成人高等教育英语教材第二册15

UNIT 15

My Hometown

Integrated¹ Skills Development

Dialogues
A. The Return Visit

Mr. Hall spent his childhood in Changchun, China. However, he has lived most of his life in Newtown. He is now returning to Changchun for the first time in twenty years and is traveling by bus with his nephew.
Mr. Hall: We're nearly there. It's all coming back to me now. I used to travel along this road to school every day.
Robert: Did you really? I thought you'd lived in Newtown all your life.
Mr. Hall: No, I used to live in Changchun when I was young.
Robert: Have you ever been back since you first left Changchun?
Mr. Hall: No, but I often thought about visiting my old birthplace. In fact, I never made it because I had no time.
Robert: We're coming into the center of Changchun now, aren't we?
Mr. Hall: Er — are we? It's all changed. There didn't use to be a flyover² here.
Robert: Look at those skyscrapers⁴. Are they office buildings?
Mr. Hall: I have no idea. I don't remember any huge buildings here. There was a field — my family often had a picnic there.

B. It's All Changed!

Now, Mr. Hall and his nephew are passing through the town center. There is a swimming pool on the right.
Robert: Did you often go there when you were a boy?
Mr. Hall: I've never been there. I would have gone if there was one then.
Robert: Look at that old building. It's the town library. You must have been there.
Mr. Hall: Oh, yes, but not often. I didn't use to have time to read a lot.
Robert: Ah, we're coming into the bus station now.
Mr. Hall: What? The bus station didn't use to be here, next to the town hall.
Robert: Where was it?
Mr. Hall: I can't remember. The whole town's changed. Let's get off and look around... Can you read the date over there?
Robert: It says 1955. The bus station's been here all the time.
Mr. Hall: I never used to come here to catch the bus. I can't remember a thing. Maybe I've changed — not the town.

Passage My Hometown

John Pizarro, the director of the Commercial Development in our company, is going to travel to my hometown with me to see the great changes taking place there.
My hometown is a beautiful place. It stands beside a wide river at the foot of low green hills. It has many fine buildings and wide streets. Wherever you go, you may see trees and flowers.
But it has not always been like that. When I was in high school, it was a sad and dirty little town. Some people lived in dark, unhealthy rooms in old buildings and others in huts on narrow muddy streets. Nearly everyone was poor and many had no work.
Great changes have taken place in my hometown since 1978 when China started to put into effect the policies of reform and opening to the outside world. The people have got rid of the mud and dirt. They have put up theaters, shops and flats in the center of the town. They also have set up a hospital in the east of the town. Along the river they have built schools, hotels and a big park. Factories and businesses have sprung up. On the river, steamers⁶ and boats come and go busily day and night, carrying the products of our industries to all parts of the province. Because the economy has developed rapidly and steadily⁷, the people's living standard has been improved greatly.
I love my hometown, and I love its people. They too have changed. If we continue to carry out the policies, I am sure that my hometown will have an even brighter future.

Words and Expressions
birthplace
n. 出生地

busily
ad. 忙碌地

childhood
n. 幼年，童年

commercial
a. 商业的

develop
v. 发展；使发达

dirt
n. 泥土；污物

effect
n. 结果，效果

flower
n. 花

flyover
n. 立交桥

future
n. 将来，未来，今后

hometown
n. 故乡，家乡

huge
a. 巨大的，庞大的

hut
n. 小屋；棚屋

improve
v. 改善，增进

industry
n. 工业；行业

living
n. 生活

mud
n. （软）泥，泥浆

muddy
a. 多泥的，泥泞的

narrow
a. 窄的，狭窄的

neat
a. 整洁的，整齐的

nephew
n. 侄子；外甥

picnic
n. 郊游，野餐

policy
n. 政策，方针

pool
n. 游泳池

rapidly
ad. 快地，迅速

reform
n. 改革；改良

rid
v. 使摆脱；使去掉

skyscraper³
n. 摩天楼

spring
v. 发生，出现

standard
n. 标准，水准

steadily
ad. 稳固地，平稳地

steamer⁵
n. 汽船；轮船

theater
n. 剧院；电影院

unhealthy
a. 不健康的，有病的

wherever
ad. 无论到哪里

take place
发生

put into effect
开始使用，生效

get rid of
摆脱，废除

put up
建造，设立

set up
建立，开创

spring up
涌现

carry out
实施，执行

Merry Learning⁸

A Joke

"When I walk in here," ordered the manager, "I want to see nothing but people working! I hope everyone knows how this can be accomplished⁹!"
"Sure, boss," replied one of the workers, "Call before you come."

Phonetics

读/iз/音的字母组合：
ear: fear rear¹⁰
eer: beer cheer

Pronunciation and Intonation¹¹

A: I want to send this letter to London, please.
B: Put it on the scale, please. Mmm, that's 30 grams.
A: Thirty grams? Oh, that's heavy.
B: Anything else?
A: No, that's all.

1 integrated   

a.整合的，完整的

参考例句：

• A fully integrated low phase noise LC voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) is presented.介绍了一种全集成的LC压控振荡器(VCO)的设计。

2 flyover   

n.立交桥，天桥

参考例句：

• It took workers more than one year to build this flyover.建造这座立交桥破费工人一年多时间。
• All that came to his bakery should go over a flyover first.所有来他店的人都必须先经过一座立交桥。

3 skyscraper   

n.摩天大楼

参考例句：

• The skyscraper towers into the clouds.那幢摩天大楼高耸入云。
• The skyscraper was wrapped in fog.摩天楼为雾所笼罩。

4 skyscrapers   

n.摩天大楼

参考例句：

• A lot of skyscrapers in Manhattan are rising up to the skies. 曼哈顿有许多摩天大楼耸入云霄。
• On all sides, skyscrapers rose like jagged teeth. 四周耸起的摩天大楼参差不齐。

5 steamer   

n.汽船，汽艇，轮船

参考例句：

• The steamer arrived in harbor last night.汽船是昨晚进港的。
• When does your steamer sail?你们的轮船什么时候启航？

6 steamers   

abbr.steamed clams 汽船，蒸汽机n.汽船( steamer的名词复数 )；大轮船；汽锅；蒸锅

参考例句：

• The lower reaches of the river are navigable for steamers. 这河的下游能够行驶轮船。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• These steamers are used for conveying passengers on the rivers. 这些轮船是用来在江河上载客的。 来自辞典例句

7 steadily   

adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地

参考例句：

• The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
• Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。

8 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

9 accomplished   

adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的

参考例句：

• Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。
• Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。

10 rear   

vt.抚养，饲养；n.后部，后面

参考例句：

• We had to rear it in a nursery and plant it out.我们不得不在苗棚里培育它，然后再把它移植出来。
• The hall is in the rear of the building.礼堂在大楼的后部。

11 intonation   

n.语调，声调；发声

参考例句：

• The teacher checks for pronunciation and intonation.老师在检查发音和语调。
• Questions are spoken with a rising intonation.疑问句是以升调说出来的。