2020新牛津译林版高中英语第一册Unit 1 Back to school
Reading
Realizing your potential
Hello, everyone! Welcome to senior high school! Today is the start of a new term, the start of a three-year journey and the start of a promising future.
I can’t wait to describe to you what senior high school life is like. The path before you leads to a world full of challenges: a new environment, new knowledge and new ways of thinking. However, for those of you with a positive mind, opportunity lies in each challenge. When you rise to the challenges, you will have the opportunity to acquire great knowledge and enjoy personal growth. Most importantly, your time and effort at senior high school will open the door to your potential.
“What is potential?” you may ask. Put simply, potential is your natural ability that can be developed when you try hard enough. Who knows what beautiful works of art you will create, what medical advances you will make or what amazing technologies you will develop! The possibilities are endless, and I have confidence in your ability to make a difference to your family, to your community and to your country. Over the next three years, you will discover your potential while you develop as a student and as a person.
To fully realize your potential, it is important for you to make the most of our school resources. Take advantage of your classes, learn from your teachers and classmates, and make use of our school facilities. There are also a lot of school activities for you. Join a club or two, and take an active part in different sports.
Of equal importance are good study habits, useful skills and a positive attitude. Carefully plan your study, set clear goals and balance your schoolwork with other activities. As a senior high school student, you must make efforts to improve your communication and problem-solving skills. Last but not least, always look on the bright side and never lose hope, even in difficult situations. In time you will find yourself growing into a well-rounded individual.
As Lao-Tzu wisely said, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” You need to make a continuous effort to train your mind and develop your character. Senior high school will help you learn and grow, yet you alone are responsible for realizing your great potential. Be confident, do your best and make us proud!
Extended reading
School life in the UK
Last year, I had the chance to study at a British secondary school as an exchange student. I stayed with a lovely host family and went to school with their son, Daniel. We were both in year ten and we got on well. He is learning Chinese and will come to stay with me this year in China! The British school day begins at 9 a.m. and ends at 4 p.m. Students usually have to learn nine subjects at secondary school. Every student in the UK must study English, Maths and the Science
subjects: Biology, Chemistry and Physics. Students can also choose to study other subjects, such as History, Art and Business.
The classes are different from those in China. Each teacher has their own classroom and the students move around for every lesson. In most of my classes, there were only about 20 students. In the beginning, however, it was still tough for me to remember everyone’s name!
I enjoyed most of the classes, but some of them were quite challenging. Technology classes were fun. I made a clock to take home. The teacher helped me put the parts together. I like it so much that I still use it as my alarm! I found Maths quite easy and enjoyable because the material was less advanced in the UK than in China.
However, learning in English was a great challenge for me. There were a lot of difficult English words, especially in Geography and Biology. Class discussion is very important in the UK, but I could not make much of a contribution because sometimes I wasn’t able to express myself clearly in English. Although there was not as much homework as I was used to, it was still challenging. Fortunately, my teachers and classmates were always helpful and gave me lots of encouragement.My language skills improved over time.
During the hour-long lunchtime, I ate in the school dining hall. There were lots of options including bread and butter, chicken pie and puddings, but I still missed my mum’s cooking! After lunch, I often played on the school’s huge sports field with Daniel and his friends. Sometimes we just relaxed under a tree or sat on the grass. After school, there were many clubs to join. The one that attracted me most was the Rugby Club. We played once a week, and it was really fun. Also, I enjoyed acting in the Theatre Club. I still have photos of myself acting in William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Joining clubs was a great way to meet British students and make friends with them.
I am glad to have the opportunity to experience this different way of life. I met some great people and learnt a lot about school life in the UK. Daniel and his family were fantastic hosts, and his friends were very nice as well. I can’t wait for Daniel to visit China!
Unit 1单词
potential /p??ten?l/ n. 潜力；可能性adj. 潜在的，可能的 (2) senior /?si?n??(r)/ adj. 中学的（招收 11 或13 岁以上学生）；级别高的；高级水平的；老年的n. 级别（或地位）较高者；较…年长的人；高水平运动员 (2) path /pɑ?θ/ n. 道路；小路；成功的途径 (2) challenge /?t??l?nd?/ n. & vt. 挑战；质疑 (2) thinking /?θ??k??/ n. 思维，思想；想法 (2)
positive /?p?z?t?v/ adj. 积极乐观的；良好的，正面的 (2) opportunity /??p??tju?n?ti/ n. 机会，时机 (2) lie in 存在，在于 (2) rise to 能够处理 (2)
acquire /??kwa??(r)/ vt. 获得，得到 (2) effort /?ef?t/ n. 努力，费力的事；试图 (2)
advance /?d?vɑ?ns/ n. 进步，进展；前进，行进vt. & vi. 发展，进步 (3) amazing /??me?z??/ adj. 令人大为惊奇的，令人惊喜的 (3) confidence /?k?nf?d?ns/ n. 信心，信任；把握 (3)
make a difference 起作用，有影响 (3) make the most of 充分利用，尽情享受 (3) resource /r??s??s/ n. 资源；资料；谋略 (3) take advantage of 利用 (3)
facility /f??s?l?ti/ n. 设施，设备；场所 (3)
equal /?i?kw?l/ adj. 相同的，相等的；平等的；相当的，能胜任的n. 同等的人（物）vt. 与…相等；比得上 (3)
attitude /??t?tju?d/ n. 态度，看法 (3) goal /ɡ??l/ n. 目标；进球得分 (3) balance /?b?l?ns/ vt. 同等重视；（使）保持平衡；权衡重要性n. 均衡，平衡；平衡能力 (3) improve /?m?pru?v/ vt. & vi. 改进，改善 (3) last but not least 最后但同样重要的 (3)
well-rounded /?wel ?ra?nd?d/ adj. 全面发展的；面面俱到的 (3) individual /??nd??v?d?u?l/ n. 个人adj. 单独的，个别的 (3)
character /?k?r?kt?(r)/ n. 品质，性格；特点；人物，角色；文字 (3) responsible /r??sp?ns?bl/ adj. 有责任，负责；可靠的 (3) ahead /??hed/ adv. （时间、空间）向前；提前 (5)
junior /?d?u?ni?(r)/ adj. （学校）为 11 或 13岁以下儿童设立的；地位（或级别）低的；青少年的n. 职位较低者；青少年运动员 (5)
forward /?f??w?d/ adv. 向将来；向前；进展，前进 (5) look forward to 盼望，期待 (5)
independent /??nd??pend?nt/ adj. 自主的，有主见的；自立的 (5) focus /?f??k?s/ n. 焦点，重点vt. & vi. 集中 (6) detail /?di?te?l/ n. 细节；具体情况 (6) as a result of 由于 (6)
tip /t?p/ n. 指点，实用的提示；尖端；小费 (7)
base /be?s/ vt. 以…为基础（依据）n. 根据；基础；基底；总部，大本营 (7) remind /r??ma?nd/ vt. 提醒，使想起 (7) stick to 坚持；固守，维持 (7)
proposal /pr??p??zl/ n. 提议，建议，动议 (9)
aim /e?m/ n. 目的，目标vi. & vt. 力争做到；目的是；针对 (9) style /sta?l/ n. 风格；方式；样式 (9)
technique /tek?ni?k/ n. 技巧，技艺；技能 (9)
workshop /?w??k??p/ n. 研讨会，讲习班；车间，作坊 (9)
professional /pr??fe??nl/ adj. 职业的，专业的；有职业的；娴熟的，精通业务的n. 专门人员，专业人士 (9)
material /m??t??ri?l/ n. 材料；素材adj. 物质的，实际的；客观存在的 (9) poster /?p??st?(r)/ n. 海报；（在网络留言板上）发布消息的人 (9) secondary /?sek?ndri/ adj. 中学的；次要的 (11)
exchange /?ks?t?e?nd?/ n. & vt. 交换；交流；兑换 (11)
host /h??st/ n. 主人；东道主；主持人vt. 主办；主持 (11) a.m. /?e? ?em/ 上午，午前 (11) p.m. /?pi? ?em/ 下午，午后 (11) biology /ba???l?d?i/ n. 生物学 (11)
2020新牛津译林版高中英语模块一 Unit 1 reading与词汇
