- 小学英语
- 年级英语
- 一年级英语
- 二年级英语
- 三年级英语
- 四年级英语
- 五年级英语
- 六年级英语
- 七年级英语
- 八年级英语
- 九年级英语
- 初一英语
- 初二英语
- 初三英语
- 高一英语
- 高二英语
- 高三英语
- 幼儿英语
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- 初中英语
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- 大学英语
- 英语学校
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- 英语考试
- 英语高考
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- 英语自考
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- 英语考级
- 英语练习
- 英语真题
- 英语试题
- 英语试卷
- 英语学习
- 英语方法
- 英语语法
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- 英语留学
- 英语教学
- 英语教程
- 英语课文
- 英语课件
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- 英语模板
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- 英语三级
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- 少儿英语
- 商务英语
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- 简单英语
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- 动物英语
- 英语歌曲
EXPRESSIONS:
1. Names of small stationery objects:
pins, clips, staples (订书钉 ), paper, envelopes, pens, ball-point pens, pencils, rulers, paper fasteners (装订散页纸张的夹子 ), punch (打孔机), adhesive tape (透明或不透明的胶带 ), rubbers / erasers, pencil sharpeners, glue
2. Verbs expressing the use of small stationery objects:
handle, hold, make it work, punch holes, pull, staple, bind, sharpen a pencil, rub out / erase, pedal / push (a bike), wind up, press the button, plug it in, unplug, switch / turn on / off the radio / TV / lamp ...,
3. Names of tools for using on small objects:
screwdriver, staplers (订书机), pincers (镊子 / 钳子 ), pliers (钳子), spanner, hammer, nails, drill
4. Names of parts of machines or gadgets in everyday life:
bike, wheels, handle grips, spokes, brake, bell, tyre, mudguard, pedal, chain, plug, button, switch, wire, sockets (电源插座 ), adapter (电源适配器 / 电源变压器 ), power
ACTIVITY:
1. Explain briefly how to produce invisible writing with milk and then how to retrieve the message.
Prepare a piece of paper, pour some milk into a cup as ink, and use a paintbrush or a pen with a new nib to write the message on the paper. Then let the message dry. To retrieve the message, first light a candle, hold the paper well above the flame, not near enough to burn it and the writing shows up gradually.
2. Explain briefly how to produce invisible writing with water and then how to retrieve the message.
Get ready two sheets of paper, a mirror or a piece of glass and a hard pencil. Dampen one of the sheets of paper and put it flat on the glass. Put the dry piece over it and write the message firmly on the dry sheet, pressing hard so an impression goes through to the damp paper underneath. Then, throw away the top piece of paper. When the damp sheet dries, the invisible writing is produced. To read the message, simply rewet the paper and the writing can be seen again.
TEXT:
Main Idea
The author is a person who often does things with glue. So the news, which he saw in newspaper that the Air Force was experimenting with a new glue, recalled him to some disappointing experiences with glue: trouble with glue in everyday life; childhood experience with glue,failure with glue in carpentry, in office; failure with glue in carpentry, in repairing broken plates, etc. He thought the Air Force had thought too much exaggeration about the power of glue, and advised them to use something else instead of glue.
本文作者是一个和胶经常打交道的人，因此，报纸上一则关于空军部用胶水做实验的消息，引起了他的回忆。他回想起自己与胶打交道的令人失望的点点滴滴：日常生活中遇到的粘贴问题，孩提时与胶水的故事，在办公室与胶水打交道，修复餐具以及木工制作中的失败等等。作者认为，空军部对胶水的效力想象得过于夸大，从而建议他们尝试用胶水以外的方法解决问题。
Text Analysis :
Para 1
I see in the newspaper that the Air Force is experimenting with a new glue they hope will hold some of their airplanes together. They think they may be able to replace the rivets in the fuselage with glue and save weight and money in the process. I hope the Air Force has more luck with the glue than I've ever had.
我从报纸上看到空军正在试用一种新型胶，并希望能用之将他们的一些飞机粘在一起。他们认为在生产过程中也许能用胶代替机身上的铆钉，减轻机重和降低成本。我希望空军与胶打交道时能比我更幸运。
1. ...the Air Force is experimenting with a new glue they hope will hold some of their airplans together.
[grammatical point] the Air Force is treated as an organized group, hence the third person singular form of the verb "is", but the Air Force can also be treated as a collective noun phrase, so the pronoun "they" is used to refer to the people of the organization.
similar words: family, team, crew, army, committee, staff, audience
The jury is giving its verdict now.
The jury are arguing among themselves.
The team are full of enthusiasm.
A team which is full of enthusiasm is more likely to win.
My family have decided to move to London.
be experiment with：to carry out a test or trial with
They are experiment with new methods.
She is experiment with different typewriters to see which one suits her best.
make (perform, carry out) an experiment in
They are making an experiment in physics.
hold...together: to remain whole, unite sth.
The bodywork of this old car hardly holds together.
The country needs a leader who will hold the nation together.
2. I hope the Air Force has more luck with the glue than I've ever had.
[Note] The writer is being humorous and ironic here. Notice in the text how the writer employs humor or mild irony to drive his message home. He sometimes doesn't mean what he says. The other such instances are:
(
1)...can't be blamed on the gluemakers...( what he suggests is that the gluemakers often exaggerate the strength of glue in their ads).
(
2) Maybe I just have no knack for glue ( Do you need a special talent to handle glue?)
(
3) ...I just don't have an oven-like pressure vessel I can heat. Maybe that's why...( How can people be expected to have such a pressure vessel at home, just for the purpose of using glue?)
(
4) and over the period of a year I use more thinner than I use cement. (The original purpose of using cement is lost when you are concerned more with thinning it.)
Para 2
The trouble most of us have with glue can't be blamed on the glue-makers. It isn't their fault. We just ask too much of glue and, of course, they encourage us to overestimate what it will do by showing us pictures of a drop of it lifting an elephant. I can't get a dish to hold together, and they're lifting elephants with it. Ed White, the football player, can't pull apart two blocks stuck with it.
我们大多数人在用胶时所遇到的问题不能归咎于制胶商。这并不是他们的错。我们只是对胶要求过多罢了，无可否认，他们所展示的几张用一滴胶提起一头大象的图片，使我们过高地估计了胶的性能。用这种胶，我连一个盘子都粘不起来，他们却可以提起大象，连足球队员艾德"怀德都掰不开用这种胶粘起来的两片木块。
1. The trouble most of us have with glue can't be blamed on the gluemakers.
blame on:
1) to fix on sth.,sb. the responsibility for sth. done (badly or wrongly) or not done
2) to be to blame (for sth) be responsible for sth bad; deserve to be blamed
He blamed his teacher for his failure.
Which driver was to blame for the accident?
2. ... they encourage us to overestimate what it will do ...
encourage sb. in sth/to do sth.: to give hope, courage or confidence to ; support
We often encourage a man to be in high spirits when in trouble.
The Father always encourages the child in his studies.
[word-formation] over + adj. / n. /v.: over- means to excess, to much
Its antonym is under + adj. / n ./v.: under means not enough
overabundant underabundant
overconfident underconfident
over production underproduction
overpopulation underpopulation
overburden underburden
overeat undereat
3. I can't get a dish to hold together, and they're lifting elephants with it.
[grammatical point] The conjunction "and" with a preceding comma introduces a contrastive statement. In informal style, "and" with a comma before it can be used to link two statements which contrast with each other.
I meant to buy some bread yesterday, and I forgot.
He didn't speak clearly and correctly.
cf. He didn't speak clearly or correctly.
4. Ed White, the football player, can't pull apart two blocks stuck with it.
pull apart: to tear / pull into its parts
I pulled apart this piece of cloth in order to cover the two bocks.
[idioms]:
come apart: to come to pieces
fall apart: to fall to pieces
take apart: to separate sth (machinery,etc) into its (component) parts
The teapot just came apart in my hands.
Their marriage finally fell apart.
Yesterday I took apart my car to wash.
Para 3
It's interesting how often sticking things together and making them stay that way comes up in our lives. In my lifetime, I've had a lot to do with glue and the experiences have almost always been disappointing. I was disillusioned by glue early in life. One of the other kids in first grade told me his mother said you could make things stick together with a paste made of flour and water. Mixing flour and water never worked for me as a kid.
非常有趣的是，我们用胶把东西粘起来在生活中是常有的事。我一生中曾用胶粘过许多东西，但大多数经历总是令人失望。胶早就破灭了我的幻想。一个一年级的小孩告诉我，他妈妈说用面粉和水调成浆糊可以粘东西。对我而言，在孩童时代，面粉和水混合在一块根本就没用。
1. It's interesting how often sticking things together and making them stay that way comes up in our lives.
[paraphrase] It's interesting how often making things stay glued together happens in our lives.
come up:
1) to happen, to occur
2) to arise, to be put forward
I will write to you if a vacancy arises up.
The question is bound to come up at the next conference.
2. I was disillusioned by glue early in life.
disillusion: v. to destroy the pleasant but mistaken beliefs or ideals of sb.
disillusioned (with sb. or sth.): a. disappointed in sb. or sth.
disillusionment / disillusion: n. state of being disillusioned
She still believes in Santa Claus and it would be cruel to disillusion her.
She's disillusioned with life in general.
Para 4
Maybe I just have no knack for glue. It's hard to remember a time in my life when the local hardware store wasn't pushing some new miracle bond, but none of them has ever proved to be miraculous for me.
也许我没有掌握用胶的诀窍。我这一辈子只记得当地五金店推行过新型奇效粘合剂这一件事。但在我看来，没有哪种胶真正有过奇效。
1. Maybe I just have no knack for glue.
knack: n. ( rarely pl.)a clever or adroit way of doing sth.
The boy has a knack for imitating his teacher's voice.
There is a knack in / to locking the door which takes a while to master.
[idioms] have a knack of doing sth.: (often annoying) have a habit of doing sth.
My car has a knack of breaking down just when I need it most.
acquire / catch have / get a knack of: to have a special skill at sth.
It's quite easy to drive a car when you get the knack of it.
2. It's hard to remember a time in my life when the local hardware store wasn't pushing some new miracle bond, but none of them has ever proved to be miraculous for me.
[paraphrase] I hardly remember that I had a knack for glue in my life before the local hardware store sold some new miracle bond. But my own experiences with glue were disappointing, because glue didn't prove to be miraculous for me.
miracle: n. remarkable event
miraculous: a. like a miracle
The doctors said her recovery was a miracle.
It's miraculous how much weight you've lost.
Para 5
This Air Force story says they glue two surfaces together and then put them in "An oven-like pressure vessel at 250 degrees for an hour". Well, I just don't happen to have an oven-like pressure vessel I can heat. Maybe that's why half the stuff I glue together comes apart.
这则空军消息说，他们将物品的两面粘起后，置之于"一个250摄氏度、烤箱般的压力锅中一小时之久"。嗨，我只是碰巧没有用来加热的压力锅。也许这就是我粘的一半材料有分开的原因。
1. Well, I just don't happen to have an oven-like pressure vessel I can heat.
an oven-like pressure vessel: a pressure vessel like an oven
happen to: to have the fortune to do sth.
It happened that she was out when he called.
She happened to be out.
2. Maybe that's why half the stuff I glue together comes apart.
come apart: to break or fall into pieces
The teapot just came apart in my hands.
cf.
come apart: to come to pieces
The apparatus came apart when he touched it and all the pieces fell to the floor.
fall apart: to fall to pieces, to fall in pieces to the floor
The plane fell apart and crashed to the ground.
pull apart: to separate or tear to pieces by force
He pulled the two fighting men apart.
Para 6
Around the office I use paper cement. It's fun to play with and it works if it's the right consistency. The problem is, I only use it once a month or so, and it keeps getting too thick in the jar. We have a one-gallon can of paper cement thinner, and over the period of a year I use more thinner than I use cement.
在办公室周围，我用水泥粘纸。这东西很好玩，而且粘稠度适宜则有效。问题是，我仅在大约一月左右用一次，在坛子里还是那么稠。我们有一个一加仑罐子装满了水