Unit2

 I.Find a partner or some partners and discuss the following questions.

 1.Are you satisfied with your university education? If you are not, list some things you are not satisfied with.

 2.Should higher education attach greater importance to RESEARCH or TEACHING?

II. Do you know any foreign university? How much do you know? Do you know the education system of western countries? How do you compare the primary / secondary / higher education systems in western countries and China? How do you compare the university you graduated from and the one you are now studying in?

 III.Name two or three universities you like most and state the reasons.

Unit3

From your reading, from American films and TV and from talking with Americans living in China, you have probably formed some idea of life in the United States. Some of what you have seen and heard is true; some of it is probably distorted or just plain fiction. The passage presents you several “mythical” statements about life in the United States, followed by some American people’s view of the reality behind the myths. Work in groups to discuss your perceptions of people and life in the United States. And share with your group members how you feel after you read the passage.

 Unit6

Answer the following questions. Why does the author say "there has arguably never been a better time to buy into an affordable housing scheme"? What are the four options of affordable housing schemes? What could be the benefits for buyers of affordable housing schemes? When will a buyer pay the Government more than he borrowed? Why is it becoming increasingly difficult to get an affordable property? Why does Mark Vaughan say “it's a good time for housing associations"? Why does Sue Cocking point to the new HomeBuy Direct product as one to avoid? What are the particular safeguards offered by affordable housing schemes that are not available in the private sector? What are the reasons for Cocking's reservations?

Unit7

 I. Answer the following questions.

 1.What can be the reasons for some readers to ask whether now is a good time to buy a truck or a full-size sport-utility vehicle?

 2.What does the author mean by "the domestic car companies are reaping the unhappy fruits of the thoughtless seeds they planted"?

 3.What is the natural tendency in a purely profit-oriented, capitalist system?

 4. What is the difference in the encouragement of the development of alternative fuels and propulsion systems between governments in Europe and Asia and the United States?

5.What according to the author is needed to solve the present problems?

II. Guess the meaning of the italicized words in the following sentences with the help of context.

 1.We have the chance to remake the automobile industry, to strengthen America's technological muscle. But we are frittering away the opportunity. We are mired in nonproductive, ideological arguments over "socialism" vs. "free enterprise."

2.Statistical evidence does not yet support suspicion of recidivism in the matter of American consumer profligacy in the consumption of fossil fuels.

3.It is delusional thinking, but no more so than that taking place in the halls of Congress, where lawmakers apparently are laboring under the illusion that we have time to save the domestic automobile industry, to beef up America's prowess in fuel-efficient technologies.

4.Soaring gasoline prices this summer and frozen credit this autumn have walloped their sales.

5.But we whined like babies and screamed for more fuel-efficient vehicles like infants crying for nipples when gasoline topped $4 a gallon.

 6.Put another way, we -- consumers and politicians -- were complicit in the automobile industry's reluctance to do better in the arenas of fuel economy and emissions control.

7.Aware of that capitalist conundrum, governments, the U.S. government chief among them, exercised the socialist lever of regulation. Car companies would have to improve fuel economy and emissions control by government mandate. But this is where things got dicey in the United States.

8.In Europe and Asia, governments provided financial incentives to the car companies to move forward in the development of alternative fuels and propulsion systems.

9.What is needed now is a concerted application of common sense.

Unit8

 Answer the following questions.

1.How does Automotive.com compare the Wrangler's off-road performance with its on-pavement ride?

2.What do most of the reviewers think of the acceleration of the Wrangler?

3.What basic comfort features have been added to the 2007 model?

4.What is the cargo capacity for two-door models?

5.What are the Jeep Wrangler's scores in federal government crash tests?

6.Who will love the Wrangler most?