大学英语精读课文第一册.doc

大学英语精读课文第一册.doc

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大学英语精读课文第一册

UNIT1.HowtoImproveYourStudyHabits

Wanttoknowhowtoimproveyourgradeswithouthavingtospendmoretimestudying?

Soundstoogoodtobetrue?

Well,readon...

HowtoImproveYourStudyHabits

Perhapsyouareanaveragestudentwithaverageintelligence.Youdowellenoughinschool,butyouprobablythinkyouwillneverbeatopstudent.Thisisnotnecessarilythecase,however.Youcanreceivebettergradesifyouwantto.Yes,evenstudentsofaverageintelligencecanbetopstudentswithoutadditionalwork.Here'show:

1.Planyourtimecarefully.Makealistofyourweeklytasks.Thenmakeascheduleorchartofyourtime.Fillincommittedtimesuchaseating,sleeping,meetings,classes,etc.Thendecideongood,regulartimesforstudying.Besuretosetasideenoughtimetocompleteyournormalreadingandworkassignments.Ofcourse,studyingshouldn'toccupyallofthefreetimeontheschedule.It'simportanttosetasidetimeforrelaxation,hobbies,andentertainmentaswell.Thisweeklyschedulemaynotsolveallofyourproblems,butitwillmakeyoumoreawareofhowyouspendyourtime.Furthermore,itwillenableyoutoplanyouractivitiessothatyouhaveadequatetimeforbothworkandplay.

2.Findagoodplacetostudy.Chooseoneplaceforyourstudyarea.Itmaybeadeskorachairathomeorintheschoollibrary,butitshouldbecomfortable,anditshouldnothavedistractions.Whenyoubegintowork,youshouldbeabletoconcentrateonthesubject.

3.Skimbeforeyouread.Thismeanslookingoverapassagequicklybeforeyoubegintoreaditmorecarefully.Asyoupreviewthematerial,yougetsomeideaofthecontentandhowitisorganized.Laterwhenyoubegintoreadyouwillrecognizelessimportantmaterialandyoumayskipsomeoftheseportions.Skimminghelpsdoubleyourreadingspeedandimprovesyourcomprehensionaswell.

4.Makegooduseofyourtimeinclass.Listeningtowhattheteachersaysinclassmeanslessworklater.Sitwhereyoucanseeandhearwell.Takenotestohelpyourememberwhattheteachersays.

5.Studyregularly.Gooveryournotesassoonasyoucanafterclass.Reviewimportantpointsmentionedinclassaswellaspointsyouremainconfusedabout.Readaboutthesepointsinyourtextbook.Ifyouknowwhattheteacherwilldiscussthenextday,skimandreadthatmaterialtoo.Thiswillhelpyouunderstandthenextclass.Ifyoureviewyournotesandtextbookregularly,thematerialwillbecomemoremeaningfulandyouwillrememberitlonger.Regularreviewleadstoimprovedperformanceontest.

6.Developagoodattitudeabouttests.Thepurposeofatestistoshowwhatyouhavelearnedaboutasubject.Theworldwon'tendifyoudon'tpassatest,sodon'tworryexcessivelyaboutasingletest.Testsprovidegrades,buttheyalsoletyouknowwhatyouneedtospendmoretimestudying,andtheyhelpmakeyourknowledgepermanent.

Thereareothertechniquesthatmighthelpyouwithyourstudying.Onlyafewhavebeenmentionedhere.Youwillprobablydiscovermanyothersafteryouhavetriedthese.Talkwithyourclassmatesabouttheirstudytechniques.Sharewiththemsomeofthetechniquesyouhavefoundtobehelpful.Improvingyourstudyhabitswillimproveyourgrades.

UNIT2.SailingRoundtheWorld

Atsixty-fiveFrancisChichestersetouttosailsingle-handedroundtheworld.Thisisthestoryofthatadventure.

SailingRoundtheWorld

Beforehesailedroundtheworldsingle-handed,FrancisChichesterhadalreadysurprisedhisfriendsseveraltimes.Hehadtriedtoflyroundtheworldbutfailed.Thatwasin1931.

Theyearspassed.Hegaveupflyingandbegansailing.Heenjoyeditgreatly.Chichesterwasalready58yearsoldwhenhewonthefirstsolotransatlanticsailingrace.Hisolddreamofgoingroundtheworldcameback,butthistimehewouldsail.Hisfriendsanddoctorsdidnotthinkhecoulddoit,ashehadlungcancer.ButChichesterwasdeterminedtocarryouthisplan.InAugust,1963,attheageofnearlysixty-five,anagewhenmanymenretire,hebeganthegreatestvoyageofhislife.Soon,hewasawayinthisnew16-metreboat,GipsyMoth.

Chichesterfollowedtherouteofthegreatnineteenthcenturyclipperships.Buttheclippershadhadplentyofcrew.Chicheaterdiditallbyhimself,evenafterthemainsteeringdevicehadbeendamagedbygales.Chichestercovered14,100milesbeforestoppinginSydney,Australia.Thiswasmorethantwicethedistanceanyonehadpreviouslysailedalone.

HearrivedinAustraliaon12December,just107daysoutfromEngland.HereceivedawarmwelcomefromtheAustraliansandfromhisfamilywhohadflowntheretomeethim.Onshore,Chichestercouldnotwalkwithouthelp.Everybodysaidthesamething:

hehaddoneenough;hemustnotgoanyfurther.Buthedidnotlisten.

AfterrestinginSydneyforafewweeks,Chichestersetoffoncemoreinspiteofhisfriends'attemptstodissuadehim.Thesecondhalfofhisvoyagewasbyfarthemoredangerouspart,duringwhichhesailedroundthetreacherousCapeHorn.

On29JanuaryheleftAustralia.Thenextnight,theblackesthehadeverknown,theseabecamesoroughthattheboatalmostturnedover.Food,clothes,andbrokenglasswereallmixedtogether.Fortunately,bedandwenttosleep.Whenhewokeup,theseahadbecomecalmthenearestpersonhecouldcontactbyradio,unlesstherewasashipnearby,Wildbeonanisland885milesaway.

AftersucceedinginsailingroundCapeHorn,ChichestersentthefollowingradiomessagetoLondon:

"IfeelasifIhadwakenedfromanightmare.WildhorsescouldnotdragmedowntoCapeHornandthatsinisterSouthernOceanagain."

Justbefore9o'clockonSundayevening28May,1967,hearrivedbackinEngland,whereaquarterofamillionpeoplewerewaitingtowelcomehim.QueenElizabethIIknightedhimwiththeveryswordthatQueenElizabethIhadsailedroundtheworldforthefirsttime.ThewholevoyagefromEnglandandbackhadcovered28,500miles.Ithadtakenhimninemonths,ofwhichthesailingtimewas226days.Hehaddonewhathewantedtoaccomplish.

Likemanyotheradventurers,Chichesterhadexperiencedfearandconqueredit.Indoingso,hehadundoubtedlylearntsomethingabouthimself.Moreover,inthemodernagewhenhumanbeingsdependsomuchonmachines,hehadgivenmenthroughouttheworldnewpride.

UNIT3.ThePresent

Theysaythatbloodisthickerthanwater,thatourrelativesaremoreimportanttousthanothers.Everyonewassokindtotheoldladyonherbirthday.Surelyherdaughterwouldmakeanevenbiggerefforttopleasehe?

ThePresent

Itwastheoldlady'sbirthday.

Shegotupearlytobereadyforthepost.Fromthesecondfloorflatshecouldseethepostmanwhenhecamedownthestreet,andthelittleboyfromthegroundfloorbroughtupherlettersontherareoccasionswhenanythingcame.

Todayshewassurethewouldbesomething.Myrawouldn'tforgethermother'sbirthday,evenifsheseldomwroteatothertimes.OfcourseMyrawasbusy.HerhusbandhadbeenmadeMayor,andMyraherselfhadgotamedalforherworktheaged.

TheoldladywasproudofMyra,butEnidwasthedaughtersheloved.Enidhadnevermarried,buthadseemedcontenttolivewithhermother,andteachinaprimaryschoolroundthecorner.

Oneevening,however,Enidsaid,"I'vearrangedforMrs.Morrisontolookafteryouforafewdays,Mother.TomorrowIhavetogointohospital--justaminoroperation,I'llsoonbehome."

Inthemorningshewent,butnevercameback--shediedontheoperatingtable.Myracametothefuneral,andinherefficientwayarrangedforMrs.Morrisontocomeinandlightthefireandgivetheoldladyherbreakfast.

Twoyearsagothatwas,andsincethenMyrahadbeentoseehermotherthreetimes,butherhusbandnever.

Theoldladywaseighttoday.Shehadputonherbestdress.Perhaps--perhapsMyramightcome.Afterall,eightywasaspecialbirthday,anotherdecadelinedorenduredjustasyouchosetolookatit.

EvenifMyradidnotcome,shewouldsendapresent.Theoldladywassureofthat.Twospotsofcolourbrightenedhercheeks.Shewasexcited--likeachild.Shewouldenjoyherday.

YesterdayMrs.Morrisonhadgiventheflatanextraclean,andtodayshehadbroughtacardandabunchofmarigoldswhenshecametodothebreakfast.Mrs.Grantdownstairshadmadeacake,andintheafternoonshewasgoingdowntheretotea.Thelittleboy,Johnnie,hadbeenupwithapacketofmints,andsaidhewouldn'tgoouttoplayuntiltheposthadcome.

"Iguessyou'llgetlotsandlotsofpresents,"hesaid,"IdidlastwerewhenIwassix."

Whatwouldshelike?

Apairofslippersperhaps.Oranewcardigan.Acardiganwouldbelovely.Blue'ssuchaprettycolour.Jimhadalwayslikedherinblue.Oratablelamp.Orabook,atravelbook,withpictures,oralittleclock,withclearblacknumbers.Somanylovelythings.

Shestoodbythewindow,watching.Thepostmanturnedroundthecorneronhisbicycle.Herheartbeatfast.Johnniehadseenhimtooandrantothegate.

Thenclatter,clatterupthestairs.Johnnieknockedatherdoor.

"Granny,granny,"heshouted,"I'vegotyourpost."

Hegaveherfourenvelopes.Threewereunsealedcardsfromoldfriends.Thefourthwassealed,inMyra'swriting.Theoldladyfeltapangofdisappointment.

"Noparcel,Johnnie?

"

"No,granny."

Maybetheparcelwastoolargetocomebyletterpost.Thatwasit.Itwouldcomelaterbyparcelpost.Shemustbepatient.

Almostreluctantlyshetoretheenvelopeopen.Foldedinthecardwasapieceofpaper.Writtenontheca