文档介绍：(全新版)大学英语《综合教程》第一册 Unit 2 Friendship
大学英语(全新版) 综合教程
Unit Two
All the Cabbie Had Was a Letter
I. Cultural Notes:
1. Grade schools in the .: It is necessary to have some knowledge of grade schools in the . because Ss have to realize that "the third year in high school" (Para. 1) equals "the eleventh grade" (Para. 9). . students generally go through elementary schools (kindergarten to 5th or 6th grade), middle schools (grades 6-8) or junior high schools (grades 7-9), and high schools (grades 9-12 or 10-12).
2. What American teachers wear in school: Nowadays, people in the . love to dress casually. Even among panies with a rigid dress code some now allow employees not to wear suits on Fridays. . teachers wear fairly formal clothes to school, but not necessarily suits and ties. Bow ties are considered even more old-fashioned than ties.
3. Spaghetti and the proper way of eating it: Spaghetti is the Italian-style thin noodle, cooked by boiling and served with sauce. Usually you would put a fork into a plate of spaghetti, turn the fork several times so that spaghetti will wind around the fork, then place the fork into your mouth. It's impolite to suck.
II. Language Study
1. be lost in/ lose oneself in: be absorbed in, be fully occupied with
Examples: 1) He was lost in puter games so he was unaware of my entering the room.
2) She was lost in her novel. I had lost myself in thought.
2. available: able to be used, had, or reached
Examples: 1) Since 1990, the amount of money available to buy books has fallen by 17%.
2) If you don't want to buy a kite, you can make your own using directions available in the book.
3) We have already used up all the available space.
3. He sounded as if he had a cold or something.: This sentence implies the sad state of mind the taxi driver was in.
or something: used when you are not very sure about what you have just said
Examples: 1) The air fare was a hundred and y-nine pounds or something.
2) Here's some money.