Reading Skills

New words and expressions

Text

Test Yourself

Reading Skill

Exercises

Reading for the Main Idea in Paragraphs

Reading Skills

most likely appears in the beginning (especially the first and/or second sentence) and at the end of the paragraph,

helps get the whole picture of the text and skip the less important details, thus improving your reading speed,and helps predict or better understand the rest of the text.

A standard criticism of sociological research is that it goes to great lengths to prove what most people with common sense already know. Without exactly taking sides for or against that criticism, I want to describe a sociological exercise that might seem to validate it—except that, for me and a classmate (and maybe for some who read this account), the experience made a common claim come alive.

Main idea: I want to describe a sociological experiment.

Finding Out the Main Idea of Each Paragraph

Reading Skills

During spring break from a local college, my friend and I went downtown to shop. First, however, we made ourselves virtually unrecognizable to our friends and even to our families. We wore clothing slightly inappropriate for the weather, clean but not ironed, clearly not the styles worn by most visitors to the area. We carried plastic bags of nameless possessions. Both of us were slightly untidy. My friend wore a faded cotton shirt over a T-shirt and a wrinkled skirt over sweat pants. I wore a wool hat that concealed my hair and an unfashionable coat and glasses with sun shades thatclip on.

Main idea: My friend and I dressed so that no one would recognize us and then went downtown to shop.

Finding Out the Main Idea of Each Paragraph

Reading Skills

So what did we learn? Mostly what we expected, what everybody knows: people judge by appearances. Just looking poor brings with it prejudice, accompanied by removal of much of the social grace most of us take for granted. Lacking the culturally acceptable symbols of belonging in this setting, we became, to a degree, objects, with less inherent.

dignity as persons.

Main idea: People judge by appearances.

New Words

Expressions

conceal FOR EXAMPLE:

vt. keep sth./sb. from being seen or known

She knew at once that he was concealing something from her.

He concealed his sorrow beneath a cheerful appearance.

他以欢快的表情掩盖悲伤。

她立即就明白了他有什么事瞒着她。

Now you try:

He tried to conceal his heavy drinking from his family.

他竭力向家人隐瞒他大量酗酒的事实。

exclusive a.

cludinclude

conclude

seclude

preclude

to close, shut

FOR EXAMPLE:

1. The ship had a crew of 48, exclusive of officers.

2. This bathroom is for your exclusive.

船上有 48 名船员，不包括军官。

这个浴室归你专用。

discourage vt. 1) to deprive of confidence, hope,

or spirit

2) to try to prevent by expressing disapproval or raising objections

FOR EXAMPLE:

He is never discouraged by difficulties.

他从未因困难而泄气。

阻止我去宿营的就是这场雨。

What discourages me from going camping is the rain.

Now You Try:

We discourage smoking on the university grounds.

禁止在校园里吸烟。

imitate vt. Take or follow as an example

FOR EXAMPLE:

At yesterday’s party, Elizabeth’s boyfriend amused us by imitating Charlie Chaplin.

He is very clever at imitating his friends.

他仿制毕加索的作品。

他很善于模仿朋友们的讲话和动作。

He imitated the works of Picasso.

Now you try:

accompany vt.

FOR EXAMPLE:

Tomorrow the mayor is to accompany a group of Canadian business on a tour of the city.

肯答应陪我去非洲旅行。 Ken agreed to accompany me on a trip to Africa.

发烧几乎总是伴有咳嗽。

to be or go with as a companion

to coexist or occur with

Fever is almost always accompanied by cough.

Now you try:

明天市长将陪同加拿大的商业代表团参观该城市。

prevail vi.

exist or happen generally

fight successfully (against sb./sth.)

strong

So far, prevailing winds and currents have kept the thick patch of oil southeast of the Atlantic coast.

到目前为止 , 盛行风和洋流仍使得厚厚的油层停留在大西洋海岸的东南方 .

The custom prevails over the whole area.

该风俗存在于整个地区。

FOR EXAMPLE:

Expressions1. go to great lengths to do make great

efforts

Some people go to great lengths to make their homes attractive. 有些人千方百计使他们的家令人钦羡。They went to great lengths to keep the affair secret... 他们竭尽全力为这事保密。

FOR EXAMPLE:

Now you try:  这位著名演员竭尽所能躲避记者和摄影师。The famous actor went to great lengths to hide from news writers and photographers.

2. speak of

Her behavior speaks of suffering bravely borne.

她的行为反映了她勇敢承受着的痛苦。

Her eyes speak of suffering.

suggest sth.

The whole robbery spoke of inside knowledge on the part of the criminals.

整个抢劫案表明罪犯掌握了内情。

Now you try:

她的眼中流露出痛苦的神情。

FOR EXAMPLE:

3. turn out

It turned out that she was my sister’s friend.

她原来是我姐姐的朋友。

prove to be

As events turned out, we were correct to have decided to leave early.

正如结果所证明的，我们决定早点离开是对的。注意本课的近似词组：turn sb. off 撵走，赶走 turn sb. out 不理会，不理睬turn to sb. 转向…people turned us off or tuned us out on the basis of appearance alone. (P

ara. 3)I had just noticed the place and had turned to my companion. (Para. 8)

注意本课的近似词组：turn sb. off 撵走，赶走 turn sb. out 不理会，不理睬turn to sb. 转向…people turned us off or tuned us out on the basis of appearance alone. (P

ara. 3)I had just noticed the place and had turned to my companion. (Para. 8)

FOR EXAMPLE:

Text Structure

Intensive Study

Part One (para.1): Forward:

people’s criticism of sociological research

Part Two (Para.2-6): Experimental process:

our experience in the downtown when we were dressed as street people

Part Three (Para.7-9): Conclusion:

People do judge by appearance.

1. Without exactly taking sides for or against that criticism, I want to describe a sociological exercise that might seem to validate it—except that, for me and a classmate (and maybe for some who read this accountthis account), the experience

made a common claimcommon claim come alive. (L2)(L2) this accountthis account:: this report, article common claimcommon claim:: commonly accepted belief ( judge by appearance)

我不想确切地赞成或反对此类批评，我只是想我不想确切地赞成或反对此类批评，我只是想描述一个似乎可以证实它的社会学考察。但对描述一个似乎可以证实它的社会学考察。但对于我和我的一位同学来说（也许还有那些看到于我和我的一位同学来说（也许还有那些看到本文的人），此次考察的经历使得一个众所周本文的人），此次考察的经历使得一个众所周知的观点变得栩栩如生了。知的观点变得栩栩如生了。

Please discuss their routine of experiment

Bargain store The lobby of a large hotel

a second-hand shopOne establishment

Wererefused

Stare, point, laughGive along, doubting looks

2.The aim was to look like street people and to observe what difference that made in the way other people respond to us—whether the appearance of poverty would

invite prejudice on us. (L13) *that=to look like street peoplewhat difference作 that made的宾语。 Meaning: to see what different effects that produced …

我们的目的是使自己看似漂泊街头的人，以观我们的目的是使自己看似漂泊街头的人，以观察他人对我们这样的打扮会有何不同反应——察他人对我们这样的打扮会有何不同反应——是否贫穷的外表会招来别人的歧视。是否贫穷的外表会招来别人的歧视。

What did they learn from this experiment ? After reading the Passage and then please watch the video clip and answer the following questions.

1. Why did the clerk first take Mr. Adams to the section where cheap clothes are sold? Then why did his attitude change?

2. Is it avoidable to judge others by appearances? Why and why not?

3. Is it wrong to judge others by appearances? Why and why not?

3. Just looking poor brings with it prejudice, accompanied by by removal of much of the social removal of much of the social gracegrace most of us take for granted.

(L39) with much social grace disappearing仅仅因为外表贫穷就会带来人们的歧视，同仅仅因为外表贫穷就会带来人们的歧视，同时我们大多数人视为理所当然的社交风度也时我们大多数人视为理所当然的社交风度也丧失殆尽。丧失殆尽。

4. In a very few hours, we found ourselves accepting and internalizing the superficial and prejudiced judgments of ourselves that prevailed among the people we met; … (L48) We used to feel that it’s wrong to say

people all judge others by appearance. But now we firmly believe it’s right.

我们曾经认为流行在我们周围的人当中的看法我们曾经认为流行在我们周围的人当中的看法是肤浅且带有偏见的。仅仅几个小时后，我们是肤浅且带有偏见的。仅仅几个小时后，我们发现自己已接受这一观点并深信不疑。发现自己已接受这一观点并深信不疑。

Dictation

Translation

Phrase TranslationPhrase Translation6.把 ······ 加在某人身上7.在 ······ 方面做得好8.竭尽全力去做9.能做，胜任10.泄露，暴露

1. 对 ······ 感到舒服2. 认真 / 严肃地对待3. 增加对 ······ 的信

心4. 从古至今5. 是对 ······ 的真实写

照

Sentence TranslationSentence Translation

1.他误解了自己最好的朋友，感到非常内疚。

2.显然，他总以为自己的学历和工作经历肯定会给人深刻的印象，但实际并非如此。