Text A
1. In the United States, for instance,gross domestic product per capita tripled from 1950 to 2000. Life expectancysoared.譬如,在美国,从1950年到2000年国民生产总值翻了3倍。人们的寿命大幅度提高。
gross domestic product国内生产总值,简称GDP,是指在一定时期内(一个季度或一年),一个国家或地区的经济中所生产出的全部最终产品和劳务的价值,常被公认为衡量国家经济状况的最佳指标。国内生产总值是国民生产总值中减去国外投资的净收益。例:
Household consumption is the main component of Gross DomesticProduct (GDP).家庭消费是国内生产总值的主要部分。
gross(尤指金额)总的,毛的,例:
gross margin毛利(没有除去成本的利润)。
life expectancy预期寿命;平均(期望)寿命。例:
Women have a higher life expectancy thanmen.女人比男人的预期寿命长。
soar急升,猛涨;高飞。例:
Shares soared onthe stock exchange.股市的股票价格暴涨。
a soaring imagination不切实际的想象;丰富的想象力。例:
In addition, hewas a man of soaring imagination andwas entranced byhuman nature.除此之外,他还有丰富的想象力,而且对人性有着狂热的追求与兴趣。
2. And even though Americans seemed to workextraordinarily hard, their pursuit of entertainment turned media and leisureinto multibillion-dollar industries.尽管美国人似乎工作起来超乎寻常地努力,但他们对娱乐的追求却使得媒体和休闲成为价值数十亿美元的产业。
句中even thought引导让步状语从句,主句为:their pursuit ofentertainment turned media and leisure into multibillion-dollar industries.
entertainment娱乐;消遣。相关搭配:①give an entertainment to sb.招待某人。例:
They are giving an entertainment to their foreign guests.他们在招待外宾。
②find entertainment in以…为乐。例:
They found entertainment inplundering a rival’s villages, sacking his castles, orholding him to ransom.他们以抢劫对手的村庄、掠夺城堡或者敲诈勒索为乐。
entertainment与pastime的区别:entertainment指通过事先安排好的活动(如演出、晚会等)使感官得到享受。pastime 侧重此类活动起到帮助消磨时间的作用。例:
The hotel hasa varied programme of nightly entertainment.宾馆有各种晚间娱乐活动。
Playing chess ishis favourite pastime.下棋是他最喜爱的消遣。
3. In fact, the percentage of people whosay they are “very happy” has fallen slightly since the early 1970s — eventhough the income of people born in 1940 has, on average, increased by 116percent over the course of their working lives.事实上,那些说自己“非常幸福”的人所占的比例自20世纪70年代以来一直稳中有降——尽管20世纪40年代出生的人的收入在他们的工作生涯中平均增长了116%。
句子的主干为:the percentage of people… has fallen slightly…;who引导定语从句,修饰先行词people;介词since引导时间状语;破折号后为even though引导让步状语从句。
slightly表示“轻微地”,其形容词形式为slight,作形容词意为“轻微的;少量的;瘦小的”,短语in the slightest表示“(用于加强陈述的否定语气)一点也(不)”,例:
I do not mind inthe slightest.我一点儿也不在乎。
slight作动词和名词时意为“不理睬;藐视;冷落”,例:
It isn’t a slight on my husband thatI enjoy myevening class.我喜欢上夜课并非是对丈夫的冷落。
on average通常;大体上;平均起来。例:
On average, American firms remain themost productive inthe world.总体来讲,美国公司在全球范围内还是产值最高。
American shares rose, on average, by38%.美国股票价格平均上涨了38%。
4. Easterlin showed that when it came todeveloped countries, there was no real correlation between a nation’s incomelevel and its citizens’ happiness.伊斯特林表明,就发达国家而言,一个国家的收入和国民的幸福之间没有真正的相互关系。
句子的主干为Easterlin showed…;that从句为show的宾语。
when it comes to当提到…;谈到…。例:
When it comes to music, I’m a complete ignoramus.说到音乐,我完全是个门外汉。
correlation between … and ……与…的联系、关系。例:
There is a direct correlation between exposure to sun and skin cancer.皮肤暴露在太阳下与皮肤癌直接相关。
5. Does our fast assimilation of technological progress mean, then, thattechnology makes no difference?那么,我们对技术进步的快速吸收是否意味着技术没有发挥什么作用呢?
句子的主干为:Does our fastassimilation of technological progress mean that…;that从句为mean的宾语。
assimilation同化;吸收。其动词形式是assimilate,意为“融入;吸收;接纳”。短语assimilate into表示“融入”,例:
His family tried to assimilate intothe white andHispanic communities.他一家人试图融入白人和西班牙裔社区。
make no difference没有影响;都一样。例:
Whether it rains or not makes nodifference to me.下不下雨对我来说都一样。
反义词组make a difference表示“有影响,有关系”,例:
What you have told memay make a difference to my own position.你告诉我的一切,可能影响我自己的看法。
6. Telemarketing, traffic jams, andidentity theft all come to mind.我们马上会想到电话推销、交通阻塞以及身份资料失窃等情况。
come to mind使想到;想起来。例:
His name comes to mind whenyou mention thestrike.当你提到那次罢工时我才想起他的名字。
come to共计;到达;苏醒。例:
These two items of expenditure come tothirty dollars.两项开支共计三十元。
Remain on the way you’re going, andyou’ll soon cometo the town.沿你走的这条路走下去,你很快就会到达那个镇子。
The fainted woman didn’t come toand was sent to the hospital.那昏倒的妇人因为没有苏醒而被送到医院去了。
7. But for the most part, modern critiquesof technology have focused not so much on specific, bad technologies as theimpact of technology on our human relationships.可是,现代的技术评论文章多半都没有把焦点集中在具体的、有害的技术上,而是集中在了技术对人际关系的影响上。
句子的主干为: modern critiques of technologyhave focused not so much on… as…;句中使用了not so much… as…结构,连接focus on的宾语。
for the most part在大多数情况下,在很大程度上;多半。例:
Suffering, for the most part, makes men petty and vindictive.灾难不幸在大多数情况下只能使人们变得心胸狭小,报复心更强。
not so much…as…与其说是…但倒不如说是…,例:
He is not so much a journalist as a writer.与其说他是个新闻工作者,不如说他是个作家。
注意not so much as表示“连…都不肯;甚至不,甚至于没有”。例:
He did not so much as stir a finger.他一点力都不肯出。
8. Some even say that TV is chieflyresponsible for the gradual isolation of Americansfrom each other.一些人甚至说,电视是美国人逐渐相互疏远的罪魁祸首。
句子的主干为:Some even say that…;say后that引导宾语从句。
be responsible for为…负责,形成…的原因;主管。例:
Mike is responsible for designing the entire project.迈克负责设计全部工程。
isolation孤立;隔离。短语in isolation表示“单独地;独自地;脱离…地”,例:
We must onno account viewproblems superficially andin isolation.我们绝不能表面地、孤立地看问题。
Don’t consider thefacts in isolation from others.不要孤立地考虑这些事实。
动词为isolate,意为“使孤立;使隔离”,常用isolate… from…表示“使…与…隔离开来”,例:
You don’t haveto isolate themfrom the community.你没必要把他们与社区隔离。
9. Today, technological change is so rapid thatwhen you buy something, you do so knowing that in a few months there’s going tobe a better, faster version of the product, and that you’re going to be stuckwith the old one.今天的技术变化异常神速,购买某种产品时你就知道,再过几个月,比这个产品性能更好、运作更快的款式就会问世,而你却还得使用旧款式的产品。
句子的主干为:technological change is sorapid that…;句子使用so…that…结构,引导结果状话从句,其中又包含when引导的时间状语从句,现在分词短语knowing…作伴随状话,其后有两个that引导的宾语从句。
be stuck with被…缠住无法摆脱;被迫拥有;不得不接受。例:
It looks asif she’s stuck with the rumors.她是摆脱不了这些流言了。
该短语表示“被迫拥有,不得不接受”时,后常接sth.,而be stuck with sb.表示“被某人缠住”,例:
I’m stuck withmy sister forthe whole day.我一整天都让妹妹给缠住了。
stuck是stick的过去式和过去分词,短语stick in表示“陷进…;铭记在心;经久不忘”,例:
Once you’re stuck in deep snow, it’s difficult tolever yourself out.你一旦陷进深雪中,那就很难出来。
The incident stuck in my mind because itwas the first example I had seen ofracism in that country.这件事一直萦绕在我的脑海里,因为这是我在那个国家看到的首起种族主义实例。
10. It’s as if disappointment were builtinto acquisition from the very beginning.这种失望感仿佛从开始购买这件产品时就已经存在了。
build... into使…成为组成部分。例:
You should build job rotation intoyour career planning.员工应使工作轮换成为其职业规划的一部分。
acquisition在句中表示“购买”,还表示“(公司)收购;(知识等)习得”,例:
He devotes histime to the acquisition ofknowledge.他把时间都花在求知上。
The offer—byfar Google’s largest ever for an acquisition—is63 percent above the closing price of Motorola Mobility shares on Friday.这笔交易是谷歌目前为止规模最大的一次收购,收购价比周五收盘时摩托罗拉移动的股价高出63%。
Text B
1. Usually each one of these two classes ofpeople stresses the advantages or disadvantages oftechnology without taking the time to look at the opposite point of view.这两类人通常都不愿意花时间去考虑对方的观点,而是各自一味地强调技术的长处或短处。
stress表示“强调”,与emphasis的区别是:emphasis指尽力突出的重要性或重点。stress常可与emphasis换用,但侧重指迫不及待地强调或坚持。例:
While in the past westressed aid, nowwe stress economic cooperation.我们过去侧重提供援助,现在强调经济合作。
Grant puts a special emphasis onweather in his paintings.格兰特在他的绘画中特别注重天气。
take time to do sth.花费时间做某事。例:
These plans taketime to come to fruition.这些方案需要时间才能取得成果。
point of view观点;见地;立场。例:
This article converted him to our point ofview.这篇文章使他倾向我们的观点。
2. Itdepends on what we want to do with technology.这要看我们想用它去做什么。
depend on有以下含义:①表示“依赖,依靠”,相当于rely on。例:
All living things depend on the sun for their growth.万物靠太阳生长。
②表示“信赖,相信”,例:
This is an authentic newsreport. We can depend onit.这是篇可靠的新闻报道,我们相信它。
③视…而定。例:
The opportunities available will depend onyour previous workexperience and qualifications.能否有机会要看你的工作经历和学历。
3. Butthe other side of the coin has become already visible.但是,事情的另一面也已经显现出来。
the other side of the coin事情(论点等)的另一面。例:
These findings area reminder thatlow pay is the other side ofthe coin offalling unemployment.这些研究结果提醒人们,失业率下降的另一面是低薪。
two sides of the same coin一个问题的两方面。例:
The minister reportedly stressed that economic andpolitical reforms weretwo sides ofthe same coin.据报道,部长强调经济改革和政治改革是一个问题的两个方面。
coin在句中为名词,作动词时意为“杜撰;创造;暴富”,例:
Jaron Lanier coined the term “virtual reality” and pioneered its early development.杰伦·拉尼尔创造了“虚拟现实”这个词,并成为推动其早期发展的先驱人物。
One wine shopis coining money selling Wembley-label champagne.一家葡萄酒商店正在靠出售威丽牌子的香槟大把大把赚钱。
4. On the other hand, the involvement ofadvanced technical equipment in medicine modified the synthetic andconservative way of thinking into an analytical one.另一方面,在医学研究上,许多方法的使用把综合保守型的思维方式变成了分析型的思维方式。
句子的主干为:the involvement of equipmentmodified the synthetic and conservative way of thinking;句末one指代way of thinking。
modify…into…将…改变成…。例:
You’ll also learn how to modify your OBEXclient application intoa Bluetooth Music Store.您还将学习到如何把OBEX客户机应用程序修改成蓝牙音乐商店。
modify A by B 通过B来改变A。例:
If you don’t want thedefault behavior, youcan always modify it by annotations on the methods.如果您不想要这种默认行为,那么可以通过在方法上加注解来修改。
5. Fightingface to face needs some values which do not exist in the case where someonepresses a button and directs the modern means.面对面打仗需要某些价值观,而在一个人按动按钮并指挥现代化武器装备的情况下,这些价值观是不存在的。
句子的主干为:Fighting face to face needssome values;which引导定话从句,先行词是values,其中又包含where引导定语从句修饰the case。
direct在句中为动词,意为“指挥”,常用搭配direct…at含义如下:
①把…指向;把…对准。例:
I directed theextinguisher at the fire without effect.我把灭火器对准了火焰,但没起作用。
②使(注意力、情感、行为等)转向;把…引向;冲…而来,例:
Do not be surprised if,initially, she directs her anger at you.如果一上来她就冲你发火,不必惊讶。
The abuse wasdirected at the TV crews.这些辱骂是冲着电视台的工作人员来的。
6. I strongly believe that it is time forus to understand that the responsibility belongs exclusivelyto humans who have to acquire a social conscience, to respect human beings,nature and its balances.我坚信,现在是我们明白这个道理的时候了:确保技术造福人类的责任只能由具有社会良知、尊重人类、尊重自然和自然平衡的那些人来承担。
句子的主干为:I strongly believe that…;that引导宾话从句,其中understand后又接that引导的宾语从句;其中who引导定语从句,修饰humans。
belong to属于;与…有关;是…的一部分;出自于。例:
The house hadbelonged to her family forthree or four generations.这套房子归她们家有三四代人了。
They established thatthebody belonged to a 15-year-old girl.他们确定这是一具15岁女孩的尸体。
The picturesbelong to an era when there was a preoccupation with high society.这些画出自一个人人向往上流社会的时代。
exclusively的形容词为exclusive,意为“独有的;高档的;高级的”,例:
The City wascriticised for being too exclusive and uncompetitive.伦敦城被指责过于奢华和缺乏竞争力。
Our group willhave exclusive use of a 60-foot boat.我们小组将独用一条60英尺长的船。
be exclusive of不包括…的;不含…的。例:
All charges forservice are exclusive of value added tax.所有服务费都不包括增值税。
be mutually exclusive相互排斥的;互不相容的。例:
They both havelearnt that ambition and successful fatherhood can be mutually exclusive.他们两个人都认识到了追求理想和做个好父亲不能两者兼顾。