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Unit 1
Active reading (1)
Catching crabs Language points
1 … and we all started to get our heads down … (Para 1)
To get one’s head down means to concentrate and focus on studying. In other British informal contexts,
it can mean to sleep. Note also, to keep one’s head down means to continue to do something quietly,
especially when there is trouble happening around you.
Unit 1 Discovering yourself
2 Most important of course were the final exams in April and May in the following year. (Para 1)
This is a conversational elliptical sentence. A standard way of saying this is: The most important things, of course, were the final exams in April and May in the following year. 3 No one wanted the humiliation of finishing last in class, so the peer group pressure to work hard was strong. (Para 1)
Peer group pressure is the pressure to conform that people, especially children and young people, often
feel from the immediate group of those around them who are of the same age or status.
4 Libraries ... were standing room only until the early hours of the morning, and guys wore the bags
under their eyes and their pale, sleepy faces with pride, like medals proving their diligence. (Para 1)
The expression standing room only means there are no more seats available because the place is crowded.
This expression is often used in public performances, for sports events and on public transport to mean
that you have to stand because the place is packed with people.
Bags under their eyes refer to loose dark areas of skin that you get when you have not had enough sleep.
The expression guys wore the bags under their eyes with pride means that the students were proud that
their tired appearance showed how hard they had been studying, and the bags under their eyes were like medals.
5 It wasn’t always the high flyers with the top grades who knew what they were going to do. (Para 2)
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A high flyer refers to someone who has achieved a lot and has the ability and determination to continue to
be successful in their studies or job. In university, a high flyer is a top student.
6 Quite often it was the quieter, less impressive students who had the next stages of their life mapped out. (Para 2)
To have something mapped out means to have something that will happen planned in detail. 7 One had landed a job in his brother’s advertising firm in Madison Avenue, another had got a script
under provisional acceptance in Hollywood. (Para 2) To land a job means to get a job that you wanted.
Provisional acceptance refers to an acceptance which is arranged (in principle), but is not yet definite. It
is temporary and could be changed.
8 The most ambitious student among us was going to work as a party activist at a local level. (Para 2)
A party activist is someone who takes part in activities that are intended to achieve political change,
someone who is a member of a political organization.
9 We all saw him ending up in the Senate or in Congress one day. (Para 2) To end up somewhere means to be in a particular place or state after doing something or because of it.
Here, a party activist might end up in Congress, as a result of making career progress.
10 But most people were either looking to continue their studies … and then settle down with a family,
a mortgage and some hope of promotion. (Para 2)
To look to continue their studies here means to hope or expect to continue their studies – whether they
can do so would probably depend on their exam results and grades. You can also look to someone for help, advice or support. Discovering yourself Unit 1
A mortgage is a legal agreement in which you borrow money from a bank or financial organization in
order to buy a house. You pay back your mortgage by making monthly payments, plus interest. Thus,
getting a mortgage for many young people means getting a flat or house of their own. 11 I braced myself for some resistance to the idea. (Para 10)
A brace is a piece of wood or metal which supports an object so that it does not fall down. So to brace oneself means to hold oneself together in readiness for something difficult or unpleasant. 12 You don’t need to go into a career which pays well just at the moment. (Para 16)
To go into a career means to start working in a particular job, business or career.
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13 Several times the crab tried to defy his fellow captives, without luck. (Para 25)
The crab tried to defy the others as it resisted others or refused to obey them when it tried to escape.
The expression without luck means without success, being unable to do what you want.
Reading and understanding
3 Choose the best summary of what happened in the crab cage.
3 The cage was full of crabs. One of them was trying to escape, but each time it reached the top the other
crabs pulled it back. In the end it gave up trying and started to prevent other crabs from escaping.
4 Choose the best answer to the questions.
1 What happened to the students in the fall of the final year? (a) They became more relaxed. (b) They became more serious. (c) They spent more time outside. (d) They stopped going to lessons.
2 Why did some people have bags under their eyes in the morning? (a) They’d been to an all-night party.
(b) They’d started worrying about their future. (c) They’d spent all night in the library. (d) They wanted to impress their teachers.
3 Which students had already planned their future? (a) The ones who had the best grades.
(b) The ones who came from wealthy families.
(c) The quieter ones who didn’t have the best grades.
(d) The ones who wanted to get married and start a family. 4 Why did the writer go home? (a) He wanted to speak to his father.
(b) He could study better at home than at college. (c) He had to attend a job interview. (d) It was a national holiday.
Unit 1 Discovering yourself
5 Why did his father take him out to catch crabs? (a) They needed to get something to eat for dinner. (b) He wanted to show him how to catch crabs. (c) He wanted to tell him something about life.
(d) They both wanted to enjoy the coastline and the sea. 6 What advice did his father give him? (a) Get to know yourself better. (b) Watch what others do carefully. (c) Always listen to your father.
(d) You can’t always do what you want.
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Dealing with unfamiliar words
5 Match the words in the box with their definitions. 1 achieving good results (productive)
2 the fact of being present at an event, or of going regularly to school, church etc (attendance) 3 the refusal to accept something new, such as a plan, idea, or change (resistance) 4 determined to be successful, rich, famous etc (ambitious) 5 agreement to a plan, offer, or suggestion (acceptance)
6 the written words of a play, film, television programme, speech etc (script) 7 very good, large, or showing great skill (impressive)
6 Complete the paragraph with the correct form of the words in Activity 5. To be a successful film scriptwriter takes more than training although (1) attendance on a screenwriting
course will definitely help you learn the skills. You also need to be very (2) ambitious – the film business
is very competitive. You have to be prepared to work hard and be very (3) productive because it takes
more than just one good idea to make it big. No matter how (4) impressive your idea is, there will
always be (5) resistance from producers because it’s too expensive. So make sure you have plenty of
others to show them. What are you waiting for? Get on with writing that brilliant (6) script and plan your
(7) acceptance speech for when you win your first Oscar!
7 Replace the underlined words with the correct form of the words in the box. 1 We’ve seen a place we like and we’re applying for a loan to buy a house. (mortgage) 2 We stood on the top floor of the boat and watched the coast disappear into the horizon. (deck)
3 I love to walk along the beach and watch the waves breaking, and the white water hitting the shore. (surf)
4 In seaside areas in the north-east of the country, life is hard and fishermen have to go against the forces
of nature every time they go to work. (coastal; defy)
5 Agreement was finally reached after a long and heated discussion. (lengthy) 8 Answer the questions about the words and expressions.
1 If you watch an impromptu performance of something, has it (a) been prepared, or (b) not been
prepared?
2 When you map out your future, do you (a) plan it carefully, or (b) draw a sketch of it on paper?
Discovering yourself Unit 1
3 If you brace yourself for something unpleasant, do you (a) try not to think about it, or (b) prepare
yourself for it mentally and physically?
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4 Do you moor a boat by (a) turning the steering wheel, or (b) tying it to a post with a rope? 5 Is a rusty piece of metal something that (a) is bright and shiny, or (b) might have been left out in the rain
and is covered with brown substance?
6 If a bowl is brimming with soup, is it (a) very full, or (b) half empty?
7 If someone is being held captive, are they (a) free to do as they please, or (b) being kept as a prisoner?
8 If you have figured out something, have you (a) added numbers together, or (b) understood it?
Active reading (2)
2 Work in pairs. Look at the title of the passage and choose the best way to complete the sentences. 1 The passage will be (c) .
(a) a newspaper article about life expectancy (b) a sad story about death
(c) advice about how to make the most of your life (d) a warning that modern lifestyles are bad for health
Unit 1 Discovering yourself 12
2 The passage is likely to be (d) . (a) serious (b) funny (c) depressing
(d) a mixture of all three
3 The passage is likely to say (b) .
(a) young people don’t think enough about death (b) life is short
(c) people are dying unnecessarily (d) people don’t enjoy life enough
We are all dying Background information
The passage is taken from Everything That Happens to Me Is Good, a book of thoughts, experiences and
insights from the life of Geoff Thompson. The writer worked in many different jobs, including nine years
as a “bouncer” in a nightclub in London (a bouncer has the tough job of making sure that no one causes
trouble, eg if they are rude, drunk or violent). He then trained full-time in karate, judo and other martial arts
and became well-known as a martial arts instructor. He lived out his dream to become a writer, authoring
新规范标准大学英语综合教学方案教育教程3课后标准答案
