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第一单元
Listen and Respond
Task One Focusing on the Main Ideas
1 Choose the best answer to complete each of the following sentences according to the information contained in the listening passage.
1 Before graduating from college, the speaker was asked to ________. A) make a piece of cake for the class
B) write down people’s response to her smile C) observe how people smile at each other D) act kindly to someone
2 While waiting for her turn to get her breakfast at the local McDonalds, the speaker ________.
A) was ready to serve the two poor homeless men who smelled B) saw a terrible dirty man standing in the line
C) found that a short gentleman was waiting for his meal
D) noticed that a homeless man was smiling at her
3 The two poor homeless men went to the local McDonalds to ________.
A) warm themselves B) have their breakfast C) wait for someone D) search for a friendly smile
4 At the sight of the two homeless men, the speaker ________.
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A) turned away from them to join her family B) ordered for them two cups of hot coffee
C) bought them two breakfast meals D) asked them what they wanted to eat
5 After the speaker turned in her “project,” the speaker’s professor and her classmates ________.
A) had a heated discussion about smile B) exchanged their unusual experiences C) were deeply touched by her smile
D) were greatly moved by her story
Task Two Zooming In on the Details
Listen to the recording carefully and fill in each of the blanks according to what you have heard.
1 The speaker is a mother of three and has recently completed her college degree . The last project the professor assigned her to do was to go out and smile at three people and then write down their reaction .
2 Soon after she was assigned the project, she went with her family to the local McDonalds on a cold March morning . Just when they were standing in line, waiting to be served, she smelled a horrible “dirty body” smell . Two poor homeless men were also standing in line. They just wanted to sit in the restaurant and warm up , so they only asked for coffee . Obviously, it was all they could afford.
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3 Then she was suddenly filled with sympathy . All eyes in the restaurant were set on her, judging her every action . She smiled and bought the two homeless men two breakfast meals .
4 She returned to college, with this story in hand. She turned in her “ project .” Her professor read it to the whole class. The whole class was touched . She graduated with one of the biggest lessons she would ever learn — UNCONDITIONAL ACCEPTANCE .
Read and Explore
Task One Discovering the Main Ideas
1 Answer the following questions with the information contained in Text A. 1) Why didn’t the author stop for the hitchhiker?
He thought that someone else would stop for him. And he was afraid of a possible robbery.
2) Did he feel guilty for not helping the young man?
No. He didn’t. But he was bothered by his easy and quick decision of leaving the young man stranded alone in the desert.
3) Why did the author decide to start his journey across America pennilessly?
He wanted to test if a person could still rely solely on the kindness of strangers or the good will of his fellow Americans these days.
4) What did he discover as he travelled?
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He found out that others shared his fear. Yet they still stubbornly helped strangers like him.
5) What had happened to the trucker the author met on a rainy day?
He was once robbed at knifepoint by a hitchhiker.
6) What conclusion did the author draw from his experiences mentioned in Paras. 15–18?
He found that people were generally compassionate. And those who had the least to give often gave the most.
7) Why did Carol invite the author to talk to her class about his trip?
She thought the children should be exposed to what else was out there — the good and the bad.
8) What conclusion did the author make about his trip when he talked to the students?
He concluded that his faith in America had been renewed and that people could still depend on the kindness of strangers.
2 Text A can be divided into three parts with the paragraph number(s) of each part provided as follows. Write down the main idea of each part.
Part: One; Paragraph(s): 1–7; Main Idea: Because of a past experience of neglecting a hitchhiker in need of help, the author decided to travel across America without any money to find out if one could still rely on the kindness of strangers these days.
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Part: Two; Paragraph(s): 8–28; Main Idea: During his trip, he found out that people were generally compassionate and willing to help although they might have fears.
Part: Three; Paragraph(s):29-31; Main Idea: He talked to school children and concluded in a patriotic manner that in America people could still depend on the kindness of strangers.
Task Two Reading Between the Lines
Read the following sentences carefully and discuss in pairs what the author intends to say by the italicized parts.
1) In the middle of the desert, I came upon a young man standing by the roadside. He had his thumb out and held a gas can in his other hand. (Para. 1)
By doing so, the young man was telling the passing drivers that he wanted to hitchhike as his car had run out of gas.
2) The week I turned 37, I realized I’d never taken a gamble in my life. (Para. 7)
This week I would be 37 years old, yet I realized that I had always been very careful in my life and I had never taken a risk, for example, trusting on the kindness of others.
3) It would be a cashless journey through the land of the almighty dollar. (Para. 7)
The author is being a bit sarcastic here. He would take no money with him and travel across the US, where it is believed that money can do everything and anything. The phrase \
4) Yet I was treated with kindness in every state I traveled. I was amazed by the stubborn capacity of Americans to help a stranger, even when it seemed to run contrary to their own best interests. (Para. 11)
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大学英语综合教程2（秦秀白、张怀健版）课后练习答案
