大学英语精读第四册UnitOne课文介绍

大学英语精读第四册UnitOne课文介绍

　　导语：我们都曾幻想自己有一大笔钱，下面是一篇讲述获得一大笔钱的简单方式的英语课文，欢迎大家学习。

　　Text　　Twocollege-ageboys,unawarethatmakingmoneyusuallyinvolveshardwork,aretemptedbyanadvertisementthatpromisesthemaneasywaytoearnalotofmoney.Theboyssoonlearnthatifsomethingseemstogoodtobetrue,itprobablyis.

　　BIGBUCKSTHEEASYWAY

　　JohnG.Hubbell

　　Yououghttolookintothis,Isuggestedtoourtwocollege-agesons.Itmightbeawaytoavoidtheindignityofhavingtoaskformoneyallthetime.Ihandedthemsomemagazinesinaplasticbagsomeonebadhungonourdoorknob.Amessageprintedonthebagofferedleisurely,lucrativework(BigBuckstheEasyWay!)ofdeliveringmoresuchbags.

　　Idon'tmindtheindignity,theolderoneanswered.

　　Icanlivewithit,hisbrotheragreed.

　　Butitpainsme,Isaid，tofindthatyoubothhavebeenpanhandlingsolongthatitnolongerembarrassesyou.

　　Theboyssaidtheywouldlookintothemagazine-deliverything.Pleased,Ilefttownonabusinesstrip.BymidnightIwascomfortablysettledinahotelroomfarfromhome.Thephonerang.Itwasmywife.Shewantedtoknowhowmydayhadgone.

　　Great!Ienthused.Howwasyourday?Iinquired.

　　Super!Shesnapped.Justsuper!Andit'sonlygettingstarted.Anothertruckjustpulledupoutfront.

　　Anothertruck?

　　Thethirdonethisevening.ThefirstdeliveredfourthousandMontgomeryWards.ThesecondbroughtfourthousandSears,Roebucks.Idon'tknowwhatthisonehas,butI'msureitwillbefourthousandofsomething.Sinceyouareresponsible,Ithoughtyoumightliketoknowwhat'shappening.

　　WhatIwasbeingblamedfor,itturnedout,wasanewspaperstrikewhichmadeitnecessarytohand-delivertheadvertisinginsertsthatnormallyareincludedwiththeSundaypaper.Thecompanyhadpromisedourboys$600fordeliveringtheseinsertsto4,000housesbySundaymorning.

　　Pieceofcake!ouroldercollegesonhadshouted.

　　Sixhundredbucks!Hisbrotherhadechoed,Andwecandothejobintwohours!

　　BoththeSearsandWardadsarefournewspaper-sizepages,mywifeinformedme.Therearethirty-twothousandpagesofadvertisingonourporch.Evenaswespeak,twobigguysarecarryingarmloadsofpaperupthewalk.Whatdowedoaboutallthis?

　　Justtelltheboystogetbusy,Iinstructed.They'recollegemen.They'lldowhattheyhavetodo.

　　AtnoonthefollowingdayIreturnedtothehotelandfoundanurgentmessagetotelephonemywife.Hervoicewasunnaturallyhighandquavering.Therehadbeenseveralmoretruckloadsofadinserts.They'refordepartmentstores,dimestores,drugstores,grocerystores,autostoresandsoon.Somearewholemagazinesections.Wehavehundredsofthousands,maybemillions,ofpagesofadvertisinghere!Theyarecrammedwall-to-wallallthroughthehouseinstackstallerthanyouroldestson.There'sonlyenoughroomforpeopletowalkin,takeoneeachoftheeleveninserts,rollthemtogether,sliparubberbandaroundthemandslidethemintoaplasticbag.WehaveenoughplasticbagstosupplyeverytakeoutrestaurantinAmerica!Hervoicekeptrising,asifworkingitswayoutoftherangeofthehumanear.Allthismustbedeliveredbyseveno'clockSundaymorning.

　　Well,youhadbettergetthoseguysbandingandslidingasfastastheycan,andI'lltalktoyoulater.Gotalunchdate.

　　WhenIreturned,therewasanotherurgentcallfrommywife.

　　Didyouhaveanicelunch?sheaskedsweetly.Ihadhadamarveloussteak,butknewbetterbynowthantosayso.

　　Awful,Ireported.Somesortofsourfish.Eel,Ithink.

　　Good.Yourcollegesonshavehiredtheiryoungerbrothersandsistersandacoupleofneighborhoodchildrentohelpforfivedollarseach.Assemblylineshavebeensetup.Inthelanguageofdiplomacy,thereis'movement.'

　　That'sencouraging.

　　No,it'snot,shecorrected.It'sverydiscouraging.They'rebeenasitforhours.Plasticbagshavebeenfilledandpiledtotheceiling,butallthishasn'tmadeadent,notadent,inthesituation!It'salmostasiftheinsertskeepreproducingthemselves!

　　Anotherthing,shecontinued.Yourcollegesonsmustlearnthatonedoesnotgetthebestoutofemployeesbythreateningthemwithbodilyharm.

　　ObtaininganaudiencewithsonNO.1,Isnarled,I'llkillyouifthreatenoneofthosekidsagain!Idiot!Youshouldbeofferingabonusofadollareveryhourtotheworkerwhofillsthemostbags.

　　Butthatwouldcutintoourprofit,hesuggested.

　　Therewon'tbeanyprofitunlessthosekidsenableyoutomakeallthedeliveriesontime.Iftheydon't,youtwowillhavetoremoveallthatpaperbyyourselves.Andtherewillbenoeatingorsleepinguntilitisremoved.

　　Therewasashort,thoughtfulsilence.Thenhesaid,Dad,youhavejustworkedaprofoundchangeinmypersonality.

　　Doit!

　　Yes,sir!

　　Bythefollowingevening,therewasmuchformywifetoreport.Thebonusprogramhadworkeduntilsomeonedemandedtoseethecolorofcash.Thensomeactivistontheworkforceclaimedthattheworkershadnobusinesssettlingfor$5andafewcompetitivebonuseswhilethebossedcollectedhundredsofdollarseach.Theorganizerhaddeclaredthatalltheworkerswereentitledto$5perhour!Theywouldnotworkanotherminuteuntilthebossesagreed.

　　Thestrikelastedlessthantwohours.Inmediation,thepartiesagreedon$2perhour.Gradually,thehugestacksbegantoshrink.

　　Asitturnedout,thejobwascompletedthreehoursbeforeSunday's7a.m.deadline.BythetimeIarrivedhome,theboyshadalreadysettledtheiraccounts:$150inlaborcosts,$40forgasoline,andalikeamount

　　forgiftsboxesofcandyforsaintlyneighborswhohadvolunteeredstationwagonsandhelpindeliveryanddozenrosesfortheirmother.Thisleftthemwith$185eachabouttwo-thirdstheminimumwageforthe91hourstheyworked.Still,itwasenough,asoneofthemputit,toenablethemtoavoidindignityforquiteawhile.

　　Allwentwellforsomeweeks.ThenoneSaturdaymorningmyattentionwasdrawntotheoddgoings-onofourtwoyoungestsons.Theykeptcarryingcartonaftercartonfromvariouscornersofthehouseoutthefrontdoortocurbside.Iassumedtheirmotherhadenlistedthemtoremovejunkforatrashpickup.ThenIoverheardthemdiscussingfinances.

　　Geez,we'regoingtomakealotofmoney!

　　We'regoingtoberich!

　　Investigationrevealedthattheywereofferingforsaleorrentourentirelibrary.

　　No!No!Icried.Youcan'tsellourbooks!

　　Geez,Dad,wethoughtyouweredonewiththem!

　　You'renever'done'withbooks,Itriedtoexplain.

　　Sureyouare.Youreadthem,andyou'redonewiththem.That'sit.Thenyoumightaswellmakealittlemoneyfromthem.Wewantedtoavoidtheindignityofhavingtoaskyoufor

　　NewWords　　buck

　　n.(sl.)U.S.dollar

　　plastic

　　a.塑料的

　　n.(pl)塑料

　　doorknob

　　n.门把手

　　leisurely

　　a.unhurried从容的，慢慢的'

　　leisure

　　n.freetime空闲时间，闲暇

　　lucrative

　　a.profitable有利的;赚钱的

　　pain

　　vt.causepainto

　　panhandle

　　vi.(AmE)beg.esp.onthestreets

　　delivery

　　n.delivering(ofletters,goods,etc.)投递;送交

　　enthuse

　　vi.showenthusiasm

　　inquire

　　vt.ask

　　super

　　a.(colloq.)wonderful,splendid;excellent

　　snap

　　vt.say(sth.)sharply厉声说

　　insert

　　n.插页

　　normally

　　ad.intheusualconditions;ordinarily通常

　　company

　　n.公司

　　echo

　　vt.sayordowhatanotherpersonsaysordoes;repeat附和;重复

　　ad

　　n.(shortfor)advertisement

　　inform

　　vt.tell;giveinformation告知

　　porch

　　n.(AmE)veranda门廊

　　armload

　　n.asmuchasonearmorbotharmscanhold;armful

　　walk

　　n.apathspeciallyarrangedorpavedforwalking人行道

　　unnaturally

　　ad.inanunnaturalway不自然地

　　quaver

　　vi.(ofthevoiceorsound)shake;tremble颤抖

　　truckload

　　n.asmuchorasmanyasatruckcancarry

　　departmentstore

　　n.storesellingmanydifferentkindsofgoodsinseparatedepartments百货公司

　　dime

　　n.coinofU.S.andCanadaworthtencents

　　dimestore

　　n.(AmE)astoresellingalargevarietyoflow-pricedarticles;varietystore廉价商品店;小商口店

　　drugstore

　　n.(AmE)astorethatsellsnotonlymedicine,butalsobeautyproducts,film,magazines,andfood药店，杂货店

　　grocery

　　n.astorethatsellsfoodandhouseholdsupplies食品杂货店

　　section

　　n.partofsubdivisionofapieceofwriting,book,newspaper,etc.;portion(文章等的)段落;节;部分

　　cram

　　vt.filltoofull;forceorpressintoasmallspace把塞满;把塞进

　　stack

　　n.anorderly;heaporgroupofthings一叠(堆、垛等)

　　band

　　n.flat,thinpieceofmaterial带;带状物

　　vt.tieupwithaband捆扎

　　rubberband

　　n.橡皮筋

　　takeout

　　a.(餐馆)出售外卖菜的

　　range

　　n.thedistanceatwhichonecanseeorhear(听觉、视觉等)的范围

　　marvel(l)ous

　　a.wonderful;astonishing

　　steak

　　n.牛排;大块肉(或鱼)片

　　sour

　　a.酸的

　　eel

　　n.鳗鲡

　　diplomacy

　　n.外交

　　encouraging

　　a.鼓舞人心的

　　dent

　　n.ahollowinahardsurfacemadebyabloworpressure;initialprogress凹痕，凹坑，初步进展

　　reproduce

　　vt.producetheyoungof(oneselforone'sownkind)生殖，繁殖

　　bodily

　　a.ofthehumanbody;physical

　　harm

　　n.damageorwrong伤害

　　audience

　　n.thepeoplegatheredinaplacetohearorsee;achancetobeheard观众;听众;陈述意见的机会

　　snarl

　　vt.speakinaharshvoice咆哮着说

　　bonus

　　n.anextrapaymenttoworkers奖金

　　thoughtful

　　a.givetoorindicatingthought沉思的，思考的

　　cash

　　n.moneyincoinsornotes现金

　　activist

　　n.apersontakinganactivepartesp.inapoliticalmovement激进分子

　　workforce

　　n.totalnumberofworkersemployedinaparticularfactory,industryorarea工人总数;劳动人口

　　competitive

　　a.竞争的

　　organizer

　　n.personwhoorganizesthings组织者

　　mediation

　　n.调解

　　party

　　n.oneofthepeopleorsidesinanagreementorargument一方;当事人

　　gradually

　　ad.slowlyandbydegrees.

　　gradual

　　a.

　　shrink(shrank,shrunk)

　　vi.becomelessorsmaller减少;变小

　　deadline

　　n.fixedlimitoffinishingapieceofwork最后期限

　　stationwagon

　　n.小型客车，客货两用车

　　minimum(pl.minimaorminimums)

　　n.thesmallestpossibleamount,number,etc.最低限度的量、数等

　　minimumwage

　　n.thelowestwagepermittedbylaworbyagreementforcertainwork法定最工资

　　odd

　　a.strange;unusual

　　goings-on

　　n.activities,usu.ofanundesirablekind

　　carton

　　n.acardboardboxforholdinggoods纸板箱(或盒)curbside

　　n.theareaofsidewalkatornearcurb(curb:人行道的镶边石)

　　enlist

　　vt.obtainthesupportandhelpof;causetojointhearmedforces取得的支持和帮助;征募

　　trash

　　n.wastematerialtobethrownaway;rubbish垃圾

　　pickup

　　n.asmalllighttruckwithanopenbackusedforlightdeliveries小卡车;轻型货车

　　overhear

　　vt.hearbychance;hearwithouttheknowledgeofthespeaker(s)无意中听到;偷听到

　　finance

　　n.moneymatters;(usedinpl.)money;(scienceof)themanagementoffunds财政;钱财;金融

　　geez

　　int.哎呀，呀

　　sale

　　n.theactofsellingsth.

　　Phrases&Expressions　　pullup

　　bringorcometoastop(使)停下

　　apieceofcake

　　(informal)sth.veryeasytodo

　　evenas

　　justatthesamemomentas

　　knowbetterthan

　　bewiseorexperiencedenoughnot(todosth.)明事理而不至于

　　beat

　　beoccupiedwith,bedoing

　　makeadent(in)

　　makelessbyaverysmallamount;reduceslightly;makeafirststeptowardssuccess(in)减少一点;取得初步进展

　　cutinto

　　reduce;decrease减少

　　havenobusiness

　　havenorightorreason无权，没有理由

　　settlefor

　　accept,althoughnotaltogethersatisfactory(无可奈何地)满足于

　　settleone'saccount

　　paywhatoneowes结帐

　　quiteawhile

　　afairlylongtime

　　draw(sb.'s)attentionto

　　makesb.notice,orbeawareof

　　forsale

　　intendedtobesold

　　forrent

　　availabletoberented

　　bedonewith

　　stopdoingorusing;finish做完，不再使用

　　may/might/couldaswell

　　withequalorbettereffect不妨，还不如，最好

　　ProperNames　　MontgomeryWard

　　蒙哥马利沃德百货公司

　　Sears,Roebuck

　　西尔斯罗百克百货公司