1. lash
vt. hit violently or suddenly
e.g. The farmer lashed the mules with a stick.
The waves lashed the shore.
Collocation:
lash out (at / against sb. / sth.) make a sudden violent attack with blows or words
Synonym:
whip, beat
2. scoff vi. laugh (at)
e.g. All the students scoffed at the poor boy’s clothes.
The disabled people are often scoffed.
Derivation:
scoffer n.
Synonym:
jeer, mock
3. sway vi. move or swing from side to side
e.g. He swayed slightly, as if about to fall.
他身子一歪，像要倒下。
Synonym:
swing, wave
Translation:
1. 那棵苹果树在风中摇曳。
(The apple tree sways in the wind.)
2. She swayed her hands gracefully as she gave lectures.
（她演讲时优雅地摆动着手。）
4. illusion n. sth. that deceives a person by seeming to be real
e.g. The mirrors all round the walls give an illusion of greater space.
I have no illusions about my ability.
我对自己的能力如何颇有自知之明。
Derivation:
illusive a.
illusively ad.
Collocation:
be under the illusion that believe wrongly
e.g. I was under the illusion that he was honest until he was caught stealing some money.
他偷钱当场被人抓住，在此之前我一直误以为他是个老实人。
Exercise: Fill in each blank with one of the following prepositions.
under at out against to |
1. He lashed ____ ____ the opposition’s policies. (out against)
2. Students are not allowed to scoff ___ others’weaknesses. (at)
3. The dancer swayed ___ the music. (to)
4. People were _____ the illusion that the tomb was Caocao’s. (under)
Paragraphs 2-5
Questions
1. Can you paraphrase the sentence “They were careening wildly, three feet in either direction.” in Paragraph 2? (Paragraph 2)
They were swaying up to three feet from side to side, like a ship in a great storm.
2. What is the implication of the parallel sentences in Paragraph 4 and Paragraph 5? (Paragraph 5)
These sentences are used to emphasize the fact that the people in the building were in great danger and whether they would survive depended very much on where they happened to be when the building was struck and which staircase they would use to get out.
Words and Expressions
5. devastating a. completely destructive
e.g. It is the most devastating flood in 100 years.
Derivation:
devastate vt.
devastation n.
Synonym:
disastrous, destructive
6. glance at look at sb. or sth. quickly, esp. by raising your eyes and then lowering them again
e.g. The president glanced at the clock and announced that the meeting started.
Comparison: gaze at, stare at, glare at, gape at
gaze at look at sth. or sb. for a long time, for example, because they are beautiful or interesting, esp. without realizing that you are doing it
e.g. The poet lay down and gazed at the bright moon, missing his hometown.
stare at deliberately look at sb. or sth. for a long time without moving your eyes, for example, because you are angry, shocked, or very interested
e.g. Don’t stare at people; it’s very rude.
glare at look angrily at sb. for a long time without moving your eyes
e.g. The heroine stepped forward bravely and glared at the enemy.
女英雄挺身而出，以仇恨的目光瞪着敌人。
gape at look at sb. or sth. for a long time, esp. with your mouth open, because you are very surprised or shocked
e.g. His father stood there gaping at him, too astonished to say anything.
7. purgatory n. a place or condition of great suffering
e.g. The devastating earthquake changed people’s home into a purgatory.
Synonym:
torture, plague
Derivation:
purgatorial a.
8. dilemma n. a situation in which it is very difficult to decide what to do, because all of the possible courses of action seem equally good or equally bad
e.g. The only way out of this dilemma is to cooperate within the group.
面对这样的两难境地，唯一的出路就是在团队内合作。
Collocation:
in a dilemma
e.g. Mary was in a dilemma whether to marry or continue her study.
Synonym:
quandary, predicament
Sentences
1. Mayblum would be one of thousands cast into an extraordinary purgatory that morning. (Paragraph 3)
Paraphrase: That morning, Mayblum would be one of thousands who were thrown into a terrible disaster.
Translation: 那天早上，有数千人将被卷入一场惊心动魄的灾难，梅布鲁也是其中的一员。
2. For some, it was a matter of geography … (Paragraph 4)
Paraphrase: For some, whether they could survive depended on where they were …
Paragraphs 6-9
Questions
1. Is there any evidence of people’s concern for others? (Paragraph 9)
Yes, Mayblum shared his ripped T-shirt with his colleagues, Mayblum went back to look for his trading partner, and Ramos helped panicked workers into a stairwell.
2. What does “Ramos had waded into the pandemonium” mean? (Paragraph 9)
It means that he “had walked into the wild chaos with great determination.”
Words and Expressions
9. confusion n. a very disorganized situation usually with lots of noise, in which a lot of things are happening at the same time, so that it is difficult to understand or control
e.g. The enemy’s unexpected attack threw them into total confusion.
敌人的突然进攻使他们完全不知所措。
Comparison: disorder, chaos
disorder n. a situation in which things or people are not in the correct position, place, or order, so that they are unable to control or organize
e.g. The Civil War came at the end of a long period of social disorder.
chaos n. a situation that is full of disorder and is completely out of control
e.g. The thieves left the house in chaos.
小偷走后房屋中一片凌乱。
Derivation:
confused a.
confuse vt.
10. transfer
n. a change from one place to another
e.g. The headmaster arranged for his transfer to another school.
校长安排他转到另一个学校。
vt. move sth. / sb. from one place to another
e.g. The head office has been transferred from London to New York.
总部已由伦敦迁至纽约。
Synonym:
remove, hand over
Derivation:
transferable a.
11. reassuring a. making sb. feel less worried or frightened
e.g. Before commencing the performance, she gave me a reassuring smile.
The President gave a reassuring speech about the future of the country.
Derivation:
reassurance n.
reassure vt.
reassuringly ad.
Antonym:
threatening, discouraging
12. panic
vt. be suddenly frightened by sth.
e.g. The firecrackers panicked the chicks.
The shot panicked all the customers in the restaurant.
n. a sudden strong feeling of fear or nervousness
Collocation:
panic sb. into doing sth. make sb. do sth. unwise or hasty because of panic
e.g. The banks were panicked into selling sterling.
银行因恐慌而抛售英国货币。
Synonym:
dread, terror, fear
Activity: Write out the noun form and the adjective form of each given word.
v. n. a.
1. confuse _____________(confusion) ____________(confused / confusing)
2. transfer _____________(transfer) ____________(transferable)
3. reassure _____________(reassurance) ___________(reassuring / reassured)
4. panic _____________(panic) ___________ (panicky)
5. devastate _____________(devastation) ___________ (devastating)
Sentences
3. Mayblum had worked with Ramos off and on for 14 years. (Paragraph 7)
Paraphrase: In the past 14 years, Mayblum and Ramos worked together from time to time.
Translation: 梅布鲁和拉莫斯断断续续地在一起工作已有14年了。
Words and Expressions
14. descent n. the act or process of going down
e.g. The wild goose began its descent into the West Lake.
Synonym:
decline, subsidence
Antonym:
ascent
15. stoop vi. bend down
e.g. The policeman stooped to pick up a lost gun in the room.
Collocation:
stoop (down) to pick sth. up
stoop so low (as to do sth.): lower one’s moral standards so far (as to do sth.)
e.g. He tried to make me accept a bribe — I hope I would never stoop so low.
他想让我接受贿赂——希望我决不至于做出这种低级的事。
Antonym:
straighten (up)
Sentences
4. On the 53rd floor, he came across a heavyset man whose legs just wouldn’t move anymore. (Paragraph 10)
Explanation: “Anymore” is the variant of “any more”; this variant is chiefly used in North America.
Paraphrase: On the 53rd floor, he met a huge man whose legs just wouldn’t move any more.
Translation: 在第53层，他偶遇了一个大块头的男子，那人的脚一步也迈不开了。
Paragraphs 15-22
Questions
1. How do you understand the sentence “So far, so good” in Para.18? (Paragraph 18)
Things are satisfactory up to this point.
2. How did they manage to get down from the 53rdfloor to the 36th floor? (Paragraph 22)
They first got down to the 44th floor in the elevator which, fortunately, was still working. Then Ramos and Hong helped the man down to the 36th floor, which took them an hour and five minutes.
Words and Expressions
16. collapse vi. (break into pieces and) fall down suddenly because of a weakness in the structure, or because of a sudden violent force
e.g. The heavy storm caused the hovel to collapse.
Synonym:
break down, crumble
Translation:
地震之后许多房屋都倒塌了。
Many buildings collapsed in the earthquake.
大雨把禾苗都压塌了。
Grain seedlings collapsed under the weight of the big rain.
Activity: Act it out.
Work in groups. Students are supposed to read the following scene and try to act it out. Pay close attention to the verbs in bold type.
After school, some boys descended the slope towards the village, whistling cheerfully. While walking, a boy, Richard found that his shoelace was loose. So he stooped to tie the lace. Suddenly, the boys felt that the earth was shaking. And the shaking was more and more violent. “What happened?” Richard shouted. He was so afraid that he crouched on the ground. “It is earthquake! Look!” another boy answered. The houses in the village collapsed with a large noise! Disaster had come!
Sentences
5. So Hong decided that he would be the guinea pig instead. (Paragraph 16)
Explanation: If someone is used as a guinea pig in an experiment, something is tested on him that has not been tested on other people before. For example, Dr. Roger used himself as a human guinea pig to perfect a treatment which has since saved the lives of countless people. Here the sentence means that Hong decided to test the safety of the elevator himself.
Paragraphs 23-30
Questions
1. What does “Who are you, screaming at him to get out” in Para. 27 mean? (Paragraph 27)
Who do you think you are? You have no right to shout at him and order him to get out.
2. Why did the fireman shout at Hong? What did he possibly do after Hong left? (Paragraph 30)
Possibly because he wanted to save at least one more person. After Hong left, he probably joinedRamos in helping the heavyset man.
Words and Expressions
17. sap vt. weaken slowly
e.g. They were traveling very slowly, and the heavy load they were carrying sapped their strength.
e.g. The constant tension was sapping my energy.
Synonym:
weaken, exhaust, drain
Collocation:
sap up on sb. beat up sb.
18. persuade vt. convince sb.
e.g. King Lear was completely persuaded by his elder daughters’ honeyed words.
She persuaded her father to change his mind.
Derivation:
persuasion n.
persuasive a.
Collocation:
persuade sb. of sth. convince sb.
e.g. We are persuaded of the justice of her case.
我们确信对她案件的审理是公正的。
Paragraphs 31-34
Questions
1) Where did the heavyset man live? (Paragraph 31)
In New York.
2) What is the significance of the last paragraph? And what is its relation to the subtitle of the text “With the building in flames, one man needed help. Another man refused to leave him”?(Paragraph 34)
The last paragraph is a condensed account of Ramos’s heroic deed. It echoes the subtitle with a very moving picture. Notice the word “fade,”which literally means “become unclear,”suggesting that Harry Ramos’s wife was unable to accept the truth about her husband’s death.
Words and Expressions
19. meet up with come across
e.g. Mary met up with her student on the street of a foreign country.
Comparison:
meet the case 适当，令人满意
meet sb. half-way 与某人妥协
meet one’s Waterloo （在比赛中）惨败
Translation:
1. 在一次会议上，那位教授偶遇了十年前帮助过她的恩人。
In a conference, the professor met up with her benefactor who helped her 10 years ago.
2. 在与民主党的辩论中，共和党遭到了惨败。
During discussion with the Democratic Party, the Republican Party met its Waterloo.
Activity: Make a dialogue
You are going to watch a film. When you buy some snacks at the supermarket, you meet up with a friend. You try to persuade him to go to see the movie with you. Work in pairs and make a dialogue.
Sentences
6. … the picture began to fade on the 36th floor(Paragraph 34)
Explanation: … Nothing was known about what had happened on the 36th floor.
Translation: 在第36层，逃生的画面变得模糊起来。
Section Four Consolidation Activities
1. in flames burning 着火，失火
e.g. That factory was in flames. 那家工厂失火了。
The opera house was soon enveloped in flames.歌剧院很快就被一片火海所包围。
2. a matter of sth. a situation or circumstancerelating to sth. 事关……的问题
e.g. For me, it was just a matter of money. 对我来说那只是一个钱的问题。
3. off and on in an intermittent manner 不时地，断断续续地
e.g. It has rained off and on for two months. 雨断断续续地下了两个月。
He just received junior education off and on when he was a child. 他只是小时候断断续续地读过小学。
4. give sb. a hand help sb. 帮助
e.g. I would be glad to give you a hand with this box if you like. 如果你愿意，我很高兴为你拿这个箱子。
2. Word derivation
Fill in the blanks with the appropriate forms of the given words.
1. Chris became more and more panicky (panic), as the day of the examination drew near.
2. The spacecraft descends / descended (descent)through the atmosphere at a speed of 17,000 mph.
3. Good teachers try to make their lessons more enjoyable (enjoy) by using varied activities.
4. For years they were living with their suitcases packed in constant expectation (expect) of beinggiven permission to leave the country.
5. There was a lot of public debate about the morality (moral) of the invasion.
6. I managed to get him to lend me the money, but I had to use all my powers of persuasion (persuade).
7. His desire to make his son a pianist was so strong (strength) that he spent nearly all his savings to buy him a piano.
8. After a break you should feel energetic (energy)and confident enough to tackle another assignment.
1. panic n. & v. 恐慌
panicky a. 恐慌的
panicked a. 惊恐的，受惊吓的
panicking a. 惊慌的
e.g. 当我意识到那条项链不见了，我十分惊慌。
When I realized that the necklace was lost, I felt very panicky.
一只受到惊吓的野兔跑进了农户的家里。
A panicked rabbit ran into a peasant’s house.
2. descent n. 下降，家世
descend v. 降；降临
descendible a. 可遗传的
e.g. 雪后气温下降了。
There was a descent of temperature after snow.
太阳下山了。
The sun descended behind the hills.
3. enjoy v. 享受，喜欢
enjoyable a. 有趣的，愉快的
enjoyment n. 享受
enjoyably ad. 愉快地；有趣地；可享乐地
e.g. 我喜欢唱歌。
I enjoy singing.
昨天晚上是我过的最愉快的一个夜晚。
Last night was the most enjoyable time I’ve had.
我并没有从那部电影里得到多少乐趣。
I didn’t get much enjoyment out of that movie.
4. expect v. 预期，盼望，期待
expected a. 预期的，预料的
expectancy n. 期待
expectant a. 期待的；怀孕的
expectation n. 期待，期望
e.g. 我预计会在周一离开。
I expect to leave on Monday.
女人比男人的预期寿命长。
Women have a higher life expectancy than men.
学生眼巴巴地等候电影开始。
With expectant faces, students are waiting for the movie to start.
5. moral a. 道德的；精神上的
morale n. 道德准则；士气，斗志
moralist n. 道德学家，卫道士
morality n. 道德，美德；品行，道德观
e.g. 孩子并非生来就有是非感。
A baby isn’t born with a moral sense.
从道德上讲汤姆缺点不少。
Morally Tom leaves much to be desired.
我对道德问题不感兴趣。
I have no interest in the questions of morality.
6. persuade v. 说服，劝说
persuasion n. 说服，劝说
persuasive a. 有说服力的，令人信服的
e.g. 我能劝汤姆放弃他那些愚蠢的计划。
I can persuade Tom out of his foolish plans.
尽管家长努力劝说，孩子还是不想去上学。
In spite of parents’ efforts at persuasion, the kid is not willing to go to school.
这是一场有说服力的演讲。
This is a persuasive speech.
7. strength n. 力量，力气；长处；强度
strong a. 强壮的；强烈的；坚强的
strengthen v. 加强，变坚固
e.g. 我连移动双脚的力气都几乎没有了。.
I have hardly enough strength left to move my feet.
他是个健壮的人。
He is a strong man.
星期一风刮得更猛了。
The wind strengthened on Monday.
8. energy n. 活力，精力；能源
energetic a. 精力旺盛的，有力的；能量的
energize v. 产生能量
e.g. 太阳能电池能把阳光的能量转化为电能。
The solar cell can convert the energy of sunlight into electric energy.
汤姆似乎是一个精力充沛的人。
Tom seems an energetic person.
假期过后，我感到全身又充满了活力。
I felt very energized after my holiday.
Text I
“We’ve Been Hit!”
With the building in flames, one man needed help. Another man refused to leave him.
1 Adam Mayblum used to enjoy watching as storms lashed the windows of his office: You think that’s power? Mayblum would scoff. I’m on the 87th floor of the World Trade Center. That’s power. The drawstrings on his window shades would appear to sway slightly, but it was an illusion. Although they were 1,040 feet in the sky, The WTC was quite steady.
2 When Mayblum felt a devastating rumble on that September morning, he glanced at the drawstrings. They were careening wildly, three feet in either direction.
3 Mayblum would be one of thousands cast into an extraordinary purgatory that morning1. While as many as 25,000 would find their way to safety, 5,000 would not.
4 For some, it was a matter of geography2 — not just which tower they worked in or on which floor, but in which corner of the building.
5 For some, the choices were as basic as which staircase to use. Others faced the ultimate moral dilemma: Save yourself, or save another.
6 The confusion inside Adam Mayblum’s office at May Davis, a financial services firm, lasted just seconds. He knew he needed to get out.
7 He ripped his T-shirt into pieces, soaked the pieces in water and gave them to colleagues to cover their faces. Among them: Harry Ramos, head trader at May Davis. Mayblum had worked with Ramos off and on for 14 years.3
8 Sparks bit at Mayblum’s ankles as he raced for the stairs. He bolted down two flights before realizing that his trading partner, Hong Zhu, had been left behind. He went back upstairs, the whole area now filled with smoke and burning jet fuel.
9 There was no sign of Hong. Mayblum hurried down again and made it to the 78th floor, a transfer lobby where one set of elevators and stairs ended and another began. He saw a reassuring sight; Ramos had waded into the pandemonium to help panicked workers into a stairwell.
10 Mayblum continued his descent, the muscles in his calves contracting in spasms. On the 53rd floor, he came across a heavyset man whose legs just wouldn’t move anymore.4
11 “Do you want to come, or do you want us to send help?” Mayblum shouted.
12 The man asked him to send help. Adam said he would.
13 In the noise, smoke and sparks, Mayblum didn’t realize that his friend Hong Zhu was behind him in the stairwell the whole time. When Hong got to the 53rd floor, he came across Harry Ramos. Ramos had stooped to help the heavyset man Mayblum had seen earlier. “I’ll give you a hand,” Hong said.
14 Together, Ramos and Hong helped the man down one more flight to an elevator.
15 “Don’t take it,” a Port Authority official screamed.
16 Hong and Ramos tried to send a magazine down in the elevator to test its safety. But when they pressed the “down” button, the doors wouldn’t close. So Hong decided that he would be the guinea pig instead.5
17 He stepped inside, and the doors shut behind him.
18 Hong took the elevator down to the 44th floor, the next transfer lobby. So far, so good. He pressed “52,” went back up and collected Ramos and the heavyset man.
19 On 44 Hong and Ramos helped the man toward the last bank of elevators that would take them all the way down.
20 Hong pressed the “down” button again. Nothing. They would have to take the stairs.
21 Ramos and Hong tried to support the man. “One step at a time,” Hong said.
22 They had been trying to get out for an hour and five minutes. They were on 36 when they felt the South Tower collapse.
23 “We really have to move,” Hong said.
24 The rumbles of the collapsing tower next door seemed to sap the heavyset man of his last gasps of energy. “I can’t do it anymore,” he said, sitting down.
25 Hong and Ramos tried to persuade him to continue. “You don’t have to move your legs!” Hong shouted. “Just move your butt. Let’s go!” But the man couldn’t go on.
26 A fireman ran up to them. Hong expected that he would join in to get the heavy man to move. Instead, the fireman turned to Hong.
27 “Who are you, screaming at him to get out?” the fireman shouted. “You get out!”
28 Hong looked at Ramos, who was still standing with the heavyset man.
29 “I’m coming down with you,” Ramos told the man. “I’m not going to leave.”
30 “I left,” Hong says sorrowfully. “Alone.”
31 The next day, Adam Mayblum sent an e-mail describing his experience to friends and relatives, who sent it to still others. The e-mail was read by someone in San Francisco who knew a woman in New York named Rebecca. Her husband, Victor, a heavyset man, was missing.
32 On Saturday, September 15, May Davis’s chairman had a gathering at his New Jersey home. Adam Mayblum was there. So was Hong Zhu. Rebecca was also there, learning how her husband, Victor, had been comforted in his last moments, how Harry Ramos had refused to leave him behind.
33 Ramos’s wife, Micky, was there too. She kept asking Mayblum and Hong where her husband was, convinced that somehow, Harry — the only May Davis employee still missing — was alive.
34 Piece by piece, she developed a picture of his escape: Harry was on 87 when the plane hit. He stopped to help on 78. He met up with Hong on 53. But as hard as she tried, as many questions as she asked, the picture began to fade on the 36th floor.6
