大学英语精读第二册第7课内容介绍
大学英语精读第二册第7课内容介绍 导语：运气是指某种事件发生的概率微小、随机性强、无法计算且不可控制的情况下，事件结果产生后恰好与某人的猜想或个人情况决定一致，并且在现实中发生一般为不可思议或完全不可能存在的背景下发生的事件。下面是一篇关于运气的'英语课文，欢迎大家来学习。 TEXT In this article the author describes what happened to her one night and what happened to her one night and her feelings about it. There's Only Luck My mind went numb when I saw the gun pointing against the car window as we pulled out of the garage: This can't be happening to me. Then I felt the gun, cold, against my head, and I heard my friend Jeremy saying, "What do you want? Take my wallet," but at the time I thought of nothing. I remember being vaguely annoyed when the gunman pulled me from the car by the hair. I remember the walk to the house - Jeremy, me, the two men with two guns. I remember the fear and anger in the gunmen's voices because Jeremy was being slow, and I remember wondering why he waas being slow. I did not realize that Jeremy had thrown the keys into the shrubbery. But I remember that sound of the gun hitting Jeremy's head and the feeling as the man who had hold of my hair released me. And I remember the split second when I realized he was looking at Jeremy, and I remember wondering how far I could run before he pulled the trigger. But I was already running, and upon reaching the car across the street, I didn't crouch behind it but screamed instead. I remember thinking there was something absurdly melodramatic about screaming "Help, help!" at eight o'clock on a Tuesday evening in December and changing my plea to the more specific "Help, let me in, please let me in!" But the houses were cold, closed, unfriendly, and I ran on until I heard Jeremy's screams behind me announcing that our attackers had fled. The neighbors who had not opened their doors to us came out with baseball bats and helped Jeremy find his glasses and keys. In a group they were very brave. We waited for the cops to come until someone said to someone else that the noodles were getting cold, and I said politely, "Please go and eat. We're O.K." I was happy to see them go. They had been talking of stiffer sentences for criminals, of bringing back the death penalty and how the President is going to clean up the country. I was thinking, they could be saying all of this over my dead body, and I still feel that stiffer sentences wouldn't change a thing. In a rush all the rage I should have felt for my attackers was directed against these contented people standing in front of their warm, cozy homes talking about all the guns they were going to buy. What good would guns have been to Jeremy and me? People all over the neighborhood had called to report our screams, and the police turned out in force twenty minutes later. They were ill-tempered about what was, to them, much ado about nothing. After all, Jeremy was hardly hurt, and we were hopeless when it came to identification. "Typical," said one cop when we couldn't even agree on how tall the men were. Both of us were able to describe the guns in horrifying detail, but the two policemen who stayed to make the report didn't think that would be much help. The cops were matter-of-fact about the whole thing. The thin one said, "That was a stupid thing to do, throwing away the keys. When a man has a gun against your head you do what you're told." Jeremy looked properly sheepish. Then the fat cop same up and the thin one went to look around the outside of the house. "That was the best thing you could have done, throwing away the keys," he said. "If you had gone into the house with them…" His voice trailed off. "They would have hurt her" - he jerked his head toward me - "and killed you both." Jeremy looked happier. "Look," said the fat cop kindly, "there's no right of wrong in the situation. There's just luck." All that sleepless night I replayed the moment those black gloves came up to the car window. How long did the whole thing last? Three minutes, five, eight? No matter how many hours of my life I may spend reliving it, I know there is no way to prepare for the next time - no intelligent response to a gun. The fat cop was right: There's only luck. The next time I might end up dead. And I'm sure there will be a next time. It can happen anywhere, anytime, to anyone. Security is an illusion; there is no safety in locks or in guns. Guns make some people feel safe and some people feel strong, but they're fooling themselves. NEW WORDS numb n. having lost the power of feeling or moving 失去感觉的，麻木的 garage n. building in which a car is kept 汽车库 wallet n. leather pocket-case for paper money, cards, etc. 皮夹 vaguely ad. not clearly 模糊地 vague a. annoy vt. make rather angry 使恼怒 gunman n. a man armed with a gun, esp. a criminal or terrorist 持枪歹徒 shrubbery n. low bushes forming a mass or group 灌木丛 release vt. set free 松开;释放 split vt. divide into parts 劈开 split second very brief moment of time; instant 瞬间，一刹那 trigger n. 扳机 crouch vi. lower the body to the ground 蹲伏 absurdly ad. foolishly; ridiculously 愚蠢地，荒唐可笑地 absurd a. melodramatic a. exciting in effect, often too much so to be thought real 感情夸张;闹剧式的 plea n. asking for sth. with strong feelings 恳求 specific a. definite; not general 明确的;具体的 flee v. run away (from) 逃走;逃离 baseball n. 棒球(运动) bat n. 球棒，球拍 cop n. (informal) policeman noodle n. (usu. pl.) 面条 stiff a. severe 严厉 criminal n. someone who has broken the law 罪犯 penalty n. punishment 惩罚 rage n. great anger 狂怒 contented a. satisfied; happy 满足的 cozy a. warm and comfortable 暖和舒适的 ill-tempered a. (often) angry or annoyed 脾气坏的;易怒的 ado n. trouble and excitement 忙乱 hopeless a. giving no cause for hope; very bad or unskilled 没有希望的;无能的 identification n. 鉴别 identify vt. horrify vt. frighten; shock very much 使恐怖;使震惊 detail n. small, particular fact 细节 matter-of-fact a. concerned with the facts; practical 注重事实的;讲究实际的 sheepish a. foolish or embarrassed by awareness of a fault 局促不安的 trail vi. grow gradually weaker, dimmer, etc. jerk vt. pull or lift suddenly 猛拉;猛抬 replay vt. play (match, recording, etc.) over again 重放 glove n. 手套 last vi. go on relive vt. experience again, esp. in the imagination intelligent a. clever; rational 聪明的;明智的 response n. action done in answer; answer 反应;回答 respond vi. security n. safety, freedom from danger or fear 安全，平安 secure a. illusion n. false perception; (the seeing of) sth. that does not really exist 错觉;幻觉 PHRASES & EXPRESSIONS pull out (of) move out (of) (车，船等)驶出 have (get, catch) hold of 抓住 bring back restore, reintroduce 恢复 clean up clean thoroughly and remove anything unwanted 彻底打扫;整肃 turn out appear; come or go out to see or do sth. 出来，出动 in force in large numbers 大批地，人数众多地 much ado about nothing a lot of unnecessary explaining, of excitement about things not serious or unimportant 无事生非;小题大作 come to reach (a particular point) in explaining, etc. 谈到(某一点) agree on have the same opinion on in detail giving a lot of facts 详细地 trail off (voice, etc.) become gradually weaker and fade into silence (声音等)逐渐变弱 no way 不可能 prepare for get ready for and up 结束，告终 PROPER NAMES Ruth Reichl 露丝.赖克尔 Jeremy 杰里米(男子名) ;
大学英语精读第四册第3课内容详解
导语：地球是一个不规则的球体，但是很多人误以为地球就是圆的，下面是一篇“为什么我们相信地球是圆的”的英语课文，欢迎大家学习。 Text Can you prove that the earth is round? Go ahead and try! Will you rely on your senses or will you have to draw on the opinions of experts? WHY DO WE BELIEVE THAT THE EARTH IS ROUND? George Orwell Somewhere or other — I think it is in the preface to saint Joan — Bernard Shaw remarks that we are more gullible and superstitious today than we were in the Middle Ages, and as an example of modern credulity he cites the widespread belief that the earth is round. The average man, says Shaw, can advance not a single reason for thinking that the earth is round. He merely swallows this theory because there is something about it that appeals to the twentieth-century mentality. Now, Shaw is exaggerating, but there is something in what he says, and the question is worth following up, for the sake of the light it throws on modern knowledge. Just why do we believe that the earth is round? I am not speaking of the few thousand astronomers, geographers and so forth who could give ocular proof, or have a theoretical knowledge of the proof, but of the ordinary newspaper-reading citizen, such as you or me. As for the Flat Earth theory, I believe I could refute it. If you stand by the seashore on a clear day, you can see the masts and funnels of invisible ships passing along the horizon. This phenomenon can only be explained by assuming that the earth's surface is curved. But it does not follow that the earth is spherical. Imagine another theory called the Oval Earth theory, which claims that the earth is shaped like an egg. What can I say against it? Against the Oval Earth man, the first card I can play is the analogy of the sun and moon. The Oval Earth man promptly answers that I don't know, by my own observation, that those bodies are spherical. I only know that they are round, and they may perfectly well be flat discs. I have no answer to that one. Besides, he goes on, what reason have I for thinking that the earth must be the same shape as the sun and moon? I can't answer that one either. My second card is the earth's shadow: When cast on the moon during eclipses, it appears to be the shadow of a round object. But how do I know, demands the Oval Earth man, that eclipses of the moon are caused by the shadow of the earth? The answer is that I don't know, but have taken this piece of information blindly from newspaper articles and science booklets. Defeated in the minor exchanges, I now play my queen of trumps: the opinion of the experts. The Astronomer Royal, who ought to know, tells me that the earth is round. The Oval Earth man covers the queen with his king. Have I tested the Astronomer Royal's statement, and would I even know a way of testing it? Here I bring out my ace. Yes, I do know one test. The astronomers can foretell eclipses, and this suggests that their opinions about the solar system are pretty sound. I am, to my delight, justified in accepting their say-so about the shape of the earth. If the Oval Earth man answers — what I believe is true — that the ancient Egyptians, who thought the sun goes round the earth, could also predict eclipses, then bang goes my ace. I have only one card left: navigation. People can sail ship round the world, and reach the places they aim at, by calculations which assume that the earth is spherical. I believe that finishes the Oval Earth man, though even then he may possibly have some kind of counter. It will be seen that my reasons for thinking that the earth is round are rather precarious ones. Yet this is an exceptionally elementary piece of information. On most other questions I should have to fall back on the expert much earlier, and would be less able to test his pronouncements. And much the greater part of our knowledge is at this level. It does not rest on reasoning or on experiment, but on authority. And how can it be otherwise, when the range of knowledge is so vast that the expert himself is an ignoramus as soon as he strays away from his own specialty? Most people, if asked to prove that the earth is round, would not even bother to produce the rather weak arguments I have outlined above. They would start off by saying that "everyone knows" the earth to be round, and if pressed further, would become angry. In a way Shaw is right. This is a credulous age, and the burden of knowledge which we now have to carry is partly responsible. New Words preface n. an introduction to a book or speech 前言,序 gullible a. easily deceived or cheated esp. into a false belief; credulous 易受骗的;轻信的 superstitious a. full of superstition; believing in superstitions 迷信的 credulity n. a tendency to believe to readily 轻信 cite vt. mention as an example; quote (a passage, book, etc.) 举出;引出 widespread a. found or distributed over a large area 分布广的;普遍的 advance vt. put or bring forward; offer 提出 appeal vi. please, attract or interest 投合所好;有感染力;有吸引力 mentality n. way of thinking, outlook; mental power or capacity 心理,思想;脑力 exaggerate vt. think, speak or write of as greater than is really so; overstate 夸张;夸大 sake n. end, purpose 缘故 geographer n. a specialist in geography ocular a. of, for, by the eyes; based on what has been seen 眼睛的;凭视觉的 theoretical a. of or based on theory citizen n. 公民;市民 refute vt. prove (a statement) to be untrue; prove (a person) to be mistaken 驳斥 mast n. a long upright pole of wood or metal for carrying flags or sails on a ship 桅杆 funnel n. a metal chimney for letting out smoke from a steam engine or steamship (蒸汽机,轮船等的)烟囱 invisible a. that can not be seen horizon n. the line where the sky seems to meet the earth or sea 地平线 phenomenon (pl. phenomena) n. 现象 curve vt. bend so as to form a line that has no straight part 使成曲线 n. a continuously bending line without angles 曲线 follow vi. result or occur as a consequence, effect, or inference 结果产生;得出 spherical a. shaped like a ball 球形的 oval n.& a. (anything which is) egg-shaped 卵形的(东西), 椭圆的(东西) card n. 纸牌 analogy n. comparison of things that have a certain likeness; similarity 类比; 相似 promptly ad. quickly and willingly 敏捷地;迅速地 prompt a. body n. =celestial body 天体 disc n. 圆盘 cast vt. throw or drop; cause (light or shadow) to appear (on) 扔,投; 投射 eclipse n. the total or partial hiding of one celestial body by another (天文学)食 booklet n. a small book, usu. with a paper cover 小册子 exchange vt. give and receive (one thing in return for another) 交换 trump n. 王牌 royal a. for, belonging to, or connected with a king or queen 皇家的; 王室的 statement n. expression in words; a written or spoken declaration, esp. of a formal kind 陈述;声明 ace n. (纸牌中的')"A"牌,爱司 foretell vt. tell beforehand; predict 预言 solar a. of the sun the solar system the sun and the planets which revolve round it justify vt. give a good reason for; show to be just, right or reasonable 证明……是正当的;为…辩护 say-so n. an authoritative pronouncement; one's unsupported assertion 权威性声明;无证据的断言 Egyptian n.,a. (native) of Egypt 埃及人;埃及的 predict vt. announce or tell beforehand; forecast 预言 bang ad. with a sudden loud noise; with a sudden impact 砰地 navigation n. the act or process of navigating 航海 calculation n. the act of adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing to find a result 计算 calculate vt. calculator n. 计算器 counter n. sth. of value in bargaining; a return attack, such as a blow in boxing 讨价还价的本钱;回击，反击 precarious a. insecure; depending upon mere assumption 不安全的;根据不足的，靠不住的 exceptionally ad. unusually authority n. power to influence; power to give orders and make others obey 权威;权力 ignoramus n. an ignorant person 无知的人 stray vi. wander away; (of thoughts or conversation) move away from the subject 走离;离题 specialty n. a special field of work or study 专业 outline vt. indicate the main ideas or facts of n. a systematic listing of the important points of a subject 提纲 press vt. demand or ask for continuously 催促，逼迫 credulous a. tending to believe sth. on little evidence, arising from credulity 轻信的 burden n. sth. difficult to bear; load 重负;负荷 Phrases & Expressions follow up pursue or investigate closely; take further action after (sth.) 深入研究或调查;采取进一步行动 for the sake of for the good or advantage of; for the purpose of 为了…的利益;为了 throw/shed light on make clear; explain 使明白，使明朗;解释 and so forth and so on as for with regard to, concerning 至于 may well (not) be very likely (not) to 完全(不)可能 bring out show; offer to the public 拿出;使显出;推出(新产品等) aim at have as one's target, objective, etc. fall back on turn to for support 求助于 rest on depend on, rely on stray away from wander from; move from 偏离 start off begin; depart in a way to a certain extent; a little; somewhat 在某种程度上 Proper Names Saint Joan 圣女贞德 Bernard Shaw 萧伯纳
