大学英语Book2 Unit 6.docx

1、大学英语Book2 Unit 6 Unit 6 Less is moreSection A Door closer, are you?Background information1 Xiang YuXiang Yu (232 BC-202 BC) was a prominent military leader and political figure during the late Qin Dynasty. In 207 BC, Xiang Yu led the Chu rebel forces to victory at the Battle of Julu（巨鹿之战）against the

2、 Qin armies. After the fall of the Qin Dynasty, Xiang Yu proclaimed himself “Hegemon-King of Western Chu”（西楚霸王） and ruled a vast area of land covering parts of present-day Shanxi, Henan, Hubei, Hunan and Jiangsu. He engaged Liu Bang, the founding emperor of the Han Dynasty, in a long struggle for po

3、wer, known as the Chu-Han Contention（楚汉之争）that concluded with his eventual defeat and suicide at the bank of the Wu River.2 the Battle of JuluThe battle was fought in Julu (in present-day Xingtai, Hebei, 现今的河北邢台) primarily between forces of the Qin Dynasty and the insurgent（谋叛的）state of Chu. The Bat

4、tle of Julu marked the decline of Qins military power. In 207 BC, Xiang Yus army advanced towards Julu and successfully crossed the Zhang River（漳河）, which separated them from Julu, to attack the Qin forces. After crossing the Zhang River, Xiang Yu ordered his men to sink all their boats and break th

5、eir cooking pots, leaving only a three-day supply of food for each soldier. He warned them that there was no way to retreat; the only thing they could do to survive was to advance and fight. Xiang Yus boat burning strategy gave his men no choice but to do forward to fight with skill and passion. Aft

6、er nine long fierce battles, the Qin army was finally defeated. The battle of Julu was of crucial importance in overthrowing the Qin Dynasty, and it has been known as the battle of “Smashing the Cauldrons and Sinking the Boats”（破釜沉舟）. This idiom is now used to indicate ones firm determination to ach

7、ieve ones goal at any cost.3 behavioral economicsBehavioral economics is an interdisciplinary school subject of economics and psychology, which studies the effect of social, cognitive and emotional factors on the economic decisions of individuals and institutions, and the consequences for market pri

8、ces, returns and resource allocation.Detailed study of the text1 The next time youre deciding between rival options, one which is primary and the other which is primary and the other which is secondary, ask yourself this question: What would Xiang Yu do? (Para.1)Meaning: The next time when you are t

9、o make a choice between two competing options , you have to distinguish which is the primary one and which is the minor one. To be enlightened, you ask yourself what option XiangYu would choose.Meaning beyond words: It suggests that XiangYu was a wonderful decision-maker.Note: The phrase rival optio

10、ns means that both options seem like good choice , but one choice is somewhat better than the other. In this case, it is the one That XiangYu chose to implement.rival:a.(only before noun) used about a person or group that competes against sb. or sth. else 竞争的；对抗的Fierce fighting broke out between the

11、 rival groups. 敌对集团之间爆发了激烈的战斗。n. C a person ,group, or organization that you compete with sport, business, a fight, etc. 对手；竞争者Having good international contacts gives the company a competitive advantage over its rivals. 良好的国际社会关系使该公司具备了超过其对手的竞争优势。secondary: a. not as important as sth. else 次要的；从属的O

12、ur fathers health is what matters, and the cost of his treatment is if secondary importance. 我们父亲的健康是最重要的，他的治疗费用是次要的。2 Xiang Yu was a Chinese imperial general in the third century BC who took his troops across the Zhang River on a raid into enemy territory. (Para.2)Meaning: XiangYu was an ancient Ch

13、inese general in the third century BC. He led his troops across the Zhang River to attack the enemy in its territory.imperial: a.(only before noun) relating to an empire or to the person who rules it 帝国的；皇帝的In our World History class today, we studied Britains expansion in the 19th century. 在今天的世界历史

14、课上，我们学了十九世纪英帝国的扩张。raid:n C. a short attack on place by soldiers, planes, or ships, intended to cause damage but not take control 突袭；袭击They made (staged/carried out) a daring raid on the enemy. 他们对敌人进行了大胆的袭击。vt. make a sudden military attack on a place (军队)突然袭击police raided five houses in southeast L

15、ondon and recovered stolen goods. 警方突击搜查了伦敦东南部的五所房屋，并追回了被盗货物。territory:C,U land that is owned or controlled by a particular country, ruler, or military force 领土；版图；领地They have still refusing to withdraw troops from the occupied territories. 他们仍然拒绝从被占领土撤军。3 To his troops astonishment, he ordered thei

16、r cooking pots crushed and their sailing ships burned. (Para.2)Meaning beyond words: To make sure his troops would win the battle quickly, Xiang Yu ordered the soldiers to crush their cooking pots and burn their sailing boats after he led his troops across the Zhang River to attack the enemy. This w

17、ay, he closed the door for retreating from the enemys territory and sent out a clear message to his men that they only had two choices: to win the battle or die in the battle. However, his decision was obviously against normal practice, which greatly shocked his troops.4 He explained that he was imp

18、osing on them a necessity for attaining victory over their opponents. (Para.3)Meaning beyond words: By having their cooking pots crushed and their sailing ships burned, Xiang Yu put his troops in such a desperate condition that they wouldnt have any hope to escape but fight to survive and eventually

19、 win the battle. In order words, Xiang Yu gave his troops only one option.imposes sth. on sb.: force sb. to have the same ideas, beliefs, etc. as you 将强加于To discourage people from smoking, very high taxes have recently been imposed on cigarettes. 为了阻止人们吸烟，最近已对香烟征收了很高的税。opponent : n. C1) sb. who you

20、try to defeat in a competition, game fight, or argument (竞争、比赛等的)敌手，对手He was a tough opponent in debate. 他是个很强硬的辩论对手。2）sb. who disagrees with a plan, idea, or system and tried to stop or change it 反对者Leading opponents of proposed cuts in defense spending will meet later today. 建议削减国防开支的主要反对者会在今天的晚些时

21、候见面。Usage NOTE rival, opponent rival和opponent都可以用作名词，都可以表示“对手”，但两者有区别。1 rival指在同一领域中为相同目标相竞争或相匹敌的对手。例如：The United States biggest rival in technological advancement is Japan.在技术进步方面，美国最大的对手是日本。2 opponent指在某次的竞赛或某个场合直接面对的对手。例如：Hes the best opponent Ive come across this season, a great player.他是我本赛季遇到的

22、最出色的对手，一位了不起的运动员。比较：The Los Angeles Lakers biggest rival is the Boston Celtics.洛杉矶湖人队最大的对手是波士顿凯尔特人队。（指湖人队一直与凯尔特人队在争高低，其竞争对手多年来一直是凯尔特人队。）The Los Angeles Lakers opponent in 2010 NBA Finals is the Boston Celtics.洛杉矶湖人队在2010年NBA总决赛中的对手是波士顿凯尔特人队。（指在2010 年NBA决赛中湖人队的竞争对手是凯尔特人队。）3 opponent不能用作动词，rival可用作动词，

23、表示“竞争；与相匹敌”。例如：Ships cant rival aircraft for speed.轮船在速度方面无法与飞机匹敌。5 What he said was surely motivating, but it wasnt really appreciated by many of his loyal soldiers as they wanted their vessels go up in flames. (Para.3)Meaning: Xiang Yus order of crushing the cooking pots and burning the sailing sh

24、ips was definitely inspiring to his troops, but it was hardly valued by his faithful soldiers, who watched their boats burning.motivate: vt. make sb. feel determined to do sth. or enthusiastic about doing it 激励；激发的积极性The companys profit-sharing plan is designed to motivate its staff to work hard. 该公

25、司的利润分红计划旨在激励员工努力工作。loyal: a. always supporting your friends, principles, country, etc. 忠贞的；忠实的；忠诚的When all her other friends deserted her, Steve still remained loyal. 当其他朋友都抛弃她时，史蒂夫仍对她保持忠诚。go up in flames: suddenly begin burning in a way that is difficult to control 突然着火The factory went up in flames

26、 last night. 昨晚工厂突然着火了6 But the genius of General Xiang Yus conviction would be validated both on the battlefield and in modern social science research. (Para.3)Meaning: However, the high level of intelligence expressed in his strong belief would prove to be correct on the battlefield as well as in

27、modern social science research.genius: n.1) U a very high level of intelligence, mental skill, or ability, which only a few people have 天才；天赋During his childhood, the genius of this scientist went unrecognized. 这位科学家的天赋在他童年时代并未被发现。2）U sb. who has an unusually high level of intelligence, mental skill

28、, or ability 有天才的人；天才人物 A real comic genius stimulates not only laughter but also thought. 一个真正的喜剧天才不但能引发笑声而且会引发思考。conviction: n.C a very strong belief or opinion 坚定的信仰（主张）The foreign minister of this small country is a woman of strong political conviction这个小国家的外交部长是一位有坚定政治信仰的女性。validate: vt. (fml.)

29、 prove that sth. is true or correct, or make a document or agreement officially and legally acceptable 证实；使生效；使合法化Many scientists hesitate to accept the outcome and decide to wait until the results of the study are validated by future research. 许多科学家对接受这个研究结果犹豫不决，决定等待结果被今后的研究证实后再说。Note The word batt

30、lefield is a compound word, which is the combination of two nouns: battle and field. There are more example of this kind of compound words: armchair, bedtime, birdhouse, birthplace, bookstore, etc. The meaning of many words from such a combination is easy to guess: battlefield-a place where a battle

31、 is being fought or has been fought. For example:They carried the wounded soldiers from the battlefield. 他们把伤员从战场上抬了下来。7 General Xiang Yu was a rare exception to the norm, a veteran leader who has highly respected for his many conquests and who achieved the summit of success. (Para.3)Meaning: What X

32、iang Yu did was quite different from what was usually practiced. As an experienced leader, he was very much respected by his soldiers for his many amazing accomplishments, and his highest level of success.Note The word norm means ”the usual or normal situation, way of doing sth., etc”. Here it refers to a situation in which other commanders would surely do: Keep more options.exception: n. C,U sth. or sb. that is different in some way from other people or things and so cannot be included in a ge