a new start--英语第一单元语言点和课文预习提示

Words or Phrases Related to the Topic
a lawyer(律师); a law-officer(法官); a lawmaker(立法者); a lawman(执法者); a lawbreaker(犯法者); an accuser/ a plaintiff(原告); a defendant(被告); an offender(罪犯); a law court(法庭); a law case(案件); a law office(律师事务所); handle a case(办案); bribery(贿赂); accusation(指控);initiate legal proceeding(打官司);have / take the law against(控告某人);abide by the law(遵纪守法);break the law(犯法);reject an appeal(驳回上诉);release from charge(免予起诉);set sb. free / release sb. from prison(释放某人)
More：
罪行：misdemeanor 轻罪；felony重罪；involuntary manslaughter过失杀人；deliberate murder 蓄意谋杀；
控告：sue (sue sb for damages)
上诉：appeal to high court
辩护：plead. (1)为……而辩护plead a client’s case
(2)以……为辩护plead ignorance以不知道情况为借口
审问：interrogation/interrogate
判决，裁决: verdict
宣判：convict sb of murder宣判，证明，使知罪
宣告无罪：acquit sb of a crime
宣布免除absolve sb from blame免予追究
absolve sb from an obligation 开脱责任
Language Points
1. arbitrary:
adj. decided by or based on personal opinion only rather than on reason
The arbitrary decisions of the management caused anger among the workers.
他草率的决定导致了项目的失败。

His arbitrary decision resulted in the failure of the project.
arbitrary boss 独断专行的老板
arbitrary decision 武断的决定
arbitrary punishment 肆意的惩罚
2. subsequent:
adj. later; coming after, following
Subsequent research has produced even better results.
后来发生的事证明我错了。

Subsequent events proved me wrong.
subsequent 常与to 连用，意为：“在……之后”。

例如：
In the week subsequent to her marriage, she didn’t go to work.
她婚后一周没去上班。

His illness was subsequent to his father’s death.
他爸去世后，他病了。

3. due:
adj. expected to happen or arrive at a particular time; supposed (to) The manager is due to set out on his journey this evening.
你的报告应该明天交。

Your report is due tomorrow.
Collocations:
be due to do sth. 要做（某事）
be due for sth. 应得到（某物）
due to sth. / sb. 因为（某人、某事）
due consideration 适当的考虑
in due time 在适当的时候
undertake one’s due obligations 承担应尽的义务
4. intention:
n. a plan or desire to do sth.
If I’ve hurt your feelings, it was quite without intention.
珍妮是抱着解决纠纷的目的来的。

Jenny came with the intention of settling the dispute. Collocations:
by intention 故意
have no intention of 无意
with good intentions 好心好意地
intention & intent这两个名词均有“意图，企图”之意。

intention 普通用词，指某人内心产生的想做某事的想法，强调内心活动。

例如：He went to the boss with the intention of asking for a pay rise.
他到老板那里去，想请求增加工资。

intent 法律用词，常指某人怀有歹意而犯罪。

例如：
He broke into the house with intent to steal.
他破门而入想偷东西。

5. commit: v.
1) do sth. wrong or illegal
The woman has committed murder and must be punished.
They have committed many horrible crimes against the people.
2) make known the views of (oneself) on an issue
I never commit myself on such issues.
6. offend:
v. a. to make sb feel upset 冒犯
e.g.: Neil did not mean to offend anybody with his joke.
内尔并无意于用他的笑话来冒犯任何人。

b. to seem unpleasant to sb 使人不愉快的，讨厌的
e.g.: The smell from the farm offended some people. 从农场里飘来难闻的味道。

c. to commit a crime or crimes 犯罪，作奸犯科
e.g.: He started offending at the age of 16.
从16岁他就开始走上犯罪的道路了。

7. petty: small and unimportant:
petty crime 轻微罪刑
petty official 芝麻官
petty bourgeois 小资产阶级
caring too much about small and unimportant matters 心胸狭窄，小题大做
e.g.: How could you be so petty?
你怎么能如此心胸狭窄呢？
8. regard:
1) v. think about sb. or sth. in a particular way
The little girl seemed to regard me as an enemy.
这个学者在他的社区里很受尊敬。

The scholar is highly regarded in his community.
2) n. respect; attention or consideration that is shown towards sb. or sth.; good wishes
The selfish woman shows no regard for the feelings of others.
Please give my best regards to your family.
9. charge:
blame (sb.) officially for having broken the law.
The police charged the driver with drunken driving.
司机由于酒后驾车被警察开了罚单。

What is he charged with?
他犯了什么罪？
be charged with murder /stealing /theft /neglecting one’s duty
因谋杀，偷窃，玩忽职守而触犯法律
10. call on:
appeal to; require; invite (sb. to do sth. )
Pattern:
call on sb.
call on sb. to do sth.
I’ll call on Jean for an answer.
他被邀请在宴会上发言。

He was called on to speak at the banquet.
11. conduct:
a. to organize and do a particular activity组织特定的活动
e.g.: to conduct an experiment / a survey 做实验/做调查
b. to direct a group of people who are singing or playing music 指挥乐队/合唱团
c. to lead or guide 导游
e.g.: to conduct a tour of Guilin
d. conduct yourself : to behave in a particular way
He conducted himself far better than expected.
e. to allow heat or electricity to pass along 导电、导热
e.g Copper conducts electricity well. 铜的导电性很好。

12. dismiss: v.
1) refuse to consider someone’s idea, opinion, etc., because you think it is not serious, true, or important; if a judge dismisses a court case, he or she stops it from continuing He just laughed and dismissed my suggestion as unrealistic.
由于证据不足法官不受理此案。

The case was dismissed owing to lack of evidence.
2) remove someone from his job
If you’re late again, you’ll b e dismissed from your job.
3) allow someone to go
The teacher dismissed the class ten minutes early.
Collocations:
dismiss sb. (from a job) for sth. 因……解雇某人
dismiss the charges against sb. 驳回对某人的指控
dismiss the class 下课
13. stand a chance:
have a chance
You don’t stand a chance of getting the job.
Everyone stands a chance of winning.
他既有学位又有丰富的经验，所以他想自己有希望得到这个职位。

With a degree and rich experience, he thought he would stand a chance of getting the post.
14. respectable:
adj. someone who is respectable behaves in a way that is considered socially
acceptable
这是一对值得尊敬的老夫妻。

This is a respectable old couple.
It’s not respectable to be drunk in the street.
respectable & respectful
这两个形容词均可表示“可尊敬的”之意。

respectable 指因品质、人格或身份等高尚或高贵而受到他人的尊敬。

例如：They are poor but respectable.
虽然他们贫穷，但他们是值得尊敬的。

respectful 指对某人表示尊敬或敬意。

例如：
I wish you would be more respectful to your teachers.
我希望你们更尊敬你们的老师。

15. given:
1). prep. considering, taking sth. into account, as far as sth. / sb. is concerned Pattern:
given + n.
given + that-clause
考虑到当时的情况，你们那个问题处理得很好。

Given the circumstances, you’ve coped with the problem well enough.
Given their experience, they’ve done a good job.
2). adj. certain; previously arranged
他们没有在指定的时间见面。

They didn’t meet at the given time.
16. revolve: v.
1) go round in a circle around sth.; rotate
地球既公转又自转。

The earth revolves both round the sun and on its own axis.
Don’t open the washing machine when it revolves at high speed.
2) have sth. as a main subject or purpose
He revolved the main points in his mind.
他希望等他将问题考虑成熟后再作回答。

He wishes to revolve the problem before giving an answer.
Questions for you to think about:
All the questions listed on P8 and P17 – the oral practice part.
How did the author feel about the incident at the time it occurred?
What does he think of it now?
What does the word ―arbitrary‖ in the last sentence indicate about the incident?
Why did he go to Richmond?
Why did he want to save money for?
What did the author think got him into trouble with the law?
What did he see when walking out of the local library?
What did the man say to him? Did he take the man’s word seriously at first?
When and how did the author come to see the man was being serious?
What does the author mean by his ―big mistake‖?
How did he behave when he was questioned at the police station?
What did the police decide to do with him?
What did his father do when he learned about the incident?
What were the things his release from the charge depended on?
What did the policeman probably mean by saying ―You could have bee n a bit more helpful when we arrested you‖?
What was the author’s attitude towards the policeman’s complaint?
Why does the author think his arrest arbitrary?
Why does the author think his release from the charge arbitrary?
How can we try to avoid such unpleasant events? You can act it out in pairs or groups.
Key Sentences:
1. What makes it rather disturbing was the arbitrary circumstances both of my arrest and my subsequent fate in court. （L3）
2. As it was a fine day and I was in no hurry, I was taking my time, looking in shop windows, strolling in the park, and sometimes just stopping and looking around me. (L10)
3. It must have been this obvious aimlessness that led to my downfall. （L12）
4. 5. I thus appeared to them to be quite familiar with this sort of situation, and it confirmed them in their belief that I was a thoroughly disreputable character.(L34)
6. The solicitor even succeeded in getting costs awarded against the police.(L56)
7. Given the obscure nature of the charge, I feel sure that if I had come from a different background, and had really been unemployed, there is every chance that I would have been found guilty. （L61）
2. Proverbs and Quotations
1) The law is good, if a man uses it lawfully. 只要人守法，法总利于人。

2) Ignorance of the law excuses no man. 对法律无知不能免罪。

3) Law makers should not be law breakers. 正人先正己。

4) Let justice be done, though sky falls. 即使天塌下来，也要做到公平。

5) Custom rules the law. 习俗影响法律。

6) Law is the crystallization of the habit and thought of society. — Wilson, American president 法律是社会习俗和思想的结晶。

——美国总统威尔逊。