Unit 14 The Mystery of the White Gardenia. Pre-reading activity 1. Discuss types of possible occasions when people might send flowers. 2. What is.

Unit 14

The Mystery of the

White Gardenia

Pre-reading activity

1. Discuss types of possible occasions when people might send flowers.

2. What is your favorite flower? Why? 3. Have you ever sent or received flowers?

How do you feel?

mystery Something that is not fully understood or that

baffles or eludes the understanding; an enigma How he got in is a mystery. Even after all the testimonies, the murder remain

ed a mystery. 即使听完了所有的证词，这件谋杀案仍然是一个谜

adj. mysterious

In vain Vain adj. unsuccessful or useless, of no value e.g. The doctors gave him more powerful drugs in

the vain hope that he might recover. adj. too interested in your own

appearance or achievement. He was very vain about his hair and his clothes. He wants for the job purely for the reasons of

_______ and ambition. (vanity n.)

In vain

Unsuccessfully or uselessly

e.g. He tried in vain to start a conversation.

All the police’s efforts to find him was in vain.

Purchase v. (formal) to buy e.g. Tickets must be purchased two weeks in adv

ance. e.g. Except under clearly defined circumstances,

it is illegal in Britain for a company to purchase its own shares.

n. How do you wish to pay for your purchases? (Something you buy)

New restrictions have been placed on the purchase of guns. (the act of buying something)

Purchasing power 购买力

identity n. who a person is. Or the qualities of a person or

a group which make them different from other. e.g. The man’s identity was being kept secret while he

was helping police with enquires. identify v. to recognize someone or something. A

ns say or prove who or what they are. e.g. Even the smallest baby can identify its mother by he

r voice. identification n. Identical adj.

nestle

1) vt. & vi. to settle or lie warmly, closely, or comfortably; snuggle

e.g. The baby nestled its head on my shoulder.

I nestled the puppy in my arms.

The child nestled up to her mother.

小孩凑向他妈妈 / 那小孩偎依母亲身边。

nestle oneself in bed 安卧在床上 She nestled the baby in her arms.

她把孩子抱在怀里。 The cat nestled among the pillows.

猫在枕头堆里舒适地躺着 He nestled into a chair.

他安适地坐在椅中。

2) vi. to lie in a sheltered position:e.g. a cottage that nestles in the wood.

隐蔽在树林中的小屋The little house nestled among the trees.

那小屋座落在树丛中。

nestle down

舒适而温暖地安顿下来 ; 舒服地躺下 nestle up (to)

依偎 ; 紧靠着

anonymous

adj. made or done by someone whose name is not known or not made public.

e.g. He received an anonymous letter threatening to disclose of his affairs if he didn’t pay the money.

He has a rather anonymous face.

(having no unusual or interesting features.)anonymity n.

contribute

(vi.&vt) to give something. Esp. money in order to provide or achieve something together with other people.

e.g. Her family have contributed $ 50000 to the charities/ the Red Cross

He contribute (two stories) to a literary journal.

(write articles for a newspaper or a magazine.)

contribute to:e.g. Exercise contributes to better health.

锻炼能促成更强健的体魄 Drink contributed to his ruin.

酗酒促使他毁灭。

Translation:

1) 他们向难民捐赠食品和衣物。 2) 宋朝为世界文明贡献了三大发明。3) 他为《中国日报》撰写一篇文章。

1) They contributed food and clothing for the refugees.

2) The Song Dynasty contributed three great inventions to world civilization.

3) He contributed an article to the China Daily.

contribution

n. 捐献 , 贡献 , 投稿 make contribution to …. contributor

n. 贡献者 , 捐助者 , 投稿者

retrieve

v. to find and bring back something. e.g. Computers are used to store and retrieve

information efficiently. n. retrieval n.

venture

vt. & vi. (formal) to risk going somewhere or doing something that might be dangerous or unpleasant.

e.g. she rarely ventured outside, except when she went to stock up on groceries at the corner shop.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained. 不入虎穴，焉得虎子

speculate v. to guess possible answers to a question when

you do not have enough information to be certain.

e.g. A spokesperson declined to speculate on the cause of the train crash.

The newspapers have speculated that they will get married next year.

He made his money speculating on the London gold and silver market. (If someone speculates financially, they buy property, stocks, or shares, in the hope of being able to sell them again at a higher price and make a profit.)

Speculation n.

hearty

adj. enthusiastic, energetic, and often loudly expressed.

e.g. a hearty welcome, a hearty laugh We ate a hearty breakfast before we set off.

(large or in large amounts) heartily adv. I am heartily sick of the whole situation.

(completely or very much)

slam

vt.& vi. to (cause to) move against a hard surface with force and usu. With a loud noise.

e.g. Close the door carefully. Don’t slam it. He slammed the brakes on when a child ran in fron

t of his car. (use sth. quickly and with force.) The door shut with a slam. (a sudden and loud

noise)

crush1) Vt. to press with great force so as to destro

y the natural shape or condition 压坏；压碎；碾碎；压垮

e.g. This machine crushes wheat grain to make flour.

The tree fell on top of the car and crushed it.His spirits have been crushed by constant failure.

精神被不断的失败压垮了 (fig.) The government has crushed the rebelli

on. 平定叛乱

2) Vt. & Vi. to press tightly; crowd 挤，拥挤e.g. Hundreds of people crushed into the hall. 数

百人挤进大厅。 The people crushed through the gate.3) Vt. & Vi. crumple 压皱；起皱e.g. Silk crushes easily.

He crushed the freshly ironed shirt.把新熨好的衣服弄皱了

n. （名词）极度拥挤；果汁 a crush of spectators.

极度拥挤的观众 There was such a crush on the train that I co

uld hardly breathe.列车上这么拥挤我几乎透不过气来。

orange crush. 桔子汁

(infml) a strong foolish and short-lived love for someone ( 对某人的 ) （短暂的、少不更事的）迷恋

have/get a crush on sb. e.g. Ben has a crush on his music teacher.

crush-proof adj. crushable adj. 可压扁 [ 碎 ] 的 crushability n.

range

within the range of possibilities. 在可能的最大范围内 a wide price range. 极大的价格变化范围 The candidate had broad support from the lo

wer ranges of the party. 该候选人在党内下层党员中有很多支持者

a range of buildings 一排楼房 a range of pictures 一系列画片 a rifle range 步枪靶场 the range of the nightingale 夜莺的生长区 a wide range of knowledge 广博的知识

Range (from…to…)

Vi. the amount , number or type of something is between an upper and a lower limit.

e.g. Dress sizes range from petite to extra large. Prices range between $ 50 and $ 250.

range the books by size按书的大小排列 range a gun on a particular object用枪瞄准一个特别的目标 range the forest for game 在森林中跑来跑去猎取猎物

ages that ranged from two to five. 两岁至五岁年龄段 range along the coast 沿海岸巡航 a boundary that ranges from A to B 从甲地延伸到乙地的边界 camels which range from North Africa to Central Asia 从北非到中亚所分布的骆驼 a river that ranges to the east. 一条向东流的河

grief n. very great sadness, esp. at the death of

someone.e.g. Newspapers should not intrude on people’s private grief.grieve v. to feel or express great sadness, esp.

when someone dies.e.g. He is still grieving for/over his wife.grievous adj. e.g. His death is a grievous loss to the whole of the

community.

In the midst of

In the middle of an event, situation, or activity

e.g. The country is in the midst of an economic crisis.

I’m too busy—I’m in the midst of writing up a report.

imaginative

adj. (approving) new, original and clever

an imaginative approach <Compare> an imaginary world (not real, existing only in the

mind) Ice-cream of every imaginable flavor.

Imbue…with

vt.. [formal] to fill sth. or sb. with a particualr feeling, quality or idea

e.g. His poetry is imbued with deep, religious meaning.

adversity

n. a difficult or unlucky situation or event.

e.g. She was always cheerful in adversity. The road to happiness is paved with adversity. adverse adj.

aura

n. [C] a feeling or character a person or place seems to have.

e.g. She had an aura of authority. = air

The words have an aura of mystery.

present adj. （形容词） Existing or happening now; current: 现在的，目前的：现在存在的或发生的；目前的： the present leader;. 现任领导， present trends目前的潮流 Being at hand or in attendance: 当前的：随时在手边的或出席的： Thirty guests were present at the ceremony. 有三十位客人出席这次典礼

Existing in something specified: 存在的：存在于某特定物体内的： Oxygen is present in the bloodstream. 有氧气存在于血管中 Now being considered; actually here or involved: 当前的：现在正在被考虑的；确实存在或牵连其中

的： the present subject; present company excepted. 正在考虑的主题；本公司除外

Offer, present Offer is the basic general term e.g. The hostess offered us a cup of coffee. Many department stores offer television sets. Present suggests formality and often a measure o

f ceremony e.g. The impresario will present an expanded series of co

ncerts next season. 下个季节将举办一次大型的系列音乐会。 The ambassador presented her credentials to the monarch.外交官将她的证明书呈交国王。

Translation

1. Every morning when I wake up, I expect something exciting will happen.

2. That person in red is our teacher. 3. The improvement of the traffic conditions

has greatly contributed to the business growth in this area.

4. She is too excited to say a word. ~: 5. Children all delight in animal stories. 6. I often tried to persuade her to be more

careful, but my attempts were always in vain.

7. His face turned red when he realized his mistake.

Word formation

1. Give the noun form of the following words:

deliver vain purchase

discover identify delight

anonymous eccentric contribute

appreciate retrieve speculate

arrive quote grieve

abandon present adverse

2. Give the adjective form of the following words:

mystery misery delight

magic grief overwhelm

majesty art

Thank you!