unit3

## 1. Difficult Sentences

1. (Para. 2) For every writer kissed by fortune, there are thousands more

whose longing is never rewarded.

1. How do you understand “every writer kissed by fortune”?

(=It means the writer who can achieve success.)

2. Translate the sentence into Chinese.

(=幸运之神会眷顾一些作家，但数以千计的人心中的渴望永远无法满足。) 2. (Para. 4) This is the Shadowland of hope, and anyone with a dream

must learn to live there.

1. What is “the Shadowland of hope” like?

(=It is a state of poverty, neglect, and fear of failure.)

2. In the phrase “anyone with a dream”, what kind of dream it is?

(=It is the dream to achieve success.)

3. (Para. 5) He had once lent me a few bucks and liked to egg me about

it.

1. “Buck” is a rather informal word. What is its formal counterpart?

(=It is “dollar”.)

2. How do you understand the expression “egg me about it”?

(=It is a slangy expression, meaning “annoyingly remind me of it”.)

5. (Para. 9) From deep inside a bull-headed resolution welled up.

1. What is the author’s “bull-headed resolution”?

(=His resolution to become a full-time writer.)

2. What kind of person do you know about the author from this

sentence?

(=He is a very determined person, sticking to his dream.)

6. (Para. 10) There Alex, I said to myself. There’s everything you’ve

made of yourself so far. I’m not sure I ever felt so low.

1. What has the author made of himself so far?

(= Two cans of sardines and 18 cents.)

2. Translate the sentences into Chinese.

(=我对自己说，看吧，亚历克斯，这就是你的全部家当了。我觉得前所未

有的沮丧。)

7. (Para. 13) These were stories that black Americans had tended to

avoid before, and so I mostly kept them to myself.

1. What were the stories that black Americans had tended to avoid

before?

(=The stories about their families and slavery.)

2. What did the author do with the stories before?

(=He seldom told others the stories.)

8. (Para. 18) For the first time I had money and open doors everywhere.

1. How do you understand “open doors” in this sentence?

(= “Open doors” refer to opportunities in the author’s life.)

2. What can be inferred from this sentence?

(=With the publication of Roots, the author achieved great success and became well-known. He was no longer the poor young man he used to be.)

9. (Para. 20) And I said to myself, The things in this bag are part of my

roots, too. I can’t ever forget that.

Why did the author say the things in this bag were part of his roots, too?

(=Because the things reminded him of his past before he achieved success. Although he became a famous writer, he thought he should remember the time when he was striving for success.)

10. (Para. 21) But only one reminds me of the courage and persistence

it takes to stay the course in the Shadowland.

1. What does the “one” refer to in this sentence?

(=It refers to the clear plastic case in which the two sardine cans and 18 cents were kept.)

2. Translate the sentence into Chinese.

(=但只有一样东西会提醒我，在梦想的阴影里坚持自己的方向需要怎样的勇气和毅力。)

11．How do you understand the expression “egg me about it”?

It is a slangy expression, meaning “annoyingly remind me of it”.

## 2.Words and Expressions

1. (Para.1) many a: (formal)a large number of people or things

Many a strong man has weakened before such a challenge.

Many a famous pop star has been ruined by drugs.

N. B.注意该词组应与单数名词、单数动词连用。

2. (Para. 2) reward:

1. n.

1) sth. that you get because you have done sth. good or helpful or

have worked hard

He received a medal in reward for his bravery.

2) money that is offered to people for helping the police to solve a

crime or catch a criminal