专业英语精读Unit 3 Book3 (第三版)

Unit3

Text I

I.Writing Skills

1)The text is a piece of narrative writing and organized in the usual chronological order.But at

the start of the text,the author used the flashback technique by beginning with the signing of the will and then turned back to the classification of Shakespeare’s life into several periods based on a time order.The author also used the“cyclic return”in the writing by using the key word“signature”both in the first paragraph and the last paragraph.The two techniques helped the author to inform the reader about the life of Shakespeare most effectively.

2)The author used many adjectives ending with“–ing”,superlatives and some emphatic

sentence patterns to achieve an“emotional”tone,trying to arouse the strong feelings in readers.

nguage Points

1.The way to express date

e.g.in May;in1999;in June,1998;on August3rd,1998

2.number-year/month-old+n.

e.g.He has a two-month-old baby.

He offered his seat to a sixty-five-year-old woman.

cf:They had a ten-minute talk.

No decision was made after a two-hour meeting.

3.will,legacy,inheritance,estate

will:a legal statement about how to deal with the property after death

legacy:money or other belongings left to another person after death

inheritance:receiving property,title from ancestors according to the will

estate:Estate includes real estate and personal estate.

real estate(动产):land and building

personal estate（不动产）:money,property

4.the second/third/by far+the superlative degree of an adjective

e.g.Hainan Island is the second largest island in China.

Paraphrase:

She is one of the most diligent girls in our class and considered to be No.3.

The Amazon is the longest river in the world.(use“by far”)

This book is the most interesting one of all the books.(use“by far”)

5.adv+off=rich

comfortably off,well off,well to do

be better off=be in better circumstances

be worse off=be in worse circumstances

6.amount to

①add up to,reach

e.g.Our monthly expenditure on food usually～s to150yuan.

②be equal in meaning,be the same as

e.g.Failure to prepare a lesson well before class on the part of the teacher～s to

negligence of duty;whereas failure to attend the class on time on the part of the

student～s to a breach of discipline.

7.there is no…not…

double negation for emphasis

e.g.No one who was treated by Dr Wang was not deeply moved by his conscientious work. Use“No one…not”to paraphrase the following:

Everyone who has been to Beijing is impressed by the magnificence and grandeur of the Great Wall.

Everyone who saw the house designed by him was interested in its structure.

Everyone who heard the report was touched by his deeds.

8.awe

①awe(n.):a mixed feeling of fear and fear

e.g.He has a feeling of～when standing in front of his father.

I read his novel with～.

The lazy boy stood in～of his stern teacher.

awe-inspiring:fill with awe,make people show more respect to sb.

e.g.He is an awe-inspiring writer/manager.

awe-stricken/struck:struck with awe

e.g.He was awe-struck when he saw his father.

②awe(v.):fill with awe

e.g.The sight～d them.

I was～d by his words.

~sb.into+n./doing sth.

e.g.He～d the children into obedience.

They were～d into silence.

The boss～d the workers into working overtime.

③adj.

A.awesome:causing awe

e.g.His works are~to some readers.

B.awful:dreadful,very bad

a)(showing one’s feeling)

e.g.He died an~death.

I feel~.

b)(describing the characteristics of an object)

e.g.Everything is in an~mess.

The pain is~.