which they happened, or (b) in no particular order?
5 Is ingeniously likely to mean (a) artistically, or (b) cleverly? 6 Is knackered an informal British word meaning (a) very relaxed, or (b) extremely tired?
7 Is patently likely to mean (a) obviously, or (b) usually?
8 When something is allotted to you, is it (a) given to you, or (b) taken from you?
7 Answer the questions about the phrases.
1 If you check something out, do you (a) find out, or (b) not think about it? 2 If you see something from the sidelines, do you (a) take part in the action, or (b) stay away from it?
3 If something is down to you, is it your (a) bad luck, or (b) responsibility? 4 If you have something on the back burner, (a) will you look at it later, or (b) are you interested in it now?
5 If you are in a position to do something, are you (a) able, or (b) unable to do it?
6 If time is ticking away, does it seem (a) as if it will last forever, or (b) to be passing quickly?
7 If you can have one shot at something, (a) are you allowed to shoot it, or (b) do you have only one chance to do it?
8 If you make the best of something, do you (a) enjoy it while you can, or (b) work hard to make it a success?
9 If a girl stands you up, does she (a) fail to turn up for a date, or (b) refuse to sit down when you ask her to?
Language in use
word formation: compound words
1 Find more examples of each use of hyphens in the passage We are all dying . ?? I??ve double- and triple-checked it. (compound verb) ?? budding crypt-kickers (compound noun) ?? a rear-view mirror (compound adjective)
?? the once-a-year holiday to Florida or Spain (compound adjective) ?? back-burner stuff (compound adjective)
?? standing at the corner of the Co-op (compound noun)
?? a sepia-coloured relative that no one can put a name to (compound adjective)
2 Rewrite the phrases using compound adjectives.
1 a party which is held late at night (a late-night party) 2 a library which is well stocked (a well-stocked library) 3 a professor who is world famous (a world-famous professor) 4 some advice which is well timed (some well-timed advice)
5 a population which is growing rapidly (a rapidly-growing population) 6 an economy which is based on free market (a free-market economy) 7 a boat trip which lasts for half an hour (a half-hour boat trip)
It’s what / how … that …
3 Rewrite the sentences using It’s what / how … that …
1 What other people think of us is determined by how we behave. It??s how we behave that determines what other people think of us.
Unit 1 Discovering yourself 20
2 What sort of job we are going to end up doing is usually determined by our character. It??s what our character is that usually determines what sort of job we are going to end up doing.
3 What we do as a career isn??t always determined by the marks we get at university.
It isn??t always what marks we get at university that determine what we do as a career.
4 How we react to life??s problems is often determined by our childhood experiences.
It is often what we experienced in our childhood that determines how we react to life??s problems.
5 When we die is determined by our genetic clock, and the changes we make to it.
It??s what our genetic clock is and what changes we make to it that determine when we die.
It is / was not just that … but …
4 Rewrite the sentences using It is / was not just that … but …
1 Not only were the shops all closed for Thanksgiving, there was also no one in the streets.
It wasn??t just that the shops were all closed for Thanksgiving, but there was no one in the streets.
2 Not only did she spend all her time at college going to parties, she also took the time to gain a first-class degree.
It wasn??t just that she spent all her time at college going to parties, but she took the time to gain a firstclass degree.
3 Not only were they not listening to what he said, it also seemed as if they weren??t at all interested.
It wasn??t just that they weren??t listening to what he said, but it seemed as if they weren??t at all interested.
4 Not only was I upset, I also felt as if I was going to burst out crying. It wasn??t just that I was upset, but I felt as if I was going to burst out crying. 5 Not only was the Grim Reaper intended to frighten people, it was also a figure of fun.
It wasn??t just that the Grim Reaper was intended to frighten people, but it was also a figure of fun.
collocations
5 Read the explanations of the words. Answer the questions.
1 settle When you settle somewhere you go there to stay. (a) Where is dust likely to settle in a room?
On the surfaces that aren??t used very often or aren??t cleaned. (b) If you settle an argument, is the conclusion satisfactory?
Yes, it is, because the disagreement is solved and each party is satisfied with the outcome.
(c) If you settle the bill, what is there left to pay? Nothing, because you have paid everything that is owed. (d) What do you do when you settle back to watch a film? We relax in a comfortable chair and enjoy it.
2 smooth This word can mean flat or soft, comfortable, easy or confident. (a) If the sea is smooth, are you likely to feel seasick?
No, because the sea is calm. We will feel seasick if it is rough.
Discovering yourself Unit 1 21
(b) If a changeover from one government to the next is smooth, are there lots of problems?
No, because the changeover has gone well, without difficulties. (c) Is it a good idea to trust a smooth talker?
Not necessarily, because some people who talk confidently like that do so to trick you, like a
confidence trickster or conman. 3 offer This word can refer to something you would like someone to take, something someone gives, or
something that is for sale.
(a) If you decline an offer, do you say ??yes?? or ??no??? We say ??no??, because we are refusing it.
(b) If you offer an apology to someone for something you have done, what do you say?
We should say, ??I apologize?? or ??I??m sorry??. (c) Where are you likely to see special offer?
In a shop, because the shop is offering a special price or reduction for something.
(d) If someone has a lot to offer, what kind of person are they?
They are intelligent, talented, gifted or creative and they will bring these kinds of qualities to their work.
4 bear If you bear something you carry or bring it. If you cannot bear something, you dislike it or cannot accept it.
(a) If you bear something in mind, do you forget it?
No, we will remember it and consider it for a particular occasion in future. (b) If you bear a resemblance to someone, in what way are you like them? We look similar in certain physical features.
(c) Is there anything you can??t bear to think about?
I can??t bear to think too much about some of the problems in the world, famine, war, poverty etc. In
the modern world, why don??t we just solve them?
5 resistance This word can refer to the refusal to accept something new, the ability not to be harmed by
something, or opposition to someone or something.
(a) If there is resistance to an idea, do people accept it?
No, not easily. They refuse to accept the idea maybe because it??s just a bad idea, or they may change
their mind if they understand it better.
(b) If the soldiers met with resistance, what happened?
The soldiers met opposition from those they were fighting against. (c) Is there a way to build up your resistance to cold?
Yes, we can keep ourselves as healthy as possible with a good diet and getting enough exercise so
that we are less likely to catch a cold, or if we do get one, we won??t suffer so badly.
6 Translate the paragraphs into Chinese.
1 We all sensed we were coming to the end of our stay here, that we would never get a chance like this
again, and we became determined not to waste it. Most important of course were the final exams in
April and May in the following year. No one wanted the humiliation of finishing last in class, so the
peer group pressure to work hard was strong. Libraries which were once empty after five o??clock in the
afternoon were standing room only until the early hours of the morning, and guys wore the bags under
their eyes and their pale, sleepy faces with pride, like medals proving their diligence. (? and guys wore
the bags under their eyes and their pale, sleepy faces with pride … 这句的动词wear 后面带两个宾语，中
Unit 1 Discovering yourself 22
文找不到能带这两个宾语的动词，故处理成四个中文短句；翻译 like medals proving their diligence
时，采用“增词法”增加“这些”来概括前面所描写的“眼袋”，“脸色苍白”，“睡眼惺忪”
等，使译文含义更加清晰流畅。) 我们都觉得在校时间不多了，以后再也不会有这样的学习机会了，所以都下定决心不再虚度光阴。 当然，下一年四五月份的期末考试最为重要。我们谁都不想考全班倒数第一，那也太丢人了，因此
同学们之间的竞争压力特别大。以前每天下午五点以后，图书馆就空无一人了，现在却要等到天快
亮时才会有空座，小伙子们熬夜熬出了眼袋，他们脸色苍白，睡眼惺忪，却很自豪，好像这些都是
表彰他们勤奋好学的奖章。
2 Tomorrow? It??s all a lie; there isn??t a tomorrow. There??s only a promissory note that we are often not in a position to cash. It doesn??t even exist. When you wake up in the morning it??ll be today again and all
the same rules will apply. Tomorrow is just another version of now, an empty field that will remain so
unless we start planting some seeds. Your time, which is ticking away as we speak (at about 60 seconds
a minute chronologically; a bit faster if you don??t invest your time wisely), will be gone and you??ll
have nothing to show for it but regret and a rear-view mirror full of “could haves”, “should haves” and
“would haves”. (? 本段的难点在于对一些词的理解与翻译，如 an empty field that will remain so,
chronologically, invest your time wisely, have nothing to show for it but 等等。“could haves”, “should haves”,“would haves” 是表达与事实相反的条件句，指自己没有做，但有可能或应该做的事情。)
明天行吗？明天只是个谎言；根本就没有什么明天，只有一张我们常常无法兑现的期票。明天甚至
压根儿就不存在。你早上醒来时又是另一个今天了，同样的规则又可以全部套用。明天只是现在的