Unit 2Difficult Sentences1. Word passes quickly in small Vermont towns.What can you infer from the sentence?(= Towns in Vermont are small; people usually know each other and tend to share with each other what they know.)Translate the sentence into Chinese.(= 在佛蒙特州的小镇上，消息传播得很快。
)2. If you’re anything like your father, you’ll be a smart boy.What is the meaning of the sentence?(= The teacher believes that the boy can become a very clever student if he can learn something from his father.)What was the author’s attitude toward this remark?(= The author was very happy to hear it because at that moment he was quite proud to be the son of his father.)3. I groaned whenever I heard their compliments.What does the sentence imply?(= The boy did not agree with the neighbors’ opinions. As a teenager, he wanted to be independent and wanted his own identity.)Translate the sentence into Chinese.(= 每当我听到这些赞美，我都很不以为然地哼哼几声。
)4. I wondered how I would ever fit in with my teenage friends.Paraphrase the sentence.(= I wanted to know how I would get along well with other children around me.)Why was it difficult for him?(= Because he had a father with such a good reputation and who was so unusual and outstanding, the boy seemed different to his friends.)5. I survived my last years of high school until finally I turned eighteen. What can you infer from the sentence?(= The boy had difficulty living in the shade of his father, but he managed to go through those last few years in his high school.)6. I’d give anything to be called my father’s child.What is the meaning of the pattern “… would give a lot/anything/the world to do sth.”?(= It is an idiomatic expression which means the speaker is very eager to do something or have something.)Paraphrase the sentence.(= I would like very much to be called my father’s child.)7. My father agreed, but not without his usual warning.What is the function of “not without” in this sentence?(= It is double negation. It is for emphasis.)Paraphrase the sentence.(= My father agreed to let me drive his car, but he warned me to be careful, as he usually did.)8. I hit the car right in front of mine before I knew it.What is the meaning of the sentence?(= He was absent-minded when he was driving. He did not notice the other car until he crashed into it.)9. My father and I rarely hug. But recalling the day’s events, I wrapped my arms around his shoulders.Why did the boy hug his father on the New Year’s Eve?(= He realized the importance of the union between him and his father. He regretted for being so ignorant before.)What is a father’s real name?(= A child should call his or her father “Dad” instead of his first name.) Words and Expressions1. settle in/into sth.: get used to (new surroundings, etc.)* It takes a few months to settle into life at college.* We only moved house last week and we haven’t settled in yet.NB: settle (sb.) in/into sth. 在这个短语中，动词settle后也可以加宾语；介词into 和in可以互换，例如：* We settled the children in/into new schools when we moved to London. 2. beam:1) v.①smile brightly and happily* He beamed his approval of the new idea.* He beamed on his visitors.②emit or transmit* This program is beamed to European countries at 10:00 daily.这条新闻由卫星向全世界传送。
(= The news was beamed to the whole globe by satellites.)2) n.① a bright and happy look or smile* The old lady opened the door with a beam.② a ray or shaft of light* The beams of the searchlights fingered the sky over the airport.Collocation:beam with satisfaction 满意地微笑beam with joy 眉飞色舞, 笑逐颜开a beam of light 一束光线a beam of delight 笑逐颜开3. fit in with: (cause to) match or agree* He doesn’t fit in with these people.* His good mood fit in with the joyful occasion.Pattern:fit in (with) 适合；适应；符合；协调fit into 适应；协调fit on 装上；把……置于原处；试穿fit oneself for 作好……的准备4. on one’s own: without help* She lives on her own.我独自去旅游，我可以决定什么时候出发上路，在什么地方多玩一会儿。
(= Traveling on my own, I can decide when to start on my way and where to linger a little longer.)5. stubborn: adj.determined, esp. to an unreasonable degree; with a strong will* She won’t do what I ask—she’s very stubborn.Collocation:as stubborn as a mule像骡子一样顽固; 非常固执a stubborn resistance 顽强的抵抗a stubborn illness顽疾a stubborn problem棘手的问题NB: 名词形式为stubbornness。
6. survive: v.1) vt. continue to live or exist after* She survived her husband by five years.* The house survived the storm.2) vi. to remain alive or in existence* The man was very ill, but he survived.洪水过后，生还者极少。