21世紀(jì)大學(xué)英語(yǔ)讀寫(xiě)教程第三冊(cè)第三單元Unit 3

Unit 3

Text A

Pre-reading Activities

1. Before you listen to the passage, predict the words that are missing in the printed version of the passage. Then when you hear the passage, mark where you hear differences between your predictions and what's actually on the tape. Don't worry about writing down exactly what you hear — just note where you hear differences.

The sense of _____ dominates every modern culture to such an extent that most people never _____. Relying mainly on _____ seems so natural — how could a culture favor _____ instead? What would such a culture be like? It's almost impossible to imagine. But _____ is in fact not as "natural" as we normally think. Although most humans are born with _____, no one is born knowing how to _____. We must learn _____, and many of the rules we learn vary _____. _____ is an excellent example: Before artists invented formal rules for portraying three dimensions, no one thought of distant objects as looking _____. If you doubt this, try explaining _____ to a young child.

2. If you had to lose one of your senses, which one would you choose to give up? And having lost it, what do you think you'd miss the most?

3. It's common to speak of "the five senses" — but are there only five? Some researcher say that we all have and use other senses as well. What others can you think of?

The Sense of Wonder

Rachel Carson

A child's world is fresh and new and beautiful, full of wonder and excitement. It is our misfortune that, for most of us, that clear-eyed vision — that true instinct for what is beautiful and awe-inspiring — is dimmed and even lost before we reach adulthood. If I had influence with the angels who are supposed to preside over all children, I would ask that their gift to each child in the world be a sense of wonder so indestructible that it would last throughout life.
If children are to keep alive their natural sense of wonder without any such gift from the angels, they need the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with the child the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in. Parents often feel inadequate when confronted on the one hand with the eager, sensitive mind of a child and on the other with a world of complex physical nature. In a mood of self-defeat, they exclaim, "How can I possibly teach my child about nature — why, I don't even know one bird from another!"
I sincerely believe that for children, and for parents seeking to guide them, it is not half so important to know as it is to feel. If facts are the seeds that later produce knowledge and wisdom, then the emotions and the impressions of the senses are the fertile soil in which the seeds must grow. The years of early childhood are the time to prepare the soil. Once the emotions have been aroused — a sense of the beautiful, the excitement of the new and the unknown, a feeling of sympathy, pity, admiration or love — then we wish for knowledge about the object of our emotional response. Once found, such knowledge has far more lasting meaning than mere information. It is more important to pave the way for children's desire to know than to put them on a diet of facts they are not ready to assimilate.
Even if you feel you have little knowledge of nature at your disposal, there is still much you can do for your child. Wherever you are and whatever your resources, you can still look up at the sky — its dawn and evening beauties, its moving clouds, its stars by night. You can listen to the wind, whether it blows with majestic voice through a forest or sings a many-voiced chorus around the corners of your apartment building, and in the listening, you can gain magical release for your thoughts. You can still feel the rain on your face and think of its long journey from sea to air to earth, and wonder at the mysteries of natural selection embodied in the perfume and flavour of a fruit. Even if you are a city dweller, you can find some place, perhaps a park or a golf course, where you can observe the mysterious migrations of the birds and the changing seasons. And with your child you can ponder the mystery of a growing seed, even if it's just one planted in a pot of earth in the kitchen window.
Exploring nature with your child is largely a matter of being open to what lies all around you. It is learning again to use your eyes, ears, nose and fingertips, opening up the disused channels of your senses. For most of us, knowledge of our world comes largely through sight, yet we look about with such unseeing eyes that we are partially blind. One way to open your eyes to unnoticed beauty is to ask yourself, "What if I had never seen this before? What if I knew I would never see it again?"
What is the value of preserving and strengthening this sense of awe and wonder, this recognition of something beyond the boundaries of human existence? Is the exploration of the natural world just a pleasant way to pass the golden hours of childhood or is there something deeper?
I am sure there is something much deeper, something lasting and significant. Those who dwell, as scientists or laypeople, among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life. Whatever the problems or concerns of their personal lives, their thoughts can find paths that lead to inner satisfaction and to renewed excitement in living. Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is symbolic as well as actual beauty in the migration of the birds, the ebb and flow of the tides, the folded bud ready for the spring. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature — the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after the winter.
I like to remember the distinguished Swedish oceanographer, Otto Pettersson, who died a few years ago at the age of ninety-three, in full possession of his keen mental powers. His son has related in a recent book how intensely his father enjoyed every new experience, every new discovery concerning the world about him.
"He was an incurable romantic," the son wrote, "intensely in love with life and with the mysteries of the universe." When he realized he had not much longer to enjoy the earthly scene, Otto Pettersson said to his son: "What will sustain me in my last moments is an infinite curiosity as to what is to follow."
(883 words)

New Words

misfortune
n. bad luck 不幸；災(zāi)禍

clear-eyed
a. 視力好的；目光炯炯的

awe-inspiring
a. 令人敬畏；令人驚嘆的

dim
vt. make less bright or unable to see clearly 使…暗淡；使…看不清
a. (of a light) not bright; not easy to see 昏暗的；模糊的

* angel
n. 天使

* preside
vi. have authority or control; direct 負(fù)責(zé)；主持

inadequate
a. not good enough in quality, ability, size, etc. 不夠格的；不能勝任的；不充分的

confront
vt. stand or meet face to face; bring face to face 面對(duì)；遭遇

mood
n. state of mind or feelings 心境，心情；情緒

sincerely
ad. 真誠(chéng)地；忠實(shí)地

sincere
a. free from falseness; true and honest 忠實(shí)的；真誠(chéng)的

arouse
vt. cause to become active; excite 喚醒；激發(fā)

rouse
vt. 1. cause to become active; excite (=arouse) 喚醒；激發(fā)
2. wake (sb.) up 喚醒，使醒來(lái)

mere
a. nothing more than 只不過(guò)的，僅僅的

* assimilate
vt. take in and make a part of oneself; absorb 使同化；吸收

disposal
n. the act of getting rid of sth.; the power or right to use sth. freely 處理；支配

dispose
vt. 1. put in place; set in readiness 布置；配置
2. cause to have a tendency (to do sth.) 使有傾向；使愿意

majestic
a. showing power and greatness; dignified and impressive 雄偉的，威嚴(yán)的

* majesty
n. 1. greatness; a show of power as of a king or queen 雄偉；莊重；君王尊嚴(yán)
2. [M-] 陛下（對(duì)帝王、王后等的尊稱）

* chorus
n. 1. a song sung by many singers together 合唱曲
2. a group of singers singing together 合唱隊(duì)

selection
n. the act of selecting; sb. or sth. that is selected 選擇；被選出的人（或物）

* embody
vt. 1. represent (a quality, idea, etc.) in a physical form 體現(xiàn)；使具體化
2. contain, include 包含

* perfume
n. 1. a sweet or pleasant smell 芳香，香氣
2. 香水

flavo(u)r
n. a taste; a special quality 味道；風(fēng)味；特色
vt. give a particular taste to 給…調(diào)味

migration
n. the movement of a group (often of animals, birds, etc.) from one area to another 遷移；移居；（鳥(niǎo)類等的）遷徒

* migrate
vi. 1. (of animals) travel regularly to a different area according to the seasons of the year （動(dòng)物的）遷徒
2. change one's place of living; move from one place to another, especially to find work 遷移；（農(nóng)業(yè)季節(jié)工人等）外出找工作

* migrant
n. 遷移動(dòng)物；移居者；農(nóng)業(yè)季節(jié)工人

* ponder
vt. think about carefully; consider 沉思；考慮

strengthen
vt. make stronger 加強(qiáng)，強(qiáng)化

awe
n. a feeling of respect mixed with fear and wonder 敬畏；驚嘆

recognition
n. the act of recognizing; the state of being recognized 認(rèn)同；認(rèn)出；承認(rèn)

* weary
a. very tired; bored 疲倦的；厭倦的

reserve
n. anything kept for later use 儲(chǔ)備物
vt. 1. keep for a special purpose 保留；儲(chǔ)備
2. (AmE) book （美）預(yù)訂

* reservation
n. 1. doubt or uncertainty, esp. when one's agreement with sth. is in some way limited 保留；保留意見(jiàn)
2. (AmE) booking; reserved seat or accommodation 預(yù)定；預(yù)定的座席（或住處等）

symbolic(al)
a. 象征性的

symbol
n. (of) a sign, shape or object which represents a person, idea or an item 象征；標(biāo)志；符號(hào)

ebb
n. a flowing of the tide away from the shore 退潮，落潮

tide
n. the regular rise and fall of the ocean, caused by the attraction of the Moon 潮汐

* bud
n. a small swelling on a plant that will grow into a flower, leaf, or branch 牙；花蕾

* heal
v. (cause to) become sound or healthy again 治愈；痊愈

infinitely
ad. 無(wú)窮地，無(wú)限地

* finite
a. having an end or a limit 有限的

* refrain
n. a part of a song that is repeated, esp. at the end of each verse （歌曲中的）疊歌，副歌
vi. (from) hold oneself back (from) 忍?。豢酥?br />
oceanographer
n. 海洋學(xué)家

possession
n. 1. the act or state of possessing or being possessed 擁有；具有
2. (often pl.) personal property ［常復(fù)數(shù)］所有物；

keen
a. 1. good, strong, quick at understanding 敏銳的
2. (on, to) eager or anxious to do sth. 熱切的

intensely
ad. greatly or extremely; strongly 極度地；強(qiáng)烈地

intense
a. great or extreme; strong 極度的；強(qiáng)烈的

intensity
n. 1. 強(qiáng)烈，劇烈
2. 強(qiáng)度，烈度

concerning
prep.(fml) about; with regard to; in connection with 關(guān)于

earthly
a. of this world as opposed to heaven; material rather than spiritual 塵世的，世俗的

Phrases and Expressions

preside over
direct (a committee or other formal group of people); have or exercise control or authority over (sth.) 主持（委員會(huì)等）；掌管（某事）

wish for
have a desire for; long for 想要；希望得到

pave the way (for)
make smooth or easy (for); be a preparation (for) 為…鋪平道路；為…作準(zhǔn)備

at sb.'s disposal
available for one to use as one wishes 由某人支配或使用

wonder at
be surprised by or curious about 對(duì)…感到驚訝

natural selection
the theory developed by Charles Darwin that plants and animals best suited to the conditions around them survive while those not suited to the conditions die out 自然選擇（指生物界適者生存不適者被淘汰的現(xiàn)象）

a matter of sth./doing sth.
a question of; an instance or a case of 一個(gè)…的問(wèn)題；一件…的事

open up
make or become open or accessible 打開(kāi)；開(kāi)放

be weary of
be tired of; be bored with 對(duì)…感到厭倦

look about
look around; examine the place or state of affairs 掃視四周；觀察（事態(tài)）

be in possession of
have in one's possession; maintain control over 擁有；控制

as to
about; concerning 關(guān)于；有關(guān)

Proper Names

Rachel Carson
雷切爾·卡森（女子名）

Otto Pettersson
奧托·彼得森（男子名）