Unit 8
I. Listen and Talk ? Lead in
Dialogue 1 Making Friends
Key words and patterns:
I’d like to make some friends. Can you introduce me to them?
I’m not quite sure how to introduce … This is …
Hi. I’m … You can call me …
Dialogue 2 At a Wedding
Key words and patterns: I’m glad you could … How long have … They are in love.
They can deal with …, with more room for both love and friendship. attend the weddings of …
II. Read and Explore
? Passage A
? Think About It
1. Why was it hard for the four girls to say goodbye at the end of the freshman year?
It seemed that the three months of summer vacation would be far too long to endure apart from one another.
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2. How strong are your college friendships likely to remain in your adult life? Are they stronger than your childhood friendships or your relationships with future colleagues?
You may have different answers to this question. (Note: The more your life changes, the more your friendships will change.)
3. Which kinds of friendships do you usually keep the longest?
? Related Information
1. Roommates and Majors in American Colleges.
Freshman roommates are usually assigned randomly, with no attention to their majors, they may take none of the same classes, and do not have to choose their majors the first year.
In future years it’s very easy to change roommates, and in the junior or senior year it’s quite common for students to move to off-campus apartments. So there’s much less likelihood that freshman roommates will become lifelong friends.
2. American and Chinese Friendships Americans are very adept at making new friends, while Chinese people are very skillful at keeping their old friends. The main reason for this is that Americans experience more changes in their personal circumstances, such as changing jobs, moving to another town, or getting divorced. At any given time an American may have only a few close friends but many casual acquaintances. Over the course of a lifetime an American will probably have more friends than a Chinese person has, but a Chinese person may have more lifelong friends.
3. Class Reunions In many Western countries it is customary for the people who graduated from a college or school in the same year to gather periodically at the campus or in their hometown for a class reunion. It often includes parties, dinners, dancing, golfing, bowling, and other special events such as visits with former teachers. Reunions usually occur every five years, beginning five years after graduation. Certain reunions such as the 10th, 25th, and 50th are often considered special, and are more elaborate than the others.
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? Notes to the Text
1. … joined hands with my three most intimate friends: (para. 1)
…held hands with my closest friends. … 与三个最亲密的朋友手拉手。
2. … spent that day together just being freshmen: (para. 3)
… spent that day merely doing typical things that freshmen do. … 就像大学新生一样度过了那一天。
3. … saying goodbye at the end of the first year can feel like saying goodbye forever. (para. 4)
When you say goodbye at the end of the freshman year it’s easy to imagine you’ll never see each other again.
…在第一年的年末相互道别却实就像要永别似的。
4.Your freshman year moments are irreplaceable. (para. 5)
You’re only a freshman once, so you should cherish this experience. 但大学第一年的时光却是无法代替的。
5. You may grow completely apart from the people you spent your first year with, (para. 6)
you may end your friendship with those people you spent your first year with… 你的成长也许会完全远离那些与你一起共同度过大学一年级生活的人。
6. You will do a lot more growing up. (para. 8)
You will experience many things before you become more mature. 你会在成长过程中经历更多的事情。
7. … motioning toward Atherton Hall：(para. 9)
…pointing or waving toward Atherton Hall… …指向阿瑟顿大厦…
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8. And I have never had nor will ever have better teachers than Alisa, Karen and Gabrielle. (para. 10)
I learned more about friendship from these three friends than from anyone else.
我从未有过比艾莉莎、卡伦、加布里埃尔莉更好的良师益友，以前没有，将来也不会有。
9. That lesson can best be summarized by something Alisa and Karen told me when I was upset at the end of last semester and needed a shoulder to cry on. (para. 11)
The definition of friendship was the lesson that Alisa and Karen made clear to me when I was upset at the end of last semester and they gave me some friendly concern. 那一课可以用艾莉莎和卡伦对我说过的的一番话来做一个最好的总结。当时是最后一个学期期末，我灰心沮丧，需要靠在一个人肩上痛哭一场。
10. … couldn’t agree more: (para. 12)
…completely and enthusiastically agree. … 完全同意。
? Summary of the Text
Summarize the passage using the tips below. four girls
by the end of the freshman year close friends
it was hard to say goodbye friendship
Reference Summary
Four good friends were looking back on their college years. The freshman year was very special for them. They came together from different places with different interests. By the end of the year they were close friends, and remained that way in future years.
Reference Summary
It was hard to say goodbye the last day of the freshman year. One of them told a story in which their friendship might continue forever, and of course they all hoped it would. Not all college friendships can be as good as this. But even if they’re not, college is a rare opportunity to develop new relationships.
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? Words and Expressions
1. acquaintance: a person whom one knows, esp. through work or business, but who is not a close friend 相识的人
Examples:
? He has a wide circle of acquaintances.
? We began the semester as acquaintances and ended it as friends.
2. barely: almost not; hardly
Examples:
? I could barely understand my roommate’s jokes but I laughed anyhow. ? The scar on her cheek is now barely noticeable.
3. a shoulder to cry on: someone from whom one gets sympathy
Examples:
? The embarrassed child needed his mother’s shoulder to cry on.
? When the student got the score from the entrance exam she needed a shoulder to cry
on.
4. compare…to: 1) to examine or judge (one thing) in relation to another thing in order to show the points of similarity or difference
Examples:
? I couldn’t help comparing my wife’s cooking to my mother’s. ? I compared several brands of cars before choosing one. 2) showing that two things are alike
Examples:
? When we won the local basketball championship we naturally compared ourselves to
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