新编英语教程第二册Unit05

Unit 5

DIALOGUE I

Communicating by Pay Phone in the United States

A: Hi, Frank.
B: Hi, Weiwei, it's some time since I saw you last. You look upset. Do you need help?
A: Yes. Can you tell me where the post office is? I'm still new here.
B: Sure. The post office is down the street. But if it's stamps you want, I can lend you some.
A: Thank you, but I need a telephone for a long distance call.
B: You can use my phone.
A: Thank you very much. I'll pay for the call. It sure feels good to be among American friends. But I still want to know how to use a pay phone to call long distance in the United States. I have only a vague idea of that.
B: OK. Do you have time now?
A: Yes.
B: Let me give you a little lesson. There are two kinds of long distance calls in this country: dial-direct and operator-assisted.
A: Dial-direct and operator-assisted?
B: Yes. You dial directly or call the operator for help. In either case, to make a long distance call, you'll need to know the area code.
A: OK. I dial the three-digit area code plus the local number. Is that right?
B: Not exactly. You'll need to dial 1 plus the area code plus the seven-digit local number, and an operator or a computer voice will tell you how much money to deposit. On operator-assisted calls, the operator will ask you to deposit more money before your time is up. On dial-direct calls, you'll be cut off at the end of the time you paid for unless you put more money in the slot.
A: What if I make a long distance call and get a wrong number?
B: You can call the operator and explain what happened. Usually this means that you can make the call again to the right number without having to pay more money.
A: Where do I get information on long distance rates?
B: Look in the white pages directory.
A: White pages directory? I don't understand.
B: Phone books in the U.S. have white, blue and yellow pages. The white pages list people with phones by the last name. The blue pages contain numbers of city services, government services, and public schools. Businesses and professional services are listed in a special classified directory, that is, the yellow pages.
A: I see. But do you have to pay for business services?
B: It all depends. Some companies advertise a service called WATS.
A: What is WATS?
B: It's an acronym¹ for "Wide Area Telecommunications Service". To get a WATS service, you can dial a special number without a long distance charge. These are called "toll-free numbers" and the area code for all of them is 800.
A: The last question: Do pay phones in the United States have numbers?
B: Yes, they do. This means you can arrange to call a friend at a phone booth. Or if you are making a long distance call and run out of money, give the number on your phone to the person you're talking to. Then hang up and they can call you back.
A: Thank you very much for the information, Frank.
B: You're welcome.

DIALOGUE II

Dialogue:

A driver of a car has just picked up a hitch²-hiker outside London to give him a lift to Edinburgh.
A: It's good to have some company for the drive. It's a long way up to Edinburgh, and it's very boring if you're on your own.
B: I'm really lucky you stopped and offered me a lift. I've been waiting for about an hour but no one seemed to be going my way.
A: Are you a student?
B: Yes, I'm a biology student at London Polytechnic³. I'm going up to Edinburgh for the festival, but it's so expensive on the train so I decided⁴ to try and hitch a lift.
A: Well, you're lucky, because I should have been going yesterday, but something happened to delay me so I postponed⁵ my trip until today.
B: Is it all right if I put my rucksack on the back seat?
A: Yes, of course.
B: It started to rain just as I left the house this morning and my clothes and shoes are wet through. Would you mind if I took my shoes off?
A: No, of course not. I don't mind. Go ahead.
B: Thanks.
A: Oh, don't forget to put your seat belt on! You can get fined nowadays, you know, for not wearing your seat belt.
B: Yes, sorry, I forgot. ... Could I open this window?
A: Well, I'd rather you didn't if you don't mind. It gets very draughty when you open that window. But you can open the back window.
B: Is it all right if I go to sleep for a while?
A: Yes, of course. I'll wake you up when we reach the next service station. I'll need some coffee then.

READING I

America's National Parks, Part I

The National Park Service of the U.S.A. controls more than 77 million acres of land, divided up into 320 park sites of extraordinary variety, the latest covering huge areas of wilderness⁶ in Alaska. There are urban or city parks, there are ancient buildings and historic sites, seashore parks, national rivers, and more and more recreation areas where priority is given to the amusement of the public. Finally there are the National Parks themselves, which are visited by millions, but where the priority is conservation. In a country of free enterprise, where business interests are so powerful, these parks play an essential role. It was the conservationists who saved the remaining giant redwood trees and created the National Redwood Park, on the far side of the Golden Gate Bridge which spans the entrance to San Francisco Bay. The lumberjacks were so furious that they marched into the city to protest, shouting "No more parks!" But the environmentalists and conservationists have always been allowed to have their say in the "Land of the Free," and their influence has been greater than in most countries.
The first national park, founded in 1872, was Yellowstone, in the State of Wyoming. Yellowstone has everything which appeals to the romantic, geysers which shoot jets of boiling water 200 feet up into the air, a deep canyon⁷ where a rushing river pours over mighty⁸ waterfalls. There are snowy mountain peaks, tree-fringed lakes and vast forests, as well as broad water meadows, across which the Yellowstone River glides⁹ gently on its way to the canyon. On these meadows bison, elk¹⁰, moose and deer come to graze in the evening.
American national parks represent one of the finest examples of nature conservation in the world. All the parks are kept as "natural" as possible. In the Far West, lumbermen devastated¹¹ whole forests. But no tree-felling is allowed in the parks. When a tree falls, it is left to rot and enrich the soil, and so encourage young trees to grow. Even natural forest fires, those not started by man, are allowed, in many parks, to burn themselves out.
Animals learned years ago that man was not their enemy in the national parks. Many of them became so tame that they were a nuisance, and sometimes even a danger. Bears, in particular, lined the roads and begged for food. They were so comical that people stopped to feed them, thus breaking one of the strictest rules of the parks. This was not nature conservation! Cookies and candy are not part of a bear's normal diet! There were also some unfortunate accidents, for even the fairly mild black bear cannot tell where the cookie ends and the hand begins. In Yellowstone, the bears have been taken miles away into the wilderness, but in a few other parks they are still a nuisance.
Nature never did betray
The heart that loved her.
-- William Wordsworth

READING II

America's National Parks, Part II

The national parks are run by the National Park Ranger¹² Service. The Rangers¹³ are men and women with special qualities, for they are not only conservationists. They also have to look after the visitors. They act as guides, and must be ready to answer quite learned questions on the plants, animals and geology of the parks. In addition they are trained policemen and policewomen qualified¹⁴ to use guns, though they keep these weapons out of sight in their cars, not wishing to spoil their friendly image with the public.
Rangers must be ready to deal with emergencies of all kinds. They frequently have to rescue inexperienced climbers stuck half way up a mountain rock face. Then there are some backpackers, who in midsummer walk with their packs on their backs to the bottom of the Grand Canyon without enough water, regardless of the warning that the temperature is many degrees higher on the floor of the canyon, one mile down, than it is on the rim¹⁵.
The national parks make few concessions¹⁶ to tourists. Visitors are warned of the dangers, but they are expected to look after themselves and be self-reliant. There is no cable car to the floor of the Grand Canyon, and no motor road. The only way of getting to the bottom is to follow a rough track down the precipices¹⁷ on a mule¹⁸ or on foot. The shortest trail is seven miles long.
In the mountains and forests of the northwestern States there is one animal that is especially to be feared, the brown, or grizzly¹⁹, bear. It is the largest and most ferocious²⁰ carnivore (flesh eater) in the world and will attack humans on sight. Grizzlies²¹ are now rare, but there are more than 250 of them in Yellowstone. There are warnings everywhere, about not leaving food uncovered in tents at night, about what to do if you suddenly meet a grizzly on a lonely trail. The grizzly is a protected animal, and if the Rangers have to shoot one, they use tranquillizing darts²² instead of bullets whenever possible. There are about 100 grizzly incidents a year, a few of which are fatal. Not many when one considers that two and a half million people visit Yellowstone each year.
One of the biggest problems for the conservationists is preserving the parks from the footsteps of the countless²³ millions of visitors. Until recently, campers would line up along the valley floor for places in the campsites at Yosemite, which is about 375 miles east of San Francisco. Now they must make their reservations months ahead. There are one or two hotels in the bigger parks, and also groups of log cabins. Outside the park boundaries there is a growing rash of motels. But the wilderness in the heart of every park is untouched.

1 acronym   

n.首字母简略词，简称

参考例句：

• That's a mouthful of an acronym for a very simple technology.对于一项非常简单的技术来说，这是一个很绕口的缩写词。
• TSDF is an acronym for Treatment, Storage and Disposal Facilities.TSDF是处理，储存和处置设施的一个缩写。

2 hitch   

v.免费搭(车旅行)；系住；急提；n.故障；急拉

参考例句：

• They had an eighty-mile journey and decided to hitch hike.他们要走80英里的路程，最后决定搭便车。
• All the candidates are able to answer the questions without any hitch.所有报考者都能对答如流。

3 polytechnic   

adj.各种工艺的，综合技术的；n.工艺(专科)学校；理工(专科)学校

参考例句：

• She was trained as a teacher at Manchester Polytechnic.她在曼彻斯特工艺专科学校就读，准备毕业后做老师。
• When he was 17,Einstein entered the Polytechnic Zurich,Switzerland,where he studied mathematics and physics.17岁时，爱因斯坦进入了瑞士苏黎士的专科学院，学习数学和物理学。

4 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

5 postponed   

vt.& vi.延期，缓办，（使）延迟vt.把…放在次要地位；[语]把…放在后面（或句尾）vi.（疟疾等）延缓发作（或复发）

参考例句：

• The trial was postponed indefinitely. 审讯无限期延迟。
• The game has already been postponed three times. 这场比赛已经三度延期了。

6 wilderness   

n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠

参考例句：

• She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

7 canyon   

n.峡谷，溪谷

参考例句：

• The Grand Canyon in the USA is 1900 metres deep.美国的大峡谷1900米深。
• The canyon is famous for producing echoes.这个峡谷以回声而闻名。

8 mighty   

adj.强有力的；巨大的

参考例句：

• A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
• The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。

9 glides   

n.滑行( glide的名词复数 )；滑音；音渡；过渡音v.滑动( glide的第三人称单数 )；掠过；（鸟或飞机 ） 滑翔

参考例句：

• The new dance consists of a series of glides. 这种新舞蹈中有一连串的滑步。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The stately swan glides gracefully on the pond. 天鹅在池面上优美地游动。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 elk   

n.麋鹿

参考例句：

• I was close enough to the elk to hear its labored breathing.我离那头麋鹿非常近，能听见它吃力的呼吸声。
• The refuge contains the largest wintering population of elk in the world.这座庇护所有着世界上数量最大的冬季麋鹿群。

11 devastated   

v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词)；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮adj.毁坏的；极为震惊的

参考例句：

• The bomb devastated much of the old part of the city. 这颗炸弹炸毁了旧城的一大片地方。
• His family is absolutely devastated. 他的一家感到极为震惊。

12 ranger   

n.国家公园管理员，护林员；骑兵巡逻队员

参考例句：

• He was the head ranger of the national park.他曾是国家公园的首席看守员。
• He loved working as a ranger.他喜欢做护林人。

13 rangers   

护林者( ranger的名词复数 )； 突击队员

参考例句：

• Do you know where the Rangers Stadium is? 你知道Rangers体育场在哪吗？ 来自超越目标英语 第3册
• Now I'm a Rangers' fan, so I like to be near the stadium. 现在我是Rangers的爱好者，所以我想离体育场近一点。 来自超越目标英语 第3册

14 qualified   

adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的

参考例句：

• He is qualified as a complete man of letters.他有资格当真正的文学家。
• We must note that we still lack qualified specialists.我们必须看到我们还缺乏有资质的专家。

15 rim   

n.(圆物的)边，轮缘；边界

参考例句：

• The water was even with the rim of the basin.盆里的水与盆边平齐了。
• She looked at him over the rim of her glass.她的目光越过玻璃杯的边沿看着他。

16 concessions   

n.（尤指由政府或雇主给予的）特许权( concession的名词复数 )；承认；减价；（在某地的）特许经营权

参考例句：

• The firm will be forced to make concessions if it wants to avoid a strike. 要想避免罢工，公司将不得不作出一些让步。
• The concessions did little to placate the students. 让步根本未能平息学生的愤怒。

17 precipices   

n.悬崖，峭壁( precipice的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Sheer above us rose the Spy-glass, here dotted with single pines, there black with precipices. 我们的头顶上方耸立着陡峭的望远镜山，上面长着几棵孤零零的松树，其他地方则是黑黝黝的悬崖绝壁。 来自英汉文学 - 金银岛
• Few people can climb up to the sheer precipices and overhanging rocks. 悬崖绝壁很少有人能登上去。 来自互联网

18 mule   

n.骡子，杂种，执拗的人

参考例句：

• A mule is a cross between a mare and a donkey.骡子是母马和公驴的杂交后代。
• He is an old mule.他是个老顽固。

19 grizzly   

adj.略为灰色的，呈灰色的；n.灰色大熊

参考例句：

• This grizzly liked people.这只灰熊却喜欢人。
• Grizzly bears are not generally social creatures.一般说来，灰熊不是社交型动物。

20 ferocious   

adj.凶猛的，残暴的，极度的，十分强烈的

参考例句：

• The ferocious winds seemed about to tear the ship to pieces.狂风仿佛要把船撕成碎片似的。
• The ferocious panther is chasing a rabbit.那只凶猛的豹子正追赶一只兔子。

21 grizzlies   

北美洲灰熊( grizzly的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Suns beat the Memphis Grizzlies 127-113 earlier Tuesday night. 在周二晚上早些时候，太阳以127：113击败孟菲斯灰熊。
• Whatever you do, do not blink.They're like grizzlies. 无论你做什么，别眨眼。他们跟熊有点相象。

22 darts   

n.掷飞镖游戏；飞镖( dart的名词复数 )；急驰，飞奔v.投掷，投射( dart的第三人称单数 )；向前冲，飞奔

参考例句：

• His darts trophy takes pride of place on the mantelpiece. 他将掷镖奖杯放在壁炉顶上最显著的地方。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I never saw so many darts in a bodice! 我从没见过紧身胸衣上纳了这么多的缝褶！ 来自《简明英汉词典》

23 countless   

adj.无数的，多得不计其数的

参考例句：

• In the war countless innocent people lost their lives.在这场战争中无数无辜的人丧失了性命。
• I've told you countless times.我已经告诉你无数遍了。