基础英语笔记5.4

Unit FourTEXT I The Invisible PoorV. Key Points of the TextParagraph 3perennial: lasting through the whole year; lasting forever or for a long time 持久的，长久的E.g.: the perennial snow fields 终年积雪的原野the perennial blue jeans 四季都穿的牛仔裤a perennial invalid 长期病人the perennial problems of isolation in old age 始终未能解决的老年人孤独问题Paragraph 4off the beaten track / path: not well-known; not often visited 去的人不多的，鲜有人涉足的；不出名的; 离开常规；不落俗套beaten: (of a path, track, etc.) that is given shape by the feet of those who pass along it (路) 被踏平的, 走出来的, 人们常走的E.g.: We followed a well-beaten path through the forest. 我们沿着人们常走的小路穿过了森林。

E.g.: a vacation spot that is off the beaten track 僻静的度假处go off the beaten track 打破常规turnpike (AmE): also pike, turnpike road, a special road for the use of fast-traveling vehicles, especially such a road which one has to pay to use高速公路•rut: deep narrow marks or tracks left in soft ground by the wheel of a vehicle 车辙•rutted roads: roads with deep, narrow marks made by the wheels of vehicles 有车辙的路；凹凸不平的路•E.g.: be in a rut 墨守成规，也成不变•get / fall into a rut 陷入老一套，开始墨守成规•fall into a conversational rut 开始了老调重弹的谈话•get out of one’s rut 摆脱陈规旧习•a runaway sweatshop: a out-and-out sweatshop 彻头彻尾的血汗工厂•runaway: out of control 摆脱控制的；控制不住的•E.g.: a runaway oil well 喷流不止的油井•runaway inflation（脱缰野马似的）恶性通货膨胀•the runaway cost of grain 飞涨的谷物价格Paragraph 5•run-down: old and broken; in bad condition 失修的，破败的；衰败的•E.g.: a run-down old house 破败的旧屋•This neighborhood is getting run-down. 附近这一带正在日渐衰落。

•be exempt from: be freed from a duty, service, payment, etc. 被豁免；被免除•E.g.: Charitable organizations are exempt from taxation.•John is exempt from physical education because of poor health.•strain: a state in which one is greatly troubled by anxiety and difficulty 极度紧张；重负；过劳•E.g.: Young people are under great strain during the examination period.•Examinations of all kinds put a great strain on young people.•tension: (a feeling of) nervousness, anxiety, worry, or pressure（精神上的）紧张•E.g.: Before the interview, Janet suffered from a lot of nervous tension.•He felt helpless under the tension of waiting for the news.•underprivileged: (of people) not having the advantages of ordinary person’s life; lacking in good chances for education, social life, etc. 贫困的；社会经济地位低下的；生活水平低下的•E.g.: children from underprivileged homes 贫困家庭的孩子•an underprivileged nation 生活水平低下的国家•underprivileged areas of a city 城市的贫民区Paragraph 6•they will be functioning a generation hence: the normal and obvious causes of the invisibility of American poor will still hold true in a generation from now•function: operate, work•E.g.: Is the machine / computer / telephone functioning?•hence: from now•E.g.: three days / a week / two months hence•slip: move secretly or unnoticed•E.g.: The wet soap slipped out of my hand.•Her secret slipped out without her knowing.•Days slipped by and he accomplished very little.•Don’t let good opportunities slip through your fingers.Paragraph 7•foray: literally means “a sudden attack into an enem y area by a small number of soldiers to damage or seize arms, foot, etc.” 突袭；闪电式侵扰•E.g.: The soldiers went on a foray at the command of the officer.•make a foray on a town 对一城镇进行突袭•Foray’s extended meaning is “a short attempt to become active in an a ctivity that is quite different from one’s usual activity.” What the author means here is that visits to the slums made by the middle class at usual times are rare, but at Christmas time, there would be some visits.冒险；涉足a short unexpected visit 短暂的访问•E.g.: the president’s three-day foray into the South 总统对南方3天短暂的访问•From time to time he made forays to the pavement booksellers. 他常常涉足街头书摊•ghetto: a section of a city or town where live minority people who are not accepted as social equals by the majority of its citizens 少数民族聚居区•Compare synonyms of ghetto:•slum: a district in a city or town where living conditions are dirty and unhealthy, and where poor people live 贫民窟•shantytown: a part of a city or town made up of poorly-built huts, cabins, or houses 棚户区Paragraph 8•the failures: people who fail in doing what they expect to do; unsuccessful people Paragraph 9•assume: take something as a fact or as true without proof; suppose•E.g.: He was absent at the picnic. I assume that he’d forgotten all about it.•Assuming that it rains tomorrow, shall we change our plan?Paragraph 10•compound: make worse by adding (something) to … (often used in the passive) 增加；加重•E.g.: compound a problem 使问题复杂化•compound difficulties (losses) 加重困难（损失）•His difficulty was compounded by a sense of insecurity / uncertainty.•hovel: a small dirty place to live in 简陋小屋；茅舍；肮脏杂乱的住所Paragraph 11•The irony in this …: the reverse (state of affairs) / the incongruity of this …•Irony refers to “the sort of event or result which is just the opposite of what one would hope for or meant to happen” 具有讽刺意义的事Paragraph 12•discern: to see, notice, or understand, especially with difficulty; perceive 看出，识别，觉察•This process has been magnified with the poor throughout the country: This process of having the poor disappear from sight has been developing rapidly allover the country. Paragraph 14•lurid: sensational, shocking 可怕的；惊人的; 骇人听闻的；过分渲染得•E.g.: lurid accounts of the carnage 骇人听闻的大屠杀报道•He painted a lurid picture of prison life. 他把监狱生活描写得十分可怕。