Unit 1 Fighting with the Forces of Nature

Unit 1 Fighting with the Forces of Nature

Text A The Icy Defender

I. Words and Expressions

1. (L 5) raw: adj. cold and wet; not cooked, refined, processed, organized or analyzed *The event took place on a raw February morning.

这块砧板是专门用来切生肉的。

（＝This cutting board is only used to cut raw meat.）

*Raw materials are the natural substances from which industrial products are

made.

2. (L 7) launch: vt.

1) start

* Beginning in the early 1960s, humans launched probes to explore other planets. 这家电脑公司今年开始生产一种新产品。

（＝This computer company launches a new product this year.）

2) send (sth.) on its course

*On October 4, 1957, Soviet scientists launched the world’s first artificial satellite, called Sputnik.

Collocation:

launch an attack 发动进攻

launch a massive campaign 发动一场大规模的运动

launch a company 开一家公司

launch threats at sb. 向某人发出威胁

launch into （积极有力地）开始

* He launched into a long speech about the danger of taking drugs.

他开始作关于吸毒危险性的长篇演说。

launch out （精力充沛或戏剧性地）开始

* She wants to be more than a singer and is launching out into films.

她不是仅仅想当一名歌手，而且正在积极涉足电影界。

3. (L 10) campaign: n. a series of military operations or planned activities with a

particular aim

(插入声音文件campaign)

（＝The government is launching a massive campaign against corruption.） 在我们城市开展的灭鼠运动开端良好。

（＝The campaign against rats in our city got off to a good start.）

CF: campaign, battle & war

这三个词都是名词，均含有“战斗，战争”之意。

campaign通常指在一场大的战争中，某一地区进行的一连串有既定目的的军事行动，也可

作引申用。

battle强调指战争中的一次较全面、时间较长的战斗，也指陆军或海军在某一特定地区进行

的战斗，或个人之间的争斗。

war是战争的总称，一般指包括多个战役的大规模战争。

(Directions:) Fill in the blanks with the words above. Change the form where necessary.

1. Many _____ criminals were proceeded against following World War II. (=war)

2. The American presidential _____lasts for eighteen months. (=campaign)

3. It was a decisive ____ — we won the ___ because of it. (=battle, war)

4. The Philippines had suffered grievously under the Japanese occupation. A highly

effective guerilla ____ controlled sixty percent of the islands, mostly jungle and mountain areas. (=campaign)

4. (L 15) efficient: adj. working well, quickly and without waste

*To cut back on fossil fuels, we should build more efficient cars.

雇佣未受良好训练的工人效果是不会好的。

（＝It is not efficient to hire poorly trained workers. ）

5. (L 16) conquest: n. conquering, defeat

*Hitler badly miscalculated when he assumed the conquest of the USSR would be simple.

1939年德国征服了波兰。

（＝The year 1939 had witnessed the conquest of Poland by Germany.）

6. (L 21) retreat: v. move back or withdraw when faced with danger or difficulty

*After a fierce battle, the troops retreated southward.

我们采取如下策略：敌进我退，敌退我追。

（＝ We adopted the following strategies: When the enemy advances, we retreat:

when they retreat, we pursue.）

NB: retreat 的反义词是 advance

例：to advance against (on, to, toward) 朝 前进

to retreat from 从 撤退

to retreat to 撤退到

CF: conquest, triumph & victory

这三个词都是名词，均含有“胜利”之意。

conquest指获取胜利或征服，把失败者置于控制之下。

triumph着重指胜利或成功的辉煌。

victory普通用词，主要指在战争、斗争或竞赛中获得的胜利，强调艰辛与成功。

(Directions:) Fill in the blanks with the words above. Change the form where necessary.

1. Under the leadership of the Party, we are marching from ____ to ___. (=victory,

victory)

2. The Yangtze Bridge is a great _____ of modern civil engineering. (=triumph)

3. It was a _____ of human intellect, and also international cooperation and

communication (=triumph)

4. In process of time, Rome became a great empire by___. (=conquest)

7. (L 24) engage: vt.

1) begin fighting with sb.

*The commander ordered the soldiers to engage the enemy immediately.

他们与敌人交战。

（＝They engaged the enemy.）

2) draw into; involve

*We tried to engage him in our conversation, but in vain.

3) attract sb.’s interest

*We failed to engage any active support for our project.

他善良的性情吸引每个人。

(=His good nature engages everyone.)

4) occupy

*Studying engages most of a serious student’s time.

工作占去她很多时间。

(=Work engages much of her time.)

Pattern：

engage (sb.) in sth. : (cause to) take part in sth.

* They are currently engaged in lengthy trade negotiations.

* The teacher tried to engage the shy boy in conversation.

Collocation:

engage as 使聘为……

engage in 从事;使参加

engage with 与…啮合

8. (L 27) be faced with: have to deal with

* The librarians were faced with the huge task of listing all the books.

(= We were faced with an exceptionally difficult situation.)

9. (L 27)crucial: adj. very important (followed by to)

*Amazingly, our soccer team won the victory in the crucial final game.

增强消费者信心是经济复苏的关键。

(=Improved consumer confidence is crucial to economic recovery.)

CF: crucial, critical & decisive

这三个词都是形容词,都有“紧要的, 紧迫的,重要的”之意。

crucial意为决定性的、极重要的，指对关键性事物不断增长的缺乏或需求，或需求紧急情

况或危急转折关头。例如：

*We must pay attention to this crucial test. 我们必须重视这次决定性的试验。

critical意为决定性的,与crucial相似，但表示对缺乏程度更精确的估计。在转折关头时比

crucial表现出更大的严重性。例如：

* The patient’s condition is critical. 病人情况危急。

decisive 意思是决定性的、果断的，只有重要、特殊或决定性效果。例如：

* Our air forces were decisive in winning the war. 我们的空军对打赢这场战争有决定性的贡献。

10. (L 30) take a gamble: take a risk

* The company took a gamble by cutting the price of their products, and it paid off.

（= I think she’s taking a gamble investing all her money in stocks.）

11. (L 30) press on/ahead: continue doing sth. in a determined way (used in the pattern:

press on/ahead (with sth.))

*Our school authorities are keen to press on with educational reform.

*Organizers of the strike are determined to press on.

12. (L 39) bide one’s time: wait patiently for a chance

* His political rivals are biding their time for an attack on his policies.

*He bided his time until Harvard University offered him a professorship.

13. (L 46)minus: prep. below zero; made less by; slightly lower than the mark stated

* Tomorrow’s temperature will be as low as minus ten degrees centigrade.

* 20 minus 10 is 10.

我在期末考试中得了B减。

(= I got B minus in the final examination.)

NB:

1) minus 的反义词是plus（加上）。例如：3 plus 6 is 9.

2) minus 还可以作形容词，意为“负的；减去的””。例如：a minus quantity负数； minus electricity负电。此外，minus还可作名词，意为“负号，减号；负数”。

14. (L 50) drag on: move slowly and with effort; continue endlessly and tediously

*These compensation cases have already dragged on for one year.

这个会还要拖多久？

(=How much longer is the meeting going to drag on?)

15. (L 55) at the cost of: with the loss of

*The local government developed its economy but at the cost of environment.

比尔为救约翰付出了自己的生命。

(= Bill saved John at the cost of his own life.)

Collocation:

at any cost 不惜任何代价

at all costs 不惜一切代价

at no cost 不需花代价

16. (L 56) limp:

1. vi. walk with difficulty, esp. when one foot or leg is hurt

*That dog must be hurt – it’s limping.

*I injured my ankle and had to limp.

他一瘸一拐地走出足球场。

(=He limped off the football field.)

2. adj. lacking or having lost rigidity, as of structure or substance; lacking strength or

firmness; weak or spiritless

a limp handshake （无力的握手）

limp opposition（微弱的反抗）

17. (L 71) catch sb. off guard: take sb. by surprise

*The invitation to his wedding caught me off guard.

(=The manager didn’t know what to say. It was clear that my question had caught him off guard.)

18. (L 71) instruct: vt.

1) give orders or directions to (sb.)

*The family has instructed solicitors to sue Thomson for compensation.

*The professor instructed us that we had one month to conduct the project.

我奉命在这里等老师来。

(= I’ve been instructed to wait here until the teacher arrives.)

Pattern:

instruct sb. to do sth.;

instruct sb. that;

instruct sb. with quote

2) teach (sb.)

*He instructed family members in nursing techniques.

他们教给了我做这项工作的最好办法。

(= They instructed me in the best ways of doing the job.)

Pattern: instruct sb. in/on sth

CF: instruct, direct & order

这几个词都是动词，都有“吩咐，命令”之意。

instruct指向人下命令或指示，指导等，还可指交待。例如：

* He was instructed to represent the Government. 他奉命代表政府。

* He hasn’t instructed us where to go. 他还没指示我们去哪里。

direct 一般指上级对下级进行的指示、命令等，须采取的行动有准确说明。例如：

* The owners directed that the factory be closed. 厂主下令关厂。

* The officer directed them to advance. 军官命令他们前进。

order 是普通用语，往往带有强制性，语气较强。 例如：

* He ordered the enemy to lay down their arms. 他命令敌人放下武器。

* The policeman ordered the motorist to stop. 警察命令摩托车手停车。

19. (L 73) render: vt. cause (sb./sth.) to be in a specified condition (same as make)

*The drug will render the tiger harmless for up to two hours.

*He was rendered unconscious by a blow on the back of the neck.

地震导致成百上千的人无家可归。

(=Hundreds of people were rendered homeless by the earthquake.)

Collocation:

render into 译成(某种语言)

render up 做(祷告); 放弃, 交出

render blow for blow 以牙还牙

render good for evil 以德报怨

20. (L 75) casualty: n. a person who is killed or injured in war or in an accident

*First reports of the traffic accident tell of more than 50 casualties.

(=The precise number of casualties in yesterday’s bomb explosion is not known.)

21. (L 91) bring to a halt: stop completely

*Air traffic in Poland had been brought to a halt by an air traffic controllers’ strike. 我们的旅行因风暴而终止。

（=Our journey was brought to a halt by a storm.）

22. (L 91) offensive:

1. n. aggressive action, attack

*The Red Army brought its winter offensive to a successful conclusion.

红军发动全面的军事攻击。

（=The Red Army led a massive military offensive.）

Collocation:

launch/mount an offensive 发动进攻

carry out/undertake an offensive 进攻

on the offensive 处于攻势

assume/go on/go over/take the offensive 进攻，采取攻势

* If all else fails, I’ll go over to the offensive.

如果其他方法都失败，那我将采取攻势。

2. adj. of or about attack; causing offense; unpleasant

这支进攻的军队很快地赢得了阵地。

（＝The offensive troops gained ground quickly.）

* My neighbor is really an offensive person. He always plays the piano deep into the night.

23. (L 103) thanks to: because of

*Thanks to her financial support, the two children in the remote village could go to school.

*Thanks to their tireless efforts, the performance was a great success.

24. (L 114)reckon: v. count; consider; think

The existence of the U.S. is reckoned from the Declaration of Independence. 许多人认为他是一位伟大的篮球运动员。

（=Many people reckon him to be a great basketball player.）

NB: 常用的搭配：be reckoned with: be taken into consideration

All these problems had to be reckoned with as they arose.

CF: reckon, regard, consider & count

这几个词都是动词，都有“认为”之意。

reckon 用来指对事件全面权衡，在有些非正式的行文中，也用来表示建议或想法。后面接

宾语从句或复合宾语（和as连用，但在被动语态中也常不带as）。例如：

* I reckon it’s time to go. 我认为该走了。

* They reckon the book as one of his best works. 他们认为这本书是他最

优秀的作品之一。

regard 源自法语，意为看、观察，因此，该词更多地通过对事物外表的评价或视觉感观反

映出这一本义。 注意其后一定要用as。例如：

* He is generally regarded as an authority on ancient bronzes. 一般把他看作是古铜器研究的权威。

consider 表示经过深思熟虑或亲身经历之后而相信或确认。其宾语后面的补足语可以是名

词或形容词。例如：

* I consider him a good musician. 我认为他是一个优秀的音乐家。

* They always considered themselves very important. 他们总以为自己很了不起。 count 表示看法多侧重于一种判断。注意其宾语后面不用as。例如：

* After such a bad accident you should count yourself lucky you’re alive.

遭此严重的意外你还能活下来，该感到很幸运了。

25. (L 116) toll:

1. n.

1) the number of people or animals killed or injured in particular circumstances * The death toll rose from 270 in 1952 to 5,000 in1954.

2) money paid for the use of a bridge, road, etc.

* Each car must pay a toll to cross the bridge.

Collocation:

charge/exact/impose a toll 征收（道路、桥梁等的）通行费

levy toll on sb. 向某人收费（或征税）

war toll 战争伤亡人数

take a heavy toll 造成重大伤亡（或损失）

* The earthquake took a heavy toll on several villages.

这次地震给几个村庄造成重大损失。

take a/its toll 造成损失（或危害、伤亡等）

* The flood took a toll of 3,000,000 lives.

洪水造成三百万人死亡。

2. v. sound (a large bell) slowly at regular intervals

Bells were tolled all over the country at the President’s death.

II. Useful Expressions

1. 骄兵必败 pride comes before a fall

2. 战无不胜 nothing could stand in their way

3. 奋勇抵抗 fierce resistance

4. 阴冷凄苦的俄罗斯寒冬

5. 堪称无敌

6. 向 发动进攻

7. 痛苦的教训

8. 速决速胜

9. 让某人吃惊的是

10. 面临着一个重要抉择

11. 孤注一掷

12. 激战

13. 向 提出停战

14. 等待时机

15. 成为一场噩梦

16. 拖着脚步行进

17. 溃不成军的幸存者

18. 不宣而战

19. 闪电式战略

20. “焦土”政策

21. 处境变得危急

22. 食品匮乏

23. 死于饥饿与疾病

24. 食品和补给的匮乏 a raw, bitter, bleak Russian winter be unequaled launch an attack against… a painful lesson a quick, decisive victory to sb.'s surprise be faced with a crucial decision take the gamble fierce battle offer a truce to bide one’s time turn into a nightmare drag on the tattered survivors without a declaration of war lightning war “scorch the earth” the situation becomes desperate food runs out die from hunger and disease a lack of food and supplies