Skill Training
Reading Skill
GUESSING UNFAMILIAR WORDS:USING THE IMMEDIATE CONTEXT
When you come across a new word or expression while reading,you’d better not stop to consult your dictionary.That will interrupt your process of reading and understanding.Use first the context and then your own knowledge of the subject,you can figure out its meaning as you continue to read through the text.Dictionary should be used at a later stage.
In using context to help you guess unfamiliar words and expressions,refer first to the immediate context.The immediate context is the sentence in which the word or expression is found,and sometimes the sentences immediately before or after it.
Generally,there are five major types of clues in the immediate context:
1)Definition and restatement
Example :The modern age of medicine began with the stethoscope,an instrument for listening to a patient’s heartbeat and breathing.
(The definition immediately after “stethoscope” explains it clearly.)
2)Words with the same or similar meaning
Example :Mr.Frost was tall,fat,and mid-aged while the headmaster was much older,shorter and almost as plump as him.
(With the help of “as… as”,we can make out “plump” easily,that is,fat.)
3)Words with opposite meaning
Example :If you agree,write “yes”;if you dissent,write “no”.
(“Yes” and “no” indicate that “dissent ” must have the opposite meaning to “agree”.)
4)Examples
Example :This includes poultry,such as chicken,turkey,duck,goose,for the main course,salads,breads,and vegetables,and features a variety of desserts.
(Poultry can be understood through the examples “chicken,turkey,duck,goose”.)
5)General knowledge
Example :Trees bring water up from the ground,allowing water to evaporate into the atmosphere.
(From the common sense we can get the meaning of evaporate.It means “to change from liquid state to gas”.)
Practice 1
Read the following sentences carefully and try to explain the underlined word in each sentence.
1.A catalyst is a substance which increases the speed of a chemical reaction.
catalyst:___________________________________________________________________________________
2.A good manager can recognize instantly the adept workers and unskilled ones.
adept:___________________________________________________________________________________
3.Mr.Hotchner loves to talk,and his younger brother seems similarly loquacious.
loquacious:______________________________________________________________________________
4.Many UN employees are polyglot.Mr.White,for example,speaks six languages.
polyglot:___________________________________________________________________________________
5.Rainforests like the Amazon are important for mopping up CO2 from the atmosphere and helping to slow global warming.
mopping up:_______________________________________________________________________________
Read the passage and do the exercises that follow.
The Academy Awards
[1]The Oscars! Every January,when the calendar has turned to a new year,the attention of the entertainment community and of film fans around the world turns to the upcoming Academy Awards.Oscar Fever hits,building to the crescendo of the annual presentation of golden statuettes,when hundreds of millions of cinema lovers glue themselves to their television sets to learn who will receive the highest honor in filmmaking.
[2]After three-quarters of a century of recognizing excellence in cinema achievement,the annual presentation of the Oscars has become the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ most famous activity.
[3]When the first Academy Awards were handed out on May 16,1929,American movies had just begun to talk.That first Awards ceremony took place during the banquet held in Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel for the foundation of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.The attendance was 270 and each guest tickets cost $5.
[4]In 1966,the Oscars were first broadcast in color.From 1971 through 1975 the NBC-TV network carried the Awards.ABC has telecast the show since 1976 and is under contract through 2008.
[5]The first statuette ever presented went to Emil Jannings,who was named best actor for his roles in The Last Command and The Way of All Flesh.That first year,1929,15 statuettes were awarded,all of them to men except for Janet Gaynor.In the second year,the number of awards was reduced to seven—two for acting and one each for Best Picture,Directing,Writing,Cinematography and Art Direction.Since then,the Awards Presentations have grown slowly,but steadily,not only in audience count,but in the fields of achievement covered.
[6]All voting for Academy Awards is conducted by secret ballot and tabulated by the international auditing firm of Pricewaterhouse Coopers.Secrecy is maintained by the auditors—the results of balloting are not revealed until the envelopes are opened on stage during the ceremony that night.
[7]Up to five nominations are made in categories with balloting for these nominations restricted to members of the Academy branch concerned;film editors,for instance,nominate only for Achievement in Film Editing.All voting members may nominate for Best Picture.Awards also are given to the Best Foreign Language Film of the Year,a category not represented by a branch.Nominations for awards in this categories are made by a large committee of members drawn from all branches.Final winners are determined by vote of all eligible members.
New Words
calendar /'kælɪndə/ n.日历
crescendo /krɪ'ʃendəʊ/ n.声音逐渐增强
annual /'ænjʊəl/ adj.年度的
statuette /stætjʊ'et；-tʃʊ-/ n.小雕像
attendance /ə'tend（ə）ns/ n.出席人数
telecast /'telɪkɑːst/ vt.电视转播
cinematography /ˌsɪnɪmə'tɒɡrəfɪ/ n.电影摄影
steadily /'stedɪlɪ/ adv.稳定地
ballot /'bælət/ n.投票
tabulate /'tæbjʊleɪt/ v.列表统计
audit /'ɔːdɪt/ v.审计
nomination /nɒmɪ'neɪʃ（ə）n/ n.提名
committee /kə'mɪtɪ/ n.委员会
eligible /'elɪdʒɪb（ə）l/ adj.合格的
Practice2
Choose the word or expression that is closest in meaning to the underlined part in each sentence below.
1.Oscar Fever hits,building to the crescendo of the annual presentation of golden statuettes,when hundreds of millions of cinema lovers glue themselves to their television sets to learn who will receive the highest honor in filmmaking.
A.statue B.medal C.badge
2.The attendance was 270 and each guest ticket costs $5.
A.candidate B.presence C.audience
3.ABC has telecasted the show since 1976 and is under contract through 2008.
A.broadcast B.transferred C.telecommunicated
4.Since then,the Awards Presentations have grown slowly,but steadily,not only in audience count,but in the fields of achievement covered.
A.consideration B.figure C.number
5.All voting for Academy Awards is conducted by secret ballot and tabulated by the international auditing firm of Pricewaterhouse Coopers.
A.choice B.vote C.operation
Practice 3
Match each word on the left column with its subtypes given on the right.
1—______;2—______;3—______;4—______;5—______.
Reading More
Scan the below QR code,read the passage,and do the practices online.
New Words and Expressions
scale / skeɪl / n.规模；比例
disparity/ dɪˈspærəti / n.不同；不等
myth/ mɪθ/ n.虚构的人；虚构的事
hack / hæk / v.非法侵入（他人计算机系统）
compensation /ˌkɒmpenˈseɪʃn / n.补偿；赔偿
saga / ˈsɑːɡə / n.系列故事；长篇故事
penalize /ˈpiːnəlaɪz / vt.对……予以惩罚；使处于不利地位
perception / pəˈsepʃn / n.观念；知觉
dwindle / ˈdwɪndl / vi.减少；变小
notably / ˈnəʊtəbli / adv.显著地；尤其
solely / ˈsəʊli / adv.唯一地；仅仅
meatier / ˈmiːtɪə / adj.内容丰富的；发人深思的