an explanatory paragraph.解释的段落
40. prefatory adj. Of, relating to, or constituting a preface; introductory. 序言的，开场白的; 序言的、与序言有关的或组成序言的；开场白的
41. motivate v. To provide with an incentive; move to action; impel. 提供动机; 给予（某人做…的）动机；使行动；推动; 激发
2) Explanation of the Text
1. There is no more irritating fellow than the man who tries to settle an argument about communism, or justice, or liberty, by quoting from Webster.: The most annoying person is the man who tries to solve an argument about communism, or justice, or liberty, by citing the definitions from a Webster dictionary.
没有比那个靠引用韦伯斯特（词典）来解决关于共产主义、正义、或自由的争论的人更烦人的了。 2. lexicographer: n. a person who writes and edits dictionaries as his profession
3. …, but they are not the ultimate founts of wisdom.: …, but Webster and all his fellow lexicographers are not
the inexhaustible sources of wisdom. (or: …, but Webster and all his fellow lexicographers are not the only men who are full of wise thoughts and words.) fount: n. source
e.g. That old man is a fount of wisdom.
The Encyclopedia Britannica is a fount of knowledge.
4. They are no Supreme Court to which we can appeal for a decision of those fundamental controversies which, despite the warnings of semanticists, get us involved with abstract words.: Webster and his fellow lexicographers are not the final authorities that we can turn to for settling those fundamental arguments among us about the accurate meanings of abstract words, though we are warned by those linguists who treat meanings in language against the attempt to seek for the exact meanings of abstract words. appeal for: make a special request for (usu. money or behavior)
e.g. The international of organization is appealing for more money to help people suffering from the floods in
the East.
The two drivers whose cars had crashed appealed for help from passing motorists.
5. It is well to remember that the dictionary‘s authority can, for obvious reasons, be surer in the field of concrete words, and even in the field of the abstract technical words of science, than it ever can be with respect to philosophical words.: It is advisable (or: desirable) to remember that the dictionary‘s authority is obviously very sure of the meanings of concrete words as well as those abstract ones of science and technology, but is not equally sure of philosophical words.
值得牢记的是， 由于种种显而易见的理由，词典权威在具体词汇、甚至抽象的科技词汇的领域要比他在哲学词汇的领域更具权威性。 well: adj. advisable, desirable
e.g. It might be well for you to leave.
with respect to or in respect to: in connection with, related to, about, on
e.g. The teacher told stories about Washington and Lincoln in respect to the importance of being honest. There was no shortage with respect to food.
6. Yet these words are indispensable if we are going to talk, read or write about the things that matter most.: However, these philosophical words are essential to speaking, reading or writing about the things that are the most important.
7. Don‘t swallow the dictionary.: Don‘t try to learn everything in the dictionary by heart.
8. Don‘t try to get word-rich quick, by memorizing a lot of fancy words whose meanings are unconnected with any actual experience.: Don‘t attempt to enlarge your vocabulary overnight simply by memorizing plenty of words that are more ornamental than practical and whose exact meanings are difficult to be pinned down
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without the context of real life experiences.
不要试图以死记硬背大量与实际经验脱节的漂亮词汇来迅速扩大词汇量。 9. Merely verbal knowledge is almost worse than no knowledge at all.
只有词汇知识，简直比没有知识更糟。
10. If learning consisted in nothing but knowing the meanings of words, we could abolish all our courses of study,
and substitute the dictionary for every other sort of book.
如果学问只在于了解词汇的意义，那我们就可以废除所有的课程，用词典去取代一切其他的书籍。 consist in: be found in (something), have (something) as its main part
e.g. Education does not consist in forcing students to learn lists of uninteresting facts. The beauty of this picture consists in its balance of colors. nothing but: only
substitute for: use (something) to replace (something else), take the place of
e.g. If you substitute the writer‘s work for your own, you could be in serious trouble. I need someone to substitute for me at the meeting.
11. But no one except a pedant or a fool would regard it as profitable or wise to read the dictionary from cover to
cover.
但是，除了书呆子或傻瓜外，没人会认为从头至尾地熟读词典是有益或明智的。 pendant: n. bookworm, plodding scholar, ostentatious man of learning e.g. Is the professor really a brilliant scholar or just a pedant? from cover to cover: from beginning to end e.g. She reads the book from cover to cover.
12. in short: on the whole, in brief, in a word, in summary
e.g. John is smart, polite, and well-behaved. In short, he is admirable.
The single-minded pursuit of wealth --- in short, materialism --- does not fit into my way of life.
13. … to prove that human arguments always reduce to verbal differences.: … to prove that the arguments among
people on certain topics always change into the discussions about the differences of words. reduce to: simplify, change into a different and less complicated form e.g. Every building in the area was reduced to rubble.
We can reduce his remarks to a single statement of fact.
stick to: keep to, limit oneself to (something) without wandering or changing the subject e.g. Please stick to the facts, don‘t guess.
When writing an article, stick to one style throughout. 14. assign: v. give, allot
e.g. She kept calling him up to assign some new task to him. Mother and father play out the roles assigned to them. 15. vehemently: adv. fiercely, hotly, heatedly
16. The experiment showed that discussions may start about the meanings of words, but that, when interest in the problem is aroused, they seldom end there.: The linguistic experiment conducted by a Scandinavian university showed that discussions may start well with the verbal meanings but can change into talking about something other than the meanings of words when people become more interested in and enthusiastic about the problem. 实验表明讨论也许是以探讨词义开始的，但一旦引发人们对这一问题的兴趣时，讨论便不会仅此为止。 17. Men pass from words to things, from names to natures.
人们的讨论从词语过渡到事物，又从事物的名称涉及其本质。
18. The dictionary can start and argument, but only thought or research can end it.: The dictionary can provoke a debate on meanings of words, but it soon falls short as the argument grows extensive and complicated involving many other things. By then, only thought or research word can help clarify all complexities and
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settle the argument.
19. There must, therefore, be uniform ways of spelling and pronouncing them, though the uniformity is often spoiled by variations. …, as some words have varied spellings and different ways of pronunciation, say, American English and British English.
因此，词汇的拼写和发音一定有统一的方法，虽然这种规律性常由于各种变化而遭到破坏。 uniform: adj. identical, same
e.g. The street consists of uniform tall, white buildings. The are all of uniform size and shape.
20. arise from/out of: come from, rise from, spring from, result from
e.g. The country‘s present difficulties arise from the reduced value of its money. Let me pick up a few points arising out of what you‘ve just said.
21. inflection: n. a change in the form of a word that shows its grammatical function, for example a change that
makes a noun plural or makes a verb into the past tense
22. the conjugation of the verb: the various forms of the verb that show number, person, tense, etc. 23. Sometimes they shade from one into another, …: Sometimes one word is so closely related to another in
meaning that one has difficulty telling the difference between them. 有时它们意思相近，互相融合，…… 24. in their capacity: in their function
capacity: n. role, function, position
e.g. In his capacity as Commander in Chief, the President is head of the armed forces. I‘m speaking in my capacity as minister of trade.
25. (according as their name just one thing or many which are alike in some respect)
according as: conj. depending on which or whether, whichever, if e.g. You may take an oral or written exam according as you prefer.
You will be praised or criticized according as your work is good or bad. in some respect: in a certain aspect
26. etymological derivation: historical development of words
27. It tells of their shifting meanings, and which among them are archaic and obsolete, which are current and regular, which are idiomatic, colloquial, or slang.: The history of words gives information about the development of the meanings of words and about which of them are now outmoded and found only in old literature, which are updated and often used, which are idiomatic, colloquial, or slang.
词的历史讲述词义的变迁，以及它们中哪些是古词废词，哪些是通用的，规则的，哪些是习语，俗语、或俚语。
tell of: give information such as a story, concerning someone something or doing something e.g. The poem tells of the poet‘s love for his lady.
He told of having seen a strange creature in the lake. Have you told your mother of your intentions? 28. … under these four heads.: … under these four titles.
head: n. the title of a piece of writing
e.g. The essay was headed ―Development in English Syntax‖. a speech arranged under five heads
29. self-help book: self-service book, self-taught book
self-help: n. the action of trying to solve your own problems without depending on other people e.g. Single parents join self-help groups for social life and mutual help. Self-help is the best help.
30. abbreviations and symbols: shortened words or phrases and signs
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31. … the four varieties of information about words.: … the four kinds of information about words, as previously
referred to.
32. Unfortunately, many people fail here, as in the case of other books, because they insist upon neglecting the prefatory matter --- …: Unluckily, many people fail to consult the explanatory notes and the list of abbreviations in the preface or the introduction of a dictionary, as they often do with other books, because they firmly declare to ignore things mentioned in the preface.
遗憾的是，就像读其他书一样，很多人没有做到这一点，因为他们总是忽视卷首语之类的东西，好象作者是写着玩的。
33. But like all other rules, they will be followed well only by the man who is rightly motivated in the first place.
rightly motivated: correctly stimulated
然而，与所有其他的规定一样，首先，只有动机正确才会按章办好事情。
34. And, in the last place, they will be wisely applied only by the man who remembers that we are both free and bound in all our dealing with language, whether as writers or readers. … We have the freedom in choosing our words when we speak or write, but within linguistic boundaries.
归根到底，不管是作家还是读者，只要他记住对待语言我们既享有自由又受到限制，他就能应用得灵活自如。
in the last place: lastly 3). Speaking in Study and Practice
1. be very honest with: be very frank with 2. I‘ll need my privacy: I‘ll need to be alone. I do not want to be disturbed. 3. hang up the phone: put the telephone receiver down e.g. Don‘t hang up (on me), I haven‘t finished talking to you. After she finished the conversation, she hung up.
VI. Key to exercises
III). Vocabulary and Structure
A. Words and expressions for use:
1. controversy 2. shift 3. capacities 4. current 5. motivated 6. irritating 7. insists 8. appealed 9. synonym 10. refers
B. Structures for use:
a. 1. There was no more attentive student in this class than the boy who sat in the front seat.
2. There is no greater love than that of a man who lays down his life for his country. 3. There is no more pleasant thing than to stroll along the banks on a warm spring day.
4. There is no more important occupation than agriculture upon which everyone depends for food.
5. There is no worse city in the world to live in than Las Vegas which is notorious for its casinos and
crimes.
6. According to George Bernard Shaw, there are no more credulous people than the modern men who
merely swallow some widespread beliefs.
b. 1. He desired nothing but an immediate answer.
2. On such an occasion, you can do nothing but obey the robber's order. 3. ..., I could do nothing but smile.
4. The naughty boy wanted nothing but a small horse for a Christmas present. 5. ..., they could do nothing but wait for the doctor to come. 6. ..., I demanded his telling me nothing but the truth.
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GRAMMAR PRACTICE
I ). Form a cleft sentence... 1. It was after... that S.M... . 2. It was G.B. who invented... .
3. It is its high endemicity ... that is the most.... 4. It is in future-oriented... that children should get in... .
5. It was this incident that S.M. reported to the mayor. 6. It was an enormous serpent that M. saw approaching, 7. It was on a dark ... that the D. docked ... . 8. It was because she was ill that we decided ... . II). Emphasize the italicized elements...
1. What she has done is (to) spoil the whole thing. 2. What I am going to do is (to) teach him a lesson. 3. What we tried to do was (to) persuade... 4. What I need is a hot bath.
6. What I want to know is where we stand.
USE OF ENGLISH
II). Proofreading
I. that (to be deleted) 2. to him
3. some knowledge 4. of the works 5. quotations from... 6. Shakespeare's works 7. Most of 8. unaware of 9. rather like 10. complained 11. famous (to be deleted) 12. any other writer,
13. the English... 14. of (to be deleted) words 15, in his works 16. There is no 17. for a foreigner 18. and variety of ... 19. in which 20. of (to be deleted)
III). Cloze
1. every 2. meanings 3. most 4. to
5. speak 6. grammars 7. meaning 8. dictionaries 9. once 10. dispute 11. word 12. up 13. Englishwoman 14. born. 15. England 16. Such 17. language 18. however 19. regarded
IV). Translation A
1. By the time I .arrived home, the guests had already settled their accounts.
2. Choose the definitions from Column B that best match italicized words in Column A. 3. I intervened between the two parties and tried to settle the dispute in a friendly way. 4. Being short of money, he vigorously opposed the plan for a trip to Qingdao.
5. Understanding is a two-way operation; learning does not consist simply in knowing a lot of facts. 6. Boys and girls are always on opposing sides of some arguments.
7. Migrants are commonly defined in some countries as persons who change their residence for a year or
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综合英语4册参考答案专升本英语专业
