Unit 14 Homeless
Key to the Exercises
Text comprehension
I. Decide which of the following best states the text's underlying purpose. C
II. Judge, according to the text, whether the following statements are true or false. 1. T (Refer to Paragraphs 1 and 2.)
2. F (Refer to Paragraph 3. She is saying that she does not look at the world from any broad perspective. Instead, she is more interested in and sensitive to a problem inflicting the world: homelessness.)
3. F (Refer to Paragraph 5. It is not that their houses are getting smaller and smaller, but that they do not keep their houses as long as before. Moving is becoming more frequent.)
4. F (Refer to Paragraph 7. Some people refuse to go to shelters because they still miss the feeling of a home which is absent at any shelter. They still expect a home, or at least the feeling of a home.)
5. T (Refer to Paragraphs 8 and 9.)
III. Answer the following questions.
1. Refer to Paragraphs 1 and 2. Ann produced some pictures kept in a folded sheet of typing paper to show that she was not homeless. She insisted that she had a home and an identity that belonged to the home. But the author discovered that she was homeless from her dirty and shabby clothes, and from the fact that \than two weeks.\
2. Refer to Paragraphs 3 and 4. According to the author, a home is more than a shelter or something merely physical; it is where the heart is, as she puts it, or a place of certainty, stability, predictability and privacy.
3. Refer to Paragraphs 5 and 6. In the U.S., the sense of a home is edging away gradually. Homes were stable for a lifetime or even generations traditionally, yet all of a sudden they are getting short-lived. They may disappear any time, because they are no longer homes; they are now real estate.
4. Real estate is the modern term for land and anything that is permanently affixed to it. Fixtures include buildings, fences, and things attached to buildings, such as plumbing, heating, and light fixtures. Property that is not affixed is regarded as personal property. Home with all the love, stability and sense of belonging in it, certainly means much more than real estate.
5. Refer to Paragraphs 8 and 9. There are people trying to solve the problem, but they have not understood or approached the problem in the right way. They are, according to the author, not sensitive enough to the real people who have no home.
IV. Explain in your own words the following sentences.
1. She asserted that I was mistaken and she was not homeless. She said that she did not stay at the bus station, but I knew she had been there for over two weeks.
2. My love for my home is far greater than the house itself and the area where it is located.
3. What some people want is more than a physical shelter. Their desire for the feeling of a home is so strong that they would not go to shelters for any facilities offered there.
Structural analysis of the text First part: Paragraphs 1 -3. Second part: Paragraphs 4 -7. Third part: Paragraphs 8 -9.
Rhetorical features of the text
That was the crux of it; not size or location, but pride of ownership. (Paragraph 7)
We turn an adjective into a noun: the poor, not poor people; the homeless, not Ann or the man who lives in the box or the woman who sleeps on the subway grate. (Paragraph 8)
Vocabulary exercises
I. Explain the underlined part in each sentence in your own words. 1. a person of importance
2. unfavorable weather conditions, such as strong winds, heavy rain, and cold; three substantial, nourishing meals
3. far more intense than the care for 4. generally, on the whole
5. the general notion or the rough outline
II. Fill in the blank in each sentence with a word taken from the box in its appropriate form.
1. crux 2. anonymous 3. rummaged 4. enfeebling 5. bureau 6. drained 7. adrift 8. customary
III. Fill in the blanks with the appropriate forms of the given words. 1. anonymity 2. ferocious 3. unpredictably 4. leaky
5. spoonful 6. damnably/damned 7. disqualified 8. terminate
IV. Fill in the blank(s) in each sentence with an appropriate phrasal verb or collocation taken from the text. 1. edging ... away 2. wind up 3. run up to
4. passing through 5. reduced to 6. sat up
7. move on to 8. locked in
V. Give a synonym or an antonym of the word underlined in each sentence in the sense it is used.
1. Synonym: dirt (soot, filth)
2. Antonym: local (partial, restricted) 3. Synonym: fierceness (intensity) 4. Synonym: security (safety) 5. Synonym: crouch
6. Antonym: inaccessible (unobtainable)
7. Antonym: indifferent (heartless, apathetic) 8. Synonym: specific (particular)
VI. Explain the underlined phrasal verbs in your own words. 1. constantly complain about 2. accept 3. respected 4. mentioned
5. reveal (your) real mental state 6. disapproved 7. endure
8. getting themselves ready
Grammar exercises
I. Recast the sentences below by using if.
1. If you lie down for a few minutes, you'll feel much better. (an imperative + and + indicative = if?
2. If you don't drive more carefully, you'll cause an accident. (an imperative + or + indicative = if卬ot ?
3. If the government had acted earlier, the present crisis could have been avoided. 4. If the flight should be delayed, passengers will be informed immediately. 5. If the money doesn't arrive before Thursday, there will be trouble. 6. If I had known the address, I would have called into the office. 7. If I were worried, I would not be playing golf at this moment.
8. If he should be found guilty, he will be deprived of the guardianship of his children.
II. Put the verbs in brackets into correct forms. 1. didn't know, would not understand
2. hadn't got, would have come, wouldn't have been 3. would you like
4. do, would you please remind 5. spend, will not have 6. had, would make
7. returns / should return (This is a real conditional. Should in the if-clause suggests a less strong possibility.) 8. had admitted, wouldn't have been
III. Correct the errors, where found, in the following sentences.
1. the success of the Exhibition has been has been the success of the Exhibition (With so + adjective placed at the beginning of a sentence, the subject and verb should be in the inverted order. When the verb is be. full inversion is used.) 2. going go
3. presided presided over 4. the family life family life (Zero article is used before a plural noun or an uncountable noun when we refer to things in general.)
5. are living have been living; look looked 6. glanced glanced at 7. will would 8. √
9. hitch-hike hitch-hiking 10. being missing missing
IV. Complete the following sentences with the appropriate forms of the verbs. 1. flows (When suggest means \we don't use the subjunctive mood in the clause following it.)
2. are unfounded 3. were
4. get / should get (Should get is preferred in British English.) 5. come / should come 6. be / should be
7. make / should make 8. invest / should invest
V. Punctuate the following sentences, using commas or full stops.
1. The butterfly is a marvel. It begins as an ugly caterpillar and turns into a work of art. 2. The earthquake was devastating. Tall buildings crumbled and fell to the earth. 3. The child hid behind his mother's skirt, for he was afraid of the dog.
4. We have to help the children. Or, more precisely, we have to help them to help themselves.
5. Both John and I had many errands to do yesterday. John had to go to the post office and bookstore. I had to go to the drugstore, the travel agency and the bank.
6. He's walking in the garden, the dog is playing at his feet, and the children are following him.
7. Miriam Colon, a native of Puerto Rico, is an accomplished actress. Using her own experience, she wished to acquaint Americans with the art and culture of Puerto Rico. 8. I can go camping in Yellowstone National Park in June, if my grades are high, if I save enough money, and if my parents approve.
VI. Make sentences of your own after the sentences given below, keeping the italicized parts in your sentences.
1. e.g. There is no need for explanation. I know what you are going to say.
2. e.g. Sometimes I think we would be better-off if we spent less time in front of the TV and more time talking to each other.
Translation exercises
I. Translate the following sentences into Chinese. 1. 我指的不只是有一片遮风挡雨的屋檐，或者一日保证三餐，也不是一个可以收到福利救济支票的邮政地址——尽管我知道这一切对生存非常重要。
2. 曾几何时，我们生活的地方往往是我们工作的地方，是我们种植蔬果谷物的地方，甚至还是我们离开尘世后的葬身之所。 3. 人们感到困惑不解的是，那些没有家的人为什么情愿在长凳上熬过夜晚或者蜷缩在门道里，也不愿住进救助站。
4. 不过，有些人似乎想要一些救助站无法提供的东西，他们不愿妥协，不愿意为了一张小床、一碗燕麦粥，或者是用特殊的杀菌肥皂冲个澡而进救助站。
II. Translate the following sentences into English, using the words and phrases given in brackets.
1. She rummaged through five drawers before she found her wedding ring.
2. Somehow I feel he is edging away from his former position, a rather radical one.
3. Their newly established company is not running smoothly; the crux of the matter lies in lack of funds and expert knowledge.
4. Over a decade, it has been customary for me to think before I leap whenever I come across something new.
5. He wondered why the donor remained anonymous.
6. Beowulf, the national epic of the Anglo-Saxons, describes how ancient people waged heroic struggles against the hostile elements.
7. He thinks he will be a second Bill Gates, which, to me, is nothing but a mere fantasy. 8. He does everything well, as he pays sufficient attention to details instead of just relying on broad stokes.
III. Translate the following passage into Chinese.
虽然不同的人对“家”有不同的解释，但是大部分人认为家是一个让人感到舒适和宁静的地方。然而，现在人们看重的是房子，而不是家，因为拥有物质财产表明社会地位。一个人只有取得一定的社会地位，才能赢得社会的尊重。因此，宽敞的房子、时髦的装潢便成了许多人梦寐以求的东西。