What is his function on the committee? 他在委员会里担任什么职务? ② a public ceremony
e.g. Heads of state attend numerous functions every year.
国家首脑每年要出席很多重大宴会。 family function 家庭聚会 social function 盛大的公共集会
4. contact n. having a connection or exchanging information or ideas with sb. else e.g. I finally made contact with her in Paris.
我终于在巴黎同她取得了联系。
She cast her eyes down to avoid direct eye contact. 她垂下双目以避免对视。
5. access n. a way of entering or reaching a place e.g. Students must have access to a good library.
学生要有使用好图书馆的便利条件。
Only a few people have access to the full facts of the case. 只有少数几个人能看到有关该案全部事实的材料。
6. gradual a. happening or developing slowly and by degrees; not sudden e.g. It’s a process of gradual development.
这是一个逐渐发展的过程。
His health showed gradual improvement. 他的健康逐渐恢复。
7. account n. an arrangement with a bank, etc. to keep money there. e.g. Please charge these bills to my account.
请把这些帐单记在我的账上。
You may open a current account at a bank. 你可以在银行开立一个活期帐户。
8. promotional a. of or relating to serving as publicity; or relating to advancement e.g. Our staff produced promotional brochures.
我们的员工制作了广告小册子。
We need to design some promotional campaigns to suit clients’ needs. 我们必须设计一些促销活动以切合客户需求。 9. expand v. become larger in size or volume or quantity e.g. The company is eager to expand into new markets.
那家公司急欲开辟新的市场。 He is trying to expand his business. 他正努力扩大生意。
课文译文
微信：沟通的新时代
倘若你不知道微信为何物，你可能就不了解当今中国最新的移动通信趋势。微信（英语名称是WeChat）是由腾讯公司研发的一款多功能通信应用软件， 它结合了文本、语音和视频通信功能，类似西方流行的Talkbox软件。
微信给用户提供一种便捷省钱的与他人联系的方式。用户可以使用语音甚至视频短信进行交流。通过摇动手机搜索陌生人你还可以与之建立联系并聊天。只要能够联网，用户便可免费使用这些功能。
微信逐渐改变着人们的沟通方式。许多年轻人发现相对于传统短信方式，语音短信既时尚又有趣。大学新生使用该服务发布信息询问他们在新学校生活中遇到的问题，并关注附近微信使用者的回复。最近，越来越多的品牌商店都在试图申请微信账户与自己的目标消费者建立联系。例如，星巴克利用微信与消费者之间互动。有时它发送促销信息，或共享一条有趣的信息，让消费者体验“一对一”的交谈，即使它通常是随机或由机器自动回答。
现在我们很难给微信对于我们交流方式的影响下结论。可以肯定的是，传统的依靠手机直接对讲的方式似乎正迅速消失，而一种更生动的移动交流方式正蔓延开来。
Exercises
Task 1 Read the text again and answer the following questions.
1. What is the latest trend in mobile communication in China today? Weixin.
2. Which corporation created WeChat? Tencent Corporation.
3. What are users able to do with WeChat?
They are able to communicate through voice message and even video message. You can even chat with strangers just by shaking the phone to build up the connection. 4. What do most young people find about WeChat compared to the older text message format?
They find Weixin is more fashionable and interesting. 5. What does Starbucks do with Wechat?
Starbucks leads the interaction between brands and consumers with WeChat.
Task 2 Find the right definition in Column B that matches the word in Column A.
1.c 2.d 3.a 4.b 5.g 6.e 7.h 8.f 9.j 10.i
Task 3 Fill in the blanks with the given words. Change the form where necessary.
1. The company is eager to expand into new markets. 2. It’s not easy to learn English well. It’s a process of gradual development. 3. Citizens may have free access to the museum. 4. For further information, please contact your local travel agent. 5. How much do you wish to pay into your account? 6. Many a woman has great influence on her husband. 7. She cast her eyes down to avoid direct eye contact with her boss. 8. I hope my ideas are in step with public opinion. 9. A healthy diet is a combination of different nutrition. 10. This girl gave a vivid description of the event.
Task 4 Fill in the blanks according to the following passage. 1. Henry Ford was the first one to build cars which were fast，reliable and cheap. 2. Henry Ford was able to sell millions of cars because he mass-produced them. 3. Henry Ford’s father had hoped that his son would become a farmer. 4. By the time he was twenty-nine, in 1892, he had built his first car.
Task 5 Translate the following into English or Chinese.
1. Please keep in touch with your parents when you’re out. 2. He spent three hours applying for a job online.
3. Good habits will be developed by gradual change everyday. 4. Shopping online is a fashionable and cost-effective way of life. 5. The Internet has a great influence on modern people’s life.
6. 社交网络是当前世界的需要。我们生活在网络媒体的世界里。过去，我们生活在一个很小天地里，我们只了解我们的村庄。但是，今天的世界是不同的。我们需要大量的知识、技能以及社会关系，因此社交网络就成为我们可以学习的媒介。
5. Since Henry Ford’s time, mass-production techniques have become common in industry and reduced the price of a great many products which otherwise would be very expensive. Reading Practice Passage One
1. B 2. C 3. D 4. B 5. C
Passage Two
书面通信 written correspondence 邮政服务
postal service
紧急文件 传真机
urgent document fax machine telephone service fast correspondence computer user
advantages and disadvantages the speed of delivery second thoughts
电话服务 快捷通信 电脑用户 利与弊 邮寄速度 重新考虑
Practical Writing
设计思路
? 本单元应用文写作选取贸易活动中经常会涉及到的询问信作为该部分的教
学内容。具体通过“概述、重要句型介绍、例文学习、写作实践”四个步骤让学生掌握询问信的写作。 参考教法 1.导入问题：
In what kind of situation do you have to write a letter of inquiry? 2. 教师简短介绍询问信的定义。 3. 教师讲解询问信的基本格式。 4. 教师讲解重要表达方式和句型。 5. 案例学习。 6. 写作实践。
IV. Read the following letter of showing thanks and answer questions.
1. How did the writer get to know the mobile phones?
The writer saw the advertisement of the mobile phones on television. 2. What did the writer inquire about?
He/She inquired about the catalog and current price list for mobile phones. 3. What do you know about the writer’s company? It’s the leading mobile phone dealer in Wuhan.