their life and do some house chores for them. 5 What kind of daily life do Russian women usually have? They have a very busy life with lots of chores to do.

6 What do the Russian men do after they’ve prepared breakfast for their wives? They meet up with friends and drink themselves into a stupor. 7 What is the usual number of flowers to buy in Russia? An odd number.

8 Why did Yakov buy 14 flowers?

He planned to give Katya five flowers and the girls in Room 99 three for each.

Dealing with unfamiliar words

5 Match the words in the box with their definitions.

1 to put something somewhere in a careless way, especially something that is heavy (dump) 2 to lie, sit, or lean in a relaxed or lazy way (lounge) 3 loved very much by someone (beloved)

4 to move somewhere quietly and secretly so that no one can see you or hear you (sneak) 5 a feeling of very strong anger that usually does not last very long (fury) 6 to talk about other people or about things that are not important (gossip)

6 Replace the underlined words with the correct form of the words and expressions in the box.

1 I unexpectedly met an old friend in the shopping mall yesterday. (bumped into)

2 The men demonstrate how true and honest their love for their wives is by drinking a lot. (sincere)

3 While the men are doing the shopping, the women will clean the carpets, and dust the room. (vacuum)

4 Please remain here and wait for a while – she will come back soon. (stick around) 5 I think it is a good idea to soak clothes before washing them. (advisable)

6 After hearing what he had been through, her eyes were full of tears. (filled up with)

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7 Answer the questions about the words and expressions.

1 If someone is dewy-eyed, are they likely to (a) lack experience about life, or (b) be in love? 2 If someone accepts you on your own reckoning, do they (a) accept you without considering if you are

what you claim to be, or (b) have a clear idea of your real character?

3 If you bask in your fame, do you (a) feel bothered, or (b) enjoy being famous? 4 Does charred mean (a) black and burnt, or (b) cooked perfectly?

5 If something shrivels in the summer heat, does it (a) grow rapidly, or (b) become smaller and not fresh?

6 If someone’s face turns scarlet, is it because they feel (a) embarrassed or angry, or (b) tired and hungry?

7 If you go to bed on the dot of 11 pm, do you sleep (a) at exactly 11 pm, or (b) around 11 pm?

8 If you pop into somewhere, do you (a) go there only for a short time, or (b) stay there for a long time?

9 If someone is in a stupor, are they unable to think or act normally because they’re (a) too sleepy, orunable to think or act normally because they’re (a) too sleepy, or (b) not completely conscious?

Active reading (2)

Chinese or Western, it’s a time to relax Language points

1 Their fears may be justified to a certain extent. (Para 4)

The word justified means having an acceptable explanation or reason. The writer then gives the

explanation in the following sentence.

2 For good or bad, the world has possibly undergone more changes … (Para 5)

The writer does not want to get into the question of whether what has happened has been good or bad. The

point is to agree that there has been change and it has consequences.

3 Television, we thought, was the last uniting factor till we got a feel for the Internet. (Para 5)

The expression get a feel for something means to be accustomed to something or to have or develop an

understanding of something and skill in doing it.

4 Nothing comes without a rider in this global market. (Para 6)

A rider is an American expression for a clause added to a law or legal document, often setting an extra condition.

The sentence means nothing in the modern world comes without some unexpected or unwanted consequences.

5 Be it on the mainland or in the highly developed West or in the poorest of societies, a festival carries

the same meaning. (Para 7)

The sentence means festivals have the same meaning whether in China, the advanced economies of the

West or the least developed nations.

Reading and understanding

3 Choose the best way to complete the sentences.

1 The writer thinks the Chinese celebrate Christmas because (d) . (a) it’s a Western festival

(b) the world has undergone a great deal of change

(c) it’s a festival which carries the same meaning in both the East and the West

(d) it has become a festival which is celebrated around the world, and everyone can relax during that time

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2 Some scholars fear that celebrating Christmas in China (a) . (a) may threaten Chinese culture

(b) means that the Chinese blindly follow the West in every way (c) causes Chinese festivals to lose their charm (d) is a good example of Western decadence

3 The Chinese attach more importance to Christmas than a couple of decades ago because (b) .

(a) television and the Internet have become uniting factors

(b) changes throughout the world make them look differently at the world and at China’s place in it

(c) we belong to a global village

(d) most of the world follows the Gregorian calendar 4 Enjoying a Western festival doesn’t mean that (c) . (a) the Chinese approve of Western decadence

(b) the Chinese are left untouched by the festive season (c) the Chinese follow the West without thinking

(d) the Chinese culture is free of decadence

5 The writer believes that the scholars and students (b) .

(a) can save society from the influence of a world which is getting smaller (b) have a point of view which should not be rejected (c) are what are referred to as conservatives

(d) are right in thinking Chinese festivals have lost their charm 6 The basic message of Christmas (d) .

(a) is similar to Eastern principles of helping others (b) has the same charm as Chinese festivals

(c) is one of Western culture, which attracts youngsters more than other Chinese

(d) is one of goodness, love of mankind and help for the poor which is relevant to everyone

Dealing with unfamiliar words

4 Match the words in the box with their definitions. 1 simple (humble)

2 to show that there is a good reason for something, especially something that other people think is wrong (justify)

3 to experience something, especially something that is unpleasant but necessary (undergo) 4 a large meal for a lot of people, usually in order to celebrate something (feast)

5 a system for measuring the length of a year and dividing it into periods such as weeks and months (calendar)

6 a child, or a young person (youngster)

7 pleasant or attractive qualities or features (charm) 8 the quality of being morally good (goodness)

9 to express a strong opinion and try to persuade other people to accept it (preach)

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5 Complete the paragraph with the correct form of the words in Activity 4.

There is some (1) justification to scholars’ fears that a lot of Chinese (2) youngsters have recently

become more interested in festivals from the Western (3) calendar, such as Christmas which I must admit

does have some (4) charm. The world is (5) undergoing many changes, and even though we come from a

genuinely modest and (6) humble culture, we’re more and more attracted by the bright lights and comforts

of the West. But Christmas is actually a winter (7) feast and is similar to our own festivals because it

(8) preaches the importance of being morally (9) good and showing love for mankind. 6 Answer the questions about the words and expressions in the box. 1 Is oriental likely to mean (a) Eastern, or (b) Western?

2 If you vent your feelings, do you (a) express them strongly, or (b) hide them?