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21世纪大学英语读写教程第二册Unit9课文讲解
在日复一日的学习中，不管我们学什么，都需要掌握一些知识点，知识点是知识中的最小单位，最具体的内容，有时候也叫“考点”。哪些才是我们真正需要的知识点呢？以下是小编为大家收集的21世纪大学英语读写教程第二册Unit9课文讲解，仅供参考，希望能够帮助到大家。
Pre-reading Activities
First Listening
1. As you listen to the passage the first time, circle the words from the list that you hear.
ice hate perish snow fear suffice frost despair hold with rain desire know of fire sorrow wonder fog confusion suffer wind corruption favor
Second Listening
2. Natural disasters are as fascinating as they are frightening. What forms do they take, and what do you know about their causes?
Get Ready for Some Wild Weather
Per Ola & Emily Daulaire
In March of 1997, Stephen Zebiak stared at his computer screen in alarm. The veteran climate researcher saw indications of a worldwide weather event that, over the years, has been blamed for droughts and floods, famine, fires and thousands of deaths. Called El Nino, it is the most disruptive climatic phenomenon on the planet.
Zebiak and Mark Cane, research scientists at Columbia University, had developed a computerized forecast model that correctly predicted El Ninos occurrences in 1982, 86 and 91, and it had pointed to a recurrence in 98. But the data appearing on Zebiaks screen from satellite and sea-surface monitors across the Pacific were unmistakable: El Nino was already beginning. A huge pool of warm water — larger than the United States and some 600 feet deep — was moving slowly but surely eastward toward South America.
In June the equatorial trade winds reversed direction from westward to eastward. By September, waters off Northern California were roughly 17 degrees warmer than normal. Off the Washington coast, stunned fishermen caught tropical fish that seldom stray that far north. Storms were flooding central Chile, and heavier-than-normal snowfalls in the Andes trapped hundreds in the bitter cold. And all of this only foretold of even more devastating weather for the fall and winter.
El Nino means "little boy" in Spanish; when capitalized, it refers to the Christ child. This innocent-sounding name originated in the 19th century, when Peruvian sailors noticed that every few years around Christmastime, waters near the coasts warmed up and the current shifted southward. But this "little boy" plays havoc around the globe.
El Nino occurs when weather patterns in the tropical Pacific shift violently. Normally, strong westward-blowing trade winds off South America push surface water toward Asia. Just as blowing on hot coffee pushes the liquid up against the opposite side of the cup, the trade winds pile warm water against the coastlines of Australia, Indonesia and the Philippines. Above the warm water, moist air rises, lowering atmospheric pressure and triggering the tropical showers that nourish the rain forests of Asia. Meanwhile high-altitude winds travel back toward South America. There, the cooled air sinks, raising atmospheric pressure and suppressing rain along most of the Pacific coast, making it one of the driest regions in the world.
But with El Nino, the pattern reverses. Atmospheric pressure in the Western Pacific rises, setting the stage for drought from Australia to India. The trade winds decrease, or in extreme years reverse to blow eastward. As a result, a huge mass of warm water flows back toward South America, causing storms from Chile to California. Meanwhile, over the Pacific, ten-mile-high storm clouds further heat the atmosphere, fueling a stronger-than-normal jet stream, which often splits in two. One branch moves north, warming the Pacific Northwest, central Canada and Alaska. Another branch surges south, producing heavy rains in the U.S. Gulf States and Southwest.
El Ninos vast impact on humans has often been catastrophic. The El Nino of 1982-83 inflicted $13 billion in damage and claimed some 2,000 lives. In Australia day turned to night when a dust storm blanketed Melbourne; brush fires raged in its wake. In place of its normal monsoon, Southern India got dried-up crops and the threat of mass starvation. At the same time, violent rainstorms devastated the Western Hemisphere: Perus fishing industry — once one of the richest in the world — was wiped out, and seaside towns were washed into the Pacific.
Is there a good side to El Nino? There can be. Zebiak notes that the number of tropical hurricanes in the Atlantic is reduced during an El Nino year. One theory is that winds created by El Nino shear off the tops of Atlantic hurricanes, aborting them before they reach full force. And a team of scientists in Israel who study tree rings and satellite cloud pictures concluded that El Nino may bring precious moisture to the thirsty Middle East. "It is perhaps fitting that El Nino — the Christ child — should have a link to the Holy Land," notes scientist Dan Yakir.
This year, scientists around the world are keeping a sharp eye on El Nino. They know that the greater the temperature rise in Pacific waters off South America, the more powerful the El Nino. And this years waters have heated up unusually fast. Climate-change researcher Michael Ghil of UCLA expects the impact to be "substantial." Ants Leetmaa, director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations Climate Prediction Center in Maryland, agrees: This El Nino is shaping up as one of the most powerful ever.
According to forecasters, hardest hit in this country will likely be California, where heavy rains can send houses sliding down muddy slopes onto washed-out coastal highways. The nations southern states — from California to Florida — can expect cooler and wetter weather than normal this winter and spring, with extensive storms in some areas. The Northwest should be warmer and drier than normal.
Wetter-than-normal conditions are expected in much of South America. The Asian monsoon rains could fail, resulting in food shortages in India. In Australia, where El Nino ypically means drought, strict water conservation is already under way.
El Ninos effects wont just be climatic, of course — the global economy is sure to suffer as well. Drought in Brazil and flooding in Colombia may result in higher prices for coffee and other crops. And fishing industries from Ecuador to California are already being hurt.
Clearly, the more accurately scientists can forecast El Nino, the more people everywhere can prepare. Insurance companies, farmers, power and irrigation companies, public-safety agencies and even tourist boards could benefit from knowing in advance when El Nino will strike.
"Reliable forecasting is still in its infancy," states Mark Cane. Someday, perhaps, scientists will be able to predict exactly how El Nino will behave. But for now, batten down the hatches and get ready for some wild weather!
New Words
indication
n. a sign or suggestion 迹象，暗示
indicative
a. (of) showing or suggesting 指示的;标示的;暗示的
disruptive
a. causing disorder or trouble 破坏性的;制造混乱的;捣乱的
climatic
a. of or connected with the climate 气候的
occurrence
n. 1. the fact that sth. happens or is present in a particular situation 出现，发生
2. an event 发生的事情;事件
recurrence
n. the fact or process of happening again 重新出现;复发
recur
v. (esp. of sth. unpleasant or unwelcome) happen or appear again, or more than once (尤指不好的事)一再发生;重现
data
n. (sing. datum) facts, information 资料;数据
sea-surface
n. the surface of the sea 海面
equatorial
a. 赤道的;赤道附近的
equator
n. 赤道
trade wind
a tropical wind that blows almost continually towards the equator from the northeast and southeast 信风，贸易风
stray
vi. move away from a group, path or place, etc., usually with no particular purpose or destination 离群;走失;走离
a. 1. lost; wandering away from home 走失的;离群的
2. scattered; met by chance 零星的;偶尔遇到的
foretell
vt. tell (what will happen in the future) 预言;预示
devastating
a. causing great destruction 破坏性极大的;毁灭性的
capitalize,-ise
vt. 将…大写
innocent
a. 天真无邪的，纯真的;无害的;无罪的，无辜的
originate
vi. start, occur for the first time 发源;始于
violently
ad. with a lot of force 剧烈地;强烈地
westward-blowing
a. blowing towards the west 向西刮的
coastline
n. the shape (outline) of a coast 海岸线
moist
a. slightly wet 潮湿的
atmospheric
a. 大气的;大气层的
nourish
vt. cause to stay alive or grow by giving food, water, etc. 滋养;养育
altitude
n. 1. height, as of a mountain above sea level 高度;海拔
2. (often pl.)a high place or area [常复数]高处;高地
suppress
vt. prevent from appearing 阻止;压制
region
n. 1. a large area of land 地区;地带
2. 行政区
decrease
v. (cause to) become less in size, number, strength, amount, or quality (使)减少;(使)减弱;(使)减轻
n. the act or action of decreasing; the state of being decreased 减少;减弱
jet stream
[气]急流
northwest
n. 西北;(N-)(一国或一地区的)西北部
a. 位于西北的;朝西北部的;来自西北的
ad. 在西北;向西北;从西北
gulf
n. 海湾
southwest
n. 西南;(S-)(一国或一地区)西南部
a. 位于西南的;向西南的;来自西南的
ad. 在西南;向西南;从西南
inflict
vt. cause (damage, suffering, etc.) 导致(破坏、痛苦等)
dust storm
[气](干燥地区的)尘暴，沙暴
brush fire
bush fire 灌丛火
rage
vi. 1. (of fires, storms, battles, etc.) continue violently (烈火)熊熊燃烧;(浪)汹涌;激战
2. feel or express violent anger 发怒;怒斥
monsoon
n. 季风
violent
a. 1. uncontrollably fierce or dangerous in action 暴力的;强暴的
2. acting with or using great damaging force 猛烈的，剧烈的
hemisphere
n. a half of the earth 半球
seaside
n. & a. (of) an area or town by the sea 海边(的)，海滨(的)
hurricane
n. 飓风;暴风雨
shear
v. 1. (off) 剪断
2. cut off wool (from sheep) 剪(羊毛等)
abort
v. 1. end ( a job, plan, etc.) before the expected time because of some trouble (因中途遭遇困难而)中止(工作、计划等)
2. (of a job, plan, etc.) end in this way (工作，计划等)中止;未完成
3. (使)流产，坠胎
tree rings
(树木的)年轮
precious
a. valuable and useful 宝贵的;珍贵的
moisture
n. 1. 水分;降雨量
2. 水气;湿气
fitting
a. suitable, appropriate, right for the purpose or occasion 适当的，恰当的
link
n. 1. relationship 联系，关系
2. a physical connection between two places or objects 连接
v. join or connect 连接;联系
holy
a. of God or religion; sacred 上帝的;宗教的;神圣的
oceanic
a. 1. 海洋的，大洋的
2. 在海洋中生活的;产于海洋的
forecaster
n. 天气预报员
muddy
a. full of or covered with mud 泥泞的
washed-out
a. destroyed or made useless by the force of water 被洪水冲蚀的;受到侵蚀的
coastal
n. of or related to the coast 海岸的;沿岸的
extensive
a. 1. great in effect 巨大的;严重的
2. widespread, covering a large area 广阔的;广大的
conservation
n. the preservation of natural things to prevent them from being spoiled or destroyed (对自然资源的)保护;保存
insurance
n. 1. agreement by contract to pay money in case of misfortune 保险
2. 保险业
insure
v. to protect... by insurance 给…保险，为…提供保证
irrigation
n. the supply of water (to dry land) 灌溉
agency
n. 1. 公众服务机构
2. a business or organisation providing a specified service 代理行;经销处
tourist
n. a person travelling for pleasure 旅游者
a. 旅游的
batten
vt. (down) (on ships) fasten with boards of wood 用板条固定
hatch
n. (船的)舱口(盖);(飞机的)舱口
vt. 1. cause (an egg) to break, letting the young bird out 孵出
2. (up) make up (a plan or idea) 筹划;策划
vi. (of an egg) break, letting the young bird out; (of a young bird) break through an egg (蛋等)孵化;(小鸡等)出壳
Phrases and Expressions
point to
suggest that (sth.) is likely; indicate 说明(某事)很可能;表明
warm up
(cause to) get warmer (使)变暖
refer to
relate to; mention or speak of 与…有关;提到;谈到
set the stage for
prepare for; make possible 为…做好准备;使成为可能
in sth.s wake / in the wake of sth.
coming after or following sth.; as a result of sth. 随着…而来;作为…的结果
wipe out
destroy completely 彻底摧毁;消灭
be washed into
be carried somewhere by water 被冲入某处
shear off
cut off 剪断;切掉
keep a sharp eye on
watch closely 密切注意
heat up
make or become hot or warm (使)变热
shape up
develop; assume a shape 发展;成形，形成
under way
in progress 在进行中;在前进中
benefit from
receive benefit or gain from 得益于
in advance
before, ahead of time 事先，事前
batten down the hatches (在暴风雨未来到前)封舱;(喻)未雨绸缪，做好准备
Proper Names
Per Ola
珀·奥拉
Emily Daulaire
埃米莉·多莱尔
Stephen Zebiak
斯蒂芬·泽比埃克
El Nino
“厄尔尼诺”现象(指严重影响全球气候的太平洋热带海域的大风及海水的大规模移动)
Mark Cane
马克·凯恩
Columbia University
(美国)哥伦比亚大学
Chile
智利(南美洲西南部国家)
the Andes
安第斯山脉(南美洲西部)
Christ
基督
Peruvian
秘鲁的;秘鲁人
Christmastime
圣诞节时期
Indonesia
印度尼西亚(东南亚岛国)
the Philippines
菲律宾(东南亚岛国);菲律宾群岛
Alaska
阿拉斯加州(美国州名)
the Gulf States
美国濒墨西哥湾诸州(指佛罗里达、亚拉巴马、密西西比、路易斯安那和得克萨斯等五个州)
Melbourne
墨尔本(澳大利亚东南部港市)
Peru
秘鲁(南美洲西部国家)
Israel
以色列(全称以色列国，在西南亚巴勒斯坦地区)
the Holy Land
(基督教)圣地;宗教圣地
Dan Yakir
丹·亚克
Michael Ghil
迈克尔·吉尔
Ants Leetmaa
安茨·利特马
Maryland
马里兰州(美国州名)
Florida
佛罗里达州(美国州名)
Brazil
巴西(南美洲国家)
Colombia
哥伦比亚(南美洲西北部国家)
Ecuador
厄瓜多尔(南美洲西北部国家)
Unit 1-B
The great journey of learning
1 Malcolm X was an African-American civil rights activist, religious leader, writer, and speaker. Born in 1925, he was mysteriously assassinated in 1965. By the time of his death, his own telling of his life story, The Autobiography of Malcolm X, had been widely known. He was born Malcolm Little into a poor household. Later, he took the name Malcolm X after joining an organization called the Nation of Islam, a religious group that had changed major practices and beliefs of mainstream Islam to apply more specifically to the condition of African-American people in the United States in the early 1960s.
2 Malcolm X learned about the Nation of Islam while in prison for committing criminal acts such as theft. Because he was poorly educated, he felt inadequate to teach his new beliefs to others. As a young man, he could sketch his thoughts with poor grammar and little vocabulary using the simple, unsophisticated language of people on the street. As an adult, when he tried to inform people about his new beliefs at a rally, he found that he didnt have the adequate communication skills he needed. In his own words, he "wasnt even functional".
3 In a bid to increase his knowledge and improve his skills, desperate Malcolm X devised a scheme. He turned to books, believing this would be beneficial. However, when he tried to read serious books on his own, he was distressed as he didnt know most of the words. "They might as well have been in Chinese," he wrote. He skipped all the words he didnt know and then would end up with no clue as to what the book was about. "I became frustrated," Malcolm X wrote in his autobiography, speaking of his inadequate language skills.
4 Malcolm Xs considerable frustration at his inability to read and write launched him on a quest to overcome his deficiencies. He said, "I saw that the best thing I could do was get hold of a dictionary – to study, to learn some words." And he was lucky enough to reason also that he should try to improve his handwriting. "It was sad. I couldnt even write in a straight line," he told us. These ideas together moved him to appeal to the prison authorities for some paper and pencils.
5 For the first two days, Malcolm X just skimmed through the pages of the dictionary trying to negotiate his way through its unfamiliar format. He told us of his amazement at how closely related the words seemed. How moist could be the root of moisture, and advisable and advisory had the same root word! "I didnt know which words I needed to learn," he said, "finally, just to start some kind of action, I began copying." In his slow, careful, crude handwriting, Malcolm X copied everything on the first full page of the dictionary into a notebook. He even copied the quotation marks! This took him one full day. After that, he read everything he had written aloud. "Over and over, aloud, to myself, I read my own handwriting," Malcolm recalled. He also logged important things that happened every day. Repetition helped move him from basic literacy toward true proficiency.
6 Malcolm X depicted how the next morning when he woke up, he kept thinking about the words he had copied and read aloud and about the acquisition of the knowledge he was pursuing. It was a marvelous feeling. He felt immensely proud.
7 He was so fascinated that he went on copying the dictionarys next page. Once again, he awoke, proud and energized. With every succeeding page he copied and read aloud, Malcolm X found he was learning and remembering more and more words. With each successive day, his confusion diminished.
8 As Malcolm Xs word base broadened, he began to better understand the books he read. It was the first time in his life this had ever happened, "Anyone who has read a great deal can imagine the new world that opened." From then until he left that prison, his concentration was focused on reading. He was so absorbed in it. Months passed without his even thinking about being in prison. "In fact, up to then, I never had been so truly free in my life."
9 "I knew right there in prison that reading had changed forever the course of my life," Malcolm X wrote. He described how one day a writer telephoned him from London for an interview. The interviewer asked Malcolm X what college he had graduated from as he could write so fluently. He told the Englishman that his own personal university was "books".
10 Malcolm Xs life is a wonderful example of the profound effect of learning a language. He was born into a world full of poverty and ignorance. However, as he acquired knowledge, his horizons expanded. He had left behind the narrow, ignorant world of his youth to join the world community of thoughts and actions ever since he started with his great journey of learning English in prison.
译文：
伟大的学习之旅
1马尔科姆艾克斯是一位非裔美国民权活动家、宗教领袖、作家和演说家。他生于1925年，1965年被神秘地暗杀。在他去世之前，他对自己生平的自述——《马尔科姆艾克斯自传》已闻名遐迩。他出生于一个贫民家庭，取名马尔科姆利特尔。后来，他加入了一个叫“伊斯兰民族”的组织，之后改名为马尔科姆艾克斯。“伊斯兰民族”是个宗教团体，它改变了美国主流的一些主要的习俗和信仰，使之更适用于19世纪60年代早期非裔美国人的特定情况。
2马尔科姆艾克斯因当时犯有诸如偷窃等罪而入狱。他在监狱里得知了“伊斯兰民族”组织。由于没有受过良好的教育，他在向别人传授他的新信仰时感到力不从心。作为一名年轻人，他可以用草根语言来概述自己的想法，语言简单、粗浅、语法差劲，且词汇贫乏。可作为一名成年人，当他在大型公众集会上向人们阐述他的新信仰时，他发觉自己缺少了所需的语言交流技能。用他自己的话说，他“甚至没有这个功能”。
3为了增长知识，提高沟通技能，深陷绝望的马尔科姆艾克斯为自己制定了一个计划。他决定求助于书籍，相信书会使他受益匪浅。可是当他试图阅读一些严肃的书本时，他不禁倍感苦恼，因为大部分的词他都不认识。他写道：“这些书还不如是用中文写的。”他跳过了所有不认识的词，可是最终他全然不知这本书里写了什么。马尔科姆艾克斯在他的自传里谈到他贫乏的语言技能时是这样写的：“我变得沮丧起来。”
4由于无法阅读和写作所遭受的巨大挫折促使马尔科姆·艾克斯开始探索如何攻克自己的语言缺陷。他说：“我明白我所能做的就是弄到一本词典来学习，学一些单词。”他也幸运地意识到应该尝试去改进他的书写。他告诉我们：“令人伤心的是我甚至不能把英文书写得整齐。”这些想法促使他向狱管请求，要了一些纸和铅笔。
5头两天，马尔科姆艾克斯只是很快地浏览了一下词典，试图在这不熟悉的格式里寻找出他自己的应付方法。他告诉我们，他对这些单词之间的密切关系感到诧异。moist怎么会是moisture的词根；advisable跟advisory竟是同根词！“我都不知道哪些单词我需要学，”他说，“最后，为了有所行动，我开始抄写词典。”马尔科姆艾克斯用他缓慢、仔细、蹩脚的书写，把词典的第一页全都抄写在一个笔记本上，他甚至把引号也抄了。这花了他整整一天的时间。在此之后，他高声朗读所有抄写下来的东西。“我一遍又一遍地给自己大声朗读自己抄写的东西。”马尔科姆回忆道。他还把每天发生的重要事情记录下来。重复朗读帮助他从一个仅有一些基础文化知识的人变成真正精通语言的人。
6马尔科姆艾克斯描述了他第二天醒来时，是如何努力回忆他抄写和朗读过的单词及他苦苦追求所获的知识。这是一种神奇的感觉，他感到无比自豪。
7他对此如此着迷以至于他又继续抄写词典的下一页。又一次，他醒来时感到骄傲且精力充沛。随着不断抄写和朗读，马尔科姆·艾克斯发现自己在学到东西，也记住了越来越多的单词，他的困惑也逐日减少。
8随着马尔科姆艾克斯的词汇量不断扩大，他开始能更好地理解所阅读的书了。这种现象在他的一生中从未发生过。“任何一个阅读广泛的人都能想象那个开启了的新世界。”从那时起到他离开那个监狱，他一直专注于阅读，被它深深吸引。数月过去了，他竟然没感到自己在坐牢。“事实上，在这之前，我从没如此真正地感受过生活的自由。”
9 “就是在监狱里我意识到阅读永远地改变了我的人生轨迹，”马尔科姆艾克斯写道。他描述了有一天一位作家从伦敦打电话来采访他。那位作家问马尔科姆艾克斯，他文笔那么流畅，是从什么大学毕业的。马尔科姆告诉那位英国人他的大学是“书本”。
10马尔科姆艾克斯的一生成功地创造了一个通过语言学习而深刻改变人生的光辉典范。他出生于贫穷、无知的世界。可是，知识开阔了他的眼界。从他在监狱里踏上伟大的英语学习之旅起，他就离开了青年时代狭窄、无知的世界，加入到有思想、有作为的世界之中。
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