Unit7
Part I Pre-Reading Task
Script for the recording:
English is the most widely used language in the history of our planet. One in every seven human beings can speak it. More than half of the world's books and three quarters of international mail are in English. Of all languages, English has the largest vocabulary — perhaps as many as two million words — and one of the noblest bodies of literature.
Nonetheless, let's face it. English is a crazy language. There is no egg in eggplant, neither pine or apple in pineapple and no ham in a hamburger. English muffins weren't invented in England or French fries in France. Sweetmeats are candy, while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat.
Sometimes I wonder if all English speakers should be sent to a madhouse. In what other
-132- Appendix I
language do people drive on a parkway and park in a driveway? Ship by truck and send cargo by ship?1 Have noses that run and feet that smell?2
How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise guy and a wise man3 are opposites? How can overlook and oversee are opposites, while quite a lot and quite a few are alike? How can the weather be hot as hell one day and cold as hell the next?
You have to marvel at the glorious messiness of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out and in which your alarm clock goes off by going on.
English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race, which, of course, isn't a race at all. That is why when stars are out they are visible, but when the lights are out they are invisible. And why, when I wind up my watch I start it, but when I wind up this speech I end it.
Part II Text A
Text Organization 1.
Parts Part One Part Two Part Three Paragraphs Paras 1-3 Paras 4-16 Paras 17-19 Main Ideas Massive borrowing from other languages is a major feature of the English language. Tells about the history of the English language from the Indo-European parent language to modern English. Tolerance, love of freedom, and respect for the rights of others — these qualities in the English-speaking people explain the richness of their language. 1 Ship by truck and send cargo by ship: The first \
2 Have noses that run and feet that smell: This refers to what people usually say\ 3 a wise guy and a wise man: The former refers to a person who pretends to know more than he does; the latter to a man of unusual learning.
Appendix I
2.
- 188
Paras 4-9 Paras 10-11 Para 12 The introduction of the Indo-European language — the parent language of En- riyioj won-gksh Germanic tribes came to settle in Britain and brought Anglo-Saxon words — Old English The Christian religion enriched English with words from Greek and Latin The Vikings from Scandinavia came with words from Old Norse The Norman Conquest — French influence The European Renaissance and the printing press brought many new words from Latin and Greek The American revolution — the emergence of a new variety — American En-glish Para 13 Para 14 Para 15 Para 16 Vocabulary I. 1. 1) independent 2) Strictly speaking 3) drifted 4) resembles 5) virtually 6) invaded 7) conquered 8) fascinating 9) snack 10) will be put into practice 11) classics ..12) source 13) climate 14) surrendered 15) were ... aroused 2. 1) In the United States, private cars are an absolute necessity rather than a luxury. 2) Everyone thinks that the new member is a valuable addition to the football team. 3) I am afraid the fire will get out of control if the firemen do not arrive within ten minutes. 4) As all flights to the United States have been cancelled, you have no alternative but to go via Vancouver to get to Seattle. 5) The government has declared all beef imports will be banned for the next six months for fear of the spread of mad cow disease. 3. 1) Through systematic research, scientists have invented many drugs that are said to help us live longer, but the cause of aging remains, to a very real extent, one of life's mysteries. 2) The two parties have reached an agreement to establish a joint venture in Beijing, but before a formal contract is signed, some clauses in the draft agreement need to be modi- - 184 - Appendix I
fied/modifying so that no misunderstanding will arise as to their interpretation. 3) Our ancestors have passed onto us the wisdom that to ensure the long-lasting prosperity of a country, we must show tolerance for the errors made by those who strike out revolutionary paths. These people, with their new ideas and practice, will enrich the national experience. II. Synonyms 1. a) wish 2. a) skin 3. a) rear/raise 4. a) royal
b) wish
b) hide/skin b) raise
b) kingly/royal c) want c) hide c) rear/raise c) sovereign
i
d) wish/want d) skin d) raise
d) royal/kingly
III. Usage
1.Indeed 3. Frankly
5. To my knowledge 7. Nevertheless 9. instead
2. though 4. Moreover 6. however 8. Yet
10. in other words
Structure
l
1) We are literally crawling. There must be some traffic accident ahead.
2) Thomas sounds very knowledgeable about traditional Chinese medicine. He must have had some special training.
3) The draft document is complete in virtually every detail. It must have taken him months to prepare it.
4) Cathy must have missed the train. She should have arrived here two hours ago.
5) What? It cost you one thousand dollars to fill a hollow tooth? You must be exaggerating! 2. 1) Are we supposed to deposit our bags before entering the supermarket? 2) The spaceship is supposed to land on Mars at 10:40 this morning. 3) As a car driver, you are supposed to know how to change a tire.
4) The nurses in the hospital are supposed to take good care of the patients. 5) We are supposed to speak only in English when we discuss text organization.
Appendix I - 185 -
Comprehensive fxercises
I. Cloze (A)
1. fascinating 3. invented 5. ban
7. out of control 9. Fortunately 11. sources (B)
1) early 3) found 5) source 7) in 9) how
11) given/delivered 13) by
15) without
2. tolerance 4. addition 6. corrupt 8. establishing 10Massive . enrich 12.
2) those 4) must 6) further 8) began 10in ) 12) than 14so
) common 16)
II. Translation Though how the English language came into existence remains a mystery, linguists/language scientists now tend to believe that English and most other European languages have descended from a common source; the Indo-European parent language. English was first spoken by the Anglo-Saxons who invaded England in the fifth century. They passed onto us the basic vocabu-lary of English. In its over 15 centuries of development, English has borrowed from other lan-guages massively, and such borrowing has greatly enriched its vocabulary. As settlers landed in America and established the United States as an independent nation, a new variety was added to the English language: American English. Though some people worry that the language is running out of control, many native speakers of English take pride in the tolerance of their language.