and David Copperfield.
Q: Why does the writer say that he doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry when he sees the advertisements?
A: The advertisements are full of nonsense. They are just ridiculous claims that are made to mislead people. One tends to feel helpless in responding to anything that is ridiculous. Q: What does the word “claim” (L. 2) mean? Why does the writer use it?
A: It means “to declare to be true.” We use the word “claim” to report what someone says when we want to indicate that what he or she says may not be true. The author uses this word to show his negative attitude towards the statement.
Q: In the last sentence of this paragraph, the author uses the word “must.” What does it imply? A: It implies that it is very likely that a large number of people do believe these ridiculous claims.
▇ Extended questions （Para. 2）
Q: What is meant by “every teacher is an individual with his own personality”?
A: It means that different teachers have different personalities and, therefore, a teacher may have his or her own way of teaching English.
Q: If you all feel that your teacher’s way of teaching is good and acceptable, does it mean that everyone in your class can learn English well enough?
A: No. The reason is simple. Each student is an individual with his or her own personality. That is why the teacher should attend to the individual needs of his or her students.
▇ Extended questions （Para. 3）
Q: Do you think English can be mastered just by teaching yourself with the help of dictionaries? Give your reasons.
A: No, I don’t think so. Dictionaries can help us with our vocabulary work but they are not of much help if we want to learn how to speak and write English fluently. Besides, we cannot expect to find a Chinese equivalent for every English word. To learn a new language, we must get ourselves involved in various learning activities related to listening, speaking, reading and writing.
▇ Extended questions （Para. 4）
Q: Why do many theorists consider it “a pity” that we are not “parrots or chimpanzees”? Does the tone indicate the writer’s attitude towards the behaviorist theory on language learning?
A: Many behaviorist theorists wish that human beings were just like parrots or chimpanzees, so that they could use their methods of teaching on human beings with ease. The tone of the statement indicates that the writer does not agree with the behaviorist theory on language learning.
▇ Extended questions （Para. 5）
Q: What do you think can be said about the role of interest in terms of language learning?
A: I think interest plays a crucial role in language learning, a very important factor leading to successful language learning.
▇ Extended questions （Para. 6）
Q: Why does the writer repeat the word “real” in the last sentence?
A: The writer wants to emphasize the idea that language learning should be based on “real
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situations” in “real life” and the language we learn should be “real language.”
Section C Voicing Your Views
▇ Work in groups of threes or fours and have a discussion on issues related to language learning.
1) List as many similarities and differences as you can think of in terms of learning English and Chinese, and write them down in the space provided.
Similarities Differences
a. ____________________________ a. ____________________________ b. ____________________________ b. ____________________________ c. ____________________________ c. ____________________________ d. ____________________________ d. ____________________________
pronunciation, spelling, vocabulary and meaning, grammatical structures, and word order, discourse structures, pragmatic appropriateness and cultural relevance.
2) Is Chinese as difficult for a foreigner to learn as English is for a Chinese? Give reasons to support your view.
Yes, Chinese is as difficult for a foreigner to learn as English is for a Chinese. But for learners of a foreign language that belongs to the same language family as their mother tongue, some aspects may seem easier. But overall, all languages are equally difficult (or equally easy) to learn.
3) Do you think motivation is a very important factor in learning a foreign language? Are you highly motivated to learn English? Why or why not?
Yes, it is. Motivation is always an important factor in learning a foreign language.
4) Do you believe what advertisements say about the fast pace and great ease of learning a foreign language? Why or why not?
No, I don’t. There are lots of stories of taking unsuccessful English classes because of empty promises made in advertisements.
Yes, I do. There are some seemingly successful cases at some private English schools.
Text B
Section A KEY WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS Key Words: particularly ad. intelligent a. confusion n. illustration n.
rid vt. steadily ad. semester n. edition n. character n. solemnly ad. astonish vt. adventure n.
furthermore ad. apparently ad. glimpse n. dive vi. 17
particularly ad. especially; in a way that is special and different from others 特别, 尤其 e.g. She looked particularly lovely that night.
He talks down to everyone, particularly young people.
rid vt. (rid, rid or ridded, rid) drive, send, throw, or give away or destroy 除去；赶走；消灭 e.g. He shook the blankets vigorously to get rid of the dust. It is difficult to get rid of deep-rooted habits.
character n. [C] a person in a book, play, etc. （书、剧本等中的）人物，角色
e.g. Any resemblance of a character in this book to a living person is purely incidental. 书中人物如有雷同，纯属巧合。
He is the character with whom the reader can most easily identify.
furthermore ad. fml also; in addition to what has just been said 〖正式〗而且；再者；另外；还有
e.g. I don’t want to go there, furthermore, I have no time to do so.
intelligent a. having or showing powers of learning, reasoning, or understanding, esp. to a high degree 有智慧的；悟性（理解力）强的；聪明的
e.g. She was an intelligent woman who refused to be a rich man’s plaything.
She was an extremely intelligent child, and soon pulled away from the rest of the class. Collocations:
highly intelligent incredibly intelligent particularly intelligent extremely intelligent
steadily ad. calmly and in a controlled way 镇定地
e.g. He moved back a little and stared steadily at Elaine.
solemnly ad. in a manner that is marked by seriousness or sincerity; seriously 表情庄重地，严肃地，不苟言笑地
e.g. All those present were standing solemnly when the national anthem was played. They vowed solemnly never to love anyone else.
apparently ad. it is clear (that); it seems (that); seemingly 显然；看来，似乎 e.g. The trouble was sparked off by an apparently harmless phrase.
An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.
confusion n. a state of being mixed up or mistaken 困惑；分辩不清 e.g. His answers to my questions have only added to my confusion. This accident upset our plans and threw us into confusion.
semester n. either of the two periods into which a year at universities, esp. in the US, is divided （尤指美国大学的）一学期；半学年
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e.g. He had three minors this semester.
I had an especially rough time during my first semester.
astonish vt. fill with great surprise and perhaps disbelief 使吃惊，使惊讶 e.g. It will astonish you to hear what I paid for this ring.
The magician’s next trick will astonish you. CF: surprise, amaze, astonish
这三个动词均含“使惊愕，使惊讶，使惊奇”之意。
surprise：普通用词，多指因未预料或意外的事而引起的惊奇之感。 amaze：语气较强，指因认为不可能或极少可能发生情况的出现而感到惊讶或迷惑不解。 astonish：语气较强，指出乎预料，意外发生，但又无法解释而感到惊奇。
glimpse n. a quick look or incomplete view of 瞥见，一瞥 e.g. We only had a fleeting glimpse of the sun all day.
Some of the fans had waited 24 hours outside the Hyde Park Hotel to catch a glimpse of their heroine.
Collocations:
fleeting glimpse momentary glimpse hasty glimpse uncommon glimpse first glimpse quick glimpse
illustration n. a picture to go with the words of a book, speaker, etc.（图书、演讲者等作说明用的）插图，图表，图案
e.g. The marginal illustration is very interesting.
She looked like a princess in a nineteenth-century illustration.
edition n. a number of copies of a book, newspaper, magazine, etc., that are produced and printed at one time （书、报、杂志等）一版的印刷数；版（次），版本 e.g. The edition is limited to 10000 copies priced twelve dollars.
Many new words and phrases have been included in the revised edition. Collocations:
first edition new edition deluxe edition two-volume edition limited edition unabridged edition
adventure n. a journey, experience, etc., that is strange and exciting and often dangerous 冒险活动[经历]；奇遇
e.g. The spirit of adventure rose in the boys’ souls once more.
Listening to his life story is akin to reading a good adventure novel.
dive vi. (dived, dived or dove/dEUv/, dived) AmE throw oneself head first into water; move quickly on land or in air, downwards, head first or out of sight 〖美〗（头朝下）跳水，入水;（在地上或空中）头向下钻，猛冲，俯冲，突然隐去 e.g. He who would search for pearls must dive below.
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It started to rain so we dived into the nearest cafe.
Expressions: have trouble with at all costs rid of for pleasure find out in one’s hurry take a look (at) mean every word of it clear up a glimpse of sure enough dive into
have trouble with have problems or difficulties with 做??有困难 e.g. Don’t worry, lots of people have trouble with these words.
Some people looking after elderly parents have trouble with the role reversal involved. 一些照看年迈父母的人在角色转变上有困难.
at all cost / costs whatever is needed to achieve sth. 不惜任何代价 e.g. He is the man who implements his promise at all cost. She was determined to win at all costs.
rid of make (esp. a place) free of (sth. harmful or unwanted) 使摆脱掉（有害或不受欢迎的东西）
e.g. It is not easy to rid oneself of a bad habit. He promised to rid the house of mice.
for pleasure for fun; for enjoyment为了取乐，作为消遣 e.g. A hobby is an activity you turn to for pleasure. Has he gone to Paris on business or for pleasure?
find out learn or discover (a fact that was hidden or not known) 发现，查明 e.g. A spy used artful means to find out secrets.
Let’s give him line enough and find out what he is doing.
in one’s hurry while trying to do sth. too quickly 匆忙中 e.g. In my hurry I forgot to take my wallet with me. In her hurry to leave she forgot her briefcase.
take a look (at) examine or observe 检查；观察
e.g. You ought to open your eyes and take a look at reality.
There are some rare treasures on exhibition recently, let's take a look.
mean every word of it be fully serious when making a promise or threat; not be joking (发誓、威胁、表明观点时)说话算数；并非戏言
e.g. For the record, I mean every word of it. I absolutely believe a person can take charge of her (or his) life.
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