综合英语Book VI Unit9.ppt

Unit 9
Text I
A Red Light for Scofflaws
Language Points
1. Yet it is painfully apparent that millions of Americans who would never think of…and nourish their society:在该句中,it用作形式主语,真正的主语是apparent后由that引导的主语从句,其中又包含两个定语从句,一个是who would never think of themselves as law-breakers, let alone criminals,修饰Americans;另一个是that are designed to protect and nourish their society,修饰legal codes。词组take liberties with表示behave in a rude, too friendly way towards,意为“对…放肆随便;随意对待”,又如take great liberties with grammar (全然不顾语法规则)。
2. Harvard Sociologist David Riesman suspects that a majority of Americans have blithely…a matter of course:动词词组take to在句中表示begin as a practice, habit, etc. ,意为“养成(…的****惯),沉湎于”,后面接动名词或名词,又如Just lately he’s taken to hiding his socks under the carpet. (就在前不久,他养成****惯将袜子藏在毛毯下。)句中词组as a matter of course表示as a usual event, as something natural,意为“为理所当然的事”,又如When I go out of the house, I loch the door as a matter of course. (我离开房屋时,理所当然地将门锁上)。
3. Red-light running has always been ranked as a minor wrong, and so it may be in individual instances: so在句中作副词,意为“对,不错”,代替前句中的a minor wrong。后半句的意思是“在个人情况中,它(撞红灯)可能的确也如此”。so的这种用法比较常见,又如You say he works hard; so he does, and so do you. (你说他很努力,对,他确实很努力,你也一样)。注意“so+主语+do (be, have, can, etc.)”结构用法的区别。前者是正常语序,so的意思相当于indeed, certainly,对别人的话作出肯定反应时用,又如It is een fifty, so it is. (那是1950年,的确是的)。后者是倒装语序,so相当于in the same way, also,作简单回答,表示同样的看法时用,又如He can sing the song, so can I. (他会唱这首歌,我也会唱)。
4. If hypocrisy is the tribute that pays to virtue, then furtiveness is the true outlaw’s salute to the force of law-and-order:句子的前半部分引用了一个谚语,意为“行坏者在同有道德的人打交道时总是装成名声好的人”;在句子的后半部分中,作者将意义进行了引申,指出“真正的违法者在面对警察时总是偷偷摸摸”。作者在文中插入此句意在说明“撞红灯是在众目睽睽之下进行的,因此,它对社会氛围的危害性更大”。
5. slug him eight stitches’ worth:动词slug常用于美式英语中,相当于英式英语中的slog,意为“猛击”。这个动词短语表示“打得他缝了8针”。
Text II Trust
Language Points
1. …if anyone asked me how fast I was driving, I’d have to plead the Fifth Amendment to avoid self-incrimination: the Fifth Amendment (第五修正案)是针对美国宪法的修正案,它规定不要求人们在案件中为自己辩护。