BR-main

4. Topic-related Prediction

Before Reading

1. Listening Comprehension

2. Discussion

3. Background Information

Albert Camus

Jean Paul Satre

Existential Philosophy

Random House

Cadillac

Las Vegas

Theme Park

FBI

Directions: Listen to the passage and answer the questions.

Listening Comprehension

1. Why do so many people become gamblers, according to the passage?2. Who benefited from the increasingly popular gambling?3. What problems may pathological gamblers bring?

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Directions: Listen to the passage and answer the questions.

Listening Comprehension

1. Why do so many people become gamblers, according to the passage?2. Who benefited from the increasingly popular gambling?3. What problems may pathological gamblers bring?

Gambling is becoming increasingly popular throughout the world. Many people have friends or family members who have gambling problems. This increase can be attributed to the legalization of gambling in many countries and associated rapid increase in gambling facilities such as casinos and slot machines. It is true that gambling has brought income to some people such as American Indians, but it has brought very serious problems for both individuals and society as a whole. Increasing number of people are becoming addicted to gambling, bringing a whole gamut of problems. Pathological gamblers may develop stress related to medical conditions such as peptic ulcers, depression, and alcoholism. Pathological gamblers may also evidence anti-social behavior, leaving regular employment and even engaging in criminal activities to support their habit. And they often cause harm to their families and friends.

Directions: Look at the pictures. Discuss in groups the following questions.

1. How do the pictures strike you?2. What makes gambling so appealing to some people? 3. What might be the disastrous consequences of gambling?

Discussion

Albert Camus

the French writer and philosopher

His philosophical view: There is only one really serious philosophical question, and that is suicide. Deciding whether or not life is worth living is to answer the fundamental question in philosophy. All other questions follow from that.

His literary view: A novel is never anything but a philosophy put into images.

born in Algeria, into a working-class family1913

1935 -1939 received his diploma from the University of Algiers in philosophy; joined the Communist Party

World War II a member of the French resistance

1942published the novel The Stranger, concerning the absurdity of the human condition

1943

1947 resigned from Combat and published the novel The Plague

won the Nobel Prize for literature1957

1960 died

a reader and editor; editted the newspaper Combat

His life:

Jean Paul Satre

the French novelist, playwright, philosopher, and literary critic

His philosophical view “existence is prior to essence”: we are responsible for the choices and for our emotional lives. In a godless universe life has no meaning or purpose beyond the goals that each man sets for himself. Only one who chooses to assume responsibility of acting in a particular situation makes effective use of one's freedom.

His literary view: The goal of art is to recover this world by giving it to be seen not as it is, but as if it had its source in human freedom.

BR1- Jean Paul Satre2

born in ParisJune 21,1905

World War II imprisoned in Germany, but released in 1941

1943 published Being and Nothingness

1947 published his best-known book of literary criticism: QU'EST CE QUE LA LITTÉRATURE

19551960 published his philosophic work Critique of Dialectical

Reasonwas awarded the Nobel Prize for literature, but he declined the award in protest of the values of bourgeois society

1964

1970 was arrested because of selling on the streets the forbidden Maoist paper La cause du peuple

traveled in China

His life:

April 15, 1980 died in Paris

Existential philosophy

A philosophy that emphasizes the uniqueness and isolation of the individual experience in a hostile or indifferent universe, regards human existence as unexplainable, and stresses freedom of choice and responsibility for the consequences of one's acts.

Random House is one of the world’s largest publishers of the English language and the general-interest books. It is a publishing subsidiary of Bertelsmann AG, a large German media conglomerate.

Random House entered reference publishing in 1947 with the American College Dictionary, which was followed in 1966 by its first unabridged dictionary. It publishes today the Random House Webster's Unabridged and Random House Webster's College dictionaries.

Random House owns many of the most prestigious and profitable book publishing companies in the United States. Random House has published books by a wide array of 20th century American writers.

Random House

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A large and US make of car. Owning a Cadillac is seen by Americans as a sign of wealth and success. The Cadillac was first produced in 1903 in Detroit by the Cadillac Motor Car Company and is now made by the General Motors Corporation.

Cadillac

Las Vegas

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Las Vegas is the largest city in Nevada and the center of one of the fastest-growing urban areas in the United States. Revenue from hotels, gambling, entertainment, theme parks, resorts, and other tourist-oriented industries forms the backbone of the economy. The nightclubs, casinos, and championship boxing matches are world famous, and entertainment enterprises have led to an increasing array of music, sports, gambling, and amusement centers up and down the main"strip,“ as the city succeeded in the 1990s in redefining itself as a family resort, complete with monorail (opened in 2004). The city is also the commercial hub of a ranching and mining area and has diverse manufacturing, including gaming equipment.

Theme Park

A theme park is an amusement park in which all the settings and attractions have a central theme, such as the world of the future. Typical examples are the Disneyland theme parks in California and Florida.

FBI

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Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), division of the U.S. Dept. of Justice, is in charge of investigating all violations of federal laws except those assigned to some other federal agency. The FBI has jurisdiction over some 185 investigative matters, among which are espionage, sabotage, and other subversive activities; kidnapping; extortion; bank robbery; interstate transportation of stolen property; civil-rights matters; interstate gambling violations; and fraud against the government. Created (1908) as the Bureau of Investigation, it originally conducted investigations only for the Justice Department. In 1935 it was designated the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The FBI played an important role in raising the standards of local police units through its FBI Academy.

Topic-related Prediction

Text A is entitled “Going for Broke”. How do you understand the word “broke”? What will the passage be about, judging from the title?

Global Reading

2. Further Understanding

1. Part Division of the Text

3. Text analysis

For Part 1 Questions and Answers

For Part 2 Blank-Filling

For Part 3 True or False

Part Division of the Text

Parts

Lines

Main Ideas

1 1 — 18

2 19 — 85

3 86 — 111

The authors give a brief account of the life experience of a hard-core gambler named Rex Coile.

The authors expound the problem of gambling addiction, its causes and its attendant steep social price.

Through further discussion of the example of Rex, the authors reinforce the essay's thesis that the life of compulsive gamblers is a narrow box. Once trapped inside, they will never get out.

1. How do the authors begin the passage?

2. What did Rex use to be? How long has he been addicted to

gambling?

3. What changes have occurred in Rex’s life since he became

addicted to gambling?

4. Why is Rex Coile nicknamed “Rex Trivia”?

5. If he had not been addicted to gambling, what would Rex’s life

be like now?

Questions and Answers

all over the country; nearly every state; from Las Vegas to Indian reservations, from the riverboats along the Mississippi to corner mini-marts

Blank-Filling

1. The prevalence of gambling in America:

2. The estimated number of gambling addicts:

3. The causes for the prevalence:

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

______________________________

4.4 million compulsive gamblers; another 11 million problem gamblers; still soaring

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

government’s sanction of some form of legalized gambling to raise revenues; loss of self-control of the gamblers; no remedy_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

50.9 billion dollars a year; money vanishing

4. The bad consequences of gambling:1) money losses:

2) family problems:

3) social harm:

_____________________________________________________________

child abuse; murder; suicide; domestic violence; suffocating debts; exasperated, overwhelmed and humiliated spouses who fight the family problem alone, bleeding inside and even thinking of killing their husbands

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

society paying a steep price; embezzlement, bogus insurance, bankruptcies, welfare fraud, other social and criminal ills; higher suicide rates

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

Rex Coile has no alternative but to kill himself since he is heavily indebted.

He is not about to kill himself, but occasionally thinks about it.

Lost in gambling, Rex has come down in the world. Otherwise, he would have become successful in his career.

F ( )

T ( )

1.

2.

True or False

Rex was arrested and put in prison for domestic violence and child abuse.

3.

He was arrested and imprisoned for a short stint because he aided another gambler to rob a bank.

F ( )

At a poker table in Gardena, Rex lost some money first but later he began to win.

Rex finally decided to leave the poker table at 2 A.M. and quit gambling.

He hesitated for some time, but finally decided to continue with his gambling.

F ( )

T ( )

5.

4.

Cohesive devices are important to achieve unity of the whole text. Analyze the text and find out how the three parts of the text are connected.

Text analysis

1) Part II coheres with Part I by the first sentence of Paragraph 5: “And their numbers are soaring as gambling explodes across in America”, which corresponds with the last sentence of Paragraph 4 “There’s a lot of Rexes around these card rooms”.

2) In the same way, Part III coheres with Part II by the first sentence of Paragraph 16: “Rex Trivia is not about to kill himself…”, which corresponds with the ending part of Paragraph 15: “… showed significantly higher suicide rates than people …

In the text, restatement or partial repetition is used as cohesive tie to hold the three parts together an integral whole. It can be illustrated as following:

The following article is based on a seven-month nationwide

investigation of gambling in America. The stories it tells offer a grim

picture of what can happen to those who become addicted to

gambling.

Going for Broke Matea Gold and David Ferrell

Rex Coile's life is a narrow box, so dark and confining he wonders how he got trapped inside, whether he'll ever get out.

He never goes to the movies, never sees concerts, never lies on a sunny beach, never travels on vacation, never spends Christmas with his family. Instead, Rex shares floor space in cheap motels with other compulsive gamblers, comforting himself with delusional dreams of jackpots that will magically wipe away three decades of wreckage. He has lost his marriage, his home, his Cadillac, his clothes, his diamond ring. Not least of all, in the card clubs of Southern California, he has lost his pride.

SentenceSentence WordWord


Rex no longer feels sorry for himself, not after a 29-year losing streak that has left him scrounging for table scraps to feed his habit. Still, he agonizes over what he has become at 54 and what he might have been.

Articulate, intellectual, he talks about existential philosophy, the writings of Camus and Sartre. He was once an editor at Random House. His mind is so jam packed with tidbits about movies, television, baseball and history that card room regulars call him "Rex Trivia," a name he cherishes for the remnant of self-respect it gives him. "There's a lot of Rexes around these card rooms," he says in a whisper of resignation and sadness.


And their numbers are soaring as gambling explodes across America, from the mega-resorts of Las Vegas to the gaming parlors of Indian reservations, from the riverboats along the Mississippi to the corner mini-marts selling lottery tickets. With nearly every state in the union now sanctioning some form of legalized gambling to raise revenues, evidence is mounting that society is paying a steep price, one that some researchers say must be confronted, if not reversed.

Never before have bettors blown so much money — a whopping $50.9 billion last year — five times the amount lost in 1980. That's more than the public spent on movies, theme parks, recorded music and sporting events combined. A substantial share of those gambling losses — an estimated 30% to 40% — pours from the pockets and purses of chronic losers hooked on the adrenaline rush of risking their money, intoxicated by the fast action of gambling's incandescent world.


Studies place the total number of compulsive gamblers at about 4.4 million, about equal to the nation's ranks of hard-core drug addicts. Another 11 million, known as problem gamblers, teeter on the verge. Since 1990, the number of Gamblers Anonymous groups nationwide has doubled from about 600 to more than 1,200.

Compulsive gambling has been linked to child abuse, domestic violence, embezzlement, bogus insurance claims, bankruptcies, welfare fraud and a host of other social and criminal ills. The advent of Internet gambling could lure new legions into wagering beyond their means.


Every once in a while, a case is so egregious it makes headlines: A 10-day-old baby girl in South Carolina dies after being left for nearly seven hours in a hot car while her mother plays video poker. A suburban Chicago woman is so desperate for a bankroll to gamble that she allegedly suffocates her 7-week-old daughter 11 days after obtaining a $200,000 life-insurance policy on the baby.

Science has begun to uncover clues to compulsive gambling — genetic predispositions that involve chemical receptors in the brain, the same pleasure pathways implicated in drug and alcohol addiction. But no amount of knowledge, no amount of enlightenment, makes the illness any less confounding, any less destructive. What the gamblers cannot understand about themselves is also well beyond the comprehension of family members, who struggle for normality in a world of deceit and madness.


Money starts vanishing: $500 here, $200 there, $800 a couple of weeks later. Where is it? The answers come back vague, nonsensical. It's in the desk at work. A friend borrowed it. It got spent on family dinners, car repairs, loans to in-laws. Exasperated spouses play the sleuth, combing through pockets, wallets, purses, searching the car. Sometimes the incriminating evidence turns up — a racing form, lottery scratchers, a map to an Indian casino. Once the secret is uncovered, spouses usually fight the problem alone, bleeding inside, because the stories are too humiliating to share.


"Anybody who is living with a compulsive gambler is totally overwhelmed," says Tom Tucker, president of the California Council on Problem Gambling. "They're steeped in anger, resentment, depression, confusion. None of their personal efforts will ever stop a person from their addiction. And they don't really see any hope because compulsive gambling in general is such an under-recognized illness."

One Los Angeles woman, whose husband's gambling was tearing at her sanity, says she slept with her fists so tightly clenched that her nails sliced into her palms. She had fantasies of death — first her own, thinking he'd feel sorry for her and stop gambling. Later, she harbored thoughts of turning her rage on her husband. She imagined getting a gun, hiding in the closet and blasting him out of her life.


"The hurt was so bad I think I would have pulled the trigger," she says. "There were times the pain was so much I thought being in jail, or being in the electric chair, would be less than this."

With drug or alcohol abusers, there is the hope of sobering up, an accomplishment in itself, no matter what problems may have accompanied their addictions. Compulsive gamblers often see no way to purge their urges when suffocating debts suggest only one answer: a hot streak (suicide?). David Phillips, a UC San Diego sociology professor, studied death records from

1982 to 1988 — before legalized gambling exploded across America — and found that people in Vegas, Atlantic City and other gambling meccas showed significantly higher suicide rates than people in non-gambling cities.


Rex Trivia is not about to kill himself, but like most compulsive gamblers, he occasionally thinks about it. Looking at him, it's hard to imagine he once had a promising future as a smart young New York book editor. His pale eyes are expressionless, his hair yellowish and brittle. In his fifties, his health is failing: emphysema, three lung collapses, a bad aorta, rotting teeth.

His plunge has been so dizzying that at one point he agreed to aid another desperate gambler in a run of bank robberies — nine in all, throughout Los Angeles and Orange counties. When the FBI busted him in 1980, he had $50,000 in cash in a dresser drawer and $100,000 in traveler's checks in his refrigerator's vegetable crisper. Rex, who ended up doing a short stint in prison, hasn't seen that kind of money since.


At 11 P. M. on a Tuesday night, with a bankroll of $55 — all he

has — he is at a poker table in Gardena. With quick, nervous hands

he stacks and unstacks his $1 chips. The stack dwindles. Down

$30, he talks about leaving, getting some sleep. Midnight comes

and goes. Rex starts winning. Three aces. Four threes. Chips pile

up — $60, $70. "A shame to go when the cards are falling my way."

He checks the time: "I'll go at 2. Win, lose or draw."

Fate, kismet, luck — the cards keep falling. At 2 A. M., Rex is

up $97. He stands, leaves his chips on the table and goes out for a

smoke. In the darkness at the edge of the parking lot, he loiters with

other regulars, debating with himself whether to grab a bus and

quit.


"I should go back in there and cash in and get out of here," he says. "That's what I should do."

A long pause. Crushing out his cigarette, Rex turns and heads back inside. He has made his decision.

"A few more hands."

Going for Broke Matea Gold and David Ferrell






















"The hurt was so bad I think I would have pulled the trigger," she says. "There were times the pain was so much I thought being in jail, or being in the electric chair, would be less than this."

With drug or alcohol abusers, there is the hope of sobering up, an accomplishment in itself, no matter what problems may have accompanied their addictions. Compulsive gamblers often see no way to purge their urges when suffocating debts suggest only one answer: a hot streak (suicide?). David Phillips, a UC San Diego sociology professor, studied death records from 1982 to 1988 — before legalized gambling exploded across America — and found that people in Vegas, Atlantic City and other gambling meccas showed significantly higher suicide rates than people in non-gambling cities.















quit.


Going for broke Matea Gold and David Ferrell



SentenceSentence

1. What can we learn from the sentence?We can learn from the sentence that Rex Coile seems to live in a very small area, as if being trapped in it, with no freedom, and with no hope of getting out.

2. How is the language used here?

In this sentence, the author uses metaphor. Words are used figuratively. Since Rex is addicted to gambling, his life seems to be confined in a box with no signs of life. He slipped into gambling, as if being trapped without any hope for freedom. From this sentence we can learn that gambling does great harm to people’s life.

WordWord

SentenceSentence



Paraphrase the sentence.

He might have been a very promising editor, but because of his addiction to gambling for 29 years, he has achieved nothing in his life. Thinking of this, he felt painful.

WordWord




1. What does “society is paying a steep price” imply?

It implies that gambling is doing great harm to the society.

2. Translate the sentence into Chinese.

由于全国几乎每个州都批准某种合法化的赌博形式以增加税收，越来越多的事实表明，整个社会正在付出巨大的代价，不少研究者指出，对此现象如果不能彻底改变，那就必须严肃面对。




1. What does “Rex Trivia” imply?“Trivia” means something unimportant. Here it means anecdotes, odd or obscure facts about the subject matters enumerated. The nickname “Rex Trivia” implies that Rex Coile knows many anecdotes and interesting stories about movies, television, etc., which indicates that he is quite knowledgeable and intelligent.

2. What does “it” refer to?

The name “Rex Trivia”.


他脑子里装满有关电影、电视、棒球和历史的趣闻，因此那些纸牌室的常客都叫他“趣闻大王雷克斯”，他珍惜这个带给自己些许自尊的名字。




1. Analyze the structure of the sentence.

The subject of the sentence is “share”, and the predicate is “pours”. The phrase between the dashes “an estimated 30% to 40%” is an inserted noun phrase to explain how much the share of the losses is. The two past participle phrases “hooked on … money” and “intoxicated by … world” modify “chronic losers”.


输掉的赌金中有相当一部分—— 约占 30% － 40%—— 是从那些常输的赌徒的钱包里掏出来的，赌博带来的兴奋令他们入迷，瞬息万变的赌博世界令他们如痴如醉。




1. What does “problem gamblers” mean?

Those gamblers difficult to deal with or control. Similar expressions include “problem children”, “problem customers”, etc.


另有 1100 万所谓有问题的赌徒，摇摆于嗜赌成瘾与成为死不改悔之间，已濒临深渊摇摇欲坠。

2.What does “teeter on the verge” imply?

The phrase implies that such gamblers alternate between “compulsive gamblers” and “hard-core” gambling addicts.




1. Paraphrase the sentence.

No matter how much knowledge we have and the insight we have gained, we are still confused about gambling, and gambling is still doing harm to us.

但无论对这一顽症有多少了解有多少认识，人们对它的困惑一点也没有减少，它的破坏性也一点也没有减少。




1. What is implied in the sentence?

When one finds that her husband/his wife is lost in gambling and tells lies about where money goes, he/she usually deals with the problem on his/her own, suffering the great pain inwardly, because it is shameful to tell the problem to others.

秘密一旦被揭穿，配偶通常都单独面对问题，独自承受心头巨痛，因为这种事太丢人，没法跟别人说。





1. What can we learn from the sentence?

We can learn how angry and painful the woman is at her husband’s gambling. She became almost insane about it.

一个洛杉矶妇女，由于丈夫嗜赌成瘾，自己几乎神经崩溃。她说自己晚上睡觉时双手紧紧握成拳头，指甲把手掌都掐破了。



"The hurt was so bad I think I would have pulled the trigger," she says. "There were times the pain was so much I thought being in jail, or being in the electric chair, would be less than this." With drug or alcohol abusers, there is the hope of sobering up, an accomplishment in itself, no matter what problems may have accompanied their addictions. Compulsive gamblers often see no way to purge their urges when suffocating debts suggest only one answer: a hot streak (suicide?). David Phillips, a UC San Diego sociology professor, studied death records from


1. What does “this” refer to?

The pain and the hurt of suffering from her husband’s addiction to gambling.

One’s gambling may bring utmost pain to his family.

2. What can we learn from the sentence?




1. Paraphrase the sentence.

Rex’s addiction to gambling has been so bewildering and confusing that once he even agreed to help another hopeless and reckless gambler to rob a bank.

他陷入赌毒之深让人惊惑，竟然一度答应协助另一个因绝望而不顾一切的赌徒实施银行抢劫。













quit.


1. What does this sentence imply?

Time goes by quickly. Rex has been at the poker table for a long time. Luck begins to favor Rex. Even if he wanted to leave, it seems shameful to leave at this point of winning.

午夜稍纵即逝。… 三张 A 牌，四张 3 点。…“我牌运那么好，怎么能走。”






SS

TT

go for broke: commit or expend all of one's available resources toward achievement of a goal; risk everything in one determined attempt at sth.

他决定孤注一掷把所有的钱全部投向股市。

He decided to go for broke and put all his money into the stock market.

SS Why not go for broke and apply for Harvard University?





TEXT-W1-delusion1

delusion: n. a false belief or opinion

SS Jane is under the delusion that I’m going to give her a lot of money.

SS 这位病人妄想自己是拿破仑。

TT The sick man is under the delusion that he is Napoleon.





CF: delusion & illusion 这两个词都是名词，都有“错觉”的意思，也都有这样的词组 “under the delusion” 和“ under the illusion” 。delusion 通常指一个被误导甚至是精神不正常的人的错误（病态的）观念，例如： Bob once had the delusion that he was a “flying man”. 鲍勃一度妄想自己是个飞人。illusion 通常指给人的感官印象似乎是正确的而实际不然的观念。例如： I had the illusion that the sun goes around the earth when I was a child. 孩提时代，我错误地认为太阳是绕着地球旋转的。





SS

wreckage: n. remains of sth. that has been destroyed or ruined

The police dragged the wreckage of the car from the accident site.

SS The investigation committee was trying to find the wreckage of the plane after the crash.





not least of all: especially; in particular

SS People, not least of all youngsters, don't seem so polite these days.

SS Millions of wild flowers color the valleys, not least of all in April and May.




streak: n.

1) a line, mark, smear, or band differentiated by color or texture from its surroundings

2) (esp. in gambling) period of continuous success or failure

SS William noticed some streaks of grey appearing in his mother’s black hair.

SS The young man is very happy for he enjoys a long streak of winning in lottery.

SSMr. Smith had a streak of luck this year.




3) element or trace (in a person’s character)

SS Our chemistry teacher has a streak of humor in him.




scrounge: v. seek to obtain something by begging or borrowing with no intention of repayment; forage about in an effort to acquire something at no cost

SS The old man was scrounging for empty bottles in the dustbin.

SS He scrounged a cigarette from me.




agonize: v. suffer great pain or anxiety

SS Why do you agonize yourself with the thought of your failure?

SS 他对上星期五公司高层会议上的决定感到焦虑不安。

TT He agonized over the decision made last Friday top meeting of the company.

agony n. the suffering of intense physical or mental pain

SS He was in an agony of remorse.




articulate: adj. (of a person) able to express one’s ideas clearly and effectively in words

SS Maria is the most articulate of the sisters.

SS 我们大家都认为他是很有口才的演讲者。

TT We all agree that he is an articulate speaker.




tidbit: n. small but interesting piece of news, gossip, etc.

SS The book is full of colorful tidbits about theater and theater people.

SS 导演给孩子们讲了许多关于电影制作的趣事。

TT The director told the children many tidbits about filmmaking.




regular: n. a habitual customer or client at a shop, pub, etc., a loyal person

SS David is one of our regulars — he comes in for a drink about this time every night.

SS 我是这家餐馆的常客，这里的菜很合我的口味。

TT I am a regular of this restaurant, for the dish here are very much to my taste.




cherish: vt. treat with affection and tenderness; hold dear; keep fondly in mind

SS He cherished the memory of his dead wife.

SS The old man cherished the girl as if she were his daughter.

SS 他怀念他那一去不复返的青春年华。

TT He cherished the memory of his departed youth.




remnant: n. sth. left over, a remainder; small remaining quantity

SS The remnants of the feast were taken to the farm to feed the pigs there.

SS The general ordered the soldiers to wipe away the remnants of the enemy.

SS 他虽然深受冒犯，但仍保持了几分尊严。

TT Though terribly offended, he retained some remnant of dignity.




resignation: n.

SS Mr. Smith handed in his resignation to the general manager last week.

1) the act of giving up (one’s position, for example) esp. by formal notification; oral or written statement of giving up one’s position

2) unresisting acceptance of something as inescapable; submission

SS He lost the election and had to accept his fate with resignation.

SS 这位足球明星在最近的比赛中输了，他只得无可奈何地承认失败。

TT The football star was defeated in the recent game, and he had to accept the failure with resignation.




reservation: n.

1) an arrangement in advance, as in a hotel or on an airplane

2) a limiting qualification, condition, or exception

SS If you want to go to the concert, you'll have to make a reservation, or there will be no tickets.

SS By negotiation, the party agreed to the plan with certain reservations.

SS 我对他所说的话的真实性持保留态度。

I have some reservations about the truth of what he said.

TT




3) a tract of land set apart by the federal government for a special purpose, especially one for the use of a Native American people

SS Many Native Americans live in reservations.SS The Native American professionals believe that proper

management of land and natural resources will improve reservation economic viability.

Collocation:

make reservations 定座cancel reservations 取消预定

with reservations 有保留地

without reservation 毫无保留地




sanction:

1. n. authoritative permission or approval that makes a course of action valid

SS The novel has been adapted to a play without the sanction of the author.

SS 我们获准继续进行我们的项目。

We received sanction to proceed with our project.TT

2. vt. give official authorization or approval to

SS The headquarters of the company sanctioned the establishment of a branch in Shanghai.




revenue: n. income, esp. the total annual income of the state

from taxesSS The government gets its revenue from taxes.

SS 个人所得税是一个国家岁入的主要来源之一。

Collocation:

customs revenue 关税收入 the Public revenue 国库收入 defraud the revenue 逃（漏）税one’s revenue 个人总收入

Income tax is one of the main sources of a country’s revenue.TT

national revenue 国家岁入

a revenue officer 税务官员




substantial: adj. considerable in importance, value, degree, amount, or extent

SS There has been substantial increase in production of the automobile industry in China in these years.

SS Considering the environmental protection, the municipal government has made substantial changes in the development plan.




intoxicate: vt.

1) cause sb. to lose self-control as a result of taking alcoholic drink

SS Not only liquor, but also beer has the power to intoxicate.

2) excite sb. greatly, beyond self-control

SS The audience were intoxicated by the pianist’s excellent performance.

SS 他陶醉在西藏美丽的自然美景中。

He is intoxicated by the beautiful natural sceneries of Tibet.

TT




incandescent: adj.

1) emitting visible light; shining brilliantly; very bright

SS The physics teacher is demonstrating how an incandescent lamp works.

2) characterized by ardent emotion or intensity

SS His incandescent spirit inspired us to help the unprivileged people.




hard-core: adj. intensely loyal; stubbornly resistant to change

SS He is known as a hard-core golfer because as long as he is free, he plays golf.

SS 他已成了一个顽固的赌徒，无论你怎么劝，他就是不听。

He has become a hard-core gambler. No matter how you persuade him out of gambling, he won’t listen.

TT




verge: n. edge or border of a road, path, etc.

SS The once very profitable business is now on the verge of bankruptcy.

SS 她力图忍住悲痛，但还是差点哭了出来。She tried to hide her grief, but she was on the verge of tears.

TT

Pattern: at the verge of 在…的边缘on the verge of 接近于，濒于

CF: verge, edge, border, margin & rim 这些词都是名词，都有“边缘” 的意思verge 是一个极尽头的边缘，界限，例如 : Owing to the poor management, the firm was on the verge of bankruptcy. 由于经营不善，这家公司濒于破产。




edge 特指两个平面的分界线，棱边，例如： I hurt my knee against the edge of the stove. 我的腿碰到了炉子的棱边，碰伤了。border 指边界线或正位于边界内的区域 , 例如 : The border betwee

n the two countries runs along the mountain ridge. 这两个国家以山脊为界。margin 是指一种可精确限定宽度的边界，页面的空白处 , 例如 : Professor Smith always writes his comments in the margins of his students’ papers. 史密斯教授总是在学生论文的空白处写上他的评语。rim 常用于指圆周性或曲性物体（如车轮）的边缘 , 例如 : Be caref

ul! The rim of your glass is cracked. 当心！你的玻璃杯的边缘裂开了。




fraud: n.

1) a deception deliberately practiced in order to secure unfair or unlawful gainSS Last year, an Illinois woman was convicted of fraud for

trying to collect a $200,000 life insurance policy after smothering her daughter.

2) one that defrauds; a cheat

SS 用一叠纸牌为你占卜未来的人都是骗子。

People who tell your future by means of a pack of cards are frauds.

TT




lure: v. attract or temptSS Industry often seeks to lure scientists from universities

by offering them huge salaries.SS 意欲获取巨额利润诱惑他做了那些不诚实的交易。

The hope of high profits lured him into dishonest dealings.TT

CF: lure & tempt 这两个动词都有“引诱”的意思。lure 包含着“强烈的、不可抗拒的而且通常是有害的诱惑力”。例如：

SS Perhaps it is the desire for solitude or the chance of making an unexpected discovery that lures men down to the depths of the earth.

可能正是想寻觅一个幽静的去处或者找个猎奇的机会的欲望引诱着人们进入地球的深处。

TT

SS It was not money that lured the adolescent husbandman to the cities, but the gay life.把那个青年农民引诱到城市的东西不是金钱，而是那里的欢乐生活。

TT




tempt 也表示强烈的诱惑力，但更含有“被诱惑者虽然知道不该被诱惑，但无法或难以克制受到诱惑” 。例如：

SSThe steaming apple pie tempted him to disregard his diet. 那热气腾腾的苹果派把他诱惑得忘了自己需要节食。TT

SS I'm tempted to tell him what I really think of him.

我忍不住要告诉他我对他的真实看法。TT




egregious: adj. extremely and noticeably bad; conspicuously bad or offensive

SS You made an egregious mistake when you spoke so rudely to the president.




allegedly: adv. according to the charges made without proof; supposedly

SS He is allegedly a thief.

SS The man has allegedly murdered his wife but no proof has been found.




predisposition: n. state of being likely to behave in a particular way or to suffer from a particular disease; tendency, inclination, or susceptibilitySS Diet as well as other factors, including genetic

predisposition, is related to hypertension and obesity, which affect productivity and life span.

SS 她有一种爱看事物阴暗面的癖性。

She has a predisposition towards seeing the dark side of things.

TT

Collocation:

hereditary predisposition 遗传性素质natural predisposition 先天素质inborn predisposition 天性a predisposition to find fault 吹毛求疵的癖性




implicate: v. show to be involved or concerned; involve or connect intimately or incriminatingly

SS The police found a letter which implicated him in the murder case.

SS Having the stolen goods in his possession implicated him in the robbery.




confound: v. confuse and surprise (a person or group of people)

SS The accusation utterly confounded him.

SS I always confound him with his twin brother.

SS 别把公事与私事混为一谈。

Don’t confound public affairs with private ones.TT



exasperate: v. irritate or annoy sb. greatly

SS The teachers were exasperated at Bob's cheat in the examination.

SS 我们对他的不良行为非常恼怒。

We were exasperated at his ill behavior.TT



humiliating: adj. shameful, disgraceful

SS The boy’s ill manner made his parents humiliating in front of the guests.

SS 这位将军永远不会忘记给他带来耻辱的战败。

The general will never forget the humiliating failure in the battle.

TT




overwhelm: v. overpower; turn over; submerge suddenly; affect

deeply in mind or emotionSS The soldiers were overwhelmed by the enemy superior forces.

SS 你的好意使我感激难言。

Your kindness quite overwhelms me.TT

SS The boat was overwhelmed by the enormous waves.




sanity: n. the quality of being healthy in mind; soundness of mindSS Many people question the sanity of huge amounts of

money spent for defense.

SS 他签遗嘱时神志是否清醒颇令人怀疑。

His sanity of mind was quite doubtful when he signed his will.TT

Collocation:

sanity of judgment 判断正确sanity of outlook 观点正确lose one’s sanity 失去理智

retain one’s sanity 保持神志清醒


"The hurt was so bad I think I would have pulled the trigger," she says. "There were times the pain was so much I thought being in jail, or being in the electric chair, would be less than this." With drug or alcohol abusers, there is the hope of sobering up, an accomplishment in itself, no matter what problems may have accompanied their addictions. Compulsive gamblers often see no way to purge their urges when suffocating debts suggest only one answer: a hot streak (suicide?). David Phillips, a UC San Diego sociology professor, studied death records from


purge ： v. remove impurities by cleansing; get rid of; purify

SS This medicine will help you to purge off the poison in your blood.

To purge his sins, he devoted the rest of his life to doing goods.

TT

SS 为了洗清自己的罪过，他把余生都用在行善上。



bust:

SS He collects busts of famous statesmen.

1. n. the human head, shoulders, and chest, esp. as shown in sculptur

2. v. (of the police) raid (a house) or arrest (sb.); break; smash

SS A stone bust of Cai Yuanpei was erected on the campus to honor the late principal of the university.

SS Tom was busted on a charge of taking drugs.

SS It was money troubles that bust up their marriage.




stint: n. a specified period of time spent doing sth.; peson’s fixed amount of work, etc.

SS Washing the breakfast dishes was her daily stint.

SSThe work proceeded steadily, without stint or difficulty.

Collocation:

do one’s stint 做份内工作exceed one’s stint 超额工作without stint 不受限制地spend money without stint 花钱如流水labor without stint 不遗余力地劳动













quit.


loiter ： v. walk about slowly with frequent stops

SS With weary steps, Jane loitered on her way home from the bus stop.

SS She loitered along the street, looking into all the shop windows.

Collocation:

loiter one’s time away 虚度光阴loiter about 四处闲逛loiter out the time 消磨时间loiter over a job 工作懒散

5. Writing Practice

1. Useful Expressions

2. Spot Dictation

3. Discussion

4. Error Correction

After Reading

6. Proverbs and Quotations

1. 孤注一掷

2. 嗜赌成瘾者

3. 消除

4. 失去尊严

5. 生存哲学

6. 牌室的常客

7. 付出高昂的代价

8. 主题公园

go for broke

compulsive gamblers

wipe away

lose one’s pride

existential philosophy

card room regulars

pay a steep price

theme park

Useful Expressions

9. 不可救药的吸毒成瘾者

10. 在边缘摇摆

11. 虐待儿童

12. 家庭暴力

13. 许多

14. 成为重大新闻

15. 无法理解

hard-core drug addicts

teeter on the verge

child abuse

domestic violence

a host of

make headline

beyond one’s comprehension

16. 内心流血 bleed inside

17. 清醒起来

18. 为…而不顾一切

19. 保险单

20. 债台高筑

21. 前途无量

22. 呆滞无神的双眼

23. 每况愈下的健康状况

sober up

be desperate for

insurance policy

suffocating debts

promising future

expressionless eyes

failing health

24. 再玩几副 a few more hands

The tragedy of gambling addition reaches far beyond those who have been into gambling. Family members pay a price as well. They are frequently with the feeling of sadness and hopelessness. A nation-wide found that over 2 million adults identified a gambling as a significant factor in a divorce. Children of gamblers are more likely to suffer , as well as abuse. A few years ago, an Illinois mother was of fraud for trying to collect a $200,000 life insurance policy after her seven-year-old daughter. said that she killed the baby as she was short of cash to feed her gambling addiction, and her relatives her as a woman living in a world of lies and . A considerable body of evidence showed that the expansion of legally gambling destroys individuals, ruined families, increases crime, and costs society far more than the government collects.

Directions: Fill in the blanks with the words you hear.

_______

lured _____ steep_____overwhelmed____________

survey______spouse’s_______

prior____neglect______convicted________

smothering_________ Prosecutors__________

portrayed_________deceit______

sanctioned_________ultimately________

revenues________

Spot Dictation

■

Discussion

Discuss the topic in groups: how to help the gamblers out. In a group, three members express their viewpoints from different angles (for example, the gamblers themselves, the family members, and the society).

Error Correction

Directions: In the following passage, there are altogether 10 mistakes, one in each numbered line. You may have to change a word, add a word or delete a word. Mark out the mistakes and put the corrections in the blanks provided.

Example:

Television is rapidly becoming the literature of our periods. 1. time

Many of the arguments having used for the study of literature as 2. /

a school subject are valid for Λ study of television. 3. the

We are all naturally attracted to people with ideas, beliefs and interests like our own. Similarly, we feel comfortable with people with physical qualities similar as ours.

We may have noticed about how people who live or work closely together come to behave in a similar way. Unconsciously we copy these we are close to or love or admire. So a sportsman’s individual way of walking with raised shoulders is imitated by an admired fan; a pair of lovers both shake their heads in the same way; an employer finds himself copying his boss’s habit of wagging a pen between his fingers while thinking.

as → to1._________

删去 about2.__________

these → those3.____________

admired → admiring4.________________

employer → employee5._________________

In every case, the influential person may consciously notice the imitation but he will feel comfortably in his presence. And if he does notice the matching of his gestures or movements, he finds it pleasing he is influencing people: they are drawn to them.

Sensitive people have been mirroring their friend and acquaintances all their lives, and winning affection and respect in this way without aware of their methods. Now, for people who want to win agreement or trust, affection or sympathy, some psychologists recommend the deliberate use of physical imitation.

consciously → unconsciously

6.______________ ______________

comfortably → comfortable

7.____________ ____________

them → him8.____________

friend → friends9.________________

在 without 和 aware 之间加 being

10._______________ _______________

Writing PracticeLetters of Sympathy or Condolence

1. IntroductionLetter-writing is an important communication skill. The letter you

write is your personal representative. It takes your place when circumstances make it impossible for you to be there in person.

When your relative or friend is suffering an injury, loss, or a bereavement, your letter of sympathy or condolence can be a proper way of expressing your concern and sympathy. The function of such letters is to comfort, and they should be posted promptly.

I am to hear about of

2. Appropriate expressions for letters of sympathy or condolence

very sorrymore than sorrysurpriseddeeply distressed

your illness.the flood which destroyed your house.your injury in the car accident.

I can’t tell you how sorry I feltI felt very sad indeedWhat a surprise to meHow grieved I was

I heard of…I was informed of…the news came that…

1. For letters of sympathy

when

I am sorry to hear of/ of… grieved to learn

soextremelyterriblymost

the deaththe loss

2. For letters of condolence

We have just heard/learned with profound sorrow/regret the sad/tragic news.It was a great/profound shock to hear…The sad news of… has filled my heart with profound regret.I can’t tell you how saddened I am to hear of… I wish I could do something to soften your grief.Please accept my heartfelt sympathy.

3. Examples

Example 1. To a friend who is hospitalized

Sept. 20Dear John, I’ve just heard that you are in hospital. It must be quite a trying time for you. I hope that by the time this letter reaches you, you’ll be feeling a great deal better. I am sure that it won’t be long before you are completely yourself again. I look forward to your early recovery. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if there’s anything I can do to help. Very sincerely Harry

Example 2. To a friend or relative whose house was damaged

July 15 Dear Mary, What a shock it was to learn of the damage to your house by Hurricane Betsy, so sudden and unexpected, but I felt relieved that you yourself weren’t hurt. I know how much you love that house, and I also know how warm and welcoming it was to visit there. Now, I just want to send you my love and sympathy, along with my very best wishes that everything can be repaired soon. Truly yours Christina

Example 3. To a friend whose mother has passed away

October 20

Dear Charles, I am indeed saddened to hear of your mother’s passing away. My thoughts and sympathy are with you at this sad time. I know how close you were to your mother, and I recall your many loving comments about how helpful and supportive she was to the people in her life. She was so kind, blessed with a fine soul. Please convey my regards and best wishes to your family. Sincerely Harry

4. Homework

You have just learned that a friend of yours is ill and hospitalized. Write a letter expressing sympathy and all of your family’s earnest wishes for his/her speedy recovery, and telling him/her that you are sending him/her a best-seller to help while away the time.You heard of the loss of your friend’s father today. Write a few sincere, well-chosen words consoling your grief-stricken friend.

1.

2.

1. The best throw of the dice is to throw them away.

2. Gambling is the child of avarice, the brother of iniquity, and the father of mischief. — George Washington

3. You cannot get anything out of nature or from God by gambling. — John Ruskin, British Critic Social Theorist

掷骰子的最好方法就是把它们扔掉。

赌博是贪婪的孩子，不平等的兄弟，祸害的父亲。 —— 乔治•华盛顿

人不可能通过赌博从大自然或上帝那里得到任何东西。 —— 英国社会批评理论家约翰•拉斯金

Proverbs and Quotations

4. I can't believe that God plays dice with the universe. — Albert Einstein

5. Gambling promises the poor what property performs for the rich. — George Bernard Shaw

6. Shallow men believe in luck. Strong men believe in cause and effect. — Ralph Waldo Emerson

我相信上帝是不会和人类掷骰子的。 —— 爱尔伯特•爱因斯坦

赌博对穷人的承诺就像财产对富人所做的那样。 — 乔治•肖伯纳

肤浅的人相信运气，而强大的人相信有因才有果。 —— 拉尔夫•沃尔朵•爱默生