Unit 1
TEXT Ⅰ
Comprehension
Answers for reference:
A. 1. As the saying goes, “As you sow, so will you reap”, which means whatever a man sows he will reap. The writer intends to convince the reader that making New Year's resolutions also follows this maxim. The more resolutions you make at the beginning of the year, the better results you will have.
2. He had read a number of books on self?improvement before he made his resolutions. He wrote out a long list of resolutions. He wanted to make a different man of himself — a loving father and an ideal husband—by trying to attend to everyone's needs.
3. Having written a long list of resolutions, he longed to put them into practice, thinking that they would be a great success.
4. Judging from the information given in the text, he was a serious and strict father to the children. He did not like to be bothered with questions. He never treated them as his equals. He showed no interest in their friends nor in what they were doing. Having a quick temper, he got excited easily and often yelled at them. He did not allow any mischievous behaviour to go on at home. He was one of those husbands who did not like to lift a finger to help his wife and do household chores. What he did in his free time was enjoy himself thoroughly. He had a good time at parties and liked to stay out late even if this meant he had a headache the next day. At home, what he did most of the time was either watch a footfall match or read the newspaper.
5. He tried to be considerate and helpful, but failed. All his efforts to be a good busband went contrary to his expectations. The whole family was thrown into disorder and confusion. His wife was annoyed by his good manners and smart remarks, thinking they were affected and that he was being sarcastio on purpose. She attributed his cheerfulness, good temper and thoughtfulness to not feeling his best after staying out late.
6. He wanted to do better but did not know how to do it appropriately. On New Year's Day, he was in a particularly cheerful and good mood, eager to render any service to his wife and children. He did everything of his own accord. He was considerate to his wife to the minutest detail and he graciously condescended to play jacks with Gretchen, build a snowman for the boys and strike up a conversation with Kit. But the result in every case proved to be just the opposite to what he had expected. The writer behaved like a changed man. What he did was suddenly totally different from what he used to do, so his family was unprepared for this change. That's why, to them, his behaviour was too good to be true—his temper was too good to be believed, and his thoughtfulness was too great to be natural.
7. It means:“The whole family are happy to see that your have come to be your usual self again and you are behaving naturally. At last everything will go back to normal.”
B. Reference version:
1. Quite obviously, anyone who was determined to be guided by the rules of self?improvement I collected would be happy and have a richer life, infinite affection from his family and the love and respect of the community.
2. Show your love readily and willingly.